Not One Stone
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For November 14, 2021:
Not One Stone
by Mary Austin
Mark 13:1-8
On the edge of Advent, we hear Jesus talk about the end of the Jerusalem temple, shocking his friends. They assume that it will stand forever, and Jesus reminds them that some things need to be torn down so others can be built.
Here in the United States, the long-discussed infrastructure bill is about to become law, leading to road and bridge building around the nation. A building boom is coming our way, even as we try to figure out what buildings we need. Companies are pondering the usefulness of physical offices as people continue to work from their dining rooms, and office buildings stand empty.
Post-Covid, our physical spaces are changing, and Jesus brings us a timely word about assuming the permanence of the world around us.
Is it time to tear down, or to build up? And how do we know?
In the News
Building up is on everyone’s mind, with the new bill on the horizon. This infrastructure bill “will deliver $550 billion of new federal investments in America's infrastructure over five years, touching everything from bridges and roads to the nation's broadband, water and energy systems. Experts say the money is sorely needed to ensure safe travel, as well as the efficient transport of goods and produce across the country. The nation's infrastructure system earned a C- score from the American Society of Civil Engineers earlier this year.” The bill provides “$110 billion for roads, bridges and major infrastructure projects…Included is $40 billion for bridge repair, replacement and rehabilitation, according to the bill’s text. The White House says it would be the single, largest dedicated bridge investment since the construction of the interstate highway system, which started in the 1950s. The deal also contains $16 billion for major projects that would be too large or complex for traditional funding programs, according to the White House. Some 20%, or 173,000 miles, of the nation's highways and major roads are in poor condition, as are 45,000 bridges, according to the White House. The investments would focus on climate change mitigation, resilience, equity and safety for all users, including cyclists and pedestrians.”
The bill is a boon for engineering and construction firms, road pavers, rail systems, electric charging stations, rural internet and airports. Its provisions aim to solve supply chain delays.
But what about the physical spaces we already have? Is anyone going back to work? In a New Yorker article by Cal Newport, he interviews an entrepreneur who posits that companies with no office overhead will have a huge advantage in the years ahead. He suggests that our current office set up is based on factory shift work, which moved wholesale into offices, where supervisors can keep an eye on workers and their productivity. Entrepreneur Chris Herd has a different vision, “which he calls a remote-first strategy, relevant teams gather less frequently — he suggests once a month as a good interval — in varying locations that suit the work that’s being done. Because these meetings are relatively infrequent, there’s no need for employees to live in the same region. He used his own company as an example to illustrate this point. “We are all over the place: we have people in Belgium and the UK, in the US from the East Coast to the West,” he said. “Our tech team is meeting in New York next week. Our sales team is meeting in London the week after.” He even imagines a future in which specialized resorts will arise in locations conducive to brainstorming or strategy formation, where teams will work with the help of professional on-site facilitators. These semi-frequent off-site gatherings might sound expensive to those steeped in the office-as-factory mind-set, but, Herd suggested, they’re cheaper than maintaining a permanent space for everyone, and such meetings would support much of what’s lost in a purely virtual strategy.”
Meanwhile, workers are balking at returning to offices. Some like the ability to concentrate at home, others like the flexibility, and others are saving money by not commuting. “At a time when so many companies are experiencing labor shortages, many employers can't afford to let integral staff members go. The fact that 17% of employees would rather quit than report to an office should serve as a wakeup call for companies to rethink those plans and explore arrangements that might better serve the people who work for them.” Our work environment is about to change.
In the Scriptures
We can understand the disciples’ awe, as they look at the temple. Per the Jewish Encyclopedia, this was the temple built by King Herod in 19-20 CE. Herod had promised the Jewish people a new temple, and amassed the materials for this temple before the old one was torn down, as a sign of good faith.
This temple was constructed quickly, in a year and a half, and then work on the outer buildings and courts continued for the next eight decades. Herod’s temple had the same dimensions as Solomon’s, plus greatly expanded courts and outer areas. Built on a hillside, all of this required complicated engineering.
Looking at it, the disciples see a magnificent structure, and yet Jesus reminds them not to be fooled by how it looks on the outside. Our idea of permanent is far from God’s idea. It’s not just the stones that will come down, it’s the temple and its customs and its place in everyday life. All of it has an end, in God’s plans, so something else can come to life.
Jesus isn’t very comforting, as he promises “wars and rumors of wars,” upheaval and uncertainty. This is the start of the birth pangs, and, unlike with a human baby, no one knows exactly what is being born. The disciples want much more certainty than Jesus is willing to offer them.
In the Sermon
The sermon might explore what’s being born in our lives as old institutions end. Going to work in an office once seemed like the unchanging stones of the temple — something that would never vary. Technology, Covid, gig work and subcontracting have all eroded this vision of white color work, parallel to the ways that automation and outsourcing changed blue collar jobs. Where are employees finding new life? New habits? New passions? Who’s getting left behind as this shift happens?
The sermon could talk about the influence of physical spaces in our lives, and what shifts for us as we live, work and worship in different spaces. Do we lose something when we worship online, sitting on the same couch where we do our day jobs? Or is the holiness of God enough, wherever we are? Do we see ourselves differently as employees when we don’t go to the office? Are we altered as people of faith when the sanctuary comes to us on a screen?
Or, the sermon might explore what stones are being toppled in our religious life. Just as people aren’t going back to work in office buildings, they aren’t coming back to work in church buildings. Are our church buildings too big for us now? Should some come down? What do we need to change to keep up?
The sermon could also explore the grief that we feel when things end. Even when God is already creating something new, we still experience sorrow. The disciples must have felt as unsettled, listening to Jesus, as we do in our own time. This time full of changes is also full of mourning.
God is always in the birthing business, and yet it’s hard to let go of the former things so we can enter into the new things. It’s unsettling, even with Jesus as our guide.
SECOND THOUGHTS
Without Wavering
by Chris Keating
Hebrews 10:11-14 (15-18) 19-25
As you continue finessing Advent and Christmas plans, don’t forget to add this little gem to your end of 2021 to-do list: gathering end of year data for denominational annual reports, those quintessential relics of Christendom.
It used to be that the chore of filling out those reports were made easier because most churches kept close track of what could be called the “Three B’s” of church life: budgets, buildings, and butts (in pews). But Covid-19 placed an asterisk next to those metrics. Figuring out what we need to measure has become a hot topic in church leadership circles.
In a time when so much is wavering, what do we record? How do we measure the impact of our ministries when they are more involved with answering anxious texts at midnight than counting noses on Sunday? How do we measure the importance of praying with those diagnosed with terminal cancer? What metric do we use to measure the success of our ministries to people who want earnestly to attend on Sundays, but who are afraid, anxious, or scared?
Of course, Christians are not alone in trying to make sense of our current realities. There’s a broader sense that Americans are losing their perpetual optimism. We may love sunshiny characters like TV’s “Ted Lasso,” but there are signs our native belief in the power of positive thinking is running dry. An NBC poll taken before the recent elections revealed that 7 out of 10 adults believe the United States is headed in the wrong direction.
Worry, inside and outside of the church, is becoming the red meat of American emotional diets. Frank Bruni observes whatever the cause, pessimism has be on the increase for a half a dozen or so years. Last week Bruni wrote that “we don’t see ourselves striding toward a better tomorrow. We see ourselves tiptoeing around catastrophe. That was true even before Covid. That was true even before Trump.”
