No More Promised Lands
Children's sermon
Illustration
Preaching
Sermon
Worship
Object:
It's been an eventful week for America's East coast, dominated by what the media blithely refers to as "acts of God" -- and while New York City was spared from the serious disaster that some had feared, many other areas are still dealing with the aftermath of a historically rare earthquake and hurricane. It seemed that cable news and weather channels were providing complete, "blow by blow" coverage of Hurricane Irene's approach and landfall, rendering most other news as mere afterthoughts. Indeed, there was a particularly significant event this week that was completely overlooked... the unveiling of a new monument in Washington DC, honoring Martin Luther King. (Irene actually forced the cancellation of the monument's dedication ceremony this past Sunday, an event that had been expected to draw nearly a half-million people to the Mall in our nation's capital -- roughly the same number who witnessed King's iconic "I Have a Dream" speech there in 1963.) The long struggle of America's Civil Rights Movement, of which King served as symbol and figurehead, and Libya's liberation last week from the dictatorial rule of Muammar Qadaffi have strong parallels with the Israelites' path to freedom from Egyptian bondage -- a flight that is foreshadowed by the preparations God calls them to in the lectionary's appointed Old Testament text this week. Of course, this passage tells of a true "act of God," one that has become the basis for centuries of the Passover celebration. Yet in this installment of The Immediate Word, team member Roger Lovette notes that it's not just freedom from slavery that is the great message of this text. The word it really offers us, he says, is one of hope and assurance. In a time when it is very easy to become discouraged and think that we will never reach "the promised land" (or that there just aren't any more promised lands), Roger reminds us that this ancient story provides concrete evidence that, despite what may seem like overwhelming odds, God will never leave us and is always helping to light for us a path forward that we may not be capable of seeing on our own -- and that, not a random event of nature, is the real "act of God."
It's also Labor Day weekend in America, and so team member Mary Austin offers some thoughts on the place of work in our lives, and on how God sees work as an essential part of our existence. It's an important topic to consider, particularly when so many people are ambivalent about their jobs, have anxiety about their job security, or are facing the difficult task of finding work in a time of high unemployment. Mary notes that God labored in bringing forth creation and that the Lord made work a key component of how we sustain life. But she also points out that God also decreed rest from our labor on the sabbath, just as God rested from his work of creation on the seventh day. Thus we have an intimate connection with God in both our work and our rest -- something Mary says we would do well to remember no matter how we feel about our individual job situations. That makes Labor Day, Mary reminds us, an opportune time to think about whether how we work -- as well as how our actions affect others' work -- is in line with God's commands for justice and spiritually fulfilling work.
No More Promised Lands
by Roger Lovette
Exodus 12:1-14
THE WORLD
In his play Journey to Jerusalem, Maxwell Anderson writes about the horrendous difficulties the Jews faced under Roman occupation. One of the characters in the play says that we need "a leader like Moses... who could take us out of this into something better -- something with a hope in it." The man he spoke to responded: "I've heard it said there are no more promised lands." We can read that sentiment in almost any newspaper in the country: earthquakes in places that never have earthquakes; the Washington Monument closed to the public because of serious cracks from that earthquake; a hurricane tearing up the Eastern coast of the United States with a swath several hundred miles wide. Our politicians posture and rant while most people are dubious of their promises. On this Labor Day weekend, few congregations have not been touched with someone out there who is unemployed. Fourteen million of us are still without jobs or benefits. Meanwhile, country after country in the Middle East struggles for a better life but faces an uncertain future. No wonder so many today ask if there really are any more promised lands.
THE WORD
At Passover, the candles are lit around the table. Someone will ask the old question: "Why is this night different from all other nights?" The leader at the table will tell the story that we find in Exodus 12. They called it Passover for good reason: "I will pass over you, and no plague shall fall upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt" (v. 13).
The people were enslaved by Pharaoh. And so the tenth plague of death descended on the country -- the Jews were told to kill a lamb, smear its blood on their doorposts, and break unleavened bread. They were told to eat the lamb. The bread was to be eaten so hurriedly that they did not have time for the bread to rise. Unbelievably, this ragtag band was to leave Egypt and slavery forever. Why was that night so different? It was the beginning of a journey from bondage to freedom. This people remembered that story of freedom and redemption. And so for 3,000 years the Jewish people would light their candles and tell the old story of blood and bread. These became the symbols of hope for a people who had no hope. This story would be a tie that would bind together generation after generation. And on their journey of 40 long years they would pause from time to time and remember this Passover experience. Later, when they entered the Promised Land on the plains of Gilgal, they stopped for Passover. And despite persecution, pogroms, famine, plague, prejudice, and the Holocaust, over and over they told the story of God's miracle of freedom and hope.
It was on the eve of the Lord's death that he celebrated the Passover meal with his disciples. And the church would take the blood and bread and weave into their own liturgy words of hope and faith and redemption.
There was power in that remembering and that retelling of the story from history that kept them going even in their darkest days.
CRAFTING THE SERMON
You might have your people name some bondage that we face in our time. You might ask them if this Exodus story could have meaning for places like Libya, Syria, even Afghanistan and Iraq and Somalia and all those other troubled spots in the world. You might remind your congregation that at the heart of faith we find an enormous hope despite the darkness that seems ever-present.
In Washington we are dedicating a monument to Martin Luther King. It is a great moment for this country and the world to remember where we were as a nation when Dr. King came on the scene. It is breathtaking to remember and to consider the enormous changes that have taken place since that time. You might even talk a little about The Help, the book or the movie that tells about that ugly time in our recent history. Perhaps you could engage your church in the question of how they remember those pre-civil rights days.
But back to Dr. King. Taylor Branch, recorder of much of Dr. King's pilgrimage in the Civil Rights Movement, said that after Dr. King's house was bombed in Montgomery, Alabama, early in the struggle, someone asked him how he could possibly keep going after he and his family were almost killed. Dr. King said: "It was a scary time and still is. But I keep going because I remember the words of an old gospel song: 'No, Never Alone.' "
I've seen the lightning flashing, I've heard the thunder roll.
I've felt sin's breakers dashing, which almost conquered my soul.
I've heard the voice of my Savior, bidding me still to fight on.
He promised never to leave me, never to leave me alone!
No, never alone, no, never alone,
He promised never to leave me,
He'll claim me for His own;
No, never alone, no, never alone.
He promised never to leave me,
Never to leave me alone.
Dr. King said: "I don't know how many times I've been scared or afraid. But I do know this -- the words of this song keep coming back when I need them most. 'He promised to never leave me, never to leave me alone.' "
The last address Dr. King gave was in Memphis, Tennessee, the night before he was killed. His words flow out of our Exodus text this week:
"Well, I don't know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn't matter with me now. Because I have been to the mountaintop... and He's allowed me to go up to the mountain and I've looked over. And I've seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight that we as a people will get to the Promised Land."
