All Of Life's A Stage
Children's sermon
Illustration
Preaching
Sermon
Worship
Object:
How do you guide someone down a road you have never walked yourself? What markers can you point out to guide them safely through? Such is the case now with many in the twenty-something generation, which some are now calling the "Odyssey" generation, a stage between adolescence and adulthood. How do those of us who have never shared their experience reach out to them? Thom Shuman will use the 2 Timothy text: "But as for you, continue in what you have learned and firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it, and how from childhood you have known the sacred writings that are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus" (2 Timothy 3:14-15). Barbara Jurgensen writes another view this week. There are illustrations, a worship resource, and a children's sermon also included.
All of Life's a Stage
Thom Shuman
... or at least, a series of stages! For those of us of a certain age, it used to be we would face only four stages -- childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and old age. But now, according to a recent article, we have two new stages of life. "Active Retirement" describes that new phenomenon of folks who retire after 25-30 years of work, and may enjoy active living for another 15-20 years. And "Odyssey," the new frontier (or decade) describing 20-somethings who wander before moving into adulthood. How does the church, how does a preacher (especially those who are not prone to wander) reach out to such a generation that is charting unknown waters? Perhaps we can find a clue in the letter read in churches this week. In writing to Timothy, Paul is addressing a new generation, the third to receive the gospel of Jesus Christ. But it is also written in a time, much like ours, when the long-term viability of the Christian community seemed in doubt, as this new generation came along. As we examine Paul's urging to Timothy to remain faithful, to remember the sound teachings he has heard, and to pass them on to others, maybe we can come up with some clues -- and ideas -- as to how to reach out to those who are on a journey, that perhaps many of us cannot comprehend.
THE WORLD
I could hardly wait to turn 50 because that was the birthday that meant I could start taking advantage of all the "senior" discounts. Then about a month before my fiftieth birthday, the minimum age for senior advantages was raised to 55! And five years later, as I approached 55, the minimum age to qualify as a "senior" was raised once again. It seems so unfair -- as if I were missing out on an important rite of passage.
According to an article by David Brooks in the October 9th New York Times, I am also missing out on an entire new life phase -- that is being called "Odyssey." It refers to a decade (or perhaps more) when young people seem to "wander" between the more traditional life phases of adolescence and adulthood. Many in this group go to school, and a lot of them take breaks from school. They fall in and out of love, though that may not be anything new (though the fact that this age group often delays marriage and raising a family is significant). They often live with friends and some, like Ulysses in the epic tale, even manage to find their way home.
Their parents are anxious; corporations and other employers are anxious (because this age group will try one career, only to jump to another); even the churches are getting anxious, because this group, which may have been quite active in church school and youth groups, are suddenly disappearing from the pews. The fluidity that seems to be standard in the lives of those who are on this "odyssey" seems to threaten the solidity of those generations before them who put so much stock in "achievements": going to school, getting a good job, getting married, buying a house, starting a family.
THE WORD
How do we deal with such a generation? What does the church have to offer? What does the preacher have to say? How do we pass the "faith" -- which is bedrock to so many of us -- to a group that seems to be unable to put roots down anywhere? Parents wonder if they will have any grandchildren to spoil, and faith families wonder if there will be anyone who will sing the songs, fill the pews, serve on committees, and teach Sunday school. What will the Christian community be, much less look like, in another 25 years?
This seems to be some of the thinking behind Paul's letters to his young colleague, Timothy. Paul recognizes that his life, and his ministry, may be coming to an end, and he wants to pass the baton on to the next generation, which Timothy represents. When we read these letters, it is easy for us to forget that Timothy is only the third generation of Christians in the entire world. Nurtured in the faith by his mother (Eunice) and his grandmother (Lois), Timothy is now demonstrating leadership. Yet, in the background is the great question of the future. For even in the midst of swift and successful growth by this young faith, Paul is writing in a time when the survival of the Christian community seems in doubt.
And so, like any "old-timer," Paul challenges Timothy to keep the faith (2 Timothy 3:14-4:5). Remember what you have learned! Cling to those doctrines you have been taught! Keep preaching! Keep making those hospital visits, running those youth programs, coming up with effective stewardship campaigns, and developing new ways to draw in those who are not coming to church! Paul encourages Timothy, because he knows these are tried-and-true ways, because they were effective for him when he was reaching out to the Gentiles.
CRAFTING THE SERMON
For generations of preachers, including mine, the challenge and encouragement of Paul to Timothy was the "template" for dealing with change -- in the world and in church. This "charge" of being faithful to scripture, of being true to one's calling, of keeping the faith as it were, has been passed on from generation to generation. As well it should.
We do not need to rewrite scripture in/for every generation -- it is the source that enables us to become wise enough to trust in God for forgiveness and transformation of our lives. The Word, which became flesh in Christ, is the foundation of the words we find in scripture. Those words, breathed out by God to become sacred writings for us, become a means of grace for us. My niece, who is studying to be a music therapist, was talking of how she can teach children songs so that as they sing them, the child is unconsciously drawing in breaths to enable them to sing, breaths which they need for their healing in many cases. If she simply said to the child, "I want you to breathe for me," they probably would resist. In a similar manner, the breath of the Spirit enters scripture to enable us to take the deep, grace-filled breaths we need for our healing.
Yet, while what Paul says to Timothy does indeed reverberate down through the centuries, any wise pastor knows that today we need to be able to reach generations for who words are simply that -- words. We need to be able to reach people for whom images, often flashing and changing quickly, speak more to them than a printed page. We need to find a way to say to this new generation of wanderers, "we've been there and we can help you find the way."
How do we do that? How do we find the ways -- if not the words -- to do so, without falling into platitudes suited for itching words?