Just a few years ago our politics was clouded by hope. Ronald Reagan told us it was “morning in America,” that we were a bright shining city upon a hill. George H.W. Bush pointed us in the direction of a “1,000 points of light,” while Bill Clinton described a “place called hope.” George W. Bush yearned for a “safer world and more hopeful America.” Barrack Obama started out with “Yes We Can,” while settling on “Change We Can Believe In.”
Bruni checked and found that the last time most Americans were satisfied was in 2004. Curiously, according to the Pew Research Forum, there was a marked increase in the already-declining patterns of church attendance around the same time.
Anxiety — it’s what’s for dinner.
With that in mind, church historian Diana Butler Bass suggests that fear could become what pulls us together. “The answer isn’t killing one another,” Bass said recently. “The answer is looking into the fears on other faces and seeing our own fears reflected in those eyes, in every trembling lip.”
Bass’ reflections call to mind the unwavering promises proclaimed by the preacher of the Epistle to the Hebrews. The author calls upon the community to “hold fast,” (4:14), and to recall the “earlier days” (10:32ff) when the community endured struggles, remained generous, and filled with the confidence of faith.
That confidence emerges from the actions of Christ, the great priest whose sacrifice produces the substance of our hope. Christ is our mediator, the high priest who has interceded for us and has become the arbitrator of a new and better covenant (8:6). Now is the time to set our sights on waiting in eagerness, not anxiety, for the one who has given us confidence and a “true heart in full assurance of faith.”
This confidence calls us to meet together — and let’s admit it, gathering online, with all of the admitted complications it offers, is still a time of gathering together. This confidence calls us to encourage each other to be generous with one another. This confidence evokes within us a call to worship and service in response to the promises of Jesus Christ.
The author writes to a community beset by chaos and awash in anxiety, spelling out three admonitions which flow from the work of Christ. The language in this week’s passages provide a prescription for faithfulness that waves in tough moments. Christ has achieved what could not have been achieved before, and in response the church is called to a confidence born from this hope. As Tom Long notes in his commentary on Hebrews:
The good news of Jesus’ high priestly ministry is that he placed on the heavenly altar, once and for all, not only his life but—astonishingly—ours, too. He gathered up our hunger for approval, and he lived a life truly pleasing to God. He took our restlessness and brought us to the place of sabbath rest. He carried the human condition and placed it as an offering to God—not the ravaged, broken, humanity that we have made of ourselves, but humanity healed by his own faithfulness, humanity as God intended at the creation, free and joyful, at one with itself, others, and God. (Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching – Hebrews.)
Our life is lived in a hopefulness sustained by community. Community is not the same as our prior preoccupation with buildings, budgets, and people, however. Community is not just the bricks that build a uniform structure but is instead the body that wrestles with all the difficulties of diversity. Indeed, life within the Christian community can become provocative at times. Yet it is life that calls us to a hope deeper than fear and anxiety.
For Hebrews, our community is formed in worship that provides sanctuary from the anxieties and storms of life. The church is not all peaches and cream, however, but rather is a provocative community (10:24) that is knit together in faithfulness and empowered to endure challenges. In its acts of worship and praise, the community prepares a people who learn what it means to hold fast without wavering, and who are busy provoking one another to acts of love and good deeds.
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Tom Willadsen:
1 Samuel 1:4-20, 2:1-10
Good news from Jimmy’s Woodlawn Tap
There I was in my first quarter of seminary, if not drowning my sorrows at least forcing them to swim, when the subject turned to beer. There were no Lutherans at my table so I had to make the case that beer is biblical on my own. “Beer’s in the Bible,” I asserted as I raised my amber-filled glass.
“Nu-uh!” came the response from a Methodist colleague. (Wasn’t it Norman Maclean who called Methodists “Baptists who can read”?)
“I can find “beer” in the Bible! I bet you a beer I can!” I threw down the gauntlet.
“You’re on, but “Beer-sheba” doesn’t count; it’s gotta be the stuff you drink!”
“Fine.” Someone reached into their backpack and pulled out an NIV. I turned to 1 Samuel 1:15-16 and addressed the other patrons of Jimmy’s Woodlawn Tap:
“Not so, my lord,” Hannah replied, “I am a woman who is deeply troubled. I have not been drinking wine or beer; I was pouring out my soul to the Lord. Do not take your servant for a wicked woman; I have been praying here out of my great anguish and grief.”
(I’m fortunate it was not an RSV; it renders לֹ֣א וְשֵׁכָ֖ר as “strong drink.”)
I ordered another glass of Old Style and sipped it smugly.
I’ve told this story for more than 30 years. The surprise is not that I found “beer” in the Bible; the surprise is that someone found a Bible in Jimmy’s Woodlawn Tap.
* * *
Hebrews 10:11-14 (15-18) 19-25
Sin or sins?
The author of Hebrews makes a case through this epistle that Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross is superior to all the sacrifices that high priests have made in the temple. Jesus accomplished forgiveness of sins forever on the cross, so Yom Kippur, the annual Day of Atonement observed by Jews is obsolete according to Hebrews. Protestants make the same point about Jesus’ sacrifice in contrast to Roman Catholics. “Jesus died once and for all, so we do not have altars, where sacrifices are offered, but communion tables around which we remember Christ’s death on the cross.”
There’s a subtle distinction that the author of Hebrews makes that is often overlooked: sometimes sin is singular, sometimes it is plural. When “sins” is used it points us toward individual, discrete acts. Imagine being cleansed of sins as having to wash your hands repeatedly throughout the day. Earlier in the 10th chapter, and conclusively in the 13th chapter, the author uses sin in the singular, which connotes something closer to a state of sinfulness. Having one’s sin forgiven is an ontological change, having one’s sins forgiven is more like hitting the reset button on one’s life. Both are desirable, certainly, but the newness extended from the cross is much more durable and powerful.
* * *
Mark 13:1-8
Disciples as bumpkins
Every time I read this passage I imagine the disciples, unsophisticated fishermen from Galilee mostly, marveling at the height of the temple as though they were Gomer Pyle dropped into Manhattan.
“Boy howdy, Sergeant Carter, ain’t these buildings just the tallest you ever seen?!” The disciples had only been in Jerusalem a few days and were probably still wide-eyed at the culture and architecture of the big city.
* * *
Mark 13:1-8
Uh, Jesus, could you be a little more specific?
Immediately after Jesus shocked his disciples by telling them of coming destruction, they ask when it will happen.
When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed; this must take place, but the end is still to come. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. (Mark 13:7-8, NRSV)
Has there ever been a time when there were not wars and rumors of wars? Nations fighting other nations? Earthquakes? With the global reach of modern media we hear about all of these events on the other side of the planet instantly. Jesus’ words hardly narrow it down. Perhaps that’s his point; the end could come at any time. We’re still waiting, but maybe not all of us are waiting.
Imagine places like northern California where entire communities have been erased by wildfires, and parts of Iowa that were flattened by last summer’s derecho, and communities in central Europe that were washed away by historic flash floods. Perhaps the destruction Jesus foretold will not be on a global scale. Perhaps the effects of global warming are not being felt to the same extent in every place. Living on the other side of these disasters will also be a local endeavor.
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From team member Dean Feldmeyer:
Mark 13:1-8
Old But Not Eternal
In today’s gospel lesson, Jesus reminds that disciples that not even the temple is eternal. Only God can make that claim. Here are some examples of things that are really old but, as Jesus would remind us, not eternal.
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Mark 13:1-8
Old But Not Eternal 2.0
Modern science continues to extend human life expectancy but no one expects humans to live forever. Every human has a lifespan; some are just longer than others. Here are three people with very long lifespans. The three oldest people in the United States, are:
1. Hester Ford (August 15, 1905 – Present) — Hester’s family recently discovered a census record that put her birth at 1904, which would make her 117 years old. Hester still has an extremely sharp mind and excellent memory, which is demonstrated by the fact that she can recite several Bible verses, including her favorite, Psalm 23.
2. Thelma Sutcliffe (October 6, 1906 – Present) — According to E.A. Kral of Wilber, who keeps track of age records in Nebraska, Thelma Sutcliffe is the 12th oldest person ever in the state’s history. Sutcliffe celebrated her 115th birthday in October at the senior living center in Omaha where she currently resides. Sutcliffe has spent her entire life in Omaha and got married when she was 17. Her husband died in 1970 and they never had any children. Her family has a history of long life. Her nephew is 91 and his mother, Sutcliffe’s sister, died at the age of 106.
3. Ellen Goodwill (February 2, 1907 – Present) — Ellen Goodwill very recently turned 114 years old making her the oldest living resident of Michigan. Originally from Kentucky, Goodwill moved to Ohio as a young adult to work as a model. After Goodwill married her husband, Augustus Goodwill, in 1947, she moved to Battle Creek, Michigan and has remained there since.
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Mark 13:1-8
As Old As A Mountain
Even mountains have life spans.
When I was a child, my family visited the Great Smoky Mountains just about every year on vacation. When we became teenagers, we would hike the steep, half-mile path to Clingman’s Dome, the highest point in the Smokies, which is also the highest point in Tennessee, and the highest point on the Appalachian Trail. Usually, to our great disappointment, it was fogged in — fog being so common that the mountain range was named after it (Smoky.)
On that rare occasion when it wasn’t fogged in, however, the view from the altitude of 6,643 feet was spectacular. A 20-mile vista was common and on extremely clear days the view extended to nearly 100 miles. It’s understandable, then, that as kids, we thought that this was the highest place in the world, or at least the United States.
Imagine how confused we were when, one day, a forest ranger told us that Mount Elbert, the tallest mountain in the Rockies, and the highest peak in Colorado, was more than twice as tall as Clingman’s Dome at 14,440 feet. This, she explained, is because the Rockies are baby mountains when you compare them to the Smokies. While the Rockies contain some rocks that are billions of years old, the mountains themselves are only about 100 million years old. The Smoky Mountains, on the other hand, are nearly 300 million years old. Geologists believe that the Smokies were once as tall as the Rockies but over 300 million years, they were eroded by wind, rain, snow, ice and other weather factors.
One day, the ranger explained, as they continue to erode, the Smoky Mountains will be gone and the earth where they are now will be flat. But not any time soon.
All things — even mountains — have lifespans. All things except God, that is.
* * *
Mark 13:1-8
False Prophets
A misguided and incomplete understanding of “prophecy” in Judeo-Christian tradition has been leading Christians to make misguided attempts at predicting the future since the first century, as Jesus warned. Here are some examples.
2nd Century CE: Prophets and prophetesses of the Montanist movement predicted that Jesus would return sometime during their lifetime and establish the New Jerusalem in the city of Pepuza in Asia Minor.
Hilary of Poitiers announced that the end would happen in 365 CE. It didn't.
Hippolytus and an earlier Christian academic, Sextus Julius Africanus, predicted Armageddon would happen in 500 CE.
Many Christians in Europe had predicted the end of the world would happen on January 1, in the year 1000. As the date approached, Christian armies waged war against some of the Pagan countries in Northern Europe. The motivation was to convert them all to Christianity, by force if necessary, before Christ returned in the year 1000. Meanwhile, some Christians gave their possessions to the Church in anticipation of the end. Fortunately, the level of education was so low that many citizens were unaware of what year it was. They did not know enough to be afraid. Otherwise, the panic might have been far worse than it was. Unfortunately, when Jesus did not appear, the church did not return the gifts. Serious criticism of the Church followed. The Church reacted by exterminating some heretics.
In 1179, John of Toledo predicted the end of the world in 1186, according to the alignment of planets.
The Old Believers in Russia believed that the end of the world would occur in 1669. 20,000 people burned themselves to death between 1669 and 1690 to protect themselves from the Antichrist, whom they thought was coming.
On June 8, 1783, a volcanic eruption in southern Iceland pumped massive amounts of toxic dust, sulphur dioxide, and fluorine into the atmosphere. Cattle died, crops failed, and about one quarter of the island's population died of starvation. By the end of June, poisonous clouds had reached England and much of Europe. Boats had to stay in harbor because they could not navigate. There was massive loss of life in England, particularly among farm workers. Many predicted that the end of the world was imminent.
William Miller, founder of the Millerite movement, predicted that Jesus would return on March 21, 1843, and many Christians accepted his prophecy. When Jesus did not return, Miller re-calculated his prediction to October 22, 1844. In an event that some historians called "The Great Disappointment," Christians sold their property and possessions, quit their jobs, and prepared themselves for the second coming. Nothing happened; the day came and went without incident.
Meteorologist Albert Porta predicted that the conjunction of 6 planets in 1919 would generate a magnetic current that would cause the sun to explode and engulf the earth on December 17. It didn’t.
* * *
Mark 13:1-8
Modern False Prophets — Doomsday Cults
False prophets were not relegated solely to ancient times. Modern doomsday cults still thrive. Some consider these to be three of the top ten modern examples:
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From team member Quantisha Mason-Doll:
Mark 13:1-8
A Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Eschaton
The eschaton is one of those theological realities we as modern pastors and theologians struggle with bringing to the pulpit. Honestly who among us wants to preach about the end of times? Especially when there is a community of people looking for the good news of the gospel. Truth be told, it’s not pleasant, yet it is something that must be done. Jesus was not shy in offering word on how to reconcile with what is to come and that is where I believe we place our roots. When I approach this gospel lesson I come to the understanding that we are better served facing the truth rather than turning our backs and trying to run from it. While it is no surprise to anyone that we live in an increasingly stressful world, I cannot remember the last time I turned on the news and did not see something heartbreaking. It is those mornings when we must remind ourselves that Jesus’ words were not ones of only doom “but the beginning of the birth pangs.”
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Mark 13:1-8
When asking the right questions be prepared for the answers
When I reflected on these verses I could not help but think of the closing lines to a poem entitled Numbersman by the spoken word artist Phil Kaye. They were as follows: “Is that what it means to be human to be all-powerful, to build a temple to yourself and leave only the walls to pray?” While at first glance one can assume that the poem closes on a question that longs to be answered, yet much like our gospel reading for today, what we are left with is more akin to the dropping of a hammer. When have we stopped and asked ourselves the questions that need to be asked? The disciples for once ask a question that brings out a profound answer from Jesus that is not shrouded in mystery. We have built temples to ourselves and fought wars using the name of God yet that is not the divine will — the image of a grim, dark future where all that we have known is brought to ruin.
* * * * * *
WORSHIP
by George Reed
Call to Worship
One: Let our hearts exult in our God.
All: There is no Holy One like God.
One: God raises up the poor from the dust.
All: God lifts the needy from the ash heap.
One: The pillars of the earth are God’s.
