Candle Trimmed And Burning
Children's sermon
Illustration
Preaching
Sermon
Worship
Object:
On this first Sunday of 2013, we celebrate the Epiphany of Our Lord -- and the lectionary readings tell us about the Magi following a bright star to Bethlehem, and more broadly of the Light that Christ brings to the world. As we noted last week, 2012 was a year in which the headlines have been dominated by a string of distressing stories -- and not just the front page. In the next installment of The Immediate Word, team member Dean Feldmeyer notes that even the leading items on the Associated Press's list of the top sports stories of 2012 exemplify the dark side of human behavior rather than outstanding athletic achievement. It seems as if darkness has encroached on our world with particular force this past year, and that we are in need of the Light that Isaiah and Paul speak of more than ever.
In the sake of the Newtown shooting, some prominent public figures have pointed to the absence of God from our schools as a major reason for such carnage. Blogger Rachel Held Evans responds, however, that it is impossible to keep God out of our lives. Dean extends that thought, suggesting that even though darkness surrounds us we have the responsibility as Christians to reflect the Light of Christ and bring illumination to our world. While each of us may only be the bearers of one small candle, Dean reminds us that those candles are lit by an eternal flame that brings light to even the murkiest darkness -- and that nurtures in our hearts the Love that surpasses all understanding.
Team member Mary Austin offers some additional thoughts on Matthew's account of the "strangers" from the East who come to visit the child Jesus. Mary compares how they were welcomed into the stable with how we react to the strangers in our midst, and she suggests that we would profit greatly from reaching out to outsiders to our faith with the same openness that was extended to the Magi. Moreover, Mary points out that the perspective of outsiders can illuminate our way and help us gain a greater understanding of our own faith journey as well.
Candle Trimmed and Burning
by Dean Feldmeyer
Isaiah 60:1-6; Matthew 2:1-12
Little candle, you got your work cut out for you this year.
The dark is darker than usual, cold and thick.
So thick you can touch it with your hand.
It's a special kind of dark, this is. It's a dark made of sadness and sickness and grief and doubt.
And haven't we lived in that dark this year? And don't we know that dark by name?
Yes we do. Yes we do.
And you are just one little candle.
Your flame is so fragile. Just one little puff of breeze can blow you out.
And we got some terrible winds to bring you through.
Winds of hate and fear.
How you gonna push back all that dark?
THE WORLD
We have just come through the time of year when lists dominated the news. And if we take those lists seriously, 2012 was a dark year for many of us.
Yahoo's top ten news stories for last year included six crime stories (in no particular order):
* the Miami cannibal attack
* the Newtown, Connecticut, school shootings
* the Penn State cover-up of Jerry Sandusky's child sexual abuse
* the killing of Trayvon Martin by neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman
* the conviction of Jordan Van der Sloot on murder charges
* the Aurora, Colorado, theater shootings
The other four: the death of Whitney Houston, crippling gasoline prices, Hurricane Sandy, and the most contentious presidential election in memory. Pretty dark.
In 2012 there were 18 spree killings in the United States, where three or more people were killed. The ones that made headlines were the Aurora, Colorado, theater shootings (12 dead, 56 wounded), the Sikh Temple attack in Oak Creek, Wisconsin (7 dead), the Oikos University massacre in Oakland, California (7 dead), and the Newtown, Connecticut, slayings of 20 elementary school children and six of their teachers/staff members.
In response to all of this violence, some have rushed to embrace their children and loved ones and called for greater access to mental health services and lesser access to assault rifles. Others have rushed to embrace their assault rifles and shout the second half of the second amendment to the constitution, sure that the only hope for our country is to turn it into an armed camp, a shooting gallery.
Depressed by the persistent darkness, we turn to sports and other pastimes to lift our spirits, but our hope is often in vain. Last year more than 30 NFL players were arrested for felonies and misdemeanors. And the Associated Press list of the top four sports stories of the year was just as depressing:
* the Penn State cover-up of coach Jerry Sandusky's sexual abuse of children
* the Lance Armstrong doping case
* the NFL bounty scandal
* the football concussion crisis
As the days get shorter and the nights colder, we can feel the dark closing in upon us with an almost tactile certainty.
THE WORD
Isaiah's description of the Babylonian captivity seems right on target for us today: "For darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples" (Isaiah 60:2a).
But that is not his last word. Indeed, he opens this pericope with a word of hope, even a challenge: "Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you!" (Isaiah 60:1).
The world may be dark, but there is a light that penetrates and pushes back that darkness... and we are the holders of that light. The People of God are the keepers of the light that keeps the darkness at bay.
In this season of Epiphany, we light candles and bring out the green liturgical colors to remind ourselves that darkness is never the last word. We are people of light -- and where there is even a spark of light, darkness cannot prevail. Where there is even a single candle, darkness is put to flight.
In Matthew's account of the visitation of the Magi, it is light that brings the wise men to Bethlehem and light that leads them home. The vile despot Herod is the very symbol of darkness, but dark evil is undone by the light, which shines upon the child messiah.
CRAFTING THE SERMON
This is that rare year when Epiphany actually falls upon a Sunday. What a great way to kick off the new year!
In our church we cover the altar table with candles (aluminum foil on the table will protect it and reflect the light upward). We sing hymns of light and warmth.
The indicative portion of the sermon may be divided into two parts:
1. To show that the darkness is real and something to be taken seriously;
2. To show that the light of the gospel, while fragile, is sufficient to keep even the most heinous darkness at bay.
We are Christians, children of light, and we cannot afford the luxury of despair. We bring hope to the hopeless -- even, and especially, when that hopelessness is disguised as bravado. We know that the only hope for our country and the world is not to be found in giving in to the myth of redemptive violence but by offering love, kindness, forgiveness, and peace, as did the Savior.
In Rachel Held Evans' Advent blog, she reminds us that "the candles have a lot of darkness to overcome this year." And this is no less true for the Epiphany candles. "Their stubborn flames represent the divine promise that even the smallest light can chase away the shadows lurking in this world that, even in the darkest places, God can't be kept out" (emphasis hers).
