Authentic Authority
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For January 28, 2024:
Authentic Authority
by Dean Feldmeyer
Mark 1:21-28
Several years ago, my grandkids and their parents gave me a t-shirt for my birthday. On it was written: “I’M A GRANDPA. ASK ME ANYTHING.” Then below, in small print it said: “I’ll make up something good.”
They bought me that shirt, they say, because if they ask me a question and I don’t know the answer, I’ll often just make up an answer and say it with an air of authority so that it sounds believable.
It didn’t take my grandkids long, however, to figure out that what they were mistaking for authority was actually just bluster and swagger, so now, they often call my bluff. But sometimes I’m not bluffing. Sometimes I actually do know the answer. Gotcha!
This has led their mother to warn them: “Don’t ever quote something Pop has said unless you can verify it from an independent source. And, by independent source, I don’t mean your father. He’s as bad as Pop.”
All this bluffing and huffing and questioning and doubting and verifying is done in fun, of course, with humor and affection. It’s never about anything serious.
Jesus, however, actually was an authority. He spoke and acted with authority. It was by his authentic authority that he was able to teach the scriptures and cast aside evil.
And that is some serious business, indeed.
In the News
In 1998, Ian Bremmer founded the Eurasia Group, the first firm devoted exclusively to helping investors and business decision-makers understand the impact of politics on the risks and opportunities in foreign markets. Ian's idea — to bring political science to the investment community and to corporate decision-makers — launched an industry and positioned Eurasia Group to become the world leader in political risk analysis and consulting.
On January 8th, they published what their research indicates will be the top ten areas of grave concern for 2024.
We do not have time or space to thoroughly consider all ten areas, here. It goes without saying that the wars — Russia vs. Ukraine and Israel vs. Hamas — will dominate world affairs. A third war, however, is about to break out at any moment, and that is the United States vs. Itself.
Wait! What? The United States vs. Itself? Yes, and it may be the biggest challenge to world peace and order in 2024.
The US political system, according to Eurasia Group, is remarkably divided, and its legitimacy and functionality have eroded accordingly. Public trust in core institutions — such as Congress, the judiciary, the media, and the church — is at historic lows; polarization, partisanship, and a general sense of distrust are at historic highs. Add the exponential growth and use of disinformation and the unfettered use of artificial intelligence to the mix, and Americans no longer believe in a common set of settled facts about the nation, the world, or life in general.
They recognize no common authority and accept only those as authorities who agree with their preconceived ideas and opinions. Western civilization’s accumulated knowledge of the hard sciences, mathematics, philosophy, theology, history, and the arts, is dismissed as simply “one person’s opinion,” no better nor worse than any other opinion. Experts are written off as shills of the power structure.
“Fully one-third of the global population will go to the polls this year, but an unprecedentedly dysfunctional US election will be by far the most consequential for the world's security, stability, and economic outlook. Eurasia Group predicts that “the losing side — whether Democrats or Republicans — will consider the outcome illegitimate and be unprepared to accept it. The world's most powerful country faces critical challenges to its core political institutions: Free and fair elections, the peaceful transfer of power, and the checks and balances provided by the separation of powers.”
While America's military and economy remain exceptionally strong, its political system is more dysfunctional than that of any other advanced industrial democracy … and in 2024 it faces further weakening. According to the Eurasia Group, the US presidential election will likely worsen the country's political division, testing American democracy to a degree the nation hasn't experienced in 150 years and undermining US credibility on the global stage.
American confidence in political structures and social institutions continues to decline as the population refuses to accept the authority of any institution or even the notion of authority itself. History shows that when the confidence in all authority erodes to near nonexistence, the next step is total societal collapse.
“The United States is already the world's most divided and dysfunctional advanced industrial democracy. The 2024 election will exacerbate this problem no matter who wins. With the outcome of the vote essentially a coin toss (at least for now), the only certainty is continued damage to America's social fabric, political institutions, and international standing.” We have allowed our authority at home and on the world stage to slip away.
Is it possible that the decline in our authority — as a nation and as individual citizens of that nation — is irreversible? Or can we win back our authority? Is there a formula for doing so?
In the Scripture
Authority can mean the right to do something or the power to do something or both. Although Jesus’ teaching was undoubtedly powerful, his right to speak is underscored by the contrast between his teaching and that of the scribes. They taught with erudition, but Jesus taught with authority. They cited their sources with footnotes after every sentence. Jesus interprets the scripture as one who has the right to say what it means. Furthermore, his teaching has no need of external support, whether from scripture or elsewhere; his word is self-authenticating, not like that of the scribes.
The gospel text for this week gives two examples of how this is the case.
First, we are told that when Jesus and his followers went to Capernaum it was the Sabbath, so they went to the synagogue and he taught. But we are told that he did not teach as the scribes did.
And how did the scribes teach? Well, they were scholars and they taught as scholars have always taught. They took a particular text and they discussed and shared their own opinions and insights about what it might mean. Then they got up and went home to reflect upon their discussion.
Jesus, on the other hand, was not restricted by such niceties. He shared not what he thought the text was saying but what he knew to be so. There was no “maybe this” or “what about that,” in what Jesus had to say. Jesus taught not with the latest pedagogical style or technique but with the confident observations and pronouncements of one who has not just read about, but actually lived the lesson under consideration.
Those who came to the synagogue to learn from the scribes were amazed because Jesus spoke, not with cold, empty erudition but with strength and conviction — that is — with authority.
The second example of Jesus’ authority is demonstrated in his ability to cast out an unclean spirit.
We would do well to avoid going down a demonology rabbit hole that obscures the true meaning of the text. Mark intentionally avoids using the word “demon” and so might we. The spirit in question is an “unclean” one that tends to lead its host into self-destructive behavior. We need not venture far into mythology to realize that such unclean spirits exist in the modern world. The spirit of prejudice and racism, the spirit of addiction, the spirits of injustice, of violence, of narcissism, intolerance, and greed, were, no doubt, as real in the first century as they are, today.
The point of the story is that only authority coming from God is sufficient to cast out such unclean spirits.
In the Sermon
Walter Leland Cronkite Jr. was an American broadcast journalist who served as anchorman for the CBS Evening News for 19 years, from 1962 to 1981. He received numerous honors including two Peabody Awards, a George Polk Award, an Emmy Award, and in 1981 was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Jimmy Carter.
Cronkite, who began his career as a field reporter in 1937, covered such events as bombings in World War II; the Nuremberg trials; combat in the Vietnam War; Watergate; the Iran Hostage Crisis; and the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr., and John Lennon. He was also known for his extensive coverage of the US space program, from Project Mercury to the Moon landings to the Space Shuttle. He was the only non-NASA recipient of an Ambassador of Exploration award.
Cronkite is known for his departing catchphrase, “And that's the way it is,” followed by the date of the broadcast.
During the 1960s and 1970s, he was often cited as “the most trusted man in America” after being so named in an opinion poll. If Walter said, “That’s the way it is,” then that was, indeed, the way it was.
Who would qualify for such a title, today? In a recent poll conducted by Hollywood Reporter/Morning Consult, NBC Nightly News host Lester Holt was found to be the most trusted television news personality in America. However, according to a survey held among adults in the United States in February 2022, ABC and CBS were considered to be the most credible news sources in the country.
Few doubt, however, that within a few years, those designations will change. Authority, like fame, is fleeting. So, where does authentic authority come from?
Sociologist Max Weber developed a classification system for the concept of authority in his essay “The Three Types of Legitimate Rule.” His three types are:
1. Charismatic authority, which comes from the personal charisma, strength, and charm of an individual’s personality. People often follow charismatic leadership not because of virtue, tradition, or statute, but because they simply believe in the leader.
With this type of authority, the true knowledge and capabilities of a charismatic leader aren’t necessarily relevant. As long as the people they are leading believe that they are competent, their authority is respected.
It’s especially difficult for charismatic leaders to keep their authority, because their followers must always legitimize the leader’s authority for the leader to maintain their power.
