Highways And Byways
Children's sermon
Illustration
Preaching
Sermon
Worship
Object:
This week’s gospel text brings us a bare-bones introductory portrait of John the Baptist. Unlike the other gospels, which focus on John’s odd clothing and dietary habits, the John depicted by Luke in this passage proclaims “a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” John quotes from Isaiah that “every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth.” As team member Dean Feldmeyer points out in this installment of The Immediate Word, the echoes of Christ as an almighty transportation department at work are not accidental. Lacking modern tunnels and bridges, valleys and mountains were major impediments to travel routes in the ancient world. And as Dean reminds us, these obstructions are not just topological -- Christ comes to us to remove other barriers in our lives too: those between us and God, and between us and our fellow humans. Needless to say, we have many barriers in our world today that need to be removed. Whether it’s our increasingly vitriolic political dialogue, our cultural balkanization, or the way we divide ourselves from one another by our ethnic/regional background, we often define our place in society by our tribal identities... and block ourselves off from those who aren’t like us or who don’t share our proclivities. This week’s gospel reading, however, counsels us to take down the roadblocks we place between ourselves and one another -- for we prepare the way of the Lord by acting so that “the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth.”
Team member Robin Lostetter shares some additional thoughts on one area where barriers have literally been removed and rough ways made smooth for a significant segment of our society. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). A wide-ranging law prohibiting discrimination based on disability and mandating accommodations in public facilities for those with disabilities, it functions in much the same way as the Civil Rights Act does regarding racial discrimination. But as Robin notes, many churches are still exempt from making their buildings conform to ADA standards -- leaving in place not just physical barriers but spiritual ones as well. Robin reminds us that this is an important matter to address if we want to foster connection and understanding with disabled people and welcome them into church fellowship... and she offers some resources for congregations needing help in this area.
Highways and Byways
by Dean Feldmeyer
Luke 3:1-6
If you live in Cincinnati, Ohio, you are probably aware of an old joke that says: “If you take every car in Ohio and line them all up bumper to bumper... you’ll have Friday night on southbound I-75.”
The most amusing thing about that joke is that it’s been circulating since about 1965, and it still applies today. Not much has changed in the past 50 years. Southbound I-75, crossing the Brent Spence Bridge from Ohio to Kentucky, is just as congested on Friday nights today as it was back then.
When President Dwight Eisenhower signed the Federal-Aid Highway Act on June 29, 1956, clearing the way for a 41,000-mile “National System of Interstate and Defense Highways,” there were only about 67 million cars and trucks on America’s roads. Everyone thought that this new interstate highway system would eliminate unsafe roads, inefficient routes, traffic jams, and all of the other things that got in the way of “speedy, safe transcontinental travel.”
No one could have foreseen a 400% increase in the number of vehicles by 2010.
Even with all of its faults, however, the American interstate highway system is an impressive and herculean achievement. In just under 70 years, we have built a total of 46,876 miles of highway, and to do so mountains were brought low, valleys were filled, crooked ways were made straight, bridges were erected, tunnels were dug, and rough ways were made smooth.
In this week’s gospel lesson Luke introduces us to John the Baptist, who says that this kind of extreme effort is exactly what is required of those who want to abide in God’s kingdom.
In the Scriptures
Because this week’s gospel reading paraphrases a text from Isaiah, it has two contexts: one from the Hebrew Bible and one from the New Testament.
The original, in Isaiah, was spoken to the children of Israel who were being held against their will in Babylon. This particular sermon was preached around 540 BCE. The exile had lasted nearly 50 years, Nebuchadnezzar was dead, and Cyrus of Persia was on the march, headed toward Babylon.
Isaiah believed that Cyrus would defeat the Babylonian army (which he did, without a battle being fought) and release the Hebrews to return to their home in Palestine (which he also did).
For this sermon, wherein he prophesies the return of the people to their homeland, he uses the metaphor of a highway being built through the wilderness. The road home will be wide and smooth, without hills or mountains or valleys. In other words, all the barriers that stood between the Hebrew people and Jerusalem will be removed.
And not only will the people be restored to their homeland, this journey home will bear witness to the whole world that YHWH, the God of Israel, is a god of salvation. This return to Zion will be the vindication of their God and their God’s people.
In Luke, John the Baptist paraphrases this sermon from Isaiah, and the context is that of “baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (v. 3).
Here it is not Cyrus who removes the barriers, but our own repentance and the forgiving grace of God. Through repentance -- that is, a total change in attitude and behavior -- and by God’s grace and forgiveness, the barriers that divide and separate us from God and each other are removed.
Some 500 years after Isaiah penned the metaphor of the highway in the wilderness, it still applied. And today, 2,000 years after Luke paraphrased it for his gospel, we are still seeing its truth played out in our own lives.
In the News
The hills, mountains, valleys, and rough roads -- the metaphorical barriers that separate us from God and each other -- are still visible to those who look for them.
Inflammatory rhetoric must surely stand atop the list of barriers.
When a lone gunman wandered into the Planned Parenthood office in Colorado Springs last week, we could not but wonder at the rhetoric which lit the fuse that inevitably led to his actions. Anti-abortion extremists can talk of “killing babies” and the “slaughter of innocent children” for only so long before someone, some deranged individual, takes it upon themselves to avenge the victims by killing those who have been identified as the perpetrators.
We have witnessed in this past few months people shouting “black lives matter” across the divide, while those on the other side answer with “all lives matter.” And with each shout, each side draws a little further away from the other, widening the divide.
The word “occupy” has taken on a life of its own since the “Occupy Wall Street” movement spread across the country. And now we have to be very careful about how and when we use that word and the connotations that it may carry with it.
Rhetoric need not be intentionally inflammatory in order to divide us, however. Jargon can serve to divide those on the inside from those on the outside. The use of acronyms can cut someone out of a conversation as quickly and as surely as an insult. Robert’s Rules of Order can be used to guarantee fairness and equal opportunity for all to be heard, or it can be manipulated to close down debate and ramrod a meeting toward a forgone conclusion.
The phrase “politically correct” is generally understood to mean language and behavior that is chosen so as to not offend people, especially with regard to race or sex. In other words, it is what our parents used to call being polite. But lately, some people have decided that one cannot be polite and honest at the same time, so they speak in ways that are intended to offend and brag that they are not being hampered or hogtied by what is “politically correct.”
Political, philosophical, and theological ideology often become barriers that divide us. There was a time in our history when people gathered at coffeehouses and on Chautauqua grounds to engage in robust yet good-natured debate around issues such as these, and at the end of the evening parted as friends.
Today, however, we see friendships disintegrate over politics and one Christian congregation damning another because their theology is not sufficiently orthodox or sufficiently inclusive.
And of course, race still divides us. How can it be that the human race is over 100,000 years old, civilization over 6,000 years old, and we are still judging people according to the color of their skin? How have we not advanced beyond that? Why do we insist on letting it divide us and keep us apart?
It is, as John the Baptist insists, time to repent, to turn around, to change our direction and eschew those things which divide us. It is time to fill up the valleys, level the hills and mountains, straighten the crooked ways, and smooth out the rough roads in our lives -- to do hard work so we can come together with our God and each other.
In the Pulpit
The Indicative:
Company’s coming!
