Immediate Word

North Carolina became the center of national controversy last month when it passed the “Public Facilities Privacy and Security Act,” a law requiring that “multiple-occupancy bathrooms and changing facilities, such as locker rooms, be designated for use only by people based on their ‘biological sex’ stated on their birth certificate.” Critics of the legislation have labeled it discriminatory against transgender people (and the entire LGBT community as well, because it also “overrides all local ordinances concerning wages, employment, and public accommodations”), while proponents argue that it “defends religious liberty and protects girls in public restrooms.” The perception of discrimination has had some high-profile economic consequences -- PayPal announced that it was shelving plans to open an operations center in the state, while Bruce Springsteen cancelled a scheduled concert to support what he termed the “fight against prejudice and bigotry.”

In this installment of The Immediate Word, team member Chris Keating notes that the challenges facing transgender people, and their grudging acceptance by elements of mainstream society, may parallel the experience of the Gentiles that Peter dines with in this week’s lectionary text from Acts. Those who have come to The Way via Judaism (“the circumcised believers”) have a serious issue interacting with those who don’t fit their rigid requirements -- forcing Peter to “explain it to them, step by step.” He relates the vision he receives from the Lord, pointing out that the Spirit has left him express instructions “not to make a distinction between them and us.” Chris suggests that as our society considers what doors to open to transgender people, we ought to seriously take stock of the doors God is opening to us... and which Jesus calls us to open to one another.

Team member Dean Feldmeyer shares some additional thoughts on the theme of how we demonstrate our faith to others -- and what message we are sending through our actions. Dean points out that whether we realize it or not, we are the public face of Christianity to others -- and we might want to ask ourselves if our political stances are in line with our religious and moral ones... a conflict that some Christian leaders are struggling with as they try to make sense of strong support in some quarters for Donald Trump. Dean notes that it’s not sufficient to merely display a patina of Christianity in our lives -- we also need to make it the touchstone of our existence on a deep, everyday level that is reflected in our actions... for it is by this that the world will know we are Jesus’ disciples.

 

Opening Closed Doors
by Chris Keating
Acts 11:1-18; John 13:31-35

If Peter had known what was going to be on the menu, he might have brought a super-sized package of Tums with him. 

But it wasn’t the ham salad and shrimp he had at Cornelius’ picnic that gave him indigestion. Something far more astonishing than eating a five-alarm chili cheeseburger happened on his sojourn through Joppa. More than a stop at one of Guy Fieri’s famed Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives, Peter’s plunge into the Gentile pool has rattled his world -- not to mention the fear and anxiety of the apostles back in Jerusalem.

The brothers and sisters are angry: “Why did you go to the uncircumcised men and eat with them?” This is far more than a breach of etiquette. Peter’s experience is a breach of faith, a willful violation of God’s law. Peter then walks the church through his experience, showing them what has happened. A door that had seemed impenetrable swung wide open.

God has a habit of opening doors and changing hearts.

The radical nature of that discovery challenged the early believers, and may also challenge Christians today. So-called “bathroom bills” such as North Carolina’s recently enacted “Public Facilities Privacy and Security Act” are under consideration across the nation. The laws, which require individuals to use facilities according to the biological sex stated on their birth certificate, are considered discriminatory to persons who are transgender. While society is becoming more accepting of transgender people, legislators seem primed to shut bathroom doors.

Although the controversy would have seemed unthinkable a few years ago, understandings have changed. Transgender individuals are weary of being bullied, ignored, even attacked. Bathrooms have become the frontline in new fights for civil rights.

Fears and anxiety are on the rise. Peter would have understood this ruckus. Standing before his critics, he testifies to his broadening discovery -- pointedly saying to them: “Who was I that I could hinder God?” As doors are being shut, perhaps it is time to reconsider Jesus’ words: “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another.”

In the News
In less than a year since the Supreme Court’s landmark decision permitting same-sex marriage, conservative frustration has coalesced into a stampede of legislation aimed at the LGBT community. Twenty-two states are now considering bills with provisions similar to North Carolina’s bathroom bill -- and there are more than 100 bills directed at various aspects of LGBT issues, including laws aimed at transgender issues, marriage, and so-called religious freedom acts.

Proponents see the legislation as an attempt to correct judicial or legislative “overreach,” while the LGBT community views the attempts as discrimination. The line of pending bills is as long as the wait to use a baseball stadium’s facilities. Tennessee legislators have been pondering a law similar to the one adopted in North Carolina (though the bill’s sponsor pulled it from consideration yesterday following protests), while Virginia recently tabled discussion of a law requiring parents to check their children’s genitals before taking them to the bathroom. (Yes, you read that correctly.)

Results from a national survey show Americans are mixed in their feelings about transgender issues. Jason Pierceson, a political science professor at the University of Illinois, noted in a 2015 survey that 56 percent of respondents supported formal policies protecting transgender students in public schools. Yet only 30 percent said they would support transgender persons using restrooms or locker rooms based upon gender identity rather than birth sex.

For many, it appears the matter is settled. But Pierceson noted that while Americans are becoming familiar with celebrity transgender individuals such as Caitlyn Jenner, they are less comfortable with trans issues in local communities. This is likely to change, however, as transgender students are coming out at younger and younger ages. Access to bathrooms and locker rooms are likely to be critical points of contention.

Those in favor of restricting access to public accommodations express fears that trans adults might abuse children, or that sex predators would have easier access to victims. Protecting children has become the rallying cry of those trying to restrict bathrooms to an individual’s birth gender -- though there is little to substantiate those concerns. It remains an emotionally charged issue.

As one mother, who is also a victim of sexual assault, wrote: “Let me be clear: I am not saying that transgender people are predators. Not by a long shot. What I am saying is that there are countless deviant men in this world who will pretend to be transgender as a means of gaining access to the people they want to exploit, namely women and children.”

Statistics do not seem to match these amped-up fears, however. Laws protecting individuals from sexual assault are already in place -- not to mention that there are few practical ways to keep predators out of bathrooms anyway. School districts that have affirmed the rights of transgender persons to use restrooms which correspond to their gender identity report no incidents of harassment or inappropriate behavior. In states that have adopted anti-discrimination laws, there has been no increase in the number of reported sexual assaults. Of the more than 84,000 rapes committed in 2014, none involved violations of non-discrimination ordinances.

Indeed, picking a bathroom is both more difficult and potentially more volatile for trans individuals. “In general, I hate using the restroom because I’m such a feminine or androgynous looking person,” said Devin-Norelle, a trans activist from New York. Many trans individuals say restrooms become centers of abuse and harassment. Nearly 70% of trans adults say they have been verbally assaulted while using the bathroom.

Businesses, entertainers, and LGBT activists continue to denounce bills such as North Carolina’s bathroom bill. In response, North Carolina’s governor signed an executive order that “clarified” the gender identity law. It extended some protection to keep LGBT employees from being fired for being gay or transgender. But it stopped short of allowing trans persons to use bathrooms corresponding with their identity. One legislator called the governor’s action an attempt to “put a band-aid on a fatal wound.”

Instead, the governor seems intent on keeping the doors closed. In many ways, bathrooms have always been at the center of civil rights debates. Jim Crow laws once mandated separate facilities for black persons. Women’s activists pushed for better restroom facilities as the number of females entering the workplace increased during the 1970s. The Americans with Disabilities Act was in part a response to the disability rights movement’s push for accessible facilities. Where we go is a basic human right.

In some ways this could be an issue, like gay marriage, where opinions and attitudes are evolving. A 2014 Williams Institute study revealed that support for transgender persons has increased by 40 percent between 2005 and 2011. Schuyler Bailar, who may be the first openly transgender male athlete to compete in a NCAA Division I men’s sport, is a great example.

Two years ago, Bailar’s championship breaststroke was capturing the attention of women’s swim coaches from across the country. Harvard made a bid, and Bailar accepted. When Bailar stood on the pool deck this fall, however, it was with Harvard’s men’s team. In a recent 60 Minutes profile, Bailar discussed the personal and historical impact of his transition:

Lesley Stahl: Have you ever in the whole time second-guessed what you did?
Schuyler Bailar: I think I’d be lying if I said no.
Lesley Stahl: So you have.
Schuyler Bailar: I know I made the right decision. But I think sometimes I, like... I’m like, “Oh, I really wish I could -- I could compete as a girl.” Because I want to win that race. It’s fun to win, and it’s something that I worked really hard for. And, you know, I work the same amount. But now I’m working the same amount for 16th place, you know?
Lesley Stahl: And that’s OK?
Schuyler Bailar: And that’s OK. It’s the way it is. And it’s also a lot of fun. It has other kinds of glory in it.
Lesley Stahl: Different kind of glory.
Schuyler Bailar: Definitely a different kind. It’s a glory that, like, fills me inside.
Lesley Stahl: Compared to one year ago, how are you feeling?
Schuyler Bailar: Proud. In one word, proud.

And who could blame him?

“Where I am going, you cannot come,” Jesus says -- though of course he isn’t referring to restrooms. But as Peter discovered, being a disciple of Christ does mean encountering new realities. In that light, we’d do well to consider Jesus’ further instructions: “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

In the Scriptures
Peter’s night out with the Gentiles creates difficulties for traditionalists in Jerusalem. What might work on the mission field doesn’t square up too well with the home office in Acts 11, and on his return the so-called circumcision party convenes an inquest. Peter seems to be playing fast and loose with long-held convictions and laws, something they cannot begin to imagine.

Peter, on the other hand, has come to a new realization. Both in terms of his dreamy revelation and his direct experience with Cornelius, Peter understands that the same Spirit of God at work within the traditionalists is also at work with the Gentiles. The conversion of Cornelius thus becomes the conversion of Peter. From here the narrative of Acts will pivot in a new direction.  As William Willimon observes, Peter has ventured into new directions: “He has no proof text to justify himself,” Willimon notes (Acts [Westminster/John Knox Press, 1988], p. 98). “He is out on risky terrain without tradition or scripture to back him up.”

Yet Peter senses that the same Spirit which raised Jesus from the dead is at work. It wasn’t that Peter had initiated any of this; it was God. “Who was I that I could hinder God?” The news that God has reached beyond Israel to include Gentiles was disturbing, perhaps even revolting, to the Jewish believers. The Spirit had told Peter to go, and suddenly a new day has dawned. Luke is reminding his audience once more that nothing is impossible with God. 

The proof is in the non-kosher pudding, as it were. Peter’s conversion happens as the Spirit moves him beyond human distinctions. The Spirit opens a new door that allows Peter to see what God is doing in the lives of these previously considered to be unclean. Lewis Mudge has said that “A change of heart comes when one sees the Spirit at work in the stories of strangers, recognizing in them the same Spirit that is working in one’s own life. People need first to see God at God’s surprising work. Theological reflection comes afterward...” (“Theological Perspective,” Feasting on the Word [Year C, Vol. 2], Fifth Sunday of Easter, Acts 11:1-18).

It leads to a profound, if destabilizing, conclusion which reveals God’s continuing work of redemption. The story of Peter’s night out changes the lives of the church by encouraging the community to fulfill Jesus’ instructions to love one another. The movement of the gospel seems threatening. It changes everything. But as Karen Armstrong said in her autobiography The Spiral Staircase,“Religion is about doing things that change you” (quoted by Gary Jones in “Pastoral Perspective,” Feasting on the Word [Year C, Vol. 2], Fifth Sunday of Easter, John 13:31-35).

In the Sermon
I’ll admit up front that my pulse begins to rise, my palms begin to sweat, and a pit grows inside of me when approaching sensitive preaching topics. That includes sermons about locker rooms and bathrooms. And it most certainly includes preaching on transgender issues.

But the good news is that we are called not preach “transgender issues.” As preachers, we are called to preach the gospel. We are called to remember, with Peter, the word of the Lord: “how he had said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ ” We are called to share where we see the repentance that leads to life taking root in people’s lives. We are called to point out where God may be opening doors that have been shut for too long.

Many in the church and in the LGBT community will identify with the Gentiles’ experience of being excluded. They will also resonate with the notion that God has abandoned them. Peter steps beyond the “us and them” mentality he had always known. And his experience gives us an opportunity to do the same. Who do we name as “clean” and “unclean” today? In what ways might we be hindering God? These are worthy questions to consider, especially in light of the companion gospel instruction to “love one another.”

A useful essay by Jeffrey S. Siker recounts the scandal Peter’s experience caused, and where it challenged the church. As Peter shared his experience, the critics in Jerusalem were silenced. Hearing his story changed their hearts. (See Jeffrey S. Siker, “Homosexual Christians, The Bible, and Gentile Inclusion: Confessions of a Repenting Heterosexist,” in Homosexuality in the Church: Both Sides of the Debate [Westminster/John Knox Press, 1994], p. 178.)

Like Peter, I believe we are called to share stories that change hearts.

Native North Carolinian Alex Patchin McNeil, executive director of More Light Presbyterians, puts it in these terms:

Growing up, my church taught me two important lessons: to love my neighbor as I loved myself, and that God loves me unconditionally. I was proud to live in a state that seemed to live by those virtues. I thought everyone was treated with dignity and respect, that this was the North Carolina way. However my understanding changed once I saw how gay and transgender people were treated in our state....

In the ten years since I left North Carolina, I have completed my Masters of Divinity, I am in the process for ordination to  ministry in the Presbyterian Church, and have transitioned my gender from female to male. My gender transition further convinced me that “nothing in life or in death can separate us from the love of God.” Coming out as transgender has deepened my faith that God is always with us, and that God sometimes calls us to find our courage for unexpected journeys. My preparation for the ministry has further convinced me that discrimination is not a Christian value. Jesus never turned anyone away who sought his company. Under what Christian virtue shall we turn people away seeking access to the bathroom, housing, or hospital care?

I moved back to North Carolina because I thought the environment had changed, that this state was ready to live by its motto “to be rather than to seem”; to be a state where everyone is treated with dignity and respect, rather than seem like a place where all are welcome but can be turned away for being who they are. As I prepare to buy a home, approach the department of motor vehicles to change my license, and apply for NC health insurance, I am keenly aware that I am back in a state that offers no protections for me as a transgender man.

Not everyone will agree with his perspective, of course, and these remain sensitive issues in many congregations. Still, McNeil’s testimony moves me to wonder: “How am I hindering God?”

 

SECOND THOUGHTS
The Christian Penumbra
by Dean Feldmeyer
Acts 11:1-18; John 13:31-35

In his marvelous and insightful little book The Community of the Beloved Disciple, Jesuit biblical scholar Raymond Brown reminds us that the gospel of John cannot be fully understood outside of its context -- the first-century Christian community in Ephesus. It was a big, active metropolitan church, with a diverse group of members: Jewish Christians, former pagans, Romans, Asians, Greeks, and probably some Africans -- all living, serving, and worshiping together and bringing their own backgrounds and customs into the life of the church.

This week’s gospel lesson, the giving of the Great Commandment, must be understood in that context of a diverse group of people trying to figure out what it means to be the resurrected body of Christ. Jesus’ words “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another” were and continue to be a commandment to and for the church. Those of us who reside inside the community of faith, we who are the resurrected body of Christ, are commanded to love one another.

How should we love one and other? Just as Jesus loves us -- sacrificially. 

Our visible, sacrificial love for each other is how people will know that we are disciples of Jesus Christ. It is our most effective form of evangelism.

One may reasonably ask how did this early, Johannine church come to be? How did this diverse group of people come together and eventually become a church?
 
The Acts lesson answers that question and more.

In it, Peter tells the Christians of Judea how, in a dream, he received from God a calling to take the gospel to Gentiles. The Christians in Judea, including Peter, thought that Christianity was a reform movement within Judaism. They thought it was an exclusive club. But Peter’s story of a successful ministry to the Gentiles in Caesarea (a city named after Caesar) changes their perspective. When they hear that Gentiles -- outsiders, people they formerly thought of as unclean and unacceptable -- actually heard and responded to the Good News and the baptism of the Holy Spirit, they change their minds. “Then God has given even to the Gentiles the repentance that leads to life.”

Even to the Gentiles.

If the John lesson, the Great Commandment, is about loving and accepting each other inside the church, then the Acts lesson is about loving and accepting those who are outside of the church. 

It is by these two acts of love and acceptance -- inside the church and outside of the church -- that the world comes to know and has the opportunity to respond to the Good News of Jesus Christ.

According to these two passages, the very foundation of Christianity is made up of love, acceptance, and inclusion, and these are also our most effective means of evangelism. We must be careful, then, that our public pronouncements and our visible behavior reflect these important values.

The conservative, evangelical branch of the Christian family has been struggling with these issues of late. Their conservative political values and their conservative Christian theology seem to have clashed during this presidential election year -- and their political values seem to be winning.

How else can we explain the phenomenon of evangelical Christians flocking to support Donald Trump, whose rhetoric and behavior are often the very antithesis of conservative, Christian “family values”?

Boston University professor Stephen Prothero writes in Politico that evangelical voters breaking for Donald Trump have let their political identity trump their religious identity:

The Trump candidacy is no outlier. He has not hypnotized evangelicals into forgetting the foundations of their faith. He is simply revealing the fact that their faith is now more political than theological. The white evangelicals who flock to his rallies like their parents once did to Billy Graham revivals know that he lives a life comically at odds with teachings of the Bible and the examples of the saints. But his political theology resonates powerfully with their narrative of decline and revival. Classically that narrative ran from sin in the Garden of Eden to redemption on the cross. Today it takes place in an America that has fallen from its founding glory yet will, by God’s grace and Trump’s hand, be made great again.

Prothero continues:

Donald Trump curses like a bond trader. He mocks the disabled. He expresses no need for God’s forgiveness. He seems about as familiar with the Bible (“Two Corinthians”) as ordinary Americans are with the loopholes of the IRS tax code that Trump delights in threading. The Art of the Deal, his campaign biography by default, is a human billboard for pride and lust. “I’m a greedy person,” he told an Iowa audience, “I’ve always been greedy.”... “Think of Donald Trump’s personal qualities,” Mitt Romney beseeched his fellow Republicans: “the bullying, the greed, the showing off, the misogyny, the absurd third-grade theatrics.” And yet it is Trump who has won the evangelical vote over and over until we’re all tired of the winning. He’s won the endorsement of Liberty University president Jerry Falwell Jr. The televangelist Kenneth Copeland has praised God for Trump, whom he sees as “a bold man, a strong man and an obedient man.”

To be sure, not all evangelicals have jumped on the Donald’s wagon. This enthusiastic support of Trump by people who call themselves evangelicals is distressing to many of those who have led that branch of Christianity for the past decade or more. 

Albert Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, says: “His [Trump’s] entire mode of life has been something that has been at odds with American evangelical conviction and character.”  Former Republican speech writer Peter Wehner calls evangelical support for Trump hypocritical: “When Bill Clinton was president, an awful lot of evangelical Christians ranked moral probity high on their list of leadership qualities, and they attacked Bill Clinton because they felt like he was a moral failure. And now you have Donald Trump who’s a moral degenerate, and a lot of the evangelicals are supporting him. By my definition, that’s hypocrisy.”

New York Times columnist Ross Douthat makes a convincing argument that those people who identify themselves as Christians and Trump supporters tend to be those who are the least involved in traditional religious activities -- “communities, habits, and support structures” that for centuries have been part and parcel of what it means to be a Christian. They are people who, he says, reside in “the “Christian penumbra” -- “the areas of American society where active religiosity has weakened, but a Christian-ish residue remains.”

Evangelical leaders are justified in their concern. When people publicly identify themselves as evangelical Christians and then publicly endorse a political candidate or a take a stand on a political issue -- the public and the press, right or wrong, begin to identify that candidate or issue as the standard-bearer for evangelical Christianity, and sometimes for Christianity in general.

That endorsement and support becomes the evangelical Christian witness.

And if we think that is not the case, Southern Baptist Convention official Russell Moore recently announced that he has stopped calling himself an evangelical (at least for the duration of this election season) so as not to be associated with Trump supporters.

What Moore rightly understands is that for the followers of Jesus Christ who actually strive to live as he lived, it is not enough to be Christian-ish. It is not enough to adorn ourselves with the Christian name and speak the Christian jargon and wear the Christian jewelry

We are called to actively search out the “Gentiles” of our culture, the outsiders, and to reach out to them -- making them welcome, accepted, and just as loved as every other member of our church. If we are to call ourselves Christians we can do no less, and neither can we accept or endorse as our leaders those who flaunt their disregard for these, our foundational Christian values.

 

ILLUSTRATIONS

From team member Ron Love:

Acts 11:1-18
It is a custom in Switzerland for a student to shake hands with their teacher before and after class, as a sign of mutual respect and goodwill. Two Muslim students, ages 14 and 16, have refused to do so because Islam prohibits physical contact with a person of the opposite sex. Their refusal to engage in an accepted custom of their host country has caused a public outcry, with many newspaper editorials chastising the students. This controversy has been highlighted because authorities exempted the students from the practice of shaking hands. Helena Bachmann, who reports on news from Switzerland for USA Today, writes that “Experience shows that the inability or the unwillingness of foreigners to assimilate into their new communities empowers demagogues to spread anti-immigrant rhetoric.”

Application: These students, like the critics of Peter, did not understand the meaning of accepting others of a different culture.

*****

Acts 11:1-18
Montassar Benmrad, president of the Federation of Islamic Organizations in Switzerland, responded to the controversy over two teenage Muslim students refusing to shake hands with their Swiss teachers by asking: “Can the denial of a handshake be more important than the Islamic commandment of mutual respect?”

Application: Those who criticized Peter did not understand the meaning of mutual respect.

*****

Acts 11:1-18
The army’s 56th Infantry Regiment was formed in 1899, when the United States seized Puerto Rico from Spain. All of the soldiers in the unit were Puerto Rican, and they were known as the “Borinqueneers.” In 1950 the regiment was sent to South Korea during the Korean War. As soon as they arrived they were placed on trucks to stop the Chinese advance during the Battle of the Chosin Reservoir. The Chinese soldiers had broken through the lines, and the defending Marines needed to be rescued and the breach closed. With great valor the Borinqueneers completed their perilous task and closed the breach in the line. But because they were Puerto Rican, their courage was never recognized. At the beginning of this month that was changed when Congress awarded the 56th Infantry Regiment a Congressional Gold Medal.

Application: Like Peter, we must recognize the Gentiles, the foreigners, among us.

*****

Revelation 21:1-6
Carson Wentz, from North Dakota State, is the most talked-about quarterback prospect for the coming NFL draft. His life now is a speeding railroad of interviews by NFL coaches around the country. His life is so hectic and fast-moving that his room is cluttered and suitcases remain unpacked, ready for the next trip. Growing up, he never enjoyed the North Dakota badlands because he always wanted to go and play football. Now, with a life of turmoil as he charts his future, it is in the serenity of the badlands that Wentz finds his peace. Wentz said of his hunting, fishing, and camping trips to the badlands, “It’s one of my favorite things to do, because it’s a good sense of release. It’s fun. It’s that much more enjoyable when your friends and family come along.”

Application: In the badlands Wentz has found his new heaven and new earth.

*****

Revelation 21:1-6
Ken Burns, renowned for, used to tell everyone that the first national park that he visited was Yosemite. But when he was filming his documentary The National Parks: America’s Best Idea at Yosemite he realized he was wrong. The first national park that Burns visited was Shenandoah National Park in Virginia. His mother was dying of cancer, and Burns recalls walking the trails with his father holding his hand. He now even remembers looking at a little waterfall. Of that memory Burns said, “We had this just incredibly precious weekend.” 

Application: In Shenandoah National Park, future filmmaker Ken Burns discovered his new heaven and new earth.

*****

Revelation 21:1-6
Ken Burns, known for his American history documentaries ? including The National Parks: America’s Best Idea -- notes that America’s first national park was Yellowstone, established in 1872. There are now 59 national parks, and Burns, who has visited most of them, says, “I’ve never been to one that didn’t strike my fancy in some way.”

