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Why do you keep us in suspense? by Matt Rawle
Words matter because they allow thought to be reality. Words give voice and meaning to the world around us. Words build up and tear down. Words can create emotion. For example, have you heard the shortest horror story ever written? “Why do you keep us in suspense?” they ask. Well, try opening a conversation like this:
The last human being on earth sat in a room alone. There was a knock at the door . . . (“Knock” by Frederic Brown).
“Why do you keep us in suspense? Tell us plainly if you are the Messiah.” This would have been a grand opportunity for Jesus to say, “Yes, I am the Messiah.” The Gospel of John may have been much shorter. Maybe the cross could have been avoided. Maybe this story would have ended differently. In a way, Jesus does say, “Yes.” He answers, “I have told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name testify to me.”
As powerful as words are, words need help. Words are not enough. For example, “Follow me and the world will be at peace,” sounds beautiful should Jesus say it. It sounds quite different coming from the mouth of Lex Luthor. Words are powerful, but the powers they assume depend on the integrity of the speaker. “Tell us plainly,” they ask. Jesus said, “I have told you, but you did not believe.” The works I do, the fruit I bear, the life I live, the death I will die, and the life I will live forever more is proof that I am the savior.
“Sherlock” — Hartswood Films / BBC
Have you ever tried to solve a mystery and the answer was staring you in the face? Maybe your looking for your sunglasses and they are on your head, or your daughter drops her pacifier and you are certain it was sucked into the bowels of the earth, only to find that you have it in your hand? When Isabelle first started talking, she would often use the word, “gradiums,” and it took us forever to figure out what it meant. I would come home from the store and she would ask me, “Did you get some gradiums?” Of course, when I don’t understand what my daughter is saying, I usually answer, “no” because I never want to unknowingly agree to something I shouldn’t. Christie or I would be cooking dinner and she would come up and ask, “Can I help with gradiums?” We would play in the living room and she would say, “Let me get gradiums,” and I thought, “Oh, good, I’ll be able to finally find out what gradiums are,” but she would come back with some blocks, play-dough, and a my little pony, you know, and indiscernible pattern of objects. I found myself saying, “Child, why do you hold me in suspense? Tell me plainly what a gradium is.”
Then one day I saw her playing in her room and she was pretending to cook. She said to herself, “Let me get gradiums,” and then she would pretend to be adding ingredients to what she was cooking. Gradiums = ingredients. Mystery solved, and really, it was staring us in the face the whole time. You get ingredients at the store. You use ingredients when preparing a meal. You gather a variety of items to use as ingredients. I had to see her actions. I had to take notice of what she was doing to know what she was saying. Over time, by playing with her and reading with her and caring for her, the words became real. I now knew what she was saying.
They ask Jesus “Tell us plainly if you are the Messiah,” but their understanding of the Messiah was not who Jesus was. They thought the Messiah was an earthly king who would establish an earthly kingdom like David. In a way Jesus can’t say “yes” or “no,” because they don’t understand the question. When Isabelle asked me, “Can I help with the gradiums,” I can’t answer because I don’t know what she means. “Are the you the Messiah, tell us plainly,” well, follow me, spend time with me, learn how to love as I love and serve and I serve, and you will discover the answer to your questions.
It’s almost funny that they are asking Jesus to tell them plainly if he is the Messiah when he is offering them a sign right under their noses. “At that time the festival of the Dedication took place in Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the portico of Solomon.” The festival of Dedication is what we commonly call, “Hannukah.” It is a celebration remembering the cleansing of the Temple after the Jews defeated Antiochus Epiphanees about 150 or so years before Jesus was born. When the priests came to rededicate the altar, they found only a day’s worth of oil in the lamp, yet the light remained lit for eight days. Jesus is walking about the Temple during the festival in which Jews remember the miracle of light. Had this crowd at the Temple been with Jesus in John 8, they would have heard him say, “I am the light of the world.” There were eight miraculous days of light. If the crowd began to follow they would have seen the Risen Lord on the eighth day of creation. Jesus is walking about the Temple. You see, the Temple is the place where God dwells. To end the conversation, Jesus says, “The Father and I are one,” and this is exactly what Jesus is showing by dedicating the temple with his very person. In other words, Jesus is the Temple, for it was destroyed and rebuilt in three days.
Jesus, the Temple, the place where God dwells is walking about dedicating the Temple with his presence. They see Jesus doing this and it doesn’t register with them. “Tell us plainly.” So Jesus says,” My sheep hear my voice,” which is another way of saying, “You’re not listening! I can’t tell you plainly if you aren’t listening!” My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me.
Now, listen, friends. Let us take time to hear the good news. My sheep hear my voice . . . the good news here is that Jesus is calling. Our faith begins not with our own effort or our ability to have it together. The gift of faith begins with God. It begins with God calling out to us through Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. If you want to be Methodist about it, it is Prevenient Grace. More than that, Jesus says, “I know them.” I’ve heard someone say that the true mark of friendship is for someone to know you really well . . . and still love you. Jesus knows us and chose to die and be raised for us anyway. Again, if you want to be Methodist about it, this is Justifying Grace. Not only does God call out to us, not only did Christ die and was raised for us, God has offered the power of the Holy Spirit, so that we might follow.
This is not an eternal game of Marco Polo. The Holy Spirit guides us in finding the shepherd, and once we’ve found the shepherd, we realize that Jesus had been with us all the time.
“Why do you keep us in suspense?” is a funny thing to say once you realize that Jesus was with you the whole time. Jesus is calling because he knows you. Follow him into a new and wonderful and radical life.
Matt Rawle blogs at MattRawle.com.
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WESLEY: A ‘MAN OF ONE BOOK’ AND A THOUSAND by Clifton StringerThe Lutheran pietist philosopher Johann Georg Hamann wrote these priceless Christian words: "The more edifying the speaker, the heavier his Galilean shibboleth weighs on our ears." I have indeed found it to be true that the biblical idiom has an unmatched power to build up its hearers in love. These days I read a lot of philosophy and, whether ancient or modern, it can't compare. Yet this "biblical" upbuilding speech is not without offense. To speak in a way that sounds, well, like the Bible is, in a pretentious pagan age (and aren't all ages), at once obtuse, provincial, unsophisticated, and (how embarrassing) chained to the clunky parable-mouthing particularity of the Man from Galilee. Yet such thick-tongued humility finds ways to love while priests and Levites pass on by.
John Wesley, like him or love him, could not be accused of neglecting the biblical idiom. His sermons glow, or sometimes sag, with Scripture's peculiar phrasings. He famously called himself homo unius libri, "a man of one book." You got it — he means the Bible. Yet, as Randy Maddox notes, Wesley owned over 1,000 books, ranging from Christian history to medicine, politics, poetry, and beyond. The elegant harmony Wesley (like Hamann) saw between the thousands of books and the One Book is already inscribed in his bold self-moniker — do not let the humor pass you by — Wesley announces that he is homo unius libri in Latin. He is an Oxford Bible Moth, to be sure.
In Wesley, Wesleyans, and Reading Bible as Scripture (Green and Watson, ed.s.), Maddox observes how John Wesley himself read the Bible, with an eye to hinting at how we might follow Wesley's lead.
Wesley's practices which Maddox unpacks in his chapter are:
1. Reading the One Book comparatively in its many different versions
2. Reading comparatively the many books in the One Book
3. Reading comparatively in light of God's central purpose — our salvation
4. Reading the One Book in conference with the Holy Spirit
5. Reading the One Book in conference with other readers
6. Reading the One Book in conference with Christian tradition
7. Reading the One Book in conference with the Book of Nature
It seems to me that Wesley's reading practices, brought out by Maddox, are worthy of our exuberant embrace. Confidence that Jesus Christ is indeed the Truth frees us to grow into warm-hearted, edifying Bible-nerd eccentrics like John Wesley, Johann Georg Hamann, and indeed the Virgin Mary (Luke 1:46-55). For Jesus Christ is the Creator, and so any truth we discover in the thousands of books and tens of thousands of weblogs will not be a surprise to him. In returning to the Bible, though, we offer Jesus, in reflection and prayer, the truths we think we have discovered. There, reading the Bible, we are sitting at the Lord's feet (Luke 10:39). Learning from his Word and under his gaze, he receives and corrects, as needed, the truths we think we have discovered amidst the thousands. This is all to the glory of God the Father. In this way we start to become servants of the Word who worship as we read and read as we worship — in Spirit and truth.
Let us pray that we might become women and men of the One Book, and so start to become wise. Let us pray that we might become women and men of the One Book, and so begin to be capable of stuttering, joyful, truly edifying speech.
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Can we stop making excuses for small churches? by Chad HoltzI’m tired of being lulled by the matrix that is religion into an acceptance of the status quo in the church, whatever the denomination. We are reminded again and again that the vast majority of churches in America are classified as “small churches” (fewer than 100 people in attendance) as if being told this fact enough times will help shield me, the pastor, from feelings of ineffectiveness. I can be content that I’m “average” or “normal” just like the majority of my colleagues in ministry.
As long as I’m comparing myself to the church down on the corner or in the next city, that will work. But it doesn’t work when I compare myself to God’s standard for his church.
When I read my Bible I read about a God whose heart breaks for the least, the last, the lost and the lonely. I read about a God who desires that none be lost but that all will be saved. I read about a God who wants his disciples to go into all the world and make disciples of all nations. I read about a God who says fantastic things like,
“Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full.” (Luke 14:23).
