Anger, Anguish, And Faith's Vanishing Act
Children's sermon
Illustration
Preaching
Sermon
Worship
Object:
Last Thursday it happened again -- another in a long line of violent outbursts, leaving multiple victims in its wake and a nation trying to understand the unfathomable. Particularly disturbing was the setting -- a community college in a small Oregon town -- not to mention reports that the shooter expressly singled out Christians and killed them while just wounding those who didn’t respond affirmatively when asked if they were Christian. If it seems like this has happened before, that’s because it has -- with more than one mass shooting happening every day somewhere in America, the numbers have become simply mind-numbing. Perhaps the sense that this has become routine fueled President Obama’s response, which was eerily reminiscent of the raw anger and frustration expressed by Jon Stewart in the wake of the Charleston shootings.
So what can we say from the pulpit to help our congregations come to grips with this latest insanity? After the television cameras and satellite trucks pack up and move to the next destination, how do we make sense of it all? Where was God when those who bravely professed their faith paid the ultimate price for doing so? In this installment of The Immediate Word, team member Chris Keating offers a theological reflection on these questions, drawing on this week’s lectionary texts from Job and Psalm 22.
Team member Leah Lonsbury shares some additional thoughts on the execution of Kelly Gissendaner, the Georgia woman put to death last week for plotting the murder of her husband. Leah wrote very movingly for The Immediate Word on Gissendaner’s case last March when her execution was delayed for the second time, which several religious leaders interpreted as an act of God. Gissendaner gained notoriety for the transformation she underwent in prison -- she completed a theology studies program through Candler School of Theology, acted as a spiritual adviser to fellow inmates, and even became a pen pal of theologian Jurgen Moltmann. But efforts to spare Gissendaner’s life were ultimately unsuccessful -- Georgia authorities were unwilling to commute her death sentence, and it was finally carried out last Wednesday as she sang “Amazing Grace.” Leah frankly discusses how the ultimate resolution of the situation has profoundly shaken her, and reflects on it through the lens of the texts for this week.
Anger, Anguish, and Faith’s Vanishing Act
by Chris Keating
Job 23:1-9, 16-17; Psalm 22:1-15; Mark 10:17-31
Thursday, October 1 was supposed to be just another day.
For Jason Johnson, 33, last Thursday was the fourth day of classes at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon. Johnson had just enrolled in school after completing rehab for drug addiction. Like others in the small college, Johnson was settling into a morning of classes. Just another day in a busy semester.
But it turned tragic as Johnson and eight others were murdered by a fellow student, who then killed himself after exchanging gunfire with police officers. An additional nine persons were wounded in a mass shooting that left the little community and the entire nation stunned. Hoping to improve his life, Jason Johnson had enrolled in classes at UCC after successfully passing the GED a few months ago. His family reported that Johnson was proud to be taking steps toward a new life, even as the gunman was taking steps to end it.
The numbing routine of crisis once again interrupted the nation. Another day, another act of gruesome violence. Another community visited by horror.
As news spread, the now-familiar script of tragedy unfolded. The Roseburg shooting was the nation’s 294th mass shooting in 274 days, a statistic so stunning that it defies explanation. The bitterness of President Obama’s voice was evident as he stood before reporters in a room ironically named for former presidential press secretary and shooting victim James Brady. Speaking as a president but also as a father, Obama asked for prayers for the young persons who had been shot. But then, he added, “that’s not enough.”
In the wake of stunning violence, prayers alone were not sufficient.
“As I said just a few months ago, and just a few months before that,” Obama intoned, “our thoughts and prayers are not enough. It does not capture the heartache and grief and anger we should feel.” The lament over lives lost and trauma inflicted upon a community continues.
Like Job and the psalmist, our nation cries out in lament: “If only I could vanish in darkness, and thick darkness would cover my face” (Job 23:17). In response, we offer our cries, our tears, and our fumbling attempts to make sense of the senseless -- perhaps even wondering “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Psalm 22:1a).
In the News
As always, the facts are sparse but familiar: a troubled gunman, often young, usually white, generally male, frequently experiencing some level of emotional difficulties.
Part of 26-year-old Christopher Harper-Mercer’s story is clear. He entered his English class dressed in an armored flak jacket and armed with six guns. He carried plenty of additional ammunition, and had no intent on leaving the class alive. Minutes later nine people were killed, nine others wounded. Police reports said that Harper-Mercer was “neutralized,” apparently killed by a self-inflicted gunshot. Even more guns were located inside the apartment he shared with his mother.
What is less clear is a motive, or any shred of a reason behind the attack.
All the guns were purchased legally -- even though he had been turned away from a high-level weapons training course by an instructor who found him “weird” and “a bit too anxious.”
The amount of weapons the troubled young man had accumulated stunned his father, who lives in California. “How on earth could (Chris) compile 13 guns?” Ian Mercer told CNN. “I’m not trying to say that [it’s] to blame for what happened, but if Chris had not been able to get ahold of 13 guns, it would not have happened,” he said.
For his part, President Obama noted that such tragedies do not occur in other countries with the same frequency they do in the United States.
For example, in Australia, a country that enacted tough gun laws following a mass shooting in 1996, editorials chastised the United States for its inaction on guns. An editorial in the Brisbane Times noted: “[W]e must condemn. America prides itself on being a light in the world for democracy and liberty. Yet within its borders it is armed to the teeth. This is a tyranny... that must end.”
Or as an Australian who happens to live near Roseburg observed: “Several (past shootings) that you would have thought would shift the needle of the political debate, like Sandy Hook, have really done nothing other than become talking points in the national debate. The majority of Americans worship the Second Amendment more than the Bible.”
The response to the shooting has taken a predictable, Job-ian tone. There’s a hue and cry from politicians on both sides of the gun debate, all sounding a bit like Job in their impatience. “If only we could vanish in the darkness,” some seem to be saying -- if only we could have better access to mental health; if only there could be more restrictions on guns; if only we would arm teachers and college students.
Our complaints are bitter, our hands heavy. For many, God appears to be absent in the midst of this unceasing struggle of violence and evil. As the now-familiar conversation about what should be done in response to such violence begins, many believe the conversation won’t change much.
That seemed to be view captured in a biting Los Angeles Times political cartoon this week. A shrouded figure representing the angel of death appears before a weather map, while a caption reads: “And in our extended forecast, we’ve got a 100% chance of shootings all across the country... you might want to give your kid a big hug before school.” The cartoon is titled “As constant as the weather.”
It is the near-daily news of mass shootings that seems to be especially frustrating. In his early remarks, an exasperated President Obama indicated it was time to politicize the debate over gun ownership, arguing that the politics have to change.
It’s not clear how that will happen. While Democrats like Hillary Clinton have supported gun control policies, Republicans are less motivated to pursue legislative actions.
Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush, for example, argued against legislative change. “Stuff happens,” he said when asked about the massacre. “We’re in a difficult time in our country and I don’t think more government is necessarily the answer to this. I think we need to reconnect ourselves with everybody else,” Bush said Friday at the Conservative Leadership Project Presidential Forum in Greenville, South Carolina. He then added, “I had this challenge as governor -- look, stuff happens. There’s always a crisis and the impulse is always to do something, and it’s not necessarily the right thing to do.”
Likewise, Donald Trump, the leader in the GOP primary field, was quoted as saying, “You know, things like that happen in the world.” Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee tweeted that the shooting was the result of “gun-free zones” and “evil people.”
A day after the shooting, one witness appeared to counter parts of the “good guy with a gun” theory. Umpqua student and air force veteran John Parker Jr. was near the shooting -- and he was carrying a weapon. Parker, who has a concealed carry permit, later told reporters that he and other gun-carrying students were ready to get involved “if there was something we were going to be able to do.” Unable to leave the room, however, Parker suggested: “Luckily, we made the choice not to get involved.... Not knowing where SWAT was on their response time, they wouldn’t know who we were, and if we had our guns ready to shoot they could think we were bad guys.”
Debates will continue, though Harper-Mercer’s shooting rampage somehow seems more than just “stuff.” The attack lasted a few minutes. Conversations about it will likely continue for months.
But will anything change?
In the Scriptures
Job’s patience is exhausted. In spite of his groaning, he has yet to hear from the one who could provide answers and perhaps change his situation. His friends have weighed in on Job’s vexation, but he has yet to hear from God. As chapter 23 opens, Job pleads his case before God, assuming a prosecutorial stance.
But he does not abandon his faith, nor does he willingly accept his plight passively. Where others might say, “Well, the good Lord doesn’t give you more than you can handle,” Job persists in faithfully searching for an answer. He clings to faith, even as he struggles actively with the suffering he has endured.
His bitter cry “Oh, that I knew where I might find” God resonates with the psalmist’s lament in Psalm 22, and perhaps with those who have endured the lingering impact of trauma. These texts offer more than bitterness, however; they express the longing for God by those who have endured. They display a theological resilience that dares to question why circumstances have not changed, or why God has not acted in a particular way. Job declares that God remains hidden (23:9), but in no way does Job abandon faith.
Life is difficult -- as difficult as the cost of discipleship that confounds the disciples in Mark 10. Caught off-guard by Jesus’ declaration that the rich may have a hard time entering the kingdom of God, the disciples ask “Then who can be saved?” Job would certainly shout “Amen” to their question.
