Hospitality
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For July 17, 2022:
Hospitality
by Tom Willadsen
Amos 8:1-12, Genesis 18:1-10a, Luke 10:38-42
Ralph Waldo Emerson said “Hospitality consists of a little food, a little fire, and an immense quiet.”
What can we learn about welcoming people into our congregations, what can we learn about sharing the good news of Jesus Christ from this statement?
In the Bible
Amos 8:1-12
I do not plan to cite this passage, but I love to tell this story about it: A classmate in seminary wrote a prayer for her liturgy class in which she used the phrase, “a famine for God’s word.” Her professor gave her an A- because of the mixed metaphor. When she pointed out that Amos has used the same metaphor (v. 11) the professor paused for a moment, then replied, “I’d have given Amos and A- too.”
Luke 10:38-42
Mary good, Martha bad, let’s give this some nuance
Remember, Jesus is focused on going to Jerusalem and to the Cross. A few weeks ago he got salty with people who wanted to say goodbye to their families or bury their fathers before following him. And those were Samaritans.
It appears that Mary is a homeowner and her sister, Martha, lives with her. This passage only mentions three people. I had always imagined Martha trying to put a feast on the table for a lot of people, most of whom were sitting at Jesus’ feet, in the style of a disciple. The text only mentions three people. One imagines that Martha is trying to be more lavish with the hospitality than is necessary, putting too much pressure on herself and resenting her sister’s lack of help. If we limit the text to these three people, doesn’t it appear that Mary made the right choice? Sitting down with the company, listening to his stories. Otherwise, Jesus is left in the Barcalounger in the den watching ESPN while the ladies whip something up for him in the kitchen.
Once again, the reader is aware that Jesus is speaking/teaching, but the content of his remarks is not revealed to the reader.
Genesis 18:1-10a
Here’s some hospitality!
Abraham is visited by…well, it’s not exactly clear — three men, one of whom is the Lord? — while he was hanging out in the hottest part of the day. He either offers them traditional Semitic hospitality, or he totally puts on the dog for them. He brings them water to wash their feet, rushes to tell Sarah to throw together some bread, picks a tender, good calf for one of the kitchen staff to prepare for the guests, and brings them curds and milk, along with the veal that was prepared in record time. (Serving curds and milk with beef would not be considered kosher today, but those laws didn’t appear until Exodus 23, so Abe is probably in the clear here.)
It is unfortunate that the reading ends with the three visitors, after eating the meal Abraham has had Sarah and the servant prepare for them, telling Abraham that Sarah will have a son “in due season.” That’s happy news, to be sure. Abe and Sarah are old and as v. 11 states, “it had ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.” When Sarah overheard the Lord’s promise, she laughed. The Lord asked Abraha, why Sarah had laughed, “But Sarah denied, saying, “I did not laugh”; for she was afraid. He said, “‘Oh yes, you did laugh.’” (v. 15 NRSV)
Here's the Creator of Time and Space having a playground argument with a 90 year old woman.
“Why did Sarah laugh?”
“I didn’t laugh!”
“Nu-uh!”
“Ya-huh!”
All the funny stuff happens after the lectionary-declared end of the reading. Read on, Preacher, read on!
In the News
The Supreme Court certainly commanded the headlines as their term ended in June. Roe v. Wade was overturned; the EPA’s authority to regulate industry was fundamentally narrowed; and restrictions on fire arms were eased (in the wake of numerous mass shootings). (There was another mass shooting in Highland Park, Illinois, July 4. When does something become so commonplace it ceases to be news? We’re getting close with mass shootings.)
A case that got a little less attention, but one that will have a profound impact on public schools was Kennedy v. Bremerton. The case involved an assistant high school football coach who invited players to pray following games on the 50-yard line of the football field. On its surface this appears to be a non-issue. The man wants to pray following a game, he certainly has the right to, in the same way I would pray as soon as Mr. Higgins handed me the final exam in freshman algebra.
There has been a lot of confusion and unfortunate rhetoric around prayer in public schools. There are some who believe that the United States has been destroyed because of the Supreme Court’s 1962 decision in Engel v. Vitale. They contend that God was “removed” from our schools. This notion is both blasphemous and nutty — if they believe God is omnipotent and omnipresent, can the South Succotash School Board really kick the Almighty to the curb? What the Engel decision concluded was that prayers composed and led by school staff were an unconstitutional establishment of religion. Or in other words, an imposition of a particular religion underwritten by tax payers. That decision did not forbid the reading of the Bible or Koran or Rig Veda during free reading time, or saying grace before digging into one’s El Ranchero Surprise in the Peoria High School cafeteria. Prayer that was led by school staff and used school resources was forbidden. Students could gather during their free time for prayer or religious fellowship or study. Religion was not expelled from school; stated-supported or coerced religious practice was.
If Coach Kennedy simply dropped to a knee, crossed himself and headed to the locker room with the players this would not have been an issue worth the Supreme Court’s attention. That was not the case. Mr. Kennedy informed the players he would be praying after the game. He informed the media he would be praying after the game. He was on a field owned and maintained by the school district, his employer. In his role as coach he had control over who got into the games. Student athletes could have felt coerced or compelled to join in the prayer. Coach Kennedy was offered alternatives that would not have run afoul of the Establishment Clause, but he refused them.
Americans United for the Separation of Church and State said this about the decision:
The US Supreme Court today gutted decades of established law that protected students’ religious freedom, undermining our country’s foundational principle of church-state separation in the landmark Kennedy v. Bremerton School District case. The court ruled 6-3 against the Bremerton School District, which was trying to protect public high school students from a coach who violated their religious freedom by pressuring them to join his public prayers at the 50-yard line at public high school football games.
The Bremerton School District issued the following statement:
The Bremerton School District’s priorities have always been protecting the rights and safety of students while ensuring that they receive an exemplary education. That’s why, when we learned that a district employee was leading students in prayer, we followed the law and acted to protect the religious freedom of all students and their families. In light of the court’s decision, we will work with our attorneys to make certain that the Bremerton School District remains a welcoming, inclusive environment for all students, their families and our staff. We look forward to moving past the distraction of this 7-year legal battle so that our school community can focus on what matters most: providing our children the best education possible.
Perhaps this week’s best quote comes from Anne Lamott’s op-ed in the New York Times, July 8, 2022, “I Don’t Want to See a High School Football Coach Praying at the 50-Yard Line:”
Many of us who believe in a reality beyond the visible realms, who believe in a soul that survives death, and who are hoping for seats in heaven near the dessert table, also recoil from the image of a high school football coach praying at the 50-yard line.
It offends me to see sanctimonious public prayer in any circumstance — but a coach holding his players hostage while an audience watches his piety makes my skin crawl.
Pressuring. Welcoming. Holding players hostage.
In the Sermon
Hospitality was the buzz word in church growth circles a few years ago. We need to be intentional about welcoming visitors. My people, the Presbyterians, do a pretty good job of recognizing visitors. We lead them to the donuts / cookies / coffee and try to talk to them. I tell visitors, “Eat something.” is Presbyterian for “We love you and are glad to see you.” If a visitor doesn’t have a snack, or doesn’t recognize the festive nature of the food we offer — if you’re here before worship we have fritters and donuts! — we frankly do not know what else to do to make you feel welcome. And “welcome” is a far cry from “included” or “embraced.”
A few months ago I met an Black man in my neighborhood. I live in a very white part of Omaha, just a few blocks from the line that separates the city from the country. As we got acquainted I learned that he is new to Omaha, as am I. I asked whether he’d attended any local churches (this was before I outed myself as the pastor of one of them). He had attended three churches in the area, one practically killed him with kindness and two ignored him completely. I was sad, but not exactly surprised, it’s not just Presbyterians that have a limited repertoire of welcoming strategies. He came to the church I serve the next day and I like to think we did a little better. It helps when the visitor connects with the pastor for everyone to see. Still, we were nonplussed when he declined our offer of a fritter, “C’mon, they taste good and they’re a fruit serving!”
“Hospitality consists of a little food, a little fire, and an immense quiet.”
What can we learn from this statement?
Jesus told us in the Sermon on the Mount not to practice our piety in public, “Beware of practicing your righteousness before others in order to be seen by them, for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven.”
And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. (Matthew 6:1, 5-6, NRSV Updated Edition)
Substitute “50-yard line” for street corners, and you’ve dragged this familiar text into the present moment. How does hospitality inform sharing one’s faith? Is hospitality imposing or inviting? Is hospitality focusing on the meal or the guest?
