Ministry Matters: "7 resolutions for growing churches | Preaching for applause? | The ultimate participation trophy" in Nashville, Tennessee, United States for Wednesday, 4 January 2017-------
7 counterintuitive resolutions for growing churches by Rebekah Simon-PeterBigstock/nitoAs we start the new year, I want to share with you seven counterintuitive resolutions for 2017. Plus two bonus resolutions. If you are a growing church, pay close attention. Even if you are not growing, but you want to begin to grow, you can participate in this game as well. Don’t worry about doing all of them. Even taking on three or four of them will make a profound difference for you and the life of the church.
Love yourself. It’s true that we love our neighbors as ourselves. Want to be a better neighbor? Start by refusing to judge or berate yourself. Then practice unconditional self-respect, self-love, and self-acceptance. Let that kind of love radiate out to those around you. Tip: Start by smiling at yourself in the mirror.
Pray the next prayer. It’s easy to get stuck with a basic prayer like, “God be with us.” Or “God bless us.” Or “God help us.” The truth is God is always, always, always with us. There is no place we can go where God is not. Likewise, since God is love, God is always blessing us. And God is always there to help us. So trust these basic realities, and begin to pray the next prayer. What do you want to co-create with God? What do you envision for the coming year? Pray that prayer. Tip: Start by thanking God for always being there, always blessing and always helping.
Envision the future. Develop a vision that expands assumptions about what is possible. Then plan something beyond your ability to accomplish. Stretching yourself will allow the Spirit of God to work in new ways among you. With God in the picture, even stale realities can be transformed. Tip: Envision what the Kingdom might look like in your corner of the world. Ask how you can contribute to making that a reality.
Gospel lesson. Read the Gospels out loud together as a group. At least a chapter at a time. Allow the originality of Jesus’ message to speak to you again. Let the big picture emerge. Listen for what is new, empowering, unexpected. Tip: Sit in silence for three minutes and absorb what you’ve heard before anyone speaks.
Start fresh. Clean out a cluttered closet or classroom. Take down old banners or decorations. Paint the bathrooms and the sanctuary. Let go of a ministry or project that no longer bears fruit. Update your website. Delete your old phone message. Create space for new ideas, new people, new projects. Tip: If it’s stained, unused, unclaimed or out of date, it’s time to let it go!
Practice heaven. Make friends with someone you are afraid of or someone who angers you. Don’t try to fix or change them. Instead, find the best in them as they are right now. This will be good practice for heaven. Tip: Start by silently sending them love. Even if you don’t feel it.
Disbelieve. Let go of stubbornly held beliefs that only serve to keep you stuck. For instance: We can’t grow in this neighborhood. Children aren’t attracted to this church. We don’t have enough money to pay our tithes. I’m not good enough. Things are only going to get worse. Bottom line: Don’t live into negative self-fulfilling prophesies. Instead, create positive ones. Either way, they’ll come true. Might as well choose a future you’ll love! Tip: Start by looking at where you are stuck. Find the disempowering belief at the base of it. Write it down and turn it over to God. Then create anew.
Here are two bonus counter-intuitive resolutions to make 2017 a positive year to remember:
Get the backstory. People’s theologies, politics and life choices make a heck of a lot more sense when we know the backstory. Why they think the way they do. Why they feel the way they do. Why they do what they do. Share your stories with each other. Practice listening with your head and your heart. Tip: Lay aside questions and debate. Don’t plan any response. See them as a child of God.
Don't cater to fear. Before, during and after the presidential election, people’s fears crystallized. Anger and attack have become the go-to responses. It creates an us versus them mentality. Don’t cater to fear. Instead, let the gospel of love and courage, faith and self-sacrifice, action and empowerment be your guide. Tip: Ask, if God is for us then who can be against us? Remember, we are all “us.” Resolutions are a way of setting your intentions. Intentions are powerful corollaries to faith and prayer. They allow us to co-create with God. All good things are waiting for us this year, but we must be open vessels to receive them. Set your intentions for the year, and then take actions consistent with these intentions to watch your words come to life!
Not sure what to do first or how to take action? Email me at rebekah@rebeksimonpeter.com and ask me your questions. I’m here to help!
Rebekah Simon-Peter blogs at rebekahsimonpeter.com. She is the author of The Jew Named Jesus and Green Church.
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Preaching for applause? by Talbot DavisEvery so often, people applaud during sermons. When it happens, it’s heady, invigorating stuff. Yet preaching for the applause can be quite dangerous. Why? Because the quickest way to get a group of largely like-minded people to applaud is to set up a straw man opponent and then tear him down with your words.
Bigstock/igor stevanovicWhile most Methodist churches refrain from all kinds of clapping — either the rhythmic kind during a praise song or the appreciative kind during a sermon — Good Shepherd has always been one of the exceptions.
We clap during most songs on most Sundays. We even clapped during a version of “Hark The Herald Angels Sing” on Christmas Eve.
And every so often, people applaud during sermons. When it happens, it’s heady, invigorating stuff. Once, during the 2012 election season, people applauded when I asked, “who would have ever thought a chicken sandwich would be a political statement?” Didn’t see that one coming.
Yet preaching for the applause can be quite dangerous. Why? Because the quickest way to get a group of largely like-minded people to applaud is to set up a straw man opponent and then tear him down with your words.
So I suspect that in some church communities, the pastor could get applause if he preached against atheists or against communists or against adulterers or against Democrats or against Republicans. Goodness, there are probably some who get applause for preaching against Methodists. Or Baptists. And I know that over the last decade people will clap for you if you preach against Islam. Nothing rallies people together better than a common enemy.
Which is why I try with varying degrees of success to preach for things as opposed to against them. It’s why I hope to preach for . . .*The uniqueness of Christ;
*The authority of Scripture;
*The fact that staying faithful is the best way to ‘bring sexy back’;
*The joy of salvation;
*The reality that what unites us is cross & not candidate, resurrection and not race, the blood applied and not the blood inside;
*The power God implants in each of us to deliver us from self-destruction.
I hope to preach for truth and for grace and for love and for eternity. And maybe, just maybe, the applause will come from the One who is the sum total of all I am for.
Talbot Davis is pastor of Good Shepherd United Methodist Church in Charlotte, North Carolina and the author of Solve, Head Scratchers: When the Words of Jesus Don't Make Sense, The Storm Before the Calm and The Shadow of a Doubt, all from Abingdon Press.
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The ultimate participation trophy by Tom FuerstBigstockI feel myself getting increasingly irked by the use of the phrase, “participation trophy generation.”
At first I thought I was just annoyed with the hypocrisy of it — that they very people who pejoratively refer to the participation trophy generation were the ones who originally handed out those participation trophies. We didn’t, after all, hand them to ourselves.
Then I thought my frustration was rooted in a different angle on the hypocrisy of it — the fact that any form of privilege is a participation trophy.
- Did you inherit money from a deceased love one that you didn’t earn? Participation trophy.
- Did someone give you your first car simply because you shared DNA with them? Participation trophy.
- Do you have any number of untold benefits from your sex, your skin color, your parents’ economic class? Participation trophy.
Let me say this as clearly as possible: Grace is the ultimate participation trophy.
Grace is God saying, “Hey, you. You messed this up. You came in last place. You screwed up your life and other people’s lives. You finished last. You didn’t win.” Then, he bends down, picks you up off the ground, dusts off your clothes, spit-shines your face, bandages your wounds, and says, “Fortunately, I don’t keep score. Your wins don’t impress me and your losses don’t make me love you any less. Here is grace. Here is a trophy. I give you my Son. You didn’t earn him. You didn’t deserve him. But I give him to you.”
We are invited to participate in the victory of God over sin, hatred, injustice, idolatry and death. On our own such a victory could not be won by us. But we participate in his victory. Our trophies are his trophies. That’s why we’ll lay them down at his feet. Maybe that’s why participation trophies are worthwhile: We teach kids that God gives us what we don’t deserve, earn, or win. Grace is the ultimate participation trophy.
Tom Fuerst blogs at Tom1st.com. He is the author of Underdogs and Outsiders from Abingdon Press. You can subscribe to his blog via email here.
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The start of something...
By Melissa SlocumBigstock/enterlinedesignThe church celebrates many holidays including Christmas and Easter as the high holy days. It also celebrates other special days like Epiphany (which commemorates the arrival of the wise men), Transfiguration, Pentecost, All Saints Day, and this Sunday — Baptism of our Lord. On this day, The United Methodist Church (along with many other Protestant denominations) recognizes the baptism of Jesus and the beginning of his public ministry. In doing so, we teach others about the sacrament of baptism and provide an opportunity to remember our personal baptisms.
Rise out of the water
Different churches baptize in different ways. Some, like The United Methodist Church, believe infant baptism is the expression of God’s grace and presence. Some believe in youth and adult baptism as a matter of conscious choice to believe in Jesus and receive the Holy Spirit. Some baptize by immersing completely in water, others by pouring water, and still others by sprinkling water. While the method may be different, the symbol of water is the same: The water represents our rebirth. We pass through the water to die to self and come out of the water to join God’s mighty acts of salvation. Being baptized in Jesus’ name, we receive a new life with the risen Christ. Our baptism marks us, or sets us apart, as followers of Jesus. Baptism is the acknowledgment of the work of God’s grace in our lives.
Baptized to serve
In the New Testament we read that baptism was always the beginning of something. For Jesus, it was the beginning of his public teaching and healing ministry. For Paul, it was the beginning of his teaching and church planting around the Mediterranean. For thousands of others it was the beginning of their ministry of sharing Jesus with their families, their friends, and others who would listen. We, too, are called to live out our baptism by sharing Jesus with others through our loving words and actions.
Question of the day: What was your favorite way to serve or be in mission last year?
Focus scriptures: Matthew 3:3-17 and Acts 2:38-39 Matthew 3:3 This is the man Yesha‘yahu was talking about when he said,
“The voice of someone crying out:
‘In the desert prepare the way of Adonai!
Make straight paths for him!’”[Matthew 3:3 Isaiah 40:3]
4 Yochanan wore clothes of camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. 5 People went out to him from Yerushalayim, from all Y’hudah, and from the whole region around the Yarden. 6 Confessing their sins, they were immersed by him in the Yarden River.
7 But when Yochanan saw many of the P’rushim and Tz’dukim coming to be immersed by him, he said to them, “You snakes! Who warned you to escape the coming punishment? 8 If you have really turned from your sins to God, produce fruit that will prove it! 9 And don’t suppose you can comfort yourselves by saying, ‘Avraham is our father’! For I tell you that God can raise up for Avraham sons from these stones! 10 Already the axe is at the root of the trees, ready to strike; every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown in the fire! 11 It’s true that I am immersing you in water so that you might turn from sin to God; but the one coming after me is more powerful than I — I’m not worthy even to carry his sandals — and he will immerse you in the Ruach HaKodesh and in fire. 12 He has with him his winnowing fork; and he will clear out his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn but burning up the straw with unquenchable fire!”
13 Then Yeshua came from the Galil to the Yarden to be immersed by Yochanan. 14 But Yochanan tried to stop him. “You are coming to me? I ought to be immersed by you!” 15 However, Yeshua answered him, “Let it be this way now, because we should do everything righteousness requires.” Then Yochanan let him. 16 As soon as Yeshua had been immersed, he came up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, he saw the Spirit of God coming down upon him like a dove, 17 and a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; I am well pleased with him.”
Acts 2:38 Kefa answered them, “Turn from sin, return to God, and each of you be immersed on the authority of Yeshua the Messiah into forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Ruach HaKodesh! 39 For the promise is for you, for your children, and for those far away — as many as Adonai our God may call!”
For a complete lesson on this topic visit LinC.
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Love In A Big World: New Year
By Tamara FykeBigstock/Liang ZhangIn just a few days we’ll be reminiscing with the “Best of 2016” shows and watching the ball drop at Time Square. It’s another New Year’s Eve. This is when we hear a lot of talk about New Year’s Resolutions. “I’m going to stop eating fast food!” says Uncle John. “I’m going to lose fifty pounds,” says Grandma. These resolutions for improving physical health are important. But what about making some resolutions that benefit our overall wellbeing — how we feel on the inside?
Are you stressed? Angry? Worried? Fearful? Our relationships with parents, brothers and sisters, and friends impact our emotional health, which in turn impacts our physical health. Maybe you’re at odds with your mom because of your different views about life. Perhaps, you just heard the rumor about you that’s been spread all over the workplace. Or maybe you’re mad at yourself for losing your temper with your child. What you need is a new start. Forgiveness is putting another’s wrongs behind; letting go of anger because of a wrong.
