Repairers Of The Breach
Children's sermon
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As the world enjoys the enthralling spectacle of the Olympics, a nagging feeling remains that many of the residents of Rio de Janeiro aren’t finding the global sports festival nearly as uplifting as rapt television viewers. Indeed, the spending priorities demanded of local authorities by the International Olympic Committee engendered protests and revealed the sometimes seamy underbelly of the Olympics -- especially with a raft of additional issues ranging from worries about Rio’s water pollution and the Zika virus to unfinished infrastructure and rampant street crime. It all led one commentator to observe that Brazil’s “grand plan went from party to disaster.”
In this installment of The Immediate Word, team member Dean Feldmeyer wonders if Rio’s boosters might take notice of the prophet Isaiah’s advice on what it is that makes a community “like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters never fail,” whose “ancient ruins shall be rebuilt” and “shall raise up the foundations of many generations.” Rather than lavish expenditures on monuments that often have limited use, Isaiah notes that the measure of public vitality is “offer[ing] food to the hungry and satisfy[ing[ the needs of the afflicted” -- a message that should resonate not just in Rio but in our churches and communities as well. Dean points out that Isaiah’s simple prescription boils down to two essentials: care for the poor, needy, and less fortunate; and worship God together.
Team member Beth Herrinton-Hodge shares some additional thoughts on the gospel passage and on the synagogue leaders’ obsession with the letter of the sabbath law rather than its underlying spirit. Beth notes that we too can fall victim to following the rules as opposed to caring for our neighbors, and that Jesus’ response is in line with his identification of the greatest commandments.
Repairers of the Breach
by Dean Feldmeyer
Isaiah 58:9b-14
The official slogan of the 2016 Rio Olympics is um mundo novo (a new world). It’s a slogan filled with hope and promise, meant to reflect what the International Olympic Committee has identified as the core values of the games: unity, respect for diversity, and the will for change.
However, to the thousands of people (roughly one-quarter of all Rio de Janeiro residents) who live in favelas like the “City of God” -- sprawling slums of shacks, shanties, and lean-tos -- those words ring hollow. Many of them are asking “What respect?” and “What change?”
They want to know if they will see any of the $12 billion the country of Brazil is spending on these games, and if any of that spending will improve their lives.
Everyone, including those who dwell in the favelas, understands why Rio wants to put its best face on for the games. The whole world is watching, after all. In fact, most of us want to present the places we live as garden spots to the rest of the world -- but how much spending is appropriate?
The prophet Isaiah has an answer, but he doesn’t address spending at all. He offers a totally different formula that, if followed, will put the best possible face upon our towns and cities and make it so that “your light shall rise in the darkness and your gloom be like the noonday.... Your ancient ruins will be rebuilt... [and] you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to live in.”
In the News
It’s easy to fall in love with the Olympics: the pageantry, the competition, the back stories of the athletes and their families, the sportsmanship that reaches across the lines of nationalism and race and ideology that usually divide us.
This year around 10,500 athletes from 206 countries are competing for 17 days in 306 events. And for the first time in history, a team of athletes who are refugees, forced to flee their home countries, have competed under the Olympic flag.
It’s fun to cheer for your home country but it’s also thrilling to see an underdog rise to the top of the heap, no matter what country they call home. We cannot help but get a lump in our throats when we hear our national anthem and see the tears on the faces of the gold medalists. And that same lump returns when we see the speechless joy of a bronze medalist who everyone predicted would finish at the back of the pack.
The Olympic Games often have the ability to lift us above our mundane and common lives and allow us to feel that we are part of something bigger than ourselves, that we human beings are capable of true goodness or even greatness.
But all that comes at a cost, often a cost far greater than any of us realize.
“Hosting the Olympic Games is a monumental task that requires heaving lifting and a large budget that usually grows beyond what was originally estimated,” reports Lydia Tomkiw in the International Business Times. According to a study conducted at the Said Business School at the University of Oxford, the sports-related costs of the Rio games will be approximately $4.6 billion, 51 percent more than predicted. The total cost of all Olympic-related projects will top $12 billion. The state of Rio will be responsible for $3 billion of that.
And that is cheap by the standards of recent Olympics.
The 2012 summer games in London cost $15 billion, and the 2014 winter games at Sochi topped out at $21.9 billion. The last time an Olympiad came in under budget was 1960.
When Brazilians celebrated the announcement that they would be hosting the 2016 games, it was 2009 and the country’s economy was rolling in a greased groove. But now the country is in the midst of the worst recession in the past 80 years. In June, Rio’s governor declared a state of financial emergency and asked for federal support to keep basic services running.
Some of the venues, like Rio’s Maracana Stadium (which hosted the 2014 World Cup final), will continue to function after the Olympics. But experience has taught us that some of the sites will probably go to ruin.
Most of the sites of the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens have been abandoned and left to return to nature due to Greece’s economic crisis. The Hellinikon Canoe/Kayak Slalom Centre has become a dried-out, overgrown pit. And nearly the entire 1984 Olympic village in Sarajevo has been destroyed or left in ruins after the Bosnian war in the 1990s. (See photos of these sites and others here.)
Meanwhile, in Rio the residents of the city’s favelas (like the one made famous in City of God, a 2003 documentary about drug violence) wonder if the $12 billion spent on the Olympic couldn’t have been put to a better purpose.
In just the month preceding the Olympics alone there have been 756 shootings and 50 deaths in Rio’s favelas, which are often controlled by drug traffickers. Unemployment is rising and “a so-called police pacification program is falling apart.” Promises to clean up 80 percent of the pollution in the city have gone largely unkept. Athletes have found themselves swimming amidst garbage and in pools where the water is cloudy and green. And four swimming medalists were robbed at gunpoint.
Instead of dealing with the poverty, pollution, malnutrition, and suffering that is part of daily life in the favelas, Brazil has chosen to move some of them to other places out of sight of the games or to build huge highway screens decorated with Brazilian themes. The city calls them “sound barriers,” but they also effectively hide impoverished neighborhoods from visitors traveling from the airport to the beaches.
Brazil has spent over $12 billion to prove to the world that Rio is a cosmopolitan, tropical garden spot -- the lovely, idyllic home of “The Girl from Ipanema.” Have they succeeded? Was the money well spent? What else might they have done to achieve that goal?
In the Scriptures
Scholars do not agree about the time and placement of Isaiah 58 in the broader context of the book. Some insist that it is part of Second Isaiah (chapters 40-66), written during the Babylonian captivity in the decades following 586 BCE. Others place it in an additional division of the larger book, making it the first chapter of Third Isaiah (chapters 58-66), written just prior to or even during the return of the first wave of Jews to Israel/Judah.
Those coming back from exile also want their community to be known as a garden spot. For their sake and for the sake of YHWH, they want to be able to say to the world: “See! Our God is a mighty God who restores his people to their rightful place in the world.”
But whether they are getting ready to return or they have actually returned, they have begun to realize the extent of the ruination that has befallen their home in the 70-plus years since they were taken away. They are beginning to ask themselves how they will ever be able to bring Jerusalem back to its original glory, how they will be able to rebuild the temple that took decades and the equivalent of millions of dollars to build the first time.
Isaiah offers a suggestion that they had not considered. Do you want your country to be famous? Do you want your capital city to be the envy of other big cities? Do you want other nations to stand in awe of you and your achievements?
His answer comes in two if/then statements.
The first, in verses 9b-12, says this: IF you stop arguing and blaming each other for everything that is less than perfect, if you feed the hungry and take care of those who are hurting, THEN you will be like a bright, shining light in the darkness. God will guide you continually, and your lives will flourish like a well-watered garden. Your ancient ruins will be rebuilt so thoroughly that they will stand for generations, and you will be remembered as the “repairers of the breach, the restorer of streets to live in.”
The second statement is in verses 13-14: IF you stop making excuses and start going to church, not just as an obligation but as a joy and a privilege, THEN you will live a life that is high, wide, and handsome! And you will be the envy of every other nation.
