Not Suffering Alone
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For October 17, 2021:
Not Suffering Alone
by Mary Austin
Isaiah 53:4-12
When I got my Covid vaccine, the nurse administering it was a young mother, with a six-week-old baby, her first child. “Thank you for being here today,” I told her. “It means a lot to me, and all of us.” I walked out the door thinking that I had gotten my life back.
Those brief, hopeful summer days feel so long ago now, as we’re back on the Covid roller coaster. The ups and downs of living with Covid in the United States feel sharper now than in the early days, when the guidance was more clear. Stay home. Wear a mask. Wait for the vaccine, and take it.
Covid is better. Covid is worse. Now, we can see older relatives in nursing homes and care centers. No, wait, they’re locked down again. School is in person. Oh no, the teacher is quarantining for two weeks, and there’s a sub. Some friends want to get together, and others are still cautious. Some people are ready to come back to church, and others are happy live streaming from the safety of their living rooms.
Combined with the physical suffering of Covid, and the emotional distress of those on the front lines, we are also experiencing a recurring cycle of hope and disappointment, as Covid waxes and wanes. Our current distress finds an answering echo in this Suffering Servant text from Isaiah, pointing us to a larger frame for our own sorrows.
Health care workers give us one model for the Suffering Servant in our own time. Front line health care workers have suffered both physically and mentally to provide care to the sick over the past (almost) two years. Parents who monitored online learning while doing their own jobs also stretched themselves thin in service to their children. In the early days of Covid, the death rates for bus drivers were dramatically high.
Covid has been so painful, for so many people around the world. Can there be anything redemptive in this season of suffering, for us and for the people around us?
In the News
Looking at the patterns of Covid infections and deaths, researchers have identified a two month Covid cycle. “Since the Covid virus began spreading in late 2019, cases have often surged for about two months — sometimes because of a variant, like Delta — and then declined for about two months. Epidemiologists do not understand why. Many popular explanations, like seasonality or the ebbs and flows of social distancing, are clearly insufficient, if not wrong. The two-month cycle has occurred during different seasons of the year and occurred even when human behavior was not changing in obvious ways. The most plausible explanations involve some combination of virus biology and social networks. Perhaps each virus variant is especially likely to infect some people but not others — and once many of the most vulnerable have been exposed, the virus recedes. And perhaps a variant needs about two months to circulate through an average-sized community.”
The cycle of hope and disappointment is built into the Covid pandemic all around the world. The two month Covid pattern “has also been evident within countries, including India, Indonesia, Thailand, Britain, France and Spain. In each of them, the Delta variant led to a surge in cases lasting somewhere from one and a half to two and a half months.”
Some suffering is unnecessary, and has no purpose. “Covid has not only been one of the worst pandemics in modern times. It has been an unnecessarily terrible pandemic. Of the more than 700,000 Americans who have died from it, nearly 200,000 probably could have been saved if they had chosen to take a vaccine. That is a national tragedy.”
Health care providers have their own cycles of disappointment. “Dr. Terrence Coulter, a critical care specialist…said he and his colleagues were stunned to find themselves back in the trenches after the briefest of respites. “With everyone masked, you learn to read the emotions in your co-workers’ eyes,” he said. “They’re weary and they’re also disappointed that the country has started the end zone dance before we cross the goal line. The truth is we’re fumbling the ball before we even get there.” America’s health care workers are in crisis, even in places that have had sharp declines in coronavirus infections and deaths. Battered and burned out, they feel unappreciated by a nation that lionized them as Covid heroes but often scoffed at mask mandates and refused to follow social distancing guidelines. Many of those same Americans are now ignoring their pleas to get vaccinated.”
In the Scriptures
This section of scripture comes as part of a larger section, and is the last of four songs about a figure who suffers for the transgressions of others. Second Isaiah draws a picture of this figure known for its suffering. Different interpreters understand the suffering figure to be an individual, or a prophet, or perhaps the nation of Israel itself. The prophet highlights the suffering all around, and the confusion and distress surrounding the Suffering Servant. Into this sorrow, God speaks a word of grace. There is the hope of healing still ahead. “Out of his anguish he shall see light,” Isaiah promises, “he shall find satisfaction through his knowledge.” The passage moves us from lament to redemption.
In the lectionary calendar, this scripture is often read on Good Friday, and Christians overlay the person of Jesus onto the original intent of the scripture. Charles L. Aaron Jr. notes that we lose something when we skip too quickly over the original intent of the Hebrew scriptures. “When we focus on the Old Testament reading, we can proclaim the ways God vindicates obedience now, as well as in the resurrection.”
Isaiah is clear that two things are true — suffering is real, and God is present. God’s presence doesn’t erase the suffering. The suffering doesn’t eliminate the presence of God.
In the Sermon
The sermon might look at where we need to lament, as the end of Covid is endlessly postponed. What grief has the congregation known? What tears need to be cried? What forms of suffering feel endless right now? Charles L. Aaron Jr. notes, “By beginning with the affirmation of God’s vindication, the prophet makes the theological point that God is acting within the suffering that subsequent verses describe. We may begin with the “happy ending” so we know on the front end that the suffering is not without purpose or meaning. But, this affirmation does not mean that God causes all suffering. Rather, God is working in all suffering.” The sermon could explore the suffering of a particular faith community through Covid, or over the years, and look at where God is at work even now. Where does this community of faith see God at work?
Or, the sermon might explore where God is when suffering comes. How have people experienced God in loss, illness, bankruptcy, prejudice, or family strife? Where have they found God in their own suffering.
The sermon might also explore how suffering is transformed into knowledge and service — if we allow it to be. How do we work alongside God so God can shift our sorrows into deeper growth and faith? We can’t do it alone, and God can’t do it without us. How do we partner with God in this work of transformation?
The prophet says, about the servant, “Therefore I will allot him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he poured out himself to death, and was numbered with the transgressors.” The reward will be visible, in this case. The sermon might examine what treasures we wrestle out of suffering, and how we use them to transform the world. Have people become activists out of their own grief? Developed compassion for those with mental health issues out of their own suffering? Started tutoring because they want to support kids and teachers? What rewards come our way following our sorrows?