Application: In the national parks, Ken Burns discovers his new heaven and new earth.

*****

Revelation 21:1-6
One of Ken Burns’ favorite parks is Acadia National Park in Maine. One reason he likes Cadillac Mountain in Acadia is because that is where the sun’s rays first hit America in the morning. Burns says of that experience: “You can say I’m jetting off to the Riviera and going to Thailand and I’m going to this safari, and all of those are great and should be done, but there’s nothing like a sunrise on Cadillac Mountain.”

Application: With a sunrise on Cadillac Mountain, Ken Burns has discovered his new heaven and new earth.

*****

John 13:31-35
Cardell Hayes, now 28, never applied himself in high school. After attending college for a short time, he dropped out. He always wanted to play football, but his high school coach noted that Hayes never applied himself to that sport either. He later decided to chase his dreams and attempt to make it to the NFL. At 6'6" and 300 pounds, Hayes thought he would be an awesome player. So he played for the Crescent City Kings in New Orleans, with the hope of being discovered. On the evening of April 9, Hayes’ Hummer H2 was bumped from behind by a Mercedes SUV, which then drove off. Hayes followed the vehicle, and several blocks later caught the driver. In an act of road rage, he shot the driver eight times -- leaving him dead and his wife wounded. The victim was a beloved retired defensive end for the New Orleans Saints, Will Smith. And thus Hayes went from a football prospect to an arrested murderer.

Application: In a moment of rage, Hayes lost sight of the commandment to love and forgive.

*****

John 13:31-35
Carson Wentz, the most talked-about quarterback prospect for the coming NFL draft, is being interviewed by coaches around the country. But it isn’t just Wentz who is being interviewed; his previous coaches are also being talked to so that scouts may learn more about him. If a team is going to invest millions of dollars in someone as the new public face of their team, they want to be sure about their investment. North Dakota State coach Chris Klieman said, “Everybody -- all these NFL GMs and coaches -- asks us: ‘Give me the negative.’ I just say, ‘Guys... there are no skeletons in this kid’s closet.’ ”

Application: Some people are good people. Some people really do understand the new commandment to love one another.

*****

John 13:31-35
Ethan Couch is the young man known to the public as the “affluenza” teenager. He killed four people as a drunk driver when he was 16. But it was argued that the affluent teenager did not understand the consequences of his actions because his family’s wealth always protected him. This became known as the “affluenza” defense. Instead of going to prison, Couch was sentenced to 10 years probation. He violated that probation by a drinking binge at a beer pong party. He fled to Mexico with his mother to escape going to prison as a consequence of violating his probation. He was eventually captured and extradited back to Texas, where he was sentenced to 180 days in the Tarrant County jail.

Application: The “affluenza” teenager understood judgment when he fled to Mexico; now he needs to learn the new commandment of love.

***************

From team member Mary Austin:

Acts 11:1-18
The Meeting that Changes Everything
Just as Peter’s dream changed his fundamental understanding of the world, the same kind of change happened to neurosurgeon Dr. James Doty as a young boy. Krista Tippett recently interviewed Doty on her public radio program On Being, and he told her about going to the magic shop as a young boy, searching for a magic thumb. Instead he found the owner’s mother, Ruth, minding the store while she was visiting for a few weeks. Dr. Doty says: “I meet this woman who I actually describe as this earth-mother type. She’s wearing a muumuu with this flowing grey hair, and she’s somewhat overweight, and she has this radiant smile. And, amazingly, she has nothing to do with the magic store. She is simply the owner’s mother, who happens to be sitting there while he’s running an errand.” At the time Doty was often in trouble in school, and he had a chaotic home life. As he recalls this encounter, it had a life-changing tenor. At the time, he says, “I had no control over anything, and events would happen, and I couldn’t do anything about them. And I felt -- and I think it was, in fact, reality -- that at that point, when I met her, I had limited to no possibilities. And after that six-week period of time, I suddenly had this vision that anything and everything was possible, and, ‘What happened to me?’ And that vision of possibility was so strong and so deep and so powerful that it was absolutely amazing.” At the magic store, Ruth introduced Doty to something he would later understand as neuroplasticity -- but at the time he only understood it as possibilities opening up in his life. His viewpoint changed in the same way that Peter’s did, admitting many more future possibilities. 

*****

Acts 11:1-18
A Better Story
When Peter is asked how he, a faithful Jew, can now associate with Gentiles, he doesn’t answer with logic. He answers with a story. Management guru Peter Bregman says that Peter is on the right track. To change the eating habits of the people he knows is to change their culture. And Bregman says that the best way to change a culture is to change the stories.