All: God will guard the feet of the faithful.
OR
One: God is faithful. Let us rejoice.
All: Blessed be our God who is doing a new thing.
One: Watch and see what wonders God is bringing forth.
All: We anticipate with joy all that God is doing among us.
One: God invites us to join in creating a new world.
All: We offer ourselves to God’s new creation.
Hymns and Songs
All People That on Earth Do Dwell
UMH: 75
H82: 377/378
PH: 220/221
NNBH: 36
NCH: 7
CH: 18
LBW: 245
ELW: 883
W&P: 661
AMEC: 73
STLT: 370
How Great Thou Art
UMH: 77
PH: 467
AAHH: 148
NNBH: 43
NCH: 35
CH: 33
LBW: 532
ELW: 856
W&P: 51
AMEC: 68
Renew: 250
Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee
UMH: 89
H82: 376
PH: 464
AAHH: 120
NNBH: 40
NCH: 4
CH: 2
LBW: 551
ELW: 836
W&P: 59
AMEC: 75
STLT: 29
We Gather Together
UMH: 131
H82: 433
PH: 559
NNBH: 326
NCH: 421
CH: 276
ELW: 449
W&P: 81
AMEC: 576
STLT: 349
Leaning on the Everlasting Arms
UMH: 133
AAHH: 371
NNBH: 262
NCH: 471
CH: 560
ELW: 774
W&P: 496
AMEC: 525
Christ, Whose Glory Fills the Skies
UMH: 173
H82: 6/7
PH: 462/463
LBW: 265
ELW: 553
W&P: 91
Hope of the World
UMH: 178
H82: 472
PH: 360
NCH: 46
CH: 538
LBW: 493
W&P: 404
Breathe on Me, Breath of God
UMH: 420
H82: 508
PH: 316
AAHH: 317
NNBH: 126
NCH: 292
CH: 254
LBW: 488
W&P: 461
AMEC: 192
All Who Love and Serve Your City
UMH: 433
H82: 570/571
PH: 413
CH: 670
LBW: 436
ELW: 724
W&P: 625
My Faith Looks Up to Thee
UMH: 452
H82: 691
PH: 383
AAHH: 456
NNBH: 273
CH: 576
LBW: 479
ELW: 759
W&P: 419
AMEC: 415
Make Me a Servant
CCB: 90
We Are His Hands
CCB: 85
Music Resources Key
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
AAHH: African American Heritage Hymnal
NNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
LBW: Lutheran Book of Worship
ELW: Evangelical Lutheran Worship
W&P: Worship & Praise
AMEC: African Methodist Episcopal Church Hymnal
STLT: Singing the Living Tradition
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
Renew: Renew! Songs & Hymns for Blended Worship
Prayer for the Day/Collect
O God who is faithful to the end of all time:
Grant us the grace to be persistent in our faith
that we may assist in the new things you are doing;
through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We praise you, O God, because you are faithful. There is no end to your creative care. Help us to be persistent in our faith so that we may faithfully join you in bringing to birth your new creation. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
One: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins and especially our failure to trust that God is making all things new.
All: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We have failed to trust your redeeming work among us. We allow ourselves to be discouraged by the world around us. We do not see the signs that you are bringing new things to birth among us. Open our eyes, our hearts, and our minds that we might join in your life. Amen.
One: God is not through with creation. God is making all things, including us, new. Receive God’s grace and pass it on to others.
Prayers of the People
Glory and honor are yours, O God, creator of all that was, and is, and ever shall be. You are the one who makes all things new.
(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 failed to trust your redeeming work among us. We allow ourselves to be discouraged by the world around us. We do not see the signs that you are bringing new things to birth among us. Open our eyes, our hearts, and our minds that we might join in your life.
We give you thanks for all the ways in which you have given us life and renewed our lives. We thank you for the cycle of the seasons that reveal your creation being renewed. We thank you for those who send to us to lift our spirits and renew our souls.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for one another in our need. We pray for those who struggle and see no way to move to a new life. We pray for those who find themselves surrounded by illness, death, and grief. We pray for those who are in poverty and want. Help us to be your presence to all who are in need.
(Other intercessions may be offered.)
All these things we ask in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ who taught us to pray together saying:
Our Father....Amen.
(Or if the Our Father is not used at this point in the service.)
All this we ask in the name of the Blessed and Holy Trinity. Amen.
* * * * * *
CHILDREN'S SERMON
Supporting Each Other
by Katy Stenta
1 Samuel 1:4-20
This is a story about Hannah.
Hannah wanted a child more than anything. Her husband tried to comfort her and would say, “At least we have each other.” She was very sad though, and really wanted a child. She went to the temple every day to pray.
One day Eli, a priest, saw Hannah praying, and because she was so passionate, he thought something was wrong with her. He thought she must be drunk or something.
Hannah said, “No, I am not drunk I just want a child, and if I am blessed with a child, I will dedicate that child to the Lord.”
Eli was impressed with Hannah’s prayers and prayed with her.
Hannah felt better after Eli prayed with her.
Do you think Hannah had a child? If she did have a child, do you think she dedicated the child to God as she promised?
These are important parts of the story, but the most important part of this story is that Eli supported Hannah and prayed with her. We support and pray with one another, too. We do this when we pray the Lord’s prayer together and when we pray our joys and concerns/prayers of the people together.
Prayer is meant to be a time when we ask God for help, but also when we can support one another.
Prayer
Dear God, help us to pray and support one another whenever we can, like Eli and Hannah. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, November 14, 2021 issue.
Copyright 2021 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.
- Not One Stone by Mary Austin — Our idea of permanent is far from God’s idea. Everything has an end in God’s plans, so something else can come to life.
- Second Thoughts: Without Wavering by Chris Keating — For Hebrews, our community is formed in worship that provides sanctuary from the anxieties and storms of life.
- Sermon illustrations by Dean Feldmeyer, Tom Willadsen, Quantisha Mason-Doll.
- Worship resources by George Reed.
- Children's sermon: Supporting Each Other by Katy Stenta.
Not One Stoneby Mary Austin
Mark 13:1-8
On the edge of Advent, we hear Jesus talk about the end of the Jerusalem temple, shocking his friends. They assume that it will stand forever, and Jesus reminds them that some things need to be torn down so others can be built.
Here in the United States, the long-discussed infrastructure bill is about to become law, leading to road and bridge building around the nation. A building boom is coming our way, even as we try to figure out what buildings we need. Companies are pondering the usefulness of physical offices as people continue to work from their dining rooms, and office buildings stand empty.
Post-Covid, our physical spaces are changing, and Jesus brings us a timely word about assuming the permanence of the world around us.
Is it time to tear down, or to build up? And how do we know?
In the News
Building up is on everyone’s mind, with the new bill on the horizon. This infrastructure bill “will deliver $550 billion of new federal investments in America's infrastructure over five years, touching everything from bridges and roads to the nation's broadband, water and energy systems. Experts say the money is sorely needed to ensure safe travel, as well as the efficient transport of goods and produce across the country. The nation's infrastructure system earned a C- score from the American Society of Civil Engineers earlier this year.” The bill provides “$110 billion for roads, bridges and major infrastructure projects…Included is $40 billion for bridge repair, replacement and rehabilitation, according to the bill’s text. The White House says it would be the single, largest dedicated bridge investment since the construction of the interstate highway system, which started in the 1950s. The deal also contains $16 billion for major projects that would be too large or complex for traditional funding programs, according to the White House. Some 20%, or 173,000 miles, of the nation's highways and major roads are in poor condition, as are 45,000 bridges, according to the White House. The investments would focus on climate change mitigation, resilience, equity and safety for all users, including cyclists and pedestrians.”