The complaint here is that God has somehow disappeared. Job cannot find God, and has no reason to believe that God cares for him at all. The passage is filled with darkness.
Job’s bitterness reveals the human dilemma. “For mortals it is impossible,” Jesus tells the disciples. “Yeah, tell me about it!” we hear Job snort from the Old Testament. “But not for God,” the gospel declares. Indeed, the very cry of Jesus from the cross is the cry of one who has experienced the deepest abandonment suffering can offer. There, under the agony of crucifixion, Jesus’ words finally provide Job an answer worth considering: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
Under the promise of the God who is revealed in suffering, even those whose bitter complaints have eaten away at their soul may discover an answer: “It was you who took me from the womb; you kept me safe on my mother’s breast.”
In the Sermon
Job may not be the preacher’s first choice for a text -- yet our congregations are yearning for a place where their response to the mounting violence in the United States can be processed and perhaps even validated. While there is no consensus on the solution to gun violence, it is certain that President Obama is not the only one who is frustrated by the depressing frequency of mass shootings.
To many, Job’s response may make sense -- including those who support gun rights. In the face of suffering, it is right to explore the way that God indeed seems to be hiding. Prayers do not seem to be enough; nor is it satisfying to merely shake our heads and say “Well, stuff happens.” With more than one mass shooting every day in this country, these acts of domestic terrorism have cut deep into the heart of our theology.
Where is God in this darkness?
One direction a sermon could take is wrestling with the often bitter experiences of life that leave us feeling as though we are in the darkness. Job feels as though he is left alone -- perhaps like the victim of a senseless shooting. In the dark cellars of the soul, it is tempting to give up. It is tempting to accept the advice of Job’s wife -- just curse God and be done with it.
But Job clings to faith. Job is a model of faithfulness. He dares to ask questions and to plumb the depths of agony, as if he somehow believes what Jesus will eventually proclaim: with God nothing is impossible.
Following a mass shooting at a midwestern church some years ago, a few of the ushers in my congregation wondered what our plan might be if a shooter would enter our sanctuary. “Lock the doors” was one suggestion. (Many immediately saw how this contradicted our basic mission, while also noting that the doors are glass.) “Arm the ushers” was another idea. (Fortunately, this too was quickly dismissed.) “Yet what can we do?” the fearful yet earnest members asked.
Perhaps that is Job’s frustration too. Perhaps that is the frustration of parents who send their children off to school, unsure of whether they will return. Perhaps that is the frustration of college administrators who must run campuses which are open and inviting, but who are also cognizant of real security threats. Perhaps that is the frustration we must name.
A sermon about Job’s honest-to-goodness struggles with frustration, bitterness, and anguish might feel a bit like a light shining in the darkness.
By shining that light in the darkness, we might discover we are not alone. We might find common ground on controversial subjects like gun control. Like the psalmist, we might be turned back toward the one who accompanies us into anguish. Or, like the disciples, we might learn that with God nothing -- even discovering hope in the terror of modern life -- is impossible with God.
A sermon could be more than a prayer. It could lead to sacred conversations rooted in hope -- even in the face of anguish.
SECOND THOUGHTS
by Leah Lonsbury
The last time I wrote for The Immediate Word about Georgia’s death row inmate Kelly Gissendaner, I was reading the scriptures as speaking to us about Kelly’s transformation, her new life in God’s light, and her witness to eternal life even as she faced the very real prospect of death.
That last time, in March of 2015 when Kelly’s execution date had been put on hold for a second time, I felt, as Jim Wallis of Sojourners put it so eloquently, that “Kelly’s story will show people across the country that personal transformation does happen, and the death penalty is wrong because it denies fellow human beings that opportunity to repent and be transformed.”
That last time, I was cautiously confident that Kelly’s execution had been delayed twice because, again like Jim Wallis, I had begun to believe that the weather postponement and the cloudy drug delay “could be God’s way of giving everyone who is trying to save Kelly’s life more time to do so.”
That last time I was writing as one of those 500 faith leaders and over 90,000 people of faith who signed petitions delivered to Governor Nathan Deal and the Georgia Board of Paroles and Pardons, believing that we would be surprised and that Kelly would be mercifully saved by the just and reasonable actions of those in power.
Kelly Gissendaner was executed last week, and this time I’m writing from a place of shock and shaken faith. If almost 100,000 signatures of people of faith; a letter from the pope’s personal representative; the desperate pleas of Kelly’s children; the witness of Jurgen Moltmann, the “Theologian of Hope”; and the testimonies of former guards, wardens, and inmates about Kelly’s “deep remorse and radical transformation” and her ability to change and save lives were not enough to stop the killing machine, then what would? What hope can I have now that human beings are capable of doing what is just and merciful? And God... where was God?
Like Kelly was, I’m a graduate of Candler School of Theology. I have training and experience in solid and hopefully helpful pastoral responses to injustice and tragedy. I have spent time walking the grounds and meeting with inmates as a chaplain at Metro State Women’s Prison, where Kelly began to study theology, seek transformation, and share hope. I too have experienced a call to hope, to nurture loving mercy and compassion in the world, and to witness to love and possibility. And yet, Kelly’s execution has silenced and shuttered all that. At least for now.
Brenna Lakeson, a Candler student and one of the lead activists in the fight to seek clemency for Kelly, expressed the kind of shutdown I am experiencing following Kelly’s death. The drive home she references was from Lee Arenndale State Prison, where Kelly was most recently incarcerated and ultimately executed. Brenna writes:
What now?
This is how I felt last night as I got in the car to ride back to Atlanta from Jackson. This is how I felt when I opened my eyes this morning after very little sleep and remembered the reality that last night held. This is how I felt when I tried to accomplish my daily activities today that could not go unaccomplished. My friend asked me on the drive home last night how I was feeling, and all I could manage was “I can’t really talk.” I still feel this way. I have said very little to very few people since 11:30 last night....
I feel like I didn’t properly prepare myself for this because my sense of hope wouldn’t let me.
I say this to express that, in some ways, I’m not sure what comes now. I am just as confused and speechless. For the first time, I don’t have an answer.
I find myself with no answers as well. Even my questions, my usually hopeful curiosity about the next right step or how to craft a compassionate response, seem to be silenced.
This week, the only response I have is to wait and try to remain open. This week’s lectionary selections are poignant and spot-on, but it seems all I can do is sit with them and let them work on me in the unusual quiet of my mind. Like Job, I wait for God to show up so I can learn how God would answer me and try to understand what God might be trying to say to me. I am grateful, also like Job, to know somewhere deep inside that God isn’t trying to contend with me in some display of divine power but instead gives heed to me, holds me in what feels like a baffled paralysis (vv. 5-6).
Like the psalmist, in this unfamiliar blankness I feel myself reaching for the divine presence and Love that feels far away but not altogether disconnected from me. I know that God has been my God from before my beginnings, but I sure would appreciate some confirmation of that -- for God to draw near, or for this numbness to be lifted with an experience of the God who never left at all (22:10-11).
In the quiet after Kelly’s life was cut short, perhaps I am being taught to count my days and gain a wise heart. I can’t feel or see that right now, but I have known and trusted the truth of scripture before, even when it seemed a contrite and inept band-aid on a wound that defied healing or closure. And I certainly feel laid bare, like the psalmist said, so I wait (without the psalmist’s boldness) for God’s mercy and grace to provide the help I need to find the path again (Psalm 90:12-13, 16).
And like Jesus, I am sure that regaining my footing through my own efforts is impossible for this mortal. So, even while I wait for this fog to lift, I keep reminding myself in the hope I can believe it, “for God all things are possible” (Mark 10:27).
In this quiet, I will let the larger Body hold faith for me while I feel stymied. I will go to worship and let its rhythms, music, prayer, and wisdom work on me. Like Brenna Lakeson, I will seek its power and the power of those whose hearts are full and assured in their faith. I will trust that I will know in a different way again. Lakeson writes of this...
But I do know this: I know that because of Kelly I have seen love and hope expressed by a wide faith community. I know the power of liturgy and hymns when words fail me. I know what it feels like to let your community take care of you when you don’t have anything to say anymore....
Most of all, I know that Kelly still lives. I know that Kelly lives in the Great Cloud of Witnesses with all those who have gone before us. And I know that Kelly lives, still, here with us -- in our hope and in our actions toward creating a place where we no longer kill. Kelly’s story lives on; hope lives on. First, of course, we grieve. I don’t sing because I can’t yet. I sit in silence often with tears streaming down my face. My heart is heavy with hurt. But soon we will rise. We will find strength again because Kelly will give it to us. Troy will give it to us. All of those who should’ve still been here this morning to see the rain stop and the sun rise will give it to us. And we will work for justice and mercy not in the form of retribution but in the form of reconciliation and peace.
Today we mourn. But soon, we will continue the race. And this time, Kelly will get to watch it happen.
I’m not ready to continue the race again, but perhaps on the other side of this paralyzing quiet I will be ready to walk alongside others in a new, wiser, and more authentic way. Perhaps.
