So what can we realistically do to try and counter the evil lurking in the depths of the human heart? Habakkuk offers a way forward when he says: “I will stand at my watchpost, and station myself on the rampart; I will keep watch to see what he will say to me, and what he will answer concerning my complaint.” Dean notes that last week the Obama administration announced a new policy initiative that echoes Habakkuk in its approach to turning young Americans away from the lure of violent ideologies. Instead of relying primarily on law enforcement, the plan advocates a more “community-based” approach that relies on the watchfulness of family and friends -- who see the seeds of violent leanings -- combined with the efforts of “intervention teams” staffed by mental health professionals and others to divert nascent terrorists from violence before their hearts completely turn to “the dark side.” As Dean points out, faith and watchfulness are the greatest protections we have against the violence and destruction lurking in the human heart... a viewpoint the prophet affirms when he observes in the lection’s closing verse: “Look at the proud! Their spirit is not right in them, but the righteous live by their faith.”
Team member Beth Herrinton-Hodge shares some additional thoughts on the Second Thessalonians text and the pride it expresses in the Thessalonian congregation for their “steadfastness and faith during all your persecutions and the afflictions that you are enduring.” Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy note that they are “boasting” of this to the other churches on their circuit. In modern parlance, they might create the social media hashtag #TellThessaloniansThey'reGreat -- something of a perfect analogue to a current campaign that’s gone viral in which ordinary Canadians enumerate all the things about America they find appealing and admirable. Using the hashtag #TellAmericaIt’sGreat to spread the word on Twitter, short videos extolling America’s virtues have been compiled at a website which also facilitates additional contributions. As Beth notes, the whole enterprise has very much the same feel about lifting up America that the epistle text has toward lifting up the church -- and we in the church could certainly use a reminder of all the good things we are accomplishing and embodying that we typically take for granted.
All Along the Watchtower
by Dean Feldmeyer
Habakkuk 1:1-4; 2:1-4
“All along the watchtower... I can’t get no relief.”
Nobel laureate Bob Dylan wrote those words in 1967 at the height of the Vietnam war and the civil rights movement, and Jimi Hendrix immortalized them the following year with a version of Dylan’s song on his Electric Ladyland album, released in the chaotic year of 1968 that saw among other events the Tet offensive that opened America’s eyes to the brutality in Vietnam.
Habakkuk would have understood perfectly the pain and confusion in Dylan’s obscure and murky lyrics.
The prophet has stood at his watch post on the rampart that was supposed to guard and protect the city, and has cried aloud to God for help: “Violence!” But God has remained silent.
Destruction, violence, strife, and contention are all around. Chicago has had 1,000 more shootings this year than last year at this time. Lord, do you not see? God, do you not hear? What are you waiting for? Is the city -- be it Jerusalem or Chicago -- not worth saving?
In the News
Violent ideologies are infiltrating our schools, our streets, and even our homes by way of the internet. Young people who are only just learning to think critically and rationally are being told that violence is the answer to all their problems.
They watch a political debate and see a candidate who threatens to not accept the election results if they do not go his way, and they see his followers threaten a violent revolution and even assassination if their demands aren’t met.
They watch the news and see high-school aged kids -- wearing the same ballcaps and the same sneakers they do, and carrying the same backpacks -- sneaking off to the Middle East to fight for ISIS. They hear politicians and see polls calling for troops not much older than themselves to be sent into that same Middle East to fight ISIS and help shore up weak and ineffective governments.
Even their fantasy lives promote the myth of redemptive violence. They see it on television in everything from Popeye cartoons to NCIS to The Blacklist and The Walking Dead. They play videogames with names like Battlefield, Bloodborne, Hatred, and Mortal Kombat X.
Guns and bombs represent power and change. They seem attractive because they don’t require time or patience, they don’t insist upon fairness or debate or votes, they create change instantly in the blink of an eye or the twitch of a finger, and they don’t care about the age or the politics or the race or the gender of the person who owns that finger.
Reporter Julia Edwards, writing for the Reuters news agency, says: “Authorities blamed radical and violent ideologies as the motives for attacks in the last year in Charleston, South Carolina; San Bernardino, California; Orlando, Florida; New York, and New Jersey. A self-styled white supremacist is accused of shooting dead nine black people inside a historic African-American church in Charleston, and the other shootings and bombs were inspired by Islamist militants.”
Until last week the only agency tasked with countering the recruitment strategies of hate groups was the Department of Homeland Security. But it has become increasingly clear that a body with the power to arrest and detain is not adequate or appropriate for the task of rebutting violent rhetoric or changing young minds that have been convinced or even twisted by that rhetoric.
People are reluctant to report a friend or family member to the police. They have heard tales of arrests and lengthy detentions of innocent people. They have heard some of our elected leaders defend the use of torture. They have known someone who knows someone who knows someone who was the subject of “extraordinary rendition,” picked up by government agents, never to be seen or heard from again.
So they wait until they are absolutely sure before they speak up. They may see or hear someone in their family or their neighborhood or their church or their mosque who is behaving differently, talking about violence -- but they wait until they are absolutely sure before they bring the name to the authorities, and often that is too late.
Last week, the White House unveiled a plan to bring together teachers, parents, mental health workers, clergy, and other community-based leaders and workers as a first line of defense that can “intervene and help prevent Americans from turning to violent ideologies.”
The simple, brief (18-page) policy statement notes that “Successful efforts to counter violent extremism are, in large part, predicated on trust.” Under the new guidelines, local teams of mental health professionals, faith-based groups, educators, and community leaders will assess the needs of individuals who may be showing signs of converting to a violent ideology.
Local law enforcement officers may also be part of the teams, but not federal prosecutors. The most effective intervention teams are nearly always community-led. Only when a person is believed to “pose a threat or be immediately capable of committing a crime” should law enforcement actions be taken, the policy states.
The policy also calls on the Justice Department to implement rehabilitation strategies that could include using former converts to violence as counselors for those convicted of terrorism.
In the Scriptures
While the book of Habakkuk tells us nothing about the prophet himself, scholars believe that the references within the text place him and this book in Judah around 597 BCE. He was a contemporary of Jeremiah and probably responded to the same events.
To refresh our memories: in the late sixth century BCE, the nation of Judah was the object of a tug-of-war between Egypt (to the south) and Babylon (to the north).
After Egypt was defeated in battle by Nebuchadnezzar at Charchemish in 605 BCE, Judah -- which thought that Babylon had been weakened by the battle -- declared its independence from Babylon. The ensuing revolution culminated in a three-month siege of Jerusalem beginning in late 598 BCE. Jehoiakim, the king of Judah, died during the siege, and was succeeded by his 18-year-old son Jeconiah. When the city fell on March 16, 597 BCE, Nebuchadnezzar pillaged Jerusalem and its temple... but did not destroy them. He took Jeconiah, his court, and other prominent citizens into exile in Babylon, and he appointed Jehoiakim’s uncle Zedekiah as king of Judah.
In this week’s passage, Habakkuk is likely addressing what he sees as the imminent fall of Jerusalem to Nebuchadnezzar’s besieging army.
He has climbed to the top of the city wall to take his turn as a lookout, as did every able-bodied man in the city. Each night as he stands there looking out at the campfires of the Chaldeans (Babylonians), campfires that look as multitudinous as the stars, he prays for relief and help from God. Bob Dylan’s words might well describe Habakkuk’s thoughts: “There’s too much confusion, I can’t get no relief... There must be some way out of here.”
1:1-4 is the prophet’s description of the siege. The wicked surround the righteous. It is the country with the strongest army that makes the rules now, and not the country with the strongest God. Justice is thus perverted. Strife and contention arise within the city as people’s patience runs out even faster than the food and water.
Why, O Lord, do you not listen when I cry to you for help?
He feels like a man shouting “Fire!” in a burning building -- but no one comes to put the fire out.
In 2:1 Habakkuk refuses to give up. He will continue to go to his place on the city’s wall and keep watch, but not just on the Babylonians. He will also keep watch for God’s answer. His insistence sounds like a challenge, does it not? It’s as if he is saying: “I will sit here on the wall like Jonah sat beneath his leafy vine, and I will, like Jonah, watch for an answer from the Lord.”
The Lord does not make the prophet wait for long. In 2:2 God answers: “Write this down. Write it in small, easy to understand words, and make it big so even someone running past can see it, read it, and understand it.”
Here is the message: God’s vision for God’s people has not changed. The purpose for which God has appointed Israel has not been abandoned. There will be an end to this madness, this violence, this suffering. Have patience. God is working on it.
Look out there at that army. They are proud of their strength and their victories in war and their capacity for violence. But their spirit is not right in them. It is twisted and perverted. Do not be like them, trusting in your own ability to kill and maim in war.
Trust in the Lord. Have faith in YHWH. That’s how righteous people live. Not by the sword, but by faith in God.
In the Pulpit
Given the threat of violence, there are two ways to respond.
Usually we respond with a threat of greater violence -- up to and including “mutually assured destruction” (MAD). Forget about an eye for an eye. Those days are gone. Now it’s an arm for an eye, and a life for an insult.
Kids, teenagers who feel rejected or left out or picked on, look to the opportunity to be made strong through the barrel of a gun and say “I wonder...” Some are lured into gangs or militias or religious extremist groups and made to feel strong and part of something stronger still.
And we just can’t understand it, even though our own military uses the same kind of lure to bring teenagers into the fight on our side.
Like Judah, these kids are caught in a tug-of-war, being pulled back and forth by agents of violence on both sides of the continuum. If they want to join the armed forces on our side, fine. But if they consider joining the other side or acting alone against the wrong people, we snatch them out of their school desks and arrest them.
Now our president has offered a different approach. The threat of arrest is still there, of course. That’s the stick. But there is now a carrot as well. Clergy, teachers, social workers, counselors, parents, and those who work with people up close are encouraged to watch for the signs of a violent inclination and to bring those kids into a dialogue with people who can offer a safe and constructive alternative.
One such alternative is the one offered to us by Habakkuk, and that is faith.
Instead of picking up a gun and shooting people who teased you, or killing random people as a way to create as much pain for others as you are feeling yourself, turn to prayer, turn to faith that the God who made you and this world has a plan that will, in time, come to fruition.
And that plan is a good plan, a plan of love and acceptance and tolerance and peace.
In the words of Habakkuk: “It speaks of the goal, and does not lie. If it seems to tarry, wait for it; it will surely come, it will not delay.”
SECOND THOUGHTS
Tell the Church It’s Great!
by Beth Herrinton-Hodge
2 Thessalonians 1:1-4, 11-12
A cloud of tension, mistrust, and animosity hangs over the United States these days. Sources for this discontent abound. Our neighbors in Canada have an eye on the angst and unease emanating from our nation, and they’ve got a word for us with a “Tell America It’s Great” campaign. The Garden, a creative agency in Toronto, has developed a website which explains the campaign and offers links for people to upload videos with encouraging words about what’s great about the United States. Their opening webpage includes this message: “Seems America could use some cheering up right about now. As their closest friends and neighbours, we thought we should take a minute to help remind them that no matter how bad things might seem at the moment, there are lots of reasons why we think they’re still pretty great.”
The good news in the campaign’s outpouring of tweets and videos is the reminder that the United States isn’t defined by the doom and gloom we’re being fed by media outlets and political candidates. Amidst the very real challenges we face in our country -- and even in spite of them -- we’ve got some good things going for us. Sometimes it’s easier for outsiders to see what’s great about a country or a people. Those living in the midst of upheaval can be oblivious to what is decent, successful, and good.
The whole endeavor has very much the same feel about lifting up America that the Thessalonians text has toward lifting up the church -- and we in the church could certainly use a reminder of all the good things we are accomplishing and embodying that we typically take for granted. It’s enlightening that the creators of the #TellAmericaIt’sGreat campaign, after noting that their purpose is to “cut through the negativity and help remind [Americans] that... [America] is still pretty great,” observed that “the best part of this whole journey so far has been discovering all of the amazing things about America that we ourselves either didn’t know or hadn’t considered.” Substitute the word “church” for the word “America” in those quotations, and you have a pretty good summation of the gist of the Thessalonians passage.
In 2 Thessalonians, Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy pen a letter to early Christians living in Thessalonica calling out their growing faith and increasing love for one another. The trio even boasts about the Thessalonian Christians among the “churches of God.” With this letter the trio reminds the Thessalonians that they’re pretty great. This is the second letter of encouragement that Paul has written to the faithful people in this land. The letters’ messages carry more than benign encouragement -- they serve as support and reinforcement to the Christians to hold to their faith, to stay faithful to their God, to continue their witness to Jesus Christ in an imperial Roman society.
Thessalonica was the capital city of the Roman province of Macedonia. Life under Roman rule at the time of Paul’s writing included security, traditional order, conservative social values, and religious tolerance (to a point). As long as Roman subjects showed loyalty toward Rome, bowed before imperial gods, and lived within the rule of law, the people were allowed to maintain their allegiances to their individual gods and their way of life. The dominant classes found prosperity under Roman rule. Christians, with their unwavering allegiance to the God of Jesus Christ, were labeled anti-social and anti-Roman. Steadfast faithfulness to an exclusive devotion to a budding Christianity required strength and encouragement. Paul offered these to the Thessalonian Christians.
As with these Canadians’ messages to the United States, Paul and his companions acknowledge the good things the people exhibit even as they endure persecution, affliction, and challenge. As Americans, it feels pretty great to be reminded of the positive influence we show through our words, actions, inventions, accomplishments, and values. It must have felt pretty great to the Thessalonian Christians too. While they awaited the end times and placed their hope in God’s fulfillment of promises made to Israel, Paul urged them to remain engaged in their world. He prayed for them to continue growing in faith, to continue loving one another, to continue showing an alternative way of praying and living for Jesus Christ. This way of life was transformative and hope-filled.
How great would it feel for the church to receive this message today? To paraphrase our Canadian friends: “It seems the church could use some cheering up right about now... so let’s take a minute to help remind the church that no matter how bad things might seem at the moment, there are lots of reasons why we think they’re still pretty great.”
What great thing is your church doing these days? What positive influence has the church’s words, actions, accomplishments, values, and faithfulness made in your community? What alternative message is put forth from your congregation that tells your community that there is a different way to live together, a different hope to build upon, a different future than today’s fear-mongers extol? The saying is sure and the foundation is unwavering: the love, mercy, and promises of God are steadfast and true. On this God we build our hope and bear witness in the world.
Our God is pretty great. God’s church is pretty great too. Maybe we should post tweets and make videos calling out what’s great about them -- more than to merely cheer us up, but to claim the good news we know... and to point to the good news we’re charged to proclaim.
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Mary Austin:
Habakkuk 1:1-4; 2:1-4
How to Start Saving Each Other
The prophet Habakkuk asks: “O Lord, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not listen? Or cry to you ‘Violence!’ and you will not save?”
With violence and destruction all around us, activist and theologian Ruby Sales suggests that we start the process of building bridges with each other by asking “where does it hurt?” In an interview with Krista Tippett, Sales suggested that this question can open up unexpected places for dialogue. Sales is the founder and director of the Spirit House Project in Atlanta, and is also one of 50 African-Americans to be spotlighted in the new Smithsonian National Museum of African-American History and Culture in Washington, DC.
Sales herself experienced the same cry that the prophet makes when she went to her first civil rights demonstration. Having been raised in the church, she was ready for God to come and intervene on the side of justice. She recalls: “[W]hen I first went on my first demonstration, I was really kind of naïve, unsophisticated, a peasant who had been bred on black folk religion and really believed -- I was a part of the Pepsi generation who really believed that right was right and it would win out. So I went on my first demonstration -- and I’m embarrassed to say this -- but we were surrounded by horses and state troopers who wouldn’t let us go to the bathroom, and I kept looking up at the sky, waiting for the Exodus story to happen to me. And it didn’t happen. I expected God to appear on some chariot to open up in the sky, because I couldn’t imagine that we were so right and God would be so wrong in my 17-year-old mind. I couldn’t imagine that.”
*****
Habakkuk 1:1-4; 2:1-4
Something Different for Kids
For children touched by violence and despair, authors James Baraz and Michele Lilyanna (Awakening Joy for Kids) suggest that instead of cultivating fear we work on compassion instead. They say that what helps “is fostering compassionate action. When we learn how to help others who are going through hard times, it can help us to strengthen our relationships, an important resource in challenging situations.”
They suggest: “Try this: Ask children to think of someone -- a person or an animal or even ‘the earth’ -- who is having a hard time. It can be someone they are familiar with or whom they don’t know well. Then ask them to think of an action they could take to make things better. It’s important to encourage kids to take baby steps and not expect them to solve the whole problem. But they can do small things like write a get-well letter to a sick relative, make a quick phone call to a friend who fell down at school, give a hug to a pet that’s been home alone all day, or water the thirsty plants outside. Encouraging kids to notice others going through challenging times and to take positive steps helps them to stay attuned to the world around them. And it feels great!”
