Late Night With God
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In this week’s epistle passage, James extols the power of faith -- and specifically of prayer -- to give us the comfort and strength we need to cope with all the difficult times (as well as the joys) we experience in our lives. In this installment of The Immediate Word, team member Chris Keating suggests that Stephen Colbert is channeling much of the same message from his new pulpit on CBS’s Late Show. Now that Colbert’s television persona reflects himself rather than a characterization of a blowhard pundit, he is opening up more about the importance of his own Catholic faith and how it has shaped his life and comedy. This was particularly evident in his celebrated interview with Vice President Joe Biden -- which one reviewer described as “a conversation centered around faith and heartbreaking personal loss.” Colbert is renowned as a brilliant and biting satirist, but he also demonstrates a striking thoughtfulness on matters of life and faith. Moreover, his willingness to talk frankly about them shines the cultural spotlight on the power of faith and prayer to elevate our lives... the same message offered by James in this week’s reading.
Team member Robin Lostetter shares some additional thoughts on the gospel text and the approach to life that is embedded in Jesus’ dramatic amputation imagery. While James counsels prayer as the all-purpose response to life’s vicissitudes, the subtext of Jesus’ remarks suggests mindfulness as a companion to prayer -- understanding what the stumbling blocks are in our lives that impede our faith, and then taking decisive action to clear them away. As Robin points out, what those stumbling blocks are may vary -- in many cases in our society, excessive materialism is the stumbling block... but it also could be hedonism, selfishness, or other forms of sinful behavior, or even poverty. But whatever our stumbling blocks are, Jesus tells us, failure to identify them and deal with them will lead to the direst of circumstances. And that, Robin tells us, should lead us to intentional living.
Late Night with God
by Chris Keating
James 5:13-20
He’s the newly-minted heir to David Letterman’s late-night throne, but in many ways Stephen Colbert seems more like a practical theologian than a practical joker. Casting aside his satirical alter-ego of a conservative political pundit, Colbert has kept his wit -- and his faith -- intact.
Colbert is quickly proving himself adept as America’s new late-night theologian. Not only has he felt comfortable poking fun at the Dalai Lama in a segment he called getting “up in your faith,” he explored questions of grief and faith with Vice President Joe Biden, and was recently interviewed by the Vatican’s media attaché.
The heartfelt Biden interview was particularly authentic, a far cry from typical late-night fare. The Catholic faith of both men was palpable and engaging, at times sounding like a homily drawn from this week’s reading from James. Colbert’s demeanor as host seems completely in sync with James’ admonitions: “Are any among you suffering? They should pray. Are any cheerful? They should sing songs of praise.... The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective.”
Critics point out that Colbert’s biggest challenge is not replacing Letterman or even outpacing his rivals Messrs. Fallon and Kimmel. His task is to replace himself, or at least the character he played on The Colbert Report, his previous show on Comedy Central. For now it seems Colbert is comfortable not trying to be another Letterman, and is instead showing that joy and faith can be mixed together.
So far, Colbert seems to be embodying James’ wisdom on holy speech. Stay tuned to see if he will continue emerging as America’s midnight pastor.
In the News
In the weeks leading up to his debut on CBS’s Late Show, the big question surrounding Colbert was simply “Who is Stephen Colbert?” or perhaps “Who will Colbert be?” After saying good-bye to the satirical, consistently blowhard, often self-righteous, and generally ignorant character Colbert played on The Colbert Report for nine years, audiences wondered just what sort of presence he’d bring to the massive Ed Sullivan Theater stage.
Stepping back into the limelight, Colbert demonstrated he is indeed a very different sort of late-night host. Comparisons between Colbert and other talk-show hosts don’t fare well -- he’s older than Jimmy Fallon, more intellectual than Jay Leno, not as silly as Conan O’Brien. Still -- as he showed during his opening night binge on Oreos and Donald Trump jokes -- he’s no Charlie Rose either.
In an August cover story for GQ magazine, writer Joel Lovell called Colbert a “public moral intellectual,” and then quizzed Colbert on how that aspect of his personality might emerge in the new show. Colbert responded:
I have a morality. I don’t know if it’s the best morality. And I do like thinking. If people perceive that as a moral intellectualism, that’s fine. That’s up to them to decide. A friend of mine once said, “If someone says you’re influencing them, then you’re influential. It’s not up for you to say. You can’t take that away from them.” But it’s entirely not my intention. This I promise you. Because that’s a short road to being a comedian in all seriousness: “As a comedian, in all seriousness, let me not entertain you.”
Colbert’s focus, it seems, is not simply to entertain but to form a bond with his audience. Relationship and community are at the heart of what he does. “The end product is jokes,” he told Lovell, “but you could easily say the end product is intention. Having intentionality at all times.... The process of process is process.”
For Colbert, the process is about discovering joy. A note he kept taped to his computer summarized this conviction: “Joy is the most infallible sign of the existence of God.” It is that sort of conviction that theologian Colbert brings to his work.
Lurking behind the mask of his comedy is the heart of a fool -- a fool for Christ. For Colbert, comedy is the medium that allows him to express his convictions about joy as the centerpiece of faith. He notes that what excites him about Pope Francis is the pope’s infectious sense of the joy faith offers. And while Colbert has never been shy about discussing his strong Catholic faith, the expanded platform of his new show offers him more opportunities to share joy, and to connect with the spiritual longings of his audience.
“That sense of connection between the performer and the audience is the entire intention,” Colbert said in a 45-minute interview with Father Thomas Rosica’s Witness television program. “What does anybody want? Not to be alone, and I think when a performer gets onstage and says the things that are in his mind, in his own particular way, [it is] to make a connection with an audience so he doesn’t feel so alone.”
Colbert, who sported a speckled graying beard in that interview, used the moment to explore theologically nuanced meditations on the eucharist, religious fanaticism, what questions he might ask Pope Francis, and how humor forms his faith.
“Faith ultimately can’t be argued, faith has to be felt,” Colbert told Rosica. “And hopefully you can still feel your faith fully and let your mind have a logical life of its own, and they do not defy each other but complement each other, because logic itself, I don’t think, for me, and you know -- Aquinas might say differently -- logic itself will not lead me to God. And so hopefully I can use my mind to make my jokes and not deny my love for God at the same time.”
His love for God is evident by the way Colbert understands his James-like obligation to care for the poor, or by the authenticity he employs in his more serious interviews. He speaks with wit but also with wisdom, and is aware that “from the same mouth come blessing and cursing” (James 3:10). “I’m no particular exemplar of my faith,” he has said. “I just happen to have affection for my church.”
Colbert demonstrated authenticity and faithfulness during an emotional interview with Vice President Joe Biden, the first interview Biden has given since the death of his son Beau. Like the vice president, Colbert has his own deep experience of grief -- his father and two of his brothers were killed in a plane crash when he was just ten years old. Colbert made sure the heartfelt conversation was more than just a friendly handshake and wave or a mere gab session. Instead, the two “brothers in grief” seemed to bond over their shared familiarity with tragedy.
Biden talked about how faith has been part of his journey through grief. Even the conversation about Biden potentially running for president was couched in terms of faithfully embracing grief. Colbert seized the moment to move from biting sarcasm to theological reflection, poignantly asking the vice president to be specific about how faith had guided him.
Though Biden said he felt a bit “self-conscious” describing his faith when so many others face similar challenges, his sharing revealed his experience of God’s compassion in the face of grief. It’s a perspective Colbert, based on his own experiences of tragedy, well understood.
The vice president relayed that his wife, Dr. Jill Biden, had taped a quote from Soren Kierkegaard to their bathroom mirror: “Faith sees best in the dark.”
“And for me,” he went on, “my religion is just an enormous sense of solace.... I go to Mass.... I say the rosary. I find it to be incredibly comforting.... It’s just a place you can go.” Then, though, he did seem to become self-conscious, he added, “I don’t want to come off like...”
“As pious,” Colbert interjected, finishing the thought. But, Biden said, “I’d feel like I was letting down Beau, I’d [be] letting down my parents, letting down my family... if I didn’t just get up.”
That’s an illustration, perhaps, of the sort of faith James admonishes his listeners to pursue when he observes that “the prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective.” But it is also an illustration of the sort of wisdom that a person of faith can create on late-night TV.
In the Scriptures
While Colbert’s late-night desk is certainly no pulpit in the proper sense, his faith is imbued in his comedy in the same way James’ theology is evident in his pithy nuggets of Christian wisdom. James draws his letter to a close with ethical admonitions about the nature of Christian community. James employs an intentional focus on creating community, which is remarkably similar to the way Colbert creates authenticity with his audience.
As chapter five begins, the community is admonished to be patient, avoid grumbling, and seek endurance (5:11). They are to avoid taking oaths (5:12), but are instead to be firm in their convictions and speech. From there, James moves to a series of pastoral exhortations that reveal a theological understanding of prayer. This is the vision of a confident, faith-filled community. It is a community that endures, and is resilient, because it is formed on the bedrock joy of faith -- a faith that is strong enough to bring back wayward sinners into community.
The power of prayer is embodied in the community’s ability to bring comfort and faith to those who are sick. Anointing (5:14) with oil recalls Jesus’ touching of the sick. Rather than an indictment against medicine, the prayer of the faithful is a poignant description of how the shares in the joy of faith. As Elizabeth Johnson notes:
This “prayer of faith” is faithful prayer, prayer that trusts God to answer the petition. Modern people sometimes look askance at such apparently naive confidence in so-called “faith healing.” That stems from a distinctly modern understanding of illness, though, one that presumes scientific analysis alone is able to assess a person’s state of health. James says that anointing, prayer, and the laying on of hands “will restore the weary” (my translation), which is substantially more than merely prescribing antibiotics can do.
(See Feasting on the Word: Preaching the Revised Common Lectionary [Year B, Vol. 4: Season after Pentecost 2, Propers 17--Reign of Christ])
James’ admonitions complete his book of theological wisdom, though the ending may seem a bit abrupt. It’s almost as if there’s a technical glitch of some sort -- an unintended network interruption or commercial break. C. Freeman Sleeper notes that it seems James has run out of steam at this point (James [Abingdon New Testament Commentaries], p. 143). Sleeper goes on to observe that what may actually be happening is that the author is once again hitting at issues which were of critical pastoral importance to the community. In other words, James ends his letter with the same sort of relational, moral, and theological intentionality that Stephen Colbert brings to his Late Show. These are words addressed to a community, urging it to live a faithful and joy-filled life.
In the Sermon
Faith sustains us in times of difficulty. James summons the Christian community to live with this sort of alertness and intentionality. He also calls the Christian community to authentic and practical acts of discipleship and worship: those who are sick should pray; the joyful should sing; the repentant should confess. The intentionality of a faith community is revealed much the same way a talk-show host creates rapport during an interview. At the heart of both experiences is a call to intentionality in relationships.
How can a sermon reflect a similar desire to intentionally cultivate community?
One direction a sermon might explore is just how “prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective.” Is it, as it was for both Biden and Colbert, a source of solace, even in the midst of devastating grief? Is it more than words printed on a card? How do we experience restoration to community through forgiveness and grace? Channeling our inner talk-show hosts, preachers might dare to ask our congregations just how prayer is powerful, effective, and comforting.
I suspect that, like Colbert’s comedy, the answer lies in the ability of prayer to lead us toward joy. I have witnessed this personally during a year of grief within my congregation. We have witnessed, in a way that is new to our church, the deaths of several vital and energetic members. Like the Bidens, we are discovering what it means to have faith that sees in the darkness.
But we have also learned something of the unique solace and power of prayer. As death drew near, the families have called upon the church to surround them with prayer. In some cases they gathered friends and family, asking the church to bring oil as a sign of anointing.
Were these individuals healed? Not in the way we had hoped. But as James reminds us, there is powerful hope generated by faith. The intentionality displayed in standing with those who face tragedy creates community, not unlike the intentionality needed to create a television audience. In grief, yet also in faith, we trust that “the Lord will raise them up.”
Colbert’s unique blending of faith and comedy infuses hope into his audience. There is silliness, but also sadness. All of it is deeply joyful, and it certainly resonates with many people who would otherwise never consider attending church. In ways that we are not accustomed to seeing expressed on late-night television, Colbert models an expectant, persevering, and deeply human faith. It’s worth considering whether or not his tenure on late-night television may also bring renewed joy and faith.
SECOND THOUGHTS
Intentional Living
by Robin Lostetter
Mark 9:38-50
Sever a limb? Tear out an eye? What is Jesus saying? Well, as is often the case, we can take these words to heart -- actually apply them to our own lives -- if we deal with them metaphorically. What is it in our own lives that keeps us from authentic living? What stifles that kernel of Christian discipleship within us, or risks snuffing it out in a nascent Christian we come in contact with?
In the earlier part of Mark 9, Jesus talks about “these little ones” in terms of a child, representing perhaps one of society’s most vulnerable marginalized ones. But as the chapter moves along, it seems he’s also talking about those whose faith is new, who are vulnerable to criticism or challenge, even the rogue healer John brings to Jesus’ attention. Might that person even be ourselves?
What stands in the way, causes our faith to stumble? Often that answer is linked in some way with materialism or over-programming. In today’s world we hear about fulfilling your bucket list... but what if focusing on that bucket list, or seeking to fund your retirement fantasies, is keeping you from living the opportunities available to you today? With our children, the focus may be on qualifying for scholarships rather than nurturing their faith formation. So in the free time that is not devoted to homework, these overbooked youth are prepping or traveling for weekend sports teams and never see the inside of a church schoolroom. Meanwhile, Mom and/or Dad are equally overbooked into what has been referred to as living on “the hamster wheel.”
In recent years, a popular response to these overbooked, over-cluttered, over-fantasied, un-realized lives has been “de-cluttering.” From Marie Kondo’s Japanese strategy, humorously described in a Huffington Post blog, to articles on mindful simplicity and decluttering as zen meditation, we read more and more about decluttering, purging, and downsizing, it seems. In some cases, it’s about getting a new start at the beginning of a new year. The quintessential expression of downsizing, however, is found in the Tiny Home movement. Some articles on Tiny Homes even combine building instructions with how-to steps for simplifying your life.
All of these things focus in one way or another on living mindfully, on living intentionally, and perhaps even coming closer to John the Baptist’s version of simplicity of living: “Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none” (Luke 3:11). The mindfulness and intentionality, in this case, have to do with spiritual values. And in fact, each one of these self-help guides talk about the why of our choices. Paige Burkes describes “Intentional Living” in this way:
Simple living involves much more than keeping our closets and drawers clean. It’s a way of thinking and being. It’s a way of life that we choose for reasons that are important to us.
Simple living means stripping our lives down to the essentials, our core values. Most people have never taken the time to identify their core values, much less reorganize their lives around them.
Normally, we live our lives doing what we think we’re supposed to do, buying the things we’re supposed to have in order to fit in with the groups with which we want to be identified. We’re following the herd without thinking about what we really want. And we wonder why we’re not happy.
Take a moment to look around your home, consider who you spend time with, how you spend your time, and how you spend your money. All of this reflects your values, whether you’ve thought about your values or not. Are these the values that you’re proud of or that you want to pass onto your children? If not, what needs to change?
In order to live a simpler life, we need to identify what isn’t supporting our values and let it go. Some things may be hassles that we can easily say goodbye to. Other things may feel like obligations that we have to maintain to make others happy.
Another article lays it out in plain language: “Clutter is a manifestation of either holding onto the past or a fear of what might happen in the future or it could be an unexamined thrifty nature that goes back generations.” Ouch. As one of those caught in empty-nest downsizing, that hits home for me.
First, there are the myriad items that remind us of people, events, and times that we have enjoyed or loved through the years. “All of this is a form of living in the past. I’m not saying we should forget about the past, but letting go of these objects (and they’re only objects, they’re not the events or loved ones themselves) is a way of releasing our longing for the past. I never forget the past, but it’s not a place in which I need to dwell. Living more in the present is freeing.” Take photos of them, share them with the person who gave you the gift; have a quilt made from the tees or the party dresses, snuggle under it with a good book.
Then there are the “just in case” items. You know, the melon-baller for the spectacular watermelon centerpiece you used to take to block-party picnics when they were in vogue. The aquarium in the basement, “just in case” the grandkids want exactly the same fish setup you or your kids had so long ago. Ain’t gonna happen. “[W]e have a ton of things we don’t really need or use -- just in case. We’re afraid of being unprepared for the future, but the truth is we can never be totally prepared. We can’t control the outcome of the future, and trying to do so means that we’re never really living in the present moment. We’re always preparing for what might (or might not) come.”
And last, but certainly not least, “Some of us have an inbred thrifty nature. Our parents or grandparents lived during the Depression and World War II, when every item was prized and almost nothing was thrown away. These are good traits when needed. When unnecessary, these actions can lead to clutter in our environment, which stymies the very freedom and comfort they were meant to protect. The good news is that we live in a time when items of clothing, packaging, and household use can be easily reused by others or recycled to make new items. Old jeans, even ripped and unwearable, can be made into sustainable shoes. Paper and cardboard can be recycled for use in new products. And all manner of home items will be prized by others and purchased in a thrift shop whose proceeds go to help the homeless and disabled. The thing to keep in mind is that we can let go of items too good to waste, with the assurance that they won’t BE wasted, if we take them, or send them, to the right place.”
Living without all that baggage may allow us to move forward into Kingdom living. You’ve now removed stumbling blocks, done some “amputations.” That second car was blocking you and you sold it? Good for you! Letting go of the disappointment of not affording the retirement plans you’d hoped for has allowed you to enjoy the sunshine, the neighbors, the gardens nearby? Good for you!
And now a word from our sponsor... all the above are, if truth be told, “first-world problems.” What are the stumbling blocks for those living in inner-city poverty? What are the stumbling blocks for those who have just lost their homes in the California fires? What are the stumbling blocks for the flood of Syrian refugees in Europe? You’ve stripped down your lifestyle. You’ve probably freed up some expendable income. You may have even given yourself some expendable time. You didn’t personally put stumbling blocks in front of the child in the ghetto or the newly homeless California family or the exhausted Syrian refugee. But take Jesus’ words a step further... what can you do to help remove that stumbling block? Are you near enough to help prepare meals? Do you have construction skills? Gardening skills? Can you open your wallet?
When we “strip our lives down to the essentials, our core values,” and those values mean following in the footsteps of Christ, we may find that we have been gifted and equipped -- and now freed -- to welcome his “little ones” and remove stumbling blocks... not only our own, but others’ too.
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Ron Love:
James 5:13-20
A recent study on how often individuals Google about God revealed that the top four questions entered into the popular internet search engine are: 1) Who created God? 2) Why does God allow suffering? 3) Why does God hate me? and 4) Why does God need so much praise?
Application: James speaks of being a supportive Christian community. The need for this is demonstrated by the questions people have about God.
*****
James 5:13-20
The analysis of Googling and God showed that for the question “Why did God make me_________?” the word most often used to fill in the blank (by far) was “ugly,” followed by “gay” and “black.”
Application: James speaks of being a supportive Christian community. The need for this is demonstrated by the questions people have about God and their self-image.
*****
Mark 9:38-50
In the last five years, Google searches about God have decreased 15% from the previous five-year period, while pornography searches have increased 83%. The top Google search including the word “God” is for the video game God of War. There are 4.7 million searches annually for Jesus Christ, while the pope receives 2.95 million searches... but there are 49 million searches for Kim Kardashian.
Application: Perhaps we ought to be more concerned about who is serving in the Lord’s name than about those who are not.
*****
Mark 9:38-50
In an op-ed piece for the Washington Post, David Niose, the legal director for the American Humanist Association, cited polls showing that one in four Americans and one-third of those aged 18 to 33 now claim no religious affiliation. Arguing that this demonstrates the nation is no longer predominantly Christian, Niose contends that churches should no longer have special status and that their tax-exempt status ought to be removed from the tax codes. He believes that churches should pay property taxes and pay taxes on income received.
Application: Jesus talked about bringing someone back who has lost his faith. The need for that call to evangelism is made abundantly apparent by Niose’s article, in which he maintains that the status of churches ought to be redefined because of a loss of membership.
*****
Mark 9:38-50
Fourteen years after it was destroyed when the south tower of the World Trade Center collapsed upon it on 9/11, construction has begun on a rebuilt St. Nicholas Church. The walls of the Orthodox church will be covered in thin slices of marble that appear as solid stone during the day -- but at night, backlit with LEDs, the entire church will glow. Archbishop Demetrios, the primate of the Greek Orthodox Church in America, said: “The purpose is to project something that will open a window to eternity.”
Application: In his instructions on discipleship, Jesus desires his followers to open the window of eternity to all individuals.
*****
James 5:13-20
Fourteen years after it was destroyed when the south tower of the World Trade Center collapsed upon it on 9/11, construction has begun on a rebuilt St. Nicholas Church. In the original building only 80 people could stand and worship -- but the new 4,000-sq. ft. building will seat 150. The new structure will not only be a church, but also a public bereavement center. Mark Arey, a spokesman for the archdiocese, said: “It will be open to everyone: the believer, the Orthodox Christian, the atheist. Whoever you are, this is a space that you can come into and find some meditative solace.”
Application: James discusses the importance of prayer.
*****
Esther 7:1-6, 9-10; 9:20-22
In Afghanistan villages where American troops have placed native leadership -- called Afghan Local Police (ALP) -- and even on U.S. military bases, warlords are raping young boys in particular, but also young girls. The practice is called bacha bazi, which literally means “boy play.” To have these young boys as sex slaves is considered a status symbol. When American soldiers have tried to stop the practice, they are informed that U.S. policy is that this is a cultural practice of Afghan leaders and should be ignored. Two special forces soldiers, one a captain and the other a sergeant, were dismissed from the service when they intervened on behalf of a boy who had been tied to a bed for an extended period of days. In his defense the sergeant said “that morally we could no longer stand by and allow our ALP to commit atrocities.”
Application: Esther has a strong message about judgment being pronounced on evil individuals.
*****
Esther 7:1-6, 9-10; 9:20-22
On his pilgrimage to Cuba, Pope Francis had the delicate task of speaking to the issue of human rights without causing such anger among government officials that the church is once again persecuted and closed. He achieves this balance by employing what has become called “pope code.” He refrains from direct criticism, yet the intent of his remarks is clearly understood. During Mass in Havana’s Revolutionary Square the pope showed his disapproval of communist suppression of human rights when he said, “Service is never ideological, for we do not serve ideas. We serve people.”
Application: Esther is a book that speaks of justice.
*****
Esther 7:1-6, 9-10; 9:20-22
Cuba is 60% Catholic -- but only 4% attend Mass. So on his recent trip there, Pope Francis tried to address both Catholics and secularists in his homilies. Ramon Trullo, 69, who is not a Christian, attended the Mass in Revolutionary Square in Havana. When asked why he attended, Trullo said: “His ideas are religious ones, but they are also ones that anyone in the world can identify with. Why shouldn’t we accept his words of justice and equality?”
Application: Esther is a book that speaks of justice and equality.
*****
Esther 7:1-6, 9-10; 9:20-22
North Carolina has just passed legislation to replace the statue of Charles Aycock in the U.S. Capitol with one of Billy Graham. Aycock was governor of the state from 1901-1905, and is best remembered for his white supremacist links. Though an individual must be dead before their statue can be placed in the Capitol, legislators want to start the sculpturing process now so the statue is ready when Graham, 96, is deceased.
Application: Esther speaks of making a distinction between a good man and an evil man.
***************
From team member Mary Austin:
James 5:13-20
Restoring Faith
“Are any among you suffering? They should pray,” the writer of James advises us. Prayer is a gift, but sometimes it’s prayer in action which restores our faith. Lisa Gastaldo writes that when her young son was in the hospital, her neighbors made the reality of prayer for others come to life in her home. With a child in the hospital, she and her husband were stretched to the breaking point. Friends cared for their other child and brought meals, but dirty clothes were piling up at home and there was no time or energy to clean.
Their child’s caregiver asked for a key to the house, and her husband, unsuspecting, handed it over. “Not realizing that I would be humiliated if anyone saw just how wretched a pigsty we were living in,” Gastaldo relates, “he handed it over readily. The moment he left, our group [of friends] commenced their latest escapade of kindness.”
Gastaldo adds: “Up to this point in this particular trial, I hadn’t really cried. To me, it was a luxury I couldn’t afford. Honestly, I was afraid if I started I would lose any ability to function. So, I corked my tears and kept going.... The moment I unlocked the door, I knew something was amiss. Instead of the dirt and mildew aroma that usually wafted a greeting, I was welcomed by the delicate scent of Pine-Sol. The disheveled cache of clothing was neatly sorted and folded. The soiled apparel that had overflowed every bedroom hamper was now Downy-fresh and stacked alongside. Everything sparkled -- including the toilets! Right in the middle of my kitchen table was a vase filled with fresh-cut flowers. I took one look at that arrangement, collapsed to the floor, and sobbed. That moment of release is forever tattooed in my memory. It is the point in time I cling to when I am overwhelmed; when I suppose I am alone.”
This was prayer come to life: “Without waiting for me to ask, my friends sensed what I needed and went into action. They saw through my desperate bravado. They cut through the grime and the grit of the situation. By cleaning my house, they wiped away part of the chaos and polished my sanity. I am forever and for all eternity grateful.”
*****
James 5:13-20
Healing
“Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church,” the letter of James advises. A hospital in California was built around that kind of unusual wisdom -- and one of its doctors, Victoria Sweet, has written a book about the hospital titled God’s Hotel. Her website says: “San Francisco’s Laguna Honda Hospital is the last almshouse in the country, a descendant of the Hôtel-Dieu (God’s Hotel) that cared for the sick in the Middle Ages. Ballet dancers and rock musicians, professors and thieves -- anyone who had fallen, or often leapt, onto hard times and needed extended medical care -- ended up there. Dr. Sweet ended up there herself, as a physician. And though she came for only a two-month stay, she remained for 20 years.” The hotel had an open floor plan, allowing patients to meet up through the day and to support each other in getting well. There were private rooms, but most people preferred to have company as they got better.
The hotel practiced a different kind of healing. Patients were allowed to come and go as they wished. Dr. Sweet says they practiced “slow medicine.” In an interview, Dr. Sweet said: “I couldn’t ‘provide’ health care if I tried. I don’t even know what that means. My role is to figure out if someone is sick and then how sick they are. In a way, that’s the main thing a doctor does -- if a doctor is really good at figuring out whether you are sick or not, that’s actually the most important thing! Because if you’re not sick then nothing much needs to be done. On the other hand, if you are sick, how sick? Are you acutely sick? How emergent is it? How fast do we have to be?... At Laguna Honda... I did have time. So I could see the patient, and then if I wasn’t sure how sick, how emergent, how acute the situation was, I could go back and see them again. That kind of repeated observation is amazingly efficient; it saves a lot of money.”
The hotel was able to focus on the person instead of the illness, and brought that wisdom to the care of the patients.
*****
James 5:13-20
Small Victories
In her book Small Victories, Anne Lamott tells about taking a walk with a dying friend. There is, she says, a peculiar kind of grace in being with people who are seriously ill: “The worst possible thing you can do when you’re down in the dumps, tweaking, vaporous with victimized self-righteousness, or bored, is to take a walk with dying friends. They will ruin everything for you. First of all, friends like this may not even think of themselves as dying, although they clearly are, according to recent scans and gentle doctors’ reports. But no, they see themselves as fully alive. They are living and doing as much as they can, as well as they can, for as long as they can. They ruin your multitasking high, the bath of agitation, rumination, and judgment you wallow in, without the decency to come out and just say anything. They bust you by being grateful for the day, while you are obsessed with how thin your lashes have become and how wide your bottom.”
Lamott tells in the book about hearing from another friend who was newly diagnosed with cancer. She listened for a long time, until her friend finally concluded: “I have what everyone wants. But no one would be willing to pay.”
“What do you have?” Lamott asked.
“The two most important things. I got forced into loving myself. And I’m not afraid of dying anymore.”
*****
Mark 9:38-50
Welcome
Jesus urges us to welcome people different from ourselves, people who may not be “one of us” -- and the people of Iceland are doing just that. The Huffington Post reports that when the government of Iceland said they would accept only 50 refugees from Syria, a campaign to do better attracted thousands of willing hosts: “In a Facebook campaign launched by Icelandic author Bryndis Bjorgvinsdottir, some 12,000 people -- 4% of the Icelandic population -- offered to welcome refugees into their homes.”
The article quotes Bjorgvinsdottir as saying: “Refugees are human resources, experience, and skills. Refugees are our future spouses, best friends, our next soul mate, the drummer in our children’s band, our next colleague, Miss Iceland 2022, the carpenter who finally fixes our bathroom, the chef in the cafeteria, the fireman, the hacker, and the television host. People who we’ll never be able to say to: ‘Your life is worth less than mine.’ ”
Residents of Iceland have offered all kinds of welcome, including “their services to cook for those in need, take children to school, donate clothing and kitchenware, and helping Syrian refugees to ‘adapt to Icelandic society.’ ” The campaign has forced the government to take another look at the country’s plan to welcome people.
*****
Mark 9:38-50
Daily Stumbling Blocks
Jesus urges us to not put stumbling blocks in each other’s way. For anyone trying to live a healthier life, the office candy jar is a place we can stumble every day. One frustrated office worker tells about her creative solution. As she says, “most of my co-workers kept jars of candy on their desks to enjoy and share with others. Constantly battling the ‘bulge,’ I hated these temptations, but nevertheless often gave in to them. I decided to put out a jar of my own ‘feel good’ stuff, with no calories.” She bought a jar, and spent the weekend decorating it and then “cutting up colorful strips of paper and writing down inspiring quotes. I filled up the jar with the inspiring quotes and placed it on my desk for people to help themselves to. It took a while to catch on, but soon everyone was stopping by my ‘food for thought’ jar daily to fill up on something much better than empty calories. They would take one out, read it, smile knowingly, and then fold it up and replace it for the next co-worker. It’s something that never needed to be replenished, unless I saw a new quote I liked and wanted to add.”
In the comments, one reader noted that “our office’s candy jar was maintained by my good friend who unexpectedly and suddenly passed away just before Christmas. We have been too devastated to replace it. I think your idea is perfect to soothe and heal our aching hearts. Thank you, more than you know!”
With some creativity, stumbling blocks can become stepping stones.
*****
Mark 9:38-50
Happiness -- Getting the Obstacles Out of the Way
Author Gretchen Rubin, who has written extensively about happiness, believes that being consistently happy has a lot to do with removing our own temptations. If we can remove our own individual stumbling blocks, greater peace of mind awaits us. Rubin says, “I became increasingly interested in the role that habits play in a happier, healthier, and more productive life. Also the question of how we can change our habits, because sometimes we can and sometimes we can’t.... There’s so much of a desire for a one-size-fits-all solution. Do it first thing in the morning. Start small. Do it for 30 days. Have a cheat day. But there is no magic, one-size-fits-all solution. What I found when I looked at is it that all of us have to think about what’s true for us. Even something as simple as ‘Are you a morning person or a night person?’ If you’re a night person, you’re not setting yourself up for success [to get] up early to go for a run. That’s probably not going to work for you. But often, people just decide what they think their habit should be, or they look at what Benjamin Franklin did, or what their brother-in-law did, and try to copy it.” Our stumbling blocks are more particular than we think.
Rubin adds that once we know ourselves, we can strategize about our own particular places of temptation: “One thing is the strategy of abstaining. Again, this is a strategy where you have to know yourself. Because it works really well for some people, like me, and doesn’t work at all for other people. Abstainers are people who do better when they give up something altogether. I can eat no Thin Mints or I can eat ten Thin Mints, but I can’t eat two Thin Mints. I’m an abstainer... resisting temptation altogether.... The moderators do better when they have something sometimes or they have a little bit. Often, if they know they can have something they don’t even want it. They do better when they do have a little bit that they allow themselves. This is true for food, but also for things like technology. If you can’t play a little Candy Crush, maybe you want to play no Candy Crush. But abstaining is a strategy that, when you know yourself, can be enormously powerful. But it may not work for you, so you really have to know what kind of person you are.”
(Read more about practical ways to deal with stumbling blocks here.)
WORSHIP RESOURCES
by George Reed
Call to Worship
Leader: Our help is in our God, who made heaven and earth.
People: Blessed be God, who has not given us as prey to our enemies.
Leader: If it had not been for God, who was on our side,
People: Then they would have swallowed us up alive.
Leader: We have escaped like a bird from the snare of the fowlers.
People: Our help is in our God, who made heaven and earth.
OR
Leader: Come and worship the God who is faithful.
People: We praise and rejoice in our covenant God.
Leader: Come and learn from the faithfulness of Christ.
People: May the Christ teach us how to truly be faithful.
Leader: Share God’s faithful love with all you meet.
People: As God’s people, we will live in faithfulness and love towards others.
Hymns and Sacred Songs
“All People That on Earth Do Dwell”
found in:
UMH: 75
H82: 377, 378
PH: 220, 221
NNBH: 36
NCH: 7
CH: 18
LBW: 245
ELA: 883
W&P: 661
AMEC: 73
STLT: 370
“O God, Our Help in Ages Past”
found in:
UMH: 117
H82: 680
AAHH: 170
NNBH: 46
NCH: 25
CH: 67
LBW: 320
ELA: 632
W&P: 84
AMEC: 61
STLT: 281
“My Faith Looks Up to Thee”
found in:
UMH: 452
H82: 691
PH: 383
AAHH: 456
NNBH: 273
CH: 576
LBW: 479
ELA: 759
W&P: 419
AMEC: 415
“ ’Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus”
found in:
UMH: 462
AAHH: 368
NNBH: 292
AMEC: 440
“I Will Trust in the Lord”
found in:
UMH: 464
AAHH: 391
NNBH: 285
NCH: 416
“Trust and Obey”
found in:
UMH: 467
AAHH: 380
NNBH: 322
CH: 556
W&P: 443
AMEC: 377
“Take Up Thy Cross”
found in:
UMH: 415
H82: 675
PH: 393
LBW: 398
ELA: 667
W&P: 351
AMEC: 294
“O Master, Let Me Walk with Thee”
found in:
UMH: 430
H82: 659, 660
PH: 357
NNBH: 445
NCH: 503
CH: 602
LBW: 492
ELA: 818
W&P: 589
AMEC: 299
“As the Deer”
found in:
CCB: 83
Renew: 9
“Great Is the Lord”
found in:
CCB: 65
Renew: 22
Music Resources Key:
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982 (The Episcopal Church)
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
AAHH: African-American Heritage Hymnal
NNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
LBW: Lutheran Book of Worship
ELA: 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 faithful and true: Grant us the grace to live out our faith in all that we do so that we can truly be called Children of God; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We praise you, O God, for your faithfulness. You are the true God who leads us into life. Help us not only to speak of our faith, but also to live out our faith in all that we do. Help us to truly be your children. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
Leader: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins, especially because it is so much easier to talk about our faith rather than to live it.
People: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We are quick to call ourselves people of faith and to even talk about what we believe. We are not so likely to be able to tell how we are living out our faith in the world. Faith for us has more to do with feeling safe and superior to the faithless around us. We forget that Jesus told us faith is a lot more than just calling him Lord. It has more to do with doing your will. Forgive us, and cleanse us of our self-centeredness. Fill us once again with your Spirit. Amen.
Leader: God desires us to know the wholeness that comes from living as we speak. Receive God’s love and forgiveness, and the power of the Spirit to live in faith each day.
Prayers of the People (and the Lord’s Prayer)
Praise and glory are yours, O God, for you are always faithful and true. You never fail to be other than who you are.
(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 are quick to call ourselves people of faith and to even talk about what we believe. We are not so likely to be able to tell how we are living out our faith in the world. Faith for us has more to do with feeling safe and superior to the faithless around us. We forget that Jesus told us faith is a lot more than just calling him Lord. It has more to do with doing your will. Forgive us, and cleanse us of our self-centeredness. Fill us once again with your Spirit.
We give you thanks for all the ways in which you have expressed your faithfulness to us. We are so thankful that your faithfulness exceeds our own. Thank you for the steadfastness of nature and the ways we can learn from its laws.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray to you for one another in our needs. We pray for those who suffer from the hands of faithless people who abuse them, rob them, and tell them they are unworthy. Help us to be your faithful people and to share your faithful love with others.
(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
Ask the children what they would think if you promised them something and then didn’t do it. What if you did this time after time? That would be very unfaithful. God is always faithful, and always keeps promises. God wants us to be faithful too. God wants us to not only talk about loving others, but to really be kind to others.
CHILDREN’S SERMON
How to Handle Life’s Problems
by Dean Feldmeyer
James 5:13-20; Mark 9:38-50
Are any among you suffering? They should pray. -- James 5:13a
If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life maimed than to have two hands and to go to hell in the unquenchable fire. -- Mark 9:43
(Note: I do not recommend reading the Mark verse verbatim to the children, as it scary and kind of gross. A paraphrase that does not include the lopping off of appendages will do nicely -- e.g., “If you have something valuable that causes you to stumble on your way to God, get rid of it. It is better to not have valuable things than to go through life without God.”)
This week’s gospel and epistle lessons give us two ways of handling the problems that life brings to us.
Items needed:
A medium-size corrugated cardboard box, filled with enough canned goods to make it almost too heavy to lift.
I have a problem.
I have to get this box of canned goods out to my car so I can take it home. But it’s too heavy for me to carry all that way. What are some things I could do to get it to my car?
Well, yes, I could ask someone who is stronger than me to carry it for me.
Or I could just drag it -- but I might damage the floor if I do that, and I don’t think the box is strong enough to stand up to that kind of punishment.
This morning’s lessons from the Bible give me two things to do whenever I have a problem. The first one, from the letter of James, says that I should pray.
Now, praying doesn’t mean that the box is going to suddenly disappear and reappear in my car. And it doesn’t mean that it’s just going to move itself. Maybe what praying will do is help me come up with a plan for getting it where I need to get it to.
And the gospel of Mark tells me that I need to be willing to let go of some things from time to time. So maybe that’s the key here. If I take some of the cans out of the box, I’ll be able to carry it.
So let’s see what’s in here that I can do without.
Okay, here’s cranberry sauce. I don’t like that. We can take that out. Eeewwwww... and here’s lima beans. I hate those. We can take them out.
Let’s see, what else do we have?
Well, shoot, I like everything else in here. But the box is still too heavy. I guess I’m going to have to give up something I love, like this peanut butter. I love peanut butter, but I guess I’ll have to leave it if I’m going to be able to carry the box.
Hey, look at that! I can lift the box now. I can get it to where it needs to be... my car!
And that’s the way life is, isn’t it? Sometimes God calls us to let go of things we don’t like and things we do like so we can get ourselves to where we need to be.
And where we need to be is standing with Jesus, right next to God.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, September 27, 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 the gospel text and the approach to life that is embedded in Jesus’ dramatic amputation imagery. While James counsels prayer as the all-purpose response to life’s vicissitudes, the subtext of Jesus’ remarks suggests mindfulness as a companion to prayer -- understanding what the stumbling blocks are in our lives that impede our faith, and then taking decisive action to clear them away. As Robin points out, what those stumbling blocks are may vary -- in many cases in our society, excessive materialism is the stumbling block... but it also could be hedonism, selfishness, or other forms of sinful behavior, or even poverty. But whatever our stumbling blocks are, Jesus tells us, failure to identify them and deal with them will lead to the direst of circumstances. And that, Robin tells us, should lead us to intentional living.
Late Night with God
by Chris Keating
James 5:13-20
He’s the newly-minted heir to David Letterman’s late-night throne, but in many ways Stephen Colbert seems more like a practical theologian than a practical joker. Casting aside his satirical alter-ego of a conservative political pundit, Colbert has kept his wit -- and his faith -- intact.
Colbert is quickly proving himself adept as America’s new late-night theologian. Not only has he felt comfortable poking fun at the Dalai Lama in a segment he called getting “up in your faith,” he explored questions of grief and faith with Vice President Joe Biden, and was recently interviewed by the Vatican’s media attaché.
The heartfelt Biden interview was particularly authentic, a far cry from typical late-night fare. The Catholic faith of both men was palpable and engaging, at times sounding like a homily drawn from this week’s reading from James. Colbert’s demeanor as host seems completely in sync with James’ admonitions: “Are any among you suffering? They should pray. Are any cheerful? They should sing songs of praise.... The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective.”
Critics point out that Colbert’s biggest challenge is not replacing Letterman or even outpacing his rivals Messrs. Fallon and Kimmel. His task is to replace himself, or at least the character he played on The Colbert Report, his previous show on Comedy Central. For now it seems Colbert is comfortable not trying to be another Letterman, and is instead showing that joy and faith can be mixed together.
So far, Colbert seems to be embodying James’ wisdom on holy speech. Stay tuned to see if he will continue emerging as America’s midnight pastor.
In the News
In the weeks leading up to his debut on CBS’s Late Show, the big question surrounding Colbert was simply “Who is Stephen Colbert?” or perhaps “Who will Colbert be?” After saying good-bye to the satirical, consistently blowhard, often self-righteous, and generally ignorant character Colbert played on The Colbert Report for nine years, audiences wondered just what sort of presence he’d bring to the massive Ed Sullivan Theater stage.
Stepping back into the limelight, Colbert demonstrated he is indeed a very different sort of late-night host. Comparisons between Colbert and other talk-show hosts don’t fare well -- he’s older than Jimmy Fallon, more intellectual than Jay Leno, not as silly as Conan O’Brien. Still -- as he showed during his opening night binge on Oreos and Donald Trump jokes -- he’s no Charlie Rose either.
In an August cover story for GQ magazine, writer Joel Lovell called Colbert a “public moral intellectual,” and then quizzed Colbert on how that aspect of his personality might emerge in the new show. Colbert responded:
I have a morality. I don’t know if it’s the best morality. And I do like thinking. If people perceive that as a moral intellectualism, that’s fine. That’s up to them to decide. A friend of mine once said, “If someone says you’re influencing them, then you’re influential. It’s not up for you to say. You can’t take that away from them.” But it’s entirely not my intention. This I promise you. Because that’s a short road to being a comedian in all seriousness: “As a comedian, in all seriousness, let me not entertain you.”
Colbert’s focus, it seems, is not simply to entertain but to form a bond with his audience. Relationship and community are at the heart of what he does. “The end product is jokes,” he told Lovell, “but you could easily say the end product is intention. Having intentionality at all times.... The process of process is process.”
For Colbert, the process is about discovering joy. A note he kept taped to his computer summarized this conviction: “Joy is the most infallible sign of the existence of God.” It is that sort of conviction that theologian Colbert brings to his work.
Lurking behind the mask of his comedy is the heart of a fool -- a fool for Christ. For Colbert, comedy is the medium that allows him to express his convictions about joy as the centerpiece of faith. He notes that what excites him about Pope Francis is the pope’s infectious sense of the joy faith offers. And while Colbert has never been shy about discussing his strong Catholic faith, the expanded platform of his new show offers him more opportunities to share joy, and to connect with the spiritual longings of his audience.
“That sense of connection between the performer and the audience is the entire intention,” Colbert said in a 45-minute interview with Father Thomas Rosica’s Witness television program. “What does anybody want? Not to be alone, and I think when a performer gets onstage and says the things that are in his mind, in his own particular way, [it is] to make a connection with an audience so he doesn’t feel so alone.”
Colbert, who sported a speckled graying beard in that interview, used the moment to explore theologically nuanced meditations on the eucharist, religious fanaticism, what questions he might ask Pope Francis, and how humor forms his faith.
“Faith ultimately can’t be argued, faith has to be felt,” Colbert told Rosica. “And hopefully you can still feel your faith fully and let your mind have a logical life of its own, and they do not defy each other but complement each other, because logic itself, I don’t think, for me, and you know -- Aquinas might say differently -- logic itself will not lead me to God. And so hopefully I can use my mind to make my jokes and not deny my love for God at the same time.”
His love for God is evident by the way Colbert understands his James-like obligation to care for the poor, or by the authenticity he employs in his more serious interviews. He speaks with wit but also with wisdom, and is aware that “from the same mouth come blessing and cursing” (James 3:10). “I’m no particular exemplar of my faith,” he has said. “I just happen to have affection for my church.”
Colbert demonstrated authenticity and faithfulness during an emotional interview with Vice President Joe Biden, the first interview Biden has given since the death of his son Beau. Like the vice president, Colbert has his own deep experience of grief -- his father and two of his brothers were killed in a plane crash when he was just ten years old. Colbert made sure the heartfelt conversation was more than just a friendly handshake and wave or a mere gab session. Instead, the two “brothers in grief” seemed to bond over their shared familiarity with tragedy.
Biden talked about how faith has been part of his journey through grief. Even the conversation about Biden potentially running for president was couched in terms of faithfully embracing grief. Colbert seized the moment to move from biting sarcasm to theological reflection, poignantly asking the vice president to be specific about how faith had guided him.
Though Biden said he felt a bit “self-conscious” describing his faith when so many others face similar challenges, his sharing revealed his experience of God’s compassion in the face of grief. It’s a perspective Colbert, based on his own experiences of tragedy, well understood.
The vice president relayed that his wife, Dr. Jill Biden, had taped a quote from Soren Kierkegaard to their bathroom mirror: “Faith sees best in the dark.”
“And for me,” he went on, “my religion is just an enormous sense of solace.... I go to Mass.... I say the rosary. I find it to be incredibly comforting.... It’s just a place you can go.” Then, though, he did seem to become self-conscious, he added, “I don’t want to come off like...”
“As pious,” Colbert interjected, finishing the thought. But, Biden said, “I’d feel like I was letting down Beau, I’d [be] letting down my parents, letting down my family... if I didn’t just get up.”
That’s an illustration, perhaps, of the sort of faith James admonishes his listeners to pursue when he observes that “the prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective.” But it is also an illustration of the sort of wisdom that a person of faith can create on late-night TV.
In the Scriptures
While Colbert’s late-night desk is certainly no pulpit in the proper sense, his faith is imbued in his comedy in the same way James’ theology is evident in his pithy nuggets of Christian wisdom. James draws his letter to a close with ethical admonitions about the nature of Christian community. James employs an intentional focus on creating community, which is remarkably similar to the way Colbert creates authenticity with his audience.
As chapter five begins, the community is admonished to be patient, avoid grumbling, and seek endurance (5:11). They are to avoid taking oaths (5:12), but are instead to be firm in their convictions and speech. From there, James moves to a series of pastoral exhortations that reveal a theological understanding of prayer. This is the vision of a confident, faith-filled community. It is a community that endures, and is resilient, because it is formed on the bedrock joy of faith -- a faith that is strong enough to bring back wayward sinners into community.
The power of prayer is embodied in the community’s ability to bring comfort and faith to those who are sick. Anointing (5:14) with oil recalls Jesus’ touching of the sick. Rather than an indictment against medicine, the prayer of the faithful is a poignant description of how the shares in the joy of faith. As Elizabeth Johnson notes:
This “prayer of faith” is faithful prayer, prayer that trusts God to answer the petition. Modern people sometimes look askance at such apparently naive confidence in so-called “faith healing.” That stems from a distinctly modern understanding of illness, though, one that presumes scientific analysis alone is able to assess a person’s state of health. James says that anointing, prayer, and the laying on of hands “will restore the weary” (my translation), which is substantially more than merely prescribing antibiotics can do.
(See Feasting on the Word: Preaching the Revised Common Lectionary [Year B, Vol. 4: Season after Pentecost 2, Propers 17--Reign of Christ])
James’ admonitions complete his book of theological wisdom, though the ending may seem a bit abrupt. It’s almost as if there’s a technical glitch of some sort -- an unintended network interruption or commercial break. C. Freeman Sleeper notes that it seems James has run out of steam at this point (James [Abingdon New Testament Commentaries], p. 143). Sleeper goes on to observe that what may actually be happening is that the author is once again hitting at issues which were of critical pastoral importance to the community. In other words, James ends his letter with the same sort of relational, moral, and theological intentionality that Stephen Colbert brings to his Late Show. These are words addressed to a community, urging it to live a faithful and joy-filled life.
In the Sermon
Faith sustains us in times of difficulty. James summons the Christian community to live with this sort of alertness and intentionality. He also calls the Christian community to authentic and practical acts of discipleship and worship: those who are sick should pray; the joyful should sing; the repentant should confess. The intentionality of a faith community is revealed much the same way a talk-show host creates rapport during an interview. At the heart of both experiences is a call to intentionality in relationships.
How can a sermon reflect a similar desire to intentionally cultivate community?
One direction a sermon might explore is just how “prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective.” Is it, as it was for both Biden and Colbert, a source of solace, even in the midst of devastating grief? Is it more than words printed on a card? How do we experience restoration to community through forgiveness and grace? Channeling our inner talk-show hosts, preachers might dare to ask our congregations just how prayer is powerful, effective, and comforting.
I suspect that, like Colbert’s comedy, the answer lies in the ability of prayer to lead us toward joy. I have witnessed this personally during a year of grief within my congregation. We have witnessed, in a way that is new to our church, the deaths of several vital and energetic members. Like the Bidens, we are discovering what it means to have faith that sees in the darkness.
But we have also learned something of the unique solace and power of prayer. As death drew near, the families have called upon the church to surround them with prayer. In some cases they gathered friends and family, asking the church to bring oil as a sign of anointing.
Were these individuals healed? Not in the way we had hoped. But as James reminds us, there is powerful hope generated by faith. The intentionality displayed in standing with those who face tragedy creates community, not unlike the intentionality needed to create a television audience. In grief, yet also in faith, we trust that “the Lord will raise them up.”
Colbert’s unique blending of faith and comedy infuses hope into his audience. There is silliness, but also sadness. All of it is deeply joyful, and it certainly resonates with many people who would otherwise never consider attending church. In ways that we are not accustomed to seeing expressed on late-night television, Colbert models an expectant, persevering, and deeply human faith. It’s worth considering whether or not his tenure on late-night television may also bring renewed joy and faith.
SECOND THOUGHTS
Intentional Living
by Robin Lostetter
Mark 9:38-50
Sever a limb? Tear out an eye? What is Jesus saying? Well, as is often the case, we can take these words to heart -- actually apply them to our own lives -- if we deal with them metaphorically. What is it in our own lives that keeps us from authentic living? What stifles that kernel of Christian discipleship within us, or risks snuffing it out in a nascent Christian we come in contact with?
In the earlier part of Mark 9, Jesus talks about “these little ones” in terms of a child, representing perhaps one of society’s most vulnerable marginalized ones. But as the chapter moves along, it seems he’s also talking about those whose faith is new, who are vulnerable to criticism or challenge, even the rogue healer John brings to Jesus’ attention. Might that person even be ourselves?
What stands in the way, causes our faith to stumble? Often that answer is linked in some way with materialism or over-programming. In today’s world we hear about fulfilling your bucket list... but what if focusing on that bucket list, or seeking to fund your retirement fantasies, is keeping you from living the opportunities available to you today? With our children, the focus may be on qualifying for scholarships rather than nurturing their faith formation. So in the free time that is not devoted to homework, these overbooked youth are prepping or traveling for weekend sports teams and never see the inside of a church schoolroom. Meanwhile, Mom and/or Dad are equally overbooked into what has been referred to as living on “the hamster wheel.”
In recent years, a popular response to these overbooked, over-cluttered, over-fantasied, un-realized lives has been “de-cluttering.” From Marie Kondo’s Japanese strategy, humorously described in a Huffington Post blog, to articles on mindful simplicity and decluttering as zen meditation, we read more and more about decluttering, purging, and downsizing, it seems. In some cases, it’s about getting a new start at the beginning of a new year. The quintessential expression of downsizing, however, is found in the Tiny Home movement. Some articles on Tiny Homes even combine building instructions with how-to steps for simplifying your life.
All of these things focus in one way or another on living mindfully, on living intentionally, and perhaps even coming closer to John the Baptist’s version of simplicity of living: “Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none” (Luke 3:11). The mindfulness and intentionality, in this case, have to do with spiritual values. And in fact, each one of these self-help guides talk about the why of our choices. Paige Burkes describes “Intentional Living” in this way:
Simple living involves much more than keeping our closets and drawers clean. It’s a way of thinking and being. It’s a way of life that we choose for reasons that are important to us.
Simple living means stripping our lives down to the essentials, our core values. Most people have never taken the time to identify their core values, much less reorganize their lives around them.
Normally, we live our lives doing what we think we’re supposed to do, buying the things we’re supposed to have in order to fit in with the groups with which we want to be identified. We’re following the herd without thinking about what we really want. And we wonder why we’re not happy.
Take a moment to look around your home, consider who you spend time with, how you spend your time, and how you spend your money. All of this reflects your values, whether you’ve thought about your values or not. Are these the values that you’re proud of or that you want to pass onto your children? If not, what needs to change?
In order to live a simpler life, we need to identify what isn’t supporting our values and let it go. Some things may be hassles that we can easily say goodbye to. Other things may feel like obligations that we have to maintain to make others happy.
Another article lays it out in plain language: “Clutter is a manifestation of either holding onto the past or a fear of what might happen in the future or it could be an unexamined thrifty nature that goes back generations.” Ouch. As one of those caught in empty-nest downsizing, that hits home for me.
First, there are the myriad items that remind us of people, events, and times that we have enjoyed or loved through the years. “All of this is a form of living in the past. I’m not saying we should forget about the past, but letting go of these objects (and they’re only objects, they’re not the events or loved ones themselves) is a way of releasing our longing for the past. I never forget the past, but it’s not a place in which I need to dwell. Living more in the present is freeing.” Take photos of them, share them with the person who gave you the gift; have a quilt made from the tees or the party dresses, snuggle under it with a good book.
Then there are the “just in case” items. You know, the melon-baller for the spectacular watermelon centerpiece you used to take to block-party picnics when they were in vogue. The aquarium in the basement, “just in case” the grandkids want exactly the same fish setup you or your kids had so long ago. Ain’t gonna happen. “[W]e have a ton of things we don’t really need or use -- just in case. We’re afraid of being unprepared for the future, but the truth is we can never be totally prepared. We can’t control the outcome of the future, and trying to do so means that we’re never really living in the present moment. We’re always preparing for what might (or might not) come.”
And last, but certainly not least, “Some of us have an inbred thrifty nature. Our parents or grandparents lived during the Depression and World War II, when every item was prized and almost nothing was thrown away. These are good traits when needed. When unnecessary, these actions can lead to clutter in our environment, which stymies the very freedom and comfort they were meant to protect. The good news is that we live in a time when items of clothing, packaging, and household use can be easily reused by others or recycled to make new items. Old jeans, even ripped and unwearable, can be made into sustainable shoes. Paper and cardboard can be recycled for use in new products. And all manner of home items will be prized by others and purchased in a thrift shop whose proceeds go to help the homeless and disabled. The thing to keep in mind is that we can let go of items too good to waste, with the assurance that they won’t BE wasted, if we take them, or send them, to the right place.”
Living without all that baggage may allow us to move forward into Kingdom living. You’ve now removed stumbling blocks, done some “amputations.” That second car was blocking you and you sold it? Good for you! Letting go of the disappointment of not affording the retirement plans you’d hoped for has allowed you to enjoy the sunshine, the neighbors, the gardens nearby? Good for you!
And now a word from our sponsor... all the above are, if truth be told, “first-world problems.” What are the stumbling blocks for those living in inner-city poverty? What are the stumbling blocks for those who have just lost their homes in the California fires? What are the stumbling blocks for the flood of Syrian refugees in Europe? You’ve stripped down your lifestyle. You’ve probably freed up some expendable income. You may have even given yourself some expendable time. You didn’t personally put stumbling blocks in front of the child in the ghetto or the newly homeless California family or the exhausted Syrian refugee. But take Jesus’ words a step further... what can you do to help remove that stumbling block? Are you near enough to help prepare meals? Do you have construction skills? Gardening skills? Can you open your wallet?
When we “strip our lives down to the essentials, our core values,” and those values mean following in the footsteps of Christ, we may find that we have been gifted and equipped -- and now freed -- to welcome his “little ones” and remove stumbling blocks... not only our own, but others’ too.
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Ron Love:
James 5:13-20
A recent study on how often individuals Google about God revealed that the top four questions entered into the popular internet search engine are: 1) Who created God? 2) Why does God allow suffering? 3) Why does God hate me? and 4) Why does God need so much praise?
Application: James speaks of being a supportive Christian community. The need for this is demonstrated by the questions people have about God.
*****
James 5:13-20
The analysis of Googling and God showed that for the question “Why did God make me_________?” the word most often used to fill in the blank (by far) was “ugly,” followed by “gay” and “black.”
Application: James speaks of being a supportive Christian community. The need for this is demonstrated by the questions people have about God and their self-image.
*****
Mark 9:38-50
In the last five years, Google searches about God have decreased 15% from the previous five-year period, while pornography searches have increased 83%. The top Google search including the word “God” is for the video game God of War. There are 4.7 million searches annually for Jesus Christ, while the pope receives 2.95 million searches... but there are 49 million searches for Kim Kardashian.
Application: Perhaps we ought to be more concerned about who is serving in the Lord’s name than about those who are not.
*****
Mark 9:38-50
In an op-ed piece for the Washington Post, David Niose, the legal director for the American Humanist Association, cited polls showing that one in four Americans and one-third of those aged 18 to 33 now claim no religious affiliation. Arguing that this demonstrates the nation is no longer predominantly Christian, Niose contends that churches should no longer have special status and that their tax-exempt status ought to be removed from the tax codes. He believes that churches should pay property taxes and pay taxes on income received.
