Messengers
Children's sermon
Illustration
Preaching
Sermon
Worship
In the stories of Jonah proclaiming God’s judgment to the Ninevites and Jesus calling fishermen to be his disciples, the lectionary provides us this week with two stories of God sending a simple, pointed message -- and against what might seem to be common sense, the targets for those messages actually responding to them. After all, Nineveh was a big enough city that its residents likely did not have to worry about its security -- and yet the people “turned from their evil ways.” And the fishermen at the Sea of Galilee dropped their nets and followed Jesus into a highly uncertain future. In the next installment of The Immediate Word, team member Mary Austin notes that there are messengers in our time too -- and ponders not only whether we are listening for them but also whether we are willing and able to respond to them... especially if God is prodding us to go in unexpected and even uncomfortable directions. She also asks us to consider the possibility that messengers can inspire others to follow similar paths -- something particularly salient for us as Christians in the world.
Team member Dean Feldmeyer shares some additional thoughts on the epistle text and Paul’s rather acerbic comments about marriage. As it turns out, Dean concludes that it isn’t so much that Paul is against marriage as he is against anything that might distract us from our devotion to Christ and readiness for his second coming. Paul wants us to keep our eyes on the main goal -- being ready -- and anything that gets in the way, whether marriage or something else, needs to be critically examined. Our first priority should be Christ -- and if that relationship is in order, everything else will work out... a very timely lesson for us today.
Messengers
by Mary Austin
Mark 1:14-20; Jonah 3:1-5, 10
“Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” “I have a dream...” “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world.” By some mysterious chemistry, the right person at the right time with the right message can strike a lasting chord of inspiration with us. We hear the messenger and the message in a way that sparks our imaginations and moves us out of the routine of our ordinary days.
When he comes to the fishing boats of the Sea of Galilee, Jesus speaks in a way that inspires Simon and Andrew, James and John to leave the family business of fishing and begin a life they can’t even imagine. The people of Nineveh hear God’s voice through stubborn, cowardly Jonah and turn toward God in a way they haven’t thought about.
In her recent speech at the Golden Globe awards, Oprah Winfrey spoke with such assurance and authority that people immediately began talking about her as a possible presidential candidate. Though she is someone who is already recognizable to most Americans by just her first name, Oprah’s comments got people to see her and themselves in an unexpected way.
In the News
After her speech, people started talking about Oprah as a presidential contender in 2020. We are apparently deeply hungry for thoughtful, inspiring speeches that evoke a better future. Reactions included tweets like: “Um hi I passed out after the Oprah speech from the sheer glory of it and just came to. Is she the president now? JUST SAY YES I NEED THE ANSWER TO BE YES.” And “Oprah has been relevant my entire life. Still breaking and pushing through. This is excellence. Not just black excellence but Excellence. Period.” And “#Oprah speech was the “I Have a Dream” speech of or time #anewdayisonthehorizon will go down in the history books and this will be taught in schools all over the nation.” Even Ivanka Trump weighed in with praise.
Dahlia Lithwick wrote for Slate about a mixture of emotions after the speech. In it, she heard a call to action for ordinary people. People of faith might call it a modern-day echo of Jesus’ call to the disciples. The speech was “mesmerizing, pitch-perfect, and gave voice to many lifetimes of frustration and vindication with eloquence and a full authority she has earned. But I found the strange Facebook response of ‘Oprah 2020’ weirdly discordant and disorienting. Oprah’s speech -- in my hearing -- wasn’t about why she needs to run for office. It was about why the rest of us need to do so, immediately.” Like Jesus’ invitation to the disciples, it was about a call into serving others.
One speech coach notes some of the reasons Winfrey’s speech was so moving, including the use of repetition as she built toward an invitation for the listener to get involved. It’s not just about her own experience, although she drew upon that. “All this repetition builds to the final paragraph, where Winfrey leans heavy on a sunrise metaphor, asking that women maintain hope in a ‘brighter morning.’ This ‘new day is on the horizon’ and when it ‘finally dawns’ then ‘nobody ever has to say “Me too” again.’ Winfrey never asks listeners directly to have a ‘Me too’ moment. Nevertheless, the argument is clear. Using induction through examples and metaphors, Winfrey invites listeners to risk speaking their truth, even if they can’t see the impact of doing so.” She builds on speech patterns we understand, recalling that “It worked for JFK when he said, ‘Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.’ It worked for Malcolm X when he said, ‘We didn’t land on Plymouth Rock; the rock was landed on us.’ Classical stylistic devices work, and Winfrey used about 20 or so in her short speech.”
The speech touched our imaginations and our hearts in powerful ways. But we also understand the difference between a celebrity and someone who can et things done in Washington. Thomas Chatterton Williams wrote a New York Times opinion piece titled “Oprah, Don’t Do It.” He imagines the next president as a “deeply serious figure with a strong record of public service.” No matter how exciting a celebrity is, he says, we need someone with experience in governing.
In the Scriptures
Jesus and Jonah are unlikely messengers. You would think that Jesus, the son of a workman or a carpenter, would recruit people there, in the world he knows... not at the edge of the sea. Jonah is an enemy for the people of Nineveh. Both scriptures remind us of the way God speaks through unusual, unexpected people.
As messengers, both Jesus and Jonah have to deal with people most of us would rather avoid. Unlike the newly minted disciples of Jesus, Jonah doesn’t follow God’s instruction immediately. He runs in the other direction, and when he finally gets to Nineveh he gives God’s message reluctantly. He doesn’t believe the Ninevites are worth saving. The fishermen who follow Jesus will have similar experiences along the line, walking through Gentile territory and eating dinner with all the disreputable people who crowd around to eat with Jesus.
Jonah can’t even rejoice in the fact that the people of Nineveh repent, and God changes God’s mind about their fate. Still, God is tender with Jonah after his work is done, and sends a bush to give him shade... and then a worm to bring down the bush, to remind Jonah who is the source of good things. God chastises Jonah for caring more about the bush than the thousands of people in Nineveh, and the book ends with Jonah still mad. We don’t get to read about any amazing transformation in Jonah. Come to think of it, the disciples of Jesus remain mostly who they are during Jesus’ lifetime.
Both stories also leave out the thing we always want to know: Why? Why did the Ninevites listen to Jonah anyway? What did the fishermen see in Jesus that made them leave their nets right away, that every day? What makes us listen to a particular voice, and change our lives in response?
In the Sermon
The Rev. Dr. Craig Barnes has famously suggested that Nineveh is the place where we don’t want to go -- and for me, Nineveh is also the people we don’t want to deal with. Who are our own personal Ninevites? Who makes us want to run in the other direction? Liberals or Republicans? Drag queens or people in button-down shirts? People who love committees or free spirits? In our compartmentalized world, the sermon might look at where our Nineveh is.
Dahlia Lithwick notes in Slate that Oprah spoke at the Golden Globes about “the limits of top-down power. It is one of the great sins of this celebrity age that we continue to misread this message as a call to turn anyone who tries to deliver it into our savior. When someone tells you ‘I alone can fix it,’ you should run screaming for the emergency exits. When someone tells you to get off your ass and fix it yourself, you should think first about running for office yourself.” Even Jesus doesn’t work alone -- he calls people to walk with him, learn from him, and to use their own talents is his work. The sermon might look at how God is still calling us into this kind of shared work. Where does God call us now, because of our experience or in spite of it? How is God’s work shared among people? And who do we have to put up with, if we’re going to work together?
Lithwick also says that it’s easy to dismiss the inspirational part of Oprah’s speech, but there is power in seeing someone like us in a role we never imagined possible. Lithwick says, “for women who went to law school because they saw Sandra Day O’Connor on the high court (I was one) or Anita Hill before the Senate Judiciary Committee, this moment isn’t made of cheese. I will never in my life forget the lines of teenage Latina women snaked around the Senate to watch Sonia Sotomayor’s confirmation hearings. That was about more than just young people looking for a savior. We become what we see modeled and that is where #MeToo will intersect with 2018.” The sermon might look at where we, as followers of Jesus, are also examples to someone else. Where are we inspiring people, as we follow the inspiration of Jesus?
Whether we’re preaching about the messenger, or the message, or what happens after we listen, there’s plenty to inspire us in this week’s stories.
SECOND THOUGHTS
The More Things Change...
by Dean Feldmeyer
1 Corinthians 7:29-31
The living room was cozy warm, with a small fire burning in the gas fireplace. The smell of pot roast permeated the entire house. The Sunday New York Times was neatly arrayed upon the coffee table, and the NFL pregame show was playing lowly on the television.
Larry opened the small refrigerator at the end of the leather couch and handed me a Diet Pepsi, my beverage of choice. He had done his homework. He cracked open a Heineken for himself, and we sat on the couch and listened to the quiet.
Larry was the priest at the Roman Catholic church in town, and this was the Sunday of our annual pulpit exchange. The deacon from the Catholic church was preaching in my pulpit, and I had just preached the homily in the last mass of the day at Larry’s church. He had invited me to bring my family and be his guest for lunch, but Jean and I had decided that a 2-year-old and a 4-year-old might complicate things to an unacceptable level so I had come alone.
Now I was really enjoying the quiet and feeling a little guilty about doing so.
“Larry,” I said. “This is really, really nice.”
He lifted his beer in my direction, tilted it to make a toast, and said with a sigh, “Yeah, celibacy does have its moments.”
The apostle Paul would have agreed.
Paul on Marriage
The 1 Corinthians passage from today’s lectionary can be confusing, confounding, and down right infuriating if taken by itself out of the context of the entire letter. So let’s take a quick look at it in its setting, going all the way back to the beginning of the chapter.
Paul spent time in Corinth, creating a church and preaching to those new Christians there that Jesus was coming again and soon. Everything in their lives, he told them, should be turned toward and oriented around that one reality -- the second coming of Christ; in Greek, the parousia.
Everything they did, everything they intended, everything they thought or said should be directed to their relationship with God as God comes to us in Jesus Christ. Our one and only goal should be to grow closer to Jesus so we can grow closer to God.