Is a football coach in the glare of the media inviting someone into a relationship with the living God? What would it look like if he prayed in secret as Christ advises? He wouldn’t be in the headlines, but perhaps he’d be in the Book of Life.
* * * * * *
Ripe to Rotten
by Dean Feldmeyer
Amos 8:1-12
Amos’s metaphor of the basket of fruit is helpful in so many ways and his polemic against corrupt business practice is so applicable when companies blame inflation for the high prices they charge, even as they reap record profits.
And I was all set to write about that.
But, then came Highland Park and the 4th of July massacre.
What, I wondered, would Amos have to say about that?
In the News
I borrow, with permission, the first nine paragraphs of the following reflection from an old friend who posted it as a guest on my blog, thepulpitpundit.com:
It was the quintessential American holiday — the 4th of July. The location was not only idyllic but classic — a small American town nestled among the gentle hills, rolling plains and gently streaming waters of mid-America.
The whole scene — a lovely summer day, a Main Street closed to traffic for a parade to pass, kids running up and down the sidewalks or sitting on the curb while their parents and elders sat in lawn chairs behind them, the high school band marching proudly in their summer fatigue uniforms and playing the school fight song, politicians and civic leaders riding in the back seat of convertibles borrowed from local car dealers, all sorts of groups and associations and clubs walking down the street behind their American and club flags — the whole scene could have been lifted from the opening of "Mr. Smith Goes To Washington". In fact, a scene almost exactly like it featured in the opening minutes of that 4th of July cinematic staple, "Yankee Doodle Dandy".
It was all as American as the holiday it celebrated... until the shots rang out. Seventy of them, the police say, in less than a minute. In those minutes the band dispersed into a mob running for its life. The elders sat frozen in shock until they, or someone near them, keeled over from a wound. Parents grabbed their little ones and, in an inspired act of caring for their young, plopped them into curbside dumpsters whose impenetrable sides would shield them from the flying bullets.
The cops, quickly recovering from their initial shock, began running toward the sound of the gun. Two doctors in the crowd of spectators stopped in mid-flight to kneel and help the wounded. Firemen riding their apparatus in the parade jumped off their vehicles to help.
And even so seven people were killed, 30+ wounded, everyone emotionally scarred for days, for weeks, maybe forever.
If you're not safe on the Main Street of your own little town in the middle of a 4th of July parade with police and firemen saturating the crowd; if you're not safe there and then, where and when are you safe.
And this carnage was only one of 12 — yes, 12 — mass casualty shootings and more than 220 gun deaths in America over the holiday weekend.
It seems that besides the parades and bands and fireworks, besides the ice cream cones and hot dogs, the frisbee tosses and pick-up ball games that have always marked the 4th of July, we now have the new but increasingly common feature of an active shooter event.
What a country. I'm sure Washington and Jefferson, Madison and Monroe, the celebrated Mr. Hamilton and the under-rated Mr. Paine would all be proud of what we have let ourselves become.
Injustice abounds. Inequity is multiplied. Cruelty is applauded. Exploitation is admired, hatred proliferates, and everyone wants a gun.
A young black man is shot 60 times and then handcuffed but a white mass murderer is taken alive. How is it that this happens?
In the Scripture
As with most of his sermons, Amos begins this one with a description of a vision he has had and this vision begins with a symbol, in this case a basket of summer fruit.
It is a metaphor for the people of Israel. It looks wonderful. Sweet, delicious, delectable. Each piece more enticing than the next. Here is a peach, there a plum, some grapes, a melon, a banana, a tomato, some strawberries.
They are ripe and ready to eat right now. They will never be better than they are at this moment.
But tomorrow? Well, tomorrow they won’t be quite so good. The banana will begin to show some brown spots. The tomato will be a little too red, the skin will begin to toughen. The peach will be a little too soft, a little too juicy, as will the plum, the grapes a little withered, a little shrunken.
And two or three days from now we will have to throw away anything that hasn’t been eaten. The fruits won’t just be ripe or over ripe, they will be rotten. Even though these fruits are beautiful to look at and delicious to eat today, their end is near.
So it is with the aristocracy of Israel. They, too, are beautiful to look at. They are clothed in the finest silks; their wrists and ankles and throats are adorned with gold and silver. They can afford first class makeup and forty-dollar haircuts. They wouldn’t think of wearing shirts that didn’t have French cuffs. Their shoes are made of rich, Corinthian leather. Their suits are Savile Row, their dresses are Christian Dior, their purses have the designer’s initials prominently displayed. They live in luxury and ease, in gated communities where they are never disturbed by sight of the poor.
But their time has come, says Amos. The time is ripe for them to be plucked from their lives of privilege. The harvester has passed by them many times, waiting for them to ripen, to mature, but he will pass them by no more. He has waited, hoping that they would change, become more moral, more loving, more generous and sympathetic, but the waiting is over.
“The songs of the temple shall become wailings in that day,” says the Lord God; “the dead bodies shall be many, cast out in every place. Be silent [and listen]!”
There are consequence to living outside the will of God and those consequences are sometimes horrible to behold.
In the Sermon
This is what happens when we decide to worship other gods, false gods — gods made of silver, gods made of gold, gods made of green paper, gods made of steel and oil.
We hunger for truth but there is no truth. We thirst for righteousness but there is no righteousness. We desire not sweet summer fruits but the fruits of God’s spirit. We crave not a plum but a plumb line that will guide us and show us what is right and good and true and authentic and will measure us when we have strayed off the straight line. We will want not the physical nourishment that comes from our fields but the moral, ethical, spiritual nourishment that comes from the word of the Lord.
But, alas, we will be hungry and thirsty. We will grow faint and fall and perish. For the word of the Lord will not be with or in us.
The choices we make have consequences. Amos speaks of the marketplace but this truth runs through all aspects of our lives, every choice we make. Sometimes we fool ourselves into thinking that those consequences are just short term. In the marketplace we say it’s just cost of doing business. In an America overrun by gun deaths we call it the price of freedom. If we want certain things, certain freedoms, like the right to bear arms, we have to be willing to pay that cost, right?
But, Amos reminds us, it doesn’t stop there.
When we justify evil, whether it is in corrupt business practices or the slaughter of innocents, we may do well for a short time, like that basket of fruit, but we create a culture of violent dishonesty that, like a house of cards, must sooner or later, collapse under its own weight.
And we need not look very far to see Amos’s prophecy coming true in our own lives, to see our patriotic songs turned to lamentations, our Fourth of July feasts turned to mourning, and our rock and roll anthems turned to funeral dirges. We need not strain our eyes to see America looking like a dark and desolate place, and to see people wandering from sea to sea and from north to east, going to and fro in search of some word of comfort, some word of promise from the Lord but hearing nothing because they have long ago forgotten how to speak and hear the language of righteousness.
We have traded it for the language of idolatry. We bow at the altar of profit. Like the worshipers of Baal and Molech, we sacrifice our children on the altar of the 2nd Amendment. We shrug our shoulders and say that this is the cost of the precious, sacred, and absolute right to bear arms that is guaranteed in the Constitution.
As Peter Marty points out in his June 28th essay in Christian Century magazine, we have become helpless in the face of the gun lobbies and “absolutists for gun rights have forced this sense of helplessness upon us by turning the wording of the Second Amendment into an idolatrous altar, one prepared for the sacrifice of innocent victims at any time. Uvalde fourth graders, Buffalo grocery shoppers, and Pittsburgh Jews celebrating Shabbat never deserved to die. But up against assault-style weapons that gun-rights fundamentalists refuse to regulate, they died helplessly upon this altar.”
In the meantime, “do-nothing political leaders in our day are practicing abomination every time they bow at the altar of Second Amendment idolatry and wash their hands of responsibility for innocent victims.”
And the Word of the Lord is nowhere to be heard in the land.
Fortunately, Amos does not leave us in that dark and desolate place, weeping over the basket of rotten fruit that we have become.
He returns, as ever, to his formula for revival and renewal, the most famous and enduring lines from his book. The evidence of righteousness is not to be found in the singing of hymns, he says, nor in the giving of offerings, not in the length of our prayers or the piety of our liturgies.
Do you want to make God happy, he asks? Do you want your lives to go well and the lives of your children and grandchildren? Do you want to know that you have lived your life in the company of righteous people and in the cooling shade of God’s presence and approval? Then do this:
First, remember that only God is God.
Second, be humble in the way you use whatever power God has given to you.
And, third, “Let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.” (5:24)
That! That makes God happy. And on that day, says the Lord:
…the mountains shall drip sweet wine,
and all the hills shall flow with it.
