Messengers From The Whirlwind
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For October 20, 2024:
Messengers From The Whirlwind
by Chris Keating
Job 38:1-7, (34-41) and Psalm 104:1-9, 24, 35c
In the aftermath of back-to-back hurricanes and weather-related storms, millions of residents of the southeast are encountering messages sent from the whirlwind. The classic one-two punch of Hurricanes Helene and Milton resulted in billions of dollars in damage and the deaths of more than 230 people.
The winds that flew around areas like Florida and North Carolina spawned tornadoes, flooding, and countless “acts of God” that flattened homes and ripped apart infrastructure. But those winds also carried somber warnings about the destructive potential of human impact on the climate.
As one resident of Fort Myers Beach, Florida, mentioned to reporters: “If you ‘thank God it was only a Cat-3,’” said Fort Myers Beach resident Melody King, “maybe it’s time to reevaluate what we’re doing here.” Two years ago, King lost her possessions during Hurricane Ian. This time she hunkered down to ride out the storm from the third floor of a friend’s condominium. But the traumatic impact is becoming harder to absorb.
This Sunday, millions are hard at work recovering from the whirlwind of trauma and destruction. They may feel attacked like Job, stripped of their humanity, and lost in suffering. Their cries may help us understand God’s response to Job as well as Psalm 104 as invitations to renew our ecological stewardship.
“You make the winds your messengers,” the psalmist declares, “fire and flame your ministers.” God is crying to us through the whirlwind, reminding us of our role in repairing the earth. Whether we believe the messengers may be another topic. For now, however, all we can do is to receive what they are saying to us.
In the News
Scientists say the messages delivered by Hurricanes Helene and Milton provide irrefutable evidence of the impact of climate change. Researchers at the World Weather Attribution (WWA) released flash studies demonstrating the impact of climate change on these devastating storms.
WWA researchers noted that human-impacted climate change boosted the windspeeds for both hurricanes. In addition, the warming planet created conditions that increased Milton’s rainfall between 20%-30% while also boosting its overall windspeed by ten percent.
Milton made landfall near Siesta Key, Florida, as a Category 3 storm, before moving across the state. At least 23 people died during the storm, and millions were left without power. Scientists reported that Milton would have likely been a Category 2 storm if not for the earth’s increased temperature.
“We conclude that warmer Sea Surface Temperatures along the track of Hurricane Milton were strongly influenced by climate change, which affected Milton’s environment and made it more likely for the storm to develop and intensify throughout its lifetime,” they wrote. Similar findings had been reported earlier regarding Hurricane Helene.
Helene’s landfall included a 15-foot storm surge in Florida and winds of up to 140 miles per hour. As it turned north, Helene blew through Georgia, the Carolinas, Tennessee, and Virginia, becoming the deadliest hurricane to hit the mainline United States since Katrina.
While Milton's rage avoided a direct hit to Tampa Bay, it still spawned tornadoes across the state. It’s damaging winds and flooding resulted in widespread power outages and billions of dollars in property damage. Insurers expect the losses in Florida from Milton alone to be “a double-digit billion-dollar loss event,” and perhaps the largest catastrophic loss in the United States for 2024. Florida officials report that so far insurers are reporting about 44,000 claims exceeding more than $586 million in losses.
Florida already ranks first in the nation for home owner’s insurance premiums, and there is concern that many insurers will be sent into financial instability. Analysts have said they expect those rates to go even higher.
Politicians like Florida governor Ron DeSantis reject the claims that the hurricanes were impacted by climate change. “It is hurricane season,” DeSantis said during a press conference. “You are going to have tropic weather.”
DeSantis seemed to equate spurious conspiracy theories with the scientific studies. While US Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene posted that “Yes, they (the government) can control the weather. It’s ridiculous for anyone to lie and say it can’t be done.” DeSantis joked that he’d love to be able to control the weather, but then added, “You kind of have some people think government can do this, and others think it’s all because of fossil fuels. The reality is, is what we see — there’s precedent for all this in history.”
Researchers at WWA have gleaned a different message from Helene and Milton’s winds. They conclude:
There is also growing evidence that hurricanes are now intensifying more rapidly (Bhatia et al., 2019), becoming more intense (WWA, 2024; Grantham Institute, 2024) and will continue to do so with further warming (Patricola and Wehner, 2018), and that storm surges are causing extra damage due to sea level rise (Strauss et al., 2021).
In the Scriptures
Both the semi-continuous reading from Job 38 and Psalm 104 are noteworthy for their focus on creation. The pairing of these readings this week provide an opportunity to engage pressing environmental concerns while also inviting reflection on often overlooked scriptural themes.
In Job 38, God finally responds to Job’s plight, though it might not be the answer some would prefer. Job steadfastly maintains his innocence and demands a response from God. The response, however, is unsettling. God replies to Job’s demands by offering a tour de force narration of creation. A whirlwind is furiously destructive. And, indeed, God’s words deconstruct the idea that Job should enjoy some sort of special status. “Who is this?” God demands, before continuing with an elaborate depiction of divine power at work in creation. God’s questions to Job jab at our human tendency to elevate the creation above the creator. “Can you lift up your voice to the clouds so that a flood of waters may cover you? Can you send forth lightnings, so that they may go and say to you, ‘Here we are?’ In response, writes Bill McKibben, “Job must stand in mute silence.” (McKibben, The Comforting Whirlwind, p. 55). God’s delight in creation is affirmed, even as the great distance between humanity and God is upheld.
Similar themes are echoed in Psalm 104. The psalmist celebrates the vibrant diversity of creation. It is a full-throated anthem of praise that includes the psalter’s first reference of “Hallelujah” (verse 35) as way of inviting humanity’s participation. It begins and ends with a call to “Bless the Lord,” as an act of humbling oneself before creation’s astounding beauty. J. Clinton McCann remarks that the psalmist is intent on “honoring and facilitating God’s purpose for the earth — life for all.” (McCann, Psalms Immersion Bible Study, p. 55.) The point, suggests McCann, is the invitation to humans to recall their role as members of a “vast and interrelated system that today we might call the biosphere — the circle of life.” (McCann, p. 55.)
In the Sermon
This week would be a great opportunity to take your congregation to Florida, or even western North Carolina. The good news is that you won’t have to pay a cent for transportation. Instead, a sermon could invite the listeners to ponder either God’s response to Job in chapter 38 or Psalm 104 from the point of view of those whose lives have been battered and displaced by climate change.
Both readings reinforce our relationship to creation and invite human beings to assume a posture of humble appreciation for God’s sovereignty. Job and Psalm 104 remind us of the humble stance we take before God. As McKibben observes, “even our grandest science seems destined not to penetrate that first morning (of creation), to understand the pillars and the cornerstone. We stand in awe before that dawn when the very stars sang out in wonder.” (McKibben, p. 54). Here is a reminder that the earth is our home, but that it indeed belongs to God. How might that understanding encourage us to review our stewardship of creation?
Such a stance of humble appreciation could borrow from the practices of appreciative inquiry in clarifying the church’s mission and vision. The beauty of creation is all around us. Our hymns and scriptures declare the beauty of what God has made — consider that we cannot save what we do not first appreciate. Perhaps end worship this week with a processional out of the sanctuary and into the world, reciting together the promises of Psalm 104:31-32, “May the glory of the Lord endure forever! May the Lord rejoice in his works — who looks on the earth and it trembles!”
Clint McCann, in his commentary on Psalms for the New Interpreter’s Bible Commentary, reminds us that the psalmist is aware of the “intricate interconnectedness and subtle interdependence” of all creation. As the leaves begin to change and autumn pops around us, here is a chance to explore a very different aspect of stewardship. If we exist in a web of relationships, what messages are the winds (Psalm 104:4) bringing to us today?
A final possibility is to listen to the texts as an invitation to respond to the vast suffering of those impacted by these (and other) natural disasters. The range of disasters in 2024 has caused billions in damage. Even the most cynical climate change deniers cannot overlook the human and economic impact of that trauma. Nor can churches in the paths of such devastation escape the painful reality of increased (likely highly increased) insurance costs. A positive outlook on learning from disasters is detailed by a recent posting by the World Wildlife Federation.
Not everyone is ready to hear such a word, of course. Yet as the disciples learn in Mark 10:35-45, following Christ means becoming the servant of all. Perhaps this is the message we hear from the whirlwind this week.
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SECOND THOUGHTS
Not A Priest
by Tom Willadsen
Mark 10:35-45, Hebrews 5:1-10, Isaiah 53:4-12
In the Scripture
Isaiah 53:4-12
Part of a Servant Song
The fourth servant song in Isaiah (52:13-53) comprises most of today’s reading from the prophets. In this one, the servant never speaks. In the first portion of the servant song, vv. 13-15, the Lord speaks, describing the marred appearance of the Lord’s servant. Kings and nations will be stunned into silence.
At the start of Isaiah 53, the people reply to the Lord. This time, the servant is described as unattractive, despised, and rejected. Yet, at v.4, where today’s lection begins, the reader hears that the servant is carrying the diseases of the people and is suffering for their sin.
While the term is not mentioned in this reading, the notion of one creature bearing the sin of another harks back to Leviticus 16:21-22 (NRSV)
Then Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over it all the iniquities of the people of Israel, and all their transgressions, all their sins, putting them on the head of the goat, and sending it away into the wilderness by means of someone designated for the task. The goat shall bear on itself all their iniquities to a barren region; and the goat shall be set free in the wilderness.