Now some months have passed and Jesus has not yet returned, and people are facing the fact that life is going on and some issues have come up that need to be addressed, given the intersection of Paul’s promise of the imminent parousia and the demands of everyday life.
Paramount among these issues are those of sex and marriage.
Given his limited experience, Paul was probably not the best person to ask about this topic -- and that is evident in his answer. He seems awkward and maybe even a little embarrassed to have been put in this position, but he carries on with something like grim determination.
Basically, his answer boils down into these guidelines:
1) Our first priority is our relationship with Jesus Christ.
2) A spouse can be a complication and a distraction from this priority, so if you aren’t married, don’t get married.
3) Celibacy, however, is a gift that only a few are given. So even though the celibate state is the best possible state to be in, if you don’t have the gift, you might want to consider getting married because...
4) Sexual desire can also be a distraction. If that is the case with you, it’s okay to get married so you won’t be distracted by sexual desire. Oh, and husbands and wives should do their best to make sure their spouses are not distracted by sexual desire.
5) If you are married, stay married. Don’t get divorced just because your spouse might be a distraction. Make the best of the situation, even if your spouse is not a believer.
Now, with that advice in mind, we come to this reading starting at verse 29.
Given all that Paul has said above about sex and marriage, the parousia really is coming very, very soon -- so let’s remember that no matter what state of marriage or singleness you are currently in, your relationship with Jesus is still the main thing. Don’t let other things distract you from that.
Don’t let your spouse distract you from it. Don’t let the transient joy and sadness of life distract you. Don’t let your possessions or lack of possessions distract you. And don’t let business and making a living and going to school, or whatever it is that fills your days, distract you from it.
Your main thing is your relationship with Jesus Christ -- so make sure to keep the main thing the main thing.
The New Parousia
Paul also warns his readers that “the present form of this world is passing away.”
Paul doesn’t end with this obvious point, but our lectionary reading does. The saying is so true that it flirts with being trite. Paul said it 2,000 years ago, but he might just as well have said it yesterday.
It is as true today as it was then.
But Paul wasn’t talking about a spiritual, theological truth. He was talking about a very real concrete end of time, a radical redirection of the course of history that would set everything anyone knew or thought they knew spinning upon its head.
What we know today is that Paul was right -- but in the spiritual, theological sense and not in the literal one.
The parousia does not necessarily come at once and for all time. It is not a singular event but a recurring, existential, spiritual one. Jesus returns to us over and over and over again throughout our lifetimes.
Whenever two or more of us are gathered in his name, he returns to us.
When we do his will, he returns to us. When we feed the hungry, care for the sick, clothe the naked, free the prisoners, and take up The Way as our way, Jesus comes to us.
And when he does, everything changes. The present form, the old form of the world, slips away and we find ourselves in a new, immeasurable, unimaginable life.
We can also talk about how the present form of this world is always passing away. No minute ever repeats itself, no two experiences are ever quite the same. The only constant in life today is change. The changes are coming bigger and faster than we ever might have imagined. And they are coming from different directions all at once.
Think of how the social structure that we call “family” and our understanding of it has changed just in the past few years.
Writing for Psychology Today in 2011, Dr. Molly S. Castelloe said: “The last 50 years have seen a dramatic rise in divorce (the U.S. has the highest of any industrialized nation), cohabitation rather than marriage, ‘blended’ families of both gay and heterosexual design, and children born out of wedlock (more than half of all African-American children). This marks a shift away from the ideal of the companion marriage popularized in the early 1920s to self-aspiration, enhanced freedom, and egalitarian relationships.”
Technology changes so fast that none of us can keep up. The new smartphone is being introduced almost before I can get the current offering out of its wrapper.
Frederic Fernandez, senior manager at consumer goods firm A.T. Kearney, warns that “if everybody agrees that the digital revolution is changing the way we are doing business, very few leaders today understand fully the scale of this change.... The consumer and retail industry will change more over the next 20 years than over the last 200 years.” He adds: “We have never lived in such exciting times.”
As social change, technological change, political change, and all of the other kinds of change are threatening to overwhelm us, Paul’s advice still holds true.
“Keep the main thing the main thing.”
It is not our college degree or our IT savvy, our embrace of hipster culture or rejection of it, our ability to purchase and conquer the latest smartphone, or our insistence upon never venturing from our flipphone that will make our lives authentic and worthwhile.
That, Paul says, will come from our relationship with God as God comes to us in Jesus Christ. If we remember that that relationship is our first priority, then we will live in a state of grace no matter what the world does around us.
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Ron Love:
(These illustrations are based on major themes in this week’s lectionary readings.)
Discipleship
On December 26, 1948, Hungarian officials arrested Cardinal Josef Mindszenty, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church in Hungary. The motivation for the arrest was political, as Mindszenty was an outspoken critic of communism after the Soviets took control of his country following World War II. After eight years in prison, Mindszenty was freed in the Hungarian revolution of 1956 and granted political asylum by the United States embassy in Budapest, where Mindszenty lived for the next 15 years. On February 3, 1949, Cardinal Mindzenty’s show trial began. Showing visible signs of having been tortured, the cardinal walked into the court and confessed to all charges. Upon his arrest in December 1948, Mindszenty quickly wrote a note to his mother. In the note Mindszenty said that he took no part in any conspiracy, but if a confession should emerge with an authenticated signature as a result of torture, he wrote these last words: “bear in mind that it will have been the result of human frailty. In advance, I declare all such actions will be null and void.”
Application: We read that Simon and his brother Andrew, and James and his brother John were called to be disciples of Jesus. We also know that these men suffered terribly in their service to Jesus after his death. As leaders of the Christian movement in the first century they were persecuted. We must realize that being a disciple of Jesus is a serious calling. But in our human frailty, we will at times stumble in our witness. Jonah, as we know, disavowed God when Nineveh repented.
*****
Revelation / Discipleship
Demos Shakarian was an evangelist in the Pentecostal tradition. He became concerned when his tent revivals were mostly attended by women. For this reason, he established the Full Gospel Businessmen’s Fellowship International (FGBMFI). But the FGBMFI had a slow start, with few men participating. Shakarian was considering abandoning the FGBMFI when on Christmas Day, 1952 he had a vision. In that vision he saw dead men in chains coming to life. This vision encouraged Shakarian to renew his efforts for FGBMFI. The international movement has now grown into more than a thousand chapters worldwide.
Application: Jonah heard the voice of the Lord calling him to become a missionary and evangelist a second time. Let us be sure that we respond to the Lord the first time we are called. Let us be sure that upon our calling into discipleship, we don’t deny the Lord as Jonah eventually did.
*****
Faith
Fyodor Dostoevsky, the great Russian novelist, was arrested in 1849. He was accused of reading books that were banned by the Russian government. At his trial Dostoevsky admitted to reading these forbidden writings for literary enlightenment. After his trial, and after his death sentence was stayed, he was sent to a slave labor camp in Omsk, Siberia. On his journey to Omsk, a woman came up to him and thrust a New Testament into his hands. While in prison, enduring his hands and feet being shackled as well as hunger, cold, and health problems, the only book that he was allowed to read was the New Testament. The Bible gave him hope and influenced his writings when he was eventually released in 1854. In January 1854 Dostoevsky wrote a letter to the woman who gave him the New Testament. In that letter, Dostoyevsky wrote that “even if someone were to prove to me that the truth lay outside Christ, I should choose to remain with Christ rather than with the truth.”
Application: It can be difficult at times to continue our faith in God. But as the psalmist wrote, we are to “trust in him at all times.” And as Paul wrote, we should only seek the Lord and not the “dealings” of this earthly world.
*****
Discipleship
Toyohiko Kagawa was a Japanese Christian reformer, pacifist, and labor activist. Kagawa wrote, spoke, and worked at length on ways to employ Christian principles for the just ordering of society. Kagawa established schools, hospitals, and churches, and was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1954 and 1955. On Christmas Day in 1909, Kagawa crossed the Higurashi Bridge in Tokyo to serve in the slums of Shinkawa. Upon that mission Kagawa was fulfilling his pledge that actions must dominate what it means to be a Christian. Kagawa said, “Theology is but an appendix to love, and an unreliable appendix.”
Application: Many Christians are concerned about being evangelists, missionaries, or disciples for fear they cannot answer difficult biblical questions. We know from the scriptures that Simon, Andrew, James, and John continued following Jesus even as they continually asked questions for a better understanding of what it means when Jesus said “follow me.”
*****
Faith / Discipleship
Frances Havergal was an English religious poet, hymnwriter, and Christian singer. One of her best-known hymns is “Take My Life and Let It Be.” Havergal also wrote hymn melodies, religious tracts, and works for children. Frances’ father was an Anglican priest in Worcestershire. Although she lived as a faithful disciple, Havergal had many doubts and questions regarding her beliefs. Then, on December 2, 1873, six years before her death, she discovered the importance of complete and total surrender to Jesus. She said the revelation of complete surrender came to her “as a flash of electric light.”
Application: When we hear the words “follow me,” it does require a complete and total surrender.
*****
Discipleship
Thomas Wolsey was a cardinal in the Roman Catholic Church. When Henry VIII became king of England in 1509, Wolsey was appointed lord chancellor (the king’s chief adviser). After failing to negotiate an annulment of Henry’s marriage to Catherine of Aragon, Wolsey fell out of favor and was stripped of his government titles. He retreated to York to fulfill his ecclesiastical duties as Archbishop of York, a position he nominally held but had neglected during his years in government. Wolsey was recalled to London to answer charges of treason, but died of natural causes on his journey to the city. On his deathbed in November 1530, Wolsey said: “If I had served God as diligently as I have done the king, [God] would not have given me over to my grey hairs.”
Application: When we answer the call to follow Jesus, there is only one king, the King of kings, whom we will serve.
*****
Discipleship
On November 21, 1899, President William McKinley told the five clergymen visiting him that he did not want to annex the Philippines after the Spanish-American War. But once the Philippines came to be a colony of the United States, McKinley said that he got down on his knees and prayed to Almighty God for guidance as to what to do with the Filipinos. The 25th president of the United States said that from that prayer he came to the understanding “that there was nothing left for us to do but take them all in, and to educate the Filipinos, and uplift and civilize and Christianize them, and by God’s grace do the very best we could by them, as our fellow men for whom Christ has died.”
