Of Fear And Superstition
Children's sermon
Illustration
Preaching
Sermon
Worship
Object:
In the gospel text appointed by the lectionary for the Third Sunday of Easter, Luke depicts a group of disciples gripped by sheer terror -- stoked both by the difficulty of wrapping their minds around the seeming impossibility of it all (epitomized by Thomas's initial skepticism in last week's text) and their understandable fear at the fate awaiting them if they were to be identified as followers of Jesus and fall into the hands of the embarrassed Roman authorities. But when Jesus suddenly joins them, his casual behavior belies their panic as he calmly displays his wounds and asks for a bite to eat. In this installment of The Immediate Word, team member Dean Feldmeyer notes that the scene Luke paints is quite a contrast from the joy and triumphalism that we typically associate with Easter. Yet within that scene, Dean points out, Jesus gives us an important teaching moment about how we can break through the cycle of fear superstition that causes us -- like those frightened disciples -- to withdraw from the world and seek security in a locked room. Instead of hiding out from the boogeymen that threaten us, we can find the strength to be present and witness in a scary world by having the confidence to openly show our wounds -- physical, psychological, and spiritual -- and share our authentic experiences with others.
Team member Mary Austin offers some additional thoughts about the gospel passage and our tendency to separate ourselves from others. Mary suggests that while retreating from the world can at times be a healthy impulse as we refresh and restore our souls, we can't remain isolated forever -- we must eventually go out into the world and be connected with others -- especially if we are to fulfill our calling as witnesses.
Of Fear and Superstition
by Dean Feldmeyer
Luke 24:36b-48
We celebrate Easter as a festival. We put on our Easter finery, we sing hymns of hope, and we eat sweets and fatted hams. The sermon is always positive, hopeful, and uplifting.
But look at the Easter texts in the gospels, and we discover that the good news is as often as not met not just with joy but a healthy dose of fear as well.
This is most obvious in Mark's version of the story, when the women go home and say nothing to anyone because they are afraid. Fear also has a prominent position in this week's passage from Luke's gospel.
Twice the disciples have been told of the resurrection -- once by Peter and once by the two on the road to Emmaus. But when Jesus actually appears to them in the flesh, their reaction is one of fear and superstition: "They were startled and terrified, and thought that they were seeing a ghost" (v. 37).
Jesus, however, knows just what it will take to overcome their fear, their ignorance, and their superstition. In fact, he holds it in the palm of his hand.
THE WORLD
At a moderate level, fear and anticipatory anxiety are good things. They keep us sharp and on our toes. They make us ask the questions that lead us to the answers that make our lives work well. How will I pay the bills? How much should I eat? What time should I go to bed? How fast should I drive? Fear of heights keeps us from walking too close to the edge. Fear of pain keeps us from touching the hot stove.
But when fear and anxiety become chronic, they are detrimental to not just our mental health but our physical health as well. When we worry too much our blood pressure goes up, we overeat or drink, we work too hard and forget to rest and play.
This is true of individuals, but it is also true of groups, families, teams, neighborhoods, communities, and even nations. It is also true of churches. Chronic worry and anxiety ruins the health of the system.
Lately we have seen the truth of this assertion in the United States as we approach the presidential election in November. Political parties small and large are warning us that we should be worried about what will happen if the other party is victorious. The campaign emphases placed on the economy, terrorism, and national security are all nods to fear and anxiety that run rampant in our culture.
In Florida and other states, fear of crime and criminal activity has led to the "Stand Your Ground" law that allows citizens the right to use deadly force in protecting their property and themselves when they have a "reasonable fear" that their life is in danger. But the word "reasonable" has often been left out of the discussion as acquittals pile up not because the shooters had a reasonable fear but because they had any fear at all. In many of these cases, whether or not your life is actually in danger is not as important as the fact that you thought it was.
In my own denomination, the United Methodist Church, all eyes are turned toward Tampa this month as our quadrennial governing body, the General Conference, meets to deal with the fear generated by decades of shrinking membership. We all, liberals and conservatives, are afraid of what may or may not be done by the GC in their nearly frantic effort to plug the leaks.
At the center of the debate will be the big three of denominational fear and anxiety: sexuality, finances, change. And those fears are affecting more than the church. Our entire culture is in a constant state of fear and anxiety over sexuality, war, terrorism, finances, healthcare, and change.
So what do we do? How do we confront those fears before they destroy the things we hold most precious: our freedom, our country, our church, our family?
THE WORD
Luke's account tells us one of the reasons that chronic fear and anxiety are so destructive: People tend to deal with their fears by turning to superstition. "They thought they saw a ghost."
Let me say, right here, before we go any further, that I do NOT believe in ghosts.
I do not believe that dead people re-enter the world of the living and move things around or change the hands on clocks or wander around the house searching for peace. I believe that the belief in ghosts is a reflection of our fear that the deceased have been taken from us forever, and we will never see them again and they are forever lost to us.
Other superstitions are also reflections of our fears. When we put our faith in pyramids, crystals, séances, Ouija boards, runes, tea leaves, palmists, mediums, or the intestines of sacrificial animals, we are admitting that we are afraid and are searching desperately for something to assuage our fears -- preferably something that is cheap, simple, easy, and readily available. In order to lend our superstition of the moment an air of respectability, we prefer that it was believed in by someone else in the past.
"Stand Your Ground" is just a more contemporary example of this kind of superstition -- that we can create a safe, secure, peaceful environment by constantly threatening each other with more and more violence.
When we are afraid, when we are confronted with the threat of meaninglessness, we tend to latch desperately onto the first thing that comes along and promises to give some kind of meaning to our suffering and pain -- and often the first and easiest thing to come along is a shallow superstition that will not, in the long run, stand up to the punishing vicissitudes of real life.
Jesus does not confront the fear and superstition of the apostles with reason and logic, however. He doesn't try to prove their position wrong or argue them out of it with the witty and clever application of his superior intellect and alternative point of view.
Rather, he applies to this situation a liberal dose of intimate self-disclosure.
He shows them his scars, and then he sits down and eats with them.
CRAFTING THE SERMON
Indicative
A sermon on this text might begin by speaking to the fears and anxieties we all share.