They add: “Whenever we teach our children -- and ourselves -- to shine a light on the good and to rest our minds on uplifting moments, we are strengthening the ability to empathize with others, feel more connected, build resilience, and be inspired to make this a better world. And that makes for a more joyful life for all!”
*****
Habakkuk 1:1-4; 2:1-4
Why Do We Shut People Out Anyway?
Our disconnections from each other allow us to divide people into “us” (good people) and “them” (bad people). Psychiatrist Robert Waldinger says, “We make artificial divisions everywhere: Democrats and Republicans, black and white, millennials and baby boomers. Even those of us who are against building walls find ourselves pointing accusing fingers at those wall-builders. Being human means there’s a wall-builder in each of us. Our minds naturally divide the world into me and not-me, us and them. For thousands of years, our sages have taught that we’re all one, yet we still divide wherever we look.” Part of this, he believes, has evolved as strategy to live in a hostile world.
Once we put the label on, he says, fear is the next step. “Once we slap a label on others, we don’t bother to look more closely, and our fears grow. With social mixers like the military draft long disappeared, and news media like Fox and MSNBC growing ever more partisan, it’s easy to restrict ourselves -- without even realizing it -- to people like us and to views we agree with. The result is that we’re mystified by the beliefs of those on the other side of social and economic divides: ‘those Trump supporters’; ‘those Hillary supporters’; ‘those Brexit voters.’ Our fears about others increase, with no chance to see how much of our basic humanness we share.”
The solution? Waldinger starts small, suggesting that we should “embrace our inner wall-builder. The more we know about our own impulses to find enemies, the sooner we’ll recognize it when people are trying to manipulate us for their selfish ends.” Then, “give our wall-builder a place to play. Whether it’s barricading ourselves off in snow forts or rooting for the Red Sox, we can channel the urge to find heroes and enemies into healthy competition.” Once we’ve done that, we should seek out people who are different, and respectfully seek to know more about them.
*****
Habakkuk 1:1-4; 2:1-4
Keeping Watch
The prophet Habakkuk says: “I will stand at my watchpost, and station myself on the rampart; I will keep watch...” Keeping a promise to a friend, Alex Sheen stood outside a bar with a sign, offering free rides to anyone who asked. It had been exactly a year since Vincent Canzani was killed in a drunk-driving crash caused by Sheen’s friend Matthew Cordle. Now Cordle was in prison, and Sheen had promised to bring some good out of the awful chain of events. So he stood outside a bar with a dry-erase board offering his name, and the reason he was there, ready to give rides.
(click to enlarge image)
He refused all offers of money -- but his first group of passengers, a bachelorette party, left behind $38, which he planned to donate to Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD).
***************
From team member Ron Love:
Habakkuk 1:1-4; 2:1-4
In a Bizarro comic, a man is standing at the nurse’s station in a doctor’s office. Beside him is a rack arrayed with a typical range of medical pamphlets. Pointing to the display, the nurse says to the patient: “While you wait, feel free to browse our pamphlets and get paranoid about symptoms you haven’t even noticed yet.” (Note: If your sanctuary has a projection screen, you may want to display this comic.)
Application: We face many problems in life.
*****
Isaiah 1:10-18
Hurricane Matthew has caused an estimated $10 billion in damage -- and that figure is probably low, because the extent of the damage is still being assessed. As one who had a tree fall on his roof (and the damage is in the tens of thousands of dollars), I know firsthand how quickly $10 billion can be reached. Though the economy has slowed, it will recover even better with new construction and with the replacement of destroyed items. (Note: To personalize this, you can introduce it by saying “A friend told me...”)
Application: The damage caused by Hurricane Matthew was an unavoidable natural disaster. The damage caused by the people of Sodom and Gomorrah was very much avoidable.
*****
Isaiah 1:10-18
Mosul may soon be liberated by Iraqi and allied forces. Many of the Islamic State’s soldiers have fled the city -- yet many have remained. The soldiers still present are preparing for a long and bloody defensive battle. They are putting concrete barriers in the streets. They have tires piled up, ready to be burned so the smoke obscures bombers from making airstrikes. They are publicly executing anyone who they consider to be an informant, whether real or imagined. People leave their homes only long enough to purchase necessities. As one resident said, “Every minute passes like a year.” Yet in the midst of this mayhem, the Islamic State has released a propaganda video showing a happy city full of life and vigor, with people casually walking down the streets and shopping.
Application: One must wonder if the leaders of Sodom and Gomorrah were living in a delusion.
*****
Isaiah 1:10-18
In a Cornered comic, a jury foreman addresses the judge with this statement: “It’s a bit of a stretch, but we find the defendant not guilty.” The judge looks on with a perplexed expression. (Note: If your sanctuary has a projection screen, you may want to display this comic.)
Application: The people of Sodom and Gomorrah were stretching the truth in thinking they were sinless.
*****
Isaiah 1:10-18
According to the Anti-Defamation League, there have been more than 2 million tweets in the last year with anti-Semitic language -- and these messages have been read 10 billion times. Some of these tweets have been accompanied by pictures of the recipient with a Nazi-style yellow star and a bullet hole in the forehead. One message to a reporter read: “Don’t mess with our boy Trump or you will be the first in line for the camp.” The recipients are Jewish journalists who do not support Donald Trump as president. It was discovered that a group of 1,600 Twitter accounts were responsible for 68% of the messages. The remaining came from other established groups. Twitter has been very slow in closing these accounts, even though their policy does not allow hate messages.
Application: We are no different today than in the days of Sodom and Gomorrah in our ability to hate that which is good.
*****
Isaiah 1:10-18
Joe Maddon, the manager of baseball’s Chicago Cubs, grew up in Hazleton, Pennsylvania. All of his family, including cousins, still lives there, and Maddon loves the community. He often returns to visit, and when away he frequently talks to both family members and friends. His father, who came to Hazleton as an immigrant, changed his name (from Maddonini to Maddon) in order to get a job in the area’s mines. At one time the city was 95 percent white, but after the mines closed and cheap manufacturing became the predominant employer, Hazleton is now composed of only 60 percent whites -- a transformation that has caused racial tensions. Maddon, because of his father’s experience as an immigrant and his own experience in baseball, believes that minorities must be accepted. To help facilitate this, Maddon has started the Hazleton Integration Project and opened the Hazleton One Community Center. To raise money for the center he had Yogi Berra, Cal Ripken, Tommy Lasorda, and other professional baseball luminaries attend fundraising activities. Addressing the race issue, Maddon said, “What’s the problem? This is exactly how we grew up.”
Application: It is sad that the citizens of Sodom and Gomorrah did not have a better understanding of unity.
*****
Luke 19:1-10
In order to meet inflated sales quotas, Wells Fargo employees opened 2 million bank and credit card accounts without authorization from customers. As a result of this practice coming to light, distrust has fallen upon the 164-year-old company. Business has slowed, with fewer customers opening new accounts and making home mortgage loans -- all because the bank is no longer trusted. The firm’s new CEO, Tim Sloan, said that for now “our immediate priority is restoring trust in Wells Fargo.”
Application: It was good that Jesus forgave and accepted Zacchaeus. But how long will it take for Zacchaeus to be accepted by the community?
*****
Luke 19:1-10
Joe Maddon, the manager of baseball’s Chicago Cubs, has remained close to his hometown of Hazleton, Pennsylvania, investing in the community by raising funds for and co-founding the Hazleton Integration Project and the Hazleton One Community Center. Maddon’s motivation for these projects is seen on a plaque on his wall with these words: “You never know when you’re making a memory.”
Application: The story of Zacchaeus inspires us to create a memory of forgiveness and acceptance.
*****
Luke 19:1-10
T-Mobile was recently fined $7.5 million for false representation, and the company must also compensate customers $35.5 million for additional service expenses. On top of this, the firm must provide $5 million in free tablets to children in low-income school districts, and provide them with 4 years of free service. All this is because the telecommunications giant advertised “unlimited” data -- but in the fine print T-Mobile said that the top 3% of users would be denied access when cell sites were congested. This negated the concept of “unlimited” data.
Application: There are many Zacchaeuses in society who try to take advantage of people. It can only be hoped that it does not take prosecution for them to come down out of their trees, repent, and provide restitution.
*****
Luke 19:1-10
Warren Buffett has a problem -- cash is piling up in his accounts faster than he can spend it. The money is coming in at $1.5 billion every month, adding to the $73 billion he already has. He intends to use the money to buy out other businesses, but he is still uncertain which ones he will invest in. Associates say one might be Mars Candy, since Buffett likes Snickers.
Application: One of the lessons of Zacchaeus’ story is that of stewardship.
WORSHIP RESOURCES
by George Reed
Call to Worship
Leader: You are righteous, O God, and your judgments are right.
People: You have appointed your decrees in righteousness and in all faithfulness.
Leader: Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness.
People: Your law is the truth.
Leader: Your decrees are righteous forever.
People: Give us understanding, that we may live.
OR
Leader: In love God created all that was or is or ever will be.
People: We adore our God, who so wondrously created.
Leader: God’s creativity is not yet finished with us.
People: We open our lives to God’s creating Spirit.
Leader: The great shalom of God is waiting for us to enter it.
People: We will enter and spread God’s peace to all.
Hymns and Sacred Songs
“Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven”
found in:
UMH: 66
H82: 410
PH: 478
CH: 23
LBW: 549
ELA: 864, 865
W&P: 82
AMEC: 70
Renew: 53
“A Mighty Fortress Is Our God”
found in:
UMH: 110
H82: 687, 688
PH: 260
AAHH: 124
NNBH: 37
NCH: 439, 440
CH: 65
LBW: 228, 229
ELA: 503, 504, 505
W&P: 588
AMEC: 54
STLT: 200
“Be Thou My Vision”
found in:
UMH: 451
H82: 488
PH: 339
NCH: 451
CH: 595
ELA: 793
W&P: 502
AMEC: 281
STLT: 20
Renew: 151
“Let There Be Peace on Earth”
found in:
UMH: 431
CH: 677
W&P: 614
“My Faith Looks Up to Thee”
found in:
UMH: 452
H82: 691
PH: 383
AAHH: 456
NNBH: 273
CH: 576
LBW: 479
ELA: 759
W&P: 419
AMEC: 415
“I Will Trust in the Lord”
found in:
UMH: 464
AAHH: 391
NNBH: 285
NCH: 416
“Trust and Obey”
found in:
UMH: 467
AAHH: 380
NNBH: 322
CH: 556
W&P: 443
AMEC: 77
“O God of Every Nation”
found in:
UMH: 435
H82: 607
PH: 289
CH: 680
LBW: 416
ELA: 713
W&P: 626
“The Steadfast Love of the Lord”
found in:
CCB: 28
Renew: 23
“Through It All”
found in:
CCB: 61
Music Resources Key:
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982 (The Episcopal Church)
PH: 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
ELA: 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 sees creation as peace with itself and with you: Grant us the grace to live our lives courageously in love that your grace may reach out to all your children; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We come to worship and adore you, O God, for you are the one who has created us for shalom. Send your Spirit upon us, that we might once again be called to your vision. Help us to courageously love others so that your grace may embrace them. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
Leader: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins, and especially our failure to believe that love and faith are stronger than hatred and violence.
People: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We see the hatred around us, and it scares us to the point where we think we can only fight it with more violence. We forget that you have a vision of shalom for us and for all creation. We forget that love is stronger than hate. Call us back to you and to the Christ who demonstrated that love conquers all, even death. Amen.
Leader: God does have a vision of shalom that we must bring to fulfillment. Receive God’s grace and forgiveness, as well as God’s Spirit to make you bold in facing hatred with love.
Prayers of the People (and the Lord’s Prayer)
We praise you, O God, who created us to be a people of shalom.
(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 see the hatred around us, and it scares us to the point where we think we can only fight it with more violence. We forget that you have a vision of shalom for us and for all creation. We forget that love is stronger than hate. Call us back to you and to the Christ who demonstrated that love conquers all, even death.
We thank you for all those who have stood up to violence and hatred with the courage to use love and faith to defeat evil. We thank you for those who faithfully taught us your vision for creation.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for those who struggle in places of violence. Some face it in their homes, some in their communities, and some in the nation. Some struggle with the violence within themselves.
(Other intercessions may be offered.)
All these things we ask in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ, who taught us to pray together, saying:
Our Father . . . Amen.