Application: Today we have come to realize that the colonial idea of changing the culture of a country is misguided. But nonetheless, McKinley’s intent must be respected and understood. President McKinley only wanted the best for a people forced upon him. In our calling to serve the Lord, we should only want the best for other people. This comes if we follow the teaching of Paul that our focus is always on the heavenly world and not the earthly world.
*****
Discipleship
Francis Crosby, better known as Fanny Crosby, wrote more than 8,000 hymns and gospel songs. Some of her better-known hymns are “Blessed Assurance,” “Jesus Is Mine,” “Pass Me Not, O Gentle Savior,” “Jesus Is Tenderly Calling You Home,” “Praise Him, Praise Him,” “Rescue the Perishing,” and “To God Be the Glory.” Crosby is known as the “Queen of Gospel Songwriters.” Some publishers in her day were hesitant to have so many hymns by one person in their hymnals, so Crosby used nearly 200 different pseudonyms during her career. But today she is recognized in our hymnbooks for all of her compositions. Fanny Crosby became a Christian following a disconcerting dream in which a dying friend made her promise to meet him in heaven. Yet she still remained uncertain regarding her faith and salvation. Then on November 20, 1850, while attending a Methodist revival service, she leaped up shouting “Hallelujah!” At the age of 30, assured of her salvation, she embarked on her journey of writing hymns and gospel songs.
Application: We need to seek security in our faith, freeing us to serve the Lord. We know from the scriptures that Simon, Andrew, James, and John continued following Jesus even as they continually asked questions for a better understanding of what it means when Jesus said “follow me.” Yet despite their questions, they believed enough and were secure enough to lead the first-century church.
*****
Discipleship
Francis Crosby, better known as Fanny Crosby, was born on March 24, 1820. She wrote more than 8,000 hymns and gospel songs, including such well-known ones as “Blessed Assurance,” “Jesus Is Mine,” “Pass Me Not, O Gentle Savior,” “Jesus Is Tenderly Calling You Home,” “Praise Him, Praise Him,” “Rescue the Perishing,” and “To God Be the Glory.” At six weeks old, Crosby caught a cold and developed inflammation of the eyes, causing her to become blind. Later in life she accepted blindness as a gift from God, saying: “I might not have sung hymns to the praise of God if I had been distracted by the beautiful and interesting things about me.” She also said that “when I get to heaven, the first face that shall ever gladden my sight will be that of my Savior.”
Application: If we faithfully serve the Lord today, then one day we will be gladdened to see the face of our Savior.
*****
Discipleship
Amanda Berry Smith was born on January 23, 1837, one of 13 children of slaves in Long Green, Maryland, Her father was a respected man who was placed in charge of the farm. After his duties for the day were done, the widow who owned the slaves allowed him to go out and earn extra money for himself and his family. Many nights he would go without sleeping because he was busy making brooms and husk mats for the Baltimore market to make extra cash. From these efforts he was able to purchase his family’s freedom. The family then relocated to Pennsylvania. Amanda’s parents saw to it that their children learned to read and write. As an adult, Amanda’s first marriage ended with the disappearance of her husband in the Civil War. In 1863 she married James Smith, and eventually moved with him to New York City. Soon afterwards James died. By the time she was 32, Amanda had lost two husbands and four of her five children. In New York, Amanda involved herself in the African Methodist Episcopal Church. An experience of sanctification on November 20, 1870 led to her first tentative attempts at preaching. While attending a revival service she had a vison in which God told her to “go preach.” Smith's achievement in preaching before a white audience at a religious camp meeting led her to commit herself entirely to evangelism. This also led Amanda to do missionary work in India and Africa. After moving to Chicago, the income she received from preaching and writing her autobiography, along with donations from friends, allowed Amanda to open her home for African-American orphans in Harvey, Illinois, in 1899.
Application: As we see from the life of Jonah, the calling of the disciples, and the apostle Paul’s writings, we are called to give our testimony for Jesus. We too must have the vision that calls us to “go preach.”
*****
Discipleship
Billy Sunday was a professional baseball player from 1883 to 1891 for teams in Chicago, Pittsburgh, and Philadelphia. He was converted through the street preaching of Harry Monroe of the Pacific Garden Mission in Chicago. Sunday left a $5,000 per year salary as a baseball player for a $75 yearly salary as a YMCA evangelist. He was an evangelist from 1893 to 1935. Sunday was known for his theatrical preaching filled with baseball imagery. He would wind up like a pitcher and slam a fist into his other hand as he threw a “fastball at the devil.” To demonstrate a sinner coming home for salvation, he would slide headfirst on the floor, groping with his hand for home plate. Going forward and clasping Billy’s hand at the end of the service was known as “hitting the sawdust trail,” as most tabernacle floors were covered with sawdust. It is estimated that during his ministry several hundred thousand people walked “the sawdust trail.”
Application: Like those biblical figures we read about in this week’s lectionary readings, we are to call individuals to walk “the sawdust trail.”
*****
Discipleship
Thomas Alva Edison was never defeated by failure. After 50,000 unsuccessful attempts at developing the nickel-iron-alkaline battery, a friend asked the esteemed inventor if he were disillusioned. Edison replied, “Not at all, for I have learned 50,000 ways it cannot be done and therefore I am 50,000 times nearer the final successful experiment.” Eventually the battery was developed. Edison was a genius, and a large part of his genius was knowing that he would never yield to disappointment.
Application: Evangelism, ministry, and church leadership were not easy for Simon, Andrew, James, and John, yet they continued. We must also share in their perseverance.
*****
Discipleship
The Shroud of Turin comes most readily to mind as an example of people trying to present physical proof that Jesus walked the roads of Israel. Many believe that the Shroud of Turin is the burial cloth of Jesus. The shroud has impressed upon it, like a photographic negative, the image of a man. The description and position of the man with a beard and apparent crown of thorns could lead one to believe that it is Jesus’ burial cloth. And many believe that this image was impressed upon the cloth when Jesus was resurrected. Many believe in the authenticity of this being the burial cloth of Jesus, even though carbon dating places the cloth between 1260 and 1390. The Roman Catholic Church has neither denied nor affirmed its authenticity, but the church has designated it as an icon.
In the movie Risen, the Roman military tribune Clavius, a dedicated army officer with 25 years of active service that exposed him to many battles, is ordered by Pontius Pilate to disprove the rumors that Jesus is the Jewish messiah who had risen from the grave. In the course of the movie Clavius becomes a Christian and gives up his position in the army. But in one telling scene, Clavius, in his confusion to learn the truth, is seen kneeling in the empty tomb holding the burial cloth of Jesus, which of course is an exact replica of the Shroud of Turin. So to an unsuspecting public, and to appease the evangelicals in the audience, Hollywood perpetuates a myth.
Application: Paul was adamant about preaching the unvarnished truth of the gospel. Paul considered the end times to be so near that men should not marry, allowing them to be totally dedicated to the gospel message as Paul was. We do not need to share myths about Jesus, but only our personal testimony of what Jesus means.
*****
Faith
Rev. Edward Garbett was a pastor in the Church of England. He wrote a book of devotions titled The Family Prayer Book, or Morning and Evening Prayers for Every Day in the Year that was published in 1864. In his devotional book Garbett compiled spiritual sayings from 200 religious leaders over the centuries and then reflected upon them. He arranged his meditations following the full cycle of the Christian year. On Week Fifteen, Thursday Evening, he opened with a quote from the famous 16th-century Carmelite nun St. Teresa of Avila when she wrote: “Prayer is the only channel through which God’s great graces and favors may flow into the soul.” Reflecting on this, Garbett began his meditation with these words: “Gracious Father, we earnestly implore the gift of the Spirit, that he may dwell in our hearts, and incline us to think and do such things as please thee. Take from us all ignorance and hardness of heart and enable us to receive with meekness thy Word.”
Application: The psalmist wrote, “For God alone my soul waits in silence.” Our focus must be on God, and on God alone.
*****
Discipleship
The candidates were tied -- both Republican David Yancey and Democrat Shelly Simons each received 11,586 votes to serve in the Virginia House of Delegates. The initial recount gave Simons a one-vote lead. Then the issue went to court over a disputed ballot. The court ruled that a ballot that had bubbles filled in for each candidate but a line drawn through the mark for Simons was a vote for Yancey -- so the tie remained. The election would be determined by drawing a name out of a bowl. The candidates’ names were written on several pieces of paper that were then put into old film cartridges. The canisters were placed in a bowl, and Yancey’s name was drawn. Clara Belle Wheeler, a member of the state election board who stirred the bowl before a name was drawn, said before the drawing: “Voting is a very serious thing.” Simons, on losing the election, said: “You know it was a long hard election season, and it does seem like a sad end to the story to have it end on a game of chance.”
Application: There were 23,000 votes cast, and many people who stayed home probably thought their vote was not important. We must realize that each of us are important to the ministry of the church.
*****
Discipleship
England’s National Health Service is based on a socialized medicine model. Because of the flu outbreak, cold weather, and a high level of respiratory illness, the country’s hospitals have recently been overwhelmed with the number of patients. Patients waited up to 12 hours in emergency rooms before being seen by a physician. Some patients had to wait an hour in the back of an ambulance before being taken into the hospital. On Wednesday, January 3, Prime Minister Theresa May said that there was not a crisis in the health care system. After she received a great deal of criticism, she apologized the next day. May said, “I know it’s difficult, I know it’s frustrating, I know it’s disappointing for people, and I apologize.”
Application: Discipleship calls us to be sensitive to the needs of others.
*****
Reverence
Charles Manson died in prison on November 19, yet his personal belongings are still being held by the state of California. This is because of the three lawsuits regarding who claims ownership. Manson, unfortunately, has become a cult hero as the leader of the Tate-LaBianca murders in August 1969. While in prison his art, his music, and even locks of his hair could be sold for a significant sum. Now with his death, the value of these items has only increased. Andy Kahan, a victim advocate in Houston, said this is “capitalism at its worst.” Kahan went on to say that “Manson is still the king of murderabilia.”
