"Two words growing churches don't use — Church shoppers — Don't call me honey" Ministry Matters in Nashville, Tennessee, United States for Monday, 29 August 2016
"Two words growing churches don't use" by Rebekah Simon-Peter
Bigstock/argus456I’d like to delete the words just and simply from church vocabulary. They’re dishonest. I know; I used them way too often as a pastor. As in, “To be a disciple of Jesus Christ, all you have to do is simply give your life to him.” Or, “To join this church, youjust have to come to a new member’s class.” Or, “Just give what you are able.” Or, “To be on this committee, we just need you to attend a monthly meeting.”
I used those words because I was afraid to scare people off. I wanted them to dive in, unafraid. Like the old Alka Seltzer commercial, “Try it, you’ll like it.” Here’s the trouble. Just andsimply are indicative of a low expectation culture. One that practices mediocre grace and doesn’t bear much fruit. Jesus didn’t have much use for trees that didn’t bear fruit. Or churches that were lukewarm.
People responded to my just and simply invitations. The church seemed to grow. But the growth wasn’t sustainable.
The truth is, discipleship takes effort and courage, and lots of it. There’s nothing simple about it. Even being an effective or committed church member requires much more than justattending a new member’s class. It takes a lot of commitment: prayers, presence, gifts, service and witness.
So how do we go from a church of just and simply to a church that grows and bears much fruit? I’d like to suggest adding these three words to church vocabulary.
Expect
As in, “Expect the Spirit to move in worship.” At a recent Mixed Messages about Money workshop, we looked at the hidden messages communicated in worship bulletins. “Why not begin with the vision of the church?” I asked. One pastor hesitated, “Well, I wouldn’t want to get people’s hopes up about what might happen in worship.” Why not? If we lead with low expectations, its unlikely that much will happen. If we expect a miracle, we might actually see one. I say raise people’s expectations, and then strive to meet them.
As in, “We expect you will grow here.” That means giving them opportunities to grow spiritually, emotionally and intellectually. As one district superintendent friend recently commented, “We say we do leadership development for lay leaders, but that’s pretty much a misnomer.” Most churches don’t. Review your small group offerings: Do they encourage people to grow in their thinking, their actions and their compassion? Do you challenge people or just comfort them? New discoveries are made in biblical studies all the time. Are you passing them on?
As in, “We expect ourselves to grow as disciples of Jesus Christ.” People rise to the expectations we have of them. Make sure your church provides the structure for this growth. Be sure to discuss the value of prayer, presence, gifts, service and witness often. Then make opportunities for testimony, story-sharing and recognition.
Vision
As in, “This is the vision of our church; the vision we believe God has called us to.” High expectation churches live with vision. These churches have a sense of purpose and power. They know where they are going, even if they don’t know how they’ll get there. Vision requires faith. Faith requires trust. Trust empowers growth. Growth invites action. And action gets people going.
As in, “This is how we’ll live out our vision.” Talk about the vision often. Vision unites and inspires people. It creates momentum and fuels expectation. Think you’re talking about it too much? Just about the time you get sick of proclaiming the vision, some people will finally hear it for the first time.
Try
As in, “Let’s try it!” Invite experimentation, adventure and faith in service of the vision. If your church has nixed new ideas for a long time, or been overly cautious about risk, saying yes will feel risky. The key here is to continue saying yes to the new idea — with your energy, your prayers and your support — until you have seen it through to completion.
As in, “We invite you to try a covenant group.” Covenant groups done well are high accountability experiences. Once the foundation is laid for personal accountability then organizational accountability is not far behind. On the flip side, group covenants done well also create accountability. I invite you to try being intentional about how your church operates. When Jesus counseled us to let our no be no and our yes be yes, he was speaking about intentionality. Give meaning and purpose to your words and your life. Covenant groups and group covenants accomplish that.
As in, “Let’s trust God and try new things.” Here are some more things to try. Try working with deadlines; holding people to account moves things along. Try new ministries; you just might find your unique niche. Try leaving the building; set up a prayer or listening post at your local pub, coffee shop or park. Try being honest and transparent; that’s always refreshing. Try risking in love; that’s what Jesus did.
Most of all, try giving up just and simply. See if you can replace them with the vocabulary of growth. I expect great things will come as you try living into a new vision of church!
Rebekah Simon-Peter blogs at rebekahsimonpeter.com. She is the author of The Jew Named Jesus and Green Church.
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"Church shoppers, preaching, pluralism and the Donald"
By Shane Raynor
News and Religion podcastShane Raynor and the panel discuss a recent poll that shows the top qualities church shoppers are looking for in a church. They also talk about pluralism in America and the loyalty of many conservative values voters to presidential candidate Donald J. Trump. Guests are Juan C. Huertas, Tom Fuerst and Christy Thomas.
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"Don't call me honey" by Kira SchlesingerBigstock/twinsterphoto
Earlier this month, The American Bar Association revised an ethics rule that now “forbids comments or actions that single out someone on the basis of race, religion, sex, disability and other factors.” The movement behind this national rule came from lawyers who are women, who felt that they were unable to effectively practice their profession while sexist and demeaning remarks and actions were made toward them. This also includes referring to women as “honey” or “darling” in a discriminatory or harassing manner. While nearly two dozen state bars have similar rules in place, this is the first national prohibition of this kind of discrimination and harassment.
For many people, referring to someone as “honey” or “darling” or “sweetie” is a genuine term of endearment, but oftentimes, in a professional context, it turns into a microaggression, a subtle reminder to women that we don’t belong or will always be seen as less-than. These issues become even more complicated depending on local culture. In the Southern United States or rural areas and small towns, it’s not at all unusual for people of both genders to be acknowledged with a term of endearment. Even at the Nashville airport, there are several TSA agents who bid travelers “a blessed day, sweetie,” or “safe travels, honey,” which always lends some genuine human contact during the security screening process.
In the church world, particularly when navigating pastoral encounters, clergywomen (and some men, too) often have to parse whether being called “sweetheart” or “hon” is a microaggression or a genuine term of endearment. I’ve had words like these used to diminish me and keep me at arm’s length, a sign to me that that person did not consider me to be their pastor. I have also had them used in a very appreciative manner by someone who accepted and welcomed the care I was offering. As a pastor, our worlds frequently blend the professional and the personal, and so it would seem overblown to forbid the use of such terms as in a court of law, even if it would be easier if people abstained from using them.
Young (or young-appearing) clergy and women also receive less benign names like “kiddo,” “little lady,” “babe,” or “gorgeous.” Male clergy are referred to with a title that gets dropped when talking about the clergywoman on staff. Or we get more comments on our haircut than on the quality of our sermon. When we speak up about these microaggressions, we’re often told to lighten up, “calm down,” (because women are inherently hysterical) or that it was intended as a compliment. Sometimes, even more than the bigger, systemic issues that face women, dealing with these microaggressions erodes our confidence and our willingness to take risks that our male counterparts handle with ease.
Regional and generational differences all factor into our language, but I would urge both laypeople and fellow clergy to think about what you are communicating when you think you are using a term of endearment or trying to give a compliment. Our words matter, and we can use them to build up or to tear down. Compliment and encourage your clergy on the quality of their work and effort, not what they look like. There are likely better ways to express gratefulness or thanks for a relationship than terms of endearment that might be misread. Speak up when you hear someone say something demeaning or offensive. And if someone asks you to discontinue using a word or phrase, rather than getting defensive, listen to them. Together we can build one another up in love.
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"Genesis, gender and justification"
By Dave Barnhart
Bigstock/benjaminecEventually, nearly every child asks the adults in their lives, “What’s the difference between boys and girls?”
Children see that there is a difference in our language and in the way we dress. They see gender roles and gender expression. They perceive that we treat people differently, that we use different language for different people, and they ask, “Why?”
Do you find it interesting that children have to ask why? That they aren’t born knowing why? At some point, we all have to have gender explained to us.
Most parents answer their children with a biology lesson. “Boys have penises and girls have vaginas,” as though that explains dress and hairstyles, football and ice dancing, My Little Pony and Transformers, pay inequality and patriarchy. It explains nothing. It’s what we call “biological essentialism,” although we could also call it a “red herring.” “Biological essentialism” means distilling complex ideas into simple biological answers about someone’s being. Using a “red herring” means distracting someone instead of answering them. The answer about genitals is an example of both of these.
We answer children this way because it’s simple, and we assume children can understand it — although we do not. This is the answer that avoids answering, the explanation that avoids explaining: “This is just the way things are.”
This does not, of course, mean that gender does not exist, or that biological differences don’t matter — just that it is not always as simple as the typical adult answer to children, which tends to focus on plumbing or biology.
Our explanations do not improve much as we get older. We simply use more academic language. We talk in terms of chromosomes and brain chemistry, testosterone and estrogen, nature and nurture. All fascinating and important, surely. But they don’t actually answer the question, “What’s the difference?”
For the religious, we have sacred texts. Genesis 1:27 says: “God created humanity in God’s own image; in the divine image God created them; male and female God created them.” Some people read this descriptively: every human being, regardless of gender, is created in the image of God. Others read this verse prescriptively: God decreed that every human being should be one or the other.