In Pilgrim's Progress, Pilgrim was on a journey and he encountered many obstacles on his way to the Celestial City. In his despair he said: " 'I fear that this burden that is upon my back will me lower than the grave...' Evangelist responded, pointing with his finger over a very wide field, 'Do you see yonder Wicket-gate?' Pilgrim said no. Then said Evangelist, 'Do you see yonder shining light?' And Pilgrim replied, 'I think I do.' Evangelist said, 'Keep that light in thine eye, and go directly thereto, so shalt thou see the gate...' "
Remember the old story of blood and bread. Remember the dream of a Promised Land. Remember Paul's words: "So we do not lose heart. Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. For this slight momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure, because we look not at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen; for what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal" (2 Corinthians 4:16-18).
ANOTHER VIEW
Thoughts about Labor Day
by Mary Austin
Labor Day weekend invites us to think about the place of work in our own lives, and in God's economy.
Labor Day has become the last chance for a long weekend, or the time to shift gears from summer to fall routines. In many states, kids go back to school the day after Labor Day. We forget sometimes that the holiday was originally conceived as a way to honor the accomplishments of American workers. First celebrated in 1882 in New York City, by 1885 it had settled on the first Monday in September and was signed into law and made a federal holiday in 1894.
The Rev. Phil Tom, Director of the Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships at the Department of Labor, noted in his Labor Day message last year that as people of faith, "we believe that work is a Godly endeavor and as such, should be performed with integrity and contribute to the well-being and transformation of society. As part of our religious teachings regarding work, we are also directed to ensure that all workers are treated with justice."
This year Labor Day comes with a particular poignancy, as so many of our neighbors are looking for work. The "official" unemployment rate is over 9% nationally, not including the people who've given up looking for work, retired sooner than they wanted to for lack of opportunity, or have a stressful routine juggling two or three part-time jobs.
Work is an essential part of our creation as human beings, as we are made in the image of God. After the efforts of the creation, the scriptures tell us that God "rested from all the work" (Genesis 2:2). The second creation story in Genesis 2 tells us that God plants a garden in Eden, in the east, and sets the newly created man to work in it (Genesis 2:15). God instructs the man about what to eat, and the work of the garden and its pleasures are deeply connected. Work is part of our created life -- not a punishment, but an aspect of being made in the image of God.
When Adam and Eve leave the garden, God talks to them again about work, noting that from now on they will have to work to sustain life, until death returns them to the ground which is now the place where they labor. It's not clear, and commentators are divided, about whether this is a punishment or just a description of how life will be from now on.
Once they're in Egypt, Pharaoh punishes the people of Israel with more and more work. When the people are free, the Ten Commandments make provision for a rest from work on the Sabbath, instructing the people "for six days you shall labor and do all your work" (Exodus 20:9). Free people get a rest from work, and in gratitude to God, their animals and slaves along with them. This ability to rest from work sets the people of Israel apart from their neighbors.
Jesus and his followers are working people too, and the gospels record some of their occupations. The work they do is part of their identity, along with the work Jesus calls them into.
For us, work holds an array of meanings.
For those of us fortunate enough to have a job that uses our talents and challenges us in interesting ways, work can be a source of satisfaction. Friendships can be made at work. We are using gifts given by the Creator to serve people, create something, improve the world, or perhaps to make lots of money.
For an increasing number of people, work is filled with anxiety. The demand to do more, in less time, is a source of ongoing stress. Round after round of layoffs have rendered work less secure, and many people now do the same job for less money, as they contribute more for health care, retirement, and other benefits.
Many people would love to be working. The unemployment rate of 9% is a number that reveals a deep level of national and personal pain. Economic hardship is just the beginning -- there are loss of identity and status, if one can't provide for a family; loss of health care benefits, which can start an awful downward spiral of illness and debt and stress, and then more illness and debt and stress; loss of a home, and a place in a neighborhood and school; loss of how we understand ourselves as people of worth.
Further, our economy runs because some people do work that is dirty, repetitive, anonymous, and unskilled. Every trip to the grocery store happens because people are picking fruit and vegetables in the sun. Every hotel stay means that someone cleans the room after us. Every bag of trash left at the curb disappears because someone comes along to pick it up. It's easy to forget that some people work in conditions that are dangerous and illegal. A new book, Tomatoland by Barry Estabrook, recounts the virtual slave labor of workers in Florida who pick and pack tomatoes. Violence is rampant to keep the workers in line, the pay is dishearteningly tiny, and women, especially, face the added threat of sexual harassment and assault at work. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan remind us that millions of servicemen and women also work long hours in dangerous places.
Whether we like our jobs or hate them, whether we have a job or need one, whether we feel enriched or diminished by our work, we share a common bond as people made in the image of a God who works. The history of our faith begins with God working to shape creation, and then resting from the work. One of God's first interactions with humankind is to assign a job. Work is part of the created life, an integral part of our vocation as God's creatures.
Too much work and too little work both erode our spirits. We are created and called to labor as God's people, and to do all that we can to be sure that others are adequately paid, safe, and justly treated as they work. Perhaps this is the year to examine more thoroughly what we buy, who makes or picks or ships it, and how we share in the complicated web of work and rest in our society. Labor Day is our chance to recognize that we all hold in common the need for safe and fairly paid work, justice as workers and employers, and then rest from our labor, as God commands.
ILLUSTRATIONS
The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial was to be dedicated last Sunday, but the ceremony was postponed due to concerns regarding Hurricane Irene. Nonetheless, as we study the story of the Passover it is fitting to study the symbolism of the statue. King is captured in a 30-foot-tall colossus emerging from a "Stone of Hope." Behind him are two equally mammoth stones that have been parted. The inspiration for the memorial came from a line King thundered forth from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial 48 years ago. It was a part of his "I Have a Dream" speech during the March on Washington. In that address King said, "With this faith we will hew out of a mountain of despair a stone of†hope." King's arms are crossed and on his face, according to executive architect Ed Jackson Jr., he has a look of "a person deep in thought and deeply concerned about the issues of the day." In other words, the work that King began must still be completed.
As the Passover is a reminder that we must continue the march of liberation, the King memorial reminds us that we must not despair but continue our journey in hope. Did not the Israelites leave Egypt and walk across the wilderness in hope? Did not the followers of Jesus, after the Ascension, continue their evangelistic preaching in hope? There is no end to our labors, as we continue to walk in hope, serving the Lord.
* * *
The Roman Catholic church recently held World Youth Day in Madrid, Spain. This annual event brought together some 500,000 youth from 200 different countries. The theme at the rally was the same one that has dominated Pope Benedict XVI's reign -- a reawakening to Christianity, especially in Europe. Spain is the country the Pope believes has fallen farthest from the faith. The 84-year-old German pontiff thinks that the congregants have lost their "passion" for the faith that he and his ministerial colleagues felt during and after World War II.
The Pope delivered a very inspiring speech from a specially selected symbolic location. His sermon was delivered from El Escorial, the massive granite structure constructed by King Philip II in 1559. This was King Philip's seat of power over a vast empire whose overwhelming concern was to defend Catholicism from the threat of Protestantism.
In his sermon Benedict said, "This is all the more important today when we see a certain eclipse of God taking place, a kind of amnesia which albeit not an outright rejection of Christianity is nonetheless a denial of the treasure of our faith, a denial that could lead to the loss of our deepest identity."
"Amnesia" -- this is a very strong and serious word. Christians are suffering from amnesia when it comes to their faith. The people have forgotten who they are, where they have come from -- which, in effect, means they have lost their identity.
