Determined To Have A King
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For June 9, 2024:
Determined To Have A King
by Chris Keating
1 Samuel 8:4-11 (12-15) 16-20 (11:14-15)
Samuel’s PR problems are building, just as they did for his mentor Eli. In a ironic twist, Samuel’s sons have strayed from the pathways of righteousness and justice similarly to Eli’s offspring. They’ve traded integrity for personal gain, perverted justice, and accepted bribes.
It’s a behavior we are accustomed to seeing from politicians. In Samuel’s case, however, the people have had enough. A delegation of elders confronts Samuel and demands that he appoint a king, so they can be “like other nations.” Samuel has all sorts of reasons why this is a bad idea, including, of course, that they are to be Yahweh’s people. Israel’s bold demands for a king seem entirely unthinkable.
But then the unthinkable happens. Because the people are determined to get a king, they get a king. It’s all enough to make Samuel sick, but no amount of rationalizing seems to get through to these folks. Not only are the people rejecting Samuel, but they are also rejecting God. They wanted to be like everyone else.
It was unthinkable, until it happened.
There’s a striking resemblance between the story of Saul’s selection and the 2024 US presidential election. While our current political mess may appear to be nothing more than partisan political rancor, there is a deeper theological analysis worth considering. Just a few years ago, it would be unthinkable that a candidate running for the office of president could survive being indicted, let alone convicted. That changed last week when Donald Trump became the first former president to be convicted of 34 felony counts.
In July, he’ll make a brief stop in New York City to be sentenced before heading to the Republican convention to be nominated for the nation’s top office. What once could never have been imagined, writes Eugene Robinson, now lies just beyond the horizon. Barring any unforeseen twist, this is what is going to happen.
Trump, or any president for that matter, certainly operates in ways distinct from Israel’s monarchy. It is also true that ardent supporters of all candidates look beyond their flaws. But the greater error is the mistaken understanding that leaders — any leaders — can take the place of God.
In the News
This week’s readings sound almost as if they could be the source for an episode of HBO’s hit series Succession, or even the backstory for contemporary global politics. Across the globe this year, more than 50 nations will choose leaders in elections many say will challenge even the most storied of the world’s democracies. Change is coming, the scriptures suggest, adding a caution that you don’t always get what you want.
It’s been an unprecedented year in global politics. Last week, South Africa’s African National Congress, the party of Nelson Mandela, lost its parliamentary majority for the first time in 30 years. Fatigued by unemployment, inequality, and fractures in the country’s power grid, voters pushed their country in a new direction. Lacking a majority, the ANC now undertakes the work of forming a coalition government.
In Mexico, change meant electing that nation’s first woman president. Claudia Sheinbaum, 61, was ushered into office in a series of firsts. Not only is she the first woman president of Mexico, but she is also the first Jewish leader of a predominantly Roman Catholic country, and the first climate scientist.
In the United States, what had previously been unthinkable became reality when former President Donald Trump was convicted on 34 felony counts. If Rip Van Winkle awoke today, he’d be shaking his head at the thought of a convicted felon contending for the nation’s top office — but here we are.
The question looms large: What sort of leader do we want?
An already painfully divided electorate has been at odds over the choice between Trump and President Joe Biden. Younger voters lead the pack with their concerns over Biden’s age and mental fitness for office. Others disagree with Biden about his performance in areas like the economy, the war between Israel and Hamas, and immigration. The bottom line is unclear. New York Times writer Charles Blow comments that despite younger voters displeasure with Biden, “the electorate’s attention is likely to shift” by November. Blow observes that much will depend on how the Democratic party polishes its efforts to sell itself to younger crowds.
Meanwhile, the impact of Trump’s convictions are unclear. It’s possible they have resulted in losing up to 10% of his voting base, while other reports show him holding firm. A Reuters/Ipsos poll released after his conviction showed that one in ten registered Republicans are less likely to vote for Trump. A majority of Republicans, however, still say his conviction in New York will have no effect on their vote, and some 35% reported feeling more inclined to vote for him. One quarter of independent voters say they are less likely to vote for Trump after his conviction. Americans remain split over whether or not Trump should serve prison time.
Election Day is a long way off, but many Americans are already feeling the pinch and pull of political anxiety. Sixty percent of Americans describe themselves as either “very” or “somewhat” anxious about the election. Democrats seem to be a bit more anxious than Republicans, the poll reports. Psychologist Daniel Selling notes that those numbers tend to track with what patients in therapy are reporting during their sessions. The Yahoo Life poll “tracks pretty well,” Selling said, with what his patients are sharing.
This is more than merely sticking a finger in the air to measure direction. Thomas Friedman observes that this data, among other things, leads him to wonder if American society has lost its societal moorings. Friedman borrows an ecological image to make his point, comparing the loss of trust in American social institutions to the disappearance of mangroves — those underwater trees that once flourished in coastlands of North America.
“Our society itself has lost so many of its social, normative, and political mangroves as well,” Friedman wrote last week. “All those things that used to filter toxic behaviors, buffer political extremism, and nurture healthy communities and trusted institutions for young people to grow up in and that hold our society together.” He describes contemporary society as a sort of “normless world” where societal and institutional norms no longer exist.
It’s not just that leaders are acting poorly, says Friedman. It’s that they so openly behave without any sense of moral authority. “Nothing is more corrosive,” says Friedman.
Although scandals and political divisions are nothing new, the more troubling question centers around whether American democracy can continue. Only a handful of other democracies report greater dissatisfaction with their government than Americans. Apprehension and tension have seized control of the electorate.
It’s a situation that Samuel might have understood. While Samuel’s Israel was certainly different than contemporary America, there are threads of familiarity. Israel’s demands for a king are rooted in a restlessness and anxiety that represents a wholesale rejection of Yahweh’s sovereignty. Uncertainty fills the atmosphere. For our part, we might do well to reflect on Samuel’s warnings about the detrimental impact a king will have. Faced with a fork in the road, as Yogi Berra might say, we’ve got to take it. Yet the path is far from sure.
In the Scriptures
Israel, according to 1 Samuel chapter 8, faces a crisis. As the winds of change begin circulating, however, they quickly turn into a stalled cold front. Anxiety over Samuel’s age and his sons’ ill repute contribute to the stagnation. The chapter opens with a wide-angle look at the political landscape, with the voice over narrator intoning, “When Samuel became old, he made his sons judges over Israel.”
It’s a familiar story that calls to mind Samuel’s own ascendancy over Eli. As a boy, Samuel is ministering to the elderly and blind Eli. His vision is occluded to the excesses and injustices committed by his own sons, which prompts God to give Samuel a vision of what’s to come. Years later, Samuel is faced with a similar set of circumstances when his own sons are mired in corruption.
Samuel’s sons’ roles as heirs apparent are the seeds of crisis. Their scurrilous behavior has turned the public against them. Unpopular cheats who “perverted justice,” Samuel’s sons are incapable of wearing their father’s mantle. Samuel’s otherwise impressive reputation as judge seems headed toward disaster as anxiety runs rampant.
These parallel offspring scandals point to one of the recurring theme of family dysfunction. Here’s another example of the difficulties involved in promoting scripture’s “family values.” The elders of Israel, like the leaders of a church in transition, cook up their own succession scheme and deliver an ultimatum to Samuel. It’s a clear-cut message: “Appoint for us a king, then, to govern us, like other nations.”
It’s a devastating request that is more than a rejection of Samuel. The demand of the elders is a wholesale rejection of God’s call to Israel. Becoming “like other nations” is a hearty indictment of all that is wrong with Israel. A king represents a rejection of Yahweh’s faithful actions, and an embodiment of how anxious reactivity has supplanted principled faithfulness. Samuel is particularly displeased with the request. But when he discusses the matter with God, the Lord suggests that Samuel go along with the plan.
It’s a curious twist. Israel is rejecting God, yet Yahweh seems to relent. Samuel has outlined his concerns about a king. His logic is spot on, perhaps even prophetic. It’s a speech reminiscent of the more exasperating moments of parenting. “All the other kids have a king,” the elders complain. “So,” Samuel seems to say, “if all the other kids’ parents told them to jump off a bridge, would that be what you want, too?”
Still, God relents, and allows Israel freedom of choice. The story ends as Saul ascends to the throne. Yet the storm clouds of disaster seem to be closely following the winds of change.
In the Sermon
God’s response to Israel’s demand offers a particularly rich homiletical opportunity. It offers an opportunity to explore the ways we discern leaders, both in our congregations and in our nation. The text also reminds us of the consequences of allowing anxiety to hold us captive, while also causing us to consider the ways leaders “take” from us the way Samuel describes.
