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by Dave Barnhart
“Women shouldn’t be in authority over men,” his female coworker said. “The Bible is clear about that. They should only teach other women and children.” Since he was a member of my church (Saint Junia, named after a female apostle), he took exception to what she said. His coworkers weren’t talking about abstract issues; they were talking about another female coworker who had just graduated from seminary. The abstract had become personal. He emailed me to ask how he should reply.
Since I’m a theological minority in fundamentalist territory, I’m pretty used to getting into biblical dust-ups over everything from gay marriage to infant baptism. In all of these cases, I’ve found that one of the best witnesses is to simply say, “I disagree.”
I told my friend that he could mention Deborah, one of the earliest judges of Israel, who was clearly a leader of men as well as women (Judges 4:4-5:31). He could talk about Paul’s friend Chloe, who sent “her people” to him to let him know his pastoral guidance was required in Corinth (1 Corinthians 1:11). He could mention Junia (Romans 16:7), who Paul said was “first among the apostles,” or any number of other early church leaders. These are all examples of women leading churches and nations.
He could also go the hermeneutics route: He could point out that when Paul (if it really was Paul) was talking about women, it was for a particular context in a particular time. He could point out that Paul also made arguments (pretty lousy ones, actually) about women having long hair, or wearing hats when they pray, because short hair is “natural” for a man (1 Corinthians 11:14-15). All those portraits of long-haired Jesus should be replaced with buzz-cut Jesus!
I told my friend he and his coworker actually disagree about at least three things. The first is how to read and interpret the Bible. They could spend a long time just talking about how to interpret various scriptures, or “what the Bible says.” The second disagreement is over the theological principles she derives from her interpretation: that God ordains certain gender roles in ministry, and disapproves when we bend or break those roles. The third disagreement is over ethics and polity. What is the just or unjust response if a woman experiences a call to ministry for the whole church, not just to be a teacher of women and children? How should the church respond? How should her would-be followers behave?
This three-part movement, from hermeneutics (interpretation) to theology (how we talk about God) to ethics and polity (how we implement our notions of good and bad, right and wrong) is one that we live out daily in our Christian lives. We are often sloppy about how we talk about these processes, slipping from one to the other without transition or explicitly identifying our angle. And truly, the fact that I name them as distinct logical steps would put me at odds with people who claim to do exactly “what the Bible says.”
But I also told him that he could be the best biblical scholar, theologian, and ethicist in the world, as well as an eloquent debater, and it would make very little difference in his disagreement with his coworker. It wouldn’t make a difference because there is still a fourth movement, an unstated set of values about “What is at stake” that affects all of our arguments which we bring with us into the study of Scripture, or any argument.
These values are based on tribal loyalties and social identity. His coworker belongs to a church that doesn’t allow female preachers. If she were to concede that her opinion was wrong, it would create cognitive dissonance in the way she thinks of all her social relationships in her church. As one of my friends says, “The whole Jenga tower would come toppling down.” The same is true for him. What is at stake for him is how he conceives of his relationships with women in his life, his sense of meaning and purpose he gets from his church, and his ongoing experience of God’s revelation to him in the gospel of an inclusive Christ.
Sometimes the most gracious answer is simply “I disagree.” We let the other person know that what’s at stake for us prevents us from following their direction in reading, interpreting, theologizing and applying.
But saying “I disagree” is not an end; it is a beginning. If your dialogue partner is open to it, they will ask why, and open-ended questions are a way to witness to our faith, because we become dialogue partners. We can move through successive levels of meaning: through Scripture, through hermeneutics, through ethics and finally to personal stakes. For me, uncovering those hidden stakes is almost always a lesson in empathy and love. When we have these opportunities, it’s sad to miss the blessing in disagreement because we either a) dismiss all conflict as negative or b) resort to polemic and spiritual bullying.
This is an idealist attitude, of course, and one I’m not always able to maintain. Some people are only interested in trolling and bullying, in aggrandizing their own sense of self and sense of power. It takes wisdom and discernment to figure out if we’re “throwing our pearls before swine,” as Jesus said, or engaging an open-minded dialogue partner. But a true friend with whom we can disagree is a gift, an invitation to learn more about each other and ourselves.
Dave Barnhart is the pastor of Saint Junia UMC in Birmingham, Ala. He blogs at DaveBarnhart.net.
by Christy Thomas
Rich man, poor man, beggar man, thief; Pastor, priest, newsman, chief … all have this in common: Each has the capacity to betray trust in profoundly public and private self-destructive ways.
This brouhaha over Brian Williams and his fall from grace (this link will take you to Jon Stewart’s funny — and a tiny bit off-color — take on the situation) has become the current example of public betrayal. Yet, Williams has only followed the pattern set from the earliest time to embellish the truth in order to make ourselves look better.
Come with me briefly into the story of the first man and the first woman, placed in a garden where they have total intimacy with each other (naked and not ashamed), deep intimacy with God, and the soul-satisfying work of tending the garden. Into this place of vulnerable and joyful relationship sneaks the edges of doubt with the question, “Did God say, ‘You shall not eat from any tree in the garden?'”
The immediate response was a classic Brian Williams embellishment: “But God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, nor shall you touch it, or you shall die.'” There is nothing about “not touching” the tree recorded. In fact, in order to tend the garden, that particular tree would have to be touched. But the woman does a simple embellishment (and the man standing with her does nothing to correct the misinformation, making him equally complicit), and thus the pattern enters: All of us stretch the truth in order to make ourselves look better.
The more public our presence, the more likely those embellishments will eventually come to light. In today’s media world, these betrayals of truth are then flashed from device to device until shame takes over. But even in private, these betrayals gnaw at us, quietly, subversively, destroying what we most value.
So now what? Again, keep in mind that Brian Williams first betrayed himself by choosing fame over truth. Where have you and I betrayed ourselves and others by choosing something over truth? Safety? Comfort? Finances? Relationship? Employment advances? Romance? Position? Reputation? Public acclaim? C’mon. We all do it.
And we all have to work through questions of forgiveness — both public and private.
An outstanding editorial by David Brooks in The New York Times pulls deeply from Scripture as he offers these four steps to regaining trust. I’ve quoted snippets of his explanations below but encourage you to read the full article to get the weight of this list.
Preemptive mercy: “We are all sinners. We expect sin, empathize with sin and are slow to think ourselves superior.”
Judgment: “A wrong is an occasion to re-evaluate. What is the character of the person in question? Should a period of stupidity eclipse a record of decency?”
Confession and penitence: “At some point the offender has to get out in front of the process, being more self-critical than anyone else around him. He has to probe down to the root of his error, offer a confession more complete than expected.”
Reconciliation and re-trust: “Trust doesn’t have to be immediate, but the wrong act is no longer a barrier to a relationship. The offender endures his season of shame and is better for it. The offended are free from mean emotions like vengeance and are uplifted when they offer kindness. The social fabric is repaired.”
Brooks has said nothing new, but perhaps he has stated the process in terms that many can understand. What I want to emphasize here, however, is the necessity of each of us practicing those four steps for ourselves.
I have seen too many people beat themselves up for their own acts of private and public stupidity. Personally, I suspect much of our human angst, pervasive depressions and the sense of being stuck in repeated patterns that bring unhappiness and despair spring from our unwillingness to walk these steps of forgiveness toward ourselves.
Many have often wondered, “What is the unforgivable sin of which Jesus speaks?” I have decided it is the sin of being unwilling to forgive ourselves, for when we are unwilling to do so, we put to the lie any idea that God’s mercy is also available to us. In effect, our unwillingness to be self-forgiving, to reconcile and regain trust in ourselves as those created in the image of God actually names God as liar.
That’s pretty serious.
Right now, many are entering into a time of societal-sanctioned debauchery known as “Mardi Gras.” Unfortunately, it has lost much of its connection with the liturgical season of Lent, a time of fasting and self-examination before the celebration of Easter.
I suggest that any who are struggling with past guilt and shame consider working through these four steps during Lent, which begins February 18 with Ash Wednesday. While forgiveness of the betrayals of others frees us in many ways, until we can forgive our betrayals of ourselves, we stay in bondage.
We can be set free. But we won’t without a time of careful self-examination and intentional forgiveness. Let’s give it a try. The ideal time is now.
Christy blogs at ChristyThomas.com.
by Ron Edmondson
I recently was interviewed by someone who is considering church revitalization for his next ministry assignment. My answers are not formalized — it was a casual conversation — but I figured someone else might have the same questions.
There were 8 questions — I was sure there would be 7 — but 8 was the number. :)
1. What motivated you to move into revitalization vs. church planting?
It’s a calling. I wouldn’t attempt church planting or church revitalization — or any ministry for that matter — without a clear one. But the need is huge. We have more kingdom dollars invested in nonproductive, nongrowing churches than in church plants. Obviously we need lots of church plants, but we also need to revive some of the older churches.
2. What questions did you specifically ask your current church before taking the position?
Here’s the bottom line: There’s not a question that will answer everything you want to know. You’ll have to take a risk. Just like in church planting and you don’t know if anyone will show up. In church revitalization, you’re going to find things out when you get there.
You are dealing with a very complex structure. The older the church the more complex. The search committee can tell you lots of things — all that they believe to be true — and still some of it won’t be true. It won’t be that they misled you, but that the culture hadn’t been fully tested until you arrived and tried to change some things that haven’t been tried previously. That’s part of the process.
But, a key I wanted to understand the best I could was my freedom to lead. Obviously, Jesus is the leader, but did they want to rely on my leadership as I yielded to God’s leadership? Was the church ready? Could I hire my staff — and release staff if needed? How are decisions made? I looked at the budget and bylaws and every policy I could find. (And, they found more after I arrived — but the policies you won’t know are the unwritten ones.)
3. If you could change anything about your transition into your current role as senior pastor of a historically established church what would it be and why?
I would have asked for some of the harder decisions to have already been done. Specifically dealing with structure and staffing.
4. How did you prepare your family for your role change?
It was just my wife and me. That’s a huge difference, but I read everything I could about the church. I asked lots of questions. I interviewed the staff. I asked for list of key leaders and interviewed them. Then I shared everything I was learning with my wife. We were very open and transparent throughout the process.
But it’s important to know that while my wife is faster to move by faith — she has the gift of faith — she’s slower to let her heart change. She can know it’s what we are supposed to do, but her heart stays longer where we once lived. She hangs on to the past harder than I do. Navigating through that and giving her time to acclimate was huge.
5. What are the biggest mistakes to avoid in your first year as the senior pastor in an existing church that needs the work of revitalization?
Moving too fast to change major things. Not bringing people along and establishing trust. Not celebrating the past. Standing still too long. (People need some quick wins.)
6. What leadership areas did you focus on first once you arrived in your new role?
Primarily staff structure, strategy verbiage, website, communication and vision-casting.
We also had seven key initiatives: Prayer, Stewardship, Intergenerational ministry, College, Discipleship, First Impressions and Missions.
7. What books or resources would you recommend for a senior pastor who is moving into the work of revitalizing a local church?