Here’s something that has helped me. From time to time, I write a list of all the people who have wronged me, every person with whom I can tell things are just not right. It may have been a strange look or a cutting remark that clued me in to the problem between us. Usually I’m at the top of my own list. Then I read over what I just wrote, breathe deeply (because I can feel anger rising inside me), and I choose to forgive. The person who has wronged me may never have even said, “I’m sorry”. I choose to put the wrongs behind, to let the anger go. Then I rip up the paper and throw it away. This, my friends, is an action prayer.I know it might sound simple. It is, and it isn’t. When hard feelings resurface, I work through the many-layered process of forgiveness again…and again…and again…until I know that the chains of resentment are broken and the wounds of rejection are healed. I sit in the presence of the Almighty, inviting the Holy Spirit to free my heart. Working through this method with intention helps me gain a fresh start. And that’s what we all need for a Happy New Year!
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Keep watching for the star
By Corey FrancisBigstock/DavidMSchraderThere is no doubt that 2016 has been tough. The trials and difficulties we faced are well documented by news sources and social media. From the mass extermination of human life in Aleppo to the uncertainly and turmoil generated from the Presidential Election, people are hurting. They are confused and stressed.
For many, it seems that their lives are over. The dreams for which they once aspired seem as distant as Mars. I am no stranger to troubles this year. My family and I, like many of you, experienced trials. The loss of a loved one. Struggles related to job and financial concerns. Uncertainty in future aspirations. Depression and anxiety. Additionally, we witnessed our “framily” (friends that are like siblings to us) deal with harsh situations. Cancer. Marriage troubles. Loss of a job.
This year, doubt clouds the minds of many Christians. Though they believe in God, attend church, read their bibles, and/or pray, they don’t sense the hope that once filled their hearts. To them, God seems distant and not concerned about their hurts or needs. They call out to God, but hear silence in return.
Maybe you can identify with the struggles of 2016. Whether you have experienced trial and hurt this year, you have at one point in time. Or, you will. Of this I am certain. But no matter how difficult the times, God is still with us. Being a Christian does not mean that everything will be perfect, but it does mean that in all things we have a source for hope, peace, and joy. God never said life would be easy. And whoever said “God will never give you more than you can handle” apparently never read the Bible.
For centuries, we’ve looked to the stars as symbols of our dreams. Dreams to marry, have children, be successful in our chosen careers. Dreams to buy a home or to travel the world. Whatever your dream is, my guess it is what you are most passionate about and believe it will bring you happiness.
The people of Israel were no different. They dreamed of the day that their Messiah would come and deliver them. The King of Kings would arrive and take his rightful place, ruling over all nations. What they did not expect was their king to be born as a baby. Their dream did not come as expected.
There is a portion of Jesus’s birth story that we overlook. At least, I have until a pastor and friend of mine spoke about this just a few weeks ago. It is part of the story of the Magi — the Wisemen — and how they found the new born king.
The Magi traveled from the east, or, more literally from the Greek, “from the rising sun.” While debate may rage on where they came from or how many truly traveled in one accord, we do understand that they were scholars. The term “magi” in Matthew is used in the Greek magos, which refers to teachers and astrologers. These men knew the night sky. There is no doubt that seeing the star in the west that rested above Jesus would be noticed by these wise men. It was out of place, new to their sight. Thus, they followed it, and it took them to Jerusalem. We all know this part of the story well.
It is what comes next that we overlook. Matthew 2:2-3 states the following:
2 They asked, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We’ve seen his star in the east, and we’ve come to honor him.” 3 When King Herod heard this, he was troubled, and everyone in Jerusalem was troubled with him.
There are two key pieces in these verses that I find applicable to us in 2016. First, the star — the light in the sky that led the Magi to this place — disappeared for a time. After a long journey, which may have been difficult due to distance and terrain, the beacon they followed was gone. No warning. No information. No sign of anything they did wrong or if they were in the right place or not. Progress to their goal was impeded.
Second, the disappearance of the star did not stop them from working to find the newborn King of the Jews. They asked questions and sought answers. Maybe they went door-to-door, but they actively worked to find their way. Word of their inquiry reached the throne room of King Herod, but it is not stated that the Magi themselves appeared in his court until he called for them. They searched and asked. Herod heard.
This year, many of us saw our goal, our dream to achieve something we are passionate about, disappear. Like the star that led the Magi to Jerusalem, our goal was in sight, and we followed the path in order to reach the place we desired. One day, we got up and looked for the star, and it was gone. Nothing. No sight of anything to follow. We were lost in an unfamiliar place, confused and frustrated. Our dream job, a relationship, a child...gone. We were in the dark.
Here, we have two options. Quit and push aside the passions and desires of our heart, those that God placed in us. Or, we can do as the Magi and work. We can ask questions of friends, gather information from those with knowledge, and continue to find our way. The former is easier than the latter, but the reward is more than we can imagine.
As for the Magi, after they meet with King Herod, they continued on their journey. They may have been delayed by days, weeks, or years, but the goal to find Jesus was still their priority. At last, the star reappeared! Their beacon returned and they followed it all the way to the place where the child was. Hope returned, and their dream was now reality.
There is nothing more we can do about 2016. The blessings and trials, successes and hardships we faced this year are now gone. But hope is on the horizon. A new year often means newness is our resolve and a refreshing of our hope. If the light of your star disappeared in 2016, keep looking to the sky for its return. Work to find your way. Let your heart be filled with the hope that God provides, and let your eyes be fixed on the path God has given you. The star can reappear!
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Preaching Notions: Epiphany
By James C. HowellBigstock/denbelitskyCalendar weirdness. Is it Epiphany (technically Friday, January 6)? First Sunday after Epiphany? The Baptism of our Lord, which the Revised Common Lectionary calls for on the Sunday between January 7 and 13?
I love the Epiphany texts, especially Isaiah 60:1-6 and Ephesians 3:1-12, even a little more than the tired and sometimes corny Wise Men vignette (Matthew 2:1-12); at the bottom of this post, I will include a reflection on the magi I wrote a while back, if that’s your focus.
We are forging ahead with the Baptism of our Lord — partly because on the first big Sunday each year, we do a congregation-wide baptismal renewal service, which we love dearly. I love the art image from the St. John's Bible of the scene. The Isaiah 42 text works extraordinarily well for the Baptism and Epiphany, as it speaks of the Spirit descending on and empowering God’s servant — who then the “light to the nations” — and the verbiage about the “new creation,” perfect for what still feels like the New Year.
Matthew 3:13-17 is worth exploring, asking questions about the nature of Baptism and our ongoing life as baptized people. It’s about repentance, clearly, and the dawning presence of the Spirit. Jesus’ humility is just stunning. Why was he baptized?
Aert de Gelder, "Battesimo di Cristo" | Wikimedia CommonsI love Karl Barth’s assessment in the final partial volume of Church Dogmatics, that Jesus needed to be washed of sin — not his sin, but our sin: “He did not let these sins be theirs… but caused them to be His own… No one who came to the Jordan was as laden and afflicted as He.” Powerful. Mind you, Barth was opening a can of worms in CD IV by suggesting adult baptism might really be the more obedient response to Jesus' command that we baptize...I might describe the Jordan River, as I’m fortunate enough to have been able to take groups there, and lead them in wading into the shallows and renewing their baptism. By the wonder of God’s grace, we all step into that same river of God’s bounty when we are baptized, when we were baptized, and today as we renew our baptism. (By the way, I'd love for you to come to Israel with me this May 16-26! If you're clergy, we might be able to find some financial help to enable you to go.)
I think about Flannery O’Connor’s short story, “The River,” which tells of an itinerant preacher named Bevel and a young boy, Harry, who winds up drowning. Sounds dreadful, but the images of faith and immersion in water are powerful, and unforgettable. In the same depressing vein, I think of the moment in The Secret Life of Bees (book and movie) where May drowns in the river; the haunting “Song for Mia” (Lizz Wright) which accompanies this is so very moving. And of course, for the baptism, it’s always worth listening to or even having your music people try “Down to the River to Pray” (or just ask Alison Kraus to come…).
Baptism, like a new year, is a new beginning. But even the grittiest New Year’s resolutions will falter. It is the passivity of being washed, of the Spirit just showing up and descending on you — and on others — that will matter.
We move our font front and center and invite people to come forward and touch water to their foreheads, or to their mouths. Watch video of the sermon and the renewal in the second half: the overhead shots are incredible, showing ripples in the water! We don’t touch them, lest they think they are being re-baptized. Frankly, I don’t explain a lot of what it means. They just come, and the experience is always powerful. Some people seem joyful, others troubled, many almost desperate. Sure, some look bored or are checking their watches. But there is some healing power in that water we’ve blessed, I believe.
So for me, the sermon is more invitation than anything else. I might narrate my own Baptism, or tell about a man I baptized a few years back: 45, dying of pancreatic cancer, housebound. We prayed, and when I touched his head with water, he began to tremble visibly, and then he wept. At length he looked up at me and said, “I feel lighter.”
Luca Giordano, "The Adoration of the Magi" | Wikimedia CommonsIf you're focusing on the magi and their journey, here's that meditation from my book, Why This Jubilee?
We Three Kings of Orient Are
“We three kings of orient are, bearing gifts we traverse afar.” At the very thought of them, I barely stifle a chuckle. My mind rushes to the hilarious scene in the Monty Python film, The Life of Brian, where the magi mistakenly show up at the wrong house; then it goes to John Irving’s novel, A Prayer for Owen Meany. Owen never liked “We Three Kings,” especially with its gory fourth stanza (“sorrowing, sighing, bleeding, dying”): “Doesn’t sound very Christmasy to me.”
Then there are the pageants we’ve all sat through. Three dads pressed into duty, wearing bathrobes and cardboard crowns you assume were giveaways at Burger King, squinting a little, gazing slightly upwards, nodding, trying to look wise and regal processing to the manger. I witnessed one pageant where the narrator reached the moment in the story when “they fell down and worshipped him” — and one of the magi slipped and fell flat on his face, his fake gold coins clattering across the floor.
Matthew tells us they came “from the east,” perhaps Persia or Arabia or the Syrian desert. The Bible does not tell us they were wise (as in “Wise men still seek him”). Traipsing off after a star seems rather foolish; I can only hope to be yet one more fool traipsing off after the Light of the world. They certainly were not kings, although all the mighty kings chronicled through history will one day bow down to this King of Kings.
They were magi, astrologers. There you have it: bawdy, theologically kooky humor at the very beginning of Jesus’ story! A Libra, a Pisces and a Taurus, gazing at their star charts, found Jesus, while Herod’s Bible scholars missed the Messiah entirely! How sobering: how many times I, too, have flipped through the Bible, holding truth in my hands, yet still missing the living Lord. I know quite a few Bible things, but am I personally acquainted with the real Jesus? Dante spoke of “the love that moves the stars.” How determined is God to be found? There are no measures God won’t try, even tomfoolery, to reach people.
What did they see? A supernova? Jupiter and Saturn were in conjunction about that time; Halley’s comet passed not long before. Medieval writers believed the Magi saw a bright angel, which they mistook for a star. “The First Noel” seems to think the star was so bright it was visible even by day: “It gave great light, and so it continued both day and night.”
Bearing Gifts We Traverse Afar
During December I slip most easily into the roles the magi played. I bear gifts. I traverse afar. The magi popped in with their gifts, then departed. They didn’t stay close to the Lord Jesus like Joseph and Mary did. I wonder if I keep some distance but feel pretty good about it since, after all, I did give Jesus a few gifts. I paid my offering, said some prayers, read about the magi, took canned goods to the food collection, and then I go on my way.
I fume about the commercialism of Christmas, and I could even blame the magi for kickstarting the whole idea of gift-giving at Christmas. Jesus certainly didn’t remember their visit and command us, “Because I was born, you shall shop for each other on my birthday.”
Yet there must be something lovely in seizing upon this season of the Lord’s coming to traverse afar and be as generous as possible with those I love. Maybe the magi can teach us something about giving. What would a baby do with gold or incense, much less myrrh? Theologians have suggested the gifts symbolize Jesus’ royalty (gold), his divinity (frankincense), and his suffering (myrrh), but it’s hard to say this was the magi’s intent.