See the difference? The prescriptive view believes that God made the natural world a certain way and that God takes offense at variations from it: “If we were meant to fly, God would have given us wings.” The descriptive view believes that we understand God through the natural world, so both women and men — and any humans born who do not fit either category — reveal something of the image of God.
I read the Genesis text from an inclusive perspective: It is not just men who are made in the image of God. Keep in mind, the people writing this text were Hebrews who had a memory of slavery in Egypt, where all the gods looked like the rich and powerful who oppressed them. The Hebrew theology makes a radically inclusive claim: All people are made in God’s image, regardless of their power, their gender or their social status. God is no more limited by gender or human categories than God is limited by time. No one image of humanity can describe God, because God’s image is stamped on all of us.
Then there’s the story of Adam and Eve, which can also be read descriptively or prescriptively. One human being is split into two, and that describes why they are always trying to become one again. It describes why human males don’t have a baculum while other animals do, why females don’t have estrus while other animals do, why humans have pain in childbirth while other animals don’t, why humans wear clothes, farm land, and have such angst about living day to day while other animals just seem to go with the flow.
Again, some people read this descriptively, as a 3,000-year old anthropology. The author of the Adam and Eve story is describing how human societies moved from hunter gatherer tribes, to nomadic tribes, to settled cities. The author seeks to explain the unique relationships we maintain in marriage, and the division of labor in the author’s society: Men labor in the fields because women labor at raising children (3:16-19).
Others read the story prescriptively, that God ordained our social order and takes offense when we violate it: Women should not labor in the fields, and men should not labor at child rearing. Some claim that because God cursed women with pain in childbirth, they should not have access to epidurals.
I do not share that ethical perspective, though I understand the theology behind it.
Five-year-olds accept pat answers about gender because they trust their parents to know more than they do. The fact is we do not know much more than five-year-olds. We act as if our intuitions about gender differences, gender expression and sexual attraction are rooted in science, common sense and religious faith, but they are not. They are rooted in our lived experience.
The truth is we are all queer — queerly, strangely assigned gender and attracted to others for reasons we can’t quite articulate. Why don’t we straight folks consider it strange to be attracted to people of the opposite gender? Is it not baffling, this chemical attraction that often seems to defy logic? Is it not fascinating that the authors of Genesis found it necessary toexplain it? Why do we cisgender folks (those who identify with our assigned gender) not find our own gender identity surprising?
Jesus observed, in the language of his day, that “some people are born eunuchs.” We have much better language for describing some of these natural differences today: Intersex individuals are one such example (see this video for an explanation). I do not know how Jesus would have described the Guevedoces, who are born anatomically female and often raised female, but grow male genitals when they hit puberty. These are examples of human beings who are incontrovertibly “queer.” How would our United Methodist Book of Discipline handle it if one of them felt called into ministry?
There is nothing “natural” about being straight or cisgender. It requires explanation. Although people often attempt to justify our social attitudes about gender and sexuality by making arguments about natural law or sperm and eggs, saying that “this is the way reproduction happens,” biblical authors made no such arguments. They did not go for biological essentialism. They sought to explain attraction and experience with story, because those things are weird. They explained it because it needed explaining. It is not as obvious as we think.
So it is unfair and unjust to require trans people, or gay and lesbian people, to explain themselves to the rest of us. When we interrogate them about when they learned or decided they were gay, transgender, or queer, or what makes them believe they can simply decide they should be referred to by different pronouns, we are asking them to justify their existence or their attractions or their identity to those of us who are straight or comfortable with our assigned gender. It is unfair of us to treat them like five-year-olds who must simply accept that our description of plumbing, or natural law, or religious texts set everything in order. Their “Why?” cannot be answered with, “Because I said so,” and they are under no obligation to answer our “Why?” unless we are also five years old.
So much of anti-LGBTQ rhetoric depends on demanding that non-straight, non-cisgender people justify or explain their difference. If we all truly understood that we are strangely, fearfully, wonderfully made in the image of God, I believe we would be far less anxious about the difference of others.
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"Does a candidate's faith matter?"
By James C. Howell
Bigstock/Gary BlakeleyRead Rev. Howell's previous 'Tis the Season articles covering the 2016 election here.
I’ve always been intrigued by the way a candidate’s person faith matters in an election — or doesn’t. Martin Luther rather famously, and surprisingly, said (back in the 16th century!) “I would rather be ruled by a wise Turk than a foolish Christian.” Would Christians today prefer a wise Muslim to a foolish Christian?
There was a great moment in one of John Kennedy’s congressional campaigns: Jackie was asked about her husband being a Roman Catholic (which worried people in the late 50’s). She responded, “It’s so unfair to question Jack for being a Catholic. He’s such a poor Catholic…”
Jimmy Carter was a great Southern Baptist. Mitt Romney was a great Mormon. But my sense is that most candidates, while sporting some faith badge, are a bit thin in their life of faith. Sure, a candidate can claim to be a member of a given denomination. But is he or she serious about it? The difference between a church member, who shows up erratically and isn’t otherwise engaged, and one who is engaged in Bible study and constant service is huge. Most politicians fall in the former category, don’t they?
To me, the question about whether we want a devout Christian to be president (or governor, or mayor) is kin to asking Would you want Jesus himself to be president? The candid answer is certainly, even if a bit embarrassingly… No. “Turn the other cheek”? “Sell all and give to the poor”? “Pay the one hour workers the same as the 12 hour guys”? Jesus wasn’t trying to stabilize a state or insure security. He wasn’t really focused on any institution. Governments must cope with the realities of what Jesus would call sin, the need for police, armies, courts and legislation that frankly wouldn’t be needed at all if we all followed Jesus.
So the connection between a candidate’s professed faith, and the implementation of what might be pleasing to God, is elusive — either because the faithful elected person might not be able to get it done, or his or her own faith might itself be compromised by party agendas that pretend to be, but aren’t of God.
Christians are interested in Christian objectives. But as citizens of a country where freedom of religion is paramount, should we demand someone who is a Christian of our variety? Or do we want a leader who can embrace the religious diversity we clearly have in our country, and navigate the best course for all the people?
We have to get a grip on the daunting truth that once upon a time America was pretty much white, Christian, and Protestant. Those days are over. White Christian Protestants are now a large but ever-shrinking minority. We’ve had quite a few Presidents who were —barely?—Christian. The day will come when we will have leaders who do not claim this faith, or may claim another faith. Do we shiver over such a future? Or can we find ways to embrace it, be part of its success, and figure out how to be Christian in such a changed place? If clinging to Christianity in our leaders matters, what can we do to extend its influence and broaden its appeal where we are?
This post originally appeared on the author's blog. Reprinted with permission.
-------"How do I practice Sabbath today?"
By Christy Thomas
Bigstock / EpicStockMedia
Dear Thoughtful Pastor: You know how the Jews in the Bible were forbidden to work on the Sabbath? If I want to practice the Sabbath today, what is considered “work?” Would folding laundry be work? What about using appliances?
An ongoing tragedy of religious understanding takes place when something that was intended as good and life-affirming transforms into extra burdens and soul dryness.
The day of rest, known as the Sabbath, was the keystone of Hebrew distinctiveness. Sabbath declares, “We will honor our Creator who will watch over us while we enjoy together the goodness of the created world given to us.”
In setting up the Sabbath rest, God essentially says, “Learn to be satisfied with less stuff, less material comfort, less fear and more freedom to enjoy the gifts around you.”
If you are anything like most of us, you live with endless to-do lists, constant pressure, ever-enticing advertising encouraging you to consume more, 24/7 TV with its mindlessly high number of channels and mind-numbing programming, and very likely a family fractured by individual electronic devices and who have managed to fill every hour with some scheduled outing or practice or game or obligation.
However, in order to practice Sabbath properly, it must be done within your community and especially in your family. You can’t do this without larger community support or you will become miserable and make others around you miserable.
I assume you don’t come from a Jewish background, so you don’t have the cultural structure in place. The structure includes the emphasis on the corporate joy of welcoming the Sabbath on Friday evenings, coupled with expectations of family and worship and play and conversation and food already prepared until the Saturday sunset.
I don’t know if you have ever heard of the “Sabbath elevator” but it is the perfect illustration. According to traditional Jewish law, lighting a fire is considered work, so any fires to be kindled have to be done before the Sabbath begins and then kept burning.
Orthodox Jewish scholars have decided that sparking an electrical circuit is today’s equivalent to lighting a fire, so adherents must refrain from starting anything electrical. This includes punching elevator buttons.
As a result, many high-rise buildings in Israel and other parts of the world with concentrations of Orthodox Jews have programmed their elevators to automatically stop at every floor on the Sabbath.
It may be a bit of an irritant to an impatient, non-Sabbath person who accidentally stumbles into one of those elevators. However, look at the other side and see the societal support for Sabbath: people are in this together. It becomes a community glue, a common practice, an exercise in trust.
