|
|
5 ways to support your pastor's family by Billy Doidge KilgoreIt’s no secret that the life of a pastor’s family is filled with unique challenges. There are few roles that mix work and family life as closely as pastoral ministry, which creates for clergy families a constant battle to maintain healthy boundaries. The pressure from the church and the surrounding community will inevitably take a toll on families unless adequate support is provided.
The type of support a pastor’s family receives often depends on the culture of the congregation. Churches that intentionally create a culture of support for the pastor and their family tend to develop and maintain healthy relationships that allow the congregation to thrive. Those that don't make the effort to create this culture of support often struggle in maintaining healthy relationships with their pastor and their family members. When there is a failure to attend to this relationship it is to the detriment not only of the pastor, but of the entire congregation.
What are these vital things that need attention to create a culture of support? While there are many things that deserve careful thought, I’ve selected five things you can focus on now to help develop a healthy relationship between your pastor, their family members, and congregation.
1. Temper unrealistic expectations.
Your pastor’s family already feels the pressure of living under the microscope of the church and the larger community. Don’t add to this pressure by expecting them to perform unwanted roles within the congregation, especially roles performed by past clergy family members. They need space within the congregation, like everyone else, to choose the areas of ministry where they will participate. If you want your pastor’s family to use their gifts to enrich the life of your congregation, ask them how they prefer to take part. Remember, you called a pastor to serve your church, not their spouse and children; the only family member on the church staff is the minister.
2. Prioritize a pastoral support group.
The organizational structure of many congregations contains a group designed to advocate for the pastor and their family’s needs. In some congregations, this group is called the Pastoral Relations Committee, and in others the same support is provided by the elders, deacons, or a council. Whoever is in charge of this important work needs to make sure it is being taken seriously; the fact this group is in place does not mean it is being used well or at all. Your pastor and their family deserve for this group to function properly and for their needs to be heard by committed church people who will advocate for things such as cost of living raises, child care during church meetings, and deserved time off. When this group is not properly utilized, the pastor and their family are left in a vulnerable position.
3. Support a sabbatical.
Pastoral work is an intense, draining experience that constantly draws pastors away from family life to care for others. Because of the unpredictable nature of the job, which involves a constantly shifting schedule, pastors and their families need time set aside to be together apart from church life. The rates of clergy burnout and the toll it takes on clergy families and congregations make the need for time apart more than evident. An effective way to provide this time is a sabbatical, which typically lasts from two to three months, and is commonly given every five years for the purpose of renewal. Several pastors have shared with me the importance of their sabbaticals in saving their ministry and enriching their family life. There are plenty of resources to help your congregation plan a sabbatical with your pastor and insure it is not a financial burden on either the pastor or the congregation.
4. Provide paid parental leave.
The church is a community that values and supports families. One of the most intense experiences within family life is the birth or adoption of a child. This is a crucial time for family to be together and support one another. It's time for more congregations to join the growing trend of employers who provide paid parental leave for both men and women. Again, the nature of a pastor’s work makes family life challenging, which it is why it is incredibly important for a pastor to be free of all pastoral responsibilities to be with their family during this time. Many clergy have upended their lives to serve congregations far away from family and support networks, which makes it all the more important to support them when there's a new child.
5. Protect your pastor’s sabbath day.
Pastors need time during the week to nurture their spiritual and family life. Because Sunday tends to be one of the busiest days of the week, they usually must carve out other time to practice self-care. Pastors vary on the day of the week they use as a time for rest, but no matter the day they choose, it is inevitable that the demands of the church will try to interrupt it. While crisis cannot be avoided, the pastor needs the help of the congregation to protect this time from things that can wait until later. There are few things that demand the pastor’s attention that cannot wait 24 hours to be addressed. It is your job as a leader to help educate the congregation regarding these important boundaries.
These are only a few of the things your congregation can do to take responsibility for creating a culture of support for your pastor and his or her family. Keep in mind, no one benefits over the long run from neglecting the important work of nurturing a healthy relationship between pastor and congregation. Thriving congregations tend to be a result of healthy leadership who are well supported by people eager to share the blessings and challenges of ministry. I encourage you to take these ideas and discuss them the next time your church leaders gather to carry out the ministry of the church.
Billy Doidge Kilgore blogs at OurDeepestSelves.com.
Why the Temple Mount matters by Shane RaynorPsalm 122:6 instructs us to “Pray that Jerusalem has peace.” Well, now would definitely be a good time to pray, because Jerusalem is currently at a boiling point. And it’s largely over what might be the most contested piece of real estate in history: the Temple Mount.
The Temple Mount is in the Old City of Jerusalem. It’s approximately 37 acres, and it’s the holiest site in Judaism. According to Jewish tradition, the site is where Abraham almost sacrificed his son. It’s also where Solomon constructed the first Jewish temple, which was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 B.C.
The Second Temple was consecrated in 516 B.C., and was reconstructed on a grander scale by Herod the Great in 20 B.C. The Temple Mount underwent massive expansion at this time.
Destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem / Francesco Hayez, 1867The Second Temple was destroyed by the Romans in A.D. 70 during the Siege of Jerusalem.
The Temple Mount is currently home to the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the Dome of the Rock, and the Dome of the Chain, all Islamic structures built in the late 7th century. The Al-Aqsa Mosque is considered to be the third holiest site in Islam (after Mecca and Medina.) Muslims believe that Mohammed was carried from Mecca to Al-Aqsa during his Night Journey. The Dome of the Rock is a shrine built where many Muslims believe Mohammed ascended into heaven and met all the prophets who had preceded him. The Dome of the Chain is a much smaller structure used for prayer.
When Israel first gained control of the site in 1967, all faiths were welcome, but after control was passed to an Islamic trust administration (due to international pressure), everything changed.
The Dome of the RockUnder current rules, the Temple Mount is freely accessible to Muslims at most times from any of ten gates. Jews and tourists are required to use a separate gate, and prayers from Jews are not allowed at the site. Jews are also restricted to visiting during certain hours. (It should be pointed out that some rabbis believe that Jews should not visit the Temple Mount at all, because the Holy of Holies stood near the center of the site.)
In recent weeks, more Jews have been visiting the Temple Mount for the Jewish holidays. This has angered many Palestinians, who see this as a sign that Jews are trying to take back the holy site. Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas has added fuel to the fire by saying that Jews should be barred from the Temple Mount “by any means.” He also referred to Jews as a “a herd of cattle.”
The Al-Aqsa MosqueEarly in October, during Sukkot (the Festival of Booths), some young Palestinians started a riot against Jews, other non-Muslim visitors, and police. They threw rocks, firebombs, metal pipes, and other objects. Police chased them into the Al-Aqsa mosque, where the rioters barricaded themselves. This allowed visitors to continue touring the Temple Mount for the remainder of the designated time window. Nine Palestinians were eventually arrested. (See video below.)
<iframe width="600" height="338" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/R6llh_fe2kY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Last week, Jewish activist Rabbi Yehuda Glick was shot three times in Jerusalem by a gunman on a motorcycle. The suspected shooter, a Palestinian linked to the Islamic Jihad terror group, was shot dead by police when they attempted to arrest him and came under fire. Rabbi Glick has long advocated for Jewish prayer rights at the Temple Mount.
After the shooting, Israeli police closed off the Temple Mount to all visitors for the first time in years. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas called the action “a declaration of war.”
The site reopened last Friday (October 31) to everyone except men under 50, presumably to avoid potential conflict around the noon prayer.
The Dome of the Chain / Photo: Andrew ShivaMany Jews and Christians believe that there will be a Third Temple rebuilt on the Temple Mount site at some point in the future. But there is much disagreement about who will do the building and how it will take place. And the current religious structures on the site present no small obstacle to any rebuilding plans.
Some Orthodox Jewish groups want to rebuild the temple and reinstate the practice of animal sacrifice. One such group, the Temple Institute, has been preparing ritual objects and has even been searching for a red heifer for temple purification that meets the requirements found in Numbers 19.
Some Christians read and watch news about Jerusalem and the Temple Mount with much interest, because they interpret these events as possible signs of the end times. 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4, for example, predicts the rise of an antichrist figure who will “sit in God’s temple, displaying himself to show that he is God.” This will precede the return of Christ, and one could logically conclude that for such a figure to enter the temple, it has to be rebuilt first.
How everything falls into place to allow this to happen is anyone’s guess.
For now, we simply watch the headlines as we pray for peace.
Wesley's both/and Scripture way of salvation by Clifton StringerWhile an undergraduate at UT Austin, I accepted Jesus as my personal Lord and Savior. I asked Jesus to come into me as he came into Lazarus' tomb and bring to life the dead things in me. This happened on a Thursday night in response to a sermon about Jesus raising Lazarus given by the Methodist campus minister. I'll never forget it.
Mind you, in many ways there is nothing overly dramatic or even surprising about this conversion story. I had believed in or wanted to believe in the God revealed in the Bible for most of my life. And nothing dramatic or tangibly spiritual happened the night I prayed that prayer in response to that Methodist sermon. Yet, at first subtly and then vigorously, I began to catch fire.
Catch fire? First, this was a fire for becoming a disciple of Jesus and living a holy life. I was first taught Scripture in a Disciple Bible Study at the Wesley Foundation at UT Austin, and one of the leaders of the Bible study, a masters student, discipled me. Reading the Bible under his Calvinist direction, I began to think about the things the Bible said, and so to grow slowly and unsteadily in a Christian intellectual life.
Second, reading the Bible, my politics got out of hand. Being an English major, I had some socially radical professors from around the world who said things that sounded crazy and liberal. Some mocked Jesus and religion, though not all: By God's grace, one of my radical English professors was a liberal Muslim poet, and another was a young and brilliant Mormon feminist. How great is that? I am so grateful for them. When I say my politics got out of hand, I do not mean that my politics became secular. I was reading the Bible. My professors were just saying things that sounded like Isaiah!
And Jesus.
And John Wesley.
Anyways, before I knew it, Jesus had really taken my life off course, and I found myself working part-time as a youth minister at a small urban United Methodist parish, and reading a book about St. Francis written by liberation theologians. I had lots of Christological convictions and no theological sophistication, and St. Francis liked me just fine. He preached to me just like he preached to the birds.
I tell this conversion story not (hopefully) because I'm self-obsessed. In any case, insofar as I am self-obsessed, Jesus is healing me of it, and also letting life beat it out of me. Rather, I tell this story because of how interesting the God revealed in the Bible is. John Wesley got this. A division between personal holiness and social holiness isn't sustainable for real, Spirit-driven, Jesus-obsessed, to-Abba-Father-praying Christianity.
In Chapter 5 of Revival: Faith as Wesley Lived It, Adam Hamilton challenges us to get it too. Too often, we've opted for either/or Christianity: either personal relationship with Jesus or the social gospel of the Kingdom of God; either a dogmatic intellectual faith (be it liberal or conservative), or a vivacious heart-faith (again, liberal or conservative); either a bad partial reading of St. Paul or a bad partial reading of St. James and the prophets. Either St. Luke or St. John. In contrast: when Rev. Hamilton is asked if he is liberal or conservative, he always answers with a clear "YES." Like Wesley, we can be both/and Christians.
Rev. Hamilton writes:
Spiritual vitality, whether in individuals or congregations, is achieved by living out the Scriptures shown at the beginning of this chapter: Ephesians 2:8-10 and James 2:14-18. Two dimensions of Christian life described in those Scriptures are critical for revival: a personal faith actively pursued through prayer, worship, Scripture reading, receiving the Eucharist, meeting in small groups, and practicing other Christian disciplines; and an invitation for God to work through you in serving your neighbor, your community, and the world. These two dimensions, taken together, constitute the holistic gospel that Jesus taught and preached, and they constitute the holistic gospel that Wesley insisted was “the scripture way of salvation” (110).
