'her Piece Is Bigger Than Mine' And Other Family Quarrels
Children's sermon
Illustration
Preaching
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Object:
In this week's gospel text Jesus visits the home of the sisters Mary and Martha, where he finds himself in the midst of a typical family squabble. While Mary listens attentively to Jesus, Martha (the type-A sister) busies herself with numerous tasks -- and finally comes to Jesus in exasperation and asks him to tell Mary to help her out. Jesus refuses, telling Martha that she is "worried and distracted by many things." In this installment of The Immediate Word, team member Mary Austin notes that what is strongly implied in this brief story is that Martha's activity and distractions are preventing her from staying focused on what's truly important: as Jesus puts it, "there is need of only one thing" -- namely, our relationship with Christ. That's a dilemma we all face in our daily lives -- we have so many distractions we must cope with as we are constantly bombarded with information. Indeed, we have become such a society of multi-taskers that to be as singularly focused as Mary is on Jesus seems to be almost anachronistic. The truth is that most of us admire the Marthas, those who make sure that the necessary things are taken care of -- and our congregations would probably cease to function without a ready supply of Marthas. But in our rush of activity, have we lost the ability to take time and let ourselves be like Mary? And how do we go about prioritizing what's important in our lives?
The recent media fascination with basketball superstar LeBron James and his "decision" about where to continue his career provides an interesting object lesson of sorts on this very theme. As sports pundits attempted during the past month to make educated guesses about James' destination, they engaged in an elaborate discussion about what priorities would be most important to him -- would it be money, the opportunity to remain in the comfort zone of his home community, or (as it turned out) the chance to play with other star teammates? For us, what factors contribute the most to how we prioritize our lives? Is it advancing one's career, doing what is best for our families -- or maintaining a focus on the place of Christ in our lives? How do we balance all the competing priorities and distractions, and keep our focus?
Team member Dean Feldmeyer shares additional thoughts on the Amos and Luke texts, reflecting on the choices we make and how they reflect our ethics (or lack thereof). Amos details some of the bad choices endemic to the Israelites' business practices, including taking advantage of the poor, deceptive measurements, and greedily seeking excess profits (particularly at the expense of reinvesting in the future). It seems that we see much of the same willingness to cut corners in contemporary corporate culture, with an ever-increasing emphasis on fattening up the quarterly bottom line at the expense of long-term viability. That seems an apt metaphor for the post-modern approach to ethics -- everything is okay as long as it's legal (or even illegal, if one isn't caught). It's the ethical approach we often see in professional sports -- as long as one can hoodwink the referee, anything goes. In the celebrated words of Oakland Raiders head honcho Al Davis: "Just win, baby!" Amos, however, would strenuously disagree with that sentiment. Are we willing to make ethical choices based only on what brings us short-term gain? If so, Dean asks us, what does that say about our priorities?
"Her Piece Is Bigger than Mine" and other Family Quarrels
by Mary Austin
Luke 10:38-42
Mary and Martha, and their well-worn sisterly argument, come to us this week in one of the best known and most elusive stories in the Christian scriptures. The story is just five verses long, and is surely familiar to anyone who has ever gone to church. Still, with all the times we've heard it, its meaning continues to tug at us, and we never quite get it nailed down. Jesus must be highlighting the virtues of study and contemplation over work... but if we really believe that, why do we need communities of faith like the church, with our potlucks and meetings and receptions? Or wait, perhaps Jesus is displaying his feminist sensibilities, allowing Mary to sit at his feet, where traditionally only the male followers of a rabbi sat and listened. On second thought, it seems clear that Jesus is advocating balance in the spiritual life... but he himself goes into everything that he does full-tilt, no balance in sight. Like a Zen koan, the meaning seems to change each time we hear the story.
The story also hits a familiar chord for anyone who's lived in a family and experienced the rivalry that can come, mixed with love, among family members. "You got something I didn't get" is the complaint we raise to our parents, just as Mary and Martha look to Jesus to referee their dispute. The argument about the housework goes deeper than preparing food and washing dishes -- it speaks to our place in the realm of God, and how we find our way there.
THE WORLD
As the NRSV translates it, Jesus tells Martha that she is "worried and distracted by many things." One source of our distraction is having so many choices. From toothpaste to clothing, phones to fitness options, we make thousands of decisions in any given day. Phones, computers, Twitter, Facebook compete for our attention, along with work, friends, and family. Having so many choices changes pleasure into procrastination as we struggle to make the right choice. We end up distressed as we evaluate all of our options and hope to make the right decision. (For more on choices, see Dean Feldmeyer's piece below.) With so many choices we grow distracted, shifting our attention from thing to thing, never really engaging fully anywhere.
Basketball star LeBron James recently occupied the nation's attention as he made a choice about where to continue his professional basketball career. As he debated between the various teams wooing him, sports fans and others had a national conversation about how he might decide. Each team had its own list of pros and cons -- but on what would James base his decision? Would it be money? The opportunity to win a championship? Loyalty to Cleveland and his home state of Ohio? The needs of his family? Having so many good choices made the decision difficult, and our opinions about which team he should choose gave each of us a window into our own priorities.
As author Tori DeAngelis notes in a 2004 article in Monitor on Psychology, a magazine published by the American Psychological Association, research by psychologists suggests that "although an explosion of consumer choices may mean we sometimes get exactly what we want, too many choices can also overwhelm us to the point where we choose nothing at all, and in the worst-case scenarios, may even erode our well-being." She adds, "Relatedly, too much choice also can lead people to make simple, snap judgments just to avoid the hassle of wading through confusing options."
Current research also offers a guide for choosing in complex situations. When faced with too many choices, people often choose what Nobel Laureate Herb Simon first referred to as a "satisficing" option: the first decent choice that fits their preference as opposed to exhaustively scanning all options until finding the perfect, or "maximizing" one. Adds DeAngelis, "Indeed, satisficing seems like a good overall strategy for choosing." One researcher advises: "Study the options, then settle on something you feel good, if not perfectly, about; let informed sources like Consumer Reports choose for you; don't compare your acquisitions to others; and don't wallow in regret -- since, in the long run, people feel worse about inaction than action." When we do, we'll feel better about the results. Then, as the article concludes, "You can take all of the time you would have spent choosing breakfast cereal, jeans, toothpaste, and dental floss, and nurture the things that really make you happy." Then we'll find, as Jesus says, time for "the good part."
THE WORD
The choice before Martha is much deeper than the choice of jeans or toothpaste, or even where to spend the prime years of one's basketball career. The story, and the parallel portraits of Mary and Martha in John's gospel, tells us that Martha is the householder. Jesus' acceptance of her hospitality is just as radical an inclusion as his welcoming Mary to sit at his feet with his other disciples.
Yet Martha has gotten lost in her role as the householder, as the provider of hospitality. The obligations of the work have overwhelmed the purpose at the heart of it. Hospitality is meant to be an exercise of love, just as Mary's attention to Jesus is. Martha has lost her focus, and Jesus, with his own love for her evident in his words, is calling her back to her original purpose.
Some versions of the story translate Jesus' admonition to Martha as "Mary has chosen the good part," and others render it as "the better part." The Message, in an artful play on words, calls Mary's choice to focus on Jesus "the main course." Jesus doesn't tell Martha to sit at his feet like Mary, which would seem out of character for her, but to focus on what she herself is doing, without worry or distraction. The question of the spiritual life, for all of us, is learning how to focus on "the main course" -- to let our choices lead us to the main course, instead of losing it in a welter of distractions.
CRAFTING THE SERMON
This text can be difficult sermon material because it's so familiar. It also holds a certain possibility for dishonesty for us as preachers if we come down too heavily on Martha. Churches rely on the Marthas for all the things that make for community. The spiritual life can be solitary without the gifts of the Marthas, who make sure that there are coffee hours where guests at worship can be greeted, and receptions after funerals, and blankets for baptisms. Bulletins and meeting agendas, flowers in the sanctuary and teachers for Sunday school are all organized by the Marthas among us, and they are the ones who make the community a more welcoming place to be.
