Why churches are poor by Rebekah Simon-Peter
At a recent clergy retreat I attended, we prayed a prayer that went something like this: “O Lord, keep us far from the riches of the world.” Each of us was sincere in our prayers.
Later it occurred to me that God is indeed answering that prayer! Many churches find that money is their limiting factor. I’m going out on a limb here. But I don’t think it’s because these churches are full of poor people. It’s because they act poor.
I don’t believe this is a theologically necessary state of affairs.
Jesus had a trade. So did his disciples. His later apostles did as well. When Jesus and his disciples were traveling, they were richly supported by a network of women who financed their material needs.
While the author of 1 Timothy 6:10 writes, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil,” we sometimes act as though money itself is the root of evil. The truth is money is simply a tool through which we express our values.
What if we were to pray that God direct the riches of the world to us and through us to bring about healing, reconciliation, justice and wholeness in our communities and world? I wonder what might happen then?
We need a new consciousness around money — one that allows us to be honest about our needs and the unlimited God we serve. Money is not in short supply. But if we believe it is, we will act, and ask, accordingly.
The most awkward moment in many church services comes when the offering plates are passed. Rarely is an inspirational invitation to give offered. Instead, code language, which only church insiders understand, may be used. Ushers themselves are often undertrained in actually passing plates to the people. Many a time I’ve wanted to put something in an offering plate but it never made it to me. It’s almost as if the ushers are apologetic about bringing the plate around. Music may play during the offering. But this offertory music is not connected with the offering of our financial gifts or our lives. Sometimes I wonder if its real function is to distract from the the embarrassing matter of collecting money. Finally, people stand while the doxology is sung.
Money makes the world go ’round. And churches need it as much if not more than other organizations. We have holy business to attend to: acts of justice, works of mercy, support of denominational initiatives, paying the salary and benefits of leaders, mortgages, heat, light, etc.
So why these mixed messages about money? Why awkward silences and the lack of clear direction or invitation? The truth is, many people want to express their gratitude to God, yet they don’t participate in the offering.
Here are five reasons why:
1. We don’t ask them to give. Yes, this may allow us to avoid awkward moments that make it seem like the church is “all about money.” But we also sidestep teaching moments, miss the opportunity for spiritual formation of lifelong givers and don’t give people a way to express their gratitude. Worse, we hinder spiritual growth.
2. We ask them to give to the budget, but not to mission or ministry. Thus they don’t connect their giving with transformational activity. Don’t highlight the building or leadership salaries. Instead, highlight what buildings and salaries make possible!
3. We don’t ask for enough. Have you ever noticed that some people are only deeply motivated to give when challenged? If the “ask” isn’t big enough, they won’t bother giving. Are you asking for enough to get the attention of these givers? If not, you are blocking their spiritual growth, and the church’s ministry.
4. We have lost our vision for ministry and our passion for mission. They can tell the church is in maintenance mode or a downward spiral. In one church I served, we redirected “the Pennies from Heaven” offering from paying off the mortgage to specific missional opportunities. Giving increased dramatically. Same people. Bigger offerings. They were jazzed by the vision and passion.
5. We don’t ask God to fully, richly, lavishly fund our ministries.Again, it’s that awkward relationship with money. And with vision.
We have not because we ask not. It’s time to start asking: inspirationally, invitationally, intentionally. Stop making excuses for why our churches are poor. Instead, it’s time to open ourselves to all the gifts God wants to bless us with. Acting poor won’t get it done.
Rebekah Simon-Peter blogs at rebekahsimonpeter.com. She is the author of "The Jew Named Jesus" and "Green Church."
The divinity school dilemma by Mark Lockard
Recently, I experienced a wave of frustration related to my student loan debt. This happens from time to time, and really anything can set it off. Debt is stressful, as most of us are aware. Before I dive in, though, I’ve got to say that I’m more fortunate than many; I’ve been able to steadily pay on my debt for a while now. It’s still sizable enough to haunt me, but at least it isn’t a Poltergeist-style terror. That’s not insignificant.
Nothing so far is unique. Thousands of former students are dealing with the exact same thing, though in varying levels of distress or ease. What makes it slightly different is what degree I went into debt for. I received a Master of Theological Studies degree from Vanderbilt Divinity School. So we’re talking about 1) a graduate degree, as opposed to a bachelor’s which is widely regarded as necessary in this country to participate in the job market, and 2) a professional degree meant to lead to practical ministerial work for the social good.
Needless to say, it’s not easy to parse out what “useful” means when discussing this kind of education. I’m not a utilitarian guy by nature. John Stuart Mill makes me instinctively bristle. Always has. But that side of “useful” can’t be ignored here. However the other side of “useful,” wrapped up in the sense of communal good or intrinsic purpose (what religious folks call “calling”), can’t be ignored either.
It’s easy to say that we can’t, or shouldn’t, put a price tag on such a thing. But is it irresponsible not to try? Yes. Because if divinity programs are going to rest their hats on being prophetic, there has to be prophetic talk about economic justice for all, their own students included. They, and we, must talk openly about how the values of M. Div. and M.T.S. degrees balance against their costs. We owe it to our own tradition.
Cold Utility
I think this is the easier piece when it comes to discussing the “usefulness” of a degree, or anything. It’s easy because it’s straight-forward. You can ask questions about “monetary value” and “long-term investment” and couch such questions in "greatest possible happiness." Living in a society driven by capitalism, we have to consider how our decisions color our ability to trade our labor for the dollars needed to buy the goods and services that keep us alive (and therefore happier than were we not alive). This is also the easiest to discuss in terms of divinity degrees, because the answer is (almost) unequivocally “No. It’s not worth it.”
Going into any sizable amount of debt (the kind that takes more than a few years to pay off) for a profession focused on ministry, whether in a church setting or in the wider world, is, financially, ridiculous. Doctors may go into $200,000 worth of med school debt, but they’ve got a pretty legitimate shot of paying that off. Divinity school doesn’t offer that certainty. It’s not meant to, honestly. But that becomes a factor when we talk about the elements of a useful degree. If you’re going to spend two or three years and large stacks of cash on education, which is largely thought of as an investment (and a requirement for ordained ministry with organizations like the United Methodist Church), then you need to be clear about how the investment shakes out. Will your divinty degree earn you enough money to make taking out student loans financially sensible? Probably not.
I say this as one of the lucky few. I use my degree in my job. Without said degree, I probably wouldn’t have had the career arc I’ve had. Due to steady employment, I’ve been able to pay on my debt regularly. But non-profit work — the work commonly associated with the degree — only pays out so much, so I still have to do the real work of examining how my debt balances against the money-making potential of my education. These are uncomfortable thoughts to have, because it's complicating a calling with cost. But debt will do that.
But Hey, I Have a Vocation
Here’s where things get murky. If we’re talking financially, it’s fairly easy to say that divinity schools are irresponsibly offering degrees that won’t produce students able to pay for them. There needs to be some prophetic witness to that unfortunate fact. But that doesn’t mean the degree isn't useful, right? There are other ways something can be “useful” without supporting the definition of utility found in a consumer economy.
Divinity school programs, ideally, produce people with an enhanced understanding of the way the divine operates in our world, and how our reactions should shift to reflect that divine work. These professional degrees are meant to be attached to people committed to the ethical and spiritual betterment of our world. That’s noble work. It’s important work. It's irreplaceable work. I won’t argue otherwise.
I also won’t argue the value of my own time spent seeking an M.T.S. I think I’m a better person for the things I read, the interactions I had and the new avenues of thought I had opened to me. I gained much. I did some socially/morally/religiously important, arguably “useful,” work there. But was it worth it? That’s a harder question.
You can probably put a price on a profession. Maybe you can’t put a price on a vocation. Though you can, and should, think through whether the debt you incur to pursue your vocation keeps you from effectively living it out in the first place. Can you effectively run a homeless ministry if you can barely pay the rent? Maybe, maybe not. A key question divinity schools should be asking (though I doubt they are) is this:
- “By allowing students to leave here burdened by debt, are we ensuring that their ministry is seriously hindered before it begins?”
Be Prophetic
I don’t have all the answers. Whatever the solution is, it will be nuanced and it’ll be varied depending on who you talk to. People's experiences during and after their time in the program will shed revealing light one way or another. I can see clear ways in which my degree has been both practically and personally useful. Ask an unemployed friend I graduated with, and they might have a different take. Understandably so. But this critical question shouldn’t even be generated by the future, current, or former student. Rather, this is a question for the keepers of the degrees themselves.
Vanderbilt Divinity School (VDS) calls itself “The School of the Prophets.” Other divinity schools would probably like to cast themselves in the same light. To do so, they all need to be clear about their mission and how that mission is lived through their students. This means reconciling how their students are best able to live out their ministry in post-graduate life.
To give credit where it's due, VDS works hard to keep its costs significantly lower than other professional schools at Vanderbilt (like the law, business and medical schools). The estimated tuition (before books, fees, and living expenses) for the 2015-2016 academic year at VDS is currently $20,472. Compare this to the $43,620 estimated annual tuition for undergrads, $50,900 for Vanderbilt law attendees, $45,350 for the Vanderbilt medical school and $49,950 for the business school. So clearly VDS is aware of the need for students pursuing ministry and justice work in the wider world to emerge with lower levels of debt. Still, it's a hefty price tag, even for those of us who were supplemented with scholarships. And as several of my classmates are experiencing, their expertise is simply not desired by the job market, leaving the debt to grow heavier as each unemployed or under-employed day passes.
I should also note that this isn't solely an issue for a university's divinity school. It's an issue for the university. If a university feels it's important to have a divinity program, the conversation should start there around how those students will receive an education. Should it look different from other professional schools? Even accounting for my obvious bias, I believe so. It's an issue of priority. For example, universities with divinity schools could have honest conversations about how money being funneled to high-profile sports programs could, or should, be reallocated to those seeking to use their education for the work of justice and communal flourishing. It'd be a start.
The Big Picture
If we pull back the lens even more to get the wide shot, we also have to admit that there also needs to be a hefty discussion of the way student loan debt operates in this country as a whole. I'm not trying to place all financial responsibility or blame on the divinity schools themselves, but I am saying that divinity schools especially must try to find the ethical road amidst the unethical landscape that is U.S. higher education. And even when they are taking the right steps, they should still be talking about the issue and ways to improve.
In simplistic terms, we're dealing with a three-tiered problem: how is the university prioritizing divinity education, how is the divinity school being honest with and caring for its students, and how is the federal loan system broken for all loan holders, this sub-group in particular?
It's multi-layered, which means it's messy, complicated and impossible to solve overnight. But we can begin by encouraging divinity schools to be open and honest about the real challenges associated with pursuing a degree from them. We can push universities with divinity programs to be transparent and forward-thinking about the priority of divinity education in their college system. And we can participate in and lead the call for reforms related to student loan debt held by any graduate.
But first, we divinity graduates can start by telling our stories. We can tell the truth about the pros and cons of following a call to ministry through higher education. We can be prophetic.
An earlier version of this piece was first published on Disembodied Beard.
Wooing millennials with tradition, not pyrotechnics by Sarah PuryearThis article originally appeared on The Living Church's Covenantblog.
As a clergyperson and an older millennial of the Oregon Trail variety, I’ve followed the ongoing debates about millennials and the Church with both interest and, at times, frustration. There’s an endless number of articles and blog posts out there addressing the “problem” of millennials, most of them with titles like:
5 Things Millennials Wish the Church Would Be
5 Reasons There Are No Millennials in Your Church
Millennials Leaving the Church in Droves
How the Church Can Get Millennials Back
How to Effectively Reach and Retain Millennials
As the titles (and recent Pew reports) suggest, millennials are dissatisfied with the Church and defecting at increasing rates. Many of the articles on the topic take one of two tacks: (1) induce a sense of alarm over millennials leaving the church; or (2) offer surefire strategies to get them back.
If churches are looking for quick fixes that might ease their sense of panic and attract young people, they need only consider the suggestions of millennial Jordan Taylor, who suggests in his video “How to Get Millennials Back in Church” the following remedies: fog machines, light shows, aggressive worship leaders, and a beard for every staff member. Taylor’s sarcastic suggestions expose a central weakness in many churches’ thinking about how to draw millennials: young adults can tell when they are the target of marketing strategies, and they generally don’t appreciate it.
I consider it a blessing that most of our Episcopal churches are poorly set up for fog machines; because we cannot rely on quick fixes, we have an opportunity to reflect more deeply on what it means to be church and how to pass our faith on to the next generation. So, what can more traditional and liturgical churches do to welcome the younger generation and help them connect with church?
I recently heard pastor and author Mark Holmen speak on the role of the family in inculcating faith. He presented research by the Search Institute on the most significant religious influences on a child’s faith. It isn’t the programs at their church or their youth pastor; it is their parents, the mother being the most influential and the father the second most influential.
(Holmen also has a book on the topic, Faith Begins at Home.)
When Holmen presents this research, his answers don’t necessarily encourage parents who are worried about their children’s faith formation. Wouldn’t it be easier if the answer were to outsource our children’s spiritual lives to a professional, as we do with soccer or piano or dance? The research is clear, however: having faithful parents is by far the best indication that a child will continue to attend church as an adult. Once parents come to terms with their indispensable role in their children’s faith, their next question for Holmen is what they should be doing at home. Again, the answer isn’t for parents to launch a snazzy faith program at home, but for them to do the simple but challenging work of living the Christian life, day in and day out, in front of their children.
I believe there is a parallel here for the Church. Rather than luring young adults through flashy programs or outsourcing their formation to experts, we will contribute to the spiritual formation of the next generation best by being serious about our faith ourselves. We must be serious about our faith on two levels — first and foremost, demonstrating what it means to be a Christian, a disciple of Jesus; and second, modeling what it looks like to be a Christian in the Anglican tradition. Most Episcopal churches don’t stand a chance against nondenominational churches in a pyrotechnic competition, but we have a rich and beautiful tradition in our prayer book that goes beyond short-lived trends that will seem horribly dated within a few years’ time. Our tradition will not appeal to everyone, but it will draw young adults who long for something deeper in a superficial and distracted age.However, we cannot invite others into something we do not understand or practice ourselves; we must do the simple but challenging work of living the Christian life ourselves, day in and day out, in front of the next generation..
Why Franklin Graham is wrong — and right — about Islam
By Shane RaynorWhen I saw Franklin Graham’s Facebook post last Friday about Muslims and immigration, I wondered how long it would take the news media to fire up the outrage brigade.
It took longer than I thought. The story didn’t gain a huge amount of traction over the weekend, perhaps because the Sunday morning shows decided to devote a significant amount of their coverage to Donald Trump putting his foot in his mouth— again. So Franklin Graham’s words largely flew under the radar, at least as far as mainstream news outlets were concerned.
But Jonathan Merritt noticed. The Religion News Service senior columnist penned an essay for The Atlantic questioning Graham’s sanity and criticizing the evangelist’s increasing political outspokenness in recent years.
The Facebook post shouldn’t have been a surprise for anyone who’s been paying attention. Franklin Graham has been a vocal critic of Islam for a while now. A couple of months after the September 11 terrorist attacks, he asserted that Islam “is a very evil and wicked religion” on NBC Nightly News. He led the charge against Duke University earlier this year when the school was planning to broadcast the Muslim call to prayer from the bell tower of Duke Chapel. (University officials eventually backed down.) And in his Facebook post last week, the evangelist called for a moratorium on “immigration of Muslims to the U.S. until this threat with Islam has been settled.”
There are, of course, a number of problems with Graham’s immigration proposal. For starters, keeping someone out of the country solely on the basis of their religion is certainly at odds with American values and ideals. And I’m pretty sure it’s unconstitutional.
Graham, however, attempts to justify such a drastic measure by reasoning that “every Muslim that comes into this country has the potential to be radicalized.” But this sounds a lot like progressive arguments for banning guns.
Supposedly if we ban guns — even the ones that belong to the good guys — we’ll end gun violence. And according to Franklin Graham, if we stop Muslims from immigrating — even the good guys — we’ll end the threat of radical Islam.
Both arguments are naive.
Consider the potential fallout if we banned all Muslims from entering the United States. First, we’d risk alienating the 3 million or so Muslims who are already living here, the overwhelming majority of whom haven’t been radicalized. These are friends, neighbors and business owners in our communities. In some cases, they’re also valuable sources of intelligence who have been integral to the War on Terror.
Then there are the other 1.6 billion Muslims around the globe. If you think America has a PR problem in the Muslim world now, wait and see what happens if we do what Franklin Graham recommends. I suspect we’d create some new enemies.
So Graham gets the prescription wrong, but he does make some valid points with his diagnosis. The problem, however, isn’t so much with Islam; it’s with Islamism, and it’s important to understand the difference between the two. One is a religion, the other is a political philosophy. The latter is a subset of the former.