(or if the Lord’s Prayer is not used at this point in the service)
All this we ask in the Name of the Blessed and Holy Trinity. Amen.
Children’s Sermon Starter
When someone is mean to us, it is easy to become angry and to want to be mean right back. But that only makes for more meanness in the world. It is only by being loving that we can break the violence. Violence doesn’t make us strong -- it shows we are weak. Love and peace show we are strong.
CHILDREN’S SERMON
Look, Listen, and Believe
by Chris Keating
Luke 19:1-10
Gather in advance:
* a pair of binoculars
* a few library books on birdwatching
* optional: inexpensive party-favor binoculars (one per child); this will take a bit of advance planning but could add to the fun
Before worship, identify a small detail in the worship space that is unique yet is small and not close to the place where you gather with the children. It should be hard to see, but not so obscure that the children get frustrated trying to find it. An example could be an air vent, an exit sign, a detail in a stained-glass window, or some detail in the room’s design.
As the children gather, go to the place where you meet them -- and instead of greeting them, use the binoculars to scan the sanctuary as if you are looking for something. Scan the church in an overly exaggerated way, looking everywhere for the object you can’t quite find. Say things like “I wonder where it is! Ooh... is that it? No... I just can’t find it!”
By this time, some of the children may be asking “What? What are you looking for?” Or simply put down the glasses and say: “Oh, I am so glad to see you today! I’m hoping you’ll be able to help me find it!” Describe what you are looking for, and have them brainstorm with you about how to find it (you could use a ladder, you could use your binoculars, you could ask a friend, etc.).
You’ll need to adapt the story to your children’s ages and abilities. Once someone finds what you’re looking for, invite the others to look through the binoculars so they can see it as well.
Learning to see what is around us is hard. Sometimes we need help (like using binoculars) or a friend. Binoculars are particularly helpful if you want to go into your backyard and look for birds flying or squirrels climbing trees, or even seeing a play at a theater. Emphasize that when we use the tools we have, we can often discover wonderful things that God has given to us to enjoy.
Share the story of Zacchaeus with the children by telling them that Zacchaeus was a shorter man who wanted to see Jesus. He had heard that Jesus was passing through his town. Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus, but couldn’t because he was too small. Zacchaeus was curious about this man -- he had heard much about him; was it true? Could he really change people’s lives?
Zacchaeus was very short, but he had a big problem. He had a good job collecting taxes, but people didn’t like him because he tended to cheat people by taking more money than he was supposed to take. Because of this, Zacchaeus was very rich but not very happy.
Zacchaeus wondered about these things as he tried to find a place where he could see Jesus pass through his town. But when Zacchaeus got to the street, he realized he was just too short -- he couldn’t see over the heads of the people who had got there first. Ask the children to remember a time when they couldn’t see something because grownups or taller children blocked their view. What could they do differently?
Zacchaeus didn’t have binoculars, but he did have an idea. He climbed up a tree and watched as Jesus got closer... and closer... and closer! So close that Jesus saw Zacchaeus out on a limb. Can you imagine that seeing an adult climb a tree might have made Jesus giggle?
But Jesus didn’t laugh at Zacchaeus. Instead, he called him to come down. He was excited that someone was so interested in seeing him. Jesus knew that Zacchaeus was trying to learn more about the things God was doing, so he told Zacchaeus to get down from the tree. He said to Zacchaeus, “I’m going to go to your house for something to eat!”
That made Zacchaeus very happy -- he knew that God loved him in a special way.
When we see things, we learn something about ourselves. Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus, just like we wanted to see the object in the sanctuary. Tell the children, “I bet you’ll always see (blank) every time you come into the sanctuary from now on!” The same was true for Zacchaeus. He saw Jesus, and then he heard him call his name. His life was changed. He was so happy to see Jesus that he gave half of his possessions to the poor, and he promised to help those he may have cheated.
Sometimes it is hard to “see” God, and even the best binoculars can’t help us see Jesus. But we can look to see how the church does things to help others know God’s love. We can see where God has been at work, and we too can be happy because we know that God sees us just as Jesus noticed Zacchaeus.
As you close, say a prayer thanking God for giving us the ability to look and learn, to see where God is at work in our lives, and to trust that God will help us in the week ahead.
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The Immediate Word, October 30, 2016, issue.
Copyright 2016 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.
