"Flint: America's newest mission field" by David Person
"Flint skyline2". Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia CommonsWhat cause has brought rock and acting legend Cher and Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz together? The same one that has brought together a militia group and Michael Moore: the water crisis in Flint, Michigan.
This town with approximately 100,000 residents, 40 percent of whom live at or below poverty, is America’s newest mission field. I say this because Flint’s residents will need support for a generation or two at least, long after the immediate infrastructure crisis is resolved.
Dr. Philip Landrigan, Dean of Global Health at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, told CBS News that Flint’s children will likely suffer permanent and life-long damage from being exposed to lead-tainted water.
"The problem here is, no level of lead is safe," Landrigan said. "Even low levels of lead — especially if exposure to low levels continues over many months — is going to cause some degree of brain damage to at least some of the children who have been exposed.
"These children are going to be injured for life. They're going to need remedial education, they're going to need educational enrichment programs."
Experts like Landrigan expect that children in Flint who have been exposed to lead will have behavioral problems, lower IQ scores, and developmental issues. They will have to be identified and tracked to ensure that they get the care they will need, Landrigan said.
There is a deep, searing sense of injustice about what happened in Flint that calls for civil and political solutions, perhaps evencriminal penalties.
"What has happened in Flint, Michigan is an absolute travesty,”Cruz said while campaigning in New Hampshire recently. “The men and women have been betrayed. Every one of us is entitled to have clean water.”
Credit Cruz for doing more than just making Flint a talking point. His campaign also distributed 600 gallons of clean water to residents at crisis pregnancy centers, a homeless shelter and other locations, according to the Ted Cruz for MichiganFacebook page.
Cher, who has called Michigan Gov. Rick Synder a “murderer,”partnered with Icelandic Glacial to have more than 181,000 bottles of water delivered to Flint. Other celebrities, including Jimmy Fallon, Sean “Diddy” Combs and Mark Wahlberg aremaking sizable donations of cash or water to help the residents.
All of this help is needed desperately, since the city’s water is too tainted to use.
“This is an impoverished city,” explained Lanice Lawson, founder of Bottles For The Babies, an organization that has distributed thousands of units of bottled water to Flint’s citizens. “Most of the residents are struggling.”
Lawson grew up in Flint and still lives in the vicinity, though outside of the city limits. Her feelings are very, very strong.
“This should be considered a crime against humanity,” Lawson said.
Cruz has called for prayer. The militia has called for armed resistance, which seems an extreme and questionable response, but perhaps is a reflection of the understandable outrage of its members.
I’d like to see something between the two: At least one Christian denomination needs to adopt Flint. I challenge two to consider this: my own, the Seventh-day Adventist Church, and the one whose publishing house maintains this website, The United Methodist Church. Both of these denominations have the reach and resources to create a long-term strategy to minister to the needs of the people of Flint.
I don’t mean proselytizing or baptizing or preaching doctrine, the traditional focus of missionary models. I’m talking about unconditional support in the form of water, advocacy and any other long-term help that Flint’s residents will need.
If a denomination takes on this challenge, it should not expect any benefits for itself in return. The focus should be on the immediate, life-or-death needs of the children and families in Flint.
Need an incentive? AQUAhydrate, the company whose owners include Combs and Wahlberg, has pledged to provide Flint with water until its water issues are resolved.
If a secular company, owned in part by two producers of some of the most secular media content in American culture, can be that committed to helping people in need, shouldn’t a denomination that claims Jesus Christ as its example and savior be even more committed?
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"Edits that make sermons stronger" by Dave Barnhart
“Murder your darlings.” Creative gurus chant it like a mantra. Who said it first is not as important as this fact: Artists from film directors to novelists to poets understand that creating art means deleting some of our favorite parts. Keep it simple.
Film editors may be the most ruthless. They hack and slash every shot, every bit of dialogue that doesn’t advance the story or tell us information about a character. That conversation between the lovers on the moonlit bridge? Gone. That quirky, lovable secondary character who tells a joke? Gone. Your favorite obscure part of the book? Gone.
Preachers also create with words, and we often love our words with a religious zeal. When we believe we have been given words by the Holy Spirit, we can become especially protective of our clichés and illustrations.
I’ve probably made all of the preaching mistakes. I’ve written sermons that could have been preached better in half the time, and I’ve crammed three sermons into one because I felt like I had to say everything. I’ve lobbed hand grenades when I should have thrown softballs to a congregation, and I’ve used illustrations so gentle and bewildering that people walked out of a sermon convinced I had said something completely different. (We preachers have an easy out: we chalk up such mistakes to “the work of the Holy Spirit.”)
We preachers often don’t have time for a lot of editing. We are on a tight weekly schedule with a ton of other pastoral duties and deadlines. Sometimes it hurts too much to murder a darling paragraph or story that tickles us both rhetorically and religiously. But almost any manuscript can be improved with a few quick “search and destroy” missions.
1. Eliminate generic nouns. “The homeless.” “The poor.” “The marginalized.” These abstract groups of people do not have the power of the following illustration: “Joe has a masters degree in chemistry, but he sleeps at night in an abandoned house. He tears up when someone gives him a new, fresh pair of socks.”
Images and stories do the heavy lifting in a sermon, so when I opt instead for generic nouns, I ask myself why. Is the generic noun important enough to be in the sermon? Phrases like “Care for the poor” are so fuzzy that they cannot inspire imaginations or call people to action. What does “care for the poor” actually look like? Paint a picture of specific things — shiny new books in a school, a community land trust that builds a storm shelter for residents, or a teenager with glasses who can see the blackboard clearly for the first time.
2. Eliminate super-passive verbs. Many of us know to avoid passive voice: “She was adored by everyone” is not as good as “Everyone adored her.” State of being verbs (is, was, are) do not convey the power of active verbs (love, fall, sprint), and turn the subject (she) into a passive recipient of the action.
But one class of verbs are even weaker: should, ought, must, need. These are what I call “state of non-being verbs.” They do not describe a state that exists, but one that we wish existed.
Unfortunately, preachers love these verbs. When we want to talk about moral obligations or ethical relationships — which we do when we preach — we don’t have many alternatives. These verbs feel … well, preachy. They give preaching a reputation for being moralistic, shaming and demanding.
“Should” actually demotivates a listener. One of my congregation members once said in a mission team meeting, “Folks just don’t care enough. We need to help the poor!” As soon as he said it, I felt tired, deflated and helpless. If he had painted a picture of the joy of service — maybe told a story about a grandfather reading to a child in an after school program, about how she told him she missed him while he was on vacation, and waited until he was back to hear the end of the story — that would motivate folks.
I try to use “ought” verbs sparingly. For example, I’ve just made my case for avoiding them without actually saying that you shouldn’t.
3. Eliminate overly long sentences. When we speak, we limit our sentence length with our breath. Long sentences do have a place in a sermon. They can help build anticipation for a short, pungent finale. But generally, short sentences are better. If you preach from a manuscript, you don’t have to look at the manuscript as often. It’s easier to breathe. Varying the length of sentences keeps the spoken word from becoming sing-songy or tedious.
4. Eliminate mollifying rhetorical questions. Sometimes preachers will utter a powerful or poignant sentence. But they will sap its strength by ending it with an unnecessary question, won’t they? It steals energy from the declaration, doesn’t it? It feels like preachers want reassurance from the people that they haven’t pushed too far.
I make all kinds of mistakes in both writing and preaching. I probably don’t murder enough of my darlings. Like many preachers, I’m too in love with the message I feel God has given me to say, and don’t spend enough time listening from the perspective of the people to whom God has sent me. But getting some critical distance on our words is necessary for us to become better communicators. If we practice the easy edits, we can even build the courage to tackle the harder ones, paring away all but the most essential parts to tell the Good News.
Dave Barnhart is the pastor of Saint Junia UMC in Birmingham, Ala.
"3 traps of growth and how to overcome them" by Len Wilson
Growth is dangerous. We labor to see things grow, yet when we become enamored with the fruits of our labor, bad things happen. It has the potential to lead us to believe that it’s only outcomes that matter, when it’s actually the opposite. Regardless of your endeavor, it’s not outcomes that matter, but the creative process. In fact when you focus on growth, it will elude you. Growth isn’t the goal of an endeavor; it’s the outcomeof a focus on creating.
As I describe in my book Think Like a Five Year Old, the lie of self-glory is one of the three great destroyers of the creative process.
When we’re focused on the labor — the process — good things happen. When we become enamored with the spoils and the fruits of the labor, bad things happen.
Three reasons we struggle with growth
The challenge is our own carnal knowledge. We are too self-aware, and in our supposed savvy we find ourselves focusing on the adulation. Especially if we’ve been successful in some capacity in the past. It happens everywhere. For example, I think this is the main reason the vast majority of championship coaches can’t win a title with a second team.
Harvard Business review named three reasons we struggle with growth:
1. Attribution error. We puff ourselves up — we think our success was due to our talents and our current model or strategy and we give short shrift to the part that environmental factors and random events may have played. (I’d phrase that last part to factors beyond our control — which is most of them.)
Over-confidence bias. We become self-assured and believe we don’t need to change anything. We get stuck in our ways. (History is littered with stories of successes who didn’t see disruptive change coming. Here are 11 examples.)
Failure-to-ask-why syndrome. When we experience success, we quit deconstructing our work. We stop asking the tough questions.
In short, success ruins us. After we’ve seen it, we know what it looks like.
We want it again, but without the work.
I have experienced these things the hard way. In 2011, after some years of marketplace “success,” I recused myself from my own platform. I had begun to feel disconnected from my own creative work. I turned inward for a while, and just focused on writing.
Eventually, some time after I made this decision, a surprising thing happened.
I began to see good new ideas. I was no longer trying to develop ideas for the sake of turning a profit or sustain previous success, like I had been doing, but for the pure joy of the work. I’d overcome my own success, and the result was new growth.
Three ways to overcome the traps of growth
What I’d experienced was exactly what author Henri Nouwen describes in his book Bread for the Journey as “fruit.” Nouwen discusses signs for knowing what you are making is fruitful — and not simply successful. Here are three tests for determining how authentic your work is:
It comes from weakness and vulnerability. We might phrase this as the struggle. Good work is candid, not packaged. It is born and in and shaped by the mess. Success must have struggle.
2. It is unique. Everybody’s special, yada yada. This isn’t a cat poster – what this means is related to #1. It comes not just out of your gifts, but your struggles. When it comes to making new things, the mess you own is just as important as the gifts you’ve been given.
3. It brings you joy. While the creative process has lows, and isn’t necessarily about happiness, it is about a deep contentment in knowing you’re doing what you’re supposed to be doing. This knowledge is as good as it gets.
The joyous irony is that when we stop worrying about success, and just focus on the work, we’re more likely to find success.
Where do you find success in your life? Where do you find struggle? Are you failing enough? If not, be careful that the creative well doesn’t run dry.
Len Wilson is the author of Think Like a 5 Year Old: Reclaim Your Wonder & Create Great Things from Abingdon Press. He blogs at LenWilson.us.