And the company that is coming is Jesus himself. Jesus -- the one who is and was and is to come -- is coming. Every year we celebrate the grace and love of God, who gave us his son so that we might encounter God in the flesh... up close and personal. And every year, this celebration makes his coming fresh and new in our lives. Every year we get to start over with the arrival of the Christ child in Bethlehem.
It is a celebration of grace and love.
It is a party, a dance, a jubilee like no other.
No wonder everyone is running about getting ready, buying gifts, baking treats, planning parties, renewing friendships. Company’s coming!
The Imperative:
Company’s coming!
It’s time to clean house, dust the furniture, mop the kitchen floor, pick up the clutter, and get the house in order. It’s time to put our best face on because... company’s coming!
And the house that needs cleaning is our soul. And the way we clean and dust our soul is through repentance. We acknowledge that separation and estrangement have slipped into our lives and we have made accommodations for them. We have become comfortable with them. We have even fed them and given them power over us.
But now we put those things which separate and divide us out of our lives. That is, we make a 180-degree turn and start moving in the other direction, away from estrangement and toward reconciliation and grace. We forgive and we forget. We embrace and welcome. We offer our hands and our help, even to those from whom we are separated.
We, by God’s grace, have been given the power to straighten the crooked roads of prejudice and pride, to bring down the mountains of hate and animosity, to fill up the valleys of doubt and fear, and to make smooth the rough roads of discord and disagreement.
If we resolve to do this kind of housecleaning, then we will truly be prepared to welcome Jesus into our lives on Christmas Day, when “all flesh will see the salvation of God.”
SECOND THOUGHTS
A Different Kind of Preparation
by Robin Lostetter
Luke 3:1-6
Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God. -- Luke 3:5-6
For the majority of us in the 21st century, the imagery of this passage has lost any except metaphorical meaning. But in the 1st century, CE, before roads had been cut through rock then smoothed with asphalt, and before bridges and tunnels had leveled dangerous mountain roads, this passage would have included a “biblical mandate to pay attention to material things” (Wesley D. Avram, “Pastoral Perspective on Luke 3:1-6,” in Feasting on the Word [Year C, Vol. 1]).
For many today, the road still needs to be straightened in order for them to encounter the Word -- Jesus Christ, proclaimed. Although 2015 is the 25th anniversary of a truly landmark piece of legislation, the Americans with Disabilities Act, many churches are still exempt from making their buildings conform to ADA standards. Persons living with a disability may not be able to access the church sanctuary, hear the worship service once inside, read a bulletin, join in the choir, or -- as a bare minimum -- use the bathroom facilities.
These are human-made barriers to worship and to evangelism, to fellowship and to Christian education, and they should be removed. The vision of John 2,000 years ago, to make the paths straight so that all flesh might see the salvation of God, is one that we should not hinder.
But barriers exist even when ramps, elevators, and accessible parking and bathrooms are present. Perhaps the very worst barrier is attitudinal. As Dean Feldmeyer noted in his article above, “The phrase ‘politically correct’ is generally understood to mean language and behavior that is chosen so as to not offend people, especially with regard to race or sex. In other words, it is what our parents used to call being polite. But lately, some people have decided that one cannot be polite and honest at the same time, so they speak in ways that are intended to offend and brag that they are not being hampered or hogtied by what is ‘politically correct.’ ” Persons living with disabilities have several words to add to the “un-PC” list of words, words such as “cripple” and “retard” (known as “the R word”).
In politics, those candidates who eschew PC language have risen to the top of the heap, none more famous than Donald Trump. The most notable, and perhaps most self-destructive, example of his “devil-may-care” free speech has brought Trump considerable criticism, but he has yet to apologize. Mimicking a reporter with visible disabilities seemed to be a new low, but one Trump seems happy to rationalize.
For those churches seeking to become more inclusive, and/or wondering how their physical plant measures up as an accessible facility, the Presbyterian Church (USA) has two tools available. First is its policy statement Living into the Body of Christ; second is its congregational audit. I’m sure other churches offer similar tools, but these are the ones I’m familiar with. The policy paper includes several local anecdotes, including the group that managed to get an adapted bathroom when the deacons approached the session -- chanting “We won’t come if we can’t go!”
As attitudes change, more openings for folk living with disabilities will hopefully be found -- ushering, being deacons, etc. Meanwhile, the 25-year-old ADA has done wonders in removing physical barriers for the secular world. It’s time for churches to ante up, whether required to or not. The Word should not be limited to sanctuaries which are handicap-accessible.
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Ron Love:
Malachi 3:1-4
After the terrorist attack on Paris in which 129 people died and 352 were injured, the citizens expressed their condolences in many different ways. Perhaps the symbol most often used was the creation of makeshift memorials. But one tribute of bereavement stood above all the rest -- the Eiffel Tower remained dark the following night as a sign of mourning.
Application: There are many ways we can send the gospel message in a meaningful way.
*****
Malachi 3:1-4
During the 2014 baseball playoffs, the New York Mets’ Daniel Murphy became known as Mr. October for hitting home runs in six consecutive postseason games. When asked about his outstanding batting performance, Murphy said: “Superman? Oh, no, no. Just a second baseman who’s trying to get a good pitch to hit.”
Application: When we are sent to be a messenger, our talents may not be to speak to everyone -- but we can wait for that individual who is for us a good pitch.
*****
Malachi 3:1-4
NASCAR’s Southern 500 had always been held for many years on Labor Day weekend at the speedway in Darlington, South Carolina -- the “track too tough to tame.” But in a break with an age-old tradition dating back to the beginnings of NASCAR, in 2004 the Labor Day race was moved to the west coast in a bid for better attendance -- a decision that didn’t sit well with many fans and drivers. But in 2016, the race will once again return to Darlington, back to its original and traditional Labor Day spot.
Application: Malachi says that we will remember “the days of old.”
*****
Philippians 1:3-11
In a Peanuts comic strip by Charles Schulz, Lucy, playing her role as psychiatrist, is asked by Charlie Brown if she would counsel his dog Snoopy. Her reply is telling: “I’ll treat any patient who has a problem and a nickel.”
Application: When exhibiting the compassion of Christ, there is no required nickel.
*****
Philippians 1:3-11
In 1984 Robert Cialdini wrote a book titled Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, which has sold over two million copies -- including one to the billionaire Charlie Munger, vice chairman of Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway group. Munger was so impressed that he sent Cialdini a share in the company, which is now worth more than $200,000 -- that’s the share, one share; the company is worth $336 billion.
Application: We can never underestimate the value of knowledge. The knowledge we receive from God is immeasurable.
*****
Philippians 1:3-11
Several publishing companies have decided to use the internet to harness an army of eager readers -- the idea being for these readers to help them sift through the thousands of unsolicited manuscripts they receive each year. HarperCollins was one of the publishers following this trend, encouraging writers seeking publication to place their work on the Authonomy website launched in 2008. Rather than relying on a few overstretched editors, HarperCollins hoped to use keen readers and other would-be writers to spot the next J.K. Rowling by shortlisting the best submissions from the more than 50 they received each week. HarperCollins editors read the ten top-rated submissions to the site each month. The site, described as an “open slush pile,” was somewhat successful, with 47 titles going on to be picked up for publication, before it was closed at the end of September this year.