The same John Wesley whose heart was strangely warmed at Aldersgate was, from early in his ministry, unflagging in pastoral visits to those in need. Rev. Hamilton draws on Richard Heitzenrater's scholarly work to direct our attention to "Wesley’s scheme for pastoral visitation for 1731, taken from Wesley’s diary: “Monday, Bocardo [Prison]; Tuesday, Castle [Prison]; Wednesday, children; Thursday, Castle; Friday, Bocardo; Saturday, Castle; Sunday, poor and elderly"" (110).
Count 'em: five days visiting those in prison, one day reserved for just children, and Sunday to the poor and elderly.
The Scripture way of salvation — the way of Aldersgate and Castle Prison — is broad, deep, enticing, and rigorous all the way through. Jesus says it is somehow easy and light too.
May we embrace Jesus' Way — and so be disciples of the One who is given, and gives, the Spirit without measure (Jn. 3:34).
Has Jesus led you to embrace or desire a holistic Christianity? What's your story?
7 lies pastors believe by Ron EdmondsonMy heart is for the pastor. Maybe it stems from the fact that I spent years as a layperson—a deacon and Sunday school teacher—before becoming a pastor. I realize now how much I didn’t understand about the position. The role has a lot more expectations and pressures than I previously imagined. I always loved and supported the pastor, but looking back, I wish I had been an even better pastor’s friend.
One of the other realities, and it’s rather sobering to me, is how isolated many pastors feel from people in their congregation. Isolation almost always seems to lead to a misunderstanding of reality. In essence, and here’s the problem and purpose of this post, if we aren’t careful, we can begin to believe lies about ourselves or our ministries. (That even seems to have biblical precedent… believing lies got us into trouble from the beginning.)
Here are 7 lies we often believe as pastors:
I’ve got this. The enemy loves it when we begin to think we have completely figured out life or ministry. He loves us to place total confidence in ourselves. Self-confidence, if unchecked, can lead to arrogance, a sense of superiority, and a lack of dependence on God.
That didn’t hurt. Sometimes we pretend that what the person said or did to us doesn’t hurt. We can even spiritualize it because we wear the “armor of God.” In reality, most pastors I know (this one included) have tender feelings at times. Some days more than others. We are human. Maturity helps us process things faster, but we never outgrow a certain vulnerability when working with people.
I’m above that. If a pastor ever thinks “that’s too small for me to be concerned about,” watch for the fireworks to begin. The devil will see some points he can put on the board. Equally dangerous, when we as pastors believe we are above temptation of any kind, we have the devil’s full attention.
I’m in control. It would be easy to dismiss this one with a strong spiritual response. Of course, Jesus is in control. Hopefully every Bible-believing pastor reading this “Amens” to that truth. But, how many times do we believe we have more authority than we really do, or should? Danger.
I’m growing this church. We must be careful not to take credit for what only God can do. I can’t imagine God would let this lie continue long without equally letting us “believe” (and experience) that we are responsible for declining this church.
If I don’t do this no one will. We stifle spiritual growth of others when we fail to let them use their spiritual gifts. Additionally, we deny the hand and foot their individual role within the body. And sadly, we burn ourselves (and our family out.
I’ve got to protect my people. I once had a pastor say he couldn’t allow “his” people to believe God still speaks to people today, other than through his Word, because there are too many “strange voices” out there. There are, of course, and I believe the Bible is the main source of his communication, but God still speaks. If he doesn’t, let’s quit suggesting that people pray about how much God wants them to give to the building fund. When we try to protect “our” people by keeping them from God's provision, we make them our people and keep them from fully understanding they are really his children. Let us instead teach them how to know God more intimately and discern his direction. God's sheep know his voice.
I’m sure there are many other lies we can fall prey to as pastors. Exposing them can help keep us from being distracted by them and allow us to call on God's strength to overcome them. Trading prayers for pastors as I type this post.
What other lies have you seen pastors believe?
Ron Edmondson blogs at RonEdmondson.com.
Family acceptance and LGBTQ kids by Dave BarnhartReligiously conservative families can be accepting of their LGBTQ kids. In fact, their faith can help them to raise resilient children. That’s one of the findings of Dr. Caitlyn Ryan’s research with the Family Acceptance Project. Her work with Mormon families has received national attention, and more clergy need to be aware of her work. Soon a series of videos will be available as a resource for parents and faith communities.
She studied families in both conservative and liberal communities, urban and rural, white, black, Latino, and Chinese. In all of these communities, she found that rejection and acceptance are not tied to one ideology, ethnicity, or religion. Families that raised resilient kids could disagree about the morality of homosexuality and still display accepting behaviors.
Approximately 40 percent of homeless youth are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or questioning (LGBTQ). But generally, even families who kick their LGBTQ children out of the house don’t hate their kids. They see their rejection as a form of “tough love” that may help change their child. They see rejection of their child’s sexual orientation as a necessary part of helping their child. They fear for their children: They fear that they will be hurt by the world, that they will be lonely, that they will fall into a life of sin and depravity.
Their rejecting behaviors may bring about the very situations they fear. Research from the Family Acceptance Project has demonstrated that LGTBQ youth who experience high levels of rejection from their families are eight times more likely to commit suicide. They are three times more likely to use illegal drugs and three times more likely to be at risk for HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. Other family behaviors that increase risk for LGBTQ adolescents include:
• Physical abuse, verbal harassment or name-calling
• Blocking access to LGBTQ friends, events, and resources
• Pressuring a child to be more masculine or feminine
• Telling a child to pray to change or that God will punish them if they are gay
Again, most of these behaviors arise from parents’ anxiety for their child’s future, not from hatred. But anxiety keeps us from acting in rational ways. Trying to change a child with these tactics backfires.
Anxiety keeps many Christians from thinking rationally about LGBTQ issues, especially when it concerns children and teens. Many folks seem to have an idea that everyone is identical, but that at some point they “fall off the conveyer belt” and become gay, or that kids can become gay through social pressure. For this reason, some parents try to socially isolate their kids from sources they think will “encourage” their kids to be gay. These kids are at huge risk for depression later in life.
Dr. Ryan identified more than 100 family behaviors regarding LGBTQ kids, and classified family responses ranging from rejection, to ambivalent, to accepting, to celebrating. Some parents may initially respond with acceptance, but then remain silent and never talk with their son or daughter about their friends or their feelings. These ambivalent parents may be thinking that if they can “just get through high school,” everything will be okay. But silence is also a rejecting behavior, and leads to similar risk factors. Young adults who experienced family rejection as a teen are less resilient as adults, and have much greater risk of depression and suicide.
But only a slight move from “total rejection” of their child to “ambivalence” reduces suicide risk by more than half! Families don’t need to have a “coming out party” for their kids to have a significant impact on their child’s well-being (although celebrating families tend to have better outcomes.)
It is true that social media and information have led more kids to “come out” earlier, but this goes along with research on typical human development and does not indicate that more kids are LGBTQ. Children begin expressing gender identity around age three, and have some inkling of who they are attracted to by age 10. This supports the idea that gender identity and sexual orientation have little to do with what we think of as “sex.” (I remember that my 3rd grade crush on a brown-haired girl at church camp was a-sexual. It expressed itself as merciless teasing to get her attention.)
According to Dr. Ryan, families are an often-neglected source of support for kids who come out as LGBTQ. They have generally been seen as obstacles instead of allies. The other neglected source of support is faith communities.
What I find most hopeful about Dr. Ryan’s research is that it doesn’t dwell on issues of Scripture or doctrine, but on something common to all families and communities whether liberal or conservative, religious or secular: the well-being of kids. All parents want their kids and teenagers to be happy and healthy, to live lives of meaning and purpose, and to have the joy of connecting with people who will love and support them. As clergy and leaders of faith communities, we need to be proactive about helping parents learn what behaviors are going to help raise resilient kids.
Dave Barnhart is the pastor of Saint Junia UMC in Birmingham, Ala. He blogs at DaveBarnhart.net.
We don't need more Christians... by Courtney T BallWe've come a long way.
In his day, Jesus was mocked, beaten, and publicly executed for his ministry. He was called a blaspheming treasonous criminal. Today, an empire similar to Rome might call him a terrorist.
This was a tenuous and painful beginning for a movement that has since grown to become the largest religion the world has ever seen. Today, nearly one third of the human population identifies itself as Christian (2.18 billion in 2011, as estimated by the Pew Research Center).
It was a humble beginning as well. What started as a loosely organized band of poor laborers and societal outcasts has since grown into a worldwide body made up of every class of people imaginable. For a long time now, this has included the very powerful.
For example, according to that same 2011 Pew study, the United States (arguably the most powerful empire ever to exist) also has more Christians than any other nation on the planet, with 79.5% of our population claiming to be Christian.
So, in the last two thousand years, the followers of Jesus have miraculously expanded to become the most popular and powerful group of people in the history of our world. At least, that's what the labels say.
More people claim the label "Christian" than any other American demographic.
No ethnic group can boast to hold such a large portion of the population. Even if you lump all the pale-skinned people of European ancestry together and call them white — the largest ethnic group reported in the U.S. Census — they number fewer than the Christians.
There are more Christians than there are Republicans or Democrats (or even the two parties combined). Perhaps this is why candidates from both parties consistently campaign to Christian audiences and try to characterize themselves as faithful.
Of course, not every Christian is serious about faith.
In the U.S., less than 20% of the population regularly attends church. Using 2010 Census figures like the above-mentioned Pew study did, that leaves us with about 49 million church-going American Christians, many fewer than the 79% figure of 196 million.
Still, 49 million is no small number. That figure surpasses the AARP, which, at 37 million members, is the largest advocacy organization in the United States. And remember, we're talking about people who show up every Sunday. Those 37 million AARP members are not attending weekly meetings.
But let's say we get really conservative and estimate that even among the people who attend church, only 10 percent of them are actually quite serious about their faith: meaning they study their Bibles and ascribe to the teachings of Jesus which they hear about week in and week out. That means we have 4.9 million active, dedicated Christians in the United States. These highly committed disciples of Jesus still outnumber some of the most powerful membership-based advocacy groups in the U.S.
For example, the NRA claims to have 4.5 million members (a figure that is probably inflated). The National Education Association has 3 million, and the Service Employees International Union, often credited for helping to get Obama's Affordable Care Act passed, has 2 million (across the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico).
In other words, these committed followers of Jesus, who each week devote their time, energy and money to their churches, should be a force to be reckoned with. They should be able to transform society and influence American policy better than any other group out there.
So my question is, Why don't they get things done?
It's not like the church is a party without a platform! Jesus made his instructions pretty clear, and we've all been reading basically the same book for the last 17-1800 years. I mean, let's just pick the relatively simple issue of gun control. How can a religion with 196 million, 49 million, or even 4.9 million American members, all devoted to a savior who commands his followers to "love your enemies" and "turn the other cheek" — how can that church consistently get beaten by a piddly little organization like the NRA? How have we allowed this nation of so-called Christians to become first in the world for gun ownership and gun deaths? More than 30,000 Americans die each year from gun deaths. The most Christian nation is also the most violent nation.
Of course, it's not just violence. If you look at Matthew 25:31-46, Jesus says the test every person must pass before getting into heaven is whether we do things like feed the hungry, tend to the sick, welcome the stranger, and visit the prisoner. Yet our wealthy nation has 45 million people living in poverty, the most expensive health care system in the world which 40 million people can't afford to access, and incarcerates more of its population than any other nation.
We don't need more Christians, we need better ones.
I'm a United Methodist, and my denomination's mission is to "make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world." I think that's a great mission, but it often gets interpreted simply as winning more people over for Jesus. You know, saving souls.
Honestly, I think we've won over more than we can handle. Instead, what we ought to be doing is making the Christian label actually mean something. The way I see it, a real disciple of Jesus in this nation would stand out like a sore thumb. He would be pushing for a more peaceful, just, and compassionate America. She would give up the common American pursuit of happiness (usually translated into money and power) and instead pursue holiness. And no Christian's notion of holiness would be limited to simple personal piety or judgmental statements about sexual morality. Instead, it would be so bold as to include economics and political policy, just as Jesus's ministry did.