The purpose of the Passover story as recorded in Exodus, which is to be told from generation to generation without fail, is to prevent amnesia. If the Israelites remember the Passover they will always remember their identity. Do we as Christians in America suffer from the amnesia that the Pope addresses? Do we remember the Passover story? Do we retell and retell the Resurrection story? If we fail to do so, we will forget who we are.
* * *
Each year at Passover, the Jewish people re-enact their rescue from bondage. When the first star is seen in the sky, the youngest boy in each household asks the father, "Why is this night different from all other nights?" The father then launches into a ritualized story that takes the family through all the steps of the rescue from Egypt.
Each dish on the table tells a part of the story. The haroseth -- a mixture of chopped walnuts, wine, cinnamon, and apples -- represents the mortar used by Jewish slaves to assemble Pharaoh's pyramids. Parsley, symbolizing springtime, is dipped into salt water, a symbol of the bitter tears of an oppressed people. An egg is another symbol of springtime, of new hope. The shank bone of a lamb is a remembrance of the lambs whose blood was spilled that momentous and fearful night; and bitter herbs are likewise a reminder of bitter affliction.
* * *
The biblical instructions for the Passover Seder meal in this passage from Exodus tell the Israelites that it was to be eaten hurriedly, "on the run" as it were. Their loins were to be girded -- meaning that the people were to pull up the hems of their long robes and tie them around the waist (freeing the legs for running). Sandals on the feet, staff in hand: the people of Israel were to prepare to depart at a moment's notice.
There's a lesson for us in the ritual of the Passover meal. Compared to our society's fascination with the drive-through lane, this ancient remembrance of "fast food" has nothing to do with the random, chaotic way so many of us chow down on meals that come from paper wrappers and styrofoam cups. Far from being a random, distracted way of eating, the Passover meal is filled with intentionality and purpose. Every member of the Jewish community on that night is focused on that story. Each one pledges to make ready to depart at a moment's notice should the Lord require it. The feast concludes with an earnest admonition, spoken by one and all: "Next year... in Jerusalem!"
There's a difference between being rushed and being ready. Fast food is rushed; but the unleavened Passover bread and wine is a meal of readiness and holy expectation.
* * *
The 2010 French film Of Gods and Men has won many prestigious awards, including the grand prize at the Cannes Film Festival, but it has had a limited release in the United States. Every Christian, however, should make an effort to see it now that it is available on DVD and Blu-Ray.
The true story centers on a Trappist monastery in Algeria where eight monks lived in harmony with and ministered to a village of poor Muslim peasants. In 1996, the monastery was caught between Islamist terrorists and government forces when the country sank into civil war, and eventually seven of the monks were kidnapped and murdered by the terrorists.
Knowing that they are in serious danger, the monks discuss in several scenes whether they should stay or leave. One of the oldest members of the monastery, Luc, a doctor in his late eighties, redefines the word "freedom" when he tells the leader of the order that he has no intention of leaving his patients in the village: "I am not afraid of death. I am not afraid of terrorists. I am not afraid of the army. I am a free man."
* * *
The phrase "freedom isn't free" may have become a cliche in American culture, but it is no less true that freedom always comes with risks.
Writer Charlie Badenhop tells the story of his pet parrot Chico, who loved to go outside with him but seemed to always be uneasy, pacing back and forth, up and down on his favorite tree limb, frustrated that he could not fly away. His wings had been clipped.
One day the frustration seemed to build to a boiling point in the sassy little bird -- and he hunched his shoulders, screamed, and leapt from the limb. Flapping his wings as frantically as he could, he surprised Charlie (and maybe himself) by flying. Over the course of time, his wings had repaired themselves.
He flew away and didn't come back until the next day -- and Charlie was able to coax him back into the house only by removing the cage, proving to Chico that he would, in fact, be free to come and go as he pleased.
For over a year Charlie and Chico went outside every day the weather allowed. Chico would fly around the yard, and then after a few hours he would go back inside, content that he was still free.
But one day Chico began to cough, and in less than 24 hours he died. The vet told Charlie that his beloved pet had contracted a disease carried by the pigeons in that area but to which the wild birds had developed immunities.
It was not the disease so much as the years in captivity, not the freedom but the lack of it that had killed poor Chico. Charlie is still convinced, however, that had Chico known the price of his freedom, he still would have embraced it.
* * *
In 1781 George Washington complained about how one of his runaway slaves was helped by a "society of Quakers formed for such purposes." This is the first written account of what would by 1831 be widely known as the Underground Railroad.
Not a railroad in the literal sense, the Underground Railroad was a vast network of people who helped fugitive slaves escape to the north, many to Canada. Most scholars estimate that about 100,000 American slaves escaped to freedom via the Underground Railroad, which owed its success to rigid secrecy and an organizational model by which everyone knew about local networks near them but no one knew the whole picture. (A knew about B and B knew about C, but C and A didn't know about each other.)
Homes where runaway slaves ate, rested, and hid were called "stations" or "depots" and were run by "stationmasters." Those who contributed money were called "stockholders." Those responsible for actually transporting slaves from one depot to another were called "conductors."
The whole enterprise was financed by "Vigilance Committees" in large cities such as New York, Philadelphia, Boston, and Cincinnati. Vigilance committees raised money, provided food, and paid for such things as lodging, train or boat tickets, and new clothing so runaways could pass as free blacks. Once the runaways were settled in the north, vigilance committees provided new identities, jobs, and letters of recommendation to help them find work.
The Underground Railroad had many notable participants, including John Fairfield in Ohio, the son of a slaveholding family who made many daring rescues; Levi Coffin, a Quaker who assisted more than 3,000 slaves; and Harriet Tubman, who made 19 trips into the South, escorted over 300 slaves to freedom, and was known as the "Moses of her people."
* * *
When Col. Robert E. Lee was ordered to take his regiment to New Mexico during the Mexican-American War, he was given no time to bid farewell to his family. Accordingly, he wrote a letter to his son from the Arlington House on April 15, 1852, to explain his sudden departure. The closing line of the lengthy letter has often been recited: "Duty, then, is the sublimest word in our language. Do your duty in all things... You cannot do more, you should never wish to do less."
As Lee marched off to an unpopular war, Ezekiel marched forth with an unpopular message of judgment. Often times our labors will not call us to do that which is easy -- but they will always call us to do that which is right.
* * *
Public Policy Polling (PPP) is an established research firm recognized for assessing the popularity of politicians. Recently the agency decided to conduct a poll on the leadership qualities of God. The poll concluded that only 52% of Americans felt God was an adequate leader. This put God in a much better position than House Speaker John Boehner, and both Republicans and Democrats in Congress, who received a favorable rating of 33%.
Now, not all is disparaging regarding God. When specific issues were questioned, 71% felt God did a good job on creating the universe and 56% approved of God's governance of the animal kingdom. But when it came to handling natural disasters, 26% of younger adults (ages 18-29) and 12% of older adults (ages 65 and older) were disappointed.