The God we find in Scripture is not content with a small church. And for most of our history since Pentecost God has not had a small church. Just open the book of Acts and watch as God adds thousands each day to the messy, uneducated, Spirit-filled band of disciples who called themselves the ekklesia,or church, meaning those who are called out.
Church, by God’s definition then, is always a group of people growing in both faith and number as they are continually going out into the world to make disciples of Jesus, compelling the world to come in so that God’s house will be full.
It’s really difficult to imagine that Jesus died on a cross so that we could have a place to gather on Sunday mornings without the purpose and intention of seeing people who do not know Jesus join us next Sunday. And then some more yet again the next Sunday. And the next. And… well, you get the idea.
If we as Christians — whether clergy or lay — are doing our job as the church we should never remain a small church because we are always going out as those called out by the God who calls all to himself.
So perhaps here it would be good to define what a “small church” is, at least as I see it. A “small church” is a church that has not seen any growth in the past year. It could be a church of any numerical size but not a single conversion. Not a single baptism. Not a single life changed.
Such a gathering is not a church and we need to stop making excuses for such places. We need to stop encouraging nostalgic sympathies among long-time Christians and instead encourage them to grow up and get out into the world to take part in the mission to which God has called them. The only reason a church should remain “small” is because everyone within a 30 mile radius of your building is already saved. But as long as there are people around us dying and going to hell we need to stop pandering to our own desires of what a church should or shouldn’t be and instead compare ourselves with the moving, holy, unpredictable, messy, flourishing, vital, magnetized Church of Jesus Christ that we read about in the New Testament.
Anything less than this is, in my humble opinion, an offense to the Lord of the Church, the one who died to birth it. So rather than making excuses, let us instead spur one another on to good works. Let us encourage one another to get out into the harvest and get to work bringing it in, for our Lord says it’s plentiful! Let us pray for revival in our communities, that God would raise up leaders and workers who can help us reach the lost and disciple the found. Let us pray that this takes root in each of our own hearts.
Praying with and for you, and all our Sunday places of worship, that we may truly be the church, and therefore, anything but small.
Read Chad's follow-up to this post: Moving from a small mentality to a big, growing mentality
Chad Holtz blogs at UMC Holiness.
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5 characteristics of antiquated leadership by Ron EdmondsonWhat’s important in leadership has changed from when I entered the field of leadership.
Have you noticed?
Leadership principles and practices have had to change because organizations and people have changed.
The fact is that many leaders who are in senior positions these days developed their leadership style in another generation. This has produced a plethora of what I call antiquated leaders.
Antiquated leaders create tension in many organizations, including many churches today.
Perhaps you’ve worked for (or even been — or even are) an antiquated leader.
Here are some characteristics:
Keeps people in a box. People won’t stick around in a box these days. They demand opportunities for growth. There was once a day when you could pay a decent wage and, through policies and rules, control an employee’s actions. That’s not true anymore.
Controls information. Information is king, and these days people have information available to them in the palm of their hands — literally. Today’s leaders must be free with transparent and current information — including what’s stirring in the leader’s mind and where the organization is going.
Enforces a waiting period on young leaders. Young leaders today want an opportunity to explore, take risks, and make an impact in the world — now — today. Successful leaders learn to tap into this energy. Keeping young leaders at a distance won’t work anymore.
Assumes a paycheck is enough motivation. That may have been enough at some point, but today’s workforce demands to know they are doing good work. They want to know that what they are doing is making a difference and is valued on the team. The annual company picnic won’t cut it anymore.
Makes the work environment strictly business. The generation entering the new organizational world mixes business with pleasure. They want to enjoy their workplace environment. Today’s leaders must learn to celebrate along the way to success.
Now, take a minute and improve this post with your thoughts.
What would you add to my list?
Ron Edmondson blogs at RonEdmondson.com.
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Arguing the minors and missing the majors by Tom Ehrich / Religion News Service(RNS) Like other citizens of our free land, Christians tend to divide sharply, predictably and with heated language.
We disagree about almost everything, from cultural norms to attitudes toward wealth and power; from personal behavior to what Jesus intended.
To judge by our blog posts, our comments, our letters to the editor and our remarks in public, we are appalled at what other Christians believe. How can this person have that viewpoint and still call himself a Christian? Does she not know that her words heap burning coals on her own head?
In view of our fiery words, you’d think we had explored the extremes of Christian faith and were shouting across a vast, unbridgeable chasm. In fact, we differ within a narrow spectrum, like those who debate Coke vs. Pepsi.
That narrow spectrum tends to be far removed from what Jesus actually said, did and expected. We argue about things that don’t matter because we can’t stand the things that do matter. We argue about sex, for example, in order to avoid the topic Jesus actually addressed, namely, wealth and power.
And when we do address wealth and power, we tend to affirm the individual’s right to have as much as they can get, even though Jesus said no such thing.
We debate the nuances of free-market capitalism, when in fact Jesus sounded far more like Karl Marx than like Andrew Carnegie. We debate preaching style, rather than stand under the gospel’s radical call to repentance — not the momentary remorse of a listener touched by a word, but the deep reconsideration of life that Jesus envisioned.
We argue about faith vs. works, rather than accept Jesus’ call to radical self-denial.
We fuss about theories such as the atonement, rather than stand in awe at God’s love and see God’s love as normative for our own dealings with hatred and greed.
We “stand up for Jesus,” as if we were Texas A&M fans standing up for football over Texas, rather than walking with Jesus into the world’s storms.
We wax eloquent in proving the other wrong, but fail to imagine how God sees all of us. We draw borders around our preferred ways of being a Christian and define all other ways as sinful, rather than see God ignoring all of our borders.
Personally, I think we are terrified. What God wants of us is far beyond anything we are ready to give. So we fuss endlessly about the institution of church and don’t risk seeing the one who had no place to lay his head — because that one has his hand out saying, “Come, follow me, and let us be homeless, property-less, despised and misunderstood together.”
The path Jesus actually walked is marked by suffering and total reliance on God. So we debate finer and safer points, which require far less of us. Our impassioned and yet trivial disputes push God away and make God seem small.
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Why Mark Driscoll's fall issues a warning for megastar pastors by Sarah Pulliam Bailey / Religion News Service(RNS) Can a megachurch survive the departure of its megastar pastor?
For Seattle’s Mars Hill Church, it’s an open question.
Mars Hill announced last week that it would dissolve the multisite network of 13 churches across the Northwest that took root under pastor Mark Driscoll, who stepped down in October after supporters lost confidence in a high-wattage leadership style that was criticized as bullying, hypermacho and intolerant.
For many megachurches, a pastor can become larger than the church itself — particularly for multisite churches where the pastor’s sermon is the only thing binding disparate congregations connected by little more than a satellite feed. Before his resignation, the name “Mark Driscoll” was more widely known than “Mars Hill.” The dueling brands sometimes clashed along the way; some say Driscoll once told staff “I am the brand.”
Driscoll’s edgy personality built up a congregation of an estimated 14,000 people at 15 locations across five states. Weekly attendance is now reportedly about 7,600. In August, the church saw a budget gap of nearly $650,000 as expenses exceeded revenues.
According to Mars Hill leaders, by the start of 2015 locations within the Mars Hill network will either become independent, self-governing churches, merge with another church or disband completely.
Mars Hill’s existing church properties will either be sold or the loans on the individual properties will be assumed by the newly independent churches. Central staff in Seattle will be laid off as the formal Mars Hill organization dissolves.
Megachurches across the country have faced similar dips in attendance once their popular pastor left, a problem that can plague any church but one that can be exacerbated in a megabrand context. If the CEO of McDonald’s left, for instance, the company would face fewer questions about its survival than “The Colbert Report” will when its star leaves.
“It’s not uncommon for CEOs to say the first agenda item is to talk about ‘What happens when I’m not here anymore?’” said William Vanderbloemen, co-author of the recent book “Next: Pastoral Succession That Works.” “The key is to have an emergency succession plan.”
After former megachurch pastor Rob Bell’s controversial book “Love Wins” raised debates over whether hell exists, his Grand Rapids, Mich.-based church experienced a loss. Current pastor Kent Dobson said the church lost about 1,000 people during the controversy and now has about 3,000 attendees.
Every megachurch pastor wrestles with challenges of brand and leadership, said Mark DeMoss, who handled some public relations for Mars Hill before Driscoll resigned.
“If the pastor is the best communicator and preacher and pastor in that local context, I think you can make a good case for that’s who ought to be up there,” he said. “The dangers are sometimes in succession.”
Not all churches with large followings experience a loss in attendance after a pastor’s departure. After Joel Osteen’s father died unexpectedly from a heart attack in 1999, his Lakewood Church in Houston surged from 5,000 to more than 50,000 today.
Attendance at Jerry Falwell’s Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg, Va., was about 4,000 when he died. Under his son, Jonathan Falwell, the church now boasts about 10,000 attendees.
Similarly, Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., founded by the Rev. D. James Kennedy, an icon of the religious right, had an average attendance of about 1,000 (and a broadcast reach of about 3 million) when he died in 2007. After facing turmoil during the transition, under Tullian Tchividjian, Billy Graham’s grandson who is a popular pastor in his own right, the church’s membership is around 2,400.
Driscoll’s fall from grace came after a combination of growing scrutiny of church finances, plagiarism allegations concerning his books and comments he made under an online pseudonym. Much of the criticism came from bloggers and on social media from people who did not even attend the church.
Could Driscoll make a comeback at another church or ministry? For an evangelical movement that values forgiveness, redemption and second chances, anything is possible.