In modern usage, the concept of a scapegoat refers to one taking the blame for another or bearing the consequence of another’s action. It’s parallel with the Christian concept of atonement.
At the end of this servant song, and today’s reading, the Lord speaks, vv. 11b-12, confirming that the servant who suffered will be exalted. An obvious foreshadowing of Jesus’ conversation with James and John in today’s gospel reading.
Mark 10:35-45
Today’s reading is that end of large chunk of Mark, which started at 8:27, when Jesus asked his disciples who people say that he is. This conversation is the first time Jesus is identified as the Christ, that is, the Christ, by Peter. (This was the gospel reading for September 15.) This came after Jesus explained that he was headed to Jerusalem to be rejected and killed by the religious leaders. After Peter rebukes Jesus — and Jesus “out-rebukes” Peter, Jesus explains for the first time the cost of following him — the cost of servant leadership.
The disciples don’t get it.
Jesus has a second conversation with the disciples, Mark 9:30-37, during which he explains, again, that he would be betrayed into human hands and killed. The disciples didn’t understand and were afraid to ask. They did argue about which of them was the greatest disciple. In response, Jesus pulled a child into their midst, after he explained that those who want to be great must be servants.
The disciples don’t get it.
In today’s reading, two members of Jesus’ executive council, James and John, ask for the status of sitting at Jesus’ right and left “in your glory.” Presumably, that means up in heaven, where Jesus will be enthroned beside his Father. In Matthew’s gospel, it is James and John’s mother who prods them to make this request. In this case, Jesus asks the two whether they understand the costs of following him, they say they do, but as we’ll see in Mark 14:50, they will abandon him. The reading concludes with Jesus telling the disciples — all of them — that to be great they must be servants. He concludes telling them that he came “to give his life for the ransom of many.”
The disciples don’t get it.
Hebrews 5:1-10
This reading continues the theme of vicarious suffering of a leader on behalf of others. It reaches back to an obscure, little-remembered king, Melchizedek. The reading also refers to Jethro’s instruction to his son-in-law, Moses, about the role and duty of a high priest, Exodus 18:19, “You should represent the people before God and bring their cases to God.” (NRSV) The author of Hebrews cites Leviticus 7:28, reminding the reader that the high priest must offer sacrifice for his own sins, as well as the sins of the people. Jesus suffered, yet was obedient, as we’re reminded in Hebrews 5:8. The reading goes on to explain that because Jesus was perfect, he was able to be the “source” of salvation for those who believed in him.
Melchizedek, the name means “King of Righteousness” was the king of Salem, who blessed Abram when the latter returned from battle, having defeated “Chedorlaomer, and the kings who were with him,” in Genesis 14:17.
He (Melchizedek) blessed him (Abram) and said,
Blessed be Abram by God Most High,
maker of heaven and earth,
and blessed be God Most High,
who has delivered your enemies into your hand! (Genesis 14:19-20, NRSV)
The other place where Melchizedek is mentioned is Psalm 110:4:
The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind,
“You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.” (NRSV)
In seminary I learned that there are three roles in the Hebrew scriptures for which a person could be anointed: prophet, priest, and king. Christians, of course, regard Jesus as filling all three of those roles. Anointing with oil sets people and objects apart in a special way. After Jacob woke from his dream in which he saw a ladder to heaven, he anointed the rock he’d laid his head on that night (Genesis 28:18). Aaron was anointed for the priesthood (Exodus 29:7) “1 Samuel 24:6 refers to the king as ‘the Lord’s anointed,’ which eventually became the Hebrew term mashiah, ‘Messiah,’ and Greek, christos, ‘Christ,’ signifying the king who would rule in the end days.” (Harper’s Bible Dictionary, New York: Harper & Row Publishers, Paul J. Achtemeier, General Editor, 1985.)
When the woman who anointed Jesus with oil (this story appears in slightly different forms in Matthew 26:6-13, Mark 14:3-9, Luke 7:36-50, John 12:1-8) he told his disciples, “She has done what she could; she anointed my body beforehand for its burial” (Mark 14:9, NRSV).
In Acts 10:38, Peter says, “God anointed Jesus with the Holy Spirit and with power….”
When I began the candidacy process to become a Presbyterian minister, I learned that Presbyterian pastors are not priests. Priests do two things that ministers do not do. Priests conduct sacrifices and they stand between the people and God. Presbyterians believe that Christ’s death on the cross was sufficient to atone for our sins and does not need to be reenacted in a mass. We also affirm the priesthood of all believers, a concept we find based in 1 Peter 2:5-9.
When I visited Denmark in 2010, my cousin regarded me as “the trophy guest,” and introduced me as “a Presbyterian priest from America.” Danish does not make the distinction between “pastor” and “priest.” I cringed every time I heard that phrase; it denied my self-understanding.
In the News
You may remember the siege at the Branch Davidian Complex near Waco, Texas, in 1993. Vernon Wayne Howell changed his name to David Koresh. “David,” because the Messiah would come from “the house and lineage of David,” (Luke 2:2) and “Koresh” the biblical name for Cyrus, the king of Persia who receives the name “Messiah” in Isaiah 45:1 because he was tolerant of Judaism and permitted Jews to return to Jerusalem and rebuild their city.
Following the mass shooting at African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, SC, President Barak Obama spoke at the memorial service on June 25, 2015. Media outlets called him “Mourner in Chief.” He spontaneously sang “Amazing Grace” as part of his eulogy.
In the news we often hear things like, “The White House has not yet commented on the most recent mass shooting.” We know the White House is a building and cannot speak actual words. The president’s spokesperson is using the rhetorical technique called “metonymy,” “the substitution of the name of an attribute or adjunct for that of the thing meant, for example, suit for business executive….” (Oxford Dictionary website)
In the Sermon
We are engaged in a tight presidential campaign. People are saying this is the most consequential presidential election in our lifetime. Someone says that every four years, I know. While it is not meaningful to compare levels of “consequentialness,” it is obvious that passions are running high. It is helpful and wise, I believe, to be reminded of the roles that the office of the president contains.
Ever since George Washington earned the designation “Father of Our Country,” from his earliest days as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army, we have seen our nation’s chief executives as paternal, even priestly, symbols. Secular and religious fathers are expected to comfort their families and flocks during crises. (The president’s role as comforter-in-chief | Miller Center accessed 10/12/24)
President Obama embraced the role of mourner in chief following the Mother Emanuel shooting. He needed to address the deep pain that the survivors and the whole nation was experiencing in the wake of that tragedy.
While most of us would never say that we are going to the polls to elect a national priest, it is helpful to realize that the person who occupies this office represents the entire nation.
Unlike a prime minister, who leads the government while a monarch or president performs ceremonial duties, an American president embodies the obligations of ruler and sovereign. (Ibid., accessed 10/12/24)
Recently, former President Donald Trump has described himself in messianic language, “Trump pronounced himself ‘the chosen one’ during a discussion with reporters about China and trade…” Explainer: Trump and the politics of the Messiah | National Catholic Reporter (ncronline.org accessed 10/12/24)
Leaders of the National Apostolic Reformation movement (NAR) “What the book (American Evangelicals for Trump, by André Gagné) did was compare Trump to Cyrus: he’s not necessarily the perfect individual, but he has everything to be able to help Christians actually make a difference and bring America back to God.” (Why white evangelical voters back Trump | Broadview Magazine, accessed 10/12/24.) This is an extraordinary claim, one that we have heard even more frequently following Trump’s survival of an assassination attempt in July.
Be on guard, while we are not electing a priest “according to the order of Melchizedek,” there are some Americans who believe we are. This is a topic that should be shouted from our pulpits.
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Mary Austin:
Mark 10:25-35
Paying Attention to Service People
As Jesus invites his friends and his followers to become servants, he reminds us of the important of unseen work. One hotel executive says this is the secret sauce for the hotels he runs.
The authors of A Beautiful Constraint explain how this executive renamed the service departments in his hotel. The department head for the Four Seasons, a man named Bob, said, “I'll tell you what a back end is,” and he pointed to his own behind: “That's a back end.” He explained that this hotel calls the service workers “our Heart of House,” adding, “And that means you think of them very differently. If you think of them as Heart of House, then they are really important to you. You know their names and their children's names. You know what’s going on in their lives. You know their birthdays. You go and talk to them twice a day.” (from Beautiful Constraint: How To Transform Your Limitations Into Advantages, and Why It's Everyone's Business by Adam Morgan, Mark Barden)
Service workers are the “Heart of House” at this hotel, and those who serve are the heart of what Jesus is trying to do.
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Mark 10:25-35
Being the Servant of All
As the disciples are arguing about who is the greatest among them, Jesus instructs them, whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all.”
Scholar Candida Moss notes that this is more than a figure of speech. The disciples would have known about the role of servants and enslaved people from traveling with Jesus to the homes of wealthy people. She writes, “According to stories of the gospels and Acts, they stayed in the homes of sympathizers and supporters. Just as enslaved people assisted in navigation, bartering, translation, and travel, here too, in the warm homes of Christ followers, we hear their soft footsteps. Upon their arrival, the disciples were likely met by attendants who washed their feet and prepared their meals. They would have been guided around unfamiliar surroundings by domestic helpers, who summoned the friends and business contacts that came to hear them. The sick, brought to the apostles for healing, were likely to have been carried by family members or enslaved workers.”