I will restore the fortunes of my people …
and they shall rebuild the ruined cities and inhabit them;
they shall plant vineyards and drink their wine,
and they shall make gardens and eat their fruit.
I will plant them upon their land,
and they shall never again be plucked up
out of the land that I have given them… (9:13b-15)
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Chris Keating:
Amos 8:1-12
Confronting the truth
Amos’ vision of ripe fruit is a play on words in Hebrew. “Ripe summer fruit” is a pun with the Hebrew word for “end.” Whether metaphorically or literally, God speaks of the end for a people who have ignored the truth of their devastating acts of injustice. Amos is confronted with the truth: God’s people have tolerated injustice for too long. A parallel to Amos’ message is found in a recent column by New York Times writer Charles Blow, who suggests that the time may now be ripe for Americans to be confronted with the grisly images of gun violence.
“Most of America has very likely never seen a fatal gunshot wound of any sort,” Blow wrote following the recent shooting in Highland Park, Illinois. “Our mental image of a fatal gunshot wound has been created by our cultural imagery: Hollywood … and video games.”
He continued by adding what is not shown is the unspeakable mutilation and horrific injuries caused in recent shootings. Blow detailed what he called the “thorny” issues involved in publishing such horrific images, including consent of victims’ families and the question of whether exposing the public to sensitive photographs would make a difference. Blow noted:
The publication of these images may not lead to an immediate policy change that some predict it will. Former Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson, for instance, has argued that showing images of the children killed in the Uvalde shooting might generate another “Emmett Till moment.”
* * *
Amos 8:1-12
Making the ephah small and the shekel great
Amos details a corrupt public life all too familiar to contemporary listeners of his prophesy. On Thursday, July 7, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson resigned following a tumultuous three year tenure. Johnson quit following allegations that his deputy chief whip Chris Pincher had groped dinner guests. Accounts of other acts of misconduct by Pincher were later revealed, which forced the prime minister to acknowledge he had long been aware of the misconduct. CNN reported that “it was the final straw for many political allies who had supported Johnson through crisis after crisis.”
Of course, corruption is not limited to the United Kingdom. A poll recently conducted by the University of Chicago Institute of Politics shows that over half of the Americans surveyed agreed that government is “corrupt and rigged.” About 71 percent of voters who identify as Republicans said they believe the government “is against me,” with about 51 percent of voters identifying as “very liberal” and 46 percent of Democrats agreeing.
* * *
Luke 10:38-42
Choosing the better part
Jesus is not devaluing Martha’s considerable efforts, nor is he prompting a competition between the two sisters. Rather, Jesus contrasts Martha’s distractedness with Mary’s willingness to absorb all that he offers. The better part, he is suggesting, is to realize what is most necessary in that moment.
Ten years ago, author Tim Krieder penned an essay on the curse of nonstop work. “The Busy Trap,” which analyzed the way nonstop work had become “a kind of existential reassurance, a hedge against emptiness.”
Recently, Krieder described how the problem of busyness has shifted. The problem of nonstop work remains, with a new generation actively questioning what, as Jesus might say, is the better portion. “A decade later, people aren’t trying to sell busyness as a virtue anymore, not even to themselves.” The pandemic, followed by the great resignation, has prompted a new view of our problem with perpetual motion.
“Of course,” Kreider wrote in the New York Times on July 7, “everyone is still busy — worse than busy, exhausted, too wiped at the end of the day to do more than stress-eat, binge-watch and doomscroll — but no one’s calling it anything other than what it is anymore: an endless, frantic hamster wheel for survival.”
The shift includes a realization that not only is work devoid of meaning, “but also the fact that they’re working in and for a society in which, increasingly, they have zero faith or investment.” Krieder concludes:
More young people are opting not to have kids not only because they can’t afford them but also because they assume they’ll have only a scorched or sodden wasteland to grow up in. An increasingly popular retirement plan is figuring civilization will collapse before you have to worry about it. I’m not sure anyone’s composed a more eloquent epitaph for the planet than the stand-up comedian Kath Barbadoro, who tweeted: “It’s pretty funny that the world is ending and we all just have to keep going to our little jobs lol.”
* * * * * *
From team member Mary Austin:
Colossians 1:15-28
Image of God
The Letter to the Colossians lifts up an enduring vision of Jesus, who “is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.” Taking the writer’s words literally, we have starved ourselves of a range of images for God, images that can add depth to our faith. Dr. Christena Cleveland notes, “Being both Black and female…I began to connect the dots between the cultural idea of a white male God and my incessant fear as a Black woman. There was just one problem. I had no idea where to turn. Imagination is theology; we can only believe what we can imagine. And our cultural landscape hasn’t given us many tools to imagine a non-white, non-male God.”
She adds, “My whole life, I had been indoctrinated into American society’s worship of a white male God; my spiritual imagination didn’t know how to venture beyond that.” In her search for more, she encountered the Black Madonna, and says, “within seconds of viewing photos of Black Madonnas, my gut shifted from terror to hope. My soul immediately recognized that these photos and drawings declared a truth about my own sacredness and gave birth to a new understanding of God.”
The invisible God can be imagined in all kinds of fruitful and healing ways.
* * *
Luke 10:38-42
Finding God in Housework
Jesus gives Martha a gentle fuss about being distracted, as she lets her aggravation with Mary steal her focus from her role as the homeowner and the host of this gathering. Sufi Master Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee says that many of us have Martha’s problem. “With our smart phones and computer screens we often remain caught on the surface of our lives, amidst the noise and chatter that continually distract us, that stop us from being rooted in our true nature.”
He adds, “the art of cleaning is a simple spiritual activity that is often overlooked…In today’s busy life cleaning one’s home is often considered a chore. We may spend time and energy (and expensive products) in our daily ritual bathing, but the simple art of cleaning our living space is rarely given precedence. Our culture calls to us to use products that will kill all of the “germs” that surround us, products that are often more toxic than the germs, but do we give attention, mindfulness, to caring for the space in which we live? Are we fully present with our brush or vacuum cleaner?... Cleaning a table, dusting a shelf, I give attention and love, because everything responds to love and care — not just people, or animals, or plants, but everything.”
Martha could find focus in her work, too, just as Mary does in listening to Jesus.
* * *
Luke 10:38-42
Spotlight on Attention
Poor Martha could have used the wisdom of author Johann Hari, who spends a lot of time thinking about attention. He says that we have several kinds of focus. Building on the work of James Williams, he talks about focus as:
* * *
Luke 10:38-42
Focus on God
Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie remembers having, even as a young child, the kind of spiritual focus that Jesus wants for Martha. Helping prepare for the Sabbath, Rabbi Lau-Lavie remembers, “my task on Fridays, growing up, in preparation for the Sabbath, was to help my mother set the table. And she would bring out the best silver and china, and I would help set it. And that means I would go around in the neighborhood and pick flowers from either neighbor’s front yards or from some general public areas. And I remember that as a task that I loved. I would get lost, and I would make little arrangements, and I would put them in the middle of the table, and that was my thing.” That kind of religious attention grew into work as a rabbi.
* * *
Luke 10:38-42
Division of Cognitive Labor
There are all kinds of way to divide up everyday tasks, as we know from our own homes and from Martha’s complaint to Jesus. Interestingly, these days we are outsourcing even mental labor, storing information we need in other people’s heads. “We don't keep all the information we could possibly need in our own heads, just as we don't make all our own clothes and manufacture our own doorknobs. We rely on a division of labor. And, according to many cognitive scientists, we also rely on "a division of cognitive labor." Beyond consulting Google and smartphones and books, we store some of the information we care about in other people's heads. Thanks to this clever outsourcing, you don't need to know which medicine is appropriate for each ailment, as long as you can consult a good general physician. And that physician doesn't need to know the ins and outs of tropical foot fungi, as long as she can consult a good specialist.”
One peril is asking the wrong person to retrieve the information, using, say, Dr. Google instead of someone with a license. We manage this intuitively in our circle of people, “without having people sorted by professional expertise — as "doctors" or "mechanics." We can parcel up the world into much smaller and more everyday kinds of expertise. You know which friend to ask about why your chocolate soufflé collapsed and which to ask about why your business proposal was dismissed.” We even divide up our mental labor, relying on each other for a full range of mental labor.
Neither Mary nor Martha could exist without the other, and the same is true for us, too, with all the things we need to know.