Yet the Marthas are also the ones who burn out and grow disillusioned, who become angry when people aren't appreciative, who annoy other people by wanting them to do things the exact way they do. Truth be told, most pastors seem to have more Martha than Mary, although we claim to want to be more Mary-like.
Each of us is both Mary and Martha at different times, and our spiritual journeys call us to both kinds of faith at different times. With some Mary-like rest added in, the Marthas don't need to burn out. With some Martha-like service added in, the Marys don't need to spin off into self-absorption.
This story is a call to honor the spiritual gifts we have and to use them with focus and attention. Whether we're more like Mary or more like Martha, we can be distracted by many things. Competing choices are all around us, and our attention is hard to capture. Jesus calls us back to the main course, the grace-full love at the heart of both our service and our attentive listening.
ANOTHER VIEW
Choices
by Dean Feldmeyer
Luke 10:38-42; Amos 8:1-12
Our texts this week from Luke and Amos have much to say about the choices we make.
In his version of the story of Mary and Martha, Luke calls us to examine our priorities. Are we task/goal-oriented (Martha) or are we person/relationship-oriented (Mary)? Neither is necessarily "right" or "wrong." Sometimes we are called to be one, sometimes the other. The trick is to know which is appropriate and when.
Writing online for the New York Times, philosopher Todd May observes that our culture encourages only two kinds of relationships. "Consumer relationships" are those that we participate in for the pleasure they bring us, while "entrepreneurial relationships" are those that we invest in because we hope they will pay off in some way in the future. May points out that Aristotle offered us a third alternative -- that of "true friendship."
True friends love each other not because they give each other pleasure or because they reap some dividend from the relationship, but because of who they are. "I love you," says a true friend, "because of who you are and who I am." True friendship seeks the welfare of the other and the welfare of the relationship, even when there is no profit to be made from either.
There is nothing wrong with getting things done, but Luke calls us to remember when we make our choices that relationships always trump agendas.
"No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends" (John 15:13).
Amos focuses on the choices we make in business and commerce. While most of the passage illustrates what inevitably happens to countries that tolerate and even encourage dishonesty, in verses 3-5 he delineates some of the common unethical practices he saw in the marketplace.
Business ethics, he observed, had become passÈ in Israel. Cheating, lying, and misrepresentation had become the norm. Especially vulnerable to these dishonest practices were the poor, who were victimized by unscrupulous merchants who saw nothing wrong with what they were doing.
Apparently some merchants were using dishonest weights and measures (false balances) when dealing in grain, selling small bushels (ephahs) for big dollars (shekels). Others were gouging the poor, overcharging for necessities of life like sandals. Still others were misrepresenting what they were selling; grain swept from the floor contained dirt and chaff but was sold to the poor as clean grain and charged the same.
Such dishonesty was tolerated, even encouraged -- everyone was doing it, after all. If you were caught and fined, it was simply the price of doing business. But what of the poor? What price were they paying?
Amos warns that the "price" of doing dishonest or unethical business reaches beyond the fine you pay today -- it undercuts and weakens the foundations of the entire society. It substitutes short-term profits for long-term stability. It creates a culture of dishonesty.
Certainly the false business practices and unethical commerce, the bad choices that so angered Amos have not disappeared with time. Oil companies who might have spent the past 40 years preparing for the next oil spill chose to spend and distribute their profits in other ways and chalk up the cost of current spills as the price of doing business. Tobacco companies who knew that their products were addictive and deadly chose to keep that knowledge to themselves, writing off the occasional lawsuit as the price of doing business.
Economists and financial experts Yves Smith and Rob Parenteau, writing in the New York Times, point out that since 2002 American companies have run higher financial surpluses than in the previous 40 years. But instead of using those surpluses to re-invest in their companies and create jobs, they are providing dividends to stockholders and bonuses to their corporate officers... and all this is being done in the interest of short-term gains. Meanwhile, the poor and middle class are losing their jobs, their medical insurance, and their homes.
Amos calls us to be aware of the effects of our choices, especially those we make in the marketplace. Our choices run deeper than we realize, affecting the lives of those around us, especially the poor. They also have long-term impacts that often reach even into future generations.
On July 6, economists and analysts David Wessel, Rea Hederman, and Dean Baker were the guests on NPR's Diane Rehm Show. A listener entered their conversation with an email asking the guests if they didn't think "it's time for corporations to put patriotism ahead of profits, to stop firing and start hiring." There was a long, almost embarrassed silence before all of the panelists agreed, almost dismissively, that the "job of corporations is to make money." Companies are, according to these three panelists (who represented both ends of the political spectrum), exempt from such values and considerations as patriotism.
Reading today's passage from Amos, one cannot but wonder what other exemptions we have given to corporations in the twenty-first century. What other ethics and values simply no longer apply as long as you're paying dividends to your stockholders?
A sermon that takes seriously Amos's criticism of dishonesty in business must be careful not to be accused of "business bashing" or "picking on business," which, in our current economic context, is often an easy target. More appropriate and effective would be to question, as both Amos and Luke do, any culture that puts finances before friendships and results before relationships, short-term profits before long-term stability, and the happiness and comfort of the rich few before the genuine needs of the many poor. Scripture speaks much about the choices we make concerning money, but money is only the presenting issue. The real issue is always priorities.
ILLUSTRATIONS
In a recent Los Angeles Times article titled "Book Bloggers Catch on with Publishers", Carolyn Kellogg noted that blogging has become the new venue for book promotion. Blogging began with the first software in 1999, but it was not until 2005 that the first group of individuals, 20 in all, formed a group to discuss books. Today there are over 300 active book blogging fellowships. And "fellowship" is the correct terminology, for these meetings are really online book clubs. Beyond the love of books, what draws individuals into these groups is a sense of "hominess." Some have even described it as being a part of a "quilting party."
The advantage that publishers have discovered is the ability of these blogging groups to promote a book at no expense. Many books do not warrant the costs required for print advertisements, or the genre is too small to make the book appealing to a morning television talk show, but bloggers can provide a book with limited but needed exposure. Thus, publishers are now sending advance copies of books to the various groups. And remember, these bloggers are only involved because they enjoy sharing their love of reading with their cyberspace friends.
Every once in a while it is fun to think about a Bible passage by sort of reminiscing instead of engaging in an extensive exegetical study. I wonder if Martha's problem in this week's gospel text is that she was working in the kitchen not with a sense of joy, but rather with a sense of duty and obligation. This would of course cause some resentment toward her "lazy" sister and anger that she was doing all of the work alone. But what if Martha was working in the kitchen with the attitude of a book blogger? She knew she was making a contribution to the visit of her guest, but her motivation was one of joy by being a part of the "hominess" of the day.
Would not this attitude transform our churches -- if parishioners worked in the kitchen and did odd jobs around the building not out of obligation, but because they felt a sense of "hominess"?
* * *
According to a New York Times article by Marlisle Simons, the world's radio astronomers are not too happy with the boom in satellite communications. It seems that with all the new satellite systems going into orbit to provide us with more programming and better cellular service, the scientists are having a hard time hearing anything from space. Says Stefan Michalowski, an American physicist, "What's going on now is like a neighbor turning on a boom box while you are listening for the sound of an insect." The scientists were so concerned that they asked for government help in establishing a noise curfew between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m., when satellite providers would have to reduce their service capabilities.
It all goes to show that in order to listen well, you have to eliminate outside noise and distractions. Mary knew this and was able to put aside her household chores and listen to Jesus' teaching.
* * *
When discussing the story of Mary and Martha with groups, I like to take polls. "How many would side with the sister who did all the preparation?" I ask. Most women tend to sympathize with Martha. It's no fun doing all the work while some couch-potato relative sits leisurely. One of my sisters always got a bathroom call when it was time to do Sunday dinner dishes. When loved ones consistently do that, we need to have frank conversations with them.