We avoid political sermons for many reasons, including our people’s overwhelming election fatigue and concerns that the corrosive nature of politics will show up on Sunday morning. But Israel’s leadership crisis calls us to consider what it means to trust in God’s ability to provide. It spells out the realities of what happens when people do not choose wisely, and it does so in a remarkably bipartisan spirit.
Samuel reminds the people of what a leader will take from them: Their children will be conscripted into battle or enslaved, their farms will be seized for the king’s pleasure, and the grain they worked so long to cultivate will be taken to provide for the kingdom. A state of permanent crisis will reign. The upshot will be that God will become a distant figment of their past.
If you want a king, this is what you’ll get.
The call to be like other nations is a tempting, yet eventually ruinous pursuit. We sense the theological impulse of the Deuteronomist in helping Israel reflect on the effect of its choices. While the story of the ancient Israel was wrapped around the narratives of God’s steadfast faithfulness, the exigencies of the moment and the threats posed by change are urgent. In the urgent moment, the nation is propelled into a sea of anxiety and reactivity. (“Paging Dr. Friedman! Dr. Edwin Friedman!”)
One does not need to be able to quote lengthy passages from Friedman’s Generation to Generation to understand the underlying role of generational dysfunction. The repeated ways these themes remain attached to our own country’s political processes are plainly evident. A mere check of recent political headlines will suffice. As it happens, the connections are truly nonpartisan.
According to the Pew Research Center, a majority of voters have mixed feelings about the presumptive nominees of both the Democrat and Republican parties. There is a lack of enthusiasm on either side, with voters easily identifying the relative strengths and weaknesses of both candidates. We face a curious collision of societal forces: Massive distrust in institutions and widespread fatigue from the unrelenting pace of change.
Donald Trump’s conviction last week and the convening of Hunter Biden’s trial this week make it clear that the challenge of picking a leader in 2024 is bathed in anxiety. We might benefit from the insights of a modern-day Samuel. Israel’s last judge might tell us to count the cost of yearning to be “like the other nations” by reminding us that choosing a seemingly omnipotent king is not always the most faithful choice.
But even when Israel demands a king, God’s faithfulness does not end. While God’s enigmatic response to Israel’s demand for a king adds a curious twist to the story, it is also the reminder that even the sacred history of Israel is sandwiched between rulers who sometimes embody both the judgment and possibilities of God. David Jensen’s commentary probes the theological conundrum:
In the face of stubborn demands, however unwise, God simply accedes to the demands and lets the people act against divine will. Or perhaps God is acting as teacher here: “You want a king? I’ve already told you what a king will do. You still want a king? Okay, then I’ll send you one and you’ll see for yourself what a king will do.” (David H. Jensen, 1 & 2 Samuel, ed. Amy Plantinga Pauw and William C. Placher, First edition., Belief: A Theological Commentary on the Bible (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2015, p. 61.)
But here, one more preaching point becomes visible. God tells Samuel to let the people have a king, if that’s what they want. And, sure enough, Saul’s appointment is confirmed, and what started as a promising reign soon turns south. Even as leaders fail, God does not. Saul’s decline will lead to David’s ascendancy. He won’t be perfect, of course, but his reign will include notes of hope and promise, reminders that God will not give up on this stiff-necked people.
It’s a remarkable story, a prelude of good news to come.
* * * * *
SECOND THOUGHTS
Why Would Evil Undo Evil?
by Quantisha Mason-Doll
Mark 3:20-35
My mother said “Not all skinfolk is kinfolk.” This saying is one that I still struggle with even though I have reached the point in adulthood where guarding my peace is more important than masking.
It seems that every day America grows more and more devisive and, like Sisyphus, we face an uphill battle with no end in sight. The words from Mark's gospel are extremely poignant for today's society. American Christianity is becoming increasingly striated and hyper individualistic while conversely scrutinizing those deemed to be less fortunate. There is very little grace and much less love left in American Christianity.
I think the Jesus of Mark's gospel would be appalled but not surprised at the current state of affairs. Mark tells us that during Jesus' time he was also villainized, and his methods questioned by those in positions of power and privilege. Jesus and his followers stood as an antithesis to the religious majority. So, of course those of privilege that feel their grasp on power is slipping try to slander and denounce the one who is calling truth the power. This is where that phrase “Not all skinfolk is kinfolk” comes into play: The ones that are denouncing Jesus the loudest are the ones that he seeks to save the most. There is a struggle of ideologies and Jesus makes a clear stance with those who are gathered.
I am of the opinion that this is a morally gray area that Jesus is traversing. He has come to shake up the status quo by speaking truth to power, waking the masses to their own oppression. This is a gray area owing to the fact that not everyone wants to change the way they are. They are happy with the status quo and are not willing to call out injustice. We see this in our own political sphere. The genocide happening in Gaza is perfect example this. Politicians are afraid of speaking on this topic because there is a fear of being labeled an antisemite. Those same politicians also neglect the genocide in Sudan. This is because they fear political suicide and disrupting the rhetoric of their political family.
I love when Jesus retorts with “How can Satan cast out Satan?” What I hear is Jesus asking the legal experts, “Are you stupid or are you just dumb?” Why would evil undo evil? I want to ask this of our leaders. Why would Americans denounce Americans when both parties claim to be seeking a better future for those who come after them? Jesus quickly addresses the core of the matter: Division breeds failure. He wants us to understand that evil will always be against itself. Evil will always be a house divided. That being said, the forces of good can easily fall into the same trap.
The legal experts, the ones that are supposed to uphold the law and seek justice for God's people, have been swayed by the allure of evil. It might feel like a startling revelation to hear Jesus so easily denounce his familial relations. He forsakes his mother without a second thought, going as far as claiming any and all who does God’s work to be his family. It is painful to hear, yet not all kinfolk is kinfolk and we do not choose the family we are born into. Jesus and his apostles are the synthesis of the tropes family of choice and true companions. They are people brought together by a common bond. By definition, true companions are those who know they can depend upon each other in a crisis. Jesus, like many of us today, is faced with cognitive dissonance in relation to his role in his familial unit. Jesus is the rural kid that won a scholarship and went off to college and came back a changed person. In Jesus's eyes he has changed for the better and he is doing what the Lord requires of him. While those around view his change as something negative. The legal experts and some of Jesus's family are unable to see him for who he has grown into. The image they hold of Jesus is one of a small child that is still reliant on his mother and family to see him through.
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Mary Austin:
2 Corinthians 4:13--5:1
Restoration
Paul invites us to look below the surface as he writes, “Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day.” Donna Schaper writes about this kind of renewal, comparing it to furniture. She says, “The first thing people do when restoring old chairs is strip — strip right down to the bare wood. They do this to see what the original might have looked like and to determine if the thing is worth doing over. They strip away all the years of grime, the garish coats of paint piled one on top of the other. They get rid of all the junk that's been tacked on through the years and try to find the solid, simple thing that's underneath.” Or, as Paul would say, the outer nature gets stripped away.
Schaper observes, “I’m like an old chair needing that stripping process. Every now and then I have to take a really hard look at the illusions I've built up in myself and my society, see what I've gotten myself into. Illusions? Yes, illusions; the excess baggage I carry around, the unnecessary, the socially expected, all that keeps me living off center too long. Stripping myself of all this is an intentional letting go of these illusions…I have to discover the original under all these coats I've added, strip away all the cynicism and anger I've built up, get rid of the junk I've taken on, defy my disappointments, and find what is real again.” Our inner nature comes to the surface when the outer is stripped away.
* * *
2 Corinthians 4:13--5:1
Filling In
When something goes away, something else fills in. Paul notes that we have to lose our outer nature to come fully into our inner nature.
Poet Maggie Smith says, “One afternoon, driving my son and daughter downtown to run errands, I sat at a traffic light — the corner of First Avenue and Summit — and watched as a couple of city workers cut down a dead tree. From the back seat, my daughter said something like, “I bet when they cut a tree down, the sky’s like finally, and fills in the space.” “Yes!” I said. “And when you trim branches, the sky fills in before they even hit the ground.” “It’s like when you pull your hand out of a bucket of water, and the water takes back the space.” I loved — still love — her mind.”
Smith adds that this mirrored a personal transformation. “My ex-husband and I had separated by then but were not yet divorced. I had bought some new furniture, rearranged some older pieces, hung new artwork. I was struck in that moment in the car: of course the sky rushes in when a tree is felled. It expands, taking up space it couldn’t have before.” (from Keep Moving: Notes on Loss, Creativity, and Change) The same happens for us, when God is at work.
* * *
Mark 3:20-35
Barn Raising
Jesus sounds a little eccentric when he announces that random strangers who do the will of God are equal to his birth family. Malcolm Gladwell remembers a similar eccentricity in his father, who also found connection with strangers while doing what God invited him to do. Malcolm recalls that his dad “loved the Mennonites and thought everything they did was kind of fascinating. And they used to have barn raisings. When a barn burned down, they would all gather. These are mostly conservative Mennonites, so people who drove horses and buggies. They would all gather, you know, they would get together, like the next weekend, hundreds of them would descend on that farm, and they would rebuild the barn in essentially a day.”