Merriam-Webster defines Islamism this way: a popular reform movement advocating the reordering of government and society in accordance with laws prescribed by Islam. Somewhere on the theological continuum, Islam is politicized and radicalized, and many Muslims become Islamists — some more radical than others. And it’s the extreme political Islam that breeds evils like terrorism, religious persecution and the subjugation of women.
You see, in some parts of the world, freedom of religion as expressed in the Establishment Clause and the Free Exercise Clause in the American Bill of Rights is unheard of. Many Muslim-majority countries have established Islam as the state religion, and a number of those countries have banned proselytizing. Some have apostasy laws requiring that those who convert from Islam to another religion be punished by imprisonment and in some cases, death.
According to a report from the Pew Research Center, 86% of Muslims in Egypt favor the death penalty for people who convert from Islam to another faith. In Afghanistan, it’s 79%. In Pakistan, it’s 76%. In Malaysia, it’s 62%. Remember, this isn’t a small minority forcing extreme views on a majority. In much of the Muslim world, this view is mainstream. In this year’s World Watch List compiled by Open Doors, a nondenominational nonprofit that serves persecuted Christians, nine of the worst 10 countries for Christian persecution are majority Muslim.
So Islamists don’t have a complete monopoly on religious persecution, but they certainly seem to have cornered the market. As president of an international Christian relief organization, Franklin Graham probably understands this more than most. His immigration solution is all wrong, but he does get that there are problems within Islam that need to be confronted.
And he’s not the only one. Progressives Bill Maher and Kirsten Powers have been critical of radical Islam as well. Muslim reformer Zudhi Jasser also gets it. Even CNN anchor and commentator Fareed Zakaria conceded in a column last year that Islam has a problem.
A problem indeed — one that too many Pollyannas, progressives and politically correct folks apparently can’t see to save their lives.
The speech of women
By Kira SchlesingerThe first time I preached a sermon to the congregation where I was doing my field education during Divinity School, I was terrified. Afterward, I received a lot of positive and helpful feedback that would help to clarify my points, distill my message and better communicate the good news of the gospel. And then an older gentleman approached me. “It was a good sermon, but I could barely understand you because your voice was so shrill.” I was devastated and shocked. As a classically-trained vocalist who had spent a lot of time on-stage, I took pride in my ability to project and enunciate clearly, and I had never been told my voice was too shrill in those settings. Apparently, it was only in the pulpit that I became a screeching harpy.
Lately, a slew of articles critiquing the speech of women have circulated around the Internet. A Google executive tells women to stop using the word “just,” if they ever want to be respected.Women also apologize too much, overusing “sorry." And then there’s vocal fry and upspeak, when the speaker raises pitch at the end of a sentence, causing an affirmative sentence to sound like a question, and overusing “like” and “um.” According to these articles, the ways women speak undermine their authority and expertise, causing them to not be taken seriously.
As Ann Friedman points out in her rebuttal, men also engage in the aforementioned speech tics, but when people listen to men, they are more likely to listen to content. While when people listen to women, they are more likely to observe how she is delivering her message — her tone of voice, the words she uses and her body language. When women speak in a normal, culturally-conditioned manner, we’re told that our language is too wishy-washy, but when we speak directly and with authority, we’re told that we’re too bossy and assertive. Policing our speech is another tool of the patriarchy, another way that women are asked to work around the sexist bias in the world. If we are not being taken seriously, the finger of blame points squarely towards ourselves — the tone and pitch of our voices, the language that we use.
In the religious world, so often we hear the voice of God as deep and authoritative, portrayed by the likes of actor James Earl Jones. For Christians, communication is at the heart of our scripture. In Genesis, God speaks creation into being, and in the Gospel of John, the Word is co-existent and co-eternal with God. After his resurrection, Jesus commissions the disciples to spread the good news through baptizing and teaching (Matthew 28:19-20).
Friedman argues that language is not only about making an argument or communicating information in the clearest, cleanest way possible; it is also about building relationship. The patterns of speech women use create understanding and sharing, inviting the listener into a conversation. It is no accident that the Word, God incarnate, is also about building and facilitating relationship between humans and God. Evangelism, spreading the message about God’s redemptive work in Christ, and discipleship, walking in the way of Christ, is also accomplished in relationship, not just communication of information that requires intellectual assent.
Perhaps women, with our shrill voices, our vocal fry and our upspeak, might be best equipped for spreading the Good News after all by engaging in vocal patterns that invite others into relationship with ourselves and with God.
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The passion and resurrection of prayer
By Clifton StringerHave you ever noticed that the act of prayer is itself a sign and echo of Jesus Christ's crucifixion and resurrection?
United Methodist theologian Stanley Hauerwas likes to tell his students that "Everything in Christianity relates to everything else." Thus, the process of learning to think like a Christian (or become a theologian!) is a matter of learning to make biblical and theological connections well.
And the theological center of the Christian faith is Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the center of the Christian faith whether we are thinking of the Bible, thinking dogmatically, thinking symbolically, thinking iconically, thinking philosophically or sitting at the office smelling flowers. The basic and primary task of Christian theological thinking is to think about everything in relation to Jesus Christ.
So think about prayer. The human relationship with God through prayer reflects Jesus Christ's crucifixion and resurrection. Our prayer or petition or praise or grief is the passion we offer God. It reflects, and in a deep sense is made possible only by, Jesus Christ's own passion and death. And past the 'death' of our prayer, God's answer to our prayer (whether or not it is what we expect) reflects and flows from Jesus Christ's own resurrection. So the whole action of prayer takes place in Christ. Our prayer is seen and perfected in Jesus Christ's passion and death, and God's perfect answer reflects Jesus Christ's resurrection, in which it begins. Our whole relationship with God, free and personal, is already on display in Jesus' death and resurrection.
Let's dwell for a moment on his death and resurrection in order to learn more about prayer.
Jesus' passion culminates in a complete surrender, a complete offering of himself to the Father. Such is his death. Let us listen to Luke's account:
"It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, while the sun's light failed; and the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, "Father, into your hands I commend my spirit." Having said this, he breathed his last." (Luke 23:44-46 NRSV).
Jesus' death is at once the paradigm for our prayer, even as it surpasses and makes possible our prayer. When we pray, we take part in Jesus Christ's all-sufficient and finished (John 19:30) offering to the Father. Our words may come with struggle; we may strive to be fully transparent to God in our prayer. Yet even our most desperate striving rests on Jesus Christ's perfect prayer. "Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words" (Rom. 8:26). Thus both the Son and the Spirit are involved. They are always there for us, working in us to help us pray. We can pray because the holy Trinity who saves us by Jesus Christ's sacrifice on the cross provides everything we need to approach God. So as the writer of Hebrews says, "Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need" (Hebrews 4:16). With a prayer, we approach God in bold vulnerability, like Jesus. We commend our prayer to God like Jesus commends his spirit to God — and we let it go. Only God can answer our prayer. Only God can raise the dead.
And God answers our prayer just as God raises Jesus from the dead. Think about how mysterious the resurrection accounts are in the Gospels, though. Jesus' disciples didn't expect him to rise, and when he is risen he appears different than they expect (Luke 24:13-35; John 20:11-18, etc.). In a similar way, God will and does answer our prayer, in a way beautifully beyond our control. Paul gives glory to the triune God as "him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine" (Ephesians 3:20).
God answers our prayers in a way that echoes Jesus Christ's resurrection: more wonderfully than we could have asked for. Better than we can ever imagine.
Clifton Stringer is a Ph.D. student in Historical Theology at Boston College and the author of "Christ the Lightgiver" in the Converge Bible Studies series.
Loving your social media neighbor
By Tyler SaldañaWe’ve all had those opportunities: Someone has posted a controversial photo, a seemingly racist/hateful status update, or attached a right-or-left wing extremist “article” or propaganda-like video that clearly lacked credibility. You ask yourself, “Do I comment and start another Facebook Feud (Twitter Tango or Instagram Instafight) or do I technologically bite my lip and move on?
A Samaritan and a Jew
In Luke’s account of the life of Jesus, the author describes a time when Jesus addressed a similar scenario. Once again, Jesus was being hounded by religious leaders searching for bait that would be tweet-worthy or even make Buzzfeed’s Trending category.
Luke narrates that the religious law expert sought to “test Jesus” asking him, “Teacher, what must I do to receive eternal life?”
Jesus knows his antics. This isn’t the first smart alec he’s encountered nor will it be the last. He defers to the Old Testament writings, questioning, “What does the law of Moses say?”
The religious expert correctly responds by essentially saying love God and love your neighbor better than you love yourself.
After Jesus affirms his answer, the religious leader goes down swinging, questioning Jesus one last time, “But who really is my neighbor?”
Jesus goes on to tell a story about a man who is now known as the Good Samaritan, a man that portrays who Jesus ultimately would be to humanity: a lover of his enemies, those who were dead-set against him and everything he stood for. This Good Samaritan placed his enemies before himself in his finances, time, reputation and personal reservations among others. Picture an African-American man helping an injured leader of the KKK during the '60s. This man disregarded the cultural norms of his day and the potential anger he had towards this person for the sake of his enemy’s wellbeing as a human being.
So what does this have to do with social media?
Loving the tweeter next door
Loving our neighbor better than we love ourselves is difficult. After working 50 hour work weeks or going more than full-time to school while juggling family or dating relationships, taxes, groceries, bills, insurances and car maintenance, it’s easy to forget to pay a bill let alone love our neighbors.
Even more so, I think social media poses an imaginary divide between us and our neighbors. For some reason we seem to not see the people we engage with on Twitter or Facebook as human beings on their phones or computers. Instead, there is digital barrier between those we interact with on social media, between our screens and theirs.
Sometimes I wonder: If Jesus had come to earth in the 21st century instead of the 1st century, how would he have answered that same religious leader’s question (assuming that religious leader was born alive in the 21st century as well)? How would he say the great commandments, loving God and loving our neighbors, should affect the way we engage with other people on social media?
While I’m still thinking through what this looks like on a practical level, here are some tips to better love your social media neighbor:
Tips
- Weigh. Consider whether it’s even worthy of a response. In a month, six months, a year, is the content of this post going to matter? Will my response have a lot of negative impact on those who are viewing it? If so, do I respond in a public post to them that everyone can see? Or do I write them a loving message or text? Or do I call and/or set up a time to talk with them in person?
- Wait. If I find myself doubting whether or not I should respond to a post or even write something myself, I type up a potential draft, save it, and walk away for awhile. Whether it be an hour or a day, I know I need to be sure about what I’m about to post.
- Ask. Find someone that you trust to be honest with you (not your gossip girls but someone more like your spiritual correctional officer) and ask them to look over what you’re considering posting. Ask if they think it’s wise and beneficial. More often than not, I ask my wife to look over a potentially controversial blog post or comment, not because I simply don’t want to offend someone — sometimes people need that — but because I want to ensure that what I’m saying is wise, beneficial for the person(s) I’m engaging with, and has God’s kingdom in mind.
That time Harper Lee put a mirror up and made us face our true selves
By Ben GosdenA lot of ink has been spilled (or digitally typed, I suppose) about Harper Lee’s new (old) book, "Go Set a Watchman." Supposedly, this was the original book she submitted for publishing only to have it rejected and to be told that she should write more about the flashbacks Jean Louise has to her childhood that are sprinkled throughout the book.
Nonetheless, a lot has happened in the world of the Finch family and Maycomb, Alabama between the two novels. And a lot has changed in our world over the last 55 years since Harper Lee last graced us with her writing. What’s even harder to swallow, maybe, is that while much has changed, "Watchman" is a glaring reminder that much remains the same.
We join now adult Jean Louise Finch as she returns for her annual two-week visit home to Maycomb, Alabama from the big city of New York that she now calls home. In many ways comforted by the way things in Maycomb never seem to change. Even though the scenery is slowing becoming more modernized, “the same hearts beat in new houses” (p. 46). She even reacts negatively upon seeing the new-fangled neon signs and whitewashed walls lining the familiar streets. “Conservative resistance to change, that’s all,” (p. 46) she tells her childhood friend and adult love interest, Hank. Those words, “resistance to change,” would come back to haunt Jean Louise for the rest of the novel.
The most widely publicized (and criticized) revelation in this novel is that one of our nation’s most upright and beloved literary characters, Atticus Finch, has himself succumbed to the cultural pressures of “separate but equal” as Jean Louise finds him attending, of all things, a Citizen’s Council meeting where white leaders — people she grew up admiring — sit and listen to a man spew one of the most racist and hateful speeches in recent literary history. It’s there that Jean Louise discovers not only her father’s complacency, but his support, for such things as he introduces the speaker for the day. For Harper Lee to tell us Atticus Finch has a racist streak is just beyond comprehension. She might as well have said Mr. Rogers had a drug problem or Kermit the Frog ran around on Miss Piggy. It’s almost too much to bear.
And yet, in one bold and beautiful literary move, she makes Atticus (now aged) one of the most complex characters in literature. Here is a man who stands for justice and upholding the law, but he’s not comfortable with the Supreme Court overstepping their boundaries and the NAACP advocating to overturn certain societal norms. Here is a man we all grew up knowing for his courage and compassion, “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view…until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.” And now we’re told he believes white people are superior and that the purpose of living for black people is to “adapt to white ways” — which Atticus says they were doing fine, “traveling at a rate they could absorb” (p. 247). I’m sure there will be literary courses designed around a comparative study of these two books.
The main thrust of the novel is Jean Louise struggling to grow into her own person and exercise her own conscience separate from her father, Atticus, who had served as her moral compass her entire life. The themes of conscience and justice take center stage just like in "To Kill a Mockingbird." But the themes of progress and change show how the times have affected our characters and their development. I would spoil a chunk of the novel telling all you all of the twists, turns and changes Jean Louise goes through. Suffice it to say, "Go Set A Watchman" is a much more complex (albeit less balanced and seamless) novel than its beloved predecessor.
The biggest takeaway for me as a native Southerner is how complicated and horrific and perfect Harper Lee paints us all as a people who stridently hold to our beliefs even at the expense of listening to or getting to know someone who might be different. As Jean Louise’s eccentric uncle reminds her and the rest of us, “You’re a bigot… not a big one, just an ordinary turnip-sized bigot.” He asks Jean Louise, “What does a bigot do when he meets someone who challenges his opinions? He doesn’t give. He stays rigid. Doesn’t even try to listen, just lashes out” (p. 267). We’re all bigots in some form or fashion.
As a white, male, native Southerner I don’t like being faced with the reality that I have a bigot streak in me. In fact, I don’t like it when people who aren’t from the South try to label all Southerners and Southern culture as bigoted. I don’t like it when Christians get labeled as bigots when they say intolerant things about other religions (hello there, Franklin Graham). And I don’t like it when straight people get labeled as bigots when they don’t give a full-throated endorsement of same-sex marriage. But here’s the thing: There’s a bigoted streak in the South. There’s a bigoted streak among Christians. There’s a bigoted streak among those who don’t support same-sex marriage. And there’s a bigoted streak among those who love to label anyone who doesn’t agree with their opinions as a bigot. There are conservative Republican bigots. And there are progressive Democrat bigots. We’re all bigots when you get right down to it.
The beautiful turn Harper Lee offers in this novel reminds me of the saying the great white Baptist preacher from Mississippi (and civil rights leader), Will D. Campbell once uttered when he was challenged to sum of the gospel in eight words or less: “We’re all bastards. But God loves us anyways.”
In her journey of self-discovery, Jean Louise Finch delves into the complicated places of her own conscience as she struggled with seeing her father and other loved ones as the flawed, equally complicated beings they are. She dares to listen even when it hurts and even when she could never bring herself to agree. Harper Lee’s 1955 novel rings as true today as it did in the days she first wrote it — we’re all a big, complicated mix of good and bad, righteous and bigoted, sinful and holy.
Needless to say, the Watchman has seen us and has told us who we are. The question is, once we discover and admit that truth, can we actually trust one another enough to listen and even love in spite of it all?
Ben Gosden blogs at MastersDust.com.
On the duty of constant Communion
By Allan R. BevereJohn Wesley, the founder of Methodism (along with his brother Charles) participated in the sacrament of Holy Communion at least a couple of times a week. He told his people called Methodists that they should take Communion as often as possible. In his sermon entitled, "The Duty of Constant Communion," Wesley gives his reasons for constant Communion as well as answering common objections to those who believed the Lord's Supper could be celebrated too frequently. In response to one objection that I heard often growing up in the church, Wesley writes:
A Third objection against constant communion is, that it abates our reverence for the sacrament. Suppose it did? What then? Will you thence conclude that you are not to receive it constantly? This does not follow. God commands you, "Do this." You may do it now, but will not, and, to excuse yourself say, "If I do it so often, it will abate the reverence with which I do it now." Suppose it did; has God ever told you, that when the obeying his command abates your reverence to it, then you may disobey it? If he has, you are guiltless; if not, what you say is just nothing to the purpose. The law is clear. Either show that the lawgiver makes this exception, or you are guilty before him.