Again, I think Paul provides us with a way, and that is his relationship with Timothy. He is not writing to Timothy as some sort of boss in corporate headquarters in New York sending a memo to the new branch manager in Atlanta. He's writing to a friend, to someone he knows, to someone who knows him (and trusts him). You can feel the genuine affection, the respect, the compassion Paul has for Timothy. Yes, a lot of it has to do with Timothy's mom and grandmother. But at the heart of the letter is that intimacy, the bond that connection Timothy has with Paul. It is mentor to student, surely. More than that, it is friend to friend.
Maybe a sermon on this passage honors the people who have shaped the lives of the speaker and the listeners. Maybe the sermon admits how sound teachings can enable us to be more faithful, more obedient, more mission oriented. Maybe the sermon points to the stewardship and evangelistic programs that have brought that particular church to this point in time.
But certainly, the sermon should speak about relationships. The relationships that transformed our lives, and our desire to have relationships that will help others be transformed, to be healed, to find their way home. Hopefully, hopefully, the sermon will conclude with a simple plea, one Christian to another, one believer to another, one pilgrim to another, one old-timer who has been there and come back to a youngster just starting out on an odyssey, "let's walk together, so neither of us is alone."
ANOTHER VIEW
Barbara Jurgensen
You've heard about Mike Flynt, the 59-year-old man in Texas who used to play football for Sul Ross State University, many years ago. And how, earlier this year, he got to talking with some buddies and remembered that, since he'd played only three years when he was in college, he still had one year of eligibility left.
So Flynt, who's been in the fitness business for many years and has kept in good shape, decided to go and try out this past summer.
And, amazingly, he made the team.
It reminds me of our widow in today's gospel lesson. This widow needed help to get on with her life, but the judge who should have been coming to her assistance wasn't any help at all.
She kept going back to him. She didn't give up. She just would not give up; she refused to lose heart. Finally, the judge gave her the attention she needed.
Jesus tells us that this judge was the exact opposite of what a judge -- or of what any human being, for that matter -- should be. This judge neither feared God nor had respect for any human being.
Remember that Jesus tells us there are just two things that we each need to do:
1. We need to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength.
2. We need to love our neighbor as we love ourselves.
But this judge was not buying into any of that.
Yet, Jesus says, even this rotten, no-good judge, who had no concern at all for a person in extreme need, who refused to do good, even when it was his responsibility, and easily within his power to do so, even he relented and did what was right.
This scoundrel of a judge actually helped this woman!
Jesus says that if even such a heartless human being as this judge could attend to the needs of another human being, to the needs of a hurting human being, how much more will our caring Heavenly Father help us in all our needs.
Notice the words how much more. Jesus liked to use this phrase because he knew how difficult it can be for us to realize how loving and caring and good our Heavenly Father can be toward us. When he tried to explain how good God is, he couldn't say that the Father is like anyone or anything on this earth because nothing comes anywhere near to being like what the Father is or doing what he does.
Jesus said, in effect, "If your child asked you for a slice of pizza, you wouldn't give him a stone, would you? Well, if you know how to give good gifts to your children, think of how much more your Heavenly Father knows how to give good gifts to you, and to all his children."
And Jesus said, in effect, "Don't worry about what you're going to eat or drink or what you're going to wear, because your Heavenly Father knows you need all these things. You've seen how God takes care of everything out in nature, haven't you? Well, even so much more will he take care of you."
You may need to ask him, and ask him, again and again, for what you think you need, and be willing to wait. Don't give up, because God will answer you -- at the best time for you, and in the best way for you. Because God wants to help you become the person he intends for you to be -- a caring member of his family, who does his work with him.
"So," Jesus concludes, "you need to always pray and not lose heart."
I can remember walking home from grade school with my friends and we'd ask each other, "Do you believe in God? Do you think there really is a God?" (Kids can get into some deep topics.) Now, as I look back, I think that the biggest question is not, "Is there a God?" but "Is God good?"
We'd all like our Heavenly Father to answer our prayers and our requests, right away. Then we'd know that God is both real and good -- and we'd get what we wanted, immediately, and things would be exactly the way we wanted them to be.
It takes patience for us to ask -- and then to wait, and wait, and wait. In Hebrew, the verbs seber and yachal mean both to hope and to wait. Because we have hope in God, we wait. And we wait because we hope in him. It's one and the same thing.
Our alternate Psalm for today, Psalm 121, reminds us that when we lift up our eyes to the hills, looking for help in the midst of our struggles, we can remember that our hope is in the Lord, who made heaven and earth. That's the good news. At the center of our universe, at the center of all that is, is our loving God, who loves us beyond our wildest hopes and dreams.
To be a Christian, to be a person of faith, we need to trust that God is doing for us all that we need. Like the 57-year-old man in Texas who decided to go ahead and play, we need to decide to move ahead with our lives as followers of our Lord. Because if even that scoundrel of a judge that Jesus told us about could do what was right for that widow, how much more will our loving Heavenly Father do what is right and loving for us -- at the right time and in the best way.
So, as Jesus said, we need to pray always, and not lose heart.
ILLUSTRATIONS
There are three ways I like to reach out to the young in my church:
#1: Sacred symbols:
The Gospel teaches us to pray and not to loose heart, but it also poses the question; "Will the Son of Man find faith on earth when he comes again?" That is a wonderful question. It is so interesting that Madison Avenue uses sacred symbols to market its most successful products. "The Halo," for instance, is a common sign for the presence of an angel, but it has become in the world of video gaming, the name of one of the most violent products ever released to young. It is an instant hit. The Golden Arches of McDonald's are another subtle but intentional use of a sacred symbol of the Ten Commandments. Chevy's Cross is a more obvious appropriation of a valuable Christian Symbol, not diminished by the fact that it is a somewhat italicized version of the original. Indeed, it does make one wonder... will The Son of Man find faith on the earth when he comes? I've often warned the youth of our church to watch out for the manipulative strategies of Madison Avenue.
