Called To A Strange Life
Children's sermon
Illustration
Preaching
Sermon
Worship
We have many questions that need answers. We wrestle with these questions every day. Who can we trust and have faith in concerning our problems, our families, even our very lives? Can we trust and have faith in the leaders that want to run America? How about having trust and faith in our one true leader... Christ? Scott Suskovic writes below. Barbara Jurgensen writes the response this week. Illustrations, worship resource, and a children's sermon are also included this week.
Called To A Strange Life
By Scott Suskovic
THE WORLD
It seems every week these days another name is thrown into the ring to be a contender in the 2008 race for president. Each one cites his or her own bold vision, unique qualifications, and distinct abilities. Avid supporters are already lining up slogans, signs, buttons, and bumper stickers touting how their candidate will be the one who can save America.
It becomes a question of not only of whom you will support but whom can we trust as the one ultimately in charge.
Isaiah had a similar experience. Following the death of Uzziah after a (mostly) successful 52-year reign, the country not only fell into mourning but also into crisis. Who will defend us? Who will protect us? Who will provide for us? Or will we be completely lost?
THE WORD
No one seeks to be a prophet. No one goes to school to be a prophet. No one put down on career day, "I want to be a prophet." If the truth be known, being a prophet was something that most people avoided at all costs because it was a lonely life, with very little support. It was a rejected life -- no one wants to hear what the prophet has to say. It was a dangerous life -- the life expectancy of a prophet was like that of a first lieutenant in Vietnam. No one wants to be a prophet why? Because they are called to a strange life.
In the year that King Uzziah died. Uzziah started his reign at age 16 and rule for 52 years. Think about that, 52 years. Fifty-two years ago it was 1955. How many presidents have we had in that period of time? Eisenhower was sworn in 1953. Then Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush, Clinton, and Bush. We've had ten presidents during the past 52 years. They had just one leader -- Uzziah.
While most kings following King David looked like something from America's Most Wanted, Uzziah was a military genius who protected Jerusalem and developed cisterns for water. For 52 years, he was their anchor. And just as the evil empire of Assyria was marching south to conquer Israel, Uzziah died. There was a crisis in the land. Who will protect us? Who will lead us? Who will defend us? Who will be our king?
Isaiah goes to the Temple and discovers that there is One who is sits on the throne. The king's not dead. Oh, Uzziah is gone but the true king of Israel is God Almighty. Above him stood the seraphim. Each one had six wings. With two he covered his face. Why is that? Because of the glory of God. God is so holy, so glorious that scripture says no one shall see the face of God and live -- not even a heavenly being. (Remember Harrison Ford in Raiders of the Lost Ark? Remember what he said to the woman before the person opened the Ark of the Covenant? "Close your eyes!" Even though Indiana Johns didn't believe such nonsense, he did know that "no one shall see the face of God and live.) So the angels hide their face. With two they cover their feet. Because feet are disgusting. Feet are dirty and offensive -- particularly in antiquity. Cover them up! And with two they flew. And while they flew they sang, "Holy, holy, holy Lord God Almighty." It is a song of praise.
A theologian named RC Sproul points out that in Hebrew they have no bold face, no underline, no capital letters to make something stand out, to say that this is important. If something is important, it is repeated. Jesus says, "Truly, TRULY I say unto you..." That means pay attention! Only a handful of times is a word repeated. In the book of Revelation, the eagle in midair says, "Woe, Woe, Woe to the inhabitants of the earth." (That can't be good news.) And in Isaiah, we see this pattern only this time it points out an adjective describing the nature of God. And it is not that God is love, love, love or grace, grace, grace or nice, nice, nice. God is holy, holy, holy.
Can you picture the scene? Isaiah is in deep despair that Uzziah is dead and what will become of them. He looks and sees God seated at the throne, with his robe filling the Temple, with seraphim flying and singing overhead and with the room shaking like a wooden wagon over cobblestone, there is more smoke than at an Aerosmith concert. How does Isaiah react? "Wow, cool! Hurray! Our worries are over." No. Does he dance before his God or in awe of him stand still? No. He is terrified. Look at his words, "WOE is me." Woe is me. Woe. Not a word we use much anymore. It sounds a bit archaic. It sounds like a damsel being tied to the railroad tracks and saying, "Woe is me!" It sounds a bit Yiddish, "Oy vay," which is actually a shortened form of "woe is me." Why does Isaiah say this? Because, Isaiah says, I am a man of unclean lips and I dwell in the land of people with unclean lips and my own eyes have seen the King. Woe is me, because of my lips.
Interesting. He didn't talk about unclean feet as if he had traveled down some wrong paths. He didn't say unclean hands as if he had stolen something. It's his lips. It's his words that condemn him. Isn't that true for you? I know it is for me. My lips -- my words have done more damage than anything my hands or feet have done. From cursing to saying, "oh my God," these are unclean, cavalier lips. From impatient words to not saying nearly enough, I love yous -- these are unclean, unkind lips. From lack of encouragement, anger, bully toward a waitress, to the staff or to my kids, these are unclean, critical lips. "Woe is me, for I am a man of unclean lips."
Jesus said that it's not what goes into a man that defiles him but what comes out. Unclean lips. James wrote, "The tongue is a fire. No human being can tame the tongue -- a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless the Lord and with it we curse men." Unclean lips.
Woe is me. Isaiah is afraid, which is strange. He was arguably the man of greatest integrity in all of Israel, the most righteous man in his country. And yet in that temple, he is not comparing himself to his neighbor -- we will always win when we play that game. Instead, Isaiah compared himself to God -- and fell short. Never are you more aware of your unholiness than when you stand in the holiness of God. Never are you more aware of your impurity than when you stand in from purity of God. Never are you more aware of your finitude, your sinfulness, or your mortality than when you stand in the presence of God. Like Peter.
When Peter met Jesus, he had been out fishing all night -- and got skunked. This is commercial fishing. This is his livelihood. This isn't taking a cane pole and a picnic to the lake and hoping the fish don't disturb you. This is putting food on the table -- and they got nothing. As they bring in the boat in the morning, tired and discouraged, Jesus tells them to throw the net on the other side of the boat. Peter could have easily said, "Master, you are a great teacher and a wonderful healer, but give me some credit. I'm a fisherman. I know what I'm doing. And the fish are not biting." (Darn preachers think they know everything.) But he doesn't. He throws the net overboard and the net catches so many fish that they have to call in another boat to haul it in.
Now, wouldn't you think Peter would have asked Jesus to sign a contract as part owner? "All you have to do is stand on the shore. You don't even have to touch a fish, Jesus. Just tell us where to throw the net." Don't you think that Peter would have said, "Thank you, Jesus"? Instead, do you remember what Peter said? "Go away from me, Jesus, for I am a sinful man." Why? Never are you more aware of your sinfulness, your impurity, or how far short you fall than when you stand before the holiness of God. Isaiah experienced this in the Temple. Peter experienced this on the beach.
Let me ask you this. When is the last time God dropped you on your knees? When is the last time you couldn't even look up? When is the last time you said, "Woe is me?" When is the last time that you said, "Holy, holy, holy -- Lord God Almighty."
Isaiah is on his knees. Terrified, racked in guilt with nowhere to hide, groveling on the floor with his sin ever before him, Isaiah discovered that the holy God is also a God of grace. For God did not delight in the trembling of Isaiah or let him wallow in it for good measure, but instead sent one of those seraphim to pick up a white-hot coal. It was too hot, even for an angel to touch and so, using a tong, the seraph placed in on the source of Isaiah's sins -- upon his lips. More than just saying, "You are forgiven," God cauterized the wound, the specific place of his sin and made this man blameless to stand before the throne -- before him. Isaiah was put on fire by God.
Humbled and forgiven, awestruck and obedient -- only then can Isaiah hear the voice of God, "Whom shall I send? Who will go for me?" Never mind that there is only one person in the room or that God is pretty hard to refuse. God still asks. It is always an invitation to submit your will to his, to humble yourself, and to bow to his holiness. "Whom shall I send? Who will go for me?" And without another moment of hesitation, Isaiah, filled with gratitude, completely forgiven and totally sold out to his God, hands over his life, charred lips and all, "Here I am. Send me."
CRAFTING THE SERMON
At this point, after developing the rich biblical story, we can turn our attention over to our political world with each candidate vying for attention and our confidence. Where will we put our trust? Upon whom shall our confidence lie?
The simple answer is God. But both texts challenge us to discover this in the same way that Isaiah and Peter did.
Through humility that drops us to our knees before the holiness of God.
Through honesty that names the place of our sin.
Through gratitude that receives the fire of forgiveness.
Through boldness that hands over our lives and say, "Come what may, I am yours. You are my God, I am your servant. I will trust you with my life. Here am I. Send me."
Like Isaiah and Peter, we are called to a strange life. Our allegiance is to the One greater than some worldly power or governmental office. Our lives should not look like the rest of society. It should not be conformed to this world. We ought to be a bit odd. Different, even strange, don't you think?
ANOTHER VIEW
By Barbara Jurgensen
Let's imagine for a few moments that we're watching a new game show on TV, a game show that's called "Name It and Win It."
The MC is introducing the first contestant.
"Our first contestant is Miss Lisa Long, a junior at Western University. Now, Miss Long, I understand that you're a tennis champion, and that you've won so many trophies that your mom and dad have had to add an extra room on the house to hold them all."
"Well, I have won a few --"
"And I understand that you're also a snowboarder, with more trophies from that sport."
"Yes, a few more --"
"Well, I'm sure you won't have any trouble with your question today. You know how this game works: I'll be giving you a series of clues, and if you can guess the answer, you'll win the prize."
"Yes, I've seen the show a number of times."
"Good. So let's proceed. Your question today, Miss Long, is about a person -- a very important person. I'll be telling you some things about this person, and if you can guess who it is, before the bell sounds, you'll win the prize of being able to talk, for three whole minutes, on the phone, just you, to this very famous, important person."
"I'll get to talk personally to this person that's so exciting! I hope it's someone in the sports world!"
"It's someone from an even bigger world than sports, Miss Long, and yes, you'll get to talk to them personally. Now, your first clue: this person is well known --"
"Is it the mayor, the mayor of this city?"
"No, not the mayor of this city."
"The governor of this state?"
"No, not the governor. Someone even more important."
"The president! The president of the United States?"
"No, not the president. Someone even more important than that."
"The man in charge of the United Nations, the Secretary-whatever-he-is?"
"No, not the Secretary General of the United Nations. Now try, Miss Long, to think of someone who's even more important than any of those people -- much more important -- someone who's known by people all over the world. I'll give you a little hint, Miss Long. Are you a member of a church?"
"Yes, I'm a church member."
"And you consider yourself a Christian?"
"Yes."
"And you pray?"
"Yes. Yes, of course."
"Well, then, this question should be especially easy for you. I'll put it this way: who is it, Miss Long, that you pray to?"
"I pray to God --"
"Right, Miss Long. YOU HAVE JUST WON THE PRIZE!"
"I've what?"
"You've just won the prize! You gave the right answer! The answer was 'God'!"
"I have? I've won the prize? Oh, dear!"
"What's the matter, Miss Long?"
"The prize -- do I have to accept the prize? Do I have to talk to --"
"The prize? Well, of course! Certainly you'll want to talk to --"
"But do I have to talk directly to --"
"Miss Long, if you remember, I said earlier, when we first began talking, that you would be able to talk to this person for three minutes. I didn't say that the person was going to talk back to you, or that you were going to have a conversation with this person. I merely said that you would be allowed to talk for three minutes to this person. Does that make it any easier?"
"Oh, dear... I couldn't... I just couldn't... I could never --"
"But, Miss Long, you said that you pray --"
"Yes, but --"
"And, Miss Long, this won't be any different, really."
"I know, but I could never really talk to... I could never talk directly to... I could never, ever really talk to --"
* * *
It's an awesome thing to think of standing in the very presence of the living God -- as Isaiah found as he stood in the temple that day and saw the living God in all his splendor.
It's an awesome thing to think of standing in the very presence of Jesus, the Lord of All Creation, through whom all things in all the universe came into being, as Peter realized, after a night of catching not one single fish, and then Jesus told them to cast their nets out into the deep, and they pulled up their nets so full of fish that the nets were beginning to break.
What would any of us do if we suddenly found ourselves in the very presence of the living God?
And yet each day don't most of us pray -- to that very God and Lord?
And has he not promised to be with those of us who want his presence?
Hasn't he promised to be with us always?