For one, Driscoll’s resignation did not reach the scandalous level of Jim Bakker or Jimmy Swaggart in the 1980s. Bakker was accused of fraud related to time shares, while Swaggart was accused of adultery. Both men remain active in the ministry but aren’t seen much beyond late-night cable TV.
Other high-profile pastors have stepped down and attempted to come back with varied success.
After allegations of gay sex and drug use were made by a male escort, Ted Haggard stepped down from his Colorado Springs church (and as head of the National Association of Evangelicals) but has since started another church.
In 2011, Sovereign Grace Ministries founder C.J. Mahaney took a leave of absence from his church-planting network amid charges of “various expressions of pride, unentreatability, deceit, sinful judgment and hypocrisy.” Mahaney was reinstated after a year, and he is now pastoring a local church in Louisville, Ky.
In 2010, John Piper took an eight-month leave from Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, explaining that his soul, marriage, family and ministry pattern needed “a reality check from the Holy Spirit.” He returned for a few years before retiring.
Some evangelicals see high numbers as a measure of success for a minister — something that could be hard for Driscoll to reproduce in a second act.
“If (Driscoll) can continue to draw people in and have a successful ministry, then his authority — even if it has been questioned — will still rest on what he’s producing,” said Scott Thumma, a megachurch expert at Hartford Seminary.
Some critique evangelicalism as a tradition that encourages a drive for more and more numbers, regardless of the costs. Wendy Alsup, who attended Mars Hill from 2002 to 2008, said she sees a growing movement of evangelicals asking whether bigger actually is better.
“There’s a big reaction among some to identify with something that has longevity,” Alsup said. “They’re rejecting fast growth and going back to the slow, methodical structure.”
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Pakistan and the dark side of Islam by Shane RaynorVarious news outlets are reporting two vigilante killings in the last couple of days over accusations of blasphemy, both in the Punjab province of Pakistan. The first was a triple murder on Tuesday (November 4) — a young Christian couple and their unborn child were burned alive in a brick furnace by a mob who first beat the couple and broke their legs to prevent them from trying to escape.
Their crime? Throwing out a dead relative’s Quran. The garbage collector found it and told the local cleric, who stirred up other clerics in nearby villages. After they all announced the couple’s “blasphemy” over their mosque loudspeakers, between 500 and 1,500 people showed up to attack the couple. 50 have been arrested so far.
The second incident was Wednesday (November 5) and involved a 50 year old Shiite Muslim man who was killed by a policeman with an ax after being arrested for allegedly making derogatory remarks about Islam’s prophet Mohammed.
Pakistan has a history of such violence against people who have been accused of speaking against Islam or its prophet. Politicians who challenge the blasphemy laws have been harassed and even assassinated. Judges have been attacked for acquitting those charged with blasphemy, and many Pakistani lawyers are afraid to defend anyone accused of the crime.
And the vigilante persecution is only part of it. The government is in on it too.
You may have heard of the Asia Bibi blasphemy case. A Christian mother of five was found guilty in 2010 of making blasphemous comments about the prophet Mohammed during an argument and was sentenced to hang. That sentence was upheld by a higher court last month.
Her argument was with a group of Muslim women who didn’t want someone “unclean” drinking their water. After Asia Bibi and her family were severely beaten by a mob, she was arrested and told that the only way to avoid death would be to convert to Islam.
There are other incidents I could reference, and likely many more that never even made the news.
So is this an Islam problem or a Pakistan problem?
Before you answer, consider that Pakistan isn’t alone. There are other countries where insulting Islam or the prophet Mohammed is punishable by death, including Afghanistan, Egypt, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen. Many others allow for lesser forms of punishment, such as fines, beatings, or imprisonment.
Many majority Muslim countries also have apostasy laws, and a significant number of those allow the death penalty for those who convert from Islam to another religion.
A 2013 Pew Research Center survey reported that 88 percent of Egyptian Muslims and 62 percent of Pakistani Muslims support the death penalty for Muslims who leave their religion. A majority of Muslims in Malaysia, Jordan, and the Palestinian territories hold the same view. In other Islamic countries, the percentages are lower, but the numbers are still significant.
These statistics seem to indicate that this goes beyond isolated extremism. And it’s probably one reason why the “religion of peace” descriptor affirmed by U.S. President George W. Bush in September 2001 is baffling to so many people.
In the last part of 2014, the Islamic faith finds itself at a crossroads.
With more news outlets than ever, fewer of these kinds of stories are going unreported. This means that the pressure will likely build for Islam to confront its own demons.
Lines are going to be drawn.
More peace-loving Muslims are not only going to have to acknowledge that there’s a dark side to their religion, they’re also going to have to help do something about it.
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Freedom is still a fight by LinC (Living in Christ) Paul BonnerReligious freedom appears to be under assault. No doubt, people of faith should not force their beliefs upon others. But how often are we truly defending our freedom to believe, worship, and express our faith? Recently a teenager from Oneida, TN, had the opportunity to defend her faith at a local high school football game. For years the Friday night games at Asia Canada’s school had begun with a public prayer over the loudspeaker. However, the ACLU and Freedom From Religion Foundation pressured the school district to halt the practice.The district superintendent decided to suspend the public prayer and replace it with a moment of silence.
Significant silence
“During the moment of silence, all the cheerleaders [from both teams] came together and recited the Lord’s Prayer . . . We need prayer for so many reasons especially in our community now and the troubles we face every day.” Asia was the brave one to begin saying the prayer aloud. Apparently all those attending the game joined in—including the crowd, football players, coaches, and faculty. Kayla King, one of the cheerleaders, commented that “in that moment the atmosphere was kind of great because it was nothing but heads bowed, and you heard the Lord’s Prayer ring over the football field.” What an experience!
Significant stirring
Growing up we tend to think freedom means we can do or say whatever we want. Yet life teaches us that there are real consequences that go beyond civil liberty. Asia and Kayla felt led to do something. They took a chance in praying, and it stirred up something significant. Who knows where this will lead and how it will all turn out. But we can say with certainty that those present at the game felt more united and, quite possibly, their faith is more important to them than ever before.
Question of the Day: What does freedom mean to you?
Focal Scriptures: Exodus 3:7-10; Galatians 4:5; 1 Corinthians 10:23-25
Exodus 3:7-8 God said, “I’ve taken a good, long look at the affliction of my people in Egypt. I’ve heard their cries for deliverance from their slave masters; I know all about their pain. And now I have come down to help them, pry them loose from the grip of Egypt, get them out of that country and bring them to a good land with wide-open spaces, a land lush with milk and honey, the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite.
9-10 “The Israelite cry for help has come to me, and I’ve seen for myself how cruelly they’re being treated by the Egyptians. It’s time for you to go back: I’m sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the People of Israel, out of Egypt.”
Galatians 4:4-7 But when the time arrived that was set by God the Father, God sent his Son, born among us of a woman, born under the conditions of the law so that he might redeem those of us who have been kidnapped by the law. Thus we have been set free to experience our rightful heritage. You can tell for sure that you are now fully adopted as his own children because God sent the Spirit of his Son into our lives crying out, “Papa! Father!” Doesn’t that privilege of intimate conversation with God make it plain that you are not a slave, but a child? And if you are a child, you’re also an heir, with complete access to the inheritance.
1 Corinthians 10:23-24 Looking at it one way, you could say, “Anything goes. Because of God’s immense generosity and grace, we don’t have to dissect and scrutinize every action to see if it will pass muster.” But the point is not to just get by. We want to live well, but our foremost efforts should be to help others live well.
25-28 With that as a base to work from, common sense can take you the rest of the way. Eat anything sold at the butcher shop, for instance; you don’t have to run an “idolatry test” on every item. “The earth,” after all, “is God’s, and everything in it.” That “everything” certainly includes the leg of lamb in the butcher shop. If a nonbeliever invites you to dinner and you feel like going, go ahead and enjoy yourself; eat everything placed before you. It would be both bad manners and bad spirituality to cross-examine your host on the ethical purity of each course as it is served. On the other hand, if he goes out of his way to tell you that this or that was sacrificed to god or goddess so-and-so, you should pass. Even though you may be indifferent as to where it came from, he isn’t, and you don’t want to send mixed messages to him about who you are worshiping.
For a complete lesson on this topic visit LinC.
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Minister Myles Munroe killed in Bahamas plane crash by Doug Stanglin / USA Today(RNS) Myles Munroe, a prominent Christian minister from the Bahamas, and his wife, Ruth Munroe, were among nine people killed when a small plane crashed while attempting to land on the island of Grand Bahamas on Sunday (Nov. 9), Prime Minister Perry Christie said.
Munroe, 60, was president and founder of Bahamas Faith Ministries International and was traveling to Grand Bahamas to attend the 2014 Global Leadership Forum, according to Christie. Several members of the minister’s entourage were among those killed.
“It is utterly impossible to measure the magnitude of the Dr. Munroe’s loss to The Bahamas and to the world,” Christie said in a statement, according to The Nassau Guardian.
Calling Munroe his “personal friend and spiritual mentor,” Christie said he was “indisputably one of the most globally recognizable religious figures our nation has ever produced.”
The Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference/Conela, said Munroe “breathed, lived and died expanding the kingdom of God. His passion for Christ made him a true ambassador of grace and righteousness.”
The Lear 36 Executive Jet had taken off from the Bahamian capital of Nassau and crashed while attempting to land around 5 p.m. in Freeport, according to the Ministry of Transport and Aviation.