In other words, the objection is that if the Lord's Supper is celebrated too often it will lose its meaning to which Wesley basically responds, So what? If Jesus commands us to do this often and it loses its meaning, does that allow us to break the command? But Wesley continues:
Reverence for the sacrament may be of two sorts: Either such as is owing purely to the newness of the thing, such as men naturally have for anything they are not used to; or such as is owing to our faith, or to the love or fear of God. Now, the former of these is not properly a religious reverence, but purely natural. And this sort of reverence for the Lord's Supper, the constantly receiving of it must lessen. But it will not lessen the true religious reverence, but rather confirm and increase it.
It seems to me that Wesley's reference to "the newness of the thing" is in reference to a practice becoming routine, which will happen to anything we human beings do over time. Those who fret over the loss of meaning are really concerned over losing the feeling of doing what one has never done before. In this case celebrating Holy Communion once a month or once a quarter will also lose its sense of newness over time as even four times a year can become routine. But this entirely misses the point of the significance of constant Communion. The meaning of the Lord's Supper is not found in our own personal appropriation of its meaning; its significance is found in the sacrament itself and reason why we are to celebrate in the first place.
Communion must be constant because the Lord's Supper must become a habit just as prayer. Have you ever heard anyone say, "Well, I only pray once a month because I don't want talking with God to lose its meaning?" Discipleship is a daily thing, and in order for it to be daily, there are certain habits that embody such discipleship — among them are daily prayer and constant Communion.
I wonder what my wife would say if I came home one evening and said, "Honey, I have decided I am only going to tell you I love you once a month because I am afraid if I tell you too often, it will get old and lose its meaning?" On the contrary I tell my wife often that I love her, not because if I don't she will get worried that I no longer do, but because my love for her is too important to fail to tell her as often as I can.
And the same is true with our children. Our adult daughters who no longer live with us never end a phone conversation with me without my utterance of those all-important words, "I love you." It's not a matter of my words losing their meaning; it's about my love for my wife and my children being so constantly expressed in word and in deed that it becomes a habit. And since my love for them is a habit, they can depend upon it.
Many years ago, Bishop William Willimon wrote:
In my own free church tradition, Zwingli's practice of quarterly celebrations of Communion have taken hold. That radical reformer from Zurich felt that quarterly celebrations of the Lord's Supper were sufficient lest the meal become too commonplace, too ritualized. This is an odd point of view. Odd because five hundred years of experience in those churches that adopted the Zwinglian practice shows that churches which commune less frequently value Communion less. Odd because of the biblical and historical testimony of weekly celebrations of the Eucharist. Odd because reformers such as John Calvin and Luther hoped to establish weekly Communion.
The celebration of the Lord's Supper should become a habit for disciples because sanctification is an ongoing activity in the life of the believer and the church through the power of the Holy Spirit. And Holy Communion is a sanctifying sacrament. It is appropriate that Father John have the last word:
The grace of God given herein confirms to us the pardon of our sins, by enabling us to leave them. As our bodies are strengthened by bread and wine, so are our souls by these tokens of the body and blood of Christ. This is the food of our souls: This gives strength to perform our duty, and leads us on to perfection. If, therefore, we have any regard for the plain command of Christ, if we desire the pardon of our sins, if we wish for strength to believe, to love and obey God, then we should neglect no opportunity of receiving the Lord's Supper; then we must never turn our backs on the feast which our Lord has prepared for us.
Do this often in remembrance... Indeed!
Allan Bevere blogs at AllanBevere.com.
7 ways to raise up young leaders
By Ron EdmondsonI talk to pastors and leaders my age and older who want to see a new generation of leaders. They claim to love investing in younger leaders. They recognize the huge need in churches and organizations. Our future depends upon doing so.
The problem they claim is either they don’t know how or can’t seem to find them. Or they can’t seem to keep them. Frankly, some pastors I talk with are frustrated with what they see as a lack of leadership among the newer generations.
As a church planter, we hired several staff members into their first ministry position. We struck “gold” several times. I was frequently asked how we've managed to find so many talented young leaders. Much of the work God did at the church plant was done through the leadership efforts of people 10, 15, and 20 years younger than me.
Now I am pastoring an established church. I falsely assumed — because of what I’d been told — younger leaders would not want to join our efforts. They only wanted hip and cool church plants.
Not true. At all. We are once again surrounded by young leaders. Sharp young leaders.
Along the way we’ve discovered a few things.
Here are seven ways to raise up young leaders:
Give them opportunities. That sounds simple, but it’s not. Many leaders are afraid to hand off real responsibility to leaders half their age. I understand, because I made some huge mistakes as a young leader, but at the same time, it’s how I learned — through trying, failing and trying again. Younger leaders want authority and a seat at the table now — not when they reach an expected age. That may not even be a fair expectation for them at times, but it’s a legitimate one. Is it risky? Of course, but it has the potential for awesomeness to occur.
Share experiences. Young leaders are open to learning from a mature leader’s successes and failures. In fact, they crave it. They enjoy hearing stories of what worked and what didn’t. This characteristic is actually one of the beauties of newer generations. The young leaders on teams I’ve led actually seek out my personal experience. They will still want the chance to learn on their own, but they are ready to glean from the wisdom of those who have gone before them, especially in the context of relationships.
Allow for failure. People of all ages will make mistakes in leadership, regardless of their years of experience. It seems magnified for younger leaders, because they are doing many things the first time — which is one reason older leaders sometimes shy away from them. An atmosphere, however, which embraces failure as a part of the growth process, invites younger leaders to take chances, risking failure and exploring possible genius discoveries.
Be open to change. More than likely, younger leaders will do things differently than the older leaders did things. They want more flexible hours, different work environments, and opportunities to work as a team. It may seem unnatural at first, but let their process take shape and you’ll have a better chance of leadership development occurring. And, us “old dogs” might “learn some new tricks.”
Set high expectations. Having different working methods shouldn’t lower standards or quality expectations. The good thing is the younger leaders, from my experience, aren’t looking for a free ride, just a seat on the bus. Hold them accountable to clearly identified goals and objectives. Let them know what a win looks like to you. Applaud them for good work and challenge them to continually improve. It’s part of their growth process.
Provide encouragement. Younger leaders need feedback. They seem to want to know how they are doing far more often than the annual review system the past afforded. They are looking to meet the approval of senior leadership and the organization. Keep them encouraged and they’ll keep aiming higher.
Give constructive feedback. Again, younger leaders appear more interested in knowing they are meeting the expectations of senior leadership, so acknowledge that fact by helping them learn as they grow. Don’t simply share “good” or “bad” feedback. Rather, with the goal of helping them grow as leaders, give them concrete and constructive reviews of their performance. Help them understand not only what they did right or wrong, but practical ways they can get better in their work and leadership abilities.
Raising up younger leaders is crucial to a growing and maintaining healthy organizations and churches. We must be intentional and diligent about investing in the next generation, understanding their differences, and working within their culture to grow new leaders.
Young leaders, what did I miss? Mature leaders, what else are you doing?
Ron Edmondson blogs at RonEdmondson.com.
This Sunday July 26, 2015
Ninth Sunday after Pentecost: 2 Samuel 11:1-15; Psalm 14; Ephesians 3:14-21; John 6:1-21
9th Sunday after Pentecost/in Kingdomtide – Green
2 Samuel 11:1-15
Psalm 14
Ephesians 3:14-21
John 6:1-21
2 Samuel 11:1-15
Psalm 14
Ephesians 3:14-21
John 6:1-21
Lectionary Texts:
2 Samuel 11:1 In the spring, at the time when kings go out to war, David sent out Yo’av, his servants who were with him and all Isra’el. They ravaged the people of ‘Amon and laid siege to Rabbah. But David stayed in Yerushalayim. 2 Once, after his afternoon nap, David got up from his bed and went strolling on the roof of the king’s palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing, who was very beautiful. 3 David made inquiries about the woman and was told that she was Bat-Sheva the daughter of Eli‘am, the wife of Uriyah the Hitti. 4 David sent messengers to get her, and she came to him, and he went to bed with her (for she had been purified from her uncleanness). Then she returned to her house. 5 The woman conceived; and she sent a message to David, “I am pregnant.”
6 David sent this order to Yo’av: “Send me Uriyah the Hitti.” Yo’av sent Uriyah to David. 7 When Uriyah had come to him, David asked him how Yo’av was doing, how the people were feeling and how the war was going. 8 Then David said to Uriyah, “Go down to your house and wash your feet.” Uriyah left the king’s palace and was followed by a present of food from the king. 9 But Uriyah slept at the door of the king’s palace with all the servants of his lord and didn’t go down to his house. 10 When they told David, “Uriyah didn’t go down to his house,” David said to Uriyah, “Haven’t you just arrived from a journey? Why didn’t you go down to your house?” 11 Uriyah answered David, “The ark, Isra’el and Y’hudah stay in tents; and my lord Yo’av and the servants of my lord are camping in the countryside. So should I go into my house to eat and drink and go to bed with my wife? As surely as you live, I will not do such a thing!” 12 David said to Uriyah, “Stay here today also; tomorrow I will let you leave.” So Uriyah stayed in Yerushalayim that day and the following day. 13 David summoned him, ate and drank with him, and got him drunk. But in the evening he went out and lay on his bed with his lord’s servants and did not go down to his house.
14 In the morning David wrote a letter to Yo’av and sent it with Uriyah. 15 In the letter he wrote, “Put Uriyah on the front lines of the fiercest fighting; then pull back from him, so that he will be wounded and killed.”
Psalm 14:(0) For the leader. By David:
(1) Fools say in their hearts,
“There is no God.”
They deal corruptly, their deeds are vile,
not one does what is right.
2 From heaven Adonai observes humankind
to see if anyone has understanding,
if anyone seeks God.
3 But all turn aside, all alike are corrupt;
no one does what is right,
not a single one.
4 Don’t they ever learn,
all those evildoers,
who eat up my people as if eating bread
and never call on Adonai?
5 There they are, utterly terrified;
for God is with those who are righteous.
6 You may mock the plans of the poor,
but their refuge is Adonai.
7 How I wish Isra’el’s salvation
would come out of Tziyon!
When Adonai restores his people’s fortunes,
Ya‘akov will rejoice, Isra’el will be glad!
Ephesians 3:14 For this reason, I fall on my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth receives its character. 16 I pray that from the treasures of his glory he will empower you with inner strength by his Spirit, 17 so that the Messiah may live in your hearts through your trusting. Also I pray that you will be rooted and founded in love, 18 so that you, with all God’s people, will be given strength to grasp the breadth, length, height and depth of the Messiah’s love, 19 yes, to know it, even though it is beyond all knowing, so that you will be filled with all the fullness of God.
20 Now to him who by his power working in us is able to do far beyond anything we can ask or imagine, 21 to him be glory in the Messianic Community and in the Messiah Yeshua from generation to generation forever. Amen.
John 6:1 Some time later, Yeshua went over to the far side of Lake Kinneret (that is, Lake Tiberias), 2 and a large crowd followed him, because they had seen the miracles he had performed on the sick. 3 Yeshua went up into the hills and sat down there with his talmidim. 4 Now the Judean festival of Pesach was coming up; 5 so when Yeshua looked up and saw that a large crowd was approaching, he said to Philip, “Where will we be able to buy bread, so that these people can eat?” 6 (Now Yeshua said this to test Philip, for Yeshua himself knew what he was about to do.) 7 Philip answered, “Half a year’s wages wouldn’t buy enough bread for them — each one would get only a bite!” 8 One of the talmidim, Andrew the brother of Shim‘on Kefa, said to him, 9 “There’s a young fellow here who has five loaves of barley bread and two fish. But how far will they go among so many?”
10 Yeshua said, “Have the people sit down.” There was a lot of grass there, so they sat down. The number of men was about five thousand. 11 Then Yeshua took the loaves of bread, and, after making a b’rakhah, gave to all who were sitting there, and likewise with the fish, as much as they wanted. 12 After they had eaten their fill, he told his talmidim, “Gather the leftover pieces, so that nothing gets wasted.” 13 They gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces from the five barley loaves left by those who had eaten.
14 When the people saw the miracle he had performed, they said, “This has to be ‘the prophet’ who is supposed to come into the world.” 15 Yeshua knew that they were on the point of coming and seizing him, in order to make him king; so he went back to the hills again. This time he went by himself.
16 When evening came, his talmidim went down to the lake, 17 got into a boat and set out across the lake toward K’far-Nachum. By now it was dark, Yeshua had not yet joined them, 18 and the sea was getting rough, because a strong wind was blowing. 19 They had rowed three or four miles when they saw Yeshua approaching the boat, walking on the lake! They were terrified; 20 but he said to them, “Stop being afraid, it is I.” 21 Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and instantly the boat reached the land they were heading for.
John Wesley's Notes-commentary for 2 Samuel 11:1-15
Verse 1
[1] And it came to pass, after the year was expired, at the time when kings go forth to battle, that David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the children of Ammon, and besieged Rabbah. But David tarried still at Jerusalem.
After — When that year ended, and the next begun, which was in the spring time.
When kings — Which is, when the ground is fit for the march of soldiers, and brings forth provision for man and beast.
Tarried at Jerusalem — Had he been now in his post, at the head of his forces be had been out of the way of temptation.
Verse 2
[2] And it came to pass in an eveningtide, that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king's house: and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself; and the woman was very beautiful to look upon.
Arose from off his bed — Where he had lain, and slept for some time. And the bed of sloth often proves the bed of lust.
Washing herself — In a bath, which was in her garden. Probably from some ceremonial pollution.
Verse 3
[3] And David sent and enquired after the woman. And one said, Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?
He inquired — Instead of suppressing that desire which the sight of his eyes had kindled, he seeks rather to feed it; and first enquires who she was; that if she were unmarried, he might make her either his wife or his concubine.
Verse 4
[4] And David sent messengers, and took her; and she came in unto him, and he lay with her; for she was purified from her uncleanness: and she returned unto her house.
Took her — From her own house into his palace, not by force, but by persuasion.
Lay with her — See how all the way to sin is down hill! When men begin, they cannot soon stop themselves.
Verse 8
[8] And David said to Uriah, Go down to thy house, and wash thy feet. And Uriah departed out of the king's house, and there followed him a mess of meat from the king.
Go down — Not doubting but he would there converse with his wife, and so cover their sin and shame.
Verse 9
[9] But Uriah slept at the door of the king's house with all the servants of his lord, and went not down to his house.
The servants — With the king's guard. This he did, by the secret direction of God's wise providence, who would bring David's sin to light.
Verse 10
[10] And when they had told David, saying, Uriah went not down unto his house, David said unto Uriah, Camest thou not from thy journey? why then didst thou not go down unto thine house?
Camest — Wearied with hard service and travel, nor did I expect or desire that thou shouldest now attend upon my person, or keep the watch.
Verse 11
[11] And Uriah said unto David, The ark, and Israel, and Judah, abide in tents; and my lord Joab, and the servants of my lord, are encamped in the open fields; shall I then go into mine house, to eat and to drink, and to lie with my wife? as thou livest, and as thy soul liveth, I will not do this thing.
The ark — This it seems, was now carried with them for their encouragement and direction, as was usual.
Fields — In tents which are in the fields. His meaning is, now, when God's people are in a doubtful and dangerous condition, it becomes me to sympathize with them, and to abstain even from lawful delights.
Verse 15
[15] And he wrote in the letter, saying, Set ye Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retire ye from him, that he may be smitten, and die.
He arose — So far is David from repenting, that he seeks to cover one sin with another. How are the beginnings of sin to be dreaded! For who knows where it will end? David hath sinned, therefore Uriah must die! That innocent, valiant, gallant man, who was ready to die for his prince's honour, must die by his prince's hand! See how fleshly lusts war against the soul, and what devastations they make in that war! How they blind the eyes, fear the conscience, harden the heart, and destroy all sense of honour and justice!Psalm 14
Verse 1
[1] The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.
The fool — The wicked man.
Good — That is, actions really good or pleasing to God.
Verse 2
[2] The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God.
Looked — God knoweth all things without any enquiry: but he speaks after the manner of men.
Upon — Upon the whole Israelitish nation, and upon all mankind for he speaks of all except his people, and the righteous ones, who are opposed to these, verse 4,5.
Verse 3
[3] They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
Gone — From God, and from the rule which he hath given them.
Filthy — Loathsome and abominable to God.
Verse 4
[4] Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge? who eat up my people as they eat bread, and call not upon the LORD.
Bread — With as little remorse, and with as much greediness.
Call not — They are guilty not only of gross injustice towards men, but also of horrid impiety and contempt of God.
Verse 5
[5] There were they in great fear: for God is in the generation of the righteous.
There — Upon the spot, where they practised these insolences, God struck them with a panick fear.
For — God is on their side, and therefore their enemies have cause to tremble.
Verse 6
[6] Ye have shamed the counsel of the poor, because the LORD is his refuge.