Otherwise, what's the point?
That second part of the United Methodist mission — the part about transforming the world — that's why I chose to follow Jesus. If he takes me to heaven, hey, that would be great! But that's not why I joined up. I want to be a part of creating that new reality called the Kingdom of God. Here and now, in this world, in this very nation. What about you?
You can see more of Courtney's work at CourtneyTBall.com, or sign up to receive his weekly email, Life and Depth.
Brittany Maynard's death: Does suffering have spiritual meaning? by Cathy Lynn Grossman / Religion News Service
WASHINGTON (RNS) When Brittany Maynard became the youthful face of the right-to-die movement, she brought to the public table several fierce debates.Some people wouldn’t call Maynard’s death a “suicide” because, overwhelmingly, the people who commit suicide are people who have a choice to continue to live. People with a terminal diagnosis — like Maynard’s aggressive brain tumor that was robbing her of the life she said she very much wanted to live — don’t have that choice.
So is she the public face of “suicide”? Many would find the term “physician-assisted dying” more accurate.
Like the word “suicide,” “suffering” is another word that is used — and valued — very differently. By dying at age 29, Maynard signaled that carrying on while she no longer knew herself was pointless and would only prolong the agony of those who loved her.
She saw no value in suffering.
That may be one reason the right-to-die movement, led by advocacy groups such as Compassion & Choices and others, is so worrisome to many of its opponents. If suffering is optional, then it might also be spiritually meaningless.
That’s a very different perspective than what is taught by many of the world’s religions and philosophies.
Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, in his first Easter address to the world after his 2005 election, spoke of heroic suffering, which he said should be accepted by believers to unite them with Jesus’ suffering for the love and salvation of mankind.
The world had just witnessed his predecessor, St. John Paul II, grapple with his own public suffering as a series of end-of-life ailments robbed the once-vigorous pope of his vitality.
But there was little doubt in John Paul’s mind about the value of suffering. “Your sufferings, accepted and borne with unshakeable faith, when joined to those of Christ take on extraordinary value for the life of the Church and the good of humanity,” he said in his 1993 address to mark the First Annual World Day of the Sick.
Yet in Oregon, Washington, Vermont, Montana and New Mexico, terminally ill patients who fear “intolerable suffering” can ask a doctor for assistance — a prescription for a lethal drug they alone can take — in dying on a day when they believe they have “suffered enough.”
But what’s “enough?” Is there a just-right amount?
“Suffering” has no qualitative measure. Unlike physical pain — expressed with a grimace or a moan or a rational rating of 1 to 10 for the doctor making rounds — suffering is psychological; it’s emotional. It’s fear, despair, anger for the life past or present, or the unknown to come. Suffering may be born of relationships with other people or with God, relationships gone sour, sad or hollow. As San Francisco rabbi and former hospice chaplain Michael Goldberg said: “A great deal of the suffering at the end of life is either self-inflicted or inflicted by friends and relatives. It’s not due to disease.” And often, it’s not the sick person who suffers.
“Psychic suffering requires consciousness. If you are deeply comatose, you don’t feel pain,” said medical anthropologist Sharon Kaufman, who spent years in three hospitals observing death, dying and decision-making for her book, … And A Time to Die: How American Hospitals Shape the End of Life.
Since suffering, like beauty, is in the mind of the beholder, the choice to bear it, numb it or dumb it down is personal, cultural and spiritual.
Maynard told CNN: “I considered passing away in hospice care at my San Francisco Bay-area home. But even with palliative medication, I could develop potentially morphine-resistant pain and suffer personality changes and verbal, cognitive and motor loss of virtually any kind.”
In Iowa, a high school student with an aggressive brain tumor has battled through treatments and surgeries to potentially add years to her life. According to The Des Moines Register’s coverage of Bethany Gruich, 17, she whispered to her mother in one of the worst days that she was not ready to die. Maynard’s choice was unacceptable to this Baptist family. Bethany’s mother, Lori, said, “My faith goes against that on all levels.”
Catholic doctrine excludes physician-assisted dying when suffering appears endless and overwhelming.
“When can we say that the potential to grow or overcome or bear that suffering, that potential which made that suffering meaningful, is gone forever?” asks the Rev. Kevin FitzGerald, of the Center for Clinical Bioethics at Georgetown University. The Jesuit priest’s questions are rhetorical. He asks: “Why do we think someone is enlightened enough to know their suffering is not redemptive?”
Traditional Islam, like Judaism and Christianity, sees life as God’s gift to give and to take away. But for the Hindu or Buddhist, suffering may be accepted as inescapable.
“The law of karma says that every embodied soul, every living person, depending on the kind of life one has led, will reap the consequences of our actions. Injustices, and suffering in this world might only be explained by the past,” said Varadaraja V. Raman, an associate editor of the “Encyclopedia of Hinduism.” Maynard may represent a disconnection from views rooted in religion or karma. To her, suffering borne by her body and her loved ones’ emotions were not worthwhile if she were no longer living, thinking, acting as herself. Her choice to die may reinforce to many — particularly religiously disengaged young millennials — that spiritual meaning, like suffering, is up to you.
“When my suffering becomes too great, I can say to all those I love, ‘I love you; come be by my side, and come say goodbye as I pass into whatever’s next,'” she told CNN. “I will die upstairs in my bedroom with my husband, mother, stepfather and best friend by my side and pass peacefully. I can’t imagine trying to rob anyone else of that choice.”
Does purgatory have a prayer with Protestants? by David Gibson / Religion News Service(RNS) This Sunday (Nov. 2), on what is known as All Souls’ Day, Roman Catholics around the world will be praying for loved ones who have died and for all those who have passed from this life to the next. They will be joined by Jerry Walls.
“I got no problem praying for the dead,” Walls says without hesitation — which is unusual for a United Methodist who attends an Anglican church and teaches Christian philosophy at Houston Baptist University.
Most Protestant traditions forcefully rejected the “Romish doctrine” of purgatory after the Reformation nearly 500 years ago. The Protestant discomfort with purgatory hasn’t eased much since: You still can’t find the word in the Bible, critics say, and the idea that you can pray anyone who has died into paradise smacks of salvation by good works.
The dead are either in heaven or hell, they say. There’s no middle ground, and certainly nothing the living can do to change it.
Many Catholics don’t seem to take purgatory as seriously as they once did, either, viewing it as fodder for jokes or as the “anteroom of heaven,” an unpleasant way station that is only marginally more appealing than hell.
But Walls is a leading exponent of an effort to convince Protestants — and maybe a few Catholics — that purgatory is a teaching they can, and should, embrace. And he’s having a degree of success, even among some evangelicals, that hasn’t been seen in, well, centuries.
“I would often get negative reactions,” Walls said about his early efforts, starting more than a decade ago, to pitch purgatory to Protestants. “But when I started explaining it, it didn’t cause a lot of shock.”
Walls’ major work on the topic, Purgatory: The Logic of Total Transformation, was published in 2012 and completes a trilogy on heaven, hell and the afterlife. He also has a popular, one-volume book synthesizing his ideas coming out from Brazos Press, which targets evangelical readers, and is writing an essay on purgatory for a collection about hell from the evangelical publisher Zondervan.
Walls, and other theologians giving purgatory a second look, make three main points:
1. The word “purgatory” isn’t in the Bible, but the idea is there.
The New Testament makes it clear that you have to be holy to enter heaven: “Without holiness no one will see the Lord,” as the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Hebrews says. “Nothing impure will ever enter” paradise, adds the author of the Book of Revelation. The usual Protestant explanation is that this transformation takes place in an instant, at the moment of death.
“So everyone believes in purgatory,” said Walls. “The only question is how long it lasts and how it happens.” For Walls, purgatory (or whatever you want to call it) is “a natural theological implication” that “makes sense of things that are taught in the Bible.”
2. It’s still about grace, not works.
Critics of purgatory say it was an invention of medieval Catholicism, and in fact Rome only explicitly defined the doctrine in the 13th century. Dante wrote his “Divine Comedy” a few decades later, which cemented the popular image of purgatory (and hell as the “Inferno”).
By the 15th century, purgatory was being exploited as a moneymaking scheme by the likes of Johann Tetzel, the German friar whose sale of indulgences for the remission of sins sparked the ire of reformers like Martin Luther. “They preach only human doctrines who say that as soon as the money clinks into the money chest, the soul flies out of purgatory,” as Luther put it.
But Catholics argue that the earliest Christians prayed for the souls of the dead, and purgatory shouldn’t be dismissed simply because it was abused.
Walls agrees. He adds that time spent in purgatory is not a matter of “earning” one’s way to heaven but is an extension of the journey toward holiness. Believers voluntarily cooperate in that process while alive, with the aid of grace, and it makes sense that they would do so when they die. “If you think God takes our freedom seriously, it’s unlikely he would unilaterally zap us at the moment of death,” Walls said.
3. Purgatory isn’t God’s torture chamber.
For a long time, purgatory was seen as a matter of discipline, a kind of experiment in controlled pain that a soul endured before being allowed to pass into paradise (after some number of years that was often the subject of convoluted calculations about the relative value of mortal and venial sins).
In recent years, the emphasis has swung from “satisfying” the justice of God through painful reparations to one of sanctification, or becoming holy.
This reworked version of purgatory is something that has intrigued some Protestants, and it seems to have won over more than a few.
“To suggest instead that Christians will enjoy a kind of express executive elevator at the time of death is to suggest that those who work hard on holiness in this life are wasting their efforts,” John G. Stackhouse, Jr., a popular evangelical author at Canada’s Regent College wrote in an essay on Walls’ ideas in The Christian Century.
Sanctification, Stackhouse said, “remains a demanding, incremental process that cannot be short-circuited in this life. Why should we think there are shortcuts in the next?” In that same issue, Roger Olson, a theologian at Baylor University’s seminary, also gave Walls’ book a sympathetic review.
Walls and others have also cited the English convert and Christian apologist, C.S. Lewis, a hero to today’s evangelicals, who wrote that he believed in purgatory — though he saw it more as a trip to the dentist than Dante’s version.
That’s a powerful lineup, but the debate is still coalescing, and resistance continues, especially among evangelicals.
Scot McKnight, a popular author and New Testament professor at Northern Seminary outside Chicago, has labeled himself “persuadable” on the idea of purgatory but concluded in a series of blog posts on Walls’ writings that he remains “unconvinced” for several reasons, chiefly because “there is no evidence in the New Testament for second-chance purgatory.”
The online magazine Credo last year dedicated an entire issue to the question, which is titled: “Purgatory: An Evangelical Doctrine?” The upshot was decidedly negative:
“Certainly this still smells of salvation by works, even if it be coated differently,” wrote Matthew Barrett, a Southern Baptist and executive editor of Credo. “What a shock it would have been to Luther and Calvin to see Evangelicals not only ignoring our differences with Roman Catholics on issues as large as justification by faith alone, but even going so far as to adopt Roman Catholic doctrines such as Purgatory.”
Walls, however, says that after five centuries of Protestant dismissals of purgatory, it will take some time for the discussion to really get going: “I think that in the next 10 years, purgatory is going to develop as a serious conversation.”
Pope Francis: The devil is real and don't underestimate him by Josephine McKenna / Religion News ServiceVATICAN CITY (RNS) As millions of revelers around the world dress in ghoulish costumes to mark Halloween and the darker side of life, Pope Francis warned that the devil is no myth and must be fought strenuously with “God’s armor.”
Francis described Christian life as a continuous battle against Satan during his homily at morning Mass at the Vatican on Thursday (Oct. 30).
“This generation, and many others, have been led to believe that the devil is a myth, a figure, an idea, the idea of evil,” the pope told the faithful during Mass at the St. Martha guesthouse where he lives inside the walls of the Vatican.
“But the devil exists and we must fight against him.”
Basing his reflections on the Apostle Paul’s admonition that Christians must “put on the full armor of God” in order to resist Satan’s temptations, Francis likened life to a “military endeavor” and urged people against being carried away by passions and temptations.
“No spiritual life, no Christian life is possible without resisting temptations, without putting on God’s armor which gives us strength and protects us. … The truth is God’s armor.”
Meanwhile, an Italian exorcist, the Rev. Aldo Buonaiuto, suggested that Halloween should be replaced by a celebration of Christian saints and renamed “Holyween.”
He said too many people wrongly believe Halloween is a “simple carnival”; instead, he said, it masks “a subterranean world” based on the occult.
“For followers of the occult, Oct. 31 is the satanic new year,” he told the Italian daily La Nazione. “It’s a time for attracting new converts. And it’s also a time when exorcists have to work more.”
Buonaiuto is director of the Pope John XXIII Community Association, a Catholic organization fighting black magic sects and satanic cults, and is involved in Catholic training programs for exorcists.
With Halloween, he said, there is an increase in black magic rites, cemetery desecrations, thefts of sacred bones and the adoration of Satan, as well as demonic possessions.
What's in your jar? by Ed ZinkiewiczTurkey was a central theme in the last two blogs. I personally find the smell of turkey significant to unlocking memories of similar occasions stretching back through my childhood up to the present. But turkey isn't the only memory.
I also remember my grandparent’s preserves with fondness: jellies, jams, vegetables. Preserves are a bit of summer sunshine transported to winter with all the care of craftsmen who loved their family by using frugalness and expertise. I mention this as a segue into looking at these strings of memories not so much for the actual memory as for the new experience when the preserves are decanted.
I watched a mother and daughter the other day. Mom was a patient at a care facility and, on this occasion, had her head resting on her daughter’s shoulder. They were both happily singing along with the gospel songs I was playing.* The daughter told us later that Mom could not, did not talk much any more. Her particular brand of dementia had taken away much of her facility in that area. But when Mom hears that music again, it is the frailty that is forgotten; she can sing along.
The daughter says that for a brief time, she has her mother back and can once again be with her Mom to share in a favored pastime. She said, “Thank you for singing guys; you brought my Mom back.” Mom, you see, had preserved those treasures so that they could be decanted and enrich the winter of her life. We didn’t bring Mom back; she had some memories stored away for the occasion. We maybe just loosened the lid on the jar.
To me, to be old is to actually share in new experiences enriched by long memories. To plumb the lines that go back through the experiences I’ve had and the things I’ve tried to learn to help bring meaning to the present and the people in my life. Being old is about building treasures for the future. I hope for you a legacy that includes memorable events and an attic full of preserves.
Who knows? Maybe together we can turn the word “old” around one more time until we can gladly claim being old and not have to shake our canes at people!
But these things don’t just happen. Events worth remembering are not accidental. You need to build them into your day. You have to go pick the fruit, remove the peel, slice and preserve. You need a recipe for preserves.
Go with the best fruit. You don’t can fruit from winter pickings. You have to watch for the good stuff. Capture it. Take pictures. Write about it. Talk about it. Make it a favorite story.
Don’t sit around. There is fruit available most any time. Maybe you don’t like Thanksgiving. So, why not celebrate Mother’s Day? Why not celebrate the day you retired? There is always an event worth lifting up to cherish and preserve.
Be invitational. The best parties are conspiracies. It often takes many hands together to make an event special. My grandparents made preserves. But they had a better time making preserves when they had help. So be sure and invite people you want to share with.
Be repetitive. Do something repeatedly. It is the repetition that helps build memories that can be recalled when other current or infrequent events seem so distant or lost to us. I remember a lifetime of Thanksgiving dinners, for example. Mom in the story above actually had to sing those songs many times to build up a cache; that is how you preserve memories.
Until next time. How’s retirement going for you? Got any good recipe hints for preserving memories?
edz …the retired guy
*I play in a musical group that frequents three nursing homes every month. We primarily do gospel music as it is popular and easy to sing to. Our customers like it! And they remember it!
Why you should consider becoming an organ donor by Jim HawkinsA Personal Question
Before you read more, I would like you to take out your driver’s license. Look at it. Are you an organ and tissue donor? If you are, there will be some kind of indication on your license. In my home state, the sign for an organ donor is a small red heart on the front of the license; and indeed there is a heart just above and to the right of my signature. Other states have different indications. In Tennessee, donors check a box next to the statement, “I hereby certify that I am 18 or older, of sound mind, and upon my death, wish to make an anatomical gift noted below.” Tennessee residents can then choose to mark one of three options: (1) any organ/tissue, (2) entire body, or (3) specific organ(s)/tissue; and fill in their preferences.
I ask such a personal question because November 9 is Organ and Tissue Donor Sunday in The United Methodist Church. The following weekend, November 14–16, many different faiths will participate in National Donor Sabbath, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.
A Difficult Answer
Tribhawan and Jasmin Persaud were not very knowledgeable about organ donation. All that changed in an instant when their 21-year-old son, Anand, was in a car accident in 2005. His head injuries were so severe that hospital personnel could do nothing to save his life. The attending nurse talked to the Persauds and asked them to consider donation. The grieving parents agreed, and soon their son’s kidneys, pancreas, liver, and heart were transplanted. Six people are alive today because of their difficult answer.
“Anand was this terrific guy, this loving guy,” Tribhawan says of his son. “What a waste it would have been if we hadn’t donated his organs. We are very happy that we made the best decision. . . . This is a blessing that we were able to make a difference in their lives. Some of them are having children, some are having grandchildren.”
Tribhawan now volunteers for organizations that encourage organ and tissue donation and encourages other people to become donors. “No one knows when they may die, but when you do go, you can leave a legacy,” he says. “Should anything happen to you, you will be a blessing to somebody’s family.”
Unlike young Anand Persaud, Ernest Goh made the decision to be an organ donor himself. His wife, Bernice, remembers that “he put the pink dot on his driver’s license himself. He said that when we pass away, we must put all of our assets to good use.”
Ernest died unexpectedly at 61. His family knew what to do; they respected his commitment. “I am very proud of him for making the decision,” Bernice says. “With his donation, five lives have been saved. He did a great thing.”
A life-giving answer
Cheyenne Noel Arnold was only four months old when she was diagnosed with severe heart disease. When she was 18 months old, it was clear that to live much longer, she needed a new heart. She was placed on the transplant waiting list and soon received that new heart.
Harrison Black, Cheyenne’s grandfather, was also diagnosed with heart disease around the same time. He was also told that he needed a heart transplant. Inspired by his young granddaughter, he was resolved that “if Cheyenne made it through, surely I can, too.” Within weeks after his heart transplant, he was holding his young granddaughter in his lap. Six years later, the two enjoy their time together, including camping and riding on Black’s motorcycle. Their family members say, “Two lives in our family were saved because of the selfless gift of organ donation.”
Kelvin Y. knew that he was at risk for an early death. Like many people of Asian heritage living in the United States, he was diagnosed with a form of hepatitis, a disease that attacks the liver. His doctors monitored him regularly, and for nearly 20 years Kelvin was stable. But that changed in an instant. “I was at work, and began throwing up blood,” Kelvin said.
He was so sick that he was placed on the transplant waiting list immediately. His doctors told him he had about six months to live. Four months later, he received the call he’d been waiting for and, soon after, a new liver. “I was so excited, because it gave me hope. Hope to see my sons grow up and spend more time with my wife and family.”
His now-grown sons are registered organ donors, and the family encourages others to make the same life-giving commitment. “Without the transplant, I would have died 15 years ago,” Kelvin says. “Now I treasure every day. I love my wife, my kids, my family even more. Every day is a new day for me. Every day is a thankful day for me. And I really appreciate the new life that I have been given.”
Answering the question
Sue Johnson, a member of Minnehaha United Methodist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota, is a registered organ and tissue donor. Sue works as a nurse and has seen many people benefit from organ donations. Although the recipient of the transplant and his or her family benefit, Sue says that often the donor’s family benefits as well, particularly when their loved one died a sudden and/or tragic death.
Karen McIntyre, a member of West End United Methodist Church in Nashville, Tennessee, is also a committed donor. When I asked Karen, “What led you to your decision?” she replied with a question of her own: “Why not let my body be useful to someone even in death?”
The Reverend Christine Bowden, pastor of Long Neck United Methodist Church near Millsboro, Delaware, is a registered donor as well. She said she made it official in part because it was so easy to do when she renewed her driver’s license. She added, “While I’m perfectly happy to share, I’m not happy that the medical industry profits from these very personal gifts.”
Like Sue, Karen, and Christine, I’m a registered organ and tissue donor. I had no hesitation to answer yes when asked if I wanted to be a donor. The way I figured it, once I’m dead, I’m no longer going to need my organs and tissue anyway. Plus I see registering to be a donor as a way for me to respond to Jesus’ call to be compassionate. By this simple act, I may be an agent of healing. My decision may save the life of another person, or potentially more than one person.
Donations do make a difference. At this time, medical professionals can transplant the pancreas, lungs, liver, kidneys, heart, and intestines, as well as perform kidney/pancreas, heart/lung, and other combined organ transplants. Organdonor.gov reports that tissue such as bone, cartilage, corneas, heart valves, ligaments, the middle ear, skin, tendons, and veins can be “used to restore sight, cover burns, repair hearts, replace veins, and mend damaged connective tissue and cartilage.” One organ donor can make a difference in the lives of many people.
While most donors have died before the donation of their organs and tissue is completed, it’s possible to become a donor while still alive. “A living donor can donate a kidney, part of the pancreas, part of a lung, part of the liver, or part of the intestine,” according to organdonor.gov.
Your answer could matter
More than 123,000 people in the United States are waiting for an organ transplant. Another name is added to the waiting list every ten minutes. While last year there were 14,257 organ donations, approximately 21 people die each day because an organ donation was not made in time. Research has revealed that 98 percent of all adults have heard of organ donation, 86 percent have heard of tissue donation, and 90 percent say they support donation; yet only 30 percent know the steps to become a donor.
While many of us are uncomfortable thinking about our own death, the reality is that each of us will die someday. Your answer today could help transform that future sad day for your loved ones into a hopeful day for someone else.
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.
This Sunday, November 9, 201421st Sunday after: Pentecost/in Kingdomtide – Green
This Week's Lectionary Scriptures:
Joshua 3:7-17
Psalm 107:1-7, 33-37
1 Thessalonians 2:9-13
Matthew 23:1-12
Joshua 3:7-8 God said to Joshua, “This very day I will begin to make you great in the eyes of all Israel. They’ll see for themselves that I’m with you in the same way that I was with Moses. You will command the priests who are carrying the Chest of the Covenant: ‘When you come to the edge of the Jordan’s waters, stand there on the river bank.’”
9-13 Then Joshua addressed the People of Israel: “Attention! Listen to what God, your God, has to say. This is how you’ll know that God is alive among you—he will completely dispossess before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusites. Look at what’s before you: the Chest of the Covenant. Think of it—the Master of the entire earth is crossing the Jordan as you watch. Now take twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one man from each tribe. When the soles of the feet of the priests carrying the Chest of God, Master of all the earth, touch the Jordan’s water, the flow of water will be stopped—the water coming from upstream will pile up in a heap.”
14-16 And that’s what happened. The people left their tents to cross the Jordan, led by the priests carrying the Chest of the Covenant. When the priests got to the Jordan and their feet touched the water at the edge (the Jordan overflows its banks throughout the harvest), the flow of water stopped. It piled up in a heap—a long way off—at Adam, which is near Zarethan. The river went dry all the way down to the Arabah Sea (the Salt Sea). And the people crossed, facing Jericho.
17 And there they stood; those priests carrying the Chest of the Covenant stood firmly planted on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan while all Israel crossed on dry ground. Finally the whole nation was across the Jordan, and not one wet foot.
Psalm 107:1-3 Oh, thank God—he’s so good!
His love never runs out.
All of you set free by God, tell the world!
Tell how he freed you from oppression,
Then rounded you up from all over the place,
from the four winds, from the seven seas.
4-9 Some of you wandered for years in the desert,
looking but not finding a good place to live,
Half-starved and parched with thirst,
staggering and stumbling, on the brink of exhaustion.
Then, in your desperate condition, you called out to God.
He got you out in the nick of time;
He put your feet on a wonderful road
that took you straight to a good place to live.
So thank God for his marvelous love,
for his miracle mercy to the children he loves.
He poured great draughts of water down parched throats;
the starved and hungry got plenty to eat.
33-41 God turned rivers into wasteland,
springs of water into sunbaked mud;
Luscious orchards became alkali flats
because of the evil of the people who lived there.
Then he changed wasteland into fresh pools of water,
arid earth into springs of water,
Brought in the hungry and settled them there;
they moved in—what a great place to live!
They sowed the fields, they planted vineyards,
they reaped a bountiful harvest.
He blessed them and they prospered greatly;
their herds of cattle never decreased.
But abuse and evil and trouble declined
as he heaped scorn on princes and sent them away.
He gave the poor a safe place to live,
treated their clans like well-cared-for sheep.
1 Thessalonians 2:9-12 You remember us in those days, friends, working our fingers to the bone, up half the night, moonlighting so you wouldn’t have the burden of supporting us while we proclaimed God’s Message to you. You saw with your own eyes how discreet and courteous we were among you, with keen sensitivity to you as fellow believers. And God knows we weren’t freeloaders! You experienced it all firsthand. With each of you we were like a father with his child, holding your hand, whispering encouragement, showing you step-by-step how to live well before God, who called us into his own kingdom, into this delightful life.
13 And now we look back on all this and thank God, an artesian well of thanks! When you got the Message of God we preached, you didn’t pass it off as just one more human opinion, but you took it to heart as God’s true word to you, which it is, God himself at work in you believers!
Matthew 23: Religious Fashion Shows
1-3 Now Jesus turned to address his disciples, along with the crowd that had gathered with them. “The religion scholars and Pharisees are competent teachers in God’s Law. You won’t go wrong in following their teachings on Moses. But be careful about following them. They talk a good line, but they don’t live it. They don’t take it into their hearts and live it out in their behavior. It’s all spit-and-polish veneer.
4-7 “Instead of giving you God’s Law as food and drink by which you can banquet on God, they package it in bundles of rules, loading you down like pack animals. They seem to take pleasure in watching you stagger under these loads, and wouldn’t think of lifting a finger to help. Their lives are perpetual fashion shows, embroidered prayer shawls one day and flowery prayers the next. They love to sit at the head table at church dinners, basking in the most prominent positions, preening in the radiance of public flattery, receiving honorary degrees, and getting called ‘Doctor’ and ‘Reverend.’
8-10 “Don’t let people do that to you, put you on a pedestal like that. You all have a single Teacher, and you are all classmates. Don’t set people up as experts over your life, letting them tell you what to do. Save that authority for God; let him tell you what to do. No one else should carry the title of ‘Father’; you have only one Father, and he’s in heaven. And don’t let people maneuver you into taking charge of them. There is only one Life-Leader for you and them—Christ.
11-12 “Do you want to stand out? Then step down. Be a servant. If you puff yourself up, you’ll get the wind knocked out of you. But if you’re content to simply be yourself, your life will count for plenty.
John Wesley Notes-Commentary:
Joshua 3:7-17
Verse 7
[7] And the LORD said unto Joshua, This day will I begin to magnify thee in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee.
Magnify thee — That is, to gain thee authority among them, as the person whom I have set in Moses's stead, and by whom I will conduct them to the possession of the promised land.
Verse 8
[8] And thou shalt command the priests that bear the ark of the covenant, saying, When ye are come to the brink of the water of Jordan, ye shall stand still in Jordan.
The brink — Heb. to the extremity, so far as the river then spread itself, which was now more than ordinary, Joshua 3:15.
In Jordan — Within the waters of Jordan, in the first entrance into the river; Where they stood for a season, 'till the river was divided, and then they went into the midst of it, and there abode 'till all the people were passed over.
Verse 9
[9] And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, Come hither, and hear the words of the LORD your God.
Come hither — To the ark or tabernacle, the place of public assemblies.
The Lord your God — Who is now about to give a proof that he is both the Lord, the omnipotent governor of heaven and earth, and all creatures; and your God, in covenant with you, having a tender care and affection for you.
Verse 10
[10] And Joshua said, Hereby ye shall know that the living God is among you, and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Hivites, and the Perizzites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Jebusites.
Ye shall know — By experience and sensible evidence.
The living God — Not a dull, dead, senseless God, such as the gods of the nations are; but a God of life, and power, and activity to watch over you, and work for you.
Among you — Is present with you to strengthen and help you.
Verse 12
[12] Now therefore take you twelve men out of the tribes of Israel, out of every tribe a man.
Twelve men — For the work described, Joshua 4:2,3.
Verse 13
[13] And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of Jordan, that the waters of Jordan shall be cut off from the waters that come down from above; and they shall stand upon an heap.
The ark of the Lord — That so it may appear this is the Lord's doing, and that in pursuance of his covenant made with Israel.
Of all the earth — The Lord of all this globe of earth and water, who therefore can dispose of this river and the adjoining land as he pleaseth.
Cut off — The waters which now are united now shall be divided, and part shall flow down the channel towards the dead sea, and the other part that is nearer the spring of the river, and flows down from it, shall stand still.
An heap — Being as it were congealed, as the Red-Sea was, Exodus 15:8, and so kept from overflowing the country.
Verse 15
[15] And as they that bare the ark were come unto Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the water, (for Jordan overfloweth all his banks all the time of harvest,)
All the time of harvest — This is meant not of wheat-harvest, but of the barley-harvest, as is manifest from their keeping the passover at their first entrance, Joshua 5:10, which was kept on the fourteenth day of the first month, when they were to bring a sheaf of their first-fruits, which were of barley. So that this harvest in those hot countries fell very early in the spring, when rivers used to swell most; partly because of the rains which have fallen all the winter, partly because of the snows which melt and come into the rivers. And this time God chose that the miracle might be more glorious, more amazing and terrible to the Canaanites; and that the Israelites might be entertained at their first entrance with plentiful and comfortable provisions.
Verse 16
[16] That the waters which came down from above stood and rose up upon an heap very far from the city Adam, that is beside Zaretan: and those that came down toward the sea of the plain, even the salt sea, failed, and were cut off: and the people passed over right against Jericho.
Adam — The city Adam being more obscure, is described by its nearness to a more known place, then eminent, but now unknown. The meaning is, that the waters were stopped in their course at that place, and so kept at a distance from the Israelites whilst they passed over.
Against Jericho — Here God carried them over, because this part was, 1. The strongest, as having in its neighbourhood an eminent city, a potent king, and a stout and war-like people. 2. The most pleasant and fruitful, and therefore more convenient both for the refreshment of the Israelites after their long and tedious marches, and for their encouragement.
Verse 17
[17] And the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the midst of Jordan, and all the Israelites passed over on dry ground, until all the people were passed clean over Jordan.
Stood firm — That is, in one and the same place and posture; their feet neither moved by any waters moving in upon them, nor sinking into any mire, which one might think was at the bottom of the river. And this may be opposed to their standing on the bank of the water when they came to it, commanded, Joshua 3:8, which was but for a while, 'till the waters were divided and gone away; and then they were to go farther, even into the midst of Jordan, where they are to stand constantly and fixedly, as this Hebrew word signifies, until all were passed over.
The midst of Jordan — In the middle and deepest part of the river.
Psalm 107:1-7, 33-37
Verse 3
[3] And gathered them out of the lands, from the east, and from the west, from the north, and from the south.
Gathered — Into their own land.
Verse 4
[4] They wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way; they found no city to dwell in.
No city — Or rather, no town inhabited, where they might refresh themselves.
Verse 6
[6] Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them out of their distresses.
The Lord — Heb. Unto Jehovah, to the true God. For the Heathens had, many of them, some knowledge of the true God.
Verse 7
[7] And he led them forth by the right way, that they might go to a city of habitation.
Forth — Out of the wilderness.
Verse 33
[33] He turneth rivers into a wilderness, and the watersprings into dry ground;
Rivers — Those grounds which are well watered, and therefore fruitful. And so the water-springs, here, and the standing water, verse 35 are taken.
Into — Into a dry ground, which is like a parched and barren wilderness.
Verse 34
[34] A fruitful land into barrenness, for the wickedness of them that dwell therein.
For — He doth not inflict these judgments without cause, but for the punishment of sin in some, and the prevention of it in others.
Verse 35
[35] He turneth the wilderness into a standing water, and dry ground into watersprings.
Water — Into a well-watered and fruitful land.
Verse 36
[36] And there he maketh the hungry to dwell, that they may prepare a city for habitation;
Hungry — Poor people who could not provide for themselves.
1 Thessalonians 2:9-13
Verse 10
[10] Ye are witnesses, and God also, how holily and justly and unblameably we behaved ourselves among you that believe:
Holily — In the things of God.
Justly — With regard to men.
Unblamable — In respect of ourselves.
Among you that believe — Who were the constant observers of our behaviour.
Verse 11
[11] As ye know how we exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you, as a father doth his children,
By exhorting, we are moved to do a thing willingly; by comforting, to do it joyfully; by charging, to do it carefully.
Verse 12
[12] That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory.
To his kingdom here, and glory hereafter.
Matthew 23:1-12
Verse 2
[2] Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat:
The scribes sit in the chair of Moses — That is, read and expound the law of Moses, and are their appointed teachers.
Verse 3
[3] All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not.
All things therefore — Which they read out of the law, and enforce therefrom.
Verse 4
[4] For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.
Luke 11:46.
Verse 5
[5] But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments,
Their phylacteries — The Jews, understanding those words literally, It shall he as a token upon thy hand, and as frontlets between thine eyes, Exodus 13:16. And thou shalt bind these words for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes, Deuteronomy 6:8; used to wear little scrolls of paper or parchment, bound on their wrist and foreheads, on which several texts of Scripture were writ. These they supposed, as a kind of charm, would preserve them from danger. And hence they seem to have been called phylacteries, or preservatives.
The fringes of their garments — Which God had enjoined them to wear, to remind them of doing all the commandments, Numbers 15:38. These, as well as their phylacteries, the Pharisees affected to wear broader and larger than other men. Mark 12:38. 8,9,10. The Jewish rabbis were also called father and master, by their several disciples, whom they required, 1. To believe implicitly what they affirmed, without asking any farther reason; 2. To obey implicitly what they enjoined, without seeking farther authority. Our Lord, therefore, by forbidding us either to give or receive the title of rabbi, master, or father, forbids us either to receive any such reverence, or to pay any such to any but God.
Verse 9
[9] And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.
Verse 10
[10] Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ.
Verse 11
[11] But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.
Matthew 20:26.
Verse 12
[12] And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.
Whosoever shall exalt himself shall be humbled, and he that shall humble himself shall he exalted — It is observable that no one sentence of our Lord's is so often repeated as this: it occurs, with scarce any variation, at least ten times in the evangelists. Luke 14:11; 18:14.
FURTHER ON UP THE ROAD By Rick Brand1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
As best I can remember it, the comment came as part of a discussion about the media frenzy immediately following the capture of the two suspected snipers in the Washington, D.C. area. It had troubled some of the participants in the discussion that before these suspects had even gotten charged, before these presumed innocent until proven guilty people had even had a jury trial, there was this zeal on the part of every talk show to get the trial in the place where the death penalty was most severe. Then someone asked this question, “Is America’s confidence in the death penalty a result of our moral rectitude or from a disappearance of any belief in an afterlife?”