How do we use our own distress, in this time, to serve others? Are we like sheep have gone astray, as Isaiah says about God’s people in an earlier time? We are scattered by grief and Covid and stress, and when we fill our sorrow with greater purpose, the burdens feel easier. Those who suffer on our behalf, in so many different forms, offer us hope in this bleak time. May we be among the servants of God who find purpose in our struggles, and serve others through them.
SECOND THOUGHTS
God Answers Job
by Katy Stenta
Job 38:1-7 (34-41)
“Who dares to question me?” God finally answers. “Hang on — because I’m about to question you back.” God puts forward the idea that Job’s trials and tribulations have just begun, because now he must withstand being questioned by God’s very self — and those are fighting words.
In the age of a worldwide pandemic, the trials and tribulations of humanity are put upon comparative scales. How do we compare suffering in the world? Why do we humans even do that? It seems like an ongoing human narrative to compare and contrast suffering — to say that my suffering is worse than yours — or if I have to suffer through something, you’re going to have to suffer through it as well.
For those who are anti-mask and anti-vaccination the arguments range from masks being dangerous to your body (hindering breathing) and psychological development, to the fact that those who have psychological problems including autism and PTSD might not be able to mask. These arguments, though countered scientifically time and time again, seem to rely on the fact that the suffering of children to protect others is not to be borne. Also the idea of my body my choice grounds the fact that liberty and comfort is more important than care for others. “Why must I suffer?” anti-maskers continually ask.
Concern for the vaccinations are multifold. Some people suffer allergies that cast real doubt on the safety of vaccination, rare heart problems may occur, and effects on menstruation and pregnancy are relatively unknown. Of course, mass vaccination would allow those with allergies to forego vaccination. The rare heart problems are much worse if you contract Covid.
Then there are debates about the other side. Who do we treat in our hospitals, the unvaccinated individuals who are dying from coronavirus or those who have less urgent diseases that are more treatable? There are huge policy questions for those willing to take the booster shot. Do those of us in the US take a booster when there are people in poorer nations who do not yet have access to the vaccine?
How do we make such choices? Is it really a pity party about victimhood? Is Job whining because he has it the worst, or does he think that God just no longer sees him? Job was a pretty privileged guy, rich, well off. The advisory points out that it will not be so easy for Job to follow God when his privilege is taken away. Job wants to tell his story. I can hear my own teenage angst in his cry, “If you really were listening you would understand how bad things were for me and you would just change your mind, trust me.” I often would repeat myself as a teenager, convinced that my parents just weren’t listening, and that was why they did not agree with me.
When God finally replies — “Remember…” I know.
I know.
The comfort is not, I would argue, that God is powerful, mighty, and created all things — though that is how God explains it. I think the real and true revelation is that God is with us for us. God is revealing the depth of God’s knowledge.
I think God says hang onto your hats, because God’s mercy knocks us over. Job is (we are) expecting rage. God is going to yell back at us, right?
Instead, God is saying, “Remember, I made everything — I understand the workings of the universe, don’t worry, I DO know what you are suffering.” I imagine that these words are said with compassion and love, not with booming, overpowering might, but with the comforting compassion of poetry, like a mother whispering to a child.
“I know you are suffering, and I’m sorry you have to go through all this, and this is not what I made you for, but I am with you through it all…” whispered in our ears, with a hug, melting our anger away, finally allowing the grief to start.
Henri J. M. Nouwen said, “I am beginning to see that much of praying is grieving. This grief is so deep not because the human sin is so great, but also — more so — because the divine love is so boundless.”
After all that, we discover we didn’t actually want to yell at God after all, but instead we wanted to cry with her.
I think that’s what happened to Job.
Maybe when we are complaining about who is suffering more, it is because we have forgotten how to lament. I don’t know how to fix that after something as big and devastating as a pandemic, but it is something we need to wrestle with. How do we make time, like Job, to sit with our grief? How do we find time and space to yell at God until we feel safe enough to cry with her? When we get closer to answering those questions we will start, like Job, to be able to heal.
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Chris Keating:
Job 38:1-7 (34-41)
God’s Response to Job
When God finally responds to Job’s bitter complaint, the answer may seem to be less than fully satisfying. As Thomas Long writes, “The God who finally turns up near the end of the story appears to supply not an answer, but a swagger. God seems to thump the divine chest,... demanding to know who this Job character thinks he is, anyway.” (Long, “What Shall We Say?,” Eerdmans, 2011). Long goes on to argue that the story of Job is intended not to provide answers to vexing questions of how a good God can tolerate suffering. Instead, Long suggests, Job points us toward a new understanding of God and what it means to be human. Job’s story is thus a story of transformation as Job moves from the illusion of a world reflecting our own sense of a moral order to discover the hope of a God not of our own making.
Long suggests that the trajectory of Job’s plot leads people of faith to reconsider our understandings of faith. “So the plot of the Job story lurches forward on a quest to discover the ‘new world,’ if there is one, or at least answer the question, ‘How do we live when our experience causes our theological universe to collapse?” (Ibid.)
* * *
Job 38:1-7 (34-41)
Voices of Hope in the Whirlwind
Last year, young adult author Landri Driskill published an essay that looked at ways of applying Viktor Frankl’s concepts of searching for meaning to the anxiety people have felt during the Covid-19 pandemic. Frankl, a psychiatrist and survivor of the World War II Holocaust, sought to describe a pathway through suffering to hope that he called logotherapy in his seminal work Man’s Search for Meaning.
Driskill suggests that while the contexts of the Holocaust and Covid-19 differ, Frankl’s writing might be the sort of voice in the whirlwind many are needing. “The moment we give up and let the effects of Covid-19 overtake us, we lose hope to carry on throughout this situation,” she writes. Quoting Frankl, Driskill continues, adding “The prisoner who had lost faith in the future — his future — was doomed. With his loss of belief in the future, he also lost his spiritual hold; he let himself decline and became subject to mental and physical decay.”
* * *
Job 38:1-7 (34-41)
Out of the whirlwind
Following a particularly demanding weekend shift at a Michigan Hospital in September, Dr. Matthew Trunsky grabbed a quick lunch and tapped out a Facebook post detailing his exhaustion and frustrations. Trunsky, a pulmonologist specializing in critical care and hospice and palliative care, had endured another 12-hour shift of treating patients on ventilators, reviewing treatment plans and communicating with frightened families. His Facebook post, like the social media posts of many other healthcare workers, revealed his wearied sense of frustration at the suffering he’d experienced.
“In my last two days of work I have heard the following: 1) “You are wrong doctor. I’m too healthy. I don’t have Covid. I’m fine.” (In reality, he’s fighting for his life). 2) “I demand ivermectin or you’ll hear from my lawyer.” 3) “I demand hydroxychloroquine.” 4) “I don’t care what you say. I’m going to leave.” (Response: “That is your prerogative, but you’ll be dead before you get to your car.”) 5) “I’d rather die than take the vaccine.” [You may get your wish.] 6) “I didn’t take it because my son told me it would kill me.” (The patient is currently fighting for his life — in fact it was the son’s advice that may kill him.) 7. “I want a different doctor. I don’t believe you.” 8. From a woman whose husband died of Covid, “I would never feel comfortable recommending the vaccine for family and friends.”
Facing the whirlwind of complaints and seriously ill patients, Trunsky noted that despite being frustrated by the numbers of persons who have not received a vaccine, he and his colleagues will fulfill their promises to treat vaccinated and unvaccinated patients alike.
“We took the oath, we take all comers,” he said. “And I think deep down that’s the reason most of us went into medicine — to take care of patients. And it doesn't really matter who they are and what decisions they make.” Doctors and nurses may ask a patient why they are unvaccinated, he said, but “you don't want to go in with a chip on your shoulder, ready to say, ‘You're stupid.’”
* * *
Isaiah 53:4-12
The suffering among us calls us to be servants
A pronounced spike in violent crimes in the United States in 2020 prompts an important, though complicated question: does re-imagining public safety and policing still make sense?
The United States reported the highest rise in murder in 2020 since the 1960s. Some are blaming the move to “defund” the police, though research also suggests more complex series of factors, including the pandemic. But blaming liberals for being “soft” on crime is only the rehashing of an old argument. What might it be to look at the ways suffering in society invites people of faith to become servants of one another?
Isaiah 53’s notions of the suffering servant “wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities,” may offer insights into looking at the ways people of faith can respond to the complexities of injustice, violence, and policing. Disruptions caused by the pandemic, increased gun ownership, strains on public safety, health, and mental health services all play a role.
Likewise, in an analysis of global unrest and civic protests, the New York Times noted how the lack of faith in public servants across the world has created deep mistrust and a sense of disillusionment. Detailing a wave of “international discontent,” the Times argued “Put simply, the governments of today seem incapable of offering both representative and effective governance. And ordinary citizens have had enough.”
* * *
Mark 10:35-45
Investing in diaper banks
Not long after Jesus received children, James and John started a nasty sibling fight over which one was the greatest. Jesus reminds them that “whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant.” Someone else might have suggested they spend the afternoon changing diapers.
Nationwide, diaper banks are experiencing critical shortages and higher than normal demands. Some diaper banks have reported a 500% increase in requests for products. Nationwide, the National Diaper Bank Network (NDBN) reports an increase of 70%.
"Of course it's no surprise. So many Americans are struggling financially and this is one thing families need to spend their money on," said Joanne Goldblum, the organization’s CEO.
According to NDBN, one in three U.S. families struggle to provide enough diapers to keep a child clean, dry, and healthy. It’s website lists ways individuals and groups can become involved.
It’s more than covering up a problem; it is chance to exercise the sort of servant leadership Jesus described in Mark 10:35-45.
* * *
Mark 10:35-45
Increasing student loan forgiveness for those who choose service
Piles of student debt often force graduates to choose higher paying careers instead of pathways of public service. New policies from the United States Department of Education is aiming to change that by increasing the number of persons eligible for forgiveness of student loans. The DOE announced a series of actions that it says will “restore the promise” of debt relief for those working in qualifying public service careers. It could bring relief to more than 550,000 borrowers employed in government or nonprofit agencies.
* * * * * *
From team member Quantisha Mason-Doll:
Mark 10:35-45
Life is not always about being rewarded
The first time I ran a marathon I trained for six months. I vividly remember one of the meetings we had as a team where our running coach said, “If your head’s not in the game your legs will buckle when put to the test.” Since that day I have made a conscious decision not to throw caution to the wind. Having heard that statement I realized that just because you are young and in shape does not mean you can wake up one day put on a pair of running shoes and run an ultramarathon. These things take conscious effort. Yes, training your body is important but if you do not train your mind and spirit there will come a point where you just give up. Not because your body lacks the ability to continue but because there is a lack of belief in oneself and one’s own ability. Just because you know you can do something doesn’t mean you are willing to do it. Christ Jesus is telling his followers that just because they assumed they were ready does not mean they understand the gravity of their decisions. Preparedness does not always mean being prepared. There needs to be a shift that happens not just in your body but also in your mind and spirit. All of these moving parts must be equally be prepared to carry the heavyweight of Christ’s calling.
* * *
Mark 10:35-45
You have to know when enough is enough
As our gospel reading has made painfully obvious, the concept of a #Pick-Me person transcends the ages. I think we have all encountered one or more of these kinds of people and we understand how frustrating they can be. You know the ones that always want to be front and center right next to the person who is perceived as having the most power and privilege. Even though this #pick-me person might have been part of a larger group they still want to be singled out or coded as better. I will be the first to admit that in some settings I adopt this attitude when participating in religious apologetics. I would also hazard a guess that there are those among us that are guilty of feeling morally superior because we believe that we have the right brand of Christianity.
While on the surface this kind of personality attribute might be considered religious zeal or maybe a little annoying, I choose to believe that our gospel is warning us that this kind of trait can be toxic. We see two of Jesus’s followers sort of demand of Christ that they both be seated at his left and right hand when he comes into the kingdom. James and John are our biblical #pick-me folks. They view themselves as morally better than those around them so believe that it is only right and just that Jesus reward them accordingly. Jesus’ rebuttal is one that is centered in the reality that Jesus knows what it takes to open the kingdom of heaven. Jesus sees their request for what it is — their ego speaking. Jesus sees how their own self-righteousness has poisoned their mind and sense of self. In some respects, there are delusions of grandeur had by James and John because they have aligned themselves with the power and authority of Jesus. Do you see the similarities between biblical #pick-me and modern #pick-me people? Jesus takes this time to reorient not just James and John, but also all of his followers to what it means to participate in Christ’s life and ministry. Thinking that we are morally superior to others, thus we view them as not worthy of our love and aid, separate us from living fully into Christ’s love.