Application: We know that the knowledge that comes from God is always at the top of the top ten.
*****
Luke 3:1-6
In an act of road rage on I-40 in Albuquerque, Tony Torrez fired his handgun twice into a vehicle that offended him. Sitting in the back seat was 4-year-old Lilly Garcia, who was shot in the head and later died at the hospital.
Application: We desperately need to hear the message that one day the crooked will be made straight.
*****
Luke 3:1-6
Dale Carnegie wrote How to Win Friends and Influence People in 1937. There are now over 6,000 books in print that start with “How to...” -- including How to Fake Fitness and How to Do Your Own Urinalysis. One outstanding example is How to Get What You Want and Want What You Get by John Grey, who should know -- he’s a twice married ex-monk.
Application: John gives us one very succinct message that will keep us occupied for a lifetime.
*****
Luke 3:1-6
General Electric is the only company remaining from the original Dow Jones index of 1896. Since then it has had just 12 CEOs, and its leaders have been expected to serve a 20-year term.
Application: The work outlined for us by John is a long-lasting venture that will not be replaced and will always have just one CEO.
*****
Luke 3:1-6
Pakistani authorities arrested Tahir Iqbal, a Christian, for insulting Muhammad. Iqbal was a paraplegic, but this made no difference to the Muslims. Because he underlined passages in the Koran, sharia law declared that he was to be imprisoned. Iqbal died in prison, but before his death he said, “I will kiss my rope, but I will never deny my faith.”
Application: John gave us a very powerful message, and he died upholding that message.
***************
From team member Chris Keating:
Malachi 3:1-4
Messengers of Change
Humans might be ignoring climate change, but birds are paying attention. And birds may be the messengers we need to heed -- not unlike Malachi’s prophecy of the coming messenger who calls God’s people to repent. It may be a true-to-life example of the “canary in the coal mine” syndrome, especially if human beings pay attention to the messages birds are sending.
A report issued this week by BirdLife International shows that 25 percent of the world’s bird species are showing consistent effects from climate change. Birds are migrating toward the north and south poles on both of the earth’s hemispheres. Many are already struggling to adapt to the pace of climate change. Some species are heading toward higher ground, while others are finding their native habitats overcrowded. The report suggests that there will be “more losers than winners” as climate change progresses, creating smaller migratory ranges and increasing rates of extinction.
The report -- aptly titled The Messengers -- provides an Advent connection to caring for creation. But it isn’t all bad news -- there were hints of hope observed in the creation of resilient colonies of African penguins, as well as positive conservation efforts for at-risk species. However, much of the data gleaned from hundreds of peer-reviewed studies illustrates the negative impact of climate change on birds species.
*****
Malachi 3:1-4
But Who Can Endure?
Resilience involves much more than standing in line on Black Friday, or enduring prolonged delays in making a purchase online. True endurance, as described by the prophet, is experienced in the delicate and demanding experiences of being refined through struggle and challenge.
While marathon swimmer Diana Nyad is no expert on faith (she is, in fact, an avowed atheist), she does know quite a bit about the sort of grueling endurance described by Malachi. Her recent memoir Find a Way offers insights into her conquest at age 64 of the 90-nautical mile channel between Cuba and the United States. There’s more to Nyad’s story than her epic swim -- though arguably that would be sufficient. Nyad’s book details her push through gale-force winds and deadly jellyfish stings to conquer what she saw as a swimmer’s version of Mt. Everest. It is also a story of overcoming tragedy and abuse as a young woman while clinging to a lifelong dream. Some critics have argued that Nyad’s persistence comes across more “needy” than triumphant, however. As Jennifer Kay noted in an AP story: “In person, Nyad can be abrasive and takes up all the oxygen in the room. Her memoir reads much the same way, as if by being the loudest to proclaim the preciousness of life she can quiet her unresolved demons.”
Kay’s point is well taken, but Nyad’s tough training regimen and stamina are undeniable illustrations of endurance in inhospitable environments. In part, the book reveals how Nyad’s resolve was hardened as a result of surviving childhood sexual abuse and other losses in adulthood. As she says of her first attempt to swim from Havana to Key West when she was 30 years old, “I have never summoned so much willpower -- I’ve never wanted anything so badly, and I never tried so hard.”
*****
Malachi 3:1-4
Messiah Complex
Malachi’s lines are familiar not only in Advent, but to also thousands of self-proclaimed “Handel-maniacs” across the world. Singalong presentations of Handel’s magnificent oratorio Messiah have become a regular part of Christmas celebrations across the world. This week’s text from Malachi offers an opportunity for congregations to revisit his celebrated story of Christ’s life.
Richard Whittall suggests that the reason Messiah is so beloved is perhaps simply because it is so well known:
But the real reason I and other singers love Messiah is because we truly know it like no other work. Since it has become an annual Christmas tradition, most choristers have sung it in every venue, in every iteration, with every instrumentation, and in every tempo, no matter how deranged or pseudo-experimental. And in that time they have come to know the strange miracle of Messiah: after years of the good and the bad and the ugly, there is always something new, something breathtaking, to be rediscovered in Handel’s writing and Charles Jennens’ libretto.
*****
Philippians 1:3-11
Finding Light in the Midst of Darkness
Paul’s example of praying constantly with “joy in every one of my prayers” may rub hard against the difficulties some face during the holiday season. Indeed, some who are experiencing pain, depression, or grief during the holidays may not be as confident as Paul is that the “one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion.” Paul advises prayer and steadfast faith that come as a result of the “harvest of righteousness.” But exactly how can we offer this gift of resilience and peace this holiday season?
One psychologist urges developing a holiday “resiliency plan” that begins by noticing how you treat yourself. He suggests that:
It’s easy to find fault for not getting it all right. However, you don’t want to make the holidays more difficult by being hypercritical or by making unreasonable demands on yourself. Recognize that a healthy relationship with yourself means being accepting, supportive, and compassionate. It’s never okay to put yourself down. Of course you always want to do your best, but once you do that, be accepting...
Another, perhaps more theologically nuanced approach, suggests that we remind ourselves and our congregations of the spiritual value of darkness -- even during the most dazzling, brightly lit time of year. One writer notes that when we are beset by emotional bullying, perhaps the best plan is to open ourselves to the mystery. “Surrender to the darkness,” writes Mirabai Starr, “and take humble refuge in the ineffable stillness... we have nowhere to go but into the silence.”
*****
Luke 3:1-6
Erasing Barriers
Luke’s introduction to John the Baptist is a reminder of the way God is going to be at work erasing boundaries and crossing barriers throughout the gospel. The voice of one crying in the wilderness is an Advent invitation which calls us to consider what it means to participate with God in these daunting tasks.
Musician Yo-Yo Ma recently collaborated with African-American ballet dancer Misty Copeland in a boundary-crossing performance on CBS’ The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Critics hailed the duo as crossing a historically white, European threshold. But for Ma, the performance was really only an indicator of how he believes his identity and vocation have become entwined.
“It’s not always about specifically breaking social barriers,” Ma told a reporter. “It’s about breaking barriers in terms of exploration. Elon Musk wants to go to Mars. That’s breaking barriers, right? He’s making rockets because he thinks he can find a better way to do it. It’s the ‘better way to build a mousetrap’ idea that’s in space, in dance, in every field.”
The reporter went on to press Ma by asking “Are the challenges different when people see you as other, or less legitimate?” He responded:
Sure, ethnicity can come into it. I can say that 40 years ago, when I first started, when there were fewer Asian musicians, very often the first interview question would be “How can an Asian make Western music?” Because they haven’t seen it. Those are legitimate questions. You’re in jazz -- the same question was asked of white people. We make assumptions; we make hypotheses; and if you’re curious and not prejudicial, that’s when you can get interesting results.
There’s now an American that won a Japanese prize being the best Japanese author. Joseph Conrad was Polish. He crossed a barrier and became an English author. Look at Ravel, Debussy, who Kathy [Stott, Ma’s accompanist] and I love a lot. In the new album, we have a lot of [Gabriel] Fauré pieces. I think Kathy’s the only person in the world who started a Fauré festival in Manchester.
As Paquito D’Rivera said, you don’t have to be Austrian to play Mozart. When someone does something good, it brings honor to the place where they come from. But when you do something that’s unbelievably great, it actually belongs to the world.
WORSHIP RESOURCES
by George Reed
Call to Worship
Leader: Blessed be the God of Israel, who has looked favorably on us and redeemed us.
People: God has raised up a mighty savior for us in the house of David.
Leader: God has shown the mercy promised to our ancestors.
People: God has remembered the holy covenant.
Leader: By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us.
People: God will give light to those who sit in darkness and will guide our feet into the way of peace.
OR
Leader: Prepare the way for our God!
People: We are decorating as fast as we can!
Leader: No! Prepare the way in your hearts.
People: We will turn our hearts to God and the Christ.
Leader: Prepare the way in your communities.
People: We will make a way of peace toward others.
Hymns and Sacred Songs
“Blessed Be the God of Israel”
found in:
UMH: 209
H82: 444
CH: 135
ELA: 552
W&P: 158
Renew: 128
“This Is a Day of New Beginnings”
found in:
UMH: 383
NCH: 417
CH: 518
W&P: 355
“Seek Ye First”
found in:
UMH: 405
H82: 711
PH: 333
CH: 54
W&P: 349
“Let There Be Peace on Earth”
found in:
UMH: 431
CH: 677
W&P: 614
“O God of Every Nation”
found in:
UMH: 435
H82: 607
PH: 289
CH: 680
LBW: 416
ELA: 713
W&P: 626
“We Meet You, O Christ”
found in:
UMH: 257
PH: 311
CH: 183
W&P: 616
“Marching to Zion”
found in:
UMH: 733
CH: 707
“Here, O My Lord, I See Thee”
found in:
UMH: 623
H82: 318
PH: 520
NCH: 336
CH: 416
LBW: 211
AMEC: 531
“Prepare the Way”
found in:
Renew: 92
“How Majestic Is Your Name”
found in:
CCB: 21
Renew: 98
Music Resources Key:
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982 (The Episcopal Church)
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
LBW: Lutheran Book of Worship
ELA: Evangelical Lutheran Worship
W&P: Worship & Praise
AMEC: African Methodist Episcopal Church Hymnal
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
Renew: Renew! Songs & Hymns for Blended Worship
Prayer for the Day / Collect
O God who comes to us as one of us: Grant us the courage to prepare the way for you to enter our hearts and the dedication to prepare the way for you to encounter others through us; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We praise you, O God, for you come to us and dwell with us. We know our need to allow you to enter more fully into our lives. Help us to do something to allow that to happen. Give us the grace to reach out to others so that they may experience your presence through us. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
Leader: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins, and especially our lack of preparation for Jesus’ coming.
People: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We have made all sorts of preparations for the holiday season. We have decorated our homes and sent out our Christmas cards. We have planned what we are having for dinner and who we are inviting. We have bought gifts and exhausted ourselves looking for bargains. Yet we have spent very little time with the important task of preparing our hearts. We have not spent enough time reflecting on the gospel story; we have not spent enough time in prayer; we have not spent enough time reaching out to others. We are very good at preparing for Santa, but not so good at preparing for the Christ. Fill us with your Spirit, and help us to turn our lives around so that we may truly celebrate your coming to us in Jesus. Amen.
Leader: God comes in the Christ Child to bring us life, not death; to bring us forgiveness and not condemnation. Receive God’s love, God’s Spirit, and God’s forgiveness as you turn your life in God’s direction.
Prayers of the People (and the Lord’s Prayer)
All praise and glory are yours, O God, for you are the faithful one who comes to us in flesh so that we might catch a better glimpse of your love and be able to follow you into life.
(The following paragraph may be used if a separate prayer of confession has not been used.)
We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We have made all sorts of preparations for the holiday season. We have decorated our homes and sent out our Christmas cards. We have planned what we are having for dinner and who we are inviting. We have bought gifts and exhausted ourselves looking for bargains. Yet we have spent very little time with the important task of preparing our hearts. We have not spent enough time reflecting on the gospel story; we have not spent enough time in prayer; we have not spent enough time reaching out to others. We are very good at preparing for Santa, but not so good at preparing for the Christ. Fill us with your Spirit, and help us to turn our lives around so that we may truly celebrate your coming to us in Jesus.
We give you thanks for all the ways in which you share your love with us. You have given us scripture so that we might learn from the lives of others who tried to live into your likeness. You have given us teachers and pastors who have lead us in study and worship so that we might truly repent and turn our lives to you. You have given us family and friends who have shared love with us.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We lift up to you the cares and hurts of our world and of our own hearts. We pray especially for those who cannot seem to find a way to the God who is seeking them. Help us to prepare the way so that God’s love can be known by all.
(Other intercessions may be offered.)
All these things we ask in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ, who taught us to pray together, saying:
Our Father . . . Amen.
(or if the Lord’s Prayer is not used at this point in the service)
All this we ask in the Name of the Blessed and Holy Trinity. Amen.
Children’s Sermon Starter
Talk to the children about having company. It might mean that we just plan for an extra person for dinner, or it may mean a whole lot of preparations. What is important, though, isn’t how much we do but how welcome we make the person feel. We are getting ready at church to celebrate the coming of Jesus as a baby. We will be doing all kinds of things to make the building look nice and happy. But most of all, Jesus wants us to make a place for him in our hearts. We can do that by learning more about God and about Jesus. We can do that by saying our prayers and being in church and Sunday school. We can do it by being kind to other people, just as Jesus tells us to.
CHILDREN’S SERMON
by Mary Austin
Luke 3:1-6
Ahead of time: Borrow some blocks from the church nursery or a young friend. The bigger the blocks the better -- if you can find some of the big lightweight cardboard blocks, that’s ideal.
Invite the kids up, and ask how they got to church today. Some may say they walked or rode the bus, but many of them will have been driven to church.
Ask them what they drove on? Water? Through people’s yards? Through a forest?
“Roads!”
Ask the kids where else you can go on a road. They’ll answer things like to see friends, to see my grandma, to go to camp... and you can remind them that roads connect us to people. Without roads, it would be hard to see people we like.
Then place one of the blocks on the floor and ask them if this is a good road. No, the kids will say. Have a child add another block, and ask again if it’s a good road. Keep doing this until you have a decent start, and then talk about how it takes all of us to make the roads that connect us to other people.