2. Traditional authority comes from traditions and customs. A good example of a traditional authority system would be a monarchy. Most governments throughout history have led according to this form of authority. But, because traditional authority creates and preserves inequalities, it will always, eventually be challenged and often overthrown.
3. Rational-legal authority is also known as bureaucratic authority or legal authority. With this type of authority, an individual or ruling group exerts power based on legal office. Modern democracies and democratic leadership are examples of the authority of “rationally created rules.”
Once the person in power leaves their official position, however, their authority is lost. Rational-legal authority is most often challenged by its subordinates.
Weber’s three types of authority are all fragile and fleeting. They can all be successfully challenged and done away with.
Today’s pericope from the Gospel of Mark makes the argument that if we want our lives to possess the power of authentic authority, that authority cannot come from this world that is “passing away” (1 Corinthians 7:29-31) but only from God as God comes to us in Jesus Christ.
Only by that authority will we be able to teach the good news of Jesus Christ and cast out the toxic, unclean spirits that afflict and poison our time and our culture.
SECOND THOUGHTS
Eat, Drink, and Be Merry … Or Maybe Don’t?
by Elena Delhagen
1 Corinthians 8:1-13
The Hellenistic world the apostle Paul and the Corinthian church were a part of was something akin to a large religious melting pot. People were free (encouraged, even) to select their deities based off their individual circumstances and desires, and religions thus became social clubs, drawing together people who, for example, worked in the same trade or lived in the same region. Additionally, religion and politics were essentially indivisible in the ancient world, so if Corinthians took any part in civic life, it would be expected that they participated in festivals and sacrificial meals of some sort. For example, the Isthmian games were regularly held in the city of Corinth, a musical and athletic competition that honored the sea god Poseidon. Other Corinthian events, like weddings, coming-of-age parties, and election victories, were also entwined with religion. All would involve banquets and feasts that, in one way or another, honored the god or gods the group believed in.
Corinthian Christians were likely aware of the words Jesus spoke to his disciples regarding food, specifically that it is not food that defiles a person (Mark 7:18-20). Be less concerned, Jesus said, with what goes into the body and more concerned with what comes out of it — i.e., the actions and behaviors that flow from one’s inner most being, his or her heart. That is what could potentially defile and dishonor you.
Still, that maxim would be easier said than followed in the Hellenistic world. To choose not to participate in the feasts that would feature food sacrificed to idols would be to risk ostracization, shame, and even material loss. Many Christians could not bear the idea of such loss and would cave and eat from the banquets, which would weigh heavily on their conscience. Or, as converted pagans, their past experiences with these ritualized feasts were simply too strong for them to overcome, so they would eat and, again, feel guilt and shame because they seemingly did not fully believe that consuming idol food, per se, was a matter of indifference for Christians. These are whom Paul refers to as having a “weak conscience.”
However, this entire passage isn’t even about food — not really. That’s not the point Paul is trying to make. He knows (and reminds those in Corinth) that idols aren’t even gods at all, so sacrifices made to them are a moot point. Furthermore, “food will not bring us closer to God” (v.8). This is really an issue about individualism and how it is always the enemy of community and love. You know that food is nothing other than food, even if it’s been sacrificed to this idol or that one? Great! How liberating, isn’t it?! But your neighbor or friend may not know that, so if they see you partaking in the feast, they may do so as well, even though such food is their “stumbling block.” By you being so entrenched in your own freedom, you have enslaved a brother or sister in Christ — and that is the problem that Paul takes issue with.
It’s no secret that those of us who live in the West, particularly the United States, live in a highly individualistic culture, and it is our tradition to put our own personal ambitions and individual happiness as first priority, rather than that of the collective good. We see this in our politics and tendency to view those who don’t belong to our particular party as the “enemy.” We see it in how profit margins and capitalist greed allows big companies to continue burning fossil fuels even though it is destroying the planet we’re leaving to future generations. We see it in our country’s policies to keep healthcare and insurance privatized so that only those who can afford it are able to receive care when they’re sick. In all this and more, we are taking the freedom we’ve been gifted and, quite literally, sinning against members of our own human family — which is an affront to Christ himself (v.12).
I’ve been thinking about this concept a lot as we make our way through January, when New Year’s resolutions to lead healthier lifestyles abound. It seems like everyone I know is doing some kind of diet, some sort of fast or, in many cases, “dry January,” where one abstains from drinking alcohol in order to “detox” their bodies a bit and maybe even lose a couple of pounds. Now, I don’t think there is anything wrong with wanting to be healthier, and if cutting out alcohol or certain foods makes you feel like a better, healthier version of yourself — that’s great! But I do feel concern when I think about all of us who aren’t able to participate in such endeavors because of lack of resources, lack of access, or something else. An Instagram influencer who posted recently that she lost nine pounds by drinking only green juices for a week had someone comment on her post that, as someone recovering from an eating disorder, the entire thing was very triggering for her to see, and that she was going to unfollow to protect her heart and mind. Another woman commented that, as a single mother to five, who lives in a food desert and is barely making minimum wage, a juice cleanse of organic fruits and vegetables was an impossible weight-loss plan for her. Taking a month “off” from drinking is simply not an option for someone struggling with alcoholism; as someone whose father died because of his addictions, I know firsthand of the shakes, the sweating, the body aches, and all the other awful symptoms that come along with trying to stop.
See, these resolutions we’re all making are made possible, in large part, due to our privilege to be able to afford and access the resources needed to meet our goals. And the heartbreaking reality is that many in our world — in fact, I would say the majority of our world — has not been afforded such a great amount of privilege and access. So, while it might feel good to us, at what cost do we get to reap those rewards? How do such endeavors affect others? How are we taking Paul’s words to heart, recognizing that our freedom doesn’t necessarily mean we can do whatever we want but, rather, we are free to lay it all down, to abstain from our own wants and desires because of our concern for the common good?
Again, it’s not about food. It’s not about drink. But it is about love, and may we always remember the words of Jesus that tell us no greater life exists than for one to lay it all down — his very life, even! — for another.
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Mary Austin:
Mark 1:21-28
Getting the Healing Right
Jesus knows exactly what to offer the man whose demon calls out to him in the synagogue. Human doctors get it wrong, as scholar Christina Sharpe recalls in her book Ordinary Notes.
Sharpe says, “When I was ten, I developed stomach problems that were so bad I couldn’t stand up straight. I couldn’t eat. My mother took me to our family doctor who examined me and asked me questions. At the end of the visit, he said that I should put down the books and go outside and play. “Read less,” he said, “play more.” My mother was furious. She was convinced that Dr. Foster (who replaced Dr. Preston, a kind man who, until retiring two years previously, had been my pediatrician since I was born) would never tell a white child to read less. How could I explain to him that my stomach pains were not the result of too many books but of too much of the everyday racism that I experienced? Books were not the cause of the harm; they helped mitigate its effects.” It takes a gifted healer, like Jesus, to get the diagnosis right.
* * *
Mark 1:21-28
Healing Gifts
The congregation at the synagogue on that particular Sabbath probably did not expect to witness a healing in their midst. Sometimes the healing comes from the unexpected, as author Suleika Jaouad says.
She keeps a gift closet at her home, to have presents ready for friends, and she muses on what to keep there. “Maybe I’ll keep on hand a few tubes of bright red lipstick, inspired by a friend who gifted me one right before my second bone marrow transplant. Along with it was a note explaining how, when she was recovering from surgery, a friend had given her a tube of red lipstick. She said she found it so delightful, so different from the kinds of gifts she had been receiving. She was sending it to me as a reminder to seek out beauty and little luxuries, and to dream of all the dinner parties I’d be back at soon enough. Such a simple gift, and on its own, maybe even strange. But accompanied by her note with that story and that sweet intention, it took on a whole different meaning. The story infuses the object with a life of its own, like what anthropologists call “contagion magic,” which is the belief that an object bears traces of those who come in contact with it. To me, it seems like a spell passed through palms — a kind of enchantment.”
Jesus doesn’t use an object in his healing, other than his words. Even so, his healing has a contagious quality.