Two imperatives: Take care of the poor, and go to church. That’s it. Do that, and your country, your city, your town, your community, your family will stand out like a candle in a cave, like a cow among sheep, like the sun amid the stars.
In the Pulpit
While the text deals with broad national issues, its message is not limited to those macro-settings of nations and cities. Yes, we all want our communities to flourish and grow and prosper. But that can also be said for our churches, our families, and ourselves.
We want our churches to be robust and active. We want them to be beacons of the community, magnets that attract people to the warmth of the fellowship and the scope of the vision.
We want our families to be sound and healthy, loving and supportive. And we want our children to be successful and happy and responsible.
We want to be known as good and successful people. We want to have positive reputations, and we want our voices to be heard and our opinions to be sought after.
Unfortunately, we often forget that these are the things that God wants for us as well... and we take it upon ourselves to buy them. We buy a car that will be the envy of the neighborhood and a house that our extended family will swoon over. We buy clothes that make us look good and accessories that will shout “I am successful.” We join clubs and charities that will look good on our resumés and we write posts on Facebook so people will listen to us.
But Isaiah has told us how to get these things we want -- the reputation, the credibility, the notoriety. He sums it up into two activities.
One: Take care of the poor and the needy. Protect the widow and defend the orphan. Feed the hungry and house the homeless. Clothe the naked and tend to the sick. Stop pointing fingers of blame and lecturing each other about the causes of poverty, and start helping the poor.
And two: Go to church.
Yeah, it’s pretty much that simple. Become part of a worshiping, loving, caring, Christian community. Worship the Lord -- not on the golf course or on the lake or in the wilderness, but with other people who are there to worship too. Be part of a community of faith, because it is only in community that we truly rise to our full potential as authentic human beings.
Do these, says Isaiah, and you will be known as repairers of the breach and restorer of streets to live in.
SECOND THOUGHTS
by Beth Herrinton-Hodge
Luke 13:10-17
One of the striking elements of Luke’s story of Jesus healing a bent-over woman is the tension between the letter of the law and the spirit of the law. We’ve met the figures involved in this dispute before: Jesus, an opponent, and a person in need of help. The names, roles, and needs change in the gospels, but the questions remain the same: what is lawful and what is right?
Old Testament laws regarding what is permissible and what is prohibited on the sabbath are found in Exodus (35:1-3), Leviticus (23:3), and Numbers (15:32-36), among other texts. Penalties for breaking sabbath laws can lead to death. Good Jews, be they leaders in the synagogue or law-abiding Pharisees, would know and live by these laws. For Jesus to lay healing hands on a woman, freeing her from an 18-year struggle, flies in the face of the law. Whatever Jesus was teaching in the synagogue prior to this healing event fades away. He enacts a new lesson where compassion supersedes legalism, healing and restoring a person’s quality of life trumps the letter of the law -- even on the sabbath.
This is not the only gospel account where Jesus challenges strict sabbath observance. Jesus and his disciples did not allow the strict Jewish rules against doing any work on the sabbath to constrain them in Matthew 12:1-14; Mark 2:23-28, 3:1-6; Luke 6:1-11, 13:10-17, 14:1-6; and John 5:1-18. In Matthew 12:12, Jesus is reported to say: “It is lawful to do good on the sabbath.” For Jesus, “doing good” goes hand-in-hand with the greatest commandments: love God, and love your neighbor. From this teaching it’s a short jump to offer healing, alleviation of suffering, and a restored spirit on the sabbath. These acts show love for one’s neighbor.
As society moves away from observance of the sabbath, we are left to our own devices to determine what is rest and what is work. What laws are important to keep, and which can we let slide? What’s compassionate, and what’s expected? Is it more “Christian” to keep order in society or to work for peace? For answers to these questions we are left to our own discretion.
The Associated Press reported on a recent incident in Northampton, Massachusetts, in which a man stopped at a gas station in desperate need of fuel. He only had $1.79 in his pocket. He asked the attendant for $2 worth of gas, but proceeded to pump $20 of gas into his tank. When the man confessed his mistake to the attendant, he was told that the police would be called. Just then, a patrolman pulled into the gas station to buy a bottle of water. The attendant reported the gas-pump incident to the officer and asked what should be done. The police officer pulled out a $20 bill and paid for the man’s gas. When the man offered to repay the officer, he replied, “Don’t worry about it at all.” He said he was just trying to resolve a simple misunderstanding.
By the letter of the law, the officer should have arrested the man. But there was a misunderstanding -- a mistake. The officer used his discretion to determine if the law was broken or if simple compassion could remedy the situation.
Individual discretion doesn’t always bear good news. Consider a storyline in the popular musical Les Miserables. Jean Valjean is arrested and receives a 5-year sentence for stealing a loaf of bread for his sister to feed her starving family. Five years of prison turns into 19 years of hard labor for Valjean, who resists the shackles of confinement and accrues additional time due to his numerous attempts to escape. When he finally escapes his life is haunted by his jailer, who has vowed to capture the elusive Valjean and return him to prison... all for a loaf of bread to feed a hungry family. Violating the letter of the law lands Valjean in prison, where there is little evidence of compassion.
Are Law and Compassion mutually exclusive?
The leader of the synagogue who challenged Jesus’ healing on the sabbath spoke clearly and directly to the gathered crowd, “There are six days to work. Come on those days to be cured, not on the sabbath.” This leader was not condemning the healing Jesus offered the woman; he was putting a wall around the sabbath, demanding strict sabbath observance.
“You hypocrites!” Jesus responded, pointing out the ways his challengers violated sabbath laws. They were hiding behind the letter of the law, letting arcane rules dictate the actions of others -- but not living up to the laws themselves.
Law and compassion are not incompatible. Jesus shows how to let them guide his living, his healing, his teaching. The leader of the synagogue would have done well to receive the lesson Jesus taught that day. The sabbath was given by God out of love for all God created. The sabbath was given for humans to pause, to rest, to love and honor God. What love is shown on the sabbath?
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Ron Love:
Jeremiah 1:4-10
In Pakistan lawyers are being murdered, both individually and in groups, by the Islamic State organization. Attorneys are being shot on the street, in their homes, in their cars, and law offices are being attacked with no lawyer left living. The Islamic State’s purpose in killing lawyers is to demonstrate that secular law in a modern state will not take precedence over Islamic law.
Application: Jeremiah knew that our calling to promote justice will often involve danger.
*****
Jeremiah 1:4-10
Bryan Clauson is considered by many the best dirt-track racer ever. He was also a very competitive driver who would race any motor vehicle anywhere. This year alone, he had been in 112 races and was easily on pace to set a record of competing in 200 events. But that came to an end several weeks ago when he died in a racing accident in Kansas at the Belleville Midget Nationals. As Clauson was passing a car on the track, he hit a competitor, causing his car to roll and leading to his death.
Application: Jeremiah knew that our calling in life often involves danger.
*****
Jeremiah 1:4-10
Helen Delich Bentley, who served for 10 years in the United States House of Representatives, recently passed away. Bentley, whose Maryland district included Baltimore’s port, considered one of her greatest achievements as a congresswoman having the port dredged to a depth of 50 feet to accommodate the largest ocean vessels. Before serving in Congress, Bentley was a newspaper reporter who frequently covered the port, a place which she adored. She was also one of the first reporters to use television in the early 1950s as a way of informing and educating the public regarding news and her concerns regarding the port, and thus promoting improvements.
Application: Jeremiah makes it clear that we are to proclaim a message that will improve society.
*****
Jeremiah 1:4-10
W. Carter Merbreier recently died. His name is probably unfamiliar to most people, but in Philadelphia the name Captain Noah is not -- and Merbreier was Captain Noah. Along with his wife Patricia, Merbreier had a Philadelphia-based show called Captain Noah and His Magical Ark that ran on television from 1967 to 1994. The program was intended to entertain, but Merbreier, an ordained Lutheran minister, also presented messages that had Christian themes. The show was surprisingly long-running, but Merbreier was promised that if he continued to produce quality shows Captain Noah would not be cancelled. Realizing that, Merbreier said: “As long as were able to do that, I was going to stay on the air.”
