The Rebuke We Need To Hear
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For September 15, 2024:
The Rebuke We Need To Hear
by Chris Keating
Mark 8:27-38, Proverbs 1:20-33
Once more, wisdom’s voice is drowned out by the sounds of gunfire.
Last week’s shooting at a Georgia high school was the 23rd school shooting in the United States in 2024. Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, became the site of the first shooting of the new 2024-25 school year, continuing the ongoing pattern of deadly violence. Two students and two teachers were killed, and nine other injured.
So far, the public outcry has been typical, though hardly wise. Denounce, decry, and pray — it’s the well-rehearsed playbook for mass shootings. Republican vice-presidential nominee Senator J.D. Vance led the responses by shrugging off the shooting as a “fact of life.” Other politicians, including former President Donald Trump, denounced the 14-year old shooter. “These cherished children were taken from us far too soon by a sick and deranged monster,” said Trump. Georgia authorities acted quickly to charge the student and his father.
Meanwhile, Georgia Governor Bryan Kemp offered his prayers, adding that “this is a day every parent dreads.” Kemp should not be so surprised, however, given his endorsement of anemic gun control laws. In 2021, when the Giffords Law Center awarded Georgia a failing grade on gun control in 2021, the governor proudly declared, “I’ll wear this ‘F’ as a badge of honor.”
Response from Democrats has likewise echoed party politics. President Joe Biden reminded America of the cumulative tragedy of students spending time ducking bullets instead of studying. “Students across the country are learning how to duck and cover instead of how to read and write. We cannot continue to accept this as normal,” Biden said. Similarly, Senator Rev. Raphael Warnock offered his own prayers, but then quickly added, “we can’t pray only with our lips — we must pray by taking action.” Vice President Kamala Harris noted that it is “outrageous” that parents need to worry if their children will return home safely from school.
Denouncing, decrying, praying has become the way we respond to violence. Yet actions never follow. It’s similar to how Peter responds when Jesus tells the disciples that the way forward is going to be harsh, even violent. Peter pushes back, taking Jesus aside to denounce, decry, and pray that it’s not true.
Jesus, however, rebukes Peter in the strongest possible terms. In fact, he calls the one he loves “Satan,” and orders him back in line. One wonders: Will the disciples ever heed Jesus’ words of wisdom? Even more concerning, will the church discover what it means to learn from Jesus’ rebuke? It’s possible that may be the one word we most desperately need to hear.
In the News
Perhaps Senator Vance is correct. Perhaps school shootings are just a “fact of life,” the result of not locking up “sicko monsters,” or handing out weapons to teachers.
Statistics suggest that shootings represent a present and growing threat. Mass shootings, not just school shooters, have been on the rise since 2015, peaking at 686 in 2021. Most databases list the number of mass shootings (defined as more than four victims) at 385 for 2024.
There have been 417 school shootings in the United States since the shooting at Columbine High School on April 20, 1999. That includes last week’s shooting at Apalachee High School on September 4, and another in Maryland on September 6. According to the Washington Post, more than 383,000 students have been exposed to gun violence in their schools.
The script, if one wants to use that term, seldom varies from event to event: Most shooters are young, with a median age of 16. Generally, the shooters are white young men, which often leaves the impression that most victims are white. Yet victims are disproportionately persons of color. According to the Post, while Black students are 16.2% of the school population, they are victims of school shootings at more than twice that rate.
Statistics from the Department of Justice show that the majority of weapons used in mass shootings were purchased legally. Over 80% of K-12 shooters stole their guns from family members. Most school shooters were either current or former students, the DOJ notes, raising implications for school shooter drills.
Senator Vance’s denouncing of the perpetrator seems to miss the larger point, however, which may have created the hearty rebuke from Senator Warnock. “JD Vance claims that this kind of random, routine carnage is a fact of life,” Sen. Warnock said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “No, it’s not. It’s a fact of American life. This, again, is a tragic form of American exceptionalism.”
One could add it is also a particularly cruel incarnation of white privilege, given the larger percentage of white shooters. Studies also show that the public frequently associates shootings perpetrated by Black persons with drugs or gangs, while video games are more routinely associated with shootings perpetrated by white persons. A 2015 study by Villanova University showed that people are more likely to erroneously blame video games for causing school shootings, especially when the perpetrator is white. Researcher Patrick Markey noted there is a “stereotypical association between racial minorities and violent crime.”
Denounce, decry, pray continues to be the standard response. Vance claims that “if these psychos are going to go after our kids, we’ve got to be prepared for it.” He continued by saying, “If you are a psycho and you want to make headlines, you realize that schools are soft targets. And we have got to bolster security at our schools.”
American schools have ramped up security in recent years, reportedly spending more than 14.5 billion dollars for police officers and security guards. Some note this surpasses the amount of money spent on school counselors, nurses, and social workers. The effect of bolstering security in schools often creates a more tense environment, and draws resources away from a school’s educational mission.
Senator Warnock, perhaps because of his pastoral background, has a different understanding. Rather than merely decrying the violence, or simply denouncing the shooters as psychotic monsters, Warnock offered a rebuke of our national complicity. “Nowhere else in the world do you have a country that’s not at war do you see this kind of violence. And so, we have to ask ourselves, we have to engage in serious soul-searching as Americans. Why does this happen here?” he said. “I hate it when people malign the mentally ill because most of them are not a danger to us. But there are people who are mentally sick in other countries. There are children who are troubled in other countries. This only happens here. It’s the guns,” he said.
No single piece of legislation will stop the shootings, said Warnock, who said he spent Friday evening among the victims in Winder, Georgia. “In a sense,” he said, “I think we have to broaden the scope of the question because after all we have two mass shootings a day in our country, based on the data just last year. And this does not happen everywhere in the world.”
“Thoughts and prayers did not prevent the needless deaths of students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, both 14, and teachers Richard Aspinwall, 39, and Cristina Irimie, 53,” writes columnist Eugene Robinson. “Thoughts and prayers did not keep a student, allegedly Colt Gray, from using a weapon of war to commit this atrocity.”
In the Scriptures
Mark’s narrative turns toward Jerusalem in chapter eight, though Jesus’ destination will go unnamed until later. For now, the larger point seems to be Jesus’ insistence that the disciples follow him on the path he is walking. The encounter begins with Jesus engaging in a bit of banter while travelling into Caesarea Phillippi. It seems innocuous, a bit of conversation among friends, but clearly Jesus has different intentions. As any parent knows, important conversations often happen while sitting in a car.
This is where learning about following Jesus happens. His question, “Who do you people say that I am?” leads to Peter’s confession and is recorded in the three synoptic gospels. Yet Mark relates the encounter differently. While Matthew confirms a blessing on Peter and appoints him as the future founder of the church, Mark adds tension to the account. He orders the disciples to maintain a strict silence about his identity.
But Jesus promptly violates his own secrecy oath by talking “quite openly” about the coming passion. This seems to get under Peter’s skin. Peter is horrified at the thought of his friend’s violent death and acts quickly to rebuke him. Rebukes are traded in verses 30, 32, and 33, which Thomas Steagald suggests evokes a vitriolic scene of agitation and expectoration. (Feasting on the Gospels, Mark, Mark 8:31-33, Homiletic Perspective, p. 247).
Peter’s rebuke emerges from the traumatic realization of the effects Jesus’ death will have not only for God’s anointed, but perhaps also for those who follow. What he seems to not understand is what is involved in being a messiah. He may know who Jesus is but does not yet understand what that will entail. Peter’s rebuke of Jesus’ words denounces the ugliness and weakness associated with God’s suffering love. His understanding is inadequate, which prompts Jesus’ own rebuke.
Rebuke is a strong word. It is most often used by Jesus in exorcising demons, which perhaps accounts for Jesus’ determined push back against Peter (v. 33). It evokes the image of Jesus banishing Satan following 40 days of temptation in the wilderness. Yet that language is used only by Matthew and is not found in Mark 1. Instead, it seems Mark may be making a statement about the continuous temptations Jesus faced. We might draw the conclusion that the greatest barriers to following Christ come from within. The anxious, impetuous choices of the disciples create situations where they declare Jesus’ identity without understanding what that means. In response, Jesus uses the strongest possible language. He calls the one he loves Satan, and orders Peter to get back in line. The church needs to listen: In what ways do our preconceptions about discipleship keep us from following the Messiah? Perhaps that rebuke is meant for us.
In the Sermon
Peter’s impulsive act to prevent Jesus from the traumatic horror of persecution and execution are understandable. Who would wish such a fate on a friend? Who could believe that by voluntarily entering into the trauma of suffering and abandonment, the Messiah could bring about redemption? It was as counter cultural as a preacher suggesting that being a contemporary disciple of Jesus might entail rejecting the argument that unfettered access to military grade weapons is a basic constitutional right.
Peter wants to keep the peace. Any talk about Jesus being rejected by the religious authorities and persecuted by the state is too ghastly to comprehend. He is aghast by the notion that the good, reliable, well-reasoned leaders of the institutions of faith will be the ones who turn on Jesus. More than that, it appears that following Jesus will also include a rejection of the pseudo-peace instituted by the Roman Emperor.
If only Peter can keep Jesus’ muzzled, he can keep the peace. If we are honest, many of us who have followed Peter into the church have done the same thing. We would prefer a “peace keeping” mission rather than pursuing the harder, most complicated task of “peacemaking.” Who do we say that Jesus is?
Jesus’ rebuke of Peter is an invitation for the church to consider proclaiming the truth.
Recently, former President Trump has falsely said that schools are involved in performing gender-affirming surgeries without parental permission. In several speeches, and without any factual backing, Trump has claimed that schools are providing sex-change surgeries. Take it from the parent of a first-grade teacher — our daughter’s school charges teachers for plastic forks to eat their lunch; there is no way they are paying for surgeries. Yet these claims are made great alarm and disgust. Keeping children safe from actual harms, providing sufficient healthcare, or insuring they are adequately nourished, are not mentioned in Trump’s speeches.
For too long the church has tried to “keep peace” by avoiding sensitive subjects. I’m not suggesting we purposely offend our members, but perhaps a skillful exegesis of Mark 8:27-38 might prompt serious reflection on the church’s calling to be peacemakers.
Case in point: “Peace keeping” often involves avoiding sensitive subjects. On the Sunday following the Sandy Hook School shooting, a parent pleaded with me in the narthex to avoid mentioning the shooting because “we have not talked to our kids about that.” She was doing her children no favors, and I would have been negligent in my role as pastor had I agreed. Keeping the peace involves tamping down the issues, muzzling Jesus’ message. Peacemaking, on the other hand, is more complicated. Our response comes from wholeheartedly asking ourselves, “Who do I say that Jesus is?”
Obviously, this involves a great deal of pastoral concern and wisdom. This is more than a matter of partisan politics, however. It is a matter of speaking up for the little ones to whom Jesus’ kingdom belongs. It is a matter of the church using the promises of God to declare the good news of the kingdom. It is a matter of listening, as Proverbs tells us, to the profound wisdom of God.
* * * * *
SECOND THOUGHTS
God Loves Hypocrites, Too
by Tom Willadsen
Proverbs 1:20-33, James 3:1-12, Mark 8:27-38, Psalm 19, Isaiah 50:4-9a
In the Scripture
Mark 8:27-38
The first half of a hinge in the story
Today’s passage from Mark is remembered for two important things: Peter identifies Jesus as the Messiah, and the “rebuke-off” between Peter and Jesus.
That term “rebuke” is not one commonly used in English anymore. And it does not mean “to buke again,” I checked. It’s a term of stern correction. A firm direct command to get back to where you belong. Jesus, for example, rebuked the wind and the sea in the eighth chapter of Matthew’s gospel.
Often when groups are having social time, I will pick up a tray of cookies, or other easily portable snacks, and circulate through the crowd. This accomplishes a lot of goodwill. I get to have a pleasant exchange with everyone, and I can cut these exchanges short by looking across the room at someone who needs a snickerdoodle. Mostly, it’s a response to my midwestern aversion to wasting food. “These cookies won’t eat themselves,” I observe. I’m pretty sure there’s a German word for “feeling of delight at keeping tasty treats from going to waste.” The members of my Rotary Club appreciate this. In church assemblies, often someone will piously shout, “Get thee behind me, Satan!”
“Dude, will you lighten up? It’s a damn cookie!” I reply, hoping to take the wind out of their sails, not rebuking them their windiness.
It’s telling that after Jesus’ exchange with Peter, Peter is still part of the executive committee. He joins James and John as Jesus goes up a high, unnamed mountain, where he is transfigured.
If we hold to the original sense of rebuke, it appears that Peter has gotten back into his appropriate place.
Today’s passage, and the Transfiguration, form a sort of hinge in Mark’s gospel. Jesus makes a straight line for Jerusalem after them.
James 3:1-12
The trouble with tongues
As a child what I most wanted for Christmas was a “word eraser,” a device that would un-say things I had said. At Meet the Teachers Night in the third grade my mother asked Mrs. Miller whether I had been “mouthy.” (In the early ’70s, I guess boys weren’t sassy, but you get the idea.) Even as a child I regretted many things I had said. I understand completely what James was getting at about the problems — the forest fires, one can start with poorly-chosen and poorly-timed words.
James begins this discourse by pointing out that teachers are held to high standards. They need to be especially careful because they’re models. He then points out “all of us make many mistakes.”
Mistakes can be serious; they can set forests on fire, but they are not necessarily fatal. Early in my ministry, I was co-presiding at a funeral with the senior pastor of the church we served. I was supposed to read Psalm 121, but instead I read Psalm 120. When I realized what I had done, I was devastated and said to my colleague:
“I read the wrong psalm; I am so sorry.”
“You made a mistake,” he replied, “and you’re going to make another.”
Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound….
He was right — I made more mistakes. But I was also less tense leading worship after that. And with less anxiety, I made fewer mistakes.
Don’t overlook that, at the end of this reading, James points out that you can also use your tongue to speak words of blessing, and while he doesn’t mention words of encouragement and grace, they are also possible utterances from the mighty, might tongue.
Proverbs 1:20-33
Words of Wisdom
The author of Proverbs personifies Wisdom as female, and she is not pleased. People do not listen to her. They (we) ignore her reproof. (There’s a subtle difference between “rebuke” and “reproof.” The former gets at correcting bad behavior, whereas the latter is more of an expression of disapproval.) This reading ends with a potentially optimistic note, those who listen to wisdom “will be secure and live at ease.”
Isaiah 50:4-9a
The Lord God has given me the tongue of a teacher
Begins today’s reading from Isaiah. It’s an obvious connection to the reading from James. Many Christians interpret this passage as a prediction for the treatment that Jesus received prior to the crucifixion.
Psalm 19
The whiplash psalm
The first six verses of Psalm 19 describe the beauty of the heavens, how they point to the glory of the creator. There’s a wonderful paradox here:
Day to day pours forth speech,
and night to night declares knowledge
Things you can hear, but wait!
There is no speech, nor are there words;
their voice is not heard….
Well, which is it, Mr. Psalmist?
After gazing at the sky for the first six verses, the reader hunches over the written words of the Lord’s precepts, decrees, law, commandment, and sweet ordinances.
The vast beauty of the heavens and the concepts of God’s instruction point us back to the Creator.
Lord, how Thy wonders are displayed, where’re I turn my eyes;
If I survey the ground I tread, or gaze upon the skies!
(“I Sing the Mighty Power of God,” Isaac Watts)
In the News
It only takes a spark to get a fire going,
And soon all those around can warm up in its glowing;
That's how it is with God's love,
Once you've experienced it,
You spread the love to everyone
You want to pass it on.
(“Pass It On,” by Kurt Kaiser)
I learned that song at Presbyterian church camp back in the ’70s. All my counselors were recovering hippies; they played jangly acoustic guitars — it was required. It’s interesting that, in the song, it’s God’s love that can grow into a campfire. The image is the reverse of what James says. James starts with the destruction of a forest fire, before reminding the reader that the same tongue that starts fires can also speak words of blessing.
Mark Twain said, “A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.” Wait. That’s a lie — Mark Twain didn’t say that, though it has been attributed to him.
These words, whoever spoke them originally, are even truer now in the age of social media and instant communication. Things that simply are not true, ideas that have been disproved and rejected by science, never die, and the very act of refuting them makes those who believe them more certain. As far as I can tell everyone who has ever informed me that they have “done their own research,” is a crackpot, wingnut or gadfly. Yet lies and falsehoods spread more quickly than the truth. It’s been proven. (I read that on the internet, I think.)
In this election season, by that I mean always, candidates who change their positions are accused of flip-flopping. There are occasions, much more serious and damaging, when trusted leaders are accused of hypocrisy.