For my people who can’t assume the unmentioned, let me say the Bible. Of course. And, honestly, that’s huge. People want and need sound, clear biblical teachings. That will revive a church.
Here are a few books I found helpful. And, there are probably many others.
Switch – Chip and Dan Heath
Steering Through Chaos – Scott Wilson
Change Your Church for Good – Brad Powell
8. What one thing would you want to tell me about the work of revitalizing the local church that I have not already asked?
Be ready to embrace conflict, love people and love the vision of a healthy church. Each love will be tested.
What questions do you have? Any of these I should expand upon?
Ron Edmondson blogs at RonEdmondson.com.
David Carr died yesterday, collapsing suddenly in the newsroom at the New York Times office. We (all of us, readers, thinkers, those passionate about journalism, media, culture, and almost every aspect of human public life) lost a great voice when we lost David.
He was witty, thoughtful, sincere and unabashedly honest. You can read myriad obituaries today telling you all this by people who knew him personally, who knew his work inside and out, better than me (though I was and will remain a huge fan). Maybe the best thing about Mr. Carr was his complexity; he was just so human in the best and messiest way.
Sarah Pulliam Bailey pulled this messiness together in her Washington Post article today, chronicling Carr’s journey of faith and religious understanding across the years. Carr’s story is a remarkable one, one of darkness, struggle, redemption and beauty. A former drug and alcohol addict, Carr managed to raise two daughters while on welfare before eventually rising to be one of the New York Times’ most celebrated columnists.
Bailey notes that in his 2008 memoir, “The Night of the Gun,” Carr wrote of his addiction and recovery, saying, “It was hard to avoid a spiritual dimension in my own recovery … The unconditional love of the Church could possibly mean the difference between somebody living or dying.” Carr’s Christian upbringing informed his movement through life, giving a deeply religious flavor to his questioning and searching.
Carr struggled with the role of religion in his life, but he was assured of the Church’s possibility for all, the potential of faith communities to heal and help those in need, those desperate to recover. In a 2011 interview with Terry Gross, host of NPR’s “Fresh Air,” Carr said the following about his understanding of communities of faith:
“It's a wonderful group of people that I go to church with, and it's community. It's not really where I find God. And sort of what the accommodation I've reached is a very jerry-rigged one, which is: All along the way, in recovery, I've been helped — without getting into the names of specific groups — by all of these strangers, you know, who get in a room and do a form of group-talk therapy and live by certain rules in their life. And one of the rules is that you help everyone who needs help.”
That idea of church as a community tailored for helping those in need is crucial to Carr’s identity as an addict in communal recovery. He wrote about that idea two years earlier in “The Night of the Gun” when he called on the Church to have a “willingness to minister” to those dealing with addiction. In that willingness, he said, “the Church becomes better.”
If you want to talk about stark Christian truth, there it is. Carr was right in his assertion that the Church can and must be the avenue of grace for people. By our action, by being the channel through which God’s presence flows, we can address all kinds of brokenness, addiction being just one form. When Christianity comes to truly represent that desire to address all brokenness, we do become better as one body. The Church flourishes as the broken flourish.
David Carr spoke many truths. Those who embrace their faithful doubt, who never cease their examination of the mysteries of God often do. In that same interview with Gross, Carr described a prayer he kept in his pocket. He then said, “I don’t really know who I’m talking about when I say those words, but it sort of feels good when I do.” God often dwells with us in our questioning, and I get the sense that Carr knew that as well as anyone.
His life, his faith, his doubt and his belief that the Christian community at large has a life-saving role in mission to those suffering with addiction were all beautiful things, even when they were unpolished and rough. Maybe especially then. I’ll miss it all, David. May you rest now in wondrous mystery, wrapped in the grace and peace of God.
Sounds good, right? Well, if you like that idea, let’s try this. Instead of just you being better off, what if we put you in a place where everyone is happier, healthier and more likely to live a long, satisfying life? Actually, let’s get more specific than that. How would you like to live in a society in which:
• people are physically and emotionally more healthy, meaning lower rates of obesity, chronic disease, mental illness and drug addiction
• people live longer
• fewer infants die and more children thrive
• children do better in school and grow up to be lifelong learners who contribute to a smarter society
• women have greater rights, more equality
• social mobility increases and success is easier for everyone to achieve
• crime rates plummet (including violent crime) and fewer people are in prison
• people are friendlier and trust each other more
• overall rates and levels of anxiety and depression decrease dramatically
• poverty is all but eliminated
“Yes,” you say? You want that? You want to know how to get there? The answer, according to scientific research, is greater income equality. Nations structured to have greater income equality consistently rank higher in every category of health and well-being. The same is true for states within the U.S.; the more equal they are, the healthier.
Richard Wilkinson is a leading scholar of the effects inequality has on public health. In 2009, he and Kate Picket co-authored “The Spirit Level: Why Greater Equality Makes Societies Stronger.” The book is packed with scientifically-researched evidence on which they base their claims, but it’s also written well enough that reading it doesn’t put you to sleep.
(If you’re not sure you want to read the book, you can always watch Wilkinson’s TED Talk here, in which he summarizes his findings.)
As I read The Spirit Level, this line from its first chapter caught my attention:
Rather than blaming parents, religion, values, education or the penal system, we will show that the scale of inequality provides a powerful lever on the psychological wellbeing of all of us. (p.5)
This is sometimes the hard thing about scientific evidence. It often doesn’t confirm what we already believe. Take the issue of education, for example. While we frequently like to blame disengaged parents, incompetent teachers, or even a lack of school funding for our nation’s declining educational performance, the facts show a deeper cause. The truth is that countries who really succeed in educational performance are the ones who place great value on equality and structure their society and educational system to reflect that value.
Likewise, since biblical times, plenty of people — from prophets to pew-sitters — have repeatedly blamed society’s moral decline on a lack of religion. But the wide and comprehensive data set shared through books like The Spirit Level calls that theory into question. Instead, it says that the biggest factor influencing the moral stability of our society is income equality or the lack thereof.
But just because religious devotion may not be the key determinant of social health does not mean faith is absent from the equation. As Pope Francis has rightly demonstrated, our Christian faith has a lot to say about inequality. As he puts it, inequality is the root of all ills, and the unjust structures which create inequality are the most frequent topic of his sermons.
One hopes that the Pope’s leadership and recent scholarship by the likes of Wilkinson, et al, is having a positive effect on the national conversation here in the U.S. Perhaps it is. On the plus side, even Republicans are now speaking up about income equality, a topic they’ve avoided in the past.
The problem is most Republicans (and too many of their constituents; i.e., us) are still very much against policies that actually create more equality, things like: raising the minimum wage, increasing taxes on the wealthy, financial regulation and universal health care.
In the end, though, it’s up to us, the citizens. If we want better, happier, longer lives for both ourselves and our neighbors, we need to understand and talk about what will get us there: greater equality. And we need to follow that talk with action at the voting booth, supporting candidates who not only talk about equality but who actually have the will to enact policies that will take us there.
Our daughter's best friend at UNC-Chapel Hill was a very bright young Muslim woman named Uzma Panjwani. Liz, our daughter, went to Mount Tabor High School in Winston-Salem, Uzma to Parkland High School. They began taking Advanced Placement classes together in high school and were roommates in college. They were roommates again as they got started in their professional lives in Washington, D.C. Uzma spent a number of Christmas holidays with us, and Liz observed Ramadan with Uzma.
In the aftermath of the shooting deaths of three young Muslim students at UNC, I have thought about Uzma and our friendship with her family. Across our planet, I am praying that the best, and not the worst of our respective traditions will somehow bring us into relationships with each other. I have seen it happen. And so I have been praying for the community in that university, and for the Muslim families in the deaths of their children.
The deaths of the Muslim students came in close proximity to another event that captured the attention of the news media, the intention to have Muslim prayers from the tower of the Duke University Chapel. Since my young adult years I have been a participant in interfaith dialogue. I have crossed boundaries in Israel and Palestine, moderated dialogues between Muslims and Jews, led Holocaust services and preached in synagogues. As a pastor, district superintendent and bishop I have also been a participant in the consecration of space set apart for Christian worship. These are important activities, even essential. But they are different. I believe that Duke Chapel was constructed, consecrated and set apart for Christian worship. This is its purpose. I respect the sacred spaces of Jews and Muslims, and honor their own purposes. Jews and Muslims are right to retain the identity of their holy places, and they are not bigots if they choose not to allow other religious traditions to practice in them. Christians are also not bigots in viewing Duke Chapel as a place set apart for Christian worship.
Here I am coming from a very different place than Franklin Graham, who was often represented as the primary Christian perspective in the general media reporting of this event. I honor the goodness of many Muslims, and I acknowledge the failures of many Christians, myself included. I speak as an advocate for continued interfaith dialogue and for the integrity of consecrated places of worship. From my perspective, the reconsideration was a wise one.
The proximity of these two experiences in time and space has called me to a deeper self-examination of the relationship of rhetoric and relationships in a multireligious world. I am convinced that it is unhelpful to compare one tradition at its worst with another at its best. I yearn for a moderating reform of global Islam that speaks against ISIS and Boko Haram; at the same time, I acknowledge the complicity of my own Christian faith with human enslavement and oppression. And yet it is also true that each of our traditions has produced men and women who are devout, compassionate, generous and sacrificial. Dialogue in a multireligious world cannot proceed when any faith is treated in a stereotypical and superficial manner.
Interfaith dialogue is an essential practice in the present moment, for we live in a dangerous and divisive climate. And thus our rhetoric as Christians can certainly be more attuned to the voice of Jesus who gave the Beatitudes (Matthew 5). As his followers we are called to be peacemakers. One of the most formative books I have read in the last year is “The Anatomy of Peace” from the Arbinger Institute. The authors speak of "a heart at war, where we treat others as objects" and a "heart at peace, where we see others as people" (124). This way of seeing leads to "organizations filled with people whose energies are largely spent on sustaining conflict — what we call collusion — and who therefore are not fully focused on achieving the productive goals of the organization”(52).
It is clear to me that the seeds of hearts at war manifest themselves in overt and subtle acts of violence. This violence is in contrast to a perspective that I find increasingly compelling: a consistent ethic of life. Rooted in the Roman Catholic tradition, a consistent ethic of life envisions a seamless garment of practices that includes the protection of the unborn, care for God’s creation, objection to torture, resistance to cultural violence, refusal to use the Lord’s name in the justification of warfare and violence and opposition to the death penalty. The recent hashtag #BlackLivesMatter becomes #JewishLivesMatter and then #MuslimLivesMatter, and ultimately, #AllLivesMatter. But to affirm that all lives matter is often a posture that takes us beyond our comfortable political divisions. This is what appeals to me about a consistent ethic of life; it messes with our political dogmas!
“The Anatomy of Peace” is an extended parable about generational violence and retribution. It is relevant, as we bear witness to the trauma of recent deaths of Christians in the middle East, Jews in Paris and Muslims in the United States. How do we break the cycles of violence? I am convinced that we begin by cultivating relationships across racial, ethnic, religious and partisan political lines. We do so with a confidence that we stand in our own traditions — and thus we acknowledge our differences — while also seeking to honor what is good and sacred about the other. In this way, strangers become friends, and violence may be transformed into the peace that is God’s gift.