After the death of Jesus, as the early church grew, enslaved people were equally valuable. Moss adds, “When letters or messages were conveyed by any named members of the movement — whether by people associated with Paul’s wealthy patron Chloe, by the unnamed competitors Paul refers to in his letters, or by members of the households of affluent freeperson converts like Aristobulus, Narcissus, Lydia, or any other supporter identified in the Bible in this way — it is safe to assume it was by servile workers in their employ. When itinerant Christian preachers enjoyed the patronage of wealthier enslavers as they traveled, it meant not just sustenance, shelter, and access to social networks — it also entailed the “loaning” of the expertise and time of these hosts’ enslaved workers. If some of these people became Christ followers and subsequently volunteered their services, those donations were as substantial and valuable to the success of Christianity as the monetary resources supplied by the more affluent.” (from God’s Ghostwriters: Enslaved Christians and the Making of the Bible)
Servants and enslaved people did important work for Jesus and his friends and are often invisible in the scriptures.
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Mark 10:25-35
Being Visible — Or Invisible
Perhaps what James and John really want is to be seen — to be visible as people who are important to the work of Jesus. Maybe they’re tired of being in the background after all the sacrifices they’ve made for Jesus.
A banquet server writes about that kind of invisibility, saying, “We, the staff, are the invisible members of the wedding party, the ones who keep things running. We pay attention to stepparents at opposite tables with equal care; we know to stop serving wine during the best man’s awkward, rambling toast.”
She says that she is fortunate to work for a compassionate company. “Another server tells me: “The other catering company I work for, they throw all the leftover food out. We aren’t allowed to eat any of it. We also aren’t allowed to talk to each other if we are out on the floor. It’s miserable.” Perhaps for this other company, having staff members speaking to one another would unravel the illusion of invisibility. Suddenly we become human, complete with emotions and dreams and thoughts and agency. If we can speak, then maybe we, “the help,” also notice uncomfortable truths. Perhaps we will figure out that the guests who cling desperately to their salad forks as we try to clear them away for dinner service probably don’t dine out at nice places often. We can tell the difference between old money, new money, and no money — by the seams in a dress, by the fabric of a handbag, by how well a suit is tailored. “Effortless” is an expensive look. “Timeless” would cost me a month’s pay for a single outfit.”
This work makes her and the other servers invisible, and it also conveys status. Like James and John in the world of Jesus, her place is clear. The server’s apron “signifies, at least for the night, that I am lower in status than those I serve…” Like James and John, she’s ready to be seen by the people she serves.
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Mark 10:25-35
Signs of Success
Are James and John looking for a sign from Jesus that they have made it? That they are a success as disciples? Perhaps even exemplary disciples?
In every era, the signs of success are different, signaled with position and title, as James and John express to Jesus. Author Bridget Schulte says that the mark of success in our time is how busy we are. She writes, “These days even the superrich and powerful are super busy. No longer content to show status by lazing about in conspicuous idleness as in the past, elites today act more like the U2 mega-rock star, Bono, who jets off to Africa and global capitals to meet with world leaders and push for a cure for AIDS and debt forgiveness for impoverished countries — squeezing humanitarian work in between songwriting and concert dates. The Microsoft billionaire Bill Gates, a man who was once so busy he slept under his desk at work rather than lose a minute away from the office, is now so busy seeking cures for malaria and promoting innovation and education reform that he’s hung up his golf clubs. Celebrities, such as the star chef Marcus Samuelsson, stuff as much “wild and frenetic life” into their fifteen-minute window of fame to last a lifetime. Samuelsson cooks, runs six restaurants, has a cookware collection, a line of tea, deals with airlines and credit card companies, TV appearances, two websites, four cookbooks, and a memoir.” (from Overwhelmed: Work, Love, and Play When No One Has the Time)
James and John’s question to Jesus invites us to think about whether we’re chasing equally illusory measures of success in our own lives.
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Mark 10:25-35
Success vs. Fruitfulness
James and John ask Jesus to reassure them that they are a success as disciples, and Jesus reminds them that they’re asking the wrong question. Henri Nouwen notes, “There is a great difference between successfulness and fruitfulness. Success comes from strength, control, and respectability. A successful person has the energy to create something, to keep control over its development, and to make it available in large quantities. Success brings many rewards and often fame. Fruits, however, come from weakness and vulnerability. And fruits are unique. A child is the fruit conceived in vulnerability, community is the fruit born through shared brokenness, and intimacy is the fruit that grows through touching one another’s wounds. Let’s remind one another that what brings us true joy is not successfulness but fruitfulness.” (from Bread for the Journey: A Daybook of Wisdom and Faith)
Jesus calls James and John — and us — back to bearing fruit, instead of seeking success.
* * *
Hebrews 5:1-10
Learning from Suffering
The writer of Hebrews notes that Jesus uses his suffering as a place of learning, writing, “Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered.”
Author K.J. Ramsey, who has contended with a long illness, shares, “Many of us have come to experience our suffering as scorched earth, our bodies as betrayers, and God as negligent, even if our churchy goodness makes us afraid to admit it. We can only develop the capacity to make sense of our stories and renew our minds to greater wholeness through encountering an outside relationship. The field of psychology describes this process as earned secure attachment. Theology describes it as union with Christ. God is inviting us into a paradox of great possibility.”
Joining with the life of Jesus, and experiencing suffering in his embrace, allows us to learn, too.
Ramsey adds, “Becoming whole in and through suffering requires experiencing the presence, power, and story of the Person we most fear has abandoned and neglected us — God. Our suffering only makes sense alongside the story of the risen, reigning Christ. Suffering roars with lies about who we are. Forgotten. Forsaken. Unloved. When suffering lingers, we’ll only hear the sound of love and the harmony of hope in the rhythm of Christ’s breath, which is nearer than you might expect. In Jesus we have been united with a presence, memory, and story that touches and transforms our stories of sorrow into stories of life. In Christ the suffering we want to escape becomes the place of more fully participating in the reality of the kingdom of God. Our union with Christ does not rescue us from our earthy existence. Rather it plants our feet on the arid soil of suffering and makes it fertile ground.” (from This Too Shall Last: Finding Grace When Suffering Lingers)
If Jesus is the pattern for our lives, he also shows us a way to learn from the suffering we don’t want.
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From team member Dean Feldmeyer:
Job 38:1-7, 34-41 and Psalm 104:1-9, 24, 35c
Evidence of God’s majesty, glory, and power are found in the creation of which we have been made responsible stewards.
Global Climate Change
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) at climate.gov, we know the world is warming because people have been recording daily high and low temperatures at thousands of weather stations worldwide, over land and ocean, for many decades and, in some locations, for more than a century.
We know this warming is largely caused by human activities because the key role that carbon dioxide plays in maintaining Earth’s natural greenhouse effect has been understood since the mid-1800s.
In addition to our surface station data, we have many different lines of evidence that Earth is warming. Birds are migrating earlier, and their migration patterns are changing. Lobsters and other marine species are moving north. Plants are blooming earlier in the spring. Mountain glaciers are melting worldwide, and snow cover is declining in the Northern Hemisphere. Greenland’s ice sheet, which holds about eight percent of Earth’s fresh water, is melting at an accelerating rate. Mean global sea level is rising. Arctic sea ice is declining rapidly in both thickness and extent.
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What Can I Do?
The United Nations Environment Programme offers 10 suggestions about how we, as individuals, can play an important part in reducing or even reversing global climate change:
1. Spread the word – Encourage your friends, family, and co-workers to reduce their carbon pollution.
2. Keep up the political pressure – Lobby local politicians and businesses to support efforts to cut emissions and reduce carbon pollution.
3. Transform your transport – Transport accounts for around a quarter of all greenhouse gas emissions and across the world, many governments are implementing policies to decarbonize travel. You can get a head start by leaving your car at home and walk or cycle whenever possible.
4. Rein in your power use – Switch to a zero-carbon or renewable energy provider. Install solar panels on your roof. Turn your heating down a degree or two. Switch off appliances and lights when you are not using them.
5. Tweak your diet – Eat more plant-based meals.
6. Shop local and buy sustainable – To reduce your food’s carbon footprint, buy local and seasonal foods.
7. Don’t waste food – One-third of all food produced is either lost or wasted.
8. Dress (climate) smart – The fashion industry accounts for 8-10% of global carbon emissions — more than all international flights and maritime shipping combined — and ‘fast fashion’ has created a throwaway culture that sees clothes quickly end up in landfills. But we can change this. Buy fewer new clothes and wear them longer.
9. Plant trees – Every year approximately 12 million hectares of forest are destroyed and this deforestation, together with agriculture and other land use changes, is responsible for roughly 25 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions.
10. Focus on planet-friendly investments – Individuals can also spur change through their savings and investments by choosing financial institutions that do not invest in carbon-polluting industries.
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What Kids Are Doing
Alex Lin Tackles E-Waste
Electronic waste, also known as end-of-life (EOL) electronics or e-waste, refers to discarded, recycled, or refurbished electrical and electronic products.
After reading about e-waste in a Wall Street Journal article, 16-year-old Alex Lin has influenced significant changes to reduce e-waste.
Along with his community service team, Alex has overseen the recycling of 300,000 pounds of e-waste. They also successfully lobbied the Rhode Island state legislature to pass a bill in 2006 banning the dumping of e-waste. This bill paved the way for the producer responsibility bill, which passed in 2008, that puts more responsibility on electronic manufacturers.