His dad decided that he would attend a barn raising. So, the family drove there in their Volvo, and the Mennonites all look the same, and have identical buggies, and go to the same church, and they all know each other. As Malcolm remembers, “this Englishman with a PhD in advanced mathematics shows up in his Volvo with his three sons in tow and announces he’d like to join…it never occurred to him that that was a socially awkward thing to do. It just didn’t occur to him. He was like, I'm your neighbor. I live down the road. I know some of you. I love farming. He wanted to be a farmer.” As Gladwell adds, “what does the Bible say? It says help your neighbor. So, he was there, right? That's the sort of, that's what I grew up with.”
“It was a powerful influence,” Gladwell says.
* * *
2 Corinthians 4:13--5:1
The Physicality of Faith
Writing to the believers in Corinth, Paul notes the physical limits of our faith, and the hope of being at home with God when this life ends.
Author and design expert Sara Hendren notes that her faith is rooted in the physical. She was raised in a conservative religious environment, and adds, “I would say that finding the Episcopal church, eventually the Catholic church, the kind of sacramental, is such an acknowledgment of the animality of the human creature. The kneeling, and the images, and the kind of distinct separateness of that sensory environment and images of saints and candles and so many reminders that you are, in fact, an animal creature who has come to seek some way of being more than animal, but never, not animal. And I think that, so I will say that my commitment to my joy in everything that’s tangible about the world — so the way that artifacts hold ideas, and the way that shaping artifacts can then, in tandem, reshape ideas, that artifacts can do that kind of double work that kind of acknowledgment, finding myself a body in that moment has been distinctly important.”
Once we understand “the tent we live in,” as Paul expresses it, we have another way to see the transcendent side of our faith, too.
* * * * * *
From team member Dean Feldmeyer:
Mark 3:20-35
Misdiagnosis
People didn’t understand what Jesus was saying. Or maybe they did but didn’t like it. Whichever was the case, they decided that the problem must be with him. He was obviously crazy.
In a 2022 article in Psychology Today, Christopher Lane PhD, tells the terrifying story of another who was misdiagnosed with more than one mental illness:
Sarah Fay’s memoir of her misdiagnoses joins Elizabeth Wurtzel’s Prozac Nation, Lauren Slater’s Prozac Diary, and Andrew Solomon’s The Noonday Demon, in focusing on the raw lived experience of depression and its associated suffering.
“Pathological is everything I wish I’d known,” Fay writes of her 25-year ordeal after a trail of psychiatrists and therapists diagnosed her from age 12 with anorexia, then OCD, then ADHD, followed by generalized anxiety, then major depression, before altering their diagnosis to bipolar disorder.
From there, the battle shifted to whether the correct diagnosis was bipolar I or II, as well as the drug treatments to which she responded best and worst.
Each new diagnosis prompted in Fay, at least, a major rethinking of the one preceding it. In her teens and early twenties, she viewed them as accurate and “real,” even as self-defining: “I believed in and accepted those six diagnoses — adopted them, thought in terms of them, identified myself as them, medicalizing my difficulties and discomforts, pathologizing my emotions and thoughts and behaviors.”
As it turns out, she was probably suffering from nothing more complicated than typical adolescent occasional anxiety and depression.
* * *
Mark 3:20-35
Misdiagnosis 2.0
There’s an old adage that “If the only tool you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail.”
As it turns out, that adage may apply to misdiagnoses as they occur in the field of mental health. According to an article in Bridges to Recovery, when a doctor is confronted with a patient who displays symptoms of mental illness, the doctor will tend to diagnose mental disorders they are more comfortable treating. Unfortunately, this can often lead to misdiagnoses.
“Misdiagnosis can happen with any mental health disorder,” says Gabrielle Moss, a writer for Bustle. “[For example], a 2009 meta-analysis of 50,000 patients published in the Lancet found that general practitioners only correctly identified depression in patients in 47.3% of cases.” Meanwhile, a 2008 study by researchers at the Brown University School of Medicine found that 57% of adults diagnosed with bipolar disorder did not meet diagnostic criteria upon more comprehensive diagnostic review. Aside from bipolar disorder and depression, some of the most frequently misdiagnosed mental health disorders include borderline personality disorder, ADHD, PTSD, and anxiety.
* * *
Mark 3:20-35
Not A Family
Jesus asks the rhetorical question, “Who is my family?” Then he answers it, himself. “Those who do God’s will. They are my family.”
Jesus was using the word “family” as a metaphor. Unfortunately, according to David Burkus PhD’s TED Talk, in our culture, the word “family” is getting way overused. Especially in the business world.
It probably started with something like, “At this company we like to think of ourselves as a family.” And, with time it got shortened to just, “At this company, we’re a family.”
But companies aren’t families. (They don’t drive you to the airport or help you move or let you stay with them while your house is being painted, just to name a few examples.)
And when we insist on referring to companies as families, we create problems. Here are some that Dr. Burkus identifies in his talk:
Blurred Work-Life Boundaries: When companies emphasize being a family, they often take actions that blur the lines between work and personal life. For instance, offering free food, dry cleaning, and other amenities to keep employees at work might seem well-intentioned, but it can lead to burnout. Employees need downtime to maintain productivity.
Exploitation of Committed Employees: When leaders overemphasize the family metaphor, they may expect family-level commitment from employees. This can lead to overwork and taking on additional projects without considering existing workloads. In extreme cases, employees might be pressured to engage in ethically questionable actions for the sake of the company’s survival.
Labeling Departing Employees as Betrayers: If employees decide to leave due to blurred boundaries or ethical concerns, they can be labeled as betrayers. This mindset limits the company’s growth and can create a negative atmosphere.
* * *
1 Samuel 8:4-11 (12-15) 16-20 (11:14-15)
Democracy Isn’t Fool Proof
We Americans pride ourselves in our democracy, the process whereby we all get to participate in choosing our leaders. While it’s an admirable way of doing things, it isn’t always foolproof when it comes to choosing the most gifted and capable people for the job.
The website, Mental Floss, lists these five presidents as the worst ones, all of whom were duly elected by the voters:
1. James Buchanan – The odious Dred Scott ruling was not Buchanan’s only dealing with the question of slavery during his administration. He essentially adopted a laissez-faire attitude toward slavery, believing it would somehow go away on its own.
2. Andrew Johnson – Admittedly, Lincoln was a tough act to follow, but Johnson didn’t try very hard to live up to his predecessor’s ethics. As Johnson presided over Reconstruction, southern states began enacting laws limiting the civil rights of Black citizens, which gave rise to the Jim Crow era. Johnson also fired Lincoln’s secretary of war, Edward Stanton, violating the Tenure of Office Act, which led to Johnson’s impeachment.
3. Franklin Pierce – Preceding Buchanan’s tenure was New Hampshire’s own Franklin Pierce, a president who also stoked the friction between the North and South leading up to the Civil War. Pierce was an inexperienced politician who handed out cabinet appointments to his cronies and presided over the notorious Kansas-Nebraska Act. This act repealed the Missouri Compromise of 1820, which had banned slavery in midwestern territories, and allowed white male voters to decide whether to allow slavery in those two states, setting the stage for a period of violent pro- and anti-slavery conflicts dubbed “bleeding Kansas.”
4. Donald Trump – One-term president Donald Trump challenged a multitude of long-established ethical laws, such as the Emoluments clauses of the US Constitution, which prohibit elected officials from receiving gifts from foreign entities without Congress’s approval. He appointed cabinet secretaries with no political experience and a national security advisor who was working as a foreign agent. That was before he pushed insidious lies about the integrity of the 2020 election, which brought about the January 6 insurrection at the Capitol.
5. William Henry Harrison – President Harrison is remembered mostly for dying one month after his inauguration. Before that unexpected event, Harrison served in the military and as the governor of the Indiana Territory, where he negotiated multiple treaties with Native American tribes — most of which forced them off their ancestral lands for little in return. Harrison fought the Shawnee leader Tecumseh, winning victories in the Battle of Tippecanoe and the Battle of the Thames River during the War of 1812, which resulted in Tecumseh’s death.
* * * * * *
From team member Katy Stenta:
Genesis 3:8-15
Where are you?
When my younger sister was five years-old we could not find her. In our very small town of Western Pennsylvania, the worry was less that someone had taken her, but that she was lost and alone. This was an era, the 1990s in a small town, where she was allowed to visit friends on the block by herself. Many people we knew turned out to look for about an hour. About the time my mother was going to call the police to help, my brother — who is really good at spotting things — spotted her, asleep on a spare mattress in the garage. This explains why my sister could not hear our booming voices calling her name over and over again. Of course, my parents were not angry, they were mostly relieved and a little bit scared. It makes me think that in the tumult of emotions, the one God was feeling the least was anger. God is trying to stay connected with us, and does not want to base our relationship on shame.