Christy ThomasThe practice of Sabbath emphasizes the active pursuit of God in worship and community. It’s not meant to be a day of boring nothingness or endless “don’t’s.”
Instead, Sabbath offers life-infusing rest and love and stillness and joy and peace. It means leaving behind economic pursuits and competition with others and trusting God that you and those around you can find satisfaction in less physical stuff and in more soul-competence.
Truly, “sabbathing” is a luxury. One of the challenges entirely too many people face today is the lack of “slack” in our lives. “Slack” means space, flexibility, the ability to let down our guard for a while. Without it, whether there is no slack in finances, time, rest or emotional energy, life seems to endlessly and exhaustedly spiral downward.
Think of slack like white space on a page. An attractive printed page has white space, spots of quietness so the story or photo can be highlighted. A life with no “white space” is exhausting on every level.
An intentional, regularly practiced, no-excuses-permitted Sabbath puts the white space back into our lives.
Sabbath stands in opposition to the frantic screaming for attention surrounding us. It invites the joy of a book, a long story, a meandering walk, a simple meal shared with friends and family, games around a table.
Sabbath welcomes others to share that meal, to tell their stories, to play, to worship, or even nap with us, to rekindle love and care to the body and soul.
Sabbath says, “I have enough and I offer thanks to God for that gift.
Sabbath says, “It is time to lighten my soul and offer forgiveness and freedom to others.”
Sabbath says, “Be more aware of the world around us and how interdependent we are.” Perhaps your appliances would like a break. Perhaps the folding of laundry can be a joint joy, a time to thank your clothes for having done their work all week.
Move away from the “what” and into the “why” of Sabbath and see the mystery unfold.
An extra thought:
My first reader for many of my columns is a dear friend who lives alone. She wondered why I put so much emphasis on family and community in the answer to this question.
I realized yet again that the Bible was written in a world so radically different from ours — and that there would have been no such thing as a person living alone, particularly a woman. Everyone was embedded in some sort of family system — that was the place of residence, of identity, and of protection.
The societal isolation that is becoming more common today simply didn’t exist in that kind of Middle Eastern culture.
After my own retirement from active work in the pastorate, I rented an apartment where I lived alone. Although I cherished the privacy and deep quiet of this way of life, I also discovered how much I needed a group of friends whom I could name as “family” for my own emotional and spiritual health.
When I found myself in the delightful situation of having met the person that is now my husband, I wondered how I would deal with living with someone again. What I discovered was the real joy of living with someone who I respect so highly and who respects me as well. In our differences (I’ve written about some of them in the series, “When an ‘anyone but Hillary’ is married to an “anyone but Donald’”) we each grow and learn more about ourselves and each other.
The Scriptures very much speak truth in the statement “It is not good for the man to be alone.” Or the woman. And that is what the church is about. We do need each other.
Email questions to thoughtfulpastor@gmail.com. A version of this column appeared in the Friday August 26, 2016 print and online editions of The Denton Record Chronicle. Christy blogs at Patheos.
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"What are we waiting for?"
By Joseph Yoo
Bigstock/snowingWhen Jesus ascends to heaven, he givesclear instructions: “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
What the disciples did next (at least the way I'm reading it in this season of my life) is what we, as churches, do best: they committee-ed the commission to be witnesses.
Instead of finding ways to be witnesses of Christ in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria or the ends of the earth, they felt it was necessary to bring the number of 11 original disciples back up to 12.
I know we’re all familiar with the concept of taking a mission, a call, a vision, a plan, a purpose and committee-ing the hell out of it until everyone is either over it, confused, annoyed or a mixture of those things. We’ve all experienced talking an idea to death in forms of committees and meetings.
Yes, I understand that the chapter opened with Jesus instructing the disciples to wait a few days for the Holy Spirit. But the period of waiting was only supposed to be a few days. Our gestation periods often last longer than days. Sometimes, we wait for years to attempt to do something. Maybe we tell ourselves we’re refining skills while we're waiting. Sometimes that’s the truth. Other times, it's an excuse.
Even after Pentecost, if it weren’t for Paul and the persecution of the Christians, I don’t know if the gospel would’ve ever reached anyone outside of Jerusalem.
We have a tendency to gather, secure, protect and hold. We make permanent landmarks in areas that were supposed to be temporary resting places. We build bigger buildings. We make clearer standards of belonging to the tribe, which leads to making bigger walls (both literal and figurative) creating more outsiders. We slowly start thinking that everything holy and good happens here, within our tribe, within our walls. And everything out there is hedonistic, dangerous, secular and probably should be avoided. Being witnesses of Christ then focuses on bringingin here the ones who are out there. Or wait for them to come to us.
At least the disciples were ordered to wait for a few days. What’s our excuse for waiting? What’s our excuse for having far too many meetings that could’ve been solved over emails? We’ve already received the power of the Holy Spirt. We already are empowered and gifted and encouraged.
Our call is to go and make disciples. Action verbs. But we wait and see who will come into our doors. Or we wait for the right idea and the right time to do something. And while we're waiting, we watch the world pass us by.
The heartbeat of the Scriptures is the concept of being sent. Going into the world and reaching out to humanity with love and grace.
“Where are you?” God asks Adam and Eve in Eden. From the beginning, God has been reaching out to humanity. God has been relentlessly looking for us and pursuing us.
Later in history, God’s question of “Where are you?” was asked in the form of Jesus Christ. Through Jesus, God searched for the lost, broken and downtrodden.
Today, God’s question of “Where are you?” is asked through you and me. Jesus commissions us to continue the work of his ministry.
It’s nice to have the right plan of action and the right time and place to execute those plans. But that can lead to such a passive life of discipleship. There are plenty of things you can do now. The words of Paul echo in my heart:
So, whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, you should do it all for God’s glory. (1 Corinthians 10:31).
You don’t have to have the cure for cancer to make a difference — you can show love and comfort for those affected by it. You don’t have to have the solution to eradicating poverty and homelessness. But you can treat folks with dignity and remind them that despite their difficulties, they still carry the image of God and are worthy of love and respect. You don’t have to have the answer to ending racism and inequality, but you can work to pursue justice and speak out when you witness injustice.
We're all being invited to participate right now in the ongoing work of God. So what are we waiting for?
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"Will Willimon: Still following Jesus"
By William H. Willimon
William H. WillimonWill Willimon, Professor of the Practice of Christian Ministry at Duke Divinity School and a retired United Methodist bishop, preaches a sermon from Luke 14:25-33 titled "Still Following Jesus."
This sermon is from A Sermon for Every Sunday, a series of lectionary-based video sermons designed for use in worship, Bible study, small groups, Sunday school classes or for individual use.-------
"'Stranger Things' and a theology of monsters
By Nance Hixon
Screenshot courtesy Netflix via YouTubeMy wife and I just finished watching Stranger Things, Netflix's latest hit series. If you haven't seen this show: watch it. Now. It's a relatively tame (TV-14) sci-fi/fantasy/horror series centered on small town residents trying to unravel a super-natural mystery. It's The X-Files meets The Goonies meets E.T., complete with the delightfully '80s setting of the latter two. It's smart, well-written, suspenseful, and entertaining. I was shocked when I realized that I liked every single character on the show. Nerd culture is front and center, too, making the series even more fun for, well, people like me.Also, if you haven't seen this show: stop reading here. Sorry, but SPOILERS ahead. But if you have watched Stranger Things (wasn't it so good!?) then, by all means, read on.
At the heart of the story is a young girl named Eleven ('El', for short), whose mother was the subject of military experimentation which resulted in her daughter being born with, as one boy repeated puts it, "superpowers." El has the ability (among other, very Stephen King-esque powers) to make out-of-body journeys to "the Upside Down," a nightmare landscape that is the dark shadow of our world. Locations on Earth are mimicked in the Upside Down, only there they're cold and dark, and deadly. The danger lies in the Upside Down's one natural resident, a nightmarish and very hungry monster. When a gateway between that world and our own is opened inadvertently, the monster begins to prey on the unsuspecting towns-people.
Only once does this shadowy, alternate world and its resident draw any kind of theological reflection from the characters on Stranger Things. Late in the series, when El is searching the Upside Down for a missing person, she finds a dead body. In her terror and horror, El begins to cry out, "God! God!!"
Where is God in a world of nightmares? Is there a God in a world of monsters?
El's question receives an immediate answer: a kind voice calls back to her, "It's ok ... We're right here ... It's ok ... We've got you ... Don't be afraid." This is not God speaking, but the mother of a missing boy El is searching for, who is waiting with El's body back in our reality as the girl explores the Upside Down. The mother assures this frightened child that she's not alone, that she's safe.
Stranger Things's answer to our search for God in the midst of darkness and horrors is the presence and comfort of others. Friendship is a major theme in the show, but by the end it's not only friends who are relying on each other: a new, unlikely community has formed, made up of all of those who've encountered the truth and are committed to fighting against the darkness together. They support each other, and because they have one another, there's hope that good will prevail in the end.
