The Good We Cannot Do
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For July 9, 2023:
The Good We Cannot Do
by Chris Keating
Romans 7:15-25
The birthday card purchased, written, and unsent. The note, lodged between piles of bills, that recorded the surely broken promise to meet up for lunch. Another note that said only “Ireland” with a question mark. Still another with goals: go walking, get exercise, see friends. A pile of books stacked near a favorite chair, waiting to be read. A fading whiteboard reminder, “Get dog food!”
Every room of my sister’s house was brimming with well-intentioned yet uncompleted tasks. They clamored for attention like roses in bloom, popping up across rooms and nestled among artifacts. Sorting through the notes and scribbles offered some insight into the progression that dementia had made in eroding her mind. It’s all a tangled mess, a skein of yarn hopelessly unraveled.
My sweet, well-educated, hard-working sister now lives in a memory care residence, her home devoid of the happiness and life she once brought to it. Packing up a person’s life is hard enough, but encountering these hidden layers of aborted plans, embryonic ideas, and wishful goals makes the work harder.
Through it all, I remember the first time my parents taught me that ancient adage about the pavement used to build the highways leading to the place of the damned. Being allowed in on their inside joke while also being allowed to say “hell” made me feel grown up. It had never crossed my mind that there were actual highways that led to hell, and my fascination that there were actual bricks formed from good intentions grew.
Paul would have understood the frustrations of our human intentions, though he was less concerned with our forgetfulness and inattention than he was with systemic sin. “I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate,” he reflects in 7:15. He sees himself held captive to the “law of sin,” rather than to God’s law, rendering all his well-intended acts null and void.
A trio of hot-button decisions from the US Supreme court last week brought fresh reminders of the entrenched nature of systemic sin. The end of term decisions hit like early fireworks displays, igniting fresh tensions in cultural and political battles. In particular, the court’s decision to scuttle decades-long policies concerning affirmative action is a lingering reminder of the sins of slavery.
Paul’s counsel is particularly timely: “Who will rescue me from this body of death?” he writes before adding, “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
In the News
This week’s epistle reading guides us toward a no-holds barred look at the ways sin infects God’s creation. It pushes us, says Ted A. Smith, “to tell the truth about the ways that sin flourishes, not only in our failings, but even in our best actions — our work for goods like peace, justice, equality, hospitality, the welfare of vulnerable people, the health of the planet, the proclamation of the gospel, and the sanctity of life.” (Ted A. Smith, “Theological Perspective on Romans 7:15–25 A,” in Feasting on the Word: Preaching the Revised Common Lectionary: Year A, ed. David L. Bartlett and Barbara Brown Taylor, vol. 3, Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2011, p. 210.)
In other words, even the good we hope to achieve is tainted. Consider that whatever scientific gains Stockton Rush, the creator of the ill-fated Titan submersible, had achieved will be overshadowed by his carelessness. New reports show that Stockton had admitted that he may have “broken some rules” to turn exploring the Titanic’s wreckage into a profitable tourist trek. Moreover, Stockton ignored warnings about safety issues, saying he was “tired of industry players who try to use a safety argument to stop innovation.”
It’s easy to point fingers at Stockton’s hubris. We can, after all, write off the episode as the folly of billionaires and the privileged. It is more difficult to acknowledge our own complicity with the suffering of the most vulnerable. While TikTok viewers were glued to nonstop coverage of the Titan’s ill-fated plunge, fewer were paying attention to another sea tragedy occurring at the same time. Immigrants aboard a crowded fishing trawler drowned only 50 miles off the coast of Greece following days adrift.
More than 600 persons died June 14 when the Adriana fishing vessel sank within sight of a Greek Coast Guard boat. Survivors told of being trafficked by North African smugglers who charged exorbitant fares and filled the boat beyond its capacity. Court records show that immigrants had paid a collective $3.5 million to be smuggled into Italy. A sinister class system forced Pakistanis to occupy the bottom of the ship, women and children in the middle, and Syrians, Palestinians, and Egyptians on top. The majority of those on the lower decks drowned.
We shake our heads at these tragedies, wondering how persons could foolishly board such ill-equipped vessels. Richard Davis observes that “we cannot understand how we can be so stupid as to make the wrong choices.” If only we stopped to think, or tried harder, or elected smarter leaders, says Davis, our lives might be so much better.
But leaders make poor decisions, and even our best intentions fail us. Consider the Supreme Court’s end of term rulings on affirmative action, LGBTQ rights, and student loan forgiveness. In their own way, each of these cases arose from well-intended efforts to improve the lives of others. Yet Americans are divided on these issues: about 52 percent of Americans agree that colleges and universities should not use race as a factor when admitting students and around 45 percent agree with not forgiving student loans. A similar division exists regarding the free-speech issues raised by a web-designer who argued she should not be required to develop wedding sites for same-gender couples.
The court’s ruling over affirmative action struck down policies at Harvard University enacted following the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., in 1968. The cases were brought by Students for Fair Admissions, a coalition organized by Edward Blum, a conservative legal strategist. Blum is not an attorney, but rather a sort of legal “matchmaker” who looks for cases involving race conscious practices. He then matches potential litigants with conservative funding groups.
It’s hard to judge Blum’s overall motivations. He indicates his interests are founded on the principle that people should never be judged by the color of their skin, and that as a Jewish American, he has also suffered from discrimination. Your race and your ethnicity should not be something used to help you or harm you in your life’s endeavors,” Blum said in 2017.
As polling indicates, affirmative action does not enjoy overwhelming support. But Former President Barack Obama noted that while the policy was not perfect, it allowed “generations of students like Michelle (Obama) and me to prove we belonged.” In her dissent, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson noted that “gulf-sized race-based gaps exist with respect to the health, wealth, and well-being of American citizens. In response, Justice Clarence Thomas addressed Jackson directly, decrying her belief that we are trapped “in a fundamentally racist society,” and suggesting that her solution is a reallocation of “society’s riches by racial means as necessary…I strongly disagree.”
It's a debate that divides not only Black justices but Black families. Audra Burch reported on the way the affirmative action ruling impacted one family’s ongoing kitchen table discussions. Karsyona Wise Whitehead, a college professor from Baltimore, grieved over the rejection of affirmative action. Her husband, Johnnie Whitehead, said he took no joy in the ruling but was overall ambivalent about race-based policies. Their sons were also divided over affirmative action. Burch noted that the family’s continuing conversations on the matter reflect the ongoing question embedded in the nation’s ongoing discussions on race: “How to deal with the legacy of slavery?”
Paul calls us to take a different look at what divides us. He reminds us that even the best human institutions will fail. Sin, in its complex and systemic forms, will distort and confound human existence. We’re left to answer the deeper question that he offers us in Romans 7: “Who shall save us from this mess, and what is our responsibility in the meantime?”
In the Scripture
If the thought of preaching about policies that nearly evenly divide Americans causes some heartburn, grab some antacid, and begin parsing Paul’s complex verbiage. Paul sets about building his theological case for justification in the early chapters of Romans, weaving in sections about covenant faithfulness, human condition, and the dominions of sin and righteousness. Chapters five through eight generally present the hope of salvation, leaving chapter seven as a somewhat curious excursus on the role of the law. Though he previously has discussed the role of the law in salvation, it emerges here as a particular focus. The value of the law for both Jewish and Gentile believers is placed under scrutiny in these sections—posing significant questions about the role the law plays for both groups.
The law, Paul suggests, is indeed good. (Cf. Mary Hinkle Shore’s commentary at WorkingPreacher.org. It has a place in directing the course of human affairs in helping identify the impact of sin. Where things get confusing is Paul’s continued arguments that humans have not fared well under the law. In fact, (5:13), it could be argued that things have only gotten worse. He makes this point repeatedly, and then seems to catch himself. To assure his readers that he is not disregarding the importance of the law, he reminds them “What then should we say? That the law is sin? By no means!” (7:6) Well, Paul, what then should we say?
The law’s effects are primarily spiritual, while humans are of the flesh (7:14). The insidious nature of sin is its relentless ability to turn what is good about humankind into something evil. The law itself was not sin, but instead fell bondage to the structures of sin which permeate all things. Sin “seized an opportunity,” and made the law a breeding ground for covetous behavior. Using himself as an example, Paul says that sin seized the moment, created deception, “and killed me.” Paul sees through our human efforts at good works. Well-intentioned policies, no matter how carefully created, no matter how benevolently inspired, will not save us.
It is a tragic fate. We do not do the things that we want, but instead do the very things which we do not want. While this sounds as if all is completely lost, Paul pushes forward. The Apostle calls us to the task of reflecting deeply on our condition so that God’s grace can work through us. “In recognizing that we do not do the good we would like to do,” writes Richard Davis, “we see that we have enough goodness in us to see the problem of the bad we do.” The impact of sin and all of its twisted, deficient systems falls upon us, but we do not give up. Indeed, as the chapter ends, Paul is already beginning to pivot toward the great promise of faith offered to us in Jesus Christ (8:1). Even in the most difficult moments, God’s promised “therefore” brings us hope. Sin shall not have the last word.
In the Sermon
Sin, Barbara Brown Taylor once noted, is a word many of us find hard to pronounce. (Taylor, Speaking of Sin). It may even be on the endangered list of theological terms fading from common usage. At one church I served, the head of staff had deemed prayers of confession as “too depressing,” and therefore excised them from the church’s liturgical practices. Broaching the topic of sin in a sermon on a particularly hot summer day may not seem like the best choice.
Yet, to coin a phrase, “What then shall we say?” It’s hard to decipher Paul’s phrases in a 20 minute sermon, yet avoiding a discussion of sin reduces preaching to nice stories, happy thoughts and pithy quotes. What then shall we say? We shall speak of all the good we cannot do. We can speak of sin and all of its entanglements. We shall preach not just about the depravity of humankind, but the relentless way sin seizes upon even the best of plans. We shall preach not just law and gospel sermons, but a gospel informed by the law and the hope God’s law offers. We shall preach about the entrance of that hope into a world that is in wild disarray.