Application: Jesus talked about bringing someone back who has lost his faith. The need for that call to evangelism is made abundantly apparent by Niose’s article, in which he maintains that the status of churches ought to be redefined because of a loss of membership.
*****
Mark 9:38-50
Fourteen years after it was destroyed when the south tower of the World Trade Center collapsed upon it on 9/11, construction has begun on a rebuilt St. Nicholas Church. The walls of the Orthodox church will be covered in thin slices of marble that appear as solid stone during the day -- but at night, backlit with LEDs, the entire church will glow. Archbishop Demetrios, the primate of the Greek Orthodox Church in America, said: “The purpose is to project something that will open a window to eternity.”
Application: In his instructions on discipleship, Jesus desires his followers to open the window of eternity to all individuals.
*****
James 5:13-20
Fourteen years after it was destroyed when the south tower of the World Trade Center collapsed upon it on 9/11, construction has begun on a rebuilt St. Nicholas Church. In the original building only 80 people could stand and worship -- but the new 4,000-sq. ft. building will seat 150. The new structure will not only be a church, but also a public bereavement center. Mark Arey, a spokesman for the archdiocese, said: “It will be open to everyone: the believer, the Orthodox Christian, the atheist. Whoever you are, this is a space that you can come into and find some meditative solace.”
Application: James discusses the importance of prayer.
*****
Esther 7:1-6, 9-10; 9:20-22
In Afghanistan villages where American troops have placed native leadership -- called Afghan Local Police (ALP) -- and even on U.S. military bases, warlords are raping young boys in particular, but also young girls. The practice is called bacha bazi, which literally means “boy play.” To have these young boys as sex slaves is considered a status symbol. When American soldiers have tried to stop the practice, they are informed that U.S. policy is that this is a cultural practice of Afghan leaders and should be ignored. Two special forces soldiers, one a captain and the other a sergeant, were dismissed from the service when they intervened on behalf of a boy who had been tied to a bed for an extended period of days. In his defense the sergeant said “that morally we could no longer stand by and allow our ALP to commit atrocities.”
Application: Esther has a strong message about judgment being pronounced on evil individuals.
*****
Esther 7:1-6, 9-10; 9:20-22
On his pilgrimage to Cuba, Pope Francis had the delicate task of speaking to the issue of human rights without causing such anger among government officials that the church is once again persecuted and closed. He achieves this balance by employing what has become called “pope code.” He refrains from direct criticism, yet the intent of his remarks is clearly understood. During Mass in Havana’s Revolutionary Square the pope showed his disapproval of communist suppression of human rights when he said, “Service is never ideological, for we do not serve ideas. We serve people.”
Application: Esther is a book that speaks of justice.
*****
Esther 7:1-6, 9-10; 9:20-22
Cuba is 60% Catholic -- but only 4% attend Mass. So on his recent trip there, Pope Francis tried to address both Catholics and secularists in his homilies. Ramon Trullo, 69, who is not a Christian, attended the Mass in Revolutionary Square in Havana. When asked why he attended, Trullo said: “His ideas are religious ones, but they are also ones that anyone in the world can identify with. Why shouldn’t we accept his words of justice and equality?”
Application: Esther is a book that speaks of justice and equality.
*****
Esther 7:1-6, 9-10; 9:20-22
North Carolina has just passed legislation to replace the statue of Charles Aycock in the U.S. Capitol with one of Billy Graham. Aycock was governor of the state from 1901-1905, and is best remembered for his white supremacist links. Though an individual must be dead before their statue can be placed in the Capitol, legislators want to start the sculpturing process now so the statue is ready when Graham, 96, is deceased.
Application: Esther speaks of making a distinction between a good man and an evil man.
***************
From team member Mary Austin:
James 5:13-20
Restoring Faith
“Are any among you suffering? They should pray,” the writer of James advises us. Prayer is a gift, but sometimes it’s prayer in action which restores our faith. Lisa Gastaldo writes that when her young son was in the hospital, her neighbors made the reality of prayer for others come to life in her home. With a child in the hospital, she and her husband were stretched to the breaking point. Friends cared for their other child and brought meals, but dirty clothes were piling up at home and there was no time or energy to clean.
Their child’s caregiver asked for a key to the house, and her husband, unsuspecting, handed it over. “Not realizing that I would be humiliated if anyone saw just how wretched a pigsty we were living in,” Gastaldo relates, “he handed it over readily. The moment he left, our group [of friends] commenced their latest escapade of kindness.”
Gastaldo adds: “Up to this point in this particular trial, I hadn’t really cried. To me, it was a luxury I couldn’t afford. Honestly, I was afraid if I started I would lose any ability to function. So, I corked my tears and kept going.... The moment I unlocked the door, I knew something was amiss. Instead of the dirt and mildew aroma that usually wafted a greeting, I was welcomed by the delicate scent of Pine-Sol. The disheveled cache of clothing was neatly sorted and folded. The soiled apparel that had overflowed every bedroom hamper was now Downy-fresh and stacked alongside. Everything sparkled -- including the toilets! Right in the middle of my kitchen table was a vase filled with fresh-cut flowers. I took one look at that arrangement, collapsed to the floor, and sobbed. That moment of release is forever tattooed in my memory. It is the point in time I cling to when I am overwhelmed; when I suppose I am alone.”
This was prayer come to life: “Without waiting for me to ask, my friends sensed what I needed and went into action. They saw through my desperate bravado. They cut through the grime and the grit of the situation. By cleaning my house, they wiped away part of the chaos and polished my sanity. I am forever and for all eternity grateful.”
*****
James 5:13-20
Healing
“Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church,” the letter of James advises. A hospital in California was built around that kind of unusual wisdom -- and one of its doctors, Victoria Sweet, has written a book about the hospital titled God’s Hotel. Her website says: “San Francisco’s Laguna Honda Hospital is the last almshouse in the country, a descendant of the Hôtel-Dieu (God’s Hotel) that cared for the sick in the Middle Ages. Ballet dancers and rock musicians, professors and thieves -- anyone who had fallen, or often leapt, onto hard times and needed extended medical care -- ended up there. Dr. Sweet ended up there herself, as a physician. And though she came for only a two-month stay, she remained for 20 years.” The hotel had an open floor plan, allowing patients to meet up through the day and to support each other in getting well. There were private rooms, but most people preferred to have company as they got better.
The hotel practiced a different kind of healing. Patients were allowed to come and go as they wished. Dr. Sweet says they practiced “slow medicine.” In an interview, Dr. Sweet said: “I couldn’t ‘provide’ health care if I tried. I don’t even know what that means. My role is to figure out if someone is sick and then how sick they are. In a way, that’s the main thing a doctor does -- if a doctor is really good at figuring out whether you are sick or not, that’s actually the most important thing! Because if you’re not sick then nothing much needs to be done. On the other hand, if you are sick, how sick? Are you acutely sick? How emergent is it? How fast do we have to be?... At Laguna Honda... I did have time. So I could see the patient, and then if I wasn’t sure how sick, how emergent, how acute the situation was, I could go back and see them again. That kind of repeated observation is amazingly efficient; it saves a lot of money.”
The hotel was able to focus on the person instead of the illness, and brought that wisdom to the care of the patients.
*****
James 5:13-20
Small Victories
In her book Small Victories, Anne Lamott tells about taking a walk with a dying friend. There is, she says, a peculiar kind of grace in being with people who are seriously ill: “The worst possible thing you can do when you’re down in the dumps, tweaking, vaporous with victimized self-righteousness, or bored, is to take a walk with dying friends. They will ruin everything for you. First of all, friends like this may not even think of themselves as dying, although they clearly are, according to recent scans and gentle doctors’ reports. But no, they see themselves as fully alive. They are living and doing as much as they can, as well as they can, for as long as they can. They ruin your multitasking high, the bath of agitation, rumination, and judgment you wallow in, without the decency to come out and just say anything. They bust you by being grateful for the day, while you are obsessed with how thin your lashes have become and how wide your bottom.”
Lamott tells in the book about hearing from another friend who was newly diagnosed with cancer. She listened for a long time, until her friend finally concluded: “I have what everyone wants. But no one would be willing to pay.”
“What do you have?” Lamott asked.
“The two most important things. I got forced into loving myself. And I’m not afraid of dying anymore.”
*****
Mark 9:38-50
Welcome
Jesus urges us to welcome people different from ourselves, people who may not be “one of us” -- and the people of Iceland are doing just that. The Huffington Post reports that when the government of Iceland said they would accept only 50 refugees from Syria, a campaign to do better attracted thousands of willing hosts: “In a Facebook campaign launched by Icelandic author Bryndis Bjorgvinsdottir, some 12,000 people -- 4% of the Icelandic population -- offered to welcome refugees into their homes.”
The article quotes Bjorgvinsdottir as saying: “Refugees are human resources, experience, and skills. Refugees are our future spouses, best friends, our next soul mate, the drummer in our children’s band, our next colleague, Miss Iceland 2022, the carpenter who finally fixes our bathroom, the chef in the cafeteria, the fireman, the hacker, and the television host. People who we’ll never be able to say to: ‘Your life is worth less than mine.’ ”
Residents of Iceland have offered all kinds of welcome, including “their services to cook for those in need, take children to school, donate clothing and kitchenware, and helping Syrian refugees to ‘adapt to Icelandic society.’ ” The campaign has forced the government to take another look at the country’s plan to welcome people.