Sometimes, when faced with the true monsters in our right-side-up world — monsters like depression, suicide bombers, human trafficking, Alzheimer's, or cancer (one which, we eventually learn, casts a long shadow over the story of Stranger Things) — we're going to find ourselves wondering where God is. When people are horrified and afraid, when the darkness seems overwhelming and people feel alone, the Church has to be the voice that says: It's okay. We're right here. We've got you. Don't be afraid.
After all, we believe in a Savior who destroys monsters.
Demons routinely retreated before him. In a battle of wits, he outmatched the Devil himself (depicted later on, in Revelation chapter 12, as a man-eating dragon, all heads and horns and teeth). Jesus entered into the jaws of Death, and carved a path out the other side — a path that, one day, will allow all of his followers to elude Death's grasp and cause Death to die. That dreaded monster that consumes everyone and everything in its path will be swallowed up forever (Isa 25:8; 1 Cor 15:54).
And not only do we worship a monster-slayer, but we are his deputies in the world today.
Ever since Jesus ascended into heaven and sent the Holy Spirit to inhabit the Church, we have been called the "Body of Christ," his hands and feet in this world. When El cried out for God, a voice of human compassion answered her. We must be that voice of compassion, not because God is absent, but because God is present in the Church. God is not silent; God has chosen to comfort the afflicted, heal the wounded, and rid the world of monsters through the work of the Church. We're the community of those committed to fighting the darkness together, carrying on what Jesus started.
The darkness is real — maybe not the kind of horrors you can see on Stranger Things, but horrors no less. Things that break our hearts, scar our souls, and shake our faith. The good news about monsters is that they're things that will pass away one day, things that God will heal and make new (Rev 21:1-4).
But in the meantime, while we live in this broken world, Christians can't simply offer words of deferred comfort and imperceptible hope. We have to stand in the gap and, empowered by God's Spirit, confront every horror we can spot, so the world can know what God is about and see that God's work isn't done.
We have to demonstrate with our lives what a good theology of monsters looks like.
This post originally appeared on the author's blog. Reprinted with permission.
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"This Sunday, September 4, 2016"
Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost: Jeremiah 18:1-11; Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18; Philemon 1-21; Luke 14:25-33
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Lectionary Readings:
Sunday, 4 September 2016
(Courtesy of Vanderbilt Divinity Library)
Jeremiah 18:1-11
Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18
Philemon 1:1-21
Luke 14:25-33
Lectionary Readings:
Sunday, 4 September 2016
(Courtesy of Vanderbilt Divinity Library)
Jeremiah 18:1-11
Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18
Philemon 1:1-21
Luke 14:25-33
Scripture Text for Jeremiah 18:1 This word came to Yirmeyahu from Adonai: 2 “Get up, and go down to the potter’s house; there I will tell you more.” 3 So I went down to the house of the potter; and there he was, working at the wheels. 4 Whenever a pot he made came out imperfect, the potter took the clay and made another pot with it, in whatever shape suited him.
5 Then the word of Adonai came to me: 6 “House of Isra’el, can’t I deal with you as the potter deals with his clay? — says Adonai. Look! You, house of Isra’el, are the same in my hand as the clay in the potter’s hand. 7 At one time, I may speak about uprooting, breaking down and destroying a nation or kingdom; 8 but if that nation turns from their evil, which prompted me to speak against it, then I relent concerning the disaster I had planned to inflict on it. 9 Similarly, at another time, I may speak about building and planting a nation or kingdom; 10 but if it behaves wickedly from my perspective and doesn’t listen to what I say, then I change my mind and don’t do the good I said I would do that would have helped it.
11 “So now, tell the people of Y’hudah and those living in Yerushalayim that this is what Adonai says:
‘I am designing disaster for you,
working out my plan against you.
Turn, each of you, from his evil ways;
improve your conduct and actions.’
Psalm 139:(0) For the leader. A psalm of David:
(1) Adonai, you have probed me, and you know me.
2 You know when I sit and when I stand up,
you discern my inclinations from afar,
3 you scrutinize my daily activities.
You are so familiar with all my ways
4 that before I speak even a word, Adonai,
you know all about it already.
5 You have hemmed me in both behind and in front
and laid your hand on me.
6 Such wonderful knowledge is beyond me,
far too high for me to reach.
13 For you fashioned my inmost being,
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I thank you because I am awesomely made,
wonderfully; your works are wonders —
I know this very well.
15 My bones were not hidden from you
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes could see me as an embryo,
but in your book all my days were already written;
my days had been shaped
before any of them existed.
17 God, how I prize your thoughts!
How many of them there are!
18 If I count them, there are more than grains of sand;
if I finish the count, I am still with you.
Philemon 1 From: Sha’ul, a prisoner for the sake of the Messiah Yeshua, and brother Timothy
To: Our dear fellow-worker Philemon, 2 along with sister Apphia, our fellow-soldier Archippus and the congregation that gathers in your home:
3 Grace and shalom to you from God our Father and the Lord Yeshua the Messiah.
4 I thank my God every time I mention you in my prayers, Philemon, 5 for I am hearing about your love and commitment to the Lord Yeshua and to all God’s people. 6 I pray that the fellowship based on your commitment will produce full understanding of every good thing that is ours in union with the Messiah. 7 For your love has given me much joy and encouragement. Brother, you have refreshed the hearts of God’s people.
8 Therefore, I would not hesitate, in union with the Messiah, to direct you to do the thing you ought to do. 9 But since I Sha’ul, am the kind of person I am, an old man and now for the Messiah Yeshua’s sake a prisoner besides, I prefer to appeal to you on the basis of love. 10 My request to you concerns my son, of whom I became the father while here in prison, Onesimus. 11 His name means “useful,” and although he was once useless to you, he has now become most useful — not only to you but also to me; 12 so that in returning him to you I am sending a part of my very heart. 13 I would dearly have loved to keep him with me, in order for him to serve me in your place while I am in prison because of the Good News. 14 But I didn’t want to do anything without your consent, so that the good you do for me may be voluntary and not forced.
15 Perhaps the reason he was separated from you for a brief period was so that you could have him back forever, 16 no longer as a slave but as more than a slave, as a dear brother. And that he is, especially to me. But how much dearer he must be to you, both humanly and in union with the Lord!
17 So if you are in fellowship with me, receive him as you would me. 18 And if he has wronged you in any way or owes you anything, charge it to me.
19 I, Sha’ul, write with my own hand. I will repay it.
(I won’t mention, of course, that you owe me your very life.) 20 Yes, brother, please do me this favor in the Lord; refresh my heart in the Messiah.
21 Trusting that you will respond positively, I write knowing that you will indeed do more than I am asking.
Luke 14:25 Large crowds were traveling along with Yeshua. Turning, he said to them, 26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father, his mother, his wife, his children, his brothers and his sisters, yes, and his own life besides, he cannot be my talmid. 27 Whoever does not carry his own execution-stake and come after me cannot be my talmid.
28 “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Don’t you sit down and estimate the cost, to see if you have enough capital to complete it? 29 If you don’t, then when you have laid the foundation but can’t finish, all the onlookers start making fun of you 30 and say, ‘This is the man who began to build, but couldn’t finish!’
31 “Or again, suppose one king is going out to wage war with another king. Doesn’t he first sit down and consider whether he, with his ten thousand troops, has enough strength to meet the other one, who is coming against him with twenty thousand? 32 If he hasn’t, then while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation to inquire about terms for peace.
33 “So every one of you who doesn’t renounce all that he has cannot be my talmid.
The John Wesley's Notes-Commentary for Jeremiah 18:1-11
Verse 6
[6] O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.
Cannot I do — That God hath an absolute sovereign power to do what he pleases with the work of his hands: but he acts as a just judge, rendering to every man according to his works.
Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18
Verse 2
[2] Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.
Afar off — Thou knowest what my thoughts will be in such and such circumstances, long before I know it, yea from all eternity.
Verse 3
[3] Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.
Compassest — Thou discernest every step I take. It is a metaphor from soldiers besieging their enemies, and setting watches round about them.
Verse 5
[5] Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me.
Beset me — With thy all-seeing providence.
And laid — Thou keepest me, as it were with a strong hand, in thy sight and under thy power.
Verse 6
[6] Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.
I cannot — Apprehend in what manner thou dost so presently know all things.
Verse 16
[16] Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.
Imperfect — When I was first conceived.
Book — In thy counsel and providence, by which thou didst contrive and effect this great work, according to that model which thou hadst appointed.
Verse 17
[17] How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!
Thoughts — Thy counsels on my behalf. Thou didst not only form me at first, but ever since my conception and birth, thy thoughts have been employed for me.
Verse 18
[18] If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.
Them — Thy wonderful counsels and works on my behalf come constantly into my mind.
Philemon 1:1-21
Verse 1
[1] Paul, a prisoner of Jesus Christ, and Timothy our brother, unto Philemon our dearly beloved, and fellowlabourer,
This single epistle infinitely transcends all the wisdom of the world. And it gives us a specimen how Christians ought to treat of secular affairs from higher principles.
Paul a prisoner of Christ — To whom, as such, Philemon could deny nothing.