The plane reportedly struck a crane at the Grand Bahama Ship Yard, exploding on impact and crashing into the ground near a junkyard area, according to the Bahamas Tribune.
Former U.S. Ambassador Andrew Young was scheduled to be on the ill-fated flight, but, according to a spokesperson, felt “guided by the spirit” not to get on board, WXIA-TV in Atlanta reports.
In a statement on the Andrew J. Young Foundation Facebook page, Young expressed his “deep sadness” over the death of Munroe and his wife, and “offers condolences to the Munroe family and the families of the other souls who lost their lives as a result of this shocking plane crash.”
The cause of the crash has not yet been determined though there had been heavy rain across the region. Police and fire authorities were on scene and a full investigation was scheduled to begin at daylight on Monday.
Grand Bahama is about 70 miles east of Florida.
Doug Stanglin writes for USA Today. Duffie Dixon of WXIA-TV in Atlanta and Kevin Eckstrom of Religion News Service contributed to this report.
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GTS resolves faculty dispute, but future is unclear by Sarah Pulliam Bailey / Religion News Service(RNS) The future of the Episcopal Church’s flagship General Theological Seminary remains unclear, even as trustees agreed this week to reinstate most of the faculty who were terminated.
The board of the embattled New York seminary will keep seven of the eight faculty who quit teaching classes and were subsequently terminated, according to Jonathan Roffe, a lawyer representing the faculty. Faculty will teach on a provisional basis until the end of the current academic year.
Roffe said the lone faculty member who will not return, whom he declined to identify, “felt it was the right time to move on.”
“Obviously, it’s not the outcome that everyone may have wanted from the get-go, but in any negotiation, neither party is perfectly happy,” Roffe said. “I’m sure the school is not happy it turned into the public spectacle it did. It was a meeting in the middle.”
In September, the majority of the seminary’s professors quit teaching classes and attending official seminary meetings or chapel services until they could sit down with the seminary board to discuss concerns about the seminary’s dean, the Very Rev. Kurt Dunkle.
Trustees later accepted the resignations of the eight faculty, even as the professors insisted they never offered to resign.
“Reconciliation … will require much of all of us,” Dunkle said in an email to students on Wednesday (Nov. 5).
Last month, respected Duke Divinity School theologian Stanley Hauerwas declined a series of lectures he was scheduled to give at GTS this month so he would not appear to take sides.
In an attempt to salvage the divide, the board of GTS — a venerable Manhattan institution that has produced generations of bishops and noted theologians — invited faculty to request provisional reinstatement. One trustee resigned, saying faculty deserved full reinstatement.
What remains unclear is whether the seven returning faculty will stay after this year, how the controversy will impact future enrollment, and whether faculty and leadership can find full reconciliation after the school’s dirty laundry was aired in public.
In a Sept. 17 letter, the faculty charged Dunkle with making comments that have made women and some minority groups uncomfortable, such as describing Asians as “slanty eyed,” not wanting GTS to be known as the “gay seminary,” and telling a female professor that he “loved vaginas.” Neither side has come to an agreement on those allegations.
During the 2013-14 school year, GTS enrolled 70 students and had $10.6 million in expenditures and $27 million in investments, according to the Association of Theological Schools, an accrediting organization.
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Gay marriage hits major bump in federal appeals court by Richard Wolf / USA TodayWASHINGTON (RNS) The same-sex marriage movement lost its first major case in a federal appeals court Thursday after a lengthy string of victories, creating a split among the nation’s circuit courts that virtually guarantees review by the U.S. Supreme Court.
The 2-1 ruling from the Cincinnati-based 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed lower court rulings that had struck down gay marriage bans in Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee.
More important, it gives Supreme Court justices an appellate ruling that runs counter to four others from the 4th, 7th, 9th and 10th circuits. Those rulings struck down same-sex marriage bans in Virginia, Indiana, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, Utah, Idaho and Nevada, leading to similar action in neighboring states.
Circuit Judge Jeffrey Sutton, one of the Republican Party’s most esteemed legal thinkers and writers, issued the 42-page decision precisely three months after hearing oral arguments in the cases, with fellow GOP nominee Deborah Cook concurring. He delivered a rare defeat for proponents of same-sex marriage, who had won nearly all the cases decided from Florida to Alaska since the Supreme Court ruled against the federal Defense of Marriage Act in June 2013.
Sutton argued that appellate judges’ hands are tied by a one-sentence Supreme Court ruling from 1972, which “upheld the right of the people of a state to define marriage as they see it.” Last year’s high court decision requiring the federal government to recognize legal same-sex marriages does not negate the earlier ruling as it applies to states where gay marriage is not legal, he said.
The same reasoning was used by a federal district court judge in Puerto Rico last month.
“When the courts do not let the people resolve new social issues like this one, they perpetuate the idea that the heroes in these change events are judges and lawyers,” Sutton said. “Better in this instance, we think, to allow change through the customary political processes, in which the people, gay and straight alike, become the heroes of their own stories by meeting each other not as adversaries in a court system but as fellow citizens seeking to resolve a new social issue in a fair-minded way.”
He also maintained that states “got into the business of defining marriage, and remain in the business of defining marriage, not to regulate love but to regulate sex, most especially the intended and unintended effects of male-female intercourse.”
The six cases before the three-judge panel involved not only whether gays and lesbians should be able to marry, but whether marriages performed elsewhere should be recognized; whether same-sex couples should be able to adopt children; and whether their names should be placed on partners’ death certificates.
Judge Martha Craig Daughtrey, a Democratic appointee, delivered a blistering 22-page dissent. She disputed Sutton’s reasoning that judges should not decide the issue.
“If we in the judiciary do not have the authority, and indeed the responsibility, to right fundamental wrongs left excused by a majority of the electorate, our whole intricate, constitutional system of checks and balances, as well as the oaths to which we swore, prove to be nothing but shams,” Daughtrey said.
Both sides look to Supreme Court
After enduring a prolonged losing streak, opponents of same-sex marriage were elated with the appeals court ruling.
“This decision gives greater certainty that this matter will ultimately return to the Supreme Court, as we have said all along that it must,” said Brian Brown, president of the National Organization for Marriage. “We think that the constitutionality of states’ amendments on marriage will there be upheld.”
Byron Babione, senior counsel at the Alliance Defending Freedom, said the court’s ruling demonstrates that “the Constitution does not demand that one irreversible view of marriage be judicially imposed on everyone.”
Proponents of same-sex marriage saw Sutton’s opinion as an appeal to Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, who has authored the last three major rulings advancing the cause of gay rights. Kennedy has defended voters’ right to pass constitutional amendments — but he struck down the federal same-sex marriage ban as an affront to the constitutional rights of gays and lesbians.
Lawyers working on gay marriage cases from coast to coast wasted no time preparing for a Supreme Court showdown.
“We will be filing for Supreme Court review right away and hope that through this deeply disappointing ruling, we will be able to bring a uniform rule of equality to the entire country,” said Chase Strangio, staff attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union.
The Supreme Court last month refused to reconsider the cases from Utah, Oklahoma, Virginia, Indiana and Wisconsin, at least in part because there was no conflict among the federal appeals courts. But Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg told a Minneapolis audience that a ruling against same-sex marriage from the 6th Circuit panel would make Supreme Court consideration more urgent.
In his ruling, Sutton was not swayed by the earlier rulings from his appeals court colleagues. “Four courts of appeals thus far have recognized a constitutional right to same-sex marriage. They agree on one thing: the result. But they reach that outcome in many ways, often more than one way in the same decision,” he said.
Nor was he swayed by the Supreme Court’s inaction on those other cases, the result of which was to greatly expand same-sex marriage from North Carolina to Alaska. “A decision not to decide is a decision not to decide,” he said.
And he most certainly was not swayed by gay marriage proponents’ arguments for why same-sex marriage should be legalized through the courts.
“Not one of the plaintiffs’ theories … makes the case for constitutionalizing the definition of marriage and for removing the issue from the place it has been since the founding: in the hands of state voters,” Sutton said.
Gay marriage juggernaut stopped
Thirty-two states and the District of Columbia allow same-sex couples to marry, including the five states from which the high court turned down appeals. Since then, eight additional states have been added to the list: Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, North Carolina, West Virginia and Wyoming. Three more states — Kansas, Montana and South Carolina — also are bound by the appeals court rulings.
The justices ruled 5-4 in June 2013 that the federal government must recognize same-sex marriages legally performed in states that allow them. They also refused to overrule a California court’s decision striking down that state’s ban.
Those rulings have led federal and state judges to overturn state bans in more than two dozen more recent decisions. The string of federal court victories was broken in early September in Louisiana, where a federal district judge upheld that state’s ban. Then in October, a federal judge in Puerto Rico upheld the territory’s ban.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit upheld Nebraska’s gay marriage ban in 2006, long before the Supreme Court’s ruling last year. But in deciding not to consider any cases recently, the justices clearly did not give that decision equal weight in determining whether the appeals courts were divided.
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This Sunday, 16 November 2014
Matthew 25:14-30 is the familiar parable of the talents. Three servants are given money (“talents”) to manage while their master is away on a trip. Each one receives an amount equal to his ability. One is given five talents, another is given two talents, and a third is given one talent. When the master comes home, the two servants who invested their talents present the master with a 100 percent increase. The third servant, the one given the least amount, buried his talent in the ground and returns to his master the same amount he was given. This servant is severely reprimanded and called wicked and lazy. What little he has is taken away and given to another servant.