* * * * * *
From team member Katy Stenta:
Luke 10:38-42
Distraction
In an era where the news can feel so overwhelming. It is good to be affirmed. It is a good choice to take a break and spend time with God. We need the reminder that taking time to worship or pray or spend a moment on a spiritual walk is not only refreshing, it is something our soul yearns for and needs. It is a way to alleviate worry, not with placating proverbs that are not true (like God never gives you more than you can handle), but the assurance and remembering that God is walking with you, and that it is right and good to rest and take sanctuary when you are overwhelmed. Like Mary, we should not feel guilty for taking breaks for our spirituality.
* * *
Genesis 18:1-10a
Radical Hospitality
I keep thinking of what radical hospitality means, in an era when it is so desperately needed. When so many people are unsafe in their home states—with gun violence rampant and abortions and queer rights on the line. It makes me wonder what radical hospitality really means. Perhaps it doesn’t actually mean offering your couch on the internet or mama or papa bear hugs to those who have been disowned, though I understand the impulse behind those. What are the real and concrete acts of hospitality that can be given to those who need a safe place to stay? Many people are fighting the stigma of abortion by sharing their own story or by stocking up on supplies. Many people are working with the Gun Violence Prevention Institute to make the world a safer place. And, of course, the teens are leading the way against the anti-LGBTQIA bills.
* * *
Amos 8:1-12
Thirsty for God’s Word
We are definitely thirsty for the true word of God. We know that God’s word has been mangled over and over again from the Jan 6th attacks to the anti-queer attacks. Our mouths are full of the taste of rotten fruit. We are almost ready for the lament, the time to mourn what has been lost so that we can move on. We long for the true word of God, we know when we find it, it will be life giving. And the good news is, we know God will have enough bread and drink for all.
* * * * * *
WORSHIP
by George Reed
Call to Worship
One: O Lord, who may abide in your tent?
All: Who may dwell on your holy hill?
One: Those who walk blamelessly, and do what is right.
All: Those who speak the truth from their heart;
One: Those who do not slander with their tongue, and do no evil.
All: Those who do these things shall never be moved.
OR
One: The God who is one and is pure love calls us.
All: We come in awe of the God who is steadfast love.
One: God calls us to reflect the image we were created in.
All: We cannot reflect God if we do not center in God.
One: God comes to dwell in us as our center.
All: We will seek our center so we can serve God and all people.
Hymns and Songs
Praise, My Soul, the King/God of Heaven
UMH: 66
H82: 410
PH: 478
CH: 23
LBW: 549
ELW: 864/865
W&P: 82
AMEC: 70
Renew: 53
I Love to Tell the Story
UMH: 156
AAHH: 513
NNBH: 424
NCH: 522
CH: 480
LBW: 390
ELW: 661
W&P: 560
AMEC: 217
My Jesus, I Love Thee
UMH: 172
AAHH: 574
NNBH: 39
CH: 349
W&P: 468
AMEC: 459/457
Renew: 275
Christ, Whose Glory Fills the Skies
UMH: 173
H82: 6/7
PH: 462/463
LBW: 265
ELW: 553
W&P: 91
Jesus, the Very Thought of Thee
UMH: 175
H82: 642
PH: 310
NCH: 507
CH: 102
LBW: 316
ELW: 754
W&P: 420
AMEC: 464
When Morning Gilds the Skies
UMH: 185
H82: 427
PH: 487
AAHH: 186
NCH: 86
CH: 100
LBW: 545/546
ELW: 853
W&P: 11
AMEC: 29
Fairest Lord Jesus
UMH: 189
H82: 383/384
PH: 306
NNBH: 75
NCH: 44
CH: 97
W&P: 123
AMEC: 95
Renew: 166
O God of Every Nation
UMH: 435
H82: 607
PH: 289
CH: 680
LBW: 416
ELW: 713
W&P: 626
Let There Be Light
UMH: 440
NNBH: 450
NCH: 589
STLT: 142
Weary of All Trumpeting
UMH: 442
H82: 572
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus
CCB: 40
Jesus, Name Above All Names
CCB: 35
Renew: 26
Music Resources Key
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
AAHH: African American Heritage Hymnal
NNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
LBW: Lutheran Book of Worship
ELW: Evangelical Lutheran Worship
W&P: Worship & Praise
AMEC: African Methodist Episcopal Church Hymnal
STLT: Singing the Living Tradition
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
Renew: Renew! Songs & Hymns for Blended Worship
Prayer for the Day/Collect
O God who is pure of intention and action:
Grant us the grace to center our lives in you
so that our thoughts, intentions, and actions may be one;
through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We praise you, O God, because you actions are true to you being. There is no turning in you. Help us, your children, to center our lives in you so that our actions may be true to who we are, as well. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
One: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins and especially our failure to act out of the purity of who we are as God’s children.
All: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. You have created us in your image and blessed us with the presence of your Spirit and, yet, we fail to act in ways consistent with who you created us to be. We allow ourselves to be distracted by the thoughts and ideas of the world. Instead of centering ourselves on your indwelling presence we listen to the mad ravings of our egos. We are tossed and turned by the whims of the world instead of being grounded on the solid rock. Forgive our foolishness and renew your Spirit within us. Call us back to our center so that we may not be distracted by the world but established in you. Amen.
One: God is centered in the reality of God’s own self which is love. It is out of that love that we are forgiven and renewed. Received the grace of God and allow it to center your life as you share it with others.
Prayers of the People
Praise and glory to you, O God, who is one in being and action. You are pure light and there is no darkness in you at all.
(The following paragraph may be used if a separate prayer of confession has not been used.)
We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. You have created us in your image and blessed us with the presence of your Spirit and, yet, we fail to act in ways consistent with who you created us to be. We allow ourselves to be distracted by the thoughts and ideas of the world. Instead of centering ourselves on your indwelling presence we listen to the mad ravings of our egos. We are tossed and turned by the whims of the world instead of being grounded on the solid rock. Forgive our foolishness and renew your Spirit within us. Call us back to our center so that we may not be distracted by the world but established in you.
We give you thanks for yourself and the many ways your share yourself with your creation. We thank you for your presence that shines all around us and for your Spirit the enlightens all creation. We thank you for those whose lives and centered in you and who are beacons of light and grace for the rest of us.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for all who are in need this day. We pray for all who find themselves lost in the midst of life without a center that holds them. We pray for those who are struggling with issues of health, stability, and relationships that they may find in themselves your presence to be their center.
(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 Our Father is not used at this point in the service.)
All this we ask in the name of the Blessed and Holy Trinity. Amen.
* * * * * *
CHILDREN'S SERMON
Sharing and Caring
by Quantisha Mason-Doll
Amos 8:1-12
Themes:
Honesty is the best policy.
Sharing and caring for others.
Props and suggestions:
A big box of famous Amos Cookies with individual packages
This Amos text could be difficult for young listeners. The main point is exposing the issues that come along with being selfish and not behaving as God intended.
Hello everyone!
Amos is a strange fellow. He is one of the few prophets that spends a lot of time talking with God. In our story for today God talks to Amos about a future that is to come if the people do not stop being selfish. God begins his conversation with asking what is in this basket and Amos replies with a simple summer fruit.
(At this point you can use a bag of famous Amos cookies to represent the summer fruit.)
What if I tell you I’m going to keep all these cookies to myself and share with no one — do you think that would be fair?
(Give the children time to respond anyway they see fit.)
This reading from Amos is kind of scary and depressing, but it’s God’s way of trying to warn us what will happen when we hoard our food and money all to ourselves and refuse to share with others. (Begin handing out the cookies but only to some of the children.)
Okay, I’ve handed out half of the cookies. Do you think it’s fair that I still have half of the cookies all to myself and the other half is shared between the larger group? (Let them respond.)
When God called us, God called us to be our full self and that also means sharing everything we have with those less fortunate than ourselves. If we are selfish we will be as happy and experience the joy that comes with sharing and caring for others.
(Hand out the rest of the cookies and move into the prayer.)
Prayer:
Spirit of God, help us to see how we can care for others that are different from ourselves. May you guide us as we seek to be trustworthy and honest people. We pray these things in your almighty name. Amen.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, July 17, 2022 issue.
Copyright 2022 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.
- Hospitality by Tom Willadsen based on Amos 8:1-12, Genesis 18:1-10a, Luke 10:38-42.
- Second Thoughts: Ripe to Rotten by Dean Feldmeyer. We started out as a beautiful basket of ripe, sweet, summer fruit…then we had 300 mass shootings in 7 months.
- Sermon illustrations by Chris Keating, Mary Austin, Katy Stenta.
- Worship resources by George Reed.
- Children’s Sermon: Sharing and Caring by Quantisha Mason-Doll.
Hospitalityby Tom Willadsen
Amos 8:1-12, Genesis 18:1-10a, Luke 10:38-42
Ralph Waldo Emerson said “Hospitality consists of a little food, a little fire, and an immense quiet.”
What can we learn about welcoming people into our congregations, what can we learn about sharing the good news of Jesus Christ from this statement?
In the Bible
Amos 8:1-12
I do not plan to cite this passage, but I love to tell this story about it: A classmate in seminary wrote a prayer for her liturgy class in which she used the phrase, “a famine for God’s word.” Her professor gave her an A- because of the mixed metaphor. When she pointed out that Amos has used the same metaphor (v. 11) the professor paused for a moment, then replied, “I’d have given Amos and A- too.”
Luke 10:38-42
Mary good, Martha bad, let’s give this some nuance
Remember, Jesus is focused on going to Jerusalem and to the Cross. A few weeks ago he got salty with people who wanted to say goodbye to their families or bury their fathers before following him. And those were Samaritans.
It appears that Mary is a homeowner and her sister, Martha, lives with her. This passage only mentions three people. I had always imagined Martha trying to put a feast on the table for a lot of people, most of whom were sitting at Jesus’ feet, in the style of a disciple. The text only mentions three people. One imagines that Martha is trying to be more lavish with the hospitality than is necessary, putting too much pressure on herself and resenting her sister’s lack of help. If we limit the text to these three people, doesn’t it appear that Mary made the right choice? Sitting down with the company, listening to his stories. Otherwise, Jesus is left in the Barcalounger in the den watching ESPN while the ladies whip something up for him in the kitchen.
Once again, the reader is aware that Jesus is speaking/teaching, but the content of his remarks is not revealed to the reader.
Genesis 18:1-10a
Here’s some hospitality!
Abraham is visited by…well, it’s not exactly clear — three men, one of whom is the Lord? — while he was hanging out in the hottest part of the day. He either offers them traditional Semitic hospitality, or he totally puts on the dog for them. He brings them water to wash their feet, rushes to tell Sarah to throw together some bread, picks a tender, good calf for one of the kitchen staff to prepare for the guests, and brings them curds and milk, along with the veal that was prepared in record time. (Serving curds and milk with beef would not be considered kosher today, but those laws didn’t appear until Exodus 23, so Abe is probably in the clear here.)
It is unfortunate that the reading ends with the three visitors, after eating the meal Abraham has had Sarah and the servant prepare for them, telling Abraham that Sarah will have a son “in due season.” That’s happy news, to be sure. Abe and Sarah are old and as v. 11 states, “it had ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.” When Sarah overheard the Lord’s promise, she laughed. The Lord asked Abraha, why Sarah had laughed, “But Sarah denied, saying, “I did not laugh”; for she was afraid. He said, “‘Oh yes, you did laugh.’” (v. 15 NRSV)
Here's the Creator of Time and Space having a playground argument with a 90 year old woman.
“Why did Sarah laugh?”
“I didn’t laugh!”
“Nu-uh!”
“Ya-huh!”
All the funny stuff happens after the lectionary-declared end of the reading. Read on, Preacher, read on!
In the News
The Supreme Court certainly commanded the headlines as their term ended in June. Roe v. Wade was overturned; the EPA’s authority to regulate industry was fundamentally narrowed; and restrictions on fire arms were eased (in the wake of numerous mass shootings). (There was another mass shooting in Highland Park, Illinois, July 4. When does something become so commonplace it ceases to be news? We’re getting close with mass shootings.)
A case that got a little less attention, but one that will have a profound impact on public schools was Kennedy v. Bremerton. The case involved an assistant high school football coach who invited players to pray following games on the 50-yard line of the football field. On its surface this appears to be a non-issue. The man wants to pray following a game, he certainly has the right to, in the same way I would pray as soon as Mr. Higgins handed me the final exam in freshman algebra.
There has been a lot of confusion and unfortunate rhetoric around prayer in public schools. There are some who believe that the United States has been destroyed because of the Supreme Court’s 1962 decision in Engel v. Vitale. They contend that God was “removed” from our schools. This notion is both blasphemous and nutty — if they believe God is omnipotent and omnipresent, can the South Succotash School Board really kick the Almighty to the curb? What the Engel decision concluded was that prayers composed and led by school staff were an unconstitutional establishment of religion. Or in other words, an imposition of a particular religion underwritten by tax payers. That decision did not forbid the reading of the Bible or Koran or Rig Veda during free reading time, or saying grace before digging into one’s El Ranchero Surprise in the Peoria High School cafeteria. Prayer that was led by school staff and used school resources was forbidden. Students could gather during their free time for prayer or religious fellowship or study. Religion was not expelled from school; stated-supported or coerced religious practice was.
If Coach Kennedy simply dropped to a knee, crossed himself and headed to the locker room with the players this would not have been an issue worth the Supreme Court’s attention. That was not the case. Mr. Kennedy informed the players he would be praying after the game. He informed the media he would be praying after the game. He was on a field owned and maintained by the school district, his employer. In his role as coach he had control over who got into the games. Student athletes could have felt coerced or compelled to join in the prayer. Coach Kennedy was offered alternatives that would not have run afoul of the Establishment Clause, but he refused them.
Americans United for the Separation of Church and State said this about the decision:
The US Supreme Court today gutted decades of established law that protected students’ religious freedom, undermining our country’s foundational principle of church-state separation in the landmark Kennedy v. Bremerton School District case. The court ruled 6-3 against the Bremerton School District, which was trying to protect public high school students from a coach who violated their religious freedom by pressuring them to join his public prayers at the 50-yard line at public high school football games.
The Bremerton School District issued the following statement:
The Bremerton School District’s priorities have always been protecting the rights and safety of students while ensuring that they receive an exemplary education. That’s why, when we learned that a district employee was leading students in prayer, we followed the law and acted to protect the religious freedom of all students and their families. In light of the court’s decision, we will work with our attorneys to make certain that the Bremerton School District remains a welcoming, inclusive environment for all students, their families and our staff. We look forward to moving past the distraction of this 7-year legal battle so that our school community can focus on what matters most: providing our children the best education possible.
Perhaps this week’s best quote comes from Anne Lamott’s op-ed in the New York Times, July 8, 2022, “I Don’t Want to See a High School Football Coach Praying at the 50-Yard Line:”
Many of us who believe in a reality beyond the visible realms, who believe in a soul that survives death, and who are hoping for seats in heaven near the dessert table, also recoil from the image of a high school football coach praying at the 50-yard line.
It offends me to see sanctimonious public prayer in any circumstance — but a coach holding his players hostage while an audience watches his piety makes my skin crawl.
Pressuring. Welcoming. Holding players hostage.
In the Sermon
Hospitality was the buzz word in church growth circles a few years ago. We need to be intentional about welcoming visitors. My people, the Presbyterians, do a pretty good job of recognizing visitors. We lead them to the donuts / cookies / coffee and try to talk to them. I tell visitors, “Eat something.” is Presbyterian for “We love you and are glad to see you.” If a visitor doesn’t have a snack, or doesn’t recognize the festive nature of the food we offer — if you’re here before worship we have fritters and donuts! — we frankly do not know what else to do to make you feel welcome. And “welcome” is a far cry from “included” or “embraced.”
A few months ago I met an Black man in my neighborhood. I live in a very white part of Omaha, just a few blocks from the line that separates the city from the country. As we got acquainted I learned that he is new to Omaha, as am I. I asked whether he’d attended any local churches (this was before I outed myself as the pastor of one of them). He had attended three churches in the area, one practically killed him with kindness and two ignored him completely. I was sad, but not exactly surprised, it’s not just Presbyterians that have a limited repertoire of welcoming strategies. He came to the church I serve the next day and I like to think we did a little better. It helps when the visitor connects with the pastor for everyone to see. Still, we were nonplussed when he declined our offer of a fritter, “C’mon, they taste good and they’re a fruit serving!”
“Hospitality consists of a little food, a little fire, and an immense quiet.”
What can we learn from this statement?
Jesus told us in the Sermon on the Mount not to practice our piety in public, “Beware of practicing your righteousness before others in order to be seen by them, for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven.”
And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. (Matthew 6:1, 5-6, NRSV Updated Edition)
Substitute “50-yard line” for street corners, and you’ve dragged this familiar text into the present moment. How does hospitality inform sharing one’s faith? Is hospitality imposing or inviting? Is hospitality focusing on the meal or the guest?
Is a football coach in the glare of the media inviting someone into a relationship with the living God? What would it look like if he prayed in secret as Christ advises? He wouldn’t be in the headlines, but perhaps he’d be in the Book of Life.
