Ministry Matters of Nashville,Tennessee, United States "Adam Hamilton on the Apostle's Creed | Micromanaging ministry | The Free Speech Fairness Act" for Monday, 6 February 2017-------
Adam Hamilton on the Apostle's Creed
By Shane Raynor 
Adam HamiltonMinistry Matters Radio
On this episode of Ministry Matters Radio, Shane Raynor and Adam Hamilton discuss the Apostle's Creed, what Christians believe, why they believe it and why it matters. Adam's latest book is Creed: What Christians Believe and
Adam Hamilton teaches a video session for "Creed" at Resurrection Downtown in Kansas City.
On this episode of Ministry Matters Radio, Shane Raynor and Adam Hamilton discuss the Apostle's Creed, what Christians believe, why they believe it and why it matters. Adam's latest book is Creed: What Christians Believe and Why.
Questions:- Why did you write a book on the Apostle's Creed? (0:45)
- How do you distinguish between belief and conviction? (3:20)
- Some Christians have said that doubt is the enemy of faith. You've noted that some measure of doubt usually shows up even around the most strongly held beliefs. Why is that? (4:25)
- You're a United Methodist pastor who's just written a book on why what we believe is important. Some have said that "Methodists don't really have to believe anything." What do you have to say about that? (6:18)
- The first four words of the Apostle’s Creed lay a foundation: “I believe in God.” In our culture, atheism seems to be on the rise. In Creed, you go back to Exodus 3 where God reveals himself to Moses and says “I Am who I Am.” You say that this revelation that God is the source of all that is, is where physics and theology might meet. How can some say science and faith are incompatible while others see them as complementary? (9:11)
- The Apostle's Creed says Jesus Christ is the father’s “only Son” who was “conceived by the Holy Spirit” and “born of the virgin Mary.” Why do so many people have a hard time believing in the virgin birth? How important is it to Christian faith? (13:26)
- I know a Christian who grew up Muslim but converted to Christianity with his entire family during adolescence. He told me one of the biggest barriers to his conversion was the idea that Jesus is the Son of God. What exactly does this phrase mean and why is it such a stumbling block? (16:41)
- There are actually two versions of the Apostle's Creed. One includes the phrase “He descended to the dead” or “He descended into hell” after he “was crucified, died and was buried.” Why is this part of the Creed “optional” for some? (19:04)
- Why isn't there more about the Holy Spirit in the Apostle's Creed? (24:17)
- What is the significance of the phrase "holy catholic church"? Why does the Creed make a point to use the adjective holy to describe the church? (26:48)
- Let’s talk about the phrase communion of saints. In what sense do those of us on earth, who are still being sanctified, commune with those in heaven who have experienced entire sanctification? (28:28)
- You said that you find the phrase resurrection of the body in the Creed somewhat perplexing. What did you mean? (32:38)
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5 situations you may need to micromanage by Ron EdmondsonBigstock/stockyimagesI prefer to be a macromanager. I like to lead leaders. This means I try to cast the vision for a team and get out of the way, releasing each team member to do his or her work in their own individual way.
There are times, however, where more micromanagement may be needed by senior leadership. More coaching, encouraging or correction may be needed for a season.
Here are five times to consider some micromanagement:
When a team member is new to the organization.
They need to learn your culture and way of doing things. They don’t know. This doesn’t mean you don’t allow them to invent, dream and discover, but they also need to know how decisions are made, the unwritten rules and the internal workings of the environment. It will serve everyone well and they’ll last longer on the team if these are learned early in their tenure.
When a team or team leader has been severely crippled by injury or stress.
I’ve had a few times where a member of our team just wasn’t mentally or emotionally capable of making the right decisions. It could be what they were dealing with in their personal life or with the stress of their work, but I had to step in and help them more than I normally would for a season to help them succeed.
When in a state of uncertainty, transition or change.
I once had a strong leader quit abruptly from his position. His team was devastated. I quickly realized they had relied too much on his leadership and were now lost without him. It required more of my time initially until we could raise up new leadership and better empower everyone on the team.
When tackling a new objective, critical to the organization.
This is especially true when, as the senior leader, I’m the architect of the idea. They need more of my time to make sure things are going the way I envisioned them to go. That doesn’t mean the outcome will look exactly like I planned, but in the initial stages, the team can waste time and resources trying to figure me out without my input, rather than doing productive work.
When a team member is underperforming in relation to others.
As a leader, I feel it is part of my role to help people perform at their highest level possible. Sometimes this requires coaching, sometimes instruction, and sometimes even discipline. Part of being a leader is recognizing potential in people and helping them realize that potential within the organization. For a season, to help someone get on track for success on our team, (or even to discover they aren’t a fit for our team) I have to manage closer than I normally prefer.
I obviously wrote this in the context of an organization and not specific to the church, but these principles equally apply in the church. The important thing is that the end goals and objectives need to be reached, so at certain critical times a leader must step in and ensure the vision is being accomplished.
Ron Edmondson blogs at RonEdmondson.com.
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How to exercise love in the midst of angst by Rebekah Simon-PeterBigstock/Christopher HallIn grade school, I was part of a brief study on the meaning of love. My third grade class was interviewed, a few at a time, on the meaning of love. I thought I knew what it was until I tried to articulate an answer. “It’s when you like someone very much.” Even as I said it, I felt flustered, unsure. Somehow I knew those words came up short. But I also knew that I didn’t really know what love was.
As Christians, we are committed to love. It’s our watchword. It’s our definition of God. Our highest human ideal. Yet, in church, the practice of love often falls short. As leaders, we draw the circle of concern close enough so that our sermons, prayers and conversations don’t stray into areas that might evoke feelings other than compassion and care.
But what good is love if we aren’t called to exercise it?
Sure, we’re good at praying for the old and ill. We intentionally feed the hungry in our communities. We respond with killer generosity to victims of natural disaster. Those are all important.
But what about when love stretches us into terrain where disagreement crops up? Where we feel afraid or unsafe? How do we exercise love then?
I encountered it everywhere this week. One leader I coach came away deeply unsettled from a meeting with a denominational board that tried to anticipate future rulings on leadership and human sexuality. Later that week, I attended a small, local prayer vigil for immigrants, refugees and Muslims. It was for the community, but was overwhelmingly attended by clergy from a variety of denominations. Still later, I attended a gathering of citizens who aimed to transcend fear and exclusion by actively engaging the democratic process. My takeaway from all this? As leaders, we care deeply about the issues before us, but we’re not always sure how to engage or empower those we lead.
I get it. These are not easy topics. But they are important. Especially for us Christian leaders. They rightly engage our deepest values, and our deepest fears.
Paul wrote that God has given us not a spirit of fear, but of power, love and self-control. With that spirit, Jesus counsels us to “Love those who hate you and do good to those who persecute you.” This isn’t the kind of love I was familiar with as a grade-schooler. It still takes more heart muscle than I can easily muster.
I’m not alone. We live in a time of increasing angst. Tempers are short. Insecurity is high. Outrage is the new norm. It seems like anything can happen.
Friends, this is our time! It’s our time to demonstrate courageous love. In order for us to love in the midst of angst, we need practice. This won’t be easy. But it’s definitely do-able. Here are specific ways to develop our capacity to love.
Love of God
1. Begin by creating time in worship for people to directly experience and receive the love of God. Invite folks to sit quietly in worship for a few minutes of guided or silent meditation. Follow it up with a ritual of candle-lighting or reaffirmation of baptism. Enhance the power of this experience by reminding folks that God’s love is not dependent on their good behavior, self-evaluation, being perfect or any other quality. They don’t even need to be lovable. They are loved simply because they are creations of God, made in the divine image. Jesus’ own love of us reaffirms this.
2. Next, lead people in expressing their love and appreciation back to God. Giving thanks for the smallest blessings to the largest ones increases one’s spiritual and emotional resilience. Every week invite people to share three things they’re grateful for with a person sitting close by. Or invite people to write a gratitude list that can be added to the offering plate. This expands our connections, raises the vibration of worship, and heightens our appreciation of life.
Love of self
3. Doom, gloom, and critical self-talk is the default position of our brains. This makes its way to our hearts and gets expressed in our behavior. Being hard on ourselves ultimately means we are hard on others. Help your people practice affirming themselves. This is not selfish or self-centered. This is sanity. It leads to calmer people who have an overflow of love to share with others.
Love of enemies and persecutors
4. Having cultivated emotional resilience and a reservoir of love, guide your people in sending intentional love to those around them. This works for people near and far. They don’t have to like them, agree with them, or approve of them. They don’t need to be lovable by them. But offering love to others in prayer — enemies and persecutors included — shifts the heart and embodies Christ. It makes new conversations possible.
5. Guide your people in how to speak from love when interacting with enemies and persecutors. Reacting from fear, hate, outrage, vitriol, or fear only sets up a chain reaction. Encourage them to refuse to demonize others. Counsel them to look for the best in other people, and grant them the dignity due fellow human beings.
From this place of intentional love, lead your people to take actions on behalf of those the world does not love. Grounded in love, you will be able to keep your cool in the midst of angst.
More than anything, love invites us to step into the gap between fear and faith. Continue to cast a Kingdom vision of the Beloved Community, of the reign and realm of God. Don’t abandon it because it might be uncomfortable, inconvenient or controversial. Instead, lift it up because deep down it’s what we all yearn for. And in the end, it’s all we have to offer.
Rebekah Simon-Peter blogs at rebekahsimonpeter.com. She is the author of The Jew Named Jesus and Green Church.
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Trump vows to let churches engage in politics
By Kimberly Winston / Religion News Service 
Jerome Socolovsky / Religion President Trump prays during the National Prayer Breakfast event in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 2, 2017. Photo courtesy of Reuters/Carlos Barria
(RNS) President Trump vowed in his first National Prayer Breakfast as chief executive to make good on a campaign promise to repeal the law that restricts political speech from the pulpit.
“I will get rid of, totally destroy the Johnson Amendment and allow our representatives of faith to speak freely and without fear,” he said on Thursday (Feb. 2) to a gathering of 3,500 faith leaders, politicians and other dignitaries from around the world, including King Abdullah of Jordan.
“I will do that, remember,” Trump added.
The Johnson Amendment, championed by then-Texas Sen. Lyndon Johnson, prohibits tax-exempt houses of worship from engaging in partisan politics. They can neither endorse nor oppose candidates or political parties without risking their tax-exempt status.
Repeal of the amendment, passed into law in 1954, is among the list of acts many religious conservatives hope the president will accomplish in his first year in office.
The president’s promise to repeal the amendment came in the midst of a speech that included comparisons of network ratings of the current version of The Apprentice, starring former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, with his own. “I want to just pray for Arnold, if we can, for those ratings,” he joked.
But the president’s remarks turned serious as he described religious liberty as a foundational premise of the United States that is under siege, both here and abroad.
“Freedom of religion is a sacred right, but it is also a right under threat all around us,” he said from a podium in the Washington Hilton’s ballroom. I have never seen that so much and so openly since I took this position.”
He then promised to “fix” that because, he said, “that’s what I do. I fix things.”
The president also addressed immigration, a hot potato since he enacted orders last week limiting travel from seven Muslim-majority countries and pushing for a border wall with Mexico. He seemed to promise that vetting of immigrants will include a probe into their commitment to religious liberty for all.
“We will not allow a beachhead of intolerance to spread in our nation so in the coming days we will be developing a process to determine that those who enter our nation uphold religious liberty,” he said. “ ... We will be a safe country, we will be a country where all citizens can practice their beliefs without fear of hostility or fear of violence.”
Cathy Kirley of Minnesota, who attended the prayer breakfast for the third time, said the speech reassured her about the president’s intentions.
“So I really do respect that he’s trying to keep our country safe, and his intolerance for violence is really what drives him to a lot of the actions he’s been taking,” she said afterward.
Michael Wear, an evangelical Christian who was a faith adviser for the 2012 Obama re-election campaign, took part in a “prayerful” protest outside the venue and followed the speech from there.
He said Trump’s promise to repeal the Johnson Amendment was an attempt to deflect attention from his moves on immigration.
“We reject the crass, unjust, uncompassionate policy that he rolled out and we’re going to keep on speaking out about it.”
The president spoke after a rousing sermon-style address by keynote speaker the Rev. Barry Black, a retired Navy rear admiral and the first African-American and Seventh-day Adventist to serve as the Senate chaplain.
Black, in his sonorous bass voice and trademark bowtie, jumped among books of the Bible, ranging from Acts to Zechariah, as he encouraged the assembled — whom he addressed as “my father’s children” — to “make your voices heard in heaven.”
“I urge you first of all to pray for all people,” he said. “We need to pray for everyone, whether they read the Bhagavad Gita, the Tao Te Ching, the holy Quran. … We need to pray for all people, hallelujah to the Lamb of God.”
Rabbi Haskel Lookstein, who is close to Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner's family and who offered an opening prayer, said afterward that he thought the president “spoke very nicely.”
“I think the president does believe in God, which is very much in keeping with the American way of life,” he told RNS. “Not to force religion on anyone, but America is a very religious country.”
A day earlier, a petition signed by 800 Christian faith leaders was published, beseeching Trump to “remember refugees and immigrants have sacred worth in God’s eyes.”
“We pray that you use your office to unite, and turn away from your rhetoric and policy proposals that degrade human dignity,” the petition read. There was also a group of protesters outside the Hilton as the guests arrived.
The National Prayer Breakfast has been held since 1953, and every sitting president has attended it annually. It is chaired each year by two members of Congress — one from each major party — who meet for prayer. The majority of religious leaders who attend are Christian and the event is organized by a Christian foundation.
President Obama also used his remarks at the National Prayer Breakfast to promote religious liberty. But his remarks were notably different from Trump’s. Obama more than once acknowledged people of no faith as part of the American religious makeup.
On Thursday, Trump took a different tack.
“America is a nation of believers,” he said. “So easily we forget this, that the quality of our lives is not defined by our material success, but by our spiritual success. I will tell you that as somebody who has known tremendous material success.”-------
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What is the Free Speech Fairness Act? By Kimberly Winston / Religion News ServiceBigstock/Kent Weakley(RNS) The day before President Trump used his remarks at the National Prayer Breakfast to promise a repeal of the Johnson Amendment, a bill was introduced in Congress to effectively do that.
"The Free Speech Fairness Act" is being touted as a "fix" to the Johnson Amendment, a 1954 law that prohibits nonprofits from engaging in politics. But how much of a "fix" would the act be? Would it offer a First Amendment right of free speech to clergy — or trample the same First Amendment's guarantee of a separation between church and state?
What does the Free Speech Fairness Act propose?
The Internal Revenue Service's tax code as it relates to nonprofit organizations, which includes most houses of worship, says a tax exempt organization -- a 503 (c) (3) in IRS parlance — may not "participate in, or intervene in (including the publishing or distributing of statements), any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for public office."
The Free Speech Fairness Act would change that. The language of the act proposes to "allow charitable organizations to make statements relating to political campaigns if such statements are made in the ordinary course of carrying out its tax exempt purpose." The act would also require the organization making such statements not incur "more than de minimis incremental expenses” in doing so, which means with only minimal expenditure — no Super Bowl ads, no two-page New York Times ads, unless those are the usual places a tax-exempt organization promotes itself.
The act was introduced in the House by Steve Scalise (R-La.) and Jody Hice (R-Ga.) and by James Lankford (R-Okla.), in the Senate. Lankford is co-chair of the Congressional Prayer Caucus, Scalise is Catholic and Hice is a Southern Baptist pastor.
Hice said in a statement that he had "experienced intimidation from the IRS firsthand," and added: "I know just how important it is to ensure that our churches and nonprofit organizations are allowed the same fundamental rights as every citizen of this great Nation."
How would the Free Speech Fairness Act work?
It's all in the phrase "if such statements are made in the ordinary course of carrying out its tax exempt purpose." What is meant by "the ordinary course?" Is there a limit on the amount of "incremental expenses?" Such phrases are "not self-defining," writes Daniel Hemel, an assistant professor of law at the University of Chicago. ". . . much will depend on the way that the IRS interprets — and enforces — the ambiguous language that Hice and Scalise have put forward."
But Himel finds the act fairly neutral. "It’s not obvious that the Free Speech Fairness Act would favor Republicans. It would allow Planned Parenthood the same freedom to endorse candidates that it would give to, say, Samaritan’s Purse."
Who supports the Free Speech Fairness Act and who opposes it?
Opponents of any change or repeal of the Johnson Amendment — who include Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, the Secular Coalition of America and the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty — worry about obscuring the line between the separation of church and state.
Many argue that religious leaders already engage in politics without fear of reprisal from the IRS. Some point to Rev. Jerry Falwell Jr.'s support of candidate Donald Trump, which did not endanger the tax-exempt status of Liberty University where Falwell is president. Others say taxpayers would effectively be supporting speech they do not necessarily agree with. "If an organization, such as a house of worship, accepts favorable tax treatment, they’re being underwritten by the taxes you and I pay," Ellen April, a tax law professor at Loyola University, writes in the Washington Post. "Which is fair enough, but then we, the taxpayers, shouldn’t have to pay for their partisan political speech that we may not agree with."
Supporters of the act include the National Religious Broadcasters, an international organization of Christians in communication, the Family Research Council and The Alliance Defending Freedom, a Christian organization that has long advocated a repeal of the Johnson Amendment. They view it as "restoring" free speech to nonprofit organizations, especially houses of worship. They also argue that critics concerned about the line between church and state misunderstand the principle.
"Thomas Jefferson’s 'separation' coinage doesn’t mean that there is a complete wall of separation between the two; it just means that the state should not have control over the church, nor shall the church maintain control over the state." the act's sponsors wrote in The Washington Post.
Where do Americans stand on the issue?
The public has shown little enthusiasm for politics in the pulpit. A 2016 Lifeway poll that found only 19 percent of Americans agree with the statement “it is appropriate for pastors to publicly endorse political candidates during a church service,” and a 2013 Pew Research Center survey that found two-thirds of Americans think clergy should not endorse political candidates.-------
One plus one=3
By Gregg TaylorBigstock/KostyazarMatt’s an artist. He lives like an artist. Thinks like an artist. He looks like an artist.
A blue, knit bobble skull cap covers his brown unkempt hair, an easy smile breaks through the wispy beard and mustache blanketing his face. Tall, lanky, and super chill, the speckled and streaked stains between his fingers, on his pants, suggest a lot of time with paints, palettes, and brushes.
His eyes sparkle like he knows something about life I’d like to know too.
“Anybody can create. We all have it in us to create destruction. We all have it in us to create beauty," Matt the Artist says while we talk and admire the 4x8 feet painting just created by a group of youth in our community — a multicolored message of love made by kids representing a mosaic of skin tones.
"We can add or we can take away. It’s what you do with all that’s going on inside you that makes the difference. If I’ve got a lot of anger, I can choose to hurt myself or someone else or I can choose to create something — use that anger and get it out on canvas or music or dance or poetry or whatever — do something that creates life for me and for someone else. That’s what I like to teach these kids.
"The first rule of art is collaboration,” he continues with his lesson.
"It’s like a different kind of math where 1+1=3. Like when a husband and wife have a baby. 1+1 doesn’t equal 2. You got 3.
"That's how creativity works. Beats and paint and dance and rap and poetry and music and singers and whatever. We all get something from all the other artists. We’re all artists, even if we don’t know it. And what we create when all the artists collaborate is more.”
Yes, Matt the Artist! You are on to something.
More.
More than I can do on my own.
More than we could ever do alone.
Slogging through the swill of 1-1=0 world — alternative truths, rhetoric of fear, otherizing and dehumanizing each other to the point where we all end up at 0, nothing — we could use a little more of 1+1=3.
1-1=0 leaves us disconnected from each other, isolated and alone.
1-1=0 diminishes the image of God dignity of our personhood.
1-1=0 degrades the creative and collaborative power of community.
1-1=0 deteriorates families, relationships, organizations, and governments.
1-1=0 demands I subtract from you, you withdraw from me.
1-1=0 degenerates our vision of the expansive view of God’s compassionate embrace, making each of us increasingly more puny.
Constrictive, restrictive, and weak, 1-1=0 wastes the flourishing life God dreams for all of us; the abundance of life we long for ourselves.
But one plus one = 3?
Now that’s a loaves and fish kind of life, stretching the boundaries of what we see as possible.
The loaves and fish thing is the only miracle recorded in all four gospels. Why? Who knows, but perhaps it’s because it points to something we recognize — if even faintly — about how God dreams the world to be, about how we are to be in the world.
Centered within the compassionate economy of God’s grace, we are invited to move from a strangling “send them away” mentality to an enlarging “you give them something” way of being with each other. Rather than shutting down possibility by erecting barriers between others and ourselves, when we offer to each other what we have and who we are — especially the broken pieces of our lives — something of a different kind of math happens. Something of one plus one = 3 happens.
One plus one = 3 activates life where there wasn’t life before, the total greater than the sum of its parts.
One plus one = 3 is the artistry of God creating beauty on the canvas of shared humanity, mutually experienced brokenness, and our interconnected made-from-Love-for-Love divine worth.
One plus one = 3 amalgamates this word made flesh business of the divine and human coming together, an answer to Jesus’ prayer "that all may be one as we are one."
One plus one = 3 augments generosity, smashing through posturing walls, "placing fear in hospice," as a poet writes, to facilitate hospitable lives of inclusion and embrace.
One plus one = 3 authors cooperative welcome, compassionating our hurting world with a reconciling third way of being together, healing together.
One plus one = 3 amplifies a larger vision to see what is but imagine what can be. Seeing and being seen through the eyes of the God of inexhaustible grace, correcting myopic non-imaginative, small-minded and puny-hearted perceptions.
One plus one = 3 may just be the inspired equation we need. “The Broken Truth, and life itself,” writes Douglas Wood in Old Turtle, ”will be mended only when one person meets another — someone from a different place or with a different face or different ways — and sees and hears …herself. Only then will the people know that every person, every being, is important, and that the world was made for each of us.
"And slowly, as the people met other people different from themselves, they began to see … themselves.”
We are all artists, even if we don’t know it. Anybody can color this kind of one plus one = 3 life.
Moving from what is to what can be, we all have it in us to create beauty. In our homes, our work, our relationships, our conversations. Whom we befriend and invite to the dinner table. How we learn to forgive and to reconcile. How we solve problems and deal with conflict and make choices.
We do have a choice, you know. We can add to each other or we can take away from one another. And that choice also will determine whether or not we take away or add to ourselves.
It’s what you do with all that’s going on inside you that makes the difference.
This article originally appeared on the author's blog. Reprinted with permission.-------
Thoughtful Pastor: Can a divorced person marry again?
By Christy ThomasBigstock/StanciuCDear Thoughtful Pastor: I am a born again Christian. I love the Lord with all of my heart and mind and soul and strength. I am divorced. Can I ever, without losing my salvation, marry again?
Yes, you may.
Let me explain. Jesus did speak to his male followers and told them they didn’t have the right to divorce their wives. Here is why: Jesus was about protecting the rights of women.
In the kind of Middle Eastern society that existed then — and still does in many parts of that geographical area today (Saudi Arabia is a case in point) — women, in general, have few rights. Their very survival was dependent upon their husbands and his extended family.
But men then could, and still can today, quickly divorce their wives by pronouncing three times the equivalent of this phrase “I divorce you.”
By this act, the wife is sent out, homeless, helpless, disgraced and generally without any financial resources. Her family of origin will rarely take her back. It’s a death sentence for most.
The husband, of course, is then free to marry his latest squeeze. Unfortunately, today in parts of the Islamic world a man may enter into a temporary marriage. It is not uncommon for a religiously observant man to engage in a one-hour marriage so he can have religiously-sanctioned sex. Upon his finish, he may then divorce the recipient of the sex act by using the same formula.
So, when Jesus says, “No more of this,” he was saying effectively, “You will not treat women this way any longer.”
When Jesus’ disciples heard this, their response, recorded in Matthew 19, is telling. “Goodness gracious, if that is the case, it is better not to marry.”
They said that because marriage entails real, complex, messy, expensive and often painful obligations to one another. It’s always easier to toss the old one out, particularly if the male wants a young, fresh sexual partner than to live with the realities of lifelong commitments.
Christy ThomasSo, what happens then? What does God do with people who have experienced broken marriages? Are we forever marked as “unacceptable” or “well, you are OK as long as you stay single and lonely the rest of your life?”To answer this, I look at the full expression of renewed hope given by Jesus at the moment of his greatest agony: ”Father, forgive them.”
Then there are these beautiful words written by the Apostle Paul in his treatise to the Roman church: “But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners, Christ died for us.”
Reconciliation with God is not ours because we ask for it or because we deserve it. It is ours because that is the very nature of God whose core is love. God seeks wholeness and health, the fuller meaning of the word “salvation,” for every human being.
We are indeed God’s beloved children covered wholly by grace, able to experience the new mercies of God given daily. I call it the “grand do-over.”
It is hard to receive grace, especially after divorce
Our problem comes when we respond to this offer of full forgiveness, restoration, renewal, grace and mercy with a “No thanks. I do appreciate it and all that, but I’m not good enough for that. Don’t mind me. I’ll just stay on the outside and suffer.”
It’s hard to be the recipient of grace. It takes courage to step up and say, “I, too, am a valued child of God. I am not stained with some indelible mark. I do not have to carry around a flaming red giant 'D' for Divorced on my chest.”
It is easier to get into the habit of the faux-humble “no” to God. The real danger of this is that it may become so habitual that when we do see God face-to-face, when we do hear that final invitation, “Come in. You are clothed in glory. Be seated at the heavenly banquet. Come and partake,” that we may say “No, thank you. I don’t deserve it.”
It is my stance that God will not override our “no’s.” That is the essence of free will. God will honor us if we persist in refusing grace and redemption. And we can, by this false idea of no redemption for the human condition, effectively put ourselves out the door.
If, in this world of grace, you should be so fortunate as to find another partner, one to whom you can pledge your life and receive that pledge in return, then give a joyful “Yes, thank You” to God and set yourself free to love again.
Email questions to thoughtfulpastor@gmail.com. A version of this column previously appeared in print and online editions of The Denton Record Chronicle. Christy blogs at Patheos.-------
Few see Christianity as very important to be 'truly American'
By Emily McFarlan Miller / Religion News ServiceStudents from an Alabama elementary school choir place their hands over their hearts during the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance in 2003. RNS photo by Mary Hattler(RNS) Americans may pledge allegiance to "one nation under God," but they are divided on whether religion is essential to national identity.
Nearly one-third of Americans view being a Christian as "very important" for being "truly American," according to a Pew Research Center report on national identity in more than a dozen countries that was released Wednesday (Feb. 1). About the same number (31 percent) said it was "not at all important."
The report surveyed 14,514 people by telephone or face to face in 14 countries between April 4 and May 29, 2016, on a number of factors that could shape national identity: birthplace, language, national customs and traditions, and religion. The survey was conducted against the backdrop of the United Kingdom's Brexit vote to leave the European Union, then-presidential candidate Donald Trump's campaign promise to build a wall along the United States' border with Mexico (since enshrined in an executive order by President Trump) and growing support for populist parties in several European countries.
Religion ranked last in determining nationality for Americans, with 51 percent responding it was at least somewhat important to be a Christian in order to be truly American. Pew specifically asked about Christianity as nearly 71 percent of the U.S. population identified as Christian in 2014, according to the report.
It followed speaking English (92 percent), sharing American customs and traditions (84 percent) and having been born in the U.S. (55 percent), according to Pew.
But some groups saw Christianity as more important than others. White evangelical Protestants were most likely (57 percent) to view Christianity as very important to American identity, followed by all those who said religion was very important personally (51 percent).
There were also divides by age, gender and, notably, political affiliations. More than 4 in 10 Republicans (43 percent) said Christianity is a very important part of being American, compared with 29 percent of Democrats and 26 percent of independents.
Among the 13 countries Pew asked whether Christianity or Catholicism was important to nationality (based on the most popular expression of religion in each country), a median 15 percent said it was very important to be a "true national," according to the report.
That connection with religion was strongest in Greece (54 percent) and weakest in Sweden (7 percent).
The margin of error in Pew surveys varies by country but is 3.4 percentage points in the United States, according to Pew. Researchers surveyed 1,003 Americans by phone.-------
Deal with it
By Rachel May
Rachel May
Rachel May, pastor of Boulevard United Methodist Church in Richmond, Virginia, preaches a sermon called "Deal with It," based on Matthew 5:21-37. May struggles with the prohibition against "swearing falsely," and finds in it — and in murder, adultery, and divorce — an unwillingness to deal with conflict. "So, deal with it," Jesus says. "Just deal with it."
-------Rachel May, pastor of Boulevard United Methodist Church in Richmond, Virginia, preaches a sermon called "Deal with It," based on Matthew 5:21-37. May struggles with the prohibition against "swearing falsely," and finds in it — and in murder, adultery, and divorce — an unwillingness to deal with conflict. "So, deal with it," Jesus says. "Just deal with it."
This Sunday, February 12, 2017Sixth Sunday After the Epiphany: Deuteronomy 30:15-20; Psalm 119:1-8; 1 Corinthians 3:1-9; Matthew 5:21-37
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Lectionary Readings
Sunday, 12 February 2016
(Courtesy of Vanderbilt Divinity Library)
Sunday, 12 February 2016
(Courtesy of Vanderbilt Divinity Library)
Deuteronomy 30:15-20
Psalm 119:1-8
1 Corinthians 3:1-9
Matthew 5:21-37
Scripture Texts: Deuteronomy 30:(RY: iv, LY: vii) 15 “Look! I am presenting you today with, on the one hand, life and good; and on the other, death and evil — 16 in that I am ordering you today to love Adonai your God, to follow his ways, and to obey his mitzvot, regulations and rulings ; for if you do, you will live and increase your numbers; and Adonai your God will bless you in the land you are entering in order to take possession of it. 17 But if your heart turns away, if you refuse to listen, if you are drawn away to prostrate yourselves before other gods and serve them; (LY: Maftir) 18 I am announcing to you today that you will certainly perish; you will not live long in the land you are crossing the Yarden to enter and possess.
19 “I call on heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have presented you with life and death, the blessing and the curse. Therefore, choose life, so that you will live, you and your descendants, 20 loving Adonai your God, paying attention to what he says and clinging to him — for that is the purpose of your life! On this depends the length of time you will live in the land Adonai swore he would give to your ancestors Avraham, Yitz’chak and Ya‘akov.”
Psalm 119:1 How happy are those whose way of life is blameless,
who live by the Torah of Adonai!
2 How happy are those who observe his instruction,
who seek him wholeheartedly!
3 They do nothing wrong
but live by his ways.
4 You laid down your precepts
for us to observe with care.
5 May my ways be steady
in observing your laws.
6 Then I will not be put to shame,
since I will have fixed my sight on all your mitzvot.
7 I thank you with a sincere heart
as I learn your righteous rulings.
8 I will observe your laws;
don’t completely abandon me!
1 Corinthians 3:1 As for me, brothers, I couldn’t talk to you as spiritual people but as worldly people, as babies, so far as experience with the Messiah is concerned. 2 I gave you milk, not solid food, because you were not yet ready for it. But you aren’t ready for it now either! 3 For you are still worldly! Isn’t it obvious from all the jealousy and quarrelling among you that you are worldly and living by merely human standards? 4 For when one says, “I follow Sha’ul” and another, “I follow Apollos,” aren’t you being merely human? 5 After all, what is Apollos? What is Sha’ul? Only servants through whom you came to trust. Indeed, it was the Lord who brought you to trust through one of us or through another. 6 I planted the seed, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow. 7 So neither the planter nor the waterer is anything, only God who makes things grow — 8 planter and waterer are the same.
However, each will be rewarded according to his work. 9 For we are God’s co-workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.
Matthew 5:21 “You have heard that our fathers were told, ‘Do not murder,’[Matthew 5:21 Exodus 20:13, Deuteronomy 5:17] and that anyone who commits murder will be subject to judgment. 22 But I tell you that anyone who nurses anger against his brother will be subject to judgment; that whoever calls his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing!’ will be brought before the Sanhedrin; that whoever says, ‘Fool!’ incurs the penalty of burning in the fire of Gei-Hinnom! 23 So if you are offering your gift at the Temple altar and you remember there that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift where it is by the altar, and go, make peace with your brother. Then come back and offer your gift. 25 If someone sues you, come to terms with him quickly, while you and he are on the way to court; or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer of the court, and you may be thrown in jail! 26 Yes indeed! I tell you, you will certainly not get out until you have paid the last penny.
27 “You have heard that our fathers were told, ‘Do not commit adultery.’[Matthew 5:27 Exodus 20:13(14); Deuteronomy 5:17(18)] 28 But I tell you that a man who even looks at a woman with the purpose of lusting after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye makes you sin, gouge it out and throw it away! Better that you should lose one part of you than have your whole body thrown into Gei-Hinnom. 30 And if your right hand makes you sin, cut it off and throw it away! Better that you should lose one part of you than have your whole body thrown into Gei-Hinnom.
31 “It was said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife must give her a get.’[Matthew 5:31 Deuteronomy 24:1] 32 But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of fornication, makes her an adulteress; and that anyone who marries a divorcee commits adultery.
33 “Again, you have heard that our fathers were told, ‘Do not break your oath,’ and ‘Keep your vows to Adonai.’[Matthew 5:33 Leviticus 19:12; Numbers 30:3(2); Deuteronomy 23:22(21)] 34 But I tell you not to swear at all — not ‘by heaven,’ because it is God’s throne; 35 not ‘by the earth,’ because it is his footstool;[Matthew 5:35 Isaiah 66:1] and not ‘by Yerushalayim,’ because it is the city of the Great King.[Matthew 5:35 Psalm 48:3(2)] 36 And don’t swear by your head, because you can’t make a single hair white or black. 37 Just let your ‘Yes’ be a simple ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No’ a simple ‘No’; anything more than this has its origin in evil.
John Wesley's Notes-Commentary: Deuteronomy 30:15-20
Verse 19
[19] I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:
Chuse life — They shall have life that chuse it: they that chuse the favour of God, and communion with him, shall have what they chuse. They that come short of life and happiness, must thank themselves only. They had had them, if they had chosen them, when they were put to their choice: but they die, because they will die.
Verse 20
[20] That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.
That thou mayest love the Lord thy God — Here he shews them in short, what their duty is; To love God as the Lord, a being most amiable, and as their God, a God in covenant with them: as an evidence of their love, to obey his voice in every thing, and by constancy in this love and obedience, to cleave to him all their days. And what encouragement had they to do this? For he is thy life and the length of thy days - He gives life, preserves life, restores life, and prolongs it, by his power, tho' it be a frail life, and by his presence, tho' it be a forfeited life. He sweetens life by his comforts, and compleats all in life everlasting.
Psalm 119:1-8
(Read all of Psalm 119)
Verse 6
[6] Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all thy commandments.
Respect — A due respect, which implies hearty affection, diligent study, and constant practice.
To all — So as not to allow myself in any known sin, or in the neglect of any known duty.
Verse 7
[7] I will praise thee with uprightness of heart, when I shall have learned thy righteous judgments.
When — When by thy good spirit I shall he more fitly instructed in the meaning of thy word.
Verse 8
[8] I will keep thy statutes: O forsake me not utterly.
Forsake me not — For then I shall fall into the foulest sins.
Verse 9
[9] BETH. Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.
A young man — Or, any man. But he names the young man, because such are commonly void of wisdom and experience, and exposed to many and great temptations.
Cleanse — Purge himself from all filthiness of flesh and spirit.
1 Corinthians 3:1-9
(Read all of 1 Corinthians 3)
Verse 1
[1] And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.
And I, brethren — He spoke before, 1 Corinthians 2:1, of his entrance, now of his progress, among them.
Could not speak to you as unto spiritual — Adult, experienced Christians. But as unto men who were still in great measure carnal, as unto babes in Christ - Still weak in grace, though eminent in gifts, 1 Corinthians 1:5.
Verse 2
[2] I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.
I fed you, as babes, with milk - The first and plainest truths of the gospel. So should every preacher suit his doctrine to his hearers.
Verse 3
[3] For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?
For while there is among you emulation in your hearts, strife in your words, and actual divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk according to men - As mere men; not as Christians, according to God.
Verse 4
[4] For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?
I am of Apollos — St. Paul named himself and Apollos, to show that he would condemn any division among them, even though it were in favour of himself, or the dearest friend he had in the world.
Are ye not carnal — For the Spirit of God allows no party zeal.
Verse 5
[5] Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man?
Ministers — Or servants. By whom ye believed, as the Lord, the Master of those servants, gave to every man.
Verse 7
[7] So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.
God that giveth the increase — Is all in all: without him neither planting nor watering avails.
Verse 8
[8] Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.
But he that planteth and he that watereth are one — Which is another argument against division. Though their labours are different. they are all employed in one general work, - the saving souls. Hence he takes occasion to speak of the reward of them that labour faithfully, and the awful account to be given by all. Every man shall receive his own peculiar reward according to his own peculiar labour - Not according to his success; but he who labours much, though with small success, shall have a great reward. Has not all this reasoning the same force still? The ministers are still surely instruments in God's hand, and depend as entirely as ever on his blessing, to give the increase to their labours. Without this, they are nothing: with it, their part is so small, that they hardly deserve to be mentioned. May their hearts and hands be more united; and, retaining a due sense of the honour God doeth them in employing them, may they faithfully labour, not as for themselves, but for the great Proprietor of all, till the day come when he will reward them in full proportion to their fidelity and diligence!
Verse 9
[9] For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.
For we are all fellowlabourers — God's labourers, and fellowlabourers with each other.
Ye are God's husbandry — This is the sum of what went before: it is a comprehensive word, taking in both a field, a garden, and a vineyard.
Ye are God's building — This is the sum of what follows.
Matthew 5:21-37
Verse 21
[21] Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:
Ye have heard — From the scribes reciting the law; Thou shalt do no murder - And they interpreted this, as all the other commandments, barely of the outward act.
The judgement — The Jews had in every city a court of twenty-three men, who could sentence a criminal to be strangled. But the sanhedrim only (the great council which sat at Jerusalem, consisting of seventy-two men,) could sentence to the more terrible death of stoning. That was called the judgment, this the council. Exodus 20:13.
Verse 22
[22] But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.
But I say unto you — Which of the prophets ever spake thus? Their language is, Thus saith the Lord. Who hath authority to use this language, but the one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy.
Whosoever is angry with his brother — Some copies add, without a cause - But this is utterly foreign to the whole scope and tenor of our Lord's discourse. If he had only forbidden the being angry without a cause, there was no manner of need of that solemn declaration, I say unto you; for the scribes and Pharisees themselves said as much as this. Even they taught, men ought not to be angry without a cause. So that this righteousness does not exceed theirs. But Christ teaches, that we ought not, for any cause, to be so angry as to call any man Raca, or fool. We ought not, for any cause, to be angry at the person of the sinner, but at his sins only. Happy world, were this plain and necessary distinction thoroughly understood, remembered, practised! Raca means, a silly man, a trifler.
Whosoever shall say, Thou fool — Shall revile, or seriously reproach any man. Our Lord specified three degrees of murder, each liable to a sorer punishment than the other: not indeed from men, but from God.
Hell fire — In the valley of Hinnom (whence the word in the original is taken) the children were used to be burnt alive to Moloch. It was afterward made a receptacle for the filth of the city, where continual fires were kept to consume it. And it is probable, if any criminals were burnt alive, it was in this accursed and horrible place. Therefore both as to its former and latter state, it was a fit emblem of hell. It must here signify a degree of future punishment, as much more dreadful than those incurred in the two former cases, as burning alive is more dreadful than either strangling or stoning.
Verse 23
[23] Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;
Thy brother hath aught against thee — On any of the preceding accounts: for any unkind thought or word: any that did not spring from love.
Verse 24
[24] Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.
Leaving thy gift, go — For neither thy gift nor thy prayer will atone for thy want of love: but this will make them both an abomination before God.
Verse 25
[25] Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.
Agree with thine adversary — With any against whom thou hast thus offended: while thou art in the way - Instantly, on the spot; before you part.
Lest the adversary deliver thee to the judge — Lest he commit his cause to God. Luke 12:58.
Verse 26
[26] Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.
Till thou hast paid the last farthing — That is, for ever, since thou canst never do this. What has been hitherto said refers to meekness: what follows, to purity of heart.
Verse 27
[27] Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:
Thou shalt not commit adultery — And this, as well as the sixth commandment, the scribes and Pharisees interpreted barely of the outward act. Exodus 20:14. 29, 30. If a person as dear as a right eye, or as useful as a right hand, cause thee thus to offend, though but in heart. Perhaps here may be an instance of a kind of transposition which is frequently found in the sacred writings: so that the 29th verse may refer to 27, 28; and the 30th to verse 21, 22. Matthew 5:29,27,28,30,21,22 As if he had said, Part with any thing, however dear to you, or otherwise useful, if you cannot avoid sin while you keep it. Even cut off your right hand, if you are of so passionate a temper, that you cannot otherwise be restrained from hurting your brother. Pull out your eyes, if you can no otherwise be restrained from lusting after women. Matthew 18:8; Mark 9:43.
Verse 30
[30] And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell..
Verse 31
[31] It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement:
Let him give her a writing of divorce — Which the scribes and Pharisees allowed men to do on any trifling occasion. Deuteronomy 24:1; Matthew 19:7; Mark 10:2; Luke 16:18.
Verse 32
[32] But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.
Causeth her to commit adultery — If she marry again.
Verse 33
[33] Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths:
Our Lord here refers to the promise made to the pure in heart of seeing God in all things, and points out a false doctrine of the scribes, which arose from their not thus seeing God. What he forbids is, the swearing at all, 1, by any creature, 2, in our ordinary conversation: both of which the scribes and Pharisees taught to be perfectly innocent. Exodus 20:7.
Verse 36
[36] Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black.
For thou canst not make one hair white or black — Whereby it appears, that this also is not thine but God's.
Verse 37
[37] But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.
Let your conversation be yea, yea; nay, nay — That is, in your common discourse, barely affirm or deny.
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The Upper Room Ministries
PO Box 340004
Nashville, Tennessee 37203-0004, United States
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ALEPH by Raquel Mull
Psalm 119:1-8
Psalm 119 is written in praise of Torah, God’s law or teaching. Psalm 119, the longest chapter in the book of Psalms, is an alphabetical acrostic that contains praises, laments, meditations, petitions, and assurances of God’s presence. The 176 verses are divided into twenty-two sections, each named after a letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Some Bibles show the letters as the subtitles for the divisions.
Hebrew letters differ from the English alphabet because each has a name that is itself a word. Each letter is also a picture or symbol, representing an object, animal, or thing. When people read Hebrew, not only do they understand the sounds of the letters, they know the words they are reading. They also have the added dimension of seeing how the images interact!
The first letter in the Hebrew alphabet is aleph, which means “master.” Aleph is the first and master of the other twenty-one letters. As such, the first verses of Psalm 119 remind us of the blessings we receive when we keep God’s laws.
These pointed reminders of blessing and promise need to be repeated many times for us mortals. The author of 1 John writes in chapter 5 that “the love of God is this, that we obey his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome” (v. 3). It would be nice to think that second-century C.E. life was filled with fewer temptations, making the commandments less of a burden, but we know that people throughout history have struggled to follow God’s ordinances. Those who find them light to carry are the saints among us.
I have difficulty obeying some of the laws, especially the one dealing with covetousness. My daughter, the mother of our two beautiful granddaughters, lives in another state. Her father and I have been divorced for many years, but our relationships with each other and our respective new mates have improved since we are now grandparents. Or so I thought.
One day, my daughter called and explained what they were going to do when they visited her father for four days. Four days! They don’t visit us very often, and they never stay for more than two days! We make the seven-hour trip every other month to ensure that our four- and six-yearold granddaughters know their shimmy (Navajo for my mother’s mother) and hosteen (Navajo for old man). My feelings were hurt, and jealousy’s ugly head rose quickly and strongly. I hung up the phone and cried on Hosteen’s shoulder. I decided not to talk to my daughter again that day.
By the next morning, I was much better and had gotten things into perspective. I called my daughter and thanked her for giving me some time to get my house in order. I reassured her that her family is very important to us; visits to us are not a condition for us to be part of their lives. I had reminded myself of the reasons her father is not able to visit them as frequently as we can. I remembered that the girls would be on summer vacation, and we would be at a yearly conference. I had moved from the jealous woman to the loving mother and grandmother. But it was not easy. It took time and effort, and in all honesty, I didn’t even think about the commandment “Thou shalt not covet” (Exodus 20:17 KJV).
What I did was read Psalm 119:1-4, and I discovered, to my complete astonishment, that I was happy. I had obeyed the commandment and, in doing so, enabled my daughter and her family to be with her father without guilt or worry. We were both free because I finally followed God’s command.
As I mentioned, aleph is the first letter and the master of all other Hebrew letters. It is first and considered by Jewish theologians to actually be made in the image of God. In fact, the first two letters of the Hebrew alphabet spell “father,” which is an example of God at the beginning of all things.
Psalm 119 begins by reminding us that we need to conscientiously choose to walk in God’s ways. It does make a difference in our relationships, all of them; our relationships with God as well as with our fellow human beings.
The second half of today’s lection is a prayer seeking God’s help in keeping the commandments of the Lord. Originally this was written in regard to Torah and all of its 613 laws, but we still need help to obey even the two greatest commandments! Our situation has not changed. We are still tempted, and we still forget the Lord’s laws. Even knowing some of the consequences, we forget. Shame is not easy to live with. We feel guilt when we recognize we have done something wrong, but shame is what we feel when we believe something is wrong with us as people.
The God of creation made us in God’s own image and did not want shame to be a part of our lives. The idea that we are not good enough or will never be right is an attack on our faith. God promises we will be heirs because God sees us as sons and daughters. When we follow God’s commandments, never taking our eyes off them, shame will not rest on us. Knowing we are keeping our relationship with God first prevents doubt from creeping into our prayers and enables us to fulfill our destiny as God’s children.
God wants to be first; in the Hebrew alphabet and in our lives. God has given us the pattern to live through God’s Son, Jesus. Let us remember the laws and why we need to follow them. It is not just happiness and blessings; it is love. It’s the love we have for God and the love we are to have for others, which, as promised, becomes stronger when we diligently keep God’s precepts.read more-------
WORSHIP ELEMENTS: FEBRUARY 12, 2017 (OPTION 1) by J. Wayne Pratt
Sixth Sunday After the Epiphany
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WORSHIP ELEMENTS: FEBRUARY 12, 2017 (OPTION 2) by Mary Petrina Boyd
Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany
COLOR: Green
SCRIPTURE READINGS: Deuteronomy 30:15-20; Psalm 119:1-8; 1 Corinthians 3:1-9; Matthew 5:21-37
THEME IDEAS
God calls us to walk in ways that lead to life and abundance. In his final address, Moses urges the Hebrew people to choose life; the psalmist praises those who walk in God’s ways; and Jesus calls for a deeper, more faithful understanding of God’s laws. Jesus calls us to reconcile with one another, to love faithfully, and to speak truthfully. Lest this lead us to think that salvation comes only through human endeavors, Paul reminds us that God alone gives the growth.
INVITATION AND GATHERING
Call to Worship (Psalm 119)
Happy are those who are without blame.
Blessed are those who walk in God’s way.
Happy are those who are faithful.
Blessed are those who seek God.
We will obey your word, O God.
We will praise you forever!
Opening Prayer (Deuteronomy 30, Psalm 119)
Come, Holy One:
teach us your ways,
lead us in your paths,
guide us on our journey.
Speak to us your words of life,
for you offer us direction and wholeness
when we hear your voice
and follow.
You bless us with your love,
shower us with your grace,
and help us grow in faith.
We seek you, O God,
with all our hearts.
Be near us this day. Amen.
PROCLAMATION AND RESPONSE
Prayer of Confession (Deuteronomy 30, 1 Corinthians 3, Mark 5)
Loving God,
you call us into community,
teach us your ways,
and bless us with abundant life.
Yet we turn aside to follow other paths:
we take the easy way out,
listening to the world’s call
rather than your call to commitment;
we quarrel with one another,
letting differences divide us;
we cherish our resentments,
shutting off our hearts
from forgiveness and reconciliation;
we cling to petty jealousies,
feeling we deserve more than we have.
Forgive us when we wander from your love.
Draw us into community with each other,
and feed us with the milk of your grace,
that we may grow in faithfulness
and work together in peace. Amen.
Words of Assurance (Deuteronomy 30, 1 Corinthians 3)
God is at work, nurturing our growth
and showing us the ways that lead to life.
God is at work, reconciling us to one another
and teaching us the paths of love.
God is at work, hearing our confessions,
forgiving our disobedience,
and blessing us in love.
Thanks be to God!
Passing the Peace of Christ (Matthew 5)
Christ asks that we be reconciled to one another. The love of Christ reaches out to friend and stranger, touching each life with blessing. Share the peace and forgiveness of Christ with one another.
Response to the Word (Deuteronomy 30, Matthew 5)
Caring God,
nurture the life within us.
You have shown us the ways
that lead to life.
You have challenged us
to move beyond easy answers,
to embrace the hard choices
that come with caring deeply for others.
Give us the wisdom and the courage
to resist evil and walk in your ways of love. Amen.
THANKSGIVING AND COMMUNION
Invitation to the Offering (Deuteronomy 30, 1 Corinthians 3)
God has given us growth, guided our steps on the ways that lead to life, and provided companions for our journey. Our very lives are a gift from God. With gratitude and praise, we turn to God with obedient hearts to offer back our gifts, that others may find life and wholeness.
Offering Prayer (Deuteronomy 30, Matthew 5)
Loving God,
you have shown us your ways
and led us in the paths of abundance.
You have blessed us and kept us safe.
In you we see that we are loved.
We offer you our lives,
for we have chosen to follow you.
We offer you our praise,
for your love is great.
Use our gifts, our money, and our hearts
to establish your realm of love upon the earth. Amen.
Invitation to Communion (Matthew 5, 1 Corinthians 3)
This is Christ’s table, where all are welcome. Here we are fed in abundance. Here we gather as Christ’s body. Reconciled to one another, we are God’s people. We are God’s servants, working together. We are God’s field, where love is sown. We are God’s building, a house of love. The feast is prepared; the table is ready. Come! Rejoice and be fed.
SENDING FORTH
Benediction (Deuteronomy 30)
Go forth to walk in God’s ways.
May our ways be blameless.
Hold fast to God in all you do.
Our hearts belong to God.
May the love of God be yours.
God’s blessings rest upon us.
CONTEMPORARY OPTIONS
Gathering Words (Deuteronomy 30)
Choose life!
We will love the Lord our God.
Choose life!
We will obey God in all we do.
Choose life!
We will hold fast to our God.
Choose life!
We choose life in God’s love!
Praise Sentences (Deuteronomy 30)
Choose life! Choose God!
Live in God’s love!
God’s way is good!
Hold fast to God!read more-------
DEAL WITH IT by Rachel Mayread more
SERMON OPTIONS: FEBRUARY 12, 2017
CHOOSE LIFE
DEUTERONOMY 30:15-20
A dedicated, beautiful, popular young woman made a poor choice in her mate for life. Until the day she died at the age of seventy, she felt the negative impact of that decision. Israel had the God-given opportunity to make good choices instead of bad ones. Israel was given the option of either keeping the covenant with the Lord or rejecting the terms of that agreement. God made clear to Israel through Moses that obedience to the covenant would bring blessings and that disobedience would bring curses. Moses' last address to Israel was an admonition to choose wisely. Christians have a covenant with God, also. It is the new testament in the blood of Jesus Christ. Our covenant has parallels to Israel's in regard to the choices involved and their repercussions. God's Word admonishes us to choose wisely.
I. We Can Choose to Disobey God in All of Life
Disobeying God involves turning our hearts away from God. This is the opposite of repentance. It means that our ultimate concerns in life oppose all that God is and all that he desires for us. Also, disobedience, according to our text, consists of turning deaf ears to God's Word, being obstinate and unyielding in regard to the divine will, and opting to worship and serve other gods. Such behavior, Moses cautioned Israel, will result in insecurity and death.
When people turn their backs on the gospel of Jesus Christ, they bring upon themselves eternal punishment ( John 3:36 ; Rev. 20:11-15). When Christians become rebellious toward Christ as Lord, we bring upon ourselves destructive consequences spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and sometimes physically. I have observed again and again Christians who decide to become unfaithful to the local church. Eventually, they lose touch with God and plunge into lifestyles that cause pain and distress to them and to those who love them. Stay yielded to the Lord. Daily deny yourselves, take up your crosses, and follow Jesus. If you do, you will avoid the heartache that follows disobedience.
II. We Can Choose to Obey God in All of Life
Obeying God in all of life consists of loving him, walking in his ways, and obeying his commandments. Since we enjoy the company of those we love, obeying God and walking in his ways give us joy.
When we choose to obey the Lord in all of life, we may expect the Lord's blessings. Though not identical always to those promised and delivered to Israel, they do parallel Israel's and are more desirable. Instead of a home on earth, we are assured of a heavenly home ( John 14:2) . Rather than a large progeny, we receive numerous spiritual fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, and children through our involvement in the family of God. In place of a long life on earth, we are given everlasting life in Christ. Better than security in this world, we are told that no one can pluck us out of the Father's hand. I do not suggest that those who obey God in all of life receive no blessings in this life. We certainly do! For example, a married couple were on the verge of divorce until they decided to rededicate their lives to God and attempt to rebuild their marriage according to God's Word. Now, nearly twenty years and two children later, they continue to discover the bliss of a beautiful life together.
The choice of obedience or disobedience to God's overtures to us is ours to make. Also, the consequences are ours to either enjoy or suffer. The choice is yours—choose life! (Jerry E. Oswalt)
ACCOUNTABLE CHRISTIANITY
1 CORINTHIANS 3:1-9
Accountability is not a very popular word in a world defined by convenience. Christian growth involves accountability as a necessary tool that seeks to enable us to be honest about who we are in our relationship with God in Christ. This truth is the tool Paul uses in this passage to confront the Corinthians in response to their frustration at Paul's simple teaching of the gospel.
Paul aggressively encourages the Corinthians to face up to their immature faith. Their criticism of Paul's preaching so simple a gospel becomes the springboard for this great preacher to honestly identify the immaturity of the Corinthians' expression of faith.
I. Immature Faith Majors on Minor Issues
The Corinthian believers were splitting into factions centered on loyalty to various human leaders. The church consisted of "preacher parties." Paul confronts them with the truth that congregations who seek to center their growth and life on personalities are infants in faith who need to grow up. Only God causes growth.
Paul holds this young congregation accountable for their growth in the Christian faith as he addresses a nonissue and turns it into a clear example of their Christian immaturity. Paul would never allow such a hollow, immature nonissue to intimidate the vision of God he has been called to share.
II. Immature Faith Must Be Confronted by Visionary Leaders
Paul dares to respond to the issue by defending the simplistic content of his preaching because it fit the audience to which he preached. The images used here are rich and powerful ones: infants in faith need receive the gospel only on the level they can handle it, as an infant can handle only milk. Paul's boldness with these Corinthians makes preachers' hair stand on the backs of their necks as they imagine such a dialogue in their own congregations over issues that so often are nonissues. How many churches have never been led with God's vision because leaders did not have the courage, with God's leading and grace, to confront the nonissues for what they are?
Paul has no time for such foolishness. Not only does he call their bluff, but he uses their issue as a platform from which to proclaim that they need to grow beyond such spiritual immaturity, led by the God who gives the growth. Walt Kallestad, pastor of the Community Church of Joy, shares in his seminar "How to Grow a Church" that the primary role of the pastor is that of the visionary leader. Stephen Covey, in his breakthrough book Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, talks about the need for the visionary leader in any business or institution.
In the church we understand such vision to come from God. God grows persons from infancy to maturity in faith. Pastors, as the visionary leaders of their churches, share and proclaim God's vision.
III. Immature Faith Must Be Called to Accountability
God's vision demands accountability. The accountability Paul offers is honest. It is an accountability that offers so much more than just judgment; it offers the opportunity for growth and a more mature understanding of the God who enables and empowers such growth. In love and grace, Jesus himself never sacrificed the vision of God for people who needed accountability with the immature faith they sought to share. The vision of growth in faith demands accountability. Those who fail to be held accountable—as well as those who can bring accountability but don't—will discover little, if any, growth in their faith.
The vision of new life in the birth of a baby involves growing up. To remain an infant is to miss the whole point of life. Without effective and honest accountability, growth will be strangled. (Travis Franklin)
DANGER OF HELL'S FIRE
MATTHEW 5:21-37
Jesus says to the crowd around him that anyone who calls a sister or brother a fool stands in danger of hell's fire. To judge by the language and attitudes presented on TV, there aren't many people who still believe that, however. Who could blame them? If you have been listening to the message from pulpits across this country, there has been a constant focus on the grace of God but little attention to the significance of our deeds. We have been promoting a form of Christian salvation that denies any significance of our human initiatives in the drama of life. We have been offering a form of redemption that actually seems to make our human conduct and words insignificant.
A friend commented that the most distressing thing he observed as he grew older was that it became more and more difficult to sin. Walker Percy writes about the desire of a doctor to find one clear and obvious evil. We have been working to eliminate sin. Nobody cares enough to hold us accountable. No one seems to expect anything from anyone anymore, so there can be no betrayal of commitment. We have been so anxious to declare to everyone that God's unconditional love will accept us as we are, that what we have done in the past doesn't matter, God will receive us just where we are. The constant proclamation of God's unconditional love soon becomes the declaration that we as human beings do not matter because nothing we do has any affect on God or on God's love or even can affect our eternal salvation.
Douglas John Hall, in his recent book Professing the Faith, suggested that Helmut Thielicke's description of covert nihilism is the basic attitude of most of North America. It has a basic indifference about life. Covert nihilism practices detachment, noninvolvement, "value free" investigations. It affirms the possibility of objective research. It shuns commitment. It translates into apathy and "psychic numbing." Nothing that we do seems to matter.
The individual approach is to take a personal survival tactic with little conviction about the direction of the future. Covert nihilists are masters of repression. They will not even examine their spiritual emptiness. They are living with a massive loss of meaning for life and for eternity. The gospel of unconditional love confirms this hidden and massive feeling that what I do and how I live have no meaning. The more the Christian faith tells people that forgiveness is simply God's unmerited free acceptance of our sins, the more suspicious people become about the real price of this kind of grace, which is the surrender and sacrifice of the dignity and meaning of our human existence.
God's forgiveness is not just to tell us the past did not matter; the real and powerful purpose of God's forgiveness is to say that we have such an important work to do as God's agents of stewardship of creation that God cannot afford to lose one good worker and so we are given back our future and told to get to work. Jesus Christ never expected those who entered the Kingdom to be pure and perfect when they entered, but he did expect them to strive to become perfect while they stayed.
Perhaps this word from Jesus—about the calling of a brother or sister a fool getting us eternal damnation—ought to remind us that God does expect much from us. God will not deal kindly with people who have seen divine love in Christ, accepted divine grace in Jesus, and done nothing with the power of the Holy Spirit. It is a terrible thing for one to stand in danger of the fires of hell, it is an awesome thing to fall into the hands of a righteous God, but there is only one thing worse: to declare a grace that removes forever the possibility of standing in danger of the fires of hell. For the fires of hell and the glories of heaven give some eternal depth and height and glory to our human lives. (Rick Brand)read more-------
WORSHIP FOR KIDS: FEBRUARY 12, 2017 by Carolyn C. Brown
From a Child's Point of View
Old Testament: Deuteronomy 30:15-20. Elementary-school children learn slowly, through experience, that the choices they make every day have consequences. At this age—as in weak moments later in life—they blame others for the consequences of their decisions. But as they grow, children take more and more responsibility for their actions. This passage speaks to children who are learning to make choices and to accept the consequences.
Moses tells Jews on the edge of the Promised Land that they will need to make choices in their new home. If the children are reminded of all that happened during the Exodus, they will realize that God had clearly shown these people how to make choices. They knew what God promised and what God expected. "Standing in the sandals" of these Jews, older children can begin to identify the choices they faced and what God had shown them about what they were to do.
It is important to point out that Moses did not say that God would punish the people if they made the wrong choices. Rather, Moses insisted that following God's ways leads naturally to good results, while following selfish, wicked ways leads to bad results.
Psalm: 119:1-8. The vocabulary of this psalm makes it almost impossible for children to follow. However, when they know that this is an acrostic made up of short statements about the benefits of following God's ways, children may understand one or two statements. Older children are helped if they are alerted before the reading to the eight words that are used for God's rules in these eight verses: Law, testimonies, ways, precepts, statues, commandments, ordinances, and statutes (repeated).
Gospel: Matthew 5:21-37. Only the most mature children can grasp Jesus' point about living by the Spirit rather than by the letter of the Law. Their understanding begins with recognizing the close connection between strong feelings and actions. Younger children, however, are still learning to understand and live by the rules. For both, it may be more helpful to focus on one of Jesus' three examples.
The first example is the easiest because it deals with a familiar problem: anger. Jesus insists, and children know, that calling brothers and sisters names or being furious with friends (no matter how much the names and fury are deserved) leads to trouble. When we carry angry feelings around with us, eventually they explode into name calling, kicking, punching, and even killing. Because of that, Jesus says it is important to get rid of angry feelings. It is so important that even going to church worship God should be put off until we work out angry problems with others.
Note: Jesus never says that being angry is bad, only that it is dangerous. Children need to be assured that everyone becomes angry and that angry feelings are an important sign that something is terribly wrong. Challenge children to recognize this sign—angry feelings—and find ways to resolve the problem to which it points.
Jesus' second example is adultery—or family loyalty. He presents God's intention that people should live together in marriages and families, and that they should love and trust each other in all things at all times. In today's culture, that is not the norm, so children need to hear Jesus' vision affirmed, while they also need to hear that failed marriages, especially those of their parents, are forgivable. (Just as God forgives us when we fail to be kind or to be peacemakers, God forgives husbands and wives who fail to make their marriages last a lifetime.) But they do need to know that God expects us all to work hard to make our families lifetime commitments, and they need encouragement to dream of lifetime marriages for themselves. Though Jesus speaks of husbands and wives, children also are expected to be loyalty to their families. This includes babysitting with younger siblings (or grandparents), paying attention to and really listening to each other, working to get along together, and so forth.
Though they need adult help to decipher Jesus' third example, children, with their love of elaborate secret club oaths and "cross my fingers, hope to die," understand Jesus' insistence that we simply do what we say we will do. We should be so dependable that oaths are not necessary.
Epistle: 1 Corinthians 3:1-9. The problem in the Corinthian church and the language with which Paul addresses it are beyond the understanding and experience of children. Paul's message about the immaturity of arguing and jealousy, however, does speak clearly to them. Children, often warned not to act like babies, enjoy Paul's telling the adults that they are acting like babies when they fuss and argue. That chuckle opens the door to discussion of our tendency, at all ages, to such behavior, and the challenge to grow beyond it.
Watch Words
Avoid abstract terms such a good and evil or life and death in describing the choices people face. Instead, speak of obeying God's rules or following God's ways.
Instead of speaking of adultery or lust, talk about family and marriage loyalty.
Let the Children Sing
Commit yourselves to making good choices with "Seek ye First" and "Open My Eyes, That I May See." Though it is not familiar to most children and some of its concepts are abstract, the vocabulary of "God of Our Life Through All the Circling Years" is simple enough for older elementary children to read and sing.
Sing about the resolution of angry feelings and bickering with "Let There Be Peace on Earth."
Praise God for the blessings of family and church in the concrete words of "For the Beauty of the Earth."
The Liturgical Child
1. Before reading the Deuteronomy text, set it in context by recounting events from Exodus in which Jews learned what God wants and promises. Invite worshipers to imagine themselves among the crowd gathered near the border of the Promised Land. Then assume the role of Moses, addressing his followers with great passion and dramatic flair. Use your hands to indicate the two options being offered. Point at the crowd as you warn them in verse 17; point to heaven as you call for witnesses in verse 19.
2. Ask eight readers (perhaps an older children's class) to read this psalm, each reader reading one verse. Before the reading, explain that in this acrostic (alphabet poem), each verse is a separate statement about obeying God's rules. In Hebrew, each line begins with the letter Aleph.
3. Build a prayer of confession on our failures to choose God's ways as they are expressed in the Ten Commandments. One leader could read the Commandments, pausing after each one for another leader to offer a brief prayer related to it.
Or a single leader could offer ten prayers, following the same structure: "You have called us to . . . [cite one command], but we have chosen to. . . . Forgive us."
4. Use the Ten Commandments in a responsive affirmation of faith. The congregational response to the reading of each command: "God, we want to choose your ways."
5. If you focus on family loyalty, provide an opportunity for couples to renew their marriage vows, or for members of families to make promises to one another. Informal congregations may enjoy gathering in family groups to hold hands as they make the promises. Be sure to urge those whose families are not present to imagine the other members around them. Then line out promises for family members to repeat.
Just because we live together, that does not mean that we are a family. Loving one another, taking care of one another, and sharing good and bad experiences makes us a family. So now, in the presence of God, who creates all families, I invite you to make these promises to the members of your family:
You are my family. Because I love you, I promise to . . .
• really listen when you talk to me;
• tell you about both the good and the bad things that happen to me;
• make time for us to do things together;
• put up with you when you are crabby and moody; and
• pray for you every day.
Let us pray. Lord, these are not easy promises to keep. Be with us. Help us to keep our promises on happy days when they are easy, and on miserable days when they are had to keep. Help us remember our promises when what is happening to us seems so much more important than what is happening at home. Help us to share your love with one another until it spills over to people beyond our family. Amen.
Sermon Resources
1. Many parenting books speak about disciplining children with the "logical, natural consequences" of other activities. Tell stories about such discipline—perhaps from your own childhood—and compare it to the way God disciplines us.
2. This three-step method of dealing with anger helps people of all ages:
Step One: Work off the angry feelings. Everyone needs to know some safe, satisfactory ways to work off the steam of anger. Children often find that shooting baskets by themselves or some other physical exercise does the job.
Step Two: Think it through. After the angry feelings have been reduced, ask yourself the following questions:
What really happened?
Why did he/she/they do that?
Why did I do that?
What needs fixing?
What can I do to help fix it?
Step Three: Go to work. Decide what you need to do and get any help you need to do it. It often helps for a family member or friend to work with you, especially if you need to talk with the others involved.
3. A story about family loyalty in spite of problems, Beezus and Ramona by Beverly Cleary describes nine-year-old Beezus' difficulties with a very pesky preschool sister. The last chapter tells how Ramona ruined two birthday cakes on Beezus' birthday, and how their mother and her sister told of the problems they had getting along when they were little girls.read more-------
FEBRUARY 12, 2017 - BY GOD'S GRACE: CONFESSING, CONFRONTING, CONQUERING OUR RACISM by William H. Willimon
PULPIT RESOURCE
Psalm 119:1-8
1 Corinthians 3:1-9
Matthew 5:21-37
Scripture Texts: Deuteronomy 30:(RY: iv, LY: vii) 15 “Look! I am presenting you today with, on the one hand, life and good; and on the other, death and evil — 16 in that I am ordering you today to love Adonai your God, to follow his ways, and to obey his mitzvot, regulations and rulings ; for if you do, you will live and increase your numbers; and Adonai your God will bless you in the land you are entering in order to take possession of it. 17 But if your heart turns away, if you refuse to listen, if you are drawn away to prostrate yourselves before other gods and serve them; (LY: Maftir) 18 I am announcing to you today that you will certainly perish; you will not live long in the land you are crossing the Yarden to enter and possess.
19 “I call on heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have presented you with life and death, the blessing and the curse. Therefore, choose life, so that you will live, you and your descendants, 20 loving Adonai your God, paying attention to what he says and clinging to him — for that is the purpose of your life! On this depends the length of time you will live in the land Adonai swore he would give to your ancestors Avraham, Yitz’chak and Ya‘akov.”
Psalm 119:1 How happy are those whose way of life is blameless,
who live by the Torah of Adonai!
2 How happy are those who observe his instruction,
who seek him wholeheartedly!
3 They do nothing wrong
but live by his ways.
4 You laid down your precepts
for us to observe with care.
5 May my ways be steady
in observing your laws.
6 Then I will not be put to shame,
since I will have fixed my sight on all your mitzvot.
7 I thank you with a sincere heart
as I learn your righteous rulings.
8 I will observe your laws;
don’t completely abandon me!
1 Corinthians 3:1 As for me, brothers, I couldn’t talk to you as spiritual people but as worldly people, as babies, so far as experience with the Messiah is concerned. 2 I gave you milk, not solid food, because you were not yet ready for it. But you aren’t ready for it now either! 3 For you are still worldly! Isn’t it obvious from all the jealousy and quarrelling among you that you are worldly and living by merely human standards? 4 For when one says, “I follow Sha’ul” and another, “I follow Apollos,” aren’t you being merely human? 5 After all, what is Apollos? What is Sha’ul? Only servants through whom you came to trust. Indeed, it was the Lord who brought you to trust through one of us or through another. 6 I planted the seed, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow. 7 So neither the planter nor the waterer is anything, only God who makes things grow — 8 planter and waterer are the same.
However, each will be rewarded according to his work. 9 For we are God’s co-workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.
Matthew 5:21 “You have heard that our fathers were told, ‘Do not murder,’[Matthew 5:21 Exodus 20:13, Deuteronomy 5:17] and that anyone who commits murder will be subject to judgment. 22 But I tell you that anyone who nurses anger against his brother will be subject to judgment; that whoever calls his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing!’ will be brought before the Sanhedrin; that whoever says, ‘Fool!’ incurs the penalty of burning in the fire of Gei-Hinnom! 23 So if you are offering your gift at the Temple altar and you remember there that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift where it is by the altar, and go, make peace with your brother. Then come back and offer your gift. 25 If someone sues you, come to terms with him quickly, while you and he are on the way to court; or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer of the court, and you may be thrown in jail! 26 Yes indeed! I tell you, you will certainly not get out until you have paid the last penny.
27 “You have heard that our fathers were told, ‘Do not commit adultery.’[Matthew 5:27 Exodus 20:13(14); Deuteronomy 5:17(18)] 28 But I tell you that a man who even looks at a woman with the purpose of lusting after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye makes you sin, gouge it out and throw it away! Better that you should lose one part of you than have your whole body thrown into Gei-Hinnom. 30 And if your right hand makes you sin, cut it off and throw it away! Better that you should lose one part of you than have your whole body thrown into Gei-Hinnom.
31 “It was said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife must give her a get.’[Matthew 5:31 Deuteronomy 24:1] 32 But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of fornication, makes her an adulteress; and that anyone who marries a divorcee commits adultery.
33 “Again, you have heard that our fathers were told, ‘Do not break your oath,’ and ‘Keep your vows to Adonai.’[Matthew 5:33 Leviticus 19:12; Numbers 30:3(2); Deuteronomy 23:22(21)] 34 But I tell you not to swear at all — not ‘by heaven,’ because it is God’s throne; 35 not ‘by the earth,’ because it is his footstool;[Matthew 5:35 Isaiah 66:1] and not ‘by Yerushalayim,’ because it is the city of the Great King.[Matthew 5:35 Psalm 48:3(2)] 36 And don’t swear by your head, because you can’t make a single hair white or black. 37 Just let your ‘Yes’ be a simple ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No’ a simple ‘No’; anything more than this has its origin in evil.
John Wesley's Notes-Commentary: Deuteronomy 30:15-20
Verse 19
[19] I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:
Chuse life — They shall have life that chuse it: they that chuse the favour of God, and communion with him, shall have what they chuse. They that come short of life and happiness, must thank themselves only. They had had them, if they had chosen them, when they were put to their choice: but they die, because they will die.
Verse 20
[20] That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.
That thou mayest love the Lord thy God — Here he shews them in short, what their duty is; To love God as the Lord, a being most amiable, and as their God, a God in covenant with them: as an evidence of their love, to obey his voice in every thing, and by constancy in this love and obedience, to cleave to him all their days. And what encouragement had they to do this? For he is thy life and the length of thy days - He gives life, preserves life, restores life, and prolongs it, by his power, tho' it be a frail life, and by his presence, tho' it be a forfeited life. He sweetens life by his comforts, and compleats all in life everlasting.
Psalm 119:1-8
(Read all of Psalm 119)
Verse 6
[6] Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all thy commandments.
Respect — A due respect, which implies hearty affection, diligent study, and constant practice.
To all — So as not to allow myself in any known sin, or in the neglect of any known duty.
Verse 7
[7] I will praise thee with uprightness of heart, when I shall have learned thy righteous judgments.
When — When by thy good spirit I shall he more fitly instructed in the meaning of thy word.
Verse 8
[8] I will keep thy statutes: O forsake me not utterly.
Forsake me not — For then I shall fall into the foulest sins.
Verse 9
[9] BETH. Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.
A young man — Or, any man. But he names the young man, because such are commonly void of wisdom and experience, and exposed to many and great temptations.
Cleanse — Purge himself from all filthiness of flesh and spirit.
1 Corinthians 3:1-9
(Read all of 1 Corinthians 3)
Verse 1
[1] And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.
And I, brethren — He spoke before, 1 Corinthians 2:1, of his entrance, now of his progress, among them.
Could not speak to you as unto spiritual — Adult, experienced Christians. But as unto men who were still in great measure carnal, as unto babes in Christ - Still weak in grace, though eminent in gifts, 1 Corinthians 1:5.
Verse 2
[2] I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.
I fed you, as babes, with milk - The first and plainest truths of the gospel. So should every preacher suit his doctrine to his hearers.
Verse 3
[3] For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?
For while there is among you emulation in your hearts, strife in your words, and actual divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk according to men - As mere men; not as Christians, according to God.
Verse 4
[4] For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?
I am of Apollos — St. Paul named himself and Apollos, to show that he would condemn any division among them, even though it were in favour of himself, or the dearest friend he had in the world.
Are ye not carnal — For the Spirit of God allows no party zeal.
Verse 5
[5] Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man?
Ministers — Or servants. By whom ye believed, as the Lord, the Master of those servants, gave to every man.
Verse 7
[7] So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.
God that giveth the increase — Is all in all: without him neither planting nor watering avails.
Verse 8
[8] Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.
But he that planteth and he that watereth are one — Which is another argument against division. Though their labours are different. they are all employed in one general work, - the saving souls. Hence he takes occasion to speak of the reward of them that labour faithfully, and the awful account to be given by all. Every man shall receive his own peculiar reward according to his own peculiar labour - Not according to his success; but he who labours much, though with small success, shall have a great reward. Has not all this reasoning the same force still? The ministers are still surely instruments in God's hand, and depend as entirely as ever on his blessing, to give the increase to their labours. Without this, they are nothing: with it, their part is so small, that they hardly deserve to be mentioned. May their hearts and hands be more united; and, retaining a due sense of the honour God doeth them in employing them, may they faithfully labour, not as for themselves, but for the great Proprietor of all, till the day come when he will reward them in full proportion to their fidelity and diligence!
Verse 9
[9] For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.
For we are all fellowlabourers — God's labourers, and fellowlabourers with each other.
Ye are God's husbandry — This is the sum of what went before: it is a comprehensive word, taking in both a field, a garden, and a vineyard.
Ye are God's building — This is the sum of what follows.
Matthew 5:21-37
Verse 21
[21] Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:
Ye have heard — From the scribes reciting the law; Thou shalt do no murder - And they interpreted this, as all the other commandments, barely of the outward act.
The judgement — The Jews had in every city a court of twenty-three men, who could sentence a criminal to be strangled. But the sanhedrim only (the great council which sat at Jerusalem, consisting of seventy-two men,) could sentence to the more terrible death of stoning. That was called the judgment, this the council. Exodus 20:13.
Verse 22
[22] But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.
But I say unto you — Which of the prophets ever spake thus? Their language is, Thus saith the Lord. Who hath authority to use this language, but the one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy.
Whosoever is angry with his brother — Some copies add, without a cause - But this is utterly foreign to the whole scope and tenor of our Lord's discourse. If he had only forbidden the being angry without a cause, there was no manner of need of that solemn declaration, I say unto you; for the scribes and Pharisees themselves said as much as this. Even they taught, men ought not to be angry without a cause. So that this righteousness does not exceed theirs. But Christ teaches, that we ought not, for any cause, to be so angry as to call any man Raca, or fool. We ought not, for any cause, to be angry at the person of the sinner, but at his sins only. Happy world, were this plain and necessary distinction thoroughly understood, remembered, practised! Raca means, a silly man, a trifler.
Whosoever shall say, Thou fool — Shall revile, or seriously reproach any man. Our Lord specified three degrees of murder, each liable to a sorer punishment than the other: not indeed from men, but from God.
Hell fire — In the valley of Hinnom (whence the word in the original is taken) the children were used to be burnt alive to Moloch. It was afterward made a receptacle for the filth of the city, where continual fires were kept to consume it. And it is probable, if any criminals were burnt alive, it was in this accursed and horrible place. Therefore both as to its former and latter state, it was a fit emblem of hell. It must here signify a degree of future punishment, as much more dreadful than those incurred in the two former cases, as burning alive is more dreadful than either strangling or stoning.
Verse 23
[23] Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;
Thy brother hath aught against thee — On any of the preceding accounts: for any unkind thought or word: any that did not spring from love.
Verse 24
[24] Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.
Leaving thy gift, go — For neither thy gift nor thy prayer will atone for thy want of love: but this will make them both an abomination before God.
Verse 25
[25] Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.
Agree with thine adversary — With any against whom thou hast thus offended: while thou art in the way - Instantly, on the spot; before you part.
Lest the adversary deliver thee to the judge — Lest he commit his cause to God. Luke 12:58.
Verse 26
[26] Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.
Till thou hast paid the last farthing — That is, for ever, since thou canst never do this. What has been hitherto said refers to meekness: what follows, to purity of heart.
Verse 27
[27] Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:
Thou shalt not commit adultery — And this, as well as the sixth commandment, the scribes and Pharisees interpreted barely of the outward act. Exodus 20:14. 29, 30. If a person as dear as a right eye, or as useful as a right hand, cause thee thus to offend, though but in heart. Perhaps here may be an instance of a kind of transposition which is frequently found in the sacred writings: so that the 29th verse may refer to 27, 28; and the 30th to verse 21, 22. Matthew 5:29,27,28,30,21,22 As if he had said, Part with any thing, however dear to you, or otherwise useful, if you cannot avoid sin while you keep it. Even cut off your right hand, if you are of so passionate a temper, that you cannot otherwise be restrained from hurting your brother. Pull out your eyes, if you can no otherwise be restrained from lusting after women. Matthew 18:8; Mark 9:43.
Verse 30
[30] And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell..
Verse 31
[31] It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement:
Let him give her a writing of divorce — Which the scribes and Pharisees allowed men to do on any trifling occasion. Deuteronomy 24:1; Matthew 19:7; Mark 10:2; Luke 16:18.
Verse 32
[32] But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.
Causeth her to commit adultery — If she marry again.
Verse 33
[33] Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths:
Our Lord here refers to the promise made to the pure in heart of seeing God in all things, and points out a false doctrine of the scribes, which arose from their not thus seeing God. What he forbids is, the swearing at all, 1, by any creature, 2, in our ordinary conversation: both of which the scribes and Pharisees taught to be perfectly innocent. Exodus 20:7.
Verse 36
[36] Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black.
For thou canst not make one hair white or black — Whereby it appears, that this also is not thine but God's.
Verse 37
[37] But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.
Let your conversation be yea, yea; nay, nay — That is, in your common discourse, barely affirm or deny.
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The Upper Room Ministries
PO Box 340004
Nashville, Tennessee 37203-0004, United States
-------ALEPH by Raquel Mull
Psalm 119:1-8
Psalm 119 is written in praise of Torah, God’s law or teaching. Psalm 119, the longest chapter in the book of Psalms, is an alphabetical acrostic that contains praises, laments, meditations, petitions, and assurances of God’s presence. The 176 verses are divided into twenty-two sections, each named after a letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Some Bibles show the letters as the subtitles for the divisions.
Hebrew letters differ from the English alphabet because each has a name that is itself a word. Each letter is also a picture or symbol, representing an object, animal, or thing. When people read Hebrew, not only do they understand the sounds of the letters, they know the words they are reading. They also have the added dimension of seeing how the images interact!
The first letter in the Hebrew alphabet is aleph, which means “master.” Aleph is the first and master of the other twenty-one letters. As such, the first verses of Psalm 119 remind us of the blessings we receive when we keep God’s laws.
These pointed reminders of blessing and promise need to be repeated many times for us mortals. The author of 1 John writes in chapter 5 that “the love of God is this, that we obey his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome” (v. 3). It would be nice to think that second-century C.E. life was filled with fewer temptations, making the commandments less of a burden, but we know that people throughout history have struggled to follow God’s ordinances. Those who find them light to carry are the saints among us.
I have difficulty obeying some of the laws, especially the one dealing with covetousness. My daughter, the mother of our two beautiful granddaughters, lives in another state. Her father and I have been divorced for many years, but our relationships with each other and our respective new mates have improved since we are now grandparents. Or so I thought.
One day, my daughter called and explained what they were going to do when they visited her father for four days. Four days! They don’t visit us very often, and they never stay for more than two days! We make the seven-hour trip every other month to ensure that our four- and six-yearold granddaughters know their shimmy (Navajo for my mother’s mother) and hosteen (Navajo for old man). My feelings were hurt, and jealousy’s ugly head rose quickly and strongly. I hung up the phone and cried on Hosteen’s shoulder. I decided not to talk to my daughter again that day.
By the next morning, I was much better and had gotten things into perspective. I called my daughter and thanked her for giving me some time to get my house in order. I reassured her that her family is very important to us; visits to us are not a condition for us to be part of their lives. I had reminded myself of the reasons her father is not able to visit them as frequently as we can. I remembered that the girls would be on summer vacation, and we would be at a yearly conference. I had moved from the jealous woman to the loving mother and grandmother. But it was not easy. It took time and effort, and in all honesty, I didn’t even think about the commandment “Thou shalt not covet” (Exodus 20:17 KJV).
What I did was read Psalm 119:1-4, and I discovered, to my complete astonishment, that I was happy. I had obeyed the commandment and, in doing so, enabled my daughter and her family to be with her father without guilt or worry. We were both free because I finally followed God’s command.
As I mentioned, aleph is the first letter and the master of all other Hebrew letters. It is first and considered by Jewish theologians to actually be made in the image of God. In fact, the first two letters of the Hebrew alphabet spell “father,” which is an example of God at the beginning of all things.
Psalm 119 begins by reminding us that we need to conscientiously choose to walk in God’s ways. It does make a difference in our relationships, all of them; our relationships with God as well as with our fellow human beings.
The second half of today’s lection is a prayer seeking God’s help in keeping the commandments of the Lord. Originally this was written in regard to Torah and all of its 613 laws, but we still need help to obey even the two greatest commandments! Our situation has not changed. We are still tempted, and we still forget the Lord’s laws. Even knowing some of the consequences, we forget. Shame is not easy to live with. We feel guilt when we recognize we have done something wrong, but shame is what we feel when we believe something is wrong with us as people.
The God of creation made us in God’s own image and did not want shame to be a part of our lives. The idea that we are not good enough or will never be right is an attack on our faith. God promises we will be heirs because God sees us as sons and daughters. When we follow God’s commandments, never taking our eyes off them, shame will not rest on us. Knowing we are keeping our relationship with God first prevents doubt from creeping into our prayers and enables us to fulfill our destiny as God’s children.
God wants to be first; in the Hebrew alphabet and in our lives. God has given us the pattern to live through God’s Son, Jesus. Let us remember the laws and why we need to follow them. It is not just happiness and blessings; it is love. It’s the love we have for God and the love we are to have for others, which, as promised, becomes stronger when we diligently keep God’s precepts.read more-------
WORSHIP ELEMENTS: FEBRUARY 12, 2017 (OPTION 1) by J. Wayne Pratt
Sixth Sunday After the Epiphany
COLOR: Green
SCRIPTURE READINGS: Deuteronomy 30:15-20; Psalm 119:1-8; 1 Corinthians 3:1-9; Matthew 5:21-37
THEME IDEAS
Today’s readings challenge us to choose life. As the church, we are called to focus on what God’s kingdom requires, what it blesses, and how the worshiping community is to live out its distinct calling to be the body of Christ. Moses reminds the people of their covenant to worship God alone and to walk in the ways of the Lord. Paul helps the congregation at Corinth to understand and reframe its views of leadership, particularly in relation to understanding the gift of growth that comes through the power of the Spirit. In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus begins to move his followers from their assumptions about the ways of God: “You have heard that it was said. . .” to the ways of the gospel: “but I say to you. . . .” The teachings of
Jesus confront us with choices, each carrying its own unique consequences. Jesus calls us to choose the practices that will bring God glory and honor.
INVITATION AND GATHERING
Call to Worship (Psalm 119)
Happy are those who walk in God’s ways.
Blessed are those who observe God’s
commandments.
Faithful are those whose eyes are fixed
on righteousness.
Joyful are those whose hearts are filled
with praise.
Come, let us love the Lord our God.
We come to worship the One who leads us
in the ways of life.
Opening Prayer (Deuteronomy 30, Matthew 5)
Holy Spirit, guide us as we walk in faith,
and guard us against the powers
that would draw us away from your love.
Help us live according to your commandments,
that we might live long in the land
you have prepared for us.
Prompt us to seek you with our whole heart
and guide us to walk in your ways,
that we may carry out the vows
of the covenant we share.
May our words and deeds
bring life and faith to others,
as we hold fast to the gift of faith.
Be near us each and every day,
and bless us with your light,
that our days may be filled with grace. Amen.
PROCLAMATION AND RESPONSE
Prayer of Confession (Deuteronomy 30, 1 Corinthians 3)
Loving God, you call us to walk in your ways,
observe your commandments,
and love you as you have loved us.
You offer us a community of abundant blessing,
with rich soil to promote dynamic growth.
Yet we often turn away from you
to satisfy our own wants and desires.
We forsake the way of love and forgiveness,
giving in to petty jealousies and quarreling,
and surrendering our lofty ideals
to our baser inclinations.
Forgive us, O God.
When we flee from your embrace,
draw us into community with you
and with one another.
Shower us with the cleansing waters of humility,
that we may reclaim our purpose
and find nourishment and growth
in labors of love
to bring your kingdom in our midst.
Words of Assurance (Deuteronomy 30, 1 Corinthians 3)
God is alive and at work nurturing our growth,
nourishing our needs, and reconciling us
to one another.
God hears the confessions of our hearts
and forgives generously, sharing love with all
who follow in God’s ways.
It is through God’s amazing grace that we are forgiven.
And all God’s children respond:
Thanks be to God!
Response to the Word (Matthew 5)
O God, send your Spirit upon us and light our path,
that we may travel the road
you have prepared for us.
Having heard your scriptures proclaimed,
and your word revealed,
enable our hearts and minds
to more fully understand
your goodness and your grace.
Help us break free from ideas that no longer bring life,
that we may embrace the life-giving
work of your Spirit.
Challenge us to forsake paths that ask little of us,
and help us resist the evils
and temptations of this world,
that we may truly follow the way
of kingdom living. Amen.
THANKSGIVING AND COMMUNION
Offering Prayer (1 Corinthians 3)
Gracious God,
as we present these offerings,
may we be reminded of the many blessings
you have shared with us as individuals,
and as a community of believers.
You have fed us with the milk of your grace,
and have nurtured us with a love
that knows no limits or boundaries.
May our sharing this day
reveal our priorities and our promises,
for we belong to you and offer you our gifts,
that they may be used
in mission and in ministry
to bring glory to you, our Creator,
Redeemer, and Sustainer. Amen.
Invitation to Communion (1 Corinthians 3)
As we gather at the Lord’s table, all are welcome. Having a common purpose, we receive growth from the love of God, and nurture and nourishment from the body and blood of Christ Jesus. At this table, we are redeemed by God, reconciled to one another, and called to labor in God’s fields, where love and forgiveness are sown. The table is ready; the meal is prepared. Come, be fed, and savor the feast of the Lord!
SENDING FORTH
Benediction (Deuteronomy 30)
As we journey out into the world,
may each of us walk in the light of God’s ways,
striving to be blameless and just.
May our hearts be vessels of God’s love
and may the Lord bless us in the land
that we are entering.
Hold fast. Do not be led astray,
and may the love of God
be yours this day and forevermore.
Go now in peace. Amen.
CONTEMPORARY OPTIONS
Gathering Words (Deuteronomy 30)
Love your God,
and walk in God’s ways.
We will love God,
and walk in God’s ways.
Love your God,
and hold fast to God in everything you do.
We will love God,
and walk in God’s ways.
—OR—
Gathering Words (Psalm 119)
Happy are those who seek God in all things,
who turn from wrong and walk with God.
Happy are those who know God’s love,
and live with joy.
Happy are those who share praise
with a heart of pure love.
Happy are those who know God’s love,
and live with joy.
Praise Sentences (Deuteronomy 30)
Choose life! Choose God!
Live in God’s love!
God’s way is good!
Hold fast to God!
(Mary Petrina Boyd)read more
-------WORSHIP ELEMENTS: FEBRUARY 12, 2017 (OPTION 2) by Mary Petrina BoydSixth Sunday after the Epiphany
COLOR: Green
SCRIPTURE READINGS: Deuteronomy 30:15-20; Psalm 119:1-8; 1 Corinthians 3:1-9; Matthew 5:21-37
THEME IDEAS
God calls us to walk in ways that lead to life and abundance. In his final address, Moses urges the Hebrew people to choose life; the psalmist praises those who walk in God’s ways; and Jesus calls for a deeper, more faithful understanding of God’s laws. Jesus calls us to reconcile with one another, to love faithfully, and to speak truthfully. Lest this lead us to think that salvation comes only through human endeavors, Paul reminds us that God alone gives the growth.
INVITATION AND GATHERING
Call to Worship (Psalm 119)
Happy are those who are without blame.
Blessed are those who walk in God’s way.
Happy are those who are faithful.
Blessed are those who seek God.
We will obey your word, O God.
We will praise you forever!
Opening Prayer (Deuteronomy 30, Psalm 119)
Come, Holy One:
teach us your ways,
lead us in your paths,
guide us on our journey.
Speak to us your words of life,
for you offer us direction and wholeness
when we hear your voice
and follow.
You bless us with your love,
shower us with your grace,
and help us grow in faith.
We seek you, O God,
with all our hearts.
Be near us this day. Amen.
PROCLAMATION AND RESPONSE
Prayer of Confession (Deuteronomy 30, 1 Corinthians 3, Mark 5)
Loving God,
you call us into community,
teach us your ways,
and bless us with abundant life.
Yet we turn aside to follow other paths:
we take the easy way out,
listening to the world’s call
rather than your call to commitment;
we quarrel with one another,
letting differences divide us;
we cherish our resentments,
shutting off our hearts
from forgiveness and reconciliation;
we cling to petty jealousies,
feeling we deserve more than we have.
Forgive us when we wander from your love.
Draw us into community with each other,
and feed us with the milk of your grace,
that we may grow in faithfulness
and work together in peace. Amen.
Words of Assurance (Deuteronomy 30, 1 Corinthians 3)
God is at work, nurturing our growth
and showing us the ways that lead to life.
God is at work, reconciling us to one another
and teaching us the paths of love.
God is at work, hearing our confessions,
forgiving our disobedience,
and blessing us in love.
Thanks be to God!
Passing the Peace of Christ (Matthew 5)
Christ asks that we be reconciled to one another. The love of Christ reaches out to friend and stranger, touching each life with blessing. Share the peace and forgiveness of Christ with one another.
Response to the Word (Deuteronomy 30, Matthew 5)
Caring God,
nurture the life within us.
You have shown us the ways
that lead to life.
You have challenged us
to move beyond easy answers,
to embrace the hard choices
that come with caring deeply for others.
Give us the wisdom and the courage
to resist evil and walk in your ways of love. Amen.
THANKSGIVING AND COMMUNION
Invitation to the Offering (Deuteronomy 30, 1 Corinthians 3)
God has given us growth, guided our steps on the ways that lead to life, and provided companions for our journey. Our very lives are a gift from God. With gratitude and praise, we turn to God with obedient hearts to offer back our gifts, that others may find life and wholeness.
Offering Prayer (Deuteronomy 30, Matthew 5)
Loving God,
you have shown us your ways
and led us in the paths of abundance.
You have blessed us and kept us safe.
In you we see that we are loved.
We offer you our lives,
for we have chosen to follow you.
We offer you our praise,
for your love is great.
Use our gifts, our money, and our hearts
to establish your realm of love upon the earth. Amen.
Invitation to Communion (Matthew 5, 1 Corinthians 3)
This is Christ’s table, where all are welcome. Here we are fed in abundance. Here we gather as Christ’s body. Reconciled to one another, we are God’s people. We are God’s servants, working together. We are God’s field, where love is sown. We are God’s building, a house of love. The feast is prepared; the table is ready. Come! Rejoice and be fed.
SENDING FORTH
Benediction (Deuteronomy 30)
Go forth to walk in God’s ways.
May our ways be blameless.
Hold fast to God in all you do.
Our hearts belong to God.
May the love of God be yours.
God’s blessings rest upon us.
CONTEMPORARY OPTIONS
Gathering Words (Deuteronomy 30)
Choose life!
We will love the Lord our God.
Choose life!
We will obey God in all we do.
Choose life!
We will hold fast to our God.
Choose life!
We choose life in God’s love!
Praise Sentences (Deuteronomy 30)
Choose life! Choose God!
Live in God’s love!
God’s way is good!
Hold fast to God!read more-------
DEAL WITH IT by Rachel Mayread more
Rachel May, pastor of Boulevard United Methodist Church in Richmond, Virginia, preaches a sermon called "Deal with It," based on Matthew 5:21-37. May struggles with the prohibition against "swearing falsely," and finds in it — and in murder, adultery, and divorce — an unwillingness to deal with conflict. "So, deal with it," Jesus says. "Just deal with it."
-------SERMON OPTIONS: FEBRUARY 12, 2017CHOOSE LIFE
DEUTERONOMY 30:15-20
A dedicated, beautiful, popular young woman made a poor choice in her mate for life. Until the day she died at the age of seventy, she felt the negative impact of that decision. Israel had the God-given opportunity to make good choices instead of bad ones. Israel was given the option of either keeping the covenant with the Lord or rejecting the terms of that agreement. God made clear to Israel through Moses that obedience to the covenant would bring blessings and that disobedience would bring curses. Moses' last address to Israel was an admonition to choose wisely. Christians have a covenant with God, also. It is the new testament in the blood of Jesus Christ. Our covenant has parallels to Israel's in regard to the choices involved and their repercussions. God's Word admonishes us to choose wisely.
I. We Can Choose to Disobey God in All of Life
Disobeying God involves turning our hearts away from God. This is the opposite of repentance. It means that our ultimate concerns in life oppose all that God is and all that he desires for us. Also, disobedience, according to our text, consists of turning deaf ears to God's Word, being obstinate and unyielding in regard to the divine will, and opting to worship and serve other gods. Such behavior, Moses cautioned Israel, will result in insecurity and death.
When people turn their backs on the gospel of Jesus Christ, they bring upon themselves eternal punishment ( John 3:36 ; Rev. 20:11-15). When Christians become rebellious toward Christ as Lord, we bring upon ourselves destructive consequences spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and sometimes physically. I have observed again and again Christians who decide to become unfaithful to the local church. Eventually, they lose touch with God and plunge into lifestyles that cause pain and distress to them and to those who love them. Stay yielded to the Lord. Daily deny yourselves, take up your crosses, and follow Jesus. If you do, you will avoid the heartache that follows disobedience.
II. We Can Choose to Obey God in All of Life
Obeying God in all of life consists of loving him, walking in his ways, and obeying his commandments. Since we enjoy the company of those we love, obeying God and walking in his ways give us joy.
When we choose to obey the Lord in all of life, we may expect the Lord's blessings. Though not identical always to those promised and delivered to Israel, they do parallel Israel's and are more desirable. Instead of a home on earth, we are assured of a heavenly home ( John 14:2) . Rather than a large progeny, we receive numerous spiritual fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, and children through our involvement in the family of God. In place of a long life on earth, we are given everlasting life in Christ. Better than security in this world, we are told that no one can pluck us out of the Father's hand. I do not suggest that those who obey God in all of life receive no blessings in this life. We certainly do! For example, a married couple were on the verge of divorce until they decided to rededicate their lives to God and attempt to rebuild their marriage according to God's Word. Now, nearly twenty years and two children later, they continue to discover the bliss of a beautiful life together.
The choice of obedience or disobedience to God's overtures to us is ours to make. Also, the consequences are ours to either enjoy or suffer. The choice is yours—choose life! (Jerry E. Oswalt)
ACCOUNTABLE CHRISTIANITY
1 CORINTHIANS 3:1-9
Accountability is not a very popular word in a world defined by convenience. Christian growth involves accountability as a necessary tool that seeks to enable us to be honest about who we are in our relationship with God in Christ. This truth is the tool Paul uses in this passage to confront the Corinthians in response to their frustration at Paul's simple teaching of the gospel.
Paul aggressively encourages the Corinthians to face up to their immature faith. Their criticism of Paul's preaching so simple a gospel becomes the springboard for this great preacher to honestly identify the immaturity of the Corinthians' expression of faith.
I. Immature Faith Majors on Minor Issues
The Corinthian believers were splitting into factions centered on loyalty to various human leaders. The church consisted of "preacher parties." Paul confronts them with the truth that congregations who seek to center their growth and life on personalities are infants in faith who need to grow up. Only God causes growth.
Paul holds this young congregation accountable for their growth in the Christian faith as he addresses a nonissue and turns it into a clear example of their Christian immaturity. Paul would never allow such a hollow, immature nonissue to intimidate the vision of God he has been called to share.
II. Immature Faith Must Be Confronted by Visionary Leaders
Paul dares to respond to the issue by defending the simplistic content of his preaching because it fit the audience to which he preached. The images used here are rich and powerful ones: infants in faith need receive the gospel only on the level they can handle it, as an infant can handle only milk. Paul's boldness with these Corinthians makes preachers' hair stand on the backs of their necks as they imagine such a dialogue in their own congregations over issues that so often are nonissues. How many churches have never been led with God's vision because leaders did not have the courage, with God's leading and grace, to confront the nonissues for what they are?
Paul has no time for such foolishness. Not only does he call their bluff, but he uses their issue as a platform from which to proclaim that they need to grow beyond such spiritual immaturity, led by the God who gives the growth. Walt Kallestad, pastor of the Community Church of Joy, shares in his seminar "How to Grow a Church" that the primary role of the pastor is that of the visionary leader. Stephen Covey, in his breakthrough book Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, talks about the need for the visionary leader in any business or institution.
In the church we understand such vision to come from God. God grows persons from infancy to maturity in faith. Pastors, as the visionary leaders of their churches, share and proclaim God's vision.
III. Immature Faith Must Be Called to Accountability
God's vision demands accountability. The accountability Paul offers is honest. It is an accountability that offers so much more than just judgment; it offers the opportunity for growth and a more mature understanding of the God who enables and empowers such growth. In love and grace, Jesus himself never sacrificed the vision of God for people who needed accountability with the immature faith they sought to share. The vision of growth in faith demands accountability. Those who fail to be held accountable—as well as those who can bring accountability but don't—will discover little, if any, growth in their faith.
The vision of new life in the birth of a baby involves growing up. To remain an infant is to miss the whole point of life. Without effective and honest accountability, growth will be strangled. (Travis Franklin)
DANGER OF HELL'S FIRE
MATTHEW 5:21-37
Jesus says to the crowd around him that anyone who calls a sister or brother a fool stands in danger of hell's fire. To judge by the language and attitudes presented on TV, there aren't many people who still believe that, however. Who could blame them? If you have been listening to the message from pulpits across this country, there has been a constant focus on the grace of God but little attention to the significance of our deeds. We have been promoting a form of Christian salvation that denies any significance of our human initiatives in the drama of life. We have been offering a form of redemption that actually seems to make our human conduct and words insignificant.
A friend commented that the most distressing thing he observed as he grew older was that it became more and more difficult to sin. Walker Percy writes about the desire of a doctor to find one clear and obvious evil. We have been working to eliminate sin. Nobody cares enough to hold us accountable. No one seems to expect anything from anyone anymore, so there can be no betrayal of commitment. We have been so anxious to declare to everyone that God's unconditional love will accept us as we are, that what we have done in the past doesn't matter, God will receive us just where we are. The constant proclamation of God's unconditional love soon becomes the declaration that we as human beings do not matter because nothing we do has any affect on God or on God's love or even can affect our eternal salvation.
Douglas John Hall, in his recent book Professing the Faith, suggested that Helmut Thielicke's description of covert nihilism is the basic attitude of most of North America. It has a basic indifference about life. Covert nihilism practices detachment, noninvolvement, "value free" investigations. It affirms the possibility of objective research. It shuns commitment. It translates into apathy and "psychic numbing." Nothing that we do seems to matter.
The individual approach is to take a personal survival tactic with little conviction about the direction of the future. Covert nihilists are masters of repression. They will not even examine their spiritual emptiness. They are living with a massive loss of meaning for life and for eternity. The gospel of unconditional love confirms this hidden and massive feeling that what I do and how I live have no meaning. The more the Christian faith tells people that forgiveness is simply God's unmerited free acceptance of our sins, the more suspicious people become about the real price of this kind of grace, which is the surrender and sacrifice of the dignity and meaning of our human existence.
God's forgiveness is not just to tell us the past did not matter; the real and powerful purpose of God's forgiveness is to say that we have such an important work to do as God's agents of stewardship of creation that God cannot afford to lose one good worker and so we are given back our future and told to get to work. Jesus Christ never expected those who entered the Kingdom to be pure and perfect when they entered, but he did expect them to strive to become perfect while they stayed.
Perhaps this word from Jesus—about the calling of a brother or sister a fool getting us eternal damnation—ought to remind us that God does expect much from us. God will not deal kindly with people who have seen divine love in Christ, accepted divine grace in Jesus, and done nothing with the power of the Holy Spirit. It is a terrible thing for one to stand in danger of the fires of hell, it is an awesome thing to fall into the hands of a righteous God, but there is only one thing worse: to declare a grace that removes forever the possibility of standing in danger of the fires of hell. For the fires of hell and the glories of heaven give some eternal depth and height and glory to our human lives. (Rick Brand)read more-------
WORSHIP FOR KIDS: FEBRUARY 12, 2017 by Carolyn C. BrownFrom a Child's Point of View
Old Testament: Deuteronomy 30:15-20. Elementary-school children learn slowly, through experience, that the choices they make every day have consequences. At this age—as in weak moments later in life—they blame others for the consequences of their decisions. But as they grow, children take more and more responsibility for their actions. This passage speaks to children who are learning to make choices and to accept the consequences.
Moses tells Jews on the edge of the Promised Land that they will need to make choices in their new home. If the children are reminded of all that happened during the Exodus, they will realize that God had clearly shown these people how to make choices. They knew what God promised and what God expected. "Standing in the sandals" of these Jews, older children can begin to identify the choices they faced and what God had shown them about what they were to do.
It is important to point out that Moses did not say that God would punish the people if they made the wrong choices. Rather, Moses insisted that following God's ways leads naturally to good results, while following selfish, wicked ways leads to bad results.
Psalm: 119:1-8. The vocabulary of this psalm makes it almost impossible for children to follow. However, when they know that this is an acrostic made up of short statements about the benefits of following God's ways, children may understand one or two statements. Older children are helped if they are alerted before the reading to the eight words that are used for God's rules in these eight verses: Law, testimonies, ways, precepts, statues, commandments, ordinances, and statutes (repeated).
Gospel: Matthew 5:21-37. Only the most mature children can grasp Jesus' point about living by the Spirit rather than by the letter of the Law. Their understanding begins with recognizing the close connection between strong feelings and actions. Younger children, however, are still learning to understand and live by the rules. For both, it may be more helpful to focus on one of Jesus' three examples.
The first example is the easiest because it deals with a familiar problem: anger. Jesus insists, and children know, that calling brothers and sisters names or being furious with friends (no matter how much the names and fury are deserved) leads to trouble. When we carry angry feelings around with us, eventually they explode into name calling, kicking, punching, and even killing. Because of that, Jesus says it is important to get rid of angry feelings. It is so important that even going to church worship God should be put off until we work out angry problems with others.
Note: Jesus never says that being angry is bad, only that it is dangerous. Children need to be assured that everyone becomes angry and that angry feelings are an important sign that something is terribly wrong. Challenge children to recognize this sign—angry feelings—and find ways to resolve the problem to which it points.
Jesus' second example is adultery—or family loyalty. He presents God's intention that people should live together in marriages and families, and that they should love and trust each other in all things at all times. In today's culture, that is not the norm, so children need to hear Jesus' vision affirmed, while they also need to hear that failed marriages, especially those of their parents, are forgivable. (Just as God forgives us when we fail to be kind or to be peacemakers, God forgives husbands and wives who fail to make their marriages last a lifetime.) But they do need to know that God expects us all to work hard to make our families lifetime commitments, and they need encouragement to dream of lifetime marriages for themselves. Though Jesus speaks of husbands and wives, children also are expected to be loyalty to their families. This includes babysitting with younger siblings (or grandparents), paying attention to and really listening to each other, working to get along together, and so forth.
Though they need adult help to decipher Jesus' third example, children, with their love of elaborate secret club oaths and "cross my fingers, hope to die," understand Jesus' insistence that we simply do what we say we will do. We should be so dependable that oaths are not necessary.
Epistle: 1 Corinthians 3:1-9. The problem in the Corinthian church and the language with which Paul addresses it are beyond the understanding and experience of children. Paul's message about the immaturity of arguing and jealousy, however, does speak clearly to them. Children, often warned not to act like babies, enjoy Paul's telling the adults that they are acting like babies when they fuss and argue. That chuckle opens the door to discussion of our tendency, at all ages, to such behavior, and the challenge to grow beyond it.
Watch Words
Avoid abstract terms such a good and evil or life and death in describing the choices people face. Instead, speak of obeying God's rules or following God's ways.
Instead of speaking of adultery or lust, talk about family and marriage loyalty.
Let the Children Sing
Commit yourselves to making good choices with "Seek ye First" and "Open My Eyes, That I May See." Though it is not familiar to most children and some of its concepts are abstract, the vocabulary of "God of Our Life Through All the Circling Years" is simple enough for older elementary children to read and sing.
Sing about the resolution of angry feelings and bickering with "Let There Be Peace on Earth."
Praise God for the blessings of family and church in the concrete words of "For the Beauty of the Earth."
The Liturgical Child
1. Before reading the Deuteronomy text, set it in context by recounting events from Exodus in which Jews learned what God wants and promises. Invite worshipers to imagine themselves among the crowd gathered near the border of the Promised Land. Then assume the role of Moses, addressing his followers with great passion and dramatic flair. Use your hands to indicate the two options being offered. Point at the crowd as you warn them in verse 17; point to heaven as you call for witnesses in verse 19.
2. Ask eight readers (perhaps an older children's class) to read this psalm, each reader reading one verse. Before the reading, explain that in this acrostic (alphabet poem), each verse is a separate statement about obeying God's rules. In Hebrew, each line begins with the letter Aleph.
3. Build a prayer of confession on our failures to choose God's ways as they are expressed in the Ten Commandments. One leader could read the Commandments, pausing after each one for another leader to offer a brief prayer related to it.
Or a single leader could offer ten prayers, following the same structure: "You have called us to . . . [cite one command], but we have chosen to. . . . Forgive us."
4. Use the Ten Commandments in a responsive affirmation of faith. The congregational response to the reading of each command: "God, we want to choose your ways."
5. If you focus on family loyalty, provide an opportunity for couples to renew their marriage vows, or for members of families to make promises to one another. Informal congregations may enjoy gathering in family groups to hold hands as they make the promises. Be sure to urge those whose families are not present to imagine the other members around them. Then line out promises for family members to repeat.
Just because we live together, that does not mean that we are a family. Loving one another, taking care of one another, and sharing good and bad experiences makes us a family. So now, in the presence of God, who creates all families, I invite you to make these promises to the members of your family:
You are my family. Because I love you, I promise to . . .
• really listen when you talk to me;
• tell you about both the good and the bad things that happen to me;
• make time for us to do things together;
• put up with you when you are crabby and moody; and
• pray for you every day.
Let us pray. Lord, these are not easy promises to keep. Be with us. Help us to keep our promises on happy days when they are easy, and on miserable days when they are had to keep. Help us remember our promises when what is happening to us seems so much more important than what is happening at home. Help us to share your love with one another until it spills over to people beyond our family. Amen.
Sermon Resources
1. Many parenting books speak about disciplining children with the "logical, natural consequences" of other activities. Tell stories about such discipline—perhaps from your own childhood—and compare it to the way God disciplines us.
2. This three-step method of dealing with anger helps people of all ages:
Step One: Work off the angry feelings. Everyone needs to know some safe, satisfactory ways to work off the steam of anger. Children often find that shooting baskets by themselves or some other physical exercise does the job.
Step Two: Think it through. After the angry feelings have been reduced, ask yourself the following questions:
What really happened?
Why did he/she/they do that?
Why did I do that?
What needs fixing?
What can I do to help fix it?
Step Three: Go to work. Decide what you need to do and get any help you need to do it. It often helps for a family member or friend to work with you, especially if you need to talk with the others involved.
3. A story about family loyalty in spite of problems, Beezus and Ramona by Beverly Cleary describes nine-year-old Beezus' difficulties with a very pesky preschool sister. The last chapter tells how Ramona ruined two birthday cakes on Beezus' birthday, and how their mother and her sister told of the problems they had getting along when they were little girls.read more-------
FEBRUARY 12, 2017 - BY GOD'S GRACE: CONFESSING, CONFRONTING, CONQUERING OUR RACISM by William H. WillimonPULPIT RESOURCE
INSPIRING-HUMOROUS-EDGY-CONFRONTING-RELEVANTDOWNLOAD A SAMPLE NOW
Welcome to the new Pulpit Resource from Will Willimon. For over three decades Pulpit Resource helps preachers prepare to preach. Now in partnership with Abingdon Press, this homiletical weekly is available with fresh and timely accessibility to a new generation of preachers.
No sermon is a solo production. Every preacher relies on inherited models, mentors in the preacher’s past, commentaries on biblical texts by people who have given their lives to such study, comments received from members of the congregation, last week’s news headlines, and all the other things that make a sermon communal.
No Christian does anything on their own. We live through the witness of the saints; preachers of the past inspire us and judge us. Scripture itself is a product of the community of faith. A host of now-forgotten teachers taught us how to speak. Nobody is born a preacher.
Pulpit Resource is equivalent to sitting down with a trusted clergy friend over a cup of coffee and asking, “What will you preach next Sunday?” Whenever I’ve been asked by new preachers, “How can I develop as a preacher?” my usual response is, “Get in a group of preachers. Meet regularly. Learn how to give and how to receive help. Sort through the advice of others, and utilize helpful insights.”
That’s Pulpit Resource.
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You now have the new option of subscribing to Pulpit Resource online to allow you easy access at any time. The print version is also still available for subscription. Simply pick the option that best meets your needs to subscribe today.
ONLINE ONLY SUBSCRIPTION – $70 PRINT SUBSCRIPTION – $70 ONLINE AND PRINT SUBSCRIPTION – $80
Alert! Subscribers to Pulpit Resource who purchased through Logos Productions:
If you subscribed to Will Willimon’s Pulpit Resource through Logos Productions before December 31, 2015, we have a record of your postal address and subscription expiration date, but we do not have your account in our system. To continue receiving Pulpit Resource for the life of your paid subscription, you must call customer service at 1-800-409-5346 or email subscriptions@ministrymatters.com. Your new account will not be charged until it is time to renew your annual subscription.read more-------
FEBRUARY 12, 2017 by Emanuel Cleaver IIIPREACHING ANNUAL
The Abingdon Preaching Annual includes:
The Primary Theme Fleshed out with brief, pithy nuggets of thought, idea jump-starters, or questions designed to spur the preacher’s imagination.
Secondary or Parallel Themes Two or three themes or streams of thought that are related to but separate from the primary theme offered.
Worship Helps Including Gathering Prayer, Collect, Pastoral Prayer, Congregational Prayer, Responsive Reading, and a Closing Prayer or Benediction.
Topical Essays These 700 word essays cover a variety of current and critical topics for the preacher—contributed by leading homileticians.
Full Sermons The full text from six to twelve sermons will be included. Additional are available online. These sermons will highlight best practices, unique approaches, and fresh voices.
Sermon Series Ideas This section will briefly outline and describe ideas for unique sermon series based on lectionary readings.
"As a weekly preacher, I often find that preparing for preaching and crafting sermons are spiritual disciplines for me. It is a time in which I try to quiet all of the other 'to do' lists that occupy much of my ministry. This resource from Abingdon Press will now be a partner in those conversations, almost like a new personal devotional guide. I am grateful for additional voices who can help me make space for God’s Living Word." - Shannon J Kershner, Pastor, Fourth Presbyterian Church, Chicago, IL
Ready to Subscribe?
You now have the new option of subscribing to the Preaching Annual online to allow you easy access at any time. The print version is also still available for subscription. Simply pick the option that best meets your needs to subscribe today.
ONLINE ONLY SUBSCRIPTION – $20.00 PRINT SUBSCRIPTION – $20.00PULPIT RESOURCE COMBO ONLINE SUBSCRIPTION – $86.75PULPIT RESOURCE COMBO PRINT SUBSCRIPTION – $86.75read more
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