What then shall we say?
We might start by preaching the redemptive value of failure. If we are unable to do the good things we want to do, perhaps we can learn a bit more about the grace which Christ provides. If we have not achieved the sort of world that reflects the values of Christ’s kingdom, then perhaps it is time for us to turn once more to that grace. Sin has distorted our lives, and we have lost the ability to reflect on what is happening around us. If we have failed, it is only because, like Stockton Rush, we have ignored the warning signs of human limitations. Our lack of understanding of sin and grace results in a devastating implosion of life.
Some would look at my sister, or others with dementia, and see only failure. Some would see the failure of God to keep us whole and healthy. Some would see the failure of healthcare systems as not providing sufficient care. Some would see the failure of families to not do enough. Perhaps there are bits and pieces of truth in all of that. But perhaps what we should see is precisely the failure of our best intentions and remind ourselves that in life and death we belong not to ourselves, but to God.
* * * * *
SECOND THOUGHTS
Sanctuary of Rest
by Pastor Katy Stenta
Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30
Jesus says “Come to me all you who are weary and carrying heavy burdens and I will give you rest.” Tricia Hersey, in her book Rest is Resistance, talks about how thoroughly weary we are, in all ways. She says, “Grind culture is a collaboration between white supremacy and capitalism. It views our divine bodies as machines. Our worth is not connected to how much we produce. We ignore our bodies’ need to rest and in doing so, we lose touch with Spirit. Our bodies are tool agents for change. A site of liberation. The time to rest is now. Our collective rest will change the world because our rest resides in a Spirit of refusal and disruption. Rest is our protest. Rest is resistance. Rest is reparations.” (p. 12 of Rest is Resistance). Jesus is a place of rest and restoration, because Jesus Christ is our resurrection and liberation.
Indeed our culture is obsessed with work. The World Health Organization reports “People working 55 or more hours each week face an estimated 35% higher risk of a stroke and a 17% higher risk of dying from heart disease, compared to people following the widely accepted standard of working 35 to 40 hours in a week.”
And yet, Tricia Hersey seems to be correct. Americans don’t even know how to rest. Most of us do not even use our vacation time. In a recent study, 46% of Americans say that we don’t take our full vacation time, despite the fact that keeping the Sabbath is a commandment. Tricia Hersey says that rest takes deprogramming and has to be snuck in, stolen and practiced: “resting is ancient, slow and connected work that will take hold of you in ways that may be surprising. Let deprogramming from grind culture surprise you. Let your entire being slowly begin to shift. Get lost in rest. Pull up the blankets, search for softness and be open to the ways rest will surprise and calm you.” (p. 17 Rest is Resistance)
Meanwhile, the grind culture and capitalism work against us. Texas recently signed into law the elimination of local laws requiring breaks for workers. The law trumps local regulations about safety, water, and rest breaks. Texas law does not mandate any breaks for workers. One casualty is the “City of Austin's Rest Break Ordinance. The local ordinance says no employee may be required to work more than four hours without a 10-minute rest break.” The new law is effective September 1st.
Let's remember that God created the entire world in Genesis, and then when Divinity finished creating, said to humanity that the first thing God wanted humanity to do was not work, or to make things, or even create, but to come, rest and be with God for a while.
Perhap we can try practices where we work on the Sabbath, be still and know that I am with God. Sundays where one is bored, or do nothing, or produce nothing for church might be just what God is asking for. Remember Jesus calls out the hypocrisy of the marketplace saying that 'My yoke is easy and my burden is light." How can we start to build a church that gives this kind of being, breathing, (revolutionary and counter-cultural) sanctuary space.
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Mary Austin:
Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30
We Need to Play
If we are weary and burdened, Jesus invites us to rest. One way to do that is play, which lightens our load. Author Catherine Price distinguishes between True Fun, which restores us, and Fake Fun, which just makes us more tired.
She says that True Fun “is the feeling of being fully present and engaged, free from self-criticism and judgment. It is the thrill of losing ourselves in what we’re doing and not caring about the outcome. It is laughter. It is playful rebellion. It is euphoric connection. It is the bliss that comes from letting go. When we are truly having fun, we are not lonely. We are not anxious or stressed.
Instead, we spend much of our leisure time on “Fake Fun,” a term I use to describe activities and possessions that are marketed to us as fun, that we work long hours to be able to afford, but that are ultimately meaningless or a waste of time—such as binge-watching shows to the point that our eyes glaze over, buying things we don’t need, or mindlessly scrolling through social media for hours at a time. Fake Fun is numbing and leaves us empty when we’re done. True Fun, on the other hand, makes us feel nourished and refreshed. (from The Power of Fun: How to Feel Alive Again by Catherine Price)
This kind of refreshment is what Jesus is inviting us into.
* * *
Genesis 24:34-38, 42-49, 58-67
Fast Weddings
After Abraham’s servant makes his pitch to Rebecca’s family, things move fast. The family “called Rebekah, and said to her, ‘Will you go with this man?’ She said, ‘I will.’ So they sent away their sister Rebekah and her nurse along with Abraham’s servant and his men.”
Contemporary couples are planning their weddings equally fast. Some couples now skip the long planning process, and get married on short notice. For example, “Four days before their wedding, Richie Romero and Tiffany Wong emailed family members a “save the date” invite. It was void of time, location and dress code — the couple were still deciding those details. “We wanted somewhere in New York with significance,” said Mr. Romero, an admitted adrenaline junkie. “We did a lot of Zoom weddings during Covid. People were over big productions. We wanted this to be about us. Plus, there’s something satisfying in the intensity and ability to pull something together quickly and make it work.” Mr. Romero, 47, an entrepreneur and restaurateur, was fortunate Ms. Wong shared his go-with-the flow attitude.” When the details were set, they contacted their guests by text.
The couple is part of a new trend — flash weddings. These quick celebrations “are usually planned within three months or less — sometimes within a week. They are typically less pricey since they are frequently held at no-cost locations like parks or beaches, with less formal decorations. They also involve fewer guests and can happen any day of the week.”
Fast wedding plans — not just in the Bible anymore!
* * *
Genesis 24:34-38, 42-49, 58-67
Complicated Weddings
Our story shows us how to marriage of Isaac and Rebecca is arranged, and then there’s no word about how their lives are actually joined. Is it as simple as him taking her into his tent? For many couples, that wouldn’t be enough.
A wedding planner notes that some people are going big on weddings, planning even more elaborate celebrations. Now, in addition to the ceremony and reception, “couples can hire a professional wedding social-media adviser, a service that can cost up to $3,000. A company such as Maid of Social will develop a “strategy” for your wedding, attend and photograph it, and post the shots to your Snapchat and Instagram accounts, hashtags included—“because the day you just spent 14 months planning should be seen by the world.” Being a bride used to mean being royalty for a day. Now it means being a celebrity.”
All of this is expensive. Very expensive. “The average wedding in America costs about $30,000. Historically, money for weddings was cobbled together through savings and gifts from parents, but today many of the celebrations are debt-financed affairs. Surveys have found that roughly 30 to 45 percent of couples report taking on credit-card or other debt to pay for them. Wedding loans—personal loans marketed to engaged couples—can carry interest rates as high as 30 percent.” Then there’s another other category. “At the same time, ultra-luxurious weddings—the kind no one needs credit cards to pay for—have become a bigger slice of the market. Last year, approximately 13,000 weddings in America cost $1 million or more, according to the consulting firm Think Splendid.”
Alas, no amount of money can buy happiness for the couple.
* * *
Genesis 24:34-38, 42-49, 58-67
Invisible People
Abraham’s servant is working very hard in this story, and the fate of the family rests on his efforts, and yet we never hear his name. The same is true for the people who influence our days.
Rob Walker observes, "the labels we find in, say, the inside of the neck of a mass-produced T-shirt tell stories. A basic disclosure of material composition (the percentage that is cotton, for example), a declaration that the thing was “Made in Wherever.” We hardly notice these particulars. The Canadian Fair Trade Network, in an effort to underscore why we should be paying more attention to the wheres and hows of our manufactured purchases, once ran a provocative ad campaign that played off the innocuous nature of the clothing label. In a series of images, it presented garments with detailed tags—some of them more than a foot long and jammed with text.
For instance: 100% cotton. Made in Cambodia by Behnly, nine years old. He gets up at 5:00 am every morning to make his way to the garment factory where he works. It will be dark when he arrives and dark when he leaves. He dresses lightly because the temperature in the room he works in reaches 30 degrees. The dust in the room fills his nose and mouth. He will make less than a dollar, for a day spent slowly suffocating. A mask would cost the company ten cents. The label doesn’t tell the whole story. Presumably Behnly’s story is actually an amalgam based on a knowledge of typical work conditions. But it’s jarring. And it makes you appreciate the clothing tag in a different way. Of course we can’t really know the story of a garment, and of course not everything made in Cambodia (or wherever) is a product of human suffering. But next time you’re browsing the clothes rack or your own wardrobe, read the tags." (The Art of Noticing: 131 Ways to Spark Creativity, Find Inspiration, and Discover Joy in the Everyday by Rob Walker)
* * *
Genesis 24:34-38, 42-49, 58-67
People Who Help
We never hear the name of Abraham’s servant, or the names of the men who travel with Abraham. Rebecca’s nurse also goes without a name in the story, and she also uproots her whole life to travel back with Rebecca.
When she was pregnant with her second child, Dasha Kennedy would catch the bus every morning, Monday thru Friday, at 5:00 am. She would carry her older son, walk to the bus stop and wait for the bus.