If there’s time, you might add that Jesus says that he is “The Way,” the very best way that we are linked to other people. Jesus is saying something like “I am the road that connects you to other people.”
If it’s possible in your church, leave the “road” in place until the end of the service as a reminder to everyone. (If your choir processes and recesses, try not to trip them.)
Close with prayer:
God, you make a way for us all to love you and serve you. Thank you for all of the roads that take us to church and school and work, and to see our friends and families. Help us to think about you as we travel the roads in our lives. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, December 6, 2015, issue.
Copyright 2015 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to The Immediate Word service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons and in worship and classroom settings only. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
Team member Robin Lostetter shares some additional thoughts on one area where barriers have literally been removed and rough ways made smooth for a significant segment of our society. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). A wide-ranging law prohibiting discrimination based on disability and mandating accommodations in public facilities for those with disabilities, it functions in much the same way as the Civil Rights Act does regarding racial discrimination. But as Robin notes, many churches are still exempt from making their buildings conform to ADA standards -- leaving in place not just physical barriers but spiritual ones as well. Robin reminds us that this is an important matter to address if we want to foster connection and understanding with disabled people and welcome them into church fellowship... and she offers some resources for congregations needing help in this area.
Highways and Byways
by Dean Feldmeyer
Luke 3:1-6
If you live in Cincinnati, Ohio, you are probably aware of an old joke that says: “If you take every car in Ohio and line them all up bumper to bumper... you’ll have Friday night on southbound I-75.”
The most amusing thing about that joke is that it’s been circulating since about 1965, and it still applies today. Not much has changed in the past 50 years. Southbound I-75, crossing the Brent Spence Bridge from Ohio to Kentucky, is just as congested on Friday nights today as it was back then.
When President Dwight Eisenhower signed the Federal-Aid Highway Act on June 29, 1956, clearing the way for a 41,000-mile “National System of Interstate and Defense Highways,” there were only about 67 million cars and trucks on America’s roads. Everyone thought that this new interstate highway system would eliminate unsafe roads, inefficient routes, traffic jams, and all of the other things that got in the way of “speedy, safe transcontinental travel.”
No one could have foreseen a 400% increase in the number of vehicles by 2010.
Even with all of its faults, however, the American interstate highway system is an impressive and herculean achievement. In just under 70 years, we have built a total of 46,876 miles of highway, and to do so mountains were brought low, valleys were filled, crooked ways were made straight, bridges were erected, tunnels were dug, and rough ways were made smooth.
In this week’s gospel lesson Luke introduces us to John the Baptist, who says that this kind of extreme effort is exactly what is required of those who want to abide in God’s kingdom.
In the Scriptures
Because this week’s gospel reading paraphrases a text from Isaiah, it has two contexts: one from the Hebrew Bible and one from the New Testament.
The original, in Isaiah, was spoken to the children of Israel who were being held against their will in Babylon. This particular sermon was preached around 540 BCE. The exile had lasted nearly 50 years, Nebuchadnezzar was dead, and Cyrus of Persia was on the march, headed toward Babylon.
Isaiah believed that Cyrus would defeat the Babylonian army (which he did, without a battle being fought) and release the Hebrews to return to their home in Palestine (which he also did).
For this sermon, wherein he prophesies the return of the people to their homeland, he uses the metaphor of a highway being built through the wilderness. The road home will be wide and smooth, without hills or mountains or valleys. In other words, all the barriers that stood between the Hebrew people and Jerusalem will be removed.
And not only will the people be restored to their homeland, this journey home will bear witness to the whole world that YHWH, the God of Israel, is a god of salvation. This return to Zion will be the vindication of their God and their God’s people.
In Luke, John the Baptist paraphrases this sermon from Isaiah, and the context is that of “baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (v. 3).
Here it is not Cyrus who removes the barriers, but our own repentance and the forgiving grace of God. Through repentance -- that is, a total change in attitude and behavior -- and by God’s grace and forgiveness, the barriers that divide and separate us from God and each other are removed.
Some 500 years after Isaiah penned the metaphor of the highway in the wilderness, it still applied. And today, 2,000 years after Luke paraphrased it for his gospel, we are still seeing its truth played out in our own lives.
In the News
The hills, mountains, valleys, and rough roads -- the metaphorical barriers that separate us from God and each other -- are still visible to those who look for them.
Inflammatory rhetoric must surely stand atop the list of barriers.
When a lone gunman wandered into the Planned Parenthood office in Colorado Springs last week, we could not but wonder at the rhetoric which lit the fuse that inevitably led to his actions. Anti-abortion extremists can talk of “killing babies” and the “slaughter of innocent children” for only so long before someone, some deranged individual, takes it upon themselves to avenge the victims by killing those who have been identified as the perpetrators.
We have witnessed in this past few months people shouting “black lives matter” across the divide, while those on the other side answer with “all lives matter.” And with each shout, each side draws a little further away from the other, widening the divide.
The word “occupy” has taken on a life of its own since the “Occupy Wall Street” movement spread across the country. And now we have to be very careful about how and when we use that word and the connotations that it may carry with it.
Rhetoric need not be intentionally inflammatory in order to divide us, however. Jargon can serve to divide those on the inside from those on the outside. The use of acronyms can cut someone out of a conversation as quickly and as surely as an insult. Robert’s Rules of Order can be used to guarantee fairness and equal opportunity for all to be heard, or it can be manipulated to close down debate and ramrod a meeting toward a forgone conclusion.
The phrase “politically correct” is generally understood to mean language and behavior that is chosen so as to not offend people, especially with regard to race or sex. In other words, it is what our parents used to call being polite. But lately, some people have decided that one cannot be polite and honest at the same time, so they speak in ways that are intended to offend and brag that they are not being hampered or hogtied by what is “politically correct.”
Political, philosophical, and theological ideology often become barriers that divide us. There was a time in our history when people gathered at coffeehouses and on Chautauqua grounds to engage in robust yet good-natured debate around issues such as these, and at the end of the evening parted as friends.
Today, however, we see friendships disintegrate over politics and one Christian congregation damning another because their theology is not sufficiently orthodox or sufficiently inclusive.
And of course, race still divides us. How can it be that the human race is over 100,000 years old, civilization over 6,000 years old, and we are still judging people according to the color of their skin? How have we not advanced beyond that? Why do we insist on letting it divide us and keep us apart?
It is, as John the Baptist insists, time to repent, to turn around, to change our direction and eschew those things which divide us. It is time to fill up the valleys, level the hills and mountains, straighten the crooked ways, and smooth out the rough roads in our lives -- to do hard work so we can come together with our God and each other.
In the Pulpit
The Indicative:
Company’s coming!
And the company that is coming is Jesus himself. Jesus -- the one who is and was and is to come -- is coming. Every year we celebrate the grace and love of God, who gave us his son so that we might encounter God in the flesh... up close and personal. And every year, this celebration makes his coming fresh and new in our lives. Every year we get to start over with the arrival of the Christ child in Bethlehem.
It is a celebration of grace and love.
It is a party, a dance, a jubilee like no other.
No wonder everyone is running about getting ready, buying gifts, baking treats, planning parties, renewing friendships. Company’s coming!
The Imperative:
Company’s coming!