And if this is true of a single candle, how much more so when we all -- each one of us -- lights a candle and holds it aloft? The dark will always be there, but we will -- with God's help -- have pushed it back for another day and another season.
Happy Epiphany!
SECOND THOUGHTS
by Mary Austin
Matthew 2:1-12
The Huffington Post news service has announced their 2012 Religion Person of the Year -- Balpreet Kaur.
If you don't happen to know Balpreet Kaur (and I certainly didn't), the Huffington Post explains: "In past years we have made lists of 'most influential' religious leaders which have included the Pope and the Dalai Lama. However, when the HuffPost religion editors thought about the person we admired most in the last year, the unanimous choice was Ms. Kaur." The editors add: "Ms. Kaur became an internet sensation when a photo of her standing in a line was taken by an editor at Reddit (a 'Redditor') who posted online under the subject heading 'funny,' apparently based on her unique appearance."
The Epiphany story of the Magi reminds us that encounters with "strangers" have been a part of the story of our Christian faith from the beginning. As foreign travelers who come to worship Jesus, drawn by the star, the Magi bring the presence of the wider world to the manger right away. Mary and Joseph, small town folks, already know that this child will be different. This meeting with wealthy and educated foreigners can only strengthen that feeling. Before long, the gospel has them traveling into Egypt, also on the road. Clearly, we were never meant to live our faith in isolation, separated from the world.
Encounters with people who are different are built into the DNA of our faith. As the world grows more diverse -- or as our awareness of diversity grows, which may be more the case -- we will encounter more and more religious "strangers." Our office cube mate may be Jewish, the local business owner may be a Muslim, and a neighbor may be a Sikh. Matthew's story of the Magi calls us back to an appreciation for those who are strangers to us. Those supposed strangers may play a role in enriching our own faith and will certainly add to our knowledge of the world we share. Those who see our faith from the outside can help us see it in new ways and understand both its strengths and flaws more deeply. A more diverse world requires more wisdom about each other.
For the first time, this January a Buddhist senator -- Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) -- and a Hindu congressperson -- Tulsi Gabbard, also from Hawaii -- will take office in Washington DC. Gabbard will be the first congressperson to take the oath of office with her hand on a copy of the Bhagavad Gita. Hirono will also be the first female Asian-American senator, and the first born in Japan. Gabbard's resumé includes not just political service but also tours of duty in Baghdad and Kuwait as part of the National Guard.
The diversity of Congress reflects the complexion of the nation. The Pew Forum reports that the incoming 113th Congress "includes the first Buddhist to serve in the Senate, the first Hindu to serve in either chamber, and the first member of Congress to describe her religion as 'none,' continuing a gradual increase in religious diversity that mirrors trends in the country as a whole. While Congress remains majority Protestant, the institution is far less so today than it was 50 years ago, when nearly three quarters of the members belonged to Protestant denominations."
The world grows more interesting, and calls us, as people of faith, to embrace others with the same respect and acceptance modeled by our teacher, Jesus.
If we need an example, Balpreet Kaur (the Sikh woman mentioned above) has much to teach us all. A stranger, the "editor" at Reddit, took her picture and posted it online as "funny." Ms. Kaur looks unusual to some, as a Sikh in a turban with obvious facial hair, which she believes her religion does not allow her to shave off. In our appearance-obsessed culture, many would choose to fit in over the requirements of faith. Instead, Ms. Kaur, a student who plans to become a doctor, responded this way, as quoted by the Huffington Post:
Yes, I'm a baptized Sikh woman with facial hair. Yes, I realize that my gender is often confused and I look different than most women. However, baptized Sikhs believe in the sacredness of this body -- it is a gift that has been given to us by the Divine Being [which is genderless, actually] -- and must keep it intact as a submission to the divine will.... When I die, no one is going to remember what I looked like, heck, my kids will forget my voice, and slowly, all physical memory will fade away. However, my impact and legacy will remain: and, by not focusing on the physical beauty, I have time to cultivate those inner virtues and hopefully, focus my life on creating change and progress for this world in any way I can.
Generosity begets generosity. To their credit, the original person who posted the picture making fun of Ms. Kaur responded with an apology, saying: "I know that this post ISN'T a funny post but I felt the need to apologize to the Sikhs, Balpreet, and anyone else I offended when I posted that picture. Put simply, it was stupid.... It was an incredibly rude, judgmental, and ignorant thing to post.... I've read more about the Sikh faith and it was actually really interesting. It makes a whole lot of sense to work on having a legacy and not worry about what you look like. I made that post for stupid internet points and I was ignorant."
May our faith allow all of us to show the same generosity of spirit to the strangers we meet, as we remember the journey and the spirit of the Magi.
ILLUSTRATIONS
The English folk rock band Mumford and Sons has recorded a number of songs that lend themselves to a variety of theological wonderings, but a couple stand out as we consider Epiphany.
In "Awake My Soul", the band sings...
In these bodies we will live,
in these bodies we will die.
Where you invest your love,
you invest your life.
In Psalm 72 the king is to be blessed with long life, because he has shown merciful love -- love that brings the poor justice, defends and delivers the weak and the needy, and causes the earth and its people to prosper and flourish. He redeems the people's lives and counts them precious. This is the kind of love that creates, redeems, and sustains life. God offers us this kind of love in the light that is being made manifest at Epiphany, and we are called to "arise [and] shine" (Isaiah 60:1) and carry that love light out into the world. This happens when we follow in the king's example -- when we create justice, provide for the needs of others in heart and body, and hold each other's lives as precious. This kind of love makes God's abundant life possible, both for the one who gives and the one who receives. It gathers God's beloved together for good, grows God's light in the world's darkness, and changes lives in very real and tangible ways. When we carry the love light, "Then [we] shall see and be radiant; [our] heart[s] shall thrill and rejoice" (Isaiah 60:5).
"Hold On To What You Believe" is full of imagery about light and darkness...
I, I can't promise you that I won't let you down.
And I, I can't promise you that I will be the only one around when your hope falls down.
But we're young, open flowers in the windy fields of this war-torn world.
And love, this city breathes the plague
of loving things more than their creators...
But hold on to what you believe in the light
When the darkness has robbed you of all of your sight.