Application: The psalmist directs us as to what to hold in reverence and what not to.
*****
Truth
Iran has been besieged by public protests. On January 4 the government issued several statements accusing foreign powers of instigating and empowering the protests. The government also blamed internal enemies. They accused the former president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a radical hardliner, of trying to overthrow the current president, Hassan Rouhani, who is more moderate. Nader Karimi Joni is a reformist journalist in the country. He said of the accusations between the two presidents: “They all blame each other. What else can they do?”
Application: A repeating theme in our readings is the need to seek and know the truth. We do not find the truth by blaming and arguing with each other.
*****
Discipleship
It is the practice in European countries to celebrate the first baby born in the new year -- it is front page news, including several pictures. In Vienna, the capital of Austria, Asel was born 47 minutes into 2018. Yet within hours the internet was filled with racist and hate messages, because her mother was shown wearing a pink head scarf because she is Muslim. Klaus Schwertner, the secretary general for the Roman Catholic charity Caritas, denounced such racist and hate messages. He wrote on Facebook: “In the first hours after her birth, this sweet girl was already the target of an unbelievable wave of violent, hateful online commentary.” Schwertner sought to turn the sentiment around, calling for his followers to show an outpouring of online support. By the next day 17,000 people posted congratulatory and loving messages.
Application: Discipleship calls us to take a stand for justice.
*****
Reverence
The Boy Scouts have once again become the center of controversy. After making headline news when they allowed homosexuals to join, then when they allowed homosexual scout leaders, then when they allowed girls to become members, the Boy Scouts are once again making headline news by not allowing atheists to become members. You have to believe in God, whether it be the Christian God, the Muslim god, the Buddhist god, or the Jewish God to be a scout. A part of the scout law reads: “A Scout is reverent toward God. He is faithful in his religious duties. He respects the beliefs of others.” Brian Nastase, a scout executive, said: “That was the cornerstone to growing developmentally as youth do, that they need to have a belief in a higher power.” Some say the exclusion of atheists boils down to a very simple question: whether you can be good without God.
Application: It may not be our place to enter into the controversy regarding Boy Scout membership, but if we take evangelism seriously people are better people with God.
WORSHIP RESOURCES
by George Reed
Call to Worship
Leader: For God alone our souls wait in silence.
People: In God alone is our hope.
Leader: God alone is our rock and our salvation, our fortress.
People: We shall not be shaken forever and ever.
Leader: On God rests our deliverance and our honor.
People: God is our mighty rock, and our refuge is in God.
OR
Leader: Hear the voice of God in the midst of our worship!
People: We have come to listen for God’s word for us today.
Leader: Listen for God’s word to us in the bustle of the world.
People: We will attend to God in the hurry of our lives.
Leader: Hear the call of God in the midst of the world’s needs.
People: We will look for the Christ in the hurts of others.
Hymns and Sacred Songs
“Open My Eyes, That I May See”
found in:
UMH: 454
PH: 324
NNBH: 218
CH: 586
W&P: 480
AMEC: 285
“God of Many Names”
found in:
UMH: 105
CH: 13
W&P: 58
STLT: 198
“Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah”
found in:
UMH: 127
H82: 690
PH: 281
AAHH: 138, 139, 140
NNBH: 232
NCH: 18, 19
CH: 622
LBW: 343
ELA: 618
W&P: 501
AMEC: 52, 53, 65
“Alleluia, Alleluia”
found in:
UMH: 162
H82: 178
PH: 106
CH: 40
W&P: 291
Renew: 271
“I Love to Tell the Story”
found in:
UMH: 156
AAHH: 513
NNBH: 424
NCH: 522
CH: 480
LBW: 390
ELA: 661
W&P: 560
AMEC: 217
“We Meet You, O Christ”
found in:
UMH: 257
PH: 311
CH: 183
W&P: 616
“Seek Ye First”
found in:
UMH: 405
H82: 711
PH: 333
CH: 354
W&P: 349
CCB: 76
“Where Cross the Crowded Ways of Life”
found in:
UMH: 427
H82: 609
PH: 408
NCH: 543
CH: 665
LBW: 429
ELA: 719
W&P: 591
AMEC: 561
“Open Our Eyes, Lord”
found in:
CCB: 77
Renew: 91
“Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus”
found in:
CCB: 55
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 comes to bring us life in the midst of death: Grant us the grace to discern your voice and your message even when they come to us from unexpected sources; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We praise you, O God, for you come to and offer us life that defeats all death. Speak to us once more so that we may learn to hear your voice and your message as it comes to us in many different ways. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
Leader: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins, especially our failure to listen for God’s voice.
People: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We are so busy talking and listening to others that we forget to listen for the voice of God in our midst. When we read scripture, we are more apt to be looking for confirmation of our ideas than we are to hear what God has to say. When we sit in church and listen to the readings, we are more likely to be criticizing the reader’s style of presentation than we are to be expecting a word from God. Open our ears and our hearts, that we may hear the words of life you speak to us and the words of grace you would have us speak to others. Amen.
Leader: Hear this word from God: “Your sins are forgiven you.” Live into that reality and know God’s love and grace.
Prayers of the People (and the Lord’s Prayer)
We praise you, O God, for you never leave us alone. You are the Life of all life, and you give yourself to us.
(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 so busy talking and listening to others that we forget to listen for the voice of God in our midst. When we read scripture, we are more apt to be looking for confirmation of our ideas than we are to hear what God has to say. When we sit in church and listen to the readings, we are more likely to be criticizing the reader’s style of presentation than we are to be expecting a word from God. Open our ears and our hearts, that we may hear the words of life you speak to us and the words of grace you would have us speak to others.
We thank you for all the ways in which you have blessed us and gifted us. You have given us the scriptures, where we can learn how others have listened to and followed you. You have given us the Church, where we can listen for you together. Most of all you have given us the Christ, who speaks to us your words of love and grace.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for one another. We are aware of many needs in our world and in our communities. We pray for those who are ill, dying, or grieving. We pray for those who struggle in this life without the needed things to be fed or kept warm. We pray for those who are unable to hear your voice because of the difficulties they face. We pray for ourselves, that we may hear you and share your words 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
Play a sit-down version of “Follow the Leader” with the children. Ask them to do what you ask them to do. Say things like “touch your right ear,” “touch your left knee,” “stand up,” “sit down,” and do the actions as you say them. Occasionally do something different than you say -- for instance, say “touch your forehead” but touch your nose instead. Talk about the need to listen to play this game. It is also important to listen in life. We listen to our parents and teachers, for example. We also listen to God. God speaks to us in many ways. In church we listen to hear God speak in the hymns and scriptures and sermons. Let’s all listen for God to speak to us today.
CHILDREN’S SERMON
Fish Tales
by Chris Keating
Jonah 3:1-5, 10; Mark 1:14-20
Here are some suggested items you can use to bring this scripture conversation to life:
* a tackle box (or something similar)
* a fishing net (often sold in craft stores)
* clothespins (for pinning on the net)
* pieces of paper with suggested “Be Kind” activities either written or illustrated
(If finding a fishing net provides difficult, you could easily draw a fishing net on a piece of poster paper and use post-it notes for the “Be Kind” activities.)
God calls Jonah to go to Nineveh, that great big city teeming with people -- and apparently all kinds of sin. Sounds simple. All Jonah needs to do is head over to the big city and tell them that God has had enough of their antics.
Of course, as we all know, Jonah decides to pick option “B” and books passage for a cruise to Tarshish instead. The rest of the story, slimy fish puke and all, is well known. Perhaps less known is this week’s passage, which could be combined with Mark’s fish tale for a wonderful lesson on what it means to listen to God.
God’s urgency dominates both the Old and New Testament lesson. God is passionate about reaching out to the crazy Ninevites, even though Jonah could care less. Likewise, Jesus’ invitation to Simon and Andrew is so compelling that they stop what they’re doing, leave their father behind, and sign up immediately to start fishing for people.
As the children gather, point out the tackle box you have brought. Tell them you’d like to share a couple of fish stories with them. One story is about Jonah, a guy who was asked by God to go and tell others about God’s love. Jonah thought he had a better idea, and many of the children may know how that ended up. He got swallowed by a fish! Yuck! And then after three days the fish puked him up on the beach. Double yuck! But even then Jonah wasn’t too excited about sharing God’s good news.
The other story is not so gross. It’s a story about two men who were out working with their father. They were fishermen. People ate the fish they caught. It was an important job, but suddenly Jesus comes along and tells them that if they would follow him, soon they would be “fishing for people!”
Take a moment and wonder about that with the children. Does “fishing for people” mean that they would be using a hook and a line to “reel” people into church? Is that what God wants us to do?
If we listen to both stories, it appears that what is most important is sharing God’s love. For Jonah, this meant going to Nineveh. For Simon and Andrew, this meant following Jesus. Today, we can follow Jesus and become fishers of people by sharing the good news that God loves all people. That’s one part of “fishing for people.”
We could try throwing fishing hooks at people, but that would be dangerous and would hurt people. It certainly wouldn’t encourage people to come back. But maybe Jonah’s experience of going and telling about God’s love and kindness could be an example. Maybe that is what Jesus intended for Simon and Andrew, and maybe that is what God wants us to do today.
Open the tackle box and show the children the pieces of paper. Ahead of time, write down various ways of showing kindness -- opening a door for someone, smiling at the store, being kind to someone, sharing things, collecting food for the hungry. There are many websites that offer illustrations of random acts of kindness. As you take each piece of paper out of the box, invite a child to clip it to the fishing net or place it on the poster.
Each of these is a way we share the good news that God loves every person. It’s important that we find ways to share this love every day.
As a side note, this past week (January 15-19, 2018) was No Name-Calling Week, a week of learning about bullying, harassment, and acceptance of others. Unfortunately, Jonah didn’t have the chance to learn about that in school. While he knew about God’s love, he apparently had decided that God’s love was for some, but not all. Even his little retreat in the belly of the fish didn’t help. He was simply not willing to share God’s love.