It’s time to clean house, dust the furniture, mop the kitchen floor, pick up the clutter, and get the house in order. It’s time to put our best face on because... company’s coming!
And the house that needs cleaning is our soul. And the way we clean and dust our soul is through repentance. We acknowledge that separation and estrangement have slipped into our lives and we have made accommodations for them. We have become comfortable with them. We have even fed them and given them power over us.
But now we put those things which separate and divide us out of our lives. That is, we make a 180-degree turn and start moving in the other direction, away from estrangement and toward reconciliation and grace. We forgive and we forget. We embrace and welcome. We offer our hands and our help, even to those from whom we are separated.
We, by God’s grace, have been given the power to straighten the crooked roads of prejudice and pride, to bring down the mountains of hate and animosity, to fill up the valleys of doubt and fear, and to make smooth the rough roads of discord and disagreement.
If we resolve to do this kind of housecleaning, then we will truly be prepared to welcome Jesus into our lives on Christmas Day, when “all flesh will see the salvation of God.”
SECOND THOUGHTS
A Different Kind of Preparation
by Robin Lostetter
Luke 3:1-6
Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God. -- Luke 3:5-6
For the majority of us in the 21st century, the imagery of this passage has lost any except metaphorical meaning. But in the 1st century, CE, before roads had been cut through rock then smoothed with asphalt, and before bridges and tunnels had leveled dangerous mountain roads, this passage would have included a “biblical mandate to pay attention to material things” (Wesley D. Avram, “Pastoral Perspective on Luke 3:1-6,” in Feasting on the Word [Year C, Vol. 1]).
For many today, the road still needs to be straightened in order for them to encounter the Word -- Jesus Christ, proclaimed. Although 2015 is the 25th anniversary of a truly landmark piece of legislation, the Americans with Disabilities Act, many churches are still exempt from making their buildings conform to ADA standards. Persons living with a disability may not be able to access the church sanctuary, hear the worship service once inside, read a bulletin, join in the choir, or -- as a bare minimum -- use the bathroom facilities.
These are human-made barriers to worship and to evangelism, to fellowship and to Christian education, and they should be removed. The vision of John 2,000 years ago, to make the paths straight so that all flesh might see the salvation of God, is one that we should not hinder.
But barriers exist even when ramps, elevators, and accessible parking and bathrooms are present. Perhaps the very worst barrier is attitudinal. As Dean Feldmeyer noted in his article above, “The phrase ‘politically correct’ is generally understood to mean language and behavior that is chosen so as to not offend people, especially with regard to race or sex. In other words, it is what our parents used to call being polite. But lately, some people have decided that one cannot be polite and honest at the same time, so they speak in ways that are intended to offend and brag that they are not being hampered or hogtied by what is ‘politically correct.’ ” Persons living with disabilities have several words to add to the “un-PC” list of words, words such as “cripple” and “retard” (known as “the R word”).
In politics, those candidates who eschew PC language have risen to the top of the heap, none more famous than Donald Trump. The most notable, and perhaps most self-destructive, example of his “devil-may-care” free speech has brought Trump considerable criticism, but he has yet to apologize. Mimicking a reporter with visible disabilities seemed to be a new low, but one Trump seems happy to rationalize.
For those churches seeking to become more inclusive, and/or wondering how their physical plant measures up as an accessible facility, the Presbyterian Church (USA) has two tools available. First is its policy statement Living into the Body of Christ; second is its congregational audit. I’m sure other churches offer similar tools, but these are the ones I’m familiar with. The policy paper includes several local anecdotes, including the group that managed to get an adapted bathroom when the deacons approached the session -- chanting “We won’t come if we can’t go!”
As attitudes change, more openings for folk living with disabilities will hopefully be found -- ushering, being deacons, etc. Meanwhile, the 25-year-old ADA has done wonders in removing physical barriers for the secular world. It’s time for churches to ante up, whether required to or not. The Word should not be limited to sanctuaries which are handicap-accessible.
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Ron Love:
Malachi 3:1-4
After the terrorist attack on Paris in which 129 people died and 352 were injured, the citizens expressed their condolences in many different ways. Perhaps the symbol most often used was the creation of makeshift memorials. But one tribute of bereavement stood above all the rest -- the Eiffel Tower remained dark the following night as a sign of mourning.
Application: There are many ways we can send the gospel message in a meaningful way.
*****
Malachi 3:1-4
During the 2014 baseball playoffs, the New York Mets’ Daniel Murphy became known as Mr. October for hitting home runs in six consecutive postseason games. When asked about his outstanding batting performance, Murphy said: “Superman? Oh, no, no. Just a second baseman who’s trying to get a good pitch to hit.”
Application: When we are sent to be a messenger, our talents may not be to speak to everyone -- but we can wait for that individual who is for us a good pitch.
*****
Malachi 3:1-4
NASCAR’s Southern 500 had always been held for many years on Labor Day weekend at the speedway in Darlington, South Carolina -- the “track too tough to tame.” But in a break with an age-old tradition dating back to the beginnings of NASCAR, in 2004 the Labor Day race was moved to the west coast in a bid for better attendance -- a decision that didn’t sit well with many fans and drivers. But in 2016, the race will once again return to Darlington, back to its original and traditional Labor Day spot.
Application: Malachi says that we will remember “the days of old.”
*****
Philippians 1:3-11
In a Peanuts comic strip by Charles Schulz, Lucy, playing her role as psychiatrist, is asked by Charlie Brown if she would counsel his dog Snoopy. Her reply is telling: “I’ll treat any patient who has a problem and a nickel.”
Application: When exhibiting the compassion of Christ, there is no required nickel.
*****
Philippians 1:3-11
In 1984 Robert Cialdini wrote a book titled Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, which has sold over two million copies -- including one to the billionaire Charlie Munger, vice chairman of Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway group. Munger was so impressed that he sent Cialdini a share in the company, which is now worth more than $200,000 -- that’s the share, one share; the company is worth $336 billion.
Application: We can never underestimate the value of knowledge. The knowledge we receive from God is immeasurable.
*****
Philippians 1:3-11
Several publishing companies have decided to use the internet to harness an army of eager readers -- the idea being for these readers to help them sift through the thousands of unsolicited manuscripts they receive each year. HarperCollins was one of the publishers following this trend, encouraging writers seeking publication to place their work on the Authonomy website launched in 2008. Rather than relying on a few overstretched editors, HarperCollins hoped to use keen readers and other would-be writers to spot the next J.K. Rowling by shortlisting the best submissions from the more than 50 they received each week. HarperCollins editors read the ten top-rated submissions to the site each month. The site, described as an “open slush pile,” was somewhat successful, with 47 titles going on to be picked up for publication, before it was closed at the end of September this year.
Application: We know that the knowledge that comes from God is always at the top of the top ten.
*****
Luke 3:1-6
In an act of road rage on I-40 in Albuquerque, Tony Torrez fired his handgun twice into a vehicle that offended him. Sitting in the back seat was 4-year-old Lilly Garcia, who was shot in the head and later died at the hospital.
Application: We desperately need to hear the message that one day the crooked will be made straight.
*****
Luke 3:1-6
Dale Carnegie wrote How to Win Friends and Influence People in 1937. There are now over 6,000 books in print that start with “How to...” -- including How to Fake Fitness and How to Do Your Own Urinalysis. One outstanding example is How to Get What You Want and Want What You Get by John Grey, who should know -- he’s a twice married ex-monk.