Application: Jeremiah taught us the need to continually proclaim a message that people need to hear.
*****
Isaiah 58:9b-14
As far back as 1960 it had been Elvis Presley’s dream to have a magnificent and luxurious hotel next to his home in Memphis, so that friends and tourists could walk to his estate instead of staying at the Howard Johnson’s down the street. Elvis died on August 16, 1977, but his dream of a hotel was kept alive by his former wife Priscilla. And this October his dream will finally be realized with the opening of the Guest House at Graceland, located on the property of the estate. The six-story, 459-room hotel will reflect the colors of Elvis. At 386,000 square feet, it will be 22 times the size of the Graceland house -- and the cost of the rooms will range from $149 to $1,300 a night. Priscilla said of the Guest House, “I feel that it’s just so right for fans and our guests and tourists.”
Application: Isaiah that we can have our dreams of renewal if we once again turn our thoughts and actions to the Lord.
*****
Hebrews 12:18-29
Famed clarinetist Pete Fountain recently died. Noted for his Dixieland jazz virtuosity and irrepressible wit, Fountain may best known to the public for his frequent appearances on the Lawrence Welk’s and Johnny Carson’s television shows. But in his hometown of New Orleans, Fountain was known for his annual “Half-Fast Walking Club” -- a parade starting at 7 a.m. on Mardi Gras morning at the world famous Commander’s Palace restaurant on Washington Avenue in the Garden District. The troupe of players and revelers would then proceed downtown on St. Charles Avenue, and after a brief interlude on Canal Street enter the French Quarter at Bourbon Street. Then they would wind around the French Quarter and eventually end up at the Monteleone Hotel in the early afternoon. The parade would always be a demonstration of Fountain’s New Orleans spirit of “let the good times roll.”
Application: The author of Hebrews is telling us to celebrate our new heavenly Jerusalem.
*****
Hebrews 12:18-29
It was 20 years in planning, but the National Museum of Industrial History, located in a former steel plant in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, is now open. For 140 years the plant produced steel that was used to build the skyscrapers of New York City and the ships of World War II, but as the economy changed the plant was forced to close. The new museum is a part of the Smithsonian Institution, and it has displays not only on the steel industry but on all of the major industries that were a part of industrial America. The director, Rusty Baker, said about walking through the museum: “Where better to showcase this history than where it happened? It really puts it into context.”
Application: Those standing in the place of the new heavenly Jerusalem are standing in the place where it happened.
*****
Hebrews 12:18-29
Archeologists have always believed that human sacrifices took place on Mount Lykaion, once worshiped as the birthplace of Zeus -- the sky and weather god who later became the leader of the classic Greek pantheon. Legend has it, dating as far back as Aristotle and Plato, that animals and one boy would be sacrificed there, their flesh burned and then consumed. The person who unknowingly ate the human part would become a wolf for nine years. Recently an excavation found the remains of a teenager properly arranged, confirming the truth of the legend.
Application: Hebrews tells us that we can become a part of the new heavenly Jerusalem not by sacrifice, but by faith.
*****
Luke 13:10-17
A new statue of Lucille Ball was unveiled in her hometown of Celoron, New York, on what would have been her 105th birthday. It depicts Lucy, wearing a polka-dot dress, with her left hand on her hip (with a pocketbook daggling from her wrist) and a very happy countenance on her face. What makes this statue so significant is that it replaces a previous statue that stood in the same spot that was referred to by everyone as “Scary Lucy.” That statue of Lucille Ball did not depict the happy, care-free woman we remember from her television shows. The “Scary Lucy” has become such an attraction for tourists, however, that it will be moved to another location in the Lucille Ball Memorial Park.
Application: Jesus challenges the Pharisees to reflect on what their statue is going to look like to the public.
*****
Luke 13:10-17
Roman Catholic bishop Edward Daly recently died. The name of this priest from Northern Ireland is probably unfamiliar to most people, but his image is not. On Bloody Sunday, January 30, 1972, British troops fired without provocation on a group of demonstrating Northern Irish Catholics, killing 13 people seeking independence for their country. During this shooting a photograph was taken of Daly waving a white blood-stained handkerchief as he tried to help a dying 17-year-old boy. That picture became the iconic image of Bloody Sunday.
Application: Jesus teaches us that there is no limit to the sacrifices we should make to heal another individual.
***************
From team member Robin Lostetter:
Isaiah 58:9b-14
Experiments in the 1970s disproved scientific theories of addiction that had been based on experiments earlier in the century. Those earlier experiments had placed a single rat in a cage with two water bottles, one containing plain water and the other containing water laced with heroin or cocaine. The rat would drink solely from the drug-laced water until it finally overdosed and died. Thus, it appeared that a being would always choose drugs if they were available.
In the 1970s Dr. Bruce Alexander observed that the experiments used isolated rats. So he created a “rat park” with a community of rats in an environment with every activity a rat could want. The rats had community and pleasure, and so rarely bothered with the drug-laced water bottle as had the solitary rat. This basic theory about addiction is shown in the animated video “Everything We Think We Know About Addiction Is Wrong,” based on and referring to Johann Hari’s best-selling book Chasing the Scream: The First and Last Days of the War on Drugs.
The new theory suggests, according to the author, that happy, healthy people bond with the people around them, as in a family or community. But when their health or happiness is disturbed, they will bond instead to objects, activities, or drugs.
Whether or not this theory is a full explanation for addiction, certainly some connections can be drawn between the author’s work and the success of AA through its relationship-building and spiritual formation, leading people to healthier, happier lives without the need for “self-medication” or “the crutch” of drugs.
*****
Isaiah 58:9b-14, Luke 13:10-17
Access Your Heart
Please include us.
It hurts to be excluded.
A quick hi and a hug are not enough.
We need real inclusion.
When will you understand?
We are all members of the body of Christ.
Some of us communicate in different ways.
Some of us see differently.
Some of us behave in ways we can’t control.
Some of us learn at different speeds.
Some of us need wheelchairs.
Some of us walk differently.
Some of us hear less.
Some of us never get to come to church.
Some of us are just left out.
We are all members of Christ’s family.
Why can’t you be more welcoming?
We are all in need of a church which welcomes and accepts us for who we are.
We are made in God’s image.
When you forget to include us you are forgetting to include God.
Access is more than ramps and accessible bathrooms.
The hearts of everyone need to be open and welcoming.
When hearts are open we can really be a family in Christ.
Open your heart.
And let us in.
Sarah Nettleton (a teenager at the time)
© 11/08/2000
-- found in Living into the Body of Christ: Towards Full Inclusion of People with Disabilities, the disability policy of the Presbyterian Church (USA).
*****
Isaiah 58:9b-14, Luke 13:10-17
“Elizabeth,” an extremely expressive 28-year-old full-of-life woman, was in a group of a dozen young adults with developmental disorders; members of the church had been meeting with them frequently for more than four years. With the exception of just a few, most of the group were primarily unchurched but still had some sense of a spiritual belief or need. After a period of time several of the young adults, including Elizabeth, expressed a desire to join in Sunday worship. On the day they all came to join in the service, communion was being celebrated. One of the older women in the group passed the bread to Elizabeth, saying, “This is the body of Christ, broken for you.” Elizabeth, breaking the quiet reverence of the moment, joyfully exclaimed: “For ME?!!!” Joyfully indeed.
-- this story, along with other true stories, appears in Living into the Body of Christ: Towards Full Inclusion of People with Disabilities, the disability policy of the Presbyterian Church (USA).
*****
Isaiah 58:9b-14, Luke 13:10-17
The Church Youth Group Leader, Arrested for Feeding Other People’s Parking Meters(slightly edited for language)
Sylvia Stayton made it her personal mission to feed the expired parking meters of complete strangers, and for this she became a celebrated folk hero in Cincinnati. But unfortunately, since that sort of philanthropic activity has the side effect of reducing a city’s revenue stream, the powers that be made sure to make it a jailable offense. Eventually Stayton fell afoul of this law, and it landed her in jail.