What does the thick darkness look like that covers the earth and its people today (Isaiah 60:2), and how do we live in ways that follow Isaiah's command to arise and shine (v. 1) through that darkness? How can we lift up our eyes and look around for the people God is drawing close to the light (v. 4)? Who are they? Psalm 72 has an answer -- the poor, the needy, the weak, the oppressed, and those who have no helper. How can we remind our leaders to "rule" like the king in Psalm 72? How do we negotiate the job of being light bearers for each other, and how do we bear light in the midst of our own darkness? The first five lines of the song above could be the ruminations of someone trying to struggle with those questions. How do we "hold on to what [we] believe in the light" in times of darkness that seem to have "robbed [us] of all [our] sight"?
* * *
Sometimes it takes outsider eyes and wisdom to really see things as they really are. Howard Fineman considers this in his recent editorial recounting his experiences traveling with other foreigners in New Zealand.
After being questioned by a Korean about America's repeated inability to pass a government budget, by a British couple on what it's like to live in a country with as many guns as people, and by a Maori tribal leader as to why the U.S. thinks it should be able to lecture other countries on fiscal responsibility while being $16 trillion in arrears, Fineman found himself feeling embarrassed and defensive as an American. He writes, "Great powers aren't supposed to be pitied. Right now, we are. It's not a good feeling. Time to go home."
But what if Fineman -- if we -- didn't run from the light that's breaking through, changing our understandings of how things are and should be, and probably making us a bit uncomfortable (as it should)? What if we didn't go home to the same blinding darkness? What if we let loose of our ideas about of ourselves as the wise ones and tried to see the Christ Child as Matthew's foreign wise men did? How might it change our posture? (They knelt down and paid him homage.) How might it change our willingness to give of our selves and our treasure? (They gave him their attention and respect; their time; and their gold, frankincense, and myrrh.) How might it change our direction and cause us to risk? (They took a new path home and defied a paranoid and bloodthirsty king.)
* * *
Many strange things have been done in the name of science -- even in outer space. The U.S. and Russia have been rocketing astronauts into space for so long that they seem to be running out of things for them to do up there. NASA has even gone so far as to ask schoolchildren to suggest science experiments.
Some years ago, the Russians happened upon a new project. Two cosmonauts aboard the space station Mir, Gennadi Manakov and Alexander Polyeshchuk, deployed a large aluminum reflector, twenty meters across. The purpose of their device was to reflect the sun's rays back to earth. The cosmonauts later reported that as they rotated the reflector, they could actually see a flash of light appear on the darkened surface of the earth below.
What do you suppose the people down below saw that night, those who happened to be awake and gazing into the heavens? Maybe there was a child out counting the stars, or a pair of lovers cuddling on a park bench hoping for a shooting star. Suddenly they would have seen, from a spot where no star appeared to be, an unexplained flash of light, like a great camera strobe going off. It would have set them to wondering at the very least.
What the cosmonauts did that night is no different than what happens every single day. Twelve hours a day (give or take), we earth-dwellers see the sunlight. We've grown to expect it, to take it for granted. The sun illuminates our days, greens our plants, and warms our earth. For a fleeting instant, those cosmonauts caused the light of the sun to shine when no one expected it -- out of darkness.
"Arise, shine, for your light has come!" This light is not a light that we have created, but one that comes from beyond ourselves.
* * *
Why are moths attracted to light? Nobody really knows. It is evident that moths are positively phototactic, meaning that their movement is automatically toward the light, rather than away from light as is the case for negatively phototactic insects such as cockroaches. There have been lots of theories as to why moths are attracted to light, but no definitive answers. One researcher, Henry Hsiao, found that when moths spot a bright light far off they immediately fly directly toward it. When they get closer to the light they try to avoid it, circling around the light in an area called mach band, an area that surrounds a bright light and appears darker than any other part of the sky. Insects can see this mach band but humans cannot.
Isaiah pictures a time when the world will be bathed in darkness. God's people will be showered with God's glory and as a result will shine like lights in the darkness. At that time all people will be positively phototactic and will be drawn to the glory of God as it shines on God's people.
* * *
In Hollywood, many movie premieres are accompanied by massive searchlights rotating across the sky. Such lights are also used for tradeshows, award ceremonies, store openings, and casinos. They attempt to make an event seem important; yet all they're doing is advertising in order to attract people to spend money.
In Isaiah 60, the Lord's words about light carry a message contrary to our culture's evaluation of what's interesting or serious. The word arrives about a light that's a symbol of God's action on their behalf. God doesn't come to take something from them but to give something to them, and God's concern will be "seen" in the ransom of the weak. God's concern will "show up" in the exiles' return. And in response to such mercy the recipients will "be radiant." All this is symbolized by God's light.
* * *
Dwight Moody, who was a renowned evangelist in America and England in the latter half of the 19th century, often did street corner preaching. One day a lady came up to him and criticized Moody for his street corner orations. Moody asked the woman how she evangelized, and she replied that she did not. Moody then responded, "Well, I like my way of doing it better than your way of not doing it."
If nations are going to come to our light, then we better like the way of doing it better the way of not doing it.
* * *
I would like to propose a new term for the church lexicon as we celebrate Epiphany on this first Sunday of the new year: Church-Turning Theory. Isaiah states that if we proclaim the word of the Lord and remain obedient to his commands, then "nations shall come to our light." It is our calling over the next twelve months that we are to bring people to the light of Christ. We do so by employing well-established church theories that promote evangelism, stewardship, missions, youth work, assimilation of new members, staff ministries, and many other of the multiple facets of church work.
But these are theories, not rules. We all know that in a church 2+2 will seldom equal 4. This is because of the special dynamics associated with working within a congregation. So, it is much more likely that 2+2 will yield an answer from 3 to 7. But if we apply the theories as proposed by Lyle Schaller, Charles Olsen, Anthony Robinson, Loren Mead, Donald McGavran, and others, our churches can turn around by bringing others to the light of Christ.
So let us be a Christian community that employs a Church-Turning Theory to each of our ministries, to make the body of Christ for which we are responsible the most effective possible.
-- Ron Love
* * *
Pax vobiscum -- Latin for "Peace be with you." To which the congregants respond, Et cum spiritu tuo -- "And also with you." These are the opening words for every pope's Christmas Eve sermon, always titled Urbi et Orbi, meaning "to the city and to the world." Several years ago Pope Benedict XVI hoped that Christians would bring consolation to "those who are still denied their legitimate aspirations for a more secure existence, for health, education, stable employment, for fuller participation in civil and political responsibilities, free from oppression and protected from conditions that offend human dignity." It is a Christmas calling, the season of peace on earth, as the Pope challenged: "May the child Jesus bring relief to those who are suffering and may he bestow upon political leaders the wisdom and courage to seek and find humane, just, and lasting solutions."
As we begin a new year, let us celebrate the message of Christmas and of peace. It is a message that was well understood by the Magi, as the angels instructed them to go home by another route.
WORSHIP RESOURCES
by George Reed
Call to Worship
Leader: Give us your justice, O God, and your righteousness.
People: May we judge your people with righteousness and your poor with justice.
Leader: May the mountains yield prosperity for the people in righteousness.
People: May we defend the cause of the poor of the people.
Leader: May we give deliverance to the needy and crush the oppressor.
People: May righteousness flourish and peace abound, until the moon is no more.
OR
Leader: The light of God has come for all the peoples!
People: Thanks be to God, who comes to dispel the darkness!
Leader: Sometimes the darkness seems overwhelming.
People: But God's light pierces it and drives it back.
Leader: May God's light shine in our hearts forever.
People: May we be true to all God reveals to us.
Hymns and Sacred Songs
"Christ Is the World's Light"
found in:
UMH: 188
"Christ, Whose Glory Fills the Skies"
found in:
UMH: 173
H82: 617
PH: 462/463
LBW: 265
ELA: 553
"Rise, Shine, You People"
found in:
UMH: 187
LBW: 393
ELA: 669
"De Tierra Lejana Venimos" ("From a Distant Home")
found in:
UMH: 243
PH: 64
NCH: 155
"O Splendor of God's Glory Bright"
found in:
UMH: 679
H82: 5
PH: 474
NCH: 87
LBW: 271
ELA: 559
"The First Noel"
found in:
UMH: 245
H82: 109
PH: 56
NNBH: 87
NCH: 139
CH: 151
LBW: 56
ELA: 300
"We Would See Jesus"
found in:
UMH: 256
"I Want to Walk as a Child of the Light"
found in:
UMH: 206
H82: 490
ELA: 815
Renew: 152
"Arise, Shine"
found in:
CCB: 2
Renew: 123
"Lord, Be Glorified"
found in:
CCB: 62
Renew: 172
Music Resources Key:
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982 (The Episcopal Church)
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
NNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
LBW: Lutheran Book of Worship
ELA: Evangelical Lutheran Worship
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
Renew: Renew! Songs & Hymns for Blended Worship
Prayer for the Day / Collect
O God who is light and in whom there is no darkness: Grant us the faith to trust in the power of your light so that we may never give in to the darkness around us; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
You, O God, are light and we find nothing dark or hidden with you. We come in the midst of our darkness and seek your light that we may find ourselves faithful to you. Help us to always seek your light and to never let the darkness drive us to despair. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
Leader: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins and especially our wanting to hide our sins in the darkness.
People: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We not only have sinned, but we have also tried to hide our sinfulness in the darkness of sin. We have tried to hide from your light and the truth of who we are. Yet darkness is not dark to you. Forgive us and shine the light of your Spirit upon us that we may be truthful about who we are and who we have become with ourselves, with you, and with one another. So fill us with your light that our lives may become beacons of your love. Amen.
Leader: God's light comes to reveal but not to condemn. God's light shines upon us so that we may find our way. Go on God's path with God's blessing.
Prayers of the People (and the Lord's Prayer)
We praise you, O God, for you are light and truth. There is no deception in you. You do not hide from us but you shine the light of your presence into our lives.
(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 not only have sinned, but we have also tried to hide our sinfulness in the darkness of sin. We have tried to hide from your light and the truth of who we are. Yet darkness is not dark to you. Forgive us and shine the light of your Spirit upon us that we may be truthful about who we are and who we have become with ourselves, with you, and with one another. So fill us with your light that our lives may become beacons of your love.
We give you thanks for all the signs that your light is still overcoming the darkness. We thank you for those relationships that have been restored and those lives that have moved toward wholeness.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for all who struggle with darkness within or without. We pray for those whose darkness seems to be of their own making and yet they cannot shake it. We pray for those who have darkness thrust upon them by the power and violence of others.
(Other intercessions may be offered.)
All these things we ask in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ, who taught us to pray together, saying:
Our Father... Amen.
(or if the Lord's Prayer is not used at this point in the service)
All this we ask in the name of the Blessed and Holy Trinity. Amen.
Children's Sermon Starter
Ask the children to close their eyes and then have them describe something you hold up. Talk about why they can't do it, because with their eyes closed, the light can't get in to them and we cannot see. Talk about how we have to keep our eyes open to see God's light by listening to Bible stories, talking about God, and praying.
CHILDREN'S SERMON
The Reason for the Season
Matthew 2:1-12
Object: a star Christmas ornament
Good morning, boys and girls! I brought a star with me today to remind us of the new season of the church year we have entered. Does anybody know the name of this season? (let the children answer) It has a fancy name -- this is the "Epiphany" season. The star is one of the signs we use in this season of the church year. We use a star because it was a star that led the wise men to find the baby Jesus.
Many people must have seen the star. You can't hide a star very easily. But only these men from the East understood what meaning it had. They came and asked, "Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising and have come to pay him homage" (Matthew 2:2). They knew the meaning of the star. They knew it meant that Jesus was born. But most people did not know the meaning. They may have thought that it was "just another star."
We have just celebrated Christmas. All over the world people celebrated Christmas, but only some people knew why we celebrated Christmas. We celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus. But many others just celebrate. They don't understand yet just why there is a Christmas and why we celebrate it.