One of many examples is the Reverend Ted Haggard. He founded New Life Church in Colorado Springs, CO. He was president of the National Association of Evangelicals from 2003-2006.
“In November 2006, a male prostitute and masseur, Mike Jones, publicly alleged that Haggard had paid him for sex over a three-year period and had bought and used crystal methamphetamine.” Jones exposed Haggard after learning Haggard’s identity as a prominent evangelical pastor.
“It made me angry that here's someone preaching against gay marriage and going behind the scenes having gay sex.…” Jones told ABC News, “I had to expose the hypocrisy. He is in the position of influence of millions of followers, and he's preaching against gay marriage. But behind everybody's back [he's] doing what he's preached against." (Ibid.)
James was correct — teachers are held to higher standards. When one falls well short of his stated public stand on a controversial issue, the fall is catastrophic. Not just for the individual, but for every kind of “organized religion.”
In the Sermon
Every person has said harmful things that they regret. Those in positions of authority or public trust are rightly held to high standards. One of the facts of human life is that we will all make mistakes, sin, and fall short of our ideals. Should anyone be condemned forever for their worst moment? Even if it’s recorded and spread around the world on the internet?
One could easily write Peter off for rebuking Jesus as he was about to head to Jerusalem. How could Jesus’ closest disciple be so obtuse? That’s exactly the point.
If Jesus’ closest, most trusted disciple could be so conspicuously wrong to go from being dubbed “the Rock” on whom he would build his church, to Satan, then there’s a place for each of us, flawed, imperfect, humans to follow Christ as well.
We’re all hypocrites, and we’re all beloved by the living God.
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Mary Austin:
Mark 8:27-38
Losing Your Life
Jesus tells the people around him that a life with God requires losing and gaining, in a dynamic process of letting go and finding again. He says, “For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it.”
Spiritual teacher Jack Kornfield tells about this same process through the lens of another spiritual tradition. He says, “I practiced with Joshu Sasaki, a Zen master who died in LA at the age of 106. A woman student came to him confused. She had been doing intensive zen meditation and said, “It feels like I’m dying to my old identity, I don’t know who I am anymore.” He looked at her, smiled and said, “Death okay. Resurrection okay too.” They are both a part of life, like breathing in and out.”
Kornfield adds, “Even now, amidst your difficulties, you can always stop and pause and listen to the wisdom of the heart. It says, remember, you can start again. No matter the situation, you can always pause, listen with kindness, and courageously plant new seeds.”
The process of losing our lives to Jesus is always a process, and we are always beginning again.
* * *
Mark 8:27-38
Who Do You Think You Are?
Jesus offers his followers a way of holding life lightly when he says, “those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life?”
Teacher Haemin Sunim suggests a way of seeing who people truly are, and how seriously they take themselves. He teaches, “How can you tell if someone is truly enlightened? Shower him with both praise and criticism. If he shows signs of being susceptible to either, then it means he has forgotten his enlightened nature.” (from The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down: How to Be Calm in a Busy World)
Save your life, or lose it? Jesus points us toward a life rooted in God instead of in our own importance.
* * *
Mark 8:27-38
Who Are We?
“Who do you think I am?” Jesus asks the people who know him best. Parallel to that question is the question of who they are.
Writer Malcolm Gladwell says that we have may identities over a lifetime, and they shift in importance. He says, “One of the things that irritates me about the world is that the world sometimes chooses for you how to rank your own identities. I always think of my mom, who, to give you, for example, my mom is a Black woman, a Jamaican, a woman, a Christian, a therapist, a writer, a mother, and a wife, and a Canadian… over the course of her life, the way she ranks all of those identities has changed. And I think it constantly changes.”
He explains, “Various people in the world would look at her and say, she, maybe she's number one, a Black woman, and she would say, I don't know, I might've been number one, a Black woman when I was 23 and in England for the first time and being treated like, you know, less than a, than a full person, but I don't, haven't been treated that way in 30 years, why should I foreground that identity?”
Gladwell asserts, “We get to choose which part is most important is.” Jesus is making a claim here that the most important identity is the one we find in him.
* * *
James 3:1-12
Watching Our Words
This epistle urges us to curb our tongues and to be mindful of the destruction that follows harmful speech. Author Rob Walker issues a challenge to watch our words, suggesting, “Imagine following the spirit of a silence vow into daily life. Challenge yourself to spend an entire day saying only what you absolutely must say. It’s been widely observed by behavioral psychology experts — and anyone who’s ever been on a first date — that we too often tend to treat “conversation” as a game of waiting for our own turn to speak. We miss what’s being said because we’re mentally rehearsing our next utterance. What if you could eliminate the idea that the next available mini-silence is your next opening to express whatever is in your head? What if you were limited to, say, fifty spoken words tomorrow? I think you’d listen quite differently. You’d attend quite carefully to every word you spoke.” (from The Art of Noticing)
Could we use just fifty words in a day?
* * *
James 3:1-12
Using Better Words
The epistle charges us to be careful with our words and author and strategist Jonah Berger tells us that we can choose more effective words in our communication. He observes, “When we ask people to help, we often use verbs: “Can you help clean up the blocks?” or “Can you help with the dishes?” Both use the action verb “help” to make the request. But the same request can be rephrased by turning the verb into a noun. Rather than asking for help cleaning up the blocks, for example, try using a noun instead: “Can you be a helper and clean up the blocks?” This simple shift turns what was previously just an action (i.e., helping) into something more profound. Now picking up blocks isn’t just helping, it’s an opportunity. An opportunity to claim a desired identity.”
He adds, “Some parents might find this hard to believe, but most kids want to see themselves as helpers. Sure, they can’t take out the trash or cook dinner, but being a helper, contributing to the group, is a positive identity they’d like to embrace. So, naming the verb, or turning it into a noun, turns what would otherwise just be an action (helping) into an opportunity to claim a positive identity (being a helper). Now picking up blocks is a chance for me to show myself, and maybe even someone else, that I’m a good person. That I’m a member of this desirable group.” (from Magic Words by Jonah Berger)
Our thoughtful words fuel the connections between us.
* * *
Proverbs 1:20-33
Wisdom Goes Home
In Proverbs, Wisdom takes to the public square to speak. Author Katherine May says that, for true wisdom, we also have to balance our public lives with abundant quiet. “The times when we fall out of sync with everyday life remain taboo…We put on a brave public face and grieve privately; we pretend not to see other people’s pain.” May calls these seasons of retreat “wintering,” and says it’s part of the rhythm of our lives. “Wintering brings about some of the most profound and insightful moments of our human experience, and wisdom resides in those who have wintered.”
She adds that this kind of stepping back is essential. “We must stop believing that these times in our lives are somehow silly, a failure of nerve, a lack of willpower. We must stop trying to ignore them or dispose of them. They are real, and they are asking something of us. We must learn to invite the winter in. We may never choose to winter, but we can choose how.” (from Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times)
Wisdom speaks in the public square, and she also needs to take a nap sometimes.
* * * * * *
From team member Katy Stenta:
Mark 8:27-38
It is amazing that it isn’t until Jesus says “Get behind me Satan” that he finally starts to name the journey to Jerusalem. It makes one wonder what things we have to put behind us before we can start to do the next hard thing. It is not always easy to manage everything at once. Sometimes you have to get through one hurdle before attempting the next one. Jesus needed the disciples to have an inkling of who he was, and not run away at the first sign of his death, before he journeyed on to Jerusalem. What was a big hurdle you had to get over before you could move on to the next thing?
* * *
Mark 8:27-38
I love Peter. He always has foot-in-mouth syndrome. He is definitely an extrovert who always feels like he has to say something, and so because of that, he often says the wrong thing. As the leader, he will step up and say out loud what others are thinking. Here he says something quietly, but Jesus remonstrates all of the disciples. However, I think it is good to say your worries out loud. Sometimes my good friends will call me on something, and it does not feel good in that moment. But afterward, I admit, I often feel better for the truth. Sometimes, if it’s something that I have to work on, it doesn’t even feel good then, but I know that it is an act of trust for them to have told me, and that helps a lot. If Peter had not said what he said, they never would have been addressed. It is better to come to God with your worries than to let them fester. It hurt in the moment, but Jesus was able to clear up that the disciples were on the wrong path, that they were being tempted the wrong way. It hurts to be wrong — but it is much better to have an honest conversation and be set right.
* * *
Proverbs 1:20-33
Wisdom does not seem very kind here. She is ripe for revenge — but to be fair, she has been left out of all of the important things. In an era where children are gaining access to guns instead of mental healthcare, it is hard not to agree with her. Common sense policies often seem left to the wayside of greed and politics. Is it any wonder that when the mighty fall, Wisdom will laugh? Let’s face it, pratfalls are funny. When billionaires commission yachts, undersea explorations, or space odysseys they have no right to, and they fail, one feels vindicated to laugh. The real question is how to listen to wisdom in the first place. How do we let wisdom into the room? Where do we find real and salient ways to listen to the corners that are yet unheard? That will be our true task.
* * *
Isaiah 50:4-9a
God stands firm with me. What a phrase. In a time when everything seems to make us weary, when politics, money, work, and even religion itself seems to wear us out, it is good to remember that God stands by and with us through it all. God stands with the weary. God is the one who works through us, opening our ears, teaching us new ways, helping us to see, hear, and understand in new ways. Have you read a new poem, seen new art, come to a new understanding recently? Where have you felt your soul renewed? God wants that for you. Live into the renewals of your soul.
* * *
James 3:1-12
We all make mistakes. The truth of this statement is irrefutable. We humans need to reclaim the idea that none of us is perfect. When I was little, I understood no one could be perfect, but if I could stop making mistakes, or if I could stop making the same mistakes, that would be great. Do we not all hate making mistakes?
Since humans communicate so much, the tongue is a keyway for us to hurt one another. There is no truth to the idea that “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” If that were true, we would not need a saying to remind ourselves that words should not hurt us. God knows the power of the word, that is why God sent the Word to us. Words can heal as well as hurt, and so we need to be cautious how we use words and understand that these are the tools we as humans have been given. It is ok to be imperfect. So, how can we create blessings together?
* * *
Psalm 116
Anytime God inclines God’s ear to us, God comes down to our level and speaks our language to understand us. Just as adults kneel and talk to children in words that children understand, God inclines and takes us in God’s lap and listens to all of our worries, and sooths us — individualized to our worries and concerns, so that we can know that God loves us just the way we are and will care and protect us. I love that about God.
* * * * * *
WORSHIP
by George Reed
Call to Worship
One: The heavens are telling the glory of God.
All: And the firmament proclaims God’s handiwork.
One: The law of God is perfect, reviving the soul.
All: The decrees of God are sure, making wise the simple;
One: The precepts of God are right, rejoicing the heart.
All: The commandment of God is clear, enlightening the eyes.
OR
One: Come, O creator God, who made us to be your children.
All: Renew your image so that we may reflect your love.
One: Come, Jesus Christ, who came to live as one of us.
All: Teach us once again to follow your way of life.
One: Come, Holy Spirit, the bearer of life and light.
All: Fill our hearts with your presence now and always.
Hymns and Songs
When In Our Music God Is Glorified
UMH: 68
H82: 420
PH: 264
GTG: 641
AAHH: 112
NCH: 561
CH: 7
LBW: 555
ELW: 850/851
W&P: 7
STLT: 36
Renew: 62
Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise
UMH: 103
H82: 423
PH: 263
GTG: 12
NCH: 1
CH: 66
LBW: 526
ELW: 834
W&P: 48
AMEC: 71
STLT: 273
Renew: 46
Great Is Thy Faithfulness
UMH: 140
GTG: 39
AAHH: 158
NNBH: 45
NCH: 423
CH: 86
ELW: 733
W&P: 72
AMEC: 84
Renew: 249
Christ, Whose Glory Fills The Skies
UMH: 173
H82: 6/7
PH: 462/463
GTG: 662
LBW: 265
ELW: 553
W&P: 91
Dear Lord And Father Of Mankind
UMH: 358
H82: 652/653
PH: 345
GTG: 169
NCH: 502
CH: 594
LBW: 506
W&P: 470
AMEC: 344
Have Thine Own Way, Lord
UMH: 382
AAHH: 449
NNBH: 206
CH: 588
W&P: 486
AMEC: 345
Take My Life, And Let It Be
UMH: 399
H82: 707
PH: 391
GTG: 697
NNBH: 213
NCH: 448
CH: 609
LBW: 406
ELW: 583/685
W&P: 466
AMEC: 292
Renew: 150
A Charge To Keep I Have
UMH: 413
AAHH: 467/468
NNBH: 436
AMEC: 242
Breathe On Me, Breath Of God
UMH: 420
H82: 508
PH: 316
GTG: 286
AAHH: 317
NNBH: 126
NCH: 292
CH: 254
LBW: 488
W&P: 461
AMEC: 192
Be Thou My Vision
UMH: 451
H82: 488
PH: 339
GTG: 450
NCH: 451
CH: 595
ELW: 793
W&P: 502
AMEC: 281
STLT: 20
Renew: 151
Create In Me A Clean Heart
CCB: 54
Renew: 181/182
Change My Heart, O God
CCB: 56
Renew: 143
Music Resources Key
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
GTG: Glory to God, The Presbyterian Hymnal
AAHH: African American Heritage Hymnal
NNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
LBW: Lutheran Book of Worship
ELW: Evangelical Lutheran Worship
W&P: Worship & Praise
AMEC: African Methodist Episcopal Church Hymnal
STLT: Singing the Living Tradition
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
Renew: Renew! Songs & Hymns for Blended Worship
Prayer for the Day/Collect
O God who is as pure as light:
Grant that we may reflect your purity in our words and deeds
and may be faithful disciples of Jesus the Christ;
through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We praise you, O God, because you are as pure as light. In you there is no darkness. Help us to be faithful disciples of Jesus and to reflect your light in all we do or say. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
One: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins and especially pretend to be better than we are.
All: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We know that we are sinful and fall far short of the mark you have set for us but are embarrassed to admit it. Instead, we try to show off our best side and to hide the darker parts. We look down on the failings of others but turn a blind eye to our own. Forgive us and renew your Spirit within us so that we may the Body of Christ serving this world. Amen.
One: God knows our frailty and loves us as we strive to follow Jesus. Receive God’s grace and extend it to others who struggle alongside you.
Prayers of the People
Praise and glory to you, O God whose light never dims. You are the constant one who holds all creation in your love.
(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 know that we are sinful and fall far short of the mark you have set for us but are embarrassed to admit it. Instead, we try to show off our best side and to hide the darker parts. We look down on the failings of others but turn a blind eye to our own. Forgive us and renew your Spirit within us so that we may the Body of Christ serving this world.
We give you thanks for all the ways in which your love and light shine throughout creation. We thank you for giving us your instructions so that we can live at peace with you, one another, and ourselves. We thank you for Jesus who showed us what it means to live as your child.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for one another this day. We pray for those who struggle with the judgements of others against them. We pray for those who think they are not worthy to come to you, the lover of all you created. We pray for your Church that we might be faithful and lift high your Christ.
(Other intercessions may be offered.)
Hear us as we pray for others: (Time for silent or spoken prayer.)
All these things we ask in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ who taught us to pray 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
Looks Can Be Deceiving
by Dean Feldmeyer
James 3:1-12
(If you put a yellow banana in the refrigerator for a couple of days, the peel will turn black, but the banana will remain fresh and beautiful. Try it for this children's message. Then, when the children have gathered and settled bring out the dark banana and show it to them.)
Say: Okay, what do you think of this banana? Is it any good? Who wants to eat a banana that looks like this? I think we should put it in the garbage, don't you? Yuck.
(Bring out a trash can and start to throw the banana away but stop...)
Oh, wait. Maybe we should check, you know. Just to be sure.
(Gently peal the banana and reveal that it is perfect or nearly so.)
Oh, my goodness! Look at that. It's a good banana.
(Break off a piece and eat it.)
It's delicious… even after all those mean things we said about it. We nearly threw away a perfectly good banana! I guess it just goes to show that you can't always judge things by how they look. And maybe we shouldn't judge people by how they look, huh? And we should be especially careful about the things we say about other people.
That's what our Bible lesson is about, today. The Apostle James reminds us to be careful about the things we say so we don't make fools of ourselves or hurt other peoples' feelings.
(End with a prayer asking God to help us guard the things we say and to always be kind to others with our words.)
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, September 15, 2024 issue.
Copyright 2024 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.
- The Rebuke We Need To Hear by Chris Keating based on Mark 8:27-38 and Proverbs 1:20-33.