* * * * * *
WORSHIP
by Katy Stenta
Call to Worship
God we cannot measure how great you are — we try to capture you, in cubits or inches or words, and it all fails to capture your might.
And yet here we are, present to praise you.
All we have to do is witness the wonders of the skies: the sunbeams, the clouds, the witness to your wonders.
We praise God, not out of understanding, but out of love.
Come let us bless the Lord.
Come let us praise God’s holy name.
Prayer of Confession
God, sometimes we confess that we would rather have the easy answers. Sometimes we feel like a yes or a no would be better than a wait and see, or a learning experience. We confess that at times we rush to be answered, instead of letting ourselves wonder in the mystery of God. Remind us that love is enough, and when we forget, remind us again. We pray, Amen.
Assurance of Pardon
God loved us before the foundation of the earth, and God promises to forgive us until the end of time, hear and know the truth:
In Jesus Christ we are forgiven.
Prayers of the People
God, how gently you deal with us, your children,
coaxing us to you with the beauty of the earth
causing us to wonder at your mystery.
You remind us that you care for even the sparrow.
Give care and presence to all those who need it.
We lift these names…..(names may be added)
Lord hear our prayer
God of baptism, you call us into your family
giving us siblinghood with Christ
and praying the prayers we need on our behalf.
Help those in need: the sick, the lonely, the caretaking,
the lost, the abused, the forlorn. Help those who need to feel your presence,
we lift these names…..(names may be added)
Lord hear our prayer
God of all of us who feel unheard and unknown —
who cry out in the wilderness, the cries of those things
that we have lost, or not known. Help us,
because you know, you know
that the struggle is real, and we need you to know that
so we add some names in silence of those in need….(pause)……
Lord we lift these names to you.
Lord hear our prayer
Lord, be with us, coax us, call us, hear us, we pray. In the name of Jesus Christ
love us, and know us, so that we might each be comforted and called by name.
We pray this in the name of your son, Amen.
Hymns
For All the Beauty of the Earth
AMECH: 578
CH: 56
ELH: 463
ELW: 879
GtG: 14
H: 89
P: 473
UMH: 92, 829
Bless the Lord My Soul (Taize)
GtG: 544
R: 114
There’s a Sweet Sweet Spirit in This Place
AAHH: 326
AMECH: 196
C: 261
GtG: 408
P: 398
UMH: 334
Christ is Made the Sure Foundation
AMECH: 518
BH: 356
CH: 275
ELH: 8
ELW: 645
GtG: 394
H: 518
P: 416
UMH: 559
God of the Sparrow
CH: 70
ELW: 740
GtG: 22
P: 272
UMH: 122
Mothering God, You Gave Me Birth
CH: 83
ELW: 735
GtG: 7
H: 482
All Creatures of Our God and King
AAHH: 147
AMEC: 50
CH: 22
GtG: 15
H: 48
L: 436
P: 17
R: 47
UMH: 62
Let All Things Now Living
CH: 717
ELW: 881
GtG: 37
P: 554
R: 48
Creator of The Stars of Night
ELW: 245
GtG: 84
P: 4
UMH: 692
Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God Almighty
AAHH: 329
AMEC: 26
4: CH 4
15: ELW 15
GtG: 1
LW: 168
P: 138
R: 204
Music Resources Key
AAHH: African American Heritage Hymnal
AMEC: African Methodist Episcopal Church Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
ELW: Evangelical Lutheran Worship
GtG: Glory To God Presbyterian Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982
LW: Lutheran Worship
LBW: Lutheran Book of Worship
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
NNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
P: Presbyterian Hymnal
R: Renew! Songs & Hymns for Blended Worship
STLT: Singing the Living Tradition
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
W&P: Worship & Praise
Prayer of the Day
God, some days I am Job, and feel like I have lost every single thing
including faith.
And all I want to do is yell and scream
and shake my fist at the sky
and say, “You just don’t know what I’m going through God!”
Always half-hoping that God will answer back,
in the gentlest of voices, “no child, I created the earth and the universe and all that is in it, it is you who do not know.”
Thanks for reminding me to reclaim the wonder of the universe God.
And thanks for letting me yell at you, too.
Amen.
* * * * * *
CHILDREN'S SERMON
Melchizedek
by Tom Willadsen
Hebrews 5:1-10
The very last word in today’s lesson from Hebrews is “Melchizedek.” It’s a funny name — and fun to say! Have the kids say it; it may take a few tries to get it right.
Melchizedek is the name of a king in the Bible. His name is sort of like two names, or like having a first and a middle name.
Ask the kids if they have only one name, or two (first and last) or three (first, last and middle). There may be kids who have more than three names, or hyphenated names.
Names sometimes tell us a lot about a person. Sometimes we think that God’s son, Jesus, has two names. I just told you one of them, can you think of the other? Maybe you think of it as Jesus’ last name. (You’re shooting for “Christ” at this point.)
“Christ” isn’t Jesus’ last name; it’s a special title that means Jesus was anointed by God, set apart in a very special way. Another way we could name Jesus is “Jesus the Messiah.”
In the Bible there are three very special jobs that require someone to be anointed, that is, set apart in a special way: prophet, priest, and king. Melchizedek, that’s the funny name we said a minute ago, was a really, really important person in the Bible, even though his name is unfamiliar.
Melchizedek was two things: he was a king, and he was a priest. His name means “King of Righteousness.”
In Genesis there’s a story about Abraham. After Abram led his army to victory, Melchizedek brought bread and wine to Abram’s soldiers. Melchizedek blessed Abram and blessed God for deliverance from their enemies.
It’s an old, old story that you’ve probably never heard before, but the Bible says that Jesus is like Melchizedek, a prophet and king. But Jesus is more than that — he is God’s Son, the one God promised, the Christ.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, October 17, 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 Suffering Alone by Mary Austin — Covid has been so painful, for so many people around the world. Can there be anything redemptive in this season of suffering, for us and for the people around us?
- Second Thoughts: God Answers Job by Katy Stenta — How do we make time, like Job, to sit with our grief?
- Sermon illustrations by Chris Keating and Quantisha Mason-Doll.
- Worship resources by Katy Stenta.
- Children's sermon: Melchizedek by Tom Willadsen.
Not Suffering Aloneby Mary Austin
Isaiah 53:4-12
When I got my Covid vaccine, the nurse administering it was a young mother, with a six-week-old baby, her first child. “Thank you for being here today,” I told her. “It means a lot to me, and all of us.” I walked out the door thinking that I had gotten my life back.
Those brief, hopeful summer days feel so long ago now, as we’re back on the Covid roller coaster. The ups and downs of living with Covid in the United States feel sharper now than in the early days, when the guidance was more clear. Stay home. Wear a mask. Wait for the vaccine, and take it.
Covid is better. Covid is worse. Now, we can see older relatives in nursing homes and care centers. No, wait, they’re locked down again. School is in person. Oh no, the teacher is quarantining for two weeks, and there’s a sub. Some friends want to get together, and others are still cautious. Some people are ready to come back to church, and others are happy live streaming from the safety of their living rooms.
Combined with the physical suffering of Covid, and the emotional distress of those on the front lines, we are also experiencing a recurring cycle of hope and disappointment, as Covid waxes and wanes. Our current distress finds an answering echo in this Suffering Servant text from Isaiah, pointing us to a larger frame for our own sorrows.
Health care workers give us one model for the Suffering Servant in our own time. Front line health care workers have suffered both physically and mentally to provide care to the sick over the past (almost) two years. Parents who monitored online learning while doing their own jobs also stretched themselves thin in service to their children. In the early days of Covid, the death rates for bus drivers were dramatically high.
Covid has been so painful, for so many people around the world. Can there be anything redemptive in this season of suffering, for us and for the people around us?
In the News
Looking at the patterns of Covid infections and deaths, researchers have identified a two month Covid cycle. “Since the Covid virus began spreading in late 2019, cases have often surged for about two months — sometimes because of a variant, like Delta — and then declined for about two months. Epidemiologists do not understand why. Many popular explanations, like seasonality or the ebbs and flows of social distancing, are clearly insufficient, if not wrong. The two-month cycle has occurred during different seasons of the year and occurred even when human behavior was not changing in obvious ways. The most plausible explanations involve some combination of virus biology and social networks. Perhaps each virus variant is especially likely to infect some people but not others — and once many of the most vulnerable have been exposed, the virus recedes. And perhaps a variant needs about two months to circulate through an average-sized community.”
The cycle of hope and disappointment is built into the Covid pandemic all around the world. The two month Covid pattern “has also been evident within countries, including India, Indonesia, Thailand, Britain, France and Spain. In each of them, the Delta variant led to a surge in cases lasting somewhere from one and a half to two and a half months.”
Some suffering is unnecessary, and has no purpose. “Covid has not only been one of the worst pandemics in modern times. It has been an unnecessarily terrible pandemic. Of the more than 700,000 Americans who have died from it, nearly 200,000 probably could have been saved if they had chosen to take a vaccine. That is a national tragedy.”
Health care providers have their own cycles of disappointment. “Dr. Terrence Coulter, a critical care specialist…said he and his colleagues were stunned to find themselves back in the trenches after the briefest of respites. “With everyone masked, you learn to read the emotions in your co-workers’ eyes,” he said. “They’re weary and they’re also disappointed that the country has started the end zone dance before we cross the goal line. The truth is we’re fumbling the ball before we even get there.” America’s health care workers are in crisis, even in places that have had sharp declines in coronavirus infections and deaths. Battered and burned out, they feel unappreciated by a nation that lionized them as Covid heroes but often scoffed at mask mandates and refused to follow social distancing guidelines. Many of those same Americans are now ignoring their pleas to get vaccinated.”
In the Scriptures
This section of scripture comes as part of a larger section, and is the last of four songs about a figure who suffers for the transgressions of others. Second Isaiah draws a picture of this figure known for its suffering. Different interpreters understand the suffering figure to be an individual, or a prophet, or perhaps the nation of Israel itself. The prophet highlights the suffering all around, and the confusion and distress surrounding the Suffering Servant. Into this sorrow, God speaks a word of grace. There is the hope of healing still ahead. “Out of his anguish he shall see light,” Isaiah promises, “he shall find satisfaction through his knowledge.” The passage moves us from lament to redemption.
In the lectionary calendar, this scripture is often read on Good Friday, and Christians overlay the person of Jesus onto the original intent of the scripture. Charles L. Aaron Jr. notes that we lose something when we skip too quickly over the original intent of the Hebrew scriptures. “When we focus on the Old Testament reading, we can proclaim the ways God vindicates obedience now, as well as in the resurrection.”
Isaiah is clear that two things are true — suffering is real, and God is present. God’s presence doesn’t erase the suffering. The suffering doesn’t eliminate the presence of God.
In the Sermon
The sermon might look at where we need to lament, as the end of Covid is endlessly postponed. What grief has the congregation known? What tears need to be cried? What forms of suffering feel endless right now? Charles L. Aaron Jr. notes, “By beginning with the affirmation of God’s vindication, the prophet makes the theological point that God is acting within the suffering that subsequent verses describe. We may begin with the “happy ending” so we know on the front end that the suffering is not without purpose or meaning. But, this affirmation does not mean that God causes all suffering. Rather, God is working in all suffering.” The sermon could explore the suffering of a particular faith community through Covid, or over the years, and look at where God is at work even now. Where does this community of faith see God at work?
Or, the sermon might explore where God is when suffering comes. How have people experienced God in loss, illness, bankruptcy, prejudice, or family strife? Where have they found God in their own suffering.
The sermon might also explore how suffering is transformed into knowledge and service — if we allow it to be. How do we work alongside God so God can shift our sorrows into deeper growth and faith? We can’t do it alone, and God can’t do it without us. How do we partner with God in this work of transformation?
The prophet says, about the servant, “Therefore I will allot him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he poured out himself to death, and was numbered with the transgressors.” The reward will be visible, in this case. The sermon might examine what treasures we wrestle out of suffering, and how we use them to transform the world. Have people become activists out of their own grief? Developed compassion for those with mental health issues out of their own suffering? Started tutoring because they want to support kids and teachers? What rewards come our way following our sorrows?
How do we use our own distress, in this time, to serve others? Are we like sheep have gone astray, as Isaiah says about God’s people in an earlier time? We are scattered by grief and Covid and stress, and when we fill our sorrow with greater purpose, the burdens feel easier. Those who suffer on our behalf, in so many different forms, offer us hope in this bleak time. May we be among the servants of God who find purpose in our struggles, and serve others through them.
SECOND THOUGHTSGod Answers Job
by Katy Stenta
Job 38:1-7 (34-41)
“Who dares to question me?” God finally answers. “Hang on — because I’m about to question you back.” God puts forward the idea that Job’s trials and tribulations have just begun, because now he must withstand being questioned by God’s very self — and those are fighting words.
In the age of a worldwide pandemic, the trials and tribulations of humanity are put upon comparative scales. How do we compare suffering in the world? Why do we humans even do that? It seems like an ongoing human narrative to compare and contrast suffering — to say that my suffering is worse than yours — or if I have to suffer through something, you’re going to have to suffer through it as well.
For those who are anti-mask and anti-vaccination the arguments range from masks being dangerous to your body (hindering breathing) and psychological development, to the fact that those who have psychological problems including autism and PTSD might not be able to mask. These arguments, though countered scientifically time and time again, seem to rely on the fact that the suffering of children to protect others is not to be borne. Also the idea of my body my choice grounds the fact that liberty and comfort is more important than care for others. “Why must I suffer?” anti-maskers continually ask.
Concern for the vaccinations are multifold. Some people suffer allergies that cast real doubt on the safety of vaccination, rare heart problems may occur, and effects on menstruation and pregnancy are relatively unknown. Of course, mass vaccination would allow those with allergies to forego vaccination. The rare heart problems are much worse if you contract Covid.
Then there are debates about the other side. Who do we treat in our hospitals, the unvaccinated individuals who are dying from coronavirus or those who have less urgent diseases that are more treatable? There are huge policy questions for those willing to take the booster shot. Do those of us in the US take a booster when there are people in poorer nations who do not yet have access to the vaccine?
How do we make such choices? Is it really a pity party about victimhood? Is Job whining because he has it the worst, or does he think that God just no longer sees him? Job was a pretty privileged guy, rich, well off. The advisory points out that it will not be so easy for Job to follow God when his privilege is taken away. Job wants to tell his story. I can hear my own teenage angst in his cry, “If you really were listening you would understand how bad things were for me and you would just change your mind, trust me.” I often would repeat myself as a teenager, convinced that my parents just weren’t listening, and that was why they did not agree with me.
When God finally replies — “Remember…” I know.
I know.
The comfort is not, I would argue, that God is powerful, mighty, and created all things — though that is how God explains it. I think the real and true revelation is that God is with us for us. God is revealing the depth of God’s knowledge.
I think God says hang onto your hats, because God’s mercy knocks us over. Job is (we are) expecting rage. God is going to yell back at us, right?
Instead, God is saying, “Remember, I made everything — I understand the workings of the universe, don’t worry, I DO know what you are suffering.” I imagine that these words are said with compassion and love, not with booming, overpowering might, but with the comforting compassion of poetry, like a mother whispering to a child.
“I know you are suffering, and I’m sorry you have to go through all this, and this is not what I made you for, but I am with you through it all…” whispered in our ears, with a hug, melting our anger away, finally allowing the grief to start.
Henri J. M. Nouwen said, “I am beginning to see that much of praying is grieving. This grief is so deep not because the human sin is so great, but also — more so — because the divine love is so boundless.”
After all that, we discover we didn’t actually want to yell at God after all, but instead we wanted to cry with her.
I think that’s what happened to Job.
Maybe when we are complaining about who is suffering more, it is because we have forgotten how to lament. I don’t know how to fix that after something as big and devastating as a pandemic, but it is something we need to wrestle with. How do we make time, like Job, to sit with our grief? How do we find time and space to yell at God until we feel safe enough to cry with her? When we get closer to answering those questions we will start, like Job, to be able to heal.
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Chris Keating:Job 38:1-7 (34-41)
God’s Response to Job
When God finally responds to Job’s bitter complaint, the answer may seem to be less than fully satisfying. As Thomas Long writes, “The God who finally turns up near the end of the story appears to supply not an answer, but a swagger. God seems to thump the divine chest,... demanding to know who this Job character thinks he is, anyway.” (Long, “What Shall We Say?,” Eerdmans, 2011). Long goes on to argue that the story of Job is intended not to provide answers to vexing questions of how a good God can tolerate suffering. Instead, Long suggests, Job points us toward a new understanding of God and what it means to be human. Job’s story is thus a story of transformation as Job moves from the illusion of a world reflecting our own sense of a moral order to discover the hope of a God not of our own making.
Long suggests that the trajectory of Job’s plot leads people of faith to reconsider our understandings of faith. “So the plot of the Job story lurches forward on a quest to discover the ‘new world,’ if there is one, or at least answer the question, ‘How do we live when our experience causes our theological universe to collapse?” (Ibid.)
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Job 38:1-7 (34-41)
Voices of Hope in the Whirlwind
Last year, young adult author Landri Driskill published an essay that looked at ways of applying Viktor Frankl’s concepts of searching for meaning to the anxiety people have felt during the Covid-19 pandemic. Frankl, a psychiatrist and survivor of the World War II Holocaust, sought to describe a pathway through suffering to hope that he called logotherapy in his seminal work Man’s Search for Meaning.
Driskill suggests that while the contexts of the Holocaust and Covid-19 differ, Frankl’s writing might be the sort of voice in the whirlwind many are needing. “The moment we give up and let the effects of Covid-19 overtake us, we lose hope to carry on throughout this situation,” she writes. Quoting Frankl, Driskill continues, adding “The prisoner who had lost faith in the future — his future — was doomed. With his loss of belief in the future, he also lost his spiritual hold; he let himself decline and became subject to mental and physical decay.”