*****
Mark 9:38-50
Daily Stumbling Blocks
Jesus urges us to not put stumbling blocks in each other’s way. For anyone trying to live a healthier life, the office candy jar is a place we can stumble every day. One frustrated office worker tells about her creative solution. As she says, “most of my co-workers kept jars of candy on their desks to enjoy and share with others. Constantly battling the ‘bulge,’ I hated these temptations, but nevertheless often gave in to them. I decided to put out a jar of my own ‘feel good’ stuff, with no calories.” She bought a jar, and spent the weekend decorating it and then “cutting up colorful strips of paper and writing down inspiring quotes. I filled up the jar with the inspiring quotes and placed it on my desk for people to help themselves to. It took a while to catch on, but soon everyone was stopping by my ‘food for thought’ jar daily to fill up on something much better than empty calories. They would take one out, read it, smile knowingly, and then fold it up and replace it for the next co-worker. It’s something that never needed to be replenished, unless I saw a new quote I liked and wanted to add.”
In the comments, one reader noted that “our office’s candy jar was maintained by my good friend who unexpectedly and suddenly passed away just before Christmas. We have been too devastated to replace it. I think your idea is perfect to soothe and heal our aching hearts. Thank you, more than you know!”
With some creativity, stumbling blocks can become stepping stones.
*****
Mark 9:38-50
Happiness -- Getting the Obstacles Out of the Way
Author Gretchen Rubin, who has written extensively about happiness, believes that being consistently happy has a lot to do with removing our own temptations. If we can remove our own individual stumbling blocks, greater peace of mind awaits us. Rubin says, “I became increasingly interested in the role that habits play in a happier, healthier, and more productive life. Also the question of how we can change our habits, because sometimes we can and sometimes we can’t.... There’s so much of a desire for a one-size-fits-all solution. Do it first thing in the morning. Start small. Do it for 30 days. Have a cheat day. But there is no magic, one-size-fits-all solution. What I found when I looked at is it that all of us have to think about what’s true for us. Even something as simple as ‘Are you a morning person or a night person?’ If you’re a night person, you’re not setting yourself up for success [to get] up early to go for a run. That’s probably not going to work for you. But often, people just decide what they think their habit should be, or they look at what Benjamin Franklin did, or what their brother-in-law did, and try to copy it.” Our stumbling blocks are more particular than we think.
Rubin adds that once we know ourselves, we can strategize about our own particular places of temptation: “One thing is the strategy of abstaining. Again, this is a strategy where you have to know yourself. Because it works really well for some people, like me, and doesn’t work at all for other people. Abstainers are people who do better when they give up something altogether. I can eat no Thin Mints or I can eat ten Thin Mints, but I can’t eat two Thin Mints. I’m an abstainer... resisting temptation altogether.... The moderators do better when they have something sometimes or they have a little bit. Often, if they know they can have something they don’t even want it. They do better when they do have a little bit that they allow themselves. This is true for food, but also for things like technology. If you can’t play a little Candy Crush, maybe you want to play no Candy Crush. But abstaining is a strategy that, when you know yourself, can be enormously powerful. But it may not work for you, so you really have to know what kind of person you are.”
(Read more about practical ways to deal with stumbling blocks here.)
WORSHIP RESOURCES
by George Reed
Call to Worship
Leader: Our help is in our God, who made heaven and earth.
People: Blessed be God, who has not given us as prey to our enemies.
Leader: If it had not been for God, who was on our side,
People: Then they would have swallowed us up alive.
Leader: We have escaped like a bird from the snare of the fowlers.
People: Our help is in our God, who made heaven and earth.
OR
Leader: Come and worship the God who is faithful.
People: We praise and rejoice in our covenant God.
Leader: Come and learn from the faithfulness of Christ.
People: May the Christ teach us how to truly be faithful.
Leader: Share God’s faithful love with all you meet.
People: As God’s people, we will live in faithfulness and love towards others.
Hymns and Sacred Songs
“All People That on Earth Do Dwell”
found in:
UMH: 75
H82: 377, 378
PH: 220, 221
NNBH: 36
NCH: 7
CH: 18
LBW: 245
ELA: 883
W&P: 661
AMEC: 73
STLT: 370
“O God, Our Help in Ages Past”
found in:
UMH: 117
H82: 680
AAHH: 170
NNBH: 46
NCH: 25
CH: 67
LBW: 320
ELA: 632
W&P: 84
AMEC: 61
STLT: 281
“My Faith Looks Up to Thee”
found in:
UMH: 452
H82: 691
PH: 383
AAHH: 456
NNBH: 273
CH: 576
LBW: 479
ELA: 759
W&P: 419
AMEC: 415
“ ’Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus”
found in:
UMH: 462
AAHH: 368
NNBH: 292
AMEC: 440
“I Will Trust in the Lord”
found in:
UMH: 464
AAHH: 391
NNBH: 285
NCH: 416
“Trust and Obey”
found in:
UMH: 467
AAHH: 380
NNBH: 322
CH: 556
W&P: 443
AMEC: 377
“Take Up Thy Cross”
found in:
UMH: 415
H82: 675
PH: 393
LBW: 398
ELA: 667
W&P: 351
AMEC: 294
“O Master, Let Me Walk with Thee”
found in:
UMH: 430
H82: 659, 660
PH: 357
NNBH: 445
NCH: 503
CH: 602
LBW: 492
ELA: 818
W&P: 589
AMEC: 299
“As the Deer”
found in:
CCB: 83
Renew: 9
“Great Is the Lord”
found in:
CCB: 65
Renew: 22
Music Resources Key:
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982 (The Episcopal Church)
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
AAHH: African-American Heritage Hymnal
NNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
LBW: Lutheran Book of Worship
ELA: 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 faithful and true: Grant us the grace to live out our faith in all that we do so that we can truly be called Children of God; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We praise you, O God, for your faithfulness. You are the true God who leads us into life. Help us not only to speak of our faith, but also to live out our faith in all that we do. Help us to truly be your children. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
Leader: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins, especially because it is so much easier to talk about our faith rather than to live it.
People: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We are quick to call ourselves people of faith and to even talk about what we believe. We are not so likely to be able to tell how we are living out our faith in the world. Faith for us has more to do with feeling safe and superior to the faithless around us. We forget that Jesus told us faith is a lot more than just calling him Lord. It has more to do with doing your will. Forgive us, and cleanse us of our self-centeredness. Fill us once again with your Spirit. Amen.
Leader: God desires us to know the wholeness that comes from living as we speak. Receive God’s love and forgiveness, and the power of the Spirit to live in faith each day.
Prayers of the People (and the Lord’s Prayer)
Praise and glory are yours, O God, for you are always faithful and true. You never fail to be other than who you are.
(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 are quick to call ourselves people of faith and to even talk about what we believe. We are not so likely to be able to tell how we are living out our faith in the world. Faith for us has more to do with feeling safe and superior to the faithless around us. We forget that Jesus told us faith is a lot more than just calling him Lord. It has more to do with doing your will. Forgive us, and cleanse us of our self-centeredness. Fill us once again with your Spirit.
We give you thanks for all the ways in which you have expressed your faithfulness to us. We are so thankful that your faithfulness exceeds our own. Thank you for the steadfastness of nature and the ways we can learn from its laws.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray to you for one another in our needs. We pray for those who suffer from the hands of faithless people who abuse them, rob them, and tell them they are unworthy. Help us to be your faithful people and to share your faithful love with others.
(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
Ask the children what they would think if you promised them something and then didn’t do it. What if you did this time after time? That would be very unfaithful. God is always faithful, and always keeps promises. God wants us to be faithful too. God wants us to not only talk about loving others, but to really be kind to others.
CHILDREN’S SERMON
How to Handle Life’s Problems
by Dean Feldmeyer
James 5:13-20; Mark 9:38-50
Are any among you suffering? They should pray. -- James 5:13a
If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life maimed than to have two hands and to go to hell in the unquenchable fire. -- Mark 9:43
(Note: I do not recommend reading the Mark verse verbatim to the children, as it scary and kind of gross. A paraphrase that does not include the lopping off of appendages will do nicely -- e.g., “If you have something valuable that causes you to stumble on your way to God, get rid of it. It is better to not have valuable things than to go through life without God.”)
This week’s gospel and epistle lessons give us two ways of handling the problems that life brings to us.
Items needed:
A medium-size corrugated cardboard box, filled with enough canned goods to make it almost too heavy to lift.
I have a problem.
I have to get this box of canned goods out to my car so I can take it home. But it’s too heavy for me to carry all that way. What are some things I could do to get it to my car?
Well, yes, I could ask someone who is stronger than me to carry it for me.
Or I could just drag it -- but I might damage the floor if I do that, and I don’t think the box is strong enough to stand up to that kind of punishment.
This morning’s lessons from the Bible give me two things to do whenever I have a problem. The first one, from the letter of James, says that I should pray.
Now, praying doesn’t mean that the box is going to suddenly disappear and reappear in my car. And it doesn’t mean that it’s just going to move itself. Maybe what praying will do is help me come up with a plan for getting it where I need to get it to.
And the gospel of Mark tells me that I need to be willing to let go of some things from time to time. So maybe that’s the key here. If I take some of the cans out of the box, I’ll be able to carry it.
So let’s see what’s in here that I can do without.
Okay, here’s cranberry sauce. I don’t like that. We can take that out. Eeewwwww... and here’s lima beans. I hate those. We can take them out.
Let’s see, what else do we have?
Well, shoot, I like everything else in here. But the box is still too heavy. I guess I’m going to have to give up something I love, like this peanut butter. I love peanut butter, but I guess I’ll have to leave it if I’m going to be able to carry the box.
Hey, look at that! I can lift the box now. I can get it to where it needs to be... my car!
And that’s the way life is, isn’t it? Sometimes God calls us to let go of things we don’t like and things we do like so we can get ourselves to where we need to be.
And where we need to be is standing with Jesus, right next to God.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, September 27, 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.
