From the Outside In
Children's sermon
Illustration
Preaching
Sermon
Worship
For March 4, 2018:
From the Outside In
by Mary Austin
John 2:13-22
Jesus comes to the temple as an outsider, and immediately starts upsetting both tables and traditions. He forces people to see long-held customs with new eyes, disrupting the familiar ways of doing things. Jesus has found a time and a place for righteous anger, and is using his rage to force people to see the customary in a new way. The process of changing money and selling animals for sacrifice has been going on for a long time, and Jesus comes into the temple and forces everyone to see it all differently -- at least for one day.
After the deaths of 17 fellow students and teachers, Florida high school students are finding their own places of anger, and forcing people to see the familiar in new ways. Fueled by anger and grief, they walked out of “their Florida schools Wednesday to show solidarity for the Marjory Douglas Stoneman High School shooting victims while pushing for tighter gun control in the wake of the massacre. The walkouts happened as thousands converged in the state’s capital, hundreds of miles away from the Parkland school, to press legislators to take action.” They watched the Florida legislature decline to debate an assault weapons bill, and did not go home quietly.
They have taken on Florida Senator Marco Rubio, and met with the President. A day later, students around the country joined them in wlaking out of school. “Students in Washington, Phoenix, Minneapolis, Colorado and Illinois also walked out in solidarity -- saying they were disgusted by yet another school massacre with no change in gun laws.” With their anger, they are forcing the state of Florida and the country to think about how long we accepted the influence of the gun industry and its lobbyists, without imagining that things could be different. Their anger, like Jesus’ rage, is moving us to see things differently.
In the Scriptures
The temple establishment is familiar to Jesus -- his parents bring him there for the required sacrifices after his birth, and he comes with the family as a teenager for the Passover. The story says that this is customary for the family, so he’s acquainted with the layout, and where to find the money changers and animal sellers. He’s observed them on his visits to the temple, and perhaps his family has talked about the financial burden of making the sacrifices. Perhaps he hears his parents planning and saving for the sacrifices, as our kids might hear us talking about saving for a big purchase.
We don’t know how long the system has been bothering him. John’s gospel places this story at the beginning of his public ministry, while the synoptic gospels place it at the end. Placed at the start of his work, it signals a break with doing business as usual in the realm of God. It shows that someone outside the system has something to say about how the temple business is transacted.
As an outsider, Jesus can see the system more clearly than the people who have become accustomed to it. From the inside, years of tradition have accumulated, and they don’t see any other way to do it. Karoline Lewis writes for Working Preacher, “Yet, Jesus’ command to the dove sellers differs strikingly from the accounts in Matthew, Mark, and Luke (Matthew 21:12-13; Mark 11:15-19; Luke 19:45-48). Instead of a concern for temple malpractices (“den of robbers”), Jesus orders that his Father’s house not be made a marketplace. For the temple system to survive, however, the ordered transactions of a marketplace were essential. The temple had to function as a place of exchange for maintaining and supporting the sacrificial structures. Jesus is not quibbling about maleficence or mismanagement but calls for a complete dismantling of the entire system. Underneath this critique lies also the intimation that the temple itself is not necessary. At the center of such theological statements is the fundamental question of God’s location, which will be confirmed in the dialogue between Jesus and the Jewish authorities.” Jesus isn’t asking for a tweak here and a shift there, but for a whole new way of doing things.
In the News
Students in Florida are also demanding a new way of doing things, disrupting business-as-usual in Florida, normally a gun-friendly state. When they made their way to Tallahassee after the shootings, Ryan Deitsch, a Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School senior, accused the Legislature of “political double-talk.” “I know I’ve been walking into office after office after office, and I’ve spoken to maybe three representatives, two of which already agreed with me,” said Dietsch. “I want to see those people who shot down that bill [banning assault weapons], who did not let it get past committee. I want to see those people. I’m not here for a fight, I’m not here to argue with you. I just want to see your face and know why.” Hundreds of people joined a number of the students for a two-hour long rally on the old Capitol steps.
This will be a long fight for the students, and one full of things to learn. They are learning to be activists as they go. There was little to suggest yet that anything would. But in Battle Creek, Mich., in Bakersfield, Calif., in Toms River, N.J., in Iowa City, and all over South Florida, the flickers of underage protest this week seemed to augur something new: a coast-to-coast challenge to the idea that the Snapchat generation was too young, too frivolous, for politics. “We definitely have a moral obligation to do something, considering that so many innocent people that we know passed,” said Mr. Bishop’s sister, Julia Bishop, 18. “These adults, these politicians, these lawmakers, these legislators, they were supposed to protect us. And they didn’t.” Many of the protests around the country have arrived semi-spontaneously, apparently ignited by the impassioned pleas of young Parkland survivors in the hours and days after the shooting on February 14th. Facebook and Twitter have amplified attendance; Snapchat and Instagram have documented the marches, signs and chants.
Future marches are on the calendar. “For now, however, there is momentum. From South Florida to Bellingham, Wash., local walkouts were proliferating. A national event has been planned for March 14, the one-month anniversary of the Parkland shooting, when students and teachers plan to leave class for 17 minutes, one minute for each victim. On March 24, students will protest in Washington at an event organized by March for Our Lives, the group formed by Parkland survivors, which has received hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations from celebrities. Another mass walkout is scheduled for April 20, when students will commemorate the 19th year since the Columbine High School shooting in 1999. The organizers of last year’s Women’s March are directing the March 14 walkout. Mostly, though, the adults have gotten out of the way.”
There is a familiar pattern after school shootings, but this time the path is different. Momentum has taken hold in new directions, and it appears that real change may be coming. “It’s mind-blowing that while [the Parkland students] are still in the first days of dealing with trauma, anger, grief, they’re putting it toward really careful and thoughtful political and civic action -- it’s just amazing,” said Meira Levinson, a Harvard Graduate School of Education professor whose research focuses on civic education and youth empowerment. “At the same time, it’s also important to recognize that other young people have done this [activism] also within days -- they’re experiencing the same grief -- and haven’t gotten the attention that these [Parkland] students have.” It quickly became clear that these survivors were poised to spearhead a political movement whose message is so loud, and so raw, it’s continued to dominate mainstream news coverage and radio shows and even late-night comedy a week after the shooting -- an unusual phenomenon in today’s real-time news environment. They’ve written haunting op-eds and delivered viral speeches; they’ve instigated rallies and prompted nationwide walkouts by students and teachers. Now they’re planning -- from their parents’ living rooms -- a massive demonstration to take place in Washington, D.C., next month. The “March for Our Lives” event already has a sophisticated website with a mission statement and merch for sale -- and, like the historic Women’s March last January, it is inspiring satellite protests not just across the U.S. but also across the globe.”
The students are upsetting the tables of change-isn’t-possible, and driving out the money changers. Companies with business relationships with the National Rifle Association are severing those ties, shamed by public pressure. Avis, Enterprise, Symantec, United, Delta and others stopped offering NRA member discounts, and asked to be taken off the NRA web site. “Nothing like that had happened after the Sandy Hook massacre in 2012, or any other gun massacre in modern U.S. history… But #BoycottNRA is not yet satisfied. By Saturday, the boycott push was focused on tech giants that stream NRA-produced videos -- namely Amazon, Apple, Google and Roku.” Still, this effort in minimal. “For all the companies that have signed on to the latest NRA boycotts, they have managed only to wipe out a few peripheral perks for the group’s members. The group claims 5 million members and tens of millions in annual revenue. According to Business Insider, it is funded largely by the gun industry, and it has converted much of that money into alliances and power networks across the U.S. political system.” There are still bigger tables to turn over, in this web of financial connections. The gun industry is supported in part by widely held public stocks. CNBC reported this week that some of Wall Street’s largest exchange-traded funds include gunmakers in their portfolios.
But since the Florida shooting, the investment giant BlackRock has been exploring ways of letting its clients divest from gun companies, Bloomberg News reported. And teachers in Florida are pressuring their pension fund managers to do the same.
It remains to be seen how far the students in Florida can go, in disrupting the business of gun sales, investments and connections.
In the Sermon
With his anger, and his actions in the temple, Jesus demands a new commercial system. The sermon might look at the systems that work against people in our world. For profit, private prisons, which incarcerate 8% of the U.S. prison population, with very little scrutiny. Charter schools, which are publicly funded and privately run. We, too, have complex financial systems which operate mostly out of our view, and impact people’s lives.