* * *
1 Samuel 8:4-11 (12-15) 16-20 (11:14-15)
Give us answers
I can sympathize with the Hebrew people wanting to have someone tell them what to do. Sometimes when small children are melting down at the end of the day, I think there is something to someone in authority scooping them up, snuggling them, telling them everything will be okay, and helping them get everything that needs to be done — food, bath, getting to bed. The king thing does not sound so bad then. Sure, God let the regal person take a tenth of everything, and the best of our things. Just tell us what to do so I do not have to adult today. Of course, the corruption of power, and foibles of humanity, does not make it worth it, and God’s grace paired with power is so much better, but I understand the impulse.
* * *
Mark 3:20-35
Family
Jesus loves to redraw the lines. Talking about the houses that stand, the families that you found, talking about what real blasphemy is. When referencing the Holy Spirit and sins of it, it is a good reminder that each human being has God ’s breath, pneuma, within us. The fact that we are each made in the image of God, and God-breathed, means that we have no right to treat one another as lesser than us. There are no sub-humans among us, no matter how we try to denigrate one another. And it makes me wonder if the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is to try to not love our neighbors as ourselves. Love is what makes us family, after all, and Jesus longs for us all to be siblings.
* * * * * *
WORSHIP
by George Reed
Call to Worship
One: Let us give thanks to our God with all our hearts.
All: We will sing God’s praise before all the heavens.
One: We bow down before you, O God, and give you thanks.
All: When we call, you answer us and strengthen us.
One: God’s purpose will be fulfilled in us through steadfast love.
All: Do not forsake us, the work of your hands, O God.
OR
One: God comes among us to lead us to wholeness of life.
All: We need God’s direction for we are lost.
One: God calls us together to help one another on the way.
All: We long for true fellowship with others.
One: God invites all to come together to enter new life.
All: We will welcome all to join our journey to God’s wholeness.
Hymns and Songs
Lead On, O King Eternal
UMH: 580
PH: 447/448
GTG: 269
AAHH: 477
NNBH: 415
NCH: 573
CH: 632
LBW: 495
ELW: 805
W&P: 508
AMEC: 177
Renew: 298
Lead Me, Lord
UMH: 473
AAHH: 145
NNBH: 341
CH: 593
Renew: 175
He Leadeth Me: O Blessed Thought
UMH: 128
AAHH: 142
NNBH: 235
CH: 545
LBW: 501
W&P: 499
AMEC: 395
O Worship the King
UMH: 73
H82: 388
PH: 476
GTG: 41
NNBH: 6
NCH: 26
CH: 17
LBW: 548
ELW: 842
W&P: 2
AMEC: 12
We Gather Together
UMH: 131
H82: 433
PH: 559
GTG: 336
NNBH: 326
NCH: 421
CH: 276
ELW: 449
W&P: 81
AMEC: 576
STLT: 349
Blest Be the Tie That Binds
UMH: 557
PH: 438
GTG: 306
AAHH: 341
NNBH: 298
NCH: 393
CH: 433
LBW: 370
ELW: 656
W&P: 393
AMEC: 522
Cuando El Pobre (When the Poor Ones)
UMH: 434
PH: 407
GTG: 762
CH: 662
ELW: 725
W&P: 624
Spirit Song
UMH: 347
AAHH: 321
CH: 352
W&P: 352
Renew: 248
Sweet, Sweet Spirit
UMH: 334
AAHH: 326
NNBH: 127
NCH: 293
CH: 261
W&P: 134
AMEC: 196
We Meet You, O Christ
UMH: 257
PH: 311
CH: 183
W&P: 616
As We Gather
CCB: 12
Renew: 6
We Are One in Christ Jesus (Somos uno en Christo)
CCB: 43
Music Resources Key
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
GTG: Glory to God, The Presbyterian Hymnal
AAHH: African American Heritage Hymnal
NNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
LBW: Lutheran Book of Worship
ELW: Evangelical Lutheran Worship
W&P: Worship & Praise
AMEC: African Methodist Episcopal Church Hymnal
STLT: Singing the Living Tradition
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
Renew: Renew! Songs & Hymns for Blended Worship
Prayer for the Day/Collect
O God who is our true leader and our true community:
Grant us the grace to seek leaders that reflect your values
and communities that reflect your never-failing love;
through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We praise you, O God, because you are the one who is our true leader. It is in you that we find real community. Help us to seek leaders that reflect your values. Help us to create communities that are filled with your gracious Spirit. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
One: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins and especially when we seek leaders to benefit ourselves or communities that reflect our selfish desires.
All: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We have forsaken your leadership and sought only our own ways. Instead of following Jesus in the true path we have used religious language to justify our self-centered ways. We seek not the community that Christ calls together but those who think like us. We have placed ourselves at the center instead of seeking your presence there. Forgive our foolish selfishness and cleanse us with the power of your Spirit. Lead us once more in the path of love. Amen.
One: God calls us to follow the truth and to gather as God’s own people. Receive God’s gracious mercy and share the path of truth with all who are called there by God.
Prayers of the People
We praise you, O God of Truth. You are the True Path to life eternal. You are the perfect community who calls us to join you.
(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 have forsaken your leadership and sought only our own ways. Instead of following Jesus in the true path we have used religious language to justify our self-centered ways. We seek not the community that Christ calls together but those who think like us. We have placed ourselves at the center instead of seeking your presence there. Forgive our foolish selfishness and cleanse us with the power of your Spirit. Lead us once more in the path of love.
We give you thanks for the ways in which you share your path of life eternal. We thank you for Jesus Christ who teaches us how to understand you as life giving love. We thank you for the mercy which reunites us with you and with all your children. We thank you for those who strive to lead us in your ways. We thank you for those who call us into the beloved community.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for all your children in our need. We pray for those who have lost their way. We pray for those who seek to be beacons of light on the way. We pray for those who seek a family that shares love and grace with one another. Help us to be that community that opens its arms as Jesus did with the sinners, outcasts, lonely, and needy of his day.
(Other intercessions may be offered.)
Hear us as we pray for others: (Time for silent or spoken prayer.)
All these things we ask in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ who taught us to pray saying:
Our Father....Amen.
(Or if the Our Father 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
Who Are The People In Your Family?
by Tom Willadsen
Mark 3:20-35
After the kids have gathered up front, ask them if they have brothers or sisters. Brothers and sisters are the closest relatives a person can have. You share more DNA with siblings than with any other type of relative.
If there are only children, ask whether they have ever thought about what it would be like to have a sister or brother. Have they ever wanted a sibling? Would they want a brother or sister? Older or younger, or both?
Here’s a story you can tell or use it as a basis for a similar story from your own experience.
I have two nephews and one niece. Ben is 10, Sam is 8, and Hannah is 4. Hannah is the youngest and the only girl. Sometimes it’s hard to be Hannah. Hannah loves her brothers but sometimes she really wishes there was another girl in her family. She feels alone. Her brothers like to play sports and Hannah doesn’t like sports. Hannah likes tea parties and dressing up, and her brothers don’t like those things at all!
One day at Sunday school there was a new girl named Holly. Holly was three, and Holly didn’t have a brother or sister. Sometimes Holly was lonely. She wanted a sister. Hannah wanted a sister. Hannah and Holly decided to be each other’s sister. They still lived with their families, but at church, they were sisters. They told everyone they were sisters, because you wouldn’t guess that by looking at them. When they got older, they would sleep over at each other’s houses. They were more than friends, they were family.
In the Bible today we heard a story about Jesus. He was talking to people and some of them were getting very, very upset with him. His mother, brothers, and sisters came and tried to get him to stop saying things that were making the people angry. They were afraid Jesus was going to get in trouble or get hurt. Or get them in trouble. They wanted to protect their family and their family’s name and reputation.
When Jesus heard about his family coming to get him, he asked, “Who are my mother and my brothers and sisters? Here they are! They’re the ones who do what God wants!”
Jesus did what Hannah and Holly did. He made up a better family, a family that he wanted. In some churches, the members call each other “brother” and “sister” to remind themselves that they all have the same Father and Mother, so they’re all related to each other.
Let’s have a prayer: God, thank you for making everyone part of the same family. Amen.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, June 9, 2024 issue.
Copyright 2024 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.
- Determined To Have A King by Chris Keating. Israel’s determination to be like other nations represents a fateful turn away from its worship of God.
- Second Thoughts: Why Would Evil Undo Evil? by Quantisha Mason-Doll based on Mark 3:20-35.