Sometimes, sharing God’s love can sound like a pretty hard thing to do. Point out the many ways we can show kindness and offer God’s love. Close with a prayer that every day God would help us to be kind and share the story of God’s love. Pretty soon, we’ll be fishing for people!
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, January 21, 2018, issue.
Copyright 2018 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 Dean Feldmeyer shares some additional thoughts on the epistle text and Paul’s rather acerbic comments about marriage. As it turns out, Dean concludes that it isn’t so much that Paul is against marriage as he is against anything that might distract us from our devotion to Christ and readiness for his second coming. Paul wants us to keep our eyes on the main goal -- being ready -- and anything that gets in the way, whether marriage or something else, needs to be critically examined. Our first priority should be Christ -- and if that relationship is in order, everything else will work out... a very timely lesson for us today.
Messengers
by Mary Austin
Mark 1:14-20; Jonah 3:1-5, 10
“Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” “I have a dream...” “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world.” By some mysterious chemistry, the right person at the right time with the right message can strike a lasting chord of inspiration with us. We hear the messenger and the message in a way that sparks our imaginations and moves us out of the routine of our ordinary days.
When he comes to the fishing boats of the Sea of Galilee, Jesus speaks in a way that inspires Simon and Andrew, James and John to leave the family business of fishing and begin a life they can’t even imagine. The people of Nineveh hear God’s voice through stubborn, cowardly Jonah and turn toward God in a way they haven’t thought about.
In her recent speech at the Golden Globe awards, Oprah Winfrey spoke with such assurance and authority that people immediately began talking about her as a possible presidential candidate. Though she is someone who is already recognizable to most Americans by just her first name, Oprah’s comments got people to see her and themselves in an unexpected way.
In the News
After her speech, people started talking about Oprah as a presidential contender in 2020. We are apparently deeply hungry for thoughtful, inspiring speeches that evoke a better future. Reactions included tweets like: “Um hi I passed out after the Oprah speech from the sheer glory of it and just came to. Is she the president now? JUST SAY YES I NEED THE ANSWER TO BE YES.” And “Oprah has been relevant my entire life. Still breaking and pushing through. This is excellence. Not just black excellence but Excellence. Period.” And “#Oprah speech was the “I Have a Dream” speech of or time #anewdayisonthehorizon will go down in the history books and this will be taught in schools all over the nation.” Even Ivanka Trump weighed in with praise.
Dahlia Lithwick wrote for Slate about a mixture of emotions after the speech. In it, she heard a call to action for ordinary people. People of faith might call it a modern-day echo of Jesus’ call to the disciples. The speech was “mesmerizing, pitch-perfect, and gave voice to many lifetimes of frustration and vindication with eloquence and a full authority she has earned. But I found the strange Facebook response of ‘Oprah 2020’ weirdly discordant and disorienting. Oprah’s speech -- in my hearing -- wasn’t about why she needs to run for office. It was about why the rest of us need to do so, immediately.” Like Jesus’ invitation to the disciples, it was about a call into serving others.
One speech coach notes some of the reasons Winfrey’s speech was so moving, including the use of repetition as she built toward an invitation for the listener to get involved. It’s not just about her own experience, although she drew upon that. “All this repetition builds to the final paragraph, where Winfrey leans heavy on a sunrise metaphor, asking that women maintain hope in a ‘brighter morning.’ This ‘new day is on the horizon’ and when it ‘finally dawns’ then ‘nobody ever has to say “Me too” again.’ Winfrey never asks listeners directly to have a ‘Me too’ moment. Nevertheless, the argument is clear. Using induction through examples and metaphors, Winfrey invites listeners to risk speaking their truth, even if they can’t see the impact of doing so.” She builds on speech patterns we understand, recalling that “It worked for JFK when he said, ‘Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.’ It worked for Malcolm X when he said, ‘We didn’t land on Plymouth Rock; the rock was landed on us.’ Classical stylistic devices work, and Winfrey used about 20 or so in her short speech.”
The speech touched our imaginations and our hearts in powerful ways. But we also understand the difference between a celebrity and someone who can et things done in Washington. Thomas Chatterton Williams wrote a New York Times opinion piece titled “Oprah, Don’t Do It.” He imagines the next president as a “deeply serious figure with a strong record of public service.” No matter how exciting a celebrity is, he says, we need someone with experience in governing.
In the Scriptures
Jesus and Jonah are unlikely messengers. You would think that Jesus, the son of a workman or a carpenter, would recruit people there, in the world he knows... not at the edge of the sea. Jonah is an enemy for the people of Nineveh. Both scriptures remind us of the way God speaks through unusual, unexpected people.
As messengers, both Jesus and Jonah have to deal with people most of us would rather avoid. Unlike the newly minted disciples of Jesus, Jonah doesn’t follow God’s instruction immediately. He runs in the other direction, and when he finally gets to Nineveh he gives God’s message reluctantly. He doesn’t believe the Ninevites are worth saving. The fishermen who follow Jesus will have similar experiences along the line, walking through Gentile territory and eating dinner with all the disreputable people who crowd around to eat with Jesus.
Jonah can’t even rejoice in the fact that the people of Nineveh repent, and God changes God’s mind about their fate. Still, God is tender with Jonah after his work is done, and sends a bush to give him shade... and then a worm to bring down the bush, to remind Jonah who is the source of good things. God chastises Jonah for caring more about the bush than the thousands of people in Nineveh, and the book ends with Jonah still mad. We don’t get to read about any amazing transformation in Jonah. Come to think of it, the disciples of Jesus remain mostly who they are during Jesus’ lifetime.
Both stories also leave out the thing we always want to know: Why? Why did the Ninevites listen to Jonah anyway? What did the fishermen see in Jesus that made them leave their nets right away, that every day? What makes us listen to a particular voice, and change our lives in response?
In the Sermon
The Rev. Dr. Craig Barnes has famously suggested that Nineveh is the place where we don’t want to go -- and for me, Nineveh is also the people we don’t want to deal with. Who are our own personal Ninevites? Who makes us want to run in the other direction? Liberals or Republicans? Drag queens or people in button-down shirts? People who love committees or free spirits? In our compartmentalized world, the sermon might look at where our Nineveh is.
Dahlia Lithwick notes in Slate that Oprah spoke at the Golden Globes about “the limits of top-down power. It is one of the great sins of this celebrity age that we continue to misread this message as a call to turn anyone who tries to deliver it into our savior. When someone tells you ‘I alone can fix it,’ you should run screaming for the emergency exits. When someone tells you to get off your ass and fix it yourself, you should think first about running for office yourself.” Even Jesus doesn’t work alone -- he calls people to walk with him, learn from him, and to use their own talents is his work. The sermon might look at how God is still calling us into this kind of shared work. Where does God call us now, because of our experience or in spite of it? How is God’s work shared among people? And who do we have to put up with, if we’re going to work together?
Lithwick also says that it’s easy to dismiss the inspirational part of Oprah’s speech, but there is power in seeing someone like us in a role we never imagined possible. Lithwick says, “for women who went to law school because they saw Sandra Day O’Connor on the high court (I was one) or Anita Hill before the Senate Judiciary Committee, this moment isn’t made of cheese. I will never in my life forget the lines of teenage Latina women snaked around the Senate to watch Sonia Sotomayor’s confirmation hearings. That was about more than just young people looking for a savior. We become what we see modeled and that is where #MeToo will intersect with 2018.” The sermon might look at where we, as followers of Jesus, are also examples to someone else. Where are we inspiring people, as we follow the inspiration of Jesus?
Whether we’re preaching about the messenger, or the message, or what happens after we listen, there’s plenty to inspire us in this week’s stories.
SECOND THOUGHTS
The More Things Change...
by Dean Feldmeyer
1 Corinthians 7:29-31
The living room was cozy warm, with a small fire burning in the gas fireplace. The smell of pot roast permeated the entire house. The Sunday New York Times was neatly arrayed upon the coffee table, and the NFL pregame show was playing lowly on the television.
Larry opened the small refrigerator at the end of the leather couch and handed me a Diet Pepsi, my beverage of choice. He had done his homework. He cracked open a Heineken for himself, and we sat on the couch and listened to the quiet.
Larry was the priest at the Roman Catholic church in town, and this was the Sunday of our annual pulpit exchange. The deacon from the Catholic church was preaching in my pulpit, and I had just preached the homily in the last mass of the day at Larry’s church. He had invited me to bring my family and be his guest for lunch, but Jean and I had decided that a 2-year-old and a 4-year-old might complicate things to an unacceptable level so I had come alone.
Now I was really enjoying the quiet and feeling a little guilty about doing so.
“Larry,” I said. “This is really, really nice.”
He lifted his beer in my direction, tilted it to make a toast, and said with a sigh, “Yeah, celibacy does have its moments.”
The apostle Paul would have agreed.
Paul on Marriage
The 1 Corinthians passage from today’s lectionary can be confusing, confounding, and down right infuriating if taken by itself out of the context of the entire letter. So let’s take a quick look at it in its setting, going all the way back to the beginning of the chapter.
Paul spent time in Corinth, creating a church and preaching to those new Christians there that Jesus was coming again and soon. Everything in their lives, he told them, should be turned toward and oriented around that one reality -- the second coming of Christ; in Greek, the parousia.
Everything they did, everything they intended, everything they thought or said should be directed to their relationship with God as God comes to us in Jesus Christ. Our one and only goal should be to grow closer to Jesus so we can grow closer to God.
Now some months have passed and Jesus has not yet returned, and people are facing the fact that life is going on and some issues have come up that need to be addressed, given the intersection of Paul’s promise of the imminent parousia and the demands of everyday life.
Paramount among these issues are those of sex and marriage.
Given his limited experience, Paul was probably not the best person to ask about this topic -- and that is evident in his answer. He seems awkward and maybe even a little embarrassed to have been put in this position, but he carries on with something like grim determination.
Basically, his answer boils down into these guidelines:
1) Our first priority is our relationship with Jesus Christ.
2) A spouse can be a complication and a distraction from this priority, so if you aren’t married, don’t get married.
3) Celibacy, however, is a gift that only a few are given. So even though the celibate state is the best possible state to be in, if you don’t have the gift, you might want to consider getting married because...
4) Sexual desire can also be a distraction. If that is the case with you, it’s okay to get married so you won’t be distracted by sexual desire. Oh, and husbands and wives should do their best to make sure their spouses are not distracted by sexual desire.
5) If you are married, stay married. Don’t get divorced just because your spouse might be a distraction. Make the best of the situation, even if your spouse is not a believer.
Now, with that advice in mind, we come to this reading starting at verse 29.
Given all that Paul has said above about sex and marriage, the parousia really is coming very, very soon -- so let’s remember that no matter what state of marriage or singleness you are currently in, your relationship with Jesus is still the main thing. Don’t let other things distract you from that.
Don’t let your spouse distract you from it. Don’t let the transient joy and sadness of life distract you. Don’t let your possessions or lack of possessions distract you. And don’t let business and making a living and going to school, or whatever it is that fills your days, distract you from it.
Your main thing is your relationship with Jesus Christ -- so make sure to keep the main thing the main thing.
The New Parousia
Paul also warns his readers that “the present form of this world is passing away.”
Paul doesn’t end with this obvious point, but our lectionary reading does. The saying is so true that it flirts with being trite. Paul said it 2,000 years ago, but he might just as well have said it yesterday.
It is as true today as it was then.
But Paul wasn’t talking about a spiritual, theological truth. He was talking about a very real concrete end of time, a radical redirection of the course of history that would set everything anyone knew or thought they knew spinning upon its head.
What we know today is that Paul was right -- but in the spiritual, theological sense and not in the literal one.
The parousia does not necessarily come at once and for all time. It is not a singular event but a recurring, existential, spiritual one. Jesus returns to us over and over and over again throughout our lifetimes.
Whenever two or more of us are gathered in his name, he returns to us.
When we do his will, he returns to us. When we feed the hungry, care for the sick, clothe the naked, free the prisoners, and take up The Way as our way, Jesus comes to us.
And when he does, everything changes. The present form, the old form of the world, slips away and we find ourselves in a new, immeasurable, unimaginable life.
We can also talk about how the present form of this world is always passing away. No minute ever repeats itself, no two experiences are ever quite the same. The only constant in life today is change. The changes are coming bigger and faster than we ever might have imagined. And they are coming from different directions all at once.
Think of how the social structure that we call “family” and our understanding of it has changed just in the past few years.
Writing for Psychology Today in 2011, Dr. Molly S. Castelloe said: “The last 50 years have seen a dramatic rise in divorce (the U.S. has the highest of any industrialized nation), cohabitation rather than marriage, ‘blended’ families of both gay and heterosexual design, and children born out of wedlock (more than half of all African-American children). This marks a shift away from the ideal of the companion marriage popularized in the early 1920s to self-aspiration, enhanced freedom, and egalitarian relationships.”
Technology changes so fast that none of us can keep up. The new smartphone is being introduced almost before I can get the current offering out of its wrapper.
Frederic Fernandez, senior manager at consumer goods firm A.T. Kearney, warns that “if everybody agrees that the digital revolution is changing the way we are doing business, very few leaders today understand fully the scale of this change.... The consumer and retail industry will change more over the next 20 years than over the last 200 years.” He adds: “We have never lived in such exciting times.”
As social change, technological change, political change, and all of the other kinds of change are threatening to overwhelm us, Paul’s advice still holds true.
“Keep the main thing the main thing.”
It is not our college degree or our IT savvy, our embrace of hipster culture or rejection of it, our ability to purchase and conquer the latest smartphone, or our insistence upon never venturing from our flipphone that will make our lives authentic and worthwhile.
That, Paul says, will come from our relationship with God as God comes to us in Jesus Christ. If we remember that that relationship is our first priority, then we will live in a state of grace no matter what the world does around us.
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Ron Love:
(These illustrations are based on major themes in this week’s lectionary readings.)
Discipleship
On December 26, 1948, Hungarian officials arrested Cardinal Josef Mindszenty, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church in Hungary. The motivation for the arrest was political, as Mindszenty was an outspoken critic of communism after the Soviets took control of his country following World War II. After eight years in prison, Mindszenty was freed in the Hungarian revolution of 1956 and granted political asylum by the United States embassy in Budapest, where Mindszenty lived for the next 15 years. On February 3, 1949, Cardinal Mindzenty’s show trial began. Showing visible signs of having been tortured, the cardinal walked into the court and confessed to all charges. Upon his arrest in December 1948, Mindszenty quickly wrote a note to his mother. In the note Mindszenty said that he took no part in any conspiracy, but if a confession should emerge with an authenticated signature as a result of torture, he wrote these last words: “bear in mind that it will have been the result of human frailty. In advance, I declare all such actions will be null and void.”
Application: We read that Simon and his brother Andrew, and James and his brother John were called to be disciples of Jesus. We also know that these men suffered terribly in their service to Jesus after his death. As leaders of the Christian movement in the first century they were persecuted. We must realize that being a disciple of Jesus is a serious calling. But in our human frailty, we will at times stumble in our witness. Jonah, as we know, disavowed God when Nineveh repented.
*****
Revelation / Discipleship
Demos Shakarian was an evangelist in the Pentecostal tradition. He became concerned when his tent revivals were mostly attended by women. For this reason, he established the Full Gospel Businessmen’s Fellowship International (FGBMFI). But the FGBMFI had a slow start, with few men participating. Shakarian was considering abandoning the FGBMFI when on Christmas Day, 1952 he had a vision. In that vision he saw dead men in chains coming to life. This vision encouraged Shakarian to renew his efforts for FGBMFI. The international movement has now grown into more than a thousand chapters worldwide.
Application: Jonah heard the voice of the Lord calling him to become a missionary and evangelist a second time. Let us be sure that we respond to the Lord the first time we are called. Let us be sure that upon our calling into discipleship, we don’t deny the Lord as Jonah eventually did.
*****
Faith
Fyodor Dostoevsky, the great Russian novelist, was arrested in 1849. He was accused of reading books that were banned by the Russian government. At his trial Dostoevsky admitted to reading these forbidden writings for literary enlightenment. After his trial, and after his death sentence was stayed, he was sent to a slave labor camp in Omsk, Siberia. On his journey to Omsk, a woman came up to him and thrust a New Testament into his hands. While in prison, enduring his hands and feet being shackled as well as hunger, cold, and health problems, the only book that he was allowed to read was the New Testament. The Bible gave him hope and influenced his writings when he was eventually released in 1854. In January 1854 Dostoevsky wrote a letter to the woman who gave him the New Testament. In that letter, Dostoyevsky wrote that “even if someone were to prove to me that the truth lay outside Christ, I should choose to remain with Christ rather than with the truth.”
Application: It can be difficult at times to continue our faith in God. But as the psalmist wrote, we are to “trust in him at all times.” And as Paul wrote, we should only seek the Lord and not the “dealings” of this earthly world.
*****
Discipleship
Toyohiko Kagawa was a Japanese Christian reformer, pacifist, and labor activist. Kagawa wrote, spoke, and worked at length on ways to employ Christian principles for the just ordering of society. Kagawa established schools, hospitals, and churches, and was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1954 and 1955. On Christmas Day in 1909, Kagawa crossed the Higurashi Bridge in Tokyo to serve in the slums of Shinkawa. Upon that mission Kagawa was fulfilling his pledge that actions must dominate what it means to be a Christian. Kagawa said, “Theology is but an appendix to love, and an unreliable appendix.”
Application: Many Christians are concerned about being evangelists, missionaries, or disciples for fear they cannot answer difficult biblical questions. We know from the scriptures that Simon, Andrew, James, and John continued following Jesus even as they continually asked questions for a better understanding of what it means when Jesus said “follow me.”
*****
Faith / Discipleship
Frances Havergal was an English religious poet, hymnwriter, and Christian singer. One of her best-known hymns is “Take My Life and Let It Be.” Havergal also wrote hymn melodies, religious tracts, and works for children. Frances’ father was an Anglican priest in Worcestershire. Although she lived as a faithful disciple, Havergal had many doubts and questions regarding her beliefs. Then, on December 2, 1873, six years before her death, she discovered the importance of complete and total surrender to Jesus. She said the revelation of complete surrender came to her “as a flash of electric light.”
Application: When we hear the words “follow me,” it does require a complete and total surrender.
*****
Discipleship
Thomas Wolsey was a cardinal in the Roman Catholic Church. When Henry VIII became king of England in 1509, Wolsey was appointed lord chancellor (the king’s chief adviser). After failing to negotiate an annulment of Henry’s marriage to Catherine of Aragon, Wolsey fell out of favor and was stripped of his government titles. He retreated to York to fulfill his ecclesiastical duties as Archbishop of York, a position he nominally held but had neglected during his years in government. Wolsey was recalled to London to answer charges of treason, but died of natural causes on his journey to the city. On his deathbed in November 1530, Wolsey said: “If I had served God as diligently as I have done the king, [God] would not have given me over to my grey hairs.”
Application: When we answer the call to follow Jesus, there is only one king, the King of kings, whom we will serve.
*****
Discipleship
On November 21, 1899, President William McKinley told the five clergymen visiting him that he did not want to annex the Philippines after the Spanish-American War. But once the Philippines came to be a colony of the United States, McKinley said that he got down on his knees and prayed to Almighty God for guidance as to what to do with the Filipinos. The 25th president of the United States said that from that prayer he came to the understanding “that there was nothing left for us to do but take them all in, and to educate the Filipinos, and uplift and civilize and Christianize them, and by God’s grace do the very best we could by them, as our fellow men for whom Christ has died.”
Application: Today we have come to realize that the colonial idea of changing the culture of a country is misguided. But nonetheless, McKinley’s intent must be respected and understood. President McKinley only wanted the best for a people forced upon him. In our calling to serve the Lord, we should only want the best for other people. This comes if we follow the teaching of Paul that our focus is always on the heavenly world and not the earthly world.