And Timotheus — This was written before the second epistle to Timothy, Philemon 22.
Verse 2
[2] And to our beloved Apphia, and Archippus our fellowsoldier, and to the church in thy house:
To Apphia — His wife, to whom also the business in part belonged.
And the church in thy house — The Christians who meet there.
Verse 5
[5] Hearing of thy love and faith, which thou hast toward the Lord Jesus, and toward all saints;
Hearing — Probably from Onesimus.
Verse 6
[6] That the communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.
I pray that the communication of thy faith may become effectual - That is, that thy faith may be effectually communicated to others, who see and acknowledge thy piety and charity.
Verse 7
[7] For we have great joy and consolation in thy love, because the bowels of the saints are refreshed by thee, brother.
The saints — To whom Philemon's house was open, Philemon 2.
Verse 8
[8] Wherefore, though I might be much bold in Christ to enjoin thee that which is convenient,
I might be bold in Christ — Through the authority he hath given me.
Verse 9
[9] Yet for love's sake I rather beseech thee, being such an one as Paul the aged, and now also a prisoner of Jesus Christ.
Yet out of love I rather entreat thee — In how handsome a manner does the apostle just hint, and immediately drop, the consideration of his power to command, and tenderly entreat Philemon to hearken to his friend, his aged friend, and now prisoner for Christ! With what endearment, in the next verse, does he call Onesimus his son, before he names his name! And as soon as he had mentioned it, with what fine address does he just touch on his former faults, and instantly pass on to the happy change that was now made upon him! So disposing Philemon to attend to his request, and the motives wherewith he was going to enforce it.
Verse 10
[10] I beseech thee for my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my bonds:
Whom I have begotten in my bonds — The son of my age.
Verse 11
[11] Which in time past was to thee unprofitable, but now profitable to thee and to me:
Now profitable — None should be expected to be a good servant before he is a good man. He manifestly alludes to his name, Onesimus, which signifies profitable.
Verse 12
[12] Whom I have sent again: thou therefore receive him, that is, mine own bowels:
Receive him, that is, my own bowels — Whom I love as my own soul. Such is the natural affection of a father in Christ toward his spiritual children.
Verse 13
[13] Whom I would have retained with me, that in thy stead he might have ministered unto me in the bonds of the gospel:
To serve me in thy stead — To do those services for me which thou, if present, wouldest gladly have done thyself.
Verse 14
[14] But without thy mind would I do nothing; that thy benefit should not be as it were of necessity, but willingly.
That thy benefit might not be by constraint — For Philemon could not have refused it.
Verse 15
[15] For perhaps he therefore departed for a season, that thou shouldest receive him for ever;
God might permit him to be separated (a soft word) for a season, that thou mightest have him for ever - Both on earth and in heaven.
Verse 16
[16] Not now as a servant, but above a servant, a brother beloved, specially to me, but how much more unto thee, both in the flesh, and in the Lord?
In the flesh — As a dutiful servant.
In the Lord — As a fellow-Christian.
Verse 17
[17] If thou count me therefore a partner, receive him as myself.
If thou accountest me a partner — So that thy things are mine, and mine are thine.
Verse 19
[19] I Paul have written it with mine own hand, I will repay it: albeit I do not say to thee how thou owest unto me even thine own self besides.
I will repay it — If thou requirest it.
Not to say, that then owest me thyself — It cannot be expressed, how great our obligation is to those who have gained our souls to Christ.
Beside — Receiving Onesimus.
Verse 20
[20] Yea, brother, let me have joy of thee in the Lord: refresh my bowels in the Lord.
Refresh my bowels in Christ — Give me the most exquisite and Christian pleasure.
Luke 14:25-33
Verse 26
[26] If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.
If any man come to me, and hate not his father — Comparatively to Christ: yea, so as actually to renounce his field, oxen, wife, all things, and act as if he hated them, when they stand in competition with him. Matthew 10:37.
Verse 28
[28] For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?
And which of you intending to build a tower — That is, and whoever of you intends to follow me, let him first seriously weigh these things.
Verse 31
[31] Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand?
Another king — Does this mean, the prince of this world? Certainly he has greater numbers on his side. How numerous are his children and servants!
Verse 33
[33] So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.
So — Like this man, who, being afraid to face his enemy, sends to make peace with him, every one who forsaketh not all that he hath - 1. By withdrawing his affections from all the creatures; 2. By enjoying them only in and for God, only in such a measure and manner as leads to him; 3. By hating them all, in the sense above mentioned, cannot be my disciple - But will surely desist from building that tower, neither can he persevere in fighting the good fight of faith.
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The Upper Room Ministries
PO Box 340004
Nashville, Tennessee 37203-0004, United States
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"THE ORIGINAL REQUIREMENTS FOR DISCIPLESHIP" by Thomas Lane Butts5 Then the word of Adonai came to me: 6 “House of Isra’el, can’t I deal with you as the potter deals with his clay? — says Adonai. Look! You, house of Isra’el, are the same in my hand as the clay in the potter’s hand. 7 At one time, I may speak about uprooting, breaking down and destroying a nation or kingdom; 8 but if that nation turns from their evil, which prompted me to speak against it, then I relent concerning the disaster I had planned to inflict on it. 9 Similarly, at another time, I may speak about building and planting a nation or kingdom; 10 but if it behaves wickedly from my perspective and doesn’t listen to what I say, then I change my mind and don’t do the good I said I would do that would have helped it.
11 “So now, tell the people of Y’hudah and those living in Yerushalayim that this is what Adonai says:
‘I am designing disaster for you,
working out my plan against you.
Turn, each of you, from his evil ways;
improve your conduct and actions.’
Psalm 139:(0) For the leader. A psalm of David:
(1) Adonai, you have probed me, and you know me.
2 You know when I sit and when I stand up,
you discern my inclinations from afar,
3 you scrutinize my daily activities.
You are so familiar with all my ways
4 that before I speak even a word, Adonai,
you know all about it already.
5 You have hemmed me in both behind and in front
and laid your hand on me.
6 Such wonderful knowledge is beyond me,
far too high for me to reach.
13 For you fashioned my inmost being,
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I thank you because I am awesomely made,
wonderfully; your works are wonders —
I know this very well.
15 My bones were not hidden from you
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes could see me as an embryo,
but in your book all my days were already written;
my days had been shaped
before any of them existed.
17 God, how I prize your thoughts!
How many of them there are!
18 If I count them, there are more than grains of sand;
if I finish the count, I am still with you.
Philemon 1 From: Sha’ul, a prisoner for the sake of the Messiah Yeshua, and brother Timothy
To: Our dear fellow-worker Philemon, 2 along with sister Apphia, our fellow-soldier Archippus and the congregation that gathers in your home:
3 Grace and shalom to you from God our Father and the Lord Yeshua the Messiah.
4 I thank my God every time I mention you in my prayers, Philemon, 5 for I am hearing about your love and commitment to the Lord Yeshua and to all God’s people. 6 I pray that the fellowship based on your commitment will produce full understanding of every good thing that is ours in union with the Messiah. 7 For your love has given me much joy and encouragement. Brother, you have refreshed the hearts of God’s people.
8 Therefore, I would not hesitate, in union with the Messiah, to direct you to do the thing you ought to do. 9 But since I Sha’ul, am the kind of person I am, an old man and now for the Messiah Yeshua’s sake a prisoner besides, I prefer to appeal to you on the basis of love. 10 My request to you concerns my son, of whom I became the father while here in prison, Onesimus. 11 His name means “useful,” and although he was once useless to you, he has now become most useful — not only to you but also to me; 12 so that in returning him to you I am sending a part of my very heart. 13 I would dearly have loved to keep him with me, in order for him to serve me in your place while I am in prison because of the Good News. 14 But I didn’t want to do anything without your consent, so that the good you do for me may be voluntary and not forced.
15 Perhaps the reason he was separated from you for a brief period was so that you could have him back forever, 16 no longer as a slave but as more than a slave, as a dear brother. And that he is, especially to me. But how much dearer he must be to you, both humanly and in union with the Lord!
17 So if you are in fellowship with me, receive him as you would me. 18 And if he has wronged you in any way or owes you anything, charge it to me.
19 I, Sha’ul, write with my own hand. I will repay it.
(I won’t mention, of course, that you owe me your very life.) 20 Yes, brother, please do me this favor in the Lord; refresh my heart in the Messiah.
21 Trusting that you will respond positively, I write knowing that you will indeed do more than I am asking.
Luke 14:25 Large crowds were traveling along with Yeshua. Turning, he said to them, 26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father, his mother, his wife, his children, his brothers and his sisters, yes, and his own life besides, he cannot be my talmid. 27 Whoever does not carry his own execution-stake and come after me cannot be my talmid.
28 “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Don’t you sit down and estimate the cost, to see if you have enough capital to complete it? 29 If you don’t, then when you have laid the foundation but can’t finish, all the onlookers start making fun of you 30 and say, ‘This is the man who began to build, but couldn’t finish!’
31 “Or again, suppose one king is going out to wage war with another king. Doesn’t he first sit down and consider whether he, with his ten thousand troops, has enough strength to meet the other one, who is coming against him with twenty thousand? 32 If he hasn’t, then while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation to inquire about terms for peace.
33 “So every one of you who doesn’t renounce all that he has cannot be my talmid.
The John Wesley's Notes-Commentary for Jeremiah 18:1-11
Verse 6
[6] O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.
Cannot I do — That God hath an absolute sovereign power to do what he pleases with the work of his hands: but he acts as a just judge, rendering to every man according to his works.
Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18
Verse 2
[2] Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.
Afar off — Thou knowest what my thoughts will be in such and such circumstances, long before I know it, yea from all eternity.
Verse 3
[3] Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.
Compassest — Thou discernest every step I take. It is a metaphor from soldiers besieging their enemies, and setting watches round about them.
Verse 5
[5] Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me.
Beset me — With thy all-seeing providence.
And laid — Thou keepest me, as it were with a strong hand, in thy sight and under thy power.
Verse 6
[6] Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.
I cannot — Apprehend in what manner thou dost so presently know all things.
Verse 16
[16] Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.
Imperfect — When I was first conceived.
Book — In thy counsel and providence, by which thou didst contrive and effect this great work, according to that model which thou hadst appointed.
Verse 17
[17] How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!
Thoughts — Thy counsels on my behalf. Thou didst not only form me at first, but ever since my conception and birth, thy thoughts have been employed for me.
Verse 18
[18] If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.
Them — Thy wonderful counsels and works on my behalf come constantly into my mind.
Philemon 1:1-21
Verse 1
[1] Paul, a prisoner of Jesus Christ, and Timothy our brother, unto Philemon our dearly beloved, and fellowlabourer,
This single epistle infinitely transcends all the wisdom of the world. And it gives us a specimen how Christians ought to treat of secular affairs from higher principles.
Paul a prisoner of Christ — To whom, as such, Philemon could deny nothing.
And Timotheus — This was written before the second epistle to Timothy, Philemon 22.
Verse 2
[2] And to our beloved Apphia, and Archippus our fellowsoldier, and to the church in thy house:
To Apphia — His wife, to whom also the business in part belonged.
And the church in thy house — The Christians who meet there.
Verse 5
[5] Hearing of thy love and faith, which thou hast toward the Lord Jesus, and toward all saints;
Hearing — Probably from Onesimus.
Verse 6
[6] That the communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.
I pray that the communication of thy faith may become effectual - That is, that thy faith may be effectually communicated to others, who see and acknowledge thy piety and charity.
Verse 7
[7] For we have great joy and consolation in thy love, because the bowels of the saints are refreshed by thee, brother.
The saints — To whom Philemon's house was open, Philemon 2.
Verse 8
[8] Wherefore, though I might be much bold in Christ to enjoin thee that which is convenient,
I might be bold in Christ — Through the authority he hath given me.
Verse 9
[9] Yet for love's sake I rather beseech thee, being such an one as Paul the aged, and now also a prisoner of Jesus Christ.
Yet out of love I rather entreat thee — In how handsome a manner does the apostle just hint, and immediately drop, the consideration of his power to command, and tenderly entreat Philemon to hearken to his friend, his aged friend, and now prisoner for Christ! With what endearment, in the next verse, does he call Onesimus his son, before he names his name! And as soon as he had mentioned it, with what fine address does he just touch on his former faults, and instantly pass on to the happy change that was now made upon him! So disposing Philemon to attend to his request, and the motives wherewith he was going to enforce it.
Verse 10
[10] I beseech thee for my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my bonds:
Whom I have begotten in my bonds — The son of my age.
Verse 11
[11] Which in time past was to thee unprofitable, but now profitable to thee and to me:
Now profitable — None should be expected to be a good servant before he is a good man. He manifestly alludes to his name, Onesimus, which signifies profitable.
Verse 12
[12] Whom I have sent again: thou therefore receive him, that is, mine own bowels:
Receive him, that is, my own bowels — Whom I love as my own soul. Such is the natural affection of a father in Christ toward his spiritual children.
Verse 13
[13] Whom I would have retained with me, that in thy stead he might have ministered unto me in the bonds of the gospel:
To serve me in thy stead — To do those services for me which thou, if present, wouldest gladly have done thyself.
Verse 14
[14] But without thy mind would I do nothing; that thy benefit should not be as it were of necessity, but willingly.
That thy benefit might not be by constraint — For Philemon could not have refused it.
Verse 15
[15] For perhaps he therefore departed for a season, that thou shouldest receive him for ever;
God might permit him to be separated (a soft word) for a season, that thou mightest have him for ever - Both on earth and in heaven.
Verse 16
[16] Not now as a servant, but above a servant, a brother beloved, specially to me, but how much more unto thee, both in the flesh, and in the Lord?
In the flesh — As a dutiful servant.
In the Lord — As a fellow-Christian.
Verse 17
[17] If thou count me therefore a partner, receive him as myself.
If thou accountest me a partner — So that thy things are mine, and mine are thine.
Verse 19
[19] I Paul have written it with mine own hand, I will repay it: albeit I do not say to thee how thou owest unto me even thine own self besides.
I will repay it — If thou requirest it.
Not to say, that then owest me thyself — It cannot be expressed, how great our obligation is to those who have gained our souls to Christ.
Beside — Receiving Onesimus.
Verse 20
[20] Yea, brother, let me have joy of thee in the Lord: refresh my bowels in the Lord.
Refresh my bowels in Christ — Give me the most exquisite and Christian pleasure.
Luke 14:25-33
Verse 26
[26] If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.
If any man come to me, and hate not his father — Comparatively to Christ: yea, so as actually to renounce his field, oxen, wife, all things, and act as if he hated them, when they stand in competition with him. Matthew 10:37.
Verse 28
[28] For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?
And which of you intending to build a tower — That is, and whoever of you intends to follow me, let him first seriously weigh these things.
Verse 31
[31] Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand?
Another king — Does this mean, the prince of this world? Certainly he has greater numbers on his side. How numerous are his children and servants!
Verse 33
[33] So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.
So — Like this man, who, being afraid to face his enemy, sends to make peace with him, every one who forsaketh not all that he hath - 1. By withdrawing his affections from all the creatures; 2. By enjoying them only in and for God, only in such a measure and manner as leads to him; 3. By hating them all, in the sense above mentioned, cannot be my disciple - But will surely desist from building that tower, neither can he persevere in fighting the good fight of faith.
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Luke 14:25-33
This passage becomes more poignant when we remember that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem when he said this, and he was well aware of the danger he would face there. He knew a dark truth of which the crowds, including his immediate disciples, were oblivious. He was on his way to the cross! The crowds thought they were on their way to a showdown with the Romans and the quisling Jewish establishment. The hope that Jesus would lead a revolution and restore the kingdom of Israel persisted up to and even after the Crucifixion and the Resurrection. The Palm Sunday crowd believed Jesus would lead a revolution. The Gospel of Mark reports that James and John asked Jesus to let one sit on his right and the other on his left when the revolution was successfully finished (Mark 10:35). The Gospel of Matthew, which was written perhaps some years after Mark, attributes this request to the mother of James and John (Matthew 20:20-24). “When the ten heard it, they were angry with the two brothers” (v. 24). During the Passover meal in the upper room, a dispute arose among the disciples as to which one of them was to be regarded as the greatest. After the Resurrection and just before the Ascension, the book of Acts reports that “when they had come together, they asked him, ‘Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?’ ” (Acts 1:6). John Calvin, in his commentary on this passage, remarked that Jesus must have looked at them and thought, “How dumb can you be?!” (Commentaries, Acts of the Apostles, vol. 18 [Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, reprint 1981], 43–44; The quotation is a characterization of Calvin’s commentary by Dr. William Mallard, Candler School of Theology).
The power of the messianic expectation into which they tried to make Jesus fit continued to the end, all evidence to the contrary notwithstanding.
While on the way to Jerusalem, Jesus lays down the conditions of discipleship. He does this with powerful symbols and language. It is clear that Jesus expects a disciple to be willing to give up everything in order to follow him. Luke quotes Jesus as saying that one could not be a disciple unless he hates father, mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life. Those who are “put off ” by the idea of hating your immediate family and family of origin should remember Jesus’ penchant for using hyperbole, which exaggerates a contrast so that it can be seen more clearly. Jesus demands unalloyed allegiance, but he is not calling for hatred of natural family ties. This statement, taken in the light of all we know about Jesus, certainly must not be taken literally. Matthew couches the concept in softer and more reasonable language: “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me” (Matthew 10:37). Even when understood in the more gentle language used by Matthew, it is nonetheless clear that discipleship to Jesus requires the willingness to leave family and possessions, and to run the risk of losing one’s life.
Seeing a man carrying his cross on the way to his own crucifixion was a familiar sight to Jesus’ hearers. Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people had been publicly crucified in Israel for planning or participating in revolutionary activity against the Romans. His hearers certainly do not miss the seriousness of discipleship that would be loyal even if it meant the cross. We must not think, however, that they think of this in association with the cross of Jesus, an event that was yet to come.