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Ron Love:
Job 23:1-9, 16-17
Chris Mintz made headline news for his bravery during the assault on Umpqua Community College. The 30-year-old army veteran blocked the door of the adjoining classroom, allowing students to run to safety. During the ordeal Mintz was shot several times in the legs, and when the gunman entered the room he shot Mintz twice more.
Application: Heroism comes in many forms. In his own way, Job was a hero for never denying his faith.
*****
Job 23:1-9, 16-17
GOP presidential candidate Mike Huckabee believes that President Obama “pretends to be a Christian.” This accusation stems from Huckabee’s belief that Obama should not have invited to the White House during Pope Francis’s visit any individuals who are in direct opposition of Catholic practices. According to Huckabee, Obama makes “it very difficult for people to practice their Christian faith.”
Application: The lesson we get from Job is that there was nothing “pretend” about his devotion and faith.
*****
Job 23:1-9, 16-17
A recent report by Christian Freedom International notes that a Christian is martyred for their faith somewhere in the world every five minutes. In fact, more Christians have been martyred in the 20th and 21st centuries than in the previous 19 centuries combined. More than 200 million Christians face persecution worldwide in 105 out of 190 countries around the world. North Korea leads the list of countries where Christians are persecuted, followed by Somalia and Iraq.
Application: Job teaches us the true meaning of suffering for believers.
*****
Job 23:1-9, 16-17
The first underwater Orthodox church is being constructed off the Crimean coast. Archimandrite Tikhon, who is overseeing the project, said that he wants the church (which will sit under 20 meters of water) to be a tourist attraction. The church will not only have icons, but also a museum dedicated to the Crimean War.
Application: Like Job, will those who attend this tourist attraction church be able to find God?
*****
Hebrews 4:12-16
Billy Graham has just published a book titled Where I Am: Heaven, Eternity, and Our Life Beyond. The book is being billed as the “final work” of the 96-year-old evangelist. Graham devotes a significant part of the book to hell, declaring that “It’s a real subject. It’s a real place.” Graham supports the literal biblical interpretation of hell, writing: “nor is hell a resting place, a holding place, or a graveyard. Hell is a burning inferno.” He goes on to write that God does not send unrepentant souls into the pit of darkness; those souls choose their destiny.
Application: We may not accept Graham’s literal interpretation of hell, but we should entertain the seriousness that “no creature is hidden” from God.
*****
Hebrews 4:12-16
So far this year 2,900 migrants have drowned while attempting to cross from North Africa to Europe. They are nameless victims, for they have no identification papers and relatives are unable to come to the morgue to identify the body. At the University of Milan there is a laboratory that tries to identify these victims, and those who drowned as migrants in previous years. Dr. Cristina Cattaneo, a forensic pathologist, said: “Our battle is not to lose the dead.”
Application: Hebrews discusses how Jesus, the high priest, desires to know all of us.
*****
Hebrews 4:12-16
Monsignor Krzysztof Charamsa, 43, was recently dismissed from his Vatican job by the Roman Catholic Church. He admitted that he was homosexual, which is acceptable in the church as long as the priest remains celibate. But Charamsa held a news conference in which he introduced his partner. The news media brought judgment upon the church for its seemingly antiquated ways. But the church responded that while Charamsa’s personal life did “merit respect,” since he broke the vow of celibacy his conduct was “grave and irresponsible.”
Application: The word of the Lord can be a powerful two-edged sword.
*****
Hebrews 4:12-16
Genora Hamm Biggs, a 103-year-old woman who has attended Union Grove Baptist Church in Elberton, Georgia for nearly a century (and who served as the church’s secretary for 40 years), recently had her membership in the church revoked by the congregation’s pastor, Rev. Tim Mattox. Biggs had questioned how Mattox conducted worship, saying that it was not in keeping with Baptist tradition, and Mattox responded by sending her a letter withdrawing her membership and banning her from the church property.
Application: We need to be cautious in how we deploy the two-edged sword of the Lord’s teaching.
*****
Mark 10:17-31
The U.S. Postal service is releasing A Charlie Brown Christmas stamps in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the classic TV special, which first aired on December 9, 1965. The stamps depict 10 scenes from the show, which has become perennially popular for its understated ode to the real meaning of Christmas. (Note: If you have a screen, you may want to show some of the stamps.)
Application: Jesus tried to tell the rich young man that if he wanted to enter the kingdom of God he should have the simplicity of life as depicted by Charlie Brown.
*****
Mark 10:17-31
Several studies have concluded that homeschooled children are not more religious than those who attend private and public schools. The reason for this is that the relationship a student has with a supportive and devout father is more important than the educational environment.
Application: Perhaps if the rich young man had better guidance from his father he would have had a better understanding of the teaching of Jesus.
***************
From team member Mary Austin:
Mark 10:17-31
Go, Sell All That You Have
In contrast to the piles of money and extra homes that some people are accumulating, others are deliberately moving to “tiny houses” -- very small homes as small as 300 or 400 square feet. The Huffington Post says: “The tiny house trend is on the rise with more and more individuals, couples, and families choosing to trade in space for simplicity. And from college grads to retirees the appeal of a miniature home spans the ages. Shrinking square footage not only cuts down on chores -- it’s a lifestyle change all about living with less and decreasing environmental impact over time.” People in search of a simpler life, fewer possessions, or time to work less are buying and building these small homes. Many are even on wheels, so you can tow them away to another place when it’s time to move.
One challenge of living in a tiny house is finding a place to put it. Municipal building codes often require a foundation. U.S. News reports that “Building codes in most municipalities set a minimum size for dwellings. Some tiny houses on wheels function as RVs, but most areas also ban full-time RV living outside of an RV park.” The same article adds that financial freedom “is one reason for the growing popularity of tiny homes, and a significantly lower price tag is a big part of that appeal.” Houses can range in cost -- but they’re paid for, and free from the threat of foreclosure. Tiny houses inspire a sense of freedom from worrying about money in those who live in them.
*****
Mark 10:17-31
The Challenge of Giving
The man who comes to Jesus goes away sad, for, as the story says, “he had many possessions.” He can’t imagine parting with them, but Marion Rockefeller Weber has spent decades thinking about how best to give away her wealth. The Christian Science Monitor tells about the process she developed, called “flow funding.” Each year she gives $20,000 to several people and asks them to give it away in a way that’s meaningful. They can’t fund their own projects or a project that benefits a family member, but they can give the money away to a project that is meaningful. The “flow funders” receive $20,000 a year for three years, enough time to launch a project.
As the article says, “Weber’s brand of philanthropic giving has no offices, staff, or bureaucracy. It’s called the Flow Fund Circle. Since its inception in 1991, Flow Funders have identified and supported projects all over the world, from orphanages in Uganda to reforestation in Sumatra to organic farming in Ecuador. Some 500 projects have been funded, nearly 80 percent of the money flowing outside the United States.”
Marion Rockefeller Weber says that the people who receive the money have “an opportunity to practice generosity,” as she does too. “At its core, Weber’s philanthropy is in large part to teach others to be philanthropic, to stretch people’s notion of generosity by, initially, removing lack of resources as a barrier to being generous. In effect, Flow Funding is a process of seeding generosity, trusting that when the money peters out, the generosity will not.”
*****
Mark 10:17-31
Giving -- Not Just for the Wealthy
When we lose a job, most of us hunker down and try to save money until things get better. NPR reports that when Reed Sandridge lost his job, he decided to do the opposite -- to give away $10 a day. He asked the person who received the money about themselves. If the person was willing, he told some of their story on his blog Year of Giving.
Some people were reluctant to take the $10 when Sandridge approached them, thinking that others were in greater need or that his offer was too good to be true. One day, he says, “The first person I chose, a young lady whose name tag said Frey, appeared to be taking a break from her job at a local restaurant. She never said anything to me as I explained what I was doing. She just looked down at her phone and finally shook her head no when I asked if she would accept my $10.” He kept going each day until someone accepted the money.
At the end of the year Sandridge had a party with as many of the recipients as he could find, along with people who had followed his blog. He reflected: “When I started I had been out of work for 75 days, I was hungry for a job, at least that’s what I thought. Looking back on it, I think I was searching for something even greater: purpose.”
*****
Mark 10:17-31
The White Envelopes
One Sunday, Pastor Linda McCoy of an Indianapolis church called The Garden stood up with a handful of white envelopes. Each had $50 in it, donated by an anonymous donor who only asked that the money be used for good. The Los Angeles Times reports: “The money in the white envelopes bought one cancer patient a beautiful ham. It bought nine disabled children an afternoon of golf and giggles. True, some money may have been squandered on an addict’s high. But it did buy an exhausted mother a massage. In $50 increments, the money in the white envelopes spread hope. And it left some folks thinking they could make a difference in the world.”
Some people took an envelope and spent time thinking about how to use the money. “Teachers and plumbers, therapists and nurses found themselves driving the streets of Indianapolis, studying the worn faces they passed, looking for a need they could meet. ‘I wanted to make a difference in someone’s life,’ said Loretta Johnson, an insurance underwriter.... ‘The older I get, the more cynical I’ve gotten. I see what goes on in the world, and I’m disgusted. But this project helped me see there’s still hope,’ said Carol Meeks, a home economist who used the money to grow a huge garden that will provide fresh produce for the hungry.”