- Sermon illustrations by Mary Austin, Katy Stenta, Dean Feldmeyer.
- Worship resources by George Reed.
- Children’s sermon: Who Are The People In Your Family? by Tom Willadsen based on Mark 3:20-35.
Determined To Have A Kingby Chris Keating
1 Samuel 8:4-11 (12-15) 16-20 (11:14-15)
Samuel’s PR problems are building, just as they did for his mentor Eli. In a ironic twist, Samuel’s sons have strayed from the pathways of righteousness and justice similarly to Eli’s offspring. They’ve traded integrity for personal gain, perverted justice, and accepted bribes.
It’s a behavior we are accustomed to seeing from politicians. In Samuel’s case, however, the people have had enough. A delegation of elders confronts Samuel and demands that he appoint a king, so they can be “like other nations.” Samuel has all sorts of reasons why this is a bad idea, including, of course, that they are to be Yahweh’s people. Israel’s bold demands for a king seem entirely unthinkable.
But then the unthinkable happens. Because the people are determined to get a king, they get a king. It’s all enough to make Samuel sick, but no amount of rationalizing seems to get through to these folks. Not only are the people rejecting Samuel, but they are also rejecting God. They wanted to be like everyone else.
It was unthinkable, until it happened.
There’s a striking resemblance between the story of Saul’s selection and the 2024 US presidential election. While our current political mess may appear to be nothing more than partisan political rancor, there is a deeper theological analysis worth considering. Just a few years ago, it would be unthinkable that a candidate running for the office of president could survive being indicted, let alone convicted. That changed last week when Donald Trump became the first former president to be convicted of 34 felony counts.
In July, he’ll make a brief stop in New York City to be sentenced before heading to the Republican convention to be nominated for the nation’s top office. What once could never have been imagined, writes Eugene Robinson, now lies just beyond the horizon. Barring any unforeseen twist, this is what is going to happen.
Trump, or any president for that matter, certainly operates in ways distinct from Israel’s monarchy. It is also true that ardent supporters of all candidates look beyond their flaws. But the greater error is the mistaken understanding that leaders — any leaders — can take the place of God.
In the News
This week’s readings sound almost as if they could be the source for an episode of HBO’s hit series Succession, or even the backstory for contemporary global politics. Across the globe this year, more than 50 nations will choose leaders in elections many say will challenge even the most storied of the world’s democracies. Change is coming, the scriptures suggest, adding a caution that you don’t always get what you want.
It’s been an unprecedented year in global politics. Last week, South Africa’s African National Congress, the party of Nelson Mandela, lost its parliamentary majority for the first time in 30 years. Fatigued by unemployment, inequality, and fractures in the country’s power grid, voters pushed their country in a new direction. Lacking a majority, the ANC now undertakes the work of forming a coalition government.
In Mexico, change meant electing that nation’s first woman president. Claudia Sheinbaum, 61, was ushered into office in a series of firsts. Not only is she the first woman president of Mexico, but she is also the first Jewish leader of a predominantly Roman Catholic country, and the first climate scientist.
In the United States, what had previously been unthinkable became reality when former President Donald Trump was convicted on 34 felony counts. If Rip Van Winkle awoke today, he’d be shaking his head at the thought of a convicted felon contending for the nation’s top office — but here we are.
The question looms large: What sort of leader do we want?
An already painfully divided electorate has been at odds over the choice between Trump and President Joe Biden. Younger voters lead the pack with their concerns over Biden’s age and mental fitness for office. Others disagree with Biden about his performance in areas like the economy, the war between Israel and Hamas, and immigration. The bottom line is unclear. New York Times writer Charles Blow comments that despite younger voters displeasure with Biden, “the electorate’s attention is likely to shift” by November. Blow observes that much will depend on how the Democratic party polishes its efforts to sell itself to younger crowds.
Meanwhile, the impact of Trump’s convictions are unclear. It’s possible they have resulted in losing up to 10% of his voting base, while other reports show him holding firm. A Reuters/Ipsos poll released after his conviction showed that one in ten registered Republicans are less likely to vote for Trump. A majority of Republicans, however, still say his conviction in New York will have no effect on their vote, and some 35% reported feeling more inclined to vote for him. One quarter of independent voters say they are less likely to vote for Trump after his conviction. Americans remain split over whether or not Trump should serve prison time.
Election Day is a long way off, but many Americans are already feeling the pinch and pull of political anxiety. Sixty percent of Americans describe themselves as either “very” or “somewhat” anxious about the election. Democrats seem to be a bit more anxious than Republicans, the poll reports. Psychologist Daniel Selling notes that those numbers tend to track with what patients in therapy are reporting during their sessions. The Yahoo Life poll “tracks pretty well,” Selling said, with what his patients are sharing.
This is more than merely sticking a finger in the air to measure direction. Thomas Friedman observes that this data, among other things, leads him to wonder if American society has lost its societal moorings. Friedman borrows an ecological image to make his point, comparing the loss of trust in American social institutions to the disappearance of mangroves — those underwater trees that once flourished in coastlands of North America.
“Our society itself has lost so many of its social, normative, and political mangroves as well,” Friedman wrote last week. “All those things that used to filter toxic behaviors, buffer political extremism, and nurture healthy communities and trusted institutions for young people to grow up in and that hold our society together.” He describes contemporary society as a sort of “normless world” where societal and institutional norms no longer exist.
It’s not just that leaders are acting poorly, says Friedman. It’s that they so openly behave without any sense of moral authority. “Nothing is more corrosive,” says Friedman.
Although scandals and political divisions are nothing new, the more troubling question centers around whether American democracy can continue. Only a handful of other democracies report greater dissatisfaction with their government than Americans. Apprehension and tension have seized control of the electorate.
It’s a situation that Samuel might have understood. While Samuel’s Israel was certainly different than contemporary America, there are threads of familiarity. Israel’s demands for a king are rooted in a restlessness and anxiety that represents a wholesale rejection of Yahweh’s sovereignty. Uncertainty fills the atmosphere. For our part, we might do well to reflect on Samuel’s warnings about the detrimental impact a king will have. Faced with a fork in the road, as Yogi Berra might say, we’ve got to take it. Yet the path is far from sure.
In the Scriptures
Israel, according to 1 Samuel chapter 8, faces a crisis. As the winds of change begin circulating, however, they quickly turn into a stalled cold front. Anxiety over Samuel’s age and his sons’ ill repute contribute to the stagnation. The chapter opens with a wide-angle look at the political landscape, with the voice over narrator intoning, “When Samuel became old, he made his sons judges over Israel.”
It’s a familiar story that calls to mind Samuel’s own ascendancy over Eli. As a boy, Samuel is ministering to the elderly and blind Eli. His vision is occluded to the excesses and injustices committed by his own sons, which prompts God to give Samuel a vision of what’s to come. Years later, Samuel is faced with a similar set of circumstances when his own sons are mired in corruption.
Samuel’s sons’ roles as heirs apparent are the seeds of crisis. Their scurrilous behavior has turned the public against them. Unpopular cheats who “perverted justice,” Samuel’s sons are incapable of wearing their father’s mantle. Samuel’s otherwise impressive reputation as judge seems headed toward disaster as anxiety runs rampant.
These parallel offspring scandals point to one of the recurring theme of family dysfunction. Here’s another example of the difficulties involved in promoting scripture’s “family values.” The elders of Israel, like the leaders of a church in transition, cook up their own succession scheme and deliver an ultimatum to Samuel. It’s a clear-cut message: “Appoint for us a king, then, to govern us, like other nations.”
It’s a devastating request that is more than a rejection of Samuel. The demand of the elders is a wholesale rejection of God’s call to Israel. Becoming “like other nations” is a hearty indictment of all that is wrong with Israel. A king represents a rejection of Yahweh’s faithful actions, and an embodiment of how anxious reactivity has supplanted principled faithfulness. Samuel is particularly displeased with the request. But when he discusses the matter with God, the Lord suggests that Samuel go along with the plan.
It’s a curious twist. Israel is rejecting God, yet Yahweh seems to relent. Samuel has outlined his concerns about a king. His logic is spot on, perhaps even prophetic. It’s a speech reminiscent of the more exasperating moments of parenting. “All the other kids have a king,” the elders complain. “So,” Samuel seems to say, “if all the other kids’ parents told them to jump off a bridge, would that be what you want, too?”
Still, God relents, and allows Israel freedom of choice. The story ends as Saul ascends to the throne. Yet the storm clouds of disaster seem to be closely following the winds of change.
In the Sermon
God’s response to Israel’s demand offers a particularly rich homiletical opportunity. It offers an opportunity to explore the ways we discern leaders, both in our congregations and in our nation. The text also reminds us of the consequences of allowing anxiety to hold us captive, while also causing us to consider the ways leaders “take” from us the way Samuel describes.