Maybe we would not feel the need to be so quick to impose mortal punishment if we were confident in God’s ability to deal with an unrepentant sinner after death. Why are we so eager to kill sinners unless we really do not have much confidence or conviction in a life after death? It certainly makes one stop and think. What do we really believe about life after death? Or if we say we believe in an afterlife, what influence, what impact does that belief have on shaping what we do now? Does there really seem to be a gradual disappearance of any belief in an afterlife in the way we face death?
One minister made these observations, “In my almost sixty years of living, the reaction of society to death certainly seems to have changed. Forty or fifty years ago I don’t remember counselors sent to school when children died. Forty or fifty years ago I can’t remember seeing public shrines marking the place where a death took place. Outpouring of grief on the side of the road with flowers, teddy bears, and toys. The kind of public memorial services which took place after the 9/11 attacks or Columbine shootings seem to me to be a new kind of approach to the presence of death. The comments made at those services all seem to talk about what wonderful people those who died were and that we will remember them, and we will live our lives now differently because we want to honor them. But seldom is heard a word about a life or world after death.”
There are still radio preachers and pulpit pounders who are preaching the simple message that where we spend eternity, heaven or hell, depends on how we respond to Jesus, so we had better accept Jesus Christ now because we never know when we will die and have to face that judgment. There are some who still talk about life after death, but what kind of influence does it have? The Presbyterian Church of Ireland, when it reaffirmed its faith at the beginning of the new millennium with a statement of faith, said that the church “exists to love and honor God through faith in his Son and by the power of his Spirit, and to enable her members to play their part in fulfilling God’s mission to our world.” The statement calls its members to share life, to worship God, to go forth in mission, and to see itself as challenged with “biblical discipleship which is radical in its self-denial, simplicity of lifestyle, stewardship of money, faithful relationships, prayerfulness, concern for the world which God has created, and love for its people whom he loves and for whose salvation he gave his Son.” There is not a single mention or reference to a life after death unless you claim it in the word salvation. In the thirty years a minister has been tracking sermons from some of the country’s leading journals on preaching, there have only been three sermons published on this text from Thessalonians and one of them is one of his.
Death really is a fearful enemy if this life is all there is. Death is the end. The sniper, the terrorists, anthrax, cancer are all horrendous monsters if this life is all there is. The attack on the Christian faith for its promises of glory and joy in heaven as “pie in the sky by and by” suggests that those who make that claim do not believe in a by and by. Throughout history there have been many who would be willing to trade seventy years of trouble here for an eternity of bliss. But they want their pie now because they do not believe there is something more. Maybe it is there, but it has no influence in how we live. There are even good Christian theologians who have stopped talking about a life after death because they want to point out that heaven can begin here on earth as we live in relationship with God, and hell begins here as we suffer the loneliness and alienation from God. Don’t focus on the after death, focus on the kingdom of God in our midst now. There are lots of places where death is exalted as the ultimate. Death and taxes. Grab all the gusto you can grab for you only live once. When death comes, it is over. Finished. Nothing more. We live. We die. That is the way it is. If it happens after you’re dead, well, tough, you missed it.
That is what the church at Thessalonica was wrestling with. As the early Christians were celebrating the resurrection of Jesus and anticipating the immediate return of Jesus Christ, they were still convinced that death was the end. When you died, you were finished. They were expecting Jesus’ return, but as they waited, some of their faithful members began to die. What a shame. Those devout and beloved members of the fellowship were going to miss it. It seemed like such a pity that they had been so eager and excited about the kingdom of God, and now they had died and would not get to share in that joy. Death had grabbed them. Death had done its work. Death had destroyed them. They had been captured by the power of death and they were gone. When Jesus came to claim his own, he would take those who were living and waiting, and those who had died in the Lord would simply be left behind and taken only in the memory of those who were still alive. Death would keep making the kingdom of God smaller and smaller by taking more and more.
Oh, they knew that God had raised up Jesus Christ from the dead and that the living and reigning Jesus was going to come and bring in his kingdom. They believed in the new heaven and the new earth, but somehow God’s power to raise up Jesus did not immediately mean to them that God had the power and would use it to raise up those who had died in faith in Jesus. It is one thing to believe that Jesus died and rose again; it is another step to believe that God will bring with Jesus at his coming all those who have died in faith. What has the resurrection of Jesus Christ to do with the rest of us? Paul had to teach us that the power and promise of the resurrection of Jesus and the coming of the kingdom of God in glory with Jesus Christ is the very reason for our hope in the face of death. It is the reason we do not grieve as those who believe that death is the end. We believe that Jesus died and rose again. We believe that God will fulfill history by the power of Jesus. The resurrection of Jesus is not an isolated, single event, a single solitary rabbit God pulls out of the hat of death to demonstrate that Jesus is the Christ. The resurrection of Jesus is a cosmic event that deflates the power of death and liberates the lives of those who live and love in Christ from the power of death. God established the power of Jesus over the authority of death by the resurrection, and when the kingdom of God comes, God will resurrect from the clutches of death all those who have died in faith and in hope and reunite the living with those who have died before. There is no preference of the living over the dead. The power of God’s resurrection will bring forth out of the power of death all those who have lived and loved in the joy of Christ. That is why Paul says we do not grieve as those who have no hope.
This is the great good news that the Christian faith has to speak to a dying world. Without the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the faith that those who live and love in Jesus Christ will be remembered and reclaimed from the power of death when the kingdom of God comes in glory, we have very little that makes much difference. As Saint Paul says, if our hope were limited to this world only, we would of all people be the most to be pitied. Death is our enemy. Death is God’s enemy as well.
It is this message that has hope for those who were killed in the snipers’ attack, who were killed in the Columbine shooting, who were killed in the World Trade Center buildings. There is not much future in our promise to remember them. But there is a great comfort that by the power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, in the kingdom of God, there will be a glad reunion with all those who have died in faith. The dead in Christ will rise and those who are still alive when the kingdom comes will meet and rejoice and celebrate a glad reunion. Those who are still alive will not be deprived of the fellowship of those who have already died. Our joy will be complete because it will be shared with all those whose love and blessings have meant so much to us. The kingdom of God becomes more and more important to us as it becomes more and more peopled with the people we love.
Maybe the concern with life after death only becomes important when you have lost somebody you love, for one of the most human desires is to meet again with those we love who have died. “Further on up the road, Where the way is dark and the night is cold, One sunny morning we’ll rise I know and I’ll meet you further on up the road.” That is how Bruce Springsteen sings about it in his album about the 9/11 events, called The Rising. “One sunny morning we’ll rise I know and I’ll meet you further on up the road. I’ll meet you further on up the road.” It is a rising that the Christian faith awaits as well, resting on the promises of Jesus Christ who died and rose from the dead and in his resurrection has the power to resurrect us into his kingdom further on up the road.
Worship Elements: November 9, 2014 by Laura Jaquith BartlettColor: Green
Scripture Readings: Joshua 24:1-3a, 14-25; Psalm 78:1-7; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Matthew 25:1-13
Theme Ideas
We will tell about the Lord from generation to generation, says the psalmist; but the truth is sometimes our passion for the story wears a bit thin. We start taking God for granted. Today's scriptures remind us that we need persistence, patience, and faithfulness for the long haul. Joshua's people promised long ago to witness to God; there was no stop date on that covenant. Reading the Matthew passage, we realize that we've been hearing this "Christ is coming" stuff for years—but do we live as if we still believe it? As Advent approaches, our worship can help us reclaim our passion.
Invitation and Gathering
Call to Worship (Joshua 24, Psalm 78, 1 Thessalonians 4)
The God of our ancestors has led us to this place.
We are witnesses.
We have sworn to teach God's promises
to all generations.
We are witnesses.
The time is coming when Christ will come again in glory.
We are witnesses.
Let us tell the world of God's faithful love.
We will worship and witness together!
Opening Prayer (1 Thessalonians 4, Matthew 25)
Your love has brought us together, O Lord,
and it is your love that sustains us through each day.
We pray that you would keep us faithful.
Even as we watch for signs of your kingdom,
strengthen us to work with you
to bring about, here and now,
your reign on earth.
Give us the courage
to witness to your presence in the world,
today, tomorrow, and into the future.
We pray in the name of the One who comes,
Christ our Savior. Amen.
Proclamation and Response
Prayer of Confession (Joshua 24, Matthew 25)
God of Mystery,
we want to stay awake
and be ready for your surprises,
but we are tired and overcome
with the usual routine.
We want to wait patiently
for the fulfillment of your kingdom,
but we are frustrated by our need
for immediate gratification.
We want to believe your promises from ancient days,
but we are overwhelmed with postmodern doubts.
Come to us again, O God.
Awaken us with your unexpected grace.
Shock us with your daring mercy.
Lift us up from lethargy
and set our feet on your path once more.
(Prayer continues in silence.)
Words of Assurance (1 Thessalonians 4)
Encourage one another with these words:
"We will be with the Lord forever."
God's promises are never forgotten.
Do not grieve as those who have no hope.
Our hope is in God,
and not even death can overcome that hope.
Enter into God's mercy and love!
Invitation to the Word
(A dialogue for two readers)
Hey, wake up! It's time for the sermon.
What do you mean, wake up?
This is prime nap time!
How can you sleep at a time like this?
You might miss something important!
Nah, I've been hearing this same old stuff all my life.
But this is God's word!
Don't you know this could change your life?
Change my life?!
Uh . . . . I must have missed that part.
Exactly! We've promised to serve God,
to be witnesses with our lives.
How can you witness when you're asleep?
Well, I guess it might not hurt to pay attention. . .
just this once.
Pay attention today and every day!
This is the word of God!
And you never know what might happen.
Thanksgiving and Communion
Prayers of the People (Matthew 25)
O Lord,
we wait for you to come again into our midst.
Sometimes we wait patiently, sometimes not.
Always we are aware of how much the world needs you.
We pray today for those in our community
who need your healing and comfort.
(Pause for silence.)
We pray for persons in leadership across our country,
that together we might make wise decisions.
(Pause for silence.)
We pray for brothers and sisters around the world,
whose lives are torn apart by war.
(Pause for silence.)
We pray for the saints who have witnessed to your love.
(Pause for silence.)
We pray, knowing that you are with us now,
and that you will strengthen us to keep awake,
to keep the faith,
to keep working for the time
when Christ will come again to surprise us anew
with love and justice on earth. Amen.
Offering Prayer (Joshua 24)
We dedicate these gifts to you, Generous God,
even as we dedicate our lives to you.
Keep us true to our promise,
that we may witness to you
with all that we are and all that we do. Amen.
Sending Forth
Benediction (Matthew 25)
Go out to stay awake! Go out to keep alert and be ready!
We do not know the day or the hour,
but we do know that God goes with us at all hours, on all days.
Go with the love of God, the peace of Christ,
and the communion of the Holy Spirit.
We go to witness and serve! Amen.
Contemporary Options
Contemporary Gathering Words (Matthew 25)
(Each line could be read by a different voice.)
It is time to wake up,
for God is about to surprise us.
It is time to prepare,
for God's love is about to change the world.
It is time to get ready,
for God needs us to proclaim the good news.
It is time to start planning,
for God's invitation will fill our church.
It is time to worship,
for God is here now!
Praise Sentences (Joshua 24, 1 Thessalonians 4)
It is the Lord our God who brought us and our ancestors
up from the land of Egypt,
out of the house of slavery,
and who did great signs in our midst.
It is the Lord our God who has protected us
and loved us through all the years.
It is the Lord our God whose own Son, Jesus Christ,
died and rose again, conquering death.
It is the Lord our God whom we worship today. Amen!
From “The Abingdon Worship Annual 2008,” edited by Mary J. Scifres and B.J. Beu, Copyright © 2007 by Abingdon Press. “The Abingdon Worship Annual 2015” is now available.