* * *
Psalm 111
Wisdom on the Streets
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding,” the psalmist reminds us. Writer Anne Kadet recently tried to find wisdom on the streets of New York City. When she was given $100 to spend on something special, she realized what she wanted most was wisdom. Could she buy wisdom with her $100, she wondered? She got 100 one-dollar bills, and approached people on the streets, asking to buy a dollar’s worth of wisdom from each one.
People offered things like this:
“Be patient with yourself,” suggested Jack, a recent law school grad.
“Free Palestine!” said his pal Re, a lawyer.
Lorane, a retired Verizon worker sitting nearby, advised leaning on God.
“Talk to him about everything,” she said. “I don't care what it is. If you lose your glasses, 'God, what did I do with my glasses?' He'll bring you through it. There's nothing he don't know about us.”
“Trust in God,” said Anthony, 51, a facilities manager. “He wins in the end!”
“The most common response was perhaps the oldest wisdom on the books — variations on the Golden Rule. “Treat people the way you want to be treated. If you want respect, you have to give respect back,” said Bella, age 12.”
Some people refused to participate. “Another 13 said that, unfortunately, they had no wisdom to give. “I'm looking for wisdom myself!” was a common response. On several occasions, despite the fact that I was literally handing them a dollar, the person assumed I was asking them for money. And I could not dissuade them of this notion. New Yorkers are so used to strangers asking for money, it seems, they could not comprehend what was actually happening.”
Echoing the psalmist’s wisdom, she notes, “An aside — the folks who suggested relying on some sort of higher power generally struck me as the most cheerful — even those who were homeless.”
* * *
Psalm 111
Death as a Teacher of Wisdom
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding,” the psalmist advises. Related to that, the reminder of death also prompts us to be wiser.
Author Shane Parrish notes, “Steve Jobs put the idea this way: Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure — these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking that you have something to lose.”
Parrish adds, “Jobs had a daily ritual. Every morning he would look in the mirror and ask himself, “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?” Whenever the answer was no too many days in a row, he said, he knew he needed to change something.” (from Clear Thinking: Turning Ordinary Moments into Extraordinary Results)
* * *
1 Corinthians 8:1-13
Stanley Cups and the Apostle Paul
Mediating a dispute about what meat is acceptable for the believers to eat, Paul answers, “Since some have become so accustomed to idols until now, they still think of the food they eat as food offered to an idol; and their conscience, being weak, is defiled…But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling-block to the weak.” We influence each other in all kinds of ways, and lately it’s a mania for Stanley tumblers. Perhaps to the level that they are a new idol — at least, for the moment. Lately, “a Stanley” is “the accessory of the season. After the 2023 holidays, when the cup was a wildly popular gift or stocking stuffer, it seems that it is nearly inescapable. People will wake up early and wait in line for the opportunity to purchase one. People will spend hundreds of dollars on resale platforms to obtain a special holiday edition like Target’s “Galentine’s Day” drop. People will show them off online for the admiration of others.”
It didn’t hurt that one survived a car fire — the car was reduced to ash and melted rubber. “But a beacon of hope, [the driver’s] Stanley, stood proudly amid this rubble, still in its cup holder. In a video of the incident, Danielle shakes the Stanley, and it rattles like a tambourine, signaling her ice and beverage survived the fire that her car couldn’t. Her drink, defiant to the laws of flame and heat, was still cold. Stanley offered the woman a new car and a new cup for her troubles.”
One author comments, “No one can ever fully explain how the human heart desires, why it wants the things it wants. But in looking closely at what Stanleys have come to symbolize — health, prosperity, even satisfaction — perhaps we can understand a little better why they’re so wildly popular.” If it does all that, we can see why people want one.
* * * * * *
From team member Tom Willadsen:
Mark 1:21-28
Be muzzled!
In verse 25 Jesus addresses the unclean spirit “Be quiet and come out of him!” The Greek term rendered “Be quiet,” in the NRSVUE, it’s “Be silent,” in the NRSV is Φιμώθητι, which could also be rendered into English as “Be muzzled.” This term gives a difference sense for Jesus’ control. People marvel that he can control demons, but in the latter sense it’s more like he has power to suppress speech, rather than enforce silence. One can imagine a dog continuing to growl after being muzzled.
* * *
1 Corinthians 8:1-13
Paul makes two points here
In v. 4 Paul writes, “We know that ‘no idol in the world really exists,’ and that ‘there is no God but one.’” Going back to the 10 Commandments’ first prohibitions (Exodus 20:3-4) “You shall have no other gods before me.” And “You shall not make for yourself an idol…” (NRSV) One point he’s making is that Greco-Roman ritual meals are meaningless because the idols are empty vessels. Another point is honoring many gods as pagans do is meaningless because Jews and Christians know there is only one God.
* * *
Deuteronomy 18:15-20
A prophet, but rarely
Moses refers to himself as a prophet only in Deuteronomy 18:15 and 18:18. He is also referred to as a prophet in Deuteronomy 34:10. But since he died in Deuteronomy 34:5, someone else must have referred to him as a prophet. Or, another legend holds, that Moses wrote about his own demise with tears in his eyes. The idea that Moses is the author of the Torah, the first five books of the Hebrew Bible is itself legendary.
* * * * * *
From team member Katy Stenta:
1 Corinthians 8:1-13
Food and Idols
Humans relationship with food has become complicated now that it is more plentiful for some than others. For the richest of countries, a perfect body has become an idol. My relationship with food has always been complicated. My best friend used to say that I don’t like food — having what is now defined as sensory issues and growing up with parents who did not have much time to cook (and vegetarian on top of that), it was hard for me to find food that was palatable. I do not recommend being a child vegetarian in the South in the 1980s. It is hard to find enough to eat. This results in being very skinny — supremely skinny — so skinny that you get a lot of compliments. However, you are probably also hungry all the time, and yelled at for not liking the food that is served. “Why don’t you like my food, don’t you like me?” Was sometimes the line that was said by the grownups. Food, hospitality, and body image all go hand in hand. However, the relationship between what we eat, how we share our food, and what is healthy may be different for every single person. Therefore it is important that we listen: Listen to our bodies, listen to our guests, and listen to God about how it is food figures into our lives.
* * *
Mark 1:21-28
What is Authority
In an era of an aging Congress, presidents, and the hovering threat of AI writing articles, running search engines, and doing parts of people’s jobs, the question of what makes authority seems to be a salient one. Is it age? Experience? Prophecy? What was it in the voice of Jesus that attracted people to his authority?
In college, my friends who played role playing games (back before they hit mainstream) said that Jesus’ Charisma quotient must have been off the charts in order to attract so many followers. In the beginning of a role playing game, you roll character traits to see how high a stat you have. My friends figured Jesus rolled the highest number, a twenty, on charisma. I, however, think that it must have been compassion that gave Jesus’ authority. After all, Jesus tended to meet people wherever they were. He was a traveler — he sat with people and ate with them — in fact, he often invited himself over to dinner. More than that, Jesus got to know who people truly were. He would call them by name. Jesus’ authority was maybe less over people and more with people. He was not God over us, but God with us, and that gave him all the authority he needed.
* * *
Psalm 111
I love how God starts with fear but does not end with that. It is like God can start with any strong emotion and then move on from there. It makes me think of how nightmares work. When one is an adult, sometimes one has a nightmare to wake us up when we are late for something. Their sole purpose is to help wake us when we need to be somewhere puts a different spin on the biblical texts when God is telling us to stay awake, or to fear not. It is like God is trying to steer us away from the nightmares.
This feels no different from why God gives us laws and precepts in the first place. In Jewish culture laws are less binding, kind of precepts, and more like a walk or a way to follow. It makes sense that God is trying to gently guide us toward a path where we would be fed and safe. It feels more like the shepherd and parental image that God presents. The one who soothes us when we have the nightmare that reminds us what we should be doing, and sets us on our way. Hopefully then we can find the good wisdom that we all long for in the end.
* * * * * *
WORSHIP
by George Reed
Call to Worship
One: Praise God! We will give thanks to God with our whole heart.
All: Great are the works of God, studied by all who delight in them.
One: Full of honor and majesty is your work, O God.
All: Your righteousness endures forever.
One: The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom.
All: All those who practice it have a good understanding.
OR
One: The Christ comes among us to speak with authority.
All: We open our hearts so that we may hear.
One: It is in the Spirit that true authority is expressed.
All: We invite the Spirit to enlighten our minds and hearts.
One: Only as we submit to God’s true authority can we speak to the world.
All: We come as humble servants of the Christ.
Hymns and Songs
All People That on Earth Do Dwell
UMH: 75
H82: 377/378
PH: 220/221
GTG: 385
NNBH: 36
NCH: 7
CH: 18
LBW: 245
ELW: 883
W&P: 661
AMEC: 73
STLT: 370
From All That Dwell Below the Skies
UMH: 101
H82: 380
PH: 229
GTG: 327
NCH: 27
CH: 49
LBW: 550
AMEC: 69
STLT: 381
Praise to the Lord, the Almighty
UMH: 139
H82: 390
GTG: 39
AAHH: 117
NNBH: 2
NCH: 22
CH: 25
ELW: 858/859
AMEC: 3
STLT: 278
Renew: 57
God, Who Stretched the Spangled Heavens
UMH: 150
H82: 580
PH: 268
GTG: 24
NCH: 556
CH: 651
LBW: 463
ELW: 771
W&P: 644
Jesus Shall Reign
UMH: 157
H82: 544
PH: 423
GTG: 265
NNBH: 10
NCH: 300
CH: 95
LBW: 530
ELW: 434
W&P: 341
AMEC: 96
Renew: 296
Ye Servants of God
UMH: 181
H82: 535
PH: 477
GTG: 299
NCH: 305
CH: 110
LBW: 252
W&P: 112
Trust and Obey
UMH: 467
AAHH: 380
NNBH: 322
CH: 556
W&P: 443
AMEC: 377
The Gift of Love
UMH: 405
GTG: 693
AAHH: 522
CH: 526
W&P: 397
Renew: 155
In Christ There Is No East or West
UMH: 548
H82: 529
PH: 439/440
GTG: 317/318
AAHH: 398/399
NNBH: 299
NCH: 394/395
CH: 687
LBW: 259
ELW: 650
W&P: 600/603
AMEC: 557
Rejoice, the Lord Is King
UMH: 715/716
H82: 481
PH: 155
GTG: 363
NCH: 303
CH: 699
LBW: 171
ELW: 430
W&P: 342
AMEC: 88/89
From the Rising of the Sun
CCB: 4
Sing Unto the Lord a New Song
CCB: 16
Renew: 99
Music Resources Key
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
GTG: Glory to God, The Presbyterian Hymnal
AAHH: African American Heritage Hymnal
NNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
LBW: Lutheran Book of Worship
ELW: Evangelical Lutheran Worship
W&P: Worship & Praise
AMEC: African Methodist Episcopal Church Hymnal
STLT: Singing the Living Tradition
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
Renew: Renew! Songs & Hymns for Blended Worship
Prayer for the Day/Collect
O God who is the true authority and stands above all chaos:
Grant us the grace to yield to your authority
and to allow your Spirit to direct our lives;
through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We praise and worship you, O God, because you are the only true authority who is able to subdue the chaos. You are the one who speaks and it is so. Help us to live into your reality so that we may be ambassadors of your reign in this world. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
One: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins and especially our trusting in our own authority.
All: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We have usurped your authority and made ourselves into false idols. We take the things that we believe to be so and then try to justify them through scripture. We call ourselves Christians, followers of Jesus, but we ignore his teachings in favor of our own interpretations. We no longer have anything to say to the world because we speak as they speak. Forgive our foolish, self-centered hearts and renew us in your Spirit that we may allow the Spirit of the Christ to speak through us even as it cleanses us. Amen.
One: God welcomes us out of the chaos and into the reign of justice, mercy, and humility. Receive God’s loving forgiveness and grace and share the Spirit of God with all.
Prayers of the People
Praise and glory to you, O God who subdues the chaos and brings for an ever renewing creation.
(The following paragraph may be used if a separate prayer of confession has not been used.)
We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We have usurped your authority and made ourselves into false idols. We take the things that we believe to be so and then try to justify them through scripture. We call ourselves Christians, followers of Jesus, but we ignore his teachings in favor of our own interpretations. We no longer have anything to say to the world because we speak as they speak. Forgive our foolish, self-centered hearts and renew us in your Spirit that we may allow the Spirit of the Christ to speak through us even as it cleanses us.
We give you thanks for those who have faithfully listened to your Spirit and share the Good News with authority that is not their own. We thank you for those who have resisted the draw of self-centeredness and allowed the Spirit of Truth to lead them.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for those who are caught up in chaos unable to hear your Spirit who calls them into truth. We pray for those who are denied justice and mercy because of the hardness of the hearts of others. We pray for your Church and ourselves that your Spirit might find an openness to you.
(Other intercessions may be offered.)
Hear us as we pray for others: (Time for silent or spoken prayer.)
All these things we ask in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ who taught us to pray saying:
Our Father....Amen.
(Or if the Our Father is not used at this point in the service.)
* * * * * *
CHILDREN'S SERMON
Learning from Jesus
by Chris Keating
Mark 1:21-28
Prepare in advance
Make a list of some of Jesus’ teaching moments in Mark. You might consider printing these on paper cut out to look like a scroll or an open book or Bible. Some of these teaching moments could include:
As the children gather, ask them if they can help you make a list of the things that teachers do. This week’s story of Jesus teaching and healing in the synagogue offers a chance to reflect on Jesus’ role as a teacher. As Diana Butler Bass points out, sometimes people have downplayed Jesus’ teaching role. But, as she notes, “the best teachers I have ever known…nurtured a way of being in the world.” This is what Jesus taught the disciples, and what he can teach us too.
Begin by reading the story from Mark 1:21-28, paying special attention to verses 21-22 where the people in the synagogue were astounded by what he taught. Remind the children that a synagogue was a place where Jewish people went to worship and to learn, much like a church. It was a place where the scriptures could be read and studied, and ideas about God discussed.
While we most often think about teachers as working in a classroom, there are many kinds of teachers. Some may even be in your congregation! Help the children expand their ideas about teachers who teach in settings other than classrooms. Perhaps you have members of your congregation who are music teachers, art teachers, college teachers, English learner teachers, coaches, pastors who teach, volunteer teachers, among others. Even children can be teachers by helping their friends or younger children learn different things.
Like these sorts of teachers, Jesus taught the disciples what they needed to know to be followers of him in the world. Jesus’ teaching prepares them to go and to tell others about God. He is not teaching us how to play an instrument, or about reading or math. Instead, he is teaching them about praying, or trusting God when things are scary. Refer to the different teachings you have prepared and hand each of the children a scroll with examples of Jesus’ teaching printed on it. Ask them to think about the questions they might ask Jesus if he was their teacher.
Jesus’ teaching is astonishing because he is showing God’s love in action. He demonstrates this by healing the sick and feeding the hungry. When someone called him “Good teacher,” he asked that man “Why do you call me good?” and then taught him that being faithful means sharing with those in need.
Another idea would be to read the wonderful book Be a King: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Dream and You, by Carole Boston Weatherford. It’s likely available at your local library or can be purchased as an e-book inexpensively. Weatherford uses moments from Dr. King’s life to help readers imagine how they can follow his teaching today. King was a minister who taught other people about Jesus, and the lessons of God’s love for everyone.
You could end by taking a moment to recognize the teachers in your congregation, inviting the children to lead a short prayer thanking God for the many ways we learn and grow.
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The Immediate Word, January 28, 2024 issue.
Copyright 2024 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to The Immediate Word service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons and in worship and classroom settings only. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
- Authentic Authority by Dean Feldmeyer — I’m not really an authority on anything but I’m a good storyteller so people tend to think that I am. And, usually, that’s okay with me.
- Second Thoughts: Eat, Drink, and Be Merry … Or Maybe Don’t? by Elena Delhagen based on 1 Corinthians 8:1-13.