Garrison Keillor once said that to be a parent is to resign yourself to a life of worry, and I have never met a parent whose children were so old that this was not the case.
Psychologist and Rabbi Edwin Friedman defined an effective leader as "the non-anxious presence in an anxious system." But then he added this caveat: "All systems are, by nature, anxious."
People in our culture run from thing to thing, religion to religion, superstition to superstition, trying to find something that will give meaning to their lives and the difficulties that life throws at them. Often they are so desperate, they will cling to shallow, insubstantial things that will break loose and leave them unsupported when they need them the most.
Imperative
How shall we bring people out of their pointless and ineffective superstitions and to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ?
The temptation is to follow what we see on the "religion" shelves at the local bookstore. There we find every kind of author, thinker, pundit, and pop theologian making "the case for" Jesus, Christianity, religion in general and arguing against atheism, agnosticism, existentialism, and humanism. It is as though we will eventually come up with an argument so clever and convincing that we will be able to convert people by just talking the talk and not worrying about walking the walk.
Of course, that has never been the case -- and probably never will be.
I have heard dozens of Roman Catholic theologians make their case for the superiority of Catholicism, but those who really made me wonder if it was true were Mother Teresa and Archbishop Oscar Romero.
I have debated theology with colleagues of different Christian denominations, but I never debated ice cream. When we sit down together over banana splits, we are suddenly all just children of God.
Jesus showed the disciples his scars, and then he ate with them.
We best make "the case for Christianity" when we have both scars and food to share with the world.
If we have never sought, we seek Thee now;
Thine eyes burn through the dark, our only stars;
We must have sight of thorn-pricks on Thy brow,
We must have Thee, O Jesus of the Scars.
The heavens frighten us; they are too calm;
In all the universe we have no place.
Our wounds are hurting us; where is the balm?
Lord Jesus, by Thy Scars, we claim Thy grace.
If, when the doors are shut, Thou drawest near,
Only reveal those hands, that side of Thine;
We know today what wounds are, have no fear,
Show us Thy Scars, we know the countersign.
The other gods were strong; but Thou wast weak;
They rode, but Thou didst stumble to a throne;
But to our wounds only God's wounds can speak,
And not a god has wounds, but Thou alone.
-- "Jesus of the Scars," written by English minister Edward Shillito upon surviving the horrors of World War I
SECOND THOUGHTS
by Mary Austin
Luke 24:36b-48
Imagine an emergency room without any loud noises or disorienting bright lights, equipped with an iPad to call the nurse, and a Harry Potter-like artificial skylight that grows darker at night to help you sleep. It seems like a vision from a science fiction movie set in the future -- but some hospitals are setting up just such specialized emergency departments dedicated to serving older people. An article by Anemona Hartocollis in the New York Times reported on this developing trend in emergency care.
In the geriatric emergency department at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, the article observed, "There were no beeping machines or blinking lights or scurrying medical residents. A volunteer circulated among the patients like a flight attendant, making soothing conversation and offering reading glasses, Sudoku puzzles, and hearing aids. Above them, an artificial sun shined through a skylight imprinted with a photographic rendering of a robin's-egg-blue sky, puffy clouds, and leafy trees." This emergency care area and others like it are, as the article says, "part of a growing trend of hospitals trying to cater to the medical needs and sensibilities of aging baby boomers and their parents."
Hospitals are hoping to deliver more comprehensive care to seniors through these emergency rooms, looking at the range of medications a patient is taking, the home environment, whether the patient is disoriented, and all of the other factors that might contribute to a need for emergency care.
Reports the article, "A calmer patient is usually a satisfied one, but advocates of the trend toward geriatric ERs say there are also medical reasons for placing a special focus on the elderly. Being treated in the emergency room is often the beginning of a slide for older patients: within three months of being sent home, up to 27% have another emergency, are admitted to the hospital, or die, studies show."
These specialized emergency rooms raise the question of whether older people have special needs that require segregation from the rest of the hospital population. Some physicians argue that if these areas provide better outcomes, then the same modifications should be made for all patients. Others argue that older people have different needs and can benefit greatly for a different setting for care.
The question of how we separate ourselves from others -- whether in search of better care, because we're afraid, or in preparation for the next step -- comes up in the gospel reading from Luke for this week. The disciples are alone together in Jerusalem, pondering the stories they're hearing about Jesus being raised from the dead, when Jesus appears in their midst. Reassuring them that he's not a ghost, he invites them to touch him, and then has a snack to show them how real and alive he is. Reminding them what he taught them while he was present with them, he proclaims them "witnesses of these things." They are to remain in Jerusalem for a time and to receive a gift of power to equip them to go out into the world.
Luke's version draws an interesting contrast with John's, which has the disciples hiding in a locked room "for fear of the Jews." Luke's version has more a sense of bewilderment and confusion, and then preparation for what Jesus asks them to do.
Witnesses can't stay separated from other people. The room alone, away from everyone else, works as the disciples make sense of the resurrection, as they plan for the future, as they wait for the gift of power. But then they have to leave. There's no possibility of staying there for very long.
For older people, the need for separate emergency care is about the level of service and the requirements of the Affordable Care Act. As the New York Times article notes, "Hospitals also have strong financial incentives to focus on the elderly. People over 65 account for 15 to 20% of emergency room visits, hospital officials say, and that number is expected to grow as the population ages. Under the Affordable Care Act, the health insurance overhaul passed by Congress in 2010, hospitals' Medicare payments will be tied to scores on patient satisfaction surveys and how frequently patients have to be readmitted to the hospital. (The Supreme Court is considering whether to overturn another section of the law, and if it does, whether it would have to throw out the entire law.)"
For us, there may be times of life when we need to be separate from other people, physically or metaphorically, to receive what we need, or to prepare for something new. We may need individual care for an illness, mental or physical, or to meet a special need. Or we may be preparing for an exam, for a sports competition, to become parents, or to take on a new challenge. These times may be emergency rooms of the spirit, building us up or adding to our strength.
In all of those seasons, eventually our isolation ends and we return to the community around us. Our call to be witnesses means that we can't stay separate forever, for God has work for us to do among other people. Jesus returns to claim us for our work as his witnesses -- out in the world and not locked in at home.
