Ministry Matters "7 gifts millennials give the church | Pastor's office hours: Time to cut back? | Identity & faith" for Tuesday, 2 September 2014

Pastor's office hours:
Time to cut back? by Joseph Yoo

In a recent sermon, Pastor Andy Stanley stated that every church has a gravitational pull to be a church that serves only its members — a pull to be a church for just insiders. That's because 100 percent of the complaints, suggestions, critiques, and comments come from people who are already there — already attending the church. The leadership team feels pressure to bend towards a lot of those complaints and suggestions and in turn they become more inwardly focused than outwardly focused. So the church becomes more and more friendly to the "insiders" because we put a lot of effort into meeting the needs of the "insiders." It's easy to ignore the "outsiders" — those we're trying to reach — because they have no voice within the walls of the church. And they have no voice, no suggestions, and no complaints because they aren't present.

One way churches continue to force their pastors to bend inwards is their insistence on office hours. Some folks feel that the pastor is not doing her duties if she isn't in her office when they drop by on a whim. As if every pastor should be waiting around in their offices for people to drop on by so they can answer questions about mind-numbing things of the church. (Don't get me wrong, I've had powerful ministry moments when people stop by unannounced. But, in my personal experience, those are far and few in between.)

In the age of smartphones and being able to reach pastors almost anywhere (also not the healthiest of things) why do churches feel the need for their pastors to be secluded in a room in a building when life is happening all around the community? Who does that benefit? Who are office hours for, anyway? I'm inclined to think that office hours are more for the already-church members than anyone else. But, serving in a small church, I can go days without seeing anyone in my office.

Whether good or bad, the pastor becomes the biggest representative of the church. The reputation of a church often hangs on the reputation of the pastor. If you truly think your pastor is wonderful, then why are you keeping him in the office and not allowing other people to get to know him?

That's not to say that the pastor should forgo office hours completely. Some time in the office is important. But the church should encourage the pastor to get out more. If your pastor talks about inviting people to church, hold her accountable by making her go in the community and start connecting with non-church members and invite people to partner with what God is doing in your faith community. Let your pastor engage with people of the community more by perhaps letting him set up shop at a local coffee cafe to get the feel of the people who live in the area. Encourage your pastor to be a little league coach or join book clubs. In other words, be willing to share your pastor with the community instead of hoarding him.

Bishop Carcaño, my bishop of the California-Pacific Conference of the United Methodist Church shared with our churches this message:

Growing the church takes great intentionality. We have to be willing to share Christ Jesus with others and invite others to consider following Jesus as Lord and Savior. This won’t happen if the primary focus of our church life is us. This does not mean that we cease to provide ministry to those who are already members of the church, but it does mean that we make others the priority.

Let's be intentional in making others the priority. Let's be less consumed with getting people to come to our churches and more focused on bringing church to the people of our communities.

I was told by a church coach that when we're appointed to a church, we're not just being appointed to that local church but to that community as well. Paraphrasing John Wesley, "The world is our parish." And in order to live that out, the pastor needs to spend less time in the office and more time in the community. Amen! Amen! Amen!

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The preacher didn't
mention Jesus! by Shane Raynor Tom Fuerst

Should every sermon include explicit references to Jesus? Shane Raynor shares his thoughts, then he and pastor/blogger Tom Fuerst discuss ideas from Tom's recent blog post, "Not every sermon needs to mention Jesus." LISTEN (11:15)

Should every sermon include explicit references to Jesus? In this audio commentary, I share my thoughts, then pastor / blogger / Ministry Matters contributor Tom Fuerst and I discuss ideas from Tom's recent blog post "Not every sermon needs to mention Jesus."

Note: In the commentary portion, I'm not referring to sermons that are designed specifically for the purpose of evangelism. Nor am I suggesting that preachers should avoid using the name of Jesus in sermons. I'm all for proclaiming Jesus whenever and wherever you can! But on Sunday mornings there may be times, especially if the sermon is not on a passage from the New Testament, when it's more effective to rely upon other parts of the service (Scripture readings from the Lectionary, and/or Communion) and the Holy Spirit to make the Jesus connection.

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Churches must provide a space where people are free to be themselves by Tom Ehrich

(RNS) Church leaders often worry that Sunday morning is the “most segregated day of the week.”

On Sundays, churchgoers gather inside congregations that are remarkably monochromatic. Whites with whites, blacks with blacks, Latinos with Latinos, Koreans with Koreans, and so on.

This phenomenon, however, is more than discomfort with diversity. It is also a search for safety. In the historic black church, for example, worshippers can assert the dignity and worth that a white society denies them. For three hours on Sunday, the need to avoid offending whites doesn’t govern their lives.

As we are learning in Ferguson, Mo., African-Americans feel unsafe — far more than many whites have realized. Young black men, for example, flinch whenever a police car passes — a vulnerability that money, job and education can’t overcome.

Recent violence against women revealed a similar safety problem. Many women flinch whenever a man draws near and feel demeaned on a daily basis by sexist behaviors at work. Abuse stories are common.

People need safe places, and church has provided that safety to many. In church, a young black male can play drums with the choir, serve as an usher, hang out with friends and feel loved and accepted without any need to avoid eye contact with whites.

Years ago, after a horrible time in a congregation, a friend took me to a black church. He wanted me to rediscover safety inside church doors. There, among the marginalized, I was treated with dignity and respect and felt safe inside a church for the first time in years.

I have wondered why female clergy tend to hire female staff, to select female leaders and to emphasize female needs. Was this the “sisterhood” taking over? Turning the tables on patriarchy?

No, I think it’s part of providing a place where women can feel safe. Not just in charge, but actually safe: free to be themselves, not needing to please men or to fear men, free to imagine God as more than patriarch.

A similar search for safety has led gays to seek out gay-affirming congregations where they can be fully themselves. Some churches are entirely oriented to gay constituents.

Young church folks tend to avoid congregations led by the elderly, because they want to avoid the glares and heavy-handed control battles common in older churches.

Because safety matters so much, established congregations have an even larger dilemma than grappling with financial stress and declining numbers. They need to be safe places first.

In too many congregations, people fight over trivialities. They bully each other over doctrine, tradition, lifestyle or political views. Power struggles are more common than generosity.

Insecure leaders allow the hyperneedy and disruptive to poison public conversations. The anxious treat basic facts of life such as change and diversity as dangerous intrusions.

Living as a Christian in the world should be more dangerous than it is. But when the faith community itself is a dangerous place, who will speak truth to power in the marketplace? Who will stand with the oppressed? Who will turn away from the false security promised by wealth? Who will embrace the enemy?

Monochromatic congregations aren’t inherently safe, nor are diverse congregations inherently dangerous. Safety in church is a matter of solid and secure leadership, self-discipline by all, effective norms for behavior and putting dignity and respect ahead of winning and getting.

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Cracks in the ‘stained-glass ceiling’ by Adelle M. Banks / Religion News Service

(RNS) Chicago. New York. Washington, D.C. In quick succession this year, three women have been chosen to lead historic tall-steeple churches in all these cities.

In May, the Rev. Shannon Johnson Kershner became the first woman solo senior pastor at Chicago’s Fourth Presbyterian Church. In June, the Rev. Amy Butler was elected senior pastor of New York City’s Riverside Church. And finally, in July, the Rev. Ginger Gaines-Cirelli began leading Foundry United Methodist Church in Washington, D.C.

“For women to speak in those pulpits and speak boldly as public voices in these very public buildings is very powerful,” said the Rev. Serene Jones, president of Union Theological Seminary, who recently hosted a dinner party with some of New York’s movers and shakers to welcome Butler to town.

It’s been 40 years since the Episcopal Church first ordained women, and other denominations have long included women in their clergy ranks. But these new advances are occurring sooner in the lives of these three women than some of their older counterparts. The Hartford Institute for Religion Research reports that women clergy are much more likely to serve in smaller congregations.

Scholar Diana Butler Bass hailed the arrival of these women — all in their 40s and leading large, urban, neo-Gothic churches — but also wondered if they reflect the “General Motors phenomenon.”

“Are women coming into leadership only as the institutions are collapsing?” asked Bass, author of “Christianity After Religion.”

“Now that they’re in crisis, it’s almost like the men are moving out and, ‘Oh well, we’ll just leave it to the women.’ Then if the church doesn’t succeed, then it’s the woman’s fault. It’s a kind of a double-edged sword.”

Gaines-Cirelli, 44, doesn’t view it that way.

“I think there are challenges and I think that we face them and I think that the fact that women are being counted among those who are capable of facing those challenges at the highest level is a very positive sign,” said the native Oklahoman.

Sociologist of religion Cynthia Woolever said the movement of first-career women to these significant sanctuaries is occurring in the isolated realm of mainline Protestantism, where about 20 percent of congregations are led by clergywomen.

“If you look at conservative Protestant churches you find very few; in the Catholic church: zero,” said Woolever, editor of The Parish Paper, a newsletter for regional offices of mainline denominations.

“It’s wonderful that women are being given those kinds of opportunities to serve in those very large churches, but it’s a very small slice of the pie.”

All three of the senior pastors have had to jump gender-specific hurdles.

In June, Butler used the hashtag “nevergetsold” when she tweeted about how a funeral director didn’t believe she was a minister. She once had to get an emergency room security guard to log on to her former church’s website to show him her photo there so she could pay a late-night visit to a sick congregant.

“Look, I know you’re his girlfriend,” the guard told her before she convinced him otherwise.

Kershner said that early in her ministry when she was a hospital chaplain, she often entered rooms where she was rebuffed because she wasn’t a “real minister.”

In every place she’s served as the first woman pastor, Gaines-Cirelli has heard a variation on this theme: “I was so worried that we were getting a woman, but I think that you’re going to be just fine.”

Comparable pay was yet another hurdle.

But both Butler and Len Leach, chair of Riverside’s church council, said the pastor’s base salary of $250,000 is equivalent to that received by her predecessor, the Rev. Brad Braxton.

“It is a big job and for me it’s a big, wonderful opportunity and a big risk and so I think the Riverside Church has really stepped out here to set a great example for the rest of Christendom,” said Butler, a native Hawaiian who will lead a majority black congregation.

Butler described her total package, including benefits, as “fair.” Leach said Butler decided to give $35,000 annually to the interdenominational church’s general fund and an additional $26,000 as a scholarship to pay the annual tuition of a student at the church’s day school.

Kershner and Gaines-Cirelli also said they are paid fairly.

All three women are not only leading congregations but staffs that include other female clergy. Riverside’s staff has four other women clergy, Fourth Church has three female associate pastors, and Foundry has one female associate pastor as well as a woman executive pastor.

“The truth is that for years, it was all men; in some places it still is and nobody bats an eye,” said Gaines-Cirelli. “So the fact that we are live-streaming to the world this other vision is kind of powerful.”

Foundry member Leo Lawless agreed.

“It’s about time, isn’t it?” he said, noting that a recent worship service featured Gaines-Cirelli and two other women clergy, and two female acolytes as well as a laywoman who read the Scriptures.

The three senior clergywomen each say they look forward to the day when they’re viewed simply as their congregation’s pastor, rather than its woman pastor.

Said Kershner: “My hope is that little boys and little girls see me and the other clergy and think if that’s something that they say and others think God’s calling them to do, then they can do it.”

7 gifts & opportunities millennials provide
the church

THE CHURCH AND MILLENNIALS

by Timothy Siburg

Recently I had the chance to participate in an open-space conversation on the purpose and practices of lay theological education. As part of this discussion, there emerged a recognition and need to talk openly with and about millennials. How can the church engage them? How can the church meet them where they are at? As one of probably only two actual millennials in the conversation I had to avoid being a “token voice” but overall, I enjoyed the conversation. I have talked about the implications of millennials some with my parents and some in my parents’ generation, but had never really before seen the topic be engaged by a gathering of people my parent’s generation. My fellow millennials, I think you would have been pleasantly surprised by what the gathered group had to say about millennials. There is a lot of energy around them in the church and the opportunity and possibilities they might provide.

This leads me to wondering today though, what are the gifts and opportunities that millennials provide the church? I don’t use the term “provide” in a commodity like sense for the church, rather I think that millennials through their perspectives and values may be part of a seminal moment in the life of the church.

7 gifts and opportunities millennials provide the church

Millennials who are present or at least engaged in some kind of ministry, force the church to wrestle with questions. To be a part of something or to engage with something millennials are likely to consider and think deeply about the basic questions of why, who, what, how and where. These are important questions that congregations, faith communities and the larger church should always be forced to wrestle with but often do not reflect on them and take the answers to the questions for granted. By wrestling with these questions though, there is space to really wonder, for example, what might be possible and what God might be up to and calling and leading a congregation to be a part of.

Millennials are adept at allowing space for questions and the ability to leave a question open without an easy answer. You aren’t likely going to find an easy answer to a question as deep and profound like “what might God be up to here.” However, that fact actually may excite millennials who aren’t looking for easy answers. Millennials, like many people of faith are looking for those who allow the questions to be questions and give space to wondering about them. When there are easy answers there is less gray area, and at least from a Lutheran theological perspective, that doesn’t seem to correlate well with the many tensions and paradox which Lutheran theological ideas seem to create and leave room for.

Millennials value authenticity, and because of this they value authentic stories—in preaching, leading and relationship. They want to know the deeper story (like in the work around authentic stories done by Humans of New York). Millennials don’t want just a Bible study in the sermon. They want to see what is being preached lived out in life and the way the church or faith community exists. They want to know what questions people are contemplating, what parts of the faith journey are being struggles, and they want to be met in authentic relationship. They desire to be valued as equals by others in their communities and by their communities’ leaders and pastors. The idea of some people being “set apart” over others does not sit well with them, and pastors that hold such an idea of leadership and of pastoring often may frustrate, alienate or altogether lead to millennials leaving a particular faith community (and sometimes, sadly, the larger church) altogether.

Millennials may signify new opportunities for connections and connection making because being connected and connecting people and ideas is something that is seemingly second-nature to millennials. To see this, one only has to witness the way millennials use and engage social media. But beyond the connecting online, millennials connect ideas from different spheres of influence and study with different areas and subjects in their life. In this sense, they are networkers but also able to connect meaning in ways that may not have seemed possible, necessary or even considered before.

Millennials seem to have, more than prior generations, a spirit and desire to collaborate because they see themselves as part of something bigger than themselves and want to be able to help do some good in the world. In their service they look or find depth and are able to make meaning out of why they are doing what they are doing. Thinking of a particular faith understanding, for example, for Lutherans this might mean being able to better connect the work and theological meaning of related non-profits and organizations like Lutheran World Relief to the life of a particular congregation. Millennials love partnership, and because of this they are not to be as afraid of giving others power. They are happy to share power and decision making for the sake of the larger need. A good example is the “Friend Raiser” model employed by MIDTOWN Church.

Millennials are cautiously optimistic and hopeful. They love helping others and generally appreciate opportunities to affirm other people in the work they do. For the church this may mean people who can help teach the church how to affirm people in their daily life (vocations). Everyone brings something beautiful and unique to the table. I believe this has great potential for a new way of deeply articulating what it means to be Children of God, and to be beautifully unique, diverse and loved.

Millennials desire and yearn for depth. Traditional Bible studies and being told what is important doesn’t really resonate for millennials. There is a deep desire to connect, wrestle, question and engage multiple senses and life with faith. This reiterates the importance of connection and meaning making unpacked above. I also think this speaks to the opportunities presented by some church related undergraduate institutions like Centers of Faith and Life or other such places. If congregations and faith communities open up opportunities for depth and intentionally allow space for it, they may be more likely to engage millennials.

What do you think of these observations and potential opportunities? Do you agree or disagree? What other observations or ideas do you have? What your ideas are will shape the next post in this series so please let me know what you think and join the conversation. I believe it’s an important one for the church.

This post was adapted from posts previously appearing on Timothy Siburg's blog.

Is James Foley
a martyr? BRUTAL DEATH SPARKS FAITH-BASED DEBATE

by David Gibson / Religion News Service

(RNS) From the moment news broke that U.S. journalist James Foley had been beheaded by Islamic State extremists in the Middle East, many Christians, especially Foley’s fellow Catholics, began calling him a martyr, with some even saying he should be considered a saint.

Yet that characterization has left others uneasy, and the discussion is raising larger questions about what constitutes martyrdom.

Foley’s parents seemed to validate the martyrdom label when his father, John, spoke at an emotional news conference outside the family’s New Hampshire home and said he and his wife “believe he was a martyr.” Foley’s mother, Diane, added that her son “reminds us of Jesus. Jesus was goodness, love — and Jim was becoming more and more that.”

In an interview two days later with Katie Couric, Foley’s younger brother, Michael, recounted how Pope Francis had called the family to console them and in their conversation “referred to Jim’s act as, really, martyrdom.”

Numerous commentators had already picked up on that idea, holding Foley up not only as a witness to the Christian faith but as a spur for believers in the West to take more seriously the plight of Christians in Iraq and elsewhere in the Middle East who are being persecuted to a degree that some say is comparable to genocide.

But in the Catholic Church, determining whether someone is a martyr is not so easy. Historically, two conditions must be met.

First, even if martyrs weren’t saintly or pious Christians throughout their lives, there should be evidence that they held fast to their faith in their final moments, and that this witness can serve as an example to others.

Foley certainly seemed to take solace in his faith under duress.

In a 2011 essay he wrote for the alumni magazine of Marquette University, his Jesuit-run alma mater, Foley spoke movingly of his belief in prayer, and especially his recourse to the rosary to sustain him when he was imprisoned in Libya earlier that year while covering the downfall of Moammar Gadhafi.

That was also the heart of a message that Foley managed to send from his captivity at the hands of the IS; after the episode in Libya, Foley, a photojournalist, went to cover the civil war in Syria and was kidnapped there on Thanksgiving in 2012. He was held with as many as 17 other prisoners and had a fellow captive, who was later released, commit to memory a letter in which Foley spoke of how prayer and faith kept him close to his family.

“I feel you all especially when I pray,” Foley said. “I pray for you to stay strong and to believe. I really feel I can touch you even in this darkness when I pray.”

The second factor in determining whether someone is a martyr is that they must be killed explicitly because they are a Christian, or “in odium fidei,” out of hatred for the faith. That’s where martyrdom arguments can get complicated, and messy.

For example, Salvadoran Archbishop Oscar Romero, who lived under constant threat for his advocacy on behalf of the poor and in defense of human rights, was immediately hailed as a martyr in 1980 when he was assassinated by paramilitary forces while celebrating Mass.

But under the papacies of John Paul II and Benedict XVI, Romero’s canonization cause was repeatedly stalled because conservatives in the Vatican argued that Romero had become an icon of liberation theology and was killed for political rather than religious reasons.

Only this month, in fact, Pope Francis — who has long revered Romero – announced that the archbishop’s sainthood process had been “unblocked.”

Francis also indicated that he wanted the church to consider whether those who are killed “for performing the works that Jesus commands us to do for our neighbor” are martyrs just as those who are killed for professing the creed. If that happens it could mark a significant shift in the church’s understanding of martyrdom.

Yet some also worry that Foley is being promoted as a martyr in part because he can serve as a Christian rallying cry against extremist Islam, or as a way of building momentum for a more forceful Western intervention in Iraq.

So the question then comes down to parsing the rationale of Foley’s killers: Did they murder him because he was a Christian or because he was an American? Did they kill him because he would not convert, or did they kill him to provoke the West? Was he a martyr for the faith or, as Foley’s father added, “a martyr for freedom”?

Can we ever know? Should we try?

“It would be vulgar to indulge in speculative fiction that claims James Foley was praying during what are now his famous last moments on Earth,” Alana Massey wrote in a Religion Dispatches column taking issue with the instant canonization of Foley.

Massey said she found it “off-putting” to read others describing Foley as a martyr “not only because he was killed explicitly for his nationality and not for his religion, but also because the prospect of the hellscape that is the battleground on which ISIS fights becoming a destination for competitive martyrdom can do no one any good.”

Many more seem to disagree with that view and think that whatever the perils of calling Foley a martyr, he ultimately qualifies as one — and in doing so his death, and life, point to a modern-day example of martyrdom that has moved millions of people.

“We don’t want to cheapen the meaning of the word ‘martyr,’” the Catholic blogger Pia de Solenni wrote in a detailed meditation on Foley’s death. “But this is real. It’s happening everywhere. It’s making extraordinary witnesses out of ordinary people. We should not cheapen their witness by ignoring the reality of their sacrifice, their martyrdom.”

As an artist by Cary Gibson

As an artist, I find there is a physicality to the Gospel of Mark that connects with the physical act of making art. It’s a text that seems well suited to a creative response– using my body to connect my own story to the stories I encounter.

Visceral & riotous, Mark’s gospel is all shoving bodies and (sometimes violent) dis-order. Through texture & senses, the dry grit of the desert is refreshed when plunged into water and the stuttering tongue is loosened with spit-laden fingers. Jostling, noisy crowds surround sweat-wracked bodies—sick with fever and the madness of exclusion from community. Deaf ears hear silent foaming screams, a woman bleeding grasps in desperation for a hem & angry hands upend the furniture.

So many of the people we encounter in this gospel– including Jesus himself– are outcasts or scapegoats, a threat to the communal order. Their stories are bursting with the need for inclusion, healing and justice, to be made whole by being accepted in their brokenness.

Four friends lowered a paralyzed man down through an opening in the roof to reach Jesus in the house below. I ask myself, what in me needs healing? I take paper and charcoal – or better still some dirt and make a mark on the page. I allow my own memories to collide with the gospel stories – my own need to be seen, touched, understood, included, healed.

As I scratch and scrawl, I try not to think. I let my hands be honest as I listen to what is in me that is moved by these stories. I demand that what is in me for which I have no words be heard. Just as no justice is ever won by politeness, no outsider who got healing from Jesus ever waited his or her turn.

Every mark I make on the page is me opening up – reaching down as if through a hole in a roof – to a place of deep honesty. It is an act of faith, an expression of prayer:

“If you are there, and you are who you say you are, then heal me.”

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Does Romans 9-11 teach Calvinist predestination? by Ben Witherington

Does Romans 9-11 teach Calvinist predestination? Ben Witherington explains that Paul's aim is to refute the idea that God now favored the Romans, or Gentiles, rather than the Jews. In the process, he explains how the terms predestination, election, and salvation relate—or don't relate—to one another.

This video is from Seedbed.com's Seven Minute Seminary series.

The craft of
sermon preparation by Chad Brooks

I have been waiting for this episode for months! I sat down with John Chandler, host and producer of the Sermonsmith podcast and learned from him. John interviews a different preacher on each episode and it is a wealth of knowledge about the craft of sermon preparation.

The List

How I Prepare for Expository Bible Study or Preaching - Jeremy Sarber

Jeremy is a listener and podcaster of his own. He runs a great blog and he shared this post with me. It is well worth your reading.

Create a Weekly Attack Plan - Art of Manliness

I came across this post in my feed reader one day. It is a great look at how one person handles an immense amount of creative responsibility as well as life in general.

Sermonsmith and John Chandler

John and I had a great conversation. I asked him these 5 questions.

1. What motivated you to start a podcast all about sermon preparation?

2. What has been the biggest common denominator in your interviews?

3. What was the most surprising thing?

4. What have you incorporated in your preparation and enjoyed the most?

5. What seems to be the usual pattern of preparation for your guests?

21: Sermonsmith and John Chandler http://po.st/AM3DZ5 via @po_st

You can check out the archived Productive Pastor Insider where I shared my sermon workflow here.

Remember to sign up for the Productive Pastor Insider List. Get a great free productivity resource and the inside scoop every other Friday.

Listen: Stitcher RSS Direct Download iTunes

What's your story? by Andrea Murdock

Life Without Memory

We all know the struggle and pain of people who live with Alzheimer’s. They lose their short-term memory—their ability to put the pieces of their daily lives together. Often, to compensate, they grasp at memories from their past, living in the time they can remember clearly. But what if life were the reverse? What if we had only the here and now? The movie "The Giver" (like the novel it is based on) leads us to ask similar questions: What if our culture were designed for “sameness” among all people in looks, behavior, dress, and emotion? How would a group of communities be structured if there were no aspect of human history, good or bad, as a part of their story?

Life Without Color

In sports, the persons who describe the action to those who are watching TV or listening to the radio is called the “play-by-play announcer” and the “color commentator.” The job of the color commentator is to add insight and detail to the action on the field or court. Color is a word used to exemplify the richness of life. Contrast the black worn to most funerals with the colorful costumes of a typical circus. In "The Giver," the members of the communities live without the ability to see color. The energy, enjoyment, and differentiation that come with color have been removed to keep everyone calm and compliant.

Life Without Story

What if our faith story were taken away from us? Is it possible to believe in God without knowing the Scriptures? Of course! Is it OK to trust in Jesus as your Savior without being able to quote the Beatitudes? Sure! But, how much richer is your faith when you know where Jesus fits in the whole story of God’s relationship with humanity? In "The Giver," the protagonist, Jonas, has his world shattered and then rebuilt when he receives the memories of humanity.

Question of the Day: What is your favorite Bible story?

Focal Scriptures: Deuteronomy 34:1-5; Matthew 5:17-48; Acts 11:1-17

For a complete lesson on this topic visit LinC here!

Together, in this issue of LinC, you and your youth will find ways that story and Scripture work in tandem to enhance your individual faith journeys.

4 benefits of journaling by Barbara Bruce

The practice of journaling has been around for hundreds of years. Kings and presidents and leaders of all sorts practiced this art and many of their musings are archived as intimate and personal history.

I am thinking in terms of journaling for healthy aging. "Hmmm," you might say, “How so?” Studies have been done on the effects of journaling for health over the years and interesting results have ensued.

4 health benefits of journaling are (but are not limited to):

Reducing stress

Writing about your stressful situation will often lead to insights and alternative perspectives which may lead to a reduction of the physical impact the stress may have on your mind/body/spirit.

Problem solving

Writing about your problem without editing in any way—just writing from your right brain (emotional, free flowing, non-judgmental) may provide insights you have not thought of in your rational or linear (left brained) thinking. A “whole brained” approach to anything opens up expanded thinking processes!

Understanding yourself

Writing about a subject (more on this later) may help you to revisit experiences you have had but have not thought about (or unpacked) for years.

Exploring a disagreement

A therapeutic way of journaling about a disagreement is to write about it from the other person’s point of view. This is a technique I used in co-teaching a class “Managing Change and Conflict” at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). It is a powerful tool.

These are a few of the health benefits from journaling.

“Fine”, you say, “But how do I do it?”

The short answer is "easily.” The only rule is that there are no rules!

Some guidelines however might be helpful:

Find a comfortable time, place and materials, a notebook (your choice of color or design) and a good pen.

Make a decision as to whether or not you are going to share what you write and with whom. This decision makes a great difference in how and what you write.

Do NOT edit. Don’t worry about spelling or grammar, just write. Write from your heart as well as your head.

Select a topic. This will totally depend on your circumstances. For our purposes let’s assume this is a daily journal of your life. Leave junior high school and “Dear Diary” behind. Focus on what aspect of your day was important to you, who you interacted with, some ideas or special thoughts you had, a discovery you made and things you are grateful for.

As you begin this practice of journaling, you may discover you begin to see your life differently. In a creative writing course, I asked participants to metaphorically wear “glasses of a different color” each day. One day was to wear “rose colored” glasses and journal from that perspective. Another day was green glasses to see the world from an envious perspective. Yet another day was to wear blue glasses and see the world from a sad perspective. The discoveries were amazing and the debrief of the experience was insightful.

Writing about a person, problem or position that brings stress is therapeutic. I ask students to write without stopping or editing for four minutes and eleven seconds. They are then instructed to fold the paper without reading it and put it in a safe place. In two or three days they have a choice of re-reading it or destroying it unread. The purpose is catharsis. It is one strategy for addressing the problem toward the goal of letting go of it.

It is of great health importance to record things you are thankful for each day. Keeping a gratitude journal is a proven and powerful strategy to help you stay focused on seeing the glass half full. When I teach this topic, I add my caveat and say, ”It is illegal, immoral and fattening to list the same things you are thankful for (ie: my grandchildren) more than once a week.” Some days it is easier than others.

Thinking ministry

You might invite people to journal about the scripture from this week’s sermon each day and see how the same scripture speaks differently to you each day.

Or, journal about your thoughts about next week’s scripture (many churches use the common lectionary or post the next scripture in the bulletin) to see what it says to you and then how your interpretation and the sermon agree or disagree.

Focusing on how scripture speaks to you personally has the potential of insight and faith development.

This Sunday
September 7, 2014

Lectionary Scriptures:

13th Sunday after Pentecost - Exodus 12:1-14; Psalm 149 or Psalm 148; Romans 13:8-14; Matthew 18:15-20

Exodus 12:1-10 God said to Moses and Aaron while still in Egypt, “This month is to be the first month of the year for you. Address the whole community of Israel; tell them that on the tenth of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one lamb to a house. If the family is too small for a lamb, then share it with a close neighbor, depending on the number of persons involved. Be mindful of how much each person will eat. Your lamb must be a healthy male, one year old; you can select it from either the sheep or the goats. Keep it penned until the fourteenth day of this month and then slaughter it—the entire community of Israel will do this—at dusk. Then take some of the blood and smear it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which you will eat it. You are to eat the meat, roasted in the fire, that night, along with bread, made without yeast, and bitter herbs. Don’t eat any of it raw or boiled in water; make sure it’s roasted—the whole animal, head, legs, and innards. Don’t leave any of it until morning; if there are leftovers, burn them in the fire.

11 “And here is how you are to eat it: Be fully dressed with your sandals on and your stick in your hand. Eat in a hurry; it’s the Passover to God.

12-13 “I will go through the land of Egypt on this night and strike down every firstborn in the land of Egypt, whether human or animal, and bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am God. The blood will serve as a sign on the houses where you live. When I see the blood I will pass over you—no disaster will touch you when I strike the land of Egypt.

14-16 “This will be a memorial day for you; you will celebrate it as a festival to God down through the generations, a fixed festival celebration to be observed always. You will eat unraised bread (matzoth) for seven days: On the first day get rid of all yeast from your houses—anyone who eats anything with yeast from the first day to the seventh day will be cut off from Israel. The first and the seventh days are set aside as holy; do no work on those days. Only what you have to do for meals; each person can do that.

Psalm 149:1-4 Hallelujah!

Sing to God a brand-new song,

praise him in the company of all who love him.

Let all Israel celebrate their Sovereign Creator,

Zion’s children exult in their King.

Let them praise his name in dance;

strike up the band and make great music!

And why? Because God delights in his people,

festoons plain folk with salvation garlands!

5-9 Let true lovers break out in praise,

sing out from wherever they’re sitting,

Shout the high praises of God,

brandish their swords in the wild sword-dance—

A portent of vengeance on the God-defying nations,

a signal that punishment’s coming,

Their kings chained and hauled off to jail,

their leaders behind bars for good,

The judgment on them carried out to the letter

—and all who love God in the seat of honor!

Hallelujah!

Psalm 148:1-5 Hallelujah!

Praise God from heaven,

praise him from the mountaintops;

Praise him, all you his angels,

praise him, all you his warriors,

Praise him, sun and moon,

praise him, you morning stars;

Praise him, high heaven,

praise him, heavenly rain clouds;

Praise, oh let them praise the name of God—

he spoke the word, and there they were!

6 He set them in place

from all time to eternity;

He gave his orders,

and that’s it!

7-12 Praise God from earth,

you sea dragons, you fathomless ocean deeps;

Fire and hail, snow and ice,

hurricanes obeying his orders;

Mountains and all hills,

apple orchards and cedar forests;

Wild beasts and herds of cattle,

snakes, and birds in flight;

Earth’s kings and all races,

leaders and important people,

Robust men and women in their prime,

and yes, graybeards and little children.

13-14 Let them praise the name of God—

it’s the only Name worth praising.

His radiance exceeds anything in earth and sky;

he’s built a monument—his very own people!

Praise from all who love God!

Israel’s children, intimate friends of God.

Hallelujah!

Romans 13:8-10 Don’t run up debts, except for the huge debt of love you owe each other. When you love others, you complete what the law has been after all along. The law code—don’t sleep with another person’s spouse, don’t take someone’s life, don’t take what isn’t yours, don’t always be wanting what you don’t have, and any other “don’t” you can think of—finally adds up to this: Love other people as well as you do yourself. You can’t go wrong when you love others. When you add up everything in the law code, the sum total is love.

11-14 But make sure that you don’t get so absorbed and exhausted in taking care of all your day-by-day obligations that you lose track of the time and doze off, oblivious to God. The night is about over, dawn is about to break. Be up and awake to what God is doing! God is putting the finishing touches on the salvation work he began when we first believed. We can’t afford to waste a minute, must not squander these precious daylight hours in frivolity and indulgence, in sleeping around and dissipation, in bickering and grabbing everything in sight. Get out of bed and get dressed! Don’t loiter and linger, waiting until the very last minute. Dress yourselves in Christ, and be up and about!

Matthew 18:15-17 “If a fellow believer hurts you, go and tell him—work it out between the two of you. If he listens, you’ve made a friend. If he won’t listen, take one or two others along so that the presence of witnesses will keep things honest, and try again. If he still won’t listen, tell the church. If he won’t listen to the church, you’ll have to start over from scratch, confront him with the need for repentance, and offer again God’s forgiving love.

18-20 “Take this most seriously: A yes on earth is yes in heaven; a no on earth is no in heaven. What you say to one another is eternal. I mean this. When two of you get together on anything at all on earth and make a prayer of it, my Father in heaven goes into action. And when two or three of you are together because of me, you can be sure that I’ll be there.”

John Wesley's Notes-Commentary:

13th Sunday after Pentecost - Exodus 12:1-14

Verse 1

[1] And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying,

The Lord spake — Had spoken, before the three days darkness. But the mention of it was put off to this place, that the history of the plagues might not be interrupted.

Verse 2

[2] This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you.

This shall be to you the beginning of months — They had hitherto begun their year from the middle of September, but hence-forward they were to begin it from the middle of March, at least in all their ecclesiastical computations. We may suppose that while Moses was bringing the ten plagues upon the Egyptians, he was directing the Israelites to prepare for their departure at an hour's warning. Probably he had, by degrees, brought them near together from their dispersions, for they are here called the congregation of Israel; and to them, as a congregation, orders are here sent.

Verse 3

[3] Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house:

Take every man a lamb — In each of their families, or two or three families, if they were small, join for a lamb. The lamb was to be got ready four days before. and that afternoon they went, they were to kill it, ( Exodus 12:6,) as a sacrifice, not strictly, for it was not offered upon the altar, but as a religious ceremony, acknowledging God's goodness to them, not only in preserving them from, but in delivering them by the plagues inflicted on the Egyptians. The lamb so slain they were to eat roasted (we may suppose in its several quarters) with unleavened bread and bitter herbs; they were to eat it in haste, Exodus 12:11, and to leave none of it until the morning; for God would have them to depend upon him for their daily bread. Before they eat the flesh of the lamb, they were to sprinkle the blood upon the door-posts; by which their houses were to be distinguished from the houses of the Egyptians, and so their first-born secured from the sword of the destroying angel. Dreadful work was to be made this night in Egypt; all the first-born both of man and beast were to be slain; and judgment executed upon the gods of Egypt, Numbers 33:4. It is probable the idols which the Egyptians worshipped were defaced, those of metal melted, those of wood consumed, and those of stone broke to pieces. This was to be annually observed as a feast of the Lord in their generations, to which the feast of unleavened bread was annexed, during which, for seven days, they were to eat no bread but what was unleavened, in remembrance of their being confined to such bread for many days after they came out of Egypt, Exodus 12:14-20. There was much of the gospel in this ordinance: (1.) The paschal lamb was typical. Christ is our passover, 1 Corinthians 5:7, and is the Lamb of God, John 1:29. 2. It was to be a male of the first year; in its prime. Christ offered up himself in the midst of his days. It notes the strength and sufficiency of the Lord Jesus, on whom our help was laid. 3. It was to be without blemish, noting the purity of the Lord Jesus, a lamb without spot, 1 Peter 1:19. 4. It was to be set apart four days before, noting the designation of the Lord Jesus to be a Saviour, both in the purpose and in the promise. It is observable, that as Christ was crucified at the passover, so he solemnly entered into Jerusalem four days before, the very day that the paschal lamb was set apart. 5. It was to be slain and roasted with fire, noting the exquisite sufferings of the Lord Jesus, even unto death, the death of the cross. 6. It was to be killed by the whole congregation between the two evenings, that is, between three o'clock and six. Christ suffered in the latter end of the world, Hebrews 9:26, by the hand of the Jews, the whole multitude of them, Luke 23:18. 7. Not a bone of it must be broken, Exodus 12:46, which is expressly said to be fulfilled in Christ, John 19:33,36. (2.) The sprinkling of the blood was typical. 1st, It was not enough that the blood of the lamb was shed, but it must be sprinkled, noting the application of the merits of Christ's death to our souls; 2dly, It was to be sprinkled upon the door-posts, noting the open profession we are to make of faith in Christ, and obedience to him. The mark of the beast may be received in the forehead, or in the right hand, but the seal of the lamb is always in the forehead, Revelation 7:3. 3dly, The blood thus sprinkled was a means of the preservation of the Israelites from the destroying angel. If the blood of Christ be sprinkled upon our consciences, it will be our protection from the wrath of God, the curse of the law, and the damnation of hell. (3.) The solemn eating of the lamb was typical of our gospel duty to Christ. 1st, The paschal lamb was killed not to be looked upon only, but to be fed upon; so we must by faith make Christ ours, as we do that which we eat, and we must receive spiritual strength and nourishment from him, as from our food, and have delight in him, as we have in eating and drinking when we are hungry or thirsty. 2dly, It was to be all eaten: those that, by faith, feed upon Christ, must feed upon a whole Christ. They must take Christ and his yoke, Christ and his cross, as well as Christ and his crown. 3dly, It was to be eaten with bitter herbs, in remembrance of the bitterness of their bondage in Egypt; we must feed upon Christ with brokenness of heart, in remembrance of sin. 4thly, It was to be eaten in a departing posture Exodus 12:11, when we feed upon Christ by faith, we must sit loose to the world, and every thing in it. (4.) The feast of unleavened bread was typical of the Christian life, 1 Corinthians 5:7,8. Having received Christ Jesus the Lord, 1st. We must keep a feast, in holy joy, continually delighting ourselves in Christ Jesus; If true believers have not a continual feast, it is their own fault. 2dly, It must be a feast of unleavened bread, kept in charity, without the leaven of malice, and in sincerity, without the leaven of hypocrisy. All the old leaven of sin must be put far from us, with the utmost caution, if we would keep the feast of a holy life to the honour of Christ. 3dly, It was to be an ordinance forever. As long as we live we must continue feeding upon Christ, and rejoicing in him always, with thankful mention of the great things he has done for us.

Verse 9

[9] Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof.

Raw — Half roasted, but throughly drest.

Verse 10

[10] And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; and that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire.

Ye shall burn with fire — To prevent the profane abuse of it.

Verse 11

[11] And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the LORD's passover.

The Lord's passover — A sign of his passing over you, when he destroyed the Egyptians.

Psalm 149

Verse 4

[4] For the LORD taketh pleasure in his people: he will beautify the meek with salvation.

The Lord — He rejoiceth over them to do them good.

Beautify — Heb. adorn, make them amiable and honourable in the eyes of the world, who now hate and despise them.

The meek — All true Israelites are such.

Verse 5

[5] Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud upon their beds.

In glory — For the honour which God putteth upon them.

Beds — By night as well as by day.

Verse 7

[7] To execute vengeance upon the heathen, and punishments upon the people;

Vengeance — For all their cruelties and injuries towards God's people. This was literally accomplished by David upon the Philistines, Ammonites, Syrians and other neighbouring nations.

Verse 9

[9] To execute upon them the judgment written: this honour have all his saints. Praise ye the LORD.

Written — Appointed and declared in the holy scripture.

Psalm 148

Verse 4

[4] Praise him, ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters that be above the heavens.

Heavens of heavens — Ye highest heavens, the place of God's throne.

Waters — Ye clouds which are above a part of the heavens.

Verse 6

[6] He hath also stablished them for ever and ever: he hath made a decree which shall not pass.

Established — He hath made them constant and incorruptible, not changeable, as the things of the lower world.

A decree — Concerning their continuance.

Verse 7

[7] Praise the LORD from the earth, ye dragons, and all deeps:

Dragons — Either serpents, which hide in the deep caverns of the earth; or whales, and other sea-monsters, which dwell in the depths of the sea.

Verse 8

[8] Fire, and hail; snow, and vapour; stormy wind fulfilling his word:

Fire — Lightnings and other fireworks of the air.

Vapour — Or, fumes: hot exhalations.

Fulfilling his word — Executing his commands, either for the comfort or punishment of the inhabitants of the earth.

Verse 13

[13] Let them praise the name of the LORD: for his name alone is excellent; his glory is above the earth and heaven.

Above — Above all the glories which are in earth and in heaven.

Verse 14

[14] He also exalteth the horn of his people, the praise of all his saints; even of the children of Israel, a people near unto him. Praise ye the LORD.

The horn — In scripture commonly denotes strength, victory, glory, and felicity.

Romans 13:8-14

Verse 8

[8] Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.

From our duty to magistrates he passes on to general duties.

To love one another — An eternal debt, which can never be sufficiently discharged; but yet if this be rightly performed, it discharges all the rest.

For he that loveth another — As he ought.

Hath fulfilled the whole law — Toward his neighbour.

Verse 9

[9] For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

If there be any other — More particular.

Commandment — Toward our neighbour; as there are many in the law.

It is summed up in this — So that if you was not thinking of it, yet if your heart was full of love, you would fulfil it.

Verse 10

[10] Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

Therefore love is the fulfilling of the law — For the same love which restrains from all evil, incites us to all good.

Verse 11

[11] And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.

And do this — Fulfil the law of love in all the instances above mentioned.

Knowing the season — Full of grace, but hasting away.

That it is high time to awake out of sleep — How beautifully is the metaphor carried on! This life, a night; the resurrection, the day; the gospel shining on the heart, the dawn of this day; we are to awake out of sleep; to rise up and throw away our night-clothes, fit only for darkness, and put on new; and, being soldiers, we are to arm, and prepare for fight, who are encompassed with so many enemies. The day dawns when we receive faith, and then sleep gives place. Then it is time to rise, to arm, to walk, to work, lest sleep steal upon us again. Final salvation, glory, is nearer to us now, than when we first believed - It is continually advancing, flying forward upon the swiftest wings of time. And that which remains between the present hour and eternity is comparatively but a moment.

Verse 13

[13] Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.

Banqueting — Luxurious, elegant feasts.

Verse 14

[14] But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.

But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ — Herein is contained the whole of our salvation. It is a strong and beautiful expression for the most intimate union with him, and being clothed with all the graces which were in him. The apostle does not say, Put on purity and sobriety, peacefulness and benevolence; but he says all this and a thousand times more at once, in saying, Put on Christ. And make not provision - To raise foolish desires, or, when they are raised already, to satisfy them.

Matthew 18:15-20

Verse 15

[15] Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.

But how can we avoid giving offence to some? or being offended at others! Especially suppose they are quite in the wrong? Suppose they commit a known sin? Our Lord here teaches us how: he lays down a sure method of avoiding all offences. Whosoever closely observes this threefold rule, will seldom offend others, and never be offended himself. If any do any thing amiss, of which thou art an eye or ear witness, thus saith the Lord, If thy brother - Any who is a member of the same religious community: Sin against thee, 1.

Go and reprove him alone — If it may be in person; if that cannot so well be done, by thy messenger; or in writing. Observe, our Lord gives no liberty to omit this; or to exchange it for either of the following steps. If this do not succeed, 2.

Take with thee one or two more — Men whom he esteems or loves, who may then confirm and enforce what thou sayest; and afterward, if need require, bear witness of what was spoken. If even this does not succeed, then, and not before, 3. Tell it to the elders of the Church - Lay the whole matter open before those who watch over yours and his soul. If all this avail not, have no farther intercourse with him, only such as thou hast with heathens. Can any thing be plainer? Christ does here as expressly command all Christians who see a brother do evil, to take this way, not another, and to take these steps, in this order, as he does to honour their father and mother. But if so, in what land do the Christians live? If we proceed from the private carriage of man to man, to proceedings of a more public nature, in what Christian nation are Church censures conformed to this rule? Is this the form in which ecclesiastical judgments appear, in the popish, or even the Protestant world? Are these the methods used even by those who boast the most loudly of the authority of Christ to confirm their sentences? Let us earnestly pray, that this dishonour to the Christian name may be wiped away, and that common humanity may not, with such solemn mockery, be destroyed in the name of the Lord! Let him be to thee as the heathen - To whom thou still owest earnest good will, and all the offices of humanity. Luke 17:3.

Verse 18

[18] Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth — By excommunication, pronounced in the spirit and power of Christ.

Whatsoever ye shall loose — By absolution from that sentence. In the primitive Church, absolution meant no more than a discharge from Church censure.

Again I say — And not only your intercession for the penitent, but all your united prayers, shall be heard. How great then is the power of joint prayer! If two of you - Suppose a man and his wife. Matthew 16:19.

Verse 20

[20] For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

Where two or three are gathered together in my name — That is, to worship me.

I am in the midst of them — By my Spirit, to quicken their prayers, guide their counsels, and answer their petitions.

THE WAY TO A NATION'S HEART by Thomas R. Steagald

Exodus 12:1-14

Holidays are like every other day, only more so. People travel everyday; they just travel more for holidays. People have reunions every day, get together with family and friends; they just plan it better, go to the extra trouble, do it more at holidays. People buy and give presents everyday; they just do it more expensively and with greater intensity at holidays. People receive gifts every day; they just do it with more expectation at holidays. People eat every day; they just do it more at holidays. People tell stories every day; they just tell more of them at holidays.

There is something about eating together—something about the gathering and preparing, the seeing and sharing, something about the bounty of the table that makes us pause, reflect, remember, and tell. Special occasions call for special food and special folk, friends and kin; special occasions with special food and folk call for those special stories that make the circle whole, even when there are holes. There is a kind of unbroken circle in even the most broken of families—if we are able to gather the folk, break the bread, and tell the stories.

The text before us, Exodus 12, concerns food, memory, and celebration. It reflects not a perennial human strategy so much as an annual Jewish (and then Christian) strategy of gathering certain people, eating certain foods, remembering certain stories. We are called to remember not generally but particularly, in this time and in this way—and it is a strange text, really, full of strange menus and confusing mandates. It is, nevertheless, a text we can get our teeth into because it concerns a party, a celebration supper, a special meal with special stories. That is something we understand.

The text is about Passover, what comprised it, who was to eat it, how and when, and what was to be said along the way. The Passover was, and is, the central celebration of the Hebrew faith, and it gives us the basic shape and outlines of our own central celebrations of Good Friday and Easter. In fact, some scholars believe that Jesus and his disciples shared the Passover as their final meal together (with certain various reinterpretations by Jesus). Anytime we partake of the Eucharist, we too recall Passover. Yet, this text has its own discreet history and purpose—to remind Jews of every generation, and those who are heirs by faith, of God’s regard for the plight of his people and also of God’s mighty work to rescue and reconstitute the people. This story is at the heart of Jewish identity: the way to that heart is through the stomach.

If the Jewish Passover recounted God’s deliverance of God’s enslaved children—how with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm God acted to liberate his poor, enslaved children—both Jews and Christians believe that work is not yet done. Still God works to deliver the oppressed, those suffering in exile or servitude or sin. So the Passover meal and the Passover story commemorate not just what God did, but what God is doing yet in the world, and the means by which God does it.

But why eat to mark the time? We might answer, theologically, that as a people we taste and see that God is good. Whether we are commemorating the first Passover, or the Last Supper, whether we are anticipating our family’s circle being unbroken or the Great Feast the prophets saw, when all the world’s families will be one around the great mountain table where God will prepare a meal for all his children, we set the table and eat. But that only begs the question.

That humans have to eat as celebration is in fact a kind of confession— a confession of need. In the strength of high celebration we are, fundamentally, confessing our weakness each to the other, and all of us to God. In the presence we are demonstrating our need of food to survive, our need of others to share, our need of stories to make meaning of the seemingly disconnected episodes of our lives. The food is impermanent, the company less so—although it is not without frailty—but the stories last, tell us who we are and where we come from, tell us what we are doing and where we are heading. Some stories have the power to move us and our meal from the plain of mere celebration to a grander height, to commemoration— which means, “remembering together.” We remember together with the past, and together with the future, and together in the memory and presence of those who one way or the other are blessed and named and summoned by the stories.

For the Passover commemoration, every part of the meal is prescribed. The time is prescribed—on the anniversary, more or less, of the original event. The guests are prescribed—families, sometimes unto themselves, sometimes with neighbors. The menu is prescribed—a lamb roasted whole, and yeastless bread, lots of horseradish and sweet fruit, too, and all of it to be eaten and nothing left till morning, or if it is, then the remainder is burned.

The stories are prescribed—this is the heart of it. The faces around the table and the food on the plate all in service of the story, to help us see that God is good by tasting: the lamb, slain, so the blood could save us; the bread, flat, to remind us that salvation comes in a moment; the herbs, bitter, to bring forth our tears at the weeping of those who are oppressed; the sweet fruit, dipped in saltwater, to remind us that life’s goodness is ever marinated in grief.

Eat quickly, but reflect slowly; hurry, but slow down, to recall the acts of God, the power of the Lord, the salvation that is ours by grace. This is who we are—the needy community blessed by a giving God. Eat and never forget.

BIBLE STUDY: WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 7, 2014

by Keeping Holy Time

Old Testament: Exodus 12:1-14

Jews, Christians, and Muslims ground their faith in the acts of God in history. Furthermore, for both of us, worship is essential—it helps define who we are. Worship, however, means more than singing a few songs, saying a prayer, and hearing a sermon. Worship means we re-enter and re-create the memories that make us who we are. It means we are willing to submit ourselves to the power of that memory, to set aside our rationalism and skepticism, and to become part of the people who have lived by that memory for generations. The acts of worship must allow children to participate in a meaningful way and help them understand what the celebration means and why it calls us to action.

Do This in Remembrance . . .

This lection from Exodus is about the Passover, both as the original event and as the model for celebration in the future. In order to be saved from the final plague, the community is to follow specific procedures. There has to be a certain kind of food—roasted lamb, bitter herbs, unleavened bread. There has to be a certain kind of blood—from the lamb sacrificed for the feast. Among the poor, where a lamb is a significant part of a family’s capital, the lamb can be shared. The key is that every person in the faith community has access to a lamb, to the symbols for the feast, and to the memory.

The Memory Means . .

Not only are there specific directions for the food but also for how the meal is to be eaten. The people must be dressed and shod, with staff in hand—ready to “hit the road” at any minute. The drama about the meal reenacts the memory that leaving Egypt is a dangerous business; people are tense, edgy, and afraid. Will they actually be allowed to go? What awaits them beyond the door of the house where they are safe from death? Will God really save them? Verses 12-13 connect the blood with the Exodus. The angel of death would “pass over” the houses marked by blood. The blood of the lamb had become a symbol that publicly marked those who were protected by God from the swath of death that passed through Egypt. (This helps explain why the early Jewish Christians, steeped in this kind of symbol and memory, would speak of Jesus’ saving power as “the blood of the lamb.”)

Think About It: “The drama . . . reenacts the memory.” In the Christian tradition, what formative events in our history help to form our identity? What celebrations keep the memory of our faith alive? How do we prepare for them? What physical elements are required? Which are most meaningful to you? How do the elements evoke memories of the event?

Judgment Upon All

Verse 12 says that YHWH would also judge the gods of Egypt. That was new. In all the other plagues, judgment fell on Pharaoh, the oppressor. Now the story acknowledged the gods of Egypt, though it regarded them as powerless. Behind Pharaoh’s power and acts of oppression was a theological foundation—a god who sanctioned violence and oppression and who had to be judged along with the people who actually practiced oppression. There is always a tight connection, even if it is unspoken, between theology and real politik.

Think About It: “A god who sanctioned violence.” Did YHWH also sanction violence and oppression? What was the difference between YHWH and the gods of Egypt? Do you think our God sanctions violence? Why or why not?

Psalter: Psalm 149

This is a song about God’s rule in the lives of people, one of five hymns of praise that end the Psalter. It was written around the time of the Exile (587–529 B.C.) and indicates a shift in thinking for Judah. Before the Exile, Judah held to a “royal theology,” which said that the descendants of David who ruled Judah were responsible for bringing about God’s rule in the world. This psalm has moved beyond that idea. There is no son of David on the throne. The destruction of Jerusalem and the Exile have ended that dynasty and the hopes that were invested in it. Now, the psalmist says, all God’s people are responsible for bringing about God’s rule. The people, not the king, are called to establish justice.

What is the role of vengeance in this psalm? Can vengeance belong to God’s rule? It sounds like getting even, at least to us. But in the psalms, vengeance almost always serves the cause of justice. God’s people can’t just get even for the sake of revenge. Their actions must serve the cause of justice for the poor and oppressed and are the sole basis for the use of force.

Verses 6-9 invite God’s people to join God at work in the world. That work is justice and righteousness. To work with God will invite opposition, which may explain the military imagery.

Epistle: Romans 13:8-14

The context of this lection is the question of obligations to the state— issues like paying taxes, doing military service, and respecting officials. Paul says essentially not to get in a position where you owe anything to anyone. Get rid of all those obligations the old-fashioned way: pay them! Pay your taxes, show respect where it is important. But there is one debt we can never discharge—the obligation to love. When we have taken care of all other obligations toward our neighbors, we still owe them love.

Love Fulfills the Law

Verses 8b-10 remind us that the commandments about relationships with one’s neighbor are fulfilled in love. If we truly love our neighbor, we will not murder, steal, commit adultery, covet, lie, or dishonor our parents— or anyone else. Neighbors come in all shapes and relationships. Paul reminds us that love is not something we grit our teeth and push ourselves to accomplish, such as being great friends with an obnoxious colleague. Trying harder doesn’t make the grade here. Love is something we receive and pass on. Love is a gift of God’s grace, poured out on us in Christ. It is the sure power and presence of the Spirit at work in our lives.

Think About It: Love is the ultimate authority. What obligates us? How well do we love our neighbor? In concrete terms, what does loving a neighbor look like?

Be Prepared

A crisis was coming—the parousia, the second coming of Christ. When Paul wrote this letter, the church still clung to the hope that Christ would return at any minute. That is why he could say that salvation was nearer at hand than when he had first believed. Because Christ’s return was so near, there was a sense of urgency about how Christians related to their neighbors.

Christians belong to a new order, one related to the day that shows signs of breaking. There is an old saying that “the reign of God has dawned. It is not yet full noon, but the sun is rising.” In the light of that new day, Paul says, we are called to live as citizens of heaven, not as persons with special privileges, but with special responsibilities for spreading God’s love through all the world.

Gospel: Matthew 18:15-20

These verses are a part of what has been called the “sermon on the church,” a section dealing with how the Christian community conducts its life. It is based on Jesus’ teachings but reflects the needs of Matthew’s church and their guidelines for congregational life. This passage asks how the church deals with unrepentant sinners who are disrupting the life of the church. We don’t know anything about the background of the sin or the sinner, nor how the life of the church was being disrupted. We do know that Matthew was clear on how the church should handle the situation. There were three steps.

The Process of Discipline

Step one (verse 15). Have a private conversation. The injured party must initiate it. The offer of grace and forgiveness must come from the one who is wronged. Conversation must be private to avoid embarrassment. The person may not even know he or she has offended. (Based on steps two and three, however, we can guess the person did know and was not repentant.)

Step two (verse 16). If that doesn’t work, take a couple of members along as witnesses and repeat the conversation. Both sinner and injured party need a fair hearing and a reliable report on what was said. This step reflects a long-standing Jewish practice of reconciliation in the synagogue. Matthew was written for a Jewish-Christian community where this practice would have been familiar.

Step three (verse 17). If the sinner remains unrepentant, take the issue to the entire congregation. Then, if their pleas are ignored, the sinner is expelled. This is a rare glimpse into the discipline of Matthew’s congregation and a look at some serious tough love. The community as a whole is concerned with the ethical behavior of the individual. So the community takes action in a spirit of love, without which the action is only punitive with no redemptive value.

Support and Accountability

First, the community lovingly talks to the sinner and asks for change. If the person refuses, the community has no choice but to take action to maintain the church’s holiness. It is also necessary to shock the sinner into realizing the seriousness of his or her action and to becoming open to repentance and restoration.

We may have trouble understanding this procedure. For us, sin is an individual matter. It’s not the community’s business, we may say; it’s between the individual and God. But, Matthew reminds us, it is the community’s business. What is at stake is the integrity of both the gospel and the church. If the community shuts its eyes to sinful behavior, the witness of the entire body is affected. Indeed, this kind of action has God’s approval. Jesus granted authority to the church to forgive and retain sins in Chapter 16; in this passage, we see how the authority was regularized for institutional practice.

Think About It: How do we deal with sin in the church? Do we confront sinful action boldly and lovingly? Or do we try to ignore it? Why?

Penance

In the early church, penance was a serious matter. Penitents made public confession in the worship service and were forced to leave before the celebration of the Lord’s Supper. This had to be painful and embarrassing for both them and the congregation. But out of the pain and shame of both individual and community came restoration, healing, and a deeper sense of community.

Think About It: “It is the community’s business.” What does it mean for the church today to take responsibility for “forgiving or retaining” sins? How do we become accountable to one another?

Study Suggestions

A. Move From Event to Worship

Read Exodus 12:1-14 and the first paragraph of the commentary above. Ask: How is Israel to keep alive the memory of God’s saving act in the Exodus and the Passover? What do we Christians do in the way of worship/ celebration to celebrate the memory of God’s acts? Do the traditions still keep alive the memory, or do we have the traditions without the memory? What physical elements help us keep the memory of God’s acts alive? What is there about our worship that would cause children to ask, “Why do we do this? Why is this different from other days?”

Ask: What have we learned about how God builds community? List the responses.

B. Reflect on Debts

Read aloud Romans 13:8-14 and the commentary above. Ask: How are the commandments fulfilled in love? How does the way we deal with obnoxious neighbors either fulfill or not fulfill the commandments? What does it mean that love is the ultimate authority? To what new order do Christians belong?

Add responses to these questions to the list begun in Activity A.

C. Make the Past Present

Read Psalm 149 and the commentary above. Ask: How does the psalm invite God’s people to join God in working for justice in the world? What does our congregation do to help bring about justice in the community and world? (Distinguish acts of mercy, such as feeding persons who are hungry, visiting the sick, and conducting services in prison, from acts of justice, like examining how our economy creates and tolerates hunger, working for a system of national health care, and protesting police brutality.)