When Stayton, who was a 62-year-old grandmother of 10 at the time, was arrested, she might have walked away with merely a fine. But she reportedly may have done the walking away part just a little too soon -- right after a police officer noticed what she was up to and told her to stop. Or maybe, as the court explained it, she “admittedly tried to prevent a police officer from issuing traffic citations to two parked automobiles by feeding the expired meters.” Either way, it meant a trip to the hoosegow for the “Meter-Feeding Granny,” and a local radio station commemorated her deed in song (to the tune of Marty Robbins’ “El Paso”):
The grandma was adding more time on the meter.
The policeman said, “Lady, you’re breaking the law!”
But Sylvia ignored him and dropped in a quarter.
Down went his hand for the cuffs that he wore.
Stayton did not go quietly, and proceeded to resist the officer’s attempt to bring her into custody. This led to a scuffle, during which she claimed to have incurred a bruised forearm as well as, one might assume, a grievously traumatized ego. After paying $500 plus court costs for the infraction (and appearing on several talk shows to complain about it), Stayton went back to her life as a homemaker, director of a Presbyterian church youth group, and Sunday school teacher. And after she passed away, her church group reportedly paid homage by continuing to donate nickels (secretly and less obnoxiously this time) to Cincinnati meters, all while wearing t-shirts that read “Sylvia Stayton... guilty of kindness.”
(There are four other stories in this article, but all require a rough language alert.)
WORSHIP RESOURCES
by George Reed
Call to Worship
Leader: In you, O God, we take refuge.
People: Do not let us ever be put to shame.
Leader: In your righteousness deliver us and rescue us.
People: Incline your ear to us and save us.
Leader: Be to us a rock of refuge, a strong fortress to save us.
People: For you, O God, are our hope and our trust.
OR
Leader: Come and worship the God who desires our good.
People: We praise our creator, who is also our redeemer.
Leader: God desires blessing and wholeness for all.
People: We rejoice in God’s goodness towards all of us.
Leader: God’s blessing comes as we care for the poor and the needy.
People: With God’s help, we will reach out to those in need.
Hymns and Sacred Songs
“All People That on Earth Do Dwell”
found in:
UMH: 75
H82: 377, 378
PH: 220, 221
NNBH: 36
NCH: 7
CH: 18
LBW: 245
ELA: 883
W&P: 661
AMEC: 73
STLT: 370
“There’s a Wideness in God’s Mercy”
found in:
UMH: 121
H82: 469, 470
PH: 298
NCH: 23
CH: 73
LBW: 290
ELA: 587, 588
W&P: 61
AMEC: 78
STLT: 213
“Bread of the World”
found in:
UMH: 624
H82: 301
PH: 502
NCH: 346
CH: 387
W&P: 693
“Lord, You Give the Great Commission”
found in:
UMH: 584
H82: 528
PH: 429
CH: 459
ELA: 579
W&P: 592
Renew: 305
“Christ for the World We Sing”
found in:
UMH: 568
H82: 537
W&P: 561
AMEC: 565
Renew: 299
“O God of Every Nation”
found in:
UMH: 435
H82: 607
PH: 289
CH: 680
LBW: 416
ELA: 713
W&P: 626
“Jesu, Jesu”
found in:
UMH: 432
H82: 602
PH: 367
NCH: 498
CH: 600
ELA: 708
W&P: 273
CCB: 66
Renew: 289
“Where Cross the Crowded Ways of Life”
found in:
UMH: 427
H82: 609
PH: 408
NCH: 543
CH: 665
LBW: 429
ELA: 719
W&P: 591
AMEC: 561
“As the Deer”
found in:
CCB: 83
Renew: 9
“You Are Mine”
found in:
CCB: 58
Music Resources Key:
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982 (The Episcopal Church)
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
NNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
LBW: Lutheran Book of Worship
ELA: Evangelical Lutheran Worship
W&P: Worship & Praise
AMEC: African Methodist Episcopal Church Hymnal
STLT: Singing the Living Tradition
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
Renew: Renew! Songs & Hymns for Blended Worship
Prayer for the Day / Collect
O God who is just and merciful: Grant us the courage to seek justice for all and mercy for those denied justice so that our heritage may be great; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We worship and adore you, O God, for you are just and you are merciful. Send your Spirit upon us, so that we may be people who seek to bring justice to the world. Help us to reach out in mercy for those who have been denied justice. Then we will reflect your nature and our heritage will be lasting. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
Leader: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins, especially when we seek to make our world better without taking into account God’s plans for us.
People: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. You have created us with rational thought and the ability to problem-solve. These are wondrous gifts, but sometimes we misuse them. When we rely solely on them and do not use the wisdom you offer us, our plans are not the best they can be. We forget to discern in prayer what it is that will bring us closer to your reign. We think our vision of what the world should be is adequate. What a foolish thought! How can we know what is best for the world without consulting you, the Creator of the World? Forgive us, and renew us in your Spirit that we may be people who understand the world needs justice and mercy as much as food and water. Amen.
Leader: God’s desires the world’s healing, and God desires to accomplish it through us. Receive God’s grace and Spirit and seek God’s wisdom.
Prayers of the People (and the Lord’s Prayer)
We praise you, O God, for your gracious wisdom. You are the basis of all wisdom and knowledge and glory.
(The following paragraph may be used if a separate prayer of confession has not been used.)
We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. You have created us with rational thought and the ability to problem-solve. These are wondrous gifts, but sometimes we misuse them. When we rely solely on them and do not use the wisdom you offer us, our plans are not the best they can be. We forget to discern in prayer what it is that will bring us closer to your reign. We think our vision of what the world should be is adequate. What a foolish thought! How can we know what is best for the world without consulting you, the Creator of the World? Forgive us, and renew us in your Spirit that we may be people who understand the world needs justice and mercy as much as food and water.
We give you thanks for this wonderful world you have created for us. We thank you for your presence within and among us. We are truly thankful for the wisdom you share with us. It is with gratitude that we receive the wisdom passed on by others.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for one another in our need. We know that many have been denied justice and have found no mercy. We know that precious resources which could have been used for the good of all your children have been hoarded and misused for the benefit of a few. We pray for those who suffer from this misuse.
(Other intercessions may be offered.)
All these things we ask in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ, who taught us to pray together, saying:
Our Father . . . Amen.
(or if the Lord’s Prayer is not used at this point in the service)
All this we ask in the Name of the Blessed and Holy Trinity. Amen.
Children’s Sermon Starter
Talk to the children about what would be some really great things to have in their homes. An ice cream dispenser? An indoor pool? A roller coaster in the backyard? But what if you had all this and every time you went to use them someone would stop you? They would use them, but they wouldn’t let you. That wouldn’t be so good. Fun things are nice, but justice/fairness is even more important.
CHILDREN’S SERMON
Oh, My Aching Back!
by Chris Keating
Luke 13:10-17, Psalm 103:1-8
Gather in advance:
* a foam Nerf ball, bean bag, or other soft item that can be tossed in church
* printed copies of Psalm 103:1
* a picture illustrating Jesus healing the bent-over woman Luke 13:10-17 (a quick internet search will yield many possibilities)
* optional: you may wish to research any statements or reflection papers from your denomination or faith tradition concerning disabilities
After the children have gathered, asked them if they have ever met someone with a special need. Of course, it’s possible that some of the children might identify themselves as having special needs, or that someone in the congregation could be disabled. The point today is to help children understand that we are all beloved children of God, and that we all have different abilities. If you have a story about a disability or there is a person in the church who might feel comfortable sharing part of their story, today would be a great opportunity for the children to learn about how God has gifted each one of us.
What do they know about having a disability? (Examples could include “some people need help doing things” or “a person might need a service animal,” or “they use a wheelchair.”) Point out that while there are differences between all people, there are certain things that are the same. Everyone wants to be treated with kindness and respect, and we all need help from time to time. Do they know that about 49 million people in the United States have some sort of disability?
If you have time, an option might be to ask one of the children if they would like to play catch. You are going to throw them the ball, and they will catch it. Easy, right? Well, the “catch” is they can only try to catch the Nerf ball with one hand, and it must be their non-dominant hand. Not so easy, is it? People with disabilities sometimes feel as though the world is not so easy.
That was the case for a woman that Jesus met one day when he was teaching in the synagogue. Jesus was teaching a Bible lesson. At the synagogue there was a woman whose back hurt so bad that she couldn’t stand up straight. What would it be like to be bent over like that? (Examples could be “you can’t see where you are going,” “you can’t see people smile,” and so forth.)
The Bible doesn’t tell us the woman’s name, or anything else about her other than that she had been sick for 18 years. That is a long time. It would be hard not being able to see where you are going for 18 years! Ask the children what might be hard about that sort of disability.
But Jesus had compassion on the woman. He healed her, and she could once again stand up straight. She was so excited that she began to praise God. Her back didn’t hurt any more! It was amazing. When she looked up, she could see Jesus. She could see the faces of her friends, and she could even see the frowns on the faces of the leaders who were unhappy with what Jesus did. (See Karoline Lewis’ article about this passage.)
But instead of frowning, she rejoiced! She might have even said these words from Psalm 103: “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless God’s holy name!”
You can pass around the copies of Psalm 103, and invite the children to say verse one with you.
She was so excited -- but the leaders of the synagogue were mad at Jesus for breaking the rules. Jesus wanted them to see the new thing that God was doing, and he wanted them to rejoice with the woman too. But they could not see. In many ways, they were behaving like people who couldn’t stand up straight and see. Jesus told them that they were forgetting that this woman was also one of God’s children.
She knew she was a special person -- not just because she had a disability, but because God loved her. The other people did not understand.
The story today offers us a chance to think about how it is that we treat persons with special needs. Jesus wants us to share acts of love and kindness with all people. Encourage them to think of ways that they can help others in the church see with the joy of the woman who had been healed, so that we can share God’s good news. Close with a prayer asking God to help us show more compassion and kindness to all of God’s children.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, August 21, 2016, issue.
Copyright 2016 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to The Immediate Word service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons and in worship and classroom settings only. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
In this installment of The Immediate Word, team member Dean Feldmeyer wonders if Rio’s boosters might take notice of the prophet Isaiah’s advice on what it is that makes a community “like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters never fail,” whose “ancient ruins shall be rebuilt” and “shall raise up the foundations of many generations.” Rather than lavish expenditures on monuments that often have limited use, Isaiah notes that the measure of public vitality is “offer[ing] food to the hungry and satisfy[ing[ the needs of the afflicted” -- a message that should resonate not just in Rio but in our churches and communities as well. Dean points out that Isaiah’s simple prescription boils down to two essentials: care for the poor, needy, and less fortunate; and worship God together.
Team member Beth Herrinton-Hodge shares some additional thoughts on the gospel passage and on the synagogue leaders’ obsession with the letter of the sabbath law rather than its underlying spirit. Beth notes that we too can fall victim to following the rules as opposed to caring for our neighbors, and that Jesus’ response is in line with his identification of the greatest commandments.
Repairers of the Breach
by Dean Feldmeyer
Isaiah 58:9b-14
The official slogan of the 2016 Rio Olympics is um mundo novo (a new world). It’s a slogan filled with hope and promise, meant to reflect what the International Olympic Committee has identified as the core values of the games: unity, respect for diversity, and the will for change.
However, to the thousands of people (roughly one-quarter of all Rio de Janeiro residents) who live in favelas like the “City of God” -- sprawling slums of shacks, shanties, and lean-tos -- those words ring hollow. Many of them are asking “What respect?” and “What change?”
They want to know if they will see any of the $12 billion the country of Brazil is spending on these games, and if any of that spending will improve their lives.
Everyone, including those who dwell in the favelas, understands why Rio wants to put its best face on for the games. The whole world is watching, after all. In fact, most of us want to present the places we live as garden spots to the rest of the world -- but how much spending is appropriate?
The prophet Isaiah has an answer, but he doesn’t address spending at all. He offers a totally different formula that, if followed, will put the best possible face upon our towns and cities and make it so that “your light shall rise in the darkness and your gloom be like the noonday.... Your ancient ruins will be rebuilt... [and] you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to live in.”
In the News
It’s easy to fall in love with the Olympics: the pageantry, the competition, the back stories of the athletes and their families, the sportsmanship that reaches across the lines of nationalism and race and ideology that usually divide us.
This year around 10,500 athletes from 206 countries are competing for 17 days in 306 events. And for the first time in history, a team of athletes who are refugees, forced to flee their home countries, have competed under the Olympic flag.
It’s fun to cheer for your home country but it’s also thrilling to see an underdog rise to the top of the heap, no matter what country they call home. We cannot help but get a lump in our throats when we hear our national anthem and see the tears on the faces of the gold medalists. And that same lump returns when we see the speechless joy of a bronze medalist who everyone predicted would finish at the back of the pack.
The Olympic Games often have the ability to lift us above our mundane and common lives and allow us to feel that we are part of something bigger than ourselves, that we human beings are capable of true goodness or even greatness.
But all that comes at a cost, often a cost far greater than any of us realize.
“Hosting the Olympic Games is a monumental task that requires heaving lifting and a large budget that usually grows beyond what was originally estimated,” reports Lydia Tomkiw in the International Business Times. According to a study conducted at the Said Business School at the University of Oxford, the sports-related costs of the Rio games will be approximately $4.6 billion, 51 percent more than predicted. The total cost of all Olympic-related projects will top $12 billion. The state of Rio will be responsible for $3 billion of that.
And that is cheap by the standards of recent Olympics.
The 2012 summer games in London cost $15 billion, and the 2014 winter games at Sochi topped out at $21.9 billion. The last time an Olympiad came in under budget was 1960.
When Brazilians celebrated the announcement that they would be hosting the 2016 games, it was 2009 and the country’s economy was rolling in a greased groove. But now the country is in the midst of the worst recession in the past 80 years. In June, Rio’s governor declared a state of financial emergency and asked for federal support to keep basic services running.
Some of the venues, like Rio’s Maracana Stadium (which hosted the 2014 World Cup final), will continue to function after the Olympics. But experience has taught us that some of the sites will probably go to ruin.
Most of the sites of the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens have been abandoned and left to return to nature due to Greece’s economic crisis. The Hellinikon Canoe/Kayak Slalom Centre has become a dried-out, overgrown pit. And nearly the entire 1984 Olympic village in Sarajevo has been destroyed or left in ruins after the Bosnian war in the 1990s. (See photos of these sites and others here.)
Meanwhile, in Rio the residents of the city’s favelas (like the one made famous in City of God, a 2003 documentary about drug violence) wonder if the $12 billion spent on the Olympic couldn’t have been put to a better purpose.
In just the month preceding the Olympics alone there have been 756 shootings and 50 deaths in Rio’s favelas, which are often controlled by drug traffickers. Unemployment is rising and “a so-called police pacification program is falling apart.” Promises to clean up 80 percent of the pollution in the city have gone largely unkept. Athletes have found themselves swimming amidst garbage and in pools where the water is cloudy and green. And four swimming medalists were robbed at gunpoint.
Instead of dealing with the poverty, pollution, malnutrition, and suffering that is part of daily life in the favelas, Brazil has chosen to move some of them to other places out of sight of the games or to build huge highway screens decorated with Brazilian themes. The city calls them “sound barriers,” but they also effectively hide impoverished neighborhoods from visitors traveling from the airport to the beaches.
Brazil has spent over $12 billion to prove to the world that Rio is a cosmopolitan, tropical garden spot -- the lovely, idyllic home of “The Girl from Ipanema.” Have they succeeded? Was the money well spent? What else might they have done to achieve that goal?
In the Scriptures
Scholars do not agree about the time and placement of Isaiah 58 in the broader context of the book. Some insist that it is part of Second Isaiah (chapters 40-66), written during the Babylonian captivity in the decades following 586 BCE. Others place it in an additional division of the larger book, making it the first chapter of Third Isaiah (chapters 58-66), written just prior to or even during the return of the first wave of Jews to Israel/Judah.
Those coming back from exile also want their community to be known as a garden spot. For their sake and for the sake of YHWH, they want to be able to say to the world: “See! Our God is a mighty God who restores his people to their rightful place in the world.”
But whether they are getting ready to return or they have actually returned, they have begun to realize the extent of the ruination that has befallen their home in the 70-plus years since they were taken away. They are beginning to ask themselves how they will ever be able to bring Jerusalem back to its original glory, how they will be able to rebuild the temple that took decades and the equivalent of millions of dollars to build the first time.
Isaiah offers a suggestion that they had not considered. Do you want your country to be famous? Do you want your capital city to be the envy of other big cities? Do you want other nations to stand in awe of you and your achievements?
His answer comes in two if/then statements.
The first, in verses 9b-12, says this: IF you stop arguing and blaming each other for everything that is less than perfect, if you feed the hungry and take care of those who are hurting, THEN you will be like a bright, shining light in the darkness. God will guide you continually, and your lives will flourish like a well-watered garden. Your ancient ruins will be rebuilt so thoroughly that they will stand for generations, and you will be remembered as the “repairers of the breach, the restorer of streets to live in.”
The second statement is in verses 13-14: IF you stop making excuses and start going to church, not just as an obligation but as a joy and a privilege, THEN you will live a life that is high, wide, and handsome! And you will be the envy of every other nation.
Two imperatives: Take care of the poor, and go to church. That’s it. Do that, and your country, your city, your town, your community, your family will stand out like a candle in a cave, like a cow among sheep, like the sun amid the stars.
In the Pulpit
While the text deals with broad national issues, its message is not limited to those macro-settings of nations and cities. Yes, we all want our communities to flourish and grow and prosper. But that can also be said for our churches, our families, and ourselves.
We want our churches to be robust and active. We want them to be beacons of the community, magnets that attract people to the warmth of the fellowship and the scope of the vision.
We want our families to be sound and healthy, loving and supportive. And we want our children to be successful and happy and responsible.
We want to be known as good and successful people. We want to have positive reputations, and we want our voices to be heard and our opinions to be sought after.
Unfortunately, we often forget that these are the things that God wants for us as well... and we take it upon ourselves to buy them. We buy a car that will be the envy of the neighborhood and a house that our extended family will swoon over. We buy clothes that make us look good and accessories that will shout “I am successful.” We join clubs and charities that will look good on our resumés and we write posts on Facebook so people will listen to us.
But Isaiah has told us how to get these things we want -- the reputation, the credibility, the notoriety. He sums it up into two activities.
One: Take care of the poor and the needy. Protect the widow and defend the orphan. Feed the hungry and house the homeless. Clothe the naked and tend to the sick. Stop pointing fingers of blame and lecturing each other about the causes of poverty, and start helping the poor.
And two: Go to church.
Yeah, it’s pretty much that simple. Become part of a worshiping, loving, caring, Christian community. Worship the Lord -- not on the golf course or on the lake or in the wilderness, but with other people who are there to worship too. Be part of a community of faith, because it is only in community that we truly rise to our full potential as authentic human beings.
Do these, says Isaiah, and you will be known as repairers of the breach and restorer of streets to live in.
SECOND THOUGHTS
by Beth Herrinton-Hodge
Luke 13:10-17
One of the striking elements of Luke’s story of Jesus healing a bent-over woman is the tension between the letter of the law and the spirit of the law. We’ve met the figures involved in this dispute before: Jesus, an opponent, and a person in need of help. The names, roles, and needs change in the gospels, but the questions remain the same: what is lawful and what is right?
Old Testament laws regarding what is permissible and what is prohibited on the sabbath are found in Exodus (35:1-3), Leviticus (23:3), and Numbers (15:32-36), among other texts. Penalties for breaking sabbath laws can lead to death. Good Jews, be they leaders in the synagogue or law-abiding Pharisees, would know and live by these laws. For Jesus to lay healing hands on a woman, freeing her from an 18-year struggle, flies in the face of the law. Whatever Jesus was teaching in the synagogue prior to this healing event fades away. He enacts a new lesson where compassion supersedes legalism, healing and restoring a person’s quality of life trumps the letter of the law -- even on the sabbath.
This is not the only gospel account where Jesus challenges strict sabbath observance. Jesus and his disciples did not allow the strict Jewish rules against doing any work on the sabbath to constrain them in Matthew 12:1-14; Mark 2:23-28, 3:1-6; Luke 6:1-11, 13:10-17, 14:1-6; and John 5:1-18. In Matthew 12:12, Jesus is reported to say: “It is lawful to do good on the sabbath.” For Jesus, “doing good” goes hand-in-hand with the greatest commandments: love God, and love your neighbor. From this teaching it’s a short jump to offer healing, alleviation of suffering, and a restored spirit on the sabbath. These acts show love for one’s neighbor.
As society moves away from observance of the sabbath, we are left to our own devices to determine what is rest and what is work. What laws are important to keep, and which can we let slide? What’s compassionate, and what’s expected? Is it more “Christian” to keep order in society or to work for peace? For answers to these questions we are left to our own discretion.
The Associated Press reported on a recent incident in Northampton, Massachusetts, in which a man stopped at a gas station in desperate need of fuel. He only had $1.79 in his pocket. He asked the attendant for $2 worth of gas, but proceeded to pump $20 of gas into his tank. When the man confessed his mistake to the attendant, he was told that the police would be called. Just then, a patrolman pulled into the gas station to buy a bottle of water. The attendant reported the gas-pump incident to the officer and asked what should be done. The police officer pulled out a $20 bill and paid for the man’s gas. When the man offered to repay the officer, he replied, “Don’t worry about it at all.” He said he was just trying to resolve a simple misunderstanding.
By the letter of the law, the officer should have arrested the man. But there was a misunderstanding -- a mistake. The officer used his discretion to determine if the law was broken or if simple compassion could remedy the situation.
Individual discretion doesn’t always bear good news. Consider a storyline in the popular musical Les Miserables. Jean Valjean is arrested and receives a 5-year sentence for stealing a loaf of bread for his sister to feed her starving family. Five years of prison turns into 19 years of hard labor for Valjean, who resists the shackles of confinement and accrues additional time due to his numerous attempts to escape. When he finally escapes his life is haunted by his jailer, who has vowed to capture the elusive Valjean and return him to prison... all for a loaf of bread to feed a hungry family. Violating the letter of the law lands Valjean in prison, where there is little evidence of compassion.
Are Law and Compassion mutually exclusive?
The leader of the synagogue who challenged Jesus’ healing on the sabbath spoke clearly and directly to the gathered crowd, “There are six days to work. Come on those days to be cured, not on the sabbath.” This leader was not condemning the healing Jesus offered the woman; he was putting a wall around the sabbath, demanding strict sabbath observance.
“You hypocrites!” Jesus responded, pointing out the ways his challengers violated sabbath laws. They were hiding behind the letter of the law, letting arcane rules dictate the actions of others -- but not living up to the laws themselves.
Law and compassion are not incompatible. Jesus shows how to let them guide his living, his healing, his teaching. The leader of the synagogue would have done well to receive the lesson Jesus taught that day. The sabbath was given by God out of love for all God created. The sabbath was given for humans to pause, to rest, to love and honor God. What love is shown on the sabbath?
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Ron Love:
Jeremiah 1:4-10
In Pakistan lawyers are being murdered, both individually and in groups, by the Islamic State organization. Attorneys are being shot on the street, in their homes, in their cars, and law offices are being attacked with no lawyer left living. The Islamic State’s purpose in killing lawyers is to demonstrate that secular law in a modern state will not take precedence over Islamic law.
Application: Jeremiah knew that our calling to promote justice will often involve danger.
*****
Jeremiah 1:4-10
Bryan Clauson is considered by many the best dirt-track racer ever. He was also a very competitive driver who would race any motor vehicle anywhere. This year alone, he had been in 112 races and was easily on pace to set a record of competing in 200 events. But that came to an end several weeks ago when he died in a racing accident in Kansas at the Belleville Midget Nationals. As Clauson was passing a car on the track, he hit a competitor, causing his car to roll and leading to his death.
Application: Jeremiah knew that our calling in life often involves danger.
*****
Jeremiah 1:4-10
Helen Delich Bentley, who served for 10 years in the United States House of Representatives, recently passed away. Bentley, whose Maryland district included Baltimore’s port, considered one of her greatest achievements as a congresswoman having the port dredged to a depth of 50 feet to accommodate the largest ocean vessels. Before serving in Congress, Bentley was a newspaper reporter who frequently covered the port, a place which she adored. She was also one of the first reporters to use television in the early 1950s as a way of informing and educating the public regarding news and her concerns regarding the port, and thus promoting improvements.
Application: Jeremiah makes it clear that we are to proclaim a message that will improve society.
*****
Jeremiah 1:4-10
W. Carter Merbreier recently died. His name is probably unfamiliar to most people, but in Philadelphia the name Captain Noah is not -- and Merbreier was Captain Noah. Along with his wife Patricia, Merbreier had a Philadelphia-based show called Captain Noah and His Magical Ark that ran on television from 1967 to 1994. The program was intended to entertain, but Merbreier, an ordained Lutheran minister, also presented messages that had Christian themes. The show was surprisingly long-running, but Merbreier was promised that if he continued to produce quality shows Captain Noah would not be cancelled. Realizing that, Merbreier said: “As long as were able to do that, I was going to stay on the air.”
Application: Jeremiah taught us the need to continually proclaim a message that people need to hear.
*****
Isaiah 58:9b-14
As far back as 1960 it had been Elvis Presley’s dream to have a magnificent and luxurious hotel next to his home in Memphis, so that friends and tourists could walk to his estate instead of staying at the Howard Johnson’s down the street. Elvis died on August 16, 1977, but his dream of a hotel was kept alive by his former wife Priscilla. And this October his dream will finally be realized with the opening of the Guest House at Graceland, located on the property of the estate. The six-story, 459-room hotel will reflect the colors of Elvis. At 386,000 square feet, it will be 22 times the size of the Graceland house -- and the cost of the rooms will range from $149 to $1,300 a night. Priscilla said of the Guest House, “I feel that it’s just so right for fans and our guests and tourists.”
Application: Isaiah that we can have our dreams of renewal if we once again turn our thoughts and actions to the Lord.
*****
Hebrews 12:18-29
Famed clarinetist Pete Fountain recently died. Noted for his Dixieland jazz virtuosity and irrepressible wit, Fountain may best known to the public for his frequent appearances on the Lawrence Welk’s and Johnny Carson’s television shows. But in his hometown of New Orleans, Fountain was known for his annual “Half-Fast Walking Club” -- a parade starting at 7 a.m. on Mardi Gras morning at the world famous Commander’s Palace restaurant on Washington Avenue in the Garden District. The troupe of players and revelers would then proceed downtown on St. Charles Avenue, and after a brief interlude on Canal Street enter the French Quarter at Bourbon Street. Then they would wind around the French Quarter and eventually end up at the Monteleone Hotel in the early afternoon. The parade would always be a demonstration of Fountain’s New Orleans spirit of “let the good times roll.”
Application: The author of Hebrews is telling us to celebrate our new heavenly Jerusalem.
*****
Hebrews 12:18-29
It was 20 years in planning, but the National Museum of Industrial History, located in a former steel plant in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, is now open. For 140 years the plant produced steel that was used to build the skyscrapers of New York City and the ships of World War II, but as the economy changed the plant was forced to close. The new museum is a part of the Smithsonian Institution, and it has displays not only on the steel industry but on all of the major industries that were a part of industrial America. The director, Rusty Baker, said about walking through the museum: “Where better to showcase this history than where it happened? It really puts it into context.”
Application: Those standing in the place of the new heavenly Jerusalem are standing in the place where it happened.
*****
Hebrews 12:18-29
Archeologists have always believed that human sacrifices took place on Mount Lykaion, once worshiped as the birthplace of Zeus -- the sky and weather god who later became the leader of the classic Greek pantheon. Legend has it, dating as far back as Aristotle and Plato, that animals and one boy would be sacrificed there, their flesh burned and then consumed. The person who unknowingly ate the human part would become a wolf for nine years. Recently an excavation found the remains of a teenager properly arranged, confirming the truth of the legend.
Application: Hebrews tells us that we can become a part of the new heavenly Jerusalem not by sacrifice, but by faith.
*****
Luke 13:10-17
A new statue of Lucille Ball was unveiled in her hometown of Celoron, New York, on what would have been her 105th birthday. It depicts Lucy, wearing a polka-dot dress, with her left hand on her hip (with a pocketbook daggling from her wrist) and a very happy countenance on her face. What makes this statue so significant is that it replaces a previous statue that stood in the same spot that was referred to by everyone as “Scary Lucy.” That statue of Lucille Ball did not depict the happy, care-free woman we remember from her television shows. The “Scary Lucy” has become such an attraction for tourists, however, that it will be moved to another location in the Lucille Ball Memorial Park.
Application: Jesus challenges the Pharisees to reflect on what their statue is going to look like to the public.
*****
Luke 13:10-17
Roman Catholic bishop Edward Daly recently died. The name of this priest from Northern Ireland is probably unfamiliar to most people, but his image is not. On Bloody Sunday, January 30, 1972, British troops fired without provocation on a group of demonstrating Northern Irish Catholics, killing 13 people seeking independence for their country. During this shooting a photograph was taken of Daly waving a white blood-stained handkerchief as he tried to help a dying 17-year-old boy. That picture became the iconic image of Bloody Sunday.
Application: Jesus teaches us that there is no limit to the sacrifices we should make to heal another individual.
***************
From team member Robin Lostetter:
Isaiah 58:9b-14
Experiments in the 1970s disproved scientific theories of addiction that had been based on experiments earlier in the century. Those earlier experiments had placed a single rat in a cage with two water bottles, one containing plain water and the other containing water laced with heroin or cocaine. The rat would drink solely from the drug-laced water until it finally overdosed and died. Thus, it appeared that a being would always choose drugs if they were available.
In the 1970s Dr. Bruce Alexander observed that the experiments used isolated rats. So he created a “rat park” with a community of rats in an environment with every activity a rat could want. The rats had community and pleasure, and so rarely bothered with the drug-laced water bottle as had the solitary rat. This basic theory about addiction is shown in the animated video “Everything We Think We Know About Addiction Is Wrong,” based on and referring to Johann Hari’s best-selling book Chasing the Scream: The First and Last Days of the War on Drugs.
The new theory suggests, according to the author, that happy, healthy people bond with the people around them, as in a family or community. But when their health or happiness is disturbed, they will bond instead to objects, activities, or drugs.
Whether or not this theory is a full explanation for addiction, certainly some connections can be drawn between the author’s work and the success of AA through its relationship-building and spiritual formation, leading people to healthier, happier lives without the need for “self-medication” or “the crutch” of drugs.
*****
Isaiah 58:9b-14, Luke 13:10-17
Access Your Heart
Please include us.
It hurts to be excluded.
A quick hi and a hug are not enough.
We need real inclusion.
When will you understand?
We are all members of the body of Christ.
Some of us communicate in different ways.
Some of us see differently.
Some of us behave in ways we can’t control.
Some of us learn at different speeds.
Some of us need wheelchairs.
Some of us walk differently.
Some of us hear less.
Some of us never get to come to church.
Some of us are just left out.
We are all members of Christ’s family.
Why can’t you be more welcoming?
We are all in need of a church which welcomes and accepts us for who we are.
We are made in God’s image.
When you forget to include us you are forgetting to include God.
Access is more than ramps and accessible bathrooms.
The hearts of everyone need to be open and welcoming.
When hearts are open we can really be a family in Christ.
Open your heart.
And let us in.
Sarah Nettleton (a teenager at the time)
© 11/08/2000
-- found in Living into the Body of Christ: Towards Full Inclusion of People with Disabilities, the disability policy of the Presbyterian Church (USA).
*****
Isaiah 58:9b-14, Luke 13:10-17
“Elizabeth,” an extremely expressive 28-year-old full-of-life woman, was in a group of a dozen young adults with developmental disorders; members of the church had been meeting with them frequently for more than four years. With the exception of just a few, most of the group were primarily unchurched but still had some sense of a spiritual belief or need. After a period of time several of the young adults, including Elizabeth, expressed a desire to join in Sunday worship. On the day they all came to join in the service, communion was being celebrated. One of the older women in the group passed the bread to Elizabeth, saying, “This is the body of Christ, broken for you.” Elizabeth, breaking the quiet reverence of the moment, joyfully exclaimed: “For ME?!!!” Joyfully indeed.
-- this story, along with other true stories, appears in Living into the Body of Christ: Towards Full Inclusion of People with Disabilities, the disability policy of the Presbyterian Church (USA).
*****
Isaiah 58:9b-14, Luke 13:10-17
The Church Youth Group Leader, Arrested for Feeding Other People’s Parking Meters(slightly edited for language)
Sylvia Stayton made it her personal mission to feed the expired parking meters of complete strangers, and for this she became a celebrated folk hero in Cincinnati. But unfortunately, since that sort of philanthropic activity has the side effect of reducing a city’s revenue stream, the powers that be made sure to make it a jailable offense. Eventually Stayton fell afoul of this law, and it landed her in jail.
When Stayton, who was a 62-year-old grandmother of 10 at the time, was arrested, she might have walked away with merely a fine. But she reportedly may have done the walking away part just a little too soon -- right after a police officer noticed what she was up to and told her to stop. Or maybe, as the court explained it, she “admittedly tried to prevent a police officer from issuing traffic citations to two parked automobiles by feeding the expired meters.” Either way, it meant a trip to the hoosegow for the “Meter-Feeding Granny,” and a local radio station commemorated her deed in song (to the tune of Marty Robbins’ “El Paso”):
The grandma was adding more time on the meter.
The policeman said, “Lady, you’re breaking the law!”
But Sylvia ignored him and dropped in a quarter.
Down went his hand for the cuffs that he wore.
Stayton did not go quietly, and proceeded to resist the officer’s attempt to bring her into custody. This led to a scuffle, during which she claimed to have incurred a bruised forearm as well as, one might assume, a grievously traumatized ego. After paying $500 plus court costs for the infraction (and appearing on several talk shows to complain about it), Stayton went back to her life as a homemaker, director of a Presbyterian church youth group, and Sunday school teacher. And after she passed away, her church group reportedly paid homage by continuing to donate nickels (secretly and less obnoxiously this time) to Cincinnati meters, all while wearing t-shirts that read “Sylvia Stayton... guilty of kindness.”
(There are four other stories in this article, but all require a rough language alert.)
WORSHIP RESOURCES
by George Reed
Call to Worship
Leader: In you, O God, we take refuge.
People: Do not let us ever be put to shame.
Leader: In your righteousness deliver us and rescue us.
People: Incline your ear to us and save us.
Leader: Be to us a rock of refuge, a strong fortress to save us.
People: For you, O God, are our hope and our trust.
OR
Leader: Come and worship the God who desires our good.
People: We praise our creator, who is also our redeemer.
Leader: God desires blessing and wholeness for all.
People: We rejoice in God’s goodness towards all of us.
Leader: God’s blessing comes as we care for the poor and the needy.
People: With God’s help, we will reach out to those in need.
Hymns and Sacred Songs
“All People That on Earth Do Dwell”
found in:
UMH: 75
H82: 377, 378
PH: 220, 221
NNBH: 36
NCH: 7
CH: 18
LBW: 245
ELA: 883
W&P: 661
AMEC: 73
STLT: 370
“There’s a Wideness in God’s Mercy”
found in:
UMH: 121
H82: 469, 470
PH: 298
NCH: 23
CH: 73
LBW: 290
ELA: 587, 588
W&P: 61
AMEC: 78
STLT: 213
“Bread of the World”
found in:
UMH: 624
H82: 301
PH: 502
NCH: 346
CH: 387
W&P: 693
“Lord, You Give the Great Commission”
found in:
UMH: 584
H82: 528
PH: 429
CH: 459
ELA: 579
W&P: 592
Renew: 305
“Christ for the World We Sing”
found in:
UMH: 568
H82: 537
W&P: 561
AMEC: 565
Renew: 299
“O God of Every Nation”
found in:
UMH: 435
H82: 607
PH: 289
CH: 680
LBW: 416
ELA: 713
W&P: 626
“Jesu, Jesu”
found in:
UMH: 432
H82: 602
PH: 367
NCH: 498
CH: 600
ELA: 708
W&P: 273
CCB: 66
Renew: 289
“Where Cross the Crowded Ways of Life”
found in:
UMH: 427
H82: 609
PH: 408
NCH: 543
CH: 665
LBW: 429
ELA: 719
W&P: 591
AMEC: 561
“As the Deer”
found in:
CCB: 83
Renew: 9
“You Are Mine”
found in:
CCB: 58
Music Resources Key:
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982 (The Episcopal Church)
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
NNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
LBW: Lutheran Book of Worship
ELA: Evangelical Lutheran Worship
W&P: Worship & Praise
AMEC: African Methodist Episcopal Church Hymnal
STLT: Singing the Living Tradition
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
Renew: Renew! Songs & Hymns for Blended Worship
Prayer for the Day / Collect
O God who is just and merciful: Grant us the courage to seek justice for all and mercy for those denied justice so that our heritage may be great; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We worship and adore you, O God, for you are just and you are merciful. Send your Spirit upon us, so that we may be people who seek to bring justice to the world. Help us to reach out in mercy for those who have been denied justice. Then we will reflect your nature and our heritage will be lasting. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
Leader: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins, especially when we seek to make our world better without taking into account God’s plans for us.
People: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. You have created us with rational thought and the ability to problem-solve. These are wondrous gifts, but sometimes we misuse them. When we rely solely on them and do not use the wisdom you offer us, our plans are not the best they can be. We forget to discern in prayer what it is that will bring us closer to your reign. We think our vision of what the world should be is adequate. What a foolish thought! How can we know what is best for the world without consulting you, the Creator of the World? Forgive us, and renew us in your Spirit that we may be people who understand the world needs justice and mercy as much as food and water. Amen.
Leader: God’s desires the world’s healing, and God desires to accomplish it through us. Receive God’s grace and Spirit and seek God’s wisdom.
Prayers of the People (and the Lord’s Prayer)
We praise you, O God, for your gracious wisdom. You are the basis of all wisdom and knowledge and glory.
(The following paragraph may be used if a separate prayer of confession has not been used.)
We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. You have created us with rational thought and the ability to problem-solve. These are wondrous gifts, but sometimes we misuse them. When we rely solely on them and do not use the wisdom you offer us, our plans are not the best they can be. We forget to discern in prayer what it is that will bring us closer to your reign. We think our vision of what the world should be is adequate. What a foolish thought! How can we know what is best for the world without consulting you, the Creator of the World? Forgive us, and renew us in your Spirit that we may be people who understand the world needs justice and mercy as much as food and water.
We give you thanks for this wonderful world you have created for us. We thank you for your presence within and among us. We are truly thankful for the wisdom you share with us. It is with gratitude that we receive the wisdom passed on by others.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for one another in our need. We know that many have been denied justice and have found no mercy. We know that precious resources which could have been used for the good of all your children have been hoarded and misused for the benefit of a few. We pray for those who suffer from this misuse.
(Other intercessions may be offered.)
All these things we ask in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ, who taught us to pray together, saying:
Our Father . . . Amen.
(or if the Lord’s Prayer is not used at this point in the service)
All this we ask in the Name of the Blessed and Holy Trinity. Amen.
Children’s Sermon Starter
Talk to the children about what would be some really great things to have in their homes. An ice cream dispenser? An indoor pool? A roller coaster in the backyard? But what if you had all this and every time you went to use them someone would stop you? They would use them, but they wouldn’t let you. That wouldn’t be so good. