This week’s lectionary epistle passage from Second Thessalonians counsels us to “let no one deceive you in any way” because there will be many around us who “declare [themselves] to be God.” In this installment of The Immediate Word, team member Mary Austin notes that’s an especially timely message for our people to hear again, as in an increasingly uncertain and stressful world we are tempted to look to any number of false gods for comfort. Public confidence has eroded in many of the traditional institutions that once served as the structural support of our society -- and in their place, Mary points out, we become captive to our thirst for things like money, fame, power, and social connections. And our culture lifts up the people who exemplify those attributes as role models: millionaires, celebrities, politicians. But our epistle text serves as a bracing reminder that when we do so we foolishly misplace our faith, for none of them offer lasting comfort for the soul -- all are “destined for destruction.” Instead, we are told to “stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that [we] were taught,” because it is only the Lord Jesus Christ that will “comfort [our] hearts and strengthen them in every good work and word.”
Team member Dean Feldmeyer shares some additional thoughts on the Haggai text and its theme that the Israelites should be willing to build a temple in the world, rather than being reluctant to do so because they are still traumatized by their experiences and see simple survival as a higher priority. Dean suggests that’s an important message to highlight, as there are many people who advocate risk-averse behavior. But if we are willing to place our faith in the Lord and his power to change events that seem beyond our capacity, then we should demonstrate that faith by taking the risk to build “temples” in our world rather than waiting until every potential bug has been ironed out. As Dean points out, there are times when we don’t need to see the “endgame” -- we just need to do God’s work in the world, even when it appears to be a fool’s errand.
Not Too Quickly Shaken or Alarmed
by Mary Austin
2 Thessalonians 2:1-5, 13-17
The shutdown of the federal government by a few determined legislators and the sluggish economy, along with the problems enrolling in long-awaited health insurance plans, have Americans feeling glum. Fortunately, millions of people will soon be distracted by their part-time holiday jobs, as retailers add staff for the holiday rush and people look for additional work to pay overdue bills. Among them may be the estimated 1.5 million recent college graduates still looking for full-time work, competing with people laid off from their jobs and still searching for new ones.
The traditional path of school followed by steady employment, whether blue-collar or white-collar, has vanished. The federal government’s ability to govern is impaired by tantrums and partisan divisions. Churches have lost their influence in abuse scandals. The weekly gun incident in a public place shakes our confidence in our common spaces.
It’s hard to know where to put our trust.
In the NewsThe recent government shutdown has sapped -- again -- the confidence Americans have in our government. The 16-day shutdown also weakened people’s faith in the economy, and economists fear it may impact consumer spending, which makes up 70% of the country’s economic activity. As the CBC reports, “American consumers are particularly pessimistic about the strength of the U.S. economy in six months, and also expect less hiring in the months ahead.... The shutdown already caused a drop this month in the University of Michigan’s measure of consumer sentiment. Americans made more negative references to the federal government’s impact on the economy in October than at any time in the 50-year history of the survey, the university said.”
Confidence in the president has ebbed too, with the cumbersome rollout of his signature health care law. He declined to have the implementation managed by someone who had startup experience, and the results have been embarrassing. At the end of October, his approval ratings were the lowest of his presidency. Adding to his woes are the NSA spying scandal, the outrage of foreign leaders at being spied on, and his indecision about what course to take in Syria.
If not government, can we trust the leaders of our faith? Pope Francis has earned acclaim for living more simply, passing up the luxuries of his position, urging tolerance, and speaking to non-Catholics with tolerance and kindness. Yet the pope’s management of clergy abuse scandals in Latin America raises questions about whether his actions will match his promise to punish pedophile priests. As NBC News reports, “the church’s questionable handling of child molestation cases in Argentina, Chile, the Dominican Republic, and Peru is calling that commitment into doubt.” Priests have been quietly fired without any public notice or moved to other assignments. Others in the church hierarchy have come to their defense, signaling that much remains the same.
In the Scriptures
The writer of 2 Thessalonians, most probably not Paul according to many scholars, is writing to believers who have grown worried. The times are grim, and some believe that Jesus’ return is imminent -- the Day of the Lord is upon them. The writer builds on the first letter to the Thessalonian church, reminding the people not to be fooled by the things they see around them. The events of the world can easily unsettle us and become a distraction. As Mariam Kamell writes for workingpreacher.org, “The term translated by the NIV as ‘unsettled’ has the basic meaning of ‘shaken,’ a violent movement like an earthquake. What is occurring in this church is not a mild questioning about how things might work out but an earthquake of theological doubt that is leaving vast destruction in its wake. Likewise, the word for being ‘alarmed’ is the fear caused by surprise. Having begun in one direction based on the teaching of Paul while he was with them, they have been surprised by this new teaching and their fear is that of having had their foundation pulled out from underneath them. They are paralyzed, scared, uncertain what to believe and, from that, how to act.”
People are wondering what to do now, and the letter writer encourages them to keep doing what they’re doing -- to press on in faith. He reassures them that they’ll know when Jesus is returning. And if this is the Day of Lord, they should continue their good works in the Lord. If it isn’t, they still should keep going. In response to everything that shakes them, they are to “stand firm and hold fast.” The response of the faithful is faith, for they -- and we -- already have everything they need. They have already been called and chosen, and that’s foundation enough -- there’s no need to be swayed, moved, turned this way and then that way, looking for more than they already have.
In the Sermon
We live in anxious times too. The circumstances are different, but our level of stress would be familiar to the people of the early church. We look here and there for more information, like the people of the early church.
We too wonder who to believe, and where to place our faith. Will Social Security survive? Will we have health insurance? Is the stock market the right place for retirement savings or not? Should we believe the things we read on the internet? The things politicians say? What about the clergy? Teachers? Neighbors?
The church I serve in Detroit is next to a school. Talking to one of the administrators the other day, she said: “The problem for these kids is not poverty. It’s not the parents’ involvement or lack of it. It’s not homework or coats or even food. They are held captive by their own hopelessness.”
Her comment tore at my heart, and it also made me think about how we all make ourselves captive to something. We can make ourselves captive to worry, or to the relentless search for more information, or to suspicion of everyone and everything around us. We can make ourselves captive to success, or position, or sports, or a perfectly decorated room, or a perfectly turned-out child.
This letter to the Thessalonians reminds us that we have already been called and chosen, set free from the burden of any captivity we can devise for ourselves. Our work is to take up our freedom and use it for God’s purposes. Our calling is to choose hope in the face of the earthquake of doubt, mistrust, and false information. Our gift is “eternal comfort and hope,” so let us “not be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed,” for we are in the business of faith.
ANOTHER VIEW
Building Program
by Dean Feldmeyer
Haggai 1:15b--2:9
The latter splendor of this house shall be greater than the former? and in this place I will give prosperity, says the Lord of hosts” (Haggai 2:9).
The two chapters which make up the book of Haggai and the first eight chapters of Zechariah probably were originally intended to be a single volume. They cover the time from August 29, 520 to December 7, 518 BCE. It’s rare that we can place a biblical text so specifically upon the timeline of history, but our author begins each section of the tale by giving the precise date upon which it took place.
When our story takes up, Darius of Persia has ruled over Babylon for two years. One of his first decrees upon taking charge was to set all political detainees free and allow them to return their homelands. Many of the Jews, however, had managed to assimilate fairly comfortably into Babylonian society and culture over the previous 50 years and only a handful chose to take Darius up on his offer.
The present events take place in Judah in the second year of Darius’s rule, just a few months after the first wave of returnees have arrived.
What they found when they got home must have been heartbreaking. The Holy City, Jerusalem, was in ruins and had been for 50 years. Weeds and trees grew where once there were homes, and feral dogs ran through what were once the streets of the city. The temple was nothing but stones and ashes strewn about the site where it had once stood. The city walls had been torn down and the gates burned, the shops and homes utterly destroyed.
Some of the people could remember the city in its former glory, but most of the returnees had either been children when they were forced to leave or had been born in Babylon. All they knew of the great city was what their parents and grandparents had told them. And what they found was not even close to what they had expected to find.
The pilgrims had taken about four months to travel over 800 miles from Babylon, mostly on foot. How their anticipation must have built as they finally could see their destination on the horizon. How their joy must have been dashed as they crested the Mount of Olives, only to look upon the destruction and despair that Jerusalem had become. It does not take much imagination to hear, even now, their weeping as they grieved for the once proud City of David.
Their leaders were three: Zerubbabel was the Persian-appointed governor of the province now called Yehud (Judah). Joshua ben Jehozadak was the high priest. And Haggai was the prophet who brought to them the word of the Lord. These three favored the rebuilding of the temple as the first order of business, a necessary act that would announce to the world that God had returned with God’s people to God’s holy land.
But the people were reluctant. The surrounding tribes and countries had pretty much had their way with Judah for the past 50 years and would not want to see it given back to its old inhabitants. They would be hostile and building the temple could provoke them. Besides, the refugees had returned to find the land suffering from a drought and the economy in a shambles.
The prudent course of action, they insisted, would be to build homes and try to grow some crops so they would have food to eat and clothing to wear. Then, if there was enough time and energy and money, they should rebuild the city walls so they could be safe if they were attacked.
Only when all this was done, when they were safe, well-fed, well-clothed and had some money in the bank, should they start working on rebuilding the temple, a luxury that right now they could ill afford.
It’s not hard to see where they are coming from, is it?
Imagine that a tornado or a hurricane came through your community and destroyed every single building, leaving the entire community in ruins.
Several days later, you and your fellow survivors are finally allowed to go back home to survey the damage and try to sift something of value out of the ashes and bricks that are left of what were once your houses. But before you can begin that work a meeting is called where the mayor, the city council, and the ministerial association all insist that the first thing to be rebuilt will be the churches.
It would be a little hard to swallow, wouldn’t it? But that was exactly what Joshua, Zerubbabel, and Haggai were insisting upon.
And predictably, the people ignored them.
They left the city and the temple in ruins and wandered away into the countryside, to the places that used to be their ancestral lands and homes, and there they sowed the seeds that they had brought with them and set to work rebuilding their homes and trying to eke out lives for themselves.
Only it didn’t work. The drought continued and the crops yielded a pittance. The clothing they tried to make wore out in the dry heat. The homes that they managed to rebuild gave them little comfort. And they still lived in constant fear of attack from the warlords and city-states that surrounded them and could be seen watching them from the tops of distant hills.
In the opening verses of the first chapter of Haggai’s account, the prophet notes the frustrations of the people who have seen their crops and plans come to little or nothing. The reason for this, he says, is that their priorities are messed up. They have tended to their own houses, but not God’s house. They sit in relative comfort, while God has no house to sit in at all.
Some of the people hear Haggai’s message and begin working on the temple, but the work effort is at best unenthusiastic and at worst reluctant to non-existent. This new, rebuilt temple is a poor copy of the old one which was built by Solomon. Those few of the returnees who could remember the old temple griped and complained about how this one was nothing like its predecessor. And some insisted that it was a waste of time when there were mouths to feed.
This week’s reading from Haggai is dated October 17, 520 BCE, a month after work was begun on the rebuilding of the temple.
Haggai has chosen this particular date for a reason: It is the first day of the eight-day autumn festival, the Feast of Booths, which is intended to celebrate the harvest and God’s continued care of the People of God. It is also the day when the Jews remember and celebrate the dedication of the first temple and the placement of the Ark of the Covenant therein by Solomon. And finally, during the Feast of Booths it was common for the people to build little tents or booths that they would dwell in for eight days to commemorate the journey of the Israelites from Egypt to the Holy Land.
Haggai chose this important and highly symbolic day to preach what would become his most powerful and successful sermon.
He begins by admitting that the rebuilt temple is a poor reflection of its predecessor. But he goes on to offer a solution to the problem. In verse 4 he says, three times: “Take courage...” Why?
Because God has some great things planned for this people and this place. “Work!” YHWH tells the people, “for I am with you.”
Then God makes a promise: The day is coming when there’s going to be a great shakeup. Things are going to change in some radical ways. Israel is going to return to glory, and the splendor of the temple will be greater than it was in the past. A new prosperity will be the order of the day.
But for now, “Work!”
And they did! This is one of those rare cases where the prophet was listened to and obeyed. The people came together and put their backs into it and worked to rebuild the temple: “In harkening to the prophet’s words the people believed their fortunes would change and the dark days of despair would be transformed into prosperity and blessing” (The New Interpreter’s Study Bible, p. 1333).
They rebuilt the temple, and it stood for another 500+ years as a symbol of the people’s hopes and dreams and faith.
From time to time, God calls upon us to do that which seems impossible.
And sometimes God calls upon us to do that which is possible but seems imprudent or impractical.
Rebuild the temple first. Love your enemies. Pray for those who mistreat you. Turn the other cheek.
Sometimes God calls us to begin work, the completion of which we can’t see now but will see eventually. And sometimes God calls for us to begin work, the completion of which we may never see, work that will benefit only our children or grandchildren.
We sometimes refer to this as “acting on faith.” That is, we believe that God is going to keep God’s promises so we act as though those promises have already been kept.
We build bridges as we cross them.
We work for peace. We feed the hungry and shelter the exposed. We comfort those who are hurt or sick and we sit with those who mourn. We enter the prisons and the sanitariums where we feel most vulnerable and uncomfortable and we reach out to those who have been thrown away by the rest of our society.
We fight battles that we know we can’t win just because they need to be fought. And we take up causes that we know are lost just because they are good causes.
We build structures that are poor reflections of what once was, structures that may appear to be rickety and unsound because they are needed now and we can perfect them later. We forgo the perfect in order to let the good triumph.
We live by faith because we are people of faith, and faith is not the destination but the journey to which God has called us.
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Ron Love:
2 Thessalonians 2:1-17
There is a 40-foot bronze statue of Jesus with his arms outstretched that stands on a large base, bringing Jesus’ total height to 105 feet. This would be an amazing sculpture anywhere, but considering that it stands in the heart of Syria it is truly an awesome wonder. In the midst of a sectarian civil war in which Muslims are fighting Muslims and everyone is fighting Christians, a cease-fire was called on October 14 so that the statue could be erected. The project began eight years ago, but the March 2011 uprising against President Bashar Assad halted progress, and many feared would end it altogether. But with the intervention of the Assad regime’s allies in the Kremlin -- because the Russian Orthodox church has a close affiliation with the Orthodox churches in Syria -- the statue now stands next to St. Paul’s Church on Cherubim Mountain, overlooking the valley below. The project, called “I Have Come to Save the World,” is truly a testimony in a country where Christians comprise only 10 percent of the population.
Application: As Paul writes, Jesus will always be exalted above all other gods.
*****
2 Thessalonians 2:1-17
In 2009, renowned documentary filmmaker Alex Gibney was given unprecedented access to cyclist Lance Armstrong in order to prepare a film documenting Armstrong’s remarkable comeback from testicular cancer. The project was to be titled The Road Back, and its focus was intended to be on the courage of a cancer survivor who became a champion athlete. But in the wake of Armstrong’s revelations to Oprah Winfrey admitting to systematic use of banned substances, Gibney changed the title of his film to The Armstrong Lie. In the course of interviews with Gibney following his appearance with Winfrey, Armstrong revealed how and why he began to use performance-enhancing drugs. He was racing with his team in Italy, and he was falling behind because other teams were using drugs. So Armstrong said, “We either have to play ball or go home” -- and in this case, playing ball meant using illegal drugs.
Application: Lance Armstrong was unable to follow Paul’s advice to stand firm on what he was taught to be right.
*****
Haggai 1:15b--2:9
Dr. Elisa Port, a cancer surgeon, has been selected as the American Cancer Society’s Mother of the Year. The selection came not because Dr. Port is a cancer survivor, but rather for her endeavors to advance cancer research and patient care. In an article she wrote for The Daily Beast, Port tried to translate her hectic daily routine as a working wife and mother, a life that is run like an “advanced military operation,” to the challenges of a wife and mother who has cancer. Dr. Port wrote, “But I see every single patient as a person who is deeply connected to others in the same way that I am with my family. Knowing how important her well-being is to others in her life is something that I keep at the forefront of my mind while delivering her care.”
Application: Haggai gave us the promise of hope and new life.