ILLUSTRATIONS
We modern-day Christians, for whom the resurrection is a central part of our faith and who have the history of nearly 2,000 years of teaching about that resurrection, probably have virtually no appreciation for the total shock the resurrected Christ must have occasioned in the disciples. Certainly Jesus had spoken about his resurrection, but mostly in rather cryptic terms. The point is -- the disciples were not sitting around waiting for the risen Christ to come among them; they were simply clinging together in their sorrow, depression, and sense of failure. Into this total gloom steps Jesus Christ to proclaim not defeat but victory, to give power to these powerless disciples, to turn their tears into joy.
So often in our lives Christ must come this same way. We've heard all the words, participated in all the rituals, and studied all the texts -- but it is only as Christ suddenly breaks through our despair and gives us power and joy that we really believe. The personal experience of resurrection is an important part of the growth of every Christian.
* * *
Christians are not called to be eyewitnesses when it comes to the good news of resurrection -- how could we? We weren't there! What Christian believers do proclaim about the resurrection of Christ, we proclaim on faith.
The kind of witness Christ needs of us is a witness of another sort. Christ needs us to be "character witnesses." If defense attorneys are angling to undermine the prosecutor's argument, they are likely to call one or more character witnesses -- people who know the defendant, who are willing to vouch for that person, to observe how unlikely it is that their esteemed friend or colleague would ever commit a crime.
That's the kind of witnesses you and I are called to be for Christ: character witnesses. We can't tell firsthand stories about the resurrection -- other than the timeworn, smooth-as-a-piece-of-beach-glass stories that have been passed on across the generations. But we can witness to a personal Christ, a living Lord whom we know, one who has touched our lives and made a difference.
-- Carlos Wilton, Lectionary Preaching Workbook [Series VIII, Cycle B] (CSS Publishing, 2006)
* * *
There's an old story about a Civil War chaplain who one day happened upon a wounded soldier on the battlefield. The chaplain asked him if he'd like to hear a few verses from the Bible. "No," said the wounded man, "but I am thirsty. I'd rather have some water." So the chaplain gave him a drink and then repeated his question.
"No, sir," said the wounded man, "not now -- but could you put something under my head?" The chaplain did so and again repeated his question.
"No, thank you," said the soldier. "I'm cold. Could you cover me up?" The chaplain took off his greatcoat and wrapped the soldier in it. Afraid now to ask, he did not repeat his question again. As the chaplain prepared to depart, the soldier called him back and said: "Look, if there's anything in that book of yours that makes a person do for another what you've done for me, then I want to hear it."
* * *
The practice of making up quotes and placing them in a news story as factual is called by journalists "piping." The term comes from reporters who covered arrests at opium dens and then embellished the story so as to make it read more dramatic.
As Christians, when speaking of the Resurrection we need not revert to piping. The truth of the story stands on its own merits. This is why Luke can write, "You are witnesses to these things" (24:48).
* * *
Luke writes "and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things" (24:47-48).
Do we realize the tremendous power and potential that is ours as the people of God? In his book A Theology of Evangelism, T.A. Kantonen spoke to this passage when he wrote: "Christianity spread because it was essentially a lay movement in which every member was a missionary." Wherever Christians were and wherever they went, they spoke a good word for Christ. They lived for him and they died for him.
It is significant that the very word "layperson" is derived from laos, meaning people, the word the New Testament uses of the messianic people, the royal priesthood of all believers. To be a layperson is thus the highest honor in which a person is held in the New Testament. It is to be a person for the kingdom, a Christ-person. The distinction between the ordained minister and the layperson is utterly insignificant. Both belong to the laos of God, and both are called to the ministry of Christ and his church. The only thing that ultimately matters is to be "in Christ," to be a member of Christ's body and God's kingdom, doing God's work, whatever one's calling may be.
Little wonder that George Sweazey in The Church as Evangelist stated it so well: "Without evangelism there could be no Christian faith on earth. Christ has no other plan."
What are you doing to spread the news of Christ?
* * *
Fred Craddock, in his book As One Without Authority, wrote "that the New Testament itself arose out of the continual interpretation of the gospel for new situations. New interpretations are necessary because the new context of the hearer has to be addressed" (p. 121). This new interpretation is not a contradictory interpretation, but an evolving interpretation that addresses the needs of new audiences. Thus there is a progression through the epistles and the gospels, each written at a specific time to a specific audience in a specific geographical setting.
Thus we focus the scriptures on our current time and current place. For example, as we remember the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic and what those on the ship must have felt as it was going down, we understand the fear and panic of those in the upper room contemplating an uncertain future.
Jesus is said "to have opened their minds to understand the scriptures" (Luke 24:45). In doing so, by following the example of the writers of the two articles for The Immediate Word this week, we can see how "New interpretations are necessary because the new context of the hearer has to be addressed." That context is found in current events, such as on the deck of the submerged Titanic.
* * *
There is a tree in Santa Maria Del Tule, Mexico, that is between 1,400 and 3,000 years old. The tree may have been living when Moses parted the Red Sea. The tree was quite possibly standing when Jesus walked unencumbered into the upper room.
Reflecting on that tree, Omid Safi, Professor of Islamic Studies at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, wrote: "The Islamic tradition usually speaks of the natural phenomenon as an aya, a word that means both the sign of God and a verse of the scripture." According to Safi, the sign of God can be seen in nature. Therefore, he concluded, "How sweet would it be to realize that the peace inside our hearts and souls, peace among us humans, is intimately connected to our ability to live in peace with the natural cosmos."
We often have to wonder, when surrounded by the majesty of creation, "Why do you doubt in your hearts?" (Luke 24:38).
* * *
The baseball community speaks fondly of "Yogi-isms" -- anecdotes attributed to former player and manager Yogi Berra, who is notorious for mixing metaphors and saying things that are just a little off or mixed up. In fact, there's an entire book devoted to these gems, of which Yogi maintains "I really didn't say everything I said." AFLAC insurance also made Yogi and his unique way of mangling the language the centerpiece of a memorable ad.
One of the classic "Yogi-isms" comes to mind in reading this week's gospel passage: "It ain't over till it's over." The disciples thought that with the death of Jesus, it was over. They had trouble believing that it was not over even when they saw the risen Christ among them. Indeed, the disciples were confused and disorganized until they realized that God was reminding them it was not over.
WORSHIP RESOURCES
by George Reed
Call to Worship
Leader: Answer us when we call, O God! You gave me room when I was in distress.
People: Be gracious to us and hear our prayer.
Leader: When you are disturbed, do not sin;
People: we will ponder it on your beds and be silent.
Leader: Offer right sacrifices and put your trust in God!
People: God has put gladness in our hearts more than when grain and wine abound.
OR
Leader: Fear not, for God is with us!
People: But there is so much around us that is scary!
Leader: Fear not, for God is with us!
People: But the evil around us seems so strong!
Leader: Fear not, for God is with us!
People: With God we will face our fears!
Hymns and Sacred Songs
"Give to the Winds Thy Fears"
found in:
UMH: 129
PH: 286
"All My Hope Is Firmly Grounded"
found in:
UMH: 132
H82: 665
NCH: 408
CH: 88
ELW: 757
"Be Still, My Soul"
found in:
UMH: 534
AAHH: 135
NNBH: 265
NCH: 488
CH: 566
"My Faith Looks Up to Thee"
found in:
UMH: 452
H82: 691
PH: 383
AAHH: 456
NNBH: 273
CH: 576
LBW: 479
ELW: 759
"The Care the Eagle Gives Her Young"
found in:
UMH: 118
NCH: 468
CH: 76
"God of Grace and God of Glory"
found in:
UMH: 577
H82: 594/595
PH: 420
NCH: 436
CH: 464
LBW: 415
ELW: 705
Renew: 301
"O God, Our Help in Ages Past"
found in:
UMH: 117
H82: 680
AAHH: 170
NNBH: 46
NCH: 25
CH: 67
LBW: 320
ELW: 632
"Great Is Thy Faithfulness"
found in:
UMH: 140
AAHH: 158
NNBH: 45
NCH: 423
CH: 86
ELW: 733
Renew: 249
"I Will Call upon the Lord"
found in:
CCB: 9
Renew: 15
"Sing Unto the Lord a New Song"
CCB: 16
Renew: 99
Music Resources Key:
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982 (The Episcopal Church)
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
AAHH: African-American Heritage Hymnal
NNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
LBW: Lutheran Book of Worship
ELW: Evangelical Lutheran Worship
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
Renew: Renew! Songs & Hymns for Blended Worship
Prayer for the Day / Collect
O God who lives now, then, and always: Grant us the faith and courage to trust in you and to leave our fears behind so that we may follow Jesus courageously; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
O God of all eternity, we come to worship you and to invite you into our hearts anew so that we may boldly follow Jesus into the fullness of your reign. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
Leader: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins and especially the ways in which we let our fears bind us.
People: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We have let our fears rule our lives. We worry about what people will think of us more than considering what would be best for us. We are so afraid of losing status that we will not risk ourselves for others. Our fear has bound us, when you wish only to set us free. Forgive us our foolish, fearful ways and give us the boldness of your Spirit that we may live as Jesus' disciples in this world. Amen.
Leader: God does not want us to be afraid. Jesus has defeated all evil. Live in God's love and power with joy.
Prayers of the People (and the Lord's Prayer)
We give you thanks, O God who holds creation in the palm of your hand. We are in awe of your boundless care for us all!
(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 let our fears rule our lives. We worry about what people will think of us more than considering what would be best for us. We are so afraid of losing status that we will not risk ourselves for others. Our fear has bound us, when you wish only to set us free. Forgive us our foolish, fearful ways and give us the boldness of your Spirit that we may live as Jesus' disciples in this world.
We give you thanks for your presence with us in all of our lives. We thank you for your Spirit and for the ways in which we find you present in the church. We thank you for the examples of those ancient and those still among us who have lived courageously and have set an example for us.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We offer to you all of us who are bound by fear. We know many have awful circumstances that cause them to despair. We know that illness, poverty, oppression, and sin can bind us and destroy our faith. Help us to live boldly in your love so that others will know you are with them.
(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
Talk to the children about a time when you were afraid. And then about when you found out how things really were or who would be there, you were able to not be afraid. Jesus is always with us so we can face even scary things.
CHILDREN'S SERMON
The Identifying Scars
by Elaine M. Ward
Luke 24:36-43
"Alan, you are late again!" Alan's father's jaw twitched, which meant he was not pleased. Alan's father was angry. "This is the third time this week you have been late to dinner!"
The family was seated at the dinner table when Alan slammed the door, dropped his books on the floor, pulled out his chair, and sat down at the table. "I'm sorry. I didn't know what time it was." It was Alan's usual excuse.
The next morning at the breakfast table there was a surprise package beside Alan's plate. Alan unwrapped the box. In it was an inexpensive watch, but it was Alan's. He grinned. "Now I don't have an excuse."
That evening the family was sitting at the dinner table when Alan slammed the door, dropped his books on the floor, pulled out his chair, and sat down at the table. "I'm sorry. I forgot to watch my watch." Alan's father glared at Alan across the table, his jaw twitching, which meant he was angry.
"If you are late tomorrow, your dinner will be bread and water!"
The next night dinner was later than usual. "Mary, what is slowing up dinner?" Father asked. Mother said nothing, simply setting the table, glancing at Alan's empty chair.
When everyone was at last seated at the dinner table, their plates filled with food, Alan slammed the door, dropped his books on the floor, pulled out his chair, and sat down at the table. "I'm sorry..."
Alan looked down at his plate. There was a piece of dry bread and a glass of water. Everyone was eating fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, and crisp orange carrots, his favorite foods. His stomach growled with hunger and he coughed so no one would hear it. He wanted to hold his nose so he wouldn't smell the fried chicken. Then, without meaning to, a tear rolled down Alan's cheek.
Everyone continued to eat. No one paid any attention to Alan until suddenly his father reached out, taking Alan's empty plate and glass of water and giving Alan his plate of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, crisp orange carrots, and a glass of milk.
That night Alan's father went to bed hungry and Alan went to bed with a scar. He never forgot that meal and from then on he was home in time for dinner as everyone else was, for as he told his children years later, "All my life I have known what God is like because of what my father did that night."