The bill is a boon for engineering and construction firms, road pavers, rail systems, electric charging stations, rural internet and airports. Its provisions aim to solve supply chain delays.
But what about the physical spaces we already have? Is anyone going back to work? In a New Yorker article by Cal Newport, he interviews an entrepreneur who posits that companies with no office overhead will have a huge advantage in the years ahead. He suggests that our current office set up is based on factory shift work, which moved wholesale into offices, where supervisors can keep an eye on workers and their productivity. Entrepreneur Chris Herd has a different vision, “which he calls a remote-first strategy, relevant teams gather less frequently — he suggests once a month as a good interval — in varying locations that suit the work that’s being done. Because these meetings are relatively infrequent, there’s no need for employees to live in the same region. He used his own company as an example to illustrate this point. “We are all over the place: we have people in Belgium and the UK, in the US from the East Coast to the West,” he said. “Our tech team is meeting in New York next week. Our sales team is meeting in London the week after.” He even imagines a future in which specialized resorts will arise in locations conducive to brainstorming or strategy formation, where teams will work with the help of professional on-site facilitators. These semi-frequent off-site gatherings might sound expensive to those steeped in the office-as-factory mind-set, but, Herd suggested, they’re cheaper than maintaining a permanent space for everyone, and such meetings would support much of what’s lost in a purely virtual strategy.”
Meanwhile, workers are balking at returning to offices. Some like the ability to concentrate at home, others like the flexibility, and others are saving money by not commuting. “At a time when so many companies are experiencing labor shortages, many employers can't afford to let integral staff members go. The fact that 17% of employees would rather quit than report to an office should serve as a wakeup call for companies to rethink those plans and explore arrangements that might better serve the people who work for them.” Our work environment is about to change.
In the Scriptures
We can understand the disciples’ awe, as they look at the temple. Per the Jewish Encyclopedia, this was the temple built by King Herod in 19-20 CE. Herod had promised the Jewish people a new temple, and amassed the materials for this temple before the old one was torn down, as a sign of good faith.
This temple was constructed quickly, in a year and a half, and then work on the outer buildings and courts continued for the next eight decades. Herod’s temple had the same dimensions as Solomon’s, plus greatly expanded courts and outer areas. Built on a hillside, all of this required complicated engineering.
Looking at it, the disciples see a magnificent structure, and yet Jesus reminds them not to be fooled by how it looks on the outside. Our idea of permanent is far from God’s idea. It’s not just the stones that will come down, it’s the temple and its customs and its place in everyday life. All of it has an end, in God’s plans, so something else can come to life.
Jesus isn’t very comforting, as he promises “wars and rumors of wars,” upheaval and uncertainty. This is the start of the birth pangs, and, unlike with a human baby, no one knows exactly what is being born. The disciples want much more certainty than Jesus is willing to offer them.
In the Sermon
The sermon might explore what’s being born in our lives as old institutions end. Going to work in an office once seemed like the unchanging stones of the temple — something that would never vary. Technology, Covid, gig work and subcontracting have all eroded this vision of white color work, parallel to the ways that automation and outsourcing changed blue collar jobs. Where are employees finding new life? New habits? New passions? Who’s getting left behind as this shift happens?
The sermon could talk about the influence of physical spaces in our lives, and what shifts for us as we live, work and worship in different spaces. Do we lose something when we worship online, sitting on the same couch where we do our day jobs? Or is the holiness of God enough, wherever we are? Do we see ourselves differently as employees when we don’t go to the office? Are we altered as people of faith when the sanctuary comes to us on a screen?
Or, the sermon might explore what stones are being toppled in our religious life. Just as people aren’t going back to work in office buildings, they aren’t coming back to work in church buildings. Are our church buildings too big for us now? Should some come down? What do we need to change to keep up?
The sermon could also explore the grief that we feel when things end. Even when God is already creating something new, we still experience sorrow. The disciples must have felt as unsettled, listening to Jesus, as we do in our own time. This time full of changes is also full of mourning.
God is always in the birthing business, and yet it’s hard to let go of the former things so we can enter into the new things. It’s unsettling, even with Jesus as our guide.
SECOND THOUGHTSWithout Wavering
by Chris Keating
Hebrews 10:11-14 (15-18) 19-25
As you continue finessing Advent and Christmas plans, don’t forget to add this little gem to your end of 2021 to-do list: gathering end of year data for denominational annual reports, those quintessential relics of Christendom.
It used to be that the chore of filling out those reports were made easier because most churches kept close track of what could be called the “Three B’s” of church life: budgets, buildings, and butts (in pews). But Covid-19 placed an asterisk next to those metrics. Figuring out what we need to measure has become a hot topic in church leadership circles.
In a time when so much is wavering, what do we record? How do we measure the impact of our ministries when they are more involved with answering anxious texts at midnight than counting noses on Sunday? How do we measure the importance of praying with those diagnosed with terminal cancer? What metric do we use to measure the success of our ministries to people who want earnestly to attend on Sundays, but who are afraid, anxious, or scared?
Of course, Christians are not alone in trying to make sense of our current realities. There’s a broader sense that Americans are losing their perpetual optimism. We may love sunshiny characters like TV’s “Ted Lasso,” but there are signs our native belief in the power of positive thinking is running dry. An NBC poll taken before the recent elections revealed that 7 out of 10 adults believe the United States is headed in the wrong direction.
Worry, inside and outside of the church, is becoming the red meat of American emotional diets. Frank Bruni observes whatever the cause, pessimism has be on the increase for a half a dozen or so years. Last week Bruni wrote that “we don’t see ourselves striding toward a better tomorrow. We see ourselves tiptoeing around catastrophe. That was true even before Covid. That was true even before Trump.”
Just a few years ago our politics was clouded by hope. Ronald Reagan told us it was “morning in America,” that we were a bright shining city upon a hill. George H.W. Bush pointed us in the direction of a “1,000 points of light,” while Bill Clinton described a “place called hope.” George W. Bush yearned for a “safer world and more hopeful America.” Barrack Obama started out with “Yes We Can,” while settling on “Change We Can Believe In.”
Bruni checked and found that the last time most Americans were satisfied was in 2004. Curiously, according to the Pew Research Forum, there was a marked increase in the already-declining patterns of church attendance around the same time.
Anxiety — it’s what’s for dinner.
With that in mind, church historian Diana Butler Bass suggests that fear could become what pulls us together. “The answer isn’t killing one another,” Bass said recently. “The answer is looking into the fears on other faces and seeing our own fears reflected in those eyes, in every trembling lip.”
Bass’ reflections call to mind the unwavering promises proclaimed by the preacher of the Epistle to the Hebrews. The author calls upon the community to “hold fast,” (4:14), and to recall the “earlier days” (10:32ff) when the community endured struggles, remained generous, and filled with the confidence of faith.
That confidence emerges from the actions of Christ, the great priest whose sacrifice produces the substance of our hope. Christ is our mediator, the high priest who has interceded for us and has become the arbitrator of a new and better covenant (8:6). Now is the time to set our sights on waiting in eagerness, not anxiety, for the one who has given us confidence and a “true heart in full assurance of faith.”
This confidence calls us to meet together — and let’s admit it, gathering online, with all of the admitted complications it offers, is still a time of gathering together. This confidence calls us to encourage each other to be generous with one another. This confidence evokes within us a call to worship and service in response to the promises of Jesus Christ.
The author writes to a community beset by chaos and awash in anxiety, spelling out three admonitions which flow from the work of Christ. The language in this week’s passages provide a prescription for faithfulness that waves in tough moments. Christ has achieved what could not have been achieved before, and in response the church is called to a confidence born from this hope. As Tom Long notes in his commentary on Hebrews:
The good news of Jesus’ high priestly ministry is that he placed on the heavenly altar, once and for all, not only his life but—astonishingly—ours, too. He gathered up our hunger for approval, and he lived a life truly pleasing to God. He took our restlessness and brought us to the place of sabbath rest. He carried the human condition and placed it as an offering to God—not the ravaged, broken, humanity that we have made of ourselves, but humanity healed by his own faithfulness, humanity as God intended at the creation, free and joyful, at one with itself, others, and God. (Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching – Hebrews.)
Our life is lived in a hopefulness sustained by community. Community is not the same as our prior preoccupation with buildings, budgets, and people, however. Community is not just the bricks that build a uniform structure but is instead the body that wrestles with all the difficulties of diversity. Indeed, life within the Christian community can become provocative at times. Yet it is life that calls us to a hope deeper than fear and anxiety.
For Hebrews, our community is formed in worship that provides sanctuary from the anxieties and storms of life. The church is not all peaches and cream, however, but rather is a provocative community (10:24) that is knit together in faithfulness and empowered to endure challenges. In its acts of worship and praise, the community prepares a people who learn what it means to hold fast without wavering, and who are busy provoking one another to acts of love and good deeds.
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Tom Willadsen:1 Samuel 1:4-20, 2:1-10
Good news from Jimmy’s Woodlawn Tap
There I was in my first quarter of seminary, if not drowning my sorrows at least forcing them to swim, when the subject turned to beer. There were no Lutherans at my table so I had to make the case that beer is biblical on my own. “Beer’s in the Bible,” I asserted as I raised my amber-filled glass.
“Nu-uh!” came the response from a Methodist colleague. (Wasn’t it Norman Maclean who called Methodists “Baptists who can read”?)
“I can find “beer” in the Bible! I bet you a beer I can!” I threw down the gauntlet.
“You’re on, but “Beer-sheba” doesn’t count; it’s gotta be the stuff you drink!”
“Fine.” Someone reached into their backpack and pulled out an NIV. I turned to 1 Samuel 1:15-16 and addressed the other patrons of Jimmy’s Woodlawn Tap:
“Not so, my lord,” Hannah replied, “I am a woman who is deeply troubled. I have not been drinking wine or beer; I was pouring out my soul to the Lord. Do not take your servant for a wicked woman; I have been praying here out of my great anguish and grief.”
(I’m fortunate it was not an RSV; it renders לֹ֣א וְשֵׁכָ֖ר as “strong drink.”)
I ordered another glass of Old Style and sipped it smugly.
I’ve told this story for more than 30 years. The surprise is not that I found “beer” in the Bible; the surprise is that someone found a Bible in Jimmy’s Woodlawn Tap.
* * *
Hebrews 10:11-14 (15-18) 19-25
Sin or sins?
The author of Hebrews makes a case through this epistle that Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross is superior to all the sacrifices that high priests have made in the temple. Jesus accomplished forgiveness of sins forever on the cross, so Yom Kippur, the annual Day of Atonement observed by Jews is obsolete according to Hebrews. Protestants make the same point about Jesus’ sacrifice in contrast to Roman Catholics. “Jesus died once and for all, so we do not have altars, where sacrifices are offered, but communion tables around which we remember Christ’s death on the cross.”
There’s a subtle distinction that the author of Hebrews makes that is often overlooked: sometimes sin is singular, sometimes it is plural. When “sins” is used it points us toward individual, discrete acts. Imagine being cleansed of sins as having to wash your hands repeatedly throughout the day. Earlier in the 10th chapter, and conclusively in the 13th chapter, the author uses sin in the singular, which connotes something closer to a state of sinfulness. Having one’s sin forgiven is an ontological change, having one’s sins forgiven is more like hitting the reset button on one’s life. Both are desirable, certainly, but the newness extended from the cross is much more durable and powerful.
* * *
Mark 13:1-8
Disciples as bumpkins
Every time I read this passage I imagine the disciples, unsophisticated fishermen from Galilee mostly, marveling at the height of the temple as though they were Gomer Pyle dropped into Manhattan.
“Boy howdy, Sergeant Carter, ain’t these buildings just the tallest you ever seen?!” The disciples had only been in Jerusalem a few days and were probably still wide-eyed at the culture and architecture of the big city.
* * *
Mark 13:1-8
Uh, Jesus, could you be a little more specific?
Immediately after Jesus shocked his disciples by telling them of coming destruction, they ask when it will happen.
When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed; this must take place, but the end is still to come. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. (Mark 13:7-8, NRSV)
Has there ever been a time when there were not wars and rumors of wars? Nations fighting other nations? Earthquakes? With the global reach of modern media we hear about all of these events on the other side of the planet instantly. Jesus’ words hardly narrow it down. Perhaps that’s his point; the end could come at any time. We’re still waiting, but maybe not all of us are waiting.
Imagine places like northern California where entire communities have been erased by wildfires, and parts of Iowa that were flattened by last summer’s derecho, and communities in central Europe that were washed away by historic flash floods. Perhaps the destruction Jesus foretold will not be on a global scale. Perhaps the effects of global warming are not being felt to the same extent in every place. Living on the other side of these disasters will also be a local endeavor.
* * * * * *
From team member Dean Feldmeyer:Mark 13:1-8
Old But Not Eternal
In today’s gospel lesson, Jesus reminds that disciples that not even the temple is eternal. Only God can make that claim. Here are some examples of things that are really old but, as Jesus would remind us, not eternal.
- Jack Hills Zircon — The zircon crystals from Australia’s Jack Hills are believed to be the oldest thing ever discovered on Earth. Researchers have dated the crystals to about 4.375 billion years ago, just 165 million years after the Earth formed.
- Makhonjwa Mountains — The Makhonjwa Mountains are the oldest mountain range in the world and have been dubbed the “Genesis of Life.” They contain the oldest gold ever found and some of the oldest fossils that represent some of the earliest signs of life on Earth. The Makhonjwa Mountains are even recognized by Guinness World Records as the official oldest mountain range.
- UR 501 Jawbone — The first hominids (early human ancestors from the species Homo) appeared around 2.5 million years ago. The oldest human fossil, known as UR 501, discovered in Malawi, is a jawbone from a human in the Homo Rudolfensis group and is considered the earliest known human fossil. It is estimated to be between 2.3 - 2.5 million years old.
- The Geisenklösterle Flutes — Around 50,000 years ago, humans experienced a cultural explosion that resulted in the creation of art, jewelry, and music. The flutes from Geisenklösterle Cave in southern Germany were made from bird bone and mammoth ivory and were carbon dated to between 42,000 – 43,000 years ago making them the oldest musical instruments that have ever been discovered.