*****
Luke 20:27-38
Delta Flight 2255, a transcontinental flight from Atlanta to Los Angles, seemed to be uneventful. At the beginning of the flight, an attendant gave the usual safety instructions. She then thanked all the uniformed soldiers onboard for their service to our country. This was followed by polite but sincere applause from the rest of the passengers. But the atmosphere on this apparently ordinary flight abruptly changed 45 minutes prior to landing. The pilot announced that a fallen soldier was on board the plane, and that everyone should remain seated until the honor guard escorting his body home could depart. The passengers were also informed that they should not be alarmed by the fire trucks appearing at gate 69A, for it is a Los Angles tradition to greet a fallen soldier with a water cannon salute. John DiScala, who wrote the article, noted the “water glistening on the windowpanes looked like tears.”
Application: There is sorrow in death, but as Jesus taught we will all once again be made alive.
*****
Luke 20:27-38
Joshua DuBois for years has written a daily devotional solely for Barack Obama, many of which have now been compiled in a book (The President’s Devotional). In an article for The Daily Beast, DuBois contends that prominent atheist Richard Dawkins is really a “secret Christian,” just as Dawkins says that Obama is a “secret atheist.” DuBois lists the many hidden signs that indicate to him that Dawkins may just be a believer, or certainly on the verge of becoming a believer. For instance, having been born and raised in the opulence of Nairobi, Kenya, Dawkins understands the beauty of creation that is beyond any human endeavor. If Dawkins comes forth as a Christian, DuBois concludes, “What a preacher he will be; not since the Apostle Paul on the road to Damascus will we have seen such a sight.”
Application: I am sure that even some of the Sadducees that Jesus spoke to became believers in the resurrection.
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From team member Chris Keating:
Haggai 1:15b--2:9
The Future That Never Happened
Haggai points out the obvious: decades after the people’s return from captivity, the Jerusalem temple was still a shambles. Their building campaign had fizzled, and the temple was more than a few stones short of completion. The future that had been imagined never happened.
In 1972, the futuristic-looking Nakagin Capsule Tower in Tokyo, Japan, was completed. This modular-looking apartment and office complex is an example of the Metabolism style of architecture, and is comprised of 140 capsules that are about 4 x 8 feet each. At the time, Tokyo was planning on an explosive rate of growth and was looking for structures that could be adapted and changed over time. (Each of the capsules can be taken out and replaced as needed.)
Yet, as Doug Bierend notes in Wired, this structure was built for a future that never happened. Today much of the landmark building is unused, and its future is in question. Some see it as a towering cruise ship, others as a vessel for exploring outer space. More than a few call it ugly.
Bierend’s article sketches the problems of the pod-building. “It was a future that never came to be, largely for economic reasons, and the tower became an anachronism, a one-of-a-kind structure that was an eyesore to some and an intriguing totem of unmet idealism to others.”
Application: Haggai asks, “How does it look to you now?” Indeed, at times the structures of the past must give way to the new things God is doing. The Nakagin capsules never met the need they were built to serve. Its future is in doubt. Yet for Haggai, there is no doubt that God is doing something new. From the ruined stones will come new relationships, a new covenant, and a new people. Haggai calls God’s people to remember God’s promise, and to take heart, “For I am with you.”
*****
Haggai 1:15b--2:9
Location, Location, Location
Haggai’s question “Who is left among you that saw this house in its former glory?” may prompt mixed reactions from longtime church members who look around at pews that are no longer full and Sunday school rooms that go unused. As mainline churches decline and close, the prophet’s words may strike close to home. Our buildings may not be in ruins -- not all of them, at least. But as congregations shrink, the buildings seem much emptier and too costly to maintain.
And then they go on the auction block -- sold to become private residences, restaurants, pubs, or perhaps just torn down.
Alan Rudnick wonders if there might be another way of repurposing these old buildings. Citing a report from the Church of England, Rudnick says, “The idea goes something like this: keep the church building operating and functional, but repurpose the building so that services can be held while housing other functions.”
He continues: “Could repurposing a church revive a church and help spawn new life through becoming a center for religious and cultural life? Doubling as a coffee shop and a church? Doubling as a library and a church? Doubling as a cultural center and a church?”
Application: If that model could be pursued, perhaps others would join in Haggai’s refrain: “Who is left among you that saw this house in its former glory?...The latter splendor of this house shall be greater than the former, says the Lord of hosts; and in this place I will give prosperity, says the Lord of hosts.”
*****
Luke 20:27-38
Resurrection Questions
Not long after his wife died, Bob called me and wanted to have coffee. Sitting in the coffee shop, we bantered on about different things that were happening at church. But I could tell he had more on his mind than simply asking about the youth group.
Finally, he looked at me and said, “What will happen if I wanted to date someone?” He wasn’t asking me for dating advice. His question was partly practical, but largely theological -- like the questions the Sadducees bring to Jesus.
Bob and his wife had enjoyed a loving, long, and particularly close marriage. Knowing that she was dying, Bob’s wife had said she wouldn’t be offended if he would enter into relationships after she had died. He wondered, however, what might happen in heaven someday -- would he have two wives expecting his devotion?
The Sadducees were also preoccupied by questions of resurrection. Because they don’t believe in the resurrection, they try to trap Jesus with a trick question. But their deeper questions were not unlike Bob’s struggles. What is the resurrection all about?
Should he date again? “Why not?” I suggested, adding that God certainly wants us to enjoy our time on Earth. What happens next, as Jesus seems to suggest, will be up to God, who is god not of the dead, but of the living.
Application: There is a hunger today about what resurrection looks like. We should take our cue from Jesus: we are children of the resurrection. Jesus’ response may not have answered all of the Sadducees’ questions. I’m not sure I completely satisfied my parishioner that day over coffee, either. But Jesus’ words do point us toward the way of love and comfort, and a hope that cannot be easily described: God is not of the dead, but of the living.
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From team member Leah Lonsbury:
Psalm 145, 2 Thessalonians 2:1-17, and Luke 20:27-38
What kind of God do you serve? How does that affect the way you move throughout the world? How does your understanding of God shape your own character, actions, and interactions?
Psalm 145 characterizes God like this...
YHWH, you are gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.
YHWH, you are good to all and compassionate toward all your creatures...
YHWH, you are just in all your ways and loving toward all that you have created.
(vv. 8-9, 17, The Inclusive Bible)
In 2 Thessalonians, we are told that God is constant, committed, faithful, and trustworthy, and that we are called to “stand firm and hold fast to the traditions” we have been taught in way that is similarly faithful and true (v. 15). Verses 16 and 17 also assure us that Jesus and God love us and through grace give us “eternal comfort and good hope,” strengthening us “in every good work and word.”
In our passage for Luke for this Sunday, we learn through Jesus’ teachings that God is not a nitpicky deity and is uninterested in wrangling over niceties, convention, and unimportant details. So if God isn’t willing to get tied up inane questions over crazy hypotheticals and marriage rules, what might catch and hold God’s attention? That which brings resurrection and life and people who have and are living the eternal life with God already. Those are the sorts of things with which God is concerned.
How do these descriptions of God compare to Mark Driscoll’s recent interpretation of God and Jesus (“Is God a Pacifist?”)? How does Driscoll’s understanding of God shape his ministry, his life, and the lives of those who follow his lead? What are the results of this kind of following? Do they follow what we are being told about God in our texts for today?
Tyler Tankersley writes in response to Driscoll’s line of thinking: “Driscoll feels that it is wrong to portray Jesus as a pacifist. I am not sure he and I are reading the same New Testament.” How does Tankersley’s interpretation of Jesus and the God he shows us fit into what this week’s scriptures are telling us about the divine? How does this kind of interpretation shape us? Where does it lead us?
What kind of God do you serve, and why does it matter?
*****
Haggai 1:15--2:9
The Senate is set to advance legislation that will ban discrimination based on gender identity or sexual orientation in the workplace, despite the uphill battle the bill will face in the House. In a key vote this week to avoid a filibuster, all 55 Senate Democrats supported the legislation, known as ENDA (The Employment Non-Discrimination Act), as did a handful of Republicans. One of those Republicans was Nevada’s Dean Heller. Explaining his decision to support the bill, Heller said it’s “the right thing to do.... This legislation raises the federal standards to match what we have come to expect in Nevada, which is that discrimination must not be tolerated under any circumstance.”