Criticizing our political leaders, office managers, foremen, pastors, and volunteers of community organizations is a national pastime. But when you come to realize that God, the Supreme Being of the Universe, on the best day can only be admired by 52% of the populace, perhaps the problem does not rest with the leaders but with those of us who follow. Perhaps we need to ask, as the Psalmist did, "Give me understanding."
* * *
In his book Good Boss, Bad Boss, psychologist Robert I. Sutton lists ten signs that your boss really cares about you. He/she:
1. Really listens to what you say and doesn't just pretend to pay attention.
2. Is careful to give you as much, or even more, credit than you deserve.
3. Sticks up for you behind your back.
4. Takes care not to embarrass you.
5. Apologizes sincerely when he/she does something that upsets or hurts you.
6. Goes out of his/her way to make it easier for you to mesh the challenges of your personal life with your job.
7. Is respectful of your time.
8. Takes time to learn your quirks and idiosyncrasies and accommodates them within reason.
9. Goes the extra mile to make sure that you succeed at your job and keep developing skills.
10. Is honest and tells you the truth about your weaknesses and screw-ups.
* * *
Steven D. Strauss is a lawyer, author, and speaker who specializes in small business and entrepreneurship. Writing in USA Today, he offers these practical reasons for being a good boss who trusts employees and treats them like adults, listens respectfully to what they have to offer, and is firm, fair, and generous with them:
1. You make more money. Studies show that happy employees create happy customers, and happy customers create happy bank accounts.
2. You instill loyalty and hard work. People like to work for and as a result will work harder and better for people they like. They will also be more willing to go the extra mile.
3. You can sleep at night knowing you've been the right kind of person and done the best you can for the people who count on you.
* * *
According to a Mercer CEO compensation study, even in the midst of our current economic troubles, average CEO compensation in the United States is currently about $7.3 million per year or $20,400 per working day, just a couple thousand dollars short of what the average worker makes in a year.
According to the Economic Policy Institute report, in 1965, U.S. CEOs in major companies earned 24 times more than a typical worker. By 2007, they made 275 times more. U.S. CEOs also make far more than CEOs in other advanced countries, the report said.
The report summed up CEO compensation in the US as "otherworldly."
WORSHIP RESOURCES
by George Reed
Call to Worship
Leader: Praise our God! Sing to our God a new song.
People: Let God's people be glad in their Maker.
Leader: Let us praise God's name with dancing.
People: For our God takes pleasure in God's people;
Leader: God adorns the humble with victory.
People: Let the faithful exult in glory; let them sing for joy.
OR
Leader: Come and worship the God who is our hope.
People: Our world is scary and we need a lot of hope.
Leader: God is the source and ground of our tomorrow.
People: We confess that God is our only hope.
Leader: God invites us to trust in the divine love around us.
People: We know our God is faithful. In God alone we trust.
Hymns and Sacred Songs
"O God, Our Hope in Ages Past"
found in:
UMH: 117
H82: 680
AAHH: 170
NNBH: 46
NCH: 25
CH: 67
LBW: 320
ELA: 632
"A Mighty Fortress Is Our God"
found in:
UMH: 110
H82: 687/388
PH: 200
AAHH: 124
NNBH: 371
NCH: 439/440
CH: 65
LBW: 228/229
ELA: 503/505
"By Gracious Powers"
found in:
UMH: 517
H82: 695/696
PH: 342
NCH: 413
ELA: 626
"Lift Every Voice and Sing"
found in:
UMH: 519
H82: 299
PH: 563
AAHH: 540
NNBH: 457
CH: 631
LBW: 562
ELA: 841
"How Firm a Foundation"
found in:
UMH: 529
H82: 636/637
PH: 361
AAHH: 146
NNBH: 48
NCH: 407
CH: 618
LBW: 507
ELA: 796
"We Shall Overcome"
found in:
UMH: 533
AAHH: 542
NNBH: 501
NCH: 570
CH: 630
"Be Still, My Soul"
found in:
UMH: 534
AAHH: 135
NNBH: 263
NCH: 488
CH: 566
"Great Is Thy Faithfulness"
found in:
UMH: 140
AAHH: 158
NNBH: 45
NCH: 423
CH: 86
ELA: 733
Renew: 249
"Awesome God"
found in:
CCB: 17
Renew: 245
"I Will Call Upon the Lord"
found in:
CCB: 9
Renew: 15
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
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
Renew: Renew! Songs & Hymns for Blended Worship
Prayer for the Day / Collect
O God who is the source of the world's hope: Grant us the faith to trust in your plan for creation and the courage to live as your true children; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We come to worship you, O God, in the midst of many trials and troubles. We come to worship and to hear again your words of hope. Help us to center our lives and our hope in your never-failing love. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
Leader: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins and especially our tendency to place hope where it is not warranted or to abandon hope altogether.
People: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We look at all the troubles around us and we are overwhelmed. Sometimes we run from one thing to another, hoping that they will solve our problems. Other times we just sink down in despair. We forget that we are your people. We forget that we are disciples of Jesus. We forget it is in you alone that we have our hope. Forgive us and renew us by the power of your Spirit that we may once again be your faithful people, placing all our hope in you. Amen.
Leader: God is our sure hope and our sure salvation. God does not fail us but gladly grants us forgiveness and the power to be God's faithful people.
Prayer for Illumination
Send, O God, the light of your Spirit upon us so that our hearts may be enlightened and filled once again with your vision, which is our only true hope. Amen.
Prayers of the People (and the Lord's Prayer)
We worship and adore you, O God, for you are the hope of all creation. You made all that is, and you are the one who will bring creation to its fullness in yourself.
(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 look at all the troubles around us and we are overwhelmed. Sometimes we run from one thing to another, hoping that they will solve our problems. Other times we just sink down in despair. We forget that we are your people. We forget that we are disciples of Jesus. We forget it is in you alone that we have our hope. Forgive us and renew us by the power of your Spirit that we may once again be your faithful people, placing all our hope in you.
We give you thanks for the stories from the Bible that remind us of your faithfulness. We are thankful for the reminders that the obstacles that seem the biggest to us are not large to you.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for one another in our need and for all your children around the world. There are many dangers and calamities that face us. Help us to keep our focus on you so that we may not lose hope and place our hope in vain things.
(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
Have a heavy object that you can't (or act as if you can't) lift by yourself. Tell the children you aren't worried because you have great hope that someone will be able to help you lift it. Either have a very small person planted to help or ask one of the smallest children to help you lift the object. When even the two of you can't lift it, call in a strong person to help you lift it. You can also have the children work together to lift it, but you have to make sure they will be able to and that no one will get hurt trying to lift it. Then talk to the children about how you can have hope in someone or something but that doesn't mean they will be able to help. You have to have your hope in someone you know will be able to help you. Our hope is in our God.
CHILDREN'S SERMON
Labor Day
Good morning, boys and girls! This is Labor Day weekend in America. Does anybody know why we have this holiday, aside from it unofficially being the last weekend of summer? (Let the children respond -- hopefully someone will identify it as a time to recognize workers.)
How big a list do you suppose we could make if we started to name all of the workers we can think of? There would be all the types of work that are represented by our parents and relatives and a lot that we can think of in our communities. Let's name a few. (Let the children respond -- you may want to have a pad and pencil so you can write down some of their answers.)