Often when people tell this story, they focus on the third servant. They talk about not burying our “talent” (money or other gifts) and about the consequences if we do. I prefer to focus on the fact that all of us have talents, and we need to use them to help others and to serve God. The church is always in need of persons who will humbly serve and minister. We hold ministry fairs and ask people to volunteer for all kinds of programs and ministries, but there always seems to be a shortage of needed talent. Some people claim that they do not have any talent and so they don’t volunteer.
Everyone has talents, gifts, and abilities. Even in the parable, the number of talents may be different, but each servant has at least one. God has endowed each of us with talent. Some of us are gifted in the arts. These people paint beautiful pictures or make glorious music with their voices or instruments. Some people can make wondrous things with their hands. Others cook delicious meals or have excellent mechanical skills. Still others can build things and grow things. The list of talents is as endless as our imaginations. It doesn’t take a great deal of creativity to find a way to use these talents in the church and in ministry with and for others. I have known people who offered to change lightbulbs or write notes of encouragement for the elderly and shut-ins.
There are emotional talents as well. Some people are excellent listeners. People often feel a sense of relief just knowing they have been listened to. Some people are gifted advisers and counselors who can look at a situation and offer wisdom that is godly and beneficial. Other people are good at giving hugs, or offering words of encouragement or empathy. All of these talents can be used for the glory of God.
Most people have an occupation or a career where they receive training or gain insight through experience. Many of these skills can be used in ministry. I have known accountants who help the elderly fill out their tax returns, financial advisers who have led classes on money management, and schoolteachers who help with tutoring or teaching English as a second language. With a little creativity, almost any skill can be used to help others and further God’s ministry through the church.
Finally, when we receive Christ, we also receive the Holy Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit. Read Romans 12; 1 Corinthians 12; and Ephesians 4. Everyone has at least one spiritual gift, and many people have more than one. These gifts cannot be earned or learned, but we can certainly pray for spiritual gifts and open ourselves to their power. I know that I am always praying for the gift of discernment. Spiritual gifts are to be used for the building up of the body of Christ. It is important that we discover and cultivate them together.
Some people are jealous of others’ talents or gifts, but notice in the parable that none of the servants complain about the talents given to the others. The parable tells us that each one is gifted according to ability. We would be wise to recognize that we each are unique and have differing types and levels of talents and gifts to offer for the work of Christ. We can always find someone who can do something better than we can; we can also always find someone who cannot do it as well. Be thankful for the talents you have, and seek to develop them with God’s help.
We cannot use the excuse that we have no talent for serving God. Each of us has talents, gifts, and abilities that can be used to minister to God and others.
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Judges 4: Deborah
1-3 The People of Israel kept right on doing evil in God’s sight. With Ehud dead, God sold them off to Jabin king of Canaan who ruled from Hazor. Sisera, who lived in Harosheth Haggoyim, was the commander of his army. The People of Israel cried out to God because he had cruelly oppressed them with his nine hundred iron chariots for twenty years.
4-5 Deborah was a prophet, the wife of Lappidoth. She was judge over Israel at that time. She held court under Deborah’s Palm between Ramah and Bethel in the hills of Ephraim. The People of Israel went to her in matters of justice.
6-7 She sent for Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali and said to him, “It has become clear that God, the God of Israel, commands you: Go to Mount Tabor and prepare for battle. Take ten companies of soldiers from Naphtali and Zebulun. I’ll take care of getting Sisera, the leader of Jabin’s army, to the Kishon River with all his chariots and troops. And I’ll make sure you win the battle.”
Psalm 123: A Pilgrim Song
1-4 I look to you, heaven-dwelling God,
look up to you for help.
Like servants, alert to their master’s commands,
like a maiden attending her lady,
We’re watching and waiting, holding our breath,
awaiting your word of mercy.
Mercy, God, mercy!
We’ve been kicked around long enough,
Kicked in the teeth by complacent rich men,
kicked when we’re down by arrogant brutes.
1 Thessalonians 5:1-3 I don’t think, friends, that I need to deal with the question of when all this is going to happen. You know as well as I that the day of the Master’s coming can’t be posted on our calendars. He won’t call ahead and make an appointment any more than a burglar would. About the time everybody’s walking around complacently, congratulating each other—“We’ve sure got it made! Now we can take it easy!”—suddenly everything will fall apart. It’s going to come as suddenly and inescapably as birth pangs to a pregnant woman.
4-8 But friends, you’re not in the dark, so how could you be taken off guard by any of this? You’re sons of Light, daughters of Day. We live under wide open skies and know where we stand. So let’s not sleepwalk through life like those others. Let’s keep our eyes open and be smart. People sleep at night and get drunk at night. But not us! Since we’re creatures of Day, let’s act like it. Walk out into the daylight sober, dressed up in faith, love, and the hope of salvation.
9-11 God didn’t set us up for an angry rejection but for salvation by our Master, Jesus Christ. He died for us, a death that triggered life. Whether we’re awake with the living or asleep with the dead, we’re alive with him! So speak encouraging words to one another. Build up hope so you’ll all be together in this, no one left out, no one left behind. I know you’re already doing this; just keep on doing it.
Matthew 25: The Story About Investment
14-18 “It’s also like a man going off on an extended trip. He called his servants together and delegated responsibilities. To one he gave five thousand dollars, to another two thousand, to a third one thousand, depending on their abilities. Then he left. Right off, the first servant went to work and doubled his master’s investment. The second did the same. But the man with the single thousand dug a hole and carefully buried his master’s money.
19-21 “After a long absence, the master of those three servants came back and settled up with them. The one given five thousand dollars showed him how he had doubled his investment. His master commended him: ‘Good work! You did your job well. From now on be my partner.’
22-23 “The servant with the two thousand showed how he also had doubled his master’s investment. His master commended him: ‘Good work! You did your job well. From now on be my partner.’
24-25 “The servant given one thousand said, ‘Master, I know you have high standards and hate careless ways, that you demand the best and make no allowances for error. I was afraid I might disappoint you, so I found a good hiding place and secured your money. Here it is, safe and sound down to the last cent.’
26-27 “The master was furious. ‘That’s a terrible way to live! It’s criminal to live cautiously like that! If you knew I was after the best, why did you do less than the least? The least you could have done would have been to invest the sum with the bankers, where at least I would have gotten a little interest.
28-30 “‘Take the thousand and give it to the one who risked the most. And get rid of this “play-it-safe” who won’t go out on a limb. Throw him out into utter darkness.’
John Wesley's Notes-Commentary:
Judges 4:1-7
Verse 2
[2] And the LORD sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, that reigned in Hazor; the captain of whose host was Sisera, which dwelt in Harosheth of the Gentiles.
Of Canaan — That is, of the land where most of the Canaanites, strictly so called, now dwelt, which seems to be in the northern part of Canaan. This seems to be of the posterity of that Jabin, whom Joshua slew, Joshua 11:11, who watched all opportunities to recover his ancient possessions, and to revenge his own and his father's quarrel.
In Hazor — In the territory or the kingdom of Hazor, which might now be restored to its former largeness and power.
Of the Gentiles — So called, because it was much frequented and inhabited by the Gentiles; either by the Canaanites, who being beaten out of their former possessions, seated themselves in those northern parts; or by other nations coming there for traffick, whence Galilee, where this was, is called Galilee of the Gentiles.
Verse 3
[3] And the children of Israel cried unto the LORD: for he had nine hundred chariots of iron; and twenty years he mightily oppressed the children of Israel.
Mightily oppressed — More than former tyrants; from his malice and hatred against the Israelites; and from God's just judgment, the growing punishment being suitable to their aggravated wickedness.
Verse 4
[4] And Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, she judged Israel at that time.
A prophetess — As there were men-prophets, so there were also women-prophetesses, as Miriam, Exodus 15:20. Huldah, 2 Kings 22:14, and divers others; but the word prophets or prophetesses is ambiguous, sometimes being used of persons extraordinarily inspired by God, and endowed with the power of working miracles, and foretelling things to come; and sometimes of persons endowed with special gifts or graces, for the better understanding and discoursing about the word and mind of God. Of this sort were the sons of the prophets, or such as were bred in the schools of the prophets. who are often called prophets, as 1 Samuel 10:5,10. And because we read nothing of Deborah's miraculous actions, perhaps she was only a woman of eminent holiness, and knowledge of the holy scriptures, by which she was singularly qualified for judging the people according to the laws of God.
Judged Israel — That is, determined causes and controversies arising among the Israelites, as is implied, verse 5. And this Jabin might suffer to be done, especially by a woman. Yet the frequent discharge of this part of the judge's office, whereby she gained great power and authority with the people, did notably (though not observed by the tyrant) prepare the way for her sliding into the other part of her office, which was to defend and rescue the people from their enemies.
Verse 5
[5] And she dwelt under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in mount Ephraim: and the children of Israel came up to her for judgment.
And she dwelt — Or, she sat: she had her judgment-seat in the open air, under the shadow of that tree; which was an emblem of the justice she administered there: thriving and growing against opposition, as the palm-tree does under pressures.
Came to her — To have their suits and causes determined by her sentence.
Verse 6
[6] And she sent and called Barak the son of Abinoam out of Kedeshnaphtali, and said unto him, Hath not the LORD God of Israel commanded, saying, Go and draw toward mount Tabor, and take with thee ten thousand men of the children of Naphtali and of the children of Zebulun?
Called Barak — By virtue of that power which God had given her, and the people owned in her.
Kedesh Naphtali — So called, to distinguish it from other places of that name, one in Judah, and another in Issachar.