But we don't need to stop with the WOE -- "Woe is me; here I am facing the living God, the living Lord, and I'm not the person I should be."
Because our Lord is here to clean us up. Taking a live coal from the altar, our Lord says, in the familiar words of the King James, "LO, this hath touched thy lips, and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged."
And when we can take all that in and are able to say, "Here am I; send me!" the Lord responds, "GO, and say to this people --"
When we find ourselves suddenly in the Lord's presence, all we can say at first is "WOE! Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful person!"
But our Lord says, "LO!" and "GO!"
And we can say, "Here am I; send me!"
ILLUSTRATIONS
Where do we encounter the awesome presence of God? Poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning said: Earth is crammed with heaven,
and every common bush is ablaze with God.
Those who see take off their shoes.
The rest just sit around and pick blackberries.
* * *
In what do we put our trust? Most of us organize our lives around trying to gain wealth. We count on wealth to do what needs to be done for us individually and collectively. We assume that wealth is power. We know that our political parties count on wealth to give them power and we know that wealth gains much more power than it should have in our political parties. But if we look at one of the coins that are so important to us, we will see inscribed there our national good intention: ''In God we trust.'' Do we? Dare we?
* * *
Just a little more than a year ago today, Sergio Almaraz sat in his car, parked on a street in Juarez Mexico, waiting for his wife. Another car, coming from the opposite direction pulled up beside him and someone in it fired ten rounds of 9-millimeter ammunition into his head and shoulder. Why did that happen.
Ciudad Juarez, which is just across the Rio Grande River from El Paso, Texas, is known to be a lawless place. It is said that, if you go there, anything can happen to you and nothing will be done about it. In recent years, four hundred women and girls have been abducted and murdered in and around Juarez. No one has ever been convicted of the crimes. Sergio Almaraz was an attorney, and he was committed to trying to bring the rule of law to his city.
Sergio and his partner undertook to defend two bus drivers who had been accused of the crimes. They believed that the bus drivers had been tortured into making confessions so that they could be made scape goats to relieve those who were really guilty. Their investigation cast suspicion on some powerful people in the cartel and in the police force. They were not able to complete their defense. Eventually, one of the bus drivers died in prison under mysterious circumstances. Soon after that, Sergio's partner was assassinated. Sergio's brother saw that he was in danger and begged him to get away while he still could. Sergio just said, ''I am Sergio Dante Almaraz. I practice law in the state of Chihuahua. That is who I am. Please don't mention it again.'' Sergio then asked his brother to look after his wife and children if anything should happen to him. There are still people who are called to a purpose and who will serve that purpose regardless of the cost.
* * *
"God's story is true. We know that God's story is true because God gave us his Word -- that Word who came to us, as one of us, and died for us, and descended into hell for us, and rose again from the dead for us, and ascended into heaven for us. The Word became the living truth for us, the only truth that can make us free. Part of that freedom is mortification. Part of that freedom is the Cross, for without the Cross there can be no resurrection.
"When was the last time anybody asked you, 'Do I have your word?' Or when was the last time anybody said to you, 'I give you my word,' and you knew that you could trust that word, absolutely? How many times in the last few decades have we watched and listened to a political figure on television and heard him say, 'I give you my word...' and shortly thereafter that word has proven false. In the past year alone, how many people have perjured themselves publicly? Sworn on a Bible, given their word, and that word has been a lie. Words of honor are broken casually today, as though they don't matter.
"Small wonder that when God tells us, 'I give you my Word,' few people take him seriously.
" 'I give you my Word,' said God, and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth."
-- Madeleine L'Engle, "The Rock That is Higher: Story as Truth"
* * *
"We are sorely in need of strong ethical leaders to go out ahead to show the way so that the moral standards and the perceptions of the many will be raised, and so that they will serve better with what they have and what they know."
"Everyone, at some time and in some areas, is a follower, and it is just as important to be discriminating in choosing whom to follow as it is to prepare to lead."
-- Robert K. Greenleaf, "Servant Leadership"
* * *
"There is, in a word, nothing comfortable about the Bible -- until we manage to get so used to it that we make it comfortable for ourselves. But then we are perhaps too used to it and too at home in it. Let us not be too sure we know the Bible... just because we have learned not to have problems with it. Have we perhaps learned... not to really pay attention to it? Have we ceased to question the book and be questioned by it?"
-- Thomas Merton, "Opening the Bible"
* * *
What a long time it can take to become the person one has always been. How often in the process we mask ourselves in faces that are not our own. How much dissolving and shaking of ego we must endure before we discover our deep identity -- the true self within every human being that is the seed of authentic vocation.
I first learned about vocation growing up in the church. I value much about the religious tradition in which I was raised: its humility about its own convictions, its respect for the world's diversity, its concern for justice. But the idea of vocation I picked up in those circles created distortion until I grew strong enough to discard it. I mean the idea that vocation, or calling, comes from a voice external to ourselves, a voice of moral demand that asks us to become someone we are not yet -- someone different, someone better, someone just beyond our reach.
That concept of vocation is rooted in a deep distrust of selfhood, in the belief that the sinful self will always be "selfish" unless corrected by external forces of virtue. It is a notion that made me feel inadequate to the task of living my own life, creating guilt about the distance between who I was and who I was supposed to be, leaving me exhausted as I labored to close the gap.
Today I understand vocation quite differently -- not as a goal to be achieved but as a gift to be received. Discovering vocation does not mean scrambling toward some prize just beyond my reach but accepting the treasure of true self I already possess. Vocation does not come from a voice "out there" calling me to become something I am not. It comes from a voice "in here" calling me to be the person I was born to be, to fulfill the original selfhood given me at birth by God.
-- Parker Palmer, Let Your Life Speak: Listening to the Voice of Vocation (John Wiley & Sons, 2000)
* * *
A "Pontius' Puddle" cartoon begins with "I wonder if God can really hear me." The next frame shows Pontius praying: "Hey, God! What should I do with my life?" The third frame has a voice from heaven saying: "FEED THE HUNGRY. RIGHT INJUSTICE. WORK FOR PEACE!"
"Just testing!" Pontius replies.
"Same here," God answers back.