Followers of Jesus see his cross as the final and sufficient act of reconciliation in a world that always protests against such a scandal. I am not naive about human nature, cultural tribalism or political complexity. And yet I trust in the power and providence of God, who breaks down the dividing wall of hostility that is between us (Ephesians 2), and unites us as one humanity.
May the Word made Flesh (John 1), in whom all of the fullness of God was pleased to dwell (Colossians 1) be an example to us that relationship — and not rhetoric — is the way that leads to life.
Before becoming a pastor, I sold insurance and securities. In order to get my license I had to learn about compliance, which amounted to a whole lot of “don’t ever do this, this, that and certainly not this.” One of the thou shalt nots was insider trading. Insider trading is defined as the illegal buying or selling of securities on the basis of information that is unavailable to the public. Insider trading creates an unfair advantage for those who already know the complexities and nuances of the financial market when our primary duty as agents is to be a fiduciary — one who acts in good faith with regards to the interests of others. To put it one way, financial representatives such as myself were forbidden to engage in water-cooler-like business because our primary responsibility was to the public, who knew nothing of our water-cooler business.
You can imagine my great delight, then, when I entered into professional ministry and discovered there were no such restrictions placed on me! On the contrary, I quickly learned that insider trading was not only allowed among Christians, it was encouraged! It was practically a sport. It fast became my favorite hobby. For many years I was absorbed by the water-cooler talk among my fellow Christians and colleagues in ministry. With the age of the Internet it was extremely easy to carry out our insider trading enterprise, and, since it wasn’t illegal, we could publish it in the open for all the world to see.
Blogging was my favorite way of conducting insider trading. It gave me a platform where saved people could talk to other saved people about how other saved people were making life miserable for other saved people. The titles of my blogs were not meant to deter compliance officers but to ensure they clicked my post and, with any luck, either said Amen to it or hated it (but shared it anyway). Titles like “Why I’m no longer an evangelical Christian,” or “Why I’m no longer a progressive Christian,” or, “How to spot a fundamentalist,” or “Mark Driscoll is wrong/right/evil/angelic/pick-anything-cause-just-his-name-will-generate-blog-hits” and many other such articles which made for great water-cooler chit-chat.
Saved people telling other saved people how much better their version of being saved is better than the one they left. I confess I was an avid member of this insider trading scheme until it dawned on me that no one was getting saved because of it. No one was being introduced to the life-transforming, saving power of Jesus Christ because of a single thing I had done or written.
Sure, many felt either further justified in beliefs they already held or infuriated because they didn’t agree. But every one of them was already part of the club. They were already, at least by their own confession, saved.
I was not their pastor and therefore had little right to tell them how they should live out their walk (and even if I was, there are far better ways to do that than through a blog post, and with far more grace than I ever mustered as an insider trader). But no one was being saved.
The unsuspecting, unknowing, unsaved public, for which I have a responsibility as a Christian, cares nothing about Mark Driscoll or about why you left evangelicalism. They don’t care about my disillusionment with authority or established religion; they don’t care about what one group of saved people say to another group of saved people about sex and who should be having it with whom; they don’t care about the reasons why you still think Jesus is pretty cool despite all the ways the church has dragged his name through the mud.
The unsaved aren’t asking the questions our insider trading religion has become obsessed with answering … and answering … and answering. And sadly, we’ve spent so much time around the water cooler we don’t even know anymore how to talk to someone who doesn’t know Jesus and has never once set foot into a church (and has never read your blog or this one).
A few Sundays ago, a first time guest at my church hugged me and thanked me for “allowing her to come” and asked if it was OK for her to come again next week. This woman didn’t know much about the church but it seems she knew enough to know that a lot of insider trading goes on and wanted to know if she was welcome into the “club.” Such is the impression we have given to the unsaved — an ever-increasing population — in our communities.
I don’t want to be an insider trader anymore. I want to invest my time and energy into reaching out to the people who know nothing about Jesus or his church. I want to find ways to answer the questions like “Does God love me? Will you love me? Can Jesus forgive me? How can Jesus change my life? How can I get sober? How can I get free? Can Jesus heal my marriage? My relationships? Can Jesus take care of my fears, my guilt, my shame?”
I confess I was once an insider trader but with God’s help, I want to focus less on arguing with the already saved and more on winning the yet-to-be-saved. As a Christian, I have a fiduciary responsibility to the public around me who don't know Jesus and whose eternities could potentially be changed by my — and your — attention to their concerns and questions rather than our water-cooler discussions.
Chad Holtz blogs at UMC Holiness.
Since 1987, I have attempted to witness to the Gospel of Life within The United Methodist Church. Every January 22 (or a nearby date), I have gathered with my fellow members ofLifewatch (or Taskforce of United Methodists on Abortion and Sexuality) for a service of worship in the United Methodist Building on Capitol Hill before joining in the March for Life.
Early the next morning I found on the First Things website a story on Bill Mefford, the Director of Civil and Human Rights at The United Methodist Church’s General Board of Church and Society (GBCS), which is located in The United Methodist Building. He had created a sign — that read “I march for sandwiches” — and taken it to the streets, so some marchers for life could see it. Then he had tweeted a picture of the sign in his hands, with marchers in the background, and a caption which read, “I was inspired by the March for Life to march for what I believe in! #WhyWeMarch.” I was not terribly surprised by this incident, read for a few more minutes, and stumbled off to bed.
But the First Things article, propelled by social media, gathered over seventy thousand page views. A kind of tsunami of rejection of Mr. Mefford’s attempted joke had occurred. Late that morning I found a note awaiting me in my study. “Call Dr. Susan Henry-Crowe,” it said. Dr. Henry-Crowe, the new General Secretary of the General Board of Church and Society, had attended the first part of the Lifewatch service and the Communion portion of the service. Her work had prevented her from hearing the day’s thoughtful sermon.
Dr. Henry-Crowe graciously apologized for what Mr. Mefford had done. During her apology, she made clear that he was not acting as an officially designated representative of the General Board of Church and Society and that his actions conflicted with “the culture of respect” that she was trying to foster at GBCS. I accepted her apology, and suggested that, on the basis of Matthew 18:15-20, I needed to speak with Mr. Mefford to express disapproval and invite apology. She agreed.
Within minutes, I had reached him by telephone. After identifying myself as the Lifewatch president and editor, who had been in the United Methodist Building (where he works) to participate in the Lifewatch service and board meeting, I proposed to him that his sign, made public, involved conduct unbecoming a staffmember of the General Board of Church and Society. He agreed quickly and apologized without qualification. I accepted his apology and offered him a brief word of encouragement. Both Dr. Henry-Crowe and Mr. Mefford also wrote and posted apologies online.
What is to be learned from this incident?
First, if promoting good humor was the purpose of the sign, it was totally unnecessary. The March for Life is an abundantly joyful event full of good cheer. Many, if not most, of the marchers are young and brimming with energy. Their friendships are deep and their conversations are lively. The March for Life did not need this sign to humor any marchers. They were already in excellent humor, thank you very much.
Second, a Director of Civil and Human Rights should have known not to parallel or compare, in any way, sandwiches and unborn children. Indeed, a Director of Civil and Human Rights, based on the many “pro-life” sentiments of The Book of Discipline’s Paragraph 161J — expressed in phrases like “the sanctity of unborn human life” and “the unborn child” — would have many justifications for marching with the hundreds of thousands that day.
Third, the sign — while not sanctioned by the GBCS staff — reflects its limited moral vision. If most of the staff has the same theology, the same moral commitments, the same politics, there is no one to stand up to deliver a minority report on, say, the many pro-life claims and mandates of Paragraph 161J on Abortion in The Social Principles.
For nearly thirty years, I have worked to move the United Methodist Church’s teaching on life and abortion toward what the church through the ages has taught and practiced. During most of those years, Lifewatch has held its worship service and board meeting in The United Methodist Building in Washington, D.C. Most of the time, staff from the General Board of Church and Society have been cordial, and building staff have been most helpful. But not always. At times, GBCS staff have made clear to the little band of Lifewatch folks who was really in charge. This has been going on for decades.
Then, out of nowhere, a GBCS staffer marched with that handmade “I march for sandwiches” sign. Then he tweeted out a captioned picture of that sign. Then came a tsunami of rejection of that sign’s content. Then came the embarrassment at the General Board of Church and Society.
That sign was made. That sign was carried. That sign found its way into the social media. That sign created a massive blowback. Apologies from Dr. Susan Henry-Crowe and Mr. Bill Mefford — personal apologies by telephone, and formal apologies posted by both on websites — have been made. And apologies have been accepted. That is as it should be. That is good. That is Christian.
But the real, continuing problem is abortion — actually, over 1,200,000 abortions per year in the United States — and the silence of The United Methodist Church about abortion. That sign will soon be forgotten. Unfortunately, countless unborn children lost to abortion will continue to be forgotten. But now The United Methodist Church is given an opportunity to forget, and overcome, its silence on abortion. By that sign.
This article originally appeared at First Things and is republished with permission.
Paul T. Stallsworth is pastor of the Whiteville United Methodist Church in North Carolina and editor and president of Lifewatch.
January 22, 2015 had been a very good day for this pastor, because during the Lifewatch events Dr. Edgardo Colon-Emeric of Duke Divinity School had preached an excellent sermon, entitled “Life Is Luminous”; Rev. Paul Crikelair, of Stroudsburg, PA, had led a faithful Service of Holy Communion; and board members and friends had made many thoughtful comments during the annual meeting. Finally, after the long drive down Interstate 95 South, Marsha, my wife, and I were home.
But the First Things article, propelled by social media, gathered over seventy thousand page views. A kind of tsunami of rejection of Mr. Mefford’s attempted joke had occurred. Late that morning I found a note awaiting me in my study. “Call Dr. Susan Henry-Crowe,” it said. Dr. Henry-Crowe, the new General Secretary of the General Board of Church and Society, had attended the first part of the Lifewatch service and the Communion portion of the service. Her work had prevented her from hearing the day’s thoughtful sermon.
Dr. Henry-Crowe graciously apologized for what Mr. Mefford had done. During her apology, she made clear that he was not acting as an officially designated representative of the General Board of Church and Society and that his actions conflicted with “the culture of respect” that she was trying to foster at GBCS. I accepted her apology, and suggested that, on the basis of Matthew 18:15-20, I needed to speak with Mr. Mefford to express disapproval and invite apology. She agreed.
Within minutes, I had reached him by telephone. After identifying myself as the Lifewatch president and editor, who had been in the United Methodist Building (where he works) to participate in the Lifewatch service and board meeting, I proposed to him that his sign, made public, involved conduct unbecoming a staffmember of the General Board of Church and Society. He agreed quickly and apologized without qualification. I accepted his apology and offered him a brief word of encouragement. Both Dr. Henry-Crowe and Mr. Mefford also wrote and posted apologies online.
What is to be learned from this incident?
First, if promoting good humor was the purpose of the sign, it was totally unnecessary. The March for Life is an abundantly joyful event full of good cheer. Many, if not most, of the marchers are young and brimming with energy. Their friendships are deep and their conversations are lively. The March for Life did not need this sign to humor any marchers. They were already in excellent humor, thank you very much.
Second, a Director of Civil and Human Rights should have known not to parallel or compare, in any way, sandwiches and unborn children. Indeed, a Director of Civil and Human Rights, based on the many “pro-life” sentiments of The Book of Discipline’s Paragraph 161J — expressed in phrases like “the sanctity of unborn human life” and “the unborn child” — would have many justifications for marching with the hundreds of thousands that day.
Third, the sign — while not sanctioned by the GBCS staff — reflects its limited moral vision. If most of the staff has the same theology, the same moral commitments, the same politics, there is no one to stand up to deliver a minority report on, say, the many pro-life claims and mandates of Paragraph 161J on Abortion in The Social Principles.
For nearly thirty years, I have worked to move the United Methodist Church’s teaching on life and abortion toward what the church through the ages has taught and practiced. During most of those years, Lifewatch has held its worship service and board meeting in The United Methodist Building in Washington, D.C. Most of the time, staff from the General Board of Church and Society have been cordial, and building staff have been most helpful. But not always. At times, GBCS staff have made clear to the little band of Lifewatch folks who was really in charge. This has been going on for decades.
Then, out of nowhere, a GBCS staffer marched with that handmade “I march for sandwiches” sign. Then he tweeted out a captioned picture of that sign. Then came a tsunami of rejection of that sign’s content. Then came the embarrassment at the General Board of Church and Society.
That sign was made. That sign was carried. That sign found its way into the social media. That sign created a massive blowback. Apologies from Dr. Susan Henry-Crowe and Mr. Bill Mefford — personal apologies by telephone, and formal apologies posted by both on websites — have been made. And apologies have been accepted. That is as it should be. That is good. That is Christian.
But the real, continuing problem is abortion — actually, over 1,200,000 abortions per year in the United States — and the silence of The United Methodist Church about abortion. That sign will soon be forgotten. Unfortunately, countless unborn children lost to abortion will continue to be forgotten. But now The United Methodist Church is given an opportunity to forget, and overcome, its silence on abortion. By that sign.
This article originally appeared at First Things and is republished with permission.
Paul T. Stallsworth is pastor of the Whiteville United Methodist Church in North Carolina and editor and president of Lifewatch.
(RNS) This year’s college freshmen are less concerned with their religious identity and more concerned about their future job prospects.
Or at least that’s according to an annual survey, The American Freshman, released recently by the Cooperative Institutional Research Program of the Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA. The survey included responses from more than 153,000 college freshmen at 227 schools nationwide.
The survey suggested that college freshmen are increasingly distancing themselves from religion. Nearly 28 percent of those surveyed did not identify with a religion, a number that has increased by 12 percent since 1971.
Ajay Nair, Emory University’s dean of campus life, says this number suggests that students are participating in religious life in other ways.
“Religion has become increasingly politicized in recent years and, as a result, I think students may be reluctant to identify with religious institutions,” says Nair. “But it doesn’t mean they aren’t spiritual and I think institutions like Emory do a great job of helping the spirituality of our students flourish.”
Alana Redden, a freshman at Emory, experienced this firsthand. Growing up in Vermont with a mother who converted to Judaism and a father who converted to Buddhism, Redden did not fully explore her religious interests before arriving at Emory.
“I’ve always identified with Buddhism and its approach to the world, but — besides my dad — I didn’t have a Buddhist community to plug into at home,” says Redden. “So I have plugged into the Buddhist community here at Emory which has been really interesting.”
Redden says she plans to continue that journey while in Tibet for a semester-long exchange program.
While Redden is already planning her time abroad, many students are looking even farther into the future. The CIRP survey also revealed that more than 43 percent of first-year students plan to pursue a master’s degree. In 1974, just 28 percent of students expressed similar aspirations.
Redden attributes the appeal of a graduate degree to the increasingly competitive job market.
“There’s an increasing emphasis on education as the years go on,” Redden said. “Undergrads are realizing that the job markets are really competitive and to be able to get the job that they’re looking for a lot of careers require Master’s degrees.”
WASHINGTON (RNS) After taking heat from the religious right for saying Christians and Muslims have all committed horrors in God’s name, President Obama is now angering the religious left with an upcoming White House conference on combating ”violent extremism” that seems to focus only on Muslims.
The back-to-back controversies raise the question: Can Obama — or any president — walk the tightrope of religious rhetoric in today’s political crosswinds?
No, say experts who keep a close eye on presidential God talk. It’s a perilous walk, taken without a safety net as news and social media voices wait to savage him in a nanosecond.
Obama’s remarks at the National Prayer Breakfast triggered fury when Obama mentioned the Crusades, the Inquisition and Jim Crow segregation laws as examples of Christian violence in God’s name.
“This is not unique to one group or one religion,” Obama said. “There is a tendency in us, a sinful tendency that can pervert and distort our faith.”
Todd Starnes at Fox News asked viewers: “Did you ever imagine the day would come when an American president would twist and distort and insult those who follow Christ?” And pundit Michelle Malkin tweeted: “ISIS chops off heads, incinerates hostages, kills gays, enslaves girls. Obama: Blame the Crusades.”
Suddenly, Wednesday’s (Feb. 18) upcoming White House Summit on Countering Violent Extremism came into sharper focus.
The White House announced the summit in January as an event made “more imperative in light of recent tragic attacks in Ottawa, Sydney and Paris.“ The topics will be efforts to prevent recruitment and radicalization of potential killers. But all the examples were community programs aimed at Muslims.
That doesn’t fly with the Interfaith Alliance, which has sent an open letter to Obama, signed by leaders of 18 religious and civil rights groups. It said the conference should not single out any specific faith when it condemns extremist violence.
“Here in this country, Muslims are far more likely to be victims of the actions of extremists than they are to be the perpetrators,” Rabbi Jack Moline, executive director of the Interfaith Alliance, said Friday (Feb. 13).
In a time of hypersensitivity on all sides, Moline said the White House attempted “to satisfy both sides of a silly rhetorical debate” but chose language that, “unfortunately, was more encouraging to the antagonists toward Islam than the people who practice it.”
Still, Moline does not find Obama any more or less graceless with God talk than presidents before him. Someone wielding religion as a rhetorical weapon has pilloried every president, from Thomas Jefferson to Abraham Lincoln to Obama.
“I don’t think people’s reactions are different than they used to be. They just have a new vehicle for expressing it,” said Moline. “You can sit down behind your laptop and spew all you want.”
There really is no way any president can get religious rhetoric right, said Martin Marty, one of the nation’s leading religion historians.
Presidents have three roles they could take — “none of them constitutional,” said Marty. He listed the roles as a priest over the rites and rituals of the nation; a prophet calling Americans to virtuous account; or a pastor-in-chief comforting them in moments of tragedy.
Rare is the president who could safely and consistently navigate any one path, and “Obama has none of those choices in this era of polarization,” said Marty, professor emeritus at the University of Chicago. “He doesn’t stand a chance.”
Even Lincoln, who spoke in a prophetic but religiously generic voice, was pounced upon by both abolitionists and slavery proponents for calling America God’s “almost chosen people.”
Every president has taken blows from the media of his time, said David Domke, communication professor at the University of Washington in Seattle and author of studies on religious speech in American politics.
What’s different today, Domke said, is the speed of the Internet and social media, and the velocity of the anger from evangelicals who feel their cultural clout is slipping “so they are fighting harder.”
Add to this that there actually are “some very dangerous people in the world who claim to be Islamic.” To ignore that is to ignore global reality, he said.
There’s one other inescapable obstacle for Obama, Domke said. The president is a Christian but a stubbornly significant number of Americans still think he is a Muslim.
A 2012 survey by the Public Religion Research Institute found 16 percent of voters — including 24 percent of white evangelical voters and 25 percent of Republican voters, labeled him as a Muslim.
“If he criticizes Christians, he’s seen as a closet Muslim. If he criticizes Islam, he’s accused of trying to hide that he’s Muslim,” said Domke.
Still, despite the crosswinds, Obama steps out on the God talk tightrope. Domke said Obama is pushing harder now than in the first six years of his presidency to create a “religious and racially pluralistic America.”
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VATICAN CITY (RNS) Pope Francis on Monday (Feb. 16) denounced the brutal slayings of 21 Coptic Christians in Libya by militants linked to the Islamic State, saying “they were assassinated just for being Christian.”
“The blood of our Christian brothers is a witness that cries out,” Francis said in off-the-cuff remarks during an audience with an ecumenical delegation from the Church of Scotland.
The pope, switching to his native Spanish, noted that those killed only said “Jesus help me.”
“Be they Catholic, Orthodox, Copts, Lutherans, it doesn’t matter: They’re Christian! The blood is the same: It is the blood which confesses Christ,” Francis said. He said their deaths bore witness to “an ecumenism of blood” that should unite Christians, a phrase he has used repeatedly as the Islamic State continues its bloody march.
The Islamic State militants released a video late Sunday (Feb. 15) purporting to show the mass beheading of the Christian hostages, who had been held for several weeks.
In the video, one of the militants points northward toward Italy, some 500 miles across the Mediterranean Sea, and says, “We will conquer Rome, by Allah’s permission.”
Nerves were already on edge in Europe following the terrorist attacks by Islamic extremists in Paris last months and over the weekend in Copenhagen.
But Vatican officials have downplayed any immediate danger and say that Vatican and Italian security forces are monitoring the situation.
WASHINGTON (RNS) For the Obama administration and the Bush administration before it, drone strikes kill terrorists before terrorists can kill innocents, and the strikes keep American soldiers out of harm’s way.
But for a group of faith leaders, drones are a crude tool of death that make killing as easy as shooting a video game villain, and they put innocents in harm’s way.
These religious critics — 150 ministers, priests, imams, rabbis and other faith leaders who gathered at the Interfaith Conference on Drone Warfare at Princeton Theological Seminary in late January — have spent the weeks since drafting a statement that calls on the U.S. to halt targeted lethal drone strikes.
“There are enough problems with the current drone policy and the use of drones that we need a break,” said the Rev. Richard Killmer, director of the conference. “Drones have become a weapon of first resort and not last resort. It has made it a lot easier to go to war.”
The statement also raises the group’s concern that most drone attacks target individuals who are Muslims. As the U.S. seeks to quell Islamist extremism in the Middle East, attendees argued, drones undermine the effort by inciting hatred toward the U.S., often viewed as a deadly presence in the skies over Muslim lands.
“It creates more radicalization and anti-Americanism,” said Sarah Sayeed, a conference attendee and director of community partnerships at the Interfaith Center of New York. “Killing leads to more killing.”
In addition to a halt on drone strikes, the statement calls for:
• Disclosing the details of past strikes: who was hit, why, the criteria for choosing targets.
• Repealing the federal law that has provided the legal justification for the drone program.