Hath not the Lord, … — That is, assuredly God hath commanded thee; this is not the fancy of a weak woman, which peradventure thou mayst despise; but the command of the great God by my mouth.
Mount Tabor — A place most fit for his purpose, as being in the borders of divers tribes, and having a large plain at the top of it, where he might conveniently marshal and discipline his army.
Naphtali and Zebulun — These she names because they were nearest and best known to Barak, and therefore soonest brought together, because they were nearest to the enemy, and therefore might speedily be assembled, whilst the other tribes, being at a distance, had better opportunity of gathering forces for their succour; and because these had most smarted under this oppressor, who was in the heart of their country; but these are not named exclusively, as appears by the concurrence of some other tribes.
Verse 7
[7] And I will draw unto thee to the river Kishon Sisera, the captain of Jabin's army, with his chariots and his multitude; and I will deliver him into thine hand.
Draw to Thee — By my secret and powerful providence, ordering and over-ruling his inclinations that way. In fixing the very place, she gave him a sign, which might confirm his faith, when he came to engage.
Psalm 123
Verse 2
[2] Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress; so our eyes wait upon the LORD our God, until that he have mercy upon us.
Look — For supply of their wants, and for help and defence against their oppressors.
Until — Until he help and save us.
1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
Verse 1
[1] But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.
But of the precise times when this shall be.
Verse 2
[2] For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
For this in general ye do know; and ye can and need know no more.
Verse 3
[3] For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
When they — The men of the world say.
Verse 4
[4] But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
Ye are not in darkness — Sleeping secure in sin.
Verse 6
[6] Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.
Awake, and keep awake — Being awakened, let us have all our spiritual senses about us.
Verse 7
[7] For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.
They usually sleep and are drunken in the night - These things do not love the light.
Verse 9
[9] For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,
God hath not appointed us to wrath — As he hath the obstinately impenitent.
Verse 10
[10] Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.
Whether we wake or sleep — Be alive or dead at his coming.
Matthew 25:14-30
Verse 14
[14] For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods.
Our Lord proceeds by a parable still plainer (if that can be) to declare the final reward of a harmless man. May God give all such in this their day, ears to hear and hearts to understand it! The kingdom of heaven - That is, the King of heaven, Christ. Mark 13:34; Luke 19:12.
Verse 15
[15] And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey.
To one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one — And who knows whether (all circumstances considered) there be a greater disproportion than this, in the talents of those who have received the most, and those who have received the fewest? According to his own ability - The words may be translated more literally, according to his own mighty power.
And immediately took his journey — To heaven.
Verse 18
[18] But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money.
He that had received one — Made his having fewer talents than others a pretence for not improving any.
Went and hid his master's money — Reader, art thou doing the same? Art thou hiding the talent God hath lent thee?
Verse 24
[24] Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed:
I knew thou art a hard man — No. Thou knowest him not. He never knew God, who thinks him a hard master.
Reaping where thou hast not sown — That is, requiring more of us than thou hast given us power to perform. So does every obstinate sinner, in one kind or other, lay the blame of his own sins on God.
Verse 25
[25] And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine.
And I was afraid — Lest if I had improved my talent, I should have had the more to answer for. So from this fear, one will not learn to read, another will not hear sermons!
Verse 26
[26] His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed:
Thou knewest — That I require impossibilities! This is not an allowing, but a strong denial of the charge.
Verse 27
[27] Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury.
Thou oughtest therefore — On that very account, on thy own supposition, to have improved my talent, as far as was possible.
Verse 29
[29] For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.
To every one that hath shall he given — So close does God keep to this stated rule, from the beginning to the end of the world. Matthew 13:12.
Verse 30
[30] And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Cast ye the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness — For what? what had he done? It is true he had not done good. But neither is he charged with doing any harm. Why, for this reason, for barely doing no harm, he is consigned to outer darkness. He is pronounced a wicked, because he was a slothful, an unprofitable servant. So mere harmlessness, on which many build their hope of salvation, was the cause of his damnation! There shall be the weeping - Of the careless thoughtless sinner; and the gnashing of teeth - Of the proud and stubborn. The same great truth, that there is no such thing as negative goodness, is in this chapter shown three times: 1. In the parable of the virgins; 2. In the still plainer parable of the servants, who had received the talents; and 3. In a direct unparabolical declaration of the manner wherein our Lord will proceed at the last day. The several parts of each of these exactly answers each other, only each rises above the preceding.
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WORSHIP CONNECTION: NOVEMBER 16, 2014 by Nancy C. TownleyCALLS TO WORSHIP
Call to Worship #1:
L: The time for harvest is close at hand. What have you done with the gifts God has given you?
P: We have brought our gifts to the house of the Lord.
L: Praise God for the gifts and for opportunities for service that they represent.
P: We praise God for all the ways in which our lives have been blessed.
L: Generous God, accept our gifts and our lives this day.
P: Loving God, accept our praise and gratitude. AMEN.
Call to Worship #2:
L: We lift our eyes to the Lord.
P: God created the heavens and the earth
L: We raise our voices in songs and speech
P: We raise our voices in prayer and praise.
L: Lord, hear our prayers, accept our praise.
P: Lord, open our hearts to receive your blessings of peace. AMEN.
Call to Worship #4
L: How shall we enter the house of the Lord?
P: With songs of great praise and rejoicing!
L: How shall we prepare ourselves to receive the blessings?
P: With hearts, minds, and spirits that are open.
L: Come, let us worship the Lord and bow down.
P: Let us offer our praise to God who has redeemed us. AMEN.
Call to Worship #5
[From the United Methodist Hymnal, p. 87, "What Gift Can We Bring", you may use the following as a call to worship]
L: Come to the house of the Lord. Come with your prayers, your presence, your gifts and your service.
Choir: (singing) What gift can we bring, what present, what token? What words can convey it, the joy of this day? When grateful we come, remembering, rejoicing, what song can we offer in honor and praise?
P: We bring the gift of prayer to this house. We raise to God our hopes and our fears, our wounds and our triumphs.
L: We bring the gift of our presence, being together in worship and fellowship, work and witness.
P: We bring the gift of our tokens, given freely from our hearts to be used in service to God.
L: We bring the gift of service, commitment of our time and talents to serve God by working in God’s world.
ALL: (singing) This gift we now bring, this present, this token, these words can convey it, the joy of this day! When grateful we come, remembering, rejoicing, this song we now offer in honor and praise!
PRAYERS, LITANY, BENEDICTION
Invocation/Opening Prayer: [WBW: Yr A, Pentecost 26, Creation, Blessing & Thanksgiving, God’s Love, Salvation, Discipleship, Personal Service]
Awesome God, you created the world and all that is in it. You blessed each element of creation with your love. You called us from slavery into witness and service. Be with us this day as we gather to worship. Clear our minds of all the distractions which would draw us away from you. Open our hearts and spirits and let your healing and empowering love flow in. Prepare us to be witnesses to your power and love as we use the gifts with which you have blessed us in your service. For we offer this prayer in the name of your Son our Lord Jesus Christ. AMEN.
Prayer of Confession [WBW: Yr A, Pentecost 26, Forgiveness, Blessing & Thankfulness, Commitment, Obedience, Personal Holiness, Acceptance, Faith, Peace]
We are "pack rats", O Lord. You continually pour gifts and blessings into our lives and we hide them away for fear that they might disappear or not be worthy of acclaim. We squander them wastefully on things that are not healthy or helpful to others. We confess that we have not always recognized the talents we have been given. We find it easier to belittle the gifts than to honor the giver. As Jesus reminded his listeners to honor the giver of the gifts by using them to create something better, for healing, for hope in the world; remind us that the message of Jesus is truly pertinent to us today. Forgive us when we have treated it as a nice story. Help us to take the gifts you have given us, to develop them, and use them in ways which will offer healing and hope. In Jesus’ blessed Name, we pray. AMEN.
Words of Assurance [WBW: Yr A, Pentecost 26, God’s love, Gifts, Talents, Service]
You are loved by God and given so many gifts to be used to help others. Do not fear to use these gifts, for God is with you, continually blessing you and the gifts in your service. AMEN.
Pastoral Prayer [WBW: Yr A, Pentecost 26, Attributes of God, Faith, Fear & Anxiety, Strength, Temptation, Patience, Forgiveness, Personal Holiness, Personal Service, Witness]
Wise and Patient God, we know what you want us to do, but we are far too often hesitant to follow through for you. You give us multiple blessings and ask that we develop these gifts and use them to help others. In times of great crisis we come through, we mobilize. But in the intermediate times, we hold back. We develop a "let someone else do it" attitude. We often think of our gifts, our talents as things that are less than worthy. In this country in which competition is the ruling code, we don’t want to compete with others, because we feel we just don’t have the right "stuff". How blind we are, Lord! To each one of us you have given gifts which can be used to help others. Each gift and talent is precious in your sight. Rather than compete with others to see who has the greater talent, let us use the gifts we have been given joyfully.
One of the greatest gifts is the gift of prayer. And we have brought before you, Lord, the concerns which have been weighing on our hearts. Touch the lives of all these people and situations with you healing love. Give each one a sense of your powerful presence. Flood their lives with hope and peace. Help each one of us to be workers for you. Help us to trust in your abiding presence and love for us. Challenge us to use the gifts and to honor the giver, for we ask these things in Jesus’ Name. AMEN.