* * * * * *
Ripe to Rotten
by Dean Feldmeyer
Amos 8:1-12
Amos’s metaphor of the basket of fruit is helpful in so many ways and his polemic against corrupt business practice is so applicable when companies blame inflation for the high prices they charge, even as they reap record profits.
And I was all set to write about that.
But, then came Highland Park and the 4th of July massacre.
What, I wondered, would Amos have to say about that?
In the News
I borrow, with permission, the first nine paragraphs of the following reflection from an old friend who posted it as a guest on my blog, thepulpitpundit.com:
It was the quintessential American holiday — the 4th of July. The location was not only idyllic but classic — a small American town nestled among the gentle hills, rolling plains and gently streaming waters of mid-America.
The whole scene — a lovely summer day, a Main Street closed to traffic for a parade to pass, kids running up and down the sidewalks or sitting on the curb while their parents and elders sat in lawn chairs behind them, the high school band marching proudly in their summer fatigue uniforms and playing the school fight song, politicians and civic leaders riding in the back seat of convertibles borrowed from local car dealers, all sorts of groups and associations and clubs walking down the street behind their American and club flags — the whole scene could have been lifted from the opening of "Mr. Smith Goes To Washington". In fact, a scene almost exactly like it featured in the opening minutes of that 4th of July cinematic staple, "Yankee Doodle Dandy".
It was all as American as the holiday it celebrated... until the shots rang out. Seventy of them, the police say, in less than a minute. In those minutes the band dispersed into a mob running for its life. The elders sat frozen in shock until they, or someone near them, keeled over from a wound. Parents grabbed their little ones and, in an inspired act of caring for their young, plopped them into curbside dumpsters whose impenetrable sides would shield them from the flying bullets.
The cops, quickly recovering from their initial shock, began running toward the sound of the gun. Two doctors in the crowd of spectators stopped in mid-flight to kneel and help the wounded. Firemen riding their apparatus in the parade jumped off their vehicles to help.
And even so seven people were killed, 30+ wounded, everyone emotionally scarred for days, for weeks, maybe forever.
If you're not safe on the Main Street of your own little town in the middle of a 4th of July parade with police and firemen saturating the crowd; if you're not safe there and then, where and when are you safe.
And this carnage was only one of 12 — yes, 12 — mass casualty shootings and more than 220 gun deaths in America over the holiday weekend.
It seems that besides the parades and bands and fireworks, besides the ice cream cones and hot dogs, the frisbee tosses and pick-up ball games that have always marked the 4th of July, we now have the new but increasingly common feature of an active shooter event.
What a country. I'm sure Washington and Jefferson, Madison and Monroe, the celebrated Mr. Hamilton and the under-rated Mr. Paine would all be proud of what we have let ourselves become.
Injustice abounds. Inequity is multiplied. Cruelty is applauded. Exploitation is admired, hatred proliferates, and everyone wants a gun.
A young black man is shot 60 times and then handcuffed but a white mass murderer is taken alive. How is it that this happens?
In the Scripture
As with most of his sermons, Amos begins this one with a description of a vision he has had and this vision begins with a symbol, in this case a basket of summer fruit.
It is a metaphor for the people of Israel. It looks wonderful. Sweet, delicious, delectable. Each piece more enticing than the next. Here is a peach, there a plum, some grapes, a melon, a banana, a tomato, some strawberries.
They are ripe and ready to eat right now. They will never be better than they are at this moment.
But tomorrow? Well, tomorrow they won’t be quite so good. The banana will begin to show some brown spots. The tomato will be a little too red, the skin will begin to toughen. The peach will be a little too soft, a little too juicy, as will the plum, the grapes a little withered, a little shrunken.
And two or three days from now we will have to throw away anything that hasn’t been eaten. The fruits won’t just be ripe or over ripe, they will be rotten. Even though these fruits are beautiful to look at and delicious to eat today, their end is near.
So it is with the aristocracy of Israel. They, too, are beautiful to look at. They are clothed in the finest silks; their wrists and ankles and throats are adorned with gold and silver. They can afford first class makeup and forty-dollar haircuts. They wouldn’t think of wearing shirts that didn’t have French cuffs. Their shoes are made of rich, Corinthian leather. Their suits are Savile Row, their dresses are Christian Dior, their purses have the designer’s initials prominently displayed. They live in luxury and ease, in gated communities where they are never disturbed by sight of the poor.
But their time has come, says Amos. The time is ripe for them to be plucked from their lives of privilege. The harvester has passed by them many times, waiting for them to ripen, to mature, but he will pass them by no more. He has waited, hoping that they would change, become more moral, more loving, more generous and sympathetic, but the waiting is over.
“The songs of the temple shall become wailings in that day,” says the Lord God; “the dead bodies shall be many, cast out in every place. Be silent [and listen]!”
There are consequence to living outside the will of God and those consequences are sometimes horrible to behold.
In the Sermon
This is what happens when we decide to worship other gods, false gods — gods made of silver, gods made of gold, gods made of green paper, gods made of steel and oil.
We hunger for truth but there is no truth. We thirst for righteousness but there is no righteousness. We desire not sweet summer fruits but the fruits of God’s spirit. We crave not a plum but a plumb line that will guide us and show us what is right and good and true and authentic and will measure us when we have strayed off the straight line. We will want not the physical nourishment that comes from our fields but the moral, ethical, spiritual nourishment that comes from the word of the Lord.
But, alas, we will be hungry and thirsty. We will grow faint and fall and perish. For the word of the Lord will not be with or in us.
The choices we make have consequences. Amos speaks of the marketplace but this truth runs through all aspects of our lives, every choice we make. Sometimes we fool ourselves into thinking that those consequences are just short term. In the marketplace we say it’s just cost of doing business. In an America overrun by gun deaths we call it the price of freedom. If we want certain things, certain freedoms, like the right to bear arms, we have to be willing to pay that cost, right?
But, Amos reminds us, it doesn’t stop there.
When we justify evil, whether it is in corrupt business practices or the slaughter of innocents, we may do well for a short time, like that basket of fruit, but we create a culture of violent dishonesty that, like a house of cards, must sooner or later, collapse under its own weight.
And we need not look very far to see Amos’s prophecy coming true in our own lives, to see our patriotic songs turned to lamentations, our Fourth of July feasts turned to mourning, and our rock and roll anthems turned to funeral dirges. We need not strain our eyes to see America looking like a dark and desolate place, and to see people wandering from sea to sea and from north to east, going to and fro in search of some word of comfort, some word of promise from the Lord but hearing nothing because they have long ago forgotten how to speak and hear the language of righteousness.
We have traded it for the language of idolatry. We bow at the altar of profit. Like the worshipers of Baal and Molech, we sacrifice our children on the altar of the 2nd Amendment. We shrug our shoulders and say that this is the cost of the precious, sacred, and absolute right to bear arms that is guaranteed in the Constitution.
As Peter Marty points out in his June 28th essay in Christian Century magazine, we have become helpless in the face of the gun lobbies and “absolutists for gun rights have forced this sense of helplessness upon us by turning the wording of the Second Amendment into an idolatrous altar, one prepared for the sacrifice of innocent victims at any time. Uvalde fourth graders, Buffalo grocery shoppers, and Pittsburgh Jews celebrating Shabbat never deserved to die. But up against assault-style weapons that gun-rights fundamentalists refuse to regulate, they died helplessly upon this altar.”
In the meantime, “do-nothing political leaders in our day are practicing abomination every time they bow at the altar of Second Amendment idolatry and wash their hands of responsibility for innocent victims.”
And the Word of the Lord is nowhere to be heard in the land.
Fortunately, Amos does not leave us in that dark and desolate place, weeping over the basket of rotten fruit that we have become.
He returns, as ever, to his formula for revival and renewal, the most famous and enduring lines from his book. The evidence of righteousness is not to be found in the singing of hymns, he says, nor in the giving of offerings, not in the length of our prayers or the piety of our liturgies.
Do you want to make God happy, he asks? Do you want your lives to go well and the lives of your children and grandchildren? Do you want to know that you have lived your life in the company of righteous people and in the cooling shade of God’s presence and approval? Then do this:
First, remember that only God is God.
Second, be humble in the way you use whatever power God has given to you.
And, third, “Let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.” (5:24)
That! That makes God happy. And on that day, says the Lord:
…the mountains shall drip sweet wine,
and all the hills shall flow with it.
I will restore the fortunes of my people …
and they shall rebuild the ruined cities and inhabit them;
they shall plant vineyards and drink their wine,
and they shall make gardens and eat their fruit.
I will plant them upon their land,
and they shall never again be plucked up
out of the land that I have given them… (9:13b-15)
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Chris Keating:Amos 8:1-12
Confronting the truth
Amos’ vision of ripe fruit is a play on words in Hebrew. “Ripe summer fruit” is a pun with the Hebrew word for “end.” Whether metaphorically or literally, God speaks of the end for a people who have ignored the truth of their devastating acts of injustice. Amos is confronted with the truth: God’s people have tolerated injustice for too long. A parallel to Amos’ message is found in a recent column by New York Times writer Charles Blow, who suggests that the time may now be ripe for Americans to be confronted with the grisly images of gun violence.
“Most of America has very likely never seen a fatal gunshot wound of any sort,” Blow wrote following the recent shooting in Highland Park, Illinois. “Our mental image of a fatal gunshot wound has been created by our cultural imagery: Hollywood … and video games.”
He continued by adding what is not shown is the unspeakable mutilation and horrific injuries caused in recent shootings. Blow detailed what he called the “thorny” issues involved in publishing such horrific images, including consent of victims’ families and the question of whether exposing the public to sensitive photographs would make a difference. Blow noted:
The publication of these images may not lead to an immediate policy change that some predict it will. Former Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson, for instance, has argued that showing images of the children killed in the Uvalde shooting might generate another “Emmett Till moment.”
* * *
Amos 8:1-12
Making the ephah small and the shekel great
Amos details a corrupt public life all too familiar to contemporary listeners of his prophesy. On Thursday, July 7, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson resigned following a tumultuous three year tenure. Johnson quit following allegations that his deputy chief whip Chris Pincher had groped dinner guests. Accounts of other acts of misconduct by Pincher were later revealed, which forced the prime minister to acknowledge he had long been aware of the misconduct. CNN reported that “it was the final straw for many political allies who had supported Johnson through crisis after crisis.”
Of course, corruption is not limited to the United Kingdom. A poll recently conducted by the University of Chicago Institute of Politics shows that over half of the Americans surveyed agreed that government is “corrupt and rigged.” About 71 percent of voters who identify as Republicans said they believe the government “is against me,” with about 51 percent of voters identifying as “very liberal” and 46 percent of Democrats agreeing.
* * *
Luke 10:38-42
Choosing the better part
Jesus is not devaluing Martha’s considerable efforts, nor is he prompting a competition between the two sisters. Rather, Jesus contrasts Martha’s distractedness with Mary’s willingness to absorb all that he offers. The better part, he is suggesting, is to realize what is most necessary in that moment.
Ten years ago, author Tim Krieder penned an essay on the curse of nonstop work. “The Busy Trap,” which analyzed the way nonstop work had become “a kind of existential reassurance, a hedge against emptiness.”
Recently, Krieder described how the problem of busyness has shifted. The problem of nonstop work remains, with a new generation actively questioning what, as Jesus might say, is the better portion. “A decade later, people aren’t trying to sell busyness as a virtue anymore, not even to themselves.” The pandemic, followed by the great resignation, has prompted a new view of our problem with perpetual motion.
“Of course,” Kreider wrote in the New York Times on July 7, “everyone is still busy — worse than busy, exhausted, too wiped at the end of the day to do more than stress-eat, binge-watch and doomscroll — but no one’s calling it anything other than what it is anymore: an endless, frantic hamster wheel for survival.”
The shift includes a realization that not only is work devoid of meaning, “but also the fact that they’re working in and for a society in which, increasingly, they have zero faith or investment.” Krieder concludes:
More young people are opting not to have kids not only because they can’t afford them but also because they assume they’ll have only a scorched or sodden wasteland to grow up in. An increasingly popular retirement plan is figuring civilization will collapse before you have to worry about it. I’m not sure anyone’s composed a more eloquent epitaph for the planet than the stand-up comedian Kath Barbadoro, who tweeted: “It’s pretty funny that the world is ending and we all just have to keep going to our little jobs lol.”
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From team member Mary Austin:Colossians 1:15-28
Image of God
The Letter to the Colossians lifts up an enduring vision of Jesus, who “is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.” Taking the writer’s words literally, we have starved ourselves of a range of images for God, images that can add depth to our faith. Dr. Christena Cleveland notes, “Being both Black and female…I began to connect the dots between the cultural idea of a white male God and my incessant fear as a Black woman. There was just one problem. I had no idea where to turn. Imagination is theology; we can only believe what we can imagine. And our cultural landscape hasn’t given us many tools to imagine a non-white, non-male God.”
She adds, “My whole life, I had been indoctrinated into American society’s worship of a white male God; my spiritual imagination didn’t know how to venture beyond that.” In her search for more, she encountered the Black Madonna, and says, “within seconds of viewing photos of Black Madonnas, my gut shifted from terror to hope. My soul immediately recognized that these photos and drawings declared a truth about my own sacredness and gave birth to a new understanding of God.”
The invisible God can be imagined in all kinds of fruitful and healing ways.
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Luke 10:38-42
Finding God in Housework
Jesus gives Martha a gentle fuss about being distracted, as she lets her aggravation with Mary steal her focus from her role as the homeowner and the host of this gathering. Sufi Master Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee says that many of us have Martha’s problem. “With our smart phones and computer screens we often remain caught on the surface of our lives, amidst the noise and chatter that continually distract us, that stop us from being rooted in our true nature.”
He adds, “the art of cleaning is a simple spiritual activity that is often overlooked…In today’s busy life cleaning one’s home is often considered a chore. We may spend time and energy (and expensive products) in our daily ritual bathing, but the simple art of cleaning our living space is rarely given precedence. Our culture calls to us to use products that will kill all of the “germs” that surround us, products that are often more toxic than the germs, but do we give attention, mindfulness, to caring for the space in which we live? Are we fully present with our brush or vacuum cleaner?... Cleaning a table, dusting a shelf, I give attention and love, because everything responds to love and care — not just people, or animals, or plants, but everything.”
Martha could find focus in her work, too, just as Mary does in listening to Jesus.
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Luke 10:38-42
Spotlight on Attention
Poor Martha could have used the wisdom of author Johann Hari, who spends a lot of time thinking about attention. He says that we have several kinds of focus. Building on the work of James Williams, he talks about focus as:
- your spotlight. So that’s when you focus on immediate actions like I’m going to walk into the kitchen and make a coffee. You want to find your glasses, you want to see what’s in the fridge, you want to read a chapter of my book. And this is called the spotlight.
- your starlight. Your starlight is the focus you can apply to your longer term goals — your projects over time. So it’s not that you want to read the chapter of a book, let’s say you want to write a book, you want to set up a business, you want to be a good parent. And it’s called your starlight, because when you feel lost in the desert, say, you look up to the stars and you remember the direction you’re traveling in
- your daylight. And that’s the form of focus that makes it possible for you to know what your longer term goals even are in the first place. How do you want to write a book? How do you want to set up a business? How do you know what it means to be a good parent? Without being able to reflect and think deeply, you won’t be able to figure those things out. And he gave it that name, daylight, because it’s only when its scene is flooded with daylight that you can see the things around you most clearly.
* * *
Luke 10:38-42
Focus on God
Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie remembers having, even as a young child, the kind of spiritual focus that Jesus wants for Martha. Helping prepare for the Sabbath, Rabbi Lau-Lavie remembers, “my task on Fridays, growing up, in preparation for the Sabbath, was to help my mother set the table. And she would bring out the best silver and china, and I would help set it. And that means I would go around in the neighborhood and pick flowers from either neighbor’s front yards or from some general public areas. And I remember that as a task that I loved. I would get lost, and I would make little arrangements, and I would put them in the middle of the table, and that was my thing.” That kind of religious attention grew into work as a rabbi.
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Luke 10:38-42
Division of Cognitive Labor
There are all kinds of way to divide up everyday tasks, as we know from our own homes and from Martha’s complaint to Jesus. Interestingly, these days we are outsourcing even mental labor, storing information we need in other people’s heads. “We don't keep all the information we could possibly need in our own heads, just as we don't make all our own clothes and manufacture our own doorknobs. We rely on a division of labor. And, according to many cognitive scientists, we also rely on "a division of cognitive labor." Beyond consulting Google and smartphones and books, we store some of the information we care about in other people's heads. Thanks to this clever outsourcing, you don't need to know which medicine is appropriate for each ailment, as long as you can consult a good general physician. And that physician doesn't need to know the ins and outs of tropical foot fungi, as long as she can consult a good specialist.”