Or, the sermon might look at the things we don’t see in our own lives, until a crisis forces our eyes open. For Andrey Ostrovsky, the opiod crisis was an interesting medical problem, until he learned that his uncle had died of a drug overdose. The family never spoke about the death of his uncle, who was “young, not quite two weeks past his 45th birthday, when he died, and he had lost touch with loved ones in his final months. Ostrovsky speculated he had committed suicide. Almost two years later, Ostrovsky was Medicaid’s chief medical officer, grappling with an opioid crisis that kills about 115 Americans each day, when he learned the truth: His uncle died of a drug overdose.” We all have things we don’t see clearly until something reveals what we’re missing.
The sermon might also explore the customs in our own faith community, things we continue out of habit, and which separate people from God. They could be large, like locking the front door and assuming that everyone can find their way in, or small, like people saying “everyone knows” and “we always…” Every congregation has its own harmful customs -- what are they at your place of worship? The sermon might imagine Jesus’ reaction to the things we take for granted.
The grieving, determined students in Florida are demanding a new look at things we assumed could never change. Their power is forcing people to see what we take for granted, and to take a side. Jesus uses his own power in a similar way, forcing a new seeing of the familiar. He calls us out of the world of business-as-usual and forces us to see that God chooses to be in unexpected places. When the tables are turned, God is present in the chaos…and in whatever comes next.
SECOND THOUGHTS
Slings & Arrows & Crosses
by Dean Feldmeyer
1 Corinthians 1:18-25
The great South African educator, author, and anti-apartheid activist Alan Paton’s autobiography is called, Ah but Your Land is Beautiful.
In it he tells the story of a little old man who came, one day, to the office where Paton and others were working to end apartheid. The little man, who was wearing a huge cowboy hat, wanted to help but Paton and the other volunteers tried to dissuade him, telling him that this was dangerous business, the powers of the regime that created and supported the racist, apartheid government were as ruthless as they were powerful.
The man simply shrugged his shoulders and pointed upward: “When I go up there, which is my intention, the Big Judge will say to me, ‘Where are your wounds?’ and if I say I haven’t any, he will say, ‘Was there nothing to fight for?’ I couldn’t face that question.”
In his landmark novel, Cry the Beloved Country, one of Paton’s characters says: “I have never thought that a Christian would be free of suffering… For our Lord suffered. And I come to believe that he suffered, not to save us from suffering, but to teach us how to bear suffering. For he knew that there is no life without suffering.”
The survivors of the Florida school shooting on Valentine’s Day are learning, the hard way, just how true those two quotes are. They saw their friends, classmates, and teachers being gunned down in cold blood and, when they legally and peacefully assemble to confront their lawmakers and address their grievances, and ask for laws that would regulate gun sales, what do they get?
They are patronized.
They are lied to.
They are put off.
They are patted on the head and told that these things are far more complicated than they realize.
They are lied about with bold faced lies on social media and repeated in the news media. When 17- year-old David Hogg went on television with other students to share their desire for more stringent gun laws he became the victim of dozens of social media smear campaigns, some claiming that he wasn’t a student at all but a paid actor who shows up at various tragedies to get on television and promote a liberal agenda.
It would be easy to shrug off such lies and slander but it did not take it long to reach major news outlets and even a congressional aid repeated it without checking the source. (He was, later, fired.) Donald Trump Jr. was one of the people who “liked” the meme which made the accusation.
In a speech before the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), National Rifle Association spokesperson, Dana Loesch, cast herself, her organization and gun owners in general as the true victims of mass shootings. She accused the student survivors of shouting “burn her” when she spoke at a gathering and claimed that armed guards had to escort her from the building in order to keep her from being killed. Video of the event, however, showed her being booed but no shouts of “burn her” could be detected. Neither did anyone rush the stage or threaten her in any physical way. The escorts were there as a courtesy.
At the same conference NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre accused the students along with any who don’t agree with the NRA of being dupes of politicians and the media. He said that they are exploiting the Florida school shooting to expand gun control and ultimately abolish the second amendment. He portrayed them as elites who hate the NRA and don’t care one wit about school children.
David Hogg’s mother reported that they have even suffered death threats due to his activism.
Shakespeare knew about the frustration that comes when we are condemned for doing the right thing. Hamlet wanted nothing more than to avenge the murder of his father but his efforts led to frustration which led to depression and despair. In his famous soliloquy, the Prince of Denmark contemplates suicide, as we read it, today, any number of actions might be substituted for that one -- giving up, self-destructing, walking away, keeping quiet.
To act (resist, fight back), or not to act (resist, fight back): that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing, end them?
It’s so tempting to just give up -- walk away, take care of myself and my family, and let the chips fall where they may for everyone else. And which is nobler, really? To suffer stoically the taunts and insults of those who disagree with me? Or to take up the fight and go to the streets in protest?
In this week’s Epistle lesson from 1 Corinthians (1:18-35) we hear Paul speak to this issue by talking about “the cross.”
Christians are not afraid to “go to the cross,” to make certain personal sacrifices if the cause is sufficient. So, we pray that God will lead us in a way that becomes the gospel and, if necessary, goes all the way to the cross.
We can go to the cross literally, of course. We can offer up our bodies to be burned. We can give our death in support of the righteous cause as thousands have in wars and in efforts to spread the gospel.
Or we can go to the cross figuratively.
We have all felt that special sense like that of the stand-up comic that causes him to say, “I died out there tonight.” We understand that “going to the cross” can include being ridiculed, criticized, accused of having ignoble intentions and motivations, lied about, lied to, denigrated, slandered, attacked and even (gasp!) unfriended.
In fact, the world may not only attack us for our stand on an unpopular issue, they may attack us for allowing ourselves to be attacked. “You are a fool for having that opinion AND you are a fool for putting yourself in a position where you can be called a fool.”
For the message about the cross, about choosing to suffer when you don’t have to but doing so anyway because the cause is just and right, is foolishness to those who do not have Jesus Christ in their lives. But we who do have him in our lives, who have his example of self-sacrificial love understand that such suffering for the sake of the gospel has the power to give our lives depth and authenticity that can be had nowhere else.
We understand the paradox that you gain your life only by giving it up, that you can be resurrected only if you first choose the cross.
We recognize in the elements of Holy Eucharist that our lives are like bread and wine. If we try to save them up we will lose them. They will grow stale and turn to dust or they will evaporate or grow sour and be lost. The only way we have our lives, really have them, is when we are willing to let them be broken and poured out for our brothers and sisters.
So we fight. And sometimes, literally or figuratively, we die.
And on that day when the Big Judge asks to see our scars we will stand before posterity as living proof that there actually are things worth fighting, even dying for.
The foolishness of the world.
The wisdom of God in Jesus Christ.
Amen.
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Dean Feldmeyer
Exodus 20:1-17
The power of words
Exodus reminds us that the decalogue is first and foremost an act of speech, and not a sequence of legislation. “Then God spoke all these words,” the scripture begins. In a digital world that is drowning in tidal waves of instant messaging, emoji-filled texts, Facebook updates and comments, and 144-character tweets, it is sometimes easy to forget the raw power of spoken words.
Billy Graham, often called “America’s pastor,” understood the power of words, even as he aligned his life to the power of the commandments. Tributes to the late evangelist have noted how presidents and ordinary citizens were moved by his words, and that Graham’s words were frequently used to settle arguments. Christianity Today, for example, recalled how Graham, frail and struggling with issues related to age, still found strength to preach a powerful sermon of witness and compassion just days following the 9/11 attacks. Others noted how, as a young preacher, Graham refused to preach to segregated congregations.
Yet there are examples of how Graham’s words led him astray at times. During a 1972 conversation with then President Richard Nixon, Graham spoke in words that were vehemently anti-Semitic.
“A lot of Jews are great friends of mine,” Graham said to Nixon. “They swarm around me and are friendly to me, because they know that I am friendly to Israel and so forth. But they don’t know how I really feel about what they’re doing to this country, and I have no power and no way to handle them.”
Graham, who apologized for this conversation when tapes of it were released by the Nixon Library, later regretted his whole-hearted and naïve endorsement of Nixon. George Will’s column this weekend suggested that Graham had allowed himself to become enthralled with the power of the presidency -- perhaps the very thing the Decalogue advises against.
*****
1 Corinthians 1:18-25
Shattering stereotypes
Paul reminds the Corinthians that while the world sees the gospel as a folly, God’s wisdom revealed in the crucifixion of Christ doesn’t really fall into what some might expect “wisdom” to look like.
God’s wisdom is different -- perhaps the way the movie Black Panther has shattered the image that comic book Superheroes must be white. The film broke records for ticket-presales and continues to rake in profits. Chadwick Boseman, the actor who portrays the Marvel studios hero, is aware that he is also a bit of an odd choice to play a blockbuster superhero. According to Rolling Stone, Boseman is "90 percent" vegan, casually name-checks radical black intellectuals like Yosef Ben-Jochannan and Frantz Fanon, and says he gets anxious onstage or in front of crowds. ("Going on a talk show? Oh, my God. Nah.")
Still, Boseman does know something about the wisdom of this watershed moment:
"I truly believe there's a truth that needs to enter the world at a particular time. And that's why people are excited about Panther. This is the time."
*****
John 2:13-22
Jesus’ frustration
The sight of persons making money from the offerings of pilgrims coming to the Temple to worship offends Jesus. He sees it as an example of how the temple and its practices have become the somewhat equivalent to a failed state -- a nation or entity that can no longer perform the basic functions needed to serve its people. The temple has, in Jesus’ eyes, failed miserably in its efforts to bring people to God.
For many, the continuing nightmare of mass shootings has become a source of hurt, frustration, and anger. Washington Post columnist E.J. Dionne Jr. believes that when it comes to gun violence, the United States has in many ways become a “failed state.”
This is the only conclusion to draw from the endless enraging replays of the same political paralysis, no matter how many children are gunned down at our schools or how many innocent Americans are slaughtered at shopping centers and other public places. Whatever happens, we can’t ban assault weapons, we can’t strengthen background checks, we can’t do anything.
In corrupt failed states, politics is about lying and misdirection. On guns, our debate is a pack of lies and evasions. In no other country is the phrase “thoughts and prayers” a sacrilege, a cover for cowardice.
Dionne’s piece concludes, “What would we say about any other country that watched its children gunned down again and again and did absolutely nothing?”
**********
From team member Ron Love
The posted illustrations are based on the major themes in this week’s lectionary readings.
Remembrance
NASCAR driver Danica Patrick just finished the second of her last two races in what has been called the “Danica Double.” Her recent race at the Daytona 500 ended on Sunday, February 18, when her car, before 101,000 racing fans, was involved in a multi-car accident. She finished 35th in that race. Her record for NASCAR stands at 0 for 191. Her final race is the Indianapolis 500 in May. With her boyfriend, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers at her side, she said, “I’m just sad it ended that way.” Patrick went on to say of her racing career, “I hope they remember me as a great driver and that I was a woman and that it was really cool to watch and be there for.”
Application: After the resurrection the disciples remembered the teachings and actions of Jesus. Let us hope our words and actions are worth remembering by others. Let us hope our words and actions are an inspiration.
*****
Redemption
The famed NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt drove a Number 3 Chevy. After his death on the last lap of the Daytona 500 in 1988, Richard Childress Racing removed his number from the track. In 1994, Richard Childress brought the number back for his grandson Austin Dillon. On Sunday, February 18, Dillon drove the No. 3 Chevy to victory lane at the Daytona 500. It was the 60th running of what has been called “The Great American Race.” The race came 17 years to the day of Earnhardt’s death on the track. Dillon said, “I don’t know what it is about storylines and Daytona, this place just creates history and I’m proud to be a part of it tonight. I put the 3 back in victory lane.”
Application: Jerusalem and the temple holds a strong and important storyline regarding the redemption of believers. We should not use the word proud, but we should use the word thankful that we are a part of that storyline.
*****
Proclamation
The famed NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt drove a Number 3 Chevy. After his death on the last lap of the Daytona 500 in 1988, Richard Childress Racing removed his number from the track. In 1994, Richard Childress brought the number back for his grandson Austin Dillon. On Sunday, February 18, Dillon drove the No. 3 Chevy to victory lane at the Daytona 500. It was the 60th running of what has been called “The Great American Race.” The race came 17 years to the day of Earnhardt’s death on the track. During the race Dillon only led for one lap, and that was the final lap. He was able to gain the lead position with a push from teammate Darrell Wallace, Jr., and then a race tactic that forced the front driver, Aric Almirola, to wreck. After the race Dillon said there was a lot of pressure on him because of the relationship he had with his grandfather. He also knew there would be pressure because he was driving No. 3 at the Daytona. Dillon said, “But I like pressure, the same with No. 3, there’s a lot of pressure behind it, but I’m willing to take it and go with it.”
Application: Our lectionary readings speak often of the need to proclaim the gospel message. With that mandate comes a lot of pressure.
*****
Proclamation
Kathleen Parker, who writes from Camden, South Carolina, is a columnist for the Washington Post. In a February 19 column, she shared her views on the students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, who visited the state capital. The students were protesting the Tallahassee legislatures refusal in enact meaningful gun legislations after 17 students were killed in their school. Parker noted how professional the students were in their presentations. Parker wrote that the students “almost seemed to be performing in their media appearances. Like well-rehearsed actors…” She lifted up one student in particular, David Hogg, who gave an outstanding performance. Hogg is a 17-year-old senior who was stowed in a dark office with others. As they hid in the dark cramped place they could hear the gun shots. Parker wrote of Hogg, “When Hogg later appeared on camera, he spoke like a seasoned combat correspondent.” On camera Hogg said, “Ideas are great. What we really need is action.” Because of his presentation, Parker concluded that “Hogg could be a change agent many people in the reform movement have been waiting for.” The reason why David Hogg, and others like him are important, Parker writes, “Politicians don’t change or fix things until their constituents demand it -- and every successful movement needs a charismatic leader.”
Application: We must preach the gospel message if there is going to be a change agent in society.
*****
Commandments
In the newspaper comic Peanuts by Charles Schultz, he penned a thought-provoking comic for Presidents’ Day. Sally, who is Charlie Brown’s younger sister, is sitting at her desk writing a school report for this holiday. Sally begins, “A Report on George Washington.” She then writes, “George Washington was a great man. He probably had some faults, but if he did, I don’t know what they were.” Sally then picks up her paper and studies it intently. Putting it back down on her desk, Sally writes, “Which is just as well.”
Application: The commandments show us that we all have faults. It is often good that we ourselves are the only ones that know about them. But, that does not mean they can be left uncorrected.
*****
Proclamation
The 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics were the last for Lindsey Vonn. Regarded as one of the greatest speed skiers in the history of the sport, she failed to win the gold medal at Pyeongchang. Vonn came in third with a bronze medal, at 1:39.69 time, placing .47 seconds behind Italy's Sofia Goggia and .38 seconds behind Norway's Ragnhild Mowinckel. Vonn said this to those who criticized her performance, “Take a walk in my shoes. I will not be beaten. I stand strong. I am proud of what I represent and who I am. I'm proud to hold the American flag on the podium. All Americans deserve to hold the flag and be proud of their country, no matter what they believe. That's what makes America great. I'm not beaten. I'm still standing on the podium. And to me, I feel like I won a gold medal.”
Application: Paul wrote that though people consider us fools, we should be proud to be entrusted with preaching the gospel message.
*****
Discipleship
The 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics were the last for Lindsey Vonn. Regarded as one of the greatest speed skiers in the history of the sport, she failed to win the gold medal at Pyeongchang. Vonn came in third with a bronze medal, at 1:39.69 time, placing .47 seconds behind Italy's Sofia Goggia and .38 seconds behind Norway's Ragnhild Mowinckel. Prior to the race Vonn said, “I’ve tried not to think about it as being my last Olympic downhill. Just focus on the moment, the right here and the right now. And I think later I’ll reflect on how much I enjoyed it…”
Application: When Jesus was cleansing the temple, he was very much focused on the moment. As disciples we must always be focused on the here and now.
*****
Commandments
Juan Manuel Santos has been Columbia’s president since 2010. In 2016 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Santos is known as Columbia’s turnaround man. President Santos is presiding over a country plague by drug cartels. In order to provide the country with a hope in a new future, he is promoting public education. It is Santos belief that improving the education of his country is the best way to mitigate poverty, inequality, and violence. He is doing this by launching a program he calls De Cero a Siempre. De Cero a Siempre means “From Zero to Forever.”
Application: If we follow the commandments of God, it can be a turnaround moment in our lives.
*****
Proclamation
In July 2012, at the Sotheby’s auction, Edvard Munch’s painting “The Scream” was sold for $120 million, in a sale that lasted a mere 12 minutes. Sotheby’s is not required to reveal the name of the purchaser, so he became known as the “mystery buyer.” Weeks later it was learned that the “mystery buyer” was Leon Black, an American mogul whose net worth is $3.5 billion. Black has an extensive private collection of art, which is worth $750 million. Black sits on the board of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art. Both institutions are dedicated to making art available to the public. Yet, the man who sits on the board of these two galleries, keeps his $750 million art collection private, out of view of the public.
Application: The lectionary readings instructs us that we are to proclaim of the gospel message. We can only do that if we display our message to the public, removing it from the privacy of our hearts.
*****
Commandments
One of England’s richest women was the American-born Eva Rausing. Along with her husband, their net worth was in the billions. Yet, nickel bags of cocaine and heroin brought Eva to her death in 2012. The 48-year-old, who gave millions of dollars to drug rehabilitation facilities, was unable to deal with her own addiction. Amanda Thornson, spokesperson for Action on Addiction, to which Rausing contributed money, said, “Addiction doesn’t know class boundaries.”
Application: We will always succumb to our passions and desires. But, if we keep the commandments of God before us many problems and heartaches will be avoided.
WORSHIP RESOURCES
by George Reed
Call to Worship:
Leader: The heavens are telling the glory of God.
People: The firmament proclaims God’s handiwork.
Leader: The law of God is perfect, reviving the soul.
People: The decrees of God are sure, making wise the simple;
Leader: The precepts of God are right, rejoicing the heart.
People: The commandment of God is clear, enlightening the eyes;
OR
Leader: The God of righteousness calls us to worship this day.
People: We come into God’s presence to join in God’s cause.
Leader: The God of justice and mercy invites us to oppose evil.
People: With God’s help we will strive for righteousness.
Leader: God’s Spirit goes with us into the danger of the fight.
People: With God’s help, we will face the evil and seek good.
Hymns and Songs:
"Be Thou My Vision"
UMH: 451
H82: 488
PH: 339
NCH: 451
CH: 595
ELA: 793
W&P: 502
AMEC: 281
STLT: 20
Renew: 151
"In the Cross of Christ I Glory"
UMH: 295
H82: 441/442
PH: 84
AAHH:
NNBH: 104
NCH: 193/194
LBW: 104
ELA: 324
W&P: 264
AMEC: 153
"Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise"
UMH: 103
H82: 423
PH: 263
NCH: 1
CH: 66
LBW: 526
ELA: 834
W&P: 48
AMEC: 71
STLT: 273
Renew: 46
"God Hath Spoken by the Prophets"
UMH: 108
LBW: 238
W&P: 667
"O Gd of Every Nation"
UMH: 435
H82: 607
PH: 289
CH: 680
LBW: 416
ELA: 713
W&P: 626
"Holy Spirit, Truth Divine"
UMH: 465
PH: 321
NCH: 63
CH: 241
LBW: 257
ELA: 398
"God of Grace and God of Glory"
UMH: 577
H82: 594/595
PH: 420
NCH: 436
CH: 464
LBW: 415
ELA: 705
W&P: 569
AMEC: 62
STLT: 115
Renew: 301
"Stand By Me"
UMH: 512
NNBH: 318
CH: 629
W&P: 495
AMEC: 420
"Draw Us in the Spirit’s Tether"
UMH: 632:
PH: 504
NCH: 337
CH: 392
ELA: 470
"You Loving Kindness Is Better than Life"
CCB: 26
"Awesome God"
CCB: 17
Renew: 245
Music Resources Key:
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
AAHH: African American Heritage Hymnal
NNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
LBW: Lutheran Book of Worship
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 knows what it is to suffer over the evil of humans:
Grant us the courage to stand against the things that destroy
even when we must place ourselves in the way;
through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We praise you, O God, for you know very well what it is to suffer over the evil that we do. We have broken your heart time and time again. Help us in this time of worship to open our hearts and minds to the power of your Spirit so that we may courageously face those evils around us. Help us be willing to be scarred and broken so others may be made whole. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
Leader: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins and especially our failure to be enraged by evil and to oppose it.
People: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We are complacent about the evil around us. We have become numb to the pain of others as we are inundated by so much information. If it doesn’t hurt us, we are willing to stay on the sidelines. Help us to feel the shame of our impotence in the face of evil. Stir up in us te indignation that we should rightly feel. Steel us with the courage of your Spirit that we might enter the fray and resist the evil. Help us to stand with the Christ within all who are harmed by the violence and evil around us. Amen.
Leader: God is love and so God is justice and mercy. God desires wholeness and healing for all creation. Receive God’s grace and join in God’s work of righteousness in all the world.
Prayers of the People
We worship you, O God, for you are the one who brings justice and life to creation. You are a God of mercy and compassion.
(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 are complacent about the evil around us. We have become numb to the pain of others as we are inundated by so much information. If it doesn’t hurt us, we are willing to stay on the sidelines. Help us to feel the shame of our impotence in the face of evil. Stir up in us the indignation that we should rightly feel. Steel us with the courage of your Spirit that we might enter the fray and resist the evil. Help us to stand with the Christ within all who are harmed by the violence and evil around us.
We give you thanks for all those who have stood up against the evil and fought for the good. We thank you for those who have dedicated their lives to bringing justice and mercy to live among us. We are in deep awe for those who have been willing to sacrifice themselves to accomplish your goals for creation.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for all your children in their needs and, especially, for those who suffer at the hands of the evil among us. We pray for those who are deprived of the goodness of creation: food, shelter and the chance to be happy. We pray for those who suffer from the violence of others and from the complacency of the rest of us.
(Other intercessions may be offered.)
All these things we ask in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ who taught us to pray together saying:
Our Father....Amen.
(Or if the Our Father is not used at this point in the service)
All this we ask in the name of the Blessed and Holy Trinity. Amen.
Children’s Sermon Starter
We are getting to baseball season. Soon we will see catchers wearing all their protective gear to play behind the plate as pitchers throw fast, hard pitches at them and batters swing their bats in front of their heads. Image if there was a catcher who didn’t have any protection, not even a glove. When he caught a ball in his bare hands we could give him an ice bag or something to help with the pain. That is mercy. Mercy is when we help those who are hurt. Or we could get him a glove and mask and chest protector. That would be justice. Justice is when we set things up so people don’t get hurt. We are called to do both. We try to make things so people don’t get hurt but when they do we help with their pain.
CHILDREN’S SERMON
All creatures are loved by God
by Chris Keating
John 2:13-22
Gather ahead of time: Do a little research about animal shelters and rescue groups (the Humane Society, stray rescue, bird sanctuaries, wild animal sanctuaries, etc.) in your community. Make lists of what these organizations do, and also gather some ideas on needs they may have for donations or volunteer drives.
Message: Jesus is angry! He’s come into the temple, and he sees the people who are profiting from the religious needs of those attending the Passover feast. Explain to the children that the Passover was an important holiday, and that the temple would be filled with people from out of town. The people who came to the temple would need to buy animals for sacrifices. The money changers were people who exchanged Roman coins (which bore the likeness of Caesar) for coins that could be used to pay the temple tax. People who came to worship had to change money for a fee in order to pay their religious obligations. It would be as if we told folks only “Presbyterian Bucks” or “Wesley Dollars” were good in our churches, and that they would have to exchange their dollars for church money (for a price) to have something to put into the offering. (Don’t suggest this to your stewardship committee!)
Likewise, the practice of sacrificing an animal was very important, and a long established practice. Of course, this requires a bit of sensitivity. As Carolyn Brown points out, kids will be very glad to know that Jesus didn’t care for this system. He reminded his followers that it is not necessary to hurt animals, and that the best worship comes from our heart. We sing our praise, and we offer our gifts of money, talents, and faith to God.
You may also want to point out that Jesus does not become “wild and crazy” in anger. Instead, he is bold in trying to help make a change. When we see something wrong, our anger can be used to make positive changes. This could help children understand what it means to “be angry, but do not sin.”
Remind the children that eventually, Jesus would become known as “the Lamb of God.” Because of his death, the sacrifices of animals are not necessary. In fact, God wants us to help care for all creation. We can share Jesus’ compassion with animals during Lent by helping organizations in our neighborhood who take care of animals. Another idea would be to hold an offering of pet food for a local food pantry (poor people love pets, too!). Close with a prayer thanking God for the joys our pets bring to us and asking that God help us care for the animals of the world.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, March 4, 2018, issue.
Copyright 2018 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.
- From the Outside In by Mary Austin -- Mary explores the role anger plays in leading change. Much like the students in Florida (and elsewhere) whose response to the shooting in their high school has fueled an anger aimed at making a change in legislation and attitudes, Jesus confronts those whose actions have made a mockery of worship.
- Slings & Arrows & Crosses by Dean Feldmeyer -- It is by our scars that we show that there are things worth fighting for.
- Sermon illustrations by Ron Love and Dean Feldmeyer.
- Worship resources by George Reed that focus on the theme of righteous anger and foolishness vs wisdom. The willingness to sacrifice ourselves for the good.
- All creatures are loved by God Children's sermon by Chris Keating -- Jesus’ temple-tantrum offers a reminder of God’s loving compassion toward animals.
From the Outside In
by Mary Austin
John 2:13-22
Jesus comes to the temple as an outsider, and immediately starts upsetting both tables and traditions. He forces people to see long-held customs with new eyes, disrupting the familiar ways of doing things. Jesus has found a time and a place for righteous anger, and is using his rage to force people to see the customary in a new way. The process of changing money and selling animals for sacrifice has been going on for a long time, and Jesus comes into the temple and forces everyone to see it all differently -- at least for one day.
After the deaths of 17 fellow students and teachers, Florida high school students are finding their own places of anger, and forcing people to see the familiar in new ways. Fueled by anger and grief, they walked out of “their Florida schools Wednesday to show solidarity for the Marjory Douglas Stoneman High School shooting victims while pushing for tighter gun control in the wake of the massacre. The walkouts happened as thousands converged in the state’s capital, hundreds of miles away from the Parkland school, to press legislators to take action.” They watched the Florida legislature decline to debate an assault weapons bill, and did not go home quietly.
They have taken on Florida Senator Marco Rubio, and met with the President. A day later, students around the country joined them in wlaking out of school. “Students in Washington, Phoenix, Minneapolis, Colorado and Illinois also walked out in solidarity -- saying they were disgusted by yet another school massacre with no change in gun laws.” With their anger, they are forcing the state of Florida and the country to think about how long we accepted the influence of the gun industry and its lobbyists, without imagining that things could be different. Their anger, like Jesus’ rage, is moving us to see things differently.
In the Scriptures
The temple establishment is familiar to Jesus -- his parents bring him there for the required sacrifices after his birth, and he comes with the family as a teenager for the Passover. The story says that this is customary for the family, so he’s acquainted with the layout, and where to find the money changers and animal sellers. He’s observed them on his visits to the temple, and perhaps his family has talked about the financial burden of making the sacrifices. Perhaps he hears his parents planning and saving for the sacrifices, as our kids might hear us talking about saving for a big purchase.
We don’t know how long the system has been bothering him. John’s gospel places this story at the beginning of his public ministry, while the synoptic gospels place it at the end. Placed at the start of his work, it signals a break with doing business as usual in the realm of God. It shows that someone outside the system has something to say about how the temple business is transacted.
As an outsider, Jesus can see the system more clearly than the people who have become accustomed to it. From the inside, years of tradition have accumulated, and they don’t see any other way to do it. Karoline Lewis writes for Working Preacher, “Yet, Jesus’ command to the dove sellers differs strikingly from the accounts in Matthew, Mark, and Luke (Matthew 21:12-13; Mark 11:15-19; Luke 19:45-48). Instead of a concern for temple malpractices (“den of robbers”), Jesus orders that his Father’s house not be made a marketplace. For the temple system to survive, however, the ordered transactions of a marketplace were essential. The temple had to function as a place of exchange for maintaining and supporting the sacrificial structures. Jesus is not quibbling about maleficence or mismanagement but calls for a complete dismantling of the entire system. Underneath this critique lies also the intimation that the temple itself is not necessary. At the center of such theological statements is the fundamental question of God’s location, which will be confirmed in the dialogue between Jesus and the Jewish authorities.” Jesus isn’t asking for a tweak here and a shift there, but for a whole new way of doing things.
In the News
Students in Florida are also demanding a new way of doing things, disrupting business-as-usual in Florida, normally a gun-friendly state. When they made their way to Tallahassee after the shootings, Ryan Deitsch, a Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School senior, accused the Legislature of “political double-talk.” “I know I’ve been walking into office after office after office, and I’ve spoken to maybe three representatives, two of which already agreed with me,” said Dietsch. “I want to see those people who shot down that bill [banning assault weapons], who did not let it get past committee. I want to see those people. I’m not here for a fight, I’m not here to argue with you. I just want to see your face and know why.” Hundreds of people joined a number of the students for a two-hour long rally on the old Capitol steps.
This will be a long fight for the students, and one full of things to learn. They are learning to be activists as they go. There was little to suggest yet that anything would. But in Battle Creek, Mich., in Bakersfield, Calif., in Toms River, N.J., in Iowa City, and all over South Florida, the flickers of underage protest this week seemed to augur something new: a coast-to-coast challenge to the idea that the Snapchat generation was too young, too frivolous, for politics. “We definitely have a moral obligation to do something, considering that so many innocent people that we know passed,” said Mr. Bishop’s sister, Julia Bishop, 18. “These adults, these politicians, these lawmakers, these legislators, they were supposed to protect us. And they didn’t.” Many of the protests around the country have arrived semi-spontaneously, apparently ignited by the impassioned pleas of young Parkland survivors in the hours and days after the shooting on February 14th. Facebook and Twitter have amplified attendance; Snapchat and Instagram have documented the marches, signs and chants.
Future marches are on the calendar. “For now, however, there is momentum. From South Florida to Bellingham, Wash., local walkouts were proliferating. A national event has been planned for March 14, the one-month anniversary of the Parkland shooting, when students and teachers plan to leave class for 17 minutes, one minute for each victim. On March 24, students will protest in Washington at an event organized by March for Our Lives, the group formed by Parkland survivors, which has received hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations from celebrities. Another mass walkout is scheduled for April 20, when students will commemorate the 19th year since the Columbine High School shooting in 1999. The organizers of last year’s Women’s March are directing the March 14 walkout. Mostly, though, the adults have gotten out of the way.”
There is a familiar pattern after school shootings, but this time the path is different. Momentum has taken hold in new directions, and it appears that real change may be coming. “It’s mind-blowing that while [the Parkland students] are still in the first days of dealing with trauma, anger, grief, they’re putting it toward really careful and thoughtful political and civic action -- it’s just amazing,” said Meira Levinson, a Harvard Graduate School of Education professor whose research focuses on civic education and youth empowerment. “At the same time, it’s also important to recognize that other young people have done this [activism] also within days -- they’re experiencing the same grief -- and haven’t gotten the attention that these [Parkland] students have.” It quickly became clear that these survivors were poised to spearhead a political movement whose message is so loud, and so raw, it’s continued to dominate mainstream news coverage and radio shows and even late-night comedy a week after the shooting -- an unusual phenomenon in today’s real-time news environment. They’ve written haunting op-eds and delivered viral speeches; they’ve instigated rallies and prompted nationwide walkouts by students and teachers. Now they’re planning -- from their parents’ living rooms -- a massive demonstration to take place in Washington, D.C., next month. The “March for Our Lives” event already has a sophisticated website with a mission statement and merch for sale -- and, like the historic Women’s March last January, it is inspiring satellite protests not just across the U.S. but also across the globe.”
The students are upsetting the tables of change-isn’t-possible, and driving out the money changers. Companies with business relationships with the National Rifle Association are severing those ties, shamed by public pressure. Avis, Enterprise, Symantec, United, Delta and others stopped offering NRA member discounts, and asked to be taken off the NRA web site. “Nothing like that had happened after the Sandy Hook massacre in 2012, or any other gun massacre in modern U.S. history… But #BoycottNRA is not yet satisfied. By Saturday, the boycott push was focused on tech giants that stream NRA-produced videos -- namely Amazon, Apple, Google and Roku.” Still, this effort in minimal. “For all the companies that have signed on to the latest NRA boycotts, they have managed only to wipe out a few peripheral perks for the group’s members. The group claims 5 million members and tens of millions in annual revenue. According to Business Insider, it is funded largely by the gun industry, and it has converted much of that money into alliances and power networks across the U.S. political system.” There are still bigger tables to turn over, in this web of financial connections. The gun industry is supported in part by widely held public stocks. CNBC reported this week that some of Wall Street’s largest exchange-traded funds include gunmakers in their portfolios.
But since the Florida shooting, the investment giant BlackRock has been exploring ways of letting its clients divest from gun companies, Bloomberg News reported. And teachers in Florida are pressuring their pension fund managers to do the same.
It remains to be seen how far the students in Florida can go, in disrupting the business of gun sales, investments and connections.
In the Sermon
With his anger, and his actions in the temple, Jesus demands a new commercial system. The sermon might look at the systems that work against people in our world. For profit, private prisons, which incarcerate 8% of the U.S. prison population, with very little scrutiny. Charter schools, which are publicly funded and privately run. We, too, have complex financial systems which operate mostly out of our view, and impact people’s lives.
Or, the sermon might look at the things we don’t see in our own lives, until a crisis forces our eyes open. For Andrey Ostrovsky, the opiod crisis was an interesting medical problem, until he learned that his uncle had died of a drug overdose. The family never spoke about the death of his uncle, who was “young, not quite two weeks past his 45th birthday, when he died, and he had lost touch with loved ones in his final months. Ostrovsky speculated he had committed suicide. Almost two years later, Ostrovsky was Medicaid’s chief medical officer, grappling with an opioid crisis that kills about 115 Americans each day, when he learned the truth: His uncle died of a drug overdose.” We all have things we don’t see clearly until something reveals what we’re missing.
The sermon might also explore the customs in our own faith community, things we continue out of habit, and which separate people from God. They could be large, like locking the front door and assuming that everyone can find their way in, or small, like people saying “everyone knows” and “we always…” Every congregation has its own harmful customs -- what are they at your place of worship? The sermon might imagine Jesus’ reaction to the things we take for granted.
The grieving, determined students in Florida are demanding a new look at things we assumed could never change. Their power is forcing people to see what we take for granted, and to take a side. Jesus uses his own power in a similar way, forcing a new seeing of the familiar. He calls us out of the world of business-as-usual and forces us to see that God chooses to be in unexpected places. When the tables are turned, God is present in the chaos…and in whatever comes next.
SECOND THOUGHTS
Slings & Arrows & Crosses
by Dean Feldmeyer
1 Corinthians 1:18-25
The great South African educator, author, and anti-apartheid activist Alan Paton’s autobiography is called, Ah but Your Land is Beautiful.
In it he tells the story of a little old man who came, one day, to the office where Paton and others were working to end apartheid. The little man, who was wearing a huge cowboy hat, wanted to help but Paton and the other volunteers tried to dissuade him, telling him that this was dangerous business, the powers of the regime that created and supported the racist, apartheid government were as ruthless as they were powerful.
The man simply shrugged his shoulders and pointed upward: “When I go up there, which is my intention, the Big Judge will say to me, ‘Where are your wounds?’ and if I say I haven’t any, he will say, ‘Was there nothing to fight for?’ I couldn’t face that question.”
In his landmark novel, Cry the Beloved Country, one of Paton’s characters says: “I have never thought that a Christian would be free of suffering… For our Lord suffered. And I come to believe that he suffered, not to save us from suffering, but to teach us how to bear suffering. For he knew that there is no life without suffering.”
The survivors of the Florida school shooting on Valentine’s Day are learning, the hard way, just how true those two quotes are. They saw their friends, classmates, and teachers being gunned down in cold blood and, when they legally and peacefully assemble to confront their lawmakers and address their grievances, and ask for laws that would regulate gun sales, what do they get?
They are patronized.
They are lied to.
They are put off.
They are patted on the head and told that these things are far more complicated than they realize.
They are lied about with bold faced lies on social media and repeated in the news media. When 17- year-old David Hogg went on television with other students to share their desire for more stringent gun laws he became the victim of dozens of social media smear campaigns, some claiming that he wasn’t a student at all but a paid actor who shows up at various tragedies to get on television and promote a liberal agenda.
It would be easy to shrug off such lies and slander but it did not take it long to reach major news outlets and even a congressional aid repeated it without checking the source. (He was, later, fired.) Donald Trump Jr. was one of the people who “liked” the meme which made the accusation.
In a speech before the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), National Rifle Association spokesperson, Dana Loesch, cast herself, her organization and gun owners in general as the true victims of mass shootings. She accused the student survivors of shouting “burn her” when she spoke at a gathering and claimed that armed guards had to escort her from the building in order to keep her from being killed. Video of the event, however, showed her being booed but no shouts of “burn her” could be detected. Neither did anyone rush the stage or threaten her in any physical way. The escorts were there as a courtesy.
At the same conference NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre accused the students along with any who don’t agree with the NRA of being dupes of politicians and the media. He said that they are exploiting the Florida school shooting to expand gun control and ultimately abolish the second amendment. He portrayed them as elites who hate the NRA and don’t care one wit about school children.
David Hogg’s mother reported that they have even suffered death threats due to his activism.
Shakespeare knew about the frustration that comes when we are condemned for doing the right thing. Hamlet wanted nothing more than to avenge the murder of his father but his efforts led to frustration which led to depression and despair. In his famous soliloquy, the Prince of Denmark contemplates suicide, as we read it, today, any number of actions might be substituted for that one -- giving up, self-destructing, walking away, keeping quiet.
To act (resist, fight back), or not to act (resist, fight back): that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing, end them?
It’s so tempting to just give up -- walk away, take care of myself and my family, and let the chips fall where they may for everyone else. And which is nobler, really? To suffer stoically the taunts and insults of those who disagree with me? Or to take up the fight and go to the streets in protest?
In this week’s Epistle lesson from 1 Corinthians (1:18-35) we hear Paul speak to this issue by talking about “the cross.”
Christians are not afraid to “go to the cross,” to make certain personal sacrifices if the cause is sufficient. So, we pray that God will lead us in a way that becomes the gospel and, if necessary, goes all the way to the cross.
We can go to the cross literally, of course. We can offer up our bodies to be burned. We can give our death in support of the righteous cause as thousands have in wars and in efforts to spread the gospel.
Or we can go to the cross figuratively.
We have all felt that special sense like that of the stand-up comic that causes him to say, “I died out there tonight.” We understand that “going to the cross” can include being ridiculed, criticized, accused of having ignoble intentions and motivations, lied about, lied to, denigrated, slandered, attacked and even (gasp!) unfriended.
In fact, the world may not only attack us for our stand on an unpopular issue, they may attack us for allowing ourselves to be attacked. “You are a fool for having that opinion AND you are a fool for putting yourself in a position where you can be called a fool.”
For the message about the cross, about choosing to suffer when you don’t have to but doing so anyway because the cause is just and right, is foolishness to those who do not have Jesus Christ in their lives. But we who do have him in our lives, who have his example of self-sacrificial love understand that such suffering for the sake of the gospel has the power to give our lives depth and authenticity that can be had nowhere else.
We understand the paradox that you gain your life only by giving it up, that you can be resurrected only if you first choose the cross.
We recognize in the elements of Holy Eucharist that our lives are like bread and wine. If we try to save them up we will lose them. They will grow stale and turn to dust or they will evaporate or grow sour and be lost. The only way we have our lives, really have them, is when we are willing to let them be broken and poured out for our brothers and sisters.
So we fight. And sometimes, literally or figuratively, we die.
And on that day when the Big Judge asks to see our scars we will stand before posterity as living proof that there actually are things worth fighting, even dying for.
The foolishness of the world.
The wisdom of God in Jesus Christ.
Amen.
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Dean Feldmeyer
Exodus 20:1-17
The power of words
Exodus reminds us that the decalogue is first and foremost an act of speech, and not a sequence of legislation. “Then God spoke all these words,” the scripture begins. In a digital world that is drowning in tidal waves of instant messaging, emoji-filled texts, Facebook updates and comments, and 144-character tweets, it is sometimes easy to forget the raw power of spoken words.
Billy Graham, often called “America’s pastor,” understood the power of words, even as he aligned his life to the power of the commandments. Tributes to the late evangelist have noted how presidents and ordinary citizens were moved by his words, and that Graham’s words were frequently used to settle arguments. Christianity Today, for example, recalled how Graham, frail and struggling with issues related to age, still found strength to preach a powerful sermon of witness and compassion just days following the 9/11 attacks. Others noted how, as a young preacher, Graham refused to preach to segregated congregations.
Yet there are examples of how Graham’s words led him astray at times. During a 1972 conversation with then President Richard Nixon, Graham spoke in words that were vehemently anti-Semitic.
“A lot of Jews are great friends of mine,” Graham said to Nixon. “They swarm around me and are friendly to me, because they know that I am friendly to Israel and so forth. But they don’t know how I really feel about what they’re doing to this country, and I have no power and no way to handle them.”
Graham, who apologized for this conversation when tapes of it were released by the Nixon Library, later regretted his whole-hearted and naïve endorsement of Nixon. George Will’s column this weekend suggested that Graham had allowed himself to become enthralled with the power of the presidency -- perhaps the very thing the Decalogue advises against.
*****
1 Corinthians 1:18-25
Shattering stereotypes
Paul reminds the Corinthians that while the world sees the gospel as a folly, God’s wisdom revealed in the crucifixion of Christ doesn’t really fall into what some might expect “wisdom” to look like.
God’s wisdom is different -- perhaps the way the movie Black Panther has shattered the image that comic book Superheroes must be white. The film broke records for ticket-presales and continues to rake in profits. Chadwick Boseman, the actor who portrays the Marvel studios hero, is aware that he is also a bit of an odd choice to play a blockbuster superhero. According to Rolling Stone, Boseman is "90 percent" vegan, casually name-checks radical black intellectuals like Yosef Ben-Jochannan and Frantz Fanon, and says he gets anxious onstage or in front of crowds. ("Going on a talk show? Oh, my God. Nah.")
Still, Boseman does know something about the wisdom of this watershed moment:
"I truly believe there's a truth that needs to enter the world at a particular time. And that's why people are excited about Panther. This is the time."
*****
John 2:13-22
Jesus’ frustration
The sight of persons making money from the offerings of pilgrims coming to the Temple to worship offends Jesus. He sees it as an example of how the temple and its practices have become the somewhat equivalent to a failed state -- a nation or entity that can no longer perform the basic functions needed to serve its people. The temple has, in Jesus’ eyes, failed miserably in its efforts to bring people to God.
For many, the continuing nightmare of mass shootings has become a source of hurt, frustration, and anger. Washington Post columnist E.J. Dionne Jr. believes that when it comes to gun violence, the United States has in many ways become a “failed state.”
This is the only conclusion to draw from the endless enraging replays of the same political paralysis, no matter how many children are gunned down at our schools or how many innocent Americans are slaughtered at shopping centers and other public places. Whatever happens, we can’t ban assault weapons, we can’t strengthen background checks, we can’t do anything.
In corrupt failed states, politics is about lying and misdirection. On guns, our debate is a pack of lies and evasions. In no other country is the phrase “thoughts and prayers” a sacrilege, a cover for cowardice.
Dionne’s piece concludes, “What would we say about any other country that watched its children gunned down again and again and did absolutely nothing?”
**********
From team member Ron Love
The posted illustrations are based on the major themes in this week’s lectionary readings.
Remembrance
NASCAR driver Danica Patrick just finished the second of her last two races in what has been called the “Danica Double.” Her recent race at the Daytona 500 ended on Sunday, February 18, when her car, before 101,000 racing fans, was involved in a multi-car accident. She finished 35th in that race. Her record for NASCAR stands at 0 for 191. Her final race is the Indianapolis 500 in May. With her boyfriend, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers at her side, she said, “I’m just sad it ended that way.” Patrick went on to say of her racing career, “I hope they remember me as a great driver and that I was a woman and that it was really cool to watch and be there for.”
Application: After the resurrection the disciples remembered the teachings and actions of Jesus. Let us hope our words and actions are worth remembering by others. Let us hope our words and actions are an inspiration.
*****
Redemption
The famed NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt drove a Number 3 Chevy. After his death on the last lap of the Daytona 500 in 1988, Richard Childress Racing removed his number from the track. In 1994, Richard Childress brought the number back for his grandson Austin Dillon. On Sunday, February 18, Dillon drove the No. 3 Chevy to victory lane at the Daytona 500. It was the 60th running of what has been called “The Great American Race.” The race came 17 years to the day of Earnhardt’s death on the track. Dillon said, “I don’t know what it is about storylines and Daytona, this place just creates history and I’m proud to be a part of it tonight. I put the 3 back in victory lane.”
Application: Jerusalem and the temple holds a strong and important storyline regarding the redemption of believers. We should not use the word proud, but we should use the word thankful that we are a part of that storyline.
*****
Proclamation
The famed NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt drove a Number 3 Chevy. After his death on the last lap of the Daytona 500 in 1988, Richard Childress Racing removed his number from the track. In 1994, Richard Childress brought the number back for his grandson Austin Dillon. On Sunday, February 18, Dillon drove the No. 3 Chevy to victory lane at the Daytona 500. It was the 60th running of what has been called “The Great American Race.” The race came 17 years to the day of Earnhardt’s death on the track. During the race Dillon only led for one lap, and that was the final lap. He was able to gain the lead position with a push from teammate Darrell Wallace, Jr., and then a race tactic that forced the front driver, Aric Almirola, to wreck. After the race Dillon said there was a lot of pressure on him because of the relationship he had with his grandfather. He also knew there would be pressure because he was driving No. 3 at the Daytona. Dillon said, “But I like pressure, the same with No. 3, there’s a lot of pressure behind it, but I’m willing to take it and go with it.”
Application: Our lectionary readings speak often of the need to proclaim the gospel message. With that mandate comes a lot of pressure.
*****
Proclamation
Kathleen Parker, who writes from Camden, South Carolina, is a columnist for the Washington Post. In a February 19 column, she shared her views on the students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, who visited the state capital. The students were protesting the Tallahassee legislatures refusal in enact meaningful gun legislations after 17 students were killed in their school. Parker noted how professional the students were in their presentations. Parker wrote that the students “almost seemed to be performing in their media appearances. Like well-rehearsed actors…” She lifted up one student in particular, David Hogg, who gave an outstanding performance. Hogg is a 17-year-old senior who was stowed in a dark office with others. As they hid in the dark cramped place they could hear the gun shots. Parker wrote of Hogg, “When Hogg later appeared on camera, he spoke like a seasoned combat correspondent.” On camera Hogg said, “Ideas are great. What we really need is action.” Because of his presentation, Parker concluded that “Hogg could be a change agent many people in the reform movement have been waiting for.” The reason why David Hogg, and others like him are important, Parker writes, “Politicians don’t change or fix things until their constituents demand it -- and every successful movement needs a charismatic leader.”
Application: We must preach the gospel message if there is going to be a change agent in society.
*****
Commandments
In the newspaper comic Peanuts by Charles Schultz, he penned a thought-provoking comic for Presidents’ Day. Sally, who is Charlie Brown’s younger sister, is sitting at her desk writing a school report for this holiday. Sally begins, “A Report on George Washington.” She then writes, “George Washington was a great man. He probably had some faults, but if he did, I don’t know what they were.” Sally then picks up her paper and studies it intently. Putting it back down on her desk, Sally writes, “Which is just as well.”
Application: The commandments show us that we all have faults. It is often good that we ourselves are the only ones that know about them. But, that does not mean they can be left uncorrected.
*****
Proclamation
The 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics were the last for Lindsey Vonn. Regarded as one of the greatest speed skiers in the history of the sport, she failed to win the gold medal at Pyeongchang. Vonn came in third with a bronze medal, at 1:39.69 time, placing .47 seconds behind Italy's Sofia Goggia and .38 seconds behind Norway's Ragnhild Mowinckel. Vonn said this to those who criticized her performance, “Take a walk in my shoes. I will not be beaten. I stand strong. I am proud of what I represent and who I am. I'm proud to hold the American flag on the podium. All Americans deserve to hold the flag and be proud of their country, no matter what they believe. That's what makes America great. I'm not beaten. I'm still standing on the podium. And to me, I feel like I won a gold medal.”
Application: Paul wrote that though people consider us fools, we should be proud to be entrusted with preaching the gospel message.
*****
Discipleship
The 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics were the last for Lindsey Vonn. Regarded as one of the greatest speed skiers in the history of the sport, she failed to win the gold medal at Pyeongchang. Vonn came in third with a bronze medal, at 1:39.69 time, placing .47 seconds behind Italy's Sofia Goggia and .38 seconds behind Norway's Ragnhild Mowinckel. Prior to the race Vonn said, “I’ve tried not to think about it as being my last Olympic downhill. Just focus on the moment, the right here and the right now. And I think later I’ll reflect on how much I enjoyed it…”
Application: When Jesus was cleansing the temple, he was very much focused on the moment. As disciples we must always be focused on the here and now.
*****
Commandments
Juan Manuel Santos has been Columbia’s president since 2010. In 2016 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Santos is known as Columbia’s turnaround man. President Santos is presiding over a country plague by drug cartels. In order to provide the country with a hope in a new future, he is promoting public education. It is Santos belief that improving the education of his country is the best way to mitigate poverty, inequality, and violence. He is doing this by launching a program he calls De Cero a Siempre. De Cero a Siempre means “From Zero to Forever.”
Application: If we follow the commandments of God, it can be a turnaround moment in our lives.