My, that's a long list, isn't it? And we haven't really even gotten started yet. When we think of all the people who have to labor to keep us housed and fed and protected, it adds up to hundreds and hundreds of people. Many of them are unseen and go unnoticed. Many people have very menial jobs to do. But everyone helps contribute to make our society function.
Even on the days that we take off to celebrate, there have to be people on duty to see that our services continue.
It is amazing that God has given us the ability to build a world like we have. Along with that creative ability, however, he has given us some responsibilities. We have to also learn how to take care of our planet so that future generations can also enjoy the blessings God has given us.
I suppose that means that many new types of labor with new kinds of jobs will come along in the future, and we'll have even more people to recognize for their service to humankind.
Enjoy your holiday but remember the people who we honor in our celebration.
(You could conclude by offering a prayer for all those who labor so that society might continue to function.)
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, September 4, 2011, issue.
Copyright 2011 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.
It's also Labor Day weekend in America, and so team member Mary Austin offers some thoughts on the place of work in our lives, and on how God sees work as an essential part of our existence. It's an important topic to consider, particularly when so many people are ambivalent about their jobs, have anxiety about their job security, or are facing the difficult task of finding work in a time of high unemployment. Mary notes that God labored in bringing forth creation and that the Lord made work a key component of how we sustain life. But she also points out that God also decreed rest from our labor on the sabbath, just as God rested from his work of creation on the seventh day. Thus we have an intimate connection with God in both our work and our rest -- something Mary says we would do well to remember no matter how we feel about our individual job situations. That makes Labor Day, Mary reminds us, an opportune time to think about whether how we work -- as well as how our actions affect others' work -- is in line with God's commands for justice and spiritually fulfilling work.
No More Promised Lands
by Roger Lovette
Exodus 12:1-14
THE WORLD
In his play Journey to Jerusalem, Maxwell Anderson writes about the horrendous difficulties the Jews faced under Roman occupation. One of the characters in the play says that we need "a leader like Moses... who could take us out of this into something better -- something with a hope in it." The man he spoke to responded: "I've heard it said there are no more promised lands." We can read that sentiment in almost any newspaper in the country: earthquakes in places that never have earthquakes; the Washington Monument closed to the public because of serious cracks from that earthquake; a hurricane tearing up the Eastern coast of the United States with a swath several hundred miles wide. Our politicians posture and rant while most people are dubious of their promises. On this Labor Day weekend, few congregations have not been touched with someone out there who is unemployed. Fourteen million of us are still without jobs or benefits. Meanwhile, country after country in the Middle East struggles for a better life but faces an uncertain future. No wonder so many today ask if there really are any more promised lands.
THE WORD
At Passover, the candles are lit around the table. Someone will ask the old question: "Why is this night different from all other nights?" The leader at the table will tell the story that we find in Exodus 12. They called it Passover for good reason: "I will pass over you, and no plague shall fall upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt" (v. 13).
The people were enslaved by Pharaoh. And so the tenth plague of death descended on the country -- the Jews were told to kill a lamb, smear its blood on their doorposts, and break unleavened bread. They were told to eat the lamb. The bread was to be eaten so hurriedly that they did not have time for the bread to rise. Unbelievably, this ragtag band was to leave Egypt and slavery forever. Why was that night so different? It was the beginning of a journey from bondage to freedom. This people remembered that story of freedom and redemption. And so for 3,000 years the Jewish people would light their candles and tell the old story of blood and bread. These became the symbols of hope for a people who had no hope. This story would be a tie that would bind together generation after generation. And on their journey of 40 long years they would pause from time to time and remember this Passover experience. Later, when they entered the Promised Land on the plains of Gilgal, they stopped for Passover. And despite persecution, pogroms, famine, plague, prejudice, and the Holocaust, over and over they told the story of God's miracle of freedom and hope.
It was on the eve of the Lord's death that he celebrated the Passover meal with his disciples. And the church would take the blood and bread and weave into their own liturgy words of hope and faith and redemption.
There was power in that remembering and that retelling of the story from history that kept them going even in their darkest days.
CRAFTING THE SERMON
You might have your people name some bondage that we face in our time. You might ask them if this Exodus story could have meaning for places like Libya, Syria, even Afghanistan and Iraq and Somalia and all those other troubled spots in the world. You might remind your congregation that at the heart of faith we find an enormous hope despite the darkness that seems ever-present.
In Washington we are dedicating a monument to Martin Luther King. It is a great moment for this country and the world to remember where we were as a nation when Dr. King came on the scene. It is breathtaking to remember and to consider the enormous changes that have taken place since that time. You might even talk a little about The Help, the book or the movie that tells about that ugly time in our recent history. Perhaps you could engage your church in the question of how they remember those pre-civil rights days.
But back to Dr. King. Taylor Branch, recorder of much of Dr. King's pilgrimage in the Civil Rights Movement, said that after Dr. King's house was bombed in Montgomery, Alabama, early in the struggle, someone asked him how he could possibly keep going after he and his family were almost killed. Dr. King said: "It was a scary time and still is. But I keep going because I remember the words of an old gospel song: 'No, Never Alone.' "
I've seen the lightning flashing, I've heard the thunder roll.
I've felt sin's breakers dashing, which almost conquered my soul.
I've heard the voice of my Savior, bidding me still to fight on.
He promised never to leave me, never to leave me alone!
No, never alone, no, never alone,
He promised never to leave me,
He'll claim me for His own;
No, never alone, no, never alone.
He promised never to leave me,
Never to leave me alone.
Dr. King said: "I don't know how many times I've been scared or afraid. But I do know this -- the words of this song keep coming back when I need them most. 'He promised to never leave me, never to leave me alone.' "
The last address Dr. King gave was in Memphis, Tennessee, the night before he was killed. His words flow out of our Exodus text this week:
"Well, I don't know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn't matter with me now. Because I have been to the mountaintop... and He's allowed me to go up to the mountain and I've looked over. And I've seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight that we as a people will get to the Promised Land."
In Pilgrim's Progress, Pilgrim was on a journey and he encountered many obstacles on his way to the Celestial City. In his despair he said: " 'I fear that this burden that is upon my back will me lower than the grave...' Evangelist responded, pointing with his finger over a very wide field, 'Do you see yonder Wicket-gate?' Pilgrim said no. Then said Evangelist, 'Do you see yonder shining light?' And Pilgrim replied, 'I think I do.' Evangelist said, 'Keep that light in thine eye, and go directly thereto, so shalt thou see the gate...' "
Remember the old story of blood and bread. Remember the dream of a Promised Land. Remember Paul's words: "So we do not lose heart. Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. For this slight momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure, because we look not at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen; for what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal" (2 Corinthians 4:16-18).
ANOTHER VIEW
Thoughts about Labor Day
by Mary Austin
Labor Day weekend invites us to think about the place of work in our own lives, and in God's economy.
Labor Day has become the last chance for a long weekend, or the time to shift gears from summer to fall routines. In many states, kids go back to school the day after Labor Day. We forget sometimes that the holiday was originally conceived as a way to honor the accomplishments of American workers. First celebrated in 1882 in New York City, by 1885 it had settled on the first Monday in September and was signed into law and made a federal holiday in 1894.