Application: John gives us one very succinct message that will keep us occupied for a lifetime.
*****
Luke 3:1-6
General Electric is the only company remaining from the original Dow Jones index of 1896. Since then it has had just 12 CEOs, and its leaders have been expected to serve a 20-year term.
Application: The work outlined for us by John is a long-lasting venture that will not be replaced and will always have just one CEO.
*****
Luke 3:1-6
Pakistani authorities arrested Tahir Iqbal, a Christian, for insulting Muhammad. Iqbal was a paraplegic, but this made no difference to the Muslims. Because he underlined passages in the Koran, sharia law declared that he was to be imprisoned. Iqbal died in prison, but before his death he said, “I will kiss my rope, but I will never deny my faith.”
Application: John gave us a very powerful message, and he died upholding that message.
***************
From team member Chris Keating:
Malachi 3:1-4
Messengers of Change
Humans might be ignoring climate change, but birds are paying attention. And birds may be the messengers we need to heed -- not unlike Malachi’s prophecy of the coming messenger who calls God’s people to repent. It may be a true-to-life example of the “canary in the coal mine” syndrome, especially if human beings pay attention to the messages birds are sending.
A report issued this week by BirdLife International shows that 25 percent of the world’s bird species are showing consistent effects from climate change. Birds are migrating toward the north and south poles on both of the earth’s hemispheres. Many are already struggling to adapt to the pace of climate change. Some species are heading toward higher ground, while others are finding their native habitats overcrowded. The report suggests that there will be “more losers than winners” as climate change progresses, creating smaller migratory ranges and increasing rates of extinction.
The report -- aptly titled The Messengers -- provides an Advent connection to caring for creation. But it isn’t all bad news -- there were hints of hope observed in the creation of resilient colonies of African penguins, as well as positive conservation efforts for at-risk species. However, much of the data gleaned from hundreds of peer-reviewed studies illustrates the negative impact of climate change on birds species.
*****
Malachi 3:1-4
But Who Can Endure?
Resilience involves much more than standing in line on Black Friday, or enduring prolonged delays in making a purchase online. True endurance, as described by the prophet, is experienced in the delicate and demanding experiences of being refined through struggle and challenge.
While marathon swimmer Diana Nyad is no expert on faith (she is, in fact, an avowed atheist), she does know quite a bit about the sort of grueling endurance described by Malachi. Her recent memoir Find a Way offers insights into her conquest at age 64 of the 90-nautical mile channel between Cuba and the United States. There’s more to Nyad’s story than her epic swim -- though arguably that would be sufficient. Nyad’s book details her push through gale-force winds and deadly jellyfish stings to conquer what she saw as a swimmer’s version of Mt. Everest. It is also a story of overcoming tragedy and abuse as a young woman while clinging to a lifelong dream. Some critics have argued that Nyad’s persistence comes across more “needy” than triumphant, however. As Jennifer Kay noted in an AP story: “In person, Nyad can be abrasive and takes up all the oxygen in the room. Her memoir reads much the same way, as if by being the loudest to proclaim the preciousness of life she can quiet her unresolved demons.”
Kay’s point is well taken, but Nyad’s tough training regimen and stamina are undeniable illustrations of endurance in inhospitable environments. In part, the book reveals how Nyad’s resolve was hardened as a result of surviving childhood sexual abuse and other losses in adulthood. As she says of her first attempt to swim from Havana to Key West when she was 30 years old, “I have never summoned so much willpower -- I’ve never wanted anything so badly, and I never tried so hard.”
*****
Malachi 3:1-4
Messiah Complex
Malachi’s lines are familiar not only in Advent, but to also thousands of self-proclaimed “Handel-maniacs” across the world. Singalong presentations of Handel’s magnificent oratorio Messiah have become a regular part of Christmas celebrations across the world. This week’s text from Malachi offers an opportunity for congregations to revisit his celebrated story of Christ’s life.
Richard Whittall suggests that the reason Messiah is so beloved is perhaps simply because it is so well known:
But the real reason I and other singers love Messiah is because we truly know it like no other work. Since it has become an annual Christmas tradition, most choristers have sung it in every venue, in every iteration, with every instrumentation, and in every tempo, no matter how deranged or pseudo-experimental. And in that time they have come to know the strange miracle of Messiah: after years of the good and the bad and the ugly, there is always something new, something breathtaking, to be rediscovered in Handel’s writing and Charles Jennens’ libretto.
*****
Philippians 1:3-11
Finding Light in the Midst of Darkness
Paul’s example of praying constantly with “joy in every one of my prayers” may rub hard against the difficulties some face during the holiday season. Indeed, some who are experiencing pain, depression, or grief during the holidays may not be as confident as Paul is that the “one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion.” Paul advises prayer and steadfast faith that come as a result of the “harvest of righteousness.” But exactly how can we offer this gift of resilience and peace this holiday season?
One psychologist urges developing a holiday “resiliency plan” that begins by noticing how you treat yourself. He suggests that:
It’s easy to find fault for not getting it all right. However, you don’t want to make the holidays more difficult by being hypercritical or by making unreasonable demands on yourself. Recognize that a healthy relationship with yourself means being accepting, supportive, and compassionate. It’s never okay to put yourself down. Of course you always want to do your best, but once you do that, be accepting...
Another, perhaps more theologically nuanced approach, suggests that we remind ourselves and our congregations of the spiritual value of darkness -- even during the most dazzling, brightly lit time of year. One writer notes that when we are beset by emotional bullying, perhaps the best plan is to open ourselves to the mystery. “Surrender to the darkness,” writes Mirabai Starr, “and take humble refuge in the ineffable stillness... we have nowhere to go but into the silence.”
*****
Luke 3:1-6
Erasing Barriers
Luke’s introduction to John the Baptist is a reminder of the way God is going to be at work erasing boundaries and crossing barriers throughout the gospel. The voice of one crying in the wilderness is an Advent invitation which calls us to consider what it means to participate with God in these daunting tasks.
Musician Yo-Yo Ma recently collaborated with African-American ballet dancer Misty Copeland in a boundary-crossing performance on CBS’ The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Critics hailed the duo as crossing a historically white, European threshold. But for Ma, the performance was really only an indicator of how he believes his identity and vocation have become entwined.
“It’s not always about specifically breaking social barriers,” Ma told a reporter. “It’s about breaking barriers in terms of exploration. Elon Musk wants to go to Mars. That’s breaking barriers, right? He’s making rockets because he thinks he can find a better way to do it. It’s the ‘better way to build a mousetrap’ idea that’s in space, in dance, in every field.”
The reporter went on to press Ma by asking “Are the challenges different when people see you as other, or less legitimate?” He responded:
Sure, ethnicity can come into it. I can say that 40 years ago, when I first started, when there were fewer Asian musicians, very often the first interview question would be “How can an Asian make Western music?” Because they haven’t seen it. Those are legitimate questions. You’re in jazz -- the same question was asked of white people. We make assumptions; we make hypotheses; and if you’re curious and not prejudicial, that’s when you can get interesting results.