The community service team’s work has gone global. They’ve helped establish similar teams in countries such as the Philippines, Mexico, and Kenya to reduce local e-waste.
Students for Sustainability
The “Students for Sustainability” club at Port Townsend High School in Washington State has helped reforest two local habitats. After learning about the state of their local watersheds, the high school students wanted to help improve the habitat for wildlife and water quality. To plan their reforestation efforts, they partnered with the Jefferson Land Trust and the Northwest Watershed Institute.
The students served as crew leaders for the Northwest Watershed Institute’s Plant-a-Thon events. Students from kindergarten through eighth grade plant several thousand trees during the event. To date, they’ve planted over 7,000 trees!
More stories like these, some with video clips, can be found at the Project Learning Tree website.
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Hebrews 5:1-10 & Mark 10:35-45
The priestly function among believers.
The Priestly Function
While protestant churches do not consider their clergy to be priests, they often acknowledge that their ministers and pastors are expected to fulfill what have been historically considered priestly functions. Among those functions are:
Leading Worship Services and Conducting Religious Rites – They officiate at ceremonies such as weddings, baptisms, funerals, and other important religious events. During these services, priests lead prayers, deliver sermons or homilies to provide spiritual guidance, and administer sacraments according to the traditions of their faith.
Pastoral Care, Counseling, and Support – In addition to leading worship services, priests offer pastoral care to individuals within their community. They serve as compassionate listeners who provide counsel and support during times of joy or sorrow.
Teaching Religious Doctrine – They ensure the transmission of faith knowledge by educating their congregations about the principles and beliefs central to their religion.
Maintaining Sacred Spaces – Priests are responsible for maintaining sacred spaces such as temples or churches. These spaces hold significant importance for the community as places for worship and reflection. Priests oversee the maintenance of these locations while ensuring they remain conducive to prayerful contemplation.
For more on this topic see this excellent overview.
* * *
Father Fire Fighter
From the time he was 10 years old, Pierre Fouquier wanted to be a fire fighter. But as is often the case with young boys, he also felt that he had another calling. He also wanted to be a priest. He went to college and was trained in civil engineering, but his other two callings never left him.
Finally, he left engineering and went to seminary. Upon graduating he was assigned to the parish of Saint-Epain in northern France and, wonder of wonders, they had a volunteer fire department that was in need of new recruits.
Father Fouquier volunteered and, having completed his training, he spends about 75 hours a month working as a fire fighter in addition to being the priest at the Saint-Epain parish. He says that he now serves two parishes: The first is the one assigned to him at Saint-Epain. The second is the 100-plus members of the volunteer fire department.
He says that both of his vocations inform each other. He sees a different side of life as a firefighter than as a priest.
“When you receive a priest, you tidy up your house to welcome him. As a firefighter, I go to places and I meet people in situations of great precariousness, difficult situations.”
His priestly vocation also makes him a better firefighter. “Most of the firefighters’ jobs are social interventions. Being a firefighter is also a job of listening,” he explains. He can then rely on the “human training” provided at the seminary.
His commitment as a firefighter brings him into contact with different realities. As a result, he meets “people who might never set foot in a church.”
The joys and labors of this busy daily life, Father Pierre offers to God. “I enjoy carrying the world as I celebrate services. I see my limitations well and I give to the Lord all that I cannot carry myself.”
* * * * * *
WORSHIP
by George Reed
Call to Worship
One: Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God, you are very great.
All: You are clothed with honor and majesty.
One: You stretch out the heavens like a tent.
All: You set the earth on its foundations: it shall never be shaken.
One: O Lord, how manifold are your works!
All: In wisdom you have made them all.
OR
One: The God of creation gathers us together this day.
All: We come to worship and praise our creating God.
One: God calls us to harmony with all that is holy.
All: We long to unite in love with the one who made us.
One: God also calls us to harmony with others and all creation.
All: As God’s people we will embrace all God created.
Hymns and Songs
I Sing the Almighty Power of God
UMH: 152
H82: 398
PH: 288
GTG: 32
NCH: 13
W&P: 31
Renew: 54
Morning Has Broken
UMH: 145
H82: 8
PH: 469
GTG: 664
CH: 53
ELW: 556
W&P: 36
STLT: 38
This Is My Father’s World
UMH: 144
H82: 651
PH: 293
GTG: 370
AAHH: 149
NNBH: 41
CH: 59
LBW: 554
ELW: 824
W&P: 21
AMEC: 47
Sing Praise to God Who Reigns Above
UMH: 126
H82: 408
PH: 483
GTG: 645
NCH: 6
CH: 6
W&P: 56
Renew: 52
All Creatures of My God and King
UMH: 62
H82: 400
PH: 455
GTG: 15
AAHH: 147
NNBH: 33
NCH: 17
CH: 22
LBW: 527
ELW: 835
W&P: 23
AMEC: 50
STLT: 203
Renew: 47
How Great Thou Art
UMH: 77
PH: 467
GTG: 625
AAHH: 148
NNBH: 43
NCH: 35
CH: 33
LBW: 532
ELW: 856
W&P: 51
AMEC: 68
Renew: 250
For the Beauty of the Earth
UMH: 92
H82: 416
PH: 473
GTG: 14
NNBH: 8
NCH: 28
CH: 56
LBW: 561
ELW: 879
W&P: 40
AMEC: 578
STLT: 21
For the Healing of the Nations
UMH: 428
GTG: 346
NCH: 576
CH: 668
W&P: 621
This Is My Song
UMH: 437
GTG: 340
NCH: 591
CH: 722
ELW: 887
God of Grace and God of Glory
UMH: 577
H82: 594/595
PH: 420
GTG: 307
NCH: 436
CH: 464
LBW: 415
ELW: 705
W&P: 569
AMEC: 62
STLT: 115
Renew: 301
From the Rising of the Sun
CCB: 4
Holy Ground
CCB: 5
Music Resources Key
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
GTG: Glory to God, The Presbyterian Hymnal
AAHH: African American Heritage Hymnal
NNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
LBW: Lutheran Book of Worship
ELW: Evangelical Lutheran Worship
W&P: Worship & Praise
AMEC: African Methodist Episcopal Church Hymnal
STLT: Singing the Living Tradition
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
Renew: Renew! Songs & Hymns for Blended Worship
Prayer for the Day/Collect
O God who created all that is and called it very good:
Grant us, your creatures, to live in harmony with you
and with all of your wondrous creation;
through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We praise you, O God, because you created all that is. You looked over your work and called it very good. Help us to so live in unity with you that we can live in harmony not only with one another but with all of your creation. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
One: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins and especially when we disrespect your creation.
All: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We have disrespected you by refusing to live in harmony with your creation. We are petty and mean with one another. We treat others as being of less value than ourselves. We abuse your earth as we pollute the waters, air, and ground. You created all to be in harmony and we sow discord. Forgive us our arrogant ways and restore us into unity with you and all you have created. Amen.
One: God does seek harmony with us and all creation. Receive God’s gracious mercy and restore the relationships you have broken.
Prayers of the People
Glorious are you, O Creator of All. Out of the abundance of your love you brought forth your creation. You made us a part of it and granted us the privilege of overseeing your Earth.
(The following paragraph may be used if a separate prayer of confession has not been used.)
We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We have disrespected you by refusing to live in harmony with your creation. We are petty and mean with one another. We treat others as being of less value than ourselves. We abuse your earth as we pollute the waters, air, and ground. You created all to be in harmony and we sow discord. Forgive us our arrogant ways and restore us into unity with you and all you have created.
We thank you for all the wonders of creation. You have gifted us with a bountiful earth that produces abundantly to fill our needs. You have created beautiful wonders that delight our senses. You have given us each other for companionship and support. You have bathed everything in your presence and your love.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for others in their need. Many are shut out from the good things of this world by the greed of others. Many suffer from illness and are denied the medicines that would heal them because they cannot afford them. Instead of care and support many are pushed away and rejected. Help us to be part of your healing presence in and for this world.
(Other intercessions may be offered.)
Hear us as we pray for others: (Time for silent or spoken prayer.)
All these things we ask in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ who taught us to pray saying:
Our Father....Amen.
(Or if the Our Father is not used at this point in the service.)
All this we ask in the name of the blessed and holy Trinity. Amen.
* * * * * *
CHILDREN’S SERMON
Sit With Us
by Katy Stenta
Job 38:1-7 (34-41)
There is a character Job
He has lost everything
His home
His crops
Even his children
And gone through great suffering
And sits in silence
We call that “lament”
When you are angry
Sad
Upset
And going through all of these complicated emotions from loss
If you ever had to move
Or lost somebody you love
Then you probably know what I mean
Let’s take a moment and think about that
Because Job takes a long time to think
And laments about his losses
(Sit for a moment or two in silence)
Then God answers and says that he laid the foundations of the earth
Created the stars, and sees all and knows all
So you can take comfort that God knows and understands
Your grief and sits with you when you are sad and understands even that
Let’s pray
Dear God,
Thank you
For lamenting
With us
When we
Are sad,
And understanding
That
Some things
Just need company
Sit with us
We pray
Amen.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, October 20, 2024 issue.
Copyright 2024 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.
- Messengers From The Whirlwind by Chris Keating based on Job 38:1-7, (34-41) and Psalm 104:1-9, 24, 35c.
- Second Thoughts: Not A Priest by Tom Willadsen based on Mark 10:35-45, Hebrews 5:1-10, and Isaiah 53:4-12.
- Sermon illustrations by Mary Austin, Dean Feldmeyer.
- Worship resources by George Reed.
- Children’s sermon: Sit With Us by Katy Stenta based on Job 38:1-7 (34-41).
Messengers From The Whirlwindby Chris Keating
Job 38:1-7, (34-41) and Psalm 104:1-9, 24, 35c
In the aftermath of back-to-back hurricanes and weather-related storms, millions of residents of the southeast are encountering messages sent from the whirlwind. The classic one-two punch of Hurricanes Helene and Milton resulted in billions of dollars in damage and the deaths of more than 230 people.
The winds that flew around areas like Florida and North Carolina spawned tornadoes, flooding, and countless “acts of God” that flattened homes and ripped apart infrastructure. But those winds also carried somber warnings about the destructive potential of human impact on the climate.
As one resident of Fort Myers Beach, Florida, mentioned to reporters: “If you ‘thank God it was only a Cat-3,’” said Fort Myers Beach resident Melody King, “maybe it’s time to reevaluate what we’re doing here.” Two years ago, King lost her possessions during Hurricane Ian. This time she hunkered down to ride out the storm from the third floor of a friend’s condominium. But the traumatic impact is becoming harder to absorb.
This Sunday, millions are hard at work recovering from the whirlwind of trauma and destruction. They may feel attacked like Job, stripped of their humanity, and lost in suffering. Their cries may help us understand God’s response to Job as well as Psalm 104 as invitations to renew our ecological stewardship.
“You make the winds your messengers,” the psalmist declares, “fire and flame your ministers.” God is crying to us through the whirlwind, reminding us of our role in repairing the earth. Whether we believe the messengers may be another topic. For now, however, all we can do is to receive what they are saying to us.
In the News
Scientists say the messages delivered by Hurricanes Helene and Milton provide irrefutable evidence of the impact of climate change. Researchers at the World Weather Attribution (WWA) released flash studies demonstrating the impact of climate change on these devastating storms.
WWA researchers noted that human-impacted climate change boosted the windspeeds for both hurricanes. In addition, the warming planet created conditions that increased Milton’s rainfall between 20%-30% while also boosting its overall windspeed by ten percent.
Milton made landfall near Siesta Key, Florida, as a Category 3 storm, before moving across the state. At least 23 people died during the storm, and millions were left without power. Scientists reported that Milton would have likely been a Category 2 storm if not for the earth’s increased temperature.
“We conclude that warmer Sea Surface Temperatures along the track of Hurricane Milton were strongly influenced by climate change, which affected Milton’s environment and made it more likely for the storm to develop and intensify throughout its lifetime,” they wrote. Similar findings had been reported earlier regarding Hurricane Helene.
Helene’s landfall included a 15-foot storm surge in Florida and winds of up to 140 miles per hour. As it turned north, Helene blew through Georgia, the Carolinas, Tennessee, and Virginia, becoming the deadliest hurricane to hit the mainline United States since Katrina.
While Milton's rage avoided a direct hit to Tampa Bay, it still spawned tornadoes across the state. It’s damaging winds and flooding resulted in widespread power outages and billions of dollars in property damage. Insurers expect the losses in Florida from Milton alone to be “a double-digit billion-dollar loss event,” and perhaps the largest catastrophic loss in the United States for 2024. Florida officials report that so far insurers are reporting about 44,000 claims exceeding more than $586 million in losses.
Florida already ranks first in the nation for home owner’s insurance premiums, and there is concern that many insurers will be sent into financial instability. Analysts have said they expect those rates to go even higher.
Politicians like Florida governor Ron DeSantis reject the claims that the hurricanes were impacted by climate change. “It is hurricane season,” DeSantis said during a press conference. “You are going to have tropic weather.”
DeSantis seemed to equate spurious conspiracy theories with the scientific studies. While US Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene posted that “Yes, they (the government) can control the weather. It’s ridiculous for anyone to lie and say it can’t be done.” DeSantis joked that he’d love to be able to control the weather, but then added, “You kind of have some people think government can do this, and others think it’s all because of fossil fuels. The reality is, is what we see — there’s precedent for all this in history.”
Researchers at WWA have gleaned a different message from Helene and Milton’s winds. They conclude:
There is also growing evidence that hurricanes are now intensifying more rapidly (Bhatia et al., 2019), becoming more intense (WWA, 2024; Grantham Institute, 2024) and will continue to do so with further warming (Patricola and Wehner, 2018), and that storm surges are causing extra damage due to sea level rise (Strauss et al., 2021).
In the Scriptures
Both the semi-continuous reading from Job 38 and Psalm 104 are noteworthy for their focus on creation. The pairing of these readings this week provide an opportunity to engage pressing environmental concerns while also inviting reflection on often overlooked scriptural themes.
In Job 38, God finally responds to Job’s plight, though it might not be the answer some would prefer. Job steadfastly maintains his innocence and demands a response from God. The response, however, is unsettling. God replies to Job’s demands by offering a tour de force narration of creation. A whirlwind is furiously destructive. And, indeed, God’s words deconstruct the idea that Job should enjoy some sort of special status. “Who is this?” God demands, before continuing with an elaborate depiction of divine power at work in creation. God’s questions to Job jab at our human tendency to elevate the creation above the creator. “Can you lift up your voice to the clouds so that a flood of waters may cover you? Can you send forth lightnings, so that they may go and say to you, ‘Here we are?’ In response, writes Bill McKibben, “Job must stand in mute silence.” (McKibben, The Comforting Whirlwind, p. 55). God’s delight in creation is affirmed, even as the great distance between humanity and God is upheld.
Similar themes are echoed in Psalm 104. The psalmist celebrates the vibrant diversity of creation. It is a full-throated anthem of praise that includes the psalter’s first reference of “Hallelujah” (verse 35) as way of inviting humanity’s participation. It begins and ends with a call to “Bless the Lord,” as an act of humbling oneself before creation’s astounding beauty. J. Clinton McCann remarks that the psalmist is intent on “honoring and facilitating God’s purpose for the earth — life for all.” (McCann, Psalms Immersion Bible Study, p. 55.) The point, suggests McCann, is the invitation to humans to recall their role as members of a “vast and interrelated system that today we might call the biosphere — the circle of life.” (McCann, p. 55.)
In the Sermon
This week would be a great opportunity to take your congregation to Florida, or even western North Carolina. The good news is that you won’t have to pay a cent for transportation. Instead, a sermon could invite the listeners to ponder either God’s response to Job in chapter 38 or Psalm 104 from the point of view of those whose lives have been battered and displaced by climate change.
Both readings reinforce our relationship to creation and invite human beings to assume a posture of humble appreciation for God’s sovereignty. Job and Psalm 104 remind us of the humble stance we take before God. As McKibben observes, “even our grandest science seems destined not to penetrate that first morning (of creation), to understand the pillars and the cornerstone. We stand in awe before that dawn when the very stars sang out in wonder.” (McKibben, p. 54). Here is a reminder that the earth is our home, but that it indeed belongs to God. How might that understanding encourage us to review our stewardship of creation?
Such a stance of humble appreciation could borrow from the practices of appreciative inquiry in clarifying the church’s mission and vision. The beauty of creation is all around us. Our hymns and scriptures declare the beauty of what God has made — consider that we cannot save what we do not first appreciate. Perhaps end worship this week with a processional out of the sanctuary and into the world, reciting together the promises of Psalm 104:31-32, “May the glory of the Lord endure forever! May the Lord rejoice in his works — who looks on the earth and it trembles!”
Clint McCann, in his commentary on Psalms for the New Interpreter’s Bible Commentary, reminds us that the psalmist is aware of the “intricate interconnectedness and subtle interdependence” of all creation. As the leaves begin to change and autumn pops around us, here is a chance to explore a very different aspect of stewardship. If we exist in a web of relationships, what messages are the winds (Psalm 104:4) bringing to us today?
A final possibility is to listen to the texts as an invitation to respond to the vast suffering of those impacted by these (and other) natural disasters. The range of disasters in 2024 has caused billions in damage. Even the most cynical climate change deniers cannot overlook the human and economic impact of that trauma. Nor can churches in the paths of such devastation escape the painful reality of increased (likely highly increased) insurance costs. A positive outlook on learning from disasters is detailed by a recent posting by the World Wildlife Federation.
Not everyone is ready to hear such a word, of course. Yet as the disciples learn in Mark 10:35-45, following Christ means becoming the servant of all. Perhaps this is the message we hear from the whirlwind this week.
* * * * *
SECOND THOUGHTSNot A Priest
by Tom Willadsen
Mark 10:35-45, Hebrews 5:1-10, Isaiah 53:4-12
In the Scripture
Isaiah 53:4-12
Part of a Servant Song
The fourth servant song in Isaiah (52:13-53) comprises most of today’s reading from the prophets. In this one, the servant never speaks. In the first portion of the servant song, vv. 13-15, the Lord speaks, describing the marred appearance of the Lord’s servant. Kings and nations will be stunned into silence.
At the start of Isaiah 53, the people reply to the Lord. This time, the servant is described as unattractive, despised, and rejected. Yet, at v.4, where today’s lection begins, the reader hears that the servant is carrying the diseases of the people and is suffering for their sin.
While the term is not mentioned in this reading, the notion of one creature bearing the sin of another harks back to Leviticus 16:21-22 (NRSV)
Then Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over it all the iniquities of the people of Israel, and all their transgressions, all their sins, putting them on the head of the goat, and sending it away into the wilderness by means of someone designated for the task. The goat shall bear on itself all their iniquities to a barren region; and the goat shall be set free in the wilderness.
In modern usage, the concept of a scapegoat refers to one taking the blame for another or bearing the consequence of another’s action. It’s parallel with the Christian concept of atonement.
At the end of this servant song, and today’s reading, the Lord speaks, vv. 11b-12, confirming that the servant who suffered will be exalted. An obvious foreshadowing of Jesus’ conversation with James and John in today’s gospel reading.
Mark 10:35-45
Today’s reading is that end of large chunk of Mark, which started at 8:27, when Jesus asked his disciples who people say that he is. This conversation is the first time Jesus is identified as the Christ, that is, the Christ, by Peter. (This was the gospel reading for September 15.) This came after Jesus explained that he was headed to Jerusalem to be rejected and killed by the religious leaders. After Peter rebukes Jesus — and Jesus “out-rebukes” Peter, Jesus explains for the first time the cost of following him — the cost of servant leadership.
The disciples don’t get it.
Jesus has a second conversation with the disciples, Mark 9:30-37, during which he explains, again, that he would be betrayed into human hands and killed. The disciples didn’t understand and were afraid to ask. They did argue about which of them was the greatest disciple. In response, Jesus pulled a child into their midst, after he explained that those who want to be great must be servants.
The disciples don’t get it.
In today’s reading, two members of Jesus’ executive council, James and John, ask for the status of sitting at Jesus’ right and left “in your glory.” Presumably, that means up in heaven, where Jesus will be enthroned beside his Father. In Matthew’s gospel, it is James and John’s mother who prods them to make this request. In this case, Jesus asks the two whether they understand the costs of following him, they say they do, but as we’ll see in Mark 14:50, they will abandon him. The reading concludes with Jesus telling the disciples — all of them — that to be great they must be servants. He concludes telling them that he came “to give his life for the ransom of many.”
The disciples don’t get it.
Hebrews 5:1-10
This reading continues the theme of vicarious suffering of a leader on behalf of others. It reaches back to an obscure, little-remembered king, Melchizedek. The reading also refers to Jethro’s instruction to his son-in-law, Moses, about the role and duty of a high priest, Exodus 18:19, “You should represent the people before God and bring their cases to God.” (NRSV) The author of Hebrews cites Leviticus 7:28, reminding the reader that the high priest must offer sacrifice for his own sins, as well as the sins of the people. Jesus suffered, yet was obedient, as we’re reminded in Hebrews 5:8. The reading goes on to explain that because Jesus was perfect, he was able to be the “source” of salvation for those who believed in him.
Melchizedek, the name means “King of Righteousness” was the king of Salem, who blessed Abram when the latter returned from battle, having defeated “Chedorlaomer, and the kings who were with him,” in Genesis 14:17.
He (Melchizedek) blessed him (Abram) and said,
Blessed be Abram by God Most High,
maker of heaven and earth,
and blessed be God Most High,
who has delivered your enemies into your hand! (Genesis 14:19-20, NRSV)
The other place where Melchizedek is mentioned is Psalm 110:4:
The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind,
“You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.” (NRSV)
In seminary I learned that there are three roles in the Hebrew scriptures for which a person could be anointed: prophet, priest, and king. Christians, of course, regard Jesus as filling all three of those roles. Anointing with oil sets people and objects apart in a special way. After Jacob woke from his dream in which he saw a ladder to heaven, he anointed the rock he’d laid his head on that night (Genesis 28:18). Aaron was anointed for the priesthood (Exodus 29:7) “1 Samuel 24:6 refers to the king as ‘the Lord’s anointed,’ which eventually became the Hebrew term mashiah, ‘Messiah,’ and Greek, christos, ‘Christ,’ signifying the king who would rule in the end days.” (Harper’s Bible Dictionary, New York: Harper & Row Publishers, Paul J. Achtemeier, General Editor, 1985.)
When the woman who anointed Jesus with oil (this story appears in slightly different forms in Matthew 26:6-13, Mark 14:3-9, Luke 7:36-50, John 12:1-8) he told his disciples, “She has done what she could; she anointed my body beforehand for its burial” (Mark 14:9, NRSV).
In Acts 10:38, Peter says, “God anointed Jesus with the Holy Spirit and with power….”
When I began the candidacy process to become a Presbyterian minister, I learned that Presbyterian pastors are not priests. Priests do two things that ministers do not do. Priests conduct sacrifices and they stand between the people and God. Presbyterians believe that Christ’s death on the cross was sufficient to atone for our sins and does not need to be reenacted in a mass. We also affirm the priesthood of all believers, a concept we find based in 1 Peter 2:5-9.
When I visited Denmark in 2010, my cousin regarded me as “the trophy guest,” and introduced me as “a Presbyterian priest from America.” Danish does not make the distinction between “pastor” and “priest.” I cringed every time I heard that phrase; it denied my self-understanding.
In the News
You may remember the siege at the Branch Davidian Complex near Waco, Texas, in 1993. Vernon Wayne Howell changed his name to David Koresh. “David,” because the Messiah would come from “the house and lineage of David,” (Luke 2:2) and “Koresh” the biblical name for Cyrus, the king of Persia who receives the name “Messiah” in Isaiah 45:1 because he was tolerant of Judaism and permitted Jews to return to Jerusalem and rebuild their city.
Following the mass shooting at African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, SC, President Barak Obama spoke at the memorial service on June 25, 2015. Media outlets called him “Mourner in Chief.” He spontaneously sang “Amazing Grace” as part of his eulogy.
In the news we often hear things like, “The White House has not yet commented on the most recent mass shooting.” We know the White House is a building and cannot speak actual words. The president’s spokesperson is using the rhetorical technique called “metonymy,” “the substitution of the name of an attribute or adjunct for that of the thing meant, for example, suit for business executive….” (Oxford Dictionary website)
In the Sermon
We are engaged in a tight presidential campaign. People are saying this is the most consequential presidential election in our lifetime. Someone says that every four years, I know. While it is not meaningful to compare levels of “consequentialness,” it is obvious that passions are running high. It is helpful and wise, I believe, to be reminded of the roles that the office of the president contains.
Ever since George Washington earned the designation “Father of Our Country,” from his earliest days as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army, we have seen our nation’s chief executives as paternal, even priestly, symbols. Secular and religious fathers are expected to comfort their families and flocks during crises. (The president’s role as comforter-in-chief | Miller Center accessed 10/12/24)
President Obama embraced the role of mourner in chief following the Mother Emanuel shooting. He needed to address the deep pain that the survivors and the whole nation was experiencing in the wake of that tragedy.
While most of us would never say that we are going to the polls to elect a national priest, it is helpful to realize that the person who occupies this office represents the entire nation.
Unlike a prime minister, who leads the government while a monarch or president performs ceremonial duties, an American president embodies the obligations of ruler and sovereign. (Ibid., accessed 10/12/24)
Recently, former President Donald Trump has described himself in messianic language, “Trump pronounced himself ‘the chosen one’ during a discussion with reporters about China and trade…” Explainer: Trump and the politics of the Messiah | National Catholic Reporter (ncronline.org accessed 10/12/24)
Leaders of the National Apostolic Reformation movement (NAR) “What the book (American Evangelicals for Trump, by André Gagné) did was compare Trump to Cyrus: he’s not necessarily the perfect individual, but he has everything to be able to help Christians actually make a difference and bring America back to God.” (Why white evangelical voters back Trump | Broadview Magazine, accessed 10/12/24.) This is an extraordinary claim, one that we have heard even more frequently following Trump’s survival of an assassination attempt in July.
Be on guard, while we are not electing a priest “according to the order of Melchizedek,” there are some Americans who believe we are. This is a topic that should be shouted from our pulpits.
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Mary Austin:Mark 10:25-35
Paying Attention to Service People
As Jesus invites his friends and his followers to become servants, he reminds us of the important of unseen work. One hotel executive says this is the secret sauce for the hotels he runs.
The authors of A Beautiful Constraint explain how this executive renamed the service departments in his hotel. The department head for the Four Seasons, a man named Bob, said, “I'll tell you what a back end is,” and he pointed to his own behind: “That's a back end.” He explained that this hotel calls the service workers “our Heart of House,” adding, “And that means you think of them very differently. If you think of them as Heart of House, then they are really important to you. You know their names and their children's names. You know what’s going on in their lives. You know their birthdays. You go and talk to them twice a day.” (from Beautiful Constraint: How To Transform Your Limitations Into Advantages, and Why It's Everyone's Business by Adam Morgan, Mark Barden)
Service workers are the “Heart of House” at this hotel, and those who serve are the heart of what Jesus is trying to do.
* * *
Mark 10:25-35
Being the Servant of All
As the disciples are arguing about who is the greatest among them, Jesus instructs them, whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all.”
Scholar Candida Moss notes that this is more than a figure of speech. The disciples would have known about the role of servants and enslaved people from traveling with Jesus to the homes of wealthy people. She writes, “According to stories of the gospels and Acts, they stayed in the homes of sympathizers and supporters. Just as enslaved people assisted in navigation, bartering, translation, and travel, here too, in the warm homes of Christ followers, we hear their soft footsteps. Upon their arrival, the disciples were likely met by attendants who washed their feet and prepared their meals. They would have been guided around unfamiliar surroundings by domestic helpers, who summoned the friends and business contacts that came to hear them. The sick, brought to the apostles for healing, were likely to have been carried by family members or enslaved workers.”