• Pushing the Obama administration to press for a global ban on drone strikes.
Many of the same interfaith leaders who signed on to the drone statement gained attention in 2006 when they convened at Princeton to launch a campaign against American use of torture against suspected terrorists. Killmer is the former director of the National Religious Campaign Against Torture.
Benjamin H. Friedman, a research fellow in defense and homeland security studies at the libertarian Cato Institute in Washington, D.C., spoke at the Princeton conference — which he called “not my normal crowd.”
While he disagrees with the call for a total ban on targeted drone strikes, he sympathizes with many of the conference group’s concerns. The U.S. is using drone strikes too frequently in too many countries, with all the ill effects the interfaith leaders point out, Friedman said.
“If I had my druthers, the president would have to get Congress’ permission for drone strikes against particular countries or groups,” Friedman said. “The way we go to war is too casual.”
Psalm 25:1-10
1 Peter 3:18-22
Mark 1:9-15
Scripture Texts: Genesis 9:(v) 8 God spoke to Noach and his sons with him; he said, 9 “As for me — I am herewith establishing my covenant with you, with your descendants after you, 10 and with every living creature that is with you — the birds, the livestock and every wild animal with you, all going out of the ark, every animal on earth. 11 I will establish my covenant with you that never again will all living beings be destroyed by the waters of a flood, and there will never again be a flood to destroy the earth.” 12 God added, “Here is the sign of the covenant I am making between myself and you and every living creature with you, for all generations to come: 13 I am putting my rainbow in the cloud — it will be there as a sign of the covenant between myself and the earth. 14 Whenever I bring clouds over the earth, and the rainbow is seen in the cloud; 15 I will remember my covenant which is between myself and you and every living creature of any kind; and the water will never again become a flood to destroy all living beings. 16 The rainbow will be in the cloud; so that when I look at it, I will remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of any kind on the earth.”
17 God said to Noach, “This is the sign of the covenant which I have established between myself and every living creature on the earth.”
Psalm 25:(0) By David:
(1) I lift my inner being to you, Adonai;
2 I trust you, my God.
Don’t let me be disgraced,
don’t let my enemies gloat over me.
3 No one waiting for you will be disgraced;
disgrace awaits those who break faith for no reason.
4 Make me know your ways, Adonai,
teach me your paths.
5 Guide me in your truth, and teach me;
for you are the God who saves me,
my hope is in you all day long.
6 Remember your compassion and grace, Adonai;
for these are ages old.
7 Don’t remember my youthful sins or transgressions;
but remember me according to your grace
for the sake of your goodness, Adonai.
8 Adonai is good, and he is fair;
this is why he teaches sinners the way [to live],
9 leads the humble to do what is right
and teaches the humble [to live] his way.
10 All Adonai’s paths are grace and truth
to those who keep his covenant and instructions.
1 Peter 3:18 For the Messiah himself died for sins, once and for all, a righteous person on behalf of unrighteous people, so that he might bring you to God. He was put to death in the flesh but brought to life by the Spirit; 19 and in this form he went and made a proclamation to the imprisoned spirits, 20 to those who were disobedient long ago, in the days of Noach, when God waited patiently during the building of the ark, in which a few people — to be specific, eight — were delivered by means of water. 21 This also prefigures what delivers us now, the water of immersion, which is not the removal of dirt from the body, but one’s pledge to keep a good conscience toward God, through the resurrection of Yeshua the Messiah. 22 He has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God,[a] with angels, authorities and powers subject to him.[Footnotes:
1 Peter 3:22 Psalm 110:1]
Mark 1:9 Shortly thereafter, Yeshua came from Natzeret in the Galil and was immersed in the Yarden by Yochanan. 10 Immediately upon coming up out of the water, he saw heaven torn open and the Spirit descending upon him like a dove; 11 then a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, whom I love; I am well pleased with you.”
12 Immediately the Spirit drove him out into the wilderness, 13 and he was in the wilderness forty days being tempted by the Adversary. He was with the wild animals, and the angels took care of him.
14 After Yochanan had been arrested, Yeshua came into the Galil proclaiming the Good News from God:
15 “The time has come,
God’s Kingdom is near!
Turn to God from your sins
and believe the Good News!”
John Wesley's Notes-Commentary for Genesis 9:8-17
Verse 9
[9] And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you;
We have here the general establishment of God's covenant with this new world, and the extent of that covenant.
Verse 11
[11] And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth.
There shall not any more be a flood — God had drowned the world once, and still it is as provoking as ever; yet he will never drown it any more, for he deals not with us according to our sins. This promise of God keeps the sea and clouds in their decreed place, and sets them gates and bars, Hitherto they shall come, Job 38:10,11. If the sea should flow but for a few days, as it doth twice every day for a few hours, what desolations would it make? So would the clouds, if such showers as we have sometimes seen, were continued long. But God by flowing seas, and sweeping rains, shews what he could do in wrath; and yet by preserving the earth from being deluged between both, shews what he can do in mercy, and will do in truth.
Verse 13
[13] I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth.
I set my bow in the clouds — The rainbow, 'tis likely was seen in the clouds before, but was never a seal of the covenant 'till now. Now, concerning this seal of the covenant, observe, (1.) This seal is affixed with repeated assurances of the truth of that promise, which it was designed to be the ratification of; I do set my bow in the cloud, Genesis 9:13. It shall be seen in the cloud, Genesis 9:14. and it shall be a token of the covenant, Genesis 9:12,13. And I will remember my covenant, that the waters shall no more become a flood, Genesis 9:15. Nay, as if the eternal Mind needed a memorandum, I will look upon it that I may remember the everlasting covenant, Genesis 9:16. (2.) The rainbow appears when the clouds are most disposed to wet; when we have most reason to fear the rain prevailing, God shews this seal of the promise that it shall not prevail. (3.) The rainbow appears when one part of the sky is clear, which imitates mercy remembered in the midst of wrath, and the clouds are hemmed as it were with the rainbow, that it may not overspread the heavens, for the bow is coloured rain, or the edges of a cloud gilded. As God looks upon the bow that he may remember the covenant, so should we, that we also may be ever mindful of the covenant with faith and thankfulness.
Psalm 25:1-10
Verse 2
[2] O my God, I trust in thee: let me not be ashamed, let not mine enemies triumph over me.
Ashamed — Disappointed of my hope.
Verse 3
[3] Yea, let none that wait on thee be ashamed: let them be ashamed which transgress without cause.
Cause — Without any provocation of mine.
Verse 4
[4] Shew me thy ways, O LORD; teach me thy paths.
Teach — Teach me my duty, and cause me to keep close to it, notwithstanding all temptations.
Verse 8
[8] Good and upright is the LORD: therefore will he teach sinners in the way.
Upright — Holy and true, in all his declarations and offers of mercy to sinners.
Therefore — He will not be wanting to such poor sinners as I am, but will guide them into the way of life and peace.
Verse 9
[9] The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way.
The meek — Such as meekly submit themselves to God, and are desirous to be directed and governed by him.
Judgment — In the paths of judgment, in the right way.
Verse 10
[10] All the paths of the LORD are mercy and truth unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies.
Paths — All the dealings of God with them, yea even those that are afflictive, are done in kindness and faithfulness to them.
1 Peter 3:18-22
Verse 18
[18] For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:
For — This is undoubtedly best, whereby we are most conformed to Christ. Now Christ suffered once - To suffer no more.
For sins — Not his own, but ours.
The just for the unjust — The word signifies, not only them who have wronged their neighbours, but those who have transgressed any of the commands of God; as the preceding word, just, denotes a person who has fulfilled, not barely social duties, but all kind of righteousness.
That he might bring us to God — Now to his gracious favour, hereafter to his blissful presence, by the same steps of suffering and of glory.
Being put to death in the flesh — As man.
But raised to life by the Spirit — Both by his own divine power, and by the power of the Holy Ghost.
Verse 19
[19] By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;
By which Spirit he preached - Through the ministry of Noah.
To the spirits in prison — The unholy men before the flood, who were then reserved by the justice of God, as in a prison, till he executed the sentence upon them all; and are now also reserved to the judgment of the great day.
Verse 20
[20] Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.
When the longsuffering of God waited — For an hundred and twenty years; all the time the ark was preparing: during which Noah warned them all to flee from the wrath to come.
Verse 21
[21] The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:
The antitype whereof — The thing typified by the ark, even baptism, now saveth us - That is, through the water of baptism we are saved from the sin which overwhelms the world as a flood: not, indeed, the bare outward sign, but the inward grace; a divine consciousness that both our persons and our actions are accepted through him who died and rose again for us.
Verse 22
[22] Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him.
Angels and authorities and powers — That is, all orders both of angels and men.
Mark 1:9-15
Verse 9
[9] And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan.
Matthew 3:13; Luke 3:21.
Verse 12
[12] And immediately the Spirit driveth him into the wilderness.
And immediately the Spirit thrusteth him out into the wilderness — So in all the children of God, extraordinary manifestations of his favour are wont to be followed by extraordinary temptations. Matthew 4:1; Luke 4:1.
Verse 13
[13] And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him.
And he was there forty days, tempted by Satan — Invisibly. After this followed the temptation by him in a visible shape, related by St. Matthew.
And he was with the wild beasts — Though they had no power to hurt him. St. Mark not only gives us a compendium of St. Matthew's Gospel, but likewise several valuable particulars, which the other evangelists have omitted.
Verse 14
[14] Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,
Matthew 4:12.
Verse 15
[15] And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.
The time is fulfilled — The time of my kingdom, foretold by Daniel, expected by you, is fully come.
Sermon Story "God's Covenant" by Gary Lee Parker for Sunday, 22 February 2015 with Scripture Text: Genesis 9:(v) 8 God spoke to Noach and his sons with him; he said, 9 “As for me — I am herewith establishing my covenant with you, with your descendants after you, 10 and with every living creature that is with you — the birds, the livestock and every wild animal with you, all going out of the ark, every animal on earth. 11 I will establish my covenant with you that never again will all living beings be destroyed by the waters of a flood, and there will never again be a flood to destroy the earth.” 12 God added, “Here is the sign of the covenant I am making between myself and you and every living creature with you, for all generations to come: 13 I am putting my rainbow in the cloud — it will be there as a sign of the covenant between myself and the earth. 14 Whenever I bring clouds over the earth, and the rainbow is seen in the cloud; 15 I will remember my covenant which is between myself and you and every living creature of any kind; and the water will never again become a flood to destroy all living beings. 16 The rainbow will be in the cloud; so that when I look at it, I will remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of any kind on the earth.”
17 God said to Noach, “This is the sign of the covenant which I have established between myself and every living creature on the earth.”
We come to this first Sunday of Lent 2015 after we went through Ash Wednesday's Service to rreceive the sign of the cross with ashes to remind us of our mortal bodies. Now, we begin this journey to Easter 2015 wondering what god has instore for us besides giving up something up or even taking on a new practice to draw us closer to God. We realize that God has placed covenants with us humans to take care of us despite our desire to continue to sin against His way and His Holiness. We see in the Scriptures where baptism is mentioned as Jesus begins His ministry and baptism to the early church meant to take on the sufferings of Jesus to live as He taught us, but we go further to the destruction of all the living creatures except for two of each kind and one human family. This man and his sons have seen the flood waters destroy everything as they rode in a boat that contained every living creature that God had made for forty days and nights. Now, we see that the flood waters have receeded and Noah gave a burnt offerings to God for His salvation for him and his fmaily. God spoke to Noah and said that he will make a covenant with him and his sons that He will never destroy the earth by flood and He will give a rainbow as a covenant promise to do this. We look from history what God has done and He has kept His covenant that He would not destroy the earth and all inhabitants on it with a flood despite their continuous sin against Him and His earthly creation. Through this covenant, god chose a people to live and teach the love of God and to live our lives in God's ways, but sin still reigned. So, God did not destroy the people and all creation, but sent His Son to redeem His creation from ourselves. We explore this covenant today to see how God really loves us to redeem us as we really our sinfulness and repent and place all of our trust and love in Him to ead us through this world by His Holy Spirit to spend all eternity with Him. May we begin this lenten season in anticipation of what He is about to do for each us and for us in a communal manner to bring to light His Salvation and love for all of His creation on earth as it is in Heaven. May we sing this hymn as we move into the week of being Christ's to all other people including ourselves and families: "Forty days and forty nights, Thou wast fasting in the wild" by George Hunt Smyttan (1856)
1. Forty days and forty nights
Thou wast fasting in the wild;
Forty days and forty nights
Tempted, and yet undefiled.
2. Shall not we Thy sorrow share,
And from earthly joys abstain,
Fasting with unceasing prayer,
Glad with Thee to suffer pain?
3. And if Satan vexing sore,
Flesh or spirit should assail,
Thou, his Vanquisher before,
Grant we may not faint or fail.
4. So shall we have peace divine;
Holier gladness ours shall be;
Round us, too, shall angels shine,
Such as minister'd to Thee.
5. Keep, O keep us, Saviour dear,
Ever constant by Thy side;
That with Thee we may appear
At th' eternal Eastertide.
From a Child's Point of View
Gospel: Mark 1:9-15. For children, this text might be titled, "How Jesus Got His Start." Children, because they are at such beginning points, are interested in what great people did as they began their careers. From these three brief stories, they learn that Jesus began with a personal decision. His baptism was like signing up to be on a team or going to a first club meeting. He decided to give himself to God. Apparently he was not sure what that would involve, but he went to be baptized as a way of saying that he was ready to try. God approved Jesus' decision by speaking to him. (Some perceptive children wonder how Mark knew about a voice that only Jesus heard.) After this decision came a time of disciplined preparation in the wilderness. Then Jesus began to preach. He called people to change their ways because the kingdom of God was coming. And he told them to trust God's love.
Epistle: 1 Peter 3:18-22. This passage, which puzzles scholars, overwhelms children with its profusion of unfamiliar concepts. The comment on Christ's preaching to the already dead raises for literal thinkers unanswerable questions about a peripheral Christian doctrine. Older children can begin to see a similarity between Noah's family, which floated through the flood waters to new lives, and Christians, who come through baptism to a new life in God's family. With adult help, children can connect the overview of Jesus' mission in verse 18a with his baptismal commitment and wilderness preparation. But a case can also made for simply reading this text for the adults.
Old Testament: Genesis 9:8-17. Children are fascinated by rainbows and love to draw them. Most church children are familiar with Noah's story. The story and the rainbow tell them that God loves and cares for us. Perhaps because of the way the story is generally presented to children, their attention focuses on the people and animals who were saved, rather than the people whose drownings were God's punishment or the innocent animals who died with them.
Psalm: 25:1-10. Children enjoy the alphabet format of this psalm when it is pointed out. The New Jerusalem Bible makes this format especially clear by starting each phrase with a word that begins with the sequence of letters in the English alphabet: "Adoration," "But," "Calling," and so on. Unfortunately, the psalmist's meaning is not as clear in that translation as in the New Revised Standard Version or the Good News Bible. With some help, children can sense the psalmist's dependence upon God's care and forgiveness.
Watch Words
Do not expect children to recognize the word Lent. Remember that it may sound like fuzzy lint. The derivation of the word interests worshipers of all ages.
Commitment is a big word that means to decide to do something. Discussions about such decisions are easier for young children to understand. If you do speak of commitment, begin by describing commitments to meet a friend for a movie, to play on a team, or to be a good club member.
If you focus on Jesus' preparation for his ministry, define ministry as a task to which God calls a person. Point out that every Christian, not just the professional minister, has an important ministry.
Let the Children Sing
Recall Jesus' time in the wilderness and begin the season of Lenten disciplines with "Jesus Walked This Lonesome Valley."
To sing your commitments, "Here I Am, Lord" (even nonreaders can sing the chorus) calls worshipers to make commitments similar to those Jesus made. The new hymn "Whom Shall I Send" can be sung by fifth-and sixth-graders, especially if it has been explored during the sermon (perhaps with hymnals open). But hymns such as "I Am Thine, O Lord," filled with difficult words and abstract ideas, do not reflect the experience of children and should be avoided. "Lord, I Want to Be a Christian" is probably the best commitment song for children.
Praise Noah's God with "All Creatures of Our God and King" or "All Things Bright and Beautiful."
The Liturgical Child
1. Begin worship by removing the white paraments of Epiphany or the green paraments of the pre-Lenten weeks and replacing them with the purple paraments of Lent. Some students from an older children's class could process in to receive the old paraments as worship leaders remove them, while other students process in with purple paraments to give to the leaders. During the change, a worship leader can describe the change of season in simple language. When the change is completed, the Call to Worship is given:
At Christmas we celebrate the birth of the baby Jesus. But Jesus did not stay a baby. He grew up. He became a teacher, a preacher, a healer, a loving friend, and our Savior. During Lent, we celebrate his ministry, and we try to do a better job with the ministries to which we are called. Jesus is our Lord! Let us worship God.
2. If you focus on Noah's story, ask a younger children's class to prepare paper rainbows to arch over the sanctuary doors. Draw rainbow stripes with pencil on nonglossy shelf paper, which can be cut into sections to fit the doors. Children then paint the rainbows with tempera paints and large brushes.
3. The format of Psalms 25 suggests two presentations: (1) To emphasize and enjoy the acrostic, ask an older children's class to present the New Jerusalem Bible translation. Each child, in succession, says one letter or holds up a poster with one letter, then reads or recites that phrase of the psalm; (2) Use the psalm as the Prayer of Confession. Invite the congregation to read and pray verses 1-7 in unison. The worship leader then reads verses 8-10 as the Assurance of Pardon. Use the Good News Bible or the New Revised Standard Version.
4. After preaching about Lenten disciplines that prepare us for ministry, challenge worshipers of all ages to write or draw on a slip of paper one discipline they will try during Lent. Invite them to place the paper in the offering plate as a sign of their commitment. Promise confidentiality and instruct the ushers to respect it.
Sermon Resources
1. Compare Jesus' time of prayer in the wilderness to: (1) the discipline of a sports camps, with early morning exercises, practice sessions, and classes; or (2) the orientation during which new missionaries learn about the country where they will go, learn a new language, worship together, and prepare for the work they will do. Finally, describe some of the activities of your congregation that prepare people for ministry at home, work, and school.
2. Lent is traditionally the time for baptism and confirmation preparation. Especially if such preparation is beginning in your congregation, speak to the congregation of its meaning and significance. Link it to Jesus' preparation for ministry. Speak specifically about what is involved, so that younger children have something to grow up toward. Spend time on big unfamiliar terms confirmation, commissioning, and profession of faith.
3. A three-point sermon on "How to Keep Lent," based on today's texts about Jesus' preparation for ministry, could urge worshipers of all ages to commit themselves to one or more disciplines or changes they want to make during Lent, remember God's love every day, and share the good news with others.
Adapted from Forbid Them Not: Involving Children in Sunday Worship © Abingdon Press
Our Covenant God
Genesis 9:8-17
The idea of our covenant relationship with God is a major motif in the Scriptures.
• God made a covenant with Abraham in Genesis 17 .
• God made a covenant with Israel at Mount Sinai, where he gave them the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20 .
• God had his prophet Jeremiah promise a new covenant (31:31).
• God in Christ said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood” when he instituted the Lord’s Supper in the Upper Room (1 Cor. 11:25) .
I. God’s Covenant with Noah (vv. 8-11)
Noah lived in an evil time that brought divine judgment on the human race. The forty-day flood was sent to punish evil and destroy all flesh. (See Gen. 6:5-8.) Noah and his family found favor with the Lord and were spared by building the ark. In this passage we see God taking the divine initiative to establish a covenant with Noah, his descendants “and with every living creature” (v. 10).
Basically, a covenant is an agreement between two parties. It may take the form of a contract or treaty. In the case of covenants with God, God is the superior party and takes the initiative to establish the agreement. God made a covenant with Noah, not the other way around.
God promised Noah that “never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth” (v. 11). God initiates our salvation and covenant relationship with him. We do not find God—he finds, calls, and saves us. We are saved by divine grace, not by our human initiative.
II. The Sign of God’s Covenant (vv. 12-17)
Ancient people thought the rainbow was God’s weapon from which his lightning arrows were shot. (See Ps. 7:12-13.) The rainbow in the sky after a storm was a fearful sight—a symbol of fiery destruction.
God made the rainbow a symbol not of destruction but of deliverance. It was to be a reminder of his gracious covenant with Noah and with us. The rainbow reminds us of divine mercy: “When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth” (v. 16).
The rescue of Noah’s family from the flood was an act of divine grace. God saved a family and the ark became a symbol of divine mercy and salvation.
The early church did not initially use the cross as a symbol of their faith. The humiliation of Jesus public execution was too fresh in their memories. Instead, early Christian art often depicted the ark. It stood for the church and salvation for those within it, by faith. By the ark God gave the human race a second chance, even as the gospel gives us the opportunity for redemption. As Lent begins, let the rainbow and Noah’s ark symbolize our gracious God and his covenant promises. (Alton H. McEachern)
That He Might Bring Us to God
1 Peter 3:18-22
Some people think they cannot come to God. One man committed sins in the past for which he was sure God would never forgive him. He had been involved with some atrocities in wartime. I can see how such people, who are having trouble forgiving themselves, could wonder if God could ever forgive them.
Another person was an older man who was dying. All his life he had rejected God’s will for his life. Toward the end of his life, I offered him God’s gifts of forgiveness and eternal life. He refused, saying it just would not be right to wait until the end.
As logical as what these people said appears, look at what Jesus did in order to bring people just like them to God.
I. Jesus Suffered That He Might Bring Us to God
If we could grade sins on a scale of 1 to 10, could we then say Christ died for sins that rank 7 or less, but not 8 or more? Murderers, rapists, and such would not be included? Only those with lesser sins, such as lying or stealing, could be forgiven?