*****
Discipleship
Francis Crosby, better known as Fanny Crosby, wrote more than 8,000 hymns and gospel songs. Some of her better-known hymns are “Blessed Assurance,” “Jesus Is Mine,” “Pass Me Not, O Gentle Savior,” “Jesus Is Tenderly Calling You Home,” “Praise Him, Praise Him,” “Rescue the Perishing,” and “To God Be the Glory.” Crosby is known as the “Queen of Gospel Songwriters.” Some publishers in her day were hesitant to have so many hymns by one person in their hymnals, so Crosby used nearly 200 different pseudonyms during her career. But today she is recognized in our hymnbooks for all of her compositions. Fanny Crosby became a Christian following a disconcerting dream in which a dying friend made her promise to meet him in heaven. Yet she still remained uncertain regarding her faith and salvation. Then on November 20, 1850, while attending a Methodist revival service, she leaped up shouting “Hallelujah!” At the age of 30, assured of her salvation, she embarked on her journey of writing hymns and gospel songs.
Application: We need to seek security in our faith, freeing us to serve the Lord. We know from the scriptures that Simon, Andrew, James, and John continued following Jesus even as they continually asked questions for a better understanding of what it means when Jesus said “follow me.” Yet despite their questions, they believed enough and were secure enough to lead the first-century church.
*****
Discipleship
Francis Crosby, better known as Fanny Crosby, was born on March 24, 1820. She wrote more than 8,000 hymns and gospel songs, including such well-known ones as “Blessed Assurance,” “Jesus Is Mine,” “Pass Me Not, O Gentle Savior,” “Jesus Is Tenderly Calling You Home,” “Praise Him, Praise Him,” “Rescue the Perishing,” and “To God Be the Glory.” At six weeks old, Crosby caught a cold and developed inflammation of the eyes, causing her to become blind. Later in life she accepted blindness as a gift from God, saying: “I might not have sung hymns to the praise of God if I had been distracted by the beautiful and interesting things about me.” She also said that “when I get to heaven, the first face that shall ever gladden my sight will be that of my Savior.”
Application: If we faithfully serve the Lord today, then one day we will be gladdened to see the face of our Savior.
*****
Discipleship
Amanda Berry Smith was born on January 23, 1837, one of 13 children of slaves in Long Green, Maryland, Her father was a respected man who was placed in charge of the farm. After his duties for the day were done, the widow who owned the slaves allowed him to go out and earn extra money for himself and his family. Many nights he would go without sleeping because he was busy making brooms and husk mats for the Baltimore market to make extra cash. From these efforts he was able to purchase his family’s freedom. The family then relocated to Pennsylvania. Amanda’s parents saw to it that their children learned to read and write. As an adult, Amanda’s first marriage ended with the disappearance of her husband in the Civil War. In 1863 she married James Smith, and eventually moved with him to New York City. Soon afterwards James died. By the time she was 32, Amanda had lost two husbands and four of her five children. In New York, Amanda involved herself in the African Methodist Episcopal Church. An experience of sanctification on November 20, 1870 led to her first tentative attempts at preaching. While attending a revival service she had a vison in which God told her to “go preach.” Smith's achievement in preaching before a white audience at a religious camp meeting led her to commit herself entirely to evangelism. This also led Amanda to do missionary work in India and Africa. After moving to Chicago, the income she received from preaching and writing her autobiography, along with donations from friends, allowed Amanda to open her home for African-American orphans in Harvey, Illinois, in 1899.
Application: As we see from the life of Jonah, the calling of the disciples, and the apostle Paul’s writings, we are called to give our testimony for Jesus. We too must have the vision that calls us to “go preach.”
*****
Discipleship
Billy Sunday was a professional baseball player from 1883 to 1891 for teams in Chicago, Pittsburgh, and Philadelphia. He was converted through the street preaching of Harry Monroe of the Pacific Garden Mission in Chicago. Sunday left a $5,000 per year salary as a baseball player for a $75 yearly salary as a YMCA evangelist. He was an evangelist from 1893 to 1935. Sunday was known for his theatrical preaching filled with baseball imagery. He would wind up like a pitcher and slam a fist into his other hand as he threw a “fastball at the devil.” To demonstrate a sinner coming home for salvation, he would slide headfirst on the floor, groping with his hand for home plate. Going forward and clasping Billy’s hand at the end of the service was known as “hitting the sawdust trail,” as most tabernacle floors were covered with sawdust. It is estimated that during his ministry several hundred thousand people walked “the sawdust trail.”
Application: Like those biblical figures we read about in this week’s lectionary readings, we are to call individuals to walk “the sawdust trail.”
*****
Discipleship
Thomas Alva Edison was never defeated by failure. After 50,000 unsuccessful attempts at developing the nickel-iron-alkaline battery, a friend asked the esteemed inventor if he were disillusioned. Edison replied, “Not at all, for I have learned 50,000 ways it cannot be done and therefore I am 50,000 times nearer the final successful experiment.” Eventually the battery was developed. Edison was a genius, and a large part of his genius was knowing that he would never yield to disappointment.
Application: Evangelism, ministry, and church leadership were not easy for Simon, Andrew, James, and John, yet they continued. We must also share in their perseverance.
*****
Discipleship
The Shroud of Turin comes most readily to mind as an example of people trying to present physical proof that Jesus walked the roads of Israel. Many believe that the Shroud of Turin is the burial cloth of Jesus. The shroud has impressed upon it, like a photographic negative, the image of a man. The description and position of the man with a beard and apparent crown of thorns could lead one to believe that it is Jesus’ burial cloth. And many believe that this image was impressed upon the cloth when Jesus was resurrected. Many believe in the authenticity of this being the burial cloth of Jesus, even though carbon dating places the cloth between 1260 and 1390. The Roman Catholic Church has neither denied nor affirmed its authenticity, but the church has designated it as an icon.
In the movie Risen, the Roman military tribune Clavius, a dedicated army officer with 25 years of active service that exposed him to many battles, is ordered by Pontius Pilate to disprove the rumors that Jesus is the Jewish messiah who had risen from the grave. In the course of the movie Clavius becomes a Christian and gives up his position in the army. But in one telling scene, Clavius, in his confusion to learn the truth, is seen kneeling in the empty tomb holding the burial cloth of Jesus, which of course is an exact replica of the Shroud of Turin. So to an unsuspecting public, and to appease the evangelicals in the audience, Hollywood perpetuates a myth.
Application: Paul was adamant about preaching the unvarnished truth of the gospel. Paul considered the end times to be so near that men should not marry, allowing them to be totally dedicated to the gospel message as Paul was. We do not need to share myths about Jesus, but only our personal testimony of what Jesus means.
*****
Faith
Rev. Edward Garbett was a pastor in the Church of England. He wrote a book of devotions titled The Family Prayer Book, or Morning and Evening Prayers for Every Day in the Year that was published in 1864. In his devotional book Garbett compiled spiritual sayings from 200 religious leaders over the centuries and then reflected upon them. He arranged his meditations following the full cycle of the Christian year. On Week Fifteen, Thursday Evening, he opened with a quote from the famous 16th-century Carmelite nun St. Teresa of Avila when she wrote: “Prayer is the only channel through which God’s great graces and favors may flow into the soul.” Reflecting on this, Garbett began his meditation with these words: “Gracious Father, we earnestly implore the gift of the Spirit, that he may dwell in our hearts, and incline us to think and do such things as please thee. Take from us all ignorance and hardness of heart and enable us to receive with meekness thy Word.”
Application: The psalmist wrote, “For God alone my soul waits in silence.” Our focus must be on God, and on God alone.
*****
Discipleship
The candidates were tied -- both Republican David Yancey and Democrat Shelly Simons each received 11,586 votes to serve in the Virginia House of Delegates. The initial recount gave Simons a one-vote lead. Then the issue went to court over a disputed ballot. The court ruled that a ballot that had bubbles filled in for each candidate but a line drawn through the mark for Simons was a vote for Yancey -- so the tie remained. The election would be determined by drawing a name out of a bowl. The candidates’ names were written on several pieces of paper that were then put into old film cartridges. The canisters were placed in a bowl, and Yancey’s name was drawn. Clara Belle Wheeler, a member of the state election board who stirred the bowl before a name was drawn, said before the drawing: “Voting is a very serious thing.” Simons, on losing the election, said: “You know it was a long hard election season, and it does seem like a sad end to the story to have it end on a game of chance.”
Application: There were 23,000 votes cast, and many people who stayed home probably thought their vote was not important. We must realize that each of us are important to the ministry of the church.
*****
Discipleship
England’s National Health Service is based on a socialized medicine model. Because of the flu outbreak, cold weather, and a high level of respiratory illness, the country’s hospitals have recently been overwhelmed with the number of patients. Patients waited up to 12 hours in emergency rooms before being seen by a physician. Some patients had to wait an hour in the back of an ambulance before being taken into the hospital. On Wednesday, January 3, Prime Minister Theresa May said that there was not a crisis in the health care system. After she received a great deal of criticism, she apologized the next day. May said, “I know it’s difficult, I know it’s frustrating, I know it’s disappointing for people, and I apologize.”
Application: Discipleship calls us to be sensitive to the needs of others.
*****
Reverence
Charles Manson died in prison on November 19, yet his personal belongings are still being held by the state of California. This is because of the three lawsuits regarding who claims ownership. Manson, unfortunately, has become a cult hero as the leader of the Tate-LaBianca murders in August 1969. While in prison his art, his music, and even locks of his hair could be sold for a significant sum. Now with his death, the value of these items has only increased. Andy Kahan, a victim advocate in Houston, said this is “capitalism at its worst.” Kahan went on to say that “Manson is still the king of murderabilia.”
Application: The psalmist directs us as to what to hold in reverence and what not to.