* * *
#2: The Church: Something permanent, something of substance:
It is interesting to see how many young people are finding their way back to church. It is far from a groundswell, but little by little, one by one, young people are indeed returning to church. There is something in the ancient rituals, there is something about the fact that we've been around for two thousand years in one form or another. In a world where the confusion of drugs, promiscuity, and consumerism are so much a way of life, the young seem to want something with more substance and permanence to it. We are the genuine article my friends. Do not forget we have so much to offer. Do not be shy about commending the faith that is in you!
* * *
#3: It matters not so much if you believe in God;
It matters more that God believes in YOU!:
Young people love to challenge tradition. I've been put to the test many times by youth, particularly so since my own sons have so recently come through their teen years. They love to push the envelope, and test the patience of those in "authority." Too often, we rush to judgment, although we are probably reasonable in our response.
Still I find it better to modulate my response to the young in order to keep the doors of communication ajar. Sooner or later there will be a scrape with the law, or a scary night with an overdose, or a time when everyone else leaves you out in the cold. That's when the phone will ring often in the middle of the night... often on Saturday night. And they will call someone who says it again and again: "It doesn't matter if you believe in God; God believes in YOU... and I believe in you!" So there is the Man of God, willing to stand with you in the time of trial! That's how they learn the faith... they learned because YOU believed in THEM!
* * *
When I lived in Orlando, Florida, there was a church in town that took out a large ad in the Yellow Pages with the header, "The Spirit of Whatever it Takes..." I tried to give the church the benefit of the doubt thinking that it was following the lines of Paul when he said, "To the Jew I became a Jew, to the Gentile I became a Gentile, in the hopes of winning more for Christ." However, I have to admit, it sounded more like a used car dealer's mantra, "What will it take to get you in that car today?" When we see churches using violent video games such as HALO to lure in youth and young men, it can't be that much of a step to resort to profanity, pornography, and alcohol. Sure, it will work, but at what cost? And yet, it wasn't that long ago that contemporary worship, women in the pulpit, drums, PowerPoint and screens were seen as selling out to the culture. (Indeed, some may still think so.) What makes the church the church? When does it cross that line? In the Lutheran Confessional writing, it defines the church as that gathering of believers where the Gospel is preached and the sacraments are rightly administered. Other than that, Luther had a word for man-made rituals and observances that need not be done uniformly throughout the church: adiaphora.
* * *
Persistence in Prayer
It was because of the old woman's persistence in her pleading that the judge finally gave in to her request. If an unjust judge can be moved by persistence, how much more will God whose deepest desire is to give you the kingdom?
How long do you pray for something until you give up? Do you give it a whole month? A week? A full day? Or just one session on your knees? The slaves in Egypt prayed for 450 years before deliverance. Abraham and Sarah prayed for 25 years for a son. The people of God prayed 1,000 years for the Son of David to reign as King of kings and Lord of lords. To make this persistence even more real, St. Augustine attributed his conversion to his mother who prayed for him without ceasing for decades until he was filled with faith.
How long do you pray until you give up?
* * *
A visual image I have in my mind about persistent prayer are those old sidewalks that are buckled because a nearby tree root grew underneath. It takes a long time for that root to grow. The cement sidewalk is rock hard. And yet persistence, over time breaks through the hardest surface to make a difference. Maybe you feel as if you've come to an impasse in life where the doors are all shut and the ground is as hard as concrete. I can only believe that prayer moves the unmovable and changes the unchangeable from impossible situations to the hardest of hearts.
* * *
The scene: a church basement. The youth of the church, and some friends of theirs from the larger community, are gathered on the castoff armchairs and couches that are typical furnishings of youth rooms. It could be a youth group gathering in any church, anywhere in the country: except for the fact that these young people are staring intently ahead of them at computer monitors, video-game controllers in their hands.
They're at a HALO party: playing Microsoft's violent outer-space video game, whose latest edition has been breaking sales records. The young people of the church are blowing their opponents away with laser guns: and loving it.
Is this ministry? That's the question posed by Matt Richtel, in a recent New York Times story, "Thou Shalt Not Kill, Except in a Popular Video Game at Church" (New York Times, October 7, 2007). The game is labeled for people 17 years old and older -- because of its violent content -- but many churches, says Richtel, are making it available to younger youth. For some, it's the lure of the forbidden that brings them to church. "But the question arises: what price to appear relevant? Some parents, religious ethicists and pastors say that Halo may succeed at attracting youths, but that it could have a corroding influence."
And this, in an institution whose founder admonished his followers to "turn the other cheek."
The article raises the question: should churches compromise their core values, in order to get young people into the church building?
***
Tom Wolfe's novel, I Am Charlotte Simmons (Picador, 2005), tells the story of a young woman valedictorian from a rural high school, who wins a scholarship to a top-flight university -- one not part of the Ivy League, but aspiring to that status. Charlotte is brilliant academically, but painfully naive when it comes to social relationships.
She excels at her college studies, but is so eager to be liked that she gets herself into trouble socially. She falls under the sway of a charismatic slacker several years ahead of her, and, accompanying him on a trip to an out-of-town fraternity convention, commits what Wolfe calls "an act of moral suicide."
On one level, it's an old, old tale. She imagines he loves her. What he loves is her body, nothing more. The experience leaves her emotionally numb, and -- sadly -- she loses the academic edge that had led her to excel in her studies. An American university, intended by its founders to bring the very best out of its students, has had precisely the opposite effect.
Wolfe's point is that the fundamental morality that used to be the bedrock of our higher education system has long since dissolved in favor of a mindless relativism. One neuroscience professor at Charlotte's university is a case in point: He cannot bring himself to use the word "soul" in his writings unless it is enclosed in quotation marks.
Reviewing the book in the New York Times around the time of its publication, David Brooks comments: "Wolfe describes a society in which we still have vague notions about good and bad, virtue and vice, but the moral substructure that fits all those concepts together has been washed away. Everybody is left swirling about in a chaotic rush of desire and action, without a coherent code to make sense of it all. Charlotte, like other Wolfe-ian heroes, is caught in a maelstrom. All these anarchic social patterns are blowing about her and engulfing her -- the mixed-up world of hookups, coed bathrooms and white suburban frat boys trying to act gangsta." ("'Moral Suicide,' ‡ la Wolfe," New York Times, November 16, 2004.)
In the end, Charlotte ends up as a living embodiment of her neuroscience professor's thinking: Her soul is enclosed in quotation marks.
As we in the church puzzle over how to minister to young adults, a tragic story like hers reminds us how important is that work.
***
When the author of 2 Timothy writes that the purpose of studying the scriptures is that his readers may be "equipped for every good work," he means the Bible is an eminently practical document. It's like an owner's manual for the human soul: It teaches us things about ourselves and our God that we could never discover in any other way.
In that sense, it's kind of like the Driver's Manual the state gives to teenagers when they're studying for their driver's test. You don't use the Driver's Manual to actually drive -- can you imagine if you did?
There you'd be, on the expressway, with your trusty manual propped up against the steering wheel. "Now let's see... I want to change lanes. How do I do that? Put on the turn signal, check the rearview mirror..." (Try that on an interstate highway, and you'll be road kill!)
The same goes with the Bible. It's not meant to be a ready reference. You can't consult some kind of index, then instantly turn to just the chapter and verse you need to answer your particular existential question. The Bible's not like the Yellow Pages -- a place to quickly look up just the information you need to know. It is a whole library, but one without a detailed catalogue. The only reliable way to unlock its treasures is to have explored it already -- to have, as the old Episcopal Book of Common Prayer used to say, "read, marked, learned and inwardly digested" it -- before you're faced with an urgent need.
WORSHIP RESOURCE
Thom Shuman
Call to Worship
Leader: We have gathered in God's holy presence,
the One who etches grace on our hearts.
People: This is the place where God
will transform us into disciples.
Leader: We glorify our God, who yearns for justice,
not just for a favored few, but for the least of our world.
People: This is the place where God
will write compassion on our souls.
Leader: We give thanks to God for unceasing grace;
we remember God's persistence in saving us.
People: This is the place where God
will breathe the Word into our lives.
Prayer of the Day
Holy God:
with the precious jewel
of holy scripture,
you share with us
the treasure of your heart.
Engrave your covenant --
your hopes, your dreams,
your vision, your peace --
upon our hearts,
that they might beat
as one with yours.
Holy Word:
ever clear,
you keep us from wandering
down the wrong paths;
ever longed for,
you make us persistent
in bringing justice
to the lost and to the least;
ever practical,
you show us how
not to misplace our hearts.
Holy Wisdom:
as you breathe the Word
into our hearts,
tutor us in faithfulness
so we are trained
in using the tools
of justice and hope;
so we are equipped
to share the good news with all;
so we become skilled
in compassion and grace.
God in Community, Holy in One,
we lift our hearts to you
as we pray as Jesus teaches us, saying,
Our Father...
Call to Reconciliation
Seeking to follow Jesus, we often wander down the
wrong roads. Impatient with God's schedule, we
rush off to do things our way. Let us confess our
foolishness, that we might receive God's hope for
our lives.
Unison Prayer of Confession
Your words are given to us, Author of Life, so we
might be reformed, but we are intent on changing others.
Your words are offered to us so we might be transformed,
but we are focused on conforming to our culture. Your
words are spoken to lead us into new life, but we hold
our old ways tight to our chests.
Forgive us, God of Wonder. Do not remember our
sins, but continue to touch us with your steadfast
mercy. Show us how to be persistent in living out
our faith, even as you were so tenacious in offering
us your grace and life in Jesus Christ, our Lord
and Savior.
(silence is observed)
Assurance of Pardon
Leader: Jesus reminds us that we are to be resolute
in our lives of faithfulness and service.
The good news is that God is steadfast in
filling us with love and grace.
People: We are forgiven people. May we live as
sisters and brothers in Christ, God's children
in word and deed, in hope and joy. Thanks
be to God. Amen.
CHILDREN'S SERMON
Keep on...
Object: a can of vegetables
When I was young, I didn't care too much for vegetables so I put them aside and hid them in my room. One day I looked at the vegetables I had hidden and they were all brown-colored and they didn't smell so good! That was when I learned that things sometimes "spoil" -- they get bad. I know of another adult who put hers down the heater vents when she was a child. That really smelled! Have you ever seen anything spoil? (let them answer)
We keep things from spoiling by canning them. I brought this can of vegetables to show how canning something can keep things for a long time. This is not the season for vegetables. If these were not put in a can, they would have turned rotten a long time ago. Because they are canned, they are still good.
What you and I learn in Sunday school is something that doesn't grow old or turn bad. We are learning about the truth of God and that truth stays the same forever! Do you think that sometimes people forget what they learn about God? (let them answer) I believe sometimes that can happen.
The man named Paul was concerned about a young man named Timothy. He didn't want Timothy to forget the truth about God and so he told him to "continue in what you have learned...."
That is good advice for us today, too. We should "continue" in what we have learned so that we don't forget the important things we learn here at church. That means we should continue coming to church and Sunday school. We should continue to believe the things we learn here and from our parents.
Dear God: Help us continue in what we have learned and firmly believed. Amen.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, October 21, 2007, issue.
Copyright 2007 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 permissions@csspub.com or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 517 South Main Street, Lima, Ohio 45804.
All of Life's a Stage
Thom Shuman
... or at least, a series of stages! For those of us of a certain age, it used to be we would face only four stages -- childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and old age. But now, according to a recent article, we have two new stages of life. "Active Retirement" describes that new phenomenon of folks who retire after 25-30 years of work, and may enjoy active living for another 15-20 years. And "Odyssey," the new frontier (or decade) describing 20-somethings who wander before moving into adulthood. How does the church, how does a preacher (especially those who are not prone to wander) reach out to such a generation that is charting unknown waters? Perhaps we can find a clue in the letter read in churches this week. In writing to Timothy, Paul is addressing a new generation, the third to receive the gospel of Jesus Christ. But it is also written in a time, much like ours, when the long-term viability of the Christian community seemed in doubt, as this new generation came along. As we examine Paul's urging to Timothy to remain faithful, to remember the sound teachings he has heard, and to pass them on to others, maybe we can come up with some clues -- and ideas -- as to how to reach out to those who are on a journey, that perhaps many of us cannot comprehend.
THE WORLD
I could hardly wait to turn 50 because that was the birthday that meant I could start taking advantage of all the "senior" discounts. Then about a month before my fiftieth birthday, the minimum age for senior advantages was raised to 55! And five years later, as I approached 55, the minimum age to qualify as a "senior" was raised once again. It seems so unfair -- as if I were missing out on an important rite of passage.
According to an article by David Brooks in the October 9th New York Times, I am also missing out on an entire new life phase -- that is being called "Odyssey." It refers to a decade (or perhaps more) when young people seem to "wander" between the more traditional life phases of adolescence and adulthood. Many in this group go to school, and a lot of them take breaks from school. They fall in and out of love, though that may not be anything new (though the fact that this age group often delays marriage and raising a family is significant). They often live with friends and some, like Ulysses in the epic tale, even manage to find their way home.
Their parents are anxious; corporations and other employers are anxious (because this age group will try one career, only to jump to another); even the churches are getting anxious, because this group, which may have been quite active in church school and youth groups, are suddenly disappearing from the pews. The fluidity that seems to be standard in the lives of those who are on this "odyssey" seems to threaten the solidity of those generations before them who put so much stock in "achievements": going to school, getting a good job, getting married, buying a house, starting a family.
THE WORD
How do we deal with such a generation? What does the church have to offer? What does the preacher have to say? How do we pass the "faith" -- which is bedrock to so many of us -- to a group that seems to be unable to put roots down anywhere? Parents wonder if they will have any grandchildren to spoil, and faith families wonder if there will be anyone who will sing the songs, fill the pews, serve on committees, and teach Sunday school. What will the Christian community be, much less look like, in another 25 years?
This seems to be some of the thinking behind Paul's letters to his young colleague, Timothy. Paul recognizes that his life, and his ministry, may be coming to an end, and he wants to pass the baton on to the next generation, which Timothy represents. When we read these letters, it is easy for us to forget that Timothy is only the third generation of Christians in the entire world. Nurtured in the faith by his mother (Eunice) and his grandmother (Lois), Timothy is now demonstrating leadership. Yet, in the background is the great question of the future. For even in the midst of swift and successful growth by this young faith, Paul is writing in a time when the survival of the Christian community seems in doubt.
And so, like any "old-timer," Paul challenges Timothy to keep the faith (2 Timothy 3:14-4:5). Remember what you have learned! Cling to those doctrines you have been taught! Keep preaching! Keep making those hospital visits, running those youth programs, coming up with effective stewardship campaigns, and developing new ways to draw in those who are not coming to church! Paul encourages Timothy, because he knows these are tried-and-true ways, because they were effective for him when he was reaching out to the Gentiles.
CRAFTING THE SERMON
For generations of preachers, including mine, the challenge and encouragement of Paul to Timothy was the "template" for dealing with change -- in the world and in church. This "charge" of being faithful to scripture, of being true to one's calling, of keeping the faith as it were, has been passed on from generation to generation. As well it should.
We do not need to rewrite scripture in/for every generation -- it is the source that enables us to become wise enough to trust in God for forgiveness and transformation of our lives. The Word, which became flesh in Christ, is the foundation of the words we find in scripture. Those words, breathed out by God to become sacred writings for us, become a means of grace for us. My niece, who is studying to be a music therapist, was talking of how she can teach children songs so that as they sing them, the child is unconsciously drawing in breaths to enable them to sing, breaths which they need for their healing in many cases. If she simply said to the child, "I want you to breathe for me," they probably would resist. In a similar manner, the breath of the Spirit enters scripture to enable us to take the deep, grace-filled breaths we need for our healing.
Yet, while what Paul says to Timothy does indeed reverberate down through the centuries, any wise pastor knows that today we need to be able to reach generations for who words are simply that -- words. We need to be able to reach people for whom images, often flashing and changing quickly, speak more to them than a printed page. We need to find a way to say to this new generation of wanderers, "we've been there and we can help you find the way."
How do we do that? How do we find the ways -- if not the words -- to do so, without falling into platitudes suited for itching words?
Again, I think Paul provides us with a way, and that is his relationship with Timothy. He is not writing to Timothy as some sort of boss in corporate headquarters in New York sending a memo to the new branch manager in Atlanta. He's writing to a friend, to someone he knows, to someone who knows him (and trusts him). You can feel the genuine affection, the respect, the compassion Paul has for Timothy. Yes, a lot of it has to do with Timothy's mom and grandmother. But at the heart of the letter is that intimacy, the bond that connection Timothy has with Paul. It is mentor to student, surely. More than that, it is friend to friend.