- Second Thoughts: God Loves Hypocrites, Too by Tom Willadsen based on Proverbs 1:20-33, James 3:1-12, Mark 8:27-38, Psalm 19, Isaiah 50:4-9a.
- Sermon illustrations by Mary Austin, Katy Stenta.
- Worship resources by George Reed.
- Children’s sermon: Looks Can Be Deceiving by Dean Feldmeyer based on James 3:1-12.
The Rebuke We Need To Hearby Chris Keating
Mark 8:27-38, Proverbs 1:20-33
Once more, wisdom’s voice is drowned out by the sounds of gunfire.
Last week’s shooting at a Georgia high school was the 23rd school shooting in the United States in 2024. Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, became the site of the first shooting of the new 2024-25 school year, continuing the ongoing pattern of deadly violence. Two students and two teachers were killed, and nine other injured.
So far, the public outcry has been typical, though hardly wise. Denounce, decry, and pray — it’s the well-rehearsed playbook for mass shootings. Republican vice-presidential nominee Senator J.D. Vance led the responses by shrugging off the shooting as a “fact of life.” Other politicians, including former President Donald Trump, denounced the 14-year old shooter. “These cherished children were taken from us far too soon by a sick and deranged monster,” said Trump. Georgia authorities acted quickly to charge the student and his father.
Meanwhile, Georgia Governor Bryan Kemp offered his prayers, adding that “this is a day every parent dreads.” Kemp should not be so surprised, however, given his endorsement of anemic gun control laws. In 2021, when the Giffords Law Center awarded Georgia a failing grade on gun control in 2021, the governor proudly declared, “I’ll wear this ‘F’ as a badge of honor.”
Response from Democrats has likewise echoed party politics. President Joe Biden reminded America of the cumulative tragedy of students spending time ducking bullets instead of studying. “Students across the country are learning how to duck and cover instead of how to read and write. We cannot continue to accept this as normal,” Biden said. Similarly, Senator Rev. Raphael Warnock offered his own prayers, but then quickly added, “we can’t pray only with our lips — we must pray by taking action.” Vice President Kamala Harris noted that it is “outrageous” that parents need to worry if their children will return home safely from school.
Denouncing, decrying, praying has become the way we respond to violence. Yet actions never follow. It’s similar to how Peter responds when Jesus tells the disciples that the way forward is going to be harsh, even violent. Peter pushes back, taking Jesus aside to denounce, decry, and pray that it’s not true.
Jesus, however, rebukes Peter in the strongest possible terms. In fact, he calls the one he loves “Satan,” and orders him back in line. One wonders: Will the disciples ever heed Jesus’ words of wisdom? Even more concerning, will the church discover what it means to learn from Jesus’ rebuke? It’s possible that may be the one word we most desperately need to hear.
In the News
Perhaps Senator Vance is correct. Perhaps school shootings are just a “fact of life,” the result of not locking up “sicko monsters,” or handing out weapons to teachers.
Statistics suggest that shootings represent a present and growing threat. Mass shootings, not just school shooters, have been on the rise since 2015, peaking at 686 in 2021. Most databases list the number of mass shootings (defined as more than four victims) at 385 for 2024.
There have been 417 school shootings in the United States since the shooting at Columbine High School on April 20, 1999. That includes last week’s shooting at Apalachee High School on September 4, and another in Maryland on September 6. According to the Washington Post, more than 383,000 students have been exposed to gun violence in their schools.
The script, if one wants to use that term, seldom varies from event to event: Most shooters are young, with a median age of 16. Generally, the shooters are white young men, which often leaves the impression that most victims are white. Yet victims are disproportionately persons of color. According to the Post, while Black students are 16.2% of the school population, they are victims of school shootings at more than twice that rate.
Statistics from the Department of Justice show that the majority of weapons used in mass shootings were purchased legally. Over 80% of K-12 shooters stole their guns from family members. Most school shooters were either current or former students, the DOJ notes, raising implications for school shooter drills.
Senator Vance’s denouncing of the perpetrator seems to miss the larger point, however, which may have created the hearty rebuke from Senator Warnock. “JD Vance claims that this kind of random, routine carnage is a fact of life,” Sen. Warnock said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “No, it’s not. It’s a fact of American life. This, again, is a tragic form of American exceptionalism.”
One could add it is also a particularly cruel incarnation of white privilege, given the larger percentage of white shooters. Studies also show that the public frequently associates shootings perpetrated by Black persons with drugs or gangs, while video games are more routinely associated with shootings perpetrated by white persons. A 2015 study by Villanova University showed that people are more likely to erroneously blame video games for causing school shootings, especially when the perpetrator is white. Researcher Patrick Markey noted there is a “stereotypical association between racial minorities and violent crime.”
Denounce, decry, pray continues to be the standard response. Vance claims that “if these psychos are going to go after our kids, we’ve got to be prepared for it.” He continued by saying, “If you are a psycho and you want to make headlines, you realize that schools are soft targets. And we have got to bolster security at our schools.”
American schools have ramped up security in recent years, reportedly spending more than 14.5 billion dollars for police officers and security guards. Some note this surpasses the amount of money spent on school counselors, nurses, and social workers. The effect of bolstering security in schools often creates a more tense environment, and draws resources away from a school’s educational mission.
Senator Warnock, perhaps because of his pastoral background, has a different understanding. Rather than merely decrying the violence, or simply denouncing the shooters as psychotic monsters, Warnock offered a rebuke of our national complicity. “Nowhere else in the world do you have a country that’s not at war do you see this kind of violence. And so, we have to ask ourselves, we have to engage in serious soul-searching as Americans. Why does this happen here?” he said. “I hate it when people malign the mentally ill because most of them are not a danger to us. But there are people who are mentally sick in other countries. There are children who are troubled in other countries. This only happens here. It’s the guns,” he said.
No single piece of legislation will stop the shootings, said Warnock, who said he spent Friday evening among the victims in Winder, Georgia. “In a sense,” he said, “I think we have to broaden the scope of the question because after all we have two mass shootings a day in our country, based on the data just last year. And this does not happen everywhere in the world.”
“Thoughts and prayers did not prevent the needless deaths of students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, both 14, and teachers Richard Aspinwall, 39, and Cristina Irimie, 53,” writes columnist Eugene Robinson. “Thoughts and prayers did not keep a student, allegedly Colt Gray, from using a weapon of war to commit this atrocity.”
In the Scriptures
Mark’s narrative turns toward Jerusalem in chapter eight, though Jesus’ destination will go unnamed until later. For now, the larger point seems to be Jesus’ insistence that the disciples follow him on the path he is walking. The encounter begins with Jesus engaging in a bit of banter while travelling into Caesarea Phillippi. It seems innocuous, a bit of conversation among friends, but clearly Jesus has different intentions. As any parent knows, important conversations often happen while sitting in a car.
This is where learning about following Jesus happens. His question, “Who do you people say that I am?” leads to Peter’s confession and is recorded in the three synoptic gospels. Yet Mark relates the encounter differently. While Matthew confirms a blessing on Peter and appoints him as the future founder of the church, Mark adds tension to the account. He orders the disciples to maintain a strict silence about his identity.
But Jesus promptly violates his own secrecy oath by talking “quite openly” about the coming passion. This seems to get under Peter’s skin. Peter is horrified at the thought of his friend’s violent death and acts quickly to rebuke him. Rebukes are traded in verses 30, 32, and 33, which Thomas Steagald suggests evokes a vitriolic scene of agitation and expectoration. (Feasting on the Gospels, Mark, Mark 8:31-33, Homiletic Perspective, p. 247).
Peter’s rebuke emerges from the traumatic realization of the effects Jesus’ death will have not only for God’s anointed, but perhaps also for those who follow. What he seems to not understand is what is involved in being a messiah. He may know who Jesus is but does not yet understand what that will entail. Peter’s rebuke of Jesus’ words denounces the ugliness and weakness associated with God’s suffering love. His understanding is inadequate, which prompts Jesus’ own rebuke.
Rebuke is a strong word. It is most often used by Jesus in exorcising demons, which perhaps accounts for Jesus’ determined push back against Peter (v. 33). It evokes the image of Jesus banishing Satan following 40 days of temptation in the wilderness. Yet that language is used only by Matthew and is not found in Mark 1. Instead, it seems Mark may be making a statement about the continuous temptations Jesus faced. We might draw the conclusion that the greatest barriers to following Christ come from within. The anxious, impetuous choices of the disciples create situations where they declare Jesus’ identity without understanding what that means. In response, Jesus uses the strongest possible language. He calls the one he loves Satan, and orders Peter to get back in line. The church needs to listen: In what ways do our preconceptions about discipleship keep us from following the Messiah? Perhaps that rebuke is meant for us.
In the Sermon
Peter’s impulsive act to prevent Jesus from the traumatic horror of persecution and execution are understandable. Who would wish such a fate on a friend? Who could believe that by voluntarily entering into the trauma of suffering and abandonment, the Messiah could bring about redemption? It was as counter cultural as a preacher suggesting that being a contemporary disciple of Jesus might entail rejecting the argument that unfettered access to military grade weapons is a basic constitutional right.
Peter wants to keep the peace. Any talk about Jesus being rejected by the religious authorities and persecuted by the state is too ghastly to comprehend. He is aghast by the notion that the good, reliable, well-reasoned leaders of the institutions of faith will be the ones who turn on Jesus. More than that, it appears that following Jesus will also include a rejection of the pseudo-peace instituted by the Roman Emperor.
If only Peter can keep Jesus’ muzzled, he can keep the peace. If we are honest, many of us who have followed Peter into the church have done the same thing. We would prefer a “peace keeping” mission rather than pursuing the harder, most complicated task of “peacemaking.” Who do we say that Jesus is?
Jesus’ rebuke of Peter is an invitation for the church to consider proclaiming the truth.
Recently, former President Trump has falsely said that schools are involved in performing gender-affirming surgeries without parental permission. In several speeches, and without any factual backing, Trump has claimed that schools are providing sex-change surgeries. Take it from the parent of a first-grade teacher — our daughter’s school charges teachers for plastic forks to eat their lunch; there is no way they are paying for surgeries. Yet these claims are made great alarm and disgust. Keeping children safe from actual harms, providing sufficient healthcare, or insuring they are adequately nourished, are not mentioned in Trump’s speeches.
For too long the church has tried to “keep peace” by avoiding sensitive subjects. I’m not suggesting we purposely offend our members, but perhaps a skillful exegesis of Mark 8:27-38 might prompt serious reflection on the church’s calling to be peacemakers.
Case in point: “Peace keeping” often involves avoiding sensitive subjects. On the Sunday following the Sandy Hook School shooting, a parent pleaded with me in the narthex to avoid mentioning the shooting because “we have not talked to our kids about that.” She was doing her children no favors, and I would have been negligent in my role as pastor had I agreed. Keeping the peace involves tamping down the issues, muzzling Jesus’ message. Peacemaking, on the other hand, is more complicated. Our response comes from wholeheartedly asking ourselves, “Who do I say that Jesus is?”
Obviously, this involves a great deal of pastoral concern and wisdom. This is more than a matter of partisan politics, however. It is a matter of speaking up for the little ones to whom Jesus’ kingdom belongs. It is a matter of the church using the promises of God to declare the good news of the kingdom. It is a matter of listening, as Proverbs tells us, to the profound wisdom of God.
* * * * *
SECOND THOUGHTSGod Loves Hypocrites, Too
by Tom Willadsen
Proverbs 1:20-33, James 3:1-12, Mark 8:27-38, Psalm 19, Isaiah 50:4-9a
In the Scripture
Mark 8:27-38
The first half of a hinge in the story
Today’s passage from Mark is remembered for two important things: Peter identifies Jesus as the Messiah, and the “rebuke-off” between Peter and Jesus.
That term “rebuke” is not one commonly used in English anymore. And it does not mean “to buke again,” I checked. It’s a term of stern correction. A firm direct command to get back to where you belong. Jesus, for example, rebuked the wind and the sea in the eighth chapter of Matthew’s gospel.
Often when groups are having social time, I will pick up a tray of cookies, or other easily portable snacks, and circulate through the crowd. This accomplishes a lot of goodwill. I get to have a pleasant exchange with everyone, and I can cut these exchanges short by looking across the room at someone who needs a snickerdoodle. Mostly, it’s a response to my midwestern aversion to wasting food. “These cookies won’t eat themselves,” I observe. I’m pretty sure there’s a German word for “feeling of delight at keeping tasty treats from going to waste.” The members of my Rotary Club appreciate this. In church assemblies, often someone will piously shout, “Get thee behind me, Satan!”
“Dude, will you lighten up? It’s a damn cookie!” I reply, hoping to take the wind out of their sails, not rebuking them their windiness.
It’s telling that after Jesus’ exchange with Peter, Peter is still part of the executive committee. He joins James and John as Jesus goes up a high, unnamed mountain, where he is transfigured.
If we hold to the original sense of rebuke, it appears that Peter has gotten back into his appropriate place.
Today’s passage, and the Transfiguration, form a sort of hinge in Mark’s gospel. Jesus makes a straight line for Jerusalem after them.
James 3:1-12
The trouble with tongues
As a child what I most wanted for Christmas was a “word eraser,” a device that would un-say things I had said. At Meet the Teachers Night in the third grade my mother asked Mrs. Miller whether I had been “mouthy.” (In the early ’70s, I guess boys weren’t sassy, but you get the idea.) Even as a child I regretted many things I had said. I understand completely what James was getting at about the problems — the forest fires, one can start with poorly-chosen and poorly-timed words.
James begins this discourse by pointing out that teachers are held to high standards. They need to be especially careful because they’re models. He then points out “all of us make many mistakes.”
Mistakes can be serious; they can set forests on fire, but they are not necessarily fatal. Early in my ministry, I was co-presiding at a funeral with the senior pastor of the church we served. I was supposed to read Psalm 121, but instead I read Psalm 120. When I realized what I had done, I was devastated and said to my colleague:
“I read the wrong psalm; I am so sorry.”
“You made a mistake,” he replied, “and you’re going to make another.”
Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound….
He was right — I made more mistakes. But I was also less tense leading worship after that. And with less anxiety, I made fewer mistakes.
Don’t overlook that, at the end of this reading, James points out that you can also use your tongue to speak words of blessing, and while he doesn’t mention words of encouragement and grace, they are also possible utterances from the mighty, might tongue.
Proverbs 1:20-33
Words of Wisdom
The author of Proverbs personifies Wisdom as female, and she is not pleased. People do not listen to her. They (we) ignore her reproof. (There’s a subtle difference between “rebuke” and “reproof.” The former gets at correcting bad behavior, whereas the latter is more of an expression of disapproval.) This reading ends with a potentially optimistic note, those who listen to wisdom “will be secure and live at ease.”
Isaiah 50:4-9a
The Lord God has given me the tongue of a teacher
Begins today’s reading from Isaiah. It’s an obvious connection to the reading from James. Many Christians interpret this passage as a prediction for the treatment that Jesus received prior to the crucifixion.
Psalm 19
The whiplash psalm
The first six verses of Psalm 19 describe the beauty of the heavens, how they point to the glory of the creator. There’s a wonderful paradox here:
Day to day pours forth speech,
and night to night declares knowledge
Things you can hear, but wait!
There is no speech, nor are there words;
their voice is not heard….
Well, which is it, Mr. Psalmist?
After gazing at the sky for the first six verses, the reader hunches over the written words of the Lord’s precepts, decrees, law, commandment, and sweet ordinances.
The vast beauty of the heavens and the concepts of God’s instruction point us back to the Creator.
Lord, how Thy wonders are displayed, where’re I turn my eyes;
If I survey the ground I tread, or gaze upon the skies!
(“I Sing the Mighty Power of God,” Isaac Watts)
In the News
It only takes a spark to get a fire going,
And soon all those around can warm up in its glowing;
That's how it is with God's love,
Once you've experienced it,
You spread the love to everyone
You want to pass it on.
(“Pass It On,” by Kurt Kaiser)
I learned that song at Presbyterian church camp back in the ’70s. All my counselors were recovering hippies; they played jangly acoustic guitars — it was required. It’s interesting that, in the song, it’s God’s love that can grow into a campfire. The image is the reverse of what James says. James starts with the destruction of a forest fire, before reminding the reader that the same tongue that starts fires can also speak words of blessing.
Mark Twain said, “A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.” Wait. That’s a lie — Mark Twain didn’t say that, though it has been attributed to him.
These words, whoever spoke them originally, are even truer now in the age of social media and instant communication. Things that simply are not true, ideas that have been disproved and rejected by science, never die, and the very act of refuting them makes those who believe them more certain. As far as I can tell everyone who has ever informed me that they have “done their own research,” is a crackpot, wingnut or gadfly. Yet lies and falsehoods spread more quickly than the truth. It’s been proven. (I read that on the internet, I think.)
In this election season, by that I mean always, candidates who change their positions are accused of flip-flopping. There are occasions, much more serious and damaging, when trusted leaders are accused of hypocrisy.
One of many examples is the Reverend Ted Haggard. He founded New Life Church in Colorado Springs, CO. He was president of the National Association of Evangelicals from 2003-2006.
“In November 2006, a male prostitute and masseur, Mike Jones, publicly alleged that Haggard had paid him for sex over a three-year period and had bought and used crystal methamphetamine.” Jones exposed Haggard after learning Haggard’s identity as a prominent evangelical pastor.
“It made me angry that here's someone preaching against gay marriage and going behind the scenes having gay sex.…” Jones told ABC News, “I had to expose the hypocrisy. He is in the position of influence of millions of followers, and he's preaching against gay marriage. But behind everybody's back [he's] doing what he's preached against." (Ibid.)
James was correct — teachers are held to higher standards. When one falls well short of his stated public stand on a controversial issue, the fall is catastrophic. Not just for the individual, but for every kind of “organized religion.”
In the Sermon
Every person has said harmful things that they regret. Those in positions of authority or public trust are rightly held to high standards. One of the facts of human life is that we will all make mistakes, sin, and fall short of our ideals. Should anyone be condemned forever for their worst moment? Even if it’s recorded and spread around the world on the internet?
One could easily write Peter off for rebuking Jesus as he was about to head to Jerusalem. How could Jesus’ closest disciple be so obtuse? That’s exactly the point.
If Jesus’ closest, most trusted disciple could be so conspicuously wrong to go from being dubbed “the Rock” on whom he would build his church, to Satan, then there’s a place for each of us, flawed, imperfect, humans to follow Christ as well.
We’re all hypocrites, and we’re all beloved by the living God.
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Mary Austin:Mark 8:27-38
Losing Your Life
Jesus tells the people around him that a life with God requires losing and gaining, in a dynamic process of letting go and finding again. He says, “For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it.”
Spiritual teacher Jack Kornfield tells about this same process through the lens of another spiritual tradition. He says, “I practiced with Joshu Sasaki, a Zen master who died in LA at the age of 106. A woman student came to him confused. She had been doing intensive zen meditation and said, “It feels like I’m dying to my old identity, I don’t know who I am anymore.” He looked at her, smiled and said, “Death okay. Resurrection okay too.” They are both a part of life, like breathing in and out.”
Kornfield adds, “Even now, amidst your difficulties, you can always stop and pause and listen to the wisdom of the heart. It says, remember, you can start again. No matter the situation, you can always pause, listen with kindness, and courageously plant new seeds.”
The process of losing our lives to Jesus is always a process, and we are always beginning again.
* * *
Mark 8:27-38
Who Do You Think You Are?
Jesus offers his followers a way of holding life lightly when he says, “those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life?”
Teacher Haemin Sunim suggests a way of seeing who people truly are, and how seriously they take themselves. He teaches, “How can you tell if someone is truly enlightened? Shower him with both praise and criticism. If he shows signs of being susceptible to either, then it means he has forgotten his enlightened nature.” (from The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down: How to Be Calm in a Busy World)
Save your life, or lose it? Jesus points us toward a life rooted in God instead of in our own importance.
* * *
Mark 8:27-38
Who Are We?
“Who do you think I am?” Jesus asks the people who know him best. Parallel to that question is the question of who they are.
Writer Malcolm Gladwell says that we have may identities over a lifetime, and they shift in importance. He says, “One of the things that irritates me about the world is that the world sometimes chooses for you how to rank your own identities. I always think of my mom, who, to give you, for example, my mom is a Black woman, a Jamaican, a woman, a Christian, a therapist, a writer, a mother, and a wife, and a Canadian… over the course of her life, the way she ranks all of those identities has changed. And I think it constantly changes.”
He explains, “Various people in the world would look at her and say, she, maybe she's number one, a Black woman, and she would say, I don't know, I might've been number one, a Black woman when I was 23 and in England for the first time and being treated like, you know, less than a, than a full person, but I don't, haven't been treated that way in 30 years, why should I foreground that identity?”
Gladwell asserts, “We get to choose which part is most important is.” Jesus is making a claim here that the most important identity is the one we find in him.
* * *
James 3:1-12
Watching Our Words
This epistle urges us to curb our tongues and to be mindful of the destruction that follows harmful speech. Author Rob Walker issues a challenge to watch our words, suggesting, “Imagine following the spirit of a silence vow into daily life. Challenge yourself to spend an entire day saying only what you absolutely must say. It’s been widely observed by behavioral psychology experts — and anyone who’s ever been on a first date — that we too often tend to treat “conversation” as a game of waiting for our own turn to speak. We miss what’s being said because we’re mentally rehearsing our next utterance. What if you could eliminate the idea that the next available mini-silence is your next opening to express whatever is in your head? What if you were limited to, say, fifty spoken words tomorrow? I think you’d listen quite differently. You’d attend quite carefully to every word you spoke.” (from The Art of Noticing)
Could we use just fifty words in a day?
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James 3:1-12
Using Better Words
The epistle charges us to be careful with our words and author and strategist Jonah Berger tells us that we can choose more effective words in our communication. He observes, “When we ask people to help, we often use verbs: “Can you help clean up the blocks?” or “Can you help with the dishes?” Both use the action verb “help” to make the request. But the same request can be rephrased by turning the verb into a noun. Rather than asking for help cleaning up the blocks, for example, try using a noun instead: “Can you be a helper and clean up the blocks?” This simple shift turns what was previously just an action (i.e., helping) into something more profound. Now picking up blocks isn’t just helping, it’s an opportunity. An opportunity to claim a desired identity.”
He adds, “Some parents might find this hard to believe, but most kids want to see themselves as helpers. Sure, they can’t take out the trash or cook dinner, but being a helper, contributing to the group, is a positive identity they’d like to embrace. So, naming the verb, or turning it into a noun, turns what would otherwise just be an action (helping) into an opportunity to claim a positive identity (being a helper). Now picking up blocks is a chance for me to show myself, and maybe even someone else, that I’m a good person. That I’m a member of this desirable group.” (from Magic Words by Jonah Berger)
Our thoughtful words fuel the connections between us.
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Proverbs 1:20-33
Wisdom Goes Home
In Proverbs, Wisdom takes to the public square to speak. Author Katherine May says that, for true wisdom, we also have to balance our public lives with abundant quiet. “The times when we fall out of sync with everyday life remain taboo…We put on a brave public face and grieve privately; we pretend not to see other people’s pain.” May calls these seasons of retreat “wintering,” and says it’s part of the rhythm of our lives. “Wintering brings about some of the most profound and insightful moments of our human experience, and wisdom resides in those who have wintered.”
She adds that this kind of stepping back is essential. “We must stop believing that these times in our lives are somehow silly, a failure of nerve, a lack of willpower. We must stop trying to ignore them or dispose of them. They are real, and they are asking something of us. We must learn to invite the winter in. We may never choose to winter, but we can choose how.” (from Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times)
Wisdom speaks in the public square, and she also needs to take a nap sometimes.
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From team member Katy Stenta:Mark 8:27-38
It is amazing that it isn’t until Jesus says “Get behind me Satan” that he finally starts to name the journey to Jerusalem. It makes one wonder what things we have to put behind us before we can start to do the next hard thing. It is not always easy to manage everything at once. Sometimes you have to get through one hurdle before attempting the next one. Jesus needed the disciples to have an inkling of who he was, and not run away at the first sign of his death, before he journeyed on to Jerusalem. What was a big hurdle you had to get over before you could move on to the next thing?
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Mark 8:27-38
I love Peter. He always has foot-in-mouth syndrome. He is definitely an extrovert who always feels like he has to say something, and so because of that, he often says the wrong thing. As the leader, he will step up and say out loud what others are thinking. Here he says something quietly, but Jesus remonstrates all of the disciples. However, I think it is good to say your worries out loud. Sometimes my good friends will call me on something, and it does not feel good in that moment. But afterward, I admit, I often feel better for the truth. Sometimes, if it’s something that I have to work on, it doesn’t even feel good then, but I know that it is an act of trust for them to have told me, and that helps a lot. If Peter had not said what he said, they never would have been addressed. It is better to come to God with your worries than to let them fester. It hurt in the moment, but Jesus was able to clear up that the disciples were on the wrong path, that they were being tempted the wrong way. It hurts to be wrong — but it is much better to have an honest conversation and be set right.
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Proverbs 1:20-33
Wisdom does not seem very kind here. She is ripe for revenge — but to be fair, she has been left out of all of the important things. In an era where children are gaining access to guns instead of mental healthcare, it is hard not to agree with her. Common sense policies often seem left to the wayside of greed and politics. Is it any wonder that when the mighty fall, Wisdom will laugh? Let’s face it, pratfalls are funny. When billionaires commission yachts, undersea explorations, or space odysseys they have no right to, and they fail, one feels vindicated to laugh. The real question is how to listen to wisdom in the first place. How do we let wisdom into the room? Where do we find real and salient ways to listen to the corners that are yet unheard? That will be our true task.
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Isaiah 50:4-9a
God stands firm with me. What a phrase. In a time when everything seems to make us weary, when politics, money, work, and even religion itself seems to wear us out, it is good to remember that God stands by and with us through it all. God stands with the weary. God is the one who works through us, opening our ears, teaching us new ways, helping us to see, hear, and understand in new ways. Have you read a new poem, seen new art, come to a new understanding recently? Where have you felt your soul renewed? God wants that for you. Live into the renewals of your soul.
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James 3:1-12
We all make mistakes. The truth of this statement is irrefutable. We humans need to reclaim the idea that none of us is perfect. When I was little, I understood no one could be perfect, but if I could stop making mistakes, or if I could stop making the same mistakes, that would be great. Do we not all hate making mistakes?
Since humans communicate so much, the tongue is a keyway for us to hurt one another. There is no truth to the idea that “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” If that were true, we would not need a saying to remind ourselves that words should not hurt us. God knows the power of the word, that is why God sent the Word to us. Words can heal as well as hurt, and so we need to be cautious how we use words and understand that these are the tools we as humans have been given. It is ok to be imperfect. So, how can we create blessings together?
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Psalm 116
Anytime God inclines God’s ear to us, God comes down to our level and speaks our language to understand us. Just as adults kneel and talk to children in words that children understand, God inclines and takes us in God’s lap and listens to all of our worries, and sooths us — individualized to our worries and concerns, so that we can know that God loves us just the way we are and will care and protect us. I love that about God.
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WORSHIPby George Reed
Call to Worship
One: The heavens are telling the glory of God.
All: And the firmament proclaims God’s handiwork.
One: The law of God is perfect, reviving the soul.
All: The decrees of God are sure, making wise the simple;
One: The precepts of God are right, rejoicing the heart.
All: The commandment of God is clear, enlightening the eyes.
OR
One: Come, O creator God, who made us to be your children.
All: Renew your image so that we may reflect your love.
One: Come, Jesus Christ, who came to live as one of us.
All: Teach us once again to follow your way of life.
One: Come, Holy Spirit, the bearer of life and light.
All: Fill our hearts with your presence now and always.
Hymns and Songs
When In Our Music God Is Glorified
UMH: 68
H82: 420
PH: 264
GTG: 641
AAHH: 112
NCH: 561
CH: 7
LBW: 555
ELW: 850/851
W&P: 7
STLT: 36
Renew: 62
Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise
UMH: 103
H82: 423
PH: 263
GTG: 12
NCH: 1
CH: 66
LBW: 526
ELW: 834
W&P: 48
AMEC: 71
STLT: 273
Renew: 46
Great Is Thy Faithfulness
UMH: 140
GTG: 39
AAHH: 158
NNBH: 45
NCH: 423
CH: 86
ELW: 733
W&P: 72
AMEC: 84
Renew: 249
Christ, Whose Glory Fills The Skies
UMH: 173
H82: 6/7
PH: 462/463
GTG: 662
LBW: 265
ELW: 553
W&P: 91
Dear Lord And Father Of Mankind
UMH: 358
H82: 652/653
PH: 345
GTG: 169
NCH: 502
CH: 594
LBW: 506
W&P: 470
AMEC: 344
Have Thine Own Way, Lord
UMH: 382
AAHH: 449
NNBH: 206
CH: 588
W&P: 486
AMEC: 345
Take My Life, And Let It Be
UMH: 399
H82: 707
PH: 391
GTG: 697
NNBH: 213
NCH: 448
CH: 609
LBW: 406
ELW: 583/685
W&P: 466
AMEC: 292
Renew: 150
A Charge To Keep I Have
UMH: 413
AAHH: 467/468
NNBH: 436
AMEC: 242
Breathe On Me, Breath Of God
UMH: 420
H82: 508
PH: 316
GTG: 286
AAHH: 317
NNBH: 126
NCH: 292
CH: 254
LBW: 488
W&P: 461
AMEC: 192
Be Thou My Vision
UMH: 451
H82: 488
PH: 339
GTG: 450
NCH: 451
CH: 595
ELW: 793
W&P: 502
AMEC: 281
STLT: 20
Renew: 151
Create In Me A Clean Heart
CCB: 54
Renew: 181/182
Change My Heart, O God
CCB: 56
Renew: 143
Music Resources Key
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
GTG: Glory to God, The Presbyterian Hymnal
AAHH: African American Heritage Hymnal
NNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
LBW: Lutheran Book of Worship
ELW: Evangelical Lutheran Worship
W&P: Worship & Praise
AMEC: African Methodist Episcopal Church Hymnal
STLT: Singing the Living Tradition
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
Renew: Renew! Songs & Hymns for Blended Worship
Prayer for the Day/Collect
O God who is as pure as light:
Grant that we may reflect your purity in our words and deeds
and may be faithful disciples of Jesus the Christ;
through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We praise you, O God, because you are as pure as light. In you there is no darkness. Help us to be faithful disciples of Jesus and to reflect your light in all we do or say. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
One: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins and especially pretend to be better than we are.
All: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We know that we are sinful and fall far short of the mark you have set for us but are embarrassed to admit it. Instead, we try to show off our best side and to hide the darker parts. We look down on the failings of others but turn a blind eye to our own. Forgive us and renew your Spirit within us so that we may the Body of Christ serving this world. Amen.
One: God knows our frailty and loves us as we strive to follow Jesus. Receive God’s grace and extend it to others who struggle alongside you.
Prayers of the People
Praise and glory to you, O God whose light never dims. You are the constant one who holds all creation in your love.
(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 know that we are sinful and fall far short of the mark you have set for us but are embarrassed to admit it. Instead, we try to show off our best side and to hide the darker parts. We look down on the failings of others but turn a blind eye to our own. Forgive us and renew your Spirit within us so that we may the Body of Christ serving this world.
We give you thanks for all the ways in which your love and light shine throughout creation. We thank you for giving us your instructions so that we can live at peace with you, one another, and ourselves. We thank you for Jesus who showed us what it means to live as your child.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for one another this day. We pray for those who struggle with the judgements of others against them. We pray for those who think they are not worthy to come to you, the lover of all you created. We pray for your Church that we might be faithful and lift high your Christ.
(Other intercessions may be offered.)
Hear us as we pray for others: (Time for silent or spoken prayer.)
All these things we ask in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ who taught us to pray 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.
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CHILDREN’S SERMONLooks Can Be Deceiving
by Dean Feldmeyer
James 3:1-12
(If you put a yellow banana in the refrigerator for a couple of days, the peel will turn black, but the banana will remain fresh and beautiful. Try it for this children's message. Then, when the children have gathered and settled bring out the dark banana and show it to them.)
Say: Okay, what do you think of this banana? Is it any good? Who wants to eat a banana that looks like this? I think we should put it in the garbage, don't you? Yuck.
(Bring out a trash can and start to throw the banana away but stop...)
Oh, wait. Maybe we should check, you know. Just to be sure.
(Gently peal the banana and reveal that it is perfect or nearly so.)
Oh, my goodness! Look at that. It's a good banana.
(Break off a piece and eat it.)
It's delicious… even after all those mean things we said about it. We nearly threw away a perfectly good banana! I guess it just goes to show that you can't always judge things by how they look. And maybe we shouldn't judge people by how they look, huh? And we should be especially careful about the things we say about other people.
That's what our Bible lesson is about, today. The Apostle James reminds us to be careful about the things we say so we don't make fools of ourselves or hurt other peoples' feelings.
(End with a prayer asking God to help us guard the things we say and to always be kind to others with our words.)
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The Immediate Word, September 15, 2024 issue.
Copyright 2024 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.