We avoid political sermons for many reasons, including our people’s overwhelming election fatigue and concerns that the corrosive nature of politics will show up on Sunday morning. But Israel’s leadership crisis calls us to consider what it means to trust in God’s ability to provide. It spells out the realities of what happens when people do not choose wisely, and it does so in a remarkably bipartisan spirit.
Samuel reminds the people of what a leader will take from them: Their children will be conscripted into battle or enslaved, their farms will be seized for the king’s pleasure, and the grain they worked so long to cultivate will be taken to provide for the kingdom. A state of permanent crisis will reign. The upshot will be that God will become a distant figment of their past.
If you want a king, this is what you’ll get.
The call to be like other nations is a tempting, yet eventually ruinous pursuit. We sense the theological impulse of the Deuteronomist in helping Israel reflect on the effect of its choices. While the story of the ancient Israel was wrapped around the narratives of God’s steadfast faithfulness, the exigencies of the moment and the threats posed by change are urgent. In the urgent moment, the nation is propelled into a sea of anxiety and reactivity. (“Paging Dr. Friedman! Dr. Edwin Friedman!”)
One does not need to be able to quote lengthy passages from Friedman’s Generation to Generation to understand the underlying role of generational dysfunction. The repeated ways these themes remain attached to our own country’s political processes are plainly evident. A mere check of recent political headlines will suffice. As it happens, the connections are truly nonpartisan.
According to the Pew Research Center, a majority of voters have mixed feelings about the presumptive nominees of both the Democrat and Republican parties. There is a lack of enthusiasm on either side, with voters easily identifying the relative strengths and weaknesses of both candidates. We face a curious collision of societal forces: Massive distrust in institutions and widespread fatigue from the unrelenting pace of change.
Donald Trump’s conviction last week and the convening of Hunter Biden’s trial this week make it clear that the challenge of picking a leader in 2024 is bathed in anxiety. We might benefit from the insights of a modern-day Samuel. Israel’s last judge might tell us to count the cost of yearning to be “like the other nations” by reminding us that choosing a seemingly omnipotent king is not always the most faithful choice.
But even when Israel demands a king, God’s faithfulness does not end. While God’s enigmatic response to Israel’s demand for a king adds a curious twist to the story, it is also the reminder that even the sacred history of Israel is sandwiched between rulers who sometimes embody both the judgment and possibilities of God. David Jensen’s commentary probes the theological conundrum:
In the face of stubborn demands, however unwise, God simply accedes to the demands and lets the people act against divine will. Or perhaps God is acting as teacher here: “You want a king? I’ve already told you what a king will do. You still want a king? Okay, then I’ll send you one and you’ll see for yourself what a king will do.” (David H. Jensen, 1 & 2 Samuel, ed. Amy Plantinga Pauw and William C. Placher, First edition., Belief: A Theological Commentary on the Bible (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2015, p. 61.)
But here, one more preaching point becomes visible. God tells Samuel to let the people have a king, if that’s what they want. And, sure enough, Saul’s appointment is confirmed, and what started as a promising reign soon turns south. Even as leaders fail, God does not. Saul’s decline will lead to David’s ascendancy. He won’t be perfect, of course, but his reign will include notes of hope and promise, reminders that God will not give up on this stiff-necked people.
It’s a remarkable story, a prelude of good news to come.
* * * * *
SECOND THOUGHTSWhy Would Evil Undo Evil?
by Quantisha Mason-Doll
Mark 3:20-35
My mother said “Not all skinfolk is kinfolk.” This saying is one that I still struggle with even though I have reached the point in adulthood where guarding my peace is more important than masking.
It seems that every day America grows more and more devisive and, like Sisyphus, we face an uphill battle with no end in sight. The words from Mark's gospel are extremely poignant for today's society. American Christianity is becoming increasingly striated and hyper individualistic while conversely scrutinizing those deemed to be less fortunate. There is very little grace and much less love left in American Christianity.
I think the Jesus of Mark's gospel would be appalled but not surprised at the current state of affairs. Mark tells us that during Jesus' time he was also villainized, and his methods questioned by those in positions of power and privilege. Jesus and his followers stood as an antithesis to the religious majority. So, of course those of privilege that feel their grasp on power is slipping try to slander and denounce the one who is calling truth the power. This is where that phrase “Not all skinfolk is kinfolk” comes into play: The ones that are denouncing Jesus the loudest are the ones that he seeks to save the most. There is a struggle of ideologies and Jesus makes a clear stance with those who are gathered.
I am of the opinion that this is a morally gray area that Jesus is traversing. He has come to shake up the status quo by speaking truth to power, waking the masses to their own oppression. This is a gray area owing to the fact that not everyone wants to change the way they are. They are happy with the status quo and are not willing to call out injustice. We see this in our own political sphere. The genocide happening in Gaza is perfect example this. Politicians are afraid of speaking on this topic because there is a fear of being labeled an antisemite. Those same politicians also neglect the genocide in Sudan. This is because they fear political suicide and disrupting the rhetoric of their political family.
I love when Jesus retorts with “How can Satan cast out Satan?” What I hear is Jesus asking the legal experts, “Are you stupid or are you just dumb?” Why would evil undo evil? I want to ask this of our leaders. Why would Americans denounce Americans when both parties claim to be seeking a better future for those who come after them? Jesus quickly addresses the core of the matter: Division breeds failure. He wants us to understand that evil will always be against itself. Evil will always be a house divided. That being said, the forces of good can easily fall into the same trap.
The legal experts, the ones that are supposed to uphold the law and seek justice for God's people, have been swayed by the allure of evil. It might feel like a startling revelation to hear Jesus so easily denounce his familial relations. He forsakes his mother without a second thought, going as far as claiming any and all who does God’s work to be his family. It is painful to hear, yet not all kinfolk is kinfolk and we do not choose the family we are born into. Jesus and his apostles are the synthesis of the tropes family of choice and true companions. They are people brought together by a common bond. By definition, true companions are those who know they can depend upon each other in a crisis. Jesus, like many of us today, is faced with cognitive dissonance in relation to his role in his familial unit. Jesus is the rural kid that won a scholarship and went off to college and came back a changed person. In Jesus's eyes he has changed for the better and he is doing what the Lord requires of him. While those around view his change as something negative. The legal experts and some of Jesus's family are unable to see him for who he has grown into. The image they hold of Jesus is one of a small child that is still reliant on his mother and family to see him through.
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Mary Austin:2 Corinthians 4:13--5:1
Restoration
Paul invites us to look below the surface as he writes, “Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day.” Donna Schaper writes about this kind of renewal, comparing it to furniture. She says, “The first thing people do when restoring old chairs is strip — strip right down to the bare wood. They do this to see what the original might have looked like and to determine if the thing is worth doing over. They strip away all the years of grime, the garish coats of paint piled one on top of the other. They get rid of all the junk that's been tacked on through the years and try to find the solid, simple thing that's underneath.” Or, as Paul would say, the outer nature gets stripped away.
Schaper observes, “I’m like an old chair needing that stripping process. Every now and then I have to take a really hard look at the illusions I've built up in myself and my society, see what I've gotten myself into. Illusions? Yes, illusions; the excess baggage I carry around, the unnecessary, the socially expected, all that keeps me living off center too long. Stripping myself of all this is an intentional letting go of these illusions…I have to discover the original under all these coats I've added, strip away all the cynicism and anger I've built up, get rid of the junk I've taken on, defy my disappointments, and find what is real again.” Our inner nature comes to the surface when the outer is stripped away.
* * *
2 Corinthians 4:13--5:1
Filling In
When something goes away, something else fills in. Paul notes that we have to lose our outer nature to come fully into our inner nature.
Poet Maggie Smith says, “One afternoon, driving my son and daughter downtown to run errands, I sat at a traffic light — the corner of First Avenue and Summit — and watched as a couple of city workers cut down a dead tree. From the back seat, my daughter said something like, “I bet when they cut a tree down, the sky’s like finally, and fills in the space.” “Yes!” I said. “And when you trim branches, the sky fills in before they even hit the ground.” “It’s like when you pull your hand out of a bucket of water, and the water takes back the space.” I loved — still love — her mind.”
Smith adds that this mirrored a personal transformation. “My ex-husband and I had separated by then but were not yet divorced. I had bought some new furniture, rearranged some older pieces, hung new artwork. I was struck in that moment in the car: of course the sky rushes in when a tree is felled. It expands, taking up space it couldn’t have before.” (from Keep Moving: Notes on Loss, Creativity, and Change) The same happens for us, when God is at work.
* * *
Mark 3:20-35
Barn Raising
Jesus sounds a little eccentric when he announces that random strangers who do the will of God are equal to his birth family. Malcolm Gladwell remembers a similar eccentricity in his father, who also found connection with strangers while doing what God invited him to do. Malcolm recalls that his dad “loved the Mennonites and thought everything they did was kind of fascinating. And they used to have barn raisings. When a barn burned down, they would all gather. These are mostly conservative Mennonites, so people who drove horses and buggies. They would all gather, you know, they would get together, like the next weekend, hundreds of them would descend on that farm, and they would rebuild the barn in essentially a day.”
His dad decided that he would attend a barn raising. So, the family drove there in their Volvo, and the Mennonites all look the same, and have identical buggies, and go to the same church, and they all know each other. As Malcolm remembers, “this Englishman with a PhD in advanced mathematics shows up in his Volvo with his three sons in tow and announces he’d like to join…it never occurred to him that that was a socially awkward thing to do. It just didn’t occur to him. He was like, I'm your neighbor. I live down the road. I know some of you. I love farming. He wanted to be a farmer.” As Gladwell adds, “what does the Bible say? It says help your neighbor. So, he was there, right? That's the sort of, that's what I grew up with.”
“It was a powerful influence,” Gladwell says.
* * *
2 Corinthians 4:13--5:1
The Physicality of Faith
Writing to the believers in Corinth, Paul notes the physical limits of our faith, and the hope of being at home with God when this life ends.
Author and design expert Sara Hendren notes that her faith is rooted in the physical. She was raised in a conservative religious environment, and adds, “I would say that finding the Episcopal church, eventually the Catholic church, the kind of sacramental, is such an acknowledgment of the animality of the human creature. The kneeling, and the images, and the kind of distinct separateness of that sensory environment and images of saints and candles and so many reminders that you are, in fact, an animal creature who has come to seek some way of being more than animal, but never, not animal. And I think that, so I will say that my commitment to my joy in everything that’s tangible about the world — so the way that artifacts hold ideas, and the way that shaping artifacts can then, in tandem, reshape ideas, that artifacts can do that kind of double work that kind of acknowledgment, finding myself a body in that moment has been distinctly important.”
Once we understand “the tent we live in,” as Paul expresses it, we have another way to see the transcendent side of our faith, too.
* * * * * *
From team member Dean Feldmeyer:Mark 3:20-35
Misdiagnosis
People didn’t understand what Jesus was saying. Or maybe they did but didn’t like it. Whichever was the case, they decided that the problem must be with him. He was obviously crazy.
In a 2022 article in Psychology Today, Christopher Lane PhD, tells the terrifying story of another who was misdiagnosed with more than one mental illness:
Sarah Fay’s memoir of her misdiagnoses joins Elizabeth Wurtzel’s Prozac Nation, Lauren Slater’s Prozac Diary, and Andrew Solomon’s The Noonday Demon, in focusing on the raw lived experience of depression and its associated suffering.
“Pathological is everything I wish I’d known,” Fay writes of her 25-year ordeal after a trail of psychiatrists and therapists diagnosed her from age 12 with anorexia, then OCD, then ADHD, followed by generalized anxiety, then major depression, before altering their diagnosis to bipolar disorder.
From there, the battle shifted to whether the correct diagnosis was bipolar I or II, as well as the drug treatments to which she responded best and worst.
Each new diagnosis prompted in Fay, at least, a major rethinking of the one preceding it. In her teens and early twenties, she viewed them as accurate and “real,” even as self-defining: “I believed in and accepted those six diagnoses — adopted them, thought in terms of them, identified myself as them, medicalizing my difficulties and discomforts, pathologizing my emotions and thoughts and behaviors.”
As it turns out, she was probably suffering from nothing more complicated than typical adolescent occasional anxiety and depression.
* * *
Mark 3:20-35
Misdiagnosis 2.0
There’s an old adage that “If the only tool you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail.”
As it turns out, that adage may apply to misdiagnoses as they occur in the field of mental health. According to an article in Bridges to Recovery, when a doctor is confronted with a patient who displays symptoms of mental illness, the doctor will tend to diagnose mental disorders they are more comfortable treating. Unfortunately, this can often lead to misdiagnoses.
“Misdiagnosis can happen with any mental health disorder,” says Gabrielle Moss, a writer for Bustle. “[For example], a 2009 meta-analysis of 50,000 patients published in the Lancet found that general practitioners only correctly identified depression in patients in 47.3% of cases.” Meanwhile, a 2008 study by researchers at the Brown University School of Medicine found that 57% of adults diagnosed with bipolar disorder did not meet diagnostic criteria upon more comprehensive diagnostic review. Aside from bipolar disorder and depression, some of the most frequently misdiagnosed mental health disorders include borderline personality disorder, ADHD, PTSD, and anxiety.
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Mark 3:20-35
Not A Family
Jesus asks the rhetorical question, “Who is my family?” Then he answers it, himself. “Those who do God’s will. They are my family.”
Jesus was using the word “family” as a metaphor. Unfortunately, according to David Burkus PhD’s TED Talk, in our culture, the word “family” is getting way overused. Especially in the business world.
It probably started with something like, “At this company we like to think of ourselves as a family.” And, with time it got shortened to just, “At this company, we’re a family.”
But companies aren’t families. (They don’t drive you to the airport or help you move or let you stay with them while your house is being painted, just to name a few examples.)
And when we insist on referring to companies as families, we create problems. Here are some that Dr. Burkus identifies in his talk:
Blurred Work-Life Boundaries: When companies emphasize being a family, they often take actions that blur the lines between work and personal life. For instance, offering free food, dry cleaning, and other amenities to keep employees at work might seem well-intentioned, but it can lead to burnout. Employees need downtime to maintain productivity.
Exploitation of Committed Employees: When leaders overemphasize the family metaphor, they may expect family-level commitment from employees. This can lead to overwork and taking on additional projects without considering existing workloads. In extreme cases, employees might be pressured to engage in ethically questionable actions for the sake of the company’s survival.
Labeling Departing Employees as Betrayers: If employees decide to leave due to blurred boundaries or ethical concerns, they can be labeled as betrayers. This mindset limits the company’s growth and can create a negative atmosphere.
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1 Samuel 8:4-11 (12-15) 16-20 (11:14-15)
Democracy Isn’t Fool Proof
We Americans pride ourselves in our democracy, the process whereby we all get to participate in choosing our leaders. While it’s an admirable way of doing things, it isn’t always foolproof when it comes to choosing the most gifted and capable people for the job.
The website, Mental Floss, lists these five presidents as the worst ones, all of whom were duly elected by the voters:
1. James Buchanan – The odious Dred Scott ruling was not Buchanan’s only dealing with the question of slavery during his administration. He essentially adopted a laissez-faire attitude toward slavery, believing it would somehow go away on its own.
2. Andrew Johnson – Admittedly, Lincoln was a tough act to follow, but Johnson didn’t try very hard to live up to his predecessor’s ethics. As Johnson presided over Reconstruction, southern states began enacting laws limiting the civil rights of Black citizens, which gave rise to the Jim Crow era. Johnson also fired Lincoln’s secretary of war, Edward Stanton, violating the Tenure of Office Act, which led to Johnson’s impeachment.
3. Franklin Pierce – Preceding Buchanan’s tenure was New Hampshire’s own Franklin Pierce, a president who also stoked the friction between the North and South leading up to the Civil War. Pierce was an inexperienced politician who handed out cabinet appointments to his cronies and presided over the notorious Kansas-Nebraska Act. This act repealed the Missouri Compromise of 1820, which had banned slavery in midwestern territories, and allowed white male voters to decide whether to allow slavery in those two states, setting the stage for a period of violent pro- and anti-slavery conflicts dubbed “bleeding Kansas.”
4. Donald Trump – One-term president Donald Trump challenged a multitude of long-established ethical laws, such as the Emoluments clauses of the US Constitution, which prohibit elected officials from receiving gifts from foreign entities without Congress’s approval. He appointed cabinet secretaries with no political experience and a national security advisor who was working as a foreign agent. That was before he pushed insidious lies about the integrity of the 2020 election, which brought about the January 6 insurrection at the Capitol.
5. William Henry Harrison – President Harrison is remembered mostly for dying one month after his inauguration. Before that unexpected event, Harrison served in the military and as the governor of the Indiana Territory, where he negotiated multiple treaties with Native American tribes — most of which forced them off their ancestral lands for little in return. Harrison fought the Shawnee leader Tecumseh, winning victories in the Battle of Tippecanoe and the Battle of the Thames River during the War of 1812, which resulted in Tecumseh’s death.
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From team member Katy Stenta:Genesis 3:8-15
Where are you?
When my younger sister was five years-old we could not find her. In our very small town of Western Pennsylvania, the worry was less that someone had taken her, but that she was lost and alone. This was an era, the 1990s in a small town, where she was allowed to visit friends on the block by herself. Many people we knew turned out to look for about an hour. About the time my mother was going to call the police to help, my brother — who is really good at spotting things — spotted her, asleep on a spare mattress in the garage. This explains why my sister could not hear our booming voices calling her name over and over again. Of course, my parents were not angry, they were mostly relieved and a little bit scared. It makes me think that in the tumult of emotions, the one God was feeling the least was anger. God is trying to stay connected with us, and does not want to base our relationship on shame.
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1 Samuel 8:4-11 (12-15) 16-20 (11:14-15)
Give us answers
I can sympathize with the Hebrew people wanting to have someone tell them what to do. Sometimes when small children are melting down at the end of the day, I think there is something to someone in authority scooping them up, snuggling them, telling them everything will be okay, and helping them get everything that needs to be done — food, bath, getting to bed. The king thing does not sound so bad then. Sure, God let the regal person take a tenth of everything, and the best of our things. Just tell us what to do so I do not have to adult today. Of course, the corruption of power, and foibles of humanity, does not make it worth it, and God’s grace paired with power is so much better, but I understand the impulse.
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Mark 3:20-35
Family
Jesus loves to redraw the lines. Talking about the houses that stand, the families that you found, talking about what real blasphemy is. When referencing the Holy Spirit and sins of it, it is a good reminder that each human being has God ’s breath, pneuma, within us. The fact that we are each made in the image of God, and God-breathed, means that we have no right to treat one another as lesser than us. There are no sub-humans among us, no matter how we try to denigrate one another. And it makes me wonder if the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is to try to not love our neighbors as ourselves. Love is what makes us family, after all, and Jesus longs for us all to be siblings.
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WORSHIPby George Reed
Call to Worship
One: Let us give thanks to our God with all our hearts.
All: We will sing God’s praise before all the heavens.
One: We bow down before you, O God, and give you thanks.
All: When we call, you answer us and strengthen us.
One: God’s purpose will be fulfilled in us through steadfast love.
All: Do not forsake us, the work of your hands, O God.
OR
One: God comes among us to lead us to wholeness of life.
All: We need God’s direction for we are lost.
One: God calls us together to help one another on the way.
All: We long for true fellowship with others.
One: God invites all to come together to enter new life.
All: We will welcome all to join our journey to God’s wholeness.
Hymns and Songs
Lead On, O King Eternal
UMH: 580
PH: 447/448
GTG: 269
AAHH: 477
NNBH: 415
NCH: 573
CH: 632
LBW: 495
ELW: 805
W&P: 508
AMEC: 177
Renew: 298
Lead Me, Lord
UMH: 473
AAHH: 145
NNBH: 341
CH: 593
Renew: 175
He Leadeth Me: O Blessed Thought
UMH: 128
AAHH: 142
NNBH: 235
CH: 545
LBW: 501
W&P: 499
AMEC: 395
O Worship the King
UMH: 73
H82: 388
PH: 476
GTG: 41
NNBH: 6
NCH: 26
CH: 17
LBW: 548
ELW: 842
W&P: 2
AMEC: 12
We Gather Together
UMH: 131
H82: 433
PH: 559
GTG: 336
NNBH: 326
NCH: 421
CH: 276
ELW: 449
W&P: 81
AMEC: 576
STLT: 349
Blest Be the Tie That Binds
UMH: 557
PH: 438
GTG: 306
AAHH: 341
NNBH: 298
NCH: 393
CH: 433
LBW: 370
ELW: 656
W&P: 393
AMEC: 522
Cuando El Pobre (When the Poor Ones)
UMH: 434
PH: 407
GTG: 762
CH: 662
ELW: 725
W&P: 624
Spirit Song
UMH: 347
AAHH: 321
CH: 352
W&P: 352
Renew: 248
Sweet, Sweet Spirit
UMH: 334
AAHH: 326
NNBH: 127
NCH: 293
CH: 261
W&P: 134
AMEC: 196
We Meet You, O Christ
UMH: 257
PH: 311
CH: 183
W&P: 616
As We Gather
CCB: 12
Renew: 6
We Are One in Christ Jesus (Somos uno en Christo)
CCB: 43
Music Resources Key
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
GTG: Glory to God, The Presbyterian Hymnal
AAHH: African American Heritage Hymnal
NNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
LBW: Lutheran Book of Worship
ELW: Evangelical Lutheran Worship
W&P: Worship & Praise
AMEC: African Methodist Episcopal Church Hymnal
STLT: Singing the Living Tradition
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
Renew: Renew! Songs & Hymns for Blended Worship
Prayer for the Day/Collect
O God who is our true leader and our true community:
Grant us the grace to seek leaders that reflect your values
and communities that reflect your never-failing love;
through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We praise you, O God, because you are the one who is our true leader. It is in you that we find real community. Help us to seek leaders that reflect your values. Help us to create communities that are filled with your gracious Spirit. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
One: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins and especially when we seek leaders to benefit ourselves or communities that reflect our selfish desires.
All: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We have forsaken your leadership and sought only our own ways. Instead of following Jesus in the true path we have used religious language to justify our self-centered ways. We seek not the community that Christ calls together but those who think like us. We have placed ourselves at the center instead of seeking your presence there. Forgive our foolish selfishness and cleanse us with the power of your Spirit. Lead us once more in the path of love. Amen.
One: God calls us to follow the truth and to gather as God’s own people. Receive God’s gracious mercy and share the path of truth with all who are called there by God.
Prayers of the People
We praise you, O God of Truth. You are the True Path to life eternal. You are the perfect community who calls us to join you.
(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 have forsaken your leadership and sought only our own ways. Instead of following Jesus in the true path we have used religious language to justify our self-centered ways. We seek not the community that Christ calls together but those who think like us. We have placed ourselves at the center instead of seeking your presence there. Forgive our foolish selfishness and cleanse us with the power of your Spirit. Lead us once more in the path of love.
We give you thanks for the ways in which you share your path of life eternal. We thank you for Jesus Christ who teaches us how to understand you as life giving love. We thank you for the mercy which reunites us with you and with all your children. We thank you for those who strive to lead us in your ways. We thank you for those who call us into the beloved community.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for all your children in our need. We pray for those who have lost their way. We pray for those who seek to be beacons of light on the way. We pray for those who seek a family that shares love and grace with one another. Help us to be that community that opens its arms as Jesus did with the sinners, outcasts, lonely, and needy of his day.
(Other intercessions may be offered.)
Hear us as we pray for others: (Time for silent or spoken prayer.)
All these things we ask in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ who taught us to pray saying:
Our Father....Amen.
(Or if the Our Father is not used at this point in the service.)
All this we ask in the name of the Blessed and Holy Trinity. Amen.
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CHILDREN’S SERMONWho Are The People In Your Family?
by Tom Willadsen
Mark 3:20-35
After the kids have gathered up front, ask them if they have brothers or sisters. Brothers and sisters are the closest relatives a person can have. You share more DNA with siblings than with any other type of relative.
If there are only children, ask whether they have ever thought about what it would be like to have a sister or brother. Have they ever wanted a sibling? Would they want a brother or sister? Older or younger, or both?
Here’s a story you can tell or use it as a basis for a similar story from your own experience.
I have two nephews and one niece. Ben is 10, Sam is 8, and Hannah is 4. Hannah is the youngest and the only girl. Sometimes it’s hard to be Hannah. Hannah loves her brothers but sometimes she really wishes there was another girl in her family. She feels alone. Her brothers like to play sports and Hannah doesn’t like sports. Hannah likes tea parties and dressing up, and her brothers don’t like those things at all!
One day at Sunday school there was a new girl named Holly. Holly was three, and Holly didn’t have a brother or sister. Sometimes Holly was lonely. She wanted a sister. Hannah wanted a sister. Hannah and Holly decided to be each other’s sister. They still lived with their families, but at church, they were sisters. They told everyone they were sisters, because you wouldn’t guess that by looking at them. When they got older, they would sleep over at each other’s houses. They were more than friends, they were family.
In the Bible today we heard a story about Jesus. He was talking to people and some of them were getting very, very upset with him. His mother, brothers, and sisters came and tried to get him to stop saying things that were making the people angry. They were afraid Jesus was going to get in trouble or get hurt. Or get them in trouble. They wanted to protect their family and their family’s name and reputation.
When Jesus heard about his family coming to get him, he asked, “Who are my mother and my brothers and sisters? Here they are! They’re the ones who do what God wants!”
Jesus did what Hannah and Holly did. He made up a better family, a family that he wanted. In some churches, the members call each other “brother” and “sister” to remind themselves that they all have the same Father and Mother, so they’re all related to each other.
Let’s have a prayer: God, thank you for making everyone part of the same family. Amen.
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The Immediate Word, June 9, 2024 issue.
Copyright 2024 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.