Bregman worked with a company that wanted to change its internal culture, a move similar to the challenges facing the early church. Bregman advised, “You change a culture with stories. Right now your stories are about how hard you work people. Like the woman you forced to work on her wedding day. You may not be proud of it, but it’s the story you tell.... And I’m certain you’re not the only one who tells it. You can be sure the bride tells it. And all her friends. If you want to change the culture, you have to change the stories.” He adds, “I told him not to change the performance review system, the rewards packages, the training programs. Don’t change anything. Not yet anyway. For now, just change the stories. For a while there will be a disconnect between the new stories and the entrenched systems promoting the old culture. And that disconnect will create tension. Tension that can be harnessed to create mechanisms to support the new stories.” 

Bregman says there are two steps, and we see both in the life of the early church: Do dramatic story-worthy things that represent the new culture, and get people to talk about it. A lot. And also, find people who do story-worthy things that show the new culture, and tell those stories. Stories reveal who we are, and Peter tells a new story after his dream in Acts 11. 

*****

Acts 11:1-18; John 13:31-35
The Boy on the Bus
Homeless people are, for many people, today’s equivalent of the first-century Gentiles. We assume they’re dirty, and we would rather avoid them whenever possible. An anonymous storyteller recalls that meeting a homeless boy on a bus changed his understanding, in a way similar to Peter’s change of heart. 

The storyteller recalls that “A few years ago I was an employee of an international company that sold computer devices. I had to travel a lot as part of my work. I remember that I was at a stage of my life where I only cared about how to make more money.” On one trip, he started to take a bus but then found himself taking a later bus. “Before that day I always took the seat behind the driver. That day I sat down somewhere in the middle. A boy was seated next to me. He was carrying a lot of suitcases and bags as if he was moving... he just turned to me and gave me one of the most authentic smiles I had ever seen from a stranger, he extended his hand and shook mine strongly, and said ‘hi.’ As the bus started to drive off, I was hoping to myself that he wasn’t going to be the kind of ‘annoying’ guy who would just start talking to the strangers next to them.” The young man did start talking, and the man wondered “Why he was annoying me when I just wanted to enjoy the bus ride?” 

After the man made a rude comment, the boy looked at him, puzzled. The man “asked him his name, where he was going, and what he was doing. The story that followed changed my whole perspective on life. Everything is different for me now because of this young boy on the bus.”

The boy said, “You can call me John. I’m 20 years old, and I’m here because I want to achieve my biggest dream ever.” 

His dad had died ten years previously, and his mom remarried a violent man. When he was 10, the stepfather beat him and then threw him out of the house, and he was left on his own to survive. “Since then, I’ve been living all over the country for the last 10 years. I’ve lived on the street, I’ve eaten from the garbage, and also I’ve known many other people who have been wonderful and kind to me. I have been lucky. And I have learned a lot from life through these years,” the boy said. 

“So what are you doing here?” the man asked. 

“I have come here to achieve the dream of my life, I’m on my way to the army school where my grandfather studied a long time ago, and the only thing I know is that I will persist until I succeed. I will follow my dream, and every day of my life I will be happy.”

At this point the man was in tears. The bus came to the boy’s stop, and “he stood up, took all his bags, extended his hand again to shake mine, and with a big smile on his face told me ‘it has been a pleasure, I hope to see you again.’ ” The man shook his hand, unable to say much. He adds, “This was such an important moment in my life. I would never have imagined that a young homeless man of 20 years could change my entire life during one short bus ride. It was an earth-shattering moment when I understood what a great person he was. To have unwavering faith all this time. And what a smile! Until today, I still don’t know if he was a kind of angel. His teachings are still with me, and I always try to do everything with my best smile on my face.” 

 

WORSHIP RESOURCES
by George Reed

Call to Worship
Leader: Praise God! Praise God from the heavens.
People: Praise God in the heights!
Leader: Praise God, all God’s and all God’s host!
People: Praise God, sun and moon and all you shining stars!
Leader: Praise God from the earth, young men and women alike.
People: Praise God from the earth, old and young together!

OR

Leader: Praise the God of all creation!
People: We lift our voices in praise to our Creator God.
Leader: God has made humans to be one family.
People: Thanks be to God, who makes us all one!
Leader: God desires us to live in unity and harmony.
People: With God’s help, we will live at peace with all God’s people.