Whether Mary always shirked work, we don't know. What we do know is that on that particular day, Martha was so angry with her sister that she became upset with Jesus and even tried to order him around. Have you ever been so angry with God that you began making demands of him?
Jesus didn't strongly condemn Martha. He gently instructed her not to let anxiety over propriety, niceties, and elegance take precedence over a loving relationship with the Lord and her family. Do anxiety and worry distract you from serving God and loving your family?
* * *
It all began at a red light. Kevin Salwen was driving his 14-year-old daughter home from a sleepover. While waiting at a traffic light, they saw a black Mercedes on one side and a homeless man begging for food on the other.
"Dad, if that man had a less nice car, that man there could have a meal," Hannah protested. The light changed and they drove home, but Hannah would not let the matter drop. She pestered her parents about inequity, insisting that she wanted to do something.
"What do you want us to do?" her mother responded. "Sell our house?" Never make such a statement to a teenager, Kevin would learn. Hannah seized upon the idea of selling the luxurious family home and donating half the proceeds to charity, while using the other half to buy a more modest replacement home.
Eventually they did just that. The project -- crazy, impetuous, and utterly inspiring -- is chronicled in a book by her father, The Power of Half. The Salwens offer an example of a family that came together to make a difference.
It's tough being a prophet and being charged to confront people of their wrongdoing. The Old Testament prophet Amos, speaking the Word of God, challenged the people: "Hear this, you that trample on the needy, and bring to ruin the poor of the land." It was a call to change, to pay attention to the poor. It was also a call to action.
* * *
Someone once asked a great man who had arisen out of humble beginnings, "What did your father teach you that was most important?"
The man thought for a moment and then replied, "He taught me that whatever he happened to be doing at the time that was the most important."
What Jesus is trying to teach Martha is a similar quality of attentiveness, of living fully in the present. Her sister Mary is gifted at living in the present; yet Martha, perpetually "distracted by many things," is not so adept.
* * *
The late Anthony de Mello, a native of India, was a Roman Catholic priest. In his short but remarkable ministry as a teacher of spirituality, he brought together eastern and western thought as few others have. In a series of taped lectures he shared this ancient Chinese proverb:
When the archer shoots for nothing, he has all his skill.
When he shoots for a brass buckle, he is already nervous.
When he shoots for a prize of gold, he goes blind.
"The archer's skill," says de Mello, "has not changed: but the prize divides him. He cares. He thinks more of winning than of shooting."
* * *
There is a Zen Buddhist fable of a woman who's seeking the meaning of life. So eager is this woman to find life's meaning that she sells all she has and sets off on a worldwide spiritual quest.
In a distant land, she hears rumors of one who knows the answer: an old man who lives in the mountains. Finally, in a small hut in the Himalayas, she finds him. She knocks on the door of his hut. He opens it and invites her in for tea.
"No, thank you," she says, "I haven't come for tea. I'm seeking the meaning of life."
"You must have tea," the teacher says, and motions her to sit down.
All the time the water is boiling, the woman talks. The words tumble out of her mouth rapid-fire. Having sought the wise teacher for so long, she now wants him to know everything about her. She tells him all her worries and doubts and anxieties, all the troubling thoughts that have kept her from sleeping at night. All the while the teacher sits quietly, making the tea.
When it has reached the proper strength he begins to pour her a cup; but she's oblivious to what he's doing. He keeps pouring until the cup is full, then he pours some more. The woman looks down. She notices her cup is overflowing, that the tea is running to the edge of the table and dripping onto the floor. "Stop!" she exclaims. "There's no more room!"
"Just so," says the teacher. "You come here wanting something from me, but what am I to do? There is no more room in your cup. Come back when it is empty, and then we will talk."
The woman never did have to return to the master, for in the simple act of pouring her a cup of tea he had taught her all she needed to know.
* * *
Kathleen Hom recently asked in the Washington Post "Whatever Happened to… the Woman on the Senator's Lap?". She wondered what became of Donna Rice -- the 29-year-old woman who was photographed in 1988 sitting on the lap of presidential frontrunner Gary Hart, wearing his "Crew of the Monkey Business" T-shirt. The revelation that the married senator from Colorado was having an affair with a cute young blond model forced Hart to quit the race. So now, at the age of 52, what is Rice doing?
Rice said it took a year and a half to emotionally recover from all the media attention. She said, "It felt like I was drowning in a sea of shark-infested waters." But during that time she returned to her abandoned Christian faith and stayed out of the limelight for seven years. She went on to marry Jack Hughes, and in the process became the mother of two stepchildren. She then got a job with (and eventually became president of) the nonprofit group Enough Is Enough, which focuses on the protection of children from sexual exploitation. In June 1995 she reappeared before the public as she testified before the US Senate about protecting children from internet pornography, which contributed to the passage of the Communications Decency Act of 1996. It was not until several months after her Senate presentation that the media realized that Donna Hughes was the infamous Donna Rice. But when the story went public, Donna had no problem with sharks in the water, for she had regained her self-confidence. Looking back over the time spent on the Monkey Business, Donna says, "I lost everything I put my identity in. But at the darkest hour, it was my greatest time to grow, learn, and develop my character."
Amos put before the people of Israel "a basket of ripe fruit" as a warning of what would become of them if they continued with their "monkey business." It was a time of decision for them. Though they failed to yield to the advice of Amos, in time they realized the foolishness of their actions and Israel was once again restored. We do have choices -- but if we fail at first, grace does provide us (like Donna Rice Hughes) with an opportunity for restoration.
* * *
Amos had an important message to share regarding the pending destruction of Israel if the people do not forsake their debauchery. Amos even had a vivid illustration to make his point -- "a basket of ripe fruit." Even though Amos was adamant, loud, and forthright, his message was not heard by the people of Israel.
A recent item from advice columnist Dear Abby makes me wonder if Amos went about it all the wrong way. A lady who calls herself "No Visible Wounds" tells Abby that she is divorcing her husband of 15 years because of emotional abuse. She describes him as "extremely narcissistic and passive-aggressive, controlling and manipulative, as well as emotionally, economically, and sexually abusive." The problem, according to "No Visible Wounds," is that outside the home Ted is able to project a "good guy" image -- so much so, she contends, that no one would suspect or believe that he is abusive. "No Visible Wounds" wants to know how Ted's "dirty little secret" can be made public. Her question to Abby is: "What do women do in situations like this?"
Abigail Van Buren's response? "They 'confide' their problems -- with specific examples -- to a couple of their closet girlfriends. The truth will spread like wildfire."
One must wonder if Amos' mistake was to preach instead of gossip. Are our parishioners more attuned to what is said in the church lobby than they are to what is said from the pulpit? Preachers and Christians who desire to witness cannot lower themselves to gossip; but we must be mindful that people are more interested in the "dirty little secret" than in a "basket of ripe fruit." Yes, our calling to be a prophet that is heard is indeed a most difficult calling.
* * *
Sometimes the choices we make are not immediately recognized as correct. Some thought Joseph-Armand Bombardier was destined to enter the priesthood. But Bombardier was much more interested in working with his hands on mechanical things, so he opened a garage in Valcourt, Quebec. Many might consider this a wrong choice.
In 1934, Joseph received an urgent message to come home. When he arrived, he found his son Yvon sick with appendicitis. In order to live, Yvon needed to go to a hospital immediately -- however, heavy snow made the roads of Quebec impassible. Yvon died in Joseph's arms.
That tragic death spurred Joseph to work hard on an idea he had for an all-terrain vehicle. Not long after, he hit on the technology that made possible a seven-passenger B-7, a vehicle that traveled atop the snow. Over the years, Bombardier continued to invent and improve. His Ski-Doo snowmobile was lighter, cheaper, and smaller than the B-7, and was the start of a whole new recreation industry.
Despite his success and the success of his company, Bombardier remained in his small community, supported his church, and valued his family. His life motto was simple: love of work, love of your children and the future, and love of God" -- all from a simple choice made years before.
* * *
This story of a person who was distracted has made the rounds in several different versions. One of the versions takes place in a tiny, picture-postcard New England village -- a town where the actor Paul Newman is said to have been fond of vacationing.
A Michigan woman and her family were vacationing in this seaside town. Late one Saturday morning, the woman felt a craving for a double-dip chocolate ice cream cone, so she stopped by the local cafe and general store. As she walked in, she noticed there was only one other customer in the place: a man in jeans and a T-shirt sitting at the counter having a donut and coffee. The woman idly glanced his way; then she did a double-take. One further look at those baby-blue eyes confirmed it: her fellow customer was none other than Paul Newman.
Newman noticed her presence and nodded graciously in her direction. Then he went back to his coffee. "He just wants his privacy," the woman thought to herself. So she resolved not to make any sort of fuss -- to simply order her ice cream and pretend there wasn't a famous movie star sitting a few feet away.
That's exactly what she did (although, as she later told the tale, her heart was thumping the whole time and her hands felt clammy). Calmly she watched the clerk scoop out her ice cream and pack it into the cone, never looking once in Newman's direction. Then she handed over the money, accepted the ice cream cone and the change, and headed out the door without even a sideward glance. As the screen door slammed shut, she congratulated herself on how coolly she'd handled the whole situation -- as though running into a movie star were an everyday occurrence in her life.
When the woman reached her car, she realized something was not right. Something was missing. In one hand she held her change, but her other hand was empty. "Now where's my double-dip chocolate ice cream cone?" she asked herself. "Could I have left it in the store?"
Feeling a bit embarrassed, she went back in, hoping she'd see the cone still in the clerk's hand or maybe in one of those holders on the counter. But no. She looked to the left, and she looked to the right: no sign of the ice cream cone. She was just about to ask the clerk if he remembered handing it to her when she happened to glance over in Paul Newman's direction. This time those blue eyes met hers; they sparkled with amusement.
He shot her his trademark pearly white grin as he said: "You put it in your purse!"
WORSHIP RESOURCES
by George Reed
Call to Worship
Leader: We trust in the steadfast love of God forever,
People: and so we are like the green olive trees.
Leader: Let us gives thanks to God forever.
People: We give thanks for all that God has done.
Leader: Let us come into the presence of the faithful.
People: Let us proclaim the good Name of God.
OR
Leader: Come before the God who gives us freedom.
People: We worship the One who gives us choices.
Leader: With the freedom of choice comes responsibility.
People: We must live with the consequences of our choices.
Leader: God desires us to choose life over death.
People: We shall listen to God's word that we may choose wisely.
Hymns and Sacred Songs
"God Hath Spoken by the Prophets"
found in:
UMH: 108
"Spirit Song"
found in:
UMH: 347
AAHH: 321
CH: 352
Renew: 248
"Dear Lord and Father of Mankind"
found in:
UMH: 358
H82: 652, 653
PH: 345
NCH: 502
CH: 594
LBW: 506
"Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us"
found in:
UMH: 381
H82: 708
PH: 387
AAHH: 424
NNBH: 54
NCH: 252
CH: 558
LBW: 481
"This Is a Day of New Beginnings"
found in:
UMH: 383
NCH: 417
CH: 518
"O Come and Dwell in Me"
found in:
UMH: 388
"O Happy Day, That Fixed My Choice"
found in:
UMH: 391
AAHH: 359
NNBH: 373
"Take Time to Be Holy"
found in:
UMH: 395
NNBH: 306
CH: 572
"Shine, Jesus, Shine"
found in:
CCB: 81
Renew: 247
"Open Our Eyes, Lord"
found in:
CCB: 77
Renew: 91
Music Resources Key:
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982 (The Episcopal Church)
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
AAHH: African-American Heritage Hymnal
NNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
LBW: Lutheran Book of Worship
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
Renew: Renew! Songs & Hymns for Blended Worship
Prayer for the Day / Collect
O God who gives to your creatures the ability to choose: Grant us the wisdom to make good choices, so that our choices help us love you more and help us take care of our neighbors near and far; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
O God, you have made us with the freedom to choose. Your love for us is so great that you would risk our rejecting you rather than forcing us to love you. We thank you for our freedom and pray that you would also grant us wisdom and courage to choose rightly. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
Leader: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins, and especially the ways we misuse our freedom to choose.
People: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. You have given us the freedom to choose so that we might fully enter into a loving relationship with you and with one another. Yet we use our freedom to choose things over relationships. We worship objects and use people. We use our freedom to ignore you and to follow the way to death and destruction. Forgive us our foolish ways and empower us with your Spirit that we might choose life in, with, and for you. Amen.
Leader: God honors our freedom to choose and is always pleased when we choose God, love, and neighbors. Live in the power to choose wisely and well.
Prayers of the People (and the Lord's Prayer)
We worship you, O Creating God, who lovingly gives your creatures the ability to choose. We praise you for your love and never-failing care.
(The following paragraph may be used if a separate prayer of confession has not been used.)
We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. You have given us the freedom to choose so that we might fully enter into a loving relationship with you and with one another. Yet we use our freedom to choose things over relationships. We worship objects and use people. We use our freedom to ignore you and to follow the way to death and destruction. Forgive us our foolish ways and empower us with your Spirit that we might choose life in, with, and for you.
We thank you for your love that desires our good and our growth. We thank you for the church and the way in which we have been nurtured in the faith. We thank you most of all for your presence incarnate in this world, which gives us direction, hope, and life.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for all who have difficult decisions to make. There are many options out there, and it is so easy to choose foolishly. Help all of us to make the choices that lead to abundant life in you.
(Other intercessions may be offered.)
All these things we ask in the Name of our Savior Jesus Christ, who taught us to pray together, saying:
Our Father... Amen.
(or if the Lord's Prayer is not used at this point in the service)
All this we ask in the Name of the Blessed and Holy Trinity. Amen.
Visuals
A simple balance-beam scale would make a good visual. One could also collect packaging or ads for a multitude of different choices for one product, such as breakfast cereal.
Children's Sermon Starter
Have a bag of wrapped candies. Suggest to the children that you are going to divide them up, but since you are the biggest one you are going first and you are going to take most of the candy -- they can have what is left (if there are any left). Ask them if that seems fair. Ask how you can divide the candy fairly. If they don't suggest it, ask if counting them out so everyone gets the same amount sounds like a good idea. Divide the goodies up and give a fair share to each child. (Be sure to include yourself.) If the number doesn't divide out evenly, you can short yourself so the children all get the same amount.
CHILDREN'S SERMON
Work and Worship
Luke 10:38-42
Objects: a pot and a ladle (remaining props are imaginary)
(As the children sit down, look busy and distracted as you appear to be stirring and cooking.) Good morning, boys and girls! I am so glad I came to church this morning! (Motion to a place behind one of the children.) Hand me some of that garlic over there. (Response -- the children will likely play along with you; if not, motion again.) Some of that garlic right there behind you. Hurry it up now! (response) As I was saying, it's good to be in church this morning because I do enjoy cooking and making all this delicious food for you to eat. (taste the food from the ladle) Hmm? Needs a little pepper. (point behind some of the other children) Hand me that pepper there. (shake in the spices) You know, that's why we come to church -- to prepare food and cook and clean and get all our work done. (response, if any) Now, all done! (Act as though you are serving the food.) Hold out your bowls. Well, hold them out -- here's your food. (put down the pot and ladle and act as though you are eating) Do you like it? Yes, I sure am busy today here at church with all this work and cooking and all. When I am done eating I have to sweep and mop and vacuum, don't I? (response) What? (response) Isn't that what I am supposed to do on Sunday morning in church? (no) It's not? What am I supposed to do? (response -- you may want to continue questioning them) What else can I do in church? (response) You mean I don't have to work all the time? (response) When I come to church I can stop (hold up the pot and ladle) all this? I can be still and think about God and how much he loves me? (response)
There is a word for what we're talking about. Do you know what that word is? (response) We call it "worship." We worship God in church, don't we? (response) Worship is very important in our lives. It is a time for us to leave all our chores at home and come to God with empty hands. (hold out your hands to the children, palms up) No hammer in my hand, no broom, no briefcase, no pots and pans, no cell phone. Nothing -- just hands that are empty and anxious to hold God's hand.
Prayer: Lord, I put down my chores and come to you this morning with empty hands. Amen.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, July 18, 2010, issue.
Copyright 2010 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 recent media fascination with basketball superstar LeBron James and his "decision" about where to continue his career provides an interesting object lesson of sorts on this very theme. As sports pundits attempted during the past month to make educated guesses about James' destination, they engaged in an elaborate discussion about what priorities would be most important to him -- would it be money, the opportunity to remain in the comfort zone of his home community, or (as it turned out) the chance to play with other star teammates? For us, what factors contribute the most to how we prioritize our lives? Is it advancing one's career, doing what is best for our families -- or maintaining a focus on the place of Christ in our lives? How do we balance all the competing priorities and distractions, and keep our focus?
Team member Dean Feldmeyer shares additional thoughts on the Amos and Luke texts, reflecting on the choices we make and how they reflect our ethics (or lack thereof). Amos details some of the bad choices endemic to the Israelites' business practices, including taking advantage of the poor, deceptive measurements, and greedily seeking excess profits (particularly at the expense of reinvesting in the future). It seems that we see much of the same willingness to cut corners in contemporary corporate culture, with an ever-increasing emphasis on fattening up the quarterly bottom line at the expense of long-term viability. That seems an apt metaphor for the post-modern approach to ethics -- everything is okay as long as it's legal (or even illegal, if one isn't caught). It's the ethical approach we often see in professional sports -- as long as one can hoodwink the referee, anything goes. In the celebrated words of Oakland Raiders head honcho Al Davis: "Just win, baby!" Amos, however, would strenuously disagree with that sentiment. Are we willing to make ethical choices based only on what brings us short-term gain? If so, Dean asks us, what does that say about our priorities?
"Her Piece Is Bigger than Mine" and other Family Quarrels
by Mary Austin
Luke 10:38-42
Mary and Martha, and their well-worn sisterly argument, come to us this week in one of the best known and most elusive stories in the Christian scriptures. The story is just five verses long, and is surely familiar to anyone who has ever gone to church. Still, with all the times we've heard it, its meaning continues to tug at us, and we never quite get it nailed down. Jesus must be highlighting the virtues of study and contemplation over work... but if we really believe that, why do we need communities of faith like the church, with our potlucks and meetings and receptions? Or wait, perhaps Jesus is displaying his feminist sensibilities, allowing Mary to sit at his feet, where traditionally only the male followers of a rabbi sat and listened. On second thought, it seems clear that Jesus is advocating balance in the spiritual life... but he himself goes into everything that he does full-tilt, no balance in sight. Like a Zen koan, the meaning seems to change each time we hear the story.
The story also hits a familiar chord for anyone who's lived in a family and experienced the rivalry that can come, mixed with love, among family members. "You got something I didn't get" is the complaint we raise to our parents, just as Mary and Martha look to Jesus to referee their dispute. The argument about the housework goes deeper than preparing food and washing dishes -- it speaks to our place in the realm of God, and how we find our way there.
THE WORLD
As the NRSV translates it, Jesus tells Martha that she is "worried and distracted by many things." One source of our distraction is having so many choices. From toothpaste to clothing, phones to fitness options, we make thousands of decisions in any given day. Phones, computers, Twitter, Facebook compete for our attention, along with work, friends, and family. Having so many choices changes pleasure into procrastination as we struggle to make the right choice. We end up distressed as we evaluate all of our options and hope to make the right decision. (For more on choices, see Dean Feldmeyer's piece below.) With so many choices we grow distracted, shifting our attention from thing to thing, never really engaging fully anywhere.
Basketball star LeBron James recently occupied the nation's attention as he made a choice about where to continue his professional basketball career. As he debated between the various teams wooing him, sports fans and others had a national conversation about how he might decide. Each team had its own list of pros and cons -- but on what would James base his decision? Would it be money? The opportunity to win a championship? Loyalty to Cleveland and his home state of Ohio? The needs of his family? Having so many good choices made the decision difficult, and our opinions about which team he should choose gave each of us a window into our own priorities.
As author Tori DeAngelis notes in a 2004 article in Monitor on Psychology, a magazine published by the American Psychological Association, research by psychologists suggests that "although an explosion of consumer choices may mean we sometimes get exactly what we want, too many choices can also overwhelm us to the point where we choose nothing at all, and in the worst-case scenarios, may even erode our well-being." She adds, "Relatedly, too much choice also can lead people to make simple, snap judgments just to avoid the hassle of wading through confusing options."
Current research also offers a guide for choosing in complex situations. When faced with too many choices, people often choose what Nobel Laureate Herb Simon first referred to as a "satisficing" option: the first decent choice that fits their preference as opposed to exhaustively scanning all options until finding the perfect, or "maximizing" one. Adds DeAngelis, "Indeed, satisficing seems like a good overall strategy for choosing." One researcher advises: "Study the options, then settle on something you feel good, if not perfectly, about; let informed sources like Consumer Reports choose for you; don't compare your acquisitions to others; and don't wallow in regret -- since, in the long run, people feel worse about inaction than action." When we do, we'll feel better about the results. Then, as the article concludes, "You can take all of the time you would have spent choosing breakfast cereal, jeans, toothpaste, and dental floss, and nurture the things that really make you happy." Then we'll find, as Jesus says, time for "the good part."
THE WORD
The choice before Martha is much deeper than the choice of jeans or toothpaste, or even where to spend the prime years of one's basketball career. The story, and the parallel portraits of Mary and Martha in John's gospel, tells us that Martha is the householder. Jesus' acceptance of her hospitality is just as radical an inclusion as his welcoming Mary to sit at his feet with his other disciples.
Yet Martha has gotten lost in her role as the householder, as the provider of hospitality. The obligations of the work have overwhelmed the purpose at the heart of it. Hospitality is meant to be an exercise of love, just as Mary's attention to Jesus is. Martha has lost her focus, and Jesus, with his own love for her evident in his words, is calling her back to her original purpose.
Some versions of the story translate Jesus' admonition to Martha as "Mary has chosen the good part," and others render it as "the better part." The Message, in an artful play on words, calls Mary's choice to focus on Jesus "the main course." Jesus doesn't tell Martha to sit at his feet like Mary, which would seem out of character for her, but to focus on what she herself is doing, without worry or distraction. The question of the spiritual life, for all of us, is learning how to focus on "the main course" -- to let our choices lead us to the main course, instead of losing it in a welter of distractions.
CRAFTING THE SERMON
This text can be difficult sermon material because it's so familiar. It also holds a certain possibility for dishonesty for us as preachers if we come down too heavily on Martha. Churches rely on the Marthas for all the things that make for community. The spiritual life can be solitary without the gifts of the Marthas, who make sure that there are coffee hours where guests at worship can be greeted, and receptions after funerals, and blankets for baptisms. Bulletins and meeting agendas, flowers in the sanctuary and teachers for Sunday school are all organized by the Marthas among us, and they are the ones who make the community a more welcoming place to be.
Yet the Marthas are also the ones who burn out and grow disillusioned, who become angry when people aren't appreciative, who annoy other people by wanting them to do things the exact way they do. Truth be told, most pastors seem to have more Martha than Mary, although we claim to want to be more Mary-like.
Each of us is both Mary and Martha at different times, and our spiritual journeys call us to both kinds of faith at different times. With some Mary-like rest added in, the Marthas don't need to burn out. With some Martha-like service added in, the Marys don't need to spin off into self-absorption.
This story is a call to honor the spiritual gifts we have and to use them with focus and attention. Whether we're more like Mary or more like Martha, we can be distracted by many things. Competing choices are all around us, and our attention is hard to capture. Jesus calls us back to the main course, the grace-full love at the heart of both our service and our attentive listening.
ANOTHER VIEW
Choices
by Dean Feldmeyer
Luke 10:38-42; Amos 8:1-12
Our texts this week from Luke and Amos have much to say about the choices we make.
In his version of the story of Mary and Martha, Luke calls us to examine our priorities. Are we task/goal-oriented (Martha) or are we person/relationship-oriented (Mary)? Neither is necessarily "right" or "wrong." Sometimes we are called to be one, sometimes the other. The trick is to know which is appropriate and when.
Writing online for the New York Times, philosopher Todd May observes that our culture encourages only two kinds of relationships. "Consumer relationships" are those that we participate in for the pleasure they bring us, while "entrepreneurial relationships" are those that we invest in because we hope they will pay off in some way in the future. May points out that Aristotle offered us a third alternative -- that of "true friendship."
True friends love each other not because they give each other pleasure or because they reap some dividend from the relationship, but because of who they are. "I love you," says a true friend, "because of who you are and who I am." True friendship seeks the welfare of the other and the welfare of the relationship, even when there is no profit to be made from either.
There is nothing wrong with getting things done, but Luke calls us to remember when we make our choices that relationships always trump agendas.
"No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends" (John 15:13).
Amos focuses on the choices we make in business and commerce. While most of the passage illustrates what inevitably happens to countries that tolerate and even encourage dishonesty, in verses 3-5 he delineates some of the common unethical practices he saw in the marketplace.
Business ethics, he observed, had become passÈ in Israel. Cheating, lying, and misrepresentation had become the norm. Especially vulnerable to these dishonest practices were the poor, who were victimized by unscrupulous merchants who saw nothing wrong with what they were doing.
Apparently some merchants were using dishonest weights and measures (false balances) when dealing in grain, selling small bushels (ephahs) for big dollars (shekels). Others were gouging the poor, overcharging for necessities of life like sandals. Still others were misrepresenting what they were selling; grain swept from the floor contained dirt and chaff but was sold to the poor as clean grain and charged the same.
Such dishonesty was tolerated, even encouraged -- everyone was doing it, after all. If you were caught and fined, it was simply the price of doing business. But what of the poor? What price were they paying?
Amos warns that the "price" of doing dishonest or unethical business reaches beyond the fine you pay today -- it undercuts and weakens the foundations of the entire society. It substitutes short-term profits for long-term stability. It creates a culture of dishonesty.
Certainly the false business practices and unethical commerce, the bad choices that so angered Amos have not disappeared with time. Oil companies who might have spent the past 40 years preparing for the next oil spill chose to spend and distribute their profits in other ways and chalk up the cost of current spills as the price of doing business. Tobacco companies who knew that their products were addictive and deadly chose to keep that knowledge to themselves, writing off the occasional lawsuit as the price of doing business.
Economists and financial experts Yves Smith and Rob Parenteau, writing in the New York Times, point out that since 2002 American companies have run higher financial surpluses than in the previous 40 years. But instead of using those surpluses to re-invest in their companies and create jobs, they are providing dividends to stockholders and bonuses to their corporate officers... and all this is being done in the interest of short-term gains. Meanwhile, the poor and middle class are losing their jobs, their medical insurance, and their homes.
Amos calls us to be aware of the effects of our choices, especially those we make in the marketplace. Our choices run deeper than we realize, affecting the lives of those around us, especially the poor. They also have long-term impacts that often reach even into future generations.
On July 6, economists and analysts David Wessel, Rea Hederman, and Dean Baker were the guests on NPR's Diane Rehm Show. A listener entered their conversation with an email asking the guests if they didn't think "it's time for corporations to put patriotism ahead of profits, to stop firing and start hiring." There was a long, almost embarrassed silence before all of the panelists agreed, almost dismissively, that the "job of corporations is to make money." Companies are, according to these three panelists (who represented both ends of the political spectrum), exempt from such values and considerations as patriotism.
Reading today's passage from Amos, one cannot but wonder what other exemptions we have given to corporations in the twenty-first century. What other ethics and values simply no longer apply as long as you're paying dividends to your stockholders?
A sermon that takes seriously Amos's criticism of dishonesty in business must be careful not to be accused of "business bashing" or "picking on business," which, in our current economic context, is often an easy target. More appropriate and effective would be to question, as both Amos and Luke do, any culture that puts finances before friendships and results before relationships, short-term profits before long-term stability, and the happiness and comfort of the rich few before the genuine needs of the many poor. Scripture speaks much about the choices we make concerning money, but money is only the presenting issue. The real issue is always priorities.
ILLUSTRATIONS
In a recent Los Angeles Times article titled "Book Bloggers Catch on with Publishers", Carolyn Kellogg noted that blogging has become the new venue for book promotion. Blogging began with the first software in 1999, but it was not until 2005 that the first group of individuals, 20 in all, formed a group to discuss books. Today there are over 300 active book blogging fellowships. And "fellowship" is the correct terminology, for these meetings are really online book clubs. Beyond the love of books, what draws individuals into these groups is a sense of "hominess." Some have even described it as being a part of a "quilting party."
The advantage that publishers have discovered is the ability of these blogging groups to promote a book at no expense. Many books do not warrant the costs required for print advertisements, or the genre is too small to make the book appealing to a morning television talk show, but bloggers can provide a book with limited but needed exposure. Thus, publishers are now sending advance copies of books to the various groups. And remember, these bloggers are only involved because they enjoy sharing their love of reading with their cyberspace friends.
Every once in a while it is fun to think about a Bible passage by sort of reminiscing instead of engaging in an extensive exegetical study. I wonder if Martha's problem in this week's gospel text is that she was working in the kitchen not with a sense of joy, but rather with a sense of duty and obligation. This would of course cause some resentment toward her "lazy" sister and anger that she was doing all of the work alone. But what if Martha was working in the kitchen with the attitude of a book blogger? She knew she was making a contribution to the visit of her guest, but her motivation was one of joy by being a part of the "hominess" of the day.
Would not this attitude transform our churches -- if parishioners worked in the kitchen and did odd jobs around the building not out of obligation, but because they felt a sense of "hominess"?
* * *
According to a New York Times article by Marlisle Simons, the world's radio astronomers are not too happy with the boom in satellite communications. It seems that with all the new satellite systems going into orbit to provide us with more programming and better cellular service, the scientists are having a hard time hearing anything from space. Says Stefan Michalowski, an American physicist, "What's going on now is like a neighbor turning on a boom box while you are listening for the sound of an insect." The scientists were so concerned that they asked for government help in establishing a noise curfew between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m., when satellite providers would have to reduce their service capabilities.
It all goes to show that in order to listen well, you have to eliminate outside noise and distractions. Mary knew this and was able to put aside her household chores and listen to Jesus' teaching.
* * *
When discussing the story of Mary and Martha with groups, I like to take polls. "How many would side with the sister who did all the preparation?" I ask. Most women tend to sympathize with Martha. It's no fun doing all the work while some couch-potato relative sits leisurely. One of my sisters always got a bathroom call when it was time to do Sunday dinner dishes. When loved ones consistently do that, we need to have frank conversations with them.
Whether Mary always shirked work, we don't know. What we do know is that on that particular day, Martha was so angry with her sister that she became upset with Jesus and even tried to order him around. Have you ever been so angry with God that you began making demands of him?
Jesus didn't strongly condemn Martha. He gently instructed her not to let anxiety over propriety, niceties, and elegance take precedence over a loving relationship with the Lord and her family. Do anxiety and worry distract you from serving God and loving your family?
* * *
It all began at a red light. Kevin Salwen was driving his 14-year-old daughter home from a sleepover. While waiting at a traffic light, they saw a black Mercedes on one side and a homeless man begging for food on the other.
"Dad, if that man had a less nice car, that man there could have a meal," Hannah protested. The light changed and they drove home, but Hannah would not let the matter drop. She pestered her parents about inequity, insisting that she wanted to do something.
"What do you want us to do?" her mother responded. "Sell our house?" Never make such a statement to a teenager, Kevin would learn. Hannah seized upon the idea of selling the luxurious family home and donating half the proceeds to charity, while using the other half to buy a more modest replacement home.
Eventually they did just that. The project -- crazy, impetuous, and utterly inspiring -- is chronicled in a book by her father, The Power of Half. The Salwens offer an example of a family that came together to make a difference.
It's tough being a prophet and being charged to confront people of their wrongdoing. The Old Testament prophet Amos, speaking the Word of God, challenged the people: "Hear this, you that trample on the needy, and bring to ruin the poor of the land." It was a call to change, to pay attention to the poor. It was also a call to action.
* * *
Someone once asked a great man who had arisen out of humble beginnings, "What did your father teach you that was most important?"
The man thought for a moment and then replied, "He taught me that whatever he happened to be doing at the time that was the most important."
What Jesus is trying to teach Martha is a similar quality of attentiveness, of living fully in the present. Her sister Mary is gifted at living in the present; yet Martha, perpetually "distracted by many things," is not so adept.
* * *
The late Anthony de Mello, a native of India, was a Roman Catholic priest. In his short but remarkable ministry as a teacher of spirituality, he brought together eastern and western thought as few others have. In a series of taped lectures he shared this ancient Chinese proverb:
When the archer shoots for nothing, he has all his skill.
When he shoots for a brass buckle, he is already nervous.
When he shoots for a prize of gold, he goes blind.
"The archer's skill," says de Mello, "has not changed: but the prize divides him. He cares. He thinks more of winning than of shooting."
* * *
There is a Zen Buddhist fable of a woman who's seeking the meaning of life. So eager is this woman to find life's meaning that she sells all she has and sets off on a worldwide spiritual quest.
In a distant land, she hears rumors of one who knows the answer: an old man who lives in the mountains. Finally, in a small hut in the Himalayas, she finds him. She knocks on the door of his hut. He opens it and invites her in for tea.
"No, thank you," she says, "I haven't come for tea. I'm seeking the meaning of life."
"You must have tea," the teacher says, and motions her to sit down.
All the time the water is boiling, the woman talks. The words tumble out of her mouth rapid-fire. Having sought the wise teacher for so long, she now wants him to know everything about her. She tells him all her worries and doubts and anxieties, all the troubling thoughts that have kept her from sleeping at night. All the while the teacher sits quietly, making the tea.
When it has reached the proper strength he begins to pour her a cup; but she's oblivious to what he's doing. He keeps pouring until the cup is full, then he pours some more. The woman looks down. She notices her cup is overflowing, that the tea is running to the edge of the table and dripping onto the floor. "Stop!" she exclaims. "There's no more room!"
"Just so," says the teacher. "You come here wanting something from me, but what am I to do? There is no more room in your cup. Come back when it is empty, and then we will talk."
The woman never did have to return to the master, for in the simple act of pouring her a cup of tea he had taught her all she needed to know.
* * *
Kathleen Hom recently asked in the Washington Post "Whatever Happened to… the Woman on the Senator's Lap?". She wondered what became of Donna Rice -- the 29-year-old woman who was photographed in 1988 sitting on the lap of presidential frontrunner Gary Hart, wearing his "Crew of the Monkey Business" T-shirt. The revelation that the married senator from Colorado was having an affair with a cute young blond model forced Hart to quit the race. So now, at the age of 52, what is Rice doing?
Rice said it took a year and a half to emotionally recover from all the media attention. She said, "It felt like I was drowning in a sea of shark-infested waters." But during that time she returned to her abandoned Christian faith and stayed out of the limelight for seven years. She went on to marry Jack Hughes, and in the process became the mother of two stepchildren. She then got a job with (and eventually became president of) the nonprofit group Enough Is Enough, which focuses on the protection of children from sexual exploitation. In June 1995 she reappeared before the public as she testified before the US Senate about protecting children from internet pornography, which contributed to the passage of the Communications Decency Act of 1996. It was not until several months after her Senate presentation that the media realized that Donna Hughes was the infamous Donna Rice. But when the story went public, Donna had no problem with sharks in the water, for she had regained her self-confidence. Looking back over the time spent on the Monkey Business, Donna says, "I lost everything I put my identity in. But at the darkest hour, it was my greatest time to grow, learn, and develop my character."
Amos put before the people of Israel "a basket of ripe fruit" as a warning of what would become of them if they continued with their "monkey business." It was a time of decision for them. Though they failed to yield to the advice of Amos, in time they realized the foolishness of their actions and Israel was once again restored. We do have choices -- but if we fail at first, grace does provide us (like Donna Rice Hughes) with an opportunity for restoration.
* * *
Amos had an important message to share regarding the pending destruction of Israel if the people do not forsake their debauchery. Amos even had a vivid illustration to make his point -- "a basket of ripe fruit." Even though Amos was adamant, loud, and forthright, his message was not heard by the people of Israel.
A recent item from advice columnist Dear Abby makes me wonder if Amos went about it all the wrong way. A lady who calls herself "No Visible Wounds" tells Abby that she is divorcing her husband of 15 years because of emotional abuse. She describes him as "extremely narcissistic and passive-aggressive, controlling and manipulative, as well as emotionally, economically, and sexually abusive." The problem, according to "No Visible Wounds," is that outside the home Ted is able to project a "good guy" image -- so much so, she contends, that no one would suspect or believe that he is abusive. "No Visible Wounds" wants to know how Ted's "dirty little secret" can be made public. Her question to Abby is: "What do women do in situations like this?"
Abigail Van Buren's response? "They 'confide' their problems -- with specific examples -- to a couple of their closet girlfriends. The truth will spread like wildfire."
One must wonder if Amos' mistake was to preach instead of gossip. Are our parishioners more attuned to what is said in the church lobby than they are to what is said from the pulpit? Preachers and Christians who desire to witness cannot lower themselves to gossip; but we must be mindful that people are more interested in the "dirty little secret" than in a "basket of ripe fruit." Yes, our calling to be a prophet that is heard is indeed a most difficult calling.
* * *
Sometimes the choices we make are not immediately recognized as correct. Some thought Joseph-Armand Bombardier was destined to enter the priesthood. But Bombardier was much more interested in working with his hands on mechanical things, so he opened a garage in Valcourt, Quebec. Many might consider this a wrong choice.
In 1934, Joseph received an urgent message to come home. When he arrived, he found his son Yvon sick with appendicitis. In order to live, Yvon needed to go to a hospital immediately -- however, heavy snow made the roads of Quebec impassible. Yvon died in Joseph's arms.
That tragic death spurred Joseph to work hard on an idea he had for an all-terrain vehicle. Not long after, he hit on the technology that made possible a seven-passenger B-7, a vehicle that traveled atop the snow. Over the years, Bombardier continued to invent and improve. His Ski-Doo snowmobile was lighter, cheaper, and smaller than the B-7, and was the start of a whole new recreation industry.
Despite his success and the success of his company, Bombardier remained in his small community, supported his church, and valued his family. His life motto was simple: love of work, love of your children and the future, and love of God" -- all from a simple choice made years before.
* * *
This story of a person who was distracted has made the rounds in several different versions. One of the versions takes place in a tiny, picture-postcard New England village -- a town where the actor Paul Newman is said to have been fond of vacationing.
A Michigan woman and her family were vacationing in this seaside town. Late one Saturday morning, the woman felt a craving for a double-dip chocolate ice cream cone, so she stopped by the local cafe and general store. As she walked in, she noticed there was only one other customer in the place: a man in jeans and a T-shirt sitting at the counter having a donut and coffee. The woman idly glanced his way; then she did a double-take. One further look at those baby-blue eyes confirmed it: her fellow customer was none other than Paul Newman.