- Sermon illustrations by Tom Willadsen, Mary Austin, Katy Stenta.
- Worship resources by George Reed.
- Children's sermon: Learning from Jesus by Chris Keating based on Mark 1:21-28.
Authentic Authorityby Dean Feldmeyer
Mark 1:21-28
Several years ago, my grandkids and their parents gave me a t-shirt for my birthday. On it was written: “I’M A GRANDPA. ASK ME ANYTHING.” Then below, in small print it said: “I’ll make up something good.”
They bought me that shirt, they say, because if they ask me a question and I don’t know the answer, I’ll often just make up an answer and say it with an air of authority so that it sounds believable.
It didn’t take my grandkids long, however, to figure out that what they were mistaking for authority was actually just bluster and swagger, so now, they often call my bluff. But sometimes I’m not bluffing. Sometimes I actually do know the answer. Gotcha!
This has led their mother to warn them: “Don’t ever quote something Pop has said unless you can verify it from an independent source. And, by independent source, I don’t mean your father. He’s as bad as Pop.”
All this bluffing and huffing and questioning and doubting and verifying is done in fun, of course, with humor and affection. It’s never about anything serious.
Jesus, however, actually was an authority. He spoke and acted with authority. It was by his authentic authority that he was able to teach the scriptures and cast aside evil.
And that is some serious business, indeed.
In the News
In 1998, Ian Bremmer founded the Eurasia Group, the first firm devoted exclusively to helping investors and business decision-makers understand the impact of politics on the risks and opportunities in foreign markets. Ian's idea — to bring political science to the investment community and to corporate decision-makers — launched an industry and positioned Eurasia Group to become the world leader in political risk analysis and consulting.
On January 8th, they published what their research indicates will be the top ten areas of grave concern for 2024.
We do not have time or space to thoroughly consider all ten areas, here. It goes without saying that the wars — Russia vs. Ukraine and Israel vs. Hamas — will dominate world affairs. A third war, however, is about to break out at any moment, and that is the United States vs. Itself.
Wait! What? The United States vs. Itself? Yes, and it may be the biggest challenge to world peace and order in 2024.
The US political system, according to Eurasia Group, is remarkably divided, and its legitimacy and functionality have eroded accordingly. Public trust in core institutions — such as Congress, the judiciary, the media, and the church — is at historic lows; polarization, partisanship, and a general sense of distrust are at historic highs. Add the exponential growth and use of disinformation and the unfettered use of artificial intelligence to the mix, and Americans no longer believe in a common set of settled facts about the nation, the world, or life in general.
They recognize no common authority and accept only those as authorities who agree with their preconceived ideas and opinions. Western civilization’s accumulated knowledge of the hard sciences, mathematics, philosophy, theology, history, and the arts, is dismissed as simply “one person’s opinion,” no better nor worse than any other opinion. Experts are written off as shills of the power structure.
“Fully one-third of the global population will go to the polls this year, but an unprecedentedly dysfunctional US election will be by far the most consequential for the world's security, stability, and economic outlook. Eurasia Group predicts that “the losing side — whether Democrats or Republicans — will consider the outcome illegitimate and be unprepared to accept it. The world's most powerful country faces critical challenges to its core political institutions: Free and fair elections, the peaceful transfer of power, and the checks and balances provided by the separation of powers.”
While America's military and economy remain exceptionally strong, its political system is more dysfunctional than that of any other advanced industrial democracy … and in 2024 it faces further weakening. According to the Eurasia Group, the US presidential election will likely worsen the country's political division, testing American democracy to a degree the nation hasn't experienced in 150 years and undermining US credibility on the global stage.
American confidence in political structures and social institutions continues to decline as the population refuses to accept the authority of any institution or even the notion of authority itself. History shows that when the confidence in all authority erodes to near nonexistence, the next step is total societal collapse.
“The United States is already the world's most divided and dysfunctional advanced industrial democracy. The 2024 election will exacerbate this problem no matter who wins. With the outcome of the vote essentially a coin toss (at least for now), the only certainty is continued damage to America's social fabric, political institutions, and international standing.” We have allowed our authority at home and on the world stage to slip away.
Is it possible that the decline in our authority — as a nation and as individual citizens of that nation — is irreversible? Or can we win back our authority? Is there a formula for doing so?
In the Scripture
Authority can mean the right to do something or the power to do something or both. Although Jesus’ teaching was undoubtedly powerful, his right to speak is underscored by the contrast between his teaching and that of the scribes. They taught with erudition, but Jesus taught with authority. They cited their sources with footnotes after every sentence. Jesus interprets the scripture as one who has the right to say what it means. Furthermore, his teaching has no need of external support, whether from scripture or elsewhere; his word is self-authenticating, not like that of the scribes.
The gospel text for this week gives two examples of how this is the case.
First, we are told that when Jesus and his followers went to Capernaum it was the Sabbath, so they went to the synagogue and he taught. But we are told that he did not teach as the scribes did.
And how did the scribes teach? Well, they were scholars and they taught as scholars have always taught. They took a particular text and they discussed and shared their own opinions and insights about what it might mean. Then they got up and went home to reflect upon their discussion.
Jesus, on the other hand, was not restricted by such niceties. He shared not what he thought the text was saying but what he knew to be so. There was no “maybe this” or “what about that,” in what Jesus had to say. Jesus taught not with the latest pedagogical style or technique but with the confident observations and pronouncements of one who has not just read about, but actually lived the lesson under consideration.
Those who came to the synagogue to learn from the scribes were amazed because Jesus spoke, not with cold, empty erudition but with strength and conviction — that is — with authority.
The second example of Jesus’ authority is demonstrated in his ability to cast out an unclean spirit.
We would do well to avoid going down a demonology rabbit hole that obscures the true meaning of the text. Mark intentionally avoids using the word “demon” and so might we. The spirit in question is an “unclean” one that tends to lead its host into self-destructive behavior. We need not venture far into mythology to realize that such unclean spirits exist in the modern world. The spirit of prejudice and racism, the spirit of addiction, the spirits of injustice, of violence, of narcissism, intolerance, and greed, were, no doubt, as real in the first century as they are, today.
The point of the story is that only authority coming from God is sufficient to cast out such unclean spirits.
In the Sermon
Walter Leland Cronkite Jr. was an American broadcast journalist who served as anchorman for the CBS Evening News for 19 years, from 1962 to 1981. He received numerous honors including two Peabody Awards, a George Polk Award, an Emmy Award, and in 1981 was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Jimmy Carter.
Cronkite, who began his career as a field reporter in 1937, covered such events as bombings in World War II; the Nuremberg trials; combat in the Vietnam War; Watergate; the Iran Hostage Crisis; and the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr., and John Lennon. He was also known for his extensive coverage of the US space program, from Project Mercury to the Moon landings to the Space Shuttle. He was the only non-NASA recipient of an Ambassador of Exploration award.
Cronkite is known for his departing catchphrase, “And that's the way it is,” followed by the date of the broadcast.
During the 1960s and 1970s, he was often cited as “the most trusted man in America” after being so named in an opinion poll. If Walter said, “That’s the way it is,” then that was, indeed, the way it was.
Who would qualify for such a title, today? In a recent poll conducted by Hollywood Reporter/Morning Consult, NBC Nightly News host Lester Holt was found to be the most trusted television news personality in America. However, according to a survey held among adults in the United States in February 2022, ABC and CBS were considered to be the most credible news sources in the country.
Few doubt, however, that within a few years, those designations will change. Authority, like fame, is fleeting. So, where does authentic authority come from?
Sociologist Max Weber developed a classification system for the concept of authority in his essay “The Three Types of Legitimate Rule.” His three types are:
1. Charismatic authority, which comes from the personal charisma, strength, and charm of an individual’s personality. People often follow charismatic leadership not because of virtue, tradition, or statute, but because they simply believe in the leader.
With this type of authority, the true knowledge and capabilities of a charismatic leader aren’t necessarily relevant. As long as the people they are leading believe that they are competent, their authority is respected.