The project gave the people who took the envelopes plenty to think about. “ ‘Sometimes, we’re too focused on what’s wrong with other people. This project encouraged you to see the good in them,’ added Mary Jane Mesmer, a business consultant. She gave the money to an Amish family that a friend had met by chance in a hospital coffee shop. The family, from rural Indiana, had come to the city for their son’s kidney transplant and seemed bewildered and afraid. Mesmer thought they could use a stranger’s kindness.”
Sometimes the kindness multiplied: “Many participants easily tripled or quadrupled the $50 as friends, touched by the donor’s generosity, opened their wallets. Dee Caldwell, a real-estate agent, raised $325 to take 40 low-income kids to play with the baby animals on her farm.” The money was used to spread goodwill, but also to reawaken generosity and kindness in those who took the envelopes and then passed the money on.
WORSHIP RESOURCES
by George Reed
Call to Worship
Leader: Our God, our God, why have you forsaken us?
People: Why are you so far from helping us?
Leader: O God, we cry by day, but you do not answer.
People: We cry by night, but find no rest.
Leader: Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel.
People: In you our ancestors trusted; they trusted, and you delivered them.
OR
Leader: The God of peace calls us together to be in unity.
People: We respond to God’s call to be together.
Leader: God calls us to be in peace with all.
People: We are God’s children and reach out to all in peace.
Leader: God asks us to look at our lives to see if we may be helping violence and hatred gain the upper hand.
People: With God’s help, we will do all in our power to bring peace and to put down violence and hatred among us.
Hymns and Sacred Songs
“All Creatures of Our God and King”
found in:
UMH: 62
H82: 400
PH: 455
AAHH: 147
NNBH: 33
NCH: 17
CH: 22
LBW: 527
ELA: 835
W&P: 23
AMEC: 50
STLT: 203
Renew: 47
“Let There Be Peace on Earth”
found in:
UMH: 431
CH: 677
W&P: 614
“Jesus Shall Reign”
found in:
UMH: 157
H82: 544
PH: 423
NNBH: 10
NCH: 300
CH: 95
LBW: 530
ELA: 434
W&P: 341
AMEC: 96
Renew: 296
“Lift High the Cross”
found in:
UMH: 159
H82: 473
PH: 371
AAHH: 242
NCH: 198
CH: 108
LBW: 377
ELA: 660
W&P: 287
Renew: 297
“I Am Thine, O Lord”
found in:
UMH: 419
AAHH: 387
NNBH: 202
NCH: 455
CH: 601
W&P: 408
AMEC: 283
“For the Healing of the Nations”
found in:
UMH: 428
NCH: 576
CH: 668
W&P: 621
“Jesu, Jesu”
found in:
UMH: 432
H82: 602
PH: 367
NCH: 498
CH: 600
ELA: 708
W&P: 273
CCB: 66
Renew: 289
“Cuanco el Pobre” (“When the Poor Ones”)
found in:
UMH: 434
PH: 407
CH: 662
ELA: 725
W&P: 624
“Refiner’s Fire”
found in:
CCB: 79
“We Are One in Christ Jesus” (“Somos Uno en Cristo”)
found in:
CCB: 43
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 dwells so near us and yet seems so far away: Give us the faith to trust in your graceful presence even when life weighs down on us in unbearable ways; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We worship you, O God, and acknowledge that you are the God who dwells among us. Yet at times you seem so far from us. Receive our praise this day, and send your Spirit upon us that our faith may be strengthened. Give us the courage to believe when life seems unbelievable. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
Leader: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins, and especially our complicity in the violence of this world.
People: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We act appalled at the violence and hatred around us, and yet we contribute to them. We snub people, we gossip, we allow others to use violence and force for us. We do not participate fully in the political process to ensure that violence is not the primary tool of our government. We enjoy the plenty of creation, while others are oppressed and denied the very necessities of life. Forgive our selfish ways. Recall us to following Jesus, the Prince of Peace. Help us to act in more peaceful ways. Amen.
Leader: God desires all creation to be in harmony and peace. God accepts our confession and offers us the power of the Spirit to change our lives.
Prayers of the People (and the Lord’s Prayer)
We praise you, O God of Peace and Harmony, for calling us together as your people.
(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 act appalled at the violence and hatred around us, and yet we contribute to them. We snub people, we gossip, we allow others to use violence and force for us. We do not participate fully in the political process to ensure that violence is not the primary tool of our government. We enjoy the plenty of creation, while others are oppressed and denied the very necessities of life. Forgive our selfish ways. Recall us to following Jesus, the Prince of Peace. Help us to act in more peaceful ways.
We give you thanks for all the ways in which you bring us into union with yourself and with the rest of creation. We thank you for your love that makes us all a family with you as our head.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for one another in our needs, and especially for the ways in which we find ourselves alienated from each other. We pray for your Spirit that unites us and makes us one, that we might live together in peace.
(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.
A Litany
Leader: We come to you, O God, in shock, pain, and anxiety.
People: The world around us is so violent and painful.
Leader: The quietest, safest places erupt in violence around us.
People: We are in fear as we go about the most mundane of tasks.
Leader: The violence of our world and society scares us.
People: We wonder where all this hatred and violence comes from.
Leader: We forget about all the ways we have added to that hatred.
People: We don’t understand how an unkind word in the grocery line can add to the violence around us.
Leader: We don’t see the ripples of hatred that go out from the incident where we cut in front of another car.
People: We don’t comprehend how injustice breeds violence.
Leader: We forget that when we ignore injustice we are seen as siding with it.
People: We fail to realize that when we allow violence for a “good” cause we are giving permission to others to do the same.
Leader: In small acts and large ones, we are part of the problem of violence.
People: Call us back, O God, to being disciples of Jesus.
Leader: Help us to remember him as a victim of the violence of Rome.
People: Give us courage to be your people who stand against violence in all its hateful forms.
Children’s Sermon Starter
Set up a pyramid of tennis balls or other easily dislodged objects. Tell the children to be very careful so that they will not knock over the balls. Then stomp on the floor or bump the table and make the balls fall off. Then say, “I didn’t do that. I never touched one of those tennis balls.” Ask the children whether or not you really made them fall down. Talk about how we can make things happen without acting like we did. We may not start a fight with fists, but we might say things that make other people angry with each other. We all need to be peacemakers so none of us start fights.
CHILDREN’S SERMON
Money
by Dean Feldmeyer
Mark 10:17-31
Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, “You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions (Mark 10:21-22).
It’s nice to have money so we can buy the things we need and want, but there are some things, like the love of God, that money can’t buy.
Items needed:
A $1 bill for each child, or a large blowup image of both sides of a dollar bill.
(As the children come forward give a dollar bill to each one or place the large blowup image in a prominent place where everyone can see it.)
Who here likes money? Yeah, me too.
I like money because I can use it to buy things that I need, like food and clothing. But I also like money because I can use it to buy things that I don’t need but that I just want, like candy or books or musical instruments.
So I guess money is pretty important to all of us, isn’t it?
Well, let’s take a look at it. I mean, if it’s important we should know something about it and what the symbols on it represent, shouldn’t we?
The $1 bill you’re looking at was designed in 1957. Our money has been designed and redesigned many times in our history, and that was the first year that we put the words “In God We Trust” on our paper money. There it is, right above the word “ONE” on the green side. See it?
On the front of the bill, you will see the bright green United States Department of the Treasury seal. On the top part of the seal you will see scales, which stand for justice. There is also a thing called a chevron right below the scales -- and it has 13 stars on it, representing the 13 colonies that started our country. And below the chevron is a key, which is a symbol for authority -- because only the Department of the Treasury has the authority to print money.
On the back or green side of the dollar there are two circles. These circles make up the front and the back of the Great Seal of the United States. The eagle on one side of the seal is flying and he has a ribbon in his mouth that says E Pluribus Unum, which is the motto of our country: “from many, one.” He is holding an olive branch in his right talon and arrows in his left. Since the right hand is usually considered to be the strongest, this means that America always prefers peace but that we will go to war if we have to.
The other side of the seal has a pyramid, which is a symbol of strength and stability -- but it’s not finished yet because our country is always growing and changing. And above the pyramid is an eye which is sometimes called the “Eye of Providence” or the “Eye of God.” That means that God is watching over us. There are two Latin phrases on this side of the seal. At the top are the words Annuit Coeptis, which means “God has favored our undertaking.” At the bottom is Novus Ordo Seclorum, which means “a new order for the ages.” At the base of the pyramid is the Roman numeral for 1776, representing the year our country was begun.
You know, there’s one other interesting thing about our money: the more you have of it, the harder it is to let it go. See, I could take this $1 bill and tear it up or burn it, and it wouldn’t hurt all that much because I have other dollar bills in my wallet.
But if I had two dollars it would be a little harder for me to give them up. And if I had five dollars I certainly wouldn’t want to tear those up or burn them or give them away because five dollars is a lot of money.
And if five dollars is a lot of money, what about ten or a hundred dollars? Or a thousand dollars?
See, the more dollars I have, the harder it is to give them up. That’s what Mark is teaching us with this story about Jesus and the rich man. If the man was poor he would only have one dollar -- and if he had to give up his dollar to follow God he could do it. But this rich man has thousands, maybe even millions of dollars -- and when Jesus asks him to give them up so he can dedicate himself to God, he can’t.
The more we have, the harder it is to give it up. Jesus wants us to remember that and learn to be content with what we have so we can follow God’s path.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, October 11, 2015, issue.
Copyright 2015 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.
So what can we say from the pulpit to help our congregations come to grips with this latest insanity? After the television cameras and satellite trucks pack up and move to the next destination, how do we make sense of it all? Where was God when those who bravely professed their faith paid the ultimate price for doing so? In this installment of The Immediate Word, team member Chris Keating offers a theological reflection on these questions, drawing on this week’s lectionary texts from Job and Psalm 22.
Team member Leah Lonsbury shares some additional thoughts on the execution of Kelly Gissendaner, the Georgia woman put to death last week for plotting the murder of her husband. Leah wrote very movingly for The Immediate Word on Gissendaner’s case last March when her execution was delayed for the second time, which several religious leaders interpreted as an act of God. Gissendaner gained notoriety for the transformation she underwent in prison -- she completed a theology studies program through Candler School of Theology, acted as a spiritual adviser to fellow inmates, and even became a pen pal of theologian Jurgen Moltmann. But efforts to spare Gissendaner’s life were ultimately unsuccessful -- Georgia authorities were unwilling to commute her death sentence, and it was finally carried out last Wednesday as she sang “Amazing Grace.” Leah frankly discusses how the ultimate resolution of the situation has profoundly shaken her, and reflects on it through the lens of the texts for this week.
Anger, Anguish, and Faith’s Vanishing Act
by Chris Keating
Job 23:1-9, 16-17; Psalm 22:1-15; Mark 10:17-31
Thursday, October 1 was supposed to be just another day.
For Jason Johnson, 33, last Thursday was the fourth day of classes at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon. Johnson had just enrolled in school after completing rehab for drug addiction. Like others in the small college, Johnson was settling into a morning of classes. Just another day in a busy semester.
But it turned tragic as Johnson and eight others were murdered by a fellow student, who then killed himself after exchanging gunfire with police officers. An additional nine persons were wounded in a mass shooting that left the little community and the entire nation stunned. Hoping to improve his life, Jason Johnson had enrolled in classes at UCC after successfully passing the GED a few months ago. His family reported that Johnson was proud to be taking steps toward a new life, even as the gunman was taking steps to end it.
The numbing routine of crisis once again interrupted the nation. Another day, another act of gruesome violence. Another community visited by horror.
As news spread, the now-familiar script of tragedy unfolded. The Roseburg shooting was the nation’s 294th mass shooting in 274 days, a statistic so stunning that it defies explanation. The bitterness of President Obama’s voice was evident as he stood before reporters in a room ironically named for former presidential press secretary and shooting victim James Brady. Speaking as a president but also as a father, Obama asked for prayers for the young persons who had been shot. But then, he added, “that’s not enough.”
In the wake of stunning violence, prayers alone were not sufficient.
“As I said just a few months ago, and just a few months before that,” Obama intoned, “our thoughts and prayers are not enough. It does not capture the heartache and grief and anger we should feel.” The lament over lives lost and trauma inflicted upon a community continues.
Like Job and the psalmist, our nation cries out in lament: “If only I could vanish in darkness, and thick darkness would cover my face” (Job 23:17). In response, we offer our cries, our tears, and our fumbling attempts to make sense of the senseless -- perhaps even wondering “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Psalm 22:1a).
In the News
As always, the facts are sparse but familiar: a troubled gunman, often young, usually white, generally male, frequently experiencing some level of emotional difficulties.
Part of 26-year-old Christopher Harper-Mercer’s story is clear. He entered his English class dressed in an armored flak jacket and armed with six guns. He carried plenty of additional ammunition, and had no intent on leaving the class alive. Minutes later nine people were killed, nine others wounded. Police reports said that Harper-Mercer was “neutralized,” apparently killed by a self-inflicted gunshot. Even more guns were located inside the apartment he shared with his mother.
What is less clear is a motive, or any shred of a reason behind the attack.
All the guns were purchased legally -- even though he had been turned away from a high-level weapons training course by an instructor who found him “weird” and “a bit too anxious.”
The amount of weapons the troubled young man had accumulated stunned his father, who lives in California. “How on earth could (Chris) compile 13 guns?” Ian Mercer told CNN. “I’m not trying to say that [it’s] to blame for what happened, but if Chris had not been able to get ahold of 13 guns, it would not have happened,” he said.
For his part, President Obama noted that such tragedies do not occur in other countries with the same frequency they do in the United States.
For example, in Australia, a country that enacted tough gun laws following a mass shooting in 1996, editorials chastised the United States for its inaction on guns. An editorial in the Brisbane Times noted: “[W]e must condemn. America prides itself on being a light in the world for democracy and liberty. Yet within its borders it is armed to the teeth. This is a tyranny... that must end.”
Or as an Australian who happens to live near Roseburg observed: “Several (past shootings) that you would have thought would shift the needle of the political debate, like Sandy Hook, have really done nothing other than become talking points in the national debate. The majority of Americans worship the Second Amendment more than the Bible.”
The response to the shooting has taken a predictable, Job-ian tone. There’s a hue and cry from politicians on both sides of the gun debate, all sounding a bit like Job in their impatience. “If only we could vanish in the darkness,” some seem to be saying -- if only we could have better access to mental health; if only there could be more restrictions on guns; if only we would arm teachers and college students.
Our complaints are bitter, our hands heavy. For many, God appears to be absent in the midst of this unceasing struggle of violence and evil. As the now-familiar conversation about what should be done in response to such violence begins, many believe the conversation won’t change much.
That seemed to be view captured in a biting Los Angeles Times political cartoon this week. A shrouded figure representing the angel of death appears before a weather map, while a caption reads: “And in our extended forecast, we’ve got a 100% chance of shootings all across the country... you might want to give your kid a big hug before school.” The cartoon is titled “As constant as the weather.”
It is the near-daily news of mass shootings that seems to be especially frustrating. In his early remarks, an exasperated President Obama indicated it was time to politicize the debate over gun ownership, arguing that the politics have to change.
It’s not clear how that will happen. While Democrats like Hillary Clinton have supported gun control policies, Republicans are less motivated to pursue legislative actions.
Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush, for example, argued against legislative change. “Stuff happens,” he said when asked about the massacre. “We’re in a difficult time in our country and I don’t think more government is necessarily the answer to this. I think we need to reconnect ourselves with everybody else,” Bush said Friday at the Conservative Leadership Project Presidential Forum in Greenville, South Carolina. He then added, “I had this challenge as governor -- look, stuff happens. There’s always a crisis and the impulse is always to do something, and it’s not necessarily the right thing to do.”
Likewise, Donald Trump, the leader in the GOP primary field, was quoted as saying, “You know, things like that happen in the world.” Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee tweeted that the shooting was the result of “gun-free zones” and “evil people.”
A day after the shooting, one witness appeared to counter parts of the “good guy with a gun” theory. Umpqua student and air force veteran John Parker Jr. was near the shooting -- and he was carrying a weapon. Parker, who has a concealed carry permit, later told reporters that he and other gun-carrying students were ready to get involved “if there was something we were going to be able to do.” Unable to leave the room, however, Parker suggested: “Luckily, we made the choice not to get involved.... Not knowing where SWAT was on their response time, they wouldn’t know who we were, and if we had our guns ready to shoot they could think we were bad guys.”
Debates will continue, though Harper-Mercer’s shooting rampage somehow seems more than just “stuff.” The attack lasted a few minutes. Conversations about it will likely continue for months.
But will anything change?
In the Scriptures
Job’s patience is exhausted. In spite of his groaning, he has yet to hear from the one who could provide answers and perhaps change his situation. His friends have weighed in on Job’s vexation, but he has yet to hear from God. As chapter 23 opens, Job pleads his case before God, assuming a prosecutorial stance.
But he does not abandon his faith, nor does he willingly accept his plight passively. Where others might say, “Well, the good Lord doesn’t give you more than you can handle,” Job persists in faithfully searching for an answer. He clings to faith, even as he struggles actively with the suffering he has endured.
His bitter cry “Oh, that I knew where I might find” God resonates with the psalmist’s lament in Psalm 22, and perhaps with those who have endured the lingering impact of trauma. These texts offer more than bitterness, however; they express the longing for God by those who have endured. They display a theological resilience that dares to question why circumstances have not changed, or why God has not acted in a particular way. Job declares that God remains hidden (23:9), but in no way does Job abandon faith.
Life is difficult -- as difficult as the cost of discipleship that confounds the disciples in Mark 10. Caught off-guard by Jesus’ declaration that the rich may have a hard time entering the kingdom of God, the disciples ask “Then who can be saved?” Job would certainly shout “Amen” to their question.
The complaint here is that God has somehow disappeared. Job cannot find God, and has no reason to believe that God cares for him at all. The passage is filled with darkness.