They brought gifts of immense value; they brought what was precious to themselves. They parted with what they adored to adore the Lord. We are not so wise in our giving. I traverse not far at all when I shop, as I do it online. Why? It’s “easier,” more “convenient” for me. Or convenient for the recipient — hence the bane of gift cards, which say a lot about the giver (who hasn’t bothered to be creative or to think through the other person’s life and snoop around to find something meaningful), and even more about our vapid culture. We give cards… why? “They should be able to get what they want.” Is life about what I want? What if I can’t get what I want, or if I get something I didn’t want? A friend ruefully told me about Christmas day with his grandchildren, who already owned much stuff before Christmas, unwrapping gift cards, swapping them like trading cards with cousins, and rushing over to the mall to purchase yet more unnecessary items.
I think of the times I have gone to considerable trouble to get just the right item, or times someone made something for me with her own hands. Not easy, not returnable, but profound. A few years back I got the idea of only giving things I already owned, and not old stuff I didn’t want any longer either. Precious things, to me, and then to my loved ones.
The best gift I ever received was a pocket knife from an 89-year-old friend; he had carried it around in his pocket for decades, and he wanted me to have it. I had never asked for or even wanted a pocket knife. It is precious to me, because it was precious to him. And he added some words: “Carry this around in your pocket. One day, you’ll be having a bad day, and when you do, feel that knife in your pocket and remember that somebody loves you.” What did the magi say when they gave their precious gifts to Jesus’ family?
This is the way God gives. God isn’t Santa, feverishly checking our requests list and sending the angels out to give what we ask for. God gives us much that is far better than our deepest desiring. God gives what all good gifts turn out to be: God gives God’s own self. Nobody asked for a baby in a cow stall. But that is what God wanted to give. God knew that alone would express the depths of love we need.
You wouldn't need to be warned in a dream not to revisit nasty king Herod! But God lovingly warns them, and “they left for their own country by another road” (Matthew 2:12). They took a different highway, but I imagine Matthew winking a little, hoping we’ll notice his subtle clue about what life is like once we’ve met Jesus. Nothing is the same. You find yourself going another way.
T.S. Eliot ended his poem imagining the thoughts of the magi: “We returned to our places... but no longer at ease here, in the old dispensation, with an alien people clutching their gods.” Jesus does not make my life more comfortable; Jesus doesn’t help me fit in and succeed. We are no longer at ease in a world not committed to Jesus. A strange, unfamiliar road is now our path. But the road is going somewhere.
This article originally appeared on the author's blog. Reprinted with permission.
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A word of encouragement to the small town pastor 
By Ron EdmondsonBigstock/ehrlifOver the last dozen years or so I’ve had the privilege of ministering with dozens of pastors in other churches. Many of these were in person. Others were virtual. I’ve been in large and small churches. I’ve been to big cities and small towns with only one stop light. (Or none at all.)
In the process, I’ve learned a few things about pastors and churches. In fact, much of what I write comes from those experiences.
A couple of years ago I had back-to-back weeks in small cities dealing with, by some standards, smaller churches. I realized quickly, probably because I was coming from a larger city and a larger church, they were going to be shy about sharing their success.
I led a leadership retreat for a church with 150 leaders from different churches in the room. I was amazed they could attract that size crowd in a small city — and actually bring people from different churches together. But, talking to the host pastor, it was as if they had no success at all — at least when compared to my perceived “success.” (I’ve realized, too, that if you have a decently read blog and you’re from out of town, people credit you with more success than you deserve. I’m sometimes seen as the “expert.” Just please don’t ask our staff about that one.)
It wasn’t humility on this pastor’s part. I’m not saying he wasn’t a humble person, but I don’t think that was keeping him from talking about the good things God was doing through his church. It was more. I think it almost always is.
That’s when it occurred to me something I’ve observed numerous times, but never put into words.
Sometimes people don’t know how well they are doing.
It’s true.
Take my good friend Artie Davis as an example. His church is a mega impact on the small town of Orangeburg, SC. I would love to see the church I pastor have half the influence in the community where I live. Artie also leads The Sticks Network of churches ministering in small towns. The impact of those churches is amazing.
Many times the small city pastors compare themselves to the big city churches. They compare numbers rather than progress. They compare size rather than context. They compare notoriety rather than influence.
And, because of that, many times, they don’t know how well they are really doing.
I see the connections, networking and influence the small town pastor has and I wish I could have this kind of Kingdom influence in my city. I see the respect they command in their community and know, in my context, in many ways they are miles ahead of me.
Small city pastor, God is using you. You are making a Kingdom difference. You just sometimes don’t know how well you are doing.
Do you know a small town pastor doing great Kingdom work?
Ron Edmondson blogs at RonEdmondson.com.
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Religious makeup of the new Congress overwhelmingly Christian
By Emily McFarlan Miller / Religion News ServicePope Francis addresses a joint meeting of the U.S. Congress in the House Chamber on Capitol Hill in Washington on Sept. 24, 2015. Photo courtesy of Reuters/Jonathan Ernst(RNS) The United States Congress is about as Christian today as it was in the early 1960s, according to a new analysis by Pew Research Center.
Nearly 91 percent of members of the 115th Congress convening Tuesday (Jan. 3) describe themselves as Christian, compared to 95 percent of Congress members serving from 1961 to 1962, according to congressional data compiled by CQ Roll Call and analyzed by Pew.
That comes even as the share of Americans who describe themselves as Christian (now at 71 percent) has dropped in that time, Pew researchers noted.
And, as a whole, Congress is far more religiously affiliated than the general public.
"Why have the 'nones' grown in the public, but not among Congress?" asked Greg Smith, associate director for research at Pew, referring to people who check "none" on surveys asking their religion.
"One possible explanation is people tell us they would rather vote for an elected representative who is religious than for one who is not religious."
Smith pointed to past Pew polls, including one in January 2016 that asked whether voters were more or less likely to vote for a presidential candidate who does not believe in God. More than half said they'd be less likely to vote for a non-believing candidate, 10 times the number who said they'd be more likely to vote for such a candidate.
And in 2014, Smith said, 60 percent of adults in the U.S. told Pew it was important to them that members of Congress have strong religious beliefs.
"Being a non-believer really is a political liability," he said.
While the new 115th Congress mostly looks like the last (and the 87th that convened in 1961), the new Congress does include seven fewer Protestants, four more Catholics and six fewer Christians as a whole.
That mimics a shift in the general public, according to Aleksandra Sandstrom, copy editor and lead author of the Pew report: Like the rest of the country, Congress has become less Protestant. The share of Protestants in Congress has dropped from 75 percent to 56 percent since the 1960s, while the share of Catholics has jumped from 19 percent to 31 percent.
And 13 percent of its new members affiliate with non-Christian faiths, nearly double the share of non-Christian incumbent members, according to Pew. More than half of those non-Christian freshmen are Jewish (8 percent), the largest share of Jews in any freshman class, researchers noted, though Sandstrom said that data only was available back to 2011-2012.
'Nones' underrepresented
Christians, both Protestant and Catholic, aren’t the only demographic to outstrip the general population in Congress. There also is a larger share of Jewish members of Congress (9 percent) than there is of Jewish Americans in the country as a whole (2 percent).
Representation by Buddhists, Mormons, Muslims and Orthodox Christians in Congress is roughly proportional to their population size.
But the growing number of religiously unaffiliated Americans, including atheists and agnostics, remain underrepresented.
The nones make up 23 percent of all Americans, according to Pew, but just 0.2 percent of Congress: Only Rep. Kyrsten Sinema, a Democrat from Arizona, describes herself as religiously unaffiliated.
That's "literally 100 times" as many religiously unaffiliated Americans as there are religiously unaffiliated members of Congress, pointed out Casey Brescia, communications associate for the Secular Coalition for America.
There are more atheist Americans (just over 3 percent) than Jewish (again, 2 percent) or Muslim, Hindu or Buddhist (each, less than 1 percent), according to Pew's latest U.S. Religious Landscape Study.
Sinema does not identify as a non-theist, atheist or nonbeliever, which means there are no openly atheist members of Congress and haven’t been since Rep. Pete Stark, a Democrat from California, was voted out of office in 2012, Hemant Mehta wrote on the Friendly Atheist blog.
"There is a price for running as an openly nonreligious candidate, but it's not nearly as significant as it was in the past, and it's not nearly as prohibitive as a lot of lawmakers are reluctant to openly express their lack of faith or run as nonreligious candidate," Brescia said.
By the Secular Coalition for America's count, he said, at least 11 openly religiously unaffiliated candidates won state offices and many more ran in the 2016 election cycle.
Differences in chambers, parties
Religious affiliation differs in the House of Representatives and the Senate, and by political party.
"Of the non-Christian members of Congress, most of them are in the House and most of them are Democrats," Sandstrom said. "There are only two non-Christian Republicans in Congress, and one of them is a new member of Congress, so the non-Christian contingent doubled between the last Congress and this Congress."
All but two of the 293 Republicans in the new Congress are Christians. Those are Rep. Lee Zeldin of New York and Rep. David Kustoff of Tennessee, both of whom are Jewish.
The 242 Democrats in Congress also overwhelmingly are Christian (80 percent). But Democrats also include 28 Jews; three Buddhists; three Hindus; two Muslims; one Unitarian Universalist; Sinema, the one religiously unaffiliated member of Congress; and 10 members who declined to state their religious affiliation, according to Pew.
"It's also of note that the majority of the non-Christians in Congress are Jewish," Sandstrom said. "In all the years we've analyzed, all of the Republicans in Congress who have not been Christian have been Jewish."
Both the House (91 percent) and Senate (88 percent) are majority Christian – specifically, Protestant (55 and 58 percent, respectively). One-third of the House is Catholic, compared with one-quarter of the Senate, and all five Orthodox Christians in Congress are members of the House.
The Senate includes just nine members of non-Christian faiths: Eight are Jewish, and Sen. Mazie K. Hirono, a Democrat from Hawaii, is Buddhist.
CQ Roll Call compiled its data through questionnaires and follow-up phone calls to Congress members’ and candidates’ offices, according to Pew.
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This Sunday,January 8, 2017Baptism of the Lord: Isaiah 42:1-9; Psalm 29; Acts 10:34-43; Matthew 3:13-17 [Epiphany is Friday January 6.]
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Lectionary Readings
Sunday, 8 January 2016
(Courtesy of Vanderbilt Divinity Library)
Isaiah 42:1-9
Psalm 29
Acts 10:34-43
Matthew 3:13-17
Sunday, 8 January 2016
(Courtesy of Vanderbilt Divinity Library)
Isaiah 42:1-9
Psalm 29
Acts 10:34-43
Matthew 3:13-17
Scripture Texts: Isaiah 42:1 “Here is my servant, whom I support,
my chosen one, in whom I take pleasure.
I have put my Spirit on him;
he will bring justice to the Goyim.
2 He will not cry or shout;
no one will hear his voice in the streets.
3 He will not snap off a broken reed
or snuff out a smoldering wick.
He will bring forth justice according to truth;
4 he will not weaken or be crushed
until he has established justice on the earth,
and the coastlands wait for his Torah.”
5 Thus says God, Adonai,
who created the heavens and spread them out,
who stretched out the earth and all that grows from it,
who gives breath to the people on it
and spirit to those who walk on it:
6 “I, Adonai, called you righteously,
I took hold of you by the hand,
I shaped you and made you a covenant for the people,
to be a light for the Goyim,
7 so that you can open blind eyes,
free the prisoners from confinement,
those living in darkness from the dungeon.
8 I am Adonai; that is my name.
I yield my glory to no one else,
nor my praise to any idol.
9 See how the former predictions come true;
and now new things do I declare —
before they sprout I tell you about them.”
Psalm 29:(0) A psalm of David:
(1) Give Adonai his due, you who are godly;
give Adonai his due of glory and strength;
2 give Adonai the glory due his name;
worship Adonai in holy splendor.
3 The voice of Adonai is over the waters;
the God of glory thunders,
Adonai over rushing waters,
4 the voice of Adonai in power,
the voice of Adonai in splendor.
5 The voice of Adonai cracks the cedars;
Adonai splinters the cedars of the L’vanon
6 and makes the L’vanon skip like a calf,
Siryon like a young wild ox.
7 The voice of Adonai flashes fiery flames;
8 the voice of Adonai rocks the desert,
Adonai convulses the Kadesh Desert.
9 The voice of Adonai causes deer to give birth
and strips the forests bare —
while in his temple, all cry, “Glory!”
10 Adonai sits enthroned above the flood!
Adonai sits enthroned as king forever!
11 May Adonai give strength to his people!
May Adonai bless his people with shalom!
Acts 10:34 Then Kefa addressed them: “I now understand that God does not play favorites, 35 but that whoever fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him, no matter what people he belongs to.
36 “Here is the message that he sent to the sons of Isra’el announcing shalom through Yeshua the Messiah, who is Lord of everything. 37 You know what has been going on throughout Y’hudah, starting from the Galil after the immersion that Yochanan proclaimed; 38 how God anointed Yeshua from Natzeret with the Ruach HaKodesh and with power; how Yeshua went about doing good and healing all the people oppressed by the Adversary, because God was with him.
39 “As for us, we are witnesses of everything he did, both in the Judean countryside and in Yerushalayim. They did away with him by hanging him on a stake;[Acts 10:39 Deuteronomy 21:23] 40 but God raised him up on the third day and let him be seen, 41 not by all the people, but by witnesses God had previously chosen, that is, by us, who ate and drank with him after he had risen again from the dead.
42 “Then he commanded us to proclaim and attest to the Jewish people that this man has been appointed by God to judge the living and the dead. 43 All the prophets bear witness to him, that everyone who puts his trust in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”
Matthew 3:13 Then Yeshua came from the Galil to the Yarden to be immersed by Yochanan. 14 But Yochanan tried to stop him. “You are coming to me? I ought to be immersed by you!” 15 However, Yeshua answered him, “Let it be this way now, because we should do everything righteousness requires.” Then Yochanan let him. 16 As soon as Yeshua had been immersed, he came up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, he saw the Spirit of God coming down upon him like a dove, 17 and a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; I am well pleased with him.”
The Upper Room Ministries
PO Box 340004
Nashville, Tennessee 37203-0004, United States
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THE FIRST STEP by Brett Younger
Matthew 3:13-17
We don’t think about it much, but for most of us, one thing that brings us to church on Sunday is the fact that we were baptized. Some of us were baptized without being given any choice in the matter. Cries at the baptismal font are not interpreted theologically. Some of us were baptized because we turned ten years old and decided that we were sick and tired of not getting to drink the grape juice. Some of us went to a worship service where the minister made us cry and invited us to be baptized. Some of us have never been baptized because we’ve never seen any reason why we should be. Some of us haven’t been baptized, but we’ve had to work hard to avoid seriously considering it.
It’s good that we learn the meaning of our baptisms after the fact. None of us fully knew what we were doing on the day we were baptized. Years later, as we make our way slowly into faith, the purpose begins to unfold. We discover what our baptisms mean after the event rather than before. That’s how it was for Jesus too, at least in Matthew’s Gospel.
The story skips from Jesus as an infant to Jesus as a thirty-year-old, and we don’t have a clue as to what happened in between. One day Jesus puts down his hammer, takes off his tool belt, hangs a “Closed” sign on the door of the carpenter’s shop, and asks, “What does God want of me?” Jesus heads south and finds his cousin John, standing in the muddy Jordan in his camel-hair baptismal robe, smelling of locusts and honey. Jesus gets in line and waits his turn. He wades out into the water, right next to real live sinners like you and me.
While three Gospels tell the story of Jesus’ baptism, only Matthew records the curious conversation prior to the baptism. Jesus is eager to be baptized, but John hesitates. They stand hip-deep in the river and engage in a fervent theological debate concerning who should baptize whom. The first time Jesus speaks in Matthew’s Gospel, it is to say that he needs to be baptized, because baptism will help him learn who he’s meant to be. Jesus leans back into the water because he believes that God is calling him to a different kind of life.
When Jesus stands up, the waters of the Jordan dripping down his face, he sees the Spirit descending like a dove to rest upon his soggy head. The Spirit comes, not as an all-consuming fire of judgment, but with the flutter of hopeful wings. A voice says: “You are my child. I love you. I’m delighted with you.”
Then Jesus goes into the desert for forty days to think about what it means to be God’s child. Jesus spends all the days and years that follow that afternoon in the Jordan discovering the meaning of his baptism. Jesus gives everything—his dreams and deeds, his labors and his life itself. Jesus gives himself to God’s people, takes his place with hurting people. Baptism was Jesus’ commissioning to ministry.
During the week before his death, the leaders of the temple challenge Jesus: “By what authority are you doing these things?” (Matthew 21:23). Jesus answers with a reference to his baptism: “Was the baptism of John from heaven or not? I was baptized. That’s why I do the things I do.” In the waters of baptism, Jesus heard the Spirit calling him to speak the truth and live with grace.
So Jesus doesn’t die of old age. He dies because he takes his baptism seriously. When Jesus cries on the cross, “It is finished,” it is his baptism that is complete.
Baptisms, like most beginnings, find meaning long after the event. Beginning is often easy, while finishing is often hard. The significance of any decision takes a while to emerge. Moments of initiation are meaningless until we are true to the promise of that beginning. We’re handed a map, but then we have to take the trip. It takes our whole lives to finish the journey we begin when we’re baptized.
So what does it mean to us to live out our baptisms? If we are true to our baptisms, we cannot make ourselves comfortable, cannot do only what will be appreciated, and cannot be satisfied with the way things are. Our baptisms demand that we struggle with what’s right and what’s wrong, what’s important and what’s not.
The children of God tell the truth in a world that lies, give in a world that takes, love in a world that lusts, make peace in a world that fights, serve in a world that wants to be served, pray in a world that waits to be entertained, and take chances in a world that worships safety. The baptized are citizens of an eccentric community where financial success is not the goal, security is not the highest good, and sacrifice is a daily event.
Baptism is our ordination to ministry, our vow to live with more concern for the hurting than for our own comfort, and our promise to take issue with ideas with which everyone else agrees. Baptism is the commitment to share our time with the poor and listen to the lonely.
What did it mean when you were baptized? The meaning of your baptism is seen in what you think, feel, and do this day. Have you done anything today that you wouldn’t have done if you had not been baptized? We are forever answering the question “Why was I baptized?”… read more-------
WORSHIP CONNECTION: JANUARY 8, 2017 by Nancy C. Townley
Baptism of the Lord
COLOR: White
SCRIPTURE READINGS: Isaiah 42:1-9; Psalm 29; Acts 10:34-43; Matthew 3:13-17
Call to Worship #1:
L: Welcome to worship this day!
P: We have come seeking God’s blessings and love.
L: They shall be given to you.
P: We have come seeking forgiveness and healing.
L: These will be offered to you. Open your hearts to receive God’s Good News.
P: We open our hearts to all of God’s words and ways for us. AMEN.
Call to Worship #2:
L: In the very beginning, God separated the darkness and the light. God called the Light "Day" and the Darkness, God called "Night".
P: We were once people who dwelled in darkness, but God has given us the true Light, Jesus Christ.
L: God has blessed us and adopted us as God’s own beloved children, through the sacrament of Baptism.
P: The water of baptism brings to us healing and reconciliation; it is a symbol of nourishment and cleansing.
L: This day is the day of the remembrance of Jesus’ Baptism.
P: As we hear the words of his baptism, let us be reminded of our own adoption by God and celebrate the joyous connection to the Almighty God.
Prayer of Confession
We are incredibly stubborn, O Lord. We have entered the season in which Your Light has been given to the world, your blessings have been poured out on the world, and yet all we can think about is our own problems, our own needs, our own desires. Help us to desire you, Lord. Help us to yearn for your presence. Pour your baptismal waters over us again, cleansing us from our self-pity and arrogance. Nourish and heal us so that we may joyfully serve you. Wash away our jealousy, greed, and all negative thoughts and behaviors that stand in the way of our truly being the people you have called us to be. Again let us receive the blessings offered in creation, in the birth and baptism of Jesus, and in the ministry of the saints of light. We ask this in Jesus’ Name. AMEN.
Words of Assurance
The love of God is always offered to us, freely, joyfully, for all eternity. Rejoice, dear friends, this is the Good News of our Lord. AMEN.
Pastoral Prayer
Creator God, when everything first began, water became a symbol of refreshing, of washing away, of renewing. Through the waters of creation you brought forth abundant life. We have gathered this day to remember Jesus’ baptism, how your Spirit proclaimed that He was your beloved Son in whom you were very well pleased. Our spirits resound with that proclamation. In His baptism, Jesus’ ministry was initiated. He dedicated his life to you completely and without reservation. Help us to dedicate our lives to you, to offer our best for you, to be of service to you by serving in your world. As we have lifted before you the names of people near and dear to us who need your healing touch and your tender mercies, we have also lifted ourselves up as people in need of your grace. In our world there is war, oppression, hunger, and alienation. We have not been good stewards of the world. We have not cared for one another. Heal us and this world, Lord. Renew us with your life-giving waters and re-affirm our baptisms as your children. Let us go forth to be people of peace and mercy. For we ask this in Jesus’ Name. AMEN.
Litany
Psalm 29 A psalm of David (Common English Bible)
You, divine beings! Give to the Lord— give to the Lord glory and power!
Give to the Lord the glory due his name! Bow down to the Lord in holy splendor!
The Lord’s voice is over the waters; the glorious God thunders; the Lord is over the mighty waters.
The Lord’s voice is strong; the Lord’s voice is majestic.
The Lord’s voice breaks cedar trees—
yes, the Lord shatters the cedars of Lebanon.
He makes Lebanon jump around like a young bull, makes Sirion jump around like a young wild ox.
The Lord’s voice unleashes fiery flames;
the Lord’s voice shakes the wilderness—
yes, the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
The Lord’s voice convulses the oaks, strips the forests bare,
but in his temple everyone shouts, “Glory!”
The Lord sits enthroned over the floodwaters; the Lord sits enthroned—king forever!
Let the Lord give strength to his people! Let the Lord bless his people with peace!
Benediction, Blessing, Commission
Go forth joyfully. God is with you. Bring peace and hope to all you meet. And may God’s eternal love shine through you always. AMEN.
ARTISTIC ELEMENTS
The traditional color for this day is white.
SURFACE: You might choose to plan a traditional altar for today: two candles and a center cross. With the focus on a bowl and pitcher. If you have a baptismal font you might use white flowers or fabric at the base to draw attention to it for today.
FABRIC: Since the traditional color for this day is white, you may want to cover the whole worship area with white cloth, including the riser that is in front of the worship table. The cloth should be adequate to "puddle" on the floor in front of the worship table and the front riser. It should cover both table risers as well. Using approximately 6-8 yards of silky medium to light blue fabric, beginning with the top left side riser, weave the strip of fabric across the table, over the right side riser and then over the riser in front of the worship center. You should have enough fabric so that it drapes well and softly. Do not pull the fabric tightly. This blue fabric represents water.
CANDLES: On the top of the left side riser, place three candles, one 10" white pillar candle; one 8" white pillar candle, and one 6" pillar candle. On the right side riser, place 3 candles: one 4" white pillar candle, one 3" white pillar candle, and one white votive candle.
FLOWERS/PLANTS: Behind the riser on the left, place a fern or other green leafy plant. Avoid plants with hard angular lines. Behind the right side riser, place the same kind of plant that you used on the other side. Ferns and other leafy plants may be placed at the base of the worship center, near the front riser, but not in front of it. The blue "puddled" fabric should spill down there.
ROCKS/WOOD: Near the base of the riser in front of the worship center, place rocks of various sizes. Smaller rocks may be scattered on the worship table itself, near the candles and the cross. Wood is not recommended for this setting.
OTHER: Have a large clear glass bowl placed on the riser in front of the worship area. Place about a dozen small stones in the bottom of this bowl. On the center of the worship table, have a clear glass pitcher filled with water. Make sure that someone will be able to reach this pitcher without interference with the rest of the worship center. During the service when the people have placed their rocks in the bowl, have someone (could be pastor, worship team member, choir member) carefully pour the water over the stones in the bowl, covering the stones, but not filling up the bowl to the rim. Then place the pitcher out of the worship center, do not return it to the table.
[Note: if you are having a baptism that day, reserve some special colored glass flattened beads, for the person being baptized and any members of the family to put into the bowl, signifying their adoption by God into God’s holy family]… read more
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I have put my Spirit on him;
he will bring justice to the Goyim.
2 He will not cry or shout;
no one will hear his voice in the streets.
3 He will not snap off a broken reed
or snuff out a smoldering wick.
He will bring forth justice according to truth;
4 he will not weaken or be crushed
until he has established justice on the earth,
and the coastlands wait for his Torah.”
5 Thus says God, Adonai,
who created the heavens and spread them out,
who stretched out the earth and all that grows from it,
who gives breath to the people on it
and spirit to those who walk on it:
6 “I, Adonai, called you righteously,
I took hold of you by the hand,
I shaped you and made you a covenant for the people,
to be a light for the Goyim,
7 so that you can open blind eyes,
free the prisoners from confinement,
those living in darkness from the dungeon.
8 I am Adonai; that is my name.
I yield my glory to no one else,
nor my praise to any idol.
9 See how the former predictions come true;
and now new things do I declare —
before they sprout I tell you about them.”
Psalm 29:(0) A psalm of David:
(1) Give Adonai his due, you who are godly;
give Adonai his due of glory and strength;
2 give Adonai the glory due his name;
worship Adonai in holy splendor.
3 The voice of Adonai is over the waters;
the God of glory thunders,
Adonai over rushing waters,
4 the voice of Adonai in power,
the voice of Adonai in splendor.
5 The voice of Adonai cracks the cedars;
Adonai splinters the cedars of the L’vanon
6 and makes the L’vanon skip like a calf,
Siryon like a young wild ox.
7 The voice of Adonai flashes fiery flames;
8 the voice of Adonai rocks the desert,
Adonai convulses the Kadesh Desert.
9 The voice of Adonai causes deer to give birth
and strips the forests bare —
while in his temple, all cry, “Glory!”
10 Adonai sits enthroned above the flood!
Adonai sits enthroned as king forever!
11 May Adonai give strength to his people!
May Adonai bless his people with shalom!
Acts 10:34 Then Kefa addressed them: “I now understand that God does not play favorites, 35 but that whoever fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him, no matter what people he belongs to.
36 “Here is the message that he sent to the sons of Isra’el announcing shalom through Yeshua the Messiah, who is Lord of everything. 37 You know what has been going on throughout Y’hudah, starting from the Galil after the immersion that Yochanan proclaimed; 38 how God anointed Yeshua from Natzeret with the Ruach HaKodesh and with power; how Yeshua went about doing good and healing all the people oppressed by the Adversary, because God was with him.
39 “As for us, we are witnesses of everything he did, both in the Judean countryside and in Yerushalayim. They did away with him by hanging him on a stake;[Acts 10:39 Deuteronomy 21:23] 40 but God raised him up on the third day and let him be seen, 41 not by all the people, but by witnesses God had previously chosen, that is, by us, who ate and drank with him after he had risen again from the dead.
42 “Then he commanded us to proclaim and attest to the Jewish people that this man has been appointed by God to judge the living and the dead. 43 All the prophets bear witness to him, that everyone who puts his trust in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”
Matthew 3:13 Then Yeshua came from the Galil to the Yarden to be immersed by Yochanan. 14 But Yochanan tried to stop him. “You are coming to me? I ought to be immersed by you!” 15 However, Yeshua answered him, “Let it be this way now, because we should do everything righteousness requires.” Then Yochanan let him. 16 As soon as Yeshua had been immersed, he came up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, he saw the Spirit of God coming down upon him like a dove, 17 and a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; I am well pleased with him.”
John Wesley's Notes-Commentary: Isaiah 42:1-9
(Read all of Isaiah 42)
Verse 1
[1] Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.
Behold — The prophet having given one eminent instance of God's certain fore-knowledge, in the deliverance of the Jews by Cyrus, now adds another more eminent example of it, by foretelling the coming of the Messiah. This place therefore is expressly interpreted of Christ, Matthew 12:18, etc. And to him, and to him only, all the particulars following, truly and evidently belong.
Whom — Whom I will enable to do and suffer all those things which belong to his office.
Elect — Chosen by me to this great work.
Delighteth — Both for himself and for all his people, being fully satisfied with that sacrifice, which he shall offer up to me.
Bring forth — Shall publish or shew, as this word is translated, Matthew 12:18.
Judgment — The law, and will, and counsel of God, concerning man's salvation.
Gentiles — Not only to the Jews, but to the Heathen nations.
Verse 2
[2] He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street.
Cry — In a way of contention, or ostentation.
Lift — His voice.
Heard — As contentious and vain-glorious persons frequently do.
Verse 3
[3] A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth.
Break — Christ will not deal rigorously with those that come to him, but he will use all gentleness, cherishing the smallest beginnings of grace, comforting and healing wounded consciences.
Quench — That wick of a candle which is almost extinct, he will not quench, but revive and kindle it again.
Judgment — The law of God, or the doctrine of the gospel, which he will bring forth, unto, with, or according to truth, that is, truly and faithfully.
Verse 4
[4] He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law.
'Till — 'Till he has established his law or doctrine, among the nations of the earth.
Isles — The countries remote from Judea, shall gladly receive his doctrine.
Verse 5
[5] Thus saith God the LORD, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein:
He — This description of God's infinite power, is seasonably added, to give them assurance of the certain accomplishment of his promises.
Verse 6
[6] I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles;
Called thee — To declare my righteousness, or faithfulness.
With-hold — Will give thee counsel and strength for the work.
Give thee — To be the mediator in whom my covenant of grace is confirmed with mankind.
The people — Of all people, not only of Jews but Gentiles.
A light — To enlighten them with true and saving knowledge.
Verse 8
[8] I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.
The Lord — Heb. Jehovah: who have all being in and of myself, and give being to all my creatures. The everlasting, and unchangeable, and omnipotent God, who therefore both can, and will fulfill all my promises.
Verse 9
[9] Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them.
I tell you — That when they come to pass, you may know that I am God, and that this is my work.
Psalm 29
(Read all of Psalm 29)
Verse 1
[1] Give unto the LORD, O ye mighty, give unto the LORD glory and strength.
Ye — Ye potentates and rulers of the earth.
Glory — By an humble and thankful acknowledgment of it.
Verse 2
[2] Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.
Give, … — The honour which he deserves: own him as the Almighty, and the only true God.
Holiness — Or, in his holy and beautiful house.
Verse 3
[3] The voice of the LORD is upon the waters: the God of glory thundereth: the LORD is upon many waters.
The waters — Above in the clouds, which are called waters, Genesis 1:7; Psalms 18:11. The Divine power displays itself in those high places, which are far above the reach of all earthly potentates.
Many — Upon the clouds, in which there are vast treasures of water, and upon which God is said to sit or ride, Psalms 18:10,11; 104:3.
Verse 5
[5] The voice of the LORD breaketh the cedars; yea, the LORD breaketh the cedars of Lebanon.
Lebanon — A place famous for strong and lofty cedars.
Verse 6
[6] He maketh them also to skip like a calf; Lebanon and Sirion like a young unicorn.
Them — The cedars; which being broken by the thunder, the parts of them are suddenly and violently hurled hither and thither.
Sirion — An high mountain beyond Jordan joining to Lebanon. Lebanon and Sirion are said to skip or leap, both here, and Psalms 114:4, by a poetical hyperbole.
Verse 7
[7] The voice of the LORD divideth the flames of fire.
The flames — The lightnings.
Verse 8
[8] The voice of the LORD shaketh the wilderness; the LORD shaketh the wilderness of Kadesh.
Kadesh — An eminent wilderness, vast and terrible, and well known to the Israelites, and wherein possibly they had seen, and observed some such effects of thunder.
Verse 9
[9] The voice of the LORD maketh the hinds to calve, and discovereth the forests: and in his temple doth every one speak of his glory.
To calve — Through the terror it causes, which hastens the birth. He names the hinds, because they bring forth their young with difficulty, Job 39:1,2.
Discovereth — Heb. maketh bare, of its trees, which it breaks or strips of their leaves.
Glory — Having shewed the terrible effects of God's power in other places, he now shews the blessed privilege of God's people, that are praising God in his temple, when the rest of the world are trembling under the tokens of his displeasure.
Verse 10
[10] The LORD sitteth upon the flood; yea, the LORD sitteth King for ever.
The flood — The most violent waters, which sometimes fall from the clouds upon the earth. These are fitly mentioned, as being many times the companions of great thunders. And this may be alleged as another reason, why God's people praised him in his temple, because as he sends terrible tempests and thunders, so he also restrains and over-rules them.
Sitteth — He doth sit, and will sit as king for ever, sending such tempests when it pleaseth him.
Acts 10:34-43
Verse 34
[34] Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:
I perceive of a truth — More clearly than ever, from such a concurrence of circumstances.
That God is not a respecter of persons — Is not partial in his love. The words mean, in a particular sense, that he does not confine his love to one nation; in a general, that he is loving to every man, and willeth all men should be saved.
Verse 35
[35] But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.
But in every nation he that feareth God and worketh righteousness — He that, first, reverences God, as great, wise, good, the cause, end, and governor of all things; and secondly, from this awful regard to him, not only avoids all known evil, but endeavours, according to the best light he has, to do all things well; is accepted of him - Through Christ, though he knows him not. The assertion is express, and admits of no exception. He is in the favour of God, whether enjoying his written word and ordinances or not. Nevertheless the addition of these is an unspeakable blessing to those who were before in some measure accepted. Otherwise God would never have sent an angel from heaven to direct Cornelius to St. Peter.
Verse 36
[36] The word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ: (he is Lord of all:)
This is the word which God sent — When he sent his Son into the world, preaching - Proclaiming by him-peace between God and man, whether Jew or Gentile, by the God-man. He is Lord of both; yea, Lord of and over all.
Verse 37
[37] That word, I say, ye know, which was published throughout all Judaea, and began from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached;
Ye know the word which was published — You know the facts in general, the meaning of which I shall now more particularly explain and confirm to you.
The baptism which John preached — To which he invited them by his preaching, in token of their repentance. This began in Galilee, which is near Cesarea.
Verse 38
[38] How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.
How God anointed Jesus — Particularly at his baptism, thereby inaugurating him to his office: with the Holy Ghost and with power - It is worthy our remark, that frequently when the Holy Ghost is mentioned there is added a word particularly adapted to the present circumstance. So the deacons were to be full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, Acts 6:3. Barnabas was full of the Holy Ghost and faith, Acts 11:24. The disciples were filled with joy, and with the Holy Ghost, Acts 13:52. And here, where his mighty works are mentioned, Christ himself is said to be anointed with the Holy Ghost and with power. For God was with him-He speaks sparingly here of the majesty of Christ, as considering the state of his hearers.
Verse 41
[41] Not to all the people, but unto witnesses chosen before of God, even to us, who did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead.
Not now to all the people — As before his death; to us who did eat and drink with him - That is, conversed familiarly and continually with him, in the time of his ministry.
Verse 42
[42] And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead.
It is he who is ordained by God the Judge of the living and the dead — Of all men, whether they are alive at his coming, or had died before it. This was declaring to them, in the strongest terms, how entirely their happiness depended on a timely and humble subjection to him who was to be their final Judge.
Verse 43
[43] To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.
To him give all the prophets witness — Speaking to heathens he does not quote any in particular; that every one who believeth in him - Whether he be Jew or Gentile; receiveth remission of sins - Though he had not before either feared God, or worked righteousness.
Matthew 3:13-17
Verse 13
[13] Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.
Mark 1:9; Luke 3:21
Verse 15
[15] And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him.
It becometh us to fulfil all righteousness — It becometh every messenger of God to observe all his righteous ordinances. But the particular meaning of our Lord seems to be, that it becometh us to do (me to receive baptism, and you to administer it) in order to fulfil, that is, that I may fully perform every part of the righteous law of God, and the commission he hath given me.
Verse 16
[16] And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:
And Jesus being baptized — Let our Lord's submitting to baptism teach us a holy exactness in the observance of those institutions which owe their obligation merely to a Divine command. Surely thus it becometh all his followers to fulfil all righteousness. Jesus had no sin to wash away. And yet he was baptized. And God owned his ordinance, so as to make it the season of pouring forth the Holy Spirit upon him. And where can we expect this sacred effusion, but in an humble attendance on Divine appointments? Lo, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God - St. Luke adds, in a bodily form - Probably in a glorious appearance of fire, perhaps in the shape of a dove, descending with a hovering motion, till it rested upon him. This was a visible token of those secret operations of the blessed Spirit, by which he was anointed in a peculiar manner; and abundantly fitted for his public work.
Verse 17
[17] And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
And lo, a voice — We have here a glorious manifestation of the ever - blessed Trinity: the Father speaking from heaven, the Son spoken to, the Holy Ghost descending upon him.
In whom I delight — What an encomium is this! How poor to this are all other kinds of praise! To he the pleasure, the delight of God, this is praise indeed: this is true glory: this is the highest, the brightest light, that virtue can appear in.
-------(Read all of Isaiah 42)
Verse 1
[1] Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.
Behold — The prophet having given one eminent instance of God's certain fore-knowledge, in the deliverance of the Jews by Cyrus, now adds another more eminent example of it, by foretelling the coming of the Messiah. This place therefore is expressly interpreted of Christ, Matthew 12:18, etc. And to him, and to him only, all the particulars following, truly and evidently belong.
Whom — Whom I will enable to do and suffer all those things which belong to his office.
Elect — Chosen by me to this great work.
Delighteth — Both for himself and for all his people, being fully satisfied with that sacrifice, which he shall offer up to me.
Bring forth — Shall publish or shew, as this word is translated, Matthew 12:18.
Judgment — The law, and will, and counsel of God, concerning man's salvation.
Gentiles — Not only to the Jews, but to the Heathen nations.
Verse 2
[2] He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street.
Cry — In a way of contention, or ostentation.
Lift — His voice.
Heard — As contentious and vain-glorious persons frequently do.
Verse 3
[3] A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth.
Break — Christ will not deal rigorously with those that come to him, but he will use all gentleness, cherishing the smallest beginnings of grace, comforting and healing wounded consciences.
Quench — That wick of a candle which is almost extinct, he will not quench, but revive and kindle it again.
Judgment — The law of God, or the doctrine of the gospel, which he will bring forth, unto, with, or according to truth, that is, truly and faithfully.
Verse 4
[4] He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law.
'Till — 'Till he has established his law or doctrine, among the nations of the earth.
Isles — The countries remote from Judea, shall gladly receive his doctrine.
Verse 5
[5] Thus saith God the LORD, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein:
He — This description of God's infinite power, is seasonably added, to give them assurance of the certain accomplishment of his promises.
Verse 6
[6] I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles;
Called thee — To declare my righteousness, or faithfulness.
With-hold — Will give thee counsel and strength for the work.
Give thee — To be the mediator in whom my covenant of grace is confirmed with mankind.
The people — Of all people, not only of Jews but Gentiles.
A light — To enlighten them with true and saving knowledge.
Verse 8
[8] I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.
The Lord — Heb. Jehovah: who have all being in and of myself, and give being to all my creatures. The everlasting, and unchangeable, and omnipotent God, who therefore both can, and will fulfill all my promises.
Verse 9
[9] Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them.
I tell you — That when they come to pass, you may know that I am God, and that this is my work.
Psalm 29
(Read all of Psalm 29)
Verse 1
[1] Give unto the LORD, O ye mighty, give unto the LORD glory and strength.
Ye — Ye potentates and rulers of the earth.
Glory — By an humble and thankful acknowledgment of it.
Verse 2
[2] Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.
Give, … — The honour which he deserves: own him as the Almighty, and the only true God.
Holiness — Or, in his holy and beautiful house.
Verse 3
[3] The voice of the LORD is upon the waters: the God of glory thundereth: the LORD is upon many waters.
The waters — Above in the clouds, which are called waters, Genesis 1:7; Psalms 18:11. The Divine power displays itself in those high places, which are far above the reach of all earthly potentates.
Many — Upon the clouds, in which there are vast treasures of water, and upon which God is said to sit or ride, Psalms 18:10,11; 104:3.
Verse 5
[5] The voice of the LORD breaketh the cedars; yea, the LORD breaketh the cedars of Lebanon.
Lebanon — A place famous for strong and lofty cedars.
Verse 6
[6] He maketh them also to skip like a calf; Lebanon and Sirion like a young unicorn.
Them — The cedars; which being broken by the thunder, the parts of them are suddenly and violently hurled hither and thither.
Sirion — An high mountain beyond Jordan joining to Lebanon. Lebanon and Sirion are said to skip or leap, both here, and Psalms 114:4, by a poetical hyperbole.
Verse 7
[7] The voice of the LORD divideth the flames of fire.
The flames — The lightnings.
Verse 8
[8] The voice of the LORD shaketh the wilderness; the LORD shaketh the wilderness of Kadesh.
Kadesh — An eminent wilderness, vast and terrible, and well known to the Israelites, and wherein possibly they had seen, and observed some such effects of thunder.
Verse 9
[9] The voice of the LORD maketh the hinds to calve, and discovereth the forests: and in his temple doth every one speak of his glory.
To calve — Through the terror it causes, which hastens the birth. He names the hinds, because they bring forth their young with difficulty, Job 39:1,2.
Discovereth — Heb. maketh bare, of its trees, which it breaks or strips of their leaves.
Glory — Having shewed the terrible effects of God's power in other places, he now shews the blessed privilege of God's people, that are praising God in his temple, when the rest of the world are trembling under the tokens of his displeasure.
Verse 10
[10] The LORD sitteth upon the flood; yea, the LORD sitteth King for ever.
The flood — The most violent waters, which sometimes fall from the clouds upon the earth. These are fitly mentioned, as being many times the companions of great thunders. And this may be alleged as another reason, why God's people praised him in his temple, because as he sends terrible tempests and thunders, so he also restrains and over-rules them.
Sitteth — He doth sit, and will sit as king for ever, sending such tempests when it pleaseth him.
Acts 10:34-43
Verse 34
[34] Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:
I perceive of a truth — More clearly than ever, from such a concurrence of circumstances.
That God is not a respecter of persons — Is not partial in his love. The words mean, in a particular sense, that he does not confine his love to one nation; in a general, that he is loving to every man, and willeth all men should be saved.
Verse 35
[35] But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.
But in every nation he that feareth God and worketh righteousness — He that, first, reverences God, as great, wise, good, the cause, end, and governor of all things; and secondly, from this awful regard to him, not only avoids all known evil, but endeavours, according to the best light he has, to do all things well; is accepted of him - Through Christ, though he knows him not. The assertion is express, and admits of no exception. He is in the favour of God, whether enjoying his written word and ordinances or not. Nevertheless the addition of these is an unspeakable blessing to those who were before in some measure accepted. Otherwise God would never have sent an angel from heaven to direct Cornelius to St. Peter.
Verse 36
[36] The word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ: (he is Lord of all:)
This is the word which God sent — When he sent his Son into the world, preaching - Proclaiming by him-peace between God and man, whether Jew or Gentile, by the God-man. He is Lord of both; yea, Lord of and over all.
Verse 37
[37] That word, I say, ye know, which was published throughout all Judaea, and began from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached;
Ye know the word which was published — You know the facts in general, the meaning of which I shall now more particularly explain and confirm to you.
The baptism which John preached — To which he invited them by his preaching, in token of their repentance. This began in Galilee, which is near Cesarea.
Verse 38
[38] How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.
How God anointed Jesus — Particularly at his baptism, thereby inaugurating him to his office: with the Holy Ghost and with power - It is worthy our remark, that frequently when the Holy Ghost is mentioned there is added a word particularly adapted to the present circumstance. So the deacons were to be full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, Acts 6:3. Barnabas was full of the Holy Ghost and faith, Acts 11:24. The disciples were filled with joy, and with the Holy Ghost, Acts 13:52. And here, where his mighty works are mentioned, Christ himself is said to be anointed with the Holy Ghost and with power. For God was with him-He speaks sparingly here of the majesty of Christ, as considering the state of his hearers.
Verse 41
[41] Not to all the people, but unto witnesses chosen before of God, even to us, who did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead.
Not now to all the people — As before his death; to us who did eat and drink with him - That is, conversed familiarly and continually with him, in the time of his ministry.
Verse 42
[42] And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead.
It is he who is ordained by God the Judge of the living and the dead — Of all men, whether they are alive at his coming, or had died before it. This was declaring to them, in the strongest terms, how entirely their happiness depended on a timely and humble subjection to him who was to be their final Judge.
Verse 43
[43] To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.
To him give all the prophets witness — Speaking to heathens he does not quote any in particular; that every one who believeth in him - Whether he be Jew or Gentile; receiveth remission of sins - Though he had not before either feared God, or worked righteousness.
Matthew 3:13-17
Verse 13
[13] Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.
Mark 1:9; Luke 3:21
Verse 15
[15] And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him.
It becometh us to fulfil all righteousness — It becometh every messenger of God to observe all his righteous ordinances. But the particular meaning of our Lord seems to be, that it becometh us to do (me to receive baptism, and you to administer it) in order to fulfil, that is, that I may fully perform every part of the righteous law of God, and the commission he hath given me.
Verse 16
[16] And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:
And Jesus being baptized — Let our Lord's submitting to baptism teach us a holy exactness in the observance of those institutions which owe their obligation merely to a Divine command. Surely thus it becometh all his followers to fulfil all righteousness. Jesus had no sin to wash away. And yet he was baptized. And God owned his ordinance, so as to make it the season of pouring forth the Holy Spirit upon him. And where can we expect this sacred effusion, but in an humble attendance on Divine appointments? Lo, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God - St. Luke adds, in a bodily form - Probably in a glorious appearance of fire, perhaps in the shape of a dove, descending with a hovering motion, till it rested upon him. This was a visible token of those secret operations of the blessed Spirit, by which he was anointed in a peculiar manner; and abundantly fitted for his public work.
Verse 17
[17] And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
And lo, a voice — We have here a glorious manifestation of the ever - blessed Trinity: the Father speaking from heaven, the Son spoken to, the Holy Ghost descending upon him.
In whom I delight — What an encomium is this! How poor to this are all other kinds of praise! To he the pleasure, the delight of God, this is praise indeed: this is true glory: this is the highest, the brightest light, that virtue can appear in.
The Upper Room Ministries
PO Box 340004
Nashville, Tennessee 37203-0004, United States
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THE FIRST STEP by Brett YoungerMatthew 3:13-17
We don’t think about it much, but for most of us, one thing that brings us to church on Sunday is the fact that we were baptized. Some of us were baptized without being given any choice in the matter. Cries at the baptismal font are not interpreted theologically. Some of us were baptized because we turned ten years old and decided that we were sick and tired of not getting to drink the grape juice. Some of us went to a worship service where the minister made us cry and invited us to be baptized. Some of us have never been baptized because we’ve never seen any reason why we should be. Some of us haven’t been baptized, but we’ve had to work hard to avoid seriously considering it.
It’s good that we learn the meaning of our baptisms after the fact. None of us fully knew what we were doing on the day we were baptized. Years later, as we make our way slowly into faith, the purpose begins to unfold. We discover what our baptisms mean after the event rather than before. That’s how it was for Jesus too, at least in Matthew’s Gospel.
The story skips from Jesus as an infant to Jesus as a thirty-year-old, and we don’t have a clue as to what happened in between. One day Jesus puts down his hammer, takes off his tool belt, hangs a “Closed” sign on the door of the carpenter’s shop, and asks, “What does God want of me?” Jesus heads south and finds his cousin John, standing in the muddy Jordan in his camel-hair baptismal robe, smelling of locusts and honey. Jesus gets in line and waits his turn. He wades out into the water, right next to real live sinners like you and me.
While three Gospels tell the story of Jesus’ baptism, only Matthew records the curious conversation prior to the baptism. Jesus is eager to be baptized, but John hesitates. They stand hip-deep in the river and engage in a fervent theological debate concerning who should baptize whom. The first time Jesus speaks in Matthew’s Gospel, it is to say that he needs to be baptized, because baptism will help him learn who he’s meant to be. Jesus leans back into the water because he believes that God is calling him to a different kind of life.
When Jesus stands up, the waters of the Jordan dripping down his face, he sees the Spirit descending like a dove to rest upon his soggy head. The Spirit comes, not as an all-consuming fire of judgment, but with the flutter of hopeful wings. A voice says: “You are my child. I love you. I’m delighted with you.”
Then Jesus goes into the desert for forty days to think about what it means to be God’s child. Jesus spends all the days and years that follow that afternoon in the Jordan discovering the meaning of his baptism. Jesus gives everything—his dreams and deeds, his labors and his life itself. Jesus gives himself to God’s people, takes his place with hurting people. Baptism was Jesus’ commissioning to ministry.
During the week before his death, the leaders of the temple challenge Jesus: “By what authority are you doing these things?” (Matthew 21:23). Jesus answers with a reference to his baptism: “Was the baptism of John from heaven or not? I was baptized. That’s why I do the things I do.” In the waters of baptism, Jesus heard the Spirit calling him to speak the truth and live with grace.
So Jesus doesn’t die of old age. He dies because he takes his baptism seriously. When Jesus cries on the cross, “It is finished,” it is his baptism that is complete.
Baptisms, like most beginnings, find meaning long after the event. Beginning is often easy, while finishing is often hard. The significance of any decision takes a while to emerge. Moments of initiation are meaningless until we are true to the promise of that beginning. We’re handed a map, but then we have to take the trip. It takes our whole lives to finish the journey we begin when we’re baptized.
So what does it mean to us to live out our baptisms? If we are true to our baptisms, we cannot make ourselves comfortable, cannot do only what will be appreciated, and cannot be satisfied with the way things are. Our baptisms demand that we struggle with what’s right and what’s wrong, what’s important and what’s not.
The children of God tell the truth in a world that lies, give in a world that takes, love in a world that lusts, make peace in a world that fights, serve in a world that wants to be served, pray in a world that waits to be entertained, and take chances in a world that worships safety. The baptized are citizens of an eccentric community where financial success is not the goal, security is not the highest good, and sacrifice is a daily event.
Baptism is our ordination to ministry, our vow to live with more concern for the hurting than for our own comfort, and our promise to take issue with ideas with which everyone else agrees. Baptism is the commitment to share our time with the poor and listen to the lonely.
What did it mean when you were baptized? The meaning of your baptism is seen in what you think, feel, and do this day. Have you done anything today that you wouldn’t have done if you had not been baptized? We are forever answering the question “Why was I baptized?”… read more-------
WORSHIP CONNECTION: JANUARY 8, 2017 by Nancy C. TownleyBaptism of the Lord
COLOR: White
SCRIPTURE READINGS: Isaiah 42:1-9; Psalm 29; Acts 10:34-43; Matthew 3:13-17
Call to Worship #1:
L: Welcome to worship this day!
P: We have come seeking God’s blessings and love.
L: They shall be given to you.
P: We have come seeking forgiveness and healing.
L: These will be offered to you. Open your hearts to receive God’s Good News.
P: We open our hearts to all of God’s words and ways for us. AMEN.
Call to Worship #2:
L: In the very beginning, God separated the darkness and the light. God called the Light "Day" and the Darkness, God called "Night".
P: We were once people who dwelled in darkness, but God has given us the true Light, Jesus Christ.
L: God has blessed us and adopted us as God’s own beloved children, through the sacrament of Baptism.
P: The water of baptism brings to us healing and reconciliation; it is a symbol of nourishment and cleansing.
L: This day is the day of the remembrance of Jesus’ Baptism.
P: As we hear the words of his baptism, let us be reminded of our own adoption by God and celebrate the joyous connection to the Almighty God.
Prayer of Confession
We are incredibly stubborn, O Lord. We have entered the season in which Your Light has been given to the world, your blessings have been poured out on the world, and yet all we can think about is our own problems, our own needs, our own desires. Help us to desire you, Lord. Help us to yearn for your presence. Pour your baptismal waters over us again, cleansing us from our self-pity and arrogance. Nourish and heal us so that we may joyfully serve you. Wash away our jealousy, greed, and all negative thoughts and behaviors that stand in the way of our truly being the people you have called us to be. Again let us receive the blessings offered in creation, in the birth and baptism of Jesus, and in the ministry of the saints of light. We ask this in Jesus’ Name. AMEN.
Words of Assurance
The love of God is always offered to us, freely, joyfully, for all eternity. Rejoice, dear friends, this is the Good News of our Lord. AMEN.
Pastoral Prayer
Creator God, when everything first began, water became a symbol of refreshing, of washing away, of renewing. Through the waters of creation you brought forth abundant life. We have gathered this day to remember Jesus’ baptism, how your Spirit proclaimed that He was your beloved Son in whom you were very well pleased. Our spirits resound with that proclamation. In His baptism, Jesus’ ministry was initiated. He dedicated his life to you completely and without reservation. Help us to dedicate our lives to you, to offer our best for you, to be of service to you by serving in your world. As we have lifted before you the names of people near and dear to us who need your healing touch and your tender mercies, we have also lifted ourselves up as people in need of your grace. In our world there is war, oppression, hunger, and alienation. We have not been good stewards of the world. We have not cared for one another. Heal us and this world, Lord. Renew us with your life-giving waters and re-affirm our baptisms as your children. Let us go forth to be people of peace and mercy. For we ask this in Jesus’ Name. AMEN.
Litany
Psalm 29 A psalm of David (Common English Bible)
You, divine beings! Give to the Lord— give to the Lord glory and power!
Give to the Lord the glory due his name! Bow down to the Lord in holy splendor!
The Lord’s voice is over the waters; the glorious God thunders; the Lord is over the mighty waters.
The Lord’s voice is strong; the Lord’s voice is majestic.
The Lord’s voice breaks cedar trees—
yes, the Lord shatters the cedars of Lebanon.
He makes Lebanon jump around like a young bull, makes Sirion jump around like a young wild ox.
The Lord’s voice unleashes fiery flames;
the Lord’s voice shakes the wilderness—
yes, the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
The Lord’s voice convulses the oaks, strips the forests bare,
but in his temple everyone shouts, “Glory!”
The Lord sits enthroned over the floodwaters; the Lord sits enthroned—king forever!
Let the Lord give strength to his people! Let the Lord bless his people with peace!
Benediction, Blessing, Commission
Go forth joyfully. God is with you. Bring peace and hope to all you meet. And may God’s eternal love shine through you always. AMEN.
ARTISTIC ELEMENTS
The traditional color for this day is white.
SURFACE: You might choose to plan a traditional altar for today: two candles and a center cross. With the focus on a bowl and pitcher. If you have a baptismal font you might use white flowers or fabric at the base to draw attention to it for today.
FABRIC: Since the traditional color for this day is white, you may want to cover the whole worship area with white cloth, including the riser that is in front of the worship table. The cloth should be adequate to "puddle" on the floor in front of the worship table and the front riser. It should cover both table risers as well. Using approximately 6-8 yards of silky medium to light blue fabric, beginning with the top left side riser, weave the strip of fabric across the table, over the right side riser and then over the riser in front of the worship center. You should have enough fabric so that it drapes well and softly. Do not pull the fabric tightly. This blue fabric represents water.
CANDLES: On the top of the left side riser, place three candles, one 10" white pillar candle; one 8" white pillar candle, and one 6" pillar candle. On the right side riser, place 3 candles: one 4" white pillar candle, one 3" white pillar candle, and one white votive candle.
FLOWERS/PLANTS: Behind the riser on the left, place a fern or other green leafy plant. Avoid plants with hard angular lines. Behind the right side riser, place the same kind of plant that you used on the other side. Ferns and other leafy plants may be placed at the base of the worship center, near the front riser, but not in front of it. The blue "puddled" fabric should spill down there.
ROCKS/WOOD: Near the base of the riser in front of the worship center, place rocks of various sizes. Smaller rocks may be scattered on the worship table itself, near the candles and the cross. Wood is not recommended for this setting.
OTHER: Have a large clear glass bowl placed on the riser in front of the worship area. Place about a dozen small stones in the bottom of this bowl. On the center of the worship table, have a clear glass pitcher filled with water. Make sure that someone will be able to reach this pitcher without interference with the rest of the worship center. During the service when the people have placed their rocks in the bowl, have someone (could be pastor, worship team member, choir member) carefully pour the water over the stones in the bowl, covering the stones, but not filling up the bowl to the rim. Then place the pitcher out of the worship center, do not return it to the table.
[Note: if you are having a baptism that day, reserve some special colored glass flattened beads, for the person being baptized and any members of the family to put into the bowl, signifying their adoption by God into God’s holy family]… read more
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SERMON OPTIONS: JANUARY 8, 2017BRINGING JUSTICE, AND GENTLY
Isaiah 42-9
If you ask a child, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" it's unlikely you'll receive the answer, "I want to be a servant." "Servant" is not found on any of the lists of hot new careers for the rest of the nineties. Yet servanthood is at the essence of our faith. Indeed, God chose the image of the servant to describe the One God would send to give his life on our behalf. What does Isaiah tell us about the role played by his servant—and about our own role as servants of Christ?
I. The Servant Belongs to God
Three things characterize the servant in this portion of Isaiah 42. First, the servant is firmly grounded in Yahweh's support. The servant's introduction is framed with ascriptions that link the servant closely with God: "Here is my servant, whom I uphold,/my chosen, in whom my soul delights" (v. 1). Further, "I have put my spirit upon him." The servant is clearly God's servant, someone whose very identity and purpose are derived from God who has chosen that one for service.
II. The Servant Is Committed to Justice
The servant's role is clearly defined: to bring justice to the nations and on earth. This focus is mentioned three separate times in three verses (vv. 1, 3-4).
III. The Servant Is Motivated by Grace
Finally, the servant will do the work of justice with care, gentleness, and perseverance. Justice will be brought about without the servant's voice having been raised, without a wick being snuffed out, and without the servant having been overcome by the size or difficulty of the mission. The images of restraint particularly (bruised reed unbroken, dimly lit wick unquenched) give new meaning to the word grace. If justice is the mission, it is not to be marched in by a lockstepping holy army, but cupped in hand, cradled in arms, shielded by the body.
In Frederick Buechner's fictional account of Jacob, The Son of Laughter, God is sometimes called "the Shield," meaning that God "is always shielding us like a guttering wick...because the fire he is trying to start with us is a fire that the whole world will live to warm its hands at. It is a fire in the dark that will light the whole world home."
This profile of identity and task leaves us with a picture of "the servant" that is both inspiring in its tenderness and exemplary for any life of faith. Not only does the image of such a strong yet gentle worker of justice give us pause, it also becomes a model for how we live our lives and pattern our Christian labors. (Paul L. Escamilla)
BREAKING DOWN BARRIERS
Acts 10:34-43
A balloon vender was letting one balloon after another go up into the sky in order to entertain the children who had gathered to admire the balloons. Most of his balloons were gone when an African American child came up to him and said, "Mister, if you had a black balloon, would it go up into the sky like the others?"
The balloon vender, showing wisdom and perception that his occupation belied, understood what the child was really asking. He knelt down and said, "It's not the color of the balloon that matters; it's what's inside that makes it go up."
Regardless of our racial or cultural background, and regardless of what we have done wrong in the past, there is Someone who can always cause us to go up if he is inside us. His name is Jesus.
I. Christ Breaks Down Racial Barriers That Separate Us from One Another (vv. 34-37)
Jesus came to break down racial barriers. He gave his disciples the Great Commission to go to "all nations" (Matt. 28:19-20). He went to the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4) . It took a lot to convince Peter that Christ had broken the racial barrier. The words of Jesus, a trance, a vision, a miracle, and the conversion of Gentiles in Acts 10 were finally enough to cause him to make the bold declaration about the universality of the gospel in these verses.
However, even all that Peter experienced did not remove all the residue of racism in him. About eighteen years later in Antioch, he joined his Jewish brothers in snubbing the Gentile Christians and refusing to eat with them. The apostle Paul publicly challenged him, and he stood corrected. This public work of Christ all started with his baptism. It is our common baptism into Christ that makes us brothers and sisters in him and transcends all barriers between people, including race.
II. Christ Breaks Down Barriers of Sin That Separate Us from God (vv. 38-39, 43)
The prophet Isaiah wrote, "Your iniquities have been barriers/ between you and your God" (59:2). As Peter preached the story of Jesus, he included the indispensable element of the cross. It was on the cross that Jesus became the sacrifice for our sins so that the barrier erected by sin would be taken away. The veil of the Temple was rent, and now all those who call on the name of Jesus have full access to the presence of God because he died to secure our forgiveness.
As Peter stated, "Everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name" (v. 43). When someone receives him, immediately he takes away the penalty of sin, gradually he takes away the power of sin, and ultimately he will take away the presence of sin.
III. Christ Breaks Down the Barrier of Death That Separates Us from Eternal Life (vv. 40-42)
In his gospel sermon Peter also included the resurrection of Jesus. The apostolic preachers had little novel to say. They repeated the story of Jesus, and that was adequate to bring people to conviction of their need for him as their Savior. How sad that people have heard the story of Jesus so many times that it has little effect on them. No matter how trained preachers are, or how well they can turn a phrase, Christian preachers must never get away from repeating the simple story that tells the good news of Jesus.
Part of the gospel story is the event of God raising Jesus from the dead. In fact, this truth is so important that Paul wrote, "If Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation has been in vain and your faith has been in vain" (1 Cor. 15:14) . But the truth is that Christ has been raised, and through his resurrection, he secured eternal life for all those who follow him ( Rom. 6:4-5). (N. Allen Moseley)
THE VOICE OF BLESSING
Matthew 3:13-17
Sometimes we preoccupy ourselves with important questions to the extent that we overlook equally important questions. For example, Matthew 3:13-17 often finds us asking the question, "Why did Jesus have to be baptized?" But let us not overlook the equally important question, "What did baptism mean to Jesus?" Did it mean the time of the kingdom of God is now? Surely. Did it mean an identification with the Father? I think so. But it was also an experience of blessing for Jesus. God said, "You are on the right track. Continue with my blessing." The voice of blessing is one that many people take for granted. Many people wander through life, like Esau, searching for a blessing that is never pronounced.
A single mother, upon leaving for a date, shuts the door on her teenage daughter who is staying home alone—again. "If only she didn't look so much like her father."
An adult male sits in church today dreading the Parent Dedication Service, asking, "Why did my parents abandon me?"
On the other hand, Bobby, who was as athletically gifted as a hoe handle, did not make his high school baseball team, to no one's surprise. But he did ask to be the manager—some said "batboy"—and he became a part of the team. He played the hand that he had been dealt.
What's an "unblessed child" to do? Feel inferior? Strike out in bitterness? Curse the dark silence of a voice never heard? The answer is found in the One who emerged from the Jordan hearing the voice of approval, "You are my Son. You are headed in the right direction. Continue all the way to the cross." All the way to the cross!
Blessing involves responsibility. Jesus lived in obedience after receiving the blessing. He took the hand he had been dealt and he played it. That's what we can do. That may be all we can do. We must be like Jesus and let nothing deter us. The crowds wanted to make him king. He resisted. His best friend wanted to talk him out of it. He refused. Judas tried to force another course. Jesus chose to play the hand God had dealt. We can do the same. Parents and other significant adults will fail to bless us even under the best of circumstances. Other times we will not feel worthy of blessing. That is true—we're not worthy. As in Jesus' most famous story, the parent waits to bless whether or not we are worthy. God's presence depends not on our faithfulness but on God's. So we continue.
Keith Miller asked, "Who gives you your grade?" Who is the audience to whom we play out the drama of our lives? It can be an audience of the One who will never fail to be with us as we carry out God's will. John Claypool quotes a rabbi who once said, "When I stand before God, He will not ask me why were you not Abraham, Jacob or David?" He will ask, "Why were you not Bernie?" In 1969, Bob Whelan, six two and two hundred pounds, departed for Vietnam. Within a year this fine athlete returned weighing eighty-seven pounds. A land mine had blown away both legs. A long recovery followed. Never did he bow to despair or see himself as unblessed. "Before," he said, "I had one hundred options. Now, only five, but I'll make the best of those five."
In 1990, Bob Whelan completed the Boston Marathon. He covered all twenty-six miles-plus running on his hands and arms—hopping much like a frog. When he crossed the finish line, few dry eyes were seen. He is a winner. He chose to look to God in gratitude for what he was, not what he was not. He played the hand he was dealt. So can we, for each of us already has the blessing. (Gary L. Carver)… read more
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WORSHIP FOR KIDS: JANUARY 8, 2017 by Carolyn C. BrownFrom a Child's Point of View
Gospel: Matthew 3:13-17. Children easily follow the action in this story as it is read. When they are reminded that one purpose of baptism is naming, or claiming identity as one of God's people, children are primed to explore Matthew's use of the story of Jesus' baptism to tell us who Jesus is. Matthew tells us that Jesus is both the Messiah ("This is my Son," from Psalm 2:9) and the suffering servant ("my servant, with whom I am well pleased," from Isaiah's "suffering-servant" song). That combination was unusual for Jewish readers and is unusual for today's children, who seldom see a king as a servant, but usually as one to be served.
If it is pointed out, older children will follow with interest Matthew's strategy (repeated throughout his Gospel) of quoting Old Testament verses that would be familiar to his Jewish readers, to explain the importance of who Jesus is and what Jesus did.
Epistle: Acts 10:34-43. Peter's sermon at the home of Cornelius is a summary of Jesus' ministry and passion. Unfortunately, no translation presents it in words and sentences children can understand. If it is introduced as a very short story about the whole life of Jesus, from his baptism to his death and resurrection, older children can trace the sequence of those events as they are read.
The main value of reading this passage to children shortly after Christmas is that it helps them connect the stories of Jesus the baby, with those of Jesus the man.
Old Testament: Isaiah 42:1-9. There are two distinctive ways to deal with this text.
1. The text can be read as an explanatory footnote to God's statement at Jesus' baptism. Thus God is giving Jesus his "servant" job description. Jesus is described as one whose whole life is to be dedicated to working for justice and caring for those who need help. Just as we receive a name and become one of God's people at our baptisms, Jesus received a name, "My Son," and a job description, "my (Suffering) Servant," at his baptism. (It helps to point out before the reading that all the "hes" and "yous" refer to Jesus.)
2. Or the text can be read in its Old Testament context, in which the servant is the nation, or the faithful. Read thus, it becomes a mission-oriented job description for the church. In this case, children should be instructed to imagine that God is speaking directly to them and their church. If worshipers follow in pew Bibles as Scripture is read, point out before the reading that verse is just a very lengthy "God said." This will help older children to follow God's interrupted message.
Psalm: 29. This psalm traces the path of a thunderstorm coming in from the Mediterranean Sea, crossing the mountains, and moving out into the desert. With help, children can hear the thunder out over the water (vss. 3-4), watch the lightning break cedar trees and make the hills seem to skip in the flashing strobe-light (vss. 5-7), and see the damage caused by hail (vs. 9). The final verses speak to the frightened child in all of us, reminding us that God is Lord of even the wildest storms, and praying that God will give us both strength to survive the storm, and peace in spite of the storm.
Watch Words
Do not assume that children know that Messiah means God's king, or that suffering servant was a term that referred to a person or group of persons who would suffer in order to rescue God's people. Speak of Jesus as the Serving King for clarity with children.
Translate Isaiah's bruised reeds and dimly burning wicks into people who have serious problems.
Explain that Peter hanging on a tree is another way to say that he was crucified.
Let the Children Sing
Sing "Tell Me the Stories of Jesus" or "O Sing a Song of Bethlehem," to review Jesus' life.
Praise Christ with "Come, Christians, Join to Sing," with its chorus of repeated Alleluias.
Pair "Fairest Lord Jesus" with Psalm 29, to celebrate God's lordship over nature.
The Liturgical Child
1. Psalm 29 is a text for Baptism of the Lord also in Year C of this series. "The Liturgical Child" for that day gives directions for a congregational reading of this psalm, complete with stormy sound effects.
2. If baptisms are part of today's worship, introduce them with emphasis on the fact that baptism gives one a new identity as a child of God, a member of God's family, a disciple, and so on. Invite children to sit or stand near the baptismal font to hear this explanation and to observe the sacrament where they can see well.
3. Select as an affirmation of faith for the day a creed that tells the story of Jesus in simple language. The Apostles' Creed is one that many children know and that can be read easily by older children who do not know it. In the invitation to recite the creed, urge the worshipers to pay partiular attention to what it says about Jesus.
4. Provide illustrations of Jesus' activities as the Serving King. Point out any examples in stained-glass windows, paintings, or symbols in the sanctuary. Consider posting around the sanctuary large pictures of Jesus at work (from the church school picture files).
5. If you focus on the Isaiah text in its Old Testament perspective, paraphrase it to address the congregation in the Charge and Benediction:
God says, Behold, you are my servants, whom I uphold. You are my chosen, in whom I delight. I have put my Spirit upon you, to bring forth justice in all the world. Do not be discouraged or accept failure. Justice will be done. Remember, I am the Lord. I have called you. I have taken you by the hand and led you. You will be a light to the nations.
Sermon Resources
1. Open the sermon by talking about the significance of names. Tell your full name and explain what the pars of that name say about you (i.e., you are a member of a given family, and you may have been given a significant first or middle name). You may or may not want to pay attention to the titles such as Miss, Ms. Mrs., Mr., Reverend, or Doctor, added to names to tell more about who a person is.
Next, speak about names given at baptism. Point out that a person's given name is always stated. Then note any other names that are given in your congregation's rite. For example, in the Presbyterian ritual, the words are, "(Given name), Child of God." Explain what it means to accept those new names.
Finally, explore the new names Jesus received at his baptism: My Son and Suffering Servant.
2. Introduce and explore the title Serving King to describe Jesus. Compare that vision of a king with the kings in fairytales or a winner in the game King of the Hill. Cite familiar stories about Jesus to show how Jesus lived up to that title. Describe life for his subjects in the kingdom of Jesus, the Serving King. … read more-------
WORSHIP ELEMENTS: EPIPHANY OF THE LORD by Joanne Carlson BrownEpiphany of the Lord
Friday January 6, 2017
Color: White
Scripture Readings: Isaiah 60:1-6; Psalm 72:1-7; Ephesians 3:1-12; Matthew 2:1-12
Theme Ideas
In the Northern Hemisphere, we are experiencing the darkness of midwinter. Days are short and nights long. But there are other forms of darkness—poverty, war, injustice, oppression, hatred, prejudice, fear—forms that also affect us just as they did the people of biblical times. In these passages, light breaks through the darkness: a prophet calls us to arise and see the light of liberation and peace, reconciliation and joy; the psalmist prays for a ruler who will light the way of his people with righteousness, prosperity, and an end to oppression and injustice. The writer of Ephesians lights the way through mystery, with a message of the good news of Christ Jesus; and the Magi follow the light of a star, finding more than they were looking for, to return home transformed.
Invitation and Gathering
Call to Worship
Arise; shine, for your light has come!
We are called out of our darkness into light.
Lift up your eyes and look around.
We rejoice in the gift of light.
Come let us worship the God of light and joy and peace.
We come to kneel at the cradle of the babe,
the light incarnate.
Opening Prayer
God of promise and light,
open our eyes this morning,
that we may see your light in the darkness.
Open our hearts,
that we may perceive your promises
of justice and righteousness
fulfilled in the babe of Bethlehem.
May we, like the Magi,
have a star to guide us
on our journey quest
to find the one who will truly set us free.
May this time of worship
bring us closer to you,
that the good news
of the birth of light and love
will transform our lives. Amen.
Proclamation and Response
Prayer of Confession
Ever-patient God,
we are a people who live in thick darkness.
We stumble around
bombarded by news of war and poverty,
famine and genocide,
injustice and oppression.
The maelstrom of things and issues
and people of the dark,
can overwhelm and paralyze us.
Help us be people of the light,
shining your light of righteousness, peace, and joy
into all the dark places of our lives and world.
Unlock the mystery and glory
of the babe born in Bethlehem.
Turn our aimless wanderings
into a journey of purpose
guided by your star.
Let the light break into our lives and our world,
and transform us into people of the light.
Words of Assurance
As certain as the dawn follows the night,
so is the promise of God's forgiveness
and love for us all.
Arise and Shine.
Follow the star.
Find the light of the world born in Bethlehem . . . .
and be transformed from darkness into light.
Passing the Peace of Christ
Lift your eyes and look around.
The light of the babe of Bethlehem
shines from the face of each one here.
Let us now greet that light,
rejoice that we are here together,
and pass the peace of Christ,
our joy and our hope.
Invitation to the Word/Sermon
Open our hearts and minds to the light of your word
read and preached.
Response to the Word/Sermon
We rejoice in the mystery
made plain through the good news
of the babe of Bethlehem.
May this good news transform us and guide us
as we seek to follow the star of love and light.
Thanksgiving and Communion
Invitation to the Offering
We have seen the light of the world.
We have been called to follow the star of promise.
Like the Magi,
let us bring our gifts to honor the babe of Bethlehem
and bring the light to all the dark places
in our community and our world.
Offering Prayer
God of light and promise,
we bring our gifts
to further your work in a dark world.
May they bring your light
to those overwhelmed
by darkness, pain, and loneliness.
Accept these gifts of money and time,
indeed, the gift of our very selves.
Let them shine for all to see,
and be brought into the sphere of your love
and righteousness.
Sending Forth
Benediction
Arise, and go forth to shine for all the world to see.
We go to spread the good news of light and love,
righteousness and justice.
Go now and follow the star
that will guide you on your journey
this week, this year, and forever.
As the Magi of old,
we go forth in trust and excitement,
transformed in the presence
of the child of light.
May the blessing of the God of light
rest upon you and fill you with light.
Amen.
Contemporary Options
Contemporary Gathering Words
Light has broken in on the darkness of the world!
Can you see it? Can you feel it?
Open the eyes of your heart and light the light within.
There is a star beckoning us to follow.
Let's go and see where it leads us today in worship.
Let's see where it leads us tomorrow
as we go about our day, our week,
and the rest of our lives.
Praise Sentences
Arise and shine, for your light has come.
Lift up your eyes and look around.
Praise the God of promise and light and love.
Praise the God of the guiding star.
From “The Abingdon Worship Annual” edited by Mary J. Scifres and B.J. Beu, Copyright Abingdon Press.… read more
Ministry Matters
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