The Rev. Phil Tom, Director of the Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships at the Department of Labor, noted in his Labor Day message last year that as people of faith, "we believe that work is a Godly endeavor and as such, should be performed with integrity and contribute to the well-being and transformation of society. As part of our religious teachings regarding work, we are also directed to ensure that all workers are treated with justice."
This year Labor Day comes with a particular poignancy, as so many of our neighbors are looking for work. The "official" unemployment rate is over 9% nationally, not including the people who've given up looking for work, retired sooner than they wanted to for lack of opportunity, or have a stressful routine juggling two or three part-time jobs.
Work is an essential part of our creation as human beings, as we are made in the image of God. After the efforts of the creation, the scriptures tell us that God "rested from all the work" (Genesis 2:2). The second creation story in Genesis 2 tells us that God plants a garden in Eden, in the east, and sets the newly created man to work in it (Genesis 2:15). God instructs the man about what to eat, and the work of the garden and its pleasures are deeply connected. Work is part of our created life -- not a punishment, but an aspect of being made in the image of God.
When Adam and Eve leave the garden, God talks to them again about work, noting that from now on they will have to work to sustain life, until death returns them to the ground which is now the place where they labor. It's not clear, and commentators are divided, about whether this is a punishment or just a description of how life will be from now on.
Once they're in Egypt, Pharaoh punishes the people of Israel with more and more work. When the people are free, the Ten Commandments make provision for a rest from work on the Sabbath, instructing the people "for six days you shall labor and do all your work" (Exodus 20:9). Free people get a rest from work, and in gratitude to God, their animals and slaves along with them. This ability to rest from work sets the people of Israel apart from their neighbors.
Jesus and his followers are working people too, and the gospels record some of their occupations. The work they do is part of their identity, along with the work Jesus calls them into.
For us, work holds an array of meanings.
For those of us fortunate enough to have a job that uses our talents and challenges us in interesting ways, work can be a source of satisfaction. Friendships can be made at work. We are using gifts given by the Creator to serve people, create something, improve the world, or perhaps to make lots of money.
For an increasing number of people, work is filled with anxiety. The demand to do more, in less time, is a source of ongoing stress. Round after round of layoffs have rendered work less secure, and many people now do the same job for less money, as they contribute more for health care, retirement, and other benefits.
Many people would love to be working. The unemployment rate of 9% is a number that reveals a deep level of national and personal pain. Economic hardship is just the beginning -- there are loss of identity and status, if one can't provide for a family; loss of health care benefits, which can start an awful downward spiral of illness and debt and stress, and then more illness and debt and stress; loss of a home, and a place in a neighborhood and school; loss of how we understand ourselves as people of worth.
Further, our economy runs because some people do work that is dirty, repetitive, anonymous, and unskilled. Every trip to the grocery store happens because people are picking fruit and vegetables in the sun. Every hotel stay means that someone cleans the room after us. Every bag of trash left at the curb disappears because someone comes along to pick it up. It's easy to forget that some people work in conditions that are dangerous and illegal. A new book, Tomatoland by Barry Estabrook, recounts the virtual slave labor of workers in Florida who pick and pack tomatoes. Violence is rampant to keep the workers in line, the pay is dishearteningly tiny, and women, especially, face the added threat of sexual harassment and assault at work. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan remind us that millions of servicemen and women also work long hours in dangerous places.
Whether we like our jobs or hate them, whether we have a job or need one, whether we feel enriched or diminished by our work, we share a common bond as people made in the image of a God who works. The history of our faith begins with God working to shape creation, and then resting from the work. One of God's first interactions with humankind is to assign a job. Work is part of the created life, an integral part of our vocation as God's creatures.
Too much work and too little work both erode our spirits. We are created and called to labor as God's people, and to do all that we can to be sure that others are adequately paid, safe, and justly treated as they work. Perhaps this is the year to examine more thoroughly what we buy, who makes or picks or ships it, and how we share in the complicated web of work and rest in our society. Labor Day is our chance to recognize that we all hold in common the need for safe and fairly paid work, justice as workers and employers, and then rest from our labor, as God commands.
ILLUSTRATIONS
The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial was to be dedicated last Sunday, but the ceremony was postponed due to concerns regarding Hurricane Irene. Nonetheless, as we study the story of the Passover it is fitting to study the symbolism of the statue. King is captured in a 30-foot-tall colossus emerging from a "Stone of Hope." Behind him are two equally mammoth stones that have been parted. The inspiration for the memorial came from a line King thundered forth from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial 48 years ago. It was a part of his "I Have a Dream" speech during the March on Washington. In that address King said, "With this faith we will hew out of a mountain of despair a stone of†hope." King's arms are crossed and on his face, according to executive architect Ed Jackson Jr., he has a look of "a person deep in thought and deeply concerned about the issues of the day." In other words, the work that King began must still be completed.
As the Passover is a reminder that we must continue the march of liberation, the King memorial reminds us that we must not despair but continue our journey in hope. Did not the Israelites leave Egypt and walk across the wilderness in hope? Did not the followers of Jesus, after the Ascension, continue their evangelistic preaching in hope? There is no end to our labors, as we continue to walk in hope, serving the Lord.
* * *
The Roman Catholic church recently held World Youth Day in Madrid, Spain. This annual event brought together some 500,000 youth from 200 different countries. The theme at the rally was the same one that has dominated Pope Benedict XVI's reign -- a reawakening to Christianity, especially in Europe. Spain is the country the Pope believes has fallen farthest from the faith. The 84-year-old German pontiff thinks that the congregants have lost their "passion" for the faith that he and his ministerial colleagues felt during and after World War II.
The Pope delivered a very inspiring speech from a specially selected symbolic location. His sermon was delivered from El Escorial, the massive granite structure constructed by King Philip II in 1559. This was King Philip's seat of power over a vast empire whose overwhelming concern was to defend Catholicism from the threat of Protestantism.
In his sermon Benedict said, "This is all the more important today when we see a certain eclipse of God taking place, a kind of amnesia which albeit not an outright rejection of Christianity is nonetheless a denial of the treasure of our faith, a denial that could lead to the loss of our deepest identity."
"Amnesia" -- this is a very strong and serious word. Christians are suffering from amnesia when it comes to their faith. The people have forgotten who they are, where they have come from -- which, in effect, means they have lost their identity.
The purpose of the Passover story as recorded in Exodus, which is to be told from generation to generation without fail, is to prevent amnesia. If the Israelites remember the Passover they will always remember their identity. Do we as Christians in America suffer from the amnesia that the Pope addresses? Do we remember the Passover story? Do we retell and retell the Resurrection story? If we fail to do so, we will forget who we are.
* * *
Each year at Passover, the Jewish people re-enact their rescue from bondage. When the first star is seen in the sky, the youngest boy in each household asks the father, "Why is this night different from all other nights?" The father then launches into a ritualized story that takes the family through all the steps of the rescue from Egypt.
Each dish on the table tells a part of the story. The haroseth -- a mixture of chopped walnuts, wine, cinnamon, and apples -- represents the mortar used by Jewish slaves to assemble Pharaoh's pyramids. Parsley, symbolizing springtime, is dipped into salt water, a symbol of the bitter tears of an oppressed people. An egg is another symbol of springtime, of new hope. The shank bone of a lamb is a remembrance of the lambs whose blood was spilled that momentous and fearful night; and bitter herbs are likewise a reminder of bitter affliction.
* * *
The biblical instructions for the Passover Seder meal in this passage from Exodus tell the Israelites that it was to be eaten hurriedly, "on the run" as it were. Their loins were to be girded -- meaning that the people were to pull up the hems of their long robes and tie them around the waist (freeing the legs for running). Sandals on the feet, staff in hand: the people of Israel were to prepare to depart at a moment's notice.
There's a lesson for us in the ritual of the Passover meal. Compared to our society's fascination with the drive-through lane, this ancient remembrance of "fast food" has nothing to do with the random, chaotic way so many of us chow down on meals that come from paper wrappers and styrofoam cups. Far from being a random, distracted way of eating, the Passover meal is filled with intentionality and purpose. Every member of the Jewish community on that night is focused on that story. Each one pledges to make ready to depart at a moment's notice should the Lord require it. The feast concludes with an earnest admonition, spoken by one and all: "Next year... in Jerusalem!"
There's a difference between being rushed and being ready. Fast food is rushed; but the unleavened Passover bread and wine is a meal of readiness and holy expectation.
* * *
The 2010 French film Of Gods and Men has won many prestigious awards, including the grand prize at the Cannes Film Festival, but it has had a limited release in the United States. Every Christian, however, should make an effort to see it now that it is available on DVD and Blu-Ray.
The true story centers on a Trappist monastery in Algeria where eight monks lived in harmony with and ministered to a village of poor Muslim peasants. In 1996, the monastery was caught between Islamist terrorists and government forces when the country sank into civil war, and eventually seven of the monks were kidnapped and murdered by the terrorists.
Knowing that they are in serious danger, the monks discuss in several scenes whether they should stay or leave. One of the oldest members of the monastery, Luc, a doctor in his late eighties, redefines the word "freedom" when he tells the leader of the order that he has no intention of leaving his patients in the village: "I am not afraid of death. I am not afraid of terrorists. I am not afraid of the army. I am a free man."
* * *
The phrase "freedom isn't free" may have become a cliche in American culture, but it is no less true that freedom always comes with risks.
Writer Charlie Badenhop tells the story of his pet parrot Chico, who loved to go outside with him but seemed to always be uneasy, pacing back and forth, up and down on his favorite tree limb, frustrated that he could not fly away. His wings had been clipped.
One day the frustration seemed to build to a boiling point in the sassy little bird -- and he hunched his shoulders, screamed, and leapt from the limb. Flapping his wings as frantically as he could, he surprised Charlie (and maybe himself) by flying. Over the course of time, his wings had repaired themselves.
He flew away and didn't come back until the next day -- and Charlie was able to coax him back into the house only by removing the cage, proving to Chico that he would, in fact, be free to come and go as he pleased.
For over a year Charlie and Chico went outside every day the weather allowed. Chico would fly around the yard, and then after a few hours he would go back inside, content that he was still free.
But one day Chico began to cough, and in less than 24 hours he died. The vet told Charlie that his beloved pet had contracted a disease carried by the pigeons in that area but to which the wild birds had developed immunities.
It was not the disease so much as the years in captivity, not the freedom but the lack of it that had killed poor Chico. Charlie is still convinced, however, that had Chico known the price of his freedom, he still would have embraced it.
* * *
In 1781 George Washington complained about how one of his runaway slaves was helped by a "society of Quakers formed for such purposes." This is the first written account of what would by 1831 be widely known as the Underground Railroad.
Not a railroad in the literal sense, the Underground Railroad was a vast network of people who helped fugitive slaves escape to the north, many to Canada. Most scholars estimate that about 100,000 American slaves escaped to freedom via the Underground Railroad, which owed its success to rigid secrecy and an organizational model by which everyone knew about local networks near them but no one knew the whole picture. (A knew about B and B knew about C, but C and A didn't know about each other.)
Homes where runaway slaves ate, rested, and hid were called "stations" or "depots" and were run by "stationmasters." Those who contributed money were called "stockholders." Those responsible for actually transporting slaves from one depot to another were called "conductors."
The whole enterprise was financed by "Vigilance Committees" in large cities such as New York, Philadelphia, Boston, and Cincinnati. Vigilance committees raised money, provided food, and paid for such things as lodging, train or boat tickets, and new clothing so runaways could pass as free blacks. Once the runaways were settled in the north, vigilance committees provided new identities, jobs, and letters of recommendation to help them find work.
The Underground Railroad had many notable participants, including John Fairfield in Ohio, the son of a slaveholding family who made many daring rescues; Levi Coffin, a Quaker who assisted more than 3,000 slaves; and Harriet Tubman, who made 19 trips into the South, escorted over 300 slaves to freedom, and was known as the "Moses of her people."
* * *
When Col. Robert E. Lee was ordered to take his regiment to New Mexico during the Mexican-American War, he was given no time to bid farewell to his family. Accordingly, he wrote a letter to his son from the Arlington House on April 15, 1852, to explain his sudden departure. The closing line of the lengthy letter has often been recited: "Duty, then, is the sublimest word in our language. Do your duty in all things... You cannot do more, you should never wish to do less."
As Lee marched off to an unpopular war, Ezekiel marched forth with an unpopular message of judgment. Often times our labors will not call us to do that which is easy -- but they will always call us to do that which is right.
* * *
Public Policy Polling (PPP) is an established research firm recognized for assessing the popularity of politicians. Recently the agency decided to conduct a poll on the leadership qualities of God. The poll concluded that only 52% of Americans felt God was an adequate leader. This put God in a much better position than House Speaker John Boehner, and both Republicans and Democrats in Congress, who received a favorable rating of 33%.
Now, not all is disparaging regarding God. When specific issues were questioned, 71% felt God did a good job on creating the universe and 56% approved of God's governance of the animal kingdom. But when it came to handling natural disasters, 26% of younger adults (ages 18-29) and 12% of older adults (ages 65 and older) were disappointed.
Criticizing our political leaders, office managers, foremen, pastors, and volunteers of community organizations is a national pastime. But when you come to realize that God, the Supreme Being of the Universe, on the best day can only be admired by 52% of the populace, perhaps the problem does not rest with the leaders but with those of us who follow. Perhaps we need to ask, as the Psalmist did, "Give me understanding."
* * *
In his book Good Boss, Bad Boss, psychologist Robert I. Sutton lists ten signs that your boss really cares about you. He/she:
1. Really listens to what you say and doesn't just pretend to pay attention.
2. Is careful to give you as much, or even more, credit than you deserve.
3. Sticks up for you behind your back.
4. Takes care not to embarrass you.
5. Apologizes sincerely when he/she does something that upsets or hurts you.
6. Goes out of his/her way to make it easier for you to mesh the challenges of your personal life with your job.
7. Is respectful of your time.
8. Takes time to learn your quirks and idiosyncrasies and accommodates them within reason.
9. Goes the extra mile to make sure that you succeed at your job and keep developing skills.
10. Is honest and tells you the truth about your weaknesses and screw-ups.
* * *
Steven D. Strauss is a lawyer, author, and speaker who specializes in small business and entrepreneurship. Writing in USA Today, he offers these practical reasons for being a good boss who trusts employees and treats them like adults, listens respectfully to what they have to offer, and is firm, fair, and generous with them:
1. You make more money. Studies show that happy employees create happy customers, and happy customers create happy bank accounts.