Jesus is thinning out the crowd with these stringent requirements. He reinforces these demands with two illustrations. Jesus says whenever a person is going to build a tower, he first calculates the cost of completing the job before he lays the foundation. He does this to avoid being ridiculed for starting something he is unable to finish. Neither does a king engage in battle with another king without first taking stock of the two armies to see if he can win. Jesus does not want anyone to volunteer for his campaign without counting the cost, lest they be embarrassed or even defeated because they misjudged what it would cost to follow him. Finally he says that anyone who does not bid farewell to his possessions cannot be one of his disciples.
It is crystal clear that Jesus does not want disciples who follow him as the result of unexamined enthusiasm. There are many who offer themselves who are like the young man who wrote the following love letter to his girlfriend: “My dearest darling, I love you more than anything in the world. I would climb the highest mountain and swim the widest ocean just to be at your side. I will see you Saturday night if it does not rain. Love always, John.” Unexamined enthusiasm is hollow and unacceptable.
How far do you perceive the contemporary Christian church today to be from the kind of discipleship Jesus set forth in this passage? The distance is appalling! So many churches and radio and television evangelists offer a cheap discipleship. For a few dollars and your name on the roll, you are promised great rewards. Some promise material prosperity. Troubled people are promised peace and health and a trouble-free life for a cheap commitment. When I reflect on the many millions who are church members today, I cannot help but remember the general who said that he wished he had as many soldiers as he had men. What great influence we would have in the world today if we had as many disciples as we have members!
Dr. Alan Culpepper, in his reflections on this passage in the New Interpreter’s Bible, suggests that the language of cross-bearing has been cheapened by overuse. It has nothing to do with illness and painful conditions and broken family relationships. The cross-bearing of which Jesus speaks is something voluntarily done because of one’s commitment to Jesus Christ (vol. 9 [Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1995], 293).
Dr. William Barclay compares the consideration for discipleship to the admonition in the introduction to the marriage ceremony. The minister says of marriage: “It is, therefore, not to be entered upon lightly or unadvisedly, but thoughtfully, reverently, and in the fear of God” (The Gospel of Luke [Philadelphia: Westminster, 1956], 204).
Unless a man and a woman count the cost before accepting the vows of marriage, they are in for some unhappy surprises, which is one of the reasons why so many marriages fail.
If you are considering signing up to be one of the Jesus people, count the cost before you make the move. Read the fine print before you sign on the dotted line.… read more
"WORSHIP ELEMENTS: SEPTEMBER 4, 2016 by Deborah Sokolove
Sixteenth Sunday after PentecostCOLOR: Green
SCRIPTURE READINGS: Jeremiah 18:1-11; Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18; Philemon 1-21; Luke 14:25-33
THEME IDEAS
God knows our intentions and our hopes, reshaping us when we do what is wrong, and responding to our repentance with mercy. We count the cost of our actions, but Jesus calls us to let go of our attachments and follow him in a life of love and care for others. This mystery is beyond our understanding.
INVITATION AND GATHERING
Call to Worship (Jeremiah 18, Psalm 139)
We come with praise
for the wonderful works of God.
Even before we speak,
God knows us completely.
The Holy One knows us and sustains us,
even in our moments of confusion and doubt.
Who can count the thoughts of God?
They are more than all the sands of the desert.
Like clay in the hand of the potter,
we are shaped into vessels of divine will.
We come with praise
for the wonderful works of God.
Opening Prayer (Jeremiah 18, Psalm 139)
Boundless Shaper of people and nations,
you are beyond our knowing,
yet closer to us than our every breath.
You are before us and behind us,
surrounding us with your love,
and fashioning all of creation
in the secret depths of your heart.
With every thought, with every song,
and with every prayer,
turn these fragile, earthen vessels of our lives,into the Spirit-filled body of Christ. Amen.
PROCLAMATION AND RESPONSE
Prayer of Confession (Psalm 139, Philemon, Luke 14)
God of our lives,
you search us and know us.
We have refused to take up your cross,
to bear the burdens that are ours to carry.
We have not given up our attachments
to possessions or to self.
We have not counted the cost
of walking into an unknown future with you.
Help us turn away from evil,
that we may walk with you once more.
Words of Assurance (Psalm 139)
The Holy One rejoices in our repentance,
reshaping us into vessels of love and service.
In the grace-filled love of Christ, we are forgiven.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
Passing the Peace of Christ (Philemon)
Grace to you, and peace from God, the Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The peace of Christ be with you.
The peace of Christ be also with you.
Prayer of Preparation (Jeremiah 18, Psalm 139)
Holy Shaper of hearts and minds,
as Jeremiah came to know you
in the work of the potter’s hands,
teach us your ways
in the reading of your word.
Lead us into a deeper understanding of your ways,
that we may know and do your will. Amen.
Response to the Word (Luke 14)
Holy Shaper of life and grace,
you have shown us the cost of being your people.
We give you thanks, for the crosses
that are ours to bear,
and for the strength to carry them.
Help us follow the path of Jesus,
who shows us the way. Amen.
THANKSGIVING AND COMMUNION
Offering Prayer (Luke 14)
With these gifts,
we lay down all that we have
and all that we are,
and take up the cross with Jesus.
Invitation to Communion (Psalm 139, Luke 14)
The bread is ready, the cup is filled,
the table is set.
Let all who are hungry for the love of God,
come and be fed.
Let all who are thirsty for new life,
come and share the cup.
Let all who want to follow Jesus,
come and join the feast.
SENDING FORTH
Benediction (Luke 14)
With empty hands and open hearts,
go forth to follow Jesus
in love and service to the world.
CONTEMPORARY OPTIONS
Contemporary Gathering Words (Luke 14)
We come to take up the cross that is laid before us.
We come with praise for the wonderful works of God.
Praise Sentences (Psalm 139)
How weighty are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
They are more than the sand.
We come to the end and there is only you.
From The Abingdon Worship Annual edited by Mary J. Scifres and B.J. Beu, Copyright © Abingdon Press. The Abingdon Worship Annual 2017 is now available..… read moreWORSHIP FOR KIDS: SEPTEMBER 4, 2016 by Carolyn C. Brown
From a Child's Point of ViewOld Testament: Jeremiah 18:1-11.This passage presents an image that is both familiar and challenging for children. Though they may not have seen a potter working at a wheel, most children have had many enjoyable experiences working with clay. They understand the process of reworking a piece until you get what you want. Younger children, however, will need help making the connection between potters working with clay and God working with us. The natural expectation of concrete thinkers is to visualize God reworking the shapes of our bodies. To get beyond this to Jeremiah's message, children need to hear such examples as God working selfishness into generosity, or a quick temper into a controlled one. Children also need to explore what this reworking is like. Obviously, God does not punch us down into a lump (or turn us back into babies) and start over again. God works on us by giving us teachers and examples in the lives of others. God gives us the messages of the Bible to help us know how to live. God is with us, helping us learn from events in our lives.
Although we often focus on God's shaping of our personal lives, God was speaking to Jeremiah about shaping the nations. Older children, having an interest in the larger world and focusing on groups to which they belong, are primed to hear that God shapes and reworks the lives of groups and nations.
Psalm: 139:1-6, 13-18. This is the psalmist's praise of God, who created him and knows him thoroughly. The original Jerusalem Bible translation is probably clearest to children. It emphasizes the psalmist's appreciation for the way he was made. To children, it is an opportunity to appreciate the unique talents and potentials that God has given them.
Epistle: Philemon 1 –21. This passage deals with a situation totally foreign to children. They have neither an understanding of first-century slavery nor appreciation for the social stand Paul was asking of Philemon. If asked what Philemon should do, their response is, "Simple! He should do what Paul asked, because Paul was the great teacher and leader of the church." They are generally impressed with Onesimus' courage in returning to Philemon.
Gospel: Luke 14:25-33. This passage includes two concrete stories which illustrate a very "hard" lesson about discipleship. Children can understand the stories about the tower builder and the king going to war, but they will need help to interpret them and relate them to Jesus' point in verses 25-27 and 33.
Jesus was speaking to adults, not to children, when he demanded that they "hate"—that is, "be totally detached from" their families. He overstated his case to make the point that our discipleship is to take priority over all other loyalties and commitments, even those to family. For adults, this is difficult but possible. For children, who are dependent upon the love and care of their families, it is not even remotely comprehensible. It is also scary because of what it demands of children and what it suggests might be demanded of the parents upon whom they are so dependent. Children need to hear this verse with reassurances about Jesus' point. It helps to read it with verses 27 and 33, which insist that each of us must be a good disciple and that following Jesus is to be the most important thing in our lives.
Watch Words
The job of the potter and the function of the potter's wheel need to be described so that children can recognize the similarity between that process and their own experiences working with clay.
Let the Children Sing
The Jeremiah text all but demands the use of "Have Thine Own Way, Lord." While the concepts in verses 2-4 are beyond most children, there is no better Sunday on which to introduce the hymn.