* * *
There are places in this world that are neither here nor there, neither up nor down, neither real nor imaginary. These are the in-between places, difficult to find and even more challenging to sustain. Yet they are the most fruitful places of all. For in these limited narrows a kind of life takes place that is out of the ordinary, creative, and once in a while genuinely magical. We tend to divide life between mind and matter and to assume that we must be in one or the other or both. But religion and folklore tell of another place that is often found by accident, where strange events take place, and where we learn things that can't be discovered in any other way.
-- Thomas Moore, "Neither Here nor There"
WORSHIP RESOURCE
By Thom Shuman
Call To Worship
Leader: By God's grace, we are who we are:
People: People who are called,
but afraid to follow.
Leader: By God's grace, we are who we are:
People: People who are called,
and gifted with courage.
Leader: By God's grace, we are who we are:
People: People who are called,
and given good news to share.
Prayer Of The Day
Holy God,
by your grace:
you touch our fears
with the fire of your compassion;
you touch our brokenness
with the fire of your forgiveness;
you touch our hearts
with the fire of your love.
Jesus Christ,
by your grace:
you step into our lives
and an unpredictable journey begins;
you challenge us to new thinking,
with overflowing results;
you so confront our doubts
that we can cast out our fears.
Holy Spirit,
by your grace:
you give us eyes
to see the emptiness of our world;
you give us ears
to hear the good news;
you give us words
to bring hope to all people.
God in Community, Holy in One,
by your grace
we are who we are:
your children, your people, your church,
praying together as Jesus taught us, saying,
Our Father...
Call To Reconciliation
Do not be afraid! Whatever you fear, God is ready to take away from you; whatever you have said, God is ready to speak mercy to you; whatever you have done, God is ready to forgive you. Please join me as we pray to the One whose steadfast love endures forever.
Unison Prayer Of Confession
God enthroned in heaven: most of us would not consider ourselves to be holy. We think of others as inconveniences or intrusions, not as sisters or brothers. We look at others with pride or spite, not through the eyes of compassion. We are so busy listening to ourselves, we cannot hear the anguish and loneliness of our neighbors.
Forgive us, God enthroned in our hearts. You have set us apart so we might be partners with hurting people. We belong to your kingdom so we might bring others in to live with us. We would risk following Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, who first risked calling us as disciples.
(Silence is observed.)
Assurance Of Pardon
Leader: The Holy One become wholly human so we might
know love. The One enthroned on high endured
the Cross so we might have life. Believe this good
news: we are forgiven!
People: By God's grace, we are who we are: forgiven and
restored people. Thanks be to God.
Great Prayer Of Thanksgiving
Leader: May God be with you.
People: And also with you.
Leader: Beloved of God,
lift up your hearts.
People: We lift them to the One
who knows us and loves us.
Leader: Beloved of God,
give thanks to the Lord our God.
People: Our praise is continually offered
to our Hope, our Trust, our God.
In that time when there was only you, you walked in the midst of chaos, shaping all that is good and beautiful. In that place where there was only your love, you stretched out your hands scooping up the dirt off earth's floors, shaping us in your image, breathing Spirit into our lungs. In that silence where there was only your hope, you called us to be your people, God of glory.
But the world sang of its seduction, sin called us to follow its despair, death blinded us to the life you offered. And so, we turned away, pouting and stamping our feet wanting our own way. But you would pay attention to our foolish tantrums, nor would you leave us in the grasp of death and sin, trusting that if we encountered the grace wrapped in your holiness, we would turn to you in joy.
And so, believing that you have reached out and called us to service with you, and touched our lips with songs of hope, we join our voices with those who, in every time and in every place, sing of your ways forever.
Sanctus
Holy are you, Sanctuary of our Hearts,
and blessed is Jesus Christ,
Word of joyous grace.
In that time when we had lost our way,
he called to us,
so we could follow him
into your joy;
in that time when all hope had died,
he touched our souls with the fire of your love;
in that time when death's cold grip
wrapped tightly around our hearts,
he came to surround us with your life.
While we cannot understand the mysteries
of your holiness and grace,
when we are called to Christ's side
we can only cry, "Here we are; we will follow"
even as we hope for that faith which was his.
Memorial Acclamation
In this time of silence,
Spirit of God,
may this bread which is broken,
become our wholeness.
In this time of grace,
may this cup which is poured
touch our lips with healing.
In this time when we feel the brush
of your fingertips caressing us,
may we believe that your justice and peace
are to be shared with all people;
that our hearts can bear the burdens of others;
that we may bring joy to the lonely and hurting.
Then, when our journey is ended,
and we have followed you into eternity,
we will gather around your Table,
in that silence, which is only your grace,
in that place, which is only your heart,
in that time, which is only your love:
God in Community, Holy in One.
Amen.
CHILDREN'S SERMON
Deep water
Object: a diving mask
Good morning, boys and girls. How many of you like to go swimming? (wait for a show of hands) Swimming is really fun. Sometimes you swim in a pool indoors; sometimes the pool is outdoors. Some of you swim in a small lake, some in a large lake, and some in the ocean. There are lots of places to swim. How many of you like to jump off a diving board or raft? (wait for a show of hands) Some of you do. Do you remember the very first time you jumped off all by yourself without a life jacket? (let them answer) How many of you were scared? (wait for a show of hands) It's very scary to do anything for the very first time. I think it's especially scary to go underwater and worry if you're going to come up. The deeper the water is, the harder it is to see where you are! How many of you open your eyes underwater? (wait for a show of hands) Sometimes it stings a little, but it is easier to see if you can keep your eyes open. It's not quite so scary. Have you ever worn a diving mask like this one? (let them answer) What can you tell me about a diving mask? (let them answer) You put it on and then you can see underwater. It's like having special underwater glasses.
Our lesson today is about a time when Jesus' friends were fishing. They had been fishing all night and they hadn't caught any fish. They were putting their nets away and Jesus told them to let down their nets into very deep water. They were very tired, but they thought they'd try again. So they did. Do you know what happened? (let them answer) They caught so many fish that their nets started to tear and to break. They had to call more friends to help them because they had so many fish.
Do you think if they were under the water with a diving mask they would have seen all those fish? (let them answer) Yes, they probably would have. But Jesus told them to do something, and they really didn't want to because they couldn't see all the fish and they were very tired. But they did it anyway and they caught more fish than they had ever expected.
Sometimes it's very hard for people to do things when they can't see how things are going to turn out. We don't like to try things for the first time. It feels too scary. Jesus told his disciples to try anyway even when they were tired and scared. That's what we need to remember. Even when we can't see the way, God can!
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, February 4, 2007, issue.
Copyright 2007 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to The Immediate Word service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons and in worship and classroom settings only. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to permissions@csspub.com or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 517 South Main Street, Lima, Ohio 45804.
Called To A Strange Life
By Scott Suskovic
THE WORLD
It seems every week these days another name is thrown into the ring to be a contender in the 2008 race for president. Each one cites his or her own bold vision, unique qualifications, and distinct abilities. Avid supporters are already lining up slogans, signs, buttons, and bumper stickers touting how their candidate will be the one who can save America.
It becomes a question of not only of whom you will support but whom can we trust as the one ultimately in charge.
Isaiah had a similar experience. Following the death of Uzziah after a (mostly) successful 52-year reign, the country not only fell into mourning but also into crisis. Who will defend us? Who will protect us? Who will provide for us? Or will we be completely lost?
THE WORD
No one seeks to be a prophet. No one goes to school to be a prophet. No one put down on career day, "I want to be a prophet." If the truth be known, being a prophet was something that most people avoided at all costs because it was a lonely life, with very little support. It was a rejected life -- no one wants to hear what the prophet has to say. It was a dangerous life -- the life expectancy of a prophet was like that of a first lieutenant in Vietnam. No one wants to be a prophet why? Because they are called to a strange life.
In the year that King Uzziah died. Uzziah started his reign at age 16 and rule for 52 years. Think about that, 52 years. Fifty-two years ago it was 1955. How many presidents have we had in that period of time? Eisenhower was sworn in 1953. Then Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush, Clinton, and Bush. We've had ten presidents during the past 52 years. They had just one leader -- Uzziah.
While most kings following King David looked like something from America's Most Wanted, Uzziah was a military genius who protected Jerusalem and developed cisterns for water. For 52 years, he was their anchor. And just as the evil empire of Assyria was marching south to conquer Israel, Uzziah died. There was a crisis in the land. Who will protect us? Who will lead us? Who will defend us? Who will be our king?
Isaiah goes to the Temple and discovers that there is One who is sits on the throne. The king's not dead. Oh, Uzziah is gone but the true king of Israel is God Almighty. Above him stood the seraphim. Each one had six wings. With two he covered his face. Why is that? Because of the glory of God. God is so holy, so glorious that scripture says no one shall see the face of God and live -- not even a heavenly being. (Remember Harrison Ford in Raiders of the Lost Ark? Remember what he said to the woman before the person opened the Ark of the Covenant? "Close your eyes!" Even though Indiana Johns didn't believe such nonsense, he did know that "no one shall see the face of God and live.) So the angels hide their face. With two they cover their feet. Because feet are disgusting. Feet are dirty and offensive -- particularly in antiquity. Cover them up! And with two they flew. And while they flew they sang, "Holy, holy, holy Lord God Almighty." It is a song of praise.
A theologian named RC Sproul points out that in Hebrew they have no bold face, no underline, no capital letters to make something stand out, to say that this is important. If something is important, it is repeated. Jesus says, "Truly, TRULY I say unto you..." That means pay attention! Only a handful of times is a word repeated. In the book of Revelation, the eagle in midair says, "Woe, Woe, Woe to the inhabitants of the earth." (That can't be good news.) And in Isaiah, we see this pattern only this time it points out an adjective describing the nature of God. And it is not that God is love, love, love or grace, grace, grace or nice, nice, nice. God is holy, holy, holy.
Can you picture the scene? Isaiah is in deep despair that Uzziah is dead and what will become of them. He looks and sees God seated at the throne, with his robe filling the Temple, with seraphim flying and singing overhead and with the room shaking like a wooden wagon over cobblestone, there is more smoke than at an Aerosmith concert. How does Isaiah react? "Wow, cool! Hurray! Our worries are over." No. Does he dance before his God or in awe of him stand still? No. He is terrified. Look at his words, "WOE is me." Woe is me. Woe. Not a word we use much anymore. It sounds a bit archaic. It sounds like a damsel being tied to the railroad tracks and saying, "Woe is me!" It sounds a bit Yiddish, "Oy vay," which is actually a shortened form of "woe is me." Why does Isaiah say this? Because, Isaiah says, I am a man of unclean lips and I dwell in the land of people with unclean lips and my own eyes have seen the King. Woe is me, because of my lips.
Interesting. He didn't talk about unclean feet as if he had traveled down some wrong paths. He didn't say unclean hands as if he had stolen something. It's his lips. It's his words that condemn him. Isn't that true for you? I know it is for me. My lips -- my words have done more damage than anything my hands or feet have done. From cursing to saying, "oh my God," these are unclean, cavalier lips. From impatient words to not saying nearly enough, I love yous -- these are unclean, unkind lips. From lack of encouragement, anger, bully toward a waitress, to the staff or to my kids, these are unclean, critical lips. "Woe is me, for I am a man of unclean lips."
Jesus said that it's not what goes into a man that defiles him but what comes out. Unclean lips. James wrote, "The tongue is a fire. No human being can tame the tongue -- a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless the Lord and with it we curse men." Unclean lips.
Woe is me. Isaiah is afraid, which is strange. He was arguably the man of greatest integrity in all of Israel, the most righteous man in his country. And yet in that temple, he is not comparing himself to his neighbor -- we will always win when we play that game. Instead, Isaiah compared himself to God -- and fell short. Never are you more aware of your unholiness than when you stand in the holiness of God. Never are you more aware of your impurity than when you stand in from purity of God. Never are you more aware of your finitude, your sinfulness, or your mortality than when you stand in the presence of God. Like Peter.
When Peter met Jesus, he had been out fishing all night -- and got skunked. This is commercial fishing. This is his livelihood. This isn't taking a cane pole and a picnic to the lake and hoping the fish don't disturb you. This is putting food on the table -- and they got nothing. As they bring in the boat in the morning, tired and discouraged, Jesus tells them to throw the net on the other side of the boat. Peter could have easily said, "Master, you are a great teacher and a wonderful healer, but give me some credit. I'm a fisherman. I know what I'm doing. And the fish are not biting." (Darn preachers think they know everything.) But he doesn't. He throws the net overboard and the net catches so many fish that they have to call in another boat to haul it in.
Now, wouldn't you think Peter would have asked Jesus to sign a contract as part owner? "All you have to do is stand on the shore. You don't even have to touch a fish, Jesus. Just tell us where to throw the net." Don't you think that Peter would have said, "Thank you, Jesus"? Instead, do you remember what Peter said? "Go away from me, Jesus, for I am a sinful man." Why? Never are you more aware of your sinfulness, your impurity, or how far short you fall than when you stand before the holiness of God. Isaiah experienced this in the Temple. Peter experienced this on the beach.
Let me ask you this. When is the last time God dropped you on your knees? When is the last time you couldn't even look up? When is the last time you said, "Woe is me?" When is the last time that you said, "Holy, holy, holy -- Lord God Almighty."
Isaiah is on his knees. Terrified, racked in guilt with nowhere to hide, groveling on the floor with his sin ever before him, Isaiah discovered that the holy God is also a God of grace. For God did not delight in the trembling of Isaiah or let him wallow in it for good measure, but instead sent one of those seraphim to pick up a white-hot coal. It was too hot, even for an angel to touch and so, using a tong, the seraph placed in on the source of Isaiah's sins -- upon his lips. More than just saying, "You are forgiven," God cauterized the wound, the specific place of his sin and made this man blameless to stand before the throne -- before him. Isaiah was put on fire by God.
Humbled and forgiven, awestruck and obedient -- only then can Isaiah hear the voice of God, "Whom shall I send? Who will go for me?" Never mind that there is only one person in the room or that God is pretty hard to refuse. God still asks. It is always an invitation to submit your will to his, to humble yourself, and to bow to his holiness. "Whom shall I send? Who will go for me?" And without another moment of hesitation, Isaiah, filled with gratitude, completely forgiven and totally sold out to his God, hands over his life, charred lips and all, "Here I am. Send me."
CRAFTING THE SERMON
At this point, after developing the rich biblical story, we can turn our attention over to our political world with each candidate vying for attention and our confidence. Where will we put our trust? Upon whom shall our confidence lie?
The simple answer is God. But both texts challenge us to discover this in the same way that Isaiah and Peter did.
Through humility that drops us to our knees before the holiness of God.
Through honesty that names the place of our sin.
Through gratitude that receives the fire of forgiveness.
Through boldness that hands over our lives and say, "Come what may, I am yours. You are my God, I am your servant. I will trust you with my life. Here am I. Send me."
Like Isaiah and Peter, we are called to a strange life. Our allegiance is to the One greater than some worldly power or governmental office. Our lives should not look like the rest of society. It should not be conformed to this world. We ought to be a bit odd. Different, even strange, don't you think?
ANOTHER VIEW
By Barbara Jurgensen
Let's imagine for a few moments that we're watching a new game show on TV, a game show that's called "Name It and Win It."
The MC is introducing the first contestant.
"Our first contestant is Miss Lisa Long, a junior at Western University. Now, Miss Long, I understand that you're a tennis champion, and that you've won so many trophies that your mom and dad have had to add an extra room on the house to hold them all."
"Well, I have won a few --"
"And I understand that you're also a snowboarder, with more trophies from that sport."
"Yes, a few more --"
"Well, I'm sure you won't have any trouble with your question today. You know how this game works: I'll be giving you a series of clues, and if you can guess the answer, you'll win the prize."
"Yes, I've seen the show a number of times."
"Good. So let's proceed. Your question today, Miss Long, is about a person -- a very important person. I'll be telling you some things about this person, and if you can guess who it is, before the bell sounds, you'll win the prize of being able to talk, for three whole minutes, on the phone, just you, to this very famous, important person."
"I'll get to talk personally to this person that's so exciting! I hope it's someone in the sports world!"
"It's someone from an even bigger world than sports, Miss Long, and yes, you'll get to talk to them personally. Now, your first clue: this person is well known --"
"Is it the mayor, the mayor of this city?"
"No, not the mayor of this city."
"The governor of this state?"
"No, not the governor. Someone even more important."
"The president! The president of the United States?"
"No, not the president. Someone even more important than that."
"The man in charge of the United Nations, the Secretary-whatever-he-is?"
"No, not the Secretary General of the United Nations. Now try, Miss Long, to think of someone who's even more important than any of those people -- much more important -- someone who's known by people all over the world. I'll give you a little hint, Miss Long. Are you a member of a church?"
"Yes, I'm a church member."
"And you consider yourself a Christian?"
"Yes."
"And you pray?"
"Yes. Yes, of course."
"Well, then, this question should be especially easy for you. I'll put it this way: who is it, Miss Long, that you pray to?"
"I pray to God --"
"Right, Miss Long. YOU HAVE JUST WON THE PRIZE!"
"I've what?"
"You've just won the prize! You gave the right answer! The answer was 'God'!"
"I have? I've won the prize? Oh, dear!"
"What's the matter, Miss Long?"
"The prize -- do I have to accept the prize? Do I have to talk to --"
"The prize? Well, of course! Certainly you'll want to talk to --"
"But do I have to talk directly to --"
"Miss Long, if you remember, I said earlier, when we first began talking, that you would be able to talk to this person for three minutes. I didn't say that the person was going to talk back to you, or that you were going to have a conversation with this person. I merely said that you would be allowed to talk for three minutes to this person. Does that make it any easier?"
"Oh, dear... I couldn't... I just couldn't... I could never --"
"But, Miss Long, you said that you pray --"
"Yes, but --"
"And, Miss Long, this won't be any different, really."
"I know, but I could never really talk to... I could never talk directly to... I could never, ever really talk to --"
* * *
It's an awesome thing to think of standing in the very presence of the living God -- as Isaiah found as he stood in the temple that day and saw the living God in all his splendor.
It's an awesome thing to think of standing in the very presence of Jesus, the Lord of All Creation, through whom all things in all the universe came into being, as Peter realized, after a night of catching not one single fish, and then Jesus told them to cast their nets out into the deep, and they pulled up their nets so full of fish that the nets were beginning to break.
What would any of us do if we suddenly found ourselves in the very presence of the living God?
And yet each day don't most of us pray -- to that very God and Lord?
And has he not promised to be with those of us who want his presence?
Hasn't he promised to be with us always?
But we don't need to stop with the WOE -- "Woe is me; here I am facing the living God, the living Lord, and I'm not the person I should be."
Because our Lord is here to clean us up. Taking a live coal from the altar, our Lord says, in the familiar words of the King James, "LO, this hath touched thy lips, and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged."
And when we can take all that in and are able to say, "Here am I; send me!" the Lord responds, "GO, and say to this people --"
When we find ourselves suddenly in the Lord's presence, all we can say at first is "WOE! Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful person!"
But our Lord says, "LO!" and "GO!"
And we can say, "Here am I; send me!"
ILLUSTRATIONS
Where do we encounter the awesome presence of God? Poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning said: Earth is crammed with heaven,
and every common bush is ablaze with God.
Those who see take off their shoes.
The rest just sit around and pick blackberries.
* * *
In what do we put our trust? Most of us organize our lives around trying to gain wealth. We count on wealth to do what needs to be done for us individually and collectively. We assume that wealth is power. We know that our political parties count on wealth to give them power and we know that wealth gains much more power than it should have in our political parties. But if we look at one of the coins that are so important to us, we will see inscribed there our national good intention: ''In God we trust.'' Do we? Dare we?
* * *
Just a little more than a year ago today, Sergio Almaraz sat in his car, parked on a street in Juarez Mexico, waiting for his wife. Another car, coming from the opposite direction pulled up beside him and someone in it fired ten rounds of 9-millimeter ammunition into his head and shoulder. Why did that happen.
Ciudad Juarez, which is just across the Rio Grande River from El Paso, Texas, is known to be a lawless place. It is said that, if you go there, anything can happen to you and nothing will be done about it. In recent years, four hundred women and girls have been abducted and murdered in and around Juarez. No one has ever been convicted of the crimes. Sergio Almaraz was an attorney, and he was committed to trying to bring the rule of law to his city.
Sergio and his partner undertook to defend two bus drivers who had been accused of the crimes. They believed that the bus drivers had been tortured into making confessions so that they could be made scape goats to relieve those who were really guilty. Their investigation cast suspicion on some powerful people in the cartel and in the police force. They were not able to complete their defense. Eventually, one of the bus drivers died in prison under mysterious circumstances. Soon after that, Sergio's partner was assassinated. Sergio's brother saw that he was in danger and begged him to get away while he still could. Sergio just said, ''I am Sergio Dante Almaraz. I practice law in the state of Chihuahua. That is who I am. Please don't mention it again.'' Sergio then asked his brother to look after his wife and children if anything should happen to him. There are still people who are called to a purpose and who will serve that purpose regardless of the cost.
* * *
"God's story is true. We know that God's story is true because God gave us his Word -- that Word who came to us, as one of us, and died for us, and descended into hell for us, and rose again from the dead for us, and ascended into heaven for us. The Word became the living truth for us, the only truth that can make us free. Part of that freedom is mortification. Part of that freedom is the Cross, for without the Cross there can be no resurrection.
"When was the last time anybody asked you, 'Do I have your word?' Or when was the last time anybody said to you, 'I give you my word,' and you knew that you could trust that word, absolutely? How many times in the last few decades have we watched and listened to a political figure on television and heard him say, 'I give you my word...' and shortly thereafter that word has proven false. In the past year alone, how many people have perjured themselves publicly? Sworn on a Bible, given their word, and that word has been a lie. Words of honor are broken casually today, as though they don't matter.
"Small wonder that when God tells us, 'I give you my Word,' few people take him seriously.
" 'I give you my Word,' said God, and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth."
-- Madeleine L'Engle, "The Rock That is Higher: Story as Truth"
* * *
"We are sorely in need of strong ethical leaders to go out ahead to show the way so that the moral standards and the perceptions of the many will be raised, and so that they will serve better with what they have and what they know."
"Everyone, at some time and in some areas, is a follower, and it is just as important to be discriminating in choosing whom to follow as it is to prepare to lead."
-- Robert K. Greenleaf, "Servant Leadership"
* * *
"There is, in a word, nothing comfortable about the Bible -- until we manage to get so used to it that we make it comfortable for ourselves. But then we are perhaps too used to it and too at home in it. Let us not be too sure we know the Bible... just because we have learned not to have problems with it. Have we perhaps learned... not to really pay attention to it? Have we ceased to question the book and be questioned by it?"
-- Thomas Merton, "Opening the Bible"
* * *
What a long time it can take to become the person one has always been. How often in the process we mask ourselves in faces that are not our own. How much dissolving and shaking of ego we must endure before we discover our deep identity -- the true self within every human being that is the seed of authentic vocation.
I first learned about vocation growing up in the church. I value much about the religious tradition in which I was raised: its humility about its own convictions, its respect for the world's diversity, its concern for justice. But the idea of vocation I picked up in those circles created distortion until I grew strong enough to discard it. I mean the idea that vocation, or calling, comes from a voice external to ourselves, a voice of moral demand that asks us to become someone we are not yet -- someone different, someone better, someone just beyond our reach.
That concept of vocation is rooted in a deep distrust of selfhood, in the belief that the sinful self will always be "selfish" unless corrected by external forces of virtue. It is a notion that made me feel inadequate to the task of living my own life, creating guilt about the distance between who I was and who I was supposed to be, leaving me exhausted as I labored to close the gap.
Today I understand vocation quite differently -- not as a goal to be achieved but as a gift to be received. Discovering vocation does not mean scrambling toward some prize just beyond my reach but accepting the treasure of true self I already possess. Vocation does not come from a voice "out there" calling me to become something I am not. It comes from a voice "in here" calling me to be the person I was born to be, to fulfill the original selfhood given me at birth by God.
-- Parker Palmer, Let Your Life Speak: Listening to the Voice of Vocation (John Wiley & Sons, 2000)
* * *
A "Pontius' Puddle" cartoon begins with "I wonder if God can really hear me." The next frame shows Pontius praying: "Hey, God! What should I do with my life?" The third frame has a voice from heaven saying: "FEED THE HUNGRY. RIGHT INJUSTICE. WORK FOR PEACE!"
"Just testing!" Pontius replies.
"Same here," God answers back.
* * *
There are places in this world that are neither here nor there, neither up nor down, neither real nor imaginary. These are the in-between places, difficult to find and even more challenging to sustain. Yet they are the most fruitful places of all. For in these limited narrows a kind of life takes place that is out of the ordinary, creative, and once in a while genuinely magical. We tend to divide life between mind and matter and to assume that we must be in one or the other or both. But religion and folklore tell of another place that is often found by accident, where strange events take place, and where we learn things that can't be discovered in any other way.