Maybe a sermon on this passage honors the people who have shaped the lives of the speaker and the listeners. Maybe the sermon admits how sound teachings can enable us to be more faithful, more obedient, more mission oriented. Maybe the sermon points to the stewardship and evangelistic programs that have brought that particular church to this point in time.
But certainly, the sermon should speak about relationships. The relationships that transformed our lives, and our desire to have relationships that will help others be transformed, to be healed, to find their way home. Hopefully, hopefully, the sermon will conclude with a simple plea, one Christian to another, one believer to another, one pilgrim to another, one old-timer who has been there and come back to a youngster just starting out on an odyssey, "let's walk together, so neither of us is alone."
ANOTHER VIEW
Barbara Jurgensen
You've heard about Mike Flynt, the 59-year-old man in Texas who used to play football for Sul Ross State University, many years ago. And how, earlier this year, he got to talking with some buddies and remembered that, since he'd played only three years when he was in college, he still had one year of eligibility left.
So Flynt, who's been in the fitness business for many years and has kept in good shape, decided to go and try out this past summer.
And, amazingly, he made the team.
It reminds me of our widow in today's gospel lesson. This widow needed help to get on with her life, but the judge who should have been coming to her assistance wasn't any help at all.
She kept going back to him. She didn't give up. She just would not give up; she refused to lose heart. Finally, the judge gave her the attention she needed.
Jesus tells us that this judge was the exact opposite of what a judge -- or of what any human being, for that matter -- should be. This judge neither feared God nor had respect for any human being.
Remember that Jesus tells us there are just two things that we each need to do:
1. We need to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength.
2. We need to love our neighbor as we love ourselves.
But this judge was not buying into any of that.
Yet, Jesus says, even this rotten, no-good judge, who had no concern at all for a person in extreme need, who refused to do good, even when it was his responsibility, and easily within his power to do so, even he relented and did what was right.
This scoundrel of a judge actually helped this woman!
Jesus says that if even such a heartless human being as this judge could attend to the needs of another human being, to the needs of a hurting human being, how much more will our caring Heavenly Father help us in all our needs.
Notice the words how much more. Jesus liked to use this phrase because he knew how difficult it can be for us to realize how loving and caring and good our Heavenly Father can be toward us. When he tried to explain how good God is, he couldn't say that the Father is like anyone or anything on this earth because nothing comes anywhere near to being like what the Father is or doing what he does.
Jesus said, in effect, "If your child asked you for a slice of pizza, you wouldn't give him a stone, would you? Well, if you know how to give good gifts to your children, think of how much more your Heavenly Father knows how to give good gifts to you, and to all his children."
And Jesus said, in effect, "Don't worry about what you're going to eat or drink or what you're going to wear, because your Heavenly Father knows you need all these things. You've seen how God takes care of everything out in nature, haven't you? Well, even so much more will he take care of you."
You may need to ask him, and ask him, again and again, for what you think you need, and be willing to wait. Don't give up, because God will answer you -- at the best time for you, and in the best way for you. Because God wants to help you become the person he intends for you to be -- a caring member of his family, who does his work with him.
"So," Jesus concludes, "you need to always pray and not lose heart."
I can remember walking home from grade school with my friends and we'd ask each other, "Do you believe in God? Do you think there really is a God?" (Kids can get into some deep topics.) Now, as I look back, I think that the biggest question is not, "Is there a God?" but "Is God good?"
We'd all like our Heavenly Father to answer our prayers and our requests, right away. Then we'd know that God is both real and good -- and we'd get what we wanted, immediately, and things would be exactly the way we wanted them to be.
It takes patience for us to ask -- and then to wait, and wait, and wait. In Hebrew, the verbs seber and yachal mean both to hope and to wait. Because we have hope in God, we wait. And we wait because we hope in him. It's one and the same thing.
Our alternate Psalm for today, Psalm 121, reminds us that when we lift up our eyes to the hills, looking for help in the midst of our struggles, we can remember that our hope is in the Lord, who made heaven and earth. That's the good news. At the center of our universe, at the center of all that is, is our loving God, who loves us beyond our wildest hopes and dreams.
To be a Christian, to be a person of faith, we need to trust that God is doing for us all that we need. Like the 57-year-old man in Texas who decided to go ahead and play, we need to decide to move ahead with our lives as followers of our Lord. Because if even that scoundrel of a judge that Jesus told us about could do what was right for that widow, how much more will our loving Heavenly Father do what is right and loving for us -- at the right time and in the best way.
So, as Jesus said, we need to pray always, and not lose heart.
ILLUSTRATIONS
There are three ways I like to reach out to the young in my church:
#1: Sacred symbols:
The Gospel teaches us to pray and not to loose heart, but it also poses the question; "Will the Son of Man find faith on earth when he comes again?" That is a wonderful question. It is so interesting that Madison Avenue uses sacred symbols to market its most successful products. "The Halo," for instance, is a common sign for the presence of an angel, but it has become in the world of video gaming, the name of one of the most violent products ever released to young. It is an instant hit. The Golden Arches of McDonald's are another subtle but intentional use of a sacred symbol of the Ten Commandments. Chevy's Cross is a more obvious appropriation of a valuable Christian Symbol, not diminished by the fact that it is a somewhat italicized version of the original. Indeed, it does make one wonder... will The Son of Man find faith on the earth when he comes? I've often warned the youth of our church to watch out for the manipulative strategies of Madison Avenue.