Because — This was the ground of their contempt, that he lived by faith in God's promise and providence.
Verse 7
[7] Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion! when the LORD bringeth back the captivity of his people, Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad.
O that — These words immediately concern the deliverance of Israel out of that sinful state, in which they now were; which having described, he concludes, with a prayer to God to help them out of Zion, where the ark then was, but principally they design the spiritual redemption and salvation of all God's Israel by the Messiah.
The captivity — His captive people. The children of Jacob, as Aaron is named for his sons, 1 Chronicles 12:27.Ephesians 3:14-21
Verse 15
[15] Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,
Of whom — The Father. The whole family of angels in heaven, saints in paradise, and believers on earth is named. Being the "children of God," (a more honourable title than "children of Abraham,") and depending on him as the Father of the family.
Verse 16
[16] That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;
The riches of his glory — The immense fulness of his glorious wisdom, power, and mercy.
The inner man — The soul.
Verse 17
[17] That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,
Dwell — That is, constantly and sensibly abide.
Verse 18
[18] May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;
That being rooted and grounded — That is, deeply fixed and firmly established, in love. Ye may comprehend - So far as an human mind is capable.
What is the breadth of the love of Christ — Embracing all mankind.
And length — From everlasting to everlasting.
And depth — Not to be fathomed by any creature.
And height — Not to be reached by any enemy.
Verse 19
[19] And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.
And to know — But the apostle corrects himself, and immediately observes, it cannot be fully known. This only we know, that the love of Christ surpasses all knowledge. That ye may be filled - Which is the sum of all.
With all the fulness of God — With all his light, love, wisdom, holiness, power, and glory. A perfection far beyond a bare freedom from sin.
Verse 20
[20] Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,
Now to him — This doxology is admirably adapted to strengthen our faith, that we may not stagger at the great things the apostle has been praying for, as if they were too much for God to give, or for us to expect from him.
That is able — Here is a most beautiful gradation. When he has given us exceeding, yea, abundant blessings, still we may ask for more. And he is able to do it. But we may think of more than we have asked. He is able to do this also. Yea, and above all this.
Above all we ask — Above all we can think. Nay, exceedingly, abundantly above all that we can either ask or think.
Verse 21
[21] Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.
In the church — On earth and in heaven.John 6:1-21
2 Samuel 11:1 In the spring, at the time when kings go out to war, David sent out Yo’av, his servants who were with him and all Isra’el. They ravaged the people of ‘Amon and laid siege to Rabbah. But David stayed in Yerushalayim. 2 Once, after his afternoon nap, David got up from his bed and went strolling on the roof of the king’s palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing, who was very beautiful. 3 David made inquiries about the woman and was told that she was Bat-Sheva the daughter of Eli‘am, the wife of Uriyah the Hitti. 4 David sent messengers to get her, and she came to him, and he went to bed with her (for she had been purified from her uncleanness). Then she returned to her house. 5 The woman conceived; and she sent a message to David, “I am pregnant.”
6 David sent this order to Yo’av: “Send me Uriyah the Hitti.” Yo’av sent Uriyah to David. 7 When Uriyah had come to him, David asked him how Yo’av was doing, how the people were feeling and how the war was going. 8 Then David said to Uriyah, “Go down to your house and wash your feet.” Uriyah left the king’s palace and was followed by a present of food from the king. 9 But Uriyah slept at the door of the king’s palace with all the servants of his lord and didn’t go down to his house. 10 When they told David, “Uriyah didn’t go down to his house,” David said to Uriyah, “Haven’t you just arrived from a journey? Why didn’t you go down to your house?” 11 Uriyah answered David, “The ark, Isra’el and Y’hudah stay in tents; and my lord Yo’av and the servants of my lord are camping in the countryside. So should I go into my house to eat and drink and go to bed with my wife? As surely as you live, I will not do such a thing!” 12 David said to Uriyah, “Stay here today also; tomorrow I will let you leave.” So Uriyah stayed in Yerushalayim that day and the following day. 13 David summoned him, ate and drank with him, and got him drunk. But in the evening he went out and lay on his bed with his lord’s servants and did not go down to his house.
14 In the morning David wrote a letter to Yo’av and sent it with Uriyah. 15 In the letter he wrote, “Put Uriyah on the front lines of the fiercest fighting; then pull back from him, so that he will be wounded and killed.”
Psalm 14:(0) For the leader. By David:
(1) Fools say in their hearts,
“There is no God.”
They deal corruptly, their deeds are vile,
not one does what is right.
2 From heaven Adonai observes humankind
to see if anyone has understanding,
if anyone seeks God.
3 But all turn aside, all alike are corrupt;
no one does what is right,
not a single one.
4 Don’t they ever learn,
all those evildoers,
who eat up my people as if eating bread
and never call on Adonai?
5 There they are, utterly terrified;
for God is with those who are righteous.
6 You may mock the plans of the poor,
but their refuge is Adonai.
7 How I wish Isra’el’s salvation
would come out of Tziyon!
When Adonai restores his people’s fortunes,
Ya‘akov will rejoice, Isra’el will be glad!
Ephesians 3:14 For this reason, I fall on my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth receives its character. 16 I pray that from the treasures of his glory he will empower you with inner strength by his Spirit, 17 so that the Messiah may live in your hearts through your trusting. Also I pray that you will be rooted and founded in love, 18 so that you, with all God’s people, will be given strength to grasp the breadth, length, height and depth of the Messiah’s love, 19 yes, to know it, even though it is beyond all knowing, so that you will be filled with all the fullness of God.
20 Now to him who by his power working in us is able to do far beyond anything we can ask or imagine, 21 to him be glory in the Messianic Community and in the Messiah Yeshua from generation to generation forever. Amen.
John 6:1 Some time later, Yeshua went over to the far side of Lake Kinneret (that is, Lake Tiberias), 2 and a large crowd followed him, because they had seen the miracles he had performed on the sick. 3 Yeshua went up into the hills and sat down there with his talmidim. 4 Now the Judean festival of Pesach was coming up; 5 so when Yeshua looked up and saw that a large crowd was approaching, he said to Philip, “Where will we be able to buy bread, so that these people can eat?” 6 (Now Yeshua said this to test Philip, for Yeshua himself knew what he was about to do.) 7 Philip answered, “Half a year’s wages wouldn’t buy enough bread for them — each one would get only a bite!” 8 One of the talmidim, Andrew the brother of Shim‘on Kefa, said to him, 9 “There’s a young fellow here who has five loaves of barley bread and two fish. But how far will they go among so many?”
10 Yeshua said, “Have the people sit down.” There was a lot of grass there, so they sat down. The number of men was about five thousand. 11 Then Yeshua took the loaves of bread, and, after making a b’rakhah, gave to all who were sitting there, and likewise with the fish, as much as they wanted. 12 After they had eaten their fill, he told his talmidim, “Gather the leftover pieces, so that nothing gets wasted.” 13 They gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces from the five barley loaves left by those who had eaten.
14 When the people saw the miracle he had performed, they said, “This has to be ‘the prophet’ who is supposed to come into the world.” 15 Yeshua knew that they were on the point of coming and seizing him, in order to make him king; so he went back to the hills again. This time he went by himself.
16 When evening came, his talmidim went down to the lake, 17 got into a boat and set out across the lake toward K’far-Nachum. By now it was dark, Yeshua had not yet joined them, 18 and the sea was getting rough, because a strong wind was blowing. 19 They had rowed three or four miles when they saw Yeshua approaching the boat, walking on the lake! They were terrified; 20 but he said to them, “Stop being afraid, it is I.” 21 Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and instantly the boat reached the land they were heading for.
John Wesley's Notes-commentary for 2 Samuel 11:1-15
Verse 1
[1] And it came to pass, after the year was expired, at the time when kings go forth to battle, that David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the children of Ammon, and besieged Rabbah. But David tarried still at Jerusalem.
After — When that year ended, and the next begun, which was in the spring time.
When kings — Which is, when the ground is fit for the march of soldiers, and brings forth provision for man and beast.
Tarried at Jerusalem — Had he been now in his post, at the head of his forces be had been out of the way of temptation.
Verse 2
[2] And it came to pass in an eveningtide, that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king's house: and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself; and the woman was very beautiful to look upon.
Arose from off his bed — Where he had lain, and slept for some time. And the bed of sloth often proves the bed of lust.
Washing herself — In a bath, which was in her garden. Probably from some ceremonial pollution.
Verse 3
[3] And David sent and enquired after the woman. And one said, Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?
He inquired — Instead of suppressing that desire which the sight of his eyes had kindled, he seeks rather to feed it; and first enquires who she was; that if she were unmarried, he might make her either his wife or his concubine.
Verse 4
[4] And David sent messengers, and took her; and she came in unto him, and he lay with her; for she was purified from her uncleanness: and she returned unto her house.
Took her — From her own house into his palace, not by force, but by persuasion.
Lay with her — See how all the way to sin is down hill! When men begin, they cannot soon stop themselves.
Verse 8
[8] And David said to Uriah, Go down to thy house, and wash thy feet. And Uriah departed out of the king's house, and there followed him a mess of meat from the king.
Go down — Not doubting but he would there converse with his wife, and so cover their sin and shame.
Verse 9
[9] But Uriah slept at the door of the king's house with all the servants of his lord, and went not down to his house.
The servants — With the king's guard. This he did, by the secret direction of God's wise providence, who would bring David's sin to light.
Verse 10
[10] And when they had told David, saying, Uriah went not down unto his house, David said unto Uriah, Camest thou not from thy journey? why then didst thou not go down unto thine house?
Camest — Wearied with hard service and travel, nor did I expect or desire that thou shouldest now attend upon my person, or keep the watch.
Verse 11
[11] And Uriah said unto David, The ark, and Israel, and Judah, abide in tents; and my lord Joab, and the servants of my lord, are encamped in the open fields; shall I then go into mine house, to eat and to drink, and to lie with my wife? as thou livest, and as thy soul liveth, I will not do this thing.
The ark — This it seems, was now carried with them for their encouragement and direction, as was usual.
Fields — In tents which are in the fields. His meaning is, now, when God's people are in a doubtful and dangerous condition, it becomes me to sympathize with them, and to abstain even from lawful delights.
Verse 15
[15] And he wrote in the letter, saying, Set ye Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retire ye from him, that he may be smitten, and die.
He arose — So far is David from repenting, that he seeks to cover one sin with another. How are the beginnings of sin to be dreaded! For who knows where it will end? David hath sinned, therefore Uriah must die! That innocent, valiant, gallant man, who was ready to die for his prince's honour, must die by his prince's hand! See how fleshly lusts war against the soul, and what devastations they make in that war! How they blind the eyes, fear the conscience, harden the heart, and destroy all sense of honour and justice!Psalm 14
Verse 1
[1] The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.
The fool — The wicked man.
Good — That is, actions really good or pleasing to God.
Verse 2
[2] The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God.
Looked — God knoweth all things without any enquiry: but he speaks after the manner of men.
Upon — Upon the whole Israelitish nation, and upon all mankind for he speaks of all except his people, and the righteous ones, who are opposed to these, verse 4,5.
Verse 3
[3] They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
Gone — From God, and from the rule which he hath given them.
Filthy — Loathsome and abominable to God.
Verse 4
[4] Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge? who eat up my people as they eat bread, and call not upon the LORD.
Bread — With as little remorse, and with as much greediness.
Call not — They are guilty not only of gross injustice towards men, but also of horrid impiety and contempt of God.
Verse 5
[5] There were they in great fear: for God is in the generation of the righteous.
There — Upon the spot, where they practised these insolences, God struck them with a panick fear.
For — God is on their side, and therefore their enemies have cause to tremble.
Verse 6
[6] Ye have shamed the counsel of the poor, because the LORD is his refuge.
Because — This was the ground of their contempt, that he lived by faith in God's promise and providence.
Verse 7
[7] Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion! when the LORD bringeth back the captivity of his people, Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad.
O that — These words immediately concern the deliverance of Israel out of that sinful state, in which they now were; which having described, he concludes, with a prayer to God to help them out of Zion, where the ark then was, but principally they design the spiritual redemption and salvation of all God's Israel by the Messiah.
The captivity — His captive people. The children of Jacob, as Aaron is named for his sons, 1 Chronicles 12:27.Ephesians 3:14-21
Verse 15
[15] Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,
Of whom — The Father. The whole family of angels in heaven, saints in paradise, and believers on earth is named. Being the "children of God," (a more honourable title than "children of Abraham,") and depending on him as the Father of the family.
Verse 16
[16] That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;
The riches of his glory — The immense fulness of his glorious wisdom, power, and mercy.
The inner man — The soul.
Verse 17
[17] That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,
Dwell — That is, constantly and sensibly abide.
Verse 18
[18] May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;
That being rooted and grounded — That is, deeply fixed and firmly established, in love. Ye may comprehend - So far as an human mind is capable.
What is the breadth of the love of Christ — Embracing all mankind.
And length — From everlasting to everlasting.
And depth — Not to be fathomed by any creature.
And height — Not to be reached by any enemy.
Verse 19
[19] And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.
And to know — But the apostle corrects himself, and immediately observes, it cannot be fully known. This only we know, that the love of Christ surpasses all knowledge. That ye may be filled - Which is the sum of all.
With all the fulness of God — With all his light, love, wisdom, holiness, power, and glory. A perfection far beyond a bare freedom from sin.
Verse 20
[20] Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,
Now to him — This doxology is admirably adapted to strengthen our faith, that we may not stagger at the great things the apostle has been praying for, as if they were too much for God to give, or for us to expect from him.
That is able — Here is a most beautiful gradation. When he has given us exceeding, yea, abundant blessings, still we may ask for more. And he is able to do it. But we may think of more than we have asked. He is able to do this also. Yea, and above all this.
Above all we ask — Above all we can think. Nay, exceedingly, abundantly above all that we can either ask or think.
Verse 21
[21] Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.
In the church — On earth and in heaven.John 6:1-21
Verse 3
[3] And Jesus went up into a mountain, and there he sat with his disciples.
Jesus went up — Before the people overtook him.
Verse 5
[5] When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?
Jesus saith to Philip — Perhaps he had the care of providing victuals for the family of the apostles.
Verse 15
[15] When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone.
He retired to the mountain alone — Having ordered his disciples to cross over the lake.
Verse 16
[16] And when even was now come, his disciples went down unto the sea,
Matthew 14:22; Mark 6:45.
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Upper Room Ministries, a ministry of Discipleship Ministries[3] And Jesus went up into a mountain, and there he sat with his disciples.
Jesus went up — Before the people overtook him.
Verse 5
[5] When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?
Jesus saith to Philip — Perhaps he had the care of providing victuals for the family of the apostles.
Verse 15
[15] When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone.
He retired to the mountain alone — Having ordered his disciples to cross over the lake.
Verse 16
[16] And when even was now come, his disciples went down unto the sea,
Matthew 14:22; Mark 6:45.
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PO Box 340004
Nashville, Tennessee 37203-0004 United States
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Sermon Story "Seeking After Sin" by Gary Lee Parker for Sunday, 26 July 2015 with Scripture: 2 Samuel 11:1 In the spring, at the time when kings go out to war, David sent out Yo’av, his servants who were with him and all Isra’el. They ravaged the people of ‘Amon and laid siege to Rabbah. But David stayed in Yerushalayim. 2 Once, after his afternoon nap, David got up from his bed and went strolling on the roof of the king’s palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing, who was very beautiful. 3 David made inquiries about the woman and was told that she was Bat-Sheva the daughter of Eli‘am, the wife of Uriyah the Hitti. 4 David sent messengers to get her, and she came to him, and he went to bed with her (for she had been purified from her uncleanness). Then she returned to her house. 5 The woman conceived; and she sent a message to David, “I am pregnant.”
6 David sent this order to Yo’av: “Send me Uriyah the Hitti.” Yo’av sent Uriyah to David. 7 When Uriyah had come to him, David asked him how Yo’av was doing, how the people were feeling and how the war was going. 8 Then David said to Uriyah, “Go down to your house and wash your feet.” Uriyah left the king’s palace and was followed by a present of food from the king. 9 But Uriyah slept at the door of the king’s palace with all the servants of his lord and didn’t go down to his house. 10 When they told David, “Uriyah didn’t go down to his house,” David said to Uriyah, “Haven’t you just arrived from a journey? Why didn’t you go down to your house?” 11 Uriyah answered David, “The ark, Isra’el and Y’hudah stay in tents; and my lord Yo’av and the servants of my lord are camping in the countryside. So should I go into my house to eat and drink and go to bed with my wife? As surely as you live, I will not do such a thing!” 12 David said to Uriyah, “Stay here today also; tomorrow I will let you leave.” So Uriyah stayed in Yerushalayim that day and the following day. 13 David summoned him, ate and drank with him, and got him drunk. But in the evening he went out and lay on his bed with his lord’s servants and did not go down to his house.