Add these responses to the list of how God builds community.

D. Explore Sin and Forgiveness

Read Matthew 18:15-20 and the commentary above. Ask: What steps does Matthew recommend we follow when someone in the church sins and is not repentant? What stake does the community have in the behavior of an individual? We tend to think of sin as individualistic— between a person and God. What could be at stake for our community in issues of sin and forgiveness? Think of an instance when the behavior of an individual caused dissension or embarrassment to the congregation. Was Matthew’s procedure followed? Might it have been useful?

Remind the group that Matthew’s procedure was meant for dealing with sinners who were unrepentant. The problem we face most often is that sinners are too ashamed even to come to church. How do we reach out to them and restore them to the fellowship of the church? What steps could we take? Add responses to the list of ways God builds community.

E. Do a Roleplay

Select a situation in which an individual has committed a wrong that has offended church members—like being arrested for drunk driving, having an affair, acting without board approval, or teaching something of which others disapprove. Divide into two groups, one to prepare and present a roleplay in which this person is dealt with in the typical way your church handles conflicts, the other to confront the person following Matthew’s procedure. Discuss: Which procedure was more effective? Why? How might our church improve the way we handle such situations?

F. Celebrate Community

Review the list the class developed during the session. Ask: What can we work on to help build community in our congregation? Close by singing “Where Charity and Love Prevail”; then read Psalm 149 in unison.

WORSHIP FOR KIDS: SEPTEMBER 7, 2014

by Carolyn C. Brown

From a Child's Point of View

Old Testament: Exodus 12:1-14. The point of this story, like that of the Passover, is that the slaves were hopelessly trapped—in this case, between the Egyptian army and the sea. Only God could save them. And God did. God is the only hero and the only power worth trusting.

Psalm: 114 or Exodus 15:1 b-11, 20-21. The Exodus text includes Moses' and Miriam's songs of praise, in response to what God did by the sea. Both Moses' song and the psalmist's praises are long and filled with complex poetic images. Miriam's song is concise, and children quickly visualize the dancing and singing by the sea. So for their sake, read Miriam's song.

Epistle: Romans 14:1-12. This is a good passage for the first month of school. As the newness wears off, children begin to label others and be labeled—as brains, leaders, beauties, dumbies, troublemakers, nerds, and so forth. Comparisons of academic ability (who gets what grades and who is placed in the advanced and slow groups), athletic prowess, and popularity become the focus of attention. There is often friction on the playground, in the lunchroom, and on the bus during this period of settling into peer-assigned roles and groups.

Though Paul is speaking to adults who are judging one another's values and ideas, his message applies to the judging that children do at school. First, he sternly warns everyone neither to look down on, nor be intimidated by, any other children, because of what they wear, where they live, what they bring for lunch, or what kind of school work they do. They and all their classmates are God's children. Each of them will be judged by God. So children are to accept one another and treat one another well.

Second, Paul tells the children who must endure being labeled that the only judge to worry about is God. Though other kids (and even adults) may hurt us when they pin on us labels we do not want, their opinions do not count. God's is the only opinion that counts. Therefore we are to do our best to meet God's standards and not be upset by what others say about us.

Gospel: Matthew 18:21-35. Forgiving is not easy, no matter what our age. Verses 21-22 set the high standard. Jesus' point is that no one can keep count of that many forgiven offenses, so we must always forgive.

The parable that follows offers the reason for repeated forgiving: We must forgive because God forgives us. Children endorse this more as a fair system than as a natural personal response to God's forgiveness. They would prefer to accept God's forgiveness with no strings attached. But it seems fair that God asks us to forgive others as we have been forgiven.

Watch Words

Judged is not a word children use every day. So provide lots of common examples of ways we judge others. Also differentiate between having good judgment and the judging that Paul is condemning.

Help children understand forgiveness by exploring its financial meaning. In the parable, when the king forgave the servant's debt, it did not mean that the king gave the servant more time to pay the debt; rather, the servant did not need to pay the debt at all. Both he and the king could forget about it. This financial meaning clarifies the theological meaning.

Let the Children Sing

The first verse of "Come, Ye Faithful, Raise the Strain" retells the story of crossing the sea. Ask some children's classes or choir to sing it, accompanying themselves with homemade tambourines (and possibly other rhythm instruments). The congregation or adult choir can respond by singing the second verse, which compares this event to the resurrection. Children will miss the connection in the second verse, but all will share in happy praise, similar to that of Miriam and the tambourine-playing women beside the sea. (If your hymnal includes more verses, omit them to keep the comparison simple.)

Before singing "Forgive Our Sins as We Forgive," point out that verse 3 is based on today's parable. Though they will miss some of the difficult imagery in the hymn, children will enjoy the parable connection.

If the Romans text leads you to sing "Help Us Accept Each Other," remember that acceptance is an abstract word. Children will have difficulty understanding the meaning of the verses unless you have used acceptance frequently today and have offered numerous examples.

The Liturgical Child

The Gospel reading lends itself to being pantomimed by children as it is read. Actors needed include Jesus, Peter, the king, several servants, the unforgiving servant, the friend s/he refused to forgive, and possibly a jailer. The Scripture may be read by an older child or by an adult. In either case, it is essential that the reader and actors practice together in the sanctuary.

Before reading the Gospel text, place on the lectern a large sack, tied at the top, and one cardboard coin. Explain that in today's story, two people owe money. One owes about as much money as the sack might hold. The other owes about one big coin. As you read, point to the sack and the coin at the appropriate times.

Create a responsive prayer of confession in which a worship leader describes a series of sins. To each confession, the congregation responds: "Forgive our debts (trespasses) as we forgive our debtors (those who trespass against us)."

Prayer of Confession: Dear God, all people are our brothers and sisters, but we forget that. We are quick to look down on people who dress differently than we do. We laugh at those who speak with different accents. We treat people with subtle differences according to the color of their skin. And, we often decide that those who disagree with us are stupid. Forgive us when we judge others. Remind us that you, and not we, are to judge. Teach us to look more closely until we can see in each person we meet a brother or sister, who is loved by God. Amen. Assurance of Pardon: God does not judge as we do. God knows our thoughts, even the ones we do not speak. And, still God loves us, forgives us, and calls us "my children." Thanks be to God.

Sermon Resources

In The Hundred Dresses (Harcourt Brace, 1944), Eleanor Estes tells about some girls, led by Peggy and Maddie, who tease Wanda Petronski about her clothes, her accent, and her claim to have one hundred dresses at home—although she wears the same one to school every day. After Wanda moves, the girls discover how they had misjudged her. (This 80-page book, available in libraries, can be quickly read in sermon preparation.)

Many children read and enjoy Judy Blume's books, several of which describe the life of Peter Hatcher and his younger brother, nicknamed Fudge, who needed more forgiving than almost anyone could come up with. In Tales of a Fourth-grade Nothing (Dutton, 1972), Fudge ruined a school project done by a fourth-grade committee and left in Peter's bedroom, then swallowed the only pet Peter was allowed, his turtle Dribble. To make matters even worse, everyone was worried about Fudge and not at all concerned about Peter's turtle. This book is filled with humorous, realistic examples of what it means for children to keep forgiving.

WORSHIP CONNECTION: SEPTEMBER 7, 2014

by Nancy C. Townley

for Sept. 7, 2014 13th Sunday after Pentecost

COLOR: Green

SCRIPTURE READINGS: Exodus 12:1-14; Psalm 149; Romans 13:8-14; Matthew 18:15-20

CALLS TO WORSHIP

Call to Worship #1:

L: Shout praise to God!

P: Let us praise God with music and great joy!

L: God looks upon us with favor.

P: God rejoices in our loving compassion for others.

L: Thanks be to God who offers to us new life.

P: Praise be to Jesus Christ who taught us how to live. AMEN

Call to Worship #2:

L: How shall we live in the love of God?

P: We will treat one another with fairness and dignity.

L: How shall we witness God’s forgiving love?

P: We will reach out others with compassion.

L: Come, let us worship God who has always loved us.

P: Let our worship of God be reflected in our lives of hope and peace. AMEN.

Call to Worship #3:

[Using THE UNITED METHODIST HYMNAL, p. 617, “I Come with Joy,” offer the following call to worship as directed. As the music is being offered, have several people place the communion elements on the worship center, concluding with lighting the candles.]

L: What do you bring to worship this day?

P: We bring joy and thanksgiving for God’s forgiving love.

Congregation: singing verse 1 of “I Come with Joy”

[As this is being sung, have two people come forward with the Communion linens or other fair cloth and place it on the table on which the elements are to be placed.]

L: What is this community in which we are gathered?

P: It is a community of love and forgiveness, of hope and peace.

Congregation: singing verse 2 of “I Come with Joy”

[As this is being sung, have two people bring in the baskets of bread and the chalice of wine/juice, placing them on the table.]

L: Christ breaks the bread of life for us.

P: We are bound together in the love of Jesus Christ.

Congregation: singing verse 3 of “I Come with Joy”

[As this is being sung, have an acolyte or some other person come and light the candles.]

L: Praise be to God!

P: AMEN!

Call to Worship #4:

L: Welcome to worship today!

P: Thank you! We are glad to be here.

L: Today we will celebrate the great gift of Jesus Christ.

P: Open our hearts, Lord, to hear these healing words.

L: Come, let us worship God who loves each and every one of us.

P: Thanks be to God. AMEN.

PRAYERS, READING, BENEDICTION

Opening Prayer

Lord, we come this day to worship and thank you for the many ways you guide our lives. We ask that our hearts, our ears, and our spirits may be open to your healing words of love. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. AMEN.

Prayer of Confession

Merciful Lord, we like to think that we do everything well. We pat ourselves on the back when we act with love and mercy toward others, complimenting ourselves in self-righteousness. But you know us better. You know our faults and our failings. You know when we falsely proclaim that we are truly living as you would have us live. Teach us again about your forgiving and healing love. Show us ways of merciful living that we may extend the love and mercy you have given us to others. Forgive us, we pray. For we ask these things in Jesus’ Name. AMEN.

Words of Assurance

Rejoice! You are loved by God who judges your failures and heals your hearts and spirits. In Jesus’ Name, we all are forgiven and healed. AMEN.

Pastoral Prayer

Lord, we are just beginning to get back into the “church year,” a time when our lives settle down into a somewhat predictable pattern. Children are heading back to school, college students to their studies, people to their work. And life goes on. But have we overlooked how we are living that life? Have we forgotten the many ways in which we have not been faithful to you? You judge us and love us. You look at what we say and what we have done and ask us to live lives of mercy and peace. As you have forgiven us, help us be forgiving to others. Let us bring peace and hope, keeping doors open for healing and redemption. Walk with us, Lord, this day and all our days. AMEN.

Reading

Reader 1:

This Gospel message today is a tough one.

Reader 2:

Yeah! Can you imagine doing exactly what it says! I don’t think so.

Reader 1:

I know it’s talking about forgiveness and redemption, but I don’t like the idea of confrontation and witnesses and all that stuff.

Reader 2:

I can’t imagine what that would be like. You know, so many times people get their feelings hurt and think that everyone is against them. I know that I’ve said some things that have probably hurt someone’s feelings, even if I didn’t mean to do it. I think we all do that.

Reader 1:

Well, the Gospel lesson says you should to go the person and point out the fault. I guess that means that the one who is hurt should speak up and try to resolve the matter.

Reader 2:

It’s not as easy as that! Jesus wants us to live in compassionate, loving relationships with others, and that means admitting when we are wrong and facing the ones whom we have wronged. That’s tough stuff.

Reader 1:

Jesus never made it easy for anyone. He expected us to learn about tough love, the kind that is willing to be forgiving and recognizes hurts and wounds.

Reader 2:

What it boils down to is, think before you speak. How would you like to be treated. Respond instead of react. Wow, we have lots to learn, don’t we!

Benediction

The peace of Jesus Christ has been poured out to you. Now go into the world bringing hope, forgiveness, and peace to others. God’s peace is with you always. AMEN.