* * *
#2: The Church: Something permanent, something of substance:
It is interesting to see how many young people are finding their way back to church. It is far from a groundswell, but little by little, one by one, young people are indeed returning to church. There is something in the ancient rituals, there is something about the fact that we've been around for two thousand years in one form or another. In a world where the confusion of drugs, promiscuity, and consumerism are so much a way of life, the young seem to want something with more substance and permanence to it. We are the genuine article my friends. Do not forget we have so much to offer. Do not be shy about commending the faith that is in you!
* * *
#3: It matters not so much if you believe in God;
It matters more that God believes in YOU!:
Young people love to challenge tradition. I've been put to the test many times by youth, particularly so since my own sons have so recently come through their teen years. They love to push the envelope, and test the patience of those in "authority." Too often, we rush to judgment, although we are probably reasonable in our response.
Still I find it better to modulate my response to the young in order to keep the doors of communication ajar. Sooner or later there will be a scrape with the law, or a scary night with an overdose, or a time when everyone else leaves you out in the cold. That's when the phone will ring often in the middle of the night... often on Saturday night. And they will call someone who says it again and again: "It doesn't matter if you believe in God; God believes in YOU... and I believe in you!" So there is the Man of God, willing to stand with you in the time of trial! That's how they learn the faith... they learned because YOU believed in THEM!
* * *
When I lived in Orlando, Florida, there was a church in town that took out a large ad in the Yellow Pages with the header, "The Spirit of Whatever it Takes..." I tried to give the church the benefit of the doubt thinking that it was following the lines of Paul when he said, "To the Jew I became a Jew, to the Gentile I became a Gentile, in the hopes of winning more for Christ." However, I have to admit, it sounded more like a used car dealer's mantra, "What will it take to get you in that car today?" When we see churches using violent video games such as HALO to lure in youth and young men, it can't be that much of a step to resort to profanity, pornography, and alcohol. Sure, it will work, but at what cost? And yet, it wasn't that long ago that contemporary worship, women in the pulpit, drums, PowerPoint and screens were seen as selling out to the culture. (Indeed, some may still think so.) What makes the church the church? When does it cross that line? In the Lutheran Confessional writing, it defines the church as that gathering of believers where the Gospel is preached and the sacraments are rightly administered. Other than that, Luther had a word for man-made rituals and observances that need not be done uniformly throughout the church: adiaphora.
* * *
Persistence in Prayer
It was because of the old woman's persistence in her pleading that the judge finally gave in to her request. If an unjust judge can be moved by persistence, how much more will God whose deepest desire is to give you the kingdom?
How long do you pray for something until you give up? Do you give it a whole month? A week? A full day? Or just one session on your knees? The slaves in Egypt prayed for 450 years before deliverance. Abraham and Sarah prayed for 25 years for a son. The people of God prayed 1,000 years for the Son of David to reign as King of kings and Lord of lords. To make this persistence even more real, St. Augustine attributed his conversion to his mother who prayed for him without ceasing for decades until he was filled with faith.
How long do you pray until you give up?
* * *
A visual image I have in my mind about persistent prayer are those old sidewalks that are buckled because a nearby tree root grew underneath. It takes a long time for that root to grow. The cement sidewalk is rock hard. And yet persistence, over time breaks through the hardest surface to make a difference. Maybe you feel as if you've come to an impasse in life where the doors are all shut and the ground is as hard as concrete. I can only believe that prayer moves the unmovable and changes the unchangeable from impossible situations to the hardest of hearts.
* * *
The scene: a church basement. The youth of the church, and some friends of theirs from the larger community, are gathered on the castoff armchairs and couches that are typical furnishings of youth rooms. It could be a youth group gathering in any church, anywhere in the country: except for the fact that these young people are staring intently ahead of them at computer monitors, video-game controllers in their hands.
They're at a HALO party: playing Microsoft's violent outer-space video game, whose latest edition has been breaking sales records. The young people of the church are blowing their opponents away with laser guns: and loving it.
Is this ministry? That's the question posed by Matt Richtel, in a recent New York Times story, "Thou Shalt Not Kill, Except in a Popular Video Game at Church" (New York Times, October 7, 2007). The game is labeled for people 17 years old and older -- because of its violent content -- but many churches, says Richtel, are making it available to younger youth. For some, it's the lure of the forbidden that brings them to church. "But the question arises: what price to appear relevant? Some parents, religious ethicists and pastors say that Halo may succeed at attracting youths, but that it could have a corroding influence."
And this, in an institution whose founder admonished his followers to "turn the other cheek."
The article raises the question: should churches compromise their core values, in order to get young people into the church building?
***
Tom Wolfe's novel, I Am Charlotte Simmons (Picador, 2005), tells the story of a young woman valedictorian from a rural high school, who wins a scholarship to a top-flight university -- one not part of the Ivy League, but aspiring to that status. Charlotte is brilliant academically, but painfully naive when it comes to social relationships.
She excels at her college studies, but is so eager to be liked that she gets herself into trouble socially. She falls under the sway of a charismatic slacker several years ahead of her, and, accompanying him on a trip to an out-of-town fraternity convention, commits what Wolfe calls "an act of moral suicide."
On one level, it's an old, old tale. She imagines he loves her. What he loves is her body, nothing more. The experience leaves her emotionally numb, and -- sadly -- she loses the academic edge that had led her to excel in her studies. An American university, intended by its founders to bring the very best out of its students, has had precisely the opposite effect.
Wolfe's point is that the fundamental morality that used to be the bedrock of our higher education system has long since dissolved in favor of a mindless relativism. One neuroscience professor at Charlotte's university is a case in point: He cannot bring himself to use the word "soul" in his writings unless it is enclosed in quotation marks.