One peril is asking the wrong person to retrieve the information, using, say, Dr. Google instead of someone with a license. We manage this intuitively in our circle of people, “without having people sorted by professional expertise — as "doctors" or "mechanics." We can parcel up the world into much smaller and more everyday kinds of expertise. You know which friend to ask about why your chocolate soufflé collapsed and which to ask about why your business proposal was dismissed.” We even divide up our mental labor, relying on each other for a full range of mental labor.
Neither Mary nor Martha could exist without the other, and the same is true for us, too, with all the things we need to know.
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From team member Katy Stenta:Luke 10:38-42
Distraction
In an era where the news can feel so overwhelming. It is good to be affirmed. It is a good choice to take a break and spend time with God. We need the reminder that taking time to worship or pray or spend a moment on a spiritual walk is not only refreshing, it is something our soul yearns for and needs. It is a way to alleviate worry, not with placating proverbs that are not true (like God never gives you more than you can handle), but the assurance and remembering that God is walking with you, and that it is right and good to rest and take sanctuary when you are overwhelmed. Like Mary, we should not feel guilty for taking breaks for our spirituality.
* * *
Genesis 18:1-10a
Radical Hospitality
I keep thinking of what radical hospitality means, in an era when it is so desperately needed. When so many people are unsafe in their home states—with gun violence rampant and abortions and queer rights on the line. It makes me wonder what radical hospitality really means. Perhaps it doesn’t actually mean offering your couch on the internet or mama or papa bear hugs to those who have been disowned, though I understand the impulse behind those. What are the real and concrete acts of hospitality that can be given to those who need a safe place to stay? Many people are fighting the stigma of abortion by sharing their own story or by stocking up on supplies. Many people are working with the Gun Violence Prevention Institute to make the world a safer place. And, of course, the teens are leading the way against the anti-LGBTQIA bills.
* * *
Amos 8:1-12
Thirsty for God’s Word
We are definitely thirsty for the true word of God. We know that God’s word has been mangled over and over again from the Jan 6th attacks to the anti-queer attacks. Our mouths are full of the taste of rotten fruit. We are almost ready for the lament, the time to mourn what has been lost so that we can move on. We long for the true word of God, we know when we find it, it will be life giving. And the good news is, we know God will have enough bread and drink for all.
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WORSHIPby George Reed
Call to Worship
One: O Lord, who may abide in your tent?
All: Who may dwell on your holy hill?
One: Those who walk blamelessly, and do what is right.
All: Those who speak the truth from their heart;
One: Those who do not slander with their tongue, and do no evil.
All: Those who do these things shall never be moved.
OR
One: The God who is one and is pure love calls us.
All: We come in awe of the God who is steadfast love.
One: God calls us to reflect the image we were created in.
All: We cannot reflect God if we do not center in God.
One: God comes to dwell in us as our center.
All: We will seek our center so we can serve God and all people.
Hymns and Songs
Praise, My Soul, the King/God of Heaven
UMH: 66
H82: 410
PH: 478
CH: 23
LBW: 549
ELW: 864/865
W&P: 82
AMEC: 70
Renew: 53
I Love to Tell the Story
UMH: 156
AAHH: 513
NNBH: 424
NCH: 522
CH: 480
LBW: 390
ELW: 661
W&P: 560
AMEC: 217
My Jesus, I Love Thee
UMH: 172
AAHH: 574
NNBH: 39
CH: 349
W&P: 468
AMEC: 459/457
Renew: 275
Christ, Whose Glory Fills the Skies
UMH: 173
H82: 6/7
PH: 462/463
LBW: 265
ELW: 553
W&P: 91
Jesus, the Very Thought of Thee
UMH: 175
H82: 642
PH: 310
NCH: 507
CH: 102
LBW: 316
ELW: 754
W&P: 420
AMEC: 464
When Morning Gilds the Skies
UMH: 185
H82: 427
PH: 487
AAHH: 186
NCH: 86
CH: 100
LBW: 545/546
ELW: 853
W&P: 11
AMEC: 29
Fairest Lord Jesus
UMH: 189
H82: 383/384
PH: 306
NNBH: 75
NCH: 44
CH: 97
W&P: 123
AMEC: 95
Renew: 166
O God of Every Nation
UMH: 435
H82: 607
PH: 289
CH: 680
LBW: 416
ELW: 713
W&P: 626
Let There Be Light
UMH: 440
NNBH: 450
NCH: 589
STLT: 142
Weary of All Trumpeting
UMH: 442
H82: 572
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus
CCB: 40
Jesus, Name Above All Names
CCB: 35
Renew: 26
Music Resources Key
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
AAHH: African American Heritage Hymnal
NNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
LBW: Lutheran Book of Worship
ELW: Evangelical Lutheran Worship
W&P: Worship & Praise
AMEC: African Methodist Episcopal Church Hymnal
STLT: Singing the Living Tradition
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
Renew: Renew! Songs & Hymns for Blended Worship
Prayer for the Day/Collect
O God who is pure of intention and action:
Grant us the grace to center our lives in you
so that our thoughts, intentions, and actions may be one;
through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We praise you, O God, because you actions are true to you being. There is no turning in you. Help us, your children, to center our lives in you so that our actions may be true to who we are, as well. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
One: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins and especially our failure to act out of the purity of who we are as God’s children.
All: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. You have created us in your image and blessed us with the presence of your Spirit and, yet, we fail to act in ways consistent with who you created us to be. We allow ourselves to be distracted by the thoughts and ideas of the world. Instead of centering ourselves on your indwelling presence we listen to the mad ravings of our egos. We are tossed and turned by the whims of the world instead of being grounded on the solid rock. Forgive our foolishness and renew your Spirit within us. Call us back to our center so that we may not be distracted by the world but established in you. Amen.
One: God is centered in the reality of God’s own self which is love. It is out of that love that we are forgiven and renewed. Received the grace of God and allow it to center your life as you share it with others.
Prayers of the People
Praise and glory to you, O God, who is one in being and action. You are pure light and there is no darkness in you at all.
(The following paragraph may be used if a separate prayer of confession has not been used.)
We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. You have created us in your image and blessed us with the presence of your Spirit and, yet, we fail to act in ways consistent with who you created us to be. We allow ourselves to be distracted by the thoughts and ideas of the world. Instead of centering ourselves on your indwelling presence we listen to the mad ravings of our egos. We are tossed and turned by the whims of the world instead of being grounded on the solid rock. Forgive our foolishness and renew your Spirit within us. Call us back to our center so that we may not be distracted by the world but established in you.
We give you thanks for yourself and the many ways your share yourself with your creation. We thank you for your presence that shines all around us and for your Spirit the enlightens all creation. We thank you for those whose lives and centered in you and who are beacons of light and grace for the rest of us.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for all who are in need this day. We pray for all who find themselves lost in the midst of life without a center that holds them. We pray for those who are struggling with issues of health, stability, and relationships that they may find in themselves your presence to be their center.
(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 Our Father is not used at this point in the service.)
All this we ask in the name of the Blessed and Holy Trinity. Amen.
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CHILDREN'S SERMONSharing and Caring
by Quantisha Mason-Doll
Amos 8:1-12
Themes:
Honesty is the best policy.
Sharing and caring for others.
Props and suggestions:
A big box of famous Amos Cookies with individual packages
This Amos text could be difficult for young listeners. The main point is exposing the issues that come along with being selfish and not behaving as God intended.
Hello everyone!
Amos is a strange fellow. He is one of the few prophets that spends a lot of time talking with God. In our story for today God talks to Amos about a future that is to come if the people do not stop being selfish. God begins his conversation with asking what is in this basket and Amos replies with a simple summer fruit.
(At this point you can use a bag of famous Amos cookies to represent the summer fruit.)
What if I tell you I’m going to keep all these cookies to myself and share with no one — do you think that would be fair?
(Give the children time to respond anyway they see fit.)
This reading from Amos is kind of scary and depressing, but it’s God’s way of trying to warn us what will happen when we hoard our food and money all to ourselves and refuse to share with others. (Begin handing out the cookies but only to some of the children.)
Okay, I’ve handed out half of the cookies. Do you think it’s fair that I still have half of the cookies all to myself and the other half is shared between the larger group? (Let them respond.)
When God called us, God called us to be our full self and that also means sharing everything we have with those less fortunate than ourselves. If we are selfish we will be as happy and experience the joy that comes with sharing and caring for others.
(Hand out the rest of the cookies and move into the prayer.)
Prayer:
Spirit of God, help us to see how we can care for others that are different from ourselves. May you guide us as we seek to be trustworthy and honest people. We pray these things in your almighty name. Amen.
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The Immediate Word, July 17, 2022 issue.
Copyright 2022 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.