Our sacred story says that Jesus was recognized by the scars on his hands and feet that were symbols of victory and of love.
Talk together: Have you ever hurt yourself and had a scar from your wound? What were Jesus' scars? What was Alan's scar? How did he know what God is like? Jesus told a story of a "father like that."
Prayer: Thank you, God, for being our loving parent. Help us to be brave and remember the scars of Jesus when we receive scars from harsh or ugly words, rejection, or other hurts. Amen.
-- from Alleluia! (CSS Publishing, 2003)
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, April 22, 2012, 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.
Team member Mary Austin offers some additional thoughts about the gospel passage and our tendency to separate ourselves from others. Mary suggests that while retreating from the world can at times be a healthy impulse as we refresh and restore our souls, we can't remain isolated forever -- we must eventually go out into the world and be connected with others -- especially if we are to fulfill our calling as witnesses.
Of Fear and Superstition
by Dean Feldmeyer
Luke 24:36b-48
We celebrate Easter as a festival. We put on our Easter finery, we sing hymns of hope, and we eat sweets and fatted hams. The sermon is always positive, hopeful, and uplifting.
But look at the Easter texts in the gospels, and we discover that the good news is as often as not met not just with joy but a healthy dose of fear as well.
This is most obvious in Mark's version of the story, when the women go home and say nothing to anyone because they are afraid. Fear also has a prominent position in this week's passage from Luke's gospel.
Twice the disciples have been told of the resurrection -- once by Peter and once by the two on the road to Emmaus. But when Jesus actually appears to them in the flesh, their reaction is one of fear and superstition: "They were startled and terrified, and thought that they were seeing a ghost" (v. 37).
Jesus, however, knows just what it will take to overcome their fear, their ignorance, and their superstition. In fact, he holds it in the palm of his hand.
THE WORLD
At a moderate level, fear and anticipatory anxiety are good things. They keep us sharp and on our toes. They make us ask the questions that lead us to the answers that make our lives work well. How will I pay the bills? How much should I eat? What time should I go to bed? How fast should I drive? Fear of heights keeps us from walking too close to the edge. Fear of pain keeps us from touching the hot stove.
But when fear and anxiety become chronic, they are detrimental to not just our mental health but our physical health as well. When we worry too much our blood pressure goes up, we overeat or drink, we work too hard and forget to rest and play.
This is true of individuals, but it is also true of groups, families, teams, neighborhoods, communities, and even nations. It is also true of churches. Chronic worry and anxiety ruins the health of the system.
Lately we have seen the truth of this assertion in the United States as we approach the presidential election in November. Political parties small and large are warning us that we should be worried about what will happen if the other party is victorious. The campaign emphases placed on the economy, terrorism, and national security are all nods to fear and anxiety that run rampant in our culture.
In Florida and other states, fear of crime and criminal activity has led to the "Stand Your Ground" law that allows citizens the right to use deadly force in protecting their property and themselves when they have a "reasonable fear" that their life is in danger. But the word "reasonable" has often been left out of the discussion as acquittals pile up not because the shooters had a reasonable fear but because they had any fear at all. In many of these cases, whether or not your life is actually in danger is not as important as the fact that you thought it was.
In my own denomination, the United Methodist Church, all eyes are turned toward Tampa this month as our quadrennial governing body, the General Conference, meets to deal with the fear generated by decades of shrinking membership. We all, liberals and conservatives, are afraid of what may or may not be done by the GC in their nearly frantic effort to plug the leaks.
At the center of the debate will be the big three of denominational fear and anxiety: sexuality, finances, change. And those fears are affecting more than the church. Our entire culture is in a constant state of fear and anxiety over sexuality, war, terrorism, finances, healthcare, and change.
So what do we do? How do we confront those fears before they destroy the things we hold most precious: our freedom, our country, our church, our family?
THE WORD
Luke's account tells us one of the reasons that chronic fear and anxiety are so destructive: People tend to deal with their fears by turning to superstition. "They thought they saw a ghost."
Let me say, right here, before we go any further, that I do NOT believe in ghosts.
I do not believe that dead people re-enter the world of the living and move things around or change the hands on clocks or wander around the house searching for peace. I believe that the belief in ghosts is a reflection of our fear that the deceased have been taken from us forever, and we will never see them again and they are forever lost to us.
Other superstitions are also reflections of our fears. When we put our faith in pyramids, crystals, séances, Ouija boards, runes, tea leaves, palmists, mediums, or the intestines of sacrificial animals, we are admitting that we are afraid and are searching desperately for something to assuage our fears -- preferably something that is cheap, simple, easy, and readily available. In order to lend our superstition of the moment an air of respectability, we prefer that it was believed in by someone else in the past.
"Stand Your Ground" is just a more contemporary example of this kind of superstition -- that we can create a safe, secure, peaceful environment by constantly threatening each other with more and more violence.
When we are afraid, when we are confronted with the threat of meaninglessness, we tend to latch desperately onto the first thing that comes along and promises to give some kind of meaning to our suffering and pain -- and often the first and easiest thing to come along is a shallow superstition that will not, in the long run, stand up to the punishing vicissitudes of real life.
Jesus does not confront the fear and superstition of the apostles with reason and logic, however. He doesn't try to prove their position wrong or argue them out of it with the witty and clever application of his superior intellect and alternative point of view.
Rather, he applies to this situation a liberal dose of intimate self-disclosure.
He shows them his scars, and then he sits down and eats with them.
CRAFTING THE SERMON
Indicative
A sermon on this text might begin by speaking to the fears and anxieties we all share.
Garrison Keillor once said that to be a parent is to resign yourself to a life of worry, and I have never met a parent whose children were so old that this was not the case.
Psychologist and Rabbi Edwin Friedman defined an effective leader as "the non-anxious presence in an anxious system." But then he added this caveat: "All systems are, by nature, anxious."
People in our culture run from thing to thing, religion to religion, superstition to superstition, trying to find something that will give meaning to their lives and the difficulties that life throws at them. Often they are so desperate, they will cling to shallow, insubstantial things that will break loose and leave them unsupported when they need them the most.
Imperative
How shall we bring people out of their pointless and ineffective superstitions and to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ?
The temptation is to follow what we see on the "religion" shelves at the local bookstore. There we find every kind of author, thinker, pundit, and pop theologian making "the case for" Jesus, Christianity, religion in general and arguing against atheism, agnosticism, existentialism, and humanism. It is as though we will eventually come up with an argument so clever and convincing that we will be able to convert people by just talking the talk and not worrying about walking the walk.
Of course, that has never been the case -- and probably never will be.
I have heard dozens of Roman Catholic theologians make their case for the superiority of Catholicism, but those who really made me wonder if it was true were Mother Teresa and Archbishop Oscar Romero.
I have debated theology with colleagues of different Christian denominations, but I never debated ice cream. When we sit down together over banana splits, we are suddenly all just children of God.
Jesus showed the disciples his scars, and then he ate with them.
We best make "the case for Christianity" when we have both scars and food to share with the world.
If we have never sought, we seek Thee now;
Thine eyes burn through the dark, our only stars;
We must have sight of thorn-pricks on Thy brow,
We must have Thee, O Jesus of the Scars.
The heavens frighten us; they are too calm;
In all the universe we have no place.
Our wounds are hurting us; where is the balm?
Lord Jesus, by Thy Scars, we claim Thy grace.
If, when the doors are shut, Thou drawest near,
Only reveal those hands, that side of Thine;
We know today what wounds are, have no fear,
Show us Thy Scars, we know the countersign.
The other gods were strong; but Thou wast weak;
They rode, but Thou didst stumble to a throne;
But to our wounds only God's wounds can speak,
And not a god has wounds, but Thou alone.
-- "Jesus of the Scars," written by English minister Edward Shillito upon surviving the horrors of World War I
SECOND THOUGHTS
by Mary Austin
Luke 24:36b-48
Imagine an emergency room without any loud noises or disorienting bright lights, equipped with an iPad to call the nurse, and a Harry Potter-like artificial skylight that grows darker at night to help you sleep. It seems like a vision from a science fiction movie set in the future -- but some hospitals are setting up just such specialized emergency departments dedicated to serving older people. An article by Anemona Hartocollis in the New York Times reported on this developing trend in emergency care.
In the geriatric emergency department at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, the article observed, "There were no beeping machines or blinking lights or scurrying medical residents. A volunteer circulated among the patients like a flight attendant, making soothing conversation and offering reading glasses, Sudoku puzzles, and hearing aids. Above them, an artificial sun shined through a skylight imprinted with a photographic rendering of a robin's-egg-blue sky, puffy clouds, and leafy trees." This emergency care area and others like it are, as the article says, "part of a growing trend of hospitals trying to cater to the medical needs and sensibilities of aging baby boomers and their parents."
Hospitals are hoping to deliver more comprehensive care to seniors through these emergency rooms, looking at the range of medications a patient is taking, the home environment, whether the patient is disoriented, and all of the other factors that might contribute to a need for emergency care.
Reports the article, "A calmer patient is usually a satisfied one, but advocates of the trend toward geriatric ERs say there are also medical reasons for placing a special focus on the elderly. Being treated in the emergency room is often the beginning of a slide for older patients: within three months of being sent home, up to 27% have another emergency, are admitted to the hospital, or die, studies show."
These specialized emergency rooms raise the question of whether older people have special needs that require segregation from the rest of the hospital population. Some physicians argue that if these areas provide better outcomes, then the same modifications should be made for all patients. Others argue that older people have different needs and can benefit greatly for a different setting for care.
The question of how we separate ourselves from others -- whether in search of better care, because we're afraid, or in preparation for the next step -- comes up in the gospel reading from Luke for this week. The disciples are alone together in Jerusalem, pondering the stories they're hearing about Jesus being raised from the dead, when Jesus appears in their midst. Reassuring them that he's not a ghost, he invites them to touch him, and then has a snack to show them how real and alive he is. Reminding them what he taught them while he was present with them, he proclaims them "witnesses of these things." They are to remain in Jerusalem for a time and to receive a gift of power to equip them to go out into the world.
Luke's version draws an interesting contrast with John's, which has the disciples hiding in a locked room "for fear of the Jews." Luke's version has more a sense of bewilderment and confusion, and then preparation for what Jesus asks them to do.
Witnesses can't stay separated from other people. The room alone, away from everyone else, works as the disciples make sense of the resurrection, as they plan for the future, as they wait for the gift of power. But then they have to leave. There's no possibility of staying there for very long.
For older people, the need for separate emergency care is about the level of service and the requirements of the Affordable Care Act. As the New York Times article notes, "Hospitals also have strong financial incentives to focus on the elderly. People over 65 account for 15 to 20% of emergency room visits, hospital officials say, and that number is expected to grow as the population ages. Under the Affordable Care Act, the health insurance overhaul passed by Congress in 2010, hospitals' Medicare payments will be tied to scores on patient satisfaction surveys and how frequently patients have to be readmitted to the hospital. (The Supreme Court is considering whether to overturn another section of the law, and if it does, whether it would have to throw out the entire law.)"
For us, there may be times of life when we need to be separate from other people, physically or metaphorically, to receive what we need, or to prepare for something new. We may need individual care for an illness, mental or physical, or to meet a special need. Or we may be preparing for an exam, for a sports competition, to become parents, or to take on a new challenge. These times may be emergency rooms of the spirit, building us up or adding to our strength.
In all of those seasons, eventually our isolation ends and we return to the community around us. Our call to be witnesses means that we can't stay separate forever, for God has work for us to do among other people. Jesus returns to claim us for our work as his witnesses -- out in the world and not locked in at home.
ILLUSTRATIONS
We modern-day Christians, for whom the resurrection is a central part of our faith and who have the history of nearly 2,000 years of teaching about that resurrection, probably have virtually no appreciation for the total shock the resurrected Christ must have occasioned in the disciples. Certainly Jesus had spoken about his resurrection, but mostly in rather cryptic terms. The point is -- the disciples were not sitting around waiting for the risen Christ to come among them; they were simply clinging together in their sorrow, depression, and sense of failure. Into this total gloom steps Jesus Christ to proclaim not defeat but victory, to give power to these powerless disciples, to turn their tears into joy.
So often in our lives Christ must come this same way. We've heard all the words, participated in all the rituals, and studied all the texts -- but it is only as Christ suddenly breaks through our despair and gives us power and joy that we really believe. The personal experience of resurrection is an important part of the growth of every Christian.
* * *
Christians are not called to be eyewitnesses when it comes to the good news of resurrection -- how could we? We weren't there! What Christian believers do proclaim about the resurrection of Christ, we proclaim on faith.
The kind of witness Christ needs of us is a witness of another sort. Christ needs us to be "character witnesses." If defense attorneys are angling to undermine the prosecutor's argument, they are likely to call one or more character witnesses -- people who know the defendant, who are willing to vouch for that person, to observe how unlikely it is that their esteemed friend or colleague would ever commit a crime.
That's the kind of witnesses you and I are called to be for Christ: character witnesses. We can't tell firsthand stories about the resurrection -- other than the timeworn, smooth-as-a-piece-of-beach-glass stories that have been passed on across the generations. But we can witness to a personal Christ, a living Lord whom we know, one who has touched our lives and made a difference.
-- Carlos Wilton, Lectionary Preaching Workbook [Series VIII, Cycle B] (CSS Publishing, 2006)
* * *
There's an old story about a Civil War chaplain who one day happened upon a wounded soldier on the battlefield. The chaplain asked him if he'd like to hear a few verses from the Bible. "No," said the wounded man, "but I am thirsty. I'd rather have some water." So the chaplain gave him a drink and then repeated his question.
"No, sir," said the wounded man, "not now -- but could you put something under my head?" The chaplain did so and again repeated his question.
"No, thank you," said the soldier. "I'm cold. Could you cover me up?" The chaplain took off his greatcoat and wrapped the soldier in it. Afraid now to ask, he did not repeat his question again. As the chaplain prepared to depart, the soldier called him back and said: "Look, if there's anything in that book of yours that makes a person do for another what you've done for me, then I want to hear it."
* * *
The practice of making up quotes and placing them in a news story as factual is called by journalists "piping." The term comes from reporters who covered arrests at opium dens and then embellished the story so as to make it read more dramatic.
As Christians, when speaking of the Resurrection we need not revert to piping. The truth of the story stands on its own merits. This is why Luke can write, "You are witnesses to these things" (24:48).
* * *
Luke writes "and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things" (24:47-48).
Do we realize the tremendous power and potential that is ours as the people of God? In his book A Theology of Evangelism, T.A. Kantonen spoke to this passage when he wrote: "Christianity spread because it was essentially a lay movement in which every member was a missionary." Wherever Christians were and wherever they went, they spoke a good word for Christ. They lived for him and they died for him.
It is significant that the very word "layperson" is derived from laos, meaning people, the word the New Testament uses of the messianic people, the royal priesthood of all believers. To be a layperson is thus the highest honor in which a person is held in the New Testament. It is to be a person for the kingdom, a Christ-person. The distinction between the ordained minister and the layperson is utterly insignificant. Both belong to the laos of God, and both are called to the ministry of Christ and his church. The only thing that ultimately matters is to be "in Christ," to be a member of Christ's body and God's kingdom, doing God's work, whatever one's calling may be.
Little wonder that George Sweazey in The Church as Evangelist stated it so well: "Without evangelism there could be no Christian faith on earth. Christ has no other plan."
What are you doing to spread the news of Christ?
* * *
Fred Craddock, in his book As One Without Authority, wrote "that the New Testament itself arose out of the continual interpretation of the gospel for new situations. New interpretations are necessary because the new context of the hearer has to be addressed" (p. 121). This new interpretation is not a contradictory interpretation, but an evolving interpretation that addresses the needs of new audiences. Thus there is a progression through the epistles and the gospels, each written at a specific time to a specific audience in a specific geographical setting.
Thus we focus the scriptures on our current time and current place. For example, as we remember the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic and what those on the ship must have felt as it was going down, we understand the fear and panic of those in the upper room contemplating an uncertain future.
Jesus is said "to have opened their minds to understand the scriptures" (Luke 24:45). In doing so, by following the example of the writers of the two articles for The Immediate Word this week, we can see how "New interpretations are necessary because the new context of the hearer has to be addressed." That context is found in current events, such as on the deck of the submerged Titanic.
* * *
There is a tree in Santa Maria Del Tule, Mexico, that is between 1,400 and 3,000 years old. The tree may have been living when Moses parted the Red Sea. The tree was quite possibly standing when Jesus walked unencumbered into the upper room.
Reflecting on that tree, Omid Safi, Professor of Islamic Studies at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, wrote: "The Islamic tradition usually speaks of the natural phenomenon as an aya, a word that means both the sign of God and a verse of the scripture." According to Safi, the sign of God can be seen in nature. Therefore, he concluded, "How sweet would it be to realize that the peace inside our hearts and souls, peace among us humans, is intimately connected to our ability to live in peace with the natural cosmos."
We often have to wonder, when surrounded by the majesty of creation, "Why do you doubt in your hearts?" (Luke 24:38).
* * *
The baseball community speaks fondly of "Yogi-isms" -- anecdotes attributed to former player and manager Yogi Berra, who is notorious for mixing metaphors and saying things that are just a little off or mixed up. In fact, there's an entire book devoted to these gems, of which Yogi maintains "I really didn't say everything I said." AFLAC insurance also made Yogi and his unique way of mangling the language the centerpiece of a memorable ad.
One of the classic "Yogi-isms" comes to mind in reading this week's gospel passage: "It ain't over till it's over." The disciples thought that with the death of Jesus, it was over. They had trouble believing that it was not over even when they saw the risen Christ among them. Indeed, the disciples were confused and disorganized until they realized that God was reminding them it was not over.
WORSHIP RESOURCES
by George Reed
Call to Worship
Leader: Answer us when we call, O God! You gave me room when I was in distress.
People: Be gracious to us and hear our prayer.
Leader: When you are disturbed, do not sin;
People: we will ponder it on your beds and be silent.
Leader: Offer right sacrifices and put your trust in God!
People: God has put gladness in our hearts more than when grain and wine abound.
OR
Leader: Fear not, for God is with us!