ARTISTIC ELEMENTS

The traditional color for this Sunday is: GREEN

[Note: When I read the Gospel lesson for today, I was reminded of the many ways in which we are enslaved to negativity--in our attitudes, our actions, and our words. The rough texture of burlap, combined with the broken chains, rocks, and frayed rope, sets the scene for this display. I have chosen to use the image of broken chains to remind us that the love of God breaks the chains of oppression and hatred. God’s love heals each one of us.]

SURFACE:

Place a 10” riser in the center back of the worship table. Place two smaller risers, about 4” high, to the left and the right of the center riser and closer to the front of the table. Place a riser about 1’ lower than the main level of the worship center, in front of the worship table.

FABRIC:

Although the color for today is green, I suggest using burlap to cover the entire worship center, including the riser that is in front of the center. The fabric should “puddle” on the floor in front of the riser.

CANDLES:

Use two pillar candles on stands, on either side of the center riser. These candles should be able to be seen above the other items on the worship center.

FLOWERS/PLANTS:

A small green plant, such as an ivy or other trailing plant, can be placed on the riser in front of the worship center (this represents new life and growth).

ROCKS/WOOD:

Place piles of rocks and broken wood in front of the risers on the worship center. Use them sparingly (these represent brokenness and strife).

OTHER:

Place a brass cross on the center riser. Place the Communion elements, or symbols representing Communion in the center of the worship table. Place a medium-sized basket, tipped over on its side, on the riser to the left of center. Have some broken chains spilling out of it and draping down the worship center. Place some frayed ropes on the riser to the right of center, spilling down onto the main level.

SERMON STARTER: NEW BEGINNINGS

Marva Jean Hutchens

Exodus 12:1-14; Psalm 149; Romans 13:8-14; Matthew 18:15-20

In the church year we are continuing in the season of Pentecost and reflection of the life of the church. However, Matthew records instructions from Jesus on how to “start over” if the gathered community is being disrupted by an unrepentant member. The pattern that he describes was intended for Matthew’s community, but it also proves to be quite helpful for us in our congregations, classrooms, workplaces, or neighborhoods.

Step one is for the injured party to initiate a conversation. The offer of grace and forgiveness must come from the one who was wronged. Some children have been taught the “bug and a wish method”—that is, “It bugs me when you [identify the irritation], and I wish you would [take the appropriate steps to resolve it].”

If that doesn’t resolve the issue, step two is to take a couple of witnesses along and repeat the conversation. Both parties deserve a fair hearing. This reflects a long-standing Jewish practice of reconciliation in the synagogue.

If the issue is still not resolved, then take the issue to the entire congregation or community involved. The community as a whole is concerned with the ethical behavior of the individual. The integrity of all parties is at stake. With God’s help, new beginnings emerge when conflict is resolved.

SERMON OPTIONS: SEPTEMBER 7, 2014

A Meal to Remember

Scripture: Exodus 12:1-14

It is customary for a people being delivered to celebrate their freedom. The quirky nature of the Exodus story is that it is surrounded by two such celebrative meals: this one, the fast-food version of Passover, eaten hurriedly, was the forerunner of a more elaborate Passover ritual still celebrated today.

This first meal was to be eaten on the night of the last plague (that of the death of the firstborn). While eating the meal, the men were to hold their walking sticks in hand, and everyone at the table was to have shoes on, as though in preparation to leave. The bread that accompanied the meal was to be unleavened, emphasizing the urgency of what was about to happen. This first ritual meal was to celebrate the Lord's Passover.

As directed, the ritual meal was perpetuated, and the story of deliverance was woven into the fabric of this celebration. The Passover following the deliverance of Israel from the house of bondage is more elaborate. There is less urgency—the family members recline on cushions instead of sitting as if to make a run for it. Perhaps we recall times when table fellowship in our own families was important.

Do you recall the movie Babette's Feast ? It is a beautiful film in which a poor French cook finds herself on a desolate peninsula. The townsfolk have been greatly influenced by their minister, who died some years before the arrival of Babette. Babette has been buying lottery tickets with the little money she makes, and eventually, word gets back to her that she has won the lottery, some ten thousand francs! The anniversary of the minister's death is about to be celebrated, and his daughters plan the celebration, which would have been a drab affair. However, Babette steps in and asks if she can fix the food for the feast. Until then, she was forced to make the minister's prescribed menu for the community: hard, crusty brown bread and fish soup. Now, Babette is going to fix a culinary masterpiece. She sends off for ingredients: turtles, all manner of edible fowl, vegetables, and specialty items that the villagers have long ago forgotten or have never seen.

Babette goes to work, and many of the townsfolk think she must be some sort of witch, with all the pots and kettles going. They decide that they will not enjoy the food of the feast. But Babette's cooking transforms the villagers. Never before have they tasted anything like what they eat. Their entire lives are changed by the meal. They will remember it for the rest of their lives! Imagine what Passover must have been like when Jesus took the bread and cup of this ritual feast and changed their meaning for all who follow him. The unleavened bread that reminded them of the manna in the wilderness was not the true food of eternal life. Take. Eat. This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.

Imagine the wondering eyes of the disciples as Jesus might well have taken up the cup of wine reserved for the prophet Elijah during the Passover celebration, changing its meaning as well: Take. Drink. This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is shed for you and others for the forgiveness of sins. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me. Why is this meal different from all the others? Perhaps it is because in it we remember how Jesus really has passed over from death to life and how he has given us this life, too. (Eric Killinger)

Who Owns You?

Scripture: Romans 13:8-14

Few among us have not experienced indebtedness. Even if all of our bills are paid, we owe a debt of gratitude to persons who have given freely of themselves to help us along the journey. Another kind of debt is more familiar, and more burdensome, in our economic society: financial indebtedness. Financially, most of us owe something to someone, from the mortgage on our homes to the financing of our automobiles. Today's text is a wake-up call regarding the burdens of life, financial and otherwise. It should sound an alarm within us regarding the debts and burdens that we allow to come between us and God.

I. The Sin Is Not the Debt

Owing on a mortgage or a car or a college loan is not, of itself, sinful. Sinfulness lies in our attitude and behavior. When we think and act like something (or someone) is more important than God, we have given ourselves over to idolatry. It is not a sin to be in debt, but it is a sin to be bound by something other than God.

When I was a young pastor, I decided I needed a new car. There was nothing wrong with the one I had; I was simply tired of it. I spent countless hours reading about, looking at, and test-driving new vehicles. Having a new car became so important to me that I lost my perspective. I did not need the car; I coveted having the car. When I finally selected, secured a loan for, and purchased the car I desired, I felt guilty for owning it. The car became a symbol of my avarice and selfishness.

II. We Are Free to Love When We Are Not Bound by Things

The Christian life is lived with the mind of Christ. Christians put mission before money, people before possessions, Christ before credit cards. When the apostle Paul says in verse 8, "Owe no one anything, except to love one another," he is calling us all to a higher order of living.

The command to "love your neighbor as yourself" (v. 9) is about a life of grace that values all human life as sacred. It is impossible to treat as objects those whom we see as persons of sacred worth. The homeless persons we pass on the streets, the impoverished children through whose neighborhood we drive, the victims of war whose faces we see on the news, are brothers and sisters to whom we owe our love and service. When we view life with the mind of Christ, consumers become stewards, possessions become opportunities, money becomes an instrument of service, and people become our priority.

III. To What Are We Truly Committed?

What owns our allegiance? What takes most of our time and energy? We may spend more than forty hours per week earning a living, but what is our true motivation? Is lifestyle, income, personal accomplishment, family, or God our driving force?

A church board was discussing the proposed budget for the ensuing year. The finance committee had recommended a 10 percent increase. The discussion was building into a crescendo of voices calling for cutbacks and budget reductions. "We cannot afford this!" one board member exclaimed. "This is asking too much of our members," another cajoled.

One of the older saints of the church asked to speak. He slowly rose to his feet, and in a calm and quiet voice he said, "This church can afford what it chooses to afford. I drive through the neighborhoods where our members live and see new cars in the driveway and boats in the yard. I hear of European vacations and ocean cruises. It is not a matter of having enough; it is a matter of being a good steward with what we have."

For Christians, the love of Christ has called us to a life of grace. We respond to that call by reordering our lives. Our priorities change. Through prayer and self-discipline, we strive to move from our human desire to God's desire. We begin this process when we ask ourselves the vital question, "What owns you?" (Gary G. Kindley)

The Remarkable Importance of Relationships

Scripture: Matthew 18:15-20

Relationships are important. Oh, we may minimize them and say, "It really doesn't matter how I relate to the person sitting next to me in the church pew or the one sitting at the desk next to mine at work." All that matters, we think, is that we do the job well, get home, feed the kids supper, help with homework, and then go to bed to start the day all over again tomorrow. Low on the list of priorities is the bitter relationship that seems to never get mended at the office. Who has time to ponder the harsh words that were said between you and a fellow church member that resulted in a cold, awkward silence between you both? We have too much to do to stop and consider relationships—or do we?

I. Relationships Matter to Us

Relationships are so important to Matthew, the evangelist, and to the congregation centered in Matthew's Gospel that detailed instructions are given in the event a relationship turns sour. If someone sins against you or treats you unjustly, you are instructed to go and confront the person. If there can be a hearing, then you have gained a true friendship. If, however, the brother or sister who has offended you will not listen to you, then go again, taking one or two others as witnesses. And if the offender refuses to listen to them, then tell it to the church. And if the offender refuses to listen to the church, then let it rest. Let the offender be to you as "a Gentile or a tax collector" (two groups of people a good Jew would try to avoid).

II. Relationships Matter to God

What work! What energy! Why not just consider those who have wronged you as Gentiles and tax collectors from the beginning and bypass all of this running around? Why go to all this effort? Because Jesus says that relationships are very important—that how we live together in this life has eternal consequences. Now, that puts a new dimension on the office squabble or the recent church disagreement, doesn't it?

According to the teachings of Christ, we cannot leave them alone. The principles are clear: confront the person, over and over again until the air is clear, wounds are healed, and the relationship has opportunity to build again.

III. Relationships Matter Ultimately

And the mystery of all of this is that "whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven" (v. 18). I must confess that I do not know exactly what this verse means. Does it mean that the friend you have on earth will be the one you have in heaven, and likewise the earthly enemy will be your heavenly one? I don't think so. Looking at the passage in context gives us interpretive help. In verses 23-35 of chapter 18, the parable of the unforgiving servant is told to give us a vivid illustration of binding and loosing. Forgiveness releases and results in freedom. Unforgiveness binds and results in prison.

Could it be that forgiving relationships have so much redemptive value that one's eternal destiny could be changed? Could the attention given to mending broken relationships actually result in someone, either an observer or the offender, being introduced to Kingdom life? Could the releasing of human hurt and pain incurred in earthly relationships actually prepare one to receive the heavenly forgiveness and redemption of God? I think so.

If so, then the opposite is also true. Lack of attention to those relationships can cause binding—a kind of imprisonment to self, to others, and to God. Little things have eternal consequences. Life is not really made by giving all our attention to the so-called big things, like job promotions, salary increases, and new houses. The good life, the life that matters, pays attention to the so-called little things—our relations with one another. For it is there that we can see the power of God and find redemption. (Linda McKinnish Bridges)

Identity and faith by Jill M. Johnson

“Who am I?”

For a recent sermon series, our church gave away copies of a book that claims to help us understand our purpose and why we are here. The books “flew off the shelves,” and we ran out quickly. We don’t have that problem with free books on stewardship and tithing. On Facebook and other social media sites, you can find popular quizzes that will try to determine, “Which Disney character are you?” “What classic novel describes your life?” “How Southern are you?” or “Which poet are you?” Psychologists use the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® and other self-perception tests to help us understand our personality and how we interact with others. Even a trip to a Chinese restaurant can tell you who you are by looking at the placemat (I’m a monkey). I have a friend who says she changes her hair color every time she goes to the salon because, in her own words, “I don’t know who I am.”

At some point we will all ask this question: “Who am I?” We crave an answer to the question, even as we are hesitant to take an inward journey to find that answer. In order to know our purpose and calling, we first have to know who we are. Some people wrestle with identity just a few times in their lives; for others, it’s a lifelong quest. And even when we think we know who we are, change happens, and life’s bumps and bruises have a way of making us question our identity. Sometimes we feel like Alice. When asked, “Who are YOU?” by the Caterpillar in “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland,” Alice replied, “I — I hardly know, sir, just at present — at least I know who I WAS when I got up this morning, but I think I must have been changed several times since then.”

We are more likely to use nouns to describe our identity and adjectives to describe our personality. Terms like mother, child, Hispanic, African American, female, male, artist, engineer, Democrat, Republican, Christian, and Jew are all examples of identity labels. And we relay our identity through various channels. The bumper stickers on your truck or the tattoos on your arm give others a sense of your identity, as does the flag flying in your front yard or the photos on your office desk. We live in a confusing, challenging, and competitive world, and our identity gives us a starting point as we set our course in life, as well as a way to differentiate ourselves from the masses.

Definitions of identity

Merriam-Webster defines identity as “who someone is” (that person’s name) or “the qualities, beliefs, etc., that make a particular person or group different from others.” Definitions of identity vary depending on the context, but in general, it has to do with how we see ourselves in relation to society.

Our ancestors lived and traveled in tribes. They had a small group of people to relate to, and anyone who wasn’t in their tribe was “other.” They knew who they were and where they belonged. Now that the planet is highly populated and we live in high density areas, our need to identify with groups or tribes still exists, but we act it out in different ways.

“Who do you say I am?”

If we don’t know who we are, we leave ourselves open to letting the world define us, which is never a good thing. In his blog, young adult novelist Archer Swift writes that coming of age and finding one’s identity are a common theme in literature. He argues that a fuller definition of identity addresses whose we are (the imprint our parents, faith, and culture have on us), who we are (what makes us unique), whom we share life with (the communities we relate to), and where we are going (our purpose and direction). Depending on our upbringing and circumstances, these identity elements can provide us with inspiration and meaning (self-worth), or they can fill us with uncertainty and disorientation (self-doubt).

The term negative identity refers to “the assumption of a persona that is at odds with the accepted values and expectations of society.” Body image, race, sexual orientation, and job status are examples of identities that might not fit in with the cultural norm. If your ethnic identity is Vietnamese and you live in a mostly white suburb, how might that affect your identity? If you are unemployed or overweight, how might that affect your self-worth? It’s estimated that more than 90 percent of teenage girls want to change at least one aspect of their physical appearance, with body weight ranking the highest; and 12 percent of teen boys are using supplements or steroids to change their body image. Since adolescence is a critical time for identity formation, these issues can affect a person for the rest of his or her life.

Circumstances change our identities, sometimes rather quickly. The powerful manager becomes unemployed, the busy parents become empty nesters, the healthy person becomes chronically ill, the confident woman becomes a divorcee, and the happily married man becomes a widower. In his book “Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life,” Franciscan priest Richard Rohr explains the difference between relative and absolute identity. In the first half of our lives, we need a strong “container,” or relative identity, that includes relationships, community, success, and security. But our task in the second half of our lives is to find the identity that this container is meant to hold, our true selves. This absolute identity is defined by God, and it “can be neither gained nor lost by any technique, group affiliation, morality or formula whatsoever,” Rohr states. He further explains that our absolute identity, while possibly hidden, is actually “the pearl of great price” that we are to find, and sometimes that involves suffering.

Identity in the Bible

After much suffering over being elderly and childless, God gave Abram and Sarai new identities — and literally new names. Abram became Abraham, father of many nations (Genesis 17:5). Sarai became Sarah and went from being barren to being a mother of nations (Genesis 17:15-16). In Genesis 32, Jacob suffers and wrestles as he seeks a blessing. Because he overcomes, he leaves behind the name Jacob (the supplanter) and becomes Israel (he who struggles with God) (verse 28). An encounter with the living God always results in an identity shift, a change that brings us closer to our true selves.

Scripture tells of a Jesus who knew his absolute identity, even in the first half of his life. He knew his purpose and who sent him. The writer of the Gospel of John records a number of “I am” statements that Jesus makes during his ministry: “I am the bread of life... the light of the world... the gate... the good shepherd... the resurrection and the life... the way, the truth, and the life... the vine” (John 6:35; 8:12, 10:9, 11; 11:25, 14:6; 15:5). In John 8:58, Jesus says, “Before Abraham was, I Am.”

Before Moses is willing to accept the purpose and call given to him by God to bring his people out of their enslavement in Egypt, he demands of God a personal name, a revelation of identity. God’s response is, “I Am Who I Am,” or in Ancient Hebrew, YHWH (Exodus 3:14). God does not respond with a noun, but rather a verb, a form of “to be.” Writer Thomas Cahill says we can interpret this response in three different ways: (1) “I am he who causes (things) to be”; (2) “None of your business”; or (3) “I will be-there with you . . . which emphasizes God’s continuing presence in his creation.” This YHWH (we add vowels and pronounce it “YAH-weh”) is an ongoing powerful presence and a creative force, refusing to be limited by a simple name.

As children of God, we too can be assured that our true identity is beyond what this world has to offer and is “hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3).

Be sure to check out FaithLink, a weekly downloadable discussion guide for classes and small groups. FaithLink motivates Christians to consider their personal views on important contemporary issues, and it also encourages them to act on their beliefs.

What did God mean? (Talking Scripture

with Paul) by Clifton Stringer

Stanley Hauerwas, the great Methodist theologian, used to tell his students a story about the time St. Paul visited the Vatican. It went something like this.

One day recently at the Vatican the Pope and some bishops were all arguing about the correct interpretation of Romans 7. They had been talking for a long time, and there was not consensus.

All of a sudden, in walks St. Paul himself. “What are you guys talking about?” he asks.

“Romans 7”, someone answers.

“Terrific,” says St. Paul. “Here’s what was going on in year x when I wrote that. This is who I was writing to. I was thinking especially of this person and this person and this person. Here were their problems. This is what I meant when I said y and z. This is what I wanted to happen. Here’s how I think through the larger issues of this and that, which you see me touch on in Romans 7.”

St. Paul explained the whole text to them.

When he was finished, one of the bishops spoke up respectfully: “Thank you so much, Paul. That was really helpful. Have a seat here with us. You see, you think you wrote that passage. But we all know that God wrote it. You raise some good points. Let’s all keep talking to try to understand what God meant.”

+++

Hauerwas would tell this story to make a point about the authority of interpretive communities, like his former colleague Stanley Fish.

But once we put it in our pipe and smoke it for a while, we understand more deeply what St. Thomas Aquinas must have seen when he said: “Since the literal sense is that which the author intends, and since the author of Holy Writ is God, Who by one act comprehends all things by His intellect, it is not unfitting, as Augustine says (Confess. xii), if, even according to the literal sense, one word in Holy Writ should have several senses.”

It is not that we should ever expect that what God intends to say through a Scripture is the opposite of what St. Paul, or Isaiah, etc., said. Otherwise, God, who cannot lie, would just have had them say the opposite. It is, rather, that St. Paul never comes into the room to tell us exactly what he meant. We never know human authorial intent or context all that clearly. (In contrast, we know divine authorial intent very clearly if we believe that God sent his only Son into the world for us and for our salvation.)

Yet more importantly, the thing to grasp is that God is infinite. In divinely inspiring Romans 7, God intends to communicate truth not just in and for St. Paul’s time, but to the whole church in every age and nation, the church that will continue until the end of the world. God intended to communicate saving truth through Romans 7 on the Sunday it was read in your church exactly as directly and immediately as God intended to communicate to St. Paul’s original audience. There is no limit to the truth God intends to communicate through Romans 7 save the infinity of God himself, who is unlimited.

Alas, words fail. Mineral gets it right: “The humble and righteous and meek / are teaching me whose will to seek / who really knows how to speak about these things?”

Mineral, Rejoice!

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201 8th Avenue South

Nashville, Tennessee 37202 UNited States

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Tuesday, September 2, 2014

Ministry Matters "7 gifts millennials give the church | Pastor's office hours: Time to cut back? | Identity & faith" for Tuesday, 2 September 2014

Pastor's office hours: Time to cut back? by Joseph Yoo

The preacher didn't mention Jesus! by Shane Raynor Tom Fuerst

Churches must provide a space where people are free to be themselves by Tom Ehrich

Cracks in the ‘stained-glass ceiling’ by Adelle M. Banks / Religion News Service

(RNS) Chicago. New York. Washington, D.C. In quick succession this year, three women have been chosen to lead historic tall-steeple churches in all these cities.

Scholar Diana Butler Bass hailed the arrival of these women — all in their 40s and leading large, urban, neo-Gothic churches — but also wondered if they reflect the “General Motors phenomenon.”

“Are women coming into leadership only as the institutions are collapsing?” asked Bass, author of “Christianity After Religion.”

“Now that they’re in crisis, it’s almost like the men are moving out and, ‘Oh well, we’ll just leave it to the women.’ Then if the church doesn’t succeed, then it’s the woman’s fault. It’s a kind of a double-edged sword.”

Gaines-Cirelli, 44, doesn’t view it that way.

“I think there are challenges and I think that we face them and I think that the fact that women are being counted among those who are capable of facing those challenges at the highest level is a very positive sign,” said the native Oklahoman.

Sociologist of religion Cynthia Woolever said the movement of first-career women to these significant sanctuaries is occurring in the isolated realm of mainline Protestantism, where about 20 percent of congregations are led by clergywomen.

“If you look at conservative Protestant churches you find very few; in the Catholic church: zero,” said Woolever, editor of The Parish Paper, a newsletter for regional offices of mainline denominations.

“It’s wonderful that women are being given those kinds of opportunities to serve in those very large churches, but it’s a very small slice of the pie.”

All three of the senior pastors have had to jump gender-specific hurdles.

“Look, I know you’re his girlfriend,” the guard told her before she convinced him otherwise.

Kershner said that early in her ministry when she was a hospital chaplain, she often entered rooms where she was rebuffed because she wasn’t a “real minister.”

In every place she’s served as the first woman pastor, Gaines-Cirelli has heard a variation on this theme: “I was so worried that we were getting a woman, but I think that you’re going to be just fine.”

Comparable pay was yet another hurdle.

But both Butler and Len Leach, chair of Riverside’s church council, said the pastor’s base salary of $250,000 is equivalent to that received by her predecessor, the Rev. Brad Braxton.

“It is a big job and for me it’s a big, wonderful opportunity and a big risk and so I think the Riverside Church has really stepped out here to set a great example for the rest of Christendom,” said Butler, a native Hawaiian who will lead a majority black congregation.

Butler described her total package, including benefits, as “fair.” Leach said Butler decided to give $35,000 annually to the interdenominational church’s general fund and an additional $26,000 as a scholarship to pay the annual tuition of a student at the church’s day school.

Kershner and Gaines-Cirelli also said they are paid fairly.

All three women are not only leading congregations but staffs that include other female clergy. Riverside’s staff has four other women clergy, Fourth Church has three female associate pastors, and Foundry has one female associate pastor as well as a woman executive pastor.

“The truth is that for years, it was all men; in some places it still is and nobody bats an eye,” said Gaines-Cirelli. “So the fact that we are live-streaming to the world this other vision is kind of powerful.”

Foundry member Leo Lawless agreed.

“It’s about time, isn’t it?” he said, noting that a recent worship service featured Gaines-Cirelli and two other women clergy, and two female acolytes as well as a laywoman who read the Scriptures.

The three senior clergywomen each say they look forward to the day when they’re viewed simply as their congregation’s pastor, rather than its woman pastor.

Said Kershner: “My hope is that little boys and little girls see me and the other clergy and think if that’s something that they say and others think God’s calling them to do, then they can do it.”

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This SundaySeptember 7, 2014

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