Offertory Prayer [WBW: Yr A, Pentecost 26, Blessing & Thanksgiving, Witness, Gifts]
There are no limits to the gifts you have given us, gracious Lord. Now we return thanks to you for these gifts and we bring these token to you, asking for your blessing on givers and gifts. Help these gifts and givers to be your witnesses throughout the world. AMEN.
Litany [WBW: Yr A, Pentecost 26, God’s Presence, Forgiveness, Healing, Hope, Faith, Comfort, God’s love, Blessing, Commitment]
L: The voice of God is speaking to you. God is calling you today to come and rejoice. Come to me, dear ones. Open your hands.
P: We can’t, Lord. Our hands are calloused and dirty, rough.
L: Open your hands. My healing and cleansing love will protect and soothe you.
L: Come to me, beloved friends. Open your hands.
P: We can’t, Lord. Our hands have been wounded and they are bleeding.
L: Open your hands and I will touch your wounds and stop the bleeding.
L: Come to me, disciples, witnesses. Open your hands.
P: We can’t, Lord. We have nothing to offer to you. Our hands are empty.
L: Open your hands and I will give you my peace. Now you are healed.
P: Now we can reach out to help.
L: Now you can go into the world to offer blessing and hope.
P: Praise be to you, O God, who has taken our excuses and turned them into commitment.
Benediction, Blessing, Commission:[WBW: Yr A, Pentecost 26, Blessing, Witness, Dis;cipleship, Peace, Hope, Healing & Comfort, God’s love]
As you have been blessed, now go to be a blessing to others. Go, bringing the news of peace and hope, of healing and love. Go and the God of peace will always go with you. AMEN.
ARTISTIC ELEMENTS
[Note: the artistic focus for this setting is the image of the hand print, suggesting helping and using our gifts. The design is a simple one and can involve a number of people. I have suggested that room-darkening fabric, the kind that is used to back drapes, be used. Generally it is canvas on one side and rubberized on the other. It takes well to acrylic paints and can be rolled for storage. If you use tempera paints in the project, they will crack and peel from the fabric. In lieu of fabric a long roll of wide paper may be used; or even shelf or butcher paper. It should be long enough to flow nicely from the top of the upper riser across the worship center and down onto the floor. The advantage of fabric is that it can be used again in another display. Paper is difficult to store.]
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 green fabric (the traditional color for the season) making sure that there is enough fabric to cover the riser in front of the table and that the fabric "puddles" on the floor. Using 5 yards muslin (approx. 44-45" wide) or room darkening fabric (the kind you would find as a backing for drapes, cut in 44-45" wide strip), have adults and children coat the palms and fingers of their hands in tempera or acrylic paints and make handprints on the fabric. Let this dry. When it is dry, place it beginning at the top center riser, and coming down over the risers in the front of the worship center and onto 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 small votive candles here and there throughout the worship center.
ROCKS & WOOD Not recommended for this setting.
OTHER: On the top of the center riser, place a brass or wooden cross. This suggests that the "hands" are working for God in service. You may have some pictures of people helping other people that you could place around the worship area. Have someone in the church use their handprint to create a bulletin cover, if you do not use preprinted covers. This is a very effective way to use the theme.
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A Cry for HelpJudges 4:1-7
Two young men were walking along discussing life and its problems. One man said, "Some folks say that the events of life are completely random and there is no purpose to life in the universe." The other replied, "I don't believe that at all. There's too much evidence of a higher will working in my life. I mean, look at my social life, my schoolwork, my family life. Somebody is out to get me!" We know how that young man felt. We've all been there. From time to time it seems like everything falls apart and the whole world is out to get us. We feel like the country song that says, "Every time I make my mark, someone paints the wall." In the midst of those situations or days like that, we have an answer. When we cry out to God, God answers.
I. Sometimes We Are Unwilling to Call on God
Some people never learn. The Israelites, at least in this situation, just didn't seem to learn. Scripture tells us the Israelites brought their disaster on themselves. They had sinned in the eyes of God, and their sin caught up with them. That's the case with all sin. The effects of sin always catch up with us. A little boy with a paper sack over his head prayed, "Lord, I'll tell you what I did today, but I won't tell you who I am."
We are like that little boy. We would gladly confess what we have done or what we didn't do if we didn't have to let God know who it was. The Israelites were the same. It just took them twenty years to realize it. It took twenty years for them to call out to God.
Like the Israelites, we look up one day and wonder how we got into this predicament. We feel like God has sold us out or abandoned us. We wonder how we got into the mess we are in. What do we do in those situations? The answer is really second nature. Most of us do it without even thinking. There is a scene in the children's classic Winnie-the-Pooh where Pooh sees Eeyore floating down the river. The conversation between the two goes something like this:
Pooh: "Did you fall into the river, Eeyore?"
Eeyore: "Silly of me, wasn't it?"
Pooh: "Is the river uncomfortable this morning?"
Eeyore: "Well yes, the dampness you know."
Pooh: "You really ought to be more careful!"
Eeyore: "Thanks for the advice."
Pooh: "I think you're sinking."
Eeyore: "Pooh, if it's not too much trouble, would you mind rescuing me?"
The best thing we can do in all situations is pray, but especially when our sinful nature catches up with us. When our sin catches up with us, we should call on God to rescue us.
II. When We Call, God Answers
The Israelites finally called on God for help, and God responded. God's answer to the Israelites was to send the judge, Deborah. God's answer for today is not a judge but God's own Son.
Jesus may not pull us out of all situations in the way we might wish, but he does promise to be with us and guide us through them all. Just as he promised the disciples, "I am with you always" (Matt. 28:20), he promises us, too. We can be assured that God will hear and answer our prayers, just as God heard the prayers of Israel and sent Deborah. (Billy D. Strayhorn)
Hurry Up and Wait
1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
"Hurry up and wait." We understand that phrase well. We push ourselves at breakneck speeds only to discover that we have rushed for no reason, for we must still wait. For example, more often than not we make a mad dash to the doctor's office, making sure we arrive precisely on time, only to discover that we must wait an extra hour to see the doctor.
I'll never forget an experience of running from one end of the Atlanta airport to the other to catch a place. The doors were just closing as I arrived. I rushed to my seat only to hear the pilot say, "I'm sorry, there has been a delay. We will not depart for another hour." We are often caught in the paradox of excitement coupled with the call for patience. Even the gospel makes such a demand of us. In today's text, Paul is reminding his audience of the certainty of Christ's return. It will come "like a thief in the night" (v. 2). As Luke 12:39-40 states, "It will come at an hour you do not expect."
When it comes, there is no time for decision, no time for preparation. Paul compares the Parousia to a woman in labor. When it's time, there is no stopping the process. As Christians who live with the promise of that day, we must live expectantly and wait patiently.
I. We Must Live Expectantly (vv. 4-10)
Paul refers to the times in the history of Israel when the people engaged in the pursuits of peace with no suspicion of danger. Yet their peace was shattered as devastation overtook them. The people of Noah's day and the inhabitants of Sodom are just two examples. People who remain unprepared morally and spiritually will be judged in the day of Christ's return.
In contrast, the "children of light" are to live in an attitude of great expectation. Christians not only expect it to happen; we want it to happen. We embrace the day; we do not shun it. It will be a day of joy, of peace, of victory. It will mark the completion of the walk of faith. Paul reminds his audience that all the saints of the Lord, those who are alive and those who are dead, will be caught up in the wonder and splendor of that day (v. 10). We live with the expectation of what that day will bring.
II. We Must Wait Patiently (v. 11)
As we wait for that day, we must do so with patience. Patience is not a call to idleness or to waste away the hours; it is a call to occupy ourselves with God's work, diligently and carefully, until he comes. A deacon once told me (in reference to the Lord's return), "Let us be prayed up and paid up!" Translation: Let us live our lives ready to receive him at any moment, while serving him with every moment.
In my home I have a small rechargeable flashlight. It plugs into an electrical outlet, waiting for use. I sometimes forget that I even own it until I need it. It is always ready to serve; it stays charged up. Paul asks that Christians, as we wait, engage in two activities. We are to encourage each other and build up each other. The call to encourage is the call to comfort and affirm each other. The instruction to build up is the call to push each other toward spiritual maturity. As Christians, we are to use our time waiting in a productive way as we help others prepare for the coming of our Lord and share with them the excitement of that day.
Christ is coming again. We pray that he will hurry, and we labor as we wait. (John R. Roebuck)
Don't Bury Your Talent
Matthew 25:14-30
The text contains a parable of warning and promise. It is a reminder that the use of our talents demonstrates our faithfulness to God. The Father distributes gifts and opportunities for service to his followers as the basis for us to use and improve throughout our lives. When the discussion in a small group turned to evangelism, one person gave a big sigh of relief and stated, "Well, that's just not my gift." With that statement he buried his God-given talent to share Christ's love with his world. How many of us have buried the gifts God offers us in search of that "special" gift?
Myron Augsburger calls this parable one of "responsibility" and "risk." We need some risk takers for Jesus who offer themselves to him and allow him to help them. Don't bury your talent!
I. Don't Bury Your Talent: It Is from God
Our gifts, abilities, or talents are distributed by God. Talents may be simple or complex, visible or behind the scenes. They take a variety of forms including speaking, playing a tuba solo, making pies, teaching, singing, healing, offering hospitality, counseling, administering and others, but they must be done in the spirit of humility and love.