It’s especially difficult for charismatic leaders to keep their authority, because their followers must always legitimize the leader’s authority for the leader to maintain their power.
2. Traditional authority comes from traditions and customs. A good example of a traditional authority system would be a monarchy. Most governments throughout history have led according to this form of authority. But, because traditional authority creates and preserves inequalities, it will always, eventually be challenged and often overthrown.
3. Rational-legal authority is also known as bureaucratic authority or legal authority. With this type of authority, an individual or ruling group exerts power based on legal office. Modern democracies and democratic leadership are examples of the authority of “rationally created rules.”
Once the person in power leaves their official position, however, their authority is lost. Rational-legal authority is most often challenged by its subordinates.
Weber’s three types of authority are all fragile and fleeting. They can all be successfully challenged and done away with.
Today’s pericope from the Gospel of Mark makes the argument that if we want our lives to possess the power of authentic authority, that authority cannot come from this world that is “passing away” (1 Corinthians 7:29-31) but only from God as God comes to us in Jesus Christ.
Only by that authority will we be able to teach the good news of Jesus Christ and cast out the toxic, unclean spirits that afflict and poison our time and our culture.
SECOND THOUGHTSEat, Drink, and Be Merry … Or Maybe Don’t?
by Elena Delhagen
1 Corinthians 8:1-13
The Hellenistic world the apostle Paul and the Corinthian church were a part of was something akin to a large religious melting pot. People were free (encouraged, even) to select their deities based off their individual circumstances and desires, and religions thus became social clubs, drawing together people who, for example, worked in the same trade or lived in the same region. Additionally, religion and politics were essentially indivisible in the ancient world, so if Corinthians took any part in civic life, it would be expected that they participated in festivals and sacrificial meals of some sort. For example, the Isthmian games were regularly held in the city of Corinth, a musical and athletic competition that honored the sea god Poseidon. Other Corinthian events, like weddings, coming-of-age parties, and election victories, were also entwined with religion. All would involve banquets and feasts that, in one way or another, honored the god or gods the group believed in.
Corinthian Christians were likely aware of the words Jesus spoke to his disciples regarding food, specifically that it is not food that defiles a person (Mark 7:18-20). Be less concerned, Jesus said, with what goes into the body and more concerned with what comes out of it — i.e., the actions and behaviors that flow from one’s inner most being, his or her heart. That is what could potentially defile and dishonor you.
Still, that maxim would be easier said than followed in the Hellenistic world. To choose not to participate in the feasts that would feature food sacrificed to idols would be to risk ostracization, shame, and even material loss. Many Christians could not bear the idea of such loss and would cave and eat from the banquets, which would weigh heavily on their conscience. Or, as converted pagans, their past experiences with these ritualized feasts were simply too strong for them to overcome, so they would eat and, again, feel guilt and shame because they seemingly did not fully believe that consuming idol food, per se, was a matter of indifference for Christians. These are whom Paul refers to as having a “weak conscience.”
However, this entire passage isn’t even about food — not really. That’s not the point Paul is trying to make. He knows (and reminds those in Corinth) that idols aren’t even gods at all, so sacrifices made to them are a moot point. Furthermore, “food will not bring us closer to God” (v.8). This is really an issue about individualism and how it is always the enemy of community and love. You know that food is nothing other than food, even if it’s been sacrificed to this idol or that one? Great! How liberating, isn’t it?! But your neighbor or friend may not know that, so if they see you partaking in the feast, they may do so as well, even though such food is their “stumbling block.” By you being so entrenched in your own freedom, you have enslaved a brother or sister in Christ — and that is the problem that Paul takes issue with.
It’s no secret that those of us who live in the West, particularly the United States, live in a highly individualistic culture, and it is our tradition to put our own personal ambitions and individual happiness as first priority, rather than that of the collective good. We see this in our politics and tendency to view those who don’t belong to our particular party as the “enemy.” We see it in how profit margins and capitalist greed allows big companies to continue burning fossil fuels even though it is destroying the planet we’re leaving to future generations. We see it in our country’s policies to keep healthcare and insurance privatized so that only those who can afford it are able to receive care when they’re sick. In all this and more, we are taking the freedom we’ve been gifted and, quite literally, sinning against members of our own human family — which is an affront to Christ himself (v.12).
I’ve been thinking about this concept a lot as we make our way through January, when New Year’s resolutions to lead healthier lifestyles abound. It seems like everyone I know is doing some kind of diet, some sort of fast or, in many cases, “dry January,” where one abstains from drinking alcohol in order to “detox” their bodies a bit and maybe even lose a couple of pounds. Now, I don’t think there is anything wrong with wanting to be healthier, and if cutting out alcohol or certain foods makes you feel like a better, healthier version of yourself — that’s great! But I do feel concern when I think about all of us who aren’t able to participate in such endeavors because of lack of resources, lack of access, or something else. An Instagram influencer who posted recently that she lost nine pounds by drinking only green juices for a week had someone comment on her post that, as someone recovering from an eating disorder, the entire thing was very triggering for her to see, and that she was going to unfollow to protect her heart and mind. Another woman commented that, as a single mother to five, who lives in a food desert and is barely making minimum wage, a juice cleanse of organic fruits and vegetables was an impossible weight-loss plan for her. Taking a month “off” from drinking is simply not an option for someone struggling with alcoholism; as someone whose father died because of his addictions, I know firsthand of the shakes, the sweating, the body aches, and all the other awful symptoms that come along with trying to stop.
See, these resolutions we’re all making are made possible, in large part, due to our privilege to be able to afford and access the resources needed to meet our goals. And the heartbreaking reality is that many in our world — in fact, I would say the majority of our world — has not been afforded such a great amount of privilege and access. So, while it might feel good to us, at what cost do we get to reap those rewards? How do such endeavors affect others? How are we taking Paul’s words to heart, recognizing that our freedom doesn’t necessarily mean we can do whatever we want but, rather, we are free to lay it all down, to abstain from our own wants and desires because of our concern for the common good?
Again, it’s not about food. It’s not about drink. But it is about love, and may we always remember the words of Jesus that tell us no greater life exists than for one to lay it all down — his very life, even! — for another.
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Mary Austin:Mark 1:21-28
Getting the Healing Right
Jesus knows exactly what to offer the man whose demon calls out to him in the synagogue. Human doctors get it wrong, as scholar Christina Sharpe recalls in her book Ordinary Notes.
Sharpe says, “When I was ten, I developed stomach problems that were so bad I couldn’t stand up straight. I couldn’t eat. My mother took me to our family doctor who examined me and asked me questions. At the end of the visit, he said that I should put down the books and go outside and play. “Read less,” he said, “play more.” My mother was furious. She was convinced that Dr. Foster (who replaced Dr. Preston, a kind man who, until retiring two years previously, had been my pediatrician since I was born) would never tell a white child to read less. How could I explain to him that my stomach pains were not the result of too many books but of too much of the everyday racism that I experienced? Books were not the cause of the harm; they helped mitigate its effects.” It takes a gifted healer, like Jesus, to get the diagnosis right.
* * *
Mark 1:21-28
Healing Gifts
The congregation at the synagogue on that particular Sabbath probably did not expect to witness a healing in their midst. Sometimes the healing comes from the unexpected, as author Suleika Jaouad says.
She keeps a gift closet at her home, to have presents ready for friends, and she muses on what to keep there. “Maybe I’ll keep on hand a few tubes of bright red lipstick, inspired by a friend who gifted me one right before my second bone marrow transplant. Along with it was a note explaining how, when she was recovering from surgery, a friend had given her a tube of red lipstick. She said she found it so delightful, so different from the kinds of gifts she had been receiving. She was sending it to me as a reminder to seek out beauty and little luxuries, and to dream of all the dinner parties I’d be back at soon enough. Such a simple gift, and on its own, maybe even strange. But accompanied by her note with that story and that sweet intention, it took on a whole different meaning. The story infuses the object with a life of its own, like what anthropologists call “contagion magic,” which is the belief that an object bears traces of those who come in contact with it. To me, it seems like a spell passed through palms — a kind of enchantment.”