Sing of God's creative work in us with "Now Thank We All Our God," "He Leadeth Me: O Blessed Thought" (children pick up on the chorus first), or "God Will Take Care of You" (the repeated phrase and easy chorus overshadow the obsolete vocabulary of the verses).
Sing your featured discipleship hymn or "I Sing a Song of the Saints of God," to celebrate the sainthood to which Philemon and we are called.
The Liturgical Child
1. To bring Jeremiah's experience in the potter's shop to life, arrange for a local potter to work at a potter's wheel during the reading of the Scripture. Read slowly enough so that the potter can demonstrate what Jeremiah saw, or take time just before the reading to discuss with the potter how pots are shaped and reshaped.
2. Follow the psalmist in praising the wonderful ways God has created and cares for each of us:
Lord, we want to talk to you about how you have made us and shaped our lives.
Creator God, you gave each of us a one-of-a-kind body. There are things we like about our bodies and things we wish were different. We confess that we sometimes eat and drink things that are harmful to our bodies. In the silence, let us each speak to God about our bodies. (PAUSE)
Lord of Our Lives, you gave each of us special talents and skills. Sometimes we forget to say thank you for them. Sometimes we need to talk to you about how we use these skills in order to love others. In the silence, let each of us speak to God about our talents and skills. (PAUSE)
Loving God, you placed certain qualities in each of us. It's easy for us to list those with which we struggle. But we are less ready to notice our admirable qualitiesLeader:the patience and kindness and generosity you have planted in us. In the silence, let us each honestly thank God for the good qualities that we recognize in ourselves. (PAUSE)
The worship leader concludes the prayer by praying aloud Psalm 139:13-18, changing the singular pronouns to plural ones.
3. Children are fascinated by Philemon because it is the shortest book in the Bible. So invite worshipers to follow along in their Bibles as you read the entire book. Then congratulate them on having read a whole book of the Bible and encourage them to read others.
Before the reading, explain the situation that prompted this letter and encourage worshipers to imagine themselves as Philemon, opening his door to his runaway slave and reading this letter from Paul.
Sermon Resources
1. Give each worshiper an egg-sized lump of clay to work in their hands during the sermon. The physical experience of working the clay will sharpen Jeremiah's message. Having something to do with their hands also helps children listen to the sermon. The clay could be passed out by ushers or by a children's class as the sermon begins. Children's modeling dough (either homemade or purchased) is the cleanest and least expensive to use. Invite worshiper to leave their clay in a dishpan at the rear of the church or take it home with them.
2. Tell stories about starting things that cannot be finished: an unhappy eight-year-old who runs away from home without food or any idea of where to go; an overly ambitious science-fair project (perhaps dissecting a pig, which cannot be obtained); a boast about being brave enough to explore a deserted house. Proceed to ambitious discipleship stories: a commitment to set aside snack money each day for a hunger offering at church; a design to keep on forgiving someone who continually teases you; and so on.… read more
"SERMON OPTIONS: SEPTEMBER 4, 2016"
TEARING DOWN THE WALLSPHILEMON 1-21
In this very personal letter to Paul's friend Philemon, Paul once again challenges believers to step out of the status quo. Through challenging Philemon to welcome back his runaway slave as a brother in Christ, Paul challenges us to tear down the walls that divide us.
I. Walls Divide and Separate
There are so many things that we allow to separate us from one another. There are so many walls that we build and so many things that we allow to become walls. Our fear of something different, our prejudices, grief, or social, political, and economic status. Even our clothes and possessions can separate us from one another.
Actions, attitudes, and events all have a way of imprisoning us and keeping us that way, if we let them. In Charles Dickens's A Tale of Two Cities, a prisoner in the Bastille who had lived in a cell for many years and cobbled shoes became so used to the narrow walls, the darkness, and the monotony, that when he was finally liberated, he went straight home and built, at the center of his home, a cell. On days when the skies were clear and birds were singing, the tap of the cobbler's hammer could still be heard coming from the dim cell within.
II. Champions of Change
Paul championed change. Paul challenged Philemon to be a champion of change, too. He challenged him to forgive Onesimus for running away. But he also challenged Philemon to accept Onesimus back—not simply as a slave but as a fellow believer.
Bear Bryant, who coached the University of Alabama to several national football championships, once commented: "I'm a good coach of a boy who isn't a champion but doesn't know it. My walls are filled with photos of boys who weren't champions but never found out."
Through Christ, we're called to be champions of change; champions of equality. We're called to be leaders in tearing down the walls that separate us from God and one another.
III. Love Brings Down Walls of Separation
Those walls only come down through the power of love experienced in Christ. That was the power that changed Onesimus. It's the power that has changed the world. It is the power that can even change the most hardened criminal. Love changes us and motivates us.
There was a youngster with mental retardation who seated himself on the floor of a drugstore and began to play with some bottles he had taken off the shelves. The druggist asked him to stop. When he didn't stop, the druggist yelled at him and scolded him with a rather sharp tone. Right at that moment the boy's sister came up. She put her arms around him and whispered something in his ear. Right away, he put the bottles back in place on the shelf. Then his sister turned to the druggist and said: "You see, he doesn't understand when you talk to him like that. I just love it into him." There aren't very many people who respond to being scolded, pushed, driven, or harassed. But everyone responds to love.
It was the love of God, through Christ, in Paul's life that allowed him to change. It was that same love that changed Onesimus. It was the love of Christ to which Paul appeals both to Philemon and to us. He calls us to allow the love of Christ to make us champions of change so we can work to tear down the walls that separate us. (Billy D. Strayhorn)
COUNT THE COST
LUKE 14:25-33
One of the remarkable characteristics of our Lord was his insistence that those who follow him realize the cost. There was never a diluting of what it meant to accept him as Lord of life. In his challenge to follow him, he underscored with red and highlighted in bright color the hardships involved. His appeal for disciples was primarily to individuals, not to the generalized multitudes. His concern was in quality, not quantity. How refreshing, for in many areas of Christendom today the opposite is true!
I. The Demand (v. 25)
In the text, "many multitudes" went with him. The word went means "to go along with." There were great numbers of people who where going along with him. They were following on the basis of a mixed bag of motives. Some were sincere. Some were curious. Some were willing to enlist in anyone's army who was willing to "restore the kingdom to Israel." The multitude knew no requirements and no demands in following the Messiah.
In an instant, Jesus burst their bubble of ease. He was on the way to Jerusalem. They thought he was on his way to worldly power, and they wanted to be a part of it. These messianic groupies had to make a decision: Would they be camp followers or devoted disciples?
II. The Devotion (v. 26)
In the vivid vocabulary of this Eastern culture, Jesus says that those who would follow him must have a love for him that causes other loves to shrink in comparison. The strong word hate grates on our sensitivity. There were several meanings of this word in the day of Jesus. I believe the most applicable in Christ's usage is that compared to one's devotion to Christ, all other devotions on any human level become secondary. Even one's life must become subjugated to Jesus as one of his disciples. "Life" means one's complete self.
Devotion to Jesus as one of his disciples means that there is absolutely nothing that comes between the follower and Jesus.
III. The Death (v. 27)
Taking up one's cross means death to self rather than denial of self. The cross is an instrument of execution ending in death. Today, in our modern Christianity, we have equated the cross more with service than with sacrifice. Those who heard these startling words of Jesus knew unmistakenly that he was speaking of death. With no uncertain sound, Jesus is calling the people to follow him even unto their deaths.
IV. The Dimensions (vv. 28-33)
In defining further what the cost of discipleship is, Jesus uses two parables as illustrations. The first is a builder who prepares to build a tower. The second is a warrior who prepares to go to battle. In each, the emphasis is on counting the cost.
The tower was probably to be constructed on the man's farm to protect his crops and his vineyards from animals that would destroy and from people who would steal. The intent was a positive one. What would be detrimental was to begin the building and not be able to finish it. Beginning without adequate finances would cause derision and shame from his neighbors. Such a monument to bad planning would stand as a poor witness to the builder's ability to finish what he had begun. Jesus is focusing on the end of one's journey with him as well as the beginning.
The warrior king wisely counted how many troups he had before going into battle with his enemy. With ten thousand men, how victorious could he be against an army of twenty thousand commanded by his enemy? Having counted the cost, he came to the conclusion that the better part of wisdom was not to go to war. He seeks peace without the risk of battle. Jesus' point in the parable was the necessity of counting the cost before enlisting in his army.
Verse 33 sums up this section with a call to "forsake all." Are we willing to give up all that we are and all that we have to serve Christ? His call is for a willingness to surrender everything that would impede one's total commitment to him. (John Lee Taylor)read more
"SEPTEMBER 4, 2016 - COSTLY DISCIPLESHIP" by William H. Willimon
PULPIT RESOURCE
INSPIRING-HUMOROUS-EDGY-CONFRONTING-RELEVANTDOWNLOAD A SAMPLE NOWWelcome to the new Pulpit Resource from Will Willimon. For over three decades Pulpit Resource helps preachers prepare to preach. Now in partnership with Abingdon Press, this homiletical weekly is available with fresh and timely accessibility to a new generation of preachers.
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