*****
Proclamation
In July 2012, at the Sotheby’s auction, Edvard Munch’s painting “The Scream” was sold for $120 million, in a sale that lasted a mere 12 minutes. Sotheby’s is not required to reveal the name of the purchaser, so he became known as the “mystery buyer.” Weeks later it was learned that the “mystery buyer” was Leon Black, an American mogul whose net worth is $3.5 billion. Black has an extensive private collection of art, which is worth $750 million. Black sits on the board of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art. Both institutions are dedicated to making art available to the public. Yet, the man who sits on the board of these two galleries, keeps his $750 million art collection private, out of view of the public.
Application: The lectionary readings instructs us that we are to proclaim of the gospel message. We can only do that if we display our message to the public, removing it from the privacy of our hearts.
*****
Commandments
One of England’s richest women was the American-born Eva Rausing. Along with her husband, their net worth was in the billions. Yet, nickel bags of cocaine and heroin brought Eva to her death in 2012. The 48-year-old, who gave millions of dollars to drug rehabilitation facilities, was unable to deal with her own addiction. Amanda Thornson, spokesperson for Action on Addiction, to which Rausing contributed money, said, “Addiction doesn’t know class boundaries.”
Application: We will always succumb to our passions and desires. But, if we keep the commandments of God before us many problems and heartaches will be avoided.
WORSHIP RESOURCES
by George Reed
Call to Worship:
Leader: The heavens are telling the glory of God.
People: The firmament proclaims God’s handiwork.
Leader: The law of God is perfect, reviving the soul.
People: The decrees of God are sure, making wise the simple;
Leader: The precepts of God are right, rejoicing the heart.
People: The commandment of God is clear, enlightening the eyes;
OR
Leader: The God of righteousness calls us to worship this day.
People: We come into God’s presence to join in God’s cause.
Leader: The God of justice and mercy invites us to oppose evil.
People: With God’s help we will strive for righteousness.
Leader: God’s Spirit goes with us into the danger of the fight.
People: With God’s help, we will face the evil and seek good.
Hymns and Songs:
"Be Thou My Vision"
UMH: 451
H82: 488
PH: 339
NCH: 451
CH: 595
ELA: 793
W&P: 502
AMEC: 281
STLT: 20
Renew: 151
"In the Cross of Christ I Glory"
UMH: 295
H82: 441/442
PH: 84
AAHH:
NNBH: 104
NCH: 193/194
LBW: 104
ELA: 324
W&P: 264
AMEC: 153
"Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise"
UMH: 103
H82: 423
PH: 263
NCH: 1
CH: 66
LBW: 526
ELA: 834
W&P: 48
AMEC: 71
STLT: 273
Renew: 46
"God Hath Spoken by the Prophets"
UMH: 108
LBW: 238
W&P: 667
"O Gd of Every Nation"
UMH: 435
H82: 607
PH: 289
CH: 680
LBW: 416
ELA: 713
W&P: 626
"Holy Spirit, Truth Divine"
UMH: 465
PH: 321
NCH: 63
CH: 241
LBW: 257
ELA: 398
"God of Grace and God of Glory"
UMH: 577
H82: 594/595
PH: 420
NCH: 436
CH: 464
LBW: 415
ELA: 705
W&P: 569
AMEC: 62
STLT: 115
Renew: 301
"Stand By Me"
UMH: 512
NNBH: 318
CH: 629
W&P: 495
AMEC: 420
"Draw Us in the Spirit’s Tether"
UMH: 632:
PH: 504
NCH: 337
CH: 392
ELA: 470
"You Loving Kindness Is Better than Life"
CCB: 26
"Awesome God"
CCB: 17
Renew: 245
Music Resources Key:
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
AAHH: African American Heritage Hymnal
NNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
LBW: Lutheran Book of Worship
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 knows what it is to suffer over the evil of humans:
Grant us the courage to stand against the things that destroy
even when we must place ourselves in the way;
through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We praise you, O God, for you know very well what it is to suffer over the evil that we do. We have broken your heart time and time again. Help us in this time of worship to open our hearts and minds to the power of your Spirit so that we may courageously face those evils around us. Help us be willing to be scarred and broken so others may be made whole. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
Leader: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins and especially our failure to be enraged by evil and to oppose it.
People: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We are complacent about the evil around us. We have become numb to the pain of others as we are inundated by so much information. If it doesn’t hurt us, we are willing to stay on the sidelines. Help us to feel the shame of our impotence in the face of evil. Stir up in us te indignation that we should rightly feel. Steel us with the courage of your Spirit that we might enter the fray and resist the evil. Help us to stand with the Christ within all who are harmed by the violence and evil around us. Amen.
Leader: God is love and so God is justice and mercy. God desires wholeness and healing for all creation. Receive God’s grace and join in God’s work of righteousness in all the world.
Prayers of the People
We worship you, O God, for you are the one who brings justice and life to creation. You are a God of mercy and compassion.
(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 are complacent about the evil around us. We have become numb to the pain of others as we are inundated by so much information. If it doesn’t hurt us, we are willing to stay on the sidelines. Help us to feel the shame of our impotence in the face of evil. Stir up in us the indignation that we should rightly feel. Steel us with the courage of your Spirit that we might enter the fray and resist the evil. Help us to stand with the Christ within all who are harmed by the violence and evil around us.
We give you thanks for all those who have stood up against the evil and fought for the good. We thank you for those who have dedicated their lives to bringing justice and mercy to live among us. We are in deep awe for those who have been willing to sacrifice themselves to accomplish your goals for creation.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for all your children in their needs and, especially, for those who suffer at the hands of the evil among us. We pray for those who are deprived of the goodness of creation: food, shelter and the chance to be happy. We pray for those who suffer from the violence of others and from the complacency of the rest of us.
(Other intercessions may be offered.)
All these things we ask in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ who taught us to pray together saying:
Our Father....Amen.
(Or if the Our Father is not used at this point in the service)
All this we ask in the name of the Blessed and Holy Trinity. Amen.
Children’s Sermon Starter
We are getting to baseball season. Soon we will see catchers wearing all their protective gear to play behind the plate as pitchers throw fast, hard pitches at them and batters swing their bats in front of their heads. Image if there was a catcher who didn’t have any protection, not even a glove. When he caught a ball in his bare hands we could give him an ice bag or something to help with the pain. That is mercy. Mercy is when we help those who are hurt. Or we could get him a glove and mask and chest protector. That would be justice. Justice is when we set things up so people don’t get hurt. We are called to do both. We try to make things so people don’t get hurt but when they do we help with their pain.
CHILDREN’S SERMON
All creatures are loved by God
by Chris Keating
John 2:13-22
Gather ahead of time: Do a little research about animal shelters and rescue groups (the Humane Society, stray rescue, bird sanctuaries, wild animal sanctuaries, etc.) in your community. Make lists of what these organizations do, and also gather some ideas on needs they may have for donations or volunteer drives.
Message: Jesus is angry! He’s come into the temple, and he sees the people who are profiting from the religious needs of those attending the Passover feast. Explain to the children that the Passover was an important holiday, and that the temple would be filled with people from out of town. The people who came to the temple would need to buy animals for sacrifices. The money changers were people who exchanged Roman coins (which bore the likeness of Caesar) for coins that could be used to pay the temple tax. People who came to worship had to change money for a fee in order to pay their religious obligations. It would be as if we told folks only “Presbyterian Bucks” or “Wesley Dollars” were good in our churches, and that they would have to exchange their dollars for church money (for a price) to have something to put into the offering. (Don’t suggest this to your stewardship committee!)
Likewise, the practice of sacrificing an animal was very important, and a long established practice. Of course, this requires a bit of sensitivity. As Carolyn Brown points out, kids will be very glad to know that Jesus didn’t care for this system. He reminded his followers that it is not necessary to hurt animals, and that the best worship comes from our heart. We sing our praise, and we offer our gifts of money, talents, and faith to God.
You may also want to point out that Jesus does not become “wild and crazy” in anger. Instead, he is bold in trying to help make a change. When we see something wrong, our anger can be used to make positive changes. This could help children understand what it means to “be angry, but do not sin.”
Remind the children that eventually, Jesus would become known as “the Lamb of God.” Because of his death, the sacrifices of animals are not necessary. In fact, God wants us to help care for all creation. We can share Jesus’ compassion with animals during Lent by helping organizations in our neighborhood who take care of animals. Another idea would be to hold an offering of pet food for a local food pantry (poor people love pets, too!). Close with a prayer thanking God for the joys our pets bring to us and asking that God help us care for the animals of the world.
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The Immediate Word, March 4, 2018, issue.
Copyright 2018 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.