2. You instill loyalty and hard work. People like to work for and as a result will work harder and better for people they like. They will also be more willing to go the extra mile.
3. You can sleep at night knowing you've been the right kind of person and done the best you can for the people who count on you.
* * *
According to a Mercer CEO compensation study, even in the midst of our current economic troubles, average CEO compensation in the United States is currently about $7.3 million per year or $20,400 per working day, just a couple thousand dollars short of what the average worker makes in a year.
According to the Economic Policy Institute report, in 1965, U.S. CEOs in major companies earned 24 times more than a typical worker. By 2007, they made 275 times more. U.S. CEOs also make far more than CEOs in other advanced countries, the report said.
The report summed up CEO compensation in the US as "otherworldly."
WORSHIP RESOURCES
by George Reed
Call to Worship
Leader: Praise our God! Sing to our God a new song.
People: Let God's people be glad in their Maker.
Leader: Let us praise God's name with dancing.
People: For our God takes pleasure in God's people;
Leader: God adorns the humble with victory.
People: Let the faithful exult in glory; let them sing for joy.
OR
Leader: Come and worship the God who is our hope.
People: Our world is scary and we need a lot of hope.
Leader: God is the source and ground of our tomorrow.
People: We confess that God is our only hope.
Leader: God invites us to trust in the divine love around us.
People: We know our God is faithful. In God alone we trust.
Hymns and Sacred Songs
"O God, Our Hope in Ages Past"
found in:
UMH: 117
H82: 680
AAHH: 170
NNBH: 46
NCH: 25
CH: 67
LBW: 320
ELA: 632
"A Mighty Fortress Is Our God"
found in:
UMH: 110
H82: 687/388
PH: 200
AAHH: 124
NNBH: 371
NCH: 439/440
CH: 65
LBW: 228/229
ELA: 503/505
"By Gracious Powers"
found in:
UMH: 517
H82: 695/696
PH: 342
NCH: 413
ELA: 626
"Lift Every Voice and Sing"
found in:
UMH: 519
H82: 299
PH: 563
AAHH: 540
NNBH: 457
CH: 631
LBW: 562
ELA: 841
"How Firm a Foundation"
found in:
UMH: 529
H82: 636/637
PH: 361
AAHH: 146
NNBH: 48
NCH: 407
CH: 618
LBW: 507
ELA: 796
"We Shall Overcome"
found in:
UMH: 533
AAHH: 542
NNBH: 501
NCH: 570
CH: 630
"Be Still, My Soul"
found in:
UMH: 534
AAHH: 135
NNBH: 263
NCH: 488
CH: 566
"Great Is Thy Faithfulness"
found in:
UMH: 140
AAHH: 158
NNBH: 45
NCH: 423
CH: 86
ELA: 733
Renew: 249
"Awesome God"
found in:
CCB: 17
Renew: 245
"I Will Call Upon the Lord"
found in:
CCB: 9
Renew: 15
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
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
Renew: Renew! Songs & Hymns for Blended Worship
Prayer for the Day / Collect
O God who is the source of the world's hope: Grant us the faith to trust in your plan for creation and the courage to live as your true children; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We come to worship you, O God, in the midst of many trials and troubles. We come to worship and to hear again your words of hope. Help us to center our lives and our hope in your never-failing love. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
Leader: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins and especially our tendency to place hope where it is not warranted or to abandon hope altogether.
People: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We look at all the troubles around us and we are overwhelmed. Sometimes we run from one thing to another, hoping that they will solve our problems. Other times we just sink down in despair. We forget that we are your people. We forget that we are disciples of Jesus. We forget it is in you alone that we have our hope. Forgive us and renew us by the power of your Spirit that we may once again be your faithful people, placing all our hope in you. Amen.
Leader: God is our sure hope and our sure salvation. God does not fail us but gladly grants us forgiveness and the power to be God's faithful people.
Prayer for Illumination
Send, O God, the light of your Spirit upon us so that our hearts may be enlightened and filled once again with your vision, which is our only true hope. Amen.
Prayers of the People (and the Lord's Prayer)
We worship and adore you, O God, for you are the hope of all creation. You made all that is, and you are the one who will bring creation to its fullness in yourself.
(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 look at all the troubles around us and we are overwhelmed. Sometimes we run from one thing to another, hoping that they will solve our problems. Other times we just sink down in despair. We forget that we are your people. We forget that we are disciples of Jesus. We forget it is in you alone that we have our hope. Forgive us and renew us by the power of your Spirit that we may once again be your faithful people, placing all our hope in you.
We give you thanks for the stories from the Bible that remind us of your faithfulness. We are thankful for the reminders that the obstacles that seem the biggest to us are not large to you.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for one another in our need and for all your children around the world. There are many dangers and calamities that face us. Help us to keep our focus on you so that we may not lose hope and place our hope in vain things.
(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
Have a heavy object that you can't (or act as if you can't) lift by yourself. Tell the children you aren't worried because you have great hope that someone will be able to help you lift it. Either have a very small person planted to help or ask one of the smallest children to help you lift the object. When even the two of you can't lift it, call in a strong person to help you lift it. You can also have the children work together to lift it, but you have to make sure they will be able to and that no one will get hurt trying to lift it. Then talk to the children about how you can have hope in someone or something but that doesn't mean they will be able to help. You have to have your hope in someone you know will be able to help you. Our hope is in our God.
CHILDREN'S SERMON
Labor Day
Good morning, boys and girls! This is Labor Day weekend in America. Does anybody know why we have this holiday, aside from it unofficially being the last weekend of summer? (Let the children respond -- hopefully someone will identify it as a time to recognize workers.)
How big a list do you suppose we could make if we started to name all of the workers we can think of? There would be all the types of work that are represented by our parents and relatives and a lot that we can think of in our communities. Let's name a few. (Let the children respond -- you may want to have a pad and pencil so you can write down some of their answers.)
My, that's a long list, isn't it? And we haven't really even gotten started yet. When we think of all the people who have to labor to keep us housed and fed and protected, it adds up to hundreds and hundreds of people. Many of them are unseen and go unnoticed. Many people have very menial jobs to do. But everyone helps contribute to make our society function.
Even on the days that we take off to celebrate, there have to be people on duty to see that our services continue.
It is amazing that God has given us the ability to build a world like we have. Along with that creative ability, however, he has given us some responsibilities. We have to also learn how to take care of our planet so that future generations can also enjoy the blessings God has given us.
I suppose that means that many new types of labor with new kinds of jobs will come along in the future, and we'll have even more people to recognize for their service to humankind.
Enjoy your holiday but remember the people who we honor in our celebration.
(You could conclude by offering a prayer for all those who labor so that society might continue to function.)
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The Immediate Word, September 4, 2011, issue.
Copyright 2011 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.