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"Biblical marriage"
by Steve HarperAs a person who seeks to be a responsible student (notice I did not say “expert scholar”) when exploring topics of interest and importance, the recent sanctions of the Episcopal Church USA by the Primates of the Anglican Communion has necessarily brought me back to yet another consideration of the phrase “biblical marriage” — a phrase not used in the actual document produced by the Primates, but certainly implied in it, and used in various responses to the document.
Hopefully, I am stating the obvious when I say that no Christian is in favor of unbiblical marriage. But what is not so obvious is that the term “biblical marriage” is not as singular and clear-cut as some allege. A look at Scripture bears this out, as does the subsequent Christian tradition.
The Bible has eight models of marriage in it. I cannot describe them in a blog-length post, but in brief they are: man/woman; man/brother’s widow; man/woman (or women) and concubines; rapist/victim; man/woman and woman’s slaves; male soldier/prisoner of war; man/multiple women as wives; and male slave/female slave. [You can Google “types of marriage in the Bible” and see them for yourself, as well as where they are mentioned in the Bible]
The point I am making is simply that there is no one model of marriage in Scripture. And, furthermore, godly people in the Bible are married in different ways. It is also true that every model could be violated. The model is not determinative; how the model is honored is.
In history, the variations multiply over the earth over the course of time. These variations became significant (and problematic) as Acts 1:8 became fulfilled “to the ends of the earth.” And once again, we see Christians lacking a singular mind on every occasion when the meaning of marriage was up for discussion. This was particularly true with respect to polygamy. A few examples suffice to illustrate this fact.
Paul’s words (1 Tim 3:2, 3:12 & Titus 1:6) were taken by some to be pervasively prohibitive, while others pointed out he was applying the principle only to leaders.
Additionally, Martin Luther, on one occasion, condoned polygamy while continuing to advocate monogamy as the norm.
Even the Anglican Communion reveals the historic struggle in (1) Bishop John Colenso’s excellent and extended 1855 treatise on the subject as the Church of England moved further onto the African continent, and (2) the Lambeth Conference of 1988 — Resolution 26 . Both examples uphold monogamy, while acknowledging there are occasions when people in polygamous marriages can become Christians.
What emerges from the witness of history is that the Church came to reject models of marriage which were non-consensual, the result of abuse (e.g. rape), and more recently marriages that ascribe to women a status of lesser worth than men. At the same time, the Church has never based the meaning of marriage in “romance,” reproductive capacity or any other concept that lacks commitment.
Again, the point is that the Church has had to discern the meaning of marriage from among the options presented in Scripture itself and represented in a variety of religions and cultures over time.
The question is, “How did the Church do this?” The answer is, through the concept of Covenant, the all-encompassing bond, established by God, that defines the God-human relationship and the related human-human and human-all creation ones. Covenant principles are non-negotiable: sacredness, fidelity and permanency. [I personally believe church history shows that monogamy can be added as a fourth (New Covenant) principle]
This use of Covenant established a crucial distinction between “normative” and “definitive” — a distinction that gets lost when only the term “biblical marriage” is used. To be sure, the one-man/one-woman model is normative — no doubt about that. But Scripture and tradition reveal that this model is not definitive — Covenant is definitive. We even sometimes today call marriage the “covenant of holy wedlock.”
If we are to move beyond the intense controversy (even impasse) in the Christian community regarding the meaning of marriage, we must recover the historic Church’s willingness and ability to make the distinction between normative and definitive — with Covenant being definitive, not a particular model of marriage. No marital union can be called “Christian” if it lacks sacredness, monogamy, fidelity and permanency. [That’s why even some one-man/one-woman marriages are not actually Christian]
If we follow the example of the Church over time, we will preserve the foundation of Covenant as the definitive element, recognizing that one-man/one-woman marriages are normative — as evidenced by historical data itself.
But when using Covenant to define marriage, we will also join with historic Christianity in recognizing that there can be other marriage models which honor and bear witness to Covenant: sacredness, monogamy, fidelity and permanency. And with the foundation of Covenant in place, we can bless and/or solemnize the union of any two people who intend (and pledge through the making and keeping of vows in the presence of God and Christian witnesses) to live in Covenant love toward God and toward each other, and to make their home a haven of blessing to all who enter it.
This is the reason (rooted in Scripture and tradition, not cultural capitulation or a Supreme Court ruling) that many Christians and ecclesial bodies believe that same-sex marriage is legitimate — whenever and wherever it honors and reflects Covenant.
I do not offer this blog naively. I know it is not the view held by all Christians everywhere. But that fact only illustrates the reality the Church has had to deal with when considering (reconsidering) the meaning of marriage. Our challenge is to recognize, as the Church has recognized in the past, that times like ours call for conversation, not censure.
Without that, the term “biblical marriage” (a term we are all for) will be an ecclesial volleyball batted back and forth over a net of confusion, caricature and contradiction — leaving us vulnerable to being less “Church” (i.e. unloving, judgmental, arrogant) than God would have us be.
If, however, we are willing to engage in holy conferencing, we may find (as the Church has found in the past) a way through what too easily seems to be an impasse — as the Holy Spirit leads us beyond our wilderness wanderings to “a new land” that God has made and will show us — a land that is ahead of us — a land only grace can create (Jeremiah 32:27).
Steve Harper is the author of “For the Sake of the Bride” and “Five Marks of a Methodist.” He blogs at Oboedire.
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"You choose: Was this a worship experience or was it ... ?"
by Christy ThomasAll our needs were met. Instructions were clear and signage was excellent. Gracious and competent attendants directed us through the gargantuan parking lot, waving us into a convenient spot. Greeters kindly showed us to waiting areas as the previous attendees streamed out.
We were cheerfully ushered inside where another team of greeters took over and did whatever was needed for us to find comfort.
The spacious gift shop featured T-shirts and sweaters emblazoned with a clearly professionally designed brand.
We experienced expert musicians with different venues for different age groups, keeping everyone happy and unchallenged by difference and change. More greeters offered abundant refreshments. We saw that children and youth had special activities with trained leaders geared to their age groups.
Time after time, we were invited to come again, to become a regular.
Now, the question: At this point, can you discern where I was?Church growth consultants advise every single one of these things. Nearly every megachurch I have visited offered all of the above.
Our actual venue: a passenger ship, setting off for a Caribbean cruise.
The parallels fascinated me all through this, my first-ever cruise. Both groups aim for my loyalty: They want me back and they don’t want me looking to any other place for my worship/cruise.The plethora of choices and the essential passivity of all activities are so much of what I’ve seen in very large church life. Which performance/worship service, all staffed by first-class musicians, do I want to attend? Don’t worry about your children — we’ll keep them happy and entertained the entire time — this (ship/church) will become their place to be.
Photo: BigstockEven the way the rich (generous donors) are treated just slightly differently paralleled each other. For this first cruise, we had opted for the concierge level where we received special attentions, better meal package, reserved seating and a reception with the captain and main crew members. Try going to a prosperity megachurch like Elevate Life in Frisco, Texas. The big donors get extra time with the pastor; they are part of the inner circle.
The branding: I’ve been to dozens of church gift shops/book stores in the last couple of years. The ship featured especially expensive jewelry and liquor; churches tend to feature the face of the lead pastor on books and DVD’s, but other than that, they have the same labeled products, clearly displaying their names and brands.
The separation of children from adults particularly intrigued me. At most megachurches, children are simply not permitted in the main “worship/performance” times. They must be in the nursery/Sunday School. Youth go to their own services, sealed off from parents and younger siblings. I know there were a fair number of children on this cruise — and I caught a glimpse of them only once.
This is not a slam on all megachurches here. I personally believe many do superb work and are necessary for the maintenance of the Christian message. I have long been concerned, however, that many have so been seduced by the standards of consumer Christianity that they are in long-term danger.
I have two main questions.
First, shouldn’t Christianity ask more of us than to be passive consumers of religious experiences?
Second, what happens when the newer, even fancier cruise ships/worship venues are built, with even more luxury accoutrements, even better services, more activities to keep children and youth engaged and out of their parent’s hair, slicker and quicker parking, richer food, more special privileges for the well-to-do?
It is so trite, of course, but what WOULD Jesus say about the way we do cruise ship worship these days?
While I was on the cruise, I read Jan Karski’s Story of a Secret State: My Report to the World. Karski was part of the Polish Underground resistance during the Nazi occupation of Poland. While he did not record much of his faith life, he was a deeply religious Roman Catholic. His courage, and the courage of so many unnamed ones, made it possible for Poland to be the only conquered nation that did not collaborate in any way with the Nazi occupiers.
It is a book I wish everyone would read. This is a life of true discipleship. And he spoke of many who labored, who suffered, who were horrifically tortured, who willingly gave their lives for the sake of freedom. He smuggled himself into a Jewish killing camp and witnessed thousands of starving and naked Jews shoved into cattle cars filled with quicklime that would burn the flesh off their feet and ultimately kill them.
He wrote:
As I listened to the dwindling outcries from the train, I thought of the destination toward which it was speeding. My informants had minutely described the entire journey. The train would travel about eighty miles and finally come to a halt in an empty, barren field Then nothing at all would happen. the train would stand stock-still, patiently waiting while death penetrated into every corner of its interior. This could take from two to four days.
Is the church today preparing people who can stand up to such horrors? Can we soft, entertained, cosseted Christians, worshipping only when we feel like it and only with those who totally agree with us, possibly find the courage to stand up to real evil?
Evil is everywhere. Where’s our witness?
Just a few thoughts on this, my first-ever cruise. Which was absolutely wonderful, by the way!
Christy blogs at ChristyThomas.com.
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"Helicopter parenting" by Jill M. Johnson
Affluenza teen and his momIf you pay attention to the news or social media, then you’ve probably heard of the “affluenza” teen who gained the spotlight again this past December. Ethan Couch was given this moniker after a judge sentenced him to probation instead of jail time when, at the age of 16, he killed four people in a drunken-driving accident in Texas in 2013. His defense team cited “affluenza” as a factor, suggesting that because he was overly protected by his parents — from a wealthy family and spoiled — he didn’t understand the consequences of his actions.
Because he violated the terms of his parole, a warrant was issued for his arrest last month. His mother, Tonya Couch, is accused of helping her son flee to Mexico to avoid arrest. On December 28, they were found and she was arrested and brought back to Texas, with charges of hindering the apprehension of a felon.
While this case of extreme helicopter parenting generated strong media buzz, child experts agree that the phenomenon is widespread across the United States, particularly in middle- and upper-class segments. Although many schools and churches express concern over the lack of parental involvement, others struggle with parents who hover unnecessarily over their kids or who solve problems for them that they could figure out on their own.