Worship Connection: November 9, 2014 by Nancy C. TownleyColor: Green
Scripture Readings: Joshua 24:1-3a, 14-25; Psalm 78:1-7; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Matthew 25:1-13
CALLS TO WORSHIP
Call to Worship #1:
L: Today God’s word will be spoken to your hearts.
P: Open our ears and our hearts to receive God’s word.
L: Today God’s love will be poured into your life.
P: Prepare us, Lord, to receive your love.
L: Hallelujah!
P: Hallelujah!
Call to Worship #2
L: Are you ready to worship?
P: We believe that we are.
L: Put away all those cares and worries that keep you from hearing God’s word.
P: The cares and worries of the world have been put aside that we may be truly ready.
L: The Lord comes to you this day.
P: Thanks be to God for God’s abiding presence and promise. AMEN.
Call to Worship #3:
[Using the United Methodist Hymnal, "Stand Up and Bless the Lord", p. 662, have the congregation sing the verses as directed]
L: God is in God’s holy temple. Be ready to greet the Redeemer.
P: [singing] Stand up and bless the Lord, ye people of his choice; stand up and bless the Lord your God with heart and soul and voice.
L: God is with us and call us to this holy hour.
P: We come rejoicing and praising God
L: This day let service to God be your choice.
P:[singing] God is our strength and song, and his salvation ours; then be his love in Christ proclaimed with all our ransomed powers.
ALL: AMEN.
Call to Worship #4:
L: We are pulled in many directions.
P: Many duties and tasks seek to lay claim on our lives.
L: This day, in this place, let service to God be your choice.
P: This day, in this place, we open our hearts and spirits to God.
L: Blessed be the God of creation who has called us here.
P: Praise be to God who sustains and nurtures our lives. AMEN.
PRAYERS, LITANY, BENEDICTION
Invocation/Opening Prayer: [WBW: Yr A, Pentecost 25, God’s Presence, Strength, Hope, Personal Holiness, Witness]
Through the week of stress and demands, we come to you this day, O Lord. Awaken us again to your comforting and loving presence in our lives. Help us to be open to the many ways in which you have called to us and sustained us. Make us ready to be of service to you. AMEN.
Prayer of Confession [WBW: Yr A, Pentecost 25, God’s Presence; Obedience, Hope, Faith, Discipleship, Personal Holiness, Forgiveness, Growth & Change]
O Lord, there never seems to be enough time to do all the things that are demanded of us. Schedules become crowded. We live by the clock. We think we are ready for all events that will come our way. But we are rarely ready for you. We would like you to come to us at a planned time so that we can fit you into our busy lives. Forgive us, Lord, for trying to make you a scheduled event. We have moved you to a time on our weekly calendars. Yet you are the eternal God who has always loved us and been ready to receive us. Help us to learn that, with you as our foundation, we can handle anything that comes our way. With you as our focus, all things pale in comparison. Let us look at the priorities in our lives and see where we have placed service to you. AMEN.
Words of Assurance [WBW: Yr A, Pentecost 25, God’s Presence, Hope, Salvation, Will of God]
In the deepest darkness, in the times when all seems lost, we are not lost to God. God calls us to be ready for God’s new kingdom. In all this God is with us. AMEN.
Pastoral Prayer [WBW: Yr A, Pentecost 25, Stubbornness, Fall, Fear & Anxiety, Growth & Change, Personal Obedience, Strength, Witness, Courage & Perseverance]
Lord, we are a stubborn and impatient people. We always want to know how things will end. We want to know what the schedule is. We want a "daily planner" from you so that we can be ready. It is interesting that you have already given us a daily planner. The Holy Spirit, who has been given to comfort and guide us, is our daily planner. Daily we are called to come before you in prayer and praise; daily we are challenged by your Holy Spirit to find ways to serve your people in your world. And we do acknowledge this, somewhat. But we still would like to know when we need to have all the "oil for our lamps". Why is it so hard, Lord, for us to be continually ready? Is it because we have placed you to one side in our lives, and when we think you are coming we take our faith down from the shelf and dust it off? Help us to place you at the center of our lives, seeking to daily prepare ourselves for your coming again in glory. As we have brought before you the names of those people who are near and dear to us, we ask your healing love and blessing for them. Their needs are great and our abilities are limited. But we know that with your love, all things are possible. Give us such courage and perseverance that we may faithfully proclaim your love to all creation. Make us ready to receive you, now, in this place and everywhere we are. For it is in Jesus’ Name we pray. AMEN.
Offertory Prayer [WBW: Yr A, Pentecost 25, Blessings & Thankfulness, Offering, Gifts, Dedication, Mission & Service]
Blessing upon blessing has been given to us, O Lord, from your great bounty. Now we return these gifts to you. Bless these gifts and the lives that they represent and cause them to work for you in this world which you have loaned to us. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. AMEN.
Litany [WBW: Yr A, Pentecost 25, Witness, Discipleship, Growth & Change, Commitment, Grace & Mercy, Personal Holiness, Personal Service]
L: Ready! Set! Go!
P: Wait a minute! Ready for what?
L: The Lord is coming to us. We need to be ready
P: Just a minute. What is the date? Do you have an arrival time?
L: That’s not important. We just need to be ready.
P: Listen! That’s not the way the world works. You have to plan these things out.
L: But it is the way the Lord works.
P: And this "set" business.....what is that all about?
L: Taking stock of our lives, healing old wounds, reconciling relationships, forgiveness, service to others, most of all practicing God’s love as Jesus taught us.
P: Right now, I have all I can handle. Relationships, old wounds, angers, work for God. I have to see if I can fit it into my schedule. Anyway, won’t God give me a little "grace" period?
L: God has always given you a "grace" period. It is your life!
P: What do you mean?
L: God has offered you blessings and given you gifts. God asks you to be ready to serve, to make a choice.
P: Ready to serve God or my schedule?
L: Ready to place God first in your life. If you do this, the other things will fall into place.
P: I need to reconsider the choices I have made.
L: Choose God. Be ready to Go into God’s world to serve.
P: Ready: the Lord is Coming. Set: Get your priorities in order, placing God first. Go: serve God. I can do that. AMEN.
Benediction, Blessing, Commission [WBW:: Yr A, Pentecost 25, God’s call, Witness, Service, Peace, Healing, Love, Hope]
God has called and chosen you to be witnesses to hope and peace in God’s world. Go in peace and this same healing, reconciling love and peace will be with you. Go and serve the Lord your God in all that you do. AMEN.
ARTISTIC ELEMENTS
SURFACE: Place several risers on the main worship center. They should be placed with the higher riser in the center back of the worship setting. Other risers may be placed on the worship table. Place a riser in front of the worship center.
FABRIC: Cover the table in dark green fabric (the traditional color for the season) or dark blue fabric, making sure that there is enough fabric to cover the riser in front of the table and that the fabric "puddles" on the floor.
FLOWERS AND FOLIAGE You may want to use leafy plants behind the worship center and at the sides to soften the edges of the fabric.
CANDLES Use pillar candles, or if you have them available, "hurricane" lamps on the risers on the worship center, leaving the top riser for the brass cross. Votive candles may be grouped throughout the worship setting..
ROCKS & WOOD Although this setting does not call for rocks, you may want to place some "glass" acquarium pebbles near the groups of votive candles, for a different texture and light reflection in the setting. This is optional..
OTHER: A Large brass cross should be placed on the highest riser of the worship center. Hurricane lamps may be placed around the worship center. It is a good idea to have several unlit hurricane lamps and candles grouped together to represent those who were unprepared to receive the Light.
Worship for Kids: November 9, 2014 by Carolyn C. BrownFrom a Child's Point of View
All of today's texts deal with serving God.
Old Testament: Joshua 24:1-3a, 14-25. This is a story appreciated by children who are learning to make choices and live with the consequences. In many ways, they face the same situation the Israelites faced.
The Israelites, after years of wandering in the desert, were settling into houses and taking up farming in the Promised Land. Children today are learning their way into life in a world that is new to them.
It was easy for the Israelites to do what their new neighbors did and to forget what God had taught them in the desert. Children today are tempted to go along with their friends and do what everyone else is doing.
Joshua's warning to the Israelites and to today's children is that they cannot go along with the crowd and still be God's people. They have some choices to make.
Some of the decisions children face today include: whether to try drugs or alcohol: whether to attempt dangerous, forbidden feats; whether to join in cruel pranks or jokes; how to treat the popular and unpopular kids; and what clubs and teams to join.
Psalm: 78:1-7. This psalm parallels Joshua's insistence that the Israelites face a choice because God has acted on their behalf and gave them the Law through the patriarchs. Few children will catch that message as the psalm is read, nor will they particularly understand it is explained.
Gospel: Matthew 25:1-13. Because it deals with a wedding, this parable catches the attention of most children. The Middle Eastern focus on the groom's procession, as opposed to the Western focus on the bride's procession, intrigues and amuses them, but it is hard for them to get to the point of the story. Interpreted with apocalyptic literacy, the parable is a call to live as faithful disciples now, because we do not know when the Day of the Lord, Second Coming, or Judgment Day, will occur.
Interpreted in relation to Joshua's call to serve the Lord, the parable insists that serving the Lord is a matter of daily decisions and preparedness. People are to be ready to serve the Lord wherever and whenever God appears. The former threatens children; the latter invites them to bold adventures with God.
Epistle: I Thessalonians 4:13-18. The question of the Thessalonians—whether Christians who died before Jesus returned would be included in Jesus' new kingdom—has been settled and so seems strange to children. But Paul's unspoken assumption that God loves and cares for us, even after we die, is very important to them. They need reassurance that God still loves and cares for us, even after we die, is very important to them. They need reassurance that God still loves and cares for the people they love who have died. They need to know that those people are safe in God's love and that God will love and care for us when we die.
Watch Words
Children, who serve tennis balls, meet servers in restaurants, and read about servants in stories, need many specific examples of what it means to serve God.
Choose carefully your language about God in action. Children are confused when adults use Day of the Lord, Second Coming, Jugment Day, and "when Jesus returns" interchangeably.
Let the Children Sing
Children enjoy the question/answer format of "Are Ye Able?' Said the Master," but have trouble with the symbolic language of the chorus. So put the chorus into your own words before the hymn is sung. (The choir might sing the questions in the verses, the congregation answering with the chorus.)
The repeated opening and closing lines of each verse make "Go Gorth for God" another commitment hymn children can sing at least part of.
"Lord, I Want to Be a Christian," "I Sing a Song of the Saints of God," and "Take My Life and Let It Be Consecrated" are good commitment hymns.
The Liturgical Child
1. There are at least two attention-grabbing ways to present the Old Testament Lesson:
A. Ask the members of the congregation to imagine themselves among the Israelites who, after wandering in the desert, were settling into new homes in the Promised Land. Recall some of the things they experienced in the desert and describe their new lives and neighbors. Tell them that a metting has been called, and ask them to stand as the people then did when they gathered. Then read Joshua 24:1-3a and 14-25.
B. Print the text in the bulletin so that it can be read by a narrator (vss. 1-2a, 25); Joshua (vss. 2b-3a, 14-15, 19-20, 22a, 23); and the people/congregation (vss. 16-18, 21, 22b, 24. Omit all the "he saids." "Joshua" should practice his lines using great power to emphasize their meaning.
2. Display an oil lamp (perhaps placed as part of the chancel floral centerpiece) and explain, or even demonstrate how it works. Point out what happens when the oil is gone. Imagine the inconvenience of carrying both the lamp and an extra jug of oil to an evening wedding. Then read the Gospel text, urging children to lisen for mention of some oil lamps and the jugs of extra oil. (Decorative oil lamps are often sold in the candle sections of stores.)
3. Make the charge and benediction responsive:
Leader—Choose this day who you will serve.
People—We will serve the Lord!
Leader—Then go in peace. Serve your Lord faithfully every day. Be ready to do God's work. Be brave and not shy about serving God. And remember that God is with you always, today and every day, even till the end of the world. Amen.