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Job 38:1-7 (34-41)
Out of the whirlwind
Following a particularly demanding weekend shift at a Michigan Hospital in September, Dr. Matthew Trunsky grabbed a quick lunch and tapped out a Facebook post detailing his exhaustion and frustrations. Trunsky, a pulmonologist specializing in critical care and hospice and palliative care, had endured another 12-hour shift of treating patients on ventilators, reviewing treatment plans and communicating with frightened families. His Facebook post, like the social media posts of many other healthcare workers, revealed his wearied sense of frustration at the suffering he’d experienced.
“In my last two days of work I have heard the following: 1) “You are wrong doctor. I’m too healthy. I don’t have Covid. I’m fine.” (In reality, he’s fighting for his life). 2) “I demand ivermectin or you’ll hear from my lawyer.” 3) “I demand hydroxychloroquine.” 4) “I don’t care what you say. I’m going to leave.” (Response: “That is your prerogative, but you’ll be dead before you get to your car.”) 5) “I’d rather die than take the vaccine.” [You may get your wish.] 6) “I didn’t take it because my son told me it would kill me.” (The patient is currently fighting for his life — in fact it was the son’s advice that may kill him.) 7. “I want a different doctor. I don’t believe you.” 8. From a woman whose husband died of Covid, “I would never feel comfortable recommending the vaccine for family and friends.”
Facing the whirlwind of complaints and seriously ill patients, Trunsky noted that despite being frustrated by the numbers of persons who have not received a vaccine, he and his colleagues will fulfill their promises to treat vaccinated and unvaccinated patients alike.
“We took the oath, we take all comers,” he said. “And I think deep down that’s the reason most of us went into medicine — to take care of patients. And it doesn't really matter who they are and what decisions they make.” Doctors and nurses may ask a patient why they are unvaccinated, he said, but “you don't want to go in with a chip on your shoulder, ready to say, ‘You're stupid.’”
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Isaiah 53:4-12
The suffering among us calls us to be servants
A pronounced spike in violent crimes in the United States in 2020 prompts an important, though complicated question: does re-imagining public safety and policing still make sense?
The United States reported the highest rise in murder in 2020 since the 1960s. Some are blaming the move to “defund” the police, though research also suggests more complex series of factors, including the pandemic. But blaming liberals for being “soft” on crime is only the rehashing of an old argument. What might it be to look at the ways suffering in society invites people of faith to become servants of one another?
Isaiah 53’s notions of the suffering servant “wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities,” may offer insights into looking at the ways people of faith can respond to the complexities of injustice, violence, and policing. Disruptions caused by the pandemic, increased gun ownership, strains on public safety, health, and mental health services all play a role.
Likewise, in an analysis of global unrest and civic protests, the New York Times noted how the lack of faith in public servants across the world has created deep mistrust and a sense of disillusionment. Detailing a wave of “international discontent,” the Times argued “Put simply, the governments of today seem incapable of offering both representative and effective governance. And ordinary citizens have had enough.”
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Mark 10:35-45
Investing in diaper banks
Not long after Jesus received children, James and John started a nasty sibling fight over which one was the greatest. Jesus reminds them that “whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant.” Someone else might have suggested they spend the afternoon changing diapers.
Nationwide, diaper banks are experiencing critical shortages and higher than normal demands. Some diaper banks have reported a 500% increase in requests for products. Nationwide, the National Diaper Bank Network (NDBN) reports an increase of 70%.
"Of course it's no surprise. So many Americans are struggling financially and this is one thing families need to spend their money on," said Joanne Goldblum, the organization’s CEO.
According to NDBN, one in three U.S. families struggle to provide enough diapers to keep a child clean, dry, and healthy. It’s website lists ways individuals and groups can become involved.
It’s more than covering up a problem; it is chance to exercise the sort of servant leadership Jesus described in Mark 10:35-45.
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Mark 10:35-45
Increasing student loan forgiveness for those who choose service
Piles of student debt often force graduates to choose higher paying careers instead of pathways of public service. New policies from the United States Department of Education is aiming to change that by increasing the number of persons eligible for forgiveness of student loans. The DOE announced a series of actions that it says will “restore the promise” of debt relief for those working in qualifying public service careers. It could bring relief to more than 550,000 borrowers employed in government or nonprofit agencies.
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From team member Quantisha Mason-Doll:Mark 10:35-45
Life is not always about being rewarded
The first time I ran a marathon I trained for six months. I vividly remember one of the meetings we had as a team where our running coach said, “If your head’s not in the game your legs will buckle when put to the test.” Since that day I have made a conscious decision not to throw caution to the wind. Having heard that statement I realized that just because you are young and in shape does not mean you can wake up one day put on a pair of running shoes and run an ultramarathon. These things take conscious effort. Yes, training your body is important but if you do not train your mind and spirit there will come a point where you just give up. Not because your body lacks the ability to continue but because there is a lack of belief in oneself and one’s own ability. Just because you know you can do something doesn’t mean you are willing to do it. Christ Jesus is telling his followers that just because they assumed they were ready does not mean they understand the gravity of their decisions. Preparedness does not always mean being prepared. There needs to be a shift that happens not just in your body but also in your mind and spirit. All of these moving parts must be equally be prepared to carry the heavyweight of Christ’s calling.
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Mark 10:35-45
You have to know when enough is enough
As our gospel reading has made painfully obvious, the concept of a #Pick-Me person transcends the ages. I think we have all encountered one or more of these kinds of people and we understand how frustrating they can be. You know the ones that always want to be front and center right next to the person who is perceived as having the most power and privilege. Even though this #pick-me person might have been part of a larger group they still want to be singled out or coded as better. I will be the first to admit that in some settings I adopt this attitude when participating in religious apologetics. I would also hazard a guess that there are those among us that are guilty of feeling morally superior because we believe that we have the right brand of Christianity.
While on the surface this kind of personality attribute might be considered religious zeal or maybe a little annoying, I choose to believe that our gospel is warning us that this kind of trait can be toxic. We see two of Jesus’s followers sort of demand of Christ that they both be seated at his left and right hand when he comes into the kingdom. James and John are our biblical #pick-me folks. They view themselves as morally better than those around them so believe that it is only right and just that Jesus reward them accordingly. Jesus’ rebuttal is one that is centered in the reality that Jesus knows what it takes to open the kingdom of heaven. Jesus sees their request for what it is — their ego speaking. Jesus sees how their own self-righteousness has poisoned their mind and sense of self. In some respects, there are delusions of grandeur had by James and John because they have aligned themselves with the power and authority of Jesus. Do you see the similarities between biblical #pick-me and modern #pick-me people? Jesus takes this time to reorient not just James and John, but also all of his followers to what it means to participate in Christ’s life and ministry. Thinking that we are morally superior to others, thus we view them as not worthy of our love and aid, separate us from living fully into Christ’s love.