Job’s bitterness reveals the human dilemma. “For mortals it is impossible,” Jesus tells the disciples. “Yeah, tell me about it!” we hear Job snort from the Old Testament. “But not for God,” the gospel declares. Indeed, the very cry of Jesus from the cross is the cry of one who has experienced the deepest abandonment suffering can offer. There, under the agony of crucifixion, Jesus’ words finally provide Job an answer worth considering: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
Under the promise of the God who is revealed in suffering, even those whose bitter complaints have eaten away at their soul may discover an answer: “It was you who took me from the womb; you kept me safe on my mother’s breast.”
In the Sermon
Job may not be the preacher’s first choice for a text -- yet our congregations are yearning for a place where their response to the mounting violence in the United States can be processed and perhaps even validated. While there is no consensus on the solution to gun violence, it is certain that President Obama is not the only one who is frustrated by the depressing frequency of mass shootings.
To many, Job’s response may make sense -- including those who support gun rights. In the face of suffering, it is right to explore the way that God indeed seems to be hiding. Prayers do not seem to be enough; nor is it satisfying to merely shake our heads and say “Well, stuff happens.” With more than one mass shooting every day in this country, these acts of domestic terrorism have cut deep into the heart of our theology.
Where is God in this darkness?
One direction a sermon could take is wrestling with the often bitter experiences of life that leave us feeling as though we are in the darkness. Job feels as though he is left alone -- perhaps like the victim of a senseless shooting. In the dark cellars of the soul, it is tempting to give up. It is tempting to accept the advice of Job’s wife -- just curse God and be done with it.
But Job clings to faith. Job is a model of faithfulness. He dares to ask questions and to plumb the depths of agony, as if he somehow believes what Jesus will eventually proclaim: with God nothing is impossible.
Following a mass shooting at a midwestern church some years ago, a few of the ushers in my congregation wondered what our plan might be if a shooter would enter our sanctuary. “Lock the doors” was one suggestion. (Many immediately saw how this contradicted our basic mission, while also noting that the doors are glass.) “Arm the ushers” was another idea. (Fortunately, this too was quickly dismissed.) “Yet what can we do?” the fearful yet earnest members asked.
Perhaps that is Job’s frustration too. Perhaps that is the frustration of parents who send their children off to school, unsure of whether they will return. Perhaps that is the frustration of college administrators who must run campuses which are open and inviting, but who are also cognizant of real security threats. Perhaps that is the frustration we must name.
A sermon about Job’s honest-to-goodness struggles with frustration, bitterness, and anguish might feel a bit like a light shining in the darkness.
By shining that light in the darkness, we might discover we are not alone. We might find common ground on controversial subjects like gun control. Like the psalmist, we might be turned back toward the one who accompanies us into anguish. Or, like the disciples, we might learn that with God nothing -- even discovering hope in the terror of modern life -- is impossible with God.
A sermon could be more than a prayer. It could lead to sacred conversations rooted in hope -- even in the face of anguish.
SECOND THOUGHTS
by Leah Lonsbury
The last time I wrote for The Immediate Word about Georgia’s death row inmate Kelly Gissendaner, I was reading the scriptures as speaking to us about Kelly’s transformation, her new life in God’s light, and her witness to eternal life even as she faced the very real prospect of death.
That last time, in March of 2015 when Kelly’s execution date had been put on hold for a second time, I felt, as Jim Wallis of Sojourners put it so eloquently, that “Kelly’s story will show people across the country that personal transformation does happen, and the death penalty is wrong because it denies fellow human beings that opportunity to repent and be transformed.”
That last time, I was cautiously confident that Kelly’s execution had been delayed twice because, again like Jim Wallis, I had begun to believe that the weather postponement and the cloudy drug delay “could be God’s way of giving everyone who is trying to save Kelly’s life more time to do so.”
That last time I was writing as one of those 500 faith leaders and over 90,000 people of faith who signed petitions delivered to Governor Nathan Deal and the Georgia Board of Paroles and Pardons, believing that we would be surprised and that Kelly would be mercifully saved by the just and reasonable actions of those in power.
Kelly Gissendaner was executed last week, and this time I’m writing from a place of shock and shaken faith. If almost 100,000 signatures of people of faith; a letter from the pope’s personal representative; the desperate pleas of Kelly’s children; the witness of Jurgen Moltmann, the “Theologian of Hope”; and the testimonies of former guards, wardens, and inmates about Kelly’s “deep remorse and radical transformation” and her ability to change and save lives were not enough to stop the killing machine, then what would? What hope can I have now that human beings are capable of doing what is just and merciful? And God... where was God?
Like Kelly was, I’m a graduate of Candler School of Theology. I have training and experience in solid and hopefully helpful pastoral responses to injustice and tragedy. I have spent time walking the grounds and meeting with inmates as a chaplain at Metro State Women’s Prison, where Kelly began to study theology, seek transformation, and share hope. I too have experienced a call to hope, to nurture loving mercy and compassion in the world, and to witness to love and possibility. And yet, Kelly’s execution has silenced and shuttered all that. At least for now.
Brenna Lakeson, a Candler student and one of the lead activists in the fight to seek clemency for Kelly, expressed the kind of shutdown I am experiencing following Kelly’s death. The drive home she references was from Lee Arenndale State Prison, where Kelly was most recently incarcerated and ultimately executed. Brenna writes:
What now?
This is how I felt last night as I got in the car to ride back to Atlanta from Jackson. This is how I felt when I opened my eyes this morning after very little sleep and remembered the reality that last night held. This is how I felt when I tried to accomplish my daily activities today that could not go unaccomplished. My friend asked me on the drive home last night how I was feeling, and all I could manage was “I can’t really talk.” I still feel this way. I have said very little to very few people since 11:30 last night....
I feel like I didn’t properly prepare myself for this because my sense of hope wouldn’t let me.
I say this to express that, in some ways, I’m not sure what comes now. I am just as confused and speechless. For the first time, I don’t have an answer.
I find myself with no answers as well. Even my questions, my usually hopeful curiosity about the next right step or how to craft a compassionate response, seem to be silenced.
This week, the only response I have is to wait and try to remain open. This week’s lectionary selections are poignant and spot-on, but it seems all I can do is sit with them and let them work on me in the unusual quiet of my mind. Like Job, I wait for God to show up so I can learn how God would answer me and try to understand what God might be trying to say to me. I am grateful, also like Job, to know somewhere deep inside that God isn’t trying to contend with me in some display of divine power but instead gives heed to me, holds me in what feels like a baffled paralysis (vv. 5-6).
Like the psalmist, in this unfamiliar blankness I feel myself reaching for the divine presence and Love that feels far away but not altogether disconnected from me. I know that God has been my God from before my beginnings, but I sure would appreciate some confirmation of that -- for God to draw near, or for this numbness to be lifted with an experience of the God who never left at all (22:10-11).
In the quiet after Kelly’s life was cut short, perhaps I am being taught to count my days and gain a wise heart. I can’t feel or see that right now, but I have known and trusted the truth of scripture before, even when it seemed a contrite and inept band-aid on a wound that defied healing or closure. And I certainly feel laid bare, like the psalmist said, so I wait (without the psalmist’s boldness) for God’s mercy and grace to provide the help I need to find the path again (Psalm 90:12-13, 16).
And like Jesus, I am sure that regaining my footing through my own efforts is impossible for this mortal. So, even while I wait for this fog to lift, I keep reminding myself in the hope I can believe it, “for God all things are possible” (Mark 10:27).
In this quiet, I will let the larger Body hold faith for me while I feel stymied. I will go to worship and let its rhythms, music, prayer, and wisdom work on me. Like Brenna Lakeson, I will seek its power and the power of those whose hearts are full and assured in their faith. I will trust that I will know in a different way again. Lakeson writes of this...
But I do know this: I know that because of Kelly I have seen love and hope expressed by a wide faith community. I know the power of liturgy and hymns when words fail me. I know what it feels like to let your community take care of you when you don’t have anything to say anymore....
Most of all, I know that Kelly still lives. I know that Kelly lives in the Great Cloud of Witnesses with all those who have gone before us. And I know that Kelly lives, still, here with us -- in our hope and in our actions toward creating a place where we no longer kill. Kelly’s story lives on; hope lives on. First, of course, we grieve. I don’t sing because I can’t yet. I sit in silence often with tears streaming down my face. My heart is heavy with hurt. But soon we will rise. We will find strength again because Kelly will give it to us. Troy will give it to us. All of those who should’ve still been here this morning to see the rain stop and the sun rise will give it to us. And we will work for justice and mercy not in the form of retribution but in the form of reconciliation and peace.
Today we mourn. But soon, we will continue the race. And this time, Kelly will get to watch it happen.
I’m not ready to continue the race again, but perhaps on the other side of this paralyzing quiet I will be ready to walk alongside others in a new, wiser, and more authentic way. Perhaps.
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Ron Love:
Job 23:1-9, 16-17
Chris Mintz made headline news for his bravery during the assault on Umpqua Community College. The 30-year-old army veteran blocked the door of the adjoining classroom, allowing students to run to safety. During the ordeal Mintz was shot several times in the legs, and when the gunman entered the room he shot Mintz twice more.
Application: Heroism comes in many forms. In his own way, Job was a hero for never denying his faith.
*****
Job 23:1-9, 16-17
GOP presidential candidate Mike Huckabee believes that President Obama “pretends to be a Christian.” This accusation stems from Huckabee’s belief that Obama should not have invited to the White House during Pope Francis’s visit any individuals who are in direct opposition of Catholic practices. According to Huckabee, Obama makes “it very difficult for people to practice their Christian faith.”
Application: The lesson we get from Job is that there was nothing “pretend” about his devotion and faith.
*****
Job 23:1-9, 16-17
A recent report by Christian Freedom International notes that a Christian is martyred for their faith somewhere in the world every five minutes. In fact, more Christians have been martyred in the 20th and 21st centuries than in the previous 19 centuries combined. More than 200 million Christians face persecution worldwide in 105 out of 190 countries around the world. North Korea leads the list of countries where Christians are persecuted, followed by Somalia and Iraq.
Application: Job teaches us the true meaning of suffering for believers.
*****
Job 23:1-9, 16-17
The first underwater Orthodox church is being constructed off the Crimean coast. Archimandrite Tikhon, who is overseeing the project, said that he wants the church (which will sit under 20 meters of water) to be a tourist attraction. The church will not only have icons, but also a museum dedicated to the Crimean War.
Application: Like Job, will those who attend this tourist attraction church be able to find God?
*****
Hebrews 4:12-16
Billy Graham has just published a book titled Where I Am: Heaven, Eternity, and Our Life Beyond. The book is being billed as the “final work” of the 96-year-old evangelist. Graham devotes a significant part of the book to hell, declaring that “It’s a real subject. It’s a real place.” Graham supports the literal biblical interpretation of hell, writing: “nor is hell a resting place, a holding place, or a graveyard. Hell is a burning inferno.” He goes on to write that God does not send unrepentant souls into the pit of darkness; those souls choose their destiny.
Application: We may not accept Graham’s literal interpretation of hell, but we should entertain the seriousness that “no creature is hidden” from God.
*****
Hebrews 4:12-16
So far this year 2,900 migrants have drowned while attempting to cross from North Africa to Europe. They are nameless victims, for they have no identification papers and relatives are unable to come to the morgue to identify the body. At the University of Milan there is a laboratory that tries to identify these victims, and those who drowned as migrants in previous years. Dr. Cristina Cattaneo, a forensic pathologist, said: “Our battle is not to lose the dead.”
Application: Hebrews discusses how Jesus, the high priest, desires to know all of us.
*****
Hebrews 4:12-16
Monsignor Krzysztof Charamsa, 43, was recently dismissed from his Vatican job by the Roman Catholic Church. He admitted that he was homosexual, which is acceptable in the church as long as the priest remains celibate. But Charamsa held a news conference in which he introduced his partner. The news media brought judgment upon the church for its seemingly antiquated ways. But the church responded that while Charamsa’s personal life did “merit respect,” since he broke the vow of celibacy his conduct was “grave and irresponsible.”
Application: The word of the Lord can be a powerful two-edged sword.
*****
Hebrews 4:12-16
Genora Hamm Biggs, a 103-year-old woman who has attended Union Grove Baptist Church in Elberton, Georgia for nearly a century (and who served as the church’s secretary for 40 years), recently had her membership in the church revoked by the congregation’s pastor, Rev. Tim Mattox. Biggs had questioned how Mattox conducted worship, saying that it was not in keeping with Baptist tradition, and Mattox responded by sending her a letter withdrawing her membership and banning her from the church property.
Application: We need to be cautious in how we deploy the two-edged sword of the Lord’s teaching.
*****
Mark 10:17-31
The U.S. Postal service is releasing A Charlie Brown Christmas stamps in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the classic TV special, which first aired on December 9, 1965. The stamps depict 10 scenes from the show, which has become perennially popular for its understated ode to the real meaning of Christmas. (Note: If you have a screen, you may want to show some of the stamps.)
Application: Jesus tried to tell the rich young man that if he wanted to enter the kingdom of God he should have the simplicity of life as depicted by Charlie Brown.
*****
Mark 10:17-31
Several studies have concluded that homeschooled children are not more religious than those who attend private and public schools. The reason for this is that the relationship a student has with a supportive and devout father is more important than the educational environment.
Application: Perhaps if the rich young man had better guidance from his father he would have had a better understanding of the teaching of Jesus.
***************
From team member Mary Austin:
Mark 10:17-31
Go, Sell All That You Have
In contrast to the piles of money and extra homes that some people are accumulating, others are deliberately moving to “tiny houses” -- very small homes as small as 300 or 400 square feet. The Huffington Post says: “The tiny house trend is on the rise with more and more individuals, couples, and families choosing to trade in space for simplicity. And from college grads to retirees the appeal of a miniature home spans the ages. Shrinking square footage not only cuts down on chores -- it’s a lifestyle change all about living with less and decreasing environmental impact over time.” People in search of a simpler life, fewer possessions, or time to work less are buying and building these small homes. Many are even on wheels, so you can tow them away to another place when it’s time to move.
One challenge of living in a tiny house is finding a place to put it. Municipal building codes often require a foundation. U.S. News reports that “Building codes in most municipalities set a minimum size for dwellings. Some tiny houses on wheels function as RVs, but most areas also ban full-time RV living outside of an RV park.” The same article adds that financial freedom “is one reason for the growing popularity of tiny homes, and a significantly lower price tag is a big part of that appeal.” Houses can range in cost -- but they’re paid for, and free from the threat of foreclosure. Tiny houses inspire a sense of freedom from worrying about money in those who live in them.
*****
Mark 10:17-31
The Challenge of Giving
The man who comes to Jesus goes away sad, for, as the story says, “he had many possessions.” He can’t imagine parting with them, but Marion Rockefeller Weber has spent decades thinking about how best to give away her wealth. The Christian Science Monitor tells about the process she developed, called “flow funding.” Each year she gives $20,000 to several people and asks them to give it away in a way that’s meaningful. They can’t fund their own projects or a project that benefits a family member, but they can give the money away to a project that is meaningful. The “flow funders” receive $20,000 a year for three years, enough time to launch a project.
As the article says, “Weber’s brand of philanthropic giving has no offices, staff, or bureaucracy. It’s called the Flow Fund Circle. Since its inception in 1991, Flow Funders have identified and supported projects all over the world, from orphanages in Uganda to reforestation in Sumatra to organic farming in Ecuador. Some 500 projects have been funded, nearly 80 percent of the money flowing outside the United States.”
Marion Rockefeller Weber says that the people who receive the money have “an opportunity to practice generosity,” as she does too. “At its core, Weber’s philanthropy is in large part to teach others to be philanthropic, to stretch people’s notion of generosity by, initially, removing lack of resources as a barrier to being generous. In effect, Flow Funding is a process of seeding generosity, trusting that when the money peters out, the generosity will not.”
*****
Mark 10:17-31
Giving -- Not Just for the Wealthy
When we lose a job, most of us hunker down and try to save money until things get better. NPR reports that when Reed Sandridge lost his job, he decided to do the opposite -- to give away $10 a day. He asked the person who received the money about themselves. If the person was willing, he told some of their story on his blog Year of Giving.
Some people were reluctant to take the $10 when Sandridge approached them, thinking that others were in greater need or that his offer was too good to be true. One day, he says, “The first person I chose, a young lady whose name tag said Frey, appeared to be taking a break from her job at a local restaurant. She never said anything to me as I explained what I was doing. She just looked down at her phone and finally shook her head no when I asked if she would accept my $10.” He kept going each day until someone accepted the money.
At the end of the year Sandridge had a party with as many of the recipients as he could find, along with people who had followed his blog. He reflected: “When I started I had been out of work for 75 days, I was hungry for a job, at least that’s what I thought. Looking back on it, I think I was searching for something even greater: purpose.”
*****
Mark 10:17-31
The White Envelopes
One Sunday, Pastor Linda McCoy of an Indianapolis church called The Garden stood up with a handful of white envelopes. Each had $50 in it, donated by an anonymous donor who only asked that the money be used for good. The Los Angeles Times reports: “The money in the white envelopes bought one cancer patient a beautiful ham. It bought nine disabled children an afternoon of golf and giggles. True, some money may have been squandered on an addict’s high. But it did buy an exhausted mother a massage. In $50 increments, the money in the white envelopes spread hope. And it left some folks thinking they could make a difference in the world.”
Some people took an envelope and spent time thinking about how to use the money. “Teachers and plumbers, therapists and nurses found themselves driving the streets of Indianapolis, studying the worn faces they passed, looking for a need they could meet. ‘I wanted to make a difference in someone’s life,’ said Loretta Johnson, an insurance underwriter.... ‘The older I get, the more cynical I’ve gotten. I see what goes on in the world, and I’m disgusted. But this project helped me see there’s still hope,’ said Carol Meeks, a home economist who used the money to grow a huge garden that will provide fresh produce for the hungry.”
The project gave the people who took the envelopes plenty to think about. “ ‘Sometimes, we’re too focused on what’s wrong with other people. This project encouraged you to see the good in them,’ added Mary Jane Mesmer, a business consultant. She gave the money to an Amish family that a friend had met by chance in a hospital coffee shop. The family, from rural Indiana, had come to the city for their son’s kidney transplant and seemed bewildered and afraid. Mesmer thought they could use a stranger’s kindness.”