Every day a man stood at the bus stop, and never got on the bus. One day he came rushing out of his house and said, "oh good, you're here. We overslept and I thought I missed you."
She was confused, and then he explained that his wife saw her waiting at the bus stop alone, with her child, a few months ago. She told him to wait with her to be sure she was ok. He never spoke to her before that day, and she never met his wife. Dasha Kennedy says, "I thank God for her often. I used to be scared out of my mind at that bus stop and the whole time a sister was watching my back and I didn't even know it." (from Upworthy)
We have more people contributing to our health and safety than we realize.
* * * * * *
From team member Tom Willadsen:
Genesis 24:34-38, 42-49, 58-67
Well, well, well
This is something of a set piece for Biblical rom-coms, meeting at the well. Jacob meets Rachel at a well. Moses picks up Reuel’s daughter, Zipporah, at the well. (Later on Reuel becomes Jethro, no one knows why.)
Later on, after Moses starts working as Reuel’s shepherd, one could say he was on the lam, tending his father-in-law’s sheep—if one is willing to pay the price for making such an awful pun.
Jesus has a memorable encounter with a woman at a well in John 4.
* * *
Genesis 24:34-38, 42-49, 58-67
She took off her veil
Veiling the bride was required of free women in Middle Assyrian law. A traditional Jewish marriage is now preceded by the bedecken ceremony—the covering of the bride with a veil, while the groom utters the words from Gen. 24:60: “May you grow into/Thousands of myriads.” (The Torah: A Modern Commentary, edited by W. Gunther Plaut, New York: Union of American Hebrew Congregations, 1981, p.166.)
* * *
Genesis 24:34-38, 42-49, 58-67
On marriage
The story of Rebekah’s betrothal reveals the biblical attitude toward the nature and content of marriage. The union between man and woman must be grounded in the finest qualities, and Rebekah exhibits them to perfection. Her behavior shows modesty and hospitality; she is kind to animals and respectful to her own family. It is for such attributes that the servant prays; a woman who possesses them is indeed “very beautiful.” (Ibid., p, 168.)
* * *
Genesis 24:64
Rachel “slipped quickly” off her camel וַתִּפֹּ֖ל
Well, no, Rachel fell off her camel. The Hebrew verb, (above) is the same one for when Joseph fell on his brother Benjamin’s neck and wept (Genesis 46:29). It was a time of great emotion.
There’s another Hebrew verb, תֵּ֖רֶד, for dismounting a camel without drama, it’s used when Abigail gets off her camel at David’s feet in I Samuel 25:23. Rebekah didn’t do that; she fell off her mount. Was she taken by her affianced’s charms, or was she a klutz?
* * *
Romans 7:15-25a
Seeking rescue
In verse 24 Paul’s use of “body of death” refers to his own body, not his slavery, or metaphorical imprisonment in the Law.
* * * * * *
From team member Dean Feldmeyer:
Matthew 11:16-10, 25-30
Jesus points out that there is just no pleasing some religious people. He was able to shrug this fact off. Some of us, however, persist in being people pleasers, often to the detriment of our own mental health.
How To Tell If You Are A “People Pleaser”
If you are the oldest child in the family or you were raised by strict, authoritarian parents, there’s a better than even chance that you are a people pleaser. You grew up wanting to please your parents so they would love or reward you so, naturally, that’s the way you tend to relate to other people
Nothing wrong with that as long as it’s kept in check and not carried to extremes like trying to please everyone all the time. That can lead to mental health problems. So we need to discipline ourselves to hold our people-pleasing tendencies in check. When it gets out of control, we become chronic People Pleaser.
According to the website ascending-grace.com you might be a people pleaser if:
7 Ways to Stop Being A People Pleaser
The same web site offers these seven ways to bring our people pleasing tendencies to a manageable level.
A. Get to the Root Cause — This is the first step. Try to figure out why you are trying to please everyone. Are you still trying to please your parents? Your old coach? Or are you trying to please the classmates or bullies who taunted you or the boyfriend who dumped you? Knowing why we act the way we do is a big step in changing our behavior.
B. Accept your people-pleaser aspect. That is, be aware of the fact that you are a People Pleaser. Admit it, talk about it, journal about it. Accept it. Then, move on.
C. Remember, [as Jesus points out] it’s impossible to please everyone. People pleasing is a waste of time and energy. You can try to do what you think other people want you to do, but you can’t control whether or not they’re pleased. When you have this awareness in your mind, you truly and deeply can heal yourself.
D. Learn to say, “No.” If you feel like something’s going to hurt you or throw you back into your people-pleasing aspect, say no. It will take time for you to be able to say no comfortably, at first it’s scary, I know, because you fear that you’ll hurt someone or will make them emotional and sad. If the word, itself, is too hard for you to say, try a substitute: “I’m sorry, but that’s not going to work for me,” is a good oneor simply, “Oh, I’m sorry but I just can’t.”
E. Say how you really feel. This one may seem confrontational, but if we think about it, we need confrontation to really grow as personalities. We don’t have to be mean or angry to state the honest truth. We can do it simply and concisely. “I’m feeling uncomfortable with this,” or “I’m not comfortable with that.”
F. Focus on your needs and values. Now that you have accepted your people pleaser aspect and worked on saying no and setting boundaries for yourself, it’s time to focus on your own needs, discover what they are, vocalize them, and firmly stand up for them.
G. Remember — you don’t have to be liked by all people to feel whole. You can’t please everyone and you don’t need to be liked by everyone to finally start living your best life. It’s totally not worth it to wait for someone’s approval to feel like yourself.
* * *
Monty Python On People Pleasing
Monty Python’s “The Life of Brian,” set in Judea during the life of Jesus. In one scene, Brian is approached by a beggar claiming to be an “ex-leper.” He goes on to explain Jesus cured him of leprosy “without so much as a by your leave” and has ruined his career as a beggar.
Brian relents and gives the man a coin but the ex-leper is outraged by the low amount. Brian, shakes his head and says, quietly, “There’s just no pleasing some people.”
“That’s just what Jesus said, sir,” the ex-leper replies.
* * *
Romans 7:15-25a
Paul admits that he doesn’t understand his own behavior. He doesn’t do what he wants, he says, but he does what he doesn’t want! Go figure, right? Sounds like the same compulsive or even addictive behavior that many of us have experienced in our own lives.
Bad Habit Or Compulsive Behavior?
Jerrold Pollak, PhD, a psychologist specializing in compulsive behavior, tells webmd.com that the difference in a bad habit and a compulsion is that bad habits, be controlled. While the behavior might be a nuisance and undesirable, he says, it is not destructive to you and the people around you. Compulsive behavior is similar to addiction -- we reach a point where we cannot stop even though we know our behavior isn't serving us well.
In other words, if an aspect of your behavior is consistently causing you problems and you continue in that behavior anyway, you may be suffering from a compulsion or addiction.
"Many behaviors can become compulsive,” observes Pollak. Done occasionally and without causing problems they can be a harmless or even healthy diversion from everyday life. The problem comes, however, when “People can't stop doing them and they do them too much."
* * *
OCD — Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Psychology Today, observes that millions of people suffer from at least one compulsive behavior. And compulsive behaviors come in many forms, all of which can become debilitating or even dangerous.
Common activities that can develop into compulsions include shopping, hoarding, eating, gambling, sex, and exercise. Though some behaviors are easier to overindulge in than others, in reality, nearly any behavior has the potential to become a compulsion. Some people even talk compulsively.
There are also obsessive compulsions, in which a compulsive person performs certain behaviors to relieve underlying anxiety or other negative emotions. A well-known example is a person who checks and rechecks everything—if the stove is turned off, for instance, or if the door is locked. BFRBs (Body Focused Repetitive Behaviors) are related to obsessive compulsions. These include nail-biting, hair-pulling and skin-picking. In some cases, BFRBs are engaged in to decrease anxiety.
These behaviors rarely if ever decrease anxiety in the long run; in most cases, they only provide temporary relief. In extreme cases, compulsive behaviors start to take over a person's work, home, and social life, at the expense of normal activities.
OCD is, most often, treated with what is called Exposure and Response Prevention. For the treatment, a therapist will gradually and safely expose a patient to the item or thought that they fear and then prevent the compulsive behavior that typically follows. For example, if a patient is afraid of germs and washes his or her hands until they are raw or hurt, the therapist will work with the patient to touch a doorknob without hand-washing after to get used to their fear and learn that they are still safe without the compulsive behavior.
* * *
OCD — You Are Not Alone
Those who suffer from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder need not feel alone. According to the web site malibuinspire.com, “anxiety disorders top the chart as some of the most common mental health disorders in the United States. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) falls into this category.”
Among the U.S. population, an estimated 2.2 million people – around 1 percent of the population – struggle with this disorder to some degree or another, reports the Anxiety and Depression Association of America.
Women and men are affected at equal rates and 19 years of age is the average for symptoms of OCD first appearing.
Since there is no demographic immune to this treatable mental health disorder, it should come as no surprise that even celebrities of different stripes and careers suffer from the disorder. Here are 6 who have talked openly about their OCD.
1. David Beckham — World-renowned soccer player David Beckham has opened up about his struggle with OCD. He says that he has to have everything in a straight line or in pairs. He also says he’s addicted to the pain of getting tattoos.
2. Katy Perry — Singer/song writer Katy Perry says that she is a germaphobe who practices “crazy cleaning rituals in her house.”
3. Howard Hughes — The 20th-century American magnate died in 1976, partly due to his severe OCD. Hughes famously spent four months in a darkened movie screening room, never leaving. He was surrounded by Kleenex boxes that he continually stacked and sorted. The industrialist also stored his urine in bottles.
4. Leonardo DiCaprio — Oscar Award-winning actor, Leonardo DiCaprio, who portrayed Howard Hughes in the biopic “The Aviator,” struggles with OCD compulsions like walking through doors several times as well as the urge to step on chewing gum stains.
5. Howard Stern — Longtime shock-jock and radio icon Howard Stern said at points in his career, he failed to address anxiety issues, telling David Letterman, in an interview, that he used to spend hours in his bathroom before work just touching things.
6. Howie Mandel — Howie Mandel, a comedian, game show host and judge on “America’s Got Talent” is a compulsive germaphobe, whose honesty about his mental health has made him an advocate for greater public awareness about OCD.
* * *
Genesis 24:34-38, 42-49, 58-67
The author offers a complex story of how a faithful, humble servant participates in events that shape history but whose name we never learn.
Inconspicuous Service
Franklin Roosevelt's closest adviser during much of his presidency was a man named Harry Hopkins. During World War II, when his influence with Roosevelt was at its peak, Hopkins held no official Cabinet position. Moreover, Hopkins's closeness to Roosevelt caused many to regard him as a shadowy, sinister figure. As a result he was a major political liability to the President. A political foe once asked Roosevelt, "Why do you keep Hopkins so close to you? You surely realize that people distrust him and resent his influence." Roosevelt replied, "Someday you may well be sitting here where I am now as President of the United States. And when you are, you'll be looking at that door over there and knowing that practically everybody who walks through it wants something out of you. You'll learn what a lonely job this is, and you'll discover the need for somebody like Harry Hopkins, who asks for nothing except to serve you." Winston Churchill rated Hopkins as one of the half-dozen most powerful men in the world in the early 1940s. And the sole source of Hopkins's power was his willingness to serve.
* * *
They Served in Coal
Writing in the International Business Times, author Doug Dickerson shares a story of hope and encouragement from Don McCullough’s Walking from the American Dream, about Winston Churchill:
During World War II, England needed to increase its production of coal. Winston Churchill called together labor leaders to enlist their support. At the end of his presentation, he asked them to picture in their minds a parade which he knew would be held in Piccadilly Circus after the war.
First, he said, would come the sailors who had kept the vital sea lanes open. Then would come the soldiers who had come home from Dunkirk and then gone on to defeat Rommel in Africa. Then would come the pilots who had driven the Luftwaffe from the sky.
Last of all, he said, would come a long line of sweat-stained, soot-streaked men in miner's caps. Someone would cry from the crowd, 'And where were you during the critical days of our struggle?' And from ten thousand throats would come the answer, 'We were deep in the earth with our faces to the coal.' * * * * * *
From team member Elena Delhagen:
Genesis 24:34-38, 42-49, 58-67
When the servant selected Rebekah to be Isaac’s wife, he was essentially ensuring the continuity of Abraham’s line of descendants and the realization of God’s promise to make his lineage as numerous as the stars in the sky. The servant had a very hefty responsibility placed on his shoulders; even if he didn’t realize it, he was choosing one of the matriarchs and founders of the Jewish nation!
Thus, Jewish midrash pays careful attention to the gifts given to Rebekah (a gold nose-ring weighing a half-shekel, and two gold bands for her arms, ten shekels in weight). The midrash says this gift is symbolic of another gift that Israel would be given in the future. The two bands correspond to the two Tablets, and the ten shekels to the Ten Commandments that would be given to the Jewish people through Moses.
* * *
Genesis 24:34-38, 42-49, 58-67
It is fascinating that in the midst of the patriarchal society of the ancient Near East, Rebekah’s story has deeply matristic threads. The servant asks her in v.23 if there is room in her father’s house for he (the servant) to spend the night, and the story continues by noting she went with him to her mother’s household — not her father’s. Girl power, indeed!
* * *
Romans 7:15-25a
Much ink has been spilled over the years in attempts to identify what exactly Paul was struggling with here. Interestingly, most modern commentators actually believe that Paul is speaking in a voice other than his own present person here. Paul’s theology of the new life a believer is born into through Christ is simply too great. Rather, “anyone struggling to be made righteous by following God’s standard, rather than relying on God’s transforming gift of righteousness, might experience the sort of tension between knowing right and being right described here.” (Keener, Craig S., Romans: A New Commentary, 93.)
* * *
Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30
It’s no secret that Jesus was often misunderstood during his time on earth. Those around him compared him to a glutton, a drunkard, and a friend of tax collectors and sinners. And here, Jesus compares his generation to children whose most notable characteristic is that they lack wisdom.
Yes, it is true that Jesus offers reprieve for the weary in this passage, but let us not miss that he is also highlighting the importance of wisdom and instruction. A yoke was indeed a tool used to lighten the load of animals’ work, but in Rabbinic literature, it was often used as a metaphor for obeying the Torah. In order to obey something, you have to know it. You have to be instructed in it, and through understanding, you gain wisdom. Knowing Jesus is to be instructed in the ways of God’s kin-dom — to be yoked to it, in keeping with the metaphor. It is in following Jesus that we, at the same time, grow in wisdom.
* * * * * *
WORSHIP
by Katy Stenta
Call to Worship (based on Psalm 45)
One: God we will praise your name forever
All: With joy and gladness, we are lead along
One: We are entering the house of God together
All: All peoples will praise your name forever and ever!
Or
One: Jesus says come all who are weary
All: And I will give you rest
One: Jesus promises that his yoke is light
All: Come let us walk with Jesus
Hymns and Songs
I Want Jesus to Walk with Me
UMH 521
PH 363
AAHH 563
NNBH 500
NCH 490
CH 627
W&P 506
AMEC 375
There Is a Balm in Gilead
UMH 375
H82 676
PH 394
AAHH 524
NNBH 489
NCH 553
CH 501
ELW 614
W&P 631
AMEC 425
What Wondrous Love Is This
UMH 292
H82 439
PH 85
GTG 215
NCH 223
CH 200
LBW 385
ELW 666
W&P 257
STLT 18
Renew 277
O Master, Let Me Walk with Thee
UMH 430
H82 659/660
PH 357
GTG 738
NNBH 445
NCH 503
CH 602
LBW 492
ELW 818
W&P 589
AMEC 299
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
Call to Confession
Come let us empty all of our sins to God
Prayer of Confession
God, I confess that sometimes I do not understand my sins. Sometimes, they seem too complicated, or to be some kind of outside temptations that I do not even mean to give into. Like Paul, I confess that sins seem to be like an attacking force. I am caught in the tangle of complex situations or power structures, that I do not even notice until it is too late. So what can I do, but beg for deliverance? Teach me how to avoid these situations, because you know God, I am not good at recognizing all of the deceits and corruptions that are out there. Forgive me and love me into my best self, I pray. Amen
Assurance of Pardon
Hear the God news: we are children of grace, so we are forgiven, with an overflowing cup. Know that we are free from our sins. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
God, I confess that I do not think that Christianity and faith should be easy. Too often I am tricked into thinking that everything should be work. I forget that yours in the house of sanctuary. Forgive me and teach me to find rest in your arms once again, I pray. Amen.
Assurance of Pardon
God is the shepherd who will always lead us home, know that we are forgiven and safe in the arms of God, for God’s yoke is easy, let us rest in forgiveness of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Prayer of the People
God, help all those who are too heavy burdened. those who are weighed down with sickness:
those who are caretaking:
those who are struggling in other ways:
God, we give thanks for those who are your are shepherding to joy
let us celebrate those who have good news today:
God we lift up to you all of those who are in the world who need their burdened lightened, those in other countries who need special care:
And we lift up our own need to be a place of safety and sanctuary and rest—and pray that we focus on being a place where we can see one another as beloved children of God. We pray this using the prayer your son taught us praying (The Lord’s Prayer) Amen.
Prayer of the Day
God, we long for the kind of prayer
that takes not effort
but instead flows from our sighs
and undoing
through the Holy Spirit, into you,
and even though you make it possible.
It is hard for us humans to believe that kind of prayer counts.
Assure us God, that every kind of prayer, is real,
that it is enough to breathe, be, and even to sleep
that you do not require perfection, hard work or even abilities
just some time spent
breathing in
and breathing out
breathing in
and
breath
ing
out
with
you
God.
…
….
….
Amen.
* * * * * *
CHILDREN'S SERMON
Making Good Decisions
by Quantisha Mason-Doll
Romans 7:15-25a
Themes
• Consent
• Self-discovery
• Making the right choices even when it does not feel right.
Props
• Compass
It seems our good friend Paul is in a little bit of a pickle! Our reading from Romans leads us to believe that Paul is very worried about doing the right thing. He has many options in front of him. Some of them are good and others are not as good. Paul is unsure of which option to follow and he is afraid of making a mistake. How many of us here have ever felt the way Paul feels in this moment? Paul is struggling with himself. On the one hand he wants to follow the rules, but he knows that in this instance the rules are unfair. Paul does not want to disobey the rules, yet his moral compass tells him that it would be better to disobey. Does anyone know what a moral compass is and how do we get one like Paul? (Leave space for the children to give responses. define ‘moral compass’ in your own way yet it is important to note the following points:
This would be a moment to try some exercises with the children. Offer stories with moral dilemmas with options with a clear positive and negative.
Prayer
Loving God who helps us to discern right from wrong guide is as we seek to be more moral. Guide us true so that we may be better versions of ourselves. In your Son’s name we pray these things. Amen.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, July 9, 2023 issue.
Copyright 2023 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.
- The Good We Cannot Do by Chris Keating. Paul reminds us of the frustrating power of sin's systemic power. Try as we might, we cannot rid ourselves of the entrenched powers of sin.
- Second Thoughts: Sanctuary of Rest by Katy Stenta based on Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30.
- Sermon illustrations by Mary Austin, Tom Willadsen, Elena Delhagen, Dean Feldmeyer.
- Worship resources by Katy Stenta.
- Children's sermon: Making Good Decisions by Quantisha Mason-Doll.
The Good We Cannot Doby Chris Keating
Romans 7:15-25
The birthday card purchased, written, and unsent. The note, lodged between piles of bills, that recorded the surely broken promise to meet up for lunch. Another note that said only “Ireland” with a question mark. Still another with goals: go walking, get exercise, see friends. A pile of books stacked near a favorite chair, waiting to be read. A fading whiteboard reminder, “Get dog food!”
Every room of my sister’s house was brimming with well-intentioned yet uncompleted tasks. They clamored for attention like roses in bloom, popping up across rooms and nestled among artifacts. Sorting through the notes and scribbles offered some insight into the progression that dementia had made in eroding her mind. It’s all a tangled mess, a skein of yarn hopelessly unraveled.
My sweet, well-educated, hard-working sister now lives in a memory care residence, her home devoid of the happiness and life she once brought to it. Packing up a person’s life is hard enough, but encountering these hidden layers of aborted plans, embryonic ideas, and wishful goals makes the work harder.
Through it all, I remember the first time my parents taught me that ancient adage about the pavement used to build the highways leading to the place of the damned. Being allowed in on their inside joke while also being allowed to say “hell” made me feel grown up. It had never crossed my mind that there were actual highways that led to hell, and my fascination that there were actual bricks formed from good intentions grew.
Paul would have understood the frustrations of our human intentions, though he was less concerned with our forgetfulness and inattention than he was with systemic sin. “I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate,” he reflects in 7:15. He sees himself held captive to the “law of sin,” rather than to God’s law, rendering all his well-intended acts null and void.
A trio of hot-button decisions from the US Supreme court last week brought fresh reminders of the entrenched nature of systemic sin. The end of term decisions hit like early fireworks displays, igniting fresh tensions in cultural and political battles. In particular, the court’s decision to scuttle decades-long policies concerning affirmative action is a lingering reminder of the sins of slavery.
Paul’s counsel is particularly timely: “Who will rescue me from this body of death?” he writes before adding, “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
In the News
This week’s epistle reading guides us toward a no-holds barred look at the ways sin infects God’s creation. It pushes us, says Ted A. Smith, “to tell the truth about the ways that sin flourishes, not only in our failings, but even in our best actions — our work for goods like peace, justice, equality, hospitality, the welfare of vulnerable people, the health of the planet, the proclamation of the gospel, and the sanctity of life.” (Ted A. Smith, “Theological Perspective on Romans 7:15–25 A,” in Feasting on the Word: Preaching the Revised Common Lectionary: Year A, ed. David L. Bartlett and Barbara Brown Taylor, vol. 3, Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2011, p. 210.)
In other words, even the good we hope to achieve is tainted. Consider that whatever scientific gains Stockton Rush, the creator of the ill-fated Titan submersible, had achieved will be overshadowed by his carelessness. New reports show that Stockton had admitted that he may have “broken some rules” to turn exploring the Titanic’s wreckage into a profitable tourist trek. Moreover, Stockton ignored warnings about safety issues, saying he was “tired of industry players who try to use a safety argument to stop innovation.”
It’s easy to point fingers at Stockton’s hubris. We can, after all, write off the episode as the folly of billionaires and the privileged. It is more difficult to acknowledge our own complicity with the suffering of the most vulnerable. While TikTok viewers were glued to nonstop coverage of the Titan’s ill-fated plunge, fewer were paying attention to another sea tragedy occurring at the same time. Immigrants aboard a crowded fishing trawler drowned only 50 miles off the coast of Greece following days adrift.
More than 600 persons died June 14 when the Adriana fishing vessel sank within sight of a Greek Coast Guard boat. Survivors told of being trafficked by North African smugglers who charged exorbitant fares and filled the boat beyond its capacity. Court records show that immigrants had paid a collective $3.5 million to be smuggled into Italy. A sinister class system forced Pakistanis to occupy the bottom of the ship, women and children in the middle, and Syrians, Palestinians, and Egyptians on top. The majority of those on the lower decks drowned.
We shake our heads at these tragedies, wondering how persons could foolishly board such ill-equipped vessels. Richard Davis observes that “we cannot understand how we can be so stupid as to make the wrong choices.” If only we stopped to think, or tried harder, or elected smarter leaders, says Davis, our lives might be so much better.
But leaders make poor decisions, and even our best intentions fail us. Consider the Supreme Court’s end of term rulings on affirmative action, LGBTQ rights, and student loan forgiveness. In their own way, each of these cases arose from well-intended efforts to improve the lives of others. Yet Americans are divided on these issues: about 52 percent of Americans agree that colleges and universities should not use race as a factor when admitting students and around 45 percent agree with not forgiving student loans. A similar division exists regarding the free-speech issues raised by a web-designer who argued she should not be required to develop wedding sites for same-gender couples.
The court’s ruling over affirmative action struck down policies at Harvard University enacted following the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., in 1968. The cases were brought by Students for Fair Admissions, a coalition organized by Edward Blum, a conservative legal strategist. Blum is not an attorney, but rather a sort of legal “matchmaker” who looks for cases involving race conscious practices. He then matches potential litigants with conservative funding groups.
It’s hard to judge Blum’s overall motivations. He indicates his interests are founded on the principle that people should never be judged by the color of their skin, and that as a Jewish American, he has also suffered from discrimination. Your race and your ethnicity should not be something used to help you or harm you in your life’s endeavors,” Blum said in 2017.
As polling indicates, affirmative action does not enjoy overwhelming support. But Former President Barack Obama noted that while the policy was not perfect, it allowed “generations of students like Michelle (Obama) and me to prove we belonged.” In her dissent, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson noted that “gulf-sized race-based gaps exist with respect to the health, wealth, and well-being of American citizens. In response, Justice Clarence Thomas addressed Jackson directly, decrying her belief that we are trapped “in a fundamentally racist society,” and suggesting that her solution is a reallocation of “society’s riches by racial means as necessary…I strongly disagree.”
It's a debate that divides not only Black justices but Black families. Audra Burch reported on the way the affirmative action ruling impacted one family’s ongoing kitchen table discussions. Karsyona Wise Whitehead, a college professor from Baltimore, grieved over the rejection of affirmative action. Her husband, Johnnie Whitehead, said he took no joy in the ruling but was overall ambivalent about race-based policies. Their sons were also divided over affirmative action. Burch noted that the family’s continuing conversations on the matter reflect the ongoing question embedded in the nation’s ongoing discussions on race: “How to deal with the legacy of slavery?”
Paul calls us to take a different look at what divides us. He reminds us that even the best human institutions will fail. Sin, in its complex and systemic forms, will distort and confound human existence. We’re left to answer the deeper question that he offers us in Romans 7: “Who shall save us from this mess, and what is our responsibility in the meantime?”
In the Scripture
If the thought of preaching about policies that nearly evenly divide Americans causes some heartburn, grab some antacid, and begin parsing Paul’s complex verbiage. Paul sets about building his theological case for justification in the early chapters of Romans, weaving in sections about covenant faithfulness, human condition, and the dominions of sin and righteousness. Chapters five through eight generally present the hope of salvation, leaving chapter seven as a somewhat curious excursus on the role of the law. Though he previously has discussed the role of the law in salvation, it emerges here as a particular focus. The value of the law for both Jewish and Gentile believers is placed under scrutiny in these sections—posing significant questions about the role the law plays for both groups.
The law, Paul suggests, is indeed good. (Cf. Mary Hinkle Shore’s commentary at WorkingPreacher.org. It has a place in directing the course of human affairs in helping identify the impact of sin. Where things get confusing is Paul’s continued arguments that humans have not fared well under the law. In fact, (5:13), it could be argued that things have only gotten worse. He makes this point repeatedly, and then seems to catch himself. To assure his readers that he is not disregarding the importance of the law, he reminds them “What then should we say? That the law is sin? By no means!” (7:6) Well, Paul, what then should we say?
The law’s effects are primarily spiritual, while humans are of the flesh (7:14). The insidious nature of sin is its relentless ability to turn what is good about humankind into something evil. The law itself was not sin, but instead fell bondage to the structures of sin which permeate all things. Sin “seized an opportunity,” and made the law a breeding ground for covetous behavior. Using himself as an example, Paul says that sin seized the moment, created deception, “and killed me.” Paul sees through our human efforts at good works. Well-intentioned policies, no matter how carefully created, no matter how benevolently inspired, will not save us.
It is a tragic fate. We do not do the things that we want, but instead do the very things which we do not want. While this sounds as if all is completely lost, Paul pushes forward. The Apostle calls us to the task of reflecting deeply on our condition so that God’s grace can work through us. “In recognizing that we do not do the good we would like to do,” writes Richard Davis, “we see that we have enough goodness in us to see the problem of the bad we do.” The impact of sin and all of its twisted, deficient systems falls upon us, but we do not give up. Indeed, as the chapter ends, Paul is already beginning to pivot toward the great promise of faith offered to us in Jesus Christ (8:1). Even in the most difficult moments, God’s promised “therefore” brings us hope. Sin shall not have the last word.
In the Sermon
Sin, Barbara Brown Taylor once noted, is a word many of us find hard to pronounce. (Taylor, Speaking of Sin). It may even be on the endangered list of theological terms fading from common usage. At one church I served, the head of staff had deemed prayers of confession as “too depressing,” and therefore excised them from the church’s liturgical practices. Broaching the topic of sin in a sermon on a particularly hot summer day may not seem like the best choice.
Yet, to coin a phrase, “What then shall we say?” It’s hard to decipher Paul’s phrases in a 20 minute sermon, yet avoiding a discussion of sin reduces preaching to nice stories, happy thoughts and pithy quotes. What then shall we say? We shall speak of all the good we cannot do. We can speak of sin and all of its entanglements. We shall preach not just about the depravity of humankind, but the relentless way sin seizes upon even the best of plans. We shall preach not just law and gospel sermons, but a gospel informed by the law and the hope God’s law offers. We shall preach about the entrance of that hope into a world that is in wild disarray.
What then shall we say?
We might start by preaching the redemptive value of failure. If we are unable to do the good things we want to do, perhaps we can learn a bit more about the grace which Christ provides. If we have not achieved the sort of world that reflects the values of Christ’s kingdom, then perhaps it is time for us to turn once more to that grace. Sin has distorted our lives, and we have lost the ability to reflect on what is happening around us. If we have failed, it is only because, like Stockton Rush, we have ignored the warning signs of human limitations. Our lack of understanding of sin and grace results in a devastating implosion of life.
Some would look at my sister, or others with dementia, and see only failure. Some would see the failure of God to keep us whole and healthy. Some would see the failure of healthcare systems as not providing sufficient care. Some would see the failure of families to not do enough. Perhaps there are bits and pieces of truth in all of that. But perhaps what we should see is precisely the failure of our best intentions and remind ourselves that in life and death we belong not to ourselves, but to God.
* * * * *
SECOND THOUGHTSSanctuary of Rest
by Pastor Katy Stenta
Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30
Jesus says “Come to me all you who are weary and carrying heavy burdens and I will give you rest.” Tricia Hersey, in her book Rest is Resistance, talks about how thoroughly weary we are, in all ways. She says, “Grind culture is a collaboration between white supremacy and capitalism. It views our divine bodies as machines. Our worth is not connected to how much we produce. We ignore our bodies’ need to rest and in doing so, we lose touch with Spirit. Our bodies are tool agents for change. A site of liberation. The time to rest is now. Our collective rest will change the world because our rest resides in a Spirit of refusal and disruption. Rest is our protest. Rest is resistance. Rest is reparations.” (p. 12 of Rest is Resistance). Jesus is a place of rest and restoration, because Jesus Christ is our resurrection and liberation.
Indeed our culture is obsessed with work. The World Health Organization reports “People working 55 or more hours each week face an estimated 35% higher risk of a stroke and a 17% higher risk of dying from heart disease, compared to people following the widely accepted standard of working 35 to 40 hours in a week.”
And yet, Tricia Hersey seems to be correct. Americans don’t even know how to rest. Most of us do not even use our vacation time. In a recent study, 46% of Americans say that we don’t take our full vacation time, despite the fact that keeping the Sabbath is a commandment. Tricia Hersey says that rest takes deprogramming and has to be snuck in, stolen and practiced: “resting is ancient, slow and connected work that will take hold of you in ways that may be surprising. Let deprogramming from grind culture surprise you. Let your entire being slowly begin to shift. Get lost in rest. Pull up the blankets, search for softness and be open to the ways rest will surprise and calm you.” (p. 17 Rest is Resistance)
Meanwhile, the grind culture and capitalism work against us. Texas recently signed into law the elimination of local laws requiring breaks for workers. The law trumps local regulations about safety, water, and rest breaks. Texas law does not mandate any breaks for workers. One casualty is the “City of Austin's Rest Break Ordinance. The local ordinance says no employee may be required to work more than four hours without a 10-minute rest break.” The new law is effective September 1st.
Let's remember that God created the entire world in Genesis, and then when Divinity finished creating, said to humanity that the first thing God wanted humanity to do was not work, or to make things, or even create, but to come, rest and be with God for a while.
Perhap we can try practices where we work on the Sabbath, be still and know that I am with God. Sundays where one is bored, or do nothing, or produce nothing for church might be just what God is asking for. Remember Jesus calls out the hypocrisy of the marketplace saying that 'My yoke is easy and my burden is light." How can we start to build a church that gives this kind of being, breathing, (revolutionary and counter-cultural) sanctuary space.
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Mary Austin:Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30
We Need to Play
If we are weary and burdened, Jesus invites us to rest. One way to do that is play, which lightens our load. Author Catherine Price distinguishes between True Fun, which restores us, and Fake Fun, which just makes us more tired.
She says that True Fun “is the feeling of being fully present and engaged, free from self-criticism and judgment. It is the thrill of losing ourselves in what we’re doing and not caring about the outcome. It is laughter. It is playful rebellion. It is euphoric connection. It is the bliss that comes from letting go. When we are truly having fun, we are not lonely. We are not anxious or stressed.
Instead, we spend much of our leisure time on “Fake Fun,” a term I use to describe activities and possessions that are marketed to us as fun, that we work long hours to be able to afford, but that are ultimately meaningless or a waste of time—such as binge-watching shows to the point that our eyes glaze over, buying things we don’t need, or mindlessly scrolling through social media for hours at a time. Fake Fun is numbing and leaves us empty when we’re done. True Fun, on the other hand, makes us feel nourished and refreshed. (from The Power of Fun: How to Feel Alive Again by Catherine Price)
This kind of refreshment is what Jesus is inviting us into.
* * *
Genesis 24:34-38, 42-49, 58-67
Fast Weddings
After Abraham’s servant makes his pitch to Rebecca’s family, things move fast. The family “called Rebekah, and said to her, ‘Will you go with this man?’ She said, ‘I will.’ So they sent away their sister Rebekah and her nurse along with Abraham’s servant and his men.”
Contemporary couples are planning their weddings equally fast. Some couples now skip the long planning process, and get married on short notice. For example, “Four days before their wedding, Richie Romero and Tiffany Wong emailed family members a “save the date” invite. It was void of time, location and dress code — the couple were still deciding those details. “We wanted somewhere in New York with significance,” said Mr. Romero, an admitted adrenaline junkie. “We did a lot of Zoom weddings during Covid. People were over big productions. We wanted this to be about us. Plus, there’s something satisfying in the intensity and ability to pull something together quickly and make it work.” Mr. Romero, 47, an entrepreneur and restaurateur, was fortunate Ms. Wong shared his go-with-the flow attitude.” When the details were set, they contacted their guests by text.
The couple is part of a new trend — flash weddings. These quick celebrations “are usually planned within three months or less — sometimes within a week. They are typically less pricey since they are frequently held at no-cost locations like parks or beaches, with less formal decorations. They also involve fewer guests and can happen any day of the week.”
Fast wedding plans — not just in the Bible anymore!
* * *
Genesis 24:34-38, 42-49, 58-67
Complicated Weddings
Our story shows us how to marriage of Isaac and Rebecca is arranged, and then there’s no word about how their lives are actually joined. Is it as simple as him taking her into his tent? For many couples, that wouldn’t be enough.
A wedding planner notes that some people are going big on weddings, planning even more elaborate celebrations. Now, in addition to the ceremony and reception, “couples can hire a professional wedding social-media adviser, a service that can cost up to $3,000. A company such as Maid of Social will develop a “strategy” for your wedding, attend and photograph it, and post the shots to your Snapchat and Instagram accounts, hashtags included—“because the day you just spent 14 months planning should be seen by the world.” Being a bride used to mean being royalty for a day. Now it means being a celebrity.”
All of this is expensive. Very expensive. “The average wedding in America costs about $30,000. Historically, money for weddings was cobbled together through savings and gifts from parents, but today many of the celebrations are debt-financed affairs. Surveys have found that roughly 30 to 45 percent of couples report taking on credit-card or other debt to pay for them. Wedding loans—personal loans marketed to engaged couples—can carry interest rates as high as 30 percent.” Then there’s another other category. “At the same time, ultra-luxurious weddings—the kind no one needs credit cards to pay for—have become a bigger slice of the market. Last year, approximately 13,000 weddings in America cost $1 million or more, according to the consulting firm Think Splendid.”
Alas, no amount of money can buy happiness for the couple.
* * *
Genesis 24:34-38, 42-49, 58-67
Invisible People
Abraham’s servant is working very hard in this story, and the fate of the family rests on his efforts, and yet we never hear his name. The same is true for the people who influence our days.
Rob Walker observes, "the labels we find in, say, the inside of the neck of a mass-produced T-shirt tell stories. A basic disclosure of material composition (the percentage that is cotton, for example), a declaration that the thing was “Made in Wherever.” We hardly notice these particulars. The Canadian Fair Trade Network, in an effort to underscore why we should be paying more attention to the wheres and hows of our manufactured purchases, once ran a provocative ad campaign that played off the innocuous nature of the clothing label. In a series of images, it presented garments with detailed tags—some of them more than a foot long and jammed with text.
For instance: 100% cotton. Made in Cambodia by Behnly, nine years old. He gets up at 5:00 am every morning to make his way to the garment factory where he works. It will be dark when he arrives and dark when he leaves. He dresses lightly because the temperature in the room he works in reaches 30 degrees. The dust in the room fills his nose and mouth. He will make less than a dollar, for a day spent slowly suffocating. A mask would cost the company ten cents. The label doesn’t tell the whole story. Presumably Behnly’s story is actually an amalgam based on a knowledge of typical work conditions. But it’s jarring. And it makes you appreciate the clothing tag in a different way. Of course we can’t really know the story of a garment, and of course not everything made in Cambodia (or wherever) is a product of human suffering. But next time you’re browsing the clothes rack or your own wardrobe, read the tags." (The Art of Noticing: 131 Ways to Spark Creativity, Find Inspiration, and Discover Joy in the Everyday by Rob Walker)
* * *
Genesis 24:34-38, 42-49, 58-67
People Who Help
We never hear the name of Abraham’s servant, or the names of the men who travel with Abraham. Rebecca’s nurse also goes without a name in the story, and she also uproots her whole life to travel back with Rebecca.
When she was pregnant with her second child, Dasha Kennedy would catch the bus every morning, Monday thru Friday, at 5:00 am. She would carry her older son, walk to the bus stop and wait for the bus.
Every day a man stood at the bus stop, and never got on the bus. One day he came rushing out of his house and said, "oh good, you're here. We overslept and I thought I missed you."
She was confused, and then he explained that his wife saw her waiting at the bus stop alone, with her child, a few months ago. She told him to wait with her to be sure she was ok. He never spoke to her before that day, and she never met his wife. Dasha Kennedy says, "I thank God for her often. I used to be scared out of my mind at that bus stop and the whole time a sister was watching my back and I didn't even know it." (from Upworthy)
We have more people contributing to our health and safety than we realize.
* * * * * *
From team member Tom Willadsen:Genesis 24:34-38, 42-49, 58-67
Well, well, well
This is something of a set piece for Biblical rom-coms, meeting at the well. Jacob meets Rachel at a well. Moses picks up Reuel’s daughter, Zipporah, at the well. (Later on Reuel becomes Jethro, no one knows why.)
Later on, after Moses starts working as Reuel’s shepherd, one could say he was on the lam, tending his father-in-law’s sheep—if one is willing to pay the price for making such an awful pun.
Jesus has a memorable encounter with a woman at a well in John 4.
* * *
Genesis 24:34-38, 42-49, 58-67
She took off her veil
Veiling the bride was required of free women in Middle Assyrian law. A traditional Jewish marriage is now preceded by the bedecken ceremony—the covering of the bride with a veil, while the groom utters the words from Gen. 24:60: “May you grow into/Thousands of myriads.” (The Torah: A Modern Commentary, edited by W. Gunther Plaut, New York: Union of American Hebrew Congregations, 1981, p.166.)
* * *
Genesis 24:34-38, 42-49, 58-67
On marriage
The story of Rebekah’s betrothal reveals the biblical attitude toward the nature and content of marriage. The union between man and woman must be grounded in the finest qualities, and Rebekah exhibits them to perfection. Her behavior shows modesty and hospitality; she is kind to animals and respectful to her own family. It is for such attributes that the servant prays; a woman who possesses them is indeed “very beautiful.” (Ibid., p, 168.)
* * *
Genesis 24:64
Rachel “slipped quickly” off her camel וַתִּפֹּ֖ל
Well, no, Rachel fell off her camel. The Hebrew verb, (above) is the same one for when Joseph fell on his brother Benjamin’s neck and wept (Genesis 46:29). It was a time of great emotion.
There’s another Hebrew verb, תֵּ֖רֶד, for dismounting a camel without drama, it’s used when Abigail gets off her camel at David’s feet in I Samuel 25:23. Rebekah didn’t do that; she fell off her mount. Was she taken by her affianced’s charms, or was she a klutz?
* * *
Romans 7:15-25a
Seeking rescue
In verse 24 Paul’s use of “body of death” refers to his own body, not his slavery, or metaphorical imprisonment in the Law.
* * * * * *
From team member Dean Feldmeyer:Matthew 11:16-10, 25-30
Jesus points out that there is just no pleasing some religious people. He was able to shrug this fact off. Some of us, however, persist in being people pleasers, often to the detriment of our own mental health.
How To Tell If You Are A “People Pleaser”
If you are the oldest child in the family or you were raised by strict, authoritarian parents, there’s a better than even chance that you are a people pleaser. You grew up wanting to please your parents so they would love or reward you so, naturally, that’s the way you tend to relate to other people
Nothing wrong with that as long as it’s kept in check and not carried to extremes like trying to please everyone all the time. That can lead to mental health problems. So we need to discipline ourselves to hold our people-pleasing tendencies in check. When it gets out of control, we become chronic People Pleaser.
According to the website ascending-grace.com you might be a people pleaser if:
- You are preoccupied about what others think and feel
- You agree with people’s opinions even when you disagree
- You are always afraid to say ‘’no’’ to others
- You taking care of others but not yourself
- You are afraid of being abandoned or rejected
- You tend to neglect your own needs
- You find yourself stuck in relationships & friendships where you exhaust yourself by giving but not getting back
- You constantly seek other people’s approval
7 Ways to Stop Being A People Pleaser
The same web site offers these seven ways to bring our people pleasing tendencies to a manageable level.
A. Get to the Root Cause — This is the first step. Try to figure out why you are trying to please everyone. Are you still trying to please your parents? Your old coach? Or are you trying to please the classmates or bullies who taunted you or the boyfriend who dumped you? Knowing why we act the way we do is a big step in changing our behavior.
B. Accept your people-pleaser aspect. That is, be aware of the fact that you are a People Pleaser. Admit it, talk about it, journal about it. Accept it. Then, move on.
C. Remember, [as Jesus points out] it’s impossible to please everyone. People pleasing is a waste of time and energy. You can try to do what you think other people want you to do, but you can’t control whether or not they’re pleased. When you have this awareness in your mind, you truly and deeply can heal yourself.
D. Learn to say, “No.” If you feel like something’s going to hurt you or throw you back into your people-pleasing aspect, say no. It will take time for you to be able to say no comfortably, at first it’s scary, I know, because you fear that you’ll hurt someone or will make them emotional and sad. If the word, itself, is too hard for you to say, try a substitute: “I’m sorry, but that’s not going to work for me,” is a good oneor simply, “Oh, I’m sorry but I just can’t.”
E. Say how you really feel. This one may seem confrontational, but if we think about it, we need confrontation to really grow as personalities. We don’t have to be mean or angry to state the honest truth. We can do it simply and concisely. “I’m feeling uncomfortable with this,” or “I’m not comfortable with that.”
F. Focus on your needs and values. Now that you have accepted your people pleaser aspect and worked on saying no and setting boundaries for yourself, it’s time to focus on your own needs, discover what they are, vocalize them, and firmly stand up for them.
G. Remember — you don’t have to be liked by all people to feel whole. You can’t please everyone and you don’t need to be liked by everyone to finally start living your best life. It’s totally not worth it to wait for someone’s approval to feel like yourself.
* * *
Monty Python On People Pleasing
Monty Python’s “The Life of Brian,” set in Judea during the life of Jesus. In one scene, Brian is approached by a beggar claiming to be an “ex-leper.” He goes on to explain Jesus cured him of leprosy “without so much as a by your leave” and has ruined his career as a beggar.
Brian relents and gives the man a coin but the ex-leper is outraged by the low amount. Brian, shakes his head and says, quietly, “There’s just no pleasing some people.”
“That’s just what Jesus said, sir,” the ex-leper replies.
* * *
Romans 7:15-25a
Paul admits that he doesn’t understand his own behavior. He doesn’t do what he wants, he says, but he does what he doesn’t want! Go figure, right? Sounds like the same compulsive or even addictive behavior that many of us have experienced in our own lives.
Bad Habit Or Compulsive Behavior?
Jerrold Pollak, PhD, a psychologist specializing in compulsive behavior, tells webmd.com that the difference in a bad habit and a compulsion is that bad habits, be controlled. While the behavior might be a nuisance and undesirable, he says, it is not destructive to you and the people around you. Compulsive behavior is similar to addiction -- we reach a point where we cannot stop even though we know our behavior isn't serving us well.
In other words, if an aspect of your behavior is consistently causing you problems and you continue in that behavior anyway, you may be suffering from a compulsion or addiction.
"Many behaviors can become compulsive,” observes Pollak. Done occasionally and without causing problems they can be a harmless or even healthy diversion from everyday life. The problem comes, however, when “People can't stop doing them and they do them too much."
* * *
OCD — Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Psychology Today, observes that millions of people suffer from at least one compulsive behavior. And compulsive behaviors come in many forms, all of which can become debilitating or even dangerous.
Common activities that can develop into compulsions include shopping, hoarding, eating, gambling, sex, and exercise. Though some behaviors are easier to overindulge in than others, in reality, nearly any behavior has the potential to become a compulsion. Some people even talk compulsively.
There are also obsessive compulsions, in which a compulsive person performs certain behaviors to relieve underlying anxiety or other negative emotions. A well-known example is a person who checks and rechecks everything—if the stove is turned off, for instance, or if the door is locked. BFRBs (Body Focused Repetitive Behaviors) are related to obsessive compulsions. These include nail-biting, hair-pulling and skin-picking. In some cases, BFRBs are engaged in to decrease anxiety.
These behaviors rarely if ever decrease anxiety in the long run; in most cases, they only provide temporary relief. In extreme cases, compulsive behaviors start to take over a person's work, home, and social life, at the expense of normal activities.
OCD is, most often, treated with what is called Exposure and Response Prevention. For the treatment, a therapist will gradually and safely expose a patient to the item or thought that they fear and then prevent the compulsive behavior that typically follows. For example, if a patient is afraid of germs and washes his or her hands until they are raw or hurt, the therapist will work with the patient to touch a doorknob without hand-washing after to get used to their fear and learn that they are still safe without the compulsive behavior.
* * *
OCD — You Are Not Alone
Those who suffer from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder need not feel alone. According to the web site malibuinspire.com, “anxiety disorders top the chart as some of the most common mental health disorders in the United States. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) falls into this category.”
Among the U.S. population, an estimated 2.2 million people – around 1 percent of the population – struggle with this disorder to some degree or another, reports the Anxiety and Depression Association of America.
Women and men are affected at equal rates and 19 years of age is the average for symptoms of OCD first appearing.
Since there is no demographic immune to this treatable mental health disorder, it should come as no surprise that even celebrities of different stripes and careers suffer from the disorder. Here are 6 who have talked openly about their OCD.
1. David Beckham — World-renowned soccer player David Beckham has opened up about his struggle with OCD. He says that he has to have everything in a straight line or in pairs. He also says he’s addicted to the pain of getting tattoos.
2. Katy Perry — Singer/song writer Katy Perry says that she is a germaphobe who practices “crazy cleaning rituals in her house.”