II. Don't Bury Your Talent: It Is to Be Used
The Master gives the talents; the servants use the talents. Wade Burton in Amusing Grace tells about a salesman who appeared to be a born loser. The man was a lousy dresser, could not spell, and used atrocious grammar. However, he was a terrific salesman for an appliance maker. The overall company sales were down, and the chairman of the board posted the following message: "Attention all sales personnel: We will have an important meeting March 1 at 10:00 a.m. and the subject will be 'How to sell our product.' Be there!" When the salesman received his telegram announcing the meeting, he responded to the chairman with a note. It read, "I ain't got time to come to no meetin'. I just sold 2,000 appliances to customer #13 and I gotta get goin' to ketch #14, where I 'spect to sale at least 4,000 more...." A short time later a second memorandum was sent to all sales people: "Forgit the meetin' called fer March 1. Get out there and ketch all the customers you can and 'spect to make big sales! (The Boss)." What God expects of us is that we quit talking, speculating, and thinking about the talents he has given to us and do something with them! It may be risky, and occasionally, we may feel foolish as we seek to develop our talents; but God will bless and bring new opportunities of service.
Don't bury your opportunities!
III. Don't Bury Your Talents: It Is Eternal
This parable reveals the eternal consequences of our decision to bury or not to bury our talents.
William McCumber observes that the faithfulness reward is twofold. First, there is an increase in responsibility. Second, there is joy. Joy comes through satisfaction that a good deed has been accomplished for Jesus and others. It is not an ecstatic, wild-eyed, spontaneous expression; rather, it is a deep settled peace in the heart.
The darker side of the picture is the punishment reserved for the wicked. McCumber reminds us that wickedness is not merely a matter of gross misconduct. It is also a matter of indolence in the face of the Kingdom—service opportunities. "Hell," says McCumber, "is also for those who do nothing!" Unfaithfulness results in a lack of joy, loss of opportunities for Kingdom building, and horror beyond understanding. Don't bury your talent. Invest your talent for eternity! (Derl G. Keefer)
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Scriptures: Judges 4:1-7; Psalm 123; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11; Matthew 25:14-30I’ve always been kind of uneasy with the parable of the talents. It seems like the third servant got a raw deal. After all, it’s not like the man who went away for a long time gave them specific instructions, he just told the servants to look after the funds. It could be that the other two servants were generally more crafty people than the other one. Or maybe they were a little more educated and had taken Economics 101 while the third guy was out working the fields. Regardless, Jesus has a clear point in telling it: the gifts and graces you posses come from God, and God expects you to do something with them.
As a pastor I often talk with younger people about the direction they want to take with their lives. They often say things like, “I can’t tell if God’s calling me to be this or that. I think I have talents for both and do well at a number of things. What should I do?” Our talents and our passions are certainly a major clue to what God wants us to do with our lives. But too often we think of our calling in terms of the destination as opposed to the journey.
The question of how God is calling us to use our gifts and talents is not whether God has decided that we should be a doctor or a lawyer or a teacher, or even a pastor. The question is how would any of these vocations allow us to live out the gifts and graces God has given us? Are these venues the best way for us to live out the type of person God has called us to be? Our calling lies in the journey, of which the destination is a part, but certainly not the whole.
I’d like to think that if the third servant, who wasn’t given nearly as many resources as his colleagues, had tried to do something with what he was given and hadn’t made the money back, the man would have given him credit for at least giving it a shot. Sometimes we go forward with our best efforts and best intentions and we fail. Maybe it’s because we didn’t prepare properly or we didn’t fully know what we were doing. Then again, maybe it just wasn’t our day. But if Jesus’ point in telling this parable is that God expects us to do our best with what God has given us, than the amount (monetary or otherwise) we are able to produce with it should be a concern secondary to the fact that we gave it our best shot. If our actions, and more importantly, our hearts, show that we truly recognize and are thankful for our God given gifts, then we won’t hesitate to go out and boldly use them for God’s glory and the ultimate benefit of God’s kingdom here on earth.
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WORSHIP FOR KIDS: NOVEMBER 16, 2014 by Carolyn C. BrownFrom a Child's Point of View
All of today's texts deal with serving God.
Old Testament: Judges 4:1-7. This is the only story from Judges included in the Revised Common Lectionary. When only verses 1-7 are read, we learn simply that Deborah spoke for God to call the people to battle against King Jabin, who had oppressed them. Given both these facts, the text is worth expanding.
If you read through verse 16, the point is the point of all Judge stories: When the people sinned, God disciplined them by letting them be conquered. When they were ready to repent, God gave them another chance under a strong God-loving leader.
If you continue through verse 22, the focus is on heroism. War was supposed to be the business of men. But it was a woman (Deborah) who delivered God's call to battle. And it was a wife left behind in her tent (Jael) who won the day. Barak, whom one would have expected to be the hero, on the other hand, hesitated. Heroes and heroines are therefore ordinary people who do what needs to be done where they are.
Some (mainly adults) are offended by the violence of Jael's action. (Strangely, many of those folks find the wholesale slaughter of an army less of a problem than the capture and murder of one general by a woman, who used the only weapon at hand.) Children, especially when hearing the story shortly after Halloween, tend to admire Jael's willingness to do something as gory as pounding a tent peg into an enemy's head. Her name, Jael, wich means "Yahweh (or Ya/Ja) is Lord (Elohim or El)" indicates that she killed the general because she felt it was what God wanted.
Psalm: 123. Older children who understand the relationship of slaves and masters can hear this as a prayer the Israelites might have prayed under the cruel rule of King Jabin. It is, however, too removed from today's realities to be of much significance for them.
Epistle: 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11. This text continues last Sunday's emphasis on preparedness. But last Sunday's parable of the bridesmaids addresses the issue in terms that make more sense to children than does this apocalyptic warning. Images of dark and light, women in labor, armor, and drunkenness lead children to think concretely about those things, rather than move through them to Paul's point.
Gospel: Matthew 25:14-30. Many church children are familiar with this parable. Once they know what a talent is, they easily follow the story and grasp Jesus' point that we are to make good use of the resources entrusted to us. Because they are constantly comparing themselves to others and being compared to others, children appreciate the fact that the first and second servants, though they were working with different amounts, received the same reward for their work. The point for both the five-talent and the two-talent children is that God appreciates those who try.
The third servant's harsh comments about the master, and the master's apparent agreement with that assessment, confuse children who do not yet have the mental facility to interpret allegory. They need to be told simply that the master in the story is not like God. The master may have been interested only in the servant's profit, but God is more interested in the servants. If the first two servants of a harsh master were willing to risk losing their master's money by investing it, we, who are servants of a loving God, can surely take risks to invest the resources God has entrusted to us.
Watch Words
Judges in Bible times sometimes settled arguments between people, as judges do in courts today. But most of the time, they acted more like military or government leaders.
Talent is an Aramaic word for an amount of money that was equal to about three years' wages. Older children can understand and enjoy the "confusion" that resulted when translators had to leave this old world untranslated in English Bibles. Knowing that a talent is money enables children to understand Jesus' financial story and make connections to our use of our other resources, including our abilities (our talents).
If the parable of the talents leads you to talk about being stewards, describe the function of a steward. The only steward many children have met is a man who serves drinks on an airplane. Young children who know a person named Stewart are equally baffled.
The word resources is not in any of today's texts, but it is worth introducing as a word that stands for all our God-given abilities, money, and advantages (like a good education to prepare one to serve God as a doctor or plumber). After listing such resources, speak of using our resources and being resourceful servant.
Let the Children Sing
"I Sing a Song of the Saints of God" is first choice for singing about heroic living. Though the language of "For All the Saints" makes it difficult for children, the stirring music and repeated Alleluias make it an acceptable second choice.
Stewardship hymns children understand are hard to find. "Take My Life and Let It Be Consecrated," in which we dedicate the resources of our bodies, is one of the best.
The Liturgical Child
1. Invite the children to sit with you at the front. Explain that today's Old Testament lesson is a story about heroes who were like Davey Crockett and Paul Bunyan. Then tell selected parts of the story in your own words, using your best storyteller style.
2. The parable of the talents can be pantomimed easily by four young children as it is read. The talents can be represented by grocery bags, stuffed with newspaper to look like big money bags. The Ten-talent servant may need a wheel-barrow, and the four-talent servant a big bucket, for their appearances before the master. Simple costumes help.
3. Invite worshipers of all ages to draw or write lists of their resources, including their talents, money, strengths, and so on. Adults (and children) can write in the space provided for that purpose in the bulletins. Younger children can work on their Worship Worksheets. Near the end of the service, pray about these lists. Offer such prayers as:
Creator God, thank you. We thank you for all the abilities and talents you have created in each of us. We thank you for families, and schools, and money to use. Hear all our prayers of thanks. (PAUSE)
Lord of the Universe, it is easy to be selfish with everything you have left in our care. . . .
Sermon Resources
1. Recall some of the costumes the children wore for Halloween. Compare the heroism of Deborah, Jael, and current costume heroes (Ninja Turtles, nurses, etc.) with the timidity of Barak, to explore what makes a person heroic.
2. Tell of the heroism of some children who defended ten Jewish children hidden in their French school during the Nazi occupation. Claire H. Bishop, in Twenty and Ten (Penguin, 1978), tells of their brave response to soldiers who came while their teacher was gone.
3. The Balancing Girl, by Berniece Rabe (Dutton, 1981) describes how Martha, who happens to be in a wheelchair, makes $101.30 for the school carnival, doing what she can. What she does is set up an enormous maze of domino trails and sell chances. The winner gets to push over the domino that will set off the chain reaction.
Adapted from Forbid Them Not: Involving Children in Sunday Worship © Abingdon Press
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