Sometimes the kindness multiplied: “Many participants easily tripled or quadrupled the $50 as friends, touched by the donor’s generosity, opened their wallets. Dee Caldwell, a real-estate agent, raised $325 to take 40 low-income kids to play with the baby animals on her farm.” The money was used to spread goodwill, but also to reawaken generosity and kindness in those who took the envelopes and then passed the money on.
WORSHIP RESOURCES
by George Reed
Call to Worship
Leader: Our God, our God, why have you forsaken us?
People: Why are you so far from helping us?
Leader: O God, we cry by day, but you do not answer.
People: We cry by night, but find no rest.
Leader: Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel.
People: In you our ancestors trusted; they trusted, and you delivered them.
OR
Leader: The God of peace calls us together to be in unity.
People: We respond to God’s call to be together.
Leader: God calls us to be in peace with all.
People: We are God’s children and reach out to all in peace.
Leader: God asks us to look at our lives to see if we may be helping violence and hatred gain the upper hand.
People: With God’s help, we will do all in our power to bring peace and to put down violence and hatred among us.
Hymns and Sacred Songs
“All Creatures of Our God and King”
found in:
UMH: 62
H82: 400
PH: 455
AAHH: 147
NNBH: 33
NCH: 17
CH: 22
LBW: 527
ELA: 835
W&P: 23
AMEC: 50
STLT: 203
Renew: 47
“Let There Be Peace on Earth”
found in:
UMH: 431
CH: 677
W&P: 614
“Jesus Shall Reign”
found in:
UMH: 157
H82: 544
PH: 423
NNBH: 10
NCH: 300
CH: 95
LBW: 530
ELA: 434
W&P: 341
AMEC: 96
Renew: 296
“Lift High the Cross”
found in:
UMH: 159
H82: 473
PH: 371
AAHH: 242
NCH: 198
CH: 108
LBW: 377
ELA: 660
W&P: 287
Renew: 297
“I Am Thine, O Lord”
found in:
UMH: 419
AAHH: 387
NNBH: 202
NCH: 455
CH: 601
W&P: 408
AMEC: 283
“For the Healing of the Nations”
found in:
UMH: 428
NCH: 576
CH: 668
W&P: 621
“Jesu, Jesu”
found in:
UMH: 432
H82: 602
PH: 367
NCH: 498
CH: 600
ELA: 708
W&P: 273
CCB: 66
Renew: 289
“Cuanco el Pobre” (“When the Poor Ones”)
found in:
UMH: 434
PH: 407
CH: 662
ELA: 725
W&P: 624
“Refiner’s Fire”
found in:
CCB: 79
“We Are One in Christ Jesus” (“Somos Uno en Cristo”)
found in:
CCB: 43
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 dwells so near us and yet seems so far away: Give us the faith to trust in your graceful presence even when life weighs down on us in unbearable ways; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We worship you, O God, and acknowledge that you are the God who dwells among us. Yet at times you seem so far from us. Receive our praise this day, and send your Spirit upon us that our faith may be strengthened. Give us the courage to believe when life seems unbelievable. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
Leader: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins, and especially our complicity in the violence of this world.
People: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We act appalled at the violence and hatred around us, and yet we contribute to them. We snub people, we gossip, we allow others to use violence and force for us. We do not participate fully in the political process to ensure that violence is not the primary tool of our government. We enjoy the plenty of creation, while others are oppressed and denied the very necessities of life. Forgive our selfish ways. Recall us to following Jesus, the Prince of Peace. Help us to act in more peaceful ways. Amen.
Leader: God desires all creation to be in harmony and peace. God accepts our confession and offers us the power of the Spirit to change our lives.
Prayers of the People (and the Lord’s Prayer)
We praise you, O God of Peace and Harmony, for calling us together as your people.
(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 act appalled at the violence and hatred around us, and yet we contribute to them. We snub people, we gossip, we allow others to use violence and force for us. We do not participate fully in the political process to ensure that violence is not the primary tool of our government. We enjoy the plenty of creation, while others are oppressed and denied the very necessities of life. Forgive our selfish ways. Recall us to following Jesus, the Prince of Peace. Help us to act in more peaceful ways.
We give you thanks for all the ways in which you bring us into union with yourself and with the rest of creation. We thank you for your love that makes us all a family with you as our head.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for one another in our needs, and especially for the ways in which we find ourselves alienated from each other. We pray for your Spirit that unites us and makes us one, that we might live together in peace.
(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.
A Litany
Leader: We come to you, O God, in shock, pain, and anxiety.
People: The world around us is so violent and painful.
Leader: The quietest, safest places erupt in violence around us.
People: We are in fear as we go about the most mundane of tasks.
Leader: The violence of our world and society scares us.
People: We wonder where all this hatred and violence comes from.
Leader: We forget about all the ways we have added to that hatred.
People: We don’t understand how an unkind word in the grocery line can add to the violence around us.
Leader: We don’t see the ripples of hatred that go out from the incident where we cut in front of another car.
People: We don’t comprehend how injustice breeds violence.
Leader: We forget that when we ignore injustice we are seen as siding with it.
People: We fail to realize that when we allow violence for a “good” cause we are giving permission to others to do the same.
Leader: In small acts and large ones, we are part of the problem of violence.
People: Call us back, O God, to being disciples of Jesus.
Leader: Help us to remember him as a victim of the violence of Rome.
People: Give us courage to be your people who stand against violence in all its hateful forms.
Children’s Sermon Starter
Set up a pyramid of tennis balls or other easily dislodged objects. Tell the children to be very careful so that they will not knock over the balls. Then stomp on the floor or bump the table and make the balls fall off. Then say, “I didn’t do that. I never touched one of those tennis balls.” Ask the children whether or not you really made them fall down. Talk about how we can make things happen without acting like we did. We may not start a fight with fists, but we might say things that make other people angry with each other. We all need to be peacemakers so none of us start fights.
CHILDREN’S SERMON
Money
by Dean Feldmeyer
Mark 10:17-31
Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, “You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions (Mark 10:21-22).
It’s nice to have money so we can buy the things we need and want, but there are some things, like the love of God, that money can’t buy.
Items needed:
A $1 bill for each child, or a large blowup image of both sides of a dollar bill.
(As the children come forward give a dollar bill to each one or place the large blowup image in a prominent place where everyone can see it.)
Who here likes money? Yeah, me too.
I like money because I can use it to buy things that I need, like food and clothing. But I also like money because I can use it to buy things that I don’t need but that I just want, like candy or books or musical instruments.
So I guess money is pretty important to all of us, isn’t it?
Well, let’s take a look at it. I mean, if it’s important we should know something about it and what the symbols on it represent, shouldn’t we?
The $1 bill you’re looking at was designed in 1957. Our money has been designed and redesigned many times in our history, and that was the first year that we put the words “In God We Trust” on our paper money. There it is, right above the word “ONE” on the green side. See it?
On the front of the bill, you will see the bright green United States Department of the Treasury seal. On the top part of the seal you will see scales, which stand for justice. There is also a thing called a chevron right below the scales -- and it has 13 stars on it, representing the 13 colonies that started our country. And below the chevron is a key, which is a symbol for authority -- because only the Department of the Treasury has the authority to print money.
On the back or green side of the dollar there are two circles. These circles make up the front and the back of the Great Seal of the United States. The eagle on one side of the seal is flying and he has a ribbon in his mouth that says E Pluribus Unum, which is the motto of our country: “from many, one.” He is holding an olive branch in his right talon and arrows in his left. Since the right hand is usually considered to be the strongest, this means that America always prefers peace but that we will go to war if we have to.
The other side of the seal has a pyramid, which is a symbol of strength and stability -- but it’s not finished yet because our country is always growing and changing. And above the pyramid is an eye which is sometimes called the “Eye of Providence” or the “Eye of God.” That means that God is watching over us. There are two Latin phrases on this side of the seal. At the top are the words Annuit Coeptis, which means “God has favored our undertaking.” At the bottom is Novus Ordo Seclorum, which means “a new order for the ages.” At the base of the pyramid is the Roman numeral for 1776, representing the year our country was begun.
You know, there’s one other interesting thing about our money: the more you have of it, the harder it is to let it go. See, I could take this $1 bill and tear it up or burn it, and it wouldn’t hurt all that much because I have other dollar bills in my wallet.
But if I had two dollars it would be a little harder for me to give them up. And if I had five dollars I certainly wouldn’t want to tear those up or burn them or give them away because five dollars is a lot of money.
And if five dollars is a lot of money, what about ten or a hundred dollars? Or a thousand dollars?
See, the more dollars I have, the harder it is to give them up. That’s what Mark is teaching us with this story about Jesus and the rich man. If the man was poor he would only have one dollar -- and if he had to give up his dollar to follow God he could do it. But this rich man has thousands, maybe even millions of dollars -- and when Jesus asks him to give them up so he can dedicate himself to God, he can’t.
The more we have, the harder it is to give it up. Jesus wants us to remember that and learn to be content with what we have so we can follow God’s path.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, October 11, 2015, issue.
Copyright 2015 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.