The Bible knows no such grading. Jesus says that to look at another person with lust in your eye is no different than committing adultery. Calling a person a fool is as sinful as killing them. All sins rank 10. Thus, if the murderer cannot be drawn to God, neither can the liar.
Through what Jesus did on the cross—through his sacrifice and death—he has overcome the power of sin: any sin. Nothing stands between us and God, because Jesus has bridged the gap.
II. Jesus Preached the Message of Deliverance for the Captives
Who are the spirits in prison? Some say they are people who died before Jesus lived. Jesus preached to them and gave them the opportunity they had not had in life. Others say they are fallen angels, the spirits cast out of heaven with Lucifer when he rebelled against God. Jesus preached to them and simply told them what he said on the cross: “It is finished!” God’s plan of redemption is accomplished.
Possibly. But I know some other spirits who were formerly disobedient and were imprisoned in bonds of slavery to their sin. Paul was one, according to his testimony in the Bible, and I was another. Jesus preached to me, and told me, “It is true. I suffered for your sins that I might bring you to God. Now, will you come?” Fortunately, I did!
Whatever holds you captive, Jesus Christ is ready to loose the bonds and free you to experience new life.
III. Jesus Gave Us Baptism as a Sign We Can Be Brought to Him
We receive that “good conscience” when we begin with a bad conscience, or conviction for our sinfulness. By faith we desire to turn away from sin and live for God. We desire to see the old sinful self crucified as Christ was, and buried. By faith we desire to see God create in us new hearts and a new spirit, and be raised from the dead to live for him. Then by faith we act out this spiritual drama in water, burying the old and being raised anew. The entire process, everything baptism means—repentance, believing, trusting, obeying, and hoping—is the faith that saves us.
IV. Christ Now Calls to Us from a Position of Supreme Authority
Can you come to God? Can your sins be forgiven? Only if you have heard the preaching of Jesus. Only if you admit being oppressed by your own sinfulness. Only if you want to be set free to follow Christ.
You may know Jesus suffered that he might bring you to God, he preached to you, he has given you baptism for a sign, and his call has come with authority. (Bill Groover)
Knowing the Son
Mark 1:9-15
It is important to Mark for the reader to know that Jesus is indeed the Son of God. This is one of the major themes running throughout Mark’s Gospel. That identity is proclaimed boldly in the events surrounding the baptism of Jesus.
These events signify the beginning of something radically new and different in terms of God’s self-revelation to the world. Mark wants to make it clear that through the life of Jesus, God is seeking to bring a new kingdom into the reality of the world.
I. We See Who Jesus Is Through His Baptism
The powerful image of the heavens being torn apart and the descending dove provide for the reader bold, authoritative proof that Jesus is no less than the Son of God.
This text lends itself to a powerful dialogue of all the encompassing claims that are made upon one’s life by God through the church at baptism. According to Mark, baptism identifies who we are as God’s children. Mark’s story of baptism and of what it means describes vividly a life identified and led by God.
II. We See Who Jesus Is Through His Temptation
Immediately following his baptism, Jesus faced a time of temptation in the wilderness. Despite the harshness of the surroundings and the seductive nature of the temptations, Jesus withstood the experience.
It is important to recall that Jesus was led into the wilderness to be tempted by the spirit of God. Many times in the church we emphasize the justifying grace of God in baptism, but forget the sanctifying grace of God in baptism. Mark seems to be saying that it is not enough just to know to whom we belong; we must realize that such a claim has far-reaching implications as to what we do and where we are willing to be led. Jesus life and authority in the kingdom were expressions of how and where God was leading.
III. We See Who Jesus Is Through His Proclamation
Jesus not only lived in the reality of the kingdom’s presence, he also proclaimed the kingdom’s arrival. In announcing the kingdom’s arrival, he challenged his listeners to respond in repentance and faith.
The kingdom of God is here in the person and identity of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Following the time of temptation, Jesus lays out the formula for how one comes to such saving and life-giving knowledge. The kingdom is here, Jesus proclaims; repent, and follow where the kingdom of God is seeking to lead. This proclamation becomes the heart and soul of all that Jesus is and does.
Lent is a time of soul-searching in light of the truth of the gospel. It is all about knowing whose we are and allowing that knowledge expression in all that we do.
Catherine Ann Powers is the student who was an accomplice in a bank robbery in Boston in 1970, when a policeman was murdered. For twenty-three years she was a fugitive from justice. In 1993, after all those years of running, she turned herself in to the authorities. What makes her story interesting is she had put together an enviable life. She was married, had a daughter, and held a good job. All the ingredients of happiness were there, except one: she was not whom she appeared to be.
In answer to why she turned herself in, she responded, “Because I had to reclaim my past in order to live with full authenticity in this moment—in openness and truth instead of hiddenness and shame.”
In this passage, Mark reminds us who Jesus is—through his baptism, temptation, and proclamation. And because of who he is, we can be all God wants for us—to experience life at its best and most meaningful! (Travis Franklin)
Mark 1:9-15
This scripture reveals that God can make something out of nothing. Those of us who grew up in rural Alabama always joked, “Thank God for Mississippi,” because we laughed that there would be one state below us on any social measurement. Most of us might consider growing up in Yazoo City, Mississippi, as a disadvantage, but not Zig Ziglar, the popular author. He grew up in Yazoo City. As he often said: “You can go anywhere in the world from Yazoo City, Mississippi.”
Jesus was not from Yazoo City, but he was from Nazareth. Nazareth received the same kind of respect from the rest of Israel that any small rural town yet receives from the big cities. Nathaniel, one of the future disciples of Jesus, even asked when Philip told him about Jesus: “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”
Jesus proved that an individual can go anywhere from Nazareth. The message of the first chapter of Mark tells us clearly that when you know yourself to be a child of God, you can overcome your circumstances.
Let us recognize that life is difficult, for many of us come from “Nowhere, U.S.A.” Let us also recognize that many have overcome their circumstances and so can you. And third, know that God is saying to you as God said to Jesus: “You are my child, whom I love, with you I am well pleased.”
Fred Dawson in the book “When Black Folks Was Colored” tells of the 1906 hurricane that all but leveled the city of Pensacola, Florida. At the time, he and his family were living in a south Alabama community raising cotton and nearly starving to death. Most of the other black families were packing up and moving north. Dawson’s family packed up and moved south to Pensacola to help rebuild the city after that major hurricane. They became significant landowners. Fred Dawson learned early on that it is not so important where you come from, but who you are that makes the difference.
Years ago when I was in college I drove to a community just south of Monroeville, Alabama, to preach every other weekend at the Bermuda Methodist Church. I had a friend who now lives in Monroeville who recently told me an amazing story:
He and his sister grew up in a shack of a house in Bermuda, Alabama. His father was a two-mule farmer, his mother a part-time beautician. The children would walk out of their house to catch the school bus for the eight-mile trip to school. While they waited for the bus, sometimes on a cold day they would see black children walking on the road to their rundown black school about four miles away. What they didn’t know was that some of those black kids had already been walking for thirty minutes in the rain and cold and would still be walking long after the school bus would pull up to the white school. One day his sister asked, “Why can’t they ride the bus with us?” And no one ever came up with an answer that would make sense back in the 1940s.
My friend, now in his 70s, has moved to Monroeville and recently met a very impressive lady, Mrs. Jones (not her real name), when she joined the local Kiwanis Club. It is new territory for a woman to be a member of the formerly all-male club, but what is even more unusual is that Mrs. Jones, the retired librarian at a junior college, is black. She has three children— one a medical doctor at a state university, another a college professor in California, and a daughter who is the senior editor of the editorial page of a prestigious national newspaper. What is even more amazing is that Mrs. Jones was one of those black children who sixty years ago walked past my friend’s house to her black school. It is not so important where you come from, but who you are and where you are going that makes a difference.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was a middle-class, black, Baptist preacher, but his message of Christian love and nonviolent social change saved this nation from a revolution in the 1960s. I heard him preach one time and I was stirred deep within. But when I was in college, there was so much negative press about him that I just didn’t know what to believe about him. None of us knew who he really was. Now we realize from a perspective of history that it is not so important the color of your skin, but the character of your soul, that makes a difference.
When the world asks, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” the stories of the Lord of the church and of God’s people of all the years answer back: “You can overcome the circumstances of your birth.” The heavens opened when Jesus was baptized with God’s affirmation. Some people couldn’t see it while Jesus was here on earth, and some still can’t. But eyes of faith see wondrous things happen all the time. Believe and you will begin to see things happen in your life. Listen and you will hear: “You are my child, whom I love, and with you I am well pleased.”
Yes, we may start off in a place called Yazoo City, Mississippi, or a place called Nazareth, but hear this: It doesn’t matter where you start out and it doesn’t matter what obstacles you have to overcome. You can become a winner, a hero, a Christian, God’s special child, by listening today to the mystery beyond us. Listen and you will hear: “You are my child, whom I love, and with you I am well pleased.”
Color: Purple
Scripture Readings: Genesis 9:8-17; Psalm 25:1-10; 1 Peter 3:18-22; Mark 1:9-15
Theme Ideas
The waters of grace flow through these scriptures: from God’s deliverance of Noah and all animals from the waters of the flood, to the baptism of Jesus in the waters of the Jordan, to our baptisms that bring us salvation. God made a covenant with all creatures in Genesis. The psalmist reminds us that we are to keep our covenant. And, in Jesus Christ, we find a new covenant of water and spirit. This is the good news: God is faithful, merciful, and full of steadfast love; God remembers creation and the everlasting covenant of forgiveness; God has come in Jesus Christ, Beloved Son and Savior of the world. Come back to God, for it is only here that we find true hope, true life, and true joy.
Call to Worship (Genesis 9)
Come, all you people, come and worship.
God has made a covenant with us.
Come, all creatures of the earth, come and worship.
God has made a covenant with all creatures.
Remember the covenant and be thankful.
God remembers the covenant and God will save us.
Call to Worship (Psalm 25)
We trust in you, O God, for you are faithful.
Show us your ways and teach us your paths.
We wait for you.
Lead us in your paths of truth.
Do not remember our failures.
Out of your merciful grace, forgive us.
You are faithful, O God. Your love is steadfast.
We lift up our souls to you,
and praise you always.
Call to Worship (Mark 1)
John baptized Jesus in the waters of the Jordan.
God said: You are my Son, the Beloved.
With you I am well pleased.
We are washed by the waters of our baptism.
God says: You are my beloved children.
With you I am well pleased.
We gather as God’s beloved children
to worship and to serve.
Let us tell the good news of God’s love!
Call to Worship (1 Peter 3)
Send the waters of your grace upon us.
We are your people.
Let the waters of your love wash us.
We are your forgiven people.
Let the waters of your blessing pour over us.
We are your beloved people.
Thanks be to God.
Call to Worship (Mark 1)
We are gathered to worship our God.
Send your Spirit upon us.
We come from many places, with many burdens.
Send you Spirit upon us.
We turn our hearts to you, O God.
Send your Spirit upon us,
and make us your beloved family.
Contemporary Gathering Words (Genesis 9, Psalm 25, Mark 1)
God said, “I will be your God.”