One of our jobs as Christians is to tell the world why there is a Christmas and the meaning of Easter. We have to tell the whole world why, because otherwise they don't understand. During this Epiphany season, we will see many times where the good news about God was made known to people. Maybe you and I can invite someone to Sunday school or church with us so that they might understand "why" as well.
Prayer: Dearest Lord, show us how to invite others to know the reason for the season of Christmas. Amen.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, January 6, 2013, issue.
Copyright 2012 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.
In the sake of the Newtown shooting, some prominent public figures have pointed to the absence of God from our schools as a major reason for such carnage. Blogger Rachel Held Evans responds, however, that it is impossible to keep God out of our lives. Dean extends that thought, suggesting that even though darkness surrounds us we have the responsibility as Christians to reflect the Light of Christ and bring illumination to our world. While each of us may only be the bearers of one small candle, Dean reminds us that those candles are lit by an eternal flame that brings light to even the murkiest darkness -- and that nurtures in our hearts the Love that surpasses all understanding.
Team member Mary Austin offers some additional thoughts on Matthew's account of the "strangers" from the East who come to visit the child Jesus. Mary compares how they were welcomed into the stable with how we react to the strangers in our midst, and she suggests that we would profit greatly from reaching out to outsiders to our faith with the same openness that was extended to the Magi. Moreover, Mary points out that the perspective of outsiders can illuminate our way and help us gain a greater understanding of our own faith journey as well.
Candle Trimmed and Burning
by Dean Feldmeyer
Isaiah 60:1-6; Matthew 2:1-12
Little candle, you got your work cut out for you this year.
The dark is darker than usual, cold and thick.
So thick you can touch it with your hand.
It's a special kind of dark, this is. It's a dark made of sadness and sickness and grief and doubt.
And haven't we lived in that dark this year? And don't we know that dark by name?
Yes we do. Yes we do.
And you are just one little candle.
Your flame is so fragile. Just one little puff of breeze can blow you out.
And we got some terrible winds to bring you through.
Winds of hate and fear.
How you gonna push back all that dark?
THE WORLD
We have just come through the time of year when lists dominated the news. And if we take those lists seriously, 2012 was a dark year for many of us.
Yahoo's top ten news stories for last year included six crime stories (in no particular order):
* the Miami cannibal attack
* the Newtown, Connecticut, school shootings
* the Penn State cover-up of Jerry Sandusky's child sexual abuse
* the killing of Trayvon Martin by neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman
* the conviction of Jordan Van der Sloot on murder charges
* the Aurora, Colorado, theater shootings
The other four: the death of Whitney Houston, crippling gasoline prices, Hurricane Sandy, and the most contentious presidential election in memory. Pretty dark.
In 2012 there were 18 spree killings in the United States, where three or more people were killed. The ones that made headlines were the Aurora, Colorado, theater shootings (12 dead, 56 wounded), the Sikh Temple attack in Oak Creek, Wisconsin (7 dead), the Oikos University massacre in Oakland, California (7 dead), and the Newtown, Connecticut, slayings of 20 elementary school children and six of their teachers/staff members.
In response to all of this violence, some have rushed to embrace their children and loved ones and called for greater access to mental health services and lesser access to assault rifles. Others have rushed to embrace their assault rifles and shout the second half of the second amendment to the constitution, sure that the only hope for our country is to turn it into an armed camp, a shooting gallery.
Depressed by the persistent darkness, we turn to sports and other pastimes to lift our spirits, but our hope is often in vain. Last year more than 30 NFL players were arrested for felonies and misdemeanors. And the Associated Press list of the top four sports stories of the year was just as depressing:
* the Penn State cover-up of coach Jerry Sandusky's sexual abuse of children
* the Lance Armstrong doping case
* the NFL bounty scandal
* the football concussion crisis
As the days get shorter and the nights colder, we can feel the dark closing in upon us with an almost tactile certainty.
THE WORD
Isaiah's description of the Babylonian captivity seems right on target for us today: "For darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples" (Isaiah 60:2a).
But that is not his last word. Indeed, he opens this pericope with a word of hope, even a challenge: "Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you!" (Isaiah 60:1).
The world may be dark, but there is a light that penetrates and pushes back that darkness... and we are the holders of that light. The People of God are the keepers of the light that keeps the darkness at bay.
In this season of Epiphany, we light candles and bring out the green liturgical colors to remind ourselves that darkness is never the last word. We are people of light -- and where there is even a spark of light, darkness cannot prevail. Where there is even a single candle, darkness is put to flight.
In Matthew's account of the visitation of the Magi, it is light that brings the wise men to Bethlehem and light that leads them home. The vile despot Herod is the very symbol of darkness, but dark evil is undone by the light, which shines upon the child messiah.
CRAFTING THE SERMON
This is that rare year when Epiphany actually falls upon a Sunday. What a great way to kick off the new year!
In our church we cover the altar table with candles (aluminum foil on the table will protect it and reflect the light upward). We sing hymns of light and warmth.
The indicative portion of the sermon may be divided into two parts:
1. To show that the darkness is real and something to be taken seriously;
2. To show that the light of the gospel, while fragile, is sufficient to keep even the most heinous darkness at bay.
We are Christians, children of light, and we cannot afford the luxury of despair. We bring hope to the hopeless -- even, and especially, when that hopelessness is disguised as bravado. We know that the only hope for our country and the world is not to be found in giving in to the myth of redemptive violence but by offering love, kindness, forgiveness, and peace, as did the Savior.
In Rachel Held Evans' Advent blog, she reminds us that "the candles have a lot of darkness to overcome this year." And this is no less true for the Epiphany candles. "Their stubborn flames represent the divine promise that even the smallest light can chase away the shadows lurking in this world that, even in the darkest places, God can't be kept out" (emphasis hers).
And if this is true of a single candle, how much more so when we all -- each one of us -- lights a candle and holds it aloft? The dark will always be there, but we will -- with God's help -- have pushed it back for another day and another season.
Happy Epiphany!
SECOND THOUGHTS
by Mary Austin
Matthew 2:1-12
The Huffington Post news service has announced their 2012 Religion Person of the Year -- Balpreet Kaur.