*****
Truth
Iran has been besieged by public protests. On January 4 the government issued several statements accusing foreign powers of instigating and empowering the protests. The government also blamed internal enemies. They accused the former president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a radical hardliner, of trying to overthrow the current president, Hassan Rouhani, who is more moderate. Nader Karimi Joni is a reformist journalist in the country. He said of the accusations between the two presidents: “They all blame each other. What else can they do?”
Application: A repeating theme in our readings is the need to seek and know the truth. We do not find the truth by blaming and arguing with each other.
*****
Discipleship
It is the practice in European countries to celebrate the first baby born in the new year -- it is front page news, including several pictures. In Vienna, the capital of Austria, Asel was born 47 minutes into 2018. Yet within hours the internet was filled with racist and hate messages, because her mother was shown wearing a pink head scarf because she is Muslim. Klaus Schwertner, the secretary general for the Roman Catholic charity Caritas, denounced such racist and hate messages. He wrote on Facebook: “In the first hours after her birth, this sweet girl was already the target of an unbelievable wave of violent, hateful online commentary.” Schwertner sought to turn the sentiment around, calling for his followers to show an outpouring of online support. By the next day 17,000 people posted congratulatory and loving messages.
Application: Discipleship calls us to take a stand for justice.
*****
Reverence
The Boy Scouts have once again become the center of controversy. After making headline news when they allowed homosexuals to join, then when they allowed homosexual scout leaders, then when they allowed girls to become members, the Boy Scouts are once again making headline news by not allowing atheists to become members. You have to believe in God, whether it be the Christian God, the Muslim god, the Buddhist god, or the Jewish God to be a scout. A part of the scout law reads: “A Scout is reverent toward God. He is faithful in his religious duties. He respects the beliefs of others.” Brian Nastase, a scout executive, said: “That was the cornerstone to growing developmentally as youth do, that they need to have a belief in a higher power.” Some say the exclusion of atheists boils down to a very simple question: whether you can be good without God.
Application: It may not be our place to enter into the controversy regarding Boy Scout membership, but if we take evangelism seriously people are better people with God.
WORSHIP RESOURCES
by George Reed
Call to Worship
Leader: For God alone our souls wait in silence.
People: In God alone is our hope.
Leader: God alone is our rock and our salvation, our fortress.
People: We shall not be shaken forever and ever.
Leader: On God rests our deliverance and our honor.
People: God is our mighty rock, and our refuge is in God.
OR
Leader: Hear the voice of God in the midst of our worship!
People: We have come to listen for God’s word for us today.
Leader: Listen for God’s word to us in the bustle of the world.
People: We will attend to God in the hurry of our lives.
Leader: Hear the call of God in the midst of the world’s needs.
People: We will look for the Christ in the hurts of others.
Hymns and Sacred Songs
“Open My Eyes, That I May See”
found in:
UMH: 454
PH: 324
NNBH: 218
CH: 586
W&P: 480
AMEC: 285
“God of Many Names”
found in:
UMH: 105
CH: 13
W&P: 58
STLT: 198
“Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah”
found in:
UMH: 127
H82: 690
PH: 281
AAHH: 138, 139, 140
NNBH: 232
NCH: 18, 19
CH: 622
LBW: 343
ELA: 618
W&P: 501
AMEC: 52, 53, 65
“Alleluia, Alleluia”
found in:
UMH: 162
H82: 178
PH: 106
CH: 40
W&P: 291
Renew: 271
“I Love to Tell the Story”
found in:
UMH: 156
AAHH: 513
NNBH: 424
NCH: 522
CH: 480
LBW: 390
ELA: 661
W&P: 560
AMEC: 217
“We Meet You, O Christ”
found in:
UMH: 257
PH: 311
CH: 183
W&P: 616
“Seek Ye First”
found in:
UMH: 405
H82: 711
PH: 333
CH: 354
W&P: 349
CCB: 76
“Where Cross the Crowded Ways of Life”
found in:
UMH: 427
H82: 609
PH: 408
NCH: 543
CH: 665
LBW: 429
ELA: 719
W&P: 591
AMEC: 561
“Open Our Eyes, Lord”
found in:
CCB: 77
Renew: 91
“Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus”
found in:
CCB: 55
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 comes to bring us life in the midst of death: Grant us the grace to discern your voice and your message even when they come to us from unexpected sources; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We praise you, O God, for you come to and offer us life that defeats all death. Speak to us once more so that we may learn to hear your voice and your message as it comes to us in many different ways. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
Leader: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins, especially our failure to listen for God’s voice.
People: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We are so busy talking and listening to others that we forget to listen for the voice of God in our midst. When we read scripture, we are more apt to be looking for confirmation of our ideas than we are to hear what God has to say. When we sit in church and listen to the readings, we are more likely to be criticizing the reader’s style of presentation than we are to be expecting a word from God. Open our ears and our hearts, that we may hear the words of life you speak to us and the words of grace you would have us speak to others. Amen.
Leader: Hear this word from God: “Your sins are forgiven you.” Live into that reality and know God’s love and grace.
Prayers of the People (and the Lord’s Prayer)
We praise you, O God, for you never leave us alone. You are the Life of all life, and you give yourself to us.
(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 so busy talking and listening to others that we forget to listen for the voice of God in our midst. When we read scripture, we are more apt to be looking for confirmation of our ideas than we are to hear what God has to say. When we sit in church and listen to the readings, we are more likely to be criticizing the reader’s style of presentation than we are to be expecting a word from God. Open our ears and our hearts, that we may hear the words of life you speak to us and the words of grace you would have us speak to others.
We thank you for all the ways in which you have blessed us and gifted us. You have given us the scriptures, where we can learn how others have listened to and followed you. You have given us the Church, where we can listen for you together. Most of all you have given us the Christ, who speaks to us your words of love and grace.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for one another. We are aware of many needs in our world and in our communities. We pray for those who are ill, dying, or grieving. We pray for those who struggle in this life without the needed things to be fed or kept warm. We pray for those who are unable to hear your voice because of the difficulties they face. We pray for ourselves, that we may hear you and share your words 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
Play a sit-down version of “Follow the Leader” with the children. Ask them to do what you ask them to do. Say things like “touch your right ear,” “touch your left knee,” “stand up,” “sit down,” and do the actions as you say them. Occasionally do something different than you say -- for instance, say “touch your forehead” but touch your nose instead. Talk about the need to listen to play this game. It is also important to listen in life. We listen to our parents and teachers, for example. We also listen to God. God speaks to us in many ways. In church we listen to hear God speak in the hymns and scriptures and sermons. Let’s all listen for God to speak to us today.
CHILDREN’S SERMON
Fish Tales
by Chris Keating
Jonah 3:1-5, 10; Mark 1:14-20
Here are some suggested items you can use to bring this scripture conversation to life:
* a tackle box (or something similar)
* a fishing net (often sold in craft stores)
* clothespins (for pinning on the net)
* pieces of paper with suggested “Be Kind” activities either written or illustrated
(If finding a fishing net provides difficult, you could easily draw a fishing net on a piece of poster paper and use post-it notes for the “Be Kind” activities.)
God calls Jonah to go to Nineveh, that great big city teeming with people -- and apparently all kinds of sin. Sounds simple. All Jonah needs to do is head over to the big city and tell them that God has had enough of their antics.
Of course, as we all know, Jonah decides to pick option “B” and books passage for a cruise to Tarshish instead. The rest of the story, slimy fish puke and all, is well known. Perhaps less known is this week’s passage, which could be combined with Mark’s fish tale for a wonderful lesson on what it means to listen to God.
God’s urgency dominates both the Old and New Testament lesson. God is passionate about reaching out to the crazy Ninevites, even though Jonah could care less. Likewise, Jesus’ invitation to Simon and Andrew is so compelling that they stop what they’re doing, leave their father behind, and sign up immediately to start fishing for people.
As the children gather, point out the tackle box you have brought. Tell them you’d like to share a couple of fish stories with them. One story is about Jonah, a guy who was asked by God to go and tell others about God’s love. Jonah thought he had a better idea, and many of the children may know how that ended up. He got swallowed by a fish! Yuck! And then after three days the fish puked him up on the beach. Double yuck! But even then Jonah wasn’t too excited about sharing God’s good news.
The other story is not so gross. It’s a story about two men who were out working with their father. They were fishermen. People ate the fish they caught. It was an important job, but suddenly Jesus comes along and tells them that if they would follow him, soon they would be “fishing for people!”
Take a moment and wonder about that with the children. Does “fishing for people” mean that they would be using a hook and a line to “reel” people into church? Is that what God wants us to do?
If we listen to both stories, it appears that what is most important is sharing God’s love. For Jonah, this meant going to Nineveh. For Simon and Andrew, this meant following Jesus. Today, we can follow Jesus and become fishers of people by sharing the good news that God loves all people. That’s one part of “fishing for people.”
We could try throwing fishing hooks at people, but that would be dangerous and would hurt people. It certainly wouldn’t encourage people to come back. But maybe Jonah’s experience of going and telling about God’s love and kindness could be an example. Maybe that is what Jesus intended for Simon and Andrew, and maybe that is what God wants us to do today.
Open the tackle box and show the children the pieces of paper. Ahead of time, write down various ways of showing kindness -- opening a door for someone, smiling at the store, being kind to someone, sharing things, collecting food for the hungry. There are many websites that offer illustrations of random acts of kindness. As you take each piece of paper out of the box, invite a child to clip it to the fishing net or place it on the poster.
Each of these is a way we share the good news that God loves every person. It’s important that we find ways to share this love every day.
As a side note, this past week (January 15-19, 2018) was No Name-Calling Week, a week of learning about bullying, harassment, and acceptance of others. Unfortunately, Jonah didn’t have the chance to learn about that in school. While he knew about God’s love, he apparently had decided that God’s love was for some, but not all. Even his little retreat in the belly of the fish didn’t help. He was simply not willing to share God’s love.
Sometimes, sharing God’s love can sound like a pretty hard thing to do. Point out the many ways we can show kindness and offer God’s love. Close with a prayer that every day God would help us to be kind and share the story of God’s love. Pretty soon, we’ll be fishing for people!
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, January 21, 2018, issue.
Copyright 2018 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.