Sermon Resources
1. Not all choices are between good and bad. Many are betwen two different kinds of good. Children increasingly are making choices between church activities and sports teams or other clubs, practicing or traveling during times that used to be reserved for church. Children (and parents) feel caught between the importance of keeping commitments to a team and serving the Lord through church worship, study, and the serving life. When the team is consistently chosen, we are saying that other commitments are more important than commitments to God.
This true story makes an interesting case study: In the Presbyterian Church, to make a profession of faith and join the church, a person must meet with the Session. After participating in preparation classes, "Chris" did not come to the Session meeting because her softball team had a game at the same time. Others in her class faced similar conflicts, but they chose to be at the meeting. The Session said they would meet "Chris" the following Sunday after church, but she was not able to come to that meeting because her family had made other plans. At that meeting, the session decided that the choices Chris was making led them to believe that she was not ready to make a genuine profession of faith and assume the responsibility of church membership. They suggested that she wait a year. "Chris" and her family were very angry.
2. Tell stories of people who, like the wise bridesmaids, were ready when God called them to serve. Tell about families who welcome refugees into their homes and communities, about youth and adult groups who have gone on mission trips, and children who have undertaken projects they believed God wanted done. If at all possible, tell stories about your congregation's actions, interpreting them in light of today's texts.
Adapted from Forbid Them Not: Involving Children in Sunday Worship © Abingdon Press
Sermon Options: November 9, 2014Choosing Faith
Joshua 24:1-3a, 14-25
If the truth be told, all life involves choice. M. Scott Peck's best-selling book is titled The Road Less Traveled. We know too well why it is less traveled. The choices and discipline are too severe for most folks; therefore, there are few on the road.
Our text from Joshua is the story of covenant renewal at Shechem. It involves the opportunity and celebration of choice. We might even say that every act of covenant is both a choice and a celebration.
I. The Choice of Faith Must Be Made Again and Again
Joshua gathers the people, reminding them about who they are: "Long ago your ancestors—Terah and his sons Abraham and Nahor—lived beyond the Euphrates and served other gods" (v. 2). These Hebrew people have made a previous choice for Yahweh. Now it is time to renew their pledge of faith and allegiance to this God who was able to do many things for them. Joshua then recounts part of the story of salvation.
II. Faith Must Be Acted on Again and Again
As Joshua finishes recounting Yahweh's gracious dealings with Israel, he puts the choice, or re-choice, to Israel: "Now therefore revere the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness; put away the gods that your ancestors served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD" (v. 14). This choice is one that we still make today, just as Joshua asked his people to make long ago. Do we worship our professed God? Or are we idolaters who worship whatever "divinity" of the moment strikes our fancy?
III. Faith Requires Taking a Stand
Joshua, as good leaders often do, lets the people know exactly where he stands, saying, "But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD" (v. 15). Joshua's decision influences beyond himself. He makes the profession for himself and also for "my household."
Our important decisions—especially our professions of faith—go beyond our individuality; they affect our families and others. This turns the modern "what's in it for me" question slightly askew when we realize that those we love are affected by the ultimate, and even the smallest, decisions and professions we make.
The last part of the text (vv. 19-24) is a dialogue between Joshua, speaking as a prophet of the Lord, and the people, represented by one voice saying, "Far be it from us that we should forsake the LORD to serve other gods" (v. 16). Joshua wants them to realize the gravity of their decisions. A decision for covenant relationship with Yahweh means, to Joshua's way of thinking, there is no going back. This image—going back to Egypt—is a powerful one, symbolizing that there is always a tension between the promise of Yahweh for a future and the safety of a past that was familiar—though often painful.
Faith decisions are just that—decisions of faith. And this bothers those of us with modern sensibilities because we want our understanding of God and the world to be infallible. Faith, however, is never a guarantee of anything except a relationship with God. But for the one whose life has been transformed by such faith, that is more than enough. (David Neil Mosser)
After Death, What?
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
In a letter to his wife opened after his death, Samuel Shoemaker, rector of the Calvary Episcopal Church, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, wrote the following credo:
As I sit in the study...I look back with many thanks. It has been a great run. I wouldn't have missed it for anything. Much could and should have been better, and I have by no means, done what I should have done with all that I have been given. But the over-all experience of being alive has been a thrilling experience. I believe that death is a doorway to more of it: clearer, cleaner, better, with more of the secret opened than locked. I do not feel much confidence in myself as regards all this, for very few have ever "deserved" eternal life. But with Christ's atonement and him gone on before, I have neither doubt nor fear....I believe that I shall see him and know him, and that eternity will be an endless opportunity to consort with the great souls and the lesser ones who will have entered into the freedom of the heavenly city. (Faith at Work, January-February, 1964)
Two months after writing this letter, Shoemaker died (October 31, 1963). How will it all end? What will occur after death? The former question cannot be answered until one has faced up to the end of life. The latter question is addressed by Paul in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. Paul contends that the end of it all is not death. The end of it all is God's triumphant return through Christ, which will signal the beginning of the beginning.
I. Death in Christ Brings Restoration (vv. 13-17)
Paul's fundamental thesis of his theology is the Resurrection—not the Crucifixion. Without the Resurrection every sacrificial work performed in Christ's name would be in vain. The Thessalonian church did not know how to handle the matter of Christ's return in light of believers who died before his return. The Thessalonian believers expected the Lord to return within their lifetimes. They grieved over fellow saints and saved loved ones who died before the day of the Lord. The question on their minds was whether the believers who died prior to the Parousia would be left behind at the return of Christ. Paul corrects their erroneous thought, relieves their anxiety and assures them that those who had been saved and died before the day of the Lord would also share in the glory of eternal life.
"Sleep in Jesus" (v. 14 KJV) literally means "to put to sleep through Jesus." The Greek word we translate as "cemetery" means "a sleeping place." It is the place where bodies sleep, awaiting the resurrection. Death separates loved ones. When Christ returns, there will be a reunion. The living saints will not precede the resurrection of the dead saints; but all saints will come together to meet Christ. The dead saints will receive a wake-up call, the living saints will receive a "formation notice," and all saints, both living and dead, will receive new bodies (Phil. 3:20-21; 1 John 3:1-3). The saints will be snatched away speedily and moved to a new place of rest and repose.
II. Death in Christ Brings Consolation (v. 18)
Christians are expected to be sorrowful when loved ones die. However, their grief is not a hopeless grief. Their grief is good grief. They go through the normal stages of grief, walk through the valley of loneliness, and shed tears of sorrow for their saved brothers and sisters—but not without hope. Their hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness. The dead in Christ shall rise!
No Christian knows how life will end. We don't know about tomorrow. We know who holds tomorrow, and we know God holds our hands. God's tomorrow will be better than our today. (Robert Smith, Jr.)
Ready or Not, He's Coming!
Matthew 25:1-13
Our family moved from the United States to the Philippines for a mission assignment. Part of the culture shock was adjusting to the Asian sense of time. The event was more important than the announced time for it to occur. Consequently we spent a good amount of time waiting. We would arrive before the time of a wedding, but it was not unusual for it to start an hour or more later. You feel that some Eastern sense of time in the wedding Jesus described in Matthew 25.
The bridesmaids waited and waited and waited some more for the arrival of the groom. All ten knew he was coming, and all of them dozed off with apparent confidence. With the announcement of the groom's coming, five bridesmaids discovered they had no oil for the lamps. They could not walk in the street processional from the bride's house to the home of the bridegroom. "While they went to buy it, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him into the wedding banquet; and the door was shut" (v. 10). Ready or not, Jesus is coming!
I. Be Ready at Any Time
"Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming" (v. 12 NKJV). Twenty-three New Testament books speak of Christ's return. The Scripture emphasizes the certainty of his coming at any time. Speculators abound. Full-page ads in USA Today announced his imminent return. Thousands of pastors received a booklet citing eighty-eight reasons why Jesus would return on Halloween night a few years ago. He didn't. But he is coming. Be ready!
II. Now Is the Time to Get Ready
Five of the bridesmaids made a wise decision. They prepared before the bridegroom arrived. "Those who were ready went with him into the wedding banquet." When the bell rings for the fight to begin, it is too late for the boxer to find his gloves. When the expectant mother tells her husband, "It's time," he better be ready. All ten maidens looked alike in outward appearance. Each of them had the opportunity to be in the wedding. All of them knew the place and the people involved. When the crucial moment arrived, only five were ready. The foolish ones could have been prepared but were not. Time ran out, "and the door was shut."
A sixty-five-year-old construction worker responded to an evangelistic appeal at the close of worship and submitted his life to Christ. I later discovered he had often attended church with Robert Schuller at the Crystal Cathedral. Many opportunities to trust Christ were lost. An accident brought him near death. Emotionally, he approached the time when "the door was shut." He told me, "Life can be snuffed out in a moment. We all need to be ready."
III. All Things Are Ready, Are You?
The radiant bride became excited with the approaching arrival of the groom. Everything was ready while five bridesmaids scattered to find oil. They returned to find the door shut and heard the sad word, "I do not know you" (v. 12). People are not ready for the Kingdom unless they know the Lord. "Everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life" (John 3:16) . Jesus is the way into the kingdom of heaven. Are you ready to go? Lee Atwater managed the successful 1988 campaign for George Bush. Two years later Atwater collapsed during a speech. Physicians located a brain tumor, and when it spread to the other side of his brain, "the master of political hardball sat there and cried. Now, he realized, was a time for coming to terms with the less virtuous acts of my life" (Associated Press, November 14, 1993). We may go before Christ comes. Be ready for either eventuality. (Bill Whittaker)
Sermon Starter: Eyes Wide Open by Matthew L. KelleyScriptures: Joshua 24:1-3a, 14-25; Psalm 78:1-7; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Matthew 25:1-13
One of the many things my dad taught me was to appreciate the stories of Sherlock Holmes, the “Great Detective” of Victorian England. Sherlock Holmes isn’t a hero because he’s stronger or faster than anybody else, or even because he’s necessarily smarter. He’s a hero because he’s able to notice things that everyone else overlooks. He was the original CSI before all the cool technologies we see on the TV shows. In one story he begins tracking down a criminal by looking at the hoof-prints from the getaway horse and noticing a particular pattern left by custom horseshoes. He notices these little details because he keeps his eyes open all the time and is always aware that things are not always what they seem.
Several of the lectionary texts this week are strong exhortations to keep our eyes open and not assume too much about the world around us. These texts are often misunderstood because we in the 21st century fail to understand the first century audience to whom these texts were written. 1 Thessalonians is likely the earliest of Paul’s pastoral letters that we have today. As such, they reflect very different attitudes about the future than do some of his later letters, like those he wrote to Timothy from prison in Rome. Paul, like many first generation Christians, believed that the end of the world was coming very soon, so there were some people who were worried that those in the church who died before the eschaton would not be part of God’s coming reign. Some people who read this passage today believe it refers to an immanent rapture before an outpouring of God’s wrath (the interpretation represented in the popular Left Behind books), but all Paul was doing was reassuring his people that no one, not even those who had died, were excluded from God’s Kingdom. Instead of worrying, he encouraged them to be ready and watchful for whatever God might do in the future. We see Jesus preaching the same essential message in the parable from Matthew’s gospel: be ready and watchful for whatever God might be doing.
As we enter the holiday season, everyone starts getting busy—making travel plans, buying gifts, cooking meals, decorating, etc. There’s not enough time to do it all! In the midst of all the busyness of this time of year, one of the best things we can do for ourselves, and for each other, is to take time to sit back and observe our surroundings. Is everything exactly what we assume it to be? Or could God be using something in our everyday circumstances to call out to us and remind us about what is really important? Could God be whispering in a still, small voice? We’ll only know if we take the time to watch and listen.
____________________________
201 8th Avenue South
Nashville, Tennessee 37202 United States
____________________________
No comments:
Post a Comment