14 In the morning David wrote a letter to Yo’av and sent it with Uriyah. 15 In the letter he wrote, “Put Uriyah on the front lines of the fiercest fighting; then pull back from him, so that he will be wounded and killed.”
As we read the Scripture today and we remember that King David has been called a man after God's own heart, yet he went against God by sinning against God in having an affair with another man's wife and getting her pregnant. As if that was not enough, he tried to cover the whole affair over by bringing the lady's husband back from war and having him have his intimate sexual relationship with his wife. Apparently, this did not work for whatever reason whether Uriah heard about the affair or he was just being faihful to his role as a soldier where the men were not suppose to have sexual relationships with their wives while they are on an expedition. Anyway, when this did not work out David sent Uriah back to Joab with a note that Joab is to place Uriah up on the front lines where the figthing is going bad and pull back from Uriah and let him be killed. How would you understand David's thinking and actions? What character do you relate to or not relate to? How do you understand the lesson or lessons God is attemtpting to teach us about David's choices? We realile that we may not have committed adultuer or fornication and murder, but what sins have we attempted to cover up to allow people to see that we are holy and pure, not sinning sinners? Lord, guide us to find a way to search our hearts and minds to see where we have attempted to hide a sin from God and others as we come to receive and receive God's forgiveness as we take and et the Body of Jesus and drink His Blood through the participation of the Holy Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. As we come to receive, we come singing the Hymn "Come, ye sinners, poor and wretched, Weak and wounded, sick and sore" by Author: J. Hart (1759)
1. Come ye sinners, poor and needy,
Weak and wounded, sick and sore;
Jesus ready stands to save you,
Full of pity, love, and pow'r.
Chorus:
I will arise and go to Jesus,
He will embrace me in His arms;
In the arms of my dear Savior,
O there are ten thousand charms.
2. Come, ye thirsty, come and welcome,
God's free bounty glorify;
True belief and true repentance,
Ev'ry grace that brings you nigh.
Chorus:
I will arise and go to Jesus,
He will embrace me in His arms;
In the arms of my dear Savior,
O there are ten thousand charms.
3. Come ye weary, heavy laden,
Lost and ruined by the fall;
If you tarry till you're better,
You will never come at all.
Chorus:
I will arise and go to Jesus,
He will embrace me in His arms;
In the arms of my dear Savior,
O there are ten thousand charms.
4. Let not conscience make you linger,
Nor of fitness fondly dream;
All the fitness He requireth
Is to feel your need of Him.
Chorus:
I will arise and go to Jesus,
He will embrace me in His arms;
In the arms of my dear Savior,
O there are ten thousand charms.
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6 David sent this order to Yo’av: “Send me Uriyah the Hitti.” Yo’av sent Uriyah to David. 7 When Uriyah had come to him, David asked him how Yo’av was doing, how the people were feeling and how the war was going. 8 Then David said to Uriyah, “Go down to your house and wash your feet.” Uriyah left the king’s palace and was followed by a present of food from the king. 9 But Uriyah slept at the door of the king’s palace with all the servants of his lord and didn’t go down to his house. 10 When they told David, “Uriyah didn’t go down to his house,” David said to Uriyah, “Haven’t you just arrived from a journey? Why didn’t you go down to your house?” 11 Uriyah answered David, “The ark, Isra’el and Y’hudah stay in tents; and my lord Yo’av and the servants of my lord are camping in the countryside. So should I go into my house to eat and drink and go to bed with my wife? As surely as you live, I will not do such a thing!” 12 David said to Uriyah, “Stay here today also; tomorrow I will let you leave.” So Uriyah stayed in Yerushalayim that day and the following day. 13 David summoned him, ate and drank with him, and got him drunk. But in the evening he went out and lay on his bed with his lord’s servants and did not go down to his house.
14 In the morning David wrote a letter to Yo’av and sent it with Uriyah. 15 In the letter he wrote, “Put Uriyah on the front lines of the fiercest fighting; then pull back from him, so that he will be wounded and killed.”
As we read the Scripture today and we remember that King David has been called a man after God's own heart, yet he went against God by sinning against God in having an affair with another man's wife and getting her pregnant. As if that was not enough, he tried to cover the whole affair over by bringing the lady's husband back from war and having him have his intimate sexual relationship with his wife. Apparently, this did not work for whatever reason whether Uriah heard about the affair or he was just being faihful to his role as a soldier where the men were not suppose to have sexual relationships with their wives while they are on an expedition. Anyway, when this did not work out David sent Uriah back to Joab with a note that Joab is to place Uriah up on the front lines where the figthing is going bad and pull back from Uriah and let him be killed. How would you understand David's thinking and actions? What character do you relate to or not relate to? How do you understand the lesson or lessons God is attemtpting to teach us about David's choices? We realile that we may not have committed adultuer or fornication and murder, but what sins have we attempted to cover up to allow people to see that we are holy and pure, not sinning sinners? Lord, guide us to find a way to search our hearts and minds to see where we have attempted to hide a sin from God and others as we come to receive and receive God's forgiveness as we take and et the Body of Jesus and drink His Blood through the participation of the Holy Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. As we come to receive, we come singing the Hymn "Come, ye sinners, poor and wretched, Weak and wounded, sick and sore" by Author: J. Hart (1759)
1. Come ye sinners, poor and needy,
Weak and wounded, sick and sore;
Jesus ready stands to save you,
Full of pity, love, and pow'r.
Chorus:
I will arise and go to Jesus,
He will embrace me in His arms;
In the arms of my dear Savior,
O there are ten thousand charms.
2. Come, ye thirsty, come and welcome,
God's free bounty glorify;
True belief and true repentance,
Ev'ry grace that brings you nigh.
Chorus:
I will arise and go to Jesus,
He will embrace me in His arms;
In the arms of my dear Savior,
O there are ten thousand charms.
3. Come ye weary, heavy laden,
Lost and ruined by the fall;
If you tarry till you're better,
You will never come at all.
Chorus:
I will arise and go to Jesus,
He will embrace me in His arms;
In the arms of my dear Savior,
O there are ten thousand charms.
4. Let not conscience make you linger,
Nor of fitness fondly dream;
All the fitness He requireth
Is to feel your need of Him.
Chorus:
I will arise and go to Jesus,
He will embrace me in His arms;
In the arms of my dear Savior,
O there are ten thousand charms.
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Gary Lee Parker
4147 Idaho Street, Apt. 1
San Diego, California 92104-1844, United States
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STROLLING INTO TEMPTATION by Lance Moore
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2 Samuel 11:1-15
The biblical writers were suspect with regard to public relations. They revealed most dirty secrets, foibles, and skeletons concerning major Bible characters. We read of Adam the liar, Jacob the cheat, Moses the murderer, and the mentally impaired Saul. Then we find David—brave shepherd boy, Israel’s greatest king, God’s favorite—caught in a steamy affair with the wife of Uriah. Proof of the Bible’s veracity is that the dirty linen was rarely washed; the editors rarely censored the truth. We should be thankful. If we did not know the mistakes of the ancient Bible heroes, we would more likely repeat their errors. We might learn as much through the vice and failures of these characters as from their virtues and victories.
The story of David and Bathsheba, tragic as it was, reveals to us the subtle power of temptation and the step-by-step progression into deeper sin. Step one happens to all of us; temptation crosses our paths daily. For David, it was sexual temptation. For you, it may be something else. David had resisted the temptations of power, fame, and wealth. These “usual suspects” did not corrupt him. Temptation came at David’s weak point: he was a romantic.
We regularly pray for God to “lead us not into temptation,” knowing that temptation is a routine, unavoidable part of life. Even Jesus was tempted in the wilderness. It was not David’s fault that Bathsheba was visible at her bath. Strolling on the rooftop, he had an innocent encounter that could happen to any of us. Here is what happened to me.
Years ago, we were staying overnight with my wife’s family. I went to the bedroom we had been using and knocked. I heard my brother-in-law’s voice reply, “Come in.” I opened the door, and to my shock, there stood my sister-in-law in her underwear! She screamed, I closed the door and turned red. My brother-in-law, it turns out, was in the room next door; he thought I had knocked on his door so he invited me in. My sister-in-law, even in her unmentionables, was covered up better than the modern bikini, and we all had a good laugh. After all, it was her husband who had inadvertently invited me in!
We can understand how David’s peeping might have been innocent. If David had simply said “oops” and turned away, he might have defeated temptation instantly. But he didn’t. He stared. He examined this beautiful naked woman as animal instinct took over. David moved then from the first step of innocent temptation to the second: lust. Even President Jimmy Carter, the Baptist Sunday school teacher, admitted being guilty of lust. In our sex-crazed culture, it is difficult to avoid.
Sex is not the only ubiquitous temptation. We can’t keep temptations from coming to mind, whether it be envy or covetousness or anger. But we can keep them from becoming obsessive. Martin Luther wrote: “You can’t keep a bird from flying over your head; you can keep it from building a nest in your hair.” Our attitude toward temptation should be something like my dad’s attitude toward stray dogs. If a stray dog came into our yard, Dad would not allow us to feed it. He said if you feed a stray, it makes its home with you—you’ll never be rid of it. If you feed an impure thought, sin will make its home with you.
This brings us back to David: he fed his lust. He went on to the third step. He inquired about his fantasy. He invited Bathsheba to his palace. Perhaps David still intended no harm. But from there, he took the final step: active sin, putting thoughts into action. David slept with Bathsheba.
So that we would not be hypocrites and Pharisees, Jesus warned us that even evil thoughts could be sinful. Nevertheless, once a sinful thought becomes an action, the damage is greater. God can easily forgive us for mental sins and free us from any harmful consequences. But actions always have costly consequences that forgiveness alone cannot undo.
For David and Bathsheba, their adultery had a serious consequence: pregnancy. Her husband, Uriah, was off at war. David could not contrive any way to make it look like the child was Uriah’s. His secret sin would soon become public. This led to an even deeper sin: David conspired to have Uriah murdered!
How could this be possible? How could a godly man like David fall to such a low level of deceit and murder? The day he saw Bathsheba on the roof, he did not think: “I will break my marriage vow, enjoy that woman, and kill her husband.” No, the sin began incrementally. This is how evil works. Evil weaves its temptations slowly, subtly, insidiously, and deceitfully. We fail to see how deeply we are entangled in sin until it is too late. We are blinded to the secondary costs of sin, the consequences upon ourselves and upon innocent others. Sin and temptation blur the facts; the fantasy is always more beautiful, easier, and less costly than reality. In our fantasy, no one gets hurt by sin; in reality, everyone is hurt.
Again, this is not a lesson just about adultery. The steps to sin revealed in David’s sad story are universal. Your weak point, your emotional “hot spot,” may be different; it may be a temptation to money, or power, or selfishness, or something else.
So what are we to do in the face of temptation? Simple. Turn away. An example: Three men being interviewed for a job as bus driver were each asked the same question: “How close could you drive to the edge of a cliff without losing control of the bus?” The first applicant said, “I could get within a foot of it without a problem.” The second applicant boasted, “I have a strong, steady grip on the wheel. I could drive within four inches of the precipice.” But the third one wisely said, “I don’t know—I would never drive that close to danger.” Would you like to guess who got the job?
When we toy with temptation, we are too close to the edge. Stay away from the precipice! Make a decision for love to reign. Keep your vows to God and to spouse. Stay strong in prayer, in Bible reading, in church attendance. Be honest with spouses and seek help from friends. We may, with God’s help, have the strength to flee at sin’s first appearance. As David later learned and wrote in what we believe was his seventy-third psalm, “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (73:26).
The final word from the life of King David is one of grace. Despite David’s terrible sins, God forgave him. And God will forgive you and me. David also wrote, “You are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call to you” (Psalm 86:5 NIV). Amen.
The biblical writers were suspect with regard to public relations. They revealed most dirty secrets, foibles, and skeletons concerning major Bible characters. We read of Adam the liar, Jacob the cheat, Moses the murderer, and the mentally impaired Saul. Then we find David—brave shepherd boy, Israel’s greatest king, God’s favorite—caught in a steamy affair with the wife of Uriah. Proof of the Bible’s veracity is that the dirty linen was rarely washed; the editors rarely censored the truth. We should be thankful. If we did not know the mistakes of the ancient Bible heroes, we would more likely repeat their errors. We might learn as much through the vice and failures of these characters as from their virtues and victories.
The story of David and Bathsheba, tragic as it was, reveals to us the subtle power of temptation and the step-by-step progression into deeper sin. Step one happens to all of us; temptation crosses our paths daily. For David, it was sexual temptation. For you, it may be something else. David had resisted the temptations of power, fame, and wealth. These “usual suspects” did not corrupt him. Temptation came at David’s weak point: he was a romantic.
We regularly pray for God to “lead us not into temptation,” knowing that temptation is a routine, unavoidable part of life. Even Jesus was tempted in the wilderness. It was not David’s fault that Bathsheba was visible at her bath. Strolling on the rooftop, he had an innocent encounter that could happen to any of us. Here is what happened to me.
Years ago, we were staying overnight with my wife’s family. I went to the bedroom we had been using and knocked. I heard my brother-in-law’s voice reply, “Come in.” I opened the door, and to my shock, there stood my sister-in-law in her underwear! She screamed, I closed the door and turned red. My brother-in-law, it turns out, was in the room next door; he thought I had knocked on his door so he invited me in. My sister-in-law, even in her unmentionables, was covered up better than the modern bikini, and we all had a good laugh. After all, it was her husband who had inadvertently invited me in!
We can understand how David’s peeping might have been innocent. If David had simply said “oops” and turned away, he might have defeated temptation instantly. But he didn’t. He stared. He examined this beautiful naked woman as animal instinct took over. David moved then from the first step of innocent temptation to the second: lust. Even President Jimmy Carter, the Baptist Sunday school teacher, admitted being guilty of lust. In our sex-crazed culture, it is difficult to avoid.
Sex is not the only ubiquitous temptation. We can’t keep temptations from coming to mind, whether it be envy or covetousness or anger. But we can keep them from becoming obsessive. Martin Luther wrote: “You can’t keep a bird from flying over your head; you can keep it from building a nest in your hair.” Our attitude toward temptation should be something like my dad’s attitude toward stray dogs. If a stray dog came into our yard, Dad would not allow us to feed it. He said if you feed a stray, it makes its home with you—you’ll never be rid of it. If you feed an impure thought, sin will make its home with you.
This brings us back to David: he fed his lust. He went on to the third step. He inquired about his fantasy. He invited Bathsheba to his palace. Perhaps David still intended no harm. But from there, he took the final step: active sin, putting thoughts into action. David slept with Bathsheba.
So that we would not be hypocrites and Pharisees, Jesus warned us that even evil thoughts could be sinful. Nevertheless, once a sinful thought becomes an action, the damage is greater. God can easily forgive us for mental sins and free us from any harmful consequences. But actions always have costly consequences that forgiveness alone cannot undo.
For David and Bathsheba, their adultery had a serious consequence: pregnancy. Her husband, Uriah, was off at war. David could not contrive any way to make it look like the child was Uriah’s. His secret sin would soon become public. This led to an even deeper sin: David conspired to have Uriah murdered!
How could this be possible? How could a godly man like David fall to such a low level of deceit and murder? The day he saw Bathsheba on the roof, he did not think: “I will break my marriage vow, enjoy that woman, and kill her husband.” No, the sin began incrementally. This is how evil works. Evil weaves its temptations slowly, subtly, insidiously, and deceitfully. We fail to see how deeply we are entangled in sin until it is too late. We are blinded to the secondary costs of sin, the consequences upon ourselves and upon innocent others. Sin and temptation blur the facts; the fantasy is always more beautiful, easier, and less costly than reality. In our fantasy, no one gets hurt by sin; in reality, everyone is hurt.
Again, this is not a lesson just about adultery. The steps to sin revealed in David’s sad story are universal. Your weak point, your emotional “hot spot,” may be different; it may be a temptation to money, or power, or selfishness, or something else.
So what are we to do in the face of temptation? Simple. Turn away. An example: Three men being interviewed for a job as bus driver were each asked the same question: “How close could you drive to the edge of a cliff without losing control of the bus?” The first applicant said, “I could get within a foot of it without a problem.” The second applicant boasted, “I have a strong, steady grip on the wheel. I could drive within four inches of the precipice.” But the third one wisely said, “I don’t know—I would never drive that close to danger.” Would you like to guess who got the job?
When we toy with temptation, we are too close to the edge. Stay away from the precipice! Make a decision for love to reign. Keep your vows to God and to spouse. Stay strong in prayer, in Bible reading, in church attendance. Be honest with spouses and seek help from friends. We may, with God’s help, have the strength to flee at sin’s first appearance. As David later learned and wrote in what we believe was his seventy-third psalm, “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (73:26).
The final word from the life of King David is one of grace. Despite David’s terrible sins, God forgave him. And God will forgive you and me. David also wrote, “You are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call to you” (Psalm 86:5 NIV). Amen.