-- Thomas Moore, "Neither Here nor There"
WORSHIP RESOURCE
By Thom Shuman
Call To Worship
Leader: By God's grace, we are who we are:
People: People who are called,
but afraid to follow.
Leader: By God's grace, we are who we are:
People: People who are called,
and gifted with courage.
Leader: By God's grace, we are who we are:
People: People who are called,
and given good news to share.
Prayer Of The Day
Holy God,
by your grace:
you touch our fears
with the fire of your compassion;
you touch our brokenness
with the fire of your forgiveness;
you touch our hearts
with the fire of your love.
Jesus Christ,
by your grace:
you step into our lives
and an unpredictable journey begins;
you challenge us to new thinking,
with overflowing results;
you so confront our doubts
that we can cast out our fears.
Holy Spirit,
by your grace:
you give us eyes
to see the emptiness of our world;
you give us ears
to hear the good news;
you give us words
to bring hope to all people.
God in Community, Holy in One,
by your grace
we are who we are:
your children, your people, your church,
praying together as Jesus taught us, saying,
Our Father...
Call To Reconciliation
Do not be afraid! Whatever you fear, God is ready to take away from you; whatever you have said, God is ready to speak mercy to you; whatever you have done, God is ready to forgive you. Please join me as we pray to the One whose steadfast love endures forever.
Unison Prayer Of Confession
God enthroned in heaven: most of us would not consider ourselves to be holy. We think of others as inconveniences or intrusions, not as sisters or brothers. We look at others with pride or spite, not through the eyes of compassion. We are so busy listening to ourselves, we cannot hear the anguish and loneliness of our neighbors.
Forgive us, God enthroned in our hearts. You have set us apart so we might be partners with hurting people. We belong to your kingdom so we might bring others in to live with us. We would risk following Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, who first risked calling us as disciples.
(Silence is observed.)
Assurance Of Pardon
Leader: The Holy One become wholly human so we might
know love. The One enthroned on high endured
the Cross so we might have life. Believe this good
news: we are forgiven!
People: By God's grace, we are who we are: forgiven and
restored people. Thanks be to God.
Great Prayer Of Thanksgiving
Leader: May God be with you.
People: And also with you.
Leader: Beloved of God,
lift up your hearts.
People: We lift them to the One
who knows us and loves us.
Leader: Beloved of God,
give thanks to the Lord our God.
People: Our praise is continually offered
to our Hope, our Trust, our God.
In that time when there was only you, you walked in the midst of chaos, shaping all that is good and beautiful. In that place where there was only your love, you stretched out your hands scooping up the dirt off earth's floors, shaping us in your image, breathing Spirit into our lungs. In that silence where there was only your hope, you called us to be your people, God of glory.
But the world sang of its seduction, sin called us to follow its despair, death blinded us to the life you offered. And so, we turned away, pouting and stamping our feet wanting our own way. But you would pay attention to our foolish tantrums, nor would you leave us in the grasp of death and sin, trusting that if we encountered the grace wrapped in your holiness, we would turn to you in joy.
And so, believing that you have reached out and called us to service with you, and touched our lips with songs of hope, we join our voices with those who, in every time and in every place, sing of your ways forever.
Sanctus
Holy are you, Sanctuary of our Hearts,
and blessed is Jesus Christ,
Word of joyous grace.
In that time when we had lost our way,
he called to us,
so we could follow him
into your joy;
in that time when all hope had died,
he touched our souls with the fire of your love;
in that time when death's cold grip
wrapped tightly around our hearts,
he came to surround us with your life.
While we cannot understand the mysteries
of your holiness and grace,
when we are called to Christ's side
we can only cry, "Here we are; we will follow"
even as we hope for that faith which was his.
Memorial Acclamation
In this time of silence,
Spirit of God,
may this bread which is broken,
become our wholeness.
In this time of grace,
may this cup which is poured
touch our lips with healing.
In this time when we feel the brush
of your fingertips caressing us,
may we believe that your justice and peace
are to be shared with all people;
that our hearts can bear the burdens of others;
that we may bring joy to the lonely and hurting.
Then, when our journey is ended,
and we have followed you into eternity,
we will gather around your Table,
in that silence, which is only your grace,
in that place, which is only your heart,
in that time, which is only your love:
God in Community, Holy in One.
Amen.
CHILDREN'S SERMON
Deep water
Object: a diving mask
Good morning, boys and girls. How many of you like to go swimming? (wait for a show of hands) Swimming is really fun. Sometimes you swim in a pool indoors; sometimes the pool is outdoors. Some of you swim in a small lake, some in a large lake, and some in the ocean. There are lots of places to swim. How many of you like to jump off a diving board or raft? (wait for a show of hands) Some of you do. Do you remember the very first time you jumped off all by yourself without a life jacket? (let them answer) How many of you were scared? (wait for a show of hands) It's very scary to do anything for the very first time. I think it's especially scary to go underwater and worry if you're going to come up. The deeper the water is, the harder it is to see where you are! How many of you open your eyes underwater? (wait for a show of hands) Sometimes it stings a little, but it is easier to see if you can keep your eyes open. It's not quite so scary. Have you ever worn a diving mask like this one? (let them answer) What can you tell me about a diving mask? (let them answer) You put it on and then you can see underwater. It's like having special underwater glasses.
Our lesson today is about a time when Jesus' friends were fishing. They had been fishing all night and they hadn't caught any fish. They were putting their nets away and Jesus told them to let down their nets into very deep water. They were very tired, but they thought they'd try again. So they did. Do you know what happened? (let them answer) They caught so many fish that their nets started to tear and to break. They had to call more friends to help them because they had so many fish.
Do you think if they were under the water with a diving mask they would have seen all those fish? (let them answer) Yes, they probably would have. But Jesus told them to do something, and they really didn't want to because they couldn't see all the fish and they were very tired. But they did it anyway and they caught more fish than they had ever expected.
Sometimes it's very hard for people to do things when they can't see how things are going to turn out. We don't like to try things for the first time. It feels too scary. Jesus told his disciples to try anyway even when they were tired and scared. That's what we need to remember. Even when we can't see the way, God can!
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, February 4, 2007, issue.
Copyright 2007 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to The Immediate Word service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons and in worship and classroom settings only. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to permissions@csspub.com or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 517 South Main Street, Lima, Ohio 45804.