After the death of Jesus, as the early church grew, enslaved people were equally valuable. Moss adds, “When letters or messages were conveyed by any named members of the movement — whether by people associated with Paul’s wealthy patron Chloe, by the unnamed competitors Paul refers to in his letters, or by members of the households of affluent freeperson converts like Aristobulus, Narcissus, Lydia, or any other supporter identified in the Bible in this way — it is safe to assume it was by servile workers in their employ. When itinerant Christian preachers enjoyed the patronage of wealthier enslavers as they traveled, it meant not just sustenance, shelter, and access to social networks — it also entailed the “loaning” of the expertise and time of these hosts’ enslaved workers. If some of these people became Christ followers and subsequently volunteered their services, those donations were as substantial and valuable to the success of Christianity as the monetary resources supplied by the more affluent.” (from God’s Ghostwriters: Enslaved Christians and the Making of the Bible)
Servants and enslaved people did important work for Jesus and his friends and are often invisible in the scriptures.
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Mark 10:25-35
Being Visible — Or Invisible
Perhaps what James and John really want is to be seen — to be visible as people who are important to the work of Jesus. Maybe they’re tired of being in the background after all the sacrifices they’ve made for Jesus.
A banquet server writes about that kind of invisibility, saying, “We, the staff, are the invisible members of the wedding party, the ones who keep things running. We pay attention to stepparents at opposite tables with equal care; we know to stop serving wine during the best man’s awkward, rambling toast.”
She says that she is fortunate to work for a compassionate company. “Another server tells me: “The other catering company I work for, they throw all the leftover food out. We aren’t allowed to eat any of it. We also aren’t allowed to talk to each other if we are out on the floor. It’s miserable.” Perhaps for this other company, having staff members speaking to one another would unravel the illusion of invisibility. Suddenly we become human, complete with emotions and dreams and thoughts and agency. If we can speak, then maybe we, “the help,” also notice uncomfortable truths. Perhaps we will figure out that the guests who cling desperately to their salad forks as we try to clear them away for dinner service probably don’t dine out at nice places often. We can tell the difference between old money, new money, and no money — by the seams in a dress, by the fabric of a handbag, by how well a suit is tailored. “Effortless” is an expensive look. “Timeless” would cost me a month’s pay for a single outfit.”
This work makes her and the other servers invisible, and it also conveys status. Like James and John in the world of Jesus, her place is clear. The server’s apron “signifies, at least for the night, that I am lower in status than those I serve…” Like James and John, she’s ready to be seen by the people she serves.
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Mark 10:25-35
Signs of Success
Are James and John looking for a sign from Jesus that they have made it? That they are a success as disciples? Perhaps even exemplary disciples?
In every era, the signs of success are different, signaled with position and title, as James and John express to Jesus. Author Bridget Schulte says that the mark of success in our time is how busy we are. She writes, “These days even the superrich and powerful are super busy. No longer content to show status by lazing about in conspicuous idleness as in the past, elites today act more like the U2 mega-rock star, Bono, who jets off to Africa and global capitals to meet with world leaders and push for a cure for AIDS and debt forgiveness for impoverished countries — squeezing humanitarian work in between songwriting and concert dates. The Microsoft billionaire Bill Gates, a man who was once so busy he slept under his desk at work rather than lose a minute away from the office, is now so busy seeking cures for malaria and promoting innovation and education reform that he’s hung up his golf clubs. Celebrities, such as the star chef Marcus Samuelsson, stuff as much “wild and frenetic life” into their fifteen-minute window of fame to last a lifetime. Samuelsson cooks, runs six restaurants, has a cookware collection, a line of tea, deals with airlines and credit card companies, TV appearances, two websites, four cookbooks, and a memoir.” (from Overwhelmed: Work, Love, and Play When No One Has the Time)
James and John’s question to Jesus invites us to think about whether we’re chasing equally illusory measures of success in our own lives.
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Mark 10:25-35
Success vs. Fruitfulness
James and John ask Jesus to reassure them that they are a success as disciples, and Jesus reminds them that they’re asking the wrong question. Henri Nouwen notes, “There is a great difference between successfulness and fruitfulness. Success comes from strength, control, and respectability. A successful person has the energy to create something, to keep control over its development, and to make it available in large quantities. Success brings many rewards and often fame. Fruits, however, come from weakness and vulnerability. And fruits are unique. A child is the fruit conceived in vulnerability, community is the fruit born through shared brokenness, and intimacy is the fruit that grows through touching one another’s wounds. Let’s remind one another that what brings us true joy is not successfulness but fruitfulness.” (from Bread for the Journey: A Daybook of Wisdom and Faith)
Jesus calls James and John — and us — back to bearing fruit, instead of seeking success.
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Hebrews 5:1-10
Learning from Suffering
The writer of Hebrews notes that Jesus uses his suffering as a place of learning, writing, “Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered.”
Author K.J. Ramsey, who has contended with a long illness, shares, “Many of us have come to experience our suffering as scorched earth, our bodies as betrayers, and God as negligent, even if our churchy goodness makes us afraid to admit it. We can only develop the capacity to make sense of our stories and renew our minds to greater wholeness through encountering an outside relationship. The field of psychology describes this process as earned secure attachment. Theology describes it as union with Christ. God is inviting us into a paradox of great possibility.”
Joining with the life of Jesus, and experiencing suffering in his embrace, allows us to learn, too.
Ramsey adds, “Becoming whole in and through suffering requires experiencing the presence, power, and story of the Person we most fear has abandoned and neglected us — God. Our suffering only makes sense alongside the story of the risen, reigning Christ. Suffering roars with lies about who we are. Forgotten. Forsaken. Unloved. When suffering lingers, we’ll only hear the sound of love and the harmony of hope in the rhythm of Christ’s breath, which is nearer than you might expect. In Jesus we have been united with a presence, memory, and story that touches and transforms our stories of sorrow into stories of life. In Christ the suffering we want to escape becomes the place of more fully participating in the reality of the kingdom of God. Our union with Christ does not rescue us from our earthy existence. Rather it plants our feet on the arid soil of suffering and makes it fertile ground.” (from This Too Shall Last: Finding Grace When Suffering Lingers)
If Jesus is the pattern for our lives, he also shows us a way to learn from the suffering we don’t want.
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From team member Dean Feldmeyer:Job 38:1-7, 34-41 and Psalm 104:1-9, 24, 35c
Evidence of God’s majesty, glory, and power are found in the creation of which we have been made responsible stewards.
Global Climate Change
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) at climate.gov, we know the world is warming because people have been recording daily high and low temperatures at thousands of weather stations worldwide, over land and ocean, for many decades and, in some locations, for more than a century.
We know this warming is largely caused by human activities because the key role that carbon dioxide plays in maintaining Earth’s natural greenhouse effect has been understood since the mid-1800s.
In addition to our surface station data, we have many different lines of evidence that Earth is warming. Birds are migrating earlier, and their migration patterns are changing. Lobsters and other marine species are moving north. Plants are blooming earlier in the spring. Mountain glaciers are melting worldwide, and snow cover is declining in the Northern Hemisphere. Greenland’s ice sheet, which holds about eight percent of Earth’s fresh water, is melting at an accelerating rate. Mean global sea level is rising. Arctic sea ice is declining rapidly in both thickness and extent.
* * *
What Can I Do?
The United Nations Environment Programme offers 10 suggestions about how we, as individuals, can play an important part in reducing or even reversing global climate change:
1. Spread the word – Encourage your friends, family, and co-workers to reduce their carbon pollution.
2. Keep up the political pressure – Lobby local politicians and businesses to support efforts to cut emissions and reduce carbon pollution.
3. Transform your transport – Transport accounts for around a quarter of all greenhouse gas emissions and across the world, many governments are implementing policies to decarbonize travel. You can get a head start by leaving your car at home and walk or cycle whenever possible.
4. Rein in your power use – Switch to a zero-carbon or renewable energy provider. Install solar panels on your roof. Turn your heating down a degree or two. Switch off appliances and lights when you are not using them.
5. Tweak your diet – Eat more plant-based meals.
6. Shop local and buy sustainable – To reduce your food’s carbon footprint, buy local and seasonal foods.
7. Don’t waste food – One-third of all food produced is either lost or wasted.
8. Dress (climate) smart – The fashion industry accounts for 8-10% of global carbon emissions — more than all international flights and maritime shipping combined — and ‘fast fashion’ has created a throwaway culture that sees clothes quickly end up in landfills. But we can change this. Buy fewer new clothes and wear them longer.
9. Plant trees – Every year approximately 12 million hectares of forest are destroyed and this deforestation, together with agriculture and other land use changes, is responsible for roughly 25 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions.
10. Focus on planet-friendly investments – Individuals can also spur change through their savings and investments by choosing financial institutions that do not invest in carbon-polluting industries.
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What Kids Are Doing
Alex Lin Tackles E-Waste
Electronic waste, also known as end-of-life (EOL) electronics or e-waste, refers to discarded, recycled, or refurbished electrical and electronic products.
After reading about e-waste in a Wall Street Journal article, 16-year-old Alex Lin has influenced significant changes to reduce e-waste.