There’s now an American that won a Japanese prize being the best Japanese author. Joseph Conrad was Polish. He crossed a barrier and became an English author. Look at Ravel, Debussy, who Kathy [Stott, Ma’s accompanist] and I love a lot. In the new album, we have a lot of [Gabriel] Fauré pieces. I think Kathy’s the only person in the world who started a Fauré festival in Manchester.
As Paquito D’Rivera said, you don’t have to be Austrian to play Mozart. When someone does something good, it brings honor to the place where they come from. But when you do something that’s unbelievably great, it actually belongs to the world.
WORSHIP RESOURCES
by George Reed
Call to Worship
Leader: Blessed be the God of Israel, who has looked favorably on us and redeemed us.
People: God has raised up a mighty savior for us in the house of David.
Leader: God has shown the mercy promised to our ancestors.
People: God has remembered the holy covenant.
Leader: By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us.
People: God will give light to those who sit in darkness and will guide our feet into the way of peace.
OR
Leader: Prepare the way for our God!
People: We are decorating as fast as we can!
Leader: No! Prepare the way in your hearts.
People: We will turn our hearts to God and the Christ.
Leader: Prepare the way in your communities.
People: We will make a way of peace toward others.
Hymns and Sacred Songs
“Blessed Be the God of Israel”
found in:
UMH: 209
H82: 444
CH: 135
ELA: 552
W&P: 158
Renew: 128
“This Is a Day of New Beginnings”
found in:
UMH: 383
NCH: 417
CH: 518
W&P: 355
“Seek Ye First”
found in:
UMH: 405
H82: 711
PH: 333
CH: 54
W&P: 349
“Let There Be Peace on Earth”
found in:
UMH: 431
CH: 677
W&P: 614
“O God of Every Nation”
found in:
UMH: 435
H82: 607
PH: 289
CH: 680
LBW: 416
ELA: 713
W&P: 626
“We Meet You, O Christ”
found in:
UMH: 257
PH: 311
CH: 183
W&P: 616
“Marching to Zion”
found in:
UMH: 733
CH: 707
“Here, O My Lord, I See Thee”
found in:
UMH: 623
H82: 318
PH: 520
NCH: 336
CH: 416
LBW: 211
AMEC: 531
“Prepare the Way”
found in:
Renew: 92
“How Majestic Is Your Name”
found in:
CCB: 21
Renew: 98
Music Resources Key:
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982 (The Episcopal Church)
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
LBW: Lutheran Book of Worship
ELA: Evangelical Lutheran Worship
W&P: Worship & Praise
AMEC: African Methodist Episcopal Church Hymnal
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
Renew: Renew! Songs & Hymns for Blended Worship
Prayer for the Day / Collect
O God who comes to us as one of us: Grant us the courage to prepare the way for you to enter our hearts and the dedication to prepare the way for you to encounter others through us; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We praise you, O God, for you come to us and dwell with us. We know our need to allow you to enter more fully into our lives. Help us to do something to allow that to happen. Give us the grace to reach out to others so that they may experience your presence through us. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
Leader: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins, and especially our lack of preparation for Jesus’ coming.
People: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We have made all sorts of preparations for the holiday season. We have decorated our homes and sent out our Christmas cards. We have planned what we are having for dinner and who we are inviting. We have bought gifts and exhausted ourselves looking for bargains. Yet we have spent very little time with the important task of preparing our hearts. We have not spent enough time reflecting on the gospel story; we have not spent enough time in prayer; we have not spent enough time reaching out to others. We are very good at preparing for Santa, but not so good at preparing for the Christ. Fill us with your Spirit, and help us to turn our lives around so that we may truly celebrate your coming to us in Jesus. Amen.
Leader: God comes in the Christ Child to bring us life, not death; to bring us forgiveness and not condemnation. Receive God’s love, God’s Spirit, and God’s forgiveness as you turn your life in God’s direction.
Prayers of the People (and the Lord’s Prayer)
All praise and glory are yours, O God, for you are the faithful one who comes to us in flesh so that we might catch a better glimpse of your love and be able to follow you into life.
(The following paragraph may be used if a separate prayer of confession has not been used.)
We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We have made all sorts of preparations for the holiday season. We have decorated our homes and sent out our Christmas cards. We have planned what we are having for dinner and who we are inviting. We have bought gifts and exhausted ourselves looking for bargains. Yet we have spent very little time with the important task of preparing our hearts. We have not spent enough time reflecting on the gospel story; we have not spent enough time in prayer; we have not spent enough time reaching out to others. We are very good at preparing for Santa, but not so good at preparing for the Christ. Fill us with your Spirit, and help us to turn our lives around so that we may truly celebrate your coming to us in Jesus.
We give you thanks for all the ways in which you share your love with us. You have given us scripture so that we might learn from the lives of others who tried to live into your likeness. You have given us teachers and pastors who have lead us in study and worship so that we might truly repent and turn our lives to you. You have given us family and friends who have shared love with us.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We lift up to you the cares and hurts of our world and of our own hearts. We pray especially for those who cannot seem to find a way to the God who is seeking them. Help us to prepare the way so that God’s love can be known by all.
(Other intercessions may be offered.)
All these things we ask in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ, who taught us to pray together, saying:
Our Father . . . Amen.
(or if the Lord’s Prayer is not used at this point in the service)
All this we ask in the Name of the Blessed and Holy Trinity. Amen.
Children’s Sermon Starter
Talk to the children about having company. It might mean that we just plan for an extra person for dinner, or it may mean a whole lot of preparations. What is important, though, isn’t how much we do but how welcome we make the person feel. We are getting ready at church to celebrate the coming of Jesus as a baby. We will be doing all kinds of things to make the building look nice and happy. But most of all, Jesus wants us to make a place for him in our hearts. We can do that by learning more about God and about Jesus. We can do that by saying our prayers and being in church and Sunday school. We can do it by being kind to other people, just as Jesus tells us to.
CHILDREN’S SERMON
by Mary Austin
Luke 3:1-6
Ahead of time: Borrow some blocks from the church nursery or a young friend. The bigger the blocks the better -- if you can find some of the big lightweight cardboard blocks, that’s ideal.
Invite the kids up, and ask how they got to church today. Some may say they walked or rode the bus, but many of them will have been driven to church.
Ask them what they drove on? Water? Through people’s yards? Through a forest?
“Roads!”
Ask the kids where else you can go on a road. They’ll answer things like to see friends, to see my grandma, to go to camp... and you can remind them that roads connect us to people. Without roads, it would be hard to see people we like.
Then place one of the blocks on the floor and ask them if this is a good road. No, the kids will say. Have a child add another block, and ask again if it’s a good road. Keep doing this until you have a decent start, and then talk about how it takes all of us to make the roads that connect us to other people.
If there’s time, you might add that Jesus says that he is “The Way,” the very best way that we are linked to other people. Jesus is saying something like “I am the road that connects you to other people.”
If it’s possible in your church, leave the “road” in place until the end of the service as a reminder to everyone. (If your choir processes and recesses, try not to trip them.)
Close with prayer:
God, you make a way for us all to love you and serve you. Thank you for all of the roads that take us to church and school and work, and to see our friends and families. Help us to think about you as we travel the roads in our lives. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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The Immediate Word, December 6, 2015, issue.
Copyright 2015 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.