COLOR: Green
SCRIPTURE READINGS: 2 Samuel 11:1-15; Psalm 14; Ephesians 3:14-21; John 6:1-21
CALLS TO WORSHIP
Call to Worship #1
L: Come, rest your spirits in the Lord.
P: We come, hungering and thirsting for God’s word.
L: This is a place of peace and hope, where all may be fed and healed.
P: Bring us to the time of healing.
L: Come, place your trust in God who is always near you.
P: Open our hearts, Lord, to hear your word and feel your presence AMEN.
Call to Worship #2
L: Today is a day especially created for you to find peace and hope.
P: In the midst of our hectic lives, we surely need such a time as this.
L: Come, rest in the Lord.
P: Our souls long for God’s refreshing love.
L: Let the demands of your week melt away in God’s presence.
P: Refresh and restore us, O Lord, we pray. AMEN.
Call to Worship #3
[Using THE UNITED METHODIST HYMNAL, p. 347 "Spirit Song", offer the following call to worship]
Choir/Soloist: singing verse 1 of "Spirit Song"
L: Let your hearts be open to the Lord today.
P: Let our spirits be ready to feel God’s power and love.
L: Let go of all the things that bind you in pain and sorrow.
P: Help us to place our trust in God.
Congregation: singing verse 2 of "Spirit Song"
L: Come, let us praise the God of love.
P: Let us bring our hearts to God. AMEN.
Call to Worship #4
L: Turn your hearts to God.
P: What shall we do when we are worried?
L: Place your trust in God’s love and mercy.
P: What shall we do when our lives seem too crowded and busy?
L: Take time for the refreshing words of God’s love for you.
P: Open our hearts, O Lord, and make us ready for your words to us. AMEN.
PRAYERS, LITANY/READING, BENEDICTION
OPENING PRAYER
Lord, we come into your presence this morning with the busy schedules of summer activities crowding our lives. Our souls need to be fed and yet we seem powerless to find nurture and feeding that will sustain us. Open our ears, our eyes, and our hearts this day to hear your words of hope and healing for us. We ask this in Jesus’ Name. AMEN.
PRAYER OF CONFESSION
You know how we are, Lord. We say that we will take time to refresh our spirits and our souls and then we quickly crowd our lives with activities to the point of exhaustion. We turn to you for feeding and nurture, asking you to give us something to sustain us through our times. We even are willing to tell you what we have, but when we look closely, we discover that we bring so little to you. Take what we have, our gifts and our needs. Heal and forgive us when we boldly disobey your word. Remind us that you have given to us all that we need to serve you in this world. The world abounds with your miracles of love and hope. Open our eyes to see them and our hearts to know that these are from you and not of our own making. Heal and restore us to your everlasting love. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. AMEN.
WORDS OF ASSURANCE
Cease your fearful fretting! God’s love is lavished upon you. It is always there for you, offering healing and hope. Rest in God’s love. AMEN.
PASTORAL PRAYER
What powerful images the scriptures present today, Lord, of Jesus feeding the thousands of people who have gathered. The Gospel lesson tells us that with the small offering of five barley loaves and two fish, he offered sustenance to the many. We wonder about this and have our doubts that such a thing could really happen in today’s world. We see the big picture, the thousands of dollars that are spent on trivial things, but we do not hear about the small wonders that are performed everywhere in your name as good people reach out to those in need. Take away our blindness and our doubt. Surround us with a strong faith that, when we hear the words of healing, we may confidently know that you are in the midst of all our lives. Heal our wounded spirits. Restore in us a spirit of joy. As we have lifted names of dear ones in our prayers before you, O God, we ask your healing blessing on each of their lives and situations. We also ask your healing mercies on all areas in which there is strife, oppression, and despair. Comfort your people with your love. Empower your disciples to serve you fully in your world. We ask this in Jesus’ Name, AMEN.
LITANY/READING
L: There are people in need whom we encounter each day.
P: How shall we care for them? Their need is so great!
L: What gifts do you have?
P: We have so little.....our energy, our love, our willingness to serve.
L: Those are not little gifts. With those gifts, mighty work can be done.
P: You have worked miracles in our lives, Lord.
L: Now you are being sent as those who bring the good news to people in need.
P: We place our trust in God’s presence.
L: Place your hope in God’s eternal love.
P: As we go to serve, may we also be thankful for the many ways in which God has blessed us.
L: Now is the time to serve and witness to God’s good news.
P: Now is the time to let go of our doubts and trust in God’s guidance. AMEN.
BENEDICTION, BLESSING
You have been given every good gift for proclaiming God’s presence and God’s love. The world is thirsting for this good news. People struggle for words of hope and peace. As you have been blessed, now go to be a blessing in God’s Name. AMEN.
ARTISTIC ELEMENTS
The traditional color for this Sunday is GREEN.
Note: I recommend putting a brief paragraph describing or explaining the symbolism used in your visual display. These become good teaching tools for a congregation.
Note: If you are using the Gospel lesson today, there are several visual directions you could take. One would be the traditional display of baskets with 5 barley loaves and 2 small fish (if you are using fish, make sure that they are dried fish, and only use them for display for the service and then remove them - they will give off an odor which, by itself, will claim the attention of the congregation - and believe me, you don’t want that!!). You may also consider the image of Christ walking on water. John’s gospel does not do much with that story, so my focus would be on the miracle of the loaves and fishes.
SURFACE: Place 5 risers on the worship center. The tallest of the risers (about 10") should be in the upper left corner, diagonal (kitty-corner) to the center line. The other risers may be placed as you choose on the top of the worship center. Place a riser about 6-8" high in front of the worship center to the right.
FABRIC: Cover the worship center with burlap, preferably Landscaper’s Burlap, which is loosely woven, letting the fabric drape down from the table and over the riser in front.. On the top riser use a 16" square fabric of cream colored cloth or some other earth tone material - this may be dark or light, depending upon your choice. Use a matching square of fabric on the riser in front of the worship center.
CANDLES: On one of the risers on the worship center, place an 8" pillar candle - it may be white or cream colored. You may want to wrap it in raffia or a band of burlap to give it a roughened texture.
FLOWERS/FOLIAGE: I would place some "spiky" plants, like mother-in-law’s tongue, or snake plant, in earthenware pots in front of the worship center to the left. Place a jade plant or other succulent plant near the top riser and use several smaller succulents on the worship center to break the "brown-ness" of color.
ROCKS/WOOD: Small stones and rocks may be placed throughout the worship center at your discretion. I’m not sure I would use wood in this setting, but if you have a piece that works well in the display, go for it.
OTHER: Willow or wicker baskets, unpainted, or other "rough" baskets may be placed in the worship center. Have a willow basket placed on its side on the top riser on the left. Place five loaves of Italian Bread, or Hard crusted rolls, or a collection of bread spilling from this basket. You may place the two fishes prominently displayed from the same basket. Place smaller loaves in various baskets on the worship center, and again, place a basket, leaning on its side on the riser in front of the worship center with some small crusty rolls in it. If you wish, you may use a cloth napkin to line the lower basket and place the rolls on that cloth. That is up to you.
SCRIPTURE READINGS: 2 Samuel 11:1-15; Psalm 14; Ephesians 3:14-21; John 6:1-21
CALLS TO WORSHIP
Call to Worship #1
L: Come, rest your spirits in the Lord.
P: We come, hungering and thirsting for God’s word.
L: This is a place of peace and hope, where all may be fed and healed.
P: Bring us to the time of healing.
L: Come, place your trust in God who is always near you.
P: Open our hearts, Lord, to hear your word and feel your presence AMEN.
Call to Worship #2
L: Today is a day especially created for you to find peace and hope.
P: In the midst of our hectic lives, we surely need such a time as this.
L: Come, rest in the Lord.
P: Our souls long for God’s refreshing love.
L: Let the demands of your week melt away in God’s presence.
P: Refresh and restore us, O Lord, we pray. AMEN.
Call to Worship #3
[Using THE UNITED METHODIST HYMNAL, p. 347 "Spirit Song", offer the following call to worship]
Choir/Soloist: singing verse 1 of "Spirit Song"
L: Let your hearts be open to the Lord today.
P: Let our spirits be ready to feel God’s power and love.
L: Let go of all the things that bind you in pain and sorrow.
P: Help us to place our trust in God.
Congregation: singing verse 2 of "Spirit Song"
L: Come, let us praise the God of love.
P: Let us bring our hearts to God. AMEN.
Call to Worship #4
L: Turn your hearts to God.
P: What shall we do when we are worried?
L: Place your trust in God’s love and mercy.
P: What shall we do when our lives seem too crowded and busy?
L: Take time for the refreshing words of God’s love for you.
P: Open our hearts, O Lord, and make us ready for your words to us. AMEN.
PRAYERS, LITANY/READING, BENEDICTION
OPENING PRAYER
Lord, we come into your presence this morning with the busy schedules of summer activities crowding our lives. Our souls need to be fed and yet we seem powerless to find nurture and feeding that will sustain us. Open our ears, our eyes, and our hearts this day to hear your words of hope and healing for us. We ask this in Jesus’ Name. AMEN.
PRAYER OF CONFESSION
You know how we are, Lord. We say that we will take time to refresh our spirits and our souls and then we quickly crowd our lives with activities to the point of exhaustion. We turn to you for feeding and nurture, asking you to give us something to sustain us through our times. We even are willing to tell you what we have, but when we look closely, we discover that we bring so little to you. Take what we have, our gifts and our needs. Heal and forgive us when we boldly disobey your word. Remind us that you have given to us all that we need to serve you in this world. The world abounds with your miracles of love and hope. Open our eyes to see them and our hearts to know that these are from you and not of our own making. Heal and restore us to your everlasting love. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. AMEN.
WORDS OF ASSURANCE
Cease your fearful fretting! God’s love is lavished upon you. It is always there for you, offering healing and hope. Rest in God’s love. AMEN.
PASTORAL PRAYER
What powerful images the scriptures present today, Lord, of Jesus feeding the thousands of people who have gathered. The Gospel lesson tells us that with the small offering of five barley loaves and two fish, he offered sustenance to the many. We wonder about this and have our doubts that such a thing could really happen in today’s world. We see the big picture, the thousands of dollars that are spent on trivial things, but we do not hear about the small wonders that are performed everywhere in your name as good people reach out to those in need. Take away our blindness and our doubt. Surround us with a strong faith that, when we hear the words of healing, we may confidently know that you are in the midst of all our lives. Heal our wounded spirits. Restore in us a spirit of joy. As we have lifted names of dear ones in our prayers before you, O God, we ask your healing blessing on each of their lives and situations. We also ask your healing mercies on all areas in which there is strife, oppression, and despair. Comfort your people with your love. Empower your disciples to serve you fully in your world. We ask this in Jesus’ Name, AMEN.
LITANY/READING
L: There are people in need whom we encounter each day.
P: How shall we care for them? Their need is so great!
L: What gifts do you have?
P: We have so little.....our energy, our love, our willingness to serve.
L: Those are not little gifts. With those gifts, mighty work can be done.
P: You have worked miracles in our lives, Lord.
L: Now you are being sent as those who bring the good news to people in need.
P: We place our trust in God’s presence.
L: Place your hope in God’s eternal love.
P: As we go to serve, may we also be thankful for the many ways in which God has blessed us.
L: Now is the time to serve and witness to God’s good news.
P: Now is the time to let go of our doubts and trust in God’s guidance. AMEN.
BENEDICTION, BLESSING
You have been given every good gift for proclaiming God’s presence and God’s love. The world is thirsting for this good news. People struggle for words of hope and peace. As you have been blessed, now go to be a blessing in God’s Name. AMEN.
ARTISTIC ELEMENTS
The traditional color for this Sunday is GREEN.
Note: I recommend putting a brief paragraph describing or explaining the symbolism used in your visual display. These become good teaching tools for a congregation.
Note: If you are using the Gospel lesson today, there are several visual directions you could take. One would be the traditional display of baskets with 5 barley loaves and 2 small fish (if you are using fish, make sure that they are dried fish, and only use them for display for the service and then remove them - they will give off an odor which, by itself, will claim the attention of the congregation - and believe me, you don’t want that!!). You may also consider the image of Christ walking on water. John’s gospel does not do much with that story, so my focus would be on the miracle of the loaves and fishes.
SURFACE: Place 5 risers on the worship center. The tallest of the risers (about 10") should be in the upper left corner, diagonal (kitty-corner) to the center line. The other risers may be placed as you choose on the top of the worship center. Place a riser about 6-8" high in front of the worship center to the right.
FABRIC: Cover the worship center with burlap, preferably Landscaper’s Burlap, which is loosely woven, letting the fabric drape down from the table and over the riser in front.. On the top riser use a 16" square fabric of cream colored cloth or some other earth tone material - this may be dark or light, depending upon your choice. Use a matching square of fabric on the riser in front of the worship center.
CANDLES: On one of the risers on the worship center, place an 8" pillar candle - it may be white or cream colored. You may want to wrap it in raffia or a band of burlap to give it a roughened texture.
FLOWERS/FOLIAGE: I would place some "spiky" plants, like mother-in-law’s tongue, or snake plant, in earthenware pots in front of the worship center to the left. Place a jade plant or other succulent plant near the top riser and use several smaller succulents on the worship center to break the "brown-ness" of color.
ROCKS/WOOD: Small stones and rocks may be placed throughout the worship center at your discretion. I’m not sure I would use wood in this setting, but if you have a piece that works well in the display, go for it.
OTHER: Willow or wicker baskets, unpainted, or other "rough" baskets may be placed in the worship center. Have a willow basket placed on its side on the top riser on the left. Place five loaves of Italian Bread, or Hard crusted rolls, or a collection of bread spilling from this basket. You may place the two fishes prominently displayed from the same basket. Place smaller loaves in various baskets on the worship center, and again, place a basket, leaning on its side on the riser in front of the worship center with some small crusty rolls in it. If you wish, you may use a cloth napkin to line the lower basket and place the rolls on that cloth. That is up to you.
From a Child's Point of View
Old Testament: 2 Samuel 11:1-15. The story of David and Bathsheba is not one most people would choose to tell children. David's key problem, however, was not adultery, but a willingness to break the rules to get what he wanted, and that willingness is something children understand. In early childhood, children assume that the most powerful people (the grown-ups, the teachers, the biggest kids) have the right to make the rules. So they learn from David's story that even the greatest king is subservient to God's rules. Many older children are realizing that rules can be negotiated for the good of the group. This discovery changes their attitude toward rules. As they begin living with negotiated rules, they empathize with David's temptation to ignore those that did not work to his advantage at the moment and are reminded that rules are to be obeyed.
Most children do not understand David's maneuvers in verses 6-13, but they do understand David's murder of Uriah. Therefore, consider reading either the entire chapter or verses 1-5 and 14-15, instead of 1-15. The Good News Bible uses the most "delicate" vocabulary in telling this story.
Psalm: 14. If the psalm is introduced as a poet's response to disobedience like David's, children will catch occasional lines condemning those who break God's rules. A child's paraphrase of "There is no God" is "I will not be caught" or "What I do will not matter."
Epistle: Ephesians 3:14-21. Children will understand little of Paul's message as it is read from any translation. But if the passage is compared to the wishes expressed by families in wedding toasts or on birthday cards, they enjoy exploring Paul's prayer-wishes for Gentile Christians. His wish is that they (and we) will experience and recognize God's great love and will feel God's presence, giving us inner strength.
The images of being rooted in God's love and built on a foundation of God's love need to be illustrated with everyday examples for instance, a person who knows that God made her and loves her will be disappointed, but will not lose all hope in herself when she loses a championship. Sermons which cite such examples help children build self-esteem, based on the love of God, who created them.
Older children in the middle of sports-oriented summers also benefit from descriptions of the inner strength (rather than the physical strength) that Paul wishes for his friends.
Gospel: John 6:1-21. Most church children are familiar with the feeding of the five thousand. They tend to associate it with Jesus' care of people's needs and take it as an indication of Jesus' willingness to take seriously and use a child's contribution.
When it is pointed out to them, older children understand that John was less like a historian telling us exactly what Jesus did, and more like a person telling us who his best friend is by relating stories about what that friend did and said. They will, however, depend upon the preacher to point out what John is telling us about Jesus in these two stories that Jesus had great powers (he could feed thousands of people with five loaves and a few fish, and he could walk on water) and that Jesus came to feed or nourish people. The next four Gospel lections tell what it means for Jesus to feed people.
Watch Words
In David's story, sin is breaking the rules. His adultery was stealing someone else's wife.
In John, bread is a code word for what we need to live. Sometimes we call money "bread" because we use it to buy what we need to live. Use bread carefully. Children are easily confused when a word is used both literally and symbolically.
Let the Children Sing
"There's a Wideness in God's Mercy" is a good hymn to explore phrase-by-phrase in a sermon about God's great love. Though it includes many unfamiliar words, it also includes some vivid images of the vastness of God's love.
Imagine yourselves among those Jesus fed while singing "I Come with Joy" (whether or not you celebrate communion).
The Liturgical Child
1. Display a basket of small loaves of bread on the chancel table, or hang a banner featuring several loaves of bread and some fish. (The banner might be a summer project for a children's group or class.)
2. To create a Prayer of Confession based on Psalms 14, a worship leader describes a series of ways we rationalize our disobedience. The congregation responds to each one with, "We say it will not matter, but it does. Forgive us." For example:
Lord, you instruct us to be honest, but we lie when we think we can get away with it. We tell only the part of the truth that makes us look good. And we answer only the questions that are asked. (RESPONSE) Lord, you instruct us not to steal, but we . . . . Assurance of Pardon: There is a God. What we do does matter. But God, who insists that we live by the rules, also loves us and forgives us, and gives us the power to try again. Thanks be to God!
3. Before reading the Gospel, invite a crowd of worshipers of all ages, perhaps the front rows of people, to sit with you on the steps. Describe the similar crowd that had gathered around Jesus. Read John 6:1-15 from a Bible held in your lap. Then without announcement, a second worship leader in the lectern (away from the crowd) begins, and reads verses 16-21.
4. Feature intercessory prayer (prayer for others). Describe your congregation's practice of praying for others just before that time in the service. Compare your practice with Paul's prayer for the Gentiles. Consider asking the congregation to identify groups for whom they would like the church to offer prayer-wishes this morning. Then be especially careful to pray with language and sentences simple enough for children to follow.
Sermon Resources
1. Children's explanations of why they disobey rules reflect what David might have thought:
"But the big kids (or name a specific bigger kid) always do it. And I'm in fourth grade now, so "
"But it's my birthday!" (And I thought the usual rules would not apply on my birthday.)
"But I wanted it so much!"
"I knew it was wrong, but I didn't think anyone would mind just this once! I won't do it again, I promise."
2. Jesus said he came to feed us. Many professions are, or can be, feeding professions teaching, medicine, social service. By identifying specific ways these professionals "feed people," children begin to understand what Jesus meant when he said he came to feed people.
3. Corrie ten Boom was a Christian imprisoned by the Nazis for hiding Jews. After the war, during a service at which she spoke about forgiveness, a man she recognized as a cruel prison guard came to shake her hand. She did not want to touch him and felt no forgiveness for him, even though she knew she should. She willed her hand to meet his, but it would not move until she felt a power from beyond her travel from her shoulder down her arm toward the man. With that power, she was able to not just shake his hand, but to really forgive him. She knew that that power was Christ's love.
Old Testament: 2 Samuel 11:1-15. The story of David and Bathsheba is not one most people would choose to tell children. David's key problem, however, was not adultery, but a willingness to break the rules to get what he wanted, and that willingness is something children understand. In early childhood, children assume that the most powerful people (the grown-ups, the teachers, the biggest kids) have the right to make the rules. So they learn from David's story that even the greatest king is subservient to God's rules. Many older children are realizing that rules can be negotiated for the good of the group. This discovery changes their attitude toward rules. As they begin living with negotiated rules, they empathize with David's temptation to ignore those that did not work to his advantage at the moment and are reminded that rules are to be obeyed.
Most children do not understand David's maneuvers in verses 6-13, but they do understand David's murder of Uriah. Therefore, consider reading either the entire chapter or verses 1-5 and 14-15, instead of 1-15. The Good News Bible uses the most "delicate" vocabulary in telling this story.
Psalm: 14. If the psalm is introduced as a poet's response to disobedience like David's, children will catch occasional lines condemning those who break God's rules. A child's paraphrase of "There is no God" is "I will not be caught" or "What I do will not matter."
Epistle: Ephesians 3:14-21. Children will understand little of Paul's message as it is read from any translation. But if the passage is compared to the wishes expressed by families in wedding toasts or on birthday cards, they enjoy exploring Paul's prayer-wishes for Gentile Christians. His wish is that they (and we) will experience and recognize God's great love and will feel God's presence, giving us inner strength.
The images of being rooted in God's love and built on a foundation of God's love need to be illustrated with everyday examples for instance, a person who knows that God made her and loves her will be disappointed, but will not lose all hope in herself when she loses a championship. Sermons which cite such examples help children build self-esteem, based on the love of God, who created them.
Older children in the middle of sports-oriented summers also benefit from descriptions of the inner strength (rather than the physical strength) that Paul wishes for his friends.
Gospel: John 6:1-21. Most church children are familiar with the feeding of the five thousand. They tend to associate it with Jesus' care of people's needs and take it as an indication of Jesus' willingness to take seriously and use a child's contribution.
When it is pointed out to them, older children understand that John was less like a historian telling us exactly what Jesus did, and more like a person telling us who his best friend is by relating stories about what that friend did and said. They will, however, depend upon the preacher to point out what John is telling us about Jesus in these two stories that Jesus had great powers (he could feed thousands of people with five loaves and a few fish, and he could walk on water) and that Jesus came to feed or nourish people. The next four Gospel lections tell what it means for Jesus to feed people.
Watch Words
In David's story, sin is breaking the rules. His adultery was stealing someone else's wife.
In John, bread is a code word for what we need to live. Sometimes we call money "bread" because we use it to buy what we need to live. Use bread carefully. Children are easily confused when a word is used both literally and symbolically.
Let the Children Sing
"There's a Wideness in God's Mercy" is a good hymn to explore phrase-by-phrase in a sermon about God's great love. Though it includes many unfamiliar words, it also includes some vivid images of the vastness of God's love.
Imagine yourselves among those Jesus fed while singing "I Come with Joy" (whether or not you celebrate communion).
The Liturgical Child
1. Display a basket of small loaves of bread on the chancel table, or hang a banner featuring several loaves of bread and some fish. (The banner might be a summer project for a children's group or class.)
2. To create a Prayer of Confession based on Psalms 14, a worship leader describes a series of ways we rationalize our disobedience. The congregation responds to each one with, "We say it will not matter, but it does. Forgive us." For example:
Lord, you instruct us to be honest, but we lie when we think we can get away with it. We tell only the part of the truth that makes us look good. And we answer only the questions that are asked. (RESPONSE) Lord, you instruct us not to steal, but we . . . . Assurance of Pardon: There is a God. What we do does matter. But God, who insists that we live by the rules, also loves us and forgives us, and gives us the power to try again. Thanks be to God!
3. Before reading the Gospel, invite a crowd of worshipers of all ages, perhaps the front rows of people, to sit with you on the steps. Describe the similar crowd that had gathered around Jesus. Read John 6:1-15 from a Bible held in your lap. Then without announcement, a second worship leader in the lectern (away from the crowd) begins, and reads verses 16-21.
4. Feature intercessory prayer (prayer for others). Describe your congregation's practice of praying for others just before that time in the service. Compare your practice with Paul's prayer for the Gentiles. Consider asking the congregation to identify groups for whom they would like the church to offer prayer-wishes this morning. Then be especially careful to pray with language and sentences simple enough for children to follow.
Sermon Resources
1. Children's explanations of why they disobey rules reflect what David might have thought:
"But the big kids (or name a specific bigger kid) always do it. And I'm in fourth grade now, so "
"But it's my birthday!" (And I thought the usual rules would not apply on my birthday.)
"But I wanted it so much!"
"I knew it was wrong, but I didn't think anyone would mind just this once! I won't do it again, I promise."
2. Jesus said he came to feed us. Many professions are, or can be, feeding professions teaching, medicine, social service. By identifying specific ways these professionals "feed people," children begin to understand what Jesus meant when he said he came to feed people.
3. Corrie ten Boom was a Christian imprisoned by the Nazis for hiding Jews. After the war, during a service at which she spoke about forgiveness, a man she recognized as a cruel prison guard came to shake her hand. She did not want to touch him and felt no forgiveness for him, even though she knew she should. She willed her hand to meet his, but it would not move until she felt a power from beyond her travel from her shoulder down her arm toward the man. With that power, she was able to not just shake his hand, but to really forgive him. She knew that that power was Christ's love.
Don’t Play with Fire
2 Samuel 11:1-15
For most of her life, a seventy-year-old cleaning woman had worked for the company. Fellow employees decided to honor her and planned a surprise party to express their appreciation. When news of the party was leaked and the woman found out about the plans, she pleaded for them not to throw the party. “That’s sweet of you,” said her boss, “but it’s not necessary for you to be so modest.”
“Modest, my foot!” she exclaimed. “I just don’t want to have to clean up all that mess!”
King David learned that sin invites us to a party and leaves us to clean up the mess it leaves in our lives. The account of David’s sin of adultery with Bathsheba recorded in 2 Samuel 11 reveals three common aspects of sin to motivate us not to play with fire.
I. When You Sin, You Can Expect Public Exposure
David wanted to keep his sin a private experience. In his attempt to remain anonymous David employed others to act on his behalf. He surveyed individuals in the palace to find who the woman next door was. One person told David her name was Bathsheba (v. 3). David also sent others to bring Bathsheba to the palace.
When Bathsheba became pregnant, she sent a messenger to tell David the news. Sin can be defined as an outward expression of inward resistance or rebellion to God’s purpose. Even individual acts are known by God. David’s choice had consequences beyond his own spirituality. Bathsheba’s shame, Absalom’s and Uriah’s deaths, and preservation of the act in scripture all made a moment of private desire a public event.
II. Sin Results in Accelerated Panic
Verses 6-14 do not reflect a calm and composed response: David panicked. Immediately he sent for Uriah under false pretenses. When Uriah arrived, David tempted him with the privilege of going home to wash his feet, or rest. David also tempted him with royal advantage by catering a feast at Uriah’s house (v. 8). The pace quickened when David realized Uriah slept on the porch. Uriah was enticed to an altered state of mind through intoxication. David’s attempt was not foiled just by Uriah’s patriotism. Even intoxicated, Uriah was more pious than David.
Out of desperation the king became more aggressive. Uriah carried his own death wish as part of a well-orchestrated murder plot. David’s actions could never cover his sin. Panic only accelerated the consequences.
III. Personal Exemption: Obedience to God
Personal exemption is a third dimension of the sin event exposed by specific words throughout this text. Notice the supporting characters in this drama.
The word Bathsheba means “daughter of Sheba” or “daughter of oath.” It was David who disregarded the ritual cleansing rites. Bathsheba was so respected that as “the wife of Uriah” she is mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew 1:6.
Uriah means, “Yahweh is my light.” According to verse 11, the ark accompanied the army, implying that it was a holy war. Uriah acted with honor, and from innocence. Out of loyalty he never failed to live up to his title, the servant of David (v. 21).
When you outwardly express an inner resistance to the will of God you can expect the public exposure of your sin to result in an accelerated panic that throws life out of control. Or you can experience personal exemption from the consequences of sin by conditioning your life to obey God. (Barry J. Beames)
A Prayer for All Seasons
Ephesians 3:14-21
Is there a special prayer that has great meaning in your life? For some it might be the Lord’s Prayer. For others, the Prayer of Saint Francis has special significance. Both of these prayers are written in the first person: “Our Father, who art in heaven”; “Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace.”
What if we’re feeling the need to pray for another person or community, but are not sure how to pray? Paul’s prayer on behalf of the Ephesians gives us a good model for such intercession, as he asks essentially three things for them: power, love, and the fullness of God.
I. We Pray for Power
Paul prays for the church to be strong (v. 16). Immediately we think of physical strength, or financial strength, or mental strength. But this prayer is for strengthening “in your inner being with power through his Spirit.” In other words, this intercession asks that the Ephesian church be strong where it really counts: deep within. As easily as we might tend to ask for other kinds of strength for another person or for a congregation, this prayer bypasses those strengths for an inner power that steadies and strengthens every other aspect of one’s life. This power—spiritual power—is the very best means of support.
II. We Pray for Love
The next phrase of Paul’s prayer asks for Christ to dwell in their hearts as they become “rooted and grounded in love” 6. 17). Notice that love is not a free-form emotion that waxes and wanes, comes and goes, ebbs and flows. Neither is it a feeling that we conjure up and tailor to our own disposition.
Love is a “groundedness,” a “rootedness,” deriving from the occupancy of Christ within the very heart. In other words, there is an objectivity about this love, having to do with the standard of self-giving set by Christ. It is Christ who is to order the heart toward love by living there; such a love should grow deeper, stronger and sturdier with time.
I remember a small Inter-Varsity booklet entitled My Heart, Christ’s Home The title speaks for itself, and in the course of the booklet various “rooms” in the person’s heart are opened up to the question of whether Christ is really welcome there. It is one thing to visit with a friend over lemonade on the front porch, and quite another to invite someone into our medicine cabinet, the family room, or the refrigerator! “May Christ dwell in your hearts,” the prayer goes, probably knowing full well how subversive and life-changing such an intercession could turn out to be.
III. We Pray for Fullness
Lastly, Paul prays for something rather peculiar. Put in other words, I would say he’s praying for the Ephesian church to be slightly overwhelmed. Here he wants them to comprehend the incomprehensible: breadth, length, height, depth, love that surpasses knowledge . . . so that “you may be filled with all the fullness of God” (v. 19). It is with such a fullness that we can pray with the psalmist, “You, LORD, are all I have, and you give me all I need; my future is in your hands” (Ps. 16:5, GNB).
Power for faithful Christian living; hearts of love; a sense of the fullness of God in our lives. These are not things we should pray only for others; let’s ask God to make each of these things living realities in our own lives. (Paul R. Escamilla)
A Miracle of Multiplied Witness
John 6:1-21
On the northwestern shore of the Sea of Galilee, in an area where much of the ministry of Jesus occurred, there is a small church at a place called Tabgha. Built by Benedictine Fathers in 1982, this church is on the site of two earlier churches, the first built about A.D. 350 and the second about a hundred years later. The second church was destroyed in the early seventh century, and over 1,300 years passed before archaeologists excavated the site and found the remains of the two churches.
In their excavations the archaeologists found a beautiful mosaic that had formed part of the altar of the second church building. The mosaic shows a basket of loaves, with a fish on either side of the basket. Very early in the Christian community’s life, this site was apparently regarded as the place where Jesus feeding of the multitude occurred.
It is not surprising that the early Christians would have marked this particular event from the life of Jesus. This miracle story, or “sign” as John would have designated it, was very important in the early church. It is the only miracle of Jesus that is reported in all four Gospels.
After a particularly intense period of ministry, Jesus had gone off by himself. But the crowds followed him, and at the end of the day they were hungry. So Jesus had the people sit down; he took five loaves and two fish from a boy in the crowd, gave thanks to God, and distributed the food. After everyone had eaten, the disciples gathered up twelve baskets of fragments. And the crowd wanted to make Jesus king, but he went off by himself.
What do you make of this experience reported by all the Gospel writers? All kinds of attempts have been made to rationalize the story: everyone who had food must have shared it; the feeding really referred to spiritual food; it was a symbolic prefiguring of Holy Communion; it was a literal miracle of multiplying food. But all these approaches seem to miss the point.
The text leaves an element of mystery in the account. It says only that the people ate what they wanted and were satisfied. It preserves the element of mystery. Halford Luccock wrote: “The story is a wonderful picture of a tremendous truth of Christian history, that Jesus does multiply above measure for human use whatever of worth is put into his hands. Whatever we give him he will enlarge for the service of human need” (The Interpreter’s Bible, Vol. 7, p. 743). And George Buttrick once said: “The main truth is that of alliance between man’s little and God’s abundance. Let reminder be given for our cheer that, if we do what we can in trust and consecration, God will give the increase” (The Interpreter’s Bible, Vol. 7, p. 432).
Is it not sufficient to say that our task as disciples is simply to do what we can in trust and consecration and leave the increase to Christ? Is it not sufficient to say that our task as disciples is to offer what we can to the causes of Christ—our efforts, energies, money, prayers, concerns, time, love—and allow Christ to take what we offer individually and make of it corporately far more that we are able?
I believe I know at least part of the reason the early Christians regarded this experience of Jesus so seriously. They had seen the attractive and expansive power of the gospel to nourish spiritual hunger and to minister to physical need. And this experience from the life of Jesus reminded them of both dimensions of the gracious and loving ministry of Christ and the church. They believed in the miracle of multiplied witness because they had both received and shared its power. (J. Lawrence McCleskey)
2 Samuel 11:1-15
For most of her life, a seventy-year-old cleaning woman had worked for the company. Fellow employees decided to honor her and planned a surprise party to express their appreciation. When news of the party was leaked and the woman found out about the plans, she pleaded for them not to throw the party. “That’s sweet of you,” said her boss, “but it’s not necessary for you to be so modest.”
“Modest, my foot!” she exclaimed. “I just don’t want to have to clean up all that mess!”
King David learned that sin invites us to a party and leaves us to clean up the mess it leaves in our lives. The account of David’s sin of adultery with Bathsheba recorded in 2 Samuel 11 reveals three common aspects of sin to motivate us not to play with fire.
I. When You Sin, You Can Expect Public Exposure
David wanted to keep his sin a private experience. In his attempt to remain anonymous David employed others to act on his behalf. He surveyed individuals in the palace to find who the woman next door was. One person told David her name was Bathsheba (v. 3). David also sent others to bring Bathsheba to the palace.
When Bathsheba became pregnant, she sent a messenger to tell David the news. Sin can be defined as an outward expression of inward resistance or rebellion to God’s purpose. Even individual acts are known by God. David’s choice had consequences beyond his own spirituality. Bathsheba’s shame, Absalom’s and Uriah’s deaths, and preservation of the act in scripture all made a moment of private desire a public event.
II. Sin Results in Accelerated Panic
Verses 6-14 do not reflect a calm and composed response: David panicked. Immediately he sent for Uriah under false pretenses. When Uriah arrived, David tempted him with the privilege of going home to wash his feet, or rest. David also tempted him with royal advantage by catering a feast at Uriah’s house (v. 8). The pace quickened when David realized Uriah slept on the porch. Uriah was enticed to an altered state of mind through intoxication. David’s attempt was not foiled just by Uriah’s patriotism. Even intoxicated, Uriah was more pious than David.
Out of desperation the king became more aggressive. Uriah carried his own death wish as part of a well-orchestrated murder plot. David’s actions could never cover his sin. Panic only accelerated the consequences.
III. Personal Exemption: Obedience to God
Personal exemption is a third dimension of the sin event exposed by specific words throughout this text. Notice the supporting characters in this drama.
The word Bathsheba means “daughter of Sheba” or “daughter of oath.” It was David who disregarded the ritual cleansing rites. Bathsheba was so respected that as “the wife of Uriah” she is mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew 1:6.
Uriah means, “Yahweh is my light.” According to verse 11, the ark accompanied the army, implying that it was a holy war. Uriah acted with honor, and from innocence. Out of loyalty he never failed to live up to his title, the servant of David (v. 21).
When you outwardly express an inner resistance to the will of God you can expect the public exposure of your sin to result in an accelerated panic that throws life out of control. Or you can experience personal exemption from the consequences of sin by conditioning your life to obey God. (Barry J. Beames)
A Prayer for All Seasons
Ephesians 3:14-21
Is there a special prayer that has great meaning in your life? For some it might be the Lord’s Prayer. For others, the Prayer of Saint Francis has special significance. Both of these prayers are written in the first person: “Our Father, who art in heaven”; “Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace.”
What if we’re feeling the need to pray for another person or community, but are not sure how to pray? Paul’s prayer on behalf of the Ephesians gives us a good model for such intercession, as he asks essentially three things for them: power, love, and the fullness of God.
I. We Pray for Power
Paul prays for the church to be strong (v. 16). Immediately we think of physical strength, or financial strength, or mental strength. But this prayer is for strengthening “in your inner being with power through his Spirit.” In other words, this intercession asks that the Ephesian church be strong where it really counts: deep within. As easily as we might tend to ask for other kinds of strength for another person or for a congregation, this prayer bypasses those strengths for an inner power that steadies and strengthens every other aspect of one’s life. This power—spiritual power—is the very best means of support.
II. We Pray for Love
The next phrase of Paul’s prayer asks for Christ to dwell in their hearts as they become “rooted and grounded in love” 6. 17). Notice that love is not a free-form emotion that waxes and wanes, comes and goes, ebbs and flows. Neither is it a feeling that we conjure up and tailor to our own disposition.
Love is a “groundedness,” a “rootedness,” deriving from the occupancy of Christ within the very heart. In other words, there is an objectivity about this love, having to do with the standard of self-giving set by Christ. It is Christ who is to order the heart toward love by living there; such a love should grow deeper, stronger and sturdier with time.
I remember a small Inter-Varsity booklet entitled My Heart, Christ’s Home The title speaks for itself, and in the course of the booklet various “rooms” in the person’s heart are opened up to the question of whether Christ is really welcome there. It is one thing to visit with a friend over lemonade on the front porch, and quite another to invite someone into our medicine cabinet, the family room, or the refrigerator! “May Christ dwell in your hearts,” the prayer goes, probably knowing full well how subversive and life-changing such an intercession could turn out to be.
III. We Pray for Fullness
Lastly, Paul prays for something rather peculiar. Put in other words, I would say he’s praying for the Ephesian church to be slightly overwhelmed. Here he wants them to comprehend the incomprehensible: breadth, length, height, depth, love that surpasses knowledge . . . so that “you may be filled with all the fullness of God” (v. 19). It is with such a fullness that we can pray with the psalmist, “You, LORD, are all I have, and you give me all I need; my future is in your hands” (Ps. 16:5, GNB).
Power for faithful Christian living; hearts of love; a sense of the fullness of God in our lives. These are not things we should pray only for others; let’s ask God to make each of these things living realities in our own lives. (Paul R. Escamilla)
A Miracle of Multiplied Witness
John 6:1-21
On the northwestern shore of the Sea of Galilee, in an area where much of the ministry of Jesus occurred, there is a small church at a place called Tabgha. Built by Benedictine Fathers in 1982, this church is on the site of two earlier churches, the first built about A.D. 350 and the second about a hundred years later. The second church was destroyed in the early seventh century, and over 1,300 years passed before archaeologists excavated the site and found the remains of the two churches.
In their excavations the archaeologists found a beautiful mosaic that had formed part of the altar of the second church building. The mosaic shows a basket of loaves, with a fish on either side of the basket. Very early in the Christian community’s life, this site was apparently regarded as the place where Jesus feeding of the multitude occurred.
It is not surprising that the early Christians would have marked this particular event from the life of Jesus. This miracle story, or “sign” as John would have designated it, was very important in the early church. It is the only miracle of Jesus that is reported in all four Gospels.
After a particularly intense period of ministry, Jesus had gone off by himself. But the crowds followed him, and at the end of the day they were hungry. So Jesus had the people sit down; he took five loaves and two fish from a boy in the crowd, gave thanks to God, and distributed the food. After everyone had eaten, the disciples gathered up twelve baskets of fragments. And the crowd wanted to make Jesus king, but he went off by himself.
What do you make of this experience reported by all the Gospel writers? All kinds of attempts have been made to rationalize the story: everyone who had food must have shared it; the feeding really referred to spiritual food; it was a symbolic prefiguring of Holy Communion; it was a literal miracle of multiplying food. But all these approaches seem to miss the point.
The text leaves an element of mystery in the account. It says only that the people ate what they wanted and were satisfied. It preserves the element of mystery. Halford Luccock wrote: “The story is a wonderful picture of a tremendous truth of Christian history, that Jesus does multiply above measure for human use whatever of worth is put into his hands. Whatever we give him he will enlarge for the service of human need” (The Interpreter’s Bible, Vol. 7, p. 743). And George Buttrick once said: “The main truth is that of alliance between man’s little and God’s abundance. Let reminder be given for our cheer that, if we do what we can in trust and consecration, God will give the increase” (The Interpreter’s Bible, Vol. 7, p. 432).
Is it not sufficient to say that our task as disciples is simply to do what we can in trust and consecration and leave the increase to Christ? Is it not sufficient to say that our task as disciples is to offer what we can to the causes of Christ—our efforts, energies, money, prayers, concerns, time, love—and allow Christ to take what we offer individually and make of it corporately far more that we are able?
I believe I know at least part of the reason the early Christians regarded this experience of Jesus so seriously. They had seen the attractive and expansive power of the gospel to nourish spiritual hunger and to minister to physical need. And this experience from the life of Jesus reminded them of both dimensions of the gracious and loving ministry of Christ and the church. They believed in the miracle of multiplied witness because they had both received and shared its power. (J. Lawrence McCleskey)
Ninth Sunday after Pentecost
COLOR: Green
SCRIPTURE READINGS: 2 Samuel 11:1-15; Psalm 14; Ephesians 3:14-21; John 6:1-21
THEME IDEAS
Today’s readings are full of apparent contradictions: faith and sin, acceptance and rejection, strength and weakness, fullness and emptiness. Yet every vile deed lamented by the psalmist is offset by God’s deliverance. If King David was truly that same psalmist, who could know this truth more intimately than the one who had an infamous affair with Bathsheba? Contrast his loathsome selfishness with the incredible selflessness of Jesus, who transformed a meal sufficient for only a few into a feast for five thousand. This is what Paul speaks of as the redemptive power of God’s love, the power to abundantly achieve far more than anything we might ask for or understand.
INVITATION AND GATHERING
Call to Worship (Psalm 14)
Fools say in their hearts, “There is no God.”
Too often we have been fools in word or deed.
Still, the Lord looks from heaven
for those who seek God.
May we be found among the company
of the righteous!
Deliver us from evil, O God.
Restore your people’s fortunes.
Lord, only in you can we find refuge. Amen.
Opening Prayer (Ephesians 3)
Holy One,
we bow our hearts before you this day.
Strengthen us in our innermost being
and dwell in our hearts through faith.
May we be rooted and grounded in Christ,
whose love is beyond all knowledge.
Help us comprehend even the smallest part
of the beautiful mystery of your grace.
Grant that we may experience the fullness
of your presence with us. Amen.
PROCLAMATION AND RESPONSE
Prayer of Confession (Psalm 14)
Who among us hasn’t wondered if God really exists?
Who among us hasn’t recoiled in revulsion
when reflecting upon the depraved
and loathsome acts we might be capable of?
Who among us hasn’t felt the agony
of a life lived apart from God’s love?
Yet in our emptiness, in the depths of our despair,
the Lord seeks us out;
the Lord hears our cries;
the Lord becomes our refuge
and our strength.
In you, gentle savior, our hearts are glad;
we rejoice in your salvation.
We pray to you in spirit and in truth. Amen.
Words of Assurance (Ephesians 3)
The love of God is your firm foundation;
by faith you are rooted deeply in the Lord.
May you know the breadth and length
and height and depth of the love of Christ,
which surpasses all human knowledge.
May you attain the fullness of being,
the fullness of life that God brings.
Response to the Word (Psalm 14, Ephesians 3, John 6)
Lord, from emptiness, you create substance—
when we hunger,
you fill us from your abundance;
when all seems lost,
you bring hope and salvation,
you make possible the impossible.
We are overcome with joy,
but we are also terrified of your power.
Calm and strengthen our hearts
as we hear your assurance,
“It is I: Do not be afraid.” Amen.
THANKSGIVING AND COMMUNION
Offering Prayer (Psalm 14, Ephesians 3, John 6)
Gracious Lord,
you have lavished upon us
the riches of your glory.
As Jesus fed the masses, providing enough for all
with more than enough left over,
so you have fed us and provided for us.
You shelter us, care for us,
and bring us safely to each stop on our journey.
As you have given to us out of your abundance,
we return our offering to you
with praise and thanksgiving.
In the name of the Savior, we pray. Amen.
SENDING FORTH
Benediction (Ephesians 3)
May you know the richness and fullness
of God’s grace.
May you experience every dimension
of the love of Christ.
May the Spirit dwell within you through faith.
To the Holy One, whose power works within us
to accomplish more than we could ask
or imagine or comprehend,
be glory forever and ever! Amen.
CONTEMPORARY OPTIONS
Contemporary Gathering Words (2 Samuel 11, Psalm 14, Ephesians 3, John 6)
When we see what we want, do we simply take it?
How much better to receive a gift freely given.
If our unbridled desires lead us astray, do we admit it?
How much better to bow before our Maker.
Do we know anything? Have we learned anything?
How much better to know the indescribable love of God.
—OR—
Contemporary Call to Worship (2 Samuel 11, Psalm 14, Ephesians 3, John 6)
Holy One,
you have covered the barren places in our lives
with the riches of your grace.
In the agony and emptiness of our sin,
you have filled us with forgiveness.
From a small portion of food,
you have given us sustenance for a lifetime.
Glory and praise to you forever! Amen!
Praise Sentences (Psalm 14)
Praise the Lord, our refuge!
Praise the Lord, our strength!
Praise the Lord, our deliverer!
Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!
From “The Abingdon Worship Annual 2012,” edited by Mary J. Scifres and B.J. Beu, Copyright © 2011 by Abingdon Press. “The Abingdon Worship Annual 2016” is now available.____________________________
Ministry Matters
2222 Rosa L. Parks Boulvardd
Nashville, Tennessee 37228 United States
____________________________
COLOR: Green
SCRIPTURE READINGS: 2 Samuel 11:1-15; Psalm 14; Ephesians 3:14-21; John 6:1-21
THEME IDEAS
Today’s readings are full of apparent contradictions: faith and sin, acceptance and rejection, strength and weakness, fullness and emptiness. Yet every vile deed lamented by the psalmist is offset by God’s deliverance. If King David was truly that same psalmist, who could know this truth more intimately than the one who had an infamous affair with Bathsheba? Contrast his loathsome selfishness with the incredible selflessness of Jesus, who transformed a meal sufficient for only a few into a feast for five thousand. This is what Paul speaks of as the redemptive power of God’s love, the power to abundantly achieve far more than anything we might ask for or understand.
INVITATION AND GATHERING
Call to Worship (Psalm 14)
Fools say in their hearts, “There is no God.”
Too often we have been fools in word or deed.
Still, the Lord looks from heaven
for those who seek God.
May we be found among the company
of the righteous!
Deliver us from evil, O God.
Restore your people’s fortunes.
Lord, only in you can we find refuge. Amen.
Opening Prayer (Ephesians 3)
Holy One,
we bow our hearts before you this day.
Strengthen us in our innermost being
and dwell in our hearts through faith.
May we be rooted and grounded in Christ,
whose love is beyond all knowledge.
Help us comprehend even the smallest part
of the beautiful mystery of your grace.
Grant that we may experience the fullness
of your presence with us. Amen.
PROCLAMATION AND RESPONSE
Prayer of Confession (Psalm 14)
Who among us hasn’t wondered if God really exists?
Who among us hasn’t recoiled in revulsion
when reflecting upon the depraved
and loathsome acts we might be capable of?
Who among us hasn’t felt the agony
of a life lived apart from God’s love?
Yet in our emptiness, in the depths of our despair,
the Lord seeks us out;
the Lord hears our cries;
the Lord becomes our refuge
and our strength.
In you, gentle savior, our hearts are glad;
we rejoice in your salvation.
We pray to you in spirit and in truth. Amen.
Words of Assurance (Ephesians 3)
The love of God is your firm foundation;
by faith you are rooted deeply in the Lord.
May you know the breadth and length
and height and depth of the love of Christ,
which surpasses all human knowledge.
May you attain the fullness of being,
the fullness of life that God brings.
Response to the Word (Psalm 14, Ephesians 3, John 6)
Lord, from emptiness, you create substance—
when we hunger,
you fill us from your abundance;
when all seems lost,
you bring hope and salvation,
you make possible the impossible.
We are overcome with joy,
but we are also terrified of your power.
Calm and strengthen our hearts
as we hear your assurance,
“It is I: Do not be afraid.” Amen.
THANKSGIVING AND COMMUNION
Offering Prayer (Psalm 14, Ephesians 3, John 6)
Gracious Lord,
you have lavished upon us
the riches of your glory.
As Jesus fed the masses, providing enough for all
with more than enough left over,
so you have fed us and provided for us.
You shelter us, care for us,
and bring us safely to each stop on our journey.
As you have given to us out of your abundance,
we return our offering to you
with praise and thanksgiving.
In the name of the Savior, we pray. Amen.
SENDING FORTH
Benediction (Ephesians 3)
May you know the richness and fullness
of God’s grace.
May you experience every dimension
of the love of Christ.
May the Spirit dwell within you through faith.
To the Holy One, whose power works within us
to accomplish more than we could ask
or imagine or comprehend,
be glory forever and ever! Amen.
CONTEMPORARY OPTIONS
Contemporary Gathering Words (2 Samuel 11, Psalm 14, Ephesians 3, John 6)
When we see what we want, do we simply take it?
How much better to receive a gift freely given.
If our unbridled desires lead us astray, do we admit it?
How much better to bow before our Maker.
Do we know anything? Have we learned anything?
How much better to know the indescribable love of God.
—OR—
Contemporary Call to Worship (2 Samuel 11, Psalm 14, Ephesians 3, John 6)
Holy One,
you have covered the barren places in our lives
with the riches of your grace.
In the agony and emptiness of our sin,
you have filled us with forgiveness.
From a small portion of food,
you have given us sustenance for a lifetime.
Glory and praise to you forever! Amen!
Praise Sentences (Psalm 14)
Praise the Lord, our refuge!
Praise the Lord, our strength!
Praise the Lord, our deliverer!
Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!
From “The Abingdon Worship Annual 2012,” edited by Mary J. Scifres and B.J. Beu, Copyright © 2011 by Abingdon Press. “The Abingdon Worship Annual 2016” is now available.____________________________
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