* * *
Mark 13:1-8
Old But Not Eternal 2.0
Modern science continues to extend human life expectancy but no one expects humans to live forever. Every human has a lifespan; some are just longer than others. Here are three people with very long lifespans. The three oldest people in the United States, are:
1. Hester Ford (August 15, 1905 – Present) — Hester’s family recently discovered a census record that put her birth at 1904, which would make her 117 years old. Hester still has an extremely sharp mind and excellent memory, which is demonstrated by the fact that she can recite several Bible verses, including her favorite, Psalm 23.
2. Thelma Sutcliffe (October 6, 1906 – Present) — According to E.A. Kral of Wilber, who keeps track of age records in Nebraska, Thelma Sutcliffe is the 12th oldest person ever in the state’s history. Sutcliffe celebrated her 115th birthday in October at the senior living center in Omaha where she currently resides. Sutcliffe has spent her entire life in Omaha and got married when she was 17. Her husband died in 1970 and they never had any children. Her family has a history of long life. Her nephew is 91 and his mother, Sutcliffe’s sister, died at the age of 106.
3. Ellen Goodwill (February 2, 1907 – Present) — Ellen Goodwill very recently turned 114 years old making her the oldest living resident of Michigan. Originally from Kentucky, Goodwill moved to Ohio as a young adult to work as a model. After Goodwill married her husband, Augustus Goodwill, in 1947, she moved to Battle Creek, Michigan and has remained there since.
* * *
Mark 13:1-8
As Old As A Mountain
Even mountains have life spans.
When I was a child, my family visited the Great Smoky Mountains just about every year on vacation. When we became teenagers, we would hike the steep, half-mile path to Clingman’s Dome, the highest point in the Smokies, which is also the highest point in Tennessee, and the highest point on the Appalachian Trail. Usually, to our great disappointment, it was fogged in — fog being so common that the mountain range was named after it (Smoky.)
On that rare occasion when it wasn’t fogged in, however, the view from the altitude of 6,643 feet was spectacular. A 20-mile vista was common and on extremely clear days the view extended to nearly 100 miles. It’s understandable, then, that as kids, we thought that this was the highest place in the world, or at least the United States.
Imagine how confused we were when, one day, a forest ranger told us that Mount Elbert, the tallest mountain in the Rockies, and the highest peak in Colorado, was more than twice as tall as Clingman’s Dome at 14,440 feet. This, she explained, is because the Rockies are baby mountains when you compare them to the Smokies. While the Rockies contain some rocks that are billions of years old, the mountains themselves are only about 100 million years old. The Smoky Mountains, on the other hand, are nearly 300 million years old. Geologists believe that the Smokies were once as tall as the Rockies but over 300 million years, they were eroded by wind, rain, snow, ice and other weather factors.
One day, the ranger explained, as they continue to erode, the Smoky Mountains will be gone and the earth where they are now will be flat. But not any time soon.
All things — even mountains — have lifespans. All things except God, that is.
* * *
Mark 13:1-8
False Prophets
A misguided and incomplete understanding of “prophecy” in Judeo-Christian tradition has been leading Christians to make misguided attempts at predicting the future since the first century, as Jesus warned. Here are some examples.
2nd Century CE: Prophets and prophetesses of the Montanist movement predicted that Jesus would return sometime during their lifetime and establish the New Jerusalem in the city of Pepuza in Asia Minor.
Hilary of Poitiers announced that the end would happen in 365 CE. It didn't.
Hippolytus and an earlier Christian academic, Sextus Julius Africanus, predicted Armageddon would happen in 500 CE.
Many Christians in Europe had predicted the end of the world would happen on January 1, in the year 1000. As the date approached, Christian armies waged war against some of the Pagan countries in Northern Europe. The motivation was to convert them all to Christianity, by force if necessary, before Christ returned in the year 1000. Meanwhile, some Christians gave their possessions to the Church in anticipation of the end. Fortunately, the level of education was so low that many citizens were unaware of what year it was. They did not know enough to be afraid. Otherwise, the panic might have been far worse than it was. Unfortunately, when Jesus did not appear, the church did not return the gifts. Serious criticism of the Church followed. The Church reacted by exterminating some heretics.
In 1179, John of Toledo predicted the end of the world in 1186, according to the alignment of planets.
The Old Believers in Russia believed that the end of the world would occur in 1669. 20,000 people burned themselves to death between 1669 and 1690 to protect themselves from the Antichrist, whom they thought was coming.
On June 8, 1783, a volcanic eruption in southern Iceland pumped massive amounts of toxic dust, sulphur dioxide, and fluorine into the atmosphere. Cattle died, crops failed, and about one quarter of the island's population died of starvation. By the end of June, poisonous clouds had reached England and much of Europe. Boats had to stay in harbor because they could not navigate. There was massive loss of life in England, particularly among farm workers. Many predicted that the end of the world was imminent.
William Miller, founder of the Millerite movement, predicted that Jesus would return on March 21, 1843, and many Christians accepted his prophecy. When Jesus did not return, Miller re-calculated his prediction to October 22, 1844. In an event that some historians called "The Great Disappointment," Christians sold their property and possessions, quit their jobs, and prepared themselves for the second coming. Nothing happened; the day came and went without incident.
Meteorologist Albert Porta predicted that the conjunction of 6 planets in 1919 would generate a magnetic current that would cause the sun to explode and engulf the earth on December 17. It didn’t.
* * *
Mark 13:1-8
Modern False Prophets — Doomsday Cults
False prophets were not relegated solely to ancient times. Modern doomsday cults still thrive. Some consider these to be three of the top ten modern examples:
- The Movement For The Restoration Of The Ten Commandments Of God
In 1989, Credonia Mwerinde started traveling to spread the word that her father had received a vision from Heaven that instructed him to gather believers together in a new church. When she met Joseph Kibwetere they found that they were describing some similar visions and prophecies. Believers thought that the world would end on December 31, 1999, unless everyone started following the Ten Commandments to the letter. When the end times didn’t happen, they changed the date to March 17, 2000. On that day, an explosion destroyed much of their church, and investigations uncovered other bodies that had been buried beneath the church and in mass graves. At least 338 people died. - Church Universal And Triumphant
In 1986, Elizabeth Clare Prophet and her followers (who called her “Mother”) settled in Livingston, Montana. Her ranch was envisioned as a retreat where her followers could get away from the dark energy she claimed was consuming the world. Montana was chosen so they could live off the land after the end came.
According to Prophet, the end was going to come in the form of a nuclear apocalypse on March 14, 1990. In the years leading up to the supposed end times, they acquired 30,000 acres of land, stockpiled weapons, and filled underground tanks with fuel. As they prepared, they prayed, believing that their prayers were helping to keep the world from falling apart around them. Needless to say, the world didn’t end. Prophet stepped down as leader in 1996. Two years later, she revealed that she had been diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s. - God’s Salvation Church
In 1992, Hon-Ming Chen claimed to have received a message from God that told him he needed to devote his life to religion. He came to believe that North America was the “Pureland of God” and that only the US was going to be a safe zone for the end times. He and his followers left Taiwan for Garland, Texas. While most settled there, Chen started looking for his messiah in Vancouver, Canada. The Canadian Christ was supposed to be a 28-year-old man who was 183 centimeters (6’0″) tall and looked like Abraham Lincoln. No such person was found. By September 1997, Chen was back in Texas preparing for God’s arrival. God was going to show up at 3513 Ridgedale Drive in a spacecraft at 10:00 AM on March 31, 1998. When God didn’t show, Chen moved the date of the end times, headed to Olcott, New York, and started preaching that the end would come via nuclear war in 1999. That didn’t happen, either.