If you don't happen to know Balpreet Kaur (and I certainly didn't), the Huffington Post explains: "In past years we have made lists of 'most influential' religious leaders which have included the Pope and the Dalai Lama. However, when the HuffPost religion editors thought about the person we admired most in the last year, the unanimous choice was Ms. Kaur." The editors add: "Ms. Kaur became an internet sensation when a photo of her standing in a line was taken by an editor at Reddit (a 'Redditor') who posted online under the subject heading 'funny,' apparently based on her unique appearance."
The Epiphany story of the Magi reminds us that encounters with "strangers" have been a part of the story of our Christian faith from the beginning. As foreign travelers who come to worship Jesus, drawn by the star, the Magi bring the presence of the wider world to the manger right away. Mary and Joseph, small town folks, already know that this child will be different. This meeting with wealthy and educated foreigners can only strengthen that feeling. Before long, the gospel has them traveling into Egypt, also on the road. Clearly, we were never meant to live our faith in isolation, separated from the world.
Encounters with people who are different are built into the DNA of our faith. As the world grows more diverse -- or as our awareness of diversity grows, which may be more the case -- we will encounter more and more religious "strangers." Our office cube mate may be Jewish, the local business owner may be a Muslim, and a neighbor may be a Sikh. Matthew's story of the Magi calls us back to an appreciation for those who are strangers to us. Those supposed strangers may play a role in enriching our own faith and will certainly add to our knowledge of the world we share. Those who see our faith from the outside can help us see it in new ways and understand both its strengths and flaws more deeply. A more diverse world requires more wisdom about each other.
For the first time, this January a Buddhist senator -- Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) -- and a Hindu congressperson -- Tulsi Gabbard, also from Hawaii -- will take office in Washington DC. Gabbard will be the first congressperson to take the oath of office with her hand on a copy of the Bhagavad Gita. Hirono will also be the first female Asian-American senator, and the first born in Japan. Gabbard's resumé includes not just political service but also tours of duty in Baghdad and Kuwait as part of the National Guard.
The diversity of Congress reflects the complexion of the nation. The Pew Forum reports that the incoming 113th Congress "includes the first Buddhist to serve in the Senate, the first Hindu to serve in either chamber, and the first member of Congress to describe her religion as 'none,' continuing a gradual increase in religious diversity that mirrors trends in the country as a whole. While Congress remains majority Protestant, the institution is far less so today than it was 50 years ago, when nearly three quarters of the members belonged to Protestant denominations."
The world grows more interesting, and calls us, as people of faith, to embrace others with the same respect and acceptance modeled by our teacher, Jesus.
If we need an example, Balpreet Kaur (the Sikh woman mentioned above) has much to teach us all. A stranger, the "editor" at Reddit, took her picture and posted it online as "funny." Ms. Kaur looks unusual to some, as a Sikh in a turban with obvious facial hair, which she believes her religion does not allow her to shave off. In our appearance-obsessed culture, many would choose to fit in over the requirements of faith. Instead, Ms. Kaur, a student who plans to become a doctor, responded this way, as quoted by the Huffington Post:
Yes, I'm a baptized Sikh woman with facial hair. Yes, I realize that my gender is often confused and I look different than most women. However, baptized Sikhs believe in the sacredness of this body -- it is a gift that has been given to us by the Divine Being [which is genderless, actually] -- and must keep it intact as a submission to the divine will.... When I die, no one is going to remember what I looked like, heck, my kids will forget my voice, and slowly, all physical memory will fade away. However, my impact and legacy will remain: and, by not focusing on the physical beauty, I have time to cultivate those inner virtues and hopefully, focus my life on creating change and progress for this world in any way I can.
Generosity begets generosity. To their credit, the original person who posted the picture making fun of Ms. Kaur responded with an apology, saying: "I know that this post ISN'T a funny post but I felt the need to apologize to the Sikhs, Balpreet, and anyone else I offended when I posted that picture. Put simply, it was stupid.... It was an incredibly rude, judgmental, and ignorant thing to post.... I've read more about the Sikh faith and it was actually really interesting. It makes a whole lot of sense to work on having a legacy and not worry about what you look like. I made that post for stupid internet points and I was ignorant."
May our faith allow all of us to show the same generosity of spirit to the strangers we meet, as we remember the journey and the spirit of the Magi.
ILLUSTRATIONS
The English folk rock band Mumford and Sons has recorded a number of songs that lend themselves to a variety of theological wonderings, but a couple stand out as we consider Epiphany.
In "Awake My Soul", the band sings...
In these bodies we will live,
in these bodies we will die.
Where you invest your love,
you invest your life.
In Psalm 72 the king is to be blessed with long life, because he has shown merciful love -- love that brings the poor justice, defends and delivers the weak and the needy, and causes the earth and its people to prosper and flourish. He redeems the people's lives and counts them precious. This is the kind of love that creates, redeems, and sustains life. God offers us this kind of love in the light that is being made manifest at Epiphany, and we are called to "arise [and] shine" (Isaiah 60:1) and carry that love light out into the world. This happens when we follow in the king's example -- when we create justice, provide for the needs of others in heart and body, and hold each other's lives as precious. This kind of love makes God's abundant life possible, both for the one who gives and the one who receives. It gathers God's beloved together for good, grows God's light in the world's darkness, and changes lives in very real and tangible ways. When we carry the love light, "Then [we] shall see and be radiant; [our] heart[s] shall thrill and rejoice" (Isaiah 60:5).
"Hold On To What You Believe" is full of imagery about light and darkness...
I, I can't promise you that I won't let you down.
And I, I can't promise you that I will be the only one around when your hope falls down.
But we're young, open flowers in the windy fields of this war-torn world.
And love, this city breathes the plague
of loving things more than their creators...
But hold on to what you believe in the light
When the darkness has robbed you of all of your sight.
What does the thick darkness look like that covers the earth and its people today (Isaiah 60:2), and how do we live in ways that follow Isaiah's command to arise and shine (v. 1) through that darkness? How can we lift up our eyes and look around for the people God is drawing close to the light (v. 4)? Who are they? Psalm 72 has an answer -- the poor, the needy, the weak, the oppressed, and those who have no helper. How can we remind our leaders to "rule" like the king in Psalm 72? How do we negotiate the job of being light bearers for each other, and how do we bear light in the midst of our own darkness? The first five lines of the song above could be the ruminations of someone trying to struggle with those questions. How do we "hold on to what [we] believe in the light" in times of darkness that seem to have "robbed [us] of all [our] sight"?
* * *
Sometimes it takes outsider eyes and wisdom to really see things as they really are. Howard Fineman considers this in his recent editorial recounting his experiences traveling with other foreigners in New Zealand.
After being questioned by a Korean about America's repeated inability to pass a government budget, by a British couple on what it's like to live in a country with as many guns as people, and by a Maori tribal leader as to why the U.S. thinks it should be able to lecture other countries on fiscal responsibility while being $16 trillion in arrears, Fineman found himself feeling embarrassed and defensive as an American. He writes, "Great powers aren't supposed to be pitied. Right now, we are. It's not a good feeling. Time to go home."
But what if Fineman -- if we -- didn't run from the light that's breaking through, changing our understandings of how things are and should be, and probably making us a bit uncomfortable (as it should)? What if we didn't go home to the same blinding darkness? What if we let loose of our ideas about of ourselves as the wise ones and tried to see the Christ Child as Matthew's foreign wise men did? How might it change our posture? (They knelt down and paid him homage.) How might it change our willingness to give of our selves and our treasure? (They gave him their attention and respect; their time; and their gold, frankincense, and myrrh.) How might it change our direction and cause us to risk? (They took a new path home and defied a paranoid and bloodthirsty king.)
* * *
Many strange things have been done in the name of science -- even in outer space. The U.S. and Russia have been rocketing astronauts into space for so long that they seem to be running out of things for them to do up there. NASA has even gone so far as to ask schoolchildren to suggest science experiments.
Some years ago, the Russians happened upon a new project. Two cosmonauts aboard the space station Mir, Gennadi Manakov and Alexander Polyeshchuk, deployed a large aluminum reflector, twenty meters across. The purpose of their device was to reflect the sun's rays back to earth. The cosmonauts later reported that as they rotated the reflector, they could actually see a flash of light appear on the darkened surface of the earth below.
What do you suppose the people down below saw that night, those who happened to be awake and gazing into the heavens? Maybe there was a child out counting the stars, or a pair of lovers cuddling on a park bench hoping for a shooting star. Suddenly they would have seen, from a spot where no star appeared to be, an unexplained flash of light, like a great camera strobe going off. It would have set them to wondering at the very least.
What the cosmonauts did that night is no different than what happens every single day. Twelve hours a day (give or take), we earth-dwellers see the sunlight. We've grown to expect it, to take it for granted. The sun illuminates our days, greens our plants, and warms our earth. For a fleeting instant, those cosmonauts caused the light of the sun to shine when no one expected it -- out of darkness.
"Arise, shine, for your light has come!" This light is not a light that we have created, but one that comes from beyond ourselves.
* * *
Why are moths attracted to light? Nobody really knows. It is evident that moths are positively phototactic, meaning that their movement is automatically toward the light, rather than away from light as is the case for negatively phototactic insects such as cockroaches. There have been lots of theories as to why moths are attracted to light, but no definitive answers. One researcher, Henry Hsiao, found that when moths spot a bright light far off they immediately fly directly toward it. When they get closer to the light they try to avoid it, circling around the light in an area called mach band, an area that surrounds a bright light and appears darker than any other part of the sky. Insects can see this mach band but humans cannot.
Isaiah pictures a time when the world will be bathed in darkness. God's people will be showered with God's glory and as a result will shine like lights in the darkness. At that time all people will be positively phototactic and will be drawn to the glory of God as it shines on God's people.
* * *
In Hollywood, many movie premieres are accompanied by massive searchlights rotating across the sky. Such lights are also used for tradeshows, award ceremonies, store openings, and casinos. They attempt to make an event seem important; yet all they're doing is advertising in order to attract people to spend money.
In Isaiah 60, the Lord's words about light carry a message contrary to our culture's evaluation of what's interesting or serious. The word arrives about a light that's a symbol of God's action on their behalf. God doesn't come to take something from them but to give something to them, and God's concern will be "seen" in the ransom of the weak. God's concern will "show up" in the exiles' return. And in response to such mercy the recipients will "be radiant." All this is symbolized by God's light.
* * *
Dwight Moody, who was a renowned evangelist in America and England in the latter half of the 19th century, often did street corner preaching. One day a lady came up to him and criticized Moody for his street corner orations. Moody asked the woman how she evangelized, and she replied that she did not. Moody then responded, "Well, I like my way of doing it better than your way of not doing it."
If nations are going to come to our light, then we better like the way of doing it better the way of not doing it.
* * *
I would like to propose a new term for the church lexicon as we celebrate Epiphany on this first Sunday of the new year: Church-Turning Theory. Isaiah states that if we proclaim the word of the Lord and remain obedient to his commands, then "nations shall come to our light." It is our calling over the next twelve months that we are to bring people to the light of Christ. We do so by employing well-established church theories that promote evangelism, stewardship, missions, youth work, assimilation of new members, staff ministries, and many other of the multiple facets of church work.
But these are theories, not rules. We all know that in a church 2+2 will seldom equal 4. This is because of the special dynamics associated with working within a congregation. So, it is much more likely that 2+2 will yield an answer from 3 to 7. But if we apply the theories as proposed by Lyle Schaller, Charles Olsen, Anthony Robinson, Loren Mead, Donald McGavran, and others, our churches can turn around by bringing others to the light of Christ.
So let us be a Christian community that employs a Church-Turning Theory to each of our ministries, to make the body of Christ for which we are responsible the most effective possible.
-- Ron Love
* * *
Pax vobiscum -- Latin for "Peace be with you." To which the congregants respond, Et cum spiritu tuo -- "And also with you." These are the opening words for every pope's Christmas Eve sermon, always titled Urbi et Orbi, meaning "to the city and to the world." Several years ago Pope Benedict XVI hoped that Christians would bring consolation to "those who are still denied their legitimate aspirations for a more secure existence, for health, education, stable employment, for fuller participation in civil and political responsibilities, free from oppression and protected from conditions that offend human dignity." It is a Christmas calling, the season of peace on earth, as the Pope challenged: "May the child Jesus bring relief to those who are suffering and may he bestow upon political leaders the wisdom and courage to seek and find humane, just, and lasting solutions."