Reviewing the book in the New York Times around the time of its publication, David Brooks comments: "Wolfe describes a society in which we still have vague notions about good and bad, virtue and vice, but the moral substructure that fits all those concepts together has been washed away. Everybody is left swirling about in a chaotic rush of desire and action, without a coherent code to make sense of it all. Charlotte, like other Wolfe-ian heroes, is caught in a maelstrom. All these anarchic social patterns are blowing about her and engulfing her -- the mixed-up world of hookups, coed bathrooms and white suburban frat boys trying to act gangsta." ("'Moral Suicide,' ‡ la Wolfe," New York Times, November 16, 2004.)
In the end, Charlotte ends up as a living embodiment of her neuroscience professor's thinking: Her soul is enclosed in quotation marks.
As we in the church puzzle over how to minister to young adults, a tragic story like hers reminds us how important is that work.
***
When the author of 2 Timothy writes that the purpose of studying the scriptures is that his readers may be "equipped for every good work," he means the Bible is an eminently practical document. It's like an owner's manual for the human soul: It teaches us things about ourselves and our God that we could never discover in any other way.
In that sense, it's kind of like the Driver's Manual the state gives to teenagers when they're studying for their driver's test. You don't use the Driver's Manual to actually drive -- can you imagine if you did?
There you'd be, on the expressway, with your trusty manual propped up against the steering wheel. "Now let's see... I want to change lanes. How do I do that? Put on the turn signal, check the rearview mirror..." (Try that on an interstate highway, and you'll be road kill!)
The same goes with the Bible. It's not meant to be a ready reference. You can't consult some kind of index, then instantly turn to just the chapter and verse you need to answer your particular existential question. The Bible's not like the Yellow Pages -- a place to quickly look up just the information you need to know. It is a whole library, but one without a detailed catalogue. The only reliable way to unlock its treasures is to have explored it already -- to have, as the old Episcopal Book of Common Prayer used to say, "read, marked, learned and inwardly digested" it -- before you're faced with an urgent need.
WORSHIP RESOURCE
Thom Shuman
Call to Worship
Leader: We have gathered in God's holy presence,
the One who etches grace on our hearts.
People: This is the place where God
will transform us into disciples.
Leader: We glorify our God, who yearns for justice,
not just for a favored few, but for the least of our world.
People: This is the place where God
will write compassion on our souls.
Leader: We give thanks to God for unceasing grace;
we remember God's persistence in saving us.
People: This is the place where God
will breathe the Word into our lives.
Prayer of the Day
Holy God:
with the precious jewel
of holy scripture,
you share with us
the treasure of your heart.
Engrave your covenant --
your hopes, your dreams,
your vision, your peace --
upon our hearts,
that they might beat
as one with yours.
Holy Word:
ever clear,
you keep us from wandering
down the wrong paths;
ever longed for,
you make us persistent
in bringing justice
to the lost and to the least;
ever practical,
you show us how
not to misplace our hearts.
Holy Wisdom:
as you breathe the Word
into our hearts,
tutor us in faithfulness
so we are trained
in using the tools
of justice and hope;
so we are equipped
to share the good news with all;
so we become skilled
in compassion and grace.
God in Community, Holy in One,
we lift our hearts to you
as we pray as Jesus teaches us, saying,
Our Father...
Call to Reconciliation
Seeking to follow Jesus, we often wander down the
wrong roads. Impatient with God's schedule, we
rush off to do things our way. Let us confess our
foolishness, that we might receive God's hope for
our lives.
Unison Prayer of Confession
Your words are given to us, Author of Life, so we
might be reformed, but we are intent on changing others.
Your words are offered to us so we might be transformed,
but we are focused on conforming to our culture. Your
words are spoken to lead us into new life, but we hold
our old ways tight to our chests.
Forgive us, God of Wonder. Do not remember our
sins, but continue to touch us with your steadfast
mercy. Show us how to be persistent in living out
our faith, even as you were so tenacious in offering
us your grace and life in Jesus Christ, our Lord
and Savior.
(silence is observed)
Assurance of Pardon
Leader: Jesus reminds us that we are to be resolute
in our lives of faithfulness and service.
The good news is that God is steadfast in
filling us with love and grace.
People: We are forgiven people. May we live as
sisters and brothers in Christ, God's children
in word and deed, in hope and joy. Thanks
be to God. Amen.
CHILDREN'S SERMON
Keep on...
Object: a can of vegetables
When I was young, I didn't care too much for vegetables so I put them aside and hid them in my room. One day I looked at the vegetables I had hidden and they were all brown-colored and they didn't smell so good! That was when I learned that things sometimes "spoil" -- they get bad. I know of another adult who put hers down the heater vents when she was a child. That really smelled! Have you ever seen anything spoil? (let them answer)
We keep things from spoiling by canning them. I brought this can of vegetables to show how canning something can keep things for a long time. This is not the season for vegetables. If these were not put in a can, they would have turned rotten a long time ago. Because they are canned, they are still good.
What you and I learn in Sunday school is something that doesn't grow old or turn bad. We are learning about the truth of God and that truth stays the same forever! Do you think that sometimes people forget what they learn about God? (let them answer) I believe sometimes that can happen.
The man named Paul was concerned about a young man named Timothy. He didn't want Timothy to forget the truth about God and so he told him to "continue in what you have learned...."
That is good advice for us today, too. We should "continue" in what we have learned so that we don't forget the important things we learn here at church. That means we should continue coming to church and Sunday school. We should continue to believe the things we learn here and from our parents.
Dear God: Help us continue in what we have learned and firmly believed. Amen.
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The Immediate Word, October 21, 2007, issue.
Copyright 2007 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 permissions@csspub.com or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 517 South Main Street, Lima, Ohio 45804.