* * * * * *
From team member Quantisha Mason-Doll:Mark 13:1-8
A Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Eschaton
The eschaton is one of those theological realities we as modern pastors and theologians struggle with bringing to the pulpit. Honestly who among us wants to preach about the end of times? Especially when there is a community of people looking for the good news of the gospel. Truth be told, it’s not pleasant, yet it is something that must be done. Jesus was not shy in offering word on how to reconcile with what is to come and that is where I believe we place our roots. When I approach this gospel lesson I come to the understanding that we are better served facing the truth rather than turning our backs and trying to run from it. While it is no surprise to anyone that we live in an increasingly stressful world, I cannot remember the last time I turned on the news and did not see something heartbreaking. It is those mornings when we must remind ourselves that Jesus’ words were not ones of only doom “but the beginning of the birth pangs.”
* * *
Mark 13:1-8
When asking the right questions be prepared for the answers
When I reflected on these verses I could not help but think of the closing lines to a poem entitled Numbersman by the spoken word artist Phil Kaye. They were as follows: “Is that what it means to be human to be all-powerful, to build a temple to yourself and leave only the walls to pray?” While at first glance one can assume that the poem closes on a question that longs to be answered, yet much like our gospel reading for today, what we are left with is more akin to the dropping of a hammer. When have we stopped and asked ourselves the questions that need to be asked? The disciples for once ask a question that brings out a profound answer from Jesus that is not shrouded in mystery. We have built temples to ourselves and fought wars using the name of God yet that is not the divine will — the image of a grim, dark future where all that we have known is brought to ruin.
* * * * * *
WORSHIPby George Reed
Call to Worship
One: Let our hearts exult in our God.
All: There is no Holy One like God.
One: God raises up the poor from the dust.
All: God lifts the needy from the ash heap.
One: The pillars of the earth are God’s.
All: God will guard the feet of the faithful.
OR
One: God is faithful. Let us rejoice.
All: Blessed be our God who is doing a new thing.
One: Watch and see what wonders God is bringing forth.
All: We anticipate with joy all that God is doing among us.
One: God invites us to join in creating a new world.
All: We offer ourselves to God’s new creation.
Hymns and Songs
All People That on Earth Do Dwell
UMH: 75
H82: 377/378
PH: 220/221
NNBH: 36
NCH: 7
CH: 18
LBW: 245
ELW: 883
W&P: 661
AMEC: 73
STLT: 370
How Great Thou Art
UMH: 77
PH: 467
AAHH: 148
NNBH: 43
NCH: 35
CH: 33
LBW: 532
ELW: 856
W&P: 51
AMEC: 68
Renew: 250
Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee
UMH: 89
H82: 376
PH: 464
AAHH: 120
NNBH: 40
NCH: 4
CH: 2
LBW: 551
ELW: 836
W&P: 59
AMEC: 75
STLT: 29
We Gather Together
UMH: 131
H82: 433
PH: 559
NNBH: 326
NCH: 421
CH: 276
ELW: 449
W&P: 81
AMEC: 576
STLT: 349
Leaning on the Everlasting Arms
UMH: 133
AAHH: 371
NNBH: 262
NCH: 471
CH: 560
ELW: 774
W&P: 496
AMEC: 525
Christ, Whose Glory Fills the Skies
UMH: 173
H82: 6/7
PH: 462/463
LBW: 265
ELW: 553
W&P: 91
Hope of the World
UMH: 178
H82: 472
PH: 360
NCH: 46
CH: 538
LBW: 493
W&P: 404
Breathe on Me, Breath of God
UMH: 420
H82: 508
PH: 316
AAHH: 317
NNBH: 126
NCH: 292
CH: 254
LBW: 488
W&P: 461
AMEC: 192
All Who Love and Serve Your City
UMH: 433
H82: 570/571
PH: 413
CH: 670
LBW: 436
ELW: 724
W&P: 625
My Faith Looks Up to Thee
UMH: 452
H82: 691
PH: 383
AAHH: 456
NNBH: 273
CH: 576
LBW: 479
ELW: 759
W&P: 419
AMEC: 415
Make Me a Servant
CCB: 90
We Are His Hands
CCB: 85
Music Resources Key
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
AAHH: African American Heritage Hymnal
NNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
LBW: Lutheran Book of Worship
ELW: Evangelical Lutheran Worship
W&P: Worship & Praise
AMEC: African Methodist Episcopal Church Hymnal
STLT: Singing the Living Tradition
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
Renew: Renew! Songs & Hymns for Blended Worship
Prayer for the Day/Collect
O God who is faithful to the end of all time:
Grant us the grace to be persistent in our faith
that we may assist in the new things you are doing;
through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We praise you, O God, because you are faithful. There is no end to your creative care. Help us to be persistent in our faith so that we may faithfully join you in bringing to birth your new creation. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
One: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins and especially our failure to trust that God is making all things new.
All: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We have failed to trust your redeeming work among us. We allow ourselves to be discouraged by the world around us. We do not see the signs that you are bringing new things to birth among us. Open our eyes, our hearts, and our minds that we might join in your life. Amen.
One: God is not through with creation. God is making all things, including us, new. Receive God’s grace and pass it on to others.
Prayers of the People
Glory and honor are yours, O God, creator of all that was, and is, and ever shall be. You are the one who makes all things new.
(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 failed to trust your redeeming work among us. We allow ourselves to be discouraged by the world around us. We do not see the signs that you are bringing new things to birth among us. Open our eyes, our hearts, and our minds that we might join in your life.
We give you thanks for all the ways in which you have given us life and renewed our lives. We thank you for the cycle of the seasons that reveal your creation being renewed. We thank you for those who send to us to lift our spirits and renew our souls.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for one another in our need. We pray for those who struggle and see no way to move to a new life. We pray for those who find themselves surrounded by illness, death, and grief. We pray for those who are in poverty and want. Help us to be your presence to all who are in need.
(Other intercessions may be offered.)
All these things we ask in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ who taught us to pray together saying:
Our Father....Amen.
(Or if the Our Father is not used at this point in the service.)
All this we ask in the name of the Blessed and Holy Trinity. Amen.
* * * * * *
CHILDREN'S SERMONSupporting Each Other
by Katy Stenta
1 Samuel 1:4-20
This is a story about Hannah.
Hannah wanted a child more than anything. Her husband tried to comfort her and would say, “At least we have each other.” She was very sad though, and really wanted a child. She went to the temple every day to pray.
One day Eli, a priest, saw Hannah praying, and because she was so passionate, he thought something was wrong with her. He thought she must be drunk or something.
Hannah said, “No, I am not drunk I just want a child, and if I am blessed with a child, I will dedicate that child to the Lord.”
Eli was impressed with Hannah’s prayers and prayed with her.
Hannah felt better after Eli prayed with her.
Do you think Hannah had a child? If she did have a child, do you think she dedicated the child to God as she promised?
These are important parts of the story, but the most important part of this story is that Eli supported Hannah and prayed with her. We support and pray with one another, too. We do this when we pray the Lord’s prayer together and when we pray our joys and concerns/prayers of the people together.
Prayer is meant to be a time when we ask God for help, but also when we can support one another.
Prayer
Dear God, help us to pray and support one another whenever we can, like Eli and Hannah. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, November 14, 2021 issue.
Copyright 2021 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.