As we begin a new year, let us celebrate the message of Christmas and of peace. It is a message that was well understood by the Magi, as the angels instructed them to go home by another route.
WORSHIP RESOURCES
by George Reed
Call to Worship
Leader: Give us your justice, O God, and your righteousness.
People: May we judge your people with righteousness and your poor with justice.
Leader: May the mountains yield prosperity for the people in righteousness.
People: May we defend the cause of the poor of the people.
Leader: May we give deliverance to the needy and crush the oppressor.
People: May righteousness flourish and peace abound, until the moon is no more.
OR
Leader: The light of God has come for all the peoples!
People: Thanks be to God, who comes to dispel the darkness!
Leader: Sometimes the darkness seems overwhelming.
People: But God's light pierces it and drives it back.
Leader: May God's light shine in our hearts forever.
People: May we be true to all God reveals to us.
Hymns and Sacred Songs
"Christ Is the World's Light"
found in:
UMH: 188
"Christ, Whose Glory Fills the Skies"
found in:
UMH: 173
H82: 617
PH: 462/463
LBW: 265
ELA: 553
"Rise, Shine, You People"
found in:
UMH: 187
LBW: 393
ELA: 669
"De Tierra Lejana Venimos" ("From a Distant Home")
found in:
UMH: 243
PH: 64
NCH: 155
"O Splendor of God's Glory Bright"
found in:
UMH: 679
H82: 5
PH: 474
NCH: 87
LBW: 271
ELA: 559
"The First Noel"
found in:
UMH: 245
H82: 109
PH: 56
NNBH: 87
NCH: 139
CH: 151
LBW: 56
ELA: 300
"We Would See Jesus"
found in:
UMH: 256
"I Want to Walk as a Child of the Light"
found in:
UMH: 206
H82: 490
ELA: 815
Renew: 152
"Arise, Shine"
found in:
CCB: 2
Renew: 123
"Lord, Be Glorified"
found in:
CCB: 62
Renew: 172
Music Resources Key:
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982 (The Episcopal Church)
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
NNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
LBW: Lutheran Book of Worship
ELA: Evangelical Lutheran Worship
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
Renew: Renew! Songs & Hymns for Blended Worship
Prayer for the Day / Collect
O God who is light and in whom there is no darkness: Grant us the faith to trust in the power of your light so that we may never give in to the darkness around us; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
You, O God, are light and we find nothing dark or hidden with you. We come in the midst of our darkness and seek your light that we may find ourselves faithful to you. Help us to always seek your light and to never let the darkness drive us to despair. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
Leader: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins and especially our wanting to hide our sins in the darkness.
People: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We not only have sinned, but we have also tried to hide our sinfulness in the darkness of sin. We have tried to hide from your light and the truth of who we are. Yet darkness is not dark to you. Forgive us and shine the light of your Spirit upon us that we may be truthful about who we are and who we have become with ourselves, with you, and with one another. So fill us with your light that our lives may become beacons of your love. Amen.
Leader: God's light comes to reveal but not to condemn. God's light shines upon us so that we may find our way. Go on God's path with God's blessing.
Prayers of the People (and the Lord's Prayer)
We praise you, O God, for you are light and truth. There is no deception in you. You do not hide from us but you shine the light of your presence into our lives.
(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 not only have sinned, but we have also tried to hide our sinfulness in the darkness of sin. We have tried to hide from your light and the truth of who we are. Yet darkness is not dark to you. Forgive us and shine the light of your Spirit upon us that we may be truthful about who we are and who we have become with ourselves, with you, and with one another. So fill us with your light that our lives may become beacons of your love.
We give you thanks for all the signs that your light is still overcoming the darkness. We thank you for those relationships that have been restored and those lives that have moved toward wholeness.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for all who struggle with darkness within or without. We pray for those whose darkness seems to be of their own making and yet they cannot shake it. We pray for those who have darkness thrust upon them by the power and violence of others.
(Other intercessions may be offered.)
All these things we ask in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ, who taught us to pray together, saying:
Our Father... Amen.
(or if the Lord's Prayer is not used at this point in the service)
All this we ask in the name of the Blessed and Holy Trinity. Amen.
Children's Sermon Starter
Ask the children to close their eyes and then have them describe something you hold up. Talk about why they can't do it, because with their eyes closed, the light can't get in to them and we cannot see. Talk about how we have to keep our eyes open to see God's light by listening to Bible stories, talking about God, and praying.
CHILDREN'S SERMON
The Reason for the Season
Matthew 2:1-12
Object: a star Christmas ornament
Good morning, boys and girls! I brought a star with me today to remind us of the new season of the church year we have entered. Does anybody know the name of this season? (let the children answer) It has a fancy name -- this is the "Epiphany" season. The star is one of the signs we use in this season of the church year. We use a star because it was a star that led the wise men to find the baby Jesus.
Many people must have seen the star. You can't hide a star very easily. But only these men from the East understood what meaning it had. They came and asked, "Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising and have come to pay him homage" (Matthew 2:2). They knew the meaning of the star. They knew it meant that Jesus was born. But most people did not know the meaning. They may have thought that it was "just another star."
We have just celebrated Christmas. All over the world people celebrated Christmas, but only some people knew why we celebrated Christmas. We celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus. But many others just celebrate. They don't understand yet just why there is a Christmas and why we celebrate it.
One of our jobs as Christians is to tell the world why there is a Christmas and the meaning of Easter. We have to tell the whole world why, because otherwise they don't understand. During this Epiphany season, we will see many times where the good news about God was made known to people. Maybe you and I can invite someone to Sunday school or church with us so that they might understand "why" as well.
Prayer: Dearest Lord, show us how to invite others to know the reason for the season of Christmas. Amen.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, January 6, 2013, issue.
Copyright 2012 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.