What is a helicopter parent?The first use of the phrase helicopter parent is attributed to Dr. Haim Ginott. In his 1969 book Parents & Teenagers, he wrote about teens who said their parents would “hover over them like a helicopter.” Similar terms include lawnmower parenting (parents who mow down obstacles for their children) and overparenting. Carolyn Daitch, Ph.D., director of the Center for the Treatment of Anxiety Disorders, defines helicopter parents as those who “typically take too much responsibility for their children’s experiences and, specifically, their successes or failures.” Merriam-Webster.com defines the term as “a parent who is overly involved in the life of his or her child.”
According to an article on Parents.com, helicopter parenting is most often seen in parents of high school or college-aged students. Such parents take over tasks that their children are fully capable of completing alone. For example, many college professors get calls from parents about poor grades or schedule problems, often with demands from the parent to fix the problem so their child won’t be upset or have to struggle in any way. My son told me about a parent who went with his college-aged son for an internship interview and expected to sit in on it! The pestering of my son with questions about how his own internship interview went paled in comparison.
Former Stanford University dean Julie Lythcott-Haims has written a book on the problems with overparenting titled How to Raise an Adult: Break Free of the Overparenting Trap and Prepare Your Kids for Success. She recounts stories of intelligent, accomplished young adults who were also depressed and fragile. As a dean, she would counsel college kids who had no passion for the items on their resume and hear stories from them about parents who micromanaged study schedules. Many admitted they studied science, played piano or did community service projects only because their parents insisted.
Lythcott-Haims cites several studies showing a correlation between mental health issues in college kids and overparenting. For example, a 2011 study at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga found that students with “hovering” parents were more likely to be medicated for anxiety or depression. She believes that when parents do the hard stuff for kids — reminding them of deadlines, paying bills, asking questions, talking to strangers, confronting authorities — students are left unprepared for college or work. “They will experience setbacks, which will feel to them like failure. Lurking beneath the problem of whatever thing needs to be handled is the student’s inability to differentiate the self from the parent,” says Lythcott-Haims.
Why parents helicopterHelicopter parenting can happen at any age, not just with older teens and young adults. Some parents of toddlers constantly shadow their children and don’t allow play time alone. In elementary school, a helicopter parent might help too much with homework or ensure that a child gets a particular teacher. While engaged parenting can build self-confidence, overparenting can lead to decreased self-esteem, lack of coping skills, anxiety, a sense of entitlement and undeveloped life skills.
Parents.com identifies four reasons why parents helicopter: (1)fear of dire consequences—parents often don’t understand that disappointment over not making the team or getting a low grade can be a great lesson for a child; (2) feelings of anxiety — worries about the economy or the state of the world can push parents to exhibit too much control over their children’s lives in an effort to protect them; (3) overcompensation — adults who didn’t have a happy childhood might be prone to excessive attention on their own child; and (4) peer pressure from other parents — feelings of guilt can cause some to model the behavior of other parents who overparent.
Effective parentingFortunately, a number of resources are available to help parents to be supportive and loving and to nurture their kids into resilient, independent adults. For example, the Love and Logic program developed by Jim Fay and Foster Cline in the 1970’s “teaches children to be responsible, and prepares young people to live in the real world, with its many choices and consequences.” This program identifies three types of parents: (1) the helicopter parent (who hovers over his or her children and rescues them from a hostile world); (2) the drill sergeant (who commands and directs the lives of his or her children); and (3) the consultant (who provides guidance and consultant services for his or her children). According to Love and Logic, the consultant parent has the ideal mix of attributes, providing messages of personal worth to kids, seldom mentioning responsibilities but rather modeling self-care and responsibility, providing children with options but allowing them to make their own decisions, and allowing children to experience life’s natural consequences.
In addition to Love and Logic, many churches provide courses aimed at helping parents at every point along the parenting spectrum. For example, Highland Park United Methodist Church in Dallas offers classes for parents on topics such as spiritual formation, raising boys, single parenting, raising teen daughters, behavior problems and human sexuality.
Personal reflectionI finished up this article after I returned from the funeral for a beautiful, smart, 22-year-old woman who was friends with my son in high school. The last act her mom did for her was an attempt to prevent her daughter from drinking and driving by taking her car away, yet she died after being hit by a vehicle while walking home. It doesn’t really matter what happened or how, just that her parents loved her and were only trying to protect her — which is why as parents, we hover and worry over our children. It’s our natural instinct.
To trust these precious gifts to God is incredibly difficult, but ultimately it’s our only choice. Without prayer, spiritual growth and wisdom in our own lives, healthy parenting (or grandparenting) is difficult, if not impossible. As the Bible reminds us in James 1:5, “Anyone who needs wisdom should ask God, whose very nature is to give to everyone without a second thought, without keeping score.” Now that’s a good Father.
Be sure to check out FaithLink, a weekly downloadable discussion guide for classes and small groups.
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"Momentum busters"
by Mike SlaughterPhoto: BigstockOften by the third week in January it is easy to lose momentum toward the new commitments we have made for 2016. We kicked off January at Ginghamsburg Church with a new message series called ACTIVATE: because life change is possible. Each week we have focused on key areas of life where many of us need to experience breakthroughs for continued life momentum. This past weekend I spoke about activating health and healing in our lives, which really resonated with most folks, including about 20 who have since signed up for a membership with Ginghamsburg’s fitness room. I hope they stick with it. I also know that many of us buy gym memberships in January, packing the place out, only to disappear by mid-February.
To go where God is calling in our lives and vocations, we must deal with the momentum busters of rationalization (“I make myself the exception”) and procrastination (“I don’t know where to start”). Rationalization and procrastination can prevent us from moving toward the purpose for which God has created us.
Rationalization is when we tell ourselves that we can live at the top of the proverbial mountain without the effort of the climb. “I am the exception,” we misguidedly tell ourselves. Yet some prominent professional athletes have discovered over the past few decades that they can’t cheat the effort of the climb with the assistance of performance-enhancing drugs without the consequence of diminished public respect and credibility, as well as long-term health effects.
We also live in a culture that has a passion for the immediate. We want the CliffsNotes version of God: happiness, success and fulfilling relationships. We want “easy” and “now,” and we try to make God work that way too. This cult of the instant has created an aversion to sweat and an inclination for shortcuts. Avoiding perspiration at all costs, we lower the bar. We change God’s standard of measure. Yet keeping our gym membership active is going to take persistent commitment.
Procrastination is another huge momentum buster. In fact, failure comes in direct proportion to procrastination. Have you ever gone into a test unprepared? If so, you may have experienced the feelings of inadequacy and self-doubt that procrastination, or the failure to take adequate measures of preparation, feeds. You’ve probably had the dream about a critical exam for which you failed to study, a play for which you hadn’t memorized the lines or an important presentation where you were embarrassed to discover yourself standing alone in your underwear. Procrastination comes back to haunt you in your dreams. It attaches itself to your psyche and continues to raise its ugly head through feelings of anxiety and dreams marked by panic, failure and defeat.
Procrastination, failing to do today what shouldn’t be put off until tomorrow, sows seeds of lifetime failure.
God calls us to a lifestyle of holiness. “Be holy,” the Bible commands at least two dozen times. The term holiness may sound impractical or other-worldly to the modern ear, but it actually means “wholeness.” When your life is set apart for God, when it is devoted to God’s excellent purposes, it is made whole or complete. Perhaps holiness should be spelled as “wholiness.” God is a God of whole-life excellence in every dimension, yet in our brokenness we rationalize and procrastinate about areas in our lives that are less than excellent.
Most of us have got to deal with our big “but” — the big procrastination statements we use on ourselves. “But I don’t have time to get up early for prayer and meditation.” “My schedule is too packed to make it to worship this weekend.” “But I don’t have time to exercise because I’m too busy.”
To break through these momentum busters in my own life, about two decades ago I developed the acronym DRIVE, which represents my self-leadership disciplines for maintaining life momentum.
- D – Daily Devotion to God. This is the spiritual element. If I don’t practice this discipline, I find that it takes me only 24 hours to lose my fear of God.
- R – Readiness for Lifelong Learning. What are you reading and learning? When we stop learning we risk lessening our effectiveness and relevance.
- I – Invest in Key Relationships. Who is most strategic in your life, and do you take time for them? Practicing this discipline helps me keep first things – and first people – first.
- V – Visioning for the Future. This is the missional element. Forming future pictures ensures that we don’t remain stuck in the past.
- E – Eating & Exercising for Life. Our bodies are the temple of God. I’ve come to realize that eating and exercise are as spiritual as they are physical. As we approach February, let’s not allow rationalization and procrastination to derail our commitment to whole-life health.
Mike Slaughter is the author of Renegade Gospel and The Christian Wallet. He blogs at MikeSlaughter.com.
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"Why the Anglican-Episcopal clash may spell a theological revision"
by Jacob Lupfer / Religion News ServiceThe Washington National Cathedral, a cathedral of the Episcopal Church. RNS photo by Lauren Markoe
(RNS) What’s next for the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion?
The widening chasm was on full display recently as a meeting of Anglican primates voted to suspend the LGBT-affirming Episcopal Church in the United States from participating in decisions about doctrine or polity for three years.
Though no surprise to church watchers, the decision was jarring for Episcopalians who take pride in their denomination’s inclusive stance on sexual minorities.
News reports on the censure invariably quoted Episcopalians dismayed and disappointed that the worldwide Anglican Communion does not share their enthusiasm for LGBT inclusion in the church
Episcopalians, from Presiding Bishop Michael Curry down to everyday priests and lay people, remain resolutely confident that they are on the right side of history.
But the Episcopal Church has to understand that affirming a marginalized minority group against an overwhelmingly traditionalist consensus means that, at least for the foreseeable future, its connection to global ecumenical Christianity will be strained.
Of course, if the tide of Christian history turns toward affirmation of same-sex marriage, then the American branch of Anglicanism will be cheered for centuries as a prophetic witness against hate and baseless prejudice.
But if the ecumenical Christian consensus continues to understand marriage as the union of a man and a woman, then the primates’ action will be seen as the first formal step toward an inevitable schism.
The censure raises vital questions about how much disagreement can be tolerated; whether divergent teachings on marriage and sexuality constitute minor differences of interpretation or major theological revisions; and how majorities will punish dissenting minorities.
What does the potential Episcopal-Anglican split mean for the evolution of Christian teaching on sexuality?
It means that interdenominational Protestant and ecumenical Christian cooperation could be ever more determined by views on sexuality rather than on historic commitments to specific doctrines or practices.
For centuries, the Book of Common Prayer has ordered the worship and prayers of Anglicans across a vast empire and then among independent national churches.
The Anglican Communion can abide differences in language, culture and style. But, for now at least, different understandings of the nature of marriage are a bridge too far.
The Episcopal Church had already affirmed gay people and accepted gay clergy, but last summer it approved a liturgy for same-sex marriage.
Christianity has long taught that marriage is the lifelong, exclusive union of a man and a woman, ordered to procreation, and that sexual relations are properly reserved for such unions. It will not quickly or easily change its teaching.
There is a tension between the prominence of maleness and femaleness in Christianity’s creation myths and the Apostle Paul’s teaching that “there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:28).But a religion that imagines itself to be the Bride of Christ and envisions the eschatological future as a “marriage supper” (Revelation 19:9) seems especially unlikely to accommodate the idea that marriage is a genderless institution.
Still, even if global Christianity does not soon (or ever) adopt the Episcopal Church’s affirmation of LGBT equality, the Episcopal Church’s and other liberal Protestant denominations’ affirmations have put pressure on conservatives to challenge church support for discriminatory public policies, including criminalization of homosexuality.
In the same communique that censured the Episcopal Church, Anglican primates “reaffirmed their rejection of criminal sanctions against same-sex attracted people.”
Advocates for LGBT affirmation speak of the right side of history, while traditionalists often prefer to think of themselves on “the right side of eternity.” But whether Christian history stretches to eternity, one thing is sure: It is long, and change is often measured in centuries.
The Episcopal-Anglican tension illustrates, above all, that doctrines involving the nature and purpose of marriage are not items of secondary concern. They are foundational to how Christians understand human relationships and their relationship to the divine.
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"Annual stewardship drive as action planning"
by John LasterMost congregations are in the process of distributing year-end giving statements for 2015 along with letters confirming pledges for 2016. Some stewardship teams think their work is wrapped up for the year. Other stewardship teams realize the annual stewardship process has created an action plan for growing discipleship in the coming year.
Every annual stewardship drive results in the identification of four distinct groups within the congregation. These groups can be used for creating unique action plans based on these giving behaviors.
1. Those who pledge. Within this group, there are two subgroups: those who have made a pledge previously and those who are pledging for the first time. The primary action for this group is to say “Thank You.” Express your gratitude for their pledge and let them know how much their faithful support means to the ministry of the church. For first-time pledgers, send a brief, handwritten note from the pastor acknowledging their pledge. After they have begun contributing toward their pledge, send them another note to thank them for their faithful support.
2. Those who have pledged in the past but have not pledged for 2016. For this group, their change in giving patterns likely signals some kind of change. It may represent a change in their feelings regarding the church or, perhaps a change in their personal circumstances. The action for this group is a personal pastoral contact within the first couple of months of the year. Check in to see how they are feeling about the church or if there are some personal issues that may need your pastoral care. Explore their hopes and dreams for this next year of ministry. Listen carefully for problems or issues that may need attention.
3. Those who do not pledge, but give. Continue to communicate regularly through the year with this group as you do with all of your donors. Be sure to keep track of their contributions and send personal notes of thanks when warranted.
4. Those who have never pledged and do not contribute. There are both challenges and opportunities with this group. This group requires a three-step action plan:
Conduct an individual household assessment. Consider where these families are in their engagement with the life and ministry of your congregation. Gather your leadership team and consider how each family is participating in areas such as prayers, presence, gifts, service and witness. Consider membership expectations for spiritual life, worship attendance, participation in active ministries and small groups. You may want to assign a condition color using a stoplight analogy where “green” indicates a good level of engagement, “yellow” for moderate level of engagement and “red” if there is no engagement.
- Based on your evaluation, develop an action plan for each individual household. Determine which activities, special events, small groups, ministry initiatives and work team projects might appeal to each family, and make a plan to personally invite them. As you move through the year, track the invitations as well as their participation in all aspects of the congregation’s life together.
- As a leadership team, review your action plan quarterly for each family using the stoplight framework, adjusting the individual family plan as appropriate and necessary.
The process is simple and will become streamlined over time. Congregational leaders become focused on the central issue related to people’s giving: their heart-level connection and engagement with the congregation. It really is all about discipleship!
This article first appeared on the Horizons Stewardship blog.
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This Sunday, January 31, 2016
Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany: Jeremiah 1:4-10; Psalm 71:1-6; 1 Corinthians 13:1-13; Luke 4:21-30
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Lectionary Readings
Sunday, 31 January 2016
(Courtesy of Vanderbilt Divinity Library)
Jeremiah 1:4-10
Psalm 71:1-6
1 Corinthians 13:1-13
Luke 4:21-30
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Lectionary Texts:
Jeremiah 1:4 Here is the word of Adonai that came to me:
5 “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you;
before you were born, I separated you for myself.
I have appointed you to be a prophet to the nations.”
6 I said, “Oh, Adonai Elohim, I don’t even know how to speak! I’m just a child!” 7 But Adonai said to me, “Don’t say, ‘I’m just a child.’
“For you will go to whomever I send you,
and you will speak whatever I order you.
8 Do not be afraid of them,
for I am with you, says Adonai,
to rescue you.”
9 Then Adonai put out his hand and touched my mouth, and Adonai said to me,
“There! I have put my words in your mouth.
10 Today I have placed you over nations and kingdoms
to uproot and to tear down,
to destroy and to demolish,
to build and to plant.”
Psalm 71:1 In you, Adonai, I have taken refuge;
let me never be put to shame.
2 In your righteousness, rescue me;
and help me to escape.
Turn your ear toward me,
and deliver me.
3 Be for me a sheltering rock,
where I can always come.
You have determined to save me,
because you are my bedrock and stronghold.
4 My God, help me escape from the power of the wicked,
from the grasp of the unjust and ruthless.
5 For you are my hope, Adonai Elohim,
in whom I have trusted since I was young.
6 From birth I have relied on you;
it was you who took me from my mother’s womb.
1 Corinthians 13:1 I may speak in the tongues of men, even angels;
but if I lack love, I have become merely
blaring brass or a cymbal clanging.
2 I may have the gift of prophecy,
I may fathom all mysteries, know all things,
have all faith — enough to move mountains;
but if I lack love, I am nothing.
3 I may give away everything that I own,
I may even hand over my body to be burned;
but if I lack love, I gain nothing.
4 Love is patient and kind, not jealous, not boastful,
5 not proud, rude or selfish, not easily angered,
and it keeps no record of wrongs.
6 Love does not gloat over other people’s sins
but takes its delight in the truth.
7 Love always bears up, always trusts,
always hopes, always endures.
8 Love never ends; but prophecies will pass,
tongues will cease, knowledge will pass.
9 For our knowledge is partial, and our prophecy partial;
10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass.
11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child,
thought like a child, argued like a child;
now that I have become a man,
I have finished with childish ways.
12 For now we see obscurely in a mirror,
but then it will be face to face.
Now I know partly; then I will know fully,
just as God has fully known me.
13 But for now, three things last —
trust, hope, love;
and the greatest of these is love.
Luke 4:21 He started to speak to them: “Today, as you heard it read, this passage of the Tanakh was fulfilled!” 22 Everyone was speaking well of him and marvelling that such appealing words were coming from his mouth. They were even asking, “Can this be Yosef’s son?”
23 Then Yeshua said to them, “No doubt you will quote to me this proverb — ‘“Doctor, cure yourself!” We’ve heard about all the things that have been going on over in K’far-Nachum; now do them here in your home town!’ 24 Yes!” he said, “I tell you that no prophet is accepted in his home town. 25 It’s true, I’m telling you — when Eliyahu was in Isra’el, and the sky was sealed off for three-and-a-half years, so that all the Land suffered a severe famine, there were many widows; 26 but Eliyahu was sent to none of them, only to a widow in Tzarfat in the land of Tzidon. 27 Also there were many people with tzara‘at in Isra’el during the time of the prophet Elisha; but not one of them was healed, only Na‘aman the Syrian.”
28 On hearing this, everyone in the synagogue was filled with fury. 29 They rose up, drove him out of town and dragged him to the edge of the cliff on which their town was built, intending to throw him off. 30 But he walked right through the middle of the crowd and went away.
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John Wesley's Notes-Commentary for Jeremiah 1:4-10
Verse 4
[4] Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
Then — When he was first called to his office.
Psalm 71:1-6
[4] Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
Verse 5
[5] Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
I sanctified — I ordained thee for this public service. He speaks thus to Jeremiah, not to the other prophets, because he stood in need of greater encouragement than they, both in respect of the tenderness of his years, and the difficulties which he was to encounter with.
The nations — To other nations besides the Jews.
Verse 7
[7] But the LORD said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak.
Thou shalt speak — Fear not, I will make thee eloquent and courageous.
Verse 9
[9] Then the LORD put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth.
Then — God having excited the prophet by command and promise, now in a vision confirms him, either by the hand of an angel, or by himself in some visible shape.
Verse 10
[10] See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant.
The kingdoms — Having now received his commission, he is directed to whom he is to go; to the greatest, not only single persons, but whole nations, as the Babylonians, Persians, and Egyptians.
To pull down — That is, to prophecy that I will pull down; which I will as certainly effect, as if thou hadst done it thyself: for, according to scripture-usage, the prophets are said to do that which they foretell shall come to pass.
To plant — Metaphors taken from architects and gardeners: either the former words relate to the enemies of God, and the latter to his friends; or rather to both conditionally: if they repent, he will build them up, he will increase their families, and settle them in the land; if they do not, he will root them up, and pull them down.
1 Corinthians 13:1-13
Verse 2
[2] And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.
And though I have the gift of prophecy — Of foretelling future events.
Luke 4:21-30
Verse 21[2] And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.
And understand all the mysteries — Both of God's word and providence.
And all knowledge — Of things divine and human, that ever any mortal attained to. And though I have the highest degree of miracle working faith, and have not this love, I am nothing.
Verse 3
[3] And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.
And though I — Deliberately, piece by piece. Give all my goods to feed the poor, yea, though I deliver up my body to be burned - Rather than I would renounce my religion.
And have not the love — Hereafter described.
It profiteth me nothing — Without this, whatever I speak, whatever I have, whatever I know, whatever I do, whatever I suffer, is nothing.
Verse 4
[4] Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
The love of God, and of our neighbour for God's sake, is patient toward, all men. It, suffers all the weakness, ignorance, errors, and infirmities of the children of God; all the malice and wickedness of the children of the world: and all this, not only for a time, but to the end. And in every step toward overcoming evil with good, it is kind, soft, mild, benign. It inspires the sufferer at once with the most amiable sweetness, and the most fervent and tender affection.
Love acteth not rashly — Does not hastily condemn any one; never passes a severe sentence on a slight or sudden view of things. Nor does it ever act or behave in a violent, headstrong, or precipitate manner.
Is not puffed up — Yea, humbles the soul to the dust.
Verse 5
[5] Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
It doth not behave indecently — Is not rude, or willingly offensive, to any. It renders to all their due - Suitable to time, person, and all other circumstances.
Seeketh not her own — Ease, pleasure, honour, or temporal advantage. Nay, sometimes the lover of mankind seeketh not, in some sense, even his own spiritual advantage; does not think of himself, so long as a zeal for the glory of God and the souls of men swallows him up. But, though he is all on fire for these ends, yet he is not provoked to sharpness or unkindness toward any one. Outward provocations indeed will frequently occur; but he triumphs over all. Love thinketh no evil - Indeed it cannot but see and hear evil things, and know that they are so; but it does not willingly think evil of any; neither infer evil where it does not appear. It tears up, root and branch, all imagining of what we have not proof. It casts out all jealousies, all evil surmises, all readiness to believe evil.
Verse 6
[6] Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
Rejoiceth not in iniquity — Yea, weeps at either the sin or folly of even an enemy; takes no pleasure in hearing or in repeating it, but desires it may be forgotten for ever.
But rejoiceth in the truth — Bringing forth its proper fruit, holiness of heart and life. Good in general is its glory and joy, wherever diffused in all the world.
Verse 7
[7] Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
Love covereth all things - Whatever evil the lover of mankind sees, hears, or knows of any one, he mentions it to none; it never goes out of his lips, unless where absolute duty constrains to speak.
Believeth all things — Puts the most favourable construction on everything, and is ever ready to believe whatever may tend to the advantage of any one character. And when it can no longer believe well, it hopes whatever may excuse or extenuate the fault which cannot be denied. Where it cannot even excuse, it hopes God will at length give repentance unto life.
Meantime it endureth all things — Whatever the injustice, the malice, the cruelty of men can inflict. He can not only do, but likewise suffer, all things, through Christ who strengtheneth him.
Verse 8
[8] Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.
Love never faileth — It accompanies to, and adorns us in, eternity; it prepares us for, and constitutes, heaven.
But whether there be prophecies, they shall fail — When all things are fulfilled, and God is all in all.
Whether there be tongues, they shall cease — One language shall prevail among all the inhabitants of heaven, and the low and imperfect languages of earth be forgotten. The knowledge likewise which we now so eagerly pursue, shall then vanish away - As starlight is lost in that of the midday sun, so our present knowledge in the light of eternity.
Verse 9
[9] For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.
For we know in part, and we prophesy in part — The wisest of men have here but short, narrow, imperfect conceptions, even of the things round about them, and much more of the deep things of God. And even the prophecies which men deliver from God are far from taking in the whole of future events, or of that wisdom and knowledge of God which is treasured up in the scripture revelation.
Verse 10
[10] But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.
But when that which is perfect is come — At death and in the last day.
That which is in part shall vanish away — Both that poor, low, imperfect, glimmering light, which is all the knowledge we now can attain to; and these slow and unsatisfactory methods of attaining, as well as of imparting it to others.
Verse 11
[11] When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
In our present state we are mere infants in point of knowledge, compared to what we shall be hereafter.
I put away childish things — Of my own accord, willingly, without trouble.
Verse 12
[12] For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.
Now we see — Even the things that surround us. But by means of a glass - Or mirror, which reflects only their imperfect forms, in a dim, faint, obscure manner; so that our thoughts about them are puzzling and intricate, and everything is a kind of riddle to us.
But then — We shall see, not a faint reflection, but the objects themselves.
Face to face — Distinctly.
Now I know in part — Even when God himself reveals things to me, great part of them is still kept under the veil.
But then I shall know even as also I am known — In a clear, full, comprehensive manner; in some measure like God, who penetrates the centre of every object, and sees at one glance through my soul and all things.
Verse 13
[13] And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.
Faith, hope, love — Are the sum of perfection on earth; love alone is the sum of perfection in heaven.
[21] And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.
To-day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears — By what you hear me speak.
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The Upper Room Ministries
To-day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears — By what you hear me speak.
Verse 22
[22] And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph's son?
The gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth — A person of spiritual discernment may find in all the discourses of our Lord a peculiar sweetness, gravity, and becomingness, such as is not to be found in the same degree, not even in those of the apostles.
Verse 23
[23] And he said unto them, Ye will surely say unto me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself: whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy country.
Ye will surely say — That is, your approbation now outweighs your prejudices. But it will not be so long. You will soon ask, why my love does not begin at home? Why I do not work miracles here, rather than at Capernaum? It is because of your unbelief. Nor is it any new thing for me to be despised in my own country. So were both Elijah and Elisha, and thereby driven to work miracles among heathens, rather than in Israel.
Verse 24
[24] And he said, Verily I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country.
No prophet is acceptable in his own country — That is, in his own neighbourhood. It generally holds, that a teacher sent from God is not so acceptable to his neighbours as he is to strangers. The meanness of his family, or lowness of his circumstances, bring his office into contempt: nor can they suffer that he, who was before equal with, or below themselves, should now bear a superior character.
Verse 25
[25] But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land;
When the heaven was shut up three years and six months — Such a proof had they that God had sent him. In 1 Kings 18:1, it is said, The word of the Lord came to Elijah in the third year: namely, reckoning not from the beginning of the drought, but from the time when he began to sojourn with the widow of Sarepta. A year of drought had preceded this, while he dwelt at the brook Cherith. So that the whole time of the drought was (as St. James likewise observes) three years and six months. 1 Kings 17:19; 18:44.
Verse 27
[27] And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian.
2 Kings 5:14.
Verse 28
[28] And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath,
And all in the synagogue were filled with fury — Perceiving the purport of his discourse, namely, that the blessing which they despised, would be offered to, and accepted by, the Gentiles. So changeable are the hearts of wicked men! So little are their starts of love to be depended on! So unable are they to bear the close application, even of a discourse which they most admire!
Verse 30
[30] But he passing through the midst of them went his way,
Passing through the midst of them — Perhaps invisibly; or perhaps they were overawed; so that though they saw, they could not touch him.
The Upper Room Ministries
PO Box 340004
Nashville, Tennessee 37203-0004, United States
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Sermon Story "God's Hesed" by Gary Lee Parker for Sunday, 31 January 2016 with Scripture: Jeremiah 1:4 Here is the word of Adonai that came to me:
5 “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you;
before you were born, I separated you for myself.
I have appointed you to be a prophet to the nations.”
6 I said, “Oh, Adonai Elohim, I don’t even know how to speak! I’m just a child!” 7 But Adonai said to me, “Don’t say, ‘I’m just a child.’
“For you will go to whomever I send you,
and you will speak whatever I order you.
8 Do not be afraid of them,
for I am with you, says Adonai,
to rescue you.”
9 Then Adonai put out his hand and touched my mouth, and Adonai said to me,
“There! I have put my words in your mouth.
10 Today I have placed you over nations and kingdoms
to uproot and to tear down,
to destroy and to demolish,
to build and to plant.”
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The word Hesed in the title is defined as: [Lovingkindness (02617)(Hesed/Chesed/Heced) is the idea of faithful love in action and often in the OT refers to God's lovingkindness expressed in His covenant relationship with Israel (His "loyal love" to His "Wife" Israel [cp Hos 2:18, 19, 20-see note, Is 54:5, Je 31:32] = His "loyalty to covenant"). God's hesed His denotes persistent and unconditional tenderness, kindness, and mercy, a relationship in which He seeks after man with love and mercy (cp God immediately seeking man Ge 3:9, who was immediately hiding Ge 3:8 trying to cover their shame Ge 3:7 - contrast God's lovingkindness manifest by spilling blood to provide skins to cover their shame! Ge 3:21). Hesed expresses both God’s loyalty to His covenant and His love for His people along with a faithfulness to keep His promises.]
The four passages of Scripture we have this week are all sharing of God's Love to His people while I may concentrate on the Jeremiah passage with God sharing with Jeremiah that He knew him while he was being knitted together in his mother's uterus or womb. God was calling him from this point to be an instrument of God's to His people about God's love for them. We too often look at this passage and others similar to it and say that this is a one time experience for this person that Scripture is talking about, but in reality this occurence is for each person who has been conceived in the womb of a woman. Even the babies that have been miscarried or aborted are known by God and have been given a purpose to build His kingdom while the knowledge of this may not come but later on in a person's life as they become more open to God's Spirit and Love for them as people chosen by God. Have you ever known a woman or even a man long after the occurence to go into a depressive state of mind and dwell on what could have been? Could this be God's Holy Spirit speaking to them that they are truly loved and maybe even forgiven that their child is all right in the presence of Him. We look at the immigrant, refugee, people of different races, people who have different sexual orentation, or people who are differently abled and need to realize that God knitted them in their mother's womb to call them for His purpose to build the KIngdom of God on earth as it is in Heaven. Father Henri J. M. Nouwen learned this when he first began living in a L'Arche community in Toronto, Ontario, Canada called Daybreak. He realized that all he had accomplished meant nothing to the people who were differently abled, but how he reacts and acts towards each of them at the moment. How do you understand this? How will you react and act towards others who are different from you? How will you live out the Unconditional Love that God gives each of us to pass on to all other people? Too often, we have rejected people who are different from us from being a part of our churches, but God is telling us through His Holy Spirit and these people that we are sinning against God with our excludiionary tactics. God says include all with the same Unconditional Love that He gives each of us and more as we grow in our relationship with Him and all other people. How have you been living? We come to receive more of God's Unconditional Love as we take and eat the Body of Jesus and take and drink His Blood through the Holy Sacrament of the Holy Eurcharist. As we come, we sing the Hymn "A Father's Love" by Ken Bible
1. Hear a child demand his freedom,
Grasping for life,
Careless with his greatest treasure:
All his Father's love.
2. Through the years of waste and wandering
So far from home,
Still a waiting heart is watching
With a Father's love.
3. How the Father runs to meet him!
See their embrace!
Sin is turned to joy and promise
By a Father's love.
4. Still a waiting heart is calling
All far from home.
Come and know this sweet forgiveness.
Find your Father's love.
Benediction:
Go out into the world in peace;
Be of good courage;
Hold fast to that which is good;
Render to no one evil for evil;
Strengthen the faint hearted;
Support the weak; help the afflicted;
Honor all God’s children;
Love and serve the Lord, rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen
The word Hesed in the title is defined as: [Lovingkindness (02617)(Hesed/Chesed/Heced) is the idea of faithful love in action and often in the OT refers to God's lovingkindness expressed in His covenant relationship with Israel (His "loyal love" to His "Wife" Israel [cp Hos 2:18, 19, 20-see note, Is 54:5, Je 31:32] = His "loyalty to covenant"). God's hesed His denotes persistent and unconditional tenderness, kindness, and mercy, a relationship in which He seeks after man with love and mercy (cp God immediately seeking man Ge 3:9, who was immediately hiding Ge 3:8 trying to cover their shame Ge 3:7 - contrast God's lovingkindness manifest by spilling blood to provide skins to cover their shame! Ge 3:21). Hesed expresses both God’s loyalty to His covenant and His love for His people along with a faithfulness to keep His promises.]
The four passages of Scripture we have this week are all sharing of God's Love to His people while I may concentrate on the Jeremiah passage with God sharing with Jeremiah that He knew him while he was being knitted together in his mother's uterus or womb. God was calling him from this point to be an instrument of God's to His people about God's love for them. We too often look at this passage and others similar to it and say that this is a one time experience for this person that Scripture is talking about, but in reality this occurence is for each person who has been conceived in the womb of a woman. Even the babies that have been miscarried or aborted are known by God and have been given a purpose to build His kingdom while the knowledge of this may not come but later on in a person's life as they become more open to God's Spirit and Love for them as people chosen by God. Have you ever known a woman or even a man long after the occurence to go into a depressive state of mind and dwell on what could have been? Could this be God's Holy Spirit speaking to them that they are truly loved and maybe even forgiven that their child is all right in the presence of Him. We look at the immigrant, refugee, people of different races, people who have different sexual orentation, or people who are differently abled and need to realize that God knitted them in their mother's womb to call them for His purpose to build the KIngdom of God on earth as it is in Heaven. Father Henri J. M. Nouwen learned this when he first began living in a L'Arche community in Toronto, Ontario, Canada called Daybreak. He realized that all he had accomplished meant nothing to the people who were differently abled, but how he reacts and acts towards each of them at the moment. How do you understand this? How will you react and act towards others who are different from you? How will you live out the Unconditional Love that God gives each of us to pass on to all other people? Too often, we have rejected people who are different from us from being a part of our churches, but God is telling us through His Holy Spirit and these people that we are sinning against God with our excludiionary tactics. God says include all with the same Unconditional Love that He gives each of us and more as we grow in our relationship with Him and all other people. How have you been living? We come to receive more of God's Unconditional Love as we take and eat the Body of Jesus and take and drink His Blood through the Holy Sacrament of the Holy Eurcharist. As we come, we sing the Hymn "A Father's Love" by Ken Bible
1. Hear a child demand his freedom,
Grasping for life,
Careless with his greatest treasure:
All his Father's love.
2. Through the years of waste and wandering
So far from home,
Still a waiting heart is watching
With a Father's love.
3. How the Father runs to meet him!
See their embrace!
Sin is turned to joy and promise
By a Father's love.
4. Still a waiting heart is calling
All far from home.
Come and know this sweet forgiveness.
Find your Father's love.
Benediction:
Go out into the world in peace;
Be of good courage;
Hold fast to that which is good;
Render to no one evil for evil;
Strengthen the faint hearted;
Support the weak; help the afflicted;
Honor all God’s children;
Love and serve the Lord, rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen
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Gary Lee Parker
4147 Idaho Street, Apt. 1
San Diego, California 92104-1844
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TRUE LOVE by John Mathis
1 Corinthians 13:1-13
If someone were to ask me, “What is the greatest theological truth?” I would have to say simply, “Jesus loves you.” Paul takes time out in his letter to the church at Corinth to explain just what is really important to them as a body of believers. It is not who has the most spiritual gifts, who drives the nicest car to church, or who owns the most oxen or sheep. It is love. God is love. As followers of Christ, we are called to love one another regardless of the circumstances. Sometimes this is difficult and may seem completely impossible. Paul tries his best to describe love so that we may find it easier to love our neighbors as we love God. How can one truly describe something that must be experienced firsthand? Paul attempts to describe the indescribable. His description challenges us to seek God’s guidance to teach us how to love—love that is patient, love that does not insist on its own way. God blesses us when God allows us to see perfect love.
Occasionally, we are allowed to see individuals give selflessly of themselves to serve the greater good of God’s kingdom. Each year our church youth go on a mission trip within our state. They serve a few hours a day repairing homes for the less fortunate, working in soup kitchens, or spending time with the elderly in nursing homes. When they return each day, you can see the joy and love of Christ in their faces. They feel blessed by those they have served and feel that they have made a difference in someone’s life.
Paul begins his discourse by explaining that all the spiritual gifts in the world mean nothing if those receiving them do not love one another. It is important to notice when Paul writes, “If I have all faith . . . but do not have love, I am nothing” (1 Corinthians 13:2). A great faith in Jesus Christ is pointless if the individual does not fully love. Every church seems to have someone who has the greatest faith in the world but does not seem to like too many people, let alone love them. The church in Corinth must have been filled with many individuals like that, people who were difficult to work with or wanted to do everything themselves. No individual can do God’s work alone, without a community of support. Fellowship is a vital part of the body of Christ, whether in a small church or an ecumenical gathering. Love bonds believers together to do the work of Jesus Christ in the world.
There is no greater feeling in the world than to be loved. Children experience love from their parents and learn as they grow up what it means to nurture and love another. When God blesses a man and a woman to find each other and fall “in love,” no expression can truly describe the joy they have found. Perhaps that is why this passage from Paul’s letter is read so often at weddings. It is an attempt to put into words what a couple is experiencing in their relationship. True love is sometimes difficult to find in our world. Divorce rates are high, and the number of singles in our country is on the rise. This passage illustrates to us the power of love to transform and rejuvenate relationships, especially our relationship with Jesus Christ.
Finally, Paul’s letter is an attempt to explain eternal truth in an incomplete existence. “Love never ends” (v. 8). It looks as if Paul is telling us that we cannot fully experience all the aspects of life in our earthly lives. We experience a portion of God’s love through other people we encounter along the way. We take a part of that love and share it with others. Paul tells us “we see in a mirror, dimly” (v. 12). I did not fully understand this until several years ago when the small town in which I live found itself in the path of Hurricane Isabel. We lost electrical power for more than a week. Flashlights and candles became my only sources of light at night. If you have ever tried to look into a mirror using indirect light from a flashlight, you have an idea of what Paul is writing. You can make out your reflection, but it is not possible to see the entire picture clearly. Our vision is blurred by the darkness that surrounds us. Sometimes the darkness of sin that surrounds us blurs our relationship with Christ. We need the light of Christ to guide us to lead lives of holiness. Living in the light of Christ reveals to others the power of transformation. God transforms us into new beings capable of sharing Christ’s love with the world.
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WORSHIP ELEMENTS: JANUARY 31, 2016 by Joanne Carlson Brown
Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany
COLOR: Green
SCRIPTURE READINGS: Jeremiah 1:4-10; Psalm 71:1-6; 1 Corinthians 13:1-13; Luke 4:21-30
THEME IDEAS
Being a prophet is hard work! Jeremiah shies away from the task. The psalmist is beset by foes. And the folks in Jesus’ hometown want to stone him. Where is all the love Paul sings about in 1 Corinthians? It is there in the neverending, steadfast love of God that surrounds us from our mother’s womb to the earth’s tomb. It is a love that calls us to do things we feel inadequate to do. It is a love that strengthens us and gives us courage and perseverance in times of trial. It is a love that enables us to speak words of truth to a questioning and sometimes hostile world. Love, indeed, is the greatest of these.
INVITATION AND GATHERING
Call to Worship (Jeremiah 1, Luke 4)
Come! Hear the call of God:
“Speak of me to my people.”
But we are just ordinary folks.
Who will listen?
“I will give you the words.
I will always be with you as you speak
my words of truth and justice and love.”
We gather here to worship you,
to praise you for your loving presence,
and to be strengthened for the calling
you have given us.
Opening Prayer (Jeremiah 1, Psalm 71, 1 Corinthians 13, Luke 4)
O God,
in the midst of the cacophony of voices
that crush our spirit and deny our calling,
voices that say,
“Who do you think you are?”
we come to hear your voice of affirmation;
we come to hear your voice
calling us to be and do
what you have called us to be and do.
Let this time of worship quiet our fears,
soothe our bruised souls,
and energize us for ministry
in and with your beloved world.
Let faith abide.
Let hope abide.
Let love abide—
here in this sanctuary,
here in our community,
here in our world,
but most of all, here in us. Amen.
PROCLAMATION AND RESPONSE
Prayer of Confession (Jeremiah 1, Luke 4)
God, who shapes the course of history,
it is so hard to be a prophet.
25
J A N U A R Y 3 1 , 2 0 1 0
We’re just ordinary folks.
What do you expect us to do?
Who will listen to us anyway?
Even if they do, they’ll only get mad.
You’d do better to find someone else—
someone older, someone younger,
someone more articulate,
someone with more courage,
someone with more faith.
But still we hear our call and your promise.
Forgive our feet of clay—
when we try and evade your call,
when we make excuses,
when we doubt your presence,
when we reject your prophets,
when we reject ourselves.
In the opportunities and challenges in our lives,
help us see that you are there,
and help us respond in faith, hope, and love.
Words of Assurance (Psalm 71)
God is our rock and our fortress.
In God we find our hope and our strength.
We are always surrounded by God’s forgiving love,
a love that has known us from birth
and will never leave us.
Passing the Peace of Christ (1 Corinthians 13)
The love of God surrounds us.
We rejoice in that love.
Let us greet one another in that love, in that hope,
in that abiding faith.
Response to the Word (Jeremiah 1, 1 Corinthians 13)
Hear God’s word—
the words of call,
the words of promise,
the words of faith,
the words of hope,
the words of love.
Live God’s word—
the words of life.
THANKSGIVING AND COMMUNION
Invitation to Offering (Jeremiah 1, Luke 4)
We have been called to speak and to live out the radical, abiding love of God in the world. We do so by offering all that we are, all that we do, and all that we have, knowing that God will use us and our gifts to bring the beloved community ever closer to being realized in this world.
Offering Prayer (Jeremiah 1, 1 Corinthians 13)
Gracious and loving God,
receive our gifts of self and substance.
They have belonged to you
since our very beginning.
We give them freely, joyfully, prayerfully.
With them we praise you.
With them we celebrate the great power
that is love—
a love that abides always,
a love that radically transforms,
a love that makes us whole.
SENDING FORTH
Benediction (Jeremiah 1, Psalm 71, 1 Corinthians 13, Luke 4)
Go forth, celebrating faith.
Go forth, celebrating hope.
Go forth, celebrating love.
Go forth to be the transformed people
that God calls us to be.
Go forth to transform the world—
in times of prosperity,
but most especially, in times of disbelief,
hostility, fear, and rejection.
Go forth with the knowledge
that you are always surrounded
by the presence of our steadfast, loving God,
our rock and our redeemer.
CONTEMPORARY OPTIONS
Contemporary Gathering Words (Jeremiah 1, 1 Corinthians 13, Luke 4)
People of God, come hear the good news.
But we hear the voice of God calling us
to places we are afraid to go.
People of God, take courage in the loving,
sustaining presence of God.
We are here to find strength and courage,
to find faith and hope, to lean on
the everlasting, loving arms of God.
Praise Sentences (Jeremiah 1, Psalm 71, 1 Corinthians 13)
O God, you are our rock and our fortress.
In you we find strength to go on.
We praise you for the gifts of faith, hope, and love.
We will live out our call to be all
you have created us to be.
From The Abingdon Worship Annual edited by Mary J. Scifres and B.J. Beu, Copyright © Abingdon Press. The Abingdon Worship Annual 2016 is now available.
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WORSHIP CONNECTION: JANUARY 31, 2016 by Nancy C. Townley
Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany
COLOR: Green
SCRIPTURE READINGS: Jeremiah 1:4-10; Psalm 71:1-6; 1 Corinthians 13:1-13; Luke 4:21-30
THEME: LIGHT: The Light of Fulfillment
CALLS TO WORSHIP
Call to Worship #1
L: God has called us to share the good news of God's love.
P: But who am I, that God should call me?
L: You are a beloved child of God.
P: But I am weak I'm not a great speaker or preacher.
L: God is with you; don't be afraid.
P: Lord, help me to trust in your presence with me. Help me to serve you. AMEN
Call to Worship #2
L: In the Lord, we take refuge from our fears and troubles.
P: Help us, O Lord.
L: We feel besieged everywhere and we don't think anyone cares about US.
P: Listen to us, Lord, and deliver us.
L: The Lord is our hope and our trust.
P: The Lord will heal and guide us. We do not need to fear. AMEN.
Call to Worship #3
[Using THE FAITH WE SING, p. 2130, "The Summons", offer the following call to worship as directed]
Soloist singing verse I of "The Summons"
L: God is calling each one of us.
P: Lord, help us to hear your call.
L: If you answer the summons, your life will be totally changed.
P: Lord, help us to be ready for that change.
Soloist singing verse 3 of "The Summons"
L: There is so much "blindness" in our world
P: Lord, help us to give sight to those whose sight is impaired.
L: People may not understand and may ridicule us.
P: Lord, give us courage and strength to withstand the ridicule and taunting.
Soloist singing verse 5 of "The Summons"
L: Lord, we come with willing hearts today to learn how to fulfill the promises given to the people.
P: Make us ready, O Lord, to be true disciples offering ministries of hope and compassion. AMEN.
Call to Worship #4
L: God has called each one of to serve, using the gifts we have been given.
P: I don't know where to start.
L: Place your trust in God's guidance.
P: What if I fail?
L: God is with you - place your trust in God's presence.
P: Help me, O God, to trust in you and in your gracious gifts to me. Help me to serve others in your name. AMEN.
PRAYERS, READING, BENEDICTION
Opening Prayer
Gracious God, we come to you with day, seeking your guidance and strength. You have called us to ministries for which we feel inadequate. Help us to understand that it is your love that will support and sustain our efforts. Give us the courage to place our trust in your abiding presence. We ask this in Jesus' Name. AMEN.
Prayer of Confession
God of great expectations, you know how easy it is for us to make excuses for inactivity. We love to run and hide when a task is set before us. We look at the expectation and think that we don't have the abilities, strength, or wisdom to accomplish this task. We think, too often, that we are doing these things all by ourselves. And we feel sorry for ourselves and angry that you expect so much from us. Forgive our ignorance, our stubbornness, and our stupidity, O Lord. Help us to understand that the opportunities for service that you offer to us also come with your abiding presence, love and support. It is your love which makes the impossible possible. Turn us around and place us back on the path of joyful service. Let our work be part of the fulfillment of the mandate of Jesus Christ when he made his proclamation in the synagogue so long ago. For it is in His Name that we pray. AMEN.
Words of Assurance
Even before we were born, God knew us. God has always been with us. Place your trust in God's presence and forgiving love. Rejoice! In the name of Jesus Christ, we all are forgiven! AMEN.
Pastoral Prayer
"If I speak in the languages of humankind or the angelic host, but do not have love I am just like a noisy clanging cymbal. If I have wonderful powers to see all the great possibilities in serving the Lord, and the wondrous journey which God has placed before us, but don't have love in my heart and in my actions, I am just making empty noises." Lord, too often we are like loud clanging cymbals or empty promises. We say we want to do things, but we back away because we think things will be too tough for us. We don't believe that you will be with us, guiding, healing, and strengthening us for service. So rather than doing your work, we just go through the motions. You are LOVE. In you resides all hope, peace, and justice. Your love has been poured out on us and all creation from before the beginning of time. Teach us again the great message of hope. Remind us that love is also risk. We risk censure and alienation from people who don't understand. Let us know that you are with us, through this time. Give us courage to be your faithful witnesses, by the kinds of loving service and care we give to others. For we ask this in Jesus' Name. AMEN.
Reading
Narrator: Jesus read the scroll of Isaiah and proclaimed that he was the one who was sent to fulfill the mandate of God, to serve and care for others. The proclamation was not treated too kindly by those who were present.
Reader 1: Who do you think you are, Jesus of Nazareth? You were born here. We remember what you were like when you were a little child, a teenager, and a young adult?
Reader 2: Jesus, why don't you just keep quiet? You are supposed to follow your father Joseph in the carpentry business. You have a family which needs you. Why are you making such waves? Reader 3: Do you just want to stir up trouble here in your hometown?
Jesus: Think about it. All those times when you could have been serving God by really caring for the people. Remember the time when there was a great famine? What did you do? You said, "I'll take care of my family. Everyone else is on their own." You cried to God and said "Send someone to help us.. ...we are your most deserving ones, you owe us this help." But God send Elijah, our great prophet, to a poor widow. It was she, with the little that she had, who helped Elijah and others. Reader 1: What do you know about this? Just stories! We were the faithful ones, the chosen people of God. God chose us and should have seen Elijah to each of us.
Reader 2: You weren't there. You don't know the whole story. I might have helped if I had realized the scope of the problem. Someone should have contacted me and explained it to me.
Reader 3: Listen, Jesus, you are just stirring up trouble. Keep quiet. Let bygones be bygones.
Jesus: You have many lepers here in the land and yet you turn your backs on them. Most of them have been your friends and neighbors, but when they contracted leprosy, they were forced out of their homes, out of their town, out of the compassion of their family and fiends. You asked them to shout "Unclean! Unclean!" so that you wouldn't be bothered and could run from them. But in God's wisdom, the prophet Elisha was sent to Naaman, a Syrian, and healed him. He alone was worthy. Reader 1: Now you've gone and done it! You blame us for everything! You have taunted us for the last time! We want you out of this town; out of our lives!
Reader 2: Get out of here! We should stone him for what he has said against us good people. How dare he!?
Reader 3: I told you…didn't I. But you wouldn't listen. Now you have lost your friends and neighbors because of your words.
Narrator: And the people rose up against Jesus, took him to the top of a steep hill and were going to throw him over the precipice. Jesus looked at them with great pity, and then turned and walked away through the midst of them.
Benediction
God did not say that it would be easy to bring the good news to all people, but God did say that God would be with you. So go now in peace, walking humbly with God. Bring the good news of hope to all the people. AMEN.
ARTISTIC ELEMENTS
The traditional color for this Sunday is: GREEN
Note: we are continuing our theme of LIGHT in this season of Epiphany. Today's theme is LIGHT OF FULFILLMENT and it is represented in a rich textured medium green fabric (it should be a shade darker than the fabric of the previous week).
SURFACE: Place a 10" riser at the center back of the worship table. Place a 6"riser slightly to the front left of the center riser. Place a 4" riser slightly ahead and to the right of the 6"riser. Place a 2" riser in the center of the worship center front. Place three risers in front of the worship center. The first one should be about 4" lower than the main level, and the successive ones should be about 4-6" lower than the previous ones. (they will appear to be stair steps. (if you have a small step ladder that you could use, this would also work well)
FABRIC: Cover the entire worship area in dark green fabric. (including the front risers/step ladder). Make sure that the fabric is tacked to the risers/step ladder (you will be placing candles on these steps and don't want the fabric to catch fire.)
CANDLES: On the 10" riser, place a 10" white pillar candle; on the successive risers place 3" pillar candles, including the main level of the worship center and down on the "steps" and onto the main floor. Be very careful to place them away from the fabric and put something under each of them to catch any wax that might drip.
FLOWERS/FOLIAGE: Place "spiky" plants on either side of the 10" riser. You might want to place several kinds of succulents or cacti to create an atmosphere of sharpness and unwelcome. ROCKS/WOOD: Around each of the candles, place a collection of rocks and pebbles. You may use as many as you want, but make sure you pile them up around the candle base so that the "drip protectors" are not easily seen. Larger rocks may be placed at the base of the worship center and near the floor candle.
OTHER: On the 10" riser behind the 10" white pillar candle, place a brass or wooden cross. The scroll that was used in the previous worship setting last week can be placed on the floor, leaning on the worship center. It should be slightly unrolled.
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WORSHIP FOR KIDS: JANUARY 31, 2016 by Carolyn C. Brown
From a Child's Point of View
Old Testament: Jeremiah 1:4-10. God knew Jeremiah before he was born and had a plan for him. God assured Jeremiah that he was capable of following the plan, and God promised to be with him all the way. Although it is possible for children to hear Jeremiah's story as if it were a special case involving someone very unlike themselves, with direction, they can hear in it the truth before they were born, God has a plan for each of their lives, God has given them everything they need to follow those plans, and God will be with them each step of the way. Each person is important to God. As one poster puts it, "God don't make no junk." (This is a great text for encouraging Christian self-esteem!) The fact that Jeremiah was young when God called him challenges children to begin doing God's work now instead of waiting until they grow up.
Psalm: 71:1-6. This is the prayer of an old poet who knows from experience that God does indeed care for those who do God's work. Now in a tight corner, the poet calls on God for help (vss. 1-3) and remembers that God has helped in the past (vss. 4-6). Once children understand this, they will "catch" a few of the short phrases as the text is read, but probably will not follow the passage as a whole.
Epistle: 1 Corinthians 13:1-13. The most relevant message here for children is that the way to grow up is not to grow smarter, more skillful, or more articulate, but to grow more loving. Few children, however, will hear this message from the text on their own. You will need to point it out to them, and then work through verses 4-7, which explore grown-up love. Consult several translations to gather the adjectives that will most clearly describe love to these particular children. To help younger children understand these verses, paraphrase them: "A loving person is . . . ," rather than "Love is. . . ."
Gospel: Luke 4:21-30. The message of this passage—God comes not only to us and to our friends, but also to some people we think are not worthy of God's attention—is one children need to hear and can respond to. But they (and many adults) will have difficulty pulling the message from the text. It helps to review or reread the beginning of the story in verses 16-20. Even so, most people will hear Jesus' point in the sermon, rather than in the lesson reading. Though youths and adults will benefit from explanations of Jesus' Old Testament examples, few children will follow them. Count on getting the children's attention when you summarize the message and explore its meaning for today. Identify some of the people in your community to whom God and Jesus come: the homeless, troublemakers at school, kids who are slow academically, "wimps," people with handicaps, people of other races, and so on.
Watch Words
Try friendship or a loving friend, rather than love, for the sake of boys for whom love is a sweet, sissy term used by mothers and in sexual relationships.
In Jeremiah 1 and Psalm 71, the Good News Bible speaks of before I was born, rather than from the womb, which bypasses the giggles of children who know what a womb is and speaks clearly to those who do not.
Let the Children Sing
Try "I Sing a Song of the Saints of God," a singable new hymn that is becoming a favorite.
Children can begin learning "God of Grace and God of Glory," a more traditional hymn of commitment, by joining in on "grant us wisdom, grant us courage."
"Lord, I Want to Be a Christian," with its verses about being more loving, joins the commitment theme in Jeremiah's call with the "love chapter."
The Liturgical Child
1. Assign two readers or two halves of the congregation to read the psalm. Name one reader "Help Me, God" (vss. 1-3) and the other "I Can Trust God" (vss. 4-6), to reflect the message of these two sections of the psalm.
2. Use 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 as an outline for a prayer of confession. A leader prays each line, leaving a time of silence for individual confessions (e.g., "Love is patient and kind . . ." [Pause] "Love is not jealous or conceited or proud . . ." [Pause], etc.). Or the leader and congregation can read a responsive confession:
Love is patient and kind:
Lord, it is hard to be patient when there is so much we need to do and want to do. When other people slow us down, it is easy to forget to be kind.
Love is not jealous or conceited or proud;
But we are, God. We look at some people and think we are better than they are. We look at others and feel jealous of what they have and can do. Forgive us.
Love is not ill-mannered or selfish or irritable;
But we often blurt out rude, hurting names and accusations, almost before we know what we are saying. Help us learn to think before we speak.
Love does not keep a recording of wrongs;
But we remember even those wrongs we have really tried to forgive. We remember them and bring them up when we are angry or when we want our own way. We use them to hurt even the people we love. Help us to forgive and forget.
Love is not happy with evil; love is happy with truth;
But it is hard not to take secret delight when people get what they had coming to them. Teach us compassion, God.
Love never gives up; and its faith, hope, and patience never fail.
But we give up easily. We give up on other people. We give up on ourselves. We give up on making a difference. We lose hope that anything will ever be any different. Forgive us, for we pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
Assurance of Pardon: Hear this about God's great love! God is patient and kind. God does not keep a record of our wrongs. God does not remember our failings at loving, but is happy about every one of our successes. God never gives up on us because God's love is forever!
3. For the charge and benediction, paraphrase God's call to Jeremiah as a call to each worshiper: "I chose you before I gave you life. . . . Do not be afraid, but go to the people to whom I send you. . . . I will protect you and give you the words you need."
Sermon Resources
1. To explore Luke's lesson, tell a story in which Jesus comes to visit a playground, skating rink, or other place where children gather in your area. In your story, have all the children recognize Jesus and try to get his attention so he will talk and play with them and their friends. Describe some of the groups vying for Jesus' attention and their tactics. Then describe Jesus choosing to reach out to some children who are usually overlooked or looked down on. Tailor the story to fit your community.
2. To explore Paul's message about being a Christian grown-up, create a parable in which four "children" try to be grown-ups in different ways: One tries to act like a grown-up by wearing make-up, insisting on staying up late, even drinking or smoking; another tries to act grown up by bossing everyone around (pretending to know everything); a third tries to make it with grown-ups by doing everything they want (becoming teacher's pet); and a fourth person tries to love and take care of other people. Challenge your hearers to decide which one was grown up, according to Paul's definition.
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SERMON OPTIONS: JANUARY 31, 2016
THE WORD OF THE LORD
JEREMIAH 1:4-10
Jeremiah's name means "the Lord hurls." Michelangelo painted him on the ceiling of the Sistene Chapel as a man of great strength and sorrow—the weeping prophet. "The Word of the Lord" came to Jeremiah and he became a reluctant conscript (vv. 6-8).
Jeremiah preached a religion of the heart and called for repentance and an ethical lifestyle. He was a prophet for forty years until the fall of Jerusalem in 587 B.C. He was a colorful and courageous prophet who held out the hope of a new covenant (chap. 31).
"The Word of the Lord" is a major biblical motif. The world was created by the Word of God (Gen. 1) . Prophets like Jeremiah received their message and inspiration from the "Word of the Lord" (v. 4). John's Gospel presents Christ as the Living Word of God (1:1-18). Here we see three truths revealed in Jeremiah's prophecy.
I. God Knows Us (v. 5)
Heaven knows its own. The Almighty knew Jeremiah before he was born and appointed him a prophet to the nations. Divine providence was at work in his life. The word here, "I knew you," means more than acquaintance. It is the biblical word for profound and intimate knowledge of a person. In Genesis, it is the word used to describe the intimate knowledge of husband and wife. Adam "knew" Eve and she conceived and gave birth to a son, Cain (Gen. 4:1) .
II. God Is with Us (v. 9)
Jeremiah, like Moses, was a reluctant conscript to the Lord's service. He considered himself too young and inexperienced to become a prophet (v. 6). Jeremiah was hesitant, but the call of God was insistent. Little is much, when God is in it.
God gave Jeremiah the words to speak. Compare the promise of Jesus in Matthew 10:19-20. The Spirit will speak through us.
III. God's Word Is Powerful (v. 10)
It is dynamic and accomplishes God's purpose (see Isaiah 55:10-11). The Word from God can build up or destroy. We tend to take words lightly. The Hebrews considered them powerful—a curse or a blessing were as much deeds as words.
When we were children and someone called us a name, we retorted by saying, "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me!" As adults, we know that is not true. Words can hurt terribly or they can encourage and build us up. Words are powerful. How much more is this true of the Word of God?
Jeremiah discovered that divine providence had a plan and purpose for his life. He never escaped that sense of call. How do we discover God's will for our lives?
•Follow your bent, your gifts and preferences.
•Listen for the intuitive impression of the Spirit on your consciousness.
•Enter the open door of opportunity.
God calls every believer to discover his or her ministry. Are you listening? (Alton H. McEachern)
WHERE'S THE LOVE?
1 CORINTHIANS 13:1-13
With all the hatred and violence of this present age, one cannot help but ask, "Where's the love?" Now more than ever, the Christian community needs to shine the light of Christ's unconditional agape love to a world in darkness. But how can the church accomplish this mission if it is divided against itself?
Such was the case for the believers in Corinth. Debates and controversies ripped apart those who claimed to be followers of Christ. In particular, pride over certain spiritual gifts prompted Paul to remind them of the most important quality missing in that family of faith: love.
The deadly tendency for disputes to arise over secondary issues forces us to examine how love responds in truth. Unfortunately, church conflicts and denominational controversies beg the same question, "Where's the love?" So in 1 Corinthians 13 , Paul poetically illuminates where the love of Christ should be found.
I. Christ's Love Should Be Found in Our Gifts
He begins by identifying the futility of exercising spiritual gifts without love. The Holy Spirit gives every believer at least one gift ( Rom. 12:6) . Whether or not one uses it constructively depends upon the attitude of the heart. Genuine love reaches beyond the parameters of selfishness to incorporate concern for all believers first and the world second.
However, the Corinthians valued self-importance. Sure they used their spiritual gifts, but only as it brought glory to themselves. Sensing this egocentric focus, Paul responds by saying, "If I were Superman and could leap tall buildings in a single bound but only used my power selfishly, then I gain nothing." The temporal praise of today vanishes in the shadow of the eternal reward of our God who demonstrated authentic love on the cross. To follow Christ's example, we must exercise our gifts in a spirit of love for the edification of others.
II. Christ's Love Should Be Found in Our Actions
After addressing internal motivation, Paul reveals specific qualities of love to be pursued and potential pitfalls to be avoided. For love is more than an orientation, it is an activity. By the visible demonstration of this virtue, society gains insight into the true identity of Christ and his followers.
One of the major misconceptions in our culture centers upon the definition of love. The world tends to define love according to psychological dispositions and sensual appetites. People fall "in love," one might have a "lover," or a couple might "make love." These fallacies ultimately return to an egotistical understanding of how love satisfies the self.
Paul reminds us that real love does not seek to satiate empty gratifications or to fulfill personal ambitions. Instead, it manifests enduring kindness toward others and righteous zeal for truth.
III. Christ's Love Should Be Found in Our Maturity
One of the greatest ironies in life is that the more we learn, the more we realize how little we know. As technology advances exponentially, scientists have begun to admit that they are left with more questions than answers.
Believers who think they have God figured out should listen to the scientists, and to Paul. For in the concluding verses of this chapter, Paul exposes the imperfections of a faith that dogmatically clings to partial truths. While Christians affirm the objective truths revealed in scripture, they should admit the limitations of all that can be known. Children make wild boasts about their abilities, but mature disciples humbly await that day when perfect truth will be perfectly known. In this way, love triumphs over arrogance as we walk united in humility and respect.
As the church seeks to proclaim good news, let their actions speak as loudly as their words. For people need faith, and they need hope. But greater than these, they need to find love. (Craig C. Christina)
WHO OWNS GOD?
LUKE 4:21-30
Who owns God? This is a strange question; to some it may even sound blasphemous. But look again at the story of Jesus' return to his hometown. At first, everything seemed to go well. The people spoke highly of Jesus. After all, this was one of their own. What wisdom. What graceful speech. The home folks were proud of their own—up to a point.
That point was reached when Jesus dared to reinterpret their religious traditions. Notice the progression of their reception. They went from pride, to bewilderment, to fury. Why? Exactly what did Jesus teach during his inaugural sermon in Nazareth? Consider these ideas.
I. God Is Unpredictable
In verses 25-26, Jesus reminded his hearers of the story from their history of Elijah. During a time of drought in Israel, everyone in the nation suffered. The predictable thing was that God would have heard their prayers and sent rain. But Jesus tried to get his people to realize that God is unpredictable. God sent the prophet Elijah, not to the people of Israel, but to a widow woman in Zarephath in the region of Sidon. She was a foreigner! Elijah brought her comfort by first performing a miracle by replacing the last of her flour and oil. The widow took the last of her food and shared it with Elijah. The result was that the food was replenished. The widow and her son had all they wanted to eat. A little later, the son of this widow got sick and died. Elijah raised him to life.
Why didn't the prophet help the people of Israel? Wouldn't that have been the expected, predictable thing? Yes, it would have, but God is a God of surprises. God is unpredictable in that he does things that normal human wisdom would not anticipate. Grace is one such unpredictable act of God toward us.
II. God Is Uncontrollable
Next, Jesus reminded his hearers of the story of the time when many in Israel had leprosy. The prophet Elisha acted to cleanse one person during his time. But that one person was not a Hebrew. He was Naaman, a Syrian—an outsider! Surely people in Israel did their best to beg God to heal their sick. But God chose to heal a non-Jew. Why? We cannot know all the reasons but perhaps God was trying to teach that he is owned and controlled by no one. God is the Sovereign Lord and chooses whom he will. No group of people can claim him in an exclusive right. God is uncontrollable by humans.
III. God Is Unstoppable
The great irony of this passage is that Jesus was welcomed at first but then rejected because he reminded the people that God is God and the exclusive property of no one. Jesus' own people turned on him. We are told they drove him out of town and took him to the edge of a cliff to throw him off. Now that is an incredible reaction to a sermon!
Luke tells us, "But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way." This, in a sense, is the story of the entire gospel message. People tried to hijack it for their own uses. They tried to set the terms for God's actions. They tried to determine who was "worthy" and who was "unworthy." But Jesus "walks right through them." One scholar says, "There are always people who want God on their terms, but one cannot have God while rejecting God's people."
What is God doing among us? Does he need to "keep on going" because he is not welcomed here on his own terms? Are we trying to control God and predict his actions because we think we have him all figured out? As the people in Jesus' hometown learned, God is unpredictable, uncontrollable, and unstoppable. You see, no one owns God! (Don M. Aycock)
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