Hymns and Sacred Songs
“From All That Dwell Below the Skies”
found in:
UMH: 101
H82: 380
PH: 229
NCH: 27
CH: 49
LBW: 550
AMEC: 69
STLT: 381

“This Is My Father’s World”
found in:
UMH: 144
H82: 651
PH: 293
AAHH: 149
NNBH: 41
CH: 59
LBW: 554
ELA: 824
W&P: 21
AMEC: 47

“Freely, Freely”
found in:
UMH: 389
Renew: 192

“Forgive Our Sins as We Forgive”
found in:
UMH: 390
H82: 674
PH: 347
LBW: 307
ELA: 605
W&P: 382
Renew: 184

“The Gift of Love”
found in:
UMH: 408
AAHH: 522
CH: 526
W&P: 397
Renew: 155

“This Is My Song”
found in:
UMH: 437
NCH: 591
CH: 722
ELA: 887
STLT: 159

“Help Us Accept Each Other”
found in:
UMH: 560
PH: 358
NCH: 388
CH: 487
W&P: 596
AMEC: 558

“Jesus, United by Thy Grace”
found in:
UMH: 561

“I Am Loved”
found in:
CCB: 80

“Live in Charity” (“Ubi Caritas”)
found in:
CCB: 71

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
STLT: Singing the Living Tradition
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
Renew: Renew! Songs & Hymns for Blended Worship

Prayer for the Day / Collect
O God, who is no respecter of persons but loves all creation: Grant to us who bear your image the grace to be open to others, so that your love and grace is made evident to all; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.

OR

We worship you, O God, who created us all without distinguishing rank or place. You call us all to be your children and to enter the glory of your reign. Help us to make your ways known, by mirroring them in the way we accept all without prejudice. Amen. 

Prayer of Confession
Leader: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins, and especially our tendency to sort people into types -- which always leads to discrimination.

People: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. You have made us all from the same earth and made us human from your own Spirit, yet we see mostly differences. We distinguish by age and gender, by race and religion, by class and dress. Our seeing differences does not end there, but we begin to evaluate and rank people based on the groups we have put them in. Forgive us our blindness, and open our eyes and hearts to the wondrous diversity of your creation. Help us to love others as you love all of us. Amen.

Leader: God is not a respecter of persons but loves us all, even when we are not so loving and open-minded. Receive God’s love and forgiveness, and live in peace with all of God’s children.

Prayers of the People (and the Lord’s Prayer)
We praise you, O God, for your great love which has created us in a myriad of models. We wonder at your love that reaches out to all. 

(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. You have made us all from the same earth and made us human from your own Spirit, yet we see mostly differences. We distinguish by age and gender, by race and religion, by class and dress. Our seeing differences does not end there, but we begin to evaluate and rank people based on the groups we have put them in. Forgive us our blindness, and open our eyes and hearts to the wondrous diversity of your creation. Help us to love others as you love all of us.

We thank you for the blessings you have given to us and to all creation. We thank you for the miracle of life and for the joy and sharing of your love with others. We thank you for those who have shared your love with us, even when we have been unlovable. 

(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)

We pray for each other in our need. We know that we are dim reflections of your image at times, and we pray for your healing touch upon all of your children. 

(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
Talk to the children about food they like and that they don’t like. It is okay for us to disagree -- we don’t have to like the same foods. We can’t call food bad just because it is not like the food we like. God told Peter that just as all food is good whether or not we like it, all people are good whether they are like us or not. 

 

CHILDREN’S SERMON
by Robin Lostetter
John 13:31-35; Acts 11:1-18

“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35)
“The Spirit told me... not to make a distinction between them and us” (Acts 11:12)

Prepare ahead of time: Several slips of paper with scenarios on them, such as the following:
* A new kid comes to school for the first time. You say hello to him in the hall or you ask him to sit with you at lunch.
* There’s a girl walking her dog and she’s pulling hard at the leash, trying to chase a squirrel. You run to help her.
* You’re in your Sunday school class, and one of your friends is crying. You go to them, maybe put your hand on their shoulder, and ask what’s wrong or if there’s anything you can do to help.
* There’s an awkward kid at school, and he drops all his books in the hallway. You walk by and pretend not to notice.
* There’s an older woman crossing the street. She’s going very slowly, carrying two heavy packages. You offer to help with the packages so she won’t be out in the street alone when the light changes.
* You’re in an after-school youth group, and someone wants to become a member. But their skin is darker than yours, and they speak with a heavy accent. You help make up reasons why they can’t join.

Gather the children. Explain that Jesus said other people would know we were his followers -- that we were Christians -- by showing that we had love for one another. And in Acts, the Holy Spirit tells Peter to extend the same love to those outside the church.

So here are some situations. Some describe people acting with love, showing that they are followers of Jesus. Some describe people not acting lovingly. Let’s see which ones describe followers of Jesus. (If there are enough older ones who can read, give each of them a slip of paper. You can pair them up with a younger one who can’t read.)

As they read the scenarios, be sure to “judge” what is on the paper and not the youth holding the paper. In fact, it is important throughout to model loving behavior toward each child -- giving positive responses to their answers, especially if they seem to be identifying with the negative examples.

If there’s time, you might ask for them to give examples of when they or their friends have acted lovingly.

Then close with a prayer: Loving God, we thank you for Jesus’ teachings. It is good to know that we can show we are his disciples simply by doing the loving thing. Help us to remember always to act lovingly, so we may attract more people to Christ and his Church. Amen.

 
* * * * * * * * * * * * *

The Immediate Word, April 24, 2016, issue.

Copyright 2016 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.