The prophet Haggai delivered a message calling the people to “work” and rebuild the temple despite the odds, the threat of an insecure economy and culture, and the rebuilding efforts of their individual and family lives already demanding their attention. It wasn’t practical work, or even work that seemed to make a whole lot of sense on the surface of things, but God told them it was the right thing to do. God promised to abide with the people and prosper their efforts. God called them away from fearful decision-making and towards a big act of faith.
How might God be calling us in similar ways?
*****
Luke 20:27-38
Miami Dolphins offensive lineman Richie Incognito has been suspended indefinitely as evidence surfaced that he used a racial slur in reference to teammate Jonathan Martin and bullied him via a series of derogatory and threatening voicemails. Martin’s sudden departure from the team last week to receive help for emotional issues prompted the investigation that uncovered Incognito’s messages. Late Sunday night, the Dolphins organization released this statement regarding Incognito’s suspension: “We believe in maintaining a culture of respect for one another and as a result we believe this decision is in the best interest of the organization at this time.”
This is not the kind of camaraderie that wins games or binds players together in life-giving relationships. This kind of behavior won’t allow anyone to be their best on or off the field. What kind of playing or living is this anyway?
It’s the opposite of what Jesus was trying to draw out of his followers. He resists the Sadducees’ questioning and their tendency to get drawn into obsessive rule following and keeping -- none of which has the capacity to bring life. He knows these leaders are intent on breaking him down and tearing apart his character and authority, so he encourages the Sadducees to turn from spinning their wheels into what would inevitably become a death spiral and instead focus their attention on that which would bring resurrection and life.
Where are we on the spectrum between Incognito and Martin, the Sadducees and Jesus, and death and life? How can we begin to turn from our destructive behaviors and attitudes to resurrected living with Jesus?
WORSHIP RESOURCES
by George Reed
Call to Worship
Leader: We will extol you, our God and Sovereign.
People: We will bless your name forever and ever.
Leader: Every day we will bless you.
People: We will praise your name forever and ever.
Leader: Our mouths will speak the praise of our God.
People: All flesh will bless God’s holy name forever and ever.
OR
Leader: Come and celebrate the Rock of our salvation.
People: We come to rejoice in the steadfastness of our God.
Leader: God is our sure defense.
People: In God alone do we trust.
Leader: God holds us in the palm of the hand.
People: We are safe when we trust our lives to God.
Hymns and Sacred Songs
“All My Hope Is Firmly Grounded”
found in:
UMH: 132
H82: 665
NCH: 408
CH: 88
ELA: 757
“Great Is Thy Faithfulness”
found in:
UMH: 140
AAHH: 158
NNBH: 45
NCH: 423
CH: 86
ELA: 733
W&P: 72
AMEC: 84
“My Hope Is Built”
found in:
UMH: 368
PH: 379
AAHH: 385
NNBH: 274
NCH: 403
CH: 537
LBW: 293, 294
ELA: 596, 597
W&P: 405
“Christ Is Made the Sure Foundation”
found in:
UMH: 559
H82: 518
PH: 416, 417
NCH: 400
CH: 275
LBW: 367
ELA: 645
AMEC: 518
“Hope of the World”
found in:
UMH: 178
H82: 472
PH: 360
NCH: 46
CH: 538
LBW: 493
W&P: 404
“ ’Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus”
found in:
UMH: 462
AAHH: 368
NNBH: 292
AMEC: 440
“Jesus Is All the World to Me”
found in:
UMH: 469
AAHH: 382
NNBH: 283
W&P: 349
“The Church’s One Foundation”
found in:
UMH: 545, 546
H82: 525
PH: 442
AAHH: 337
NNBH: 297
NCH: 386
CH: 272
LBW: 369
ELA: 654
W&P: 544
AMEC: 519
“All I Need Is You”
found in:
CCB: 100
“Learning to Lean”
found in:
CCB: 74
Music Resources Key:
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982 (The Episcopal Church)
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
AAHH: African-American Heritage Hymnal
NNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
LBW: Lutheran Book of Worship
ELA: Evangelical Lutheran Worship
W&P: Worship & Praise
AMEC: African Methodist Episcopal Church Hymnal
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
Prayer for the Day / Collect
O God who is the very foundation of creation: Grant us the wisdom to seek our fulfillment first in you before we enjoy the pleasures of this world; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We worship and praise you, O God, for you are the creator of all and the foundation upon which all existence stands. Receive our worship, and help us to hear a word from you today that will move us to place our lives fully into your strong, loving hands. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
Leader: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins, and especially our looking for eternal security in transitory things.
People: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We look around at the good things of creation and we think we can place our trust in them. But pleasant as they are, they cannot serve as the foundations for our lives. Yet we cling to them and seek them above all other things. We use and abuse one another in our greed to gather all we can. In the end we stand with empty hands because we have failed to allow you to place us in your great care and love. Forgive us and take us once more into yourself that we may stand secure in you. Amen.
Leader: God is our Rock and our Salvation. God welcomes us into the shelter of love and grace eternal. Allow God to receive you and live in God’s peace.
Prayers of the People (and the Lord’s Prayer)
Praise and glory and worship are yours, O God, who creates and sustains your creation and your creatures. Your constant love upholds us in all our lives.
(The following paragraph may be used if a separate prayer of confession has not been used.)
We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We look around at the good things of creation and we think we can place our trust in them. But pleasant as they are, they cannot serve as the foundations for our lives. Yet we cling to them and seek them above all other things. We use and abuse one another in our greed to gather all we can. In the end we stand with empty hands because we have failed to allow you to place us in your great care and love. Forgive us and take us once more into yourself that we may stand secure in you.
We give you thanks for all the ways in which you have surrounded us with your loving care and grace. We thank you for our home here on Earth and for your Spirit that greets us within creation. We thank you for those who have experienced your constant presence and who have left their witness to share with us.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We know that many find life to be precarious and fragile and think there is no security, hope, or help in this life. As you hold them in your eternal hands, help us to reach out with our hands and share your love with them through our care in your name.
(Other intercessions may be offered.)
All these things we ask in the Name of our Savior Jesus Christ, who taught us to pray together, saying:
Our Father . . . Amen.
(or if the Lord’s Prayer is not used at this point in the service)
All this we ask in the Name of the Blessed and Holy Trinity. Amen.
Children’s Sermon Starter
Show the children a piece of string and piece of strong rope. Ask which one they would want to use to climb something very high. (You can use multiple objects where the choice is obvious.) Then talk about how we can trust God or something else. God is always the better choice.
CHILDREN’S SERMON
Don’t Mind the Storm
2 Thessalonians 2:1-5, 13-17
You’re going to help teach the lesson today -- we’re going to make it rain in church! How can we do that? I’ll show you. First, I want you to rub your hands together. (Have the children follow each of your instructions.) Good. Now, let me hear you snap your fingers. Good! Now, pat your hands on your legs like you’re playing a drum. That’s it. Finally, stomp your feet on the floor like you’re marching really fast. Good! Now we’ll put these sounds all together and make a rainstorm. (This is a little bit like singing a round. First, divide the children into four groups. Have one group of people begin rubbing their hands together. Then have the second group join them, and slowly have the first group begin snapping. Gradually add groups and sounds, with each group overlapping and performing the cycle of rubbing/snapping/patting/stomping. Once you have everyone stomping, quiet the rain by bringing the children through the cycle in reverse. End with all children rubbing their hands together and gradually let the rain die out.)
During our time together we talk about loving God and living our lives the way he asks. We talk about loving Jesus and loving those around us. We know that if we live our lives the way he asks we will be happier, right? Well, that’s true. But sometimes loving God is like living in the middle of a rainstorm. Things can get hard. Life can be scary, just like the thunder in a storm. It’s easy to forget what we know when there’s so much noise around us!
Our Bible lesson today reminds us that even though life is hard, we should always remember what we’ve learned. The things we’ve learned about God are important, and they can help us get through any time our lives get stormy. Just like rainstorms happen every once in a while, we will all have hard times in our lives. The good news is that God has promised to take care of us and we can help each other get through any storm we face.
Prayer: Dear God, help us be brave and listen to you when things get scary in our lives. Help us trust you more every day. Amen.
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The Immediate Word, November 10, 2013, issue.
Copyright 2013 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.