Newman noticed her presence and nodded graciously in her direction. Then he went back to his coffee. "He just wants his privacy," the woman thought to herself. So she resolved not to make any sort of fuss -- to simply order her ice cream and pretend there wasn't a famous movie star sitting a few feet away.
That's exactly what she did (although, as she later told the tale, her heart was thumping the whole time and her hands felt clammy). Calmly she watched the clerk scoop out her ice cream and pack it into the cone, never looking once in Newman's direction. Then she handed over the money, accepted the ice cream cone and the change, and headed out the door without even a sideward glance. As the screen door slammed shut, she congratulated herself on how coolly she'd handled the whole situation -- as though running into a movie star were an everyday occurrence in her life.
When the woman reached her car, she realized something was not right. Something was missing. In one hand she held her change, but her other hand was empty. "Now where's my double-dip chocolate ice cream cone?" she asked herself. "Could I have left it in the store?"
Feeling a bit embarrassed, she went back in, hoping she'd see the cone still in the clerk's hand or maybe in one of those holders on the counter. But no. She looked to the left, and she looked to the right: no sign of the ice cream cone. She was just about to ask the clerk if he remembered handing it to her when she happened to glance over in Paul Newman's direction. This time those blue eyes met hers; they sparkled with amusement.
He shot her his trademark pearly white grin as he said: "You put it in your purse!"
WORSHIP RESOURCES
by George Reed
Call to Worship
Leader: We trust in the steadfast love of God forever,
People: and so we are like the green olive trees.
Leader: Let us gives thanks to God forever.
People: We give thanks for all that God has done.
Leader: Let us come into the presence of the faithful.
People: Let us proclaim the good Name of God.
OR
Leader: Come before the God who gives us freedom.
People: We worship the One who gives us choices.
Leader: With the freedom of choice comes responsibility.
People: We must live with the consequences of our choices.
Leader: God desires us to choose life over death.
People: We shall listen to God's word that we may choose wisely.
Hymns and Sacred Songs
"God Hath Spoken by the Prophets"
found in:
UMH: 108
"Spirit Song"
found in:
UMH: 347
AAHH: 321
CH: 352
Renew: 248
"Dear Lord and Father of Mankind"
found in:
UMH: 358
H82: 652, 653
PH: 345
NCH: 502
CH: 594
LBW: 506
"Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us"
found in:
UMH: 381
H82: 708
PH: 387
AAHH: 424
NNBH: 54
NCH: 252
CH: 558
LBW: 481
"This Is a Day of New Beginnings"
found in:
UMH: 383
NCH: 417
CH: 518
"O Come and Dwell in Me"
found in:
UMH: 388
"O Happy Day, That Fixed My Choice"
found in:
UMH: 391
AAHH: 359
NNBH: 373
"Take Time to Be Holy"
found in:
UMH: 395
NNBH: 306
CH: 572
"Shine, Jesus, Shine"
found in:
CCB: 81
Renew: 247
"Open Our Eyes, Lord"
found in:
CCB: 77
Renew: 91
Music Resources Key:
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982 (The Episcopal Church)
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
AAHH: African-American Heritage Hymnal
NNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
LBW: Lutheran Book of Worship
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
Renew: Renew! Songs & Hymns for Blended Worship
Prayer for the Day / Collect
O God who gives to your creatures the ability to choose: Grant us the wisdom to make good choices, so that our choices help us love you more and help us take care of our neighbors near and far; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
O God, you have made us with the freedom to choose. Your love for us is so great that you would risk our rejecting you rather than forcing us to love you. We thank you for our freedom and pray that you would also grant us wisdom and courage to choose rightly. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
Leader: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins, and especially the ways we misuse our freedom to choose.
People: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. You have given us the freedom to choose so that we might fully enter into a loving relationship with you and with one another. Yet we use our freedom to choose things over relationships. We worship objects and use people. We use our freedom to ignore you and to follow the way to death and destruction. Forgive us our foolish ways and empower us with your Spirit that we might choose life in, with, and for you. Amen.
Leader: God honors our freedom to choose and is always pleased when we choose God, love, and neighbors. Live in the power to choose wisely and well.
Prayers of the People (and the Lord's Prayer)
We worship you, O Creating God, who lovingly gives your creatures the ability to choose. We praise you for your love and never-failing care.
(The following paragraph may be used if a separate prayer of confession has not been used.)
We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. You have given us the freedom to choose so that we might fully enter into a loving relationship with you and with one another. Yet we use our freedom to choose things over relationships. We worship objects and use people. We use our freedom to ignore you and to follow the way to death and destruction. Forgive us our foolish ways and empower us with your Spirit that we might choose life in, with, and for you.
We thank you for your love that desires our good and our growth. We thank you for the church and the way in which we have been nurtured in the faith. We thank you most of all for your presence incarnate in this world, which gives us direction, hope, and life.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for all who have difficult decisions to make. There are many options out there, and it is so easy to choose foolishly. Help all of us to make the choices that lead to abundant life in you.
(Other intercessions may be offered.)
All these things we ask in the Name of our Savior Jesus Christ, who taught us to pray together, saying:
Our Father... Amen.
(or if the Lord's Prayer is not used at this point in the service)
All this we ask in the Name of the Blessed and Holy Trinity. Amen.
Visuals
A simple balance-beam scale would make a good visual. One could also collect packaging or ads for a multitude of different choices for one product, such as breakfast cereal.
Children's Sermon Starter
Have a bag of wrapped candies. Suggest to the children that you are going to divide them up, but since you are the biggest one you are going first and you are going to take most of the candy -- they can have what is left (if there are any left). Ask them if that seems fair. Ask how you can divide the candy fairly. If they don't suggest it, ask if counting them out so everyone gets the same amount sounds like a good idea. Divide the goodies up and give a fair share to each child. (Be sure to include yourself.) If the number doesn't divide out evenly, you can short yourself so the children all get the same amount.
CHILDREN'S SERMON
Work and Worship
Luke 10:38-42
Objects: a pot and a ladle (remaining props are imaginary)
(As the children sit down, look busy and distracted as you appear to be stirring and cooking.) Good morning, boys and girls! I am so glad I came to church this morning! (Motion to a place behind one of the children.) Hand me some of that garlic over there. (Response -- the children will likely play along with you; if not, motion again.) Some of that garlic right there behind you. Hurry it up now! (response) As I was saying, it's good to be in church this morning because I do enjoy cooking and making all this delicious food for you to eat. (taste the food from the ladle) Hmm? Needs a little pepper. (point behind some of the other children) Hand me that pepper there. (shake in the spices) You know, that's why we come to church -- to prepare food and cook and clean and get all our work done. (response, if any) Now, all done! (Act as though you are serving the food.) Hold out your bowls. Well, hold them out -- here's your food. (put down the pot and ladle and act as though you are eating) Do you like it? Yes, I sure am busy today here at church with all this work and cooking and all. When I am done eating I have to sweep and mop and vacuum, don't I? (response) What? (response) Isn't that what I am supposed to do on Sunday morning in church? (no) It's not? What am I supposed to do? (response -- you may want to continue questioning them) What else can I do in church? (response) You mean I don't have to work all the time? (response) When I come to church I can stop (hold up the pot and ladle) all this? I can be still and think about God and how much he loves me? (response)
There is a word for what we're talking about. Do you know what that word is? (response) We call it "worship." We worship God in church, don't we? (response) Worship is very important in our lives. It is a time for us to leave all our chores at home and come to God with empty hands. (hold out your hands to the children, palms up) No hammer in my hand, no broom, no briefcase, no pots and pans, no cell phone. Nothing -- just hands that are empty and anxious to hold God's hand.
Prayer: Lord, I put down my chores and come to you this morning with empty hands. Amen.
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The Immediate Word, July 18, 2010, issue.
Copyright 2010 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.