God has promised. God remembers. God is faithful.
God said, “I will lead you in the paths of truth.”
God has promised. God remembers. God is faithful.
God said, “I will forgive you.”
God has promised. God remembers. God is faithful.
God said, “My kingdom is near.”
God has promised. God remembers. God is faithful.
Praise Sentences (Psalm 25)
I lift my soul to you, O my God.
I trust in you, O merciful Lord.
You are my God.
Praise Sentences (Genesis 9)
God will not fail us.
God remembers us.
We are held in God’s love.
Praise Sentences (Genesis 9, 1 Peter 3, Mark 1)
God remembers us.
God saves us.
God calls us beloved.
Opening Prayer (Genesis 9, Psalm 25, Mark 1)
God of the covenant,
you are ever faithful.
Your love never ends.
Teach us your ways.
And guide us in your paths of love and forgiveness,
that we may witness to your grace
and salvation. Amen.
Opening Prayer (Genesis 9, Psalm 25, Mark 1)
Faithful God,
you called all creatures into being,
and you care for each one.
Send your grace upon your people gathered here,
that we may follow your ways of truth,
and walk in the paths of steadfast love,
proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Prayer of Confession (Genesis 9, Psalm 25)
God of the rainbow,
you made a covenant with all creatures,
promising life and hope.
God of pathways,
you show us how we should walk.
Yet we forget our connection with one another
and think that we are the center of the universe.
We wander from your paths of truth
into paths of deceit and pride.
Forgive us and lead us back
into the arms of your love. Amen.
Words of Assurance
God is merciful and full of steadfast love.
God will not forget us.
God will wash us clean,
and lead us on paths of steadfast love
and faithfulness.
Benediction (Genesis 9, Psalm 25, Mark 1)
Walk in the paths of steadfast love and faithfulness.
Dwell under the rainbow of God’s love.
Proclaim the good news of God, for God’s realm is near.
Benediction (Genesis 9, Psalm 25, Mark 1)
Go and testify to God’s faithful promises.
God’s covenant is everlasting.
Go and follow God’s ways.
The ways of the Lord are steadfast love
and faithfulness.
Go and proclaim God’s good news.
The time is now. Turn to God.
Benediction (Mark 1)
We have received the Spirit.
We are blessed by God.
Believe the gospel.
Proclaim the good news.
From “The Abingdon Worship Annual 2006,” edited by Mary J. Scifres and B.J. Beu, Copyright © 2005 by Abingdon Press. “The Abingdon Worship Annual 2015” is now available.
WORSHIP CONNECTION: by Nancy C. Townley
Year B Lent 1
Color: Purple
Scripture Readings: Genesis 9:8-17; Psalm 25:1-10; 1 Peter 3:18-22; Mark 1:9-15
CALLS TO WORSHIP
[Note: The approach Rev. Townley is using for the Lenten-Easter worship liturgy focuses on the theme: "BARRIERS TO THE CROSS: A Journey of Difficult Decisions". The Scriptures being used are the lectionary passages from Mark and John. Many of the liturgical elements are tied in with the Artistic Elements and the theme. Each week we will examine various barriers and barricades, blockades which we encounter on our journey to the Cross.]
Call to Worship #1:
L: There are some journeys for which we long.
P: But the journey to the cross looks as though it will be difficult.
L: The way of discipleship and faith is difficult.
P: We would prefer something easier. We are not ready for this trip.
L: Put your hearts at ease. You are not traveling alone.
P: Perhaps we can accomplish this trip. At least we will try the first step.
Call to Worship #2:
L: Welcome this day to the beginning of a journey.
P: Where will this journey take us?
L: It will take you to the Cross of Christ and beyond.
P: How much time do we have to get ready?
L: The time is now at hand for this journey.
P: Help us to be ready for this, O Lord. AMEN.
Call to Worship #3:
[Using THE FAITH WE SING, p. 2218, "You Are Mine", have a soloist sing the verses as directed below]
L: Come all who are lost and in pain. God calls to you.
P: Lord, lift us from our fears and sorrows; bring us close to you.
Soloist (singing verse 1): "I will come to you in the silence; I will lift you from all your fear. You will hear my voice, I claim you as my choice, be still and now I am here. Do not be afraid, I am with you. I have called you each by name. Come and follow me, I will bring you home. I love you and you are m ine."
L: Come all who have lost hope, who feel that there is nothing worth living for.
P: Lord, clear away our blindness that we may see the light of your love.
Soloist (singing verse 2): "I am hope for al who are hopeless. I am eyes for all who long to see. In the shadows of the night, I will be yur light, come and rest in me. Do not be afraid, I am with you. I have called you each by name. Come and follow me, I will bring you home. I love you and you are mine."
L: Come, do not despair. God is calling your name.
P: We want to be ready for this journey. Help us, Lord. Make us ready to trust you. AMEN.
Call to Worship #4:
L: The bags are packed and set for the journey. Are you ready?
P: Not really. We have so much still to do.
L: The Lord calls to us now. The Peace of God is at hand.
P: What will be required of us for this journey?
L: Open your hearts and spirits. Take the risk of discipleship.
P: Lord, help us to be ready. Calm our fears as we step forward in faith. AMEN.
PRAYERS, LITANY, BENEDICTION
Opening Prayer
The season of Lent is here again and, as with so many times before, we find that we are not really ready for this journey of discipleship. So many things claim our lives and prevent us from being ready to take the steps in faith. As we look at our barrier of readiness, help us to remember that Christ is with us, every step of the way. We are not alone. Christ will help lift our hearts and spirits and direct our paths. Enable us, loving Savior, to take this journey of faith to new life with you. AMEN.
Prayer of Confession
We have lists of things to do, for all the areas of our lives. Our lives are so time bound and duty bound that we feel imprisoned in them. Now we are challenged by Christ to take a journey of discipleship. We don't feel ready for this journey. We need more time. And we complain and cry about how much we have to do. Forgive us, Lord, when we place so many "duties" in the path to serving you. Reset our priorities so that we will be ready to commit our lives in your service. Lord, help us to be ready when you call us. Help us to courageously answer the summons you bring. Let us place our trust in you in all things. AMEN.
Pastoral Prayer
Loving, Creating God, you are in covenant with your people. You have pledged to be our God and ask us to be your people, trusting in you in all our ways. But we find many excuses to prevent us from really trusting you. We erect barriers before our faith journey even begins. Our time, obligations, energy, all become part of the bricks and mortar which fashion this barrier. We can give lip service to the journey; we can daydream about what it would be like to truly place our hands in yours and follow you. But when it comes to actually making the journey, our time constraints and weak commitments loom largely before us. Help us to tear down this barrier. Make us ready for the journey by replacing the fear in our hearts with a sense of joy and challenge of self-discovery and discipleship. Remind us that in service to you, helping others, we will also find our selves made more fully whole. As we have spoken the names of our friends, and family members, and others situations in which healing and comfort are needed, let us remember that we, too, stand in need of prayer and healing. Make us ready to receive your good news and then to be witnesses to your love to all your people. AMEN.
Litany
L: Shoes, sweaters, socks, slacks, warm gloves, a hat.....well, that's everything I need.
Reader 1: Is it?
L: What else would I need? I will be warm enough and ready for the trip.
Reader 1: Are you sure that you are ready?
L: Well, I have to admit, I don't really know where I'm going and I'm not sure what I will find.
Reader 1: How do you feel about that?
L: Not good. I would like to know what to expect so that I can truly be ready.People: Place your whole trust in the Lord who will be your comfort, your guardian, and your guide.
L: Easier said than done!
Reader 2: What else do you need?
L: I guess that I need to know that this journey will lead somewhere.
Reader 2: It will. It leads to the cross and beyond.
L: I'm scared. I'm not ready for the cross.
People: Do not be afraid. The barrier of fear which prevents you from being ready is being destroyed by the love and presence of God. Come on the journey. Come with hope and peace.
Benediction, Blessing, Commission
The first step on the journey, that of readiness, is one of the hardest. We keep thinking that we have forgotten something. God has called you by name, to this journey. You will have all that you need. Go in peace, and know that God is going with you. AMEN.
ARTISTIC ELEMENTS
Note: It is a good idea to write a brief description of the visual presentation in the worship bulletin describing the symbols and their meaning.
[The Lenten Services will be progressive in nature, that is, we will create a visual display that will move people through the services of Lent to the Easter Resurrection Celebration. There are several ways in which this visual display can be accomplished. The first way uses multiple levels, both on the worship center and in front of the worship center. Each Sunday and worship service during Lent, the symbols of a barrier and its "key word" will be placed on a riser. All symbols will remain on the riser to which they are assigned. The list will build as the Sundays progress. The second way, more simple than the first, will be using only two or three levels. The barrier for the week or worship service will be put in place each week prior to worship and then following the service it will be removed in preparation for the next week's worship service. ]
THE TRADITIONAL COLOR FOR LENT IS PURPLE
SURFACE: The surface or structure of this display is created through the use of multiple risers. Create three levels with risers on the worship center. The center riser, placed near the back of the worship table, should be the highest, approximately 12" high. The two other risers should be about 4-6" high and should be to the left and right of the center riser. They should come toward the front of the worship center so that a gap of about 6-8" occurs. The other risers should be placed in front of the worship center. You will need a two risers that are 4" shorter than the level of the worship table. These should be placed in front of the worship table with a space of about 12" between them. The next two risers should be about 6" shorter than the previous risers and are placed in front of them, slightly off center so that they do not look like stair steps. The floor may suffice for the first level, although you may want to make risers about 2-3" high to create slight elevations from the main floor.
FABRIC: Purple is the traditional color for Lent. However it is very effective if you cover the entire worship area in burlap. Landscaper's burlap, once it is aired out, is a great cover. It comes in 50 foot rolls and can be purchased at any landscape or home improvement store. However, do air it out! Using purple cloth, weave the cloth from the center riser, across the worship table and then down onto some of the other risers. Do not cover all the risers with purple cloth, but rather create a draping effect with it. Puddle both the remainder of the burlap and purple cloth on the floor in front of the worship center. Have a piece of dark material, black or very dark navy blue, approximately 1 yard in length, cover the brass cross on the top riser.
CANDLES: Place a candle on each of the risers, with the exception of the top center riser and the riser on which the suitcase is placed. The pillar candle which was in place in front of the top riser is to remain there during most of the Lenten Services. These candles may be purple, the traditional color for Lent. They should be pillar candles about 4-6" in height.
FLOWERS/PLANTS: No plants are placed in this setting.
ROCKS/WOOD: Place some rocks in the setting, in the "valleys" of fabric. The larger rocks that were in place in the Ash Wednesday service may remain at the base of the worship center.
OTHER: Place a brass cross on the top riser and cover it with dark fabric. The cross remains hidden during the first portion of Lenten services. Place a small, open suitcase on the lowest riser in the front and to the left of the worship center, you may have some clothing hanging out of it, and also an unfolded map hanging out of it. Attach the sign "READINESS" to the open lid of the suitcase facing the congregation.
Nashville, Tennessee 37202 United States
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