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WORSHIPby Katy Stenta
Call to Worship
God we cannot measure how great you are — we try to capture you, in cubits or inches or words, and it all fails to capture your might.
And yet here we are, present to praise you.
All we have to do is witness the wonders of the skies: the sunbeams, the clouds, the witness to your wonders.
We praise God, not out of understanding, but out of love.
Come let us bless the Lord.
Come let us praise God’s holy name.
Prayer of Confession
God, sometimes we confess that we would rather have the easy answers. Sometimes we feel like a yes or a no would be better than a wait and see, or a learning experience. We confess that at times we rush to be answered, instead of letting ourselves wonder in the mystery of God. Remind us that love is enough, and when we forget, remind us again. We pray, Amen.
Assurance of Pardon
God loved us before the foundation of the earth, and God promises to forgive us until the end of time, hear and know the truth:
In Jesus Christ we are forgiven.
Prayers of the People
God, how gently you deal with us, your children,
coaxing us to you with the beauty of the earth
causing us to wonder at your mystery.
You remind us that you care for even the sparrow.
Give care and presence to all those who need it.
We lift these names…..(names may be added)
Lord hear our prayer
God of baptism, you call us into your family
giving us siblinghood with Christ
and praying the prayers we need on our behalf.
Help those in need: the sick, the lonely, the caretaking,
the lost, the abused, the forlorn. Help those who need to feel your presence,
we lift these names…..(names may be added)
Lord hear our prayer
God of all of us who feel unheard and unknown —
who cry out in the wilderness, the cries of those things
that we have lost, or not known. Help us,
because you know, you know
that the struggle is real, and we need you to know that
so we add some names in silence of those in need….(pause)……
Lord we lift these names to you.
Lord hear our prayer
Lord, be with us, coax us, call us, hear us, we pray. In the name of Jesus Christ
love us, and know us, so that we might each be comforted and called by name.
We pray this in the name of your son, Amen.
Hymns
For All the Beauty of the Earth
AMECH: 578
CH: 56
ELH: 463
ELW: 879
GtG: 14
H: 89
P: 473
UMH: 92, 829
Bless the Lord My Soul (Taize)
GtG: 544
R: 114
There’s a Sweet Sweet Spirit in This Place
AAHH: 326
AMECH: 196
C: 261
GtG: 408
P: 398
UMH: 334
Christ is Made the Sure Foundation
AMECH: 518
BH: 356
CH: 275
ELH: 8
ELW: 645
GtG: 394
H: 518
P: 416
UMH: 559
God of the Sparrow
CH: 70
ELW: 740
GtG: 22
P: 272
UMH: 122
Mothering God, You Gave Me Birth
CH: 83
ELW: 735
GtG: 7
H: 482
All Creatures of Our God and King
AAHH: 147
AMEC: 50
CH: 22
GtG: 15
H: 48
L: 436
P: 17
R: 47
UMH: 62
Let All Things Now Living
CH: 717
ELW: 881
GtG: 37
P: 554
R: 48
Creator of The Stars of Night
ELW: 245
GtG: 84
P: 4
UMH: 692
Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God Almighty
AAHH: 329
AMEC: 26
4: CH 4
15: ELW 15
GtG: 1
LW: 168
P: 138
R: 204
Music Resources Key
AAHH: African American Heritage Hymnal
AMEC: African Methodist Episcopal Church Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
ELW: Evangelical Lutheran Worship
GtG: Glory To God Presbyterian Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982
LW: Lutheran Worship
LBW: Lutheran Book of Worship
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
NNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
P: Presbyterian Hymnal
R: Renew! Songs & Hymns for Blended Worship
STLT: Singing the Living Tradition
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
W&P: Worship & Praise
Prayer of the Day
God, some days I am Job, and feel like I have lost every single thing
including faith.
And all I want to do is yell and scream
and shake my fist at the sky
and say, “You just don’t know what I’m going through God!”
Always half-hoping that God will answer back,
in the gentlest of voices, “no child, I created the earth and the universe and all that is in it, it is you who do not know.”
Thanks for reminding me to reclaim the wonder of the universe God.
And thanks for letting me yell at you, too.
Amen.
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CHILDREN'S SERMONMelchizedek
by Tom Willadsen
Hebrews 5:1-10
The very last word in today’s lesson from Hebrews is “Melchizedek.” It’s a funny name — and fun to say! Have the kids say it; it may take a few tries to get it right.
Melchizedek is the name of a king in the Bible. His name is sort of like two names, or like having a first and a middle name.
Ask the kids if they have only one name, or two (first and last) or three (first, last and middle). There may be kids who have more than three names, or hyphenated names.
Names sometimes tell us a lot about a person. Sometimes we think that God’s son, Jesus, has two names. I just told you one of them, can you think of the other? Maybe you think of it as Jesus’ last name. (You’re shooting for “Christ” at this point.)
“Christ” isn’t Jesus’ last name; it’s a special title that means Jesus was anointed by God, set apart in a very special way. Another way we could name Jesus is “Jesus the Messiah.”
In the Bible there are three very special jobs that require someone to be anointed, that is, set apart in a special way: prophet, priest, and king. Melchizedek, that’s the funny name we said a minute ago, was a really, really important person in the Bible, even though his name is unfamiliar.
Melchizedek was two things: he was a king, and he was a priest. His name means “King of Righteousness.”
In Genesis there’s a story about Abraham. After Abram led his army to victory, Melchizedek brought bread and wine to Abram’s soldiers. Melchizedek blessed Abram and blessed God for deliverance from their enemies.
It’s an old, old story that you’ve probably never heard before, but the Bible says that Jesus is like Melchizedek, a prophet and king. But Jesus is more than that — he is God’s Son, the one God promised, the Christ.
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The Immediate Word, October 17, 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.