People: But there is so much around us that is scary!
Leader: Fear not, for God is with us!
People: But the evil around us seems so strong!
Leader: Fear not, for God is with us!
People: With God we will face our fears!
Hymns and Sacred Songs
"Give to the Winds Thy Fears"
found in:
UMH: 129
PH: 286
"All My Hope Is Firmly Grounded"
found in:
UMH: 132
H82: 665
NCH: 408
CH: 88
ELW: 757
"Be Still, My Soul"
found in:
UMH: 534
AAHH: 135
NNBH: 265
NCH: 488
CH: 566
"My Faith Looks Up to Thee"
found in:
UMH: 452
H82: 691
PH: 383
AAHH: 456
NNBH: 273
CH: 576
LBW: 479
ELW: 759
"The Care the Eagle Gives Her Young"
found in:
UMH: 118
NCH: 468
CH: 76
"God of Grace and God of Glory"
found in:
UMH: 577
H82: 594/595
PH: 420
NCH: 436
CH: 464
LBW: 415
ELW: 705
Renew: 301
"O God, Our Help in Ages Past"
found in:
UMH: 117
H82: 680
AAHH: 170
NNBH: 46
NCH: 25
CH: 67
LBW: 320
ELW: 632
"Great Is Thy Faithfulness"
found in:
UMH: 140
AAHH: 158
NNBH: 45
NCH: 423
CH: 86
ELW: 733
Renew: 249
"I Will Call upon the Lord"
found in:
CCB: 9
Renew: 15
"Sing Unto the Lord a New Song"
CCB: 16
Renew: 99
Music Resources Key:
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982 (The Episcopal Church)
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
AAHH: African-American Heritage Hymnal
NNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
LBW: Lutheran Book of Worship
ELW: Evangelical Lutheran Worship
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
Renew: Renew! Songs & Hymns for Blended Worship
Prayer for the Day / Collect
O God who lives now, then, and always: Grant us the faith and courage to trust in you and to leave our fears behind so that we may follow Jesus courageously; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
O God of all eternity, we come to worship you and to invite you into our hearts anew so that we may boldly follow Jesus into the fullness of your reign. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
Leader: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins and especially the ways in which we let our fears bind us.
People: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We have let our fears rule our lives. We worry about what people will think of us more than considering what would be best for us. We are so afraid of losing status that we will not risk ourselves for others. Our fear has bound us, when you wish only to set us free. Forgive us our foolish, fearful ways and give us the boldness of your Spirit that we may live as Jesus' disciples in this world. Amen.
Leader: God does not want us to be afraid. Jesus has defeated all evil. Live in God's love and power with joy.
Prayers of the People (and the Lord's Prayer)
We give you thanks, O God who holds creation in the palm of your hand. We are in awe of your boundless care for us all!
(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 let our fears rule our lives. We worry about what people will think of us more than considering what would be best for us. We are so afraid of losing status that we will not risk ourselves for others. Our fear has bound us, when you wish only to set us free. Forgive us our foolish, fearful ways and give us the boldness of your Spirit that we may live as Jesus' disciples in this world.
We give you thanks for your presence with us in all of our lives. We thank you for your Spirit and for the ways in which we find you present in the church. We thank you for the examples of those ancient and those still among us who have lived courageously and have set an example for us.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We offer to you all of us who are bound by fear. We know many have awful circumstances that cause them to despair. We know that illness, poverty, oppression, and sin can bind us and destroy our faith. Help us to live boldly in your love so that others will know you are with them.
(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
Talk to the children about a time when you were afraid. And then about when you found out how things really were or who would be there, you were able to not be afraid. Jesus is always with us so we can face even scary things.
CHILDREN'S SERMON
The Identifying Scars
by Elaine M. Ward
Luke 24:36-43
"Alan, you are late again!" Alan's father's jaw twitched, which meant he was not pleased. Alan's father was angry. "This is the third time this week you have been late to dinner!"
The family was seated at the dinner table when Alan slammed the door, dropped his books on the floor, pulled out his chair, and sat down at the table. "I'm sorry. I didn't know what time it was." It was Alan's usual excuse.
The next morning at the breakfast table there was a surprise package beside Alan's plate. Alan unwrapped the box. In it was an inexpensive watch, but it was Alan's. He grinned. "Now I don't have an excuse."
That evening the family was sitting at the dinner table when Alan slammed the door, dropped his books on the floor, pulled out his chair, and sat down at the table. "I'm sorry. I forgot to watch my watch." Alan's father glared at Alan across the table, his jaw twitching, which meant he was angry.
"If you are late tomorrow, your dinner will be bread and water!"
The next night dinner was later than usual. "Mary, what is slowing up dinner?" Father asked. Mother said nothing, simply setting the table, glancing at Alan's empty chair.
When everyone was at last seated at the dinner table, their plates filled with food, Alan slammed the door, dropped his books on the floor, pulled out his chair, and sat down at the table. "I'm sorry..."
Alan looked down at his plate. There was a piece of dry bread and a glass of water. Everyone was eating fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, and crisp orange carrots, his favorite foods. His stomach growled with hunger and he coughed so no one would hear it. He wanted to hold his nose so he wouldn't smell the fried chicken. Then, without meaning to, a tear rolled down Alan's cheek.
Everyone continued to eat. No one paid any attention to Alan until suddenly his father reached out, taking Alan's empty plate and glass of water and giving Alan his plate of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, crisp orange carrots, and a glass of milk.
That night Alan's father went to bed hungry and Alan went to bed with a scar. He never forgot that meal and from then on he was home in time for dinner as everyone else was, for as he told his children years later, "All my life I have known what God is like because of what my father did that night."
Our sacred story says that Jesus was recognized by the scars on his hands and feet that were symbols of victory and of love.
Talk together: Have you ever hurt yourself and had a scar from your wound? What were Jesus' scars? What was Alan's scar? How did he know what God is like? Jesus told a story of a "father like that."
Prayer: Thank you, God, for being our loving parent. Help us to be brave and remember the scars of Jesus when we receive scars from harsh or ugly words, rejection, or other hurts. Amen.
-- from Alleluia! (CSS Publishing, 2003)
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, April 22, 2012, 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.