3. Howard Hughes — The 20th-century American magnate died in 1976, partly due to his severe OCD. Hughes famously spent four months in a darkened movie screening room, never leaving. He was surrounded by Kleenex boxes that he continually stacked and sorted. The industrialist also stored his urine in bottles.
4. Leonardo DiCaprio — Oscar Award-winning actor, Leonardo DiCaprio, who portrayed Howard Hughes in the biopic “The Aviator,” struggles with OCD compulsions like walking through doors several times as well as the urge to step on chewing gum stains.
5. Howard Stern — Longtime shock-jock and radio icon Howard Stern said at points in his career, he failed to address anxiety issues, telling David Letterman, in an interview, that he used to spend hours in his bathroom before work just touching things.
6. Howie Mandel — Howie Mandel, a comedian, game show host and judge on “America’s Got Talent” is a compulsive germaphobe, whose honesty about his mental health has made him an advocate for greater public awareness about OCD.
* * *
Genesis 24:34-38, 42-49, 58-67
The author offers a complex story of how a faithful, humble servant participates in events that shape history but whose name we never learn.
Inconspicuous Service
Franklin Roosevelt's closest adviser during much of his presidency was a man named Harry Hopkins. During World War II, when his influence with Roosevelt was at its peak, Hopkins held no official Cabinet position. Moreover, Hopkins's closeness to Roosevelt caused many to regard him as a shadowy, sinister figure. As a result he was a major political liability to the President. A political foe once asked Roosevelt, "Why do you keep Hopkins so close to you? You surely realize that people distrust him and resent his influence." Roosevelt replied, "Someday you may well be sitting here where I am now as President of the United States. And when you are, you'll be looking at that door over there and knowing that practically everybody who walks through it wants something out of you. You'll learn what a lonely job this is, and you'll discover the need for somebody like Harry Hopkins, who asks for nothing except to serve you." Winston Churchill rated Hopkins as one of the half-dozen most powerful men in the world in the early 1940s. And the sole source of Hopkins's power was his willingness to serve.
* * *
They Served in Coal
Writing in the International Business Times, author Doug Dickerson shares a story of hope and encouragement from Don McCullough’s Walking from the American Dream, about Winston Churchill:
During World War II, England needed to increase its production of coal. Winston Churchill called together labor leaders to enlist their support. At the end of his presentation, he asked them to picture in their minds a parade which he knew would be held in Piccadilly Circus after the war.
First, he said, would come the sailors who had kept the vital sea lanes open. Then would come the soldiers who had come home from Dunkirk and then gone on to defeat Rommel in Africa. Then would come the pilots who had driven the Luftwaffe from the sky.
Last of all, he said, would come a long line of sweat-stained, soot-streaked men in miner's caps. Someone would cry from the crowd, 'And where were you during the critical days of our struggle?' And from ten thousand throats would come the answer, 'We were deep in the earth with our faces to the coal.' * * * * * *
From team member Elena Delhagen:Genesis 24:34-38, 42-49, 58-67
When the servant selected Rebekah to be Isaac’s wife, he was essentially ensuring the continuity of Abraham’s line of descendants and the realization of God’s promise to make his lineage as numerous as the stars in the sky. The servant had a very hefty responsibility placed on his shoulders; even if he didn’t realize it, he was choosing one of the matriarchs and founders of the Jewish nation!
Thus, Jewish midrash pays careful attention to the gifts given to Rebekah (a gold nose-ring weighing a half-shekel, and two gold bands for her arms, ten shekels in weight). The midrash says this gift is symbolic of another gift that Israel would be given in the future. The two bands correspond to the two Tablets, and the ten shekels to the Ten Commandments that would be given to the Jewish people through Moses.
* * *
Genesis 24:34-38, 42-49, 58-67
It is fascinating that in the midst of the patriarchal society of the ancient Near East, Rebekah’s story has deeply matristic threads. The servant asks her in v.23 if there is room in her father’s house for he (the servant) to spend the night, and the story continues by noting she went with him to her mother’s household — not her father’s. Girl power, indeed!
* * *
Romans 7:15-25a
Much ink has been spilled over the years in attempts to identify what exactly Paul was struggling with here. Interestingly, most modern commentators actually believe that Paul is speaking in a voice other than his own present person here. Paul’s theology of the new life a believer is born into through Christ is simply too great. Rather, “anyone struggling to be made righteous by following God’s standard, rather than relying on God’s transforming gift of righteousness, might experience the sort of tension between knowing right and being right described here.” (Keener, Craig S., Romans: A New Commentary, 93.)
* * *
Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30
It’s no secret that Jesus was often misunderstood during his time on earth. Those around him compared him to a glutton, a drunkard, and a friend of tax collectors and sinners. And here, Jesus compares his generation to children whose most notable characteristic is that they lack wisdom.
Yes, it is true that Jesus offers reprieve for the weary in this passage, but let us not miss that he is also highlighting the importance of wisdom and instruction. A yoke was indeed a tool used to lighten the load of animals’ work, but in Rabbinic literature, it was often used as a metaphor for obeying the Torah. In order to obey something, you have to know it. You have to be instructed in it, and through understanding, you gain wisdom. Knowing Jesus is to be instructed in the ways of God’s kin-dom — to be yoked to it, in keeping with the metaphor. It is in following Jesus that we, at the same time, grow in wisdom.
* * * * * *
WORSHIPby Katy Stenta
Call to Worship (based on Psalm 45)
One: God we will praise your name forever
All: With joy and gladness, we are lead along
One: We are entering the house of God together
All: All peoples will praise your name forever and ever!
Or
One: Jesus says come all who are weary
All: And I will give you rest
One: Jesus promises that his yoke is light
All: Come let us walk with Jesus
Hymns and Songs
I Want Jesus to Walk with Me
UMH 521
PH 363
AAHH 563
NNBH 500
NCH 490
CH 627
W&P 506
AMEC 375
There Is a Balm in Gilead
UMH 375
H82 676
PH 394
AAHH 524
NNBH 489
NCH 553
CH 501
ELW 614
W&P 631
AMEC 425
What Wondrous Love Is This
UMH 292
H82 439
PH 85
GTG 215
NCH 223
CH 200
LBW 385
ELW 666
W&P 257
STLT 18
Renew 277
O Master, Let Me Walk with Thee
UMH 430
H82 659/660
PH 357
GTG 738
NNBH 445
NCH 503
CH 602
LBW 492
ELW 818
W&P 589
AMEC 299
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
Call to Confession
Come let us empty all of our sins to God
Prayer of Confession
God, I confess that sometimes I do not understand my sins. Sometimes, they seem too complicated, or to be some kind of outside temptations that I do not even mean to give into. Like Paul, I confess that sins seem to be like an attacking force. I am caught in the tangle of complex situations or power structures, that I do not even notice until it is too late. So what can I do, but beg for deliverance? Teach me how to avoid these situations, because you know God, I am not good at recognizing all of the deceits and corruptions that are out there. Forgive me and love me into my best self, I pray. Amen
Assurance of Pardon
Hear the God news: we are children of grace, so we are forgiven, with an overflowing cup. Know that we are free from our sins. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
God, I confess that I do not think that Christianity and faith should be easy. Too often I am tricked into thinking that everything should be work. I forget that yours in the house of sanctuary. Forgive me and teach me to find rest in your arms once again, I pray. Amen.
Assurance of Pardon
God is the shepherd who will always lead us home, know that we are forgiven and safe in the arms of God, for God’s yoke is easy, let us rest in forgiveness of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Prayer of the People
God, help all those who are too heavy burdened. those who are weighed down with sickness:
those who are caretaking:
those who are struggling in other ways:
God, we give thanks for those who are your are shepherding to joy
let us celebrate those who have good news today:
God we lift up to you all of those who are in the world who need their burdened lightened, those in other countries who need special care:
And we lift up our own need to be a place of safety and sanctuary and rest—and pray that we focus on being a place where we can see one another as beloved children of God. We pray this using the prayer your son taught us praying (The Lord’s Prayer) Amen.
Prayer of the Day
God, we long for the kind of prayer
that takes not effort
but instead flows from our sighs
and undoing
through the Holy Spirit, into you,
and even though you make it possible.
It is hard for us humans to believe that kind of prayer counts.
Assure us God, that every kind of prayer, is real,
that it is enough to breathe, be, and even to sleep
that you do not require perfection, hard work or even abilities
just some time spent
breathing in
and breathing out
breathing in
and
breath
ing
out
with
you
God.
…
….
….
Amen.
* * * * * *
CHILDREN'S SERMONMaking Good Decisions
by Quantisha Mason-Doll
Romans 7:15-25a
Themes
• Consent
• Self-discovery
• Making the right choices even when it does not feel right.
Props
• Compass
It seems our good friend Paul is in a little bit of a pickle! Our reading from Romans leads us to believe that Paul is very worried about doing the right thing. He has many options in front of him. Some of them are good and others are not as good. Paul is unsure of which option to follow and he is afraid of making a mistake. How many of us here have ever felt the way Paul feels in this moment? Paul is struggling with himself. On the one hand he wants to follow the rules, but he knows that in this instance the rules are unfair. Paul does not want to disobey the rules, yet his moral compass tells him that it would be better to disobey. Does anyone know what a moral compass is and how do we get one like Paul? (Leave space for the children to give responses. define ‘moral compass’ in your own way yet it is important to note the following points:
- There are two types of compass: magnetic compass and gyro compass.
- Compare these to humanities morals and God’s morals
- A good compass will always point true North
- A magnetic compass can be affected by outside forces
- Compare to other people and social pressures
This would be a moment to try some exercises with the children. Offer stories with moral dilemmas with options with a clear positive and negative.
Prayer
Loving God who helps us to discern right from wrong guide is as we seek to be more moral. Guide us true so that we may be better versions of ourselves. In your Son’s name we pray these things. Amen.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, July 9, 2023 issue.
Copyright 2023 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.