Along with his community service team, Alex has overseen the recycling of 300,000 pounds of e-waste. They also successfully lobbied the Rhode Island state legislature to pass a bill in 2006 banning the dumping of e-waste. This bill paved the way for the producer responsibility bill, which passed in 2008, that puts more responsibility on electronic manufacturers.
The community service team’s work has gone global. They’ve helped establish similar teams in countries such as the Philippines, Mexico, and Kenya to reduce local e-waste.
Students for Sustainability
The “Students for Sustainability” club at Port Townsend High School in Washington State has helped reforest two local habitats. After learning about the state of their local watersheds, the high school students wanted to help improve the habitat for wildlife and water quality. To plan their reforestation efforts, they partnered with the Jefferson Land Trust and the Northwest Watershed Institute.
The students served as crew leaders for the Northwest Watershed Institute’s Plant-a-Thon events. Students from kindergarten through eighth grade plant several thousand trees during the event. To date, they’ve planted over 7,000 trees!
More stories like these, some with video clips, can be found at the Project Learning Tree website.
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Hebrews 5:1-10 & Mark 10:35-45
The priestly function among believers.
The Priestly Function
While protestant churches do not consider their clergy to be priests, they often acknowledge that their ministers and pastors are expected to fulfill what have been historically considered priestly functions. Among those functions are:
Leading Worship Services and Conducting Religious Rites – They officiate at ceremonies such as weddings, baptisms, funerals, and other important religious events. During these services, priests lead prayers, deliver sermons or homilies to provide spiritual guidance, and administer sacraments according to the traditions of their faith.
Pastoral Care, Counseling, and Support – In addition to leading worship services, priests offer pastoral care to individuals within their community. They serve as compassionate listeners who provide counsel and support during times of joy or sorrow.
Teaching Religious Doctrine – They ensure the transmission of faith knowledge by educating their congregations about the principles and beliefs central to their religion.
Maintaining Sacred Spaces – Priests are responsible for maintaining sacred spaces such as temples or churches. These spaces hold significant importance for the community as places for worship and reflection. Priests oversee the maintenance of these locations while ensuring they remain conducive to prayerful contemplation.
For more on this topic see this excellent overview.
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Father Fire Fighter
From the time he was 10 years old, Pierre Fouquier wanted to be a fire fighter. But as is often the case with young boys, he also felt that he had another calling. He also wanted to be a priest. He went to college and was trained in civil engineering, but his other two callings never left him.
Finally, he left engineering and went to seminary. Upon graduating he was assigned to the parish of Saint-Epain in northern France and, wonder of wonders, they had a volunteer fire department that was in need of new recruits.
Father Fouquier volunteered and, having completed his training, he spends about 75 hours a month working as a fire fighter in addition to being the priest at the Saint-Epain parish. He says that he now serves two parishes: The first is the one assigned to him at Saint-Epain. The second is the 100-plus members of the volunteer fire department.
He says that both of his vocations inform each other. He sees a different side of life as a firefighter than as a priest.
“When you receive a priest, you tidy up your house to welcome him. As a firefighter, I go to places and I meet people in situations of great precariousness, difficult situations.”
His priestly vocation also makes him a better firefighter. “Most of the firefighters’ jobs are social interventions. Being a firefighter is also a job of listening,” he explains. He can then rely on the “human training” provided at the seminary.
His commitment as a firefighter brings him into contact with different realities. As a result, he meets “people who might never set foot in a church.”
The joys and labors of this busy daily life, Father Pierre offers to God. “I enjoy carrying the world as I celebrate services. I see my limitations well and I give to the Lord all that I cannot carry myself.”
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WORSHIPby George Reed
Call to Worship
One: Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God, you are very great.
All: You are clothed with honor and majesty.
One: You stretch out the heavens like a tent.
All: You set the earth on its foundations: it shall never be shaken.
One: O Lord, how manifold are your works!
All: In wisdom you have made them all.
OR
One: The God of creation gathers us together this day.
All: We come to worship and praise our creating God.
One: God calls us to harmony with all that is holy.
All: We long to unite in love with the one who made us.
One: God also calls us to harmony with others and all creation.
All: As God’s people we will embrace all God created.
Hymns and Songs
I Sing the Almighty Power of God
UMH: 152
H82: 398
PH: 288
GTG: 32
NCH: 13
W&P: 31
Renew: 54
Morning Has Broken
UMH: 145
H82: 8
PH: 469
GTG: 664
CH: 53
ELW: 556
W&P: 36
STLT: 38
This Is My Father’s World
UMH: 144
H82: 651
PH: 293
GTG: 370
AAHH: 149
NNBH: 41
CH: 59
LBW: 554
ELW: 824
W&P: 21
AMEC: 47
Sing Praise to God Who Reigns Above
UMH: 126
H82: 408
PH: 483
GTG: 645
NCH: 6
CH: 6
W&P: 56
Renew: 52
All Creatures of My God and King
UMH: 62
H82: 400
PH: 455
GTG: 15
AAHH: 147
NNBH: 33
NCH: 17
CH: 22
LBW: 527
ELW: 835
W&P: 23
AMEC: 50
STLT: 203
Renew: 47
How Great Thou Art
UMH: 77
PH: 467
GTG: 625
AAHH: 148
NNBH: 43
NCH: 35
CH: 33
LBW: 532
ELW: 856
W&P: 51
AMEC: 68
Renew: 250
For the Beauty of the Earth
UMH: 92
H82: 416
PH: 473
GTG: 14
NNBH: 8
NCH: 28
CH: 56
LBW: 561
ELW: 879
W&P: 40
AMEC: 578
STLT: 21
For the Healing of the Nations
UMH: 428
GTG: 346
NCH: 576
CH: 668
W&P: 621
This Is My Song
UMH: 437
GTG: 340
NCH: 591
CH: 722
ELW: 887
God of Grace and God of Glory
UMH: 577
H82: 594/595
PH: 420
GTG: 307
NCH: 436
CH: 464
LBW: 415
ELW: 705
W&P: 569
AMEC: 62
STLT: 115
Renew: 301
From the Rising of the Sun
CCB: 4
Holy Ground
CCB: 5
Music Resources Key
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
GTG: Glory to God, The Presbyterian Hymnal
AAHH: African American Heritage Hymnal
NNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
LBW: Lutheran Book of Worship
ELW: Evangelical Lutheran Worship
W&P: Worship & Praise
AMEC: African Methodist Episcopal Church Hymnal
STLT: Singing the Living Tradition
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
Renew: Renew! Songs & Hymns for Blended Worship
Prayer for the Day/Collect
O God who created all that is and called it very good:
Grant us, your creatures, to live in harmony with you
and with all of your wondrous creation;
through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We praise you, O God, because you created all that is. You looked over your work and called it very good. Help us to so live in unity with you that we can live in harmony not only with one another but with all of your creation. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
One: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins and especially when we disrespect your creation.
All: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We have disrespected you by refusing to live in harmony with your creation. We are petty and mean with one another. We treat others as being of less value than ourselves. We abuse your earth as we pollute the waters, air, and ground. You created all to be in harmony and we sow discord. Forgive us our arrogant ways and restore us into unity with you and all you have created. Amen.
One: God does seek harmony with us and all creation. Receive God’s gracious mercy and restore the relationships you have broken.
Prayers of the People
Glorious are you, O Creator of All. Out of the abundance of your love you brought forth your creation. You made us a part of it and granted us the privilege of overseeing your Earth.
(The following paragraph may be used if a separate prayer of confession has not been used.)
We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We have disrespected you by refusing to live in harmony with your creation. We are petty and mean with one another. We treat others as being of less value than ourselves. We abuse your earth as we pollute the waters, air, and ground. You created all to be in harmony and we sow discord. Forgive us our arrogant ways and restore us into unity with you and all you have created.
We thank you for all the wonders of creation. You have gifted us with a bountiful earth that produces abundantly to fill our needs. You have created beautiful wonders that delight our senses. You have given us each other for companionship and support. You have bathed everything in your presence and your love.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for others in their need. Many are shut out from the good things of this world by the greed of others. Many suffer from illness and are denied the medicines that would heal them because they cannot afford them. Instead of care and support many are pushed away and rejected. Help us to be part of your healing presence in and for this world.
(Other intercessions may be offered.)
Hear us as we pray for others: (Time for silent or spoken prayer.)
All these things we ask in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ who taught us to pray saying:
Our Father....Amen.
(Or if the Our Father is not used at this point in the service.)
All this we ask in the name of the blessed and holy Trinity. Amen.
* * * * * *
CHILDREN’S SERMONSit With Us
by Katy Stenta
Job 38:1-7 (34-41)
There is a character Job
He has lost everything
His home
His crops
Even his children
And gone through great suffering
And sits in silence
We call that “lament”
When you are angry
Sad
Upset
And going through all of these complicated emotions from loss
If you ever had to move
Or lost somebody you love
Then you probably know what I mean
Let’s take a moment and think about that
Because Job takes a long time to think
And laments about his losses
(Sit for a moment or two in silence)
Then God answers and says that he laid the foundations of the earth
Created the stars, and sees all and knows all
So you can take comfort that God knows and understands
Your grief and sits with you when you are sad and understands even that
Let’s pray
Dear God,
Thank you
For lamenting
With us
When we
Are sad,
And understanding
That
Some things
Just need company
Sit with us
We pray
Amen.
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The Immediate Word, October 20, 2024 issue.
Copyright 2024 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.