Jesus doesn’t use an object in his healing, other than his words. Even so, his healing has a contagious quality.
* * *
Psalm 111
Wisdom on the Streets
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding,” the psalmist reminds us. Writer Anne Kadet recently tried to find wisdom on the streets of New York City. When she was given $100 to spend on something special, she realized what she wanted most was wisdom. Could she buy wisdom with her $100, she wondered? She got 100 one-dollar bills, and approached people on the streets, asking to buy a dollar’s worth of wisdom from each one.
People offered things like this:
“Be patient with yourself,” suggested Jack, a recent law school grad.
“Free Palestine!” said his pal Re, a lawyer.
Lorane, a retired Verizon worker sitting nearby, advised leaning on God.
“Talk to him about everything,” she said. “I don't care what it is. If you lose your glasses, 'God, what did I do with my glasses?' He'll bring you through it. There's nothing he don't know about us.”
“Trust in God,” said Anthony, 51, a facilities manager. “He wins in the end!”
“The most common response was perhaps the oldest wisdom on the books — variations on the Golden Rule. “Treat people the way you want to be treated. If you want respect, you have to give respect back,” said Bella, age 12.”
Some people refused to participate. “Another 13 said that, unfortunately, they had no wisdom to give. “I'm looking for wisdom myself!” was a common response. On several occasions, despite the fact that I was literally handing them a dollar, the person assumed I was asking them for money. And I could not dissuade them of this notion. New Yorkers are so used to strangers asking for money, it seems, they could not comprehend what was actually happening.”
Echoing the psalmist’s wisdom, she notes, “An aside — the folks who suggested relying on some sort of higher power generally struck me as the most cheerful — even those who were homeless.”
* * *
Psalm 111
Death as a Teacher of Wisdom
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding,” the psalmist advises. Related to that, the reminder of death also prompts us to be wiser.
Author Shane Parrish notes, “Steve Jobs put the idea this way: Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure — these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking that you have something to lose.”
Parrish adds, “Jobs had a daily ritual. Every morning he would look in the mirror and ask himself, “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?” Whenever the answer was no too many days in a row, he said, he knew he needed to change something.” (from Clear Thinking: Turning Ordinary Moments into Extraordinary Results)
* * *
1 Corinthians 8:1-13
Stanley Cups and the Apostle Paul
Mediating a dispute about what meat is acceptable for the believers to eat, Paul answers, “Since some have become so accustomed to idols until now, they still think of the food they eat as food offered to an idol; and their conscience, being weak, is defiled…But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling-block to the weak.” We influence each other in all kinds of ways, and lately it’s a mania for Stanley tumblers. Perhaps to the level that they are a new idol — at least, for the moment. Lately, “a Stanley” is “the accessory of the season. After the 2023 holidays, when the cup was a wildly popular gift or stocking stuffer, it seems that it is nearly inescapable. People will wake up early and wait in line for the opportunity to purchase one. People will spend hundreds of dollars on resale platforms to obtain a special holiday edition like Target’s “Galentine’s Day” drop. People will show them off online for the admiration of others.”
It didn’t hurt that one survived a car fire — the car was reduced to ash and melted rubber. “But a beacon of hope, [the driver’s] Stanley, stood proudly amid this rubble, still in its cup holder. In a video of the incident, Danielle shakes the Stanley, and it rattles like a tambourine, signaling her ice and beverage survived the fire that her car couldn’t. Her drink, defiant to the laws of flame and heat, was still cold. Stanley offered the woman a new car and a new cup for her troubles.”
One author comments, “No one can ever fully explain how the human heart desires, why it wants the things it wants. But in looking closely at what Stanleys have come to symbolize — health, prosperity, even satisfaction — perhaps we can understand a little better why they’re so wildly popular.” If it does all that, we can see why people want one.
* * * * * *
From team member Tom Willadsen:Mark 1:21-28
Be muzzled!
In verse 25 Jesus addresses the unclean spirit “Be quiet and come out of him!” The Greek term rendered “Be quiet,” in the NRSVUE, it’s “Be silent,” in the NRSV is Φιμώθητι, which could also be rendered into English as “Be muzzled.” This term gives a difference sense for Jesus’ control. People marvel that he can control demons, but in the latter sense it’s more like he has power to suppress speech, rather than enforce silence. One can imagine a dog continuing to growl after being muzzled.
* * *
1 Corinthians 8:1-13
Paul makes two points here
In v. 4 Paul writes, “We know that ‘no idol in the world really exists,’ and that ‘there is no God but one.’” Going back to the 10 Commandments’ first prohibitions (Exodus 20:3-4) “You shall have no other gods before me.” And “You shall not make for yourself an idol…” (NRSV) One point he’s making is that Greco-Roman ritual meals are meaningless because the idols are empty vessels. Another point is honoring many gods as pagans do is meaningless because Jews and Christians know there is only one God.
* * *
Deuteronomy 18:15-20
A prophet, but rarely
Moses refers to himself as a prophet only in Deuteronomy 18:15 and 18:18. He is also referred to as a prophet in Deuteronomy 34:10. But since he died in Deuteronomy 34:5, someone else must have referred to him as a prophet. Or, another legend holds, that Moses wrote about his own demise with tears in his eyes. The idea that Moses is the author of the Torah, the first five books of the Hebrew Bible is itself legendary.
* * * * * *
From team member Katy Stenta:1 Corinthians 8:1-13
Food and Idols
Humans relationship with food has become complicated now that it is more plentiful for some than others. For the richest of countries, a perfect body has become an idol. My relationship with food has always been complicated. My best friend used to say that I don’t like food — having what is now defined as sensory issues and growing up with parents who did not have much time to cook (and vegetarian on top of that), it was hard for me to find food that was palatable. I do not recommend being a child vegetarian in the South in the 1980s. It is hard to find enough to eat. This results in being very skinny — supremely skinny — so skinny that you get a lot of compliments. However, you are probably also hungry all the time, and yelled at for not liking the food that is served. “Why don’t you like my food, don’t you like me?” Was sometimes the line that was said by the grownups. Food, hospitality, and body image all go hand in hand. However, the relationship between what we eat, how we share our food, and what is healthy may be different for every single person. Therefore it is important that we listen: Listen to our bodies, listen to our guests, and listen to God about how it is food figures into our lives.
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Mark 1:21-28
What is Authority
In an era of an aging Congress, presidents, and the hovering threat of AI writing articles, running search engines, and doing parts of people’s jobs, the question of what makes authority seems to be a salient one. Is it age? Experience? Prophecy? What was it in the voice of Jesus that attracted people to his authority?
In college, my friends who played role playing games (back before they hit mainstream) said that Jesus’ Charisma quotient must have been off the charts in order to attract so many followers. In the beginning of a role playing game, you roll character traits to see how high a stat you have. My friends figured Jesus rolled the highest number, a twenty, on charisma. I, however, think that it must have been compassion that gave Jesus’ authority. After all, Jesus tended to meet people wherever they were. He was a traveler — he sat with people and ate with them — in fact, he often invited himself over to dinner. More than that, Jesus got to know who people truly were. He would call them by name. Jesus’ authority was maybe less over people and more with people. He was not God over us, but God with us, and that gave him all the authority he needed.
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Psalm 111
I love how God starts with fear but does not end with that. It is like God can start with any strong emotion and then move on from there. It makes me think of how nightmares work. When one is an adult, sometimes one has a nightmare to wake us up when we are late for something. Their sole purpose is to help wake us when we need to be somewhere puts a different spin on the biblical texts when God is telling us to stay awake, or to fear not. It is like God is trying to steer us away from the nightmares.
This feels no different from why God gives us laws and precepts in the first place. In Jewish culture laws are less binding, kind of precepts, and more like a walk or a way to follow. It makes sense that God is trying to gently guide us toward a path where we would be fed and safe. It feels more like the shepherd and parental image that God presents. The one who soothes us when we have the nightmare that reminds us what we should be doing, and sets us on our way. Hopefully then we can find the good wisdom that we all long for in the end.
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WORSHIPby George Reed
Call to Worship
One: Praise God! We will give thanks to God with our whole heart.
All: Great are the works of God, studied by all who delight in them.
One: Full of honor and majesty is your work, O God.
All: Your righteousness endures forever.
One: The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom.
All: All those who practice it have a good understanding.
OR
One: The Christ comes among us to speak with authority.
All: We open our hearts so that we may hear.
One: It is in the Spirit that true authority is expressed.
All: We invite the Spirit to enlighten our minds and hearts.
One: Only as we submit to God’s true authority can we speak to the world.
All: We come as humble servants of the Christ.
Hymns and Songs
All People That on Earth Do Dwell
UMH: 75
H82: 377/378
PH: 220/221
GTG: 385
NNBH: 36
NCH: 7
CH: 18
LBW: 245
ELW: 883
W&P: 661
AMEC: 73
STLT: 370
From All That Dwell Below the Skies
UMH: 101
H82: 380
PH: 229
GTG: 327
NCH: 27
CH: 49
LBW: 550
AMEC: 69
STLT: 381
Praise to the Lord, the Almighty
UMH: 139
H82: 390
GTG: 39
AAHH: 117
NNBH: 2
NCH: 22
CH: 25
ELW: 858/859
AMEC: 3
STLT: 278
Renew: 57
God, Who Stretched the Spangled Heavens
UMH: 150
H82: 580
PH: 268
GTG: 24
NCH: 556
CH: 651
LBW: 463
ELW: 771
W&P: 644
Jesus Shall Reign
UMH: 157
H82: 544
PH: 423
GTG: 265
NNBH: 10
NCH: 300
CH: 95
LBW: 530
ELW: 434
W&P: 341
AMEC: 96
Renew: 296
Ye Servants of God
UMH: 181
H82: 535
PH: 477
GTG: 299
NCH: 305
CH: 110
LBW: 252
W&P: 112
Trust and Obey
UMH: 467
AAHH: 380
NNBH: 322
CH: 556
W&P: 443
AMEC: 377
The Gift of Love
UMH: 405
GTG: 693
AAHH: 522
CH: 526
W&P: 397
Renew: 155
In Christ There Is No East or West
UMH: 548
H82: 529
PH: 439/440
GTG: 317/318
AAHH: 398/399
NNBH: 299
NCH: 394/395
CH: 687
LBW: 259
ELW: 650
W&P: 600/603
AMEC: 557
Rejoice, the Lord Is King
UMH: 715/716
H82: 481
PH: 155
GTG: 363
NCH: 303
CH: 699
LBW: 171
ELW: 430
W&P: 342
AMEC: 88/89
From the Rising of the Sun
CCB: 4
Sing Unto the Lord a New Song
CCB: 16
Renew: 99
Music Resources Key
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
GTG: Glory to God, The Presbyterian Hymnal
AAHH: African American Heritage Hymnal
NNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
LBW: Lutheran Book of Worship
ELW: Evangelical Lutheran Worship
W&P: Worship & Praise
AMEC: African Methodist Episcopal Church Hymnal
STLT: Singing the Living Tradition
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
Renew: Renew! Songs & Hymns for Blended Worship
Prayer for the Day/Collect
O God who is the true authority and stands above all chaos:
Grant us the grace to yield to your authority
and to allow your Spirit to direct our lives;
through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We praise and worship you, O God, because you are the only true authority who is able to subdue the chaos. You are the one who speaks and it is so. Help us to live into your reality so that we may be ambassadors of your reign in this world. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
One: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins and especially our trusting in our own authority.
All: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We have usurped your authority and made ourselves into false idols. We take the things that we believe to be so and then try to justify them through scripture. We call ourselves Christians, followers of Jesus, but we ignore his teachings in favor of our own interpretations. We no longer have anything to say to the world because we speak as they speak. Forgive our foolish, self-centered hearts and renew us in your Spirit that we may allow the Spirit of the Christ to speak through us even as it cleanses us. Amen.
One: God welcomes us out of the chaos and into the reign of justice, mercy, and humility. Receive God’s loving forgiveness and grace and share the Spirit of God with all.
Prayers of the People
Praise and glory to you, O God who subdues the chaos and brings for an ever renewing creation.
(The following paragraph may be used if a separate prayer of confession has not been used.)
We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We have usurped your authority and made ourselves into false idols. We take the things that we believe to be so and then try to justify them through scripture. We call ourselves Christians, followers of Jesus, but we ignore his teachings in favor of our own interpretations. We no longer have anything to say to the world because we speak as they speak. Forgive our foolish, self-centered hearts and renew us in your Spirit that we may allow the Spirit of the Christ to speak through us even as it cleanses us.
We give you thanks for those who have faithfully listened to your Spirit and share the Good News with authority that is not their own. We thank you for those who have resisted the draw of self-centeredness and allowed the Spirit of Truth to lead them.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for those who are caught up in chaos unable to hear your Spirit who calls them into truth. We pray for those who are denied justice and mercy because of the hardness of the hearts of others. We pray for your Church and ourselves that your Spirit might find an openness to you.
(Other intercessions may be offered.)
Hear us as we pray for others: (Time for silent or spoken prayer.)
All these things we ask in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ who taught us to pray saying:
Our Father....Amen.
(Or if the Our Father is not used at this point in the service.)
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CHILDREN'S SERMONLearning from Jesus
by Chris Keating
Mark 1:21-28
Prepare in advance
Make a list of some of Jesus’ teaching moments in Mark. You might consider printing these on paper cut out to look like a scroll or an open book or Bible. Some of these teaching moments could include:
- Teaching about God’s desire to bring healing;
- Teaching about forgiveness;
- Teaching about being humble;
- Teaching stories like the parables in Mark 4;
- Teaching the disciples to rely on God and not be afraid, even in a storm.
As the children gather, ask them if they can help you make a list of the things that teachers do. This week’s story of Jesus teaching and healing in the synagogue offers a chance to reflect on Jesus’ role as a teacher. As Diana Butler Bass points out, sometimes people have downplayed Jesus’ teaching role. But, as she notes, “the best teachers I have ever known…nurtured a way of being in the world.” This is what Jesus taught the disciples, and what he can teach us too.
Begin by reading the story from Mark 1:21-28, paying special attention to verses 21-22 where the people in the synagogue were astounded by what he taught. Remind the children that a synagogue was a place where Jewish people went to worship and to learn, much like a church. It was a place where the scriptures could be read and studied, and ideas about God discussed.
While we most often think about teachers as working in a classroom, there are many kinds of teachers. Some may even be in your congregation! Help the children expand their ideas about teachers who teach in settings other than classrooms. Perhaps you have members of your congregation who are music teachers, art teachers, college teachers, English learner teachers, coaches, pastors who teach, volunteer teachers, among others. Even children can be teachers by helping their friends or younger children learn different things.
Like these sorts of teachers, Jesus taught the disciples what they needed to know to be followers of him in the world. Jesus’ teaching prepares them to go and to tell others about God. He is not teaching us how to play an instrument, or about reading or math. Instead, he is teaching them about praying, or trusting God when things are scary. Refer to the different teachings you have prepared and hand each of the children a scroll with examples of Jesus’ teaching printed on it. Ask them to think about the questions they might ask Jesus if he was their teacher.
Jesus’ teaching is astonishing because he is showing God’s love in action. He demonstrates this by healing the sick and feeding the hungry. When someone called him “Good teacher,” he asked that man “Why do you call me good?” and then taught him that being faithful means sharing with those in need.
Another idea would be to read the wonderful book Be a King: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Dream and You, by Carole Boston Weatherford. It’s likely available at your local library or can be purchased as an e-book inexpensively. Weatherford uses moments from Dr. King’s life to help readers imagine how they can follow his teaching today. King was a minister who taught other people about Jesus, and the lessons of God’s love for everyone.
You could end by taking a moment to recognize the teachers in your congregation, inviting the children to lead a short prayer thanking God for the many ways we learn and grow.
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The Immediate Word, January 28, 2024 issue.
Copyright 2024 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to The Immediate Word service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons and in worship and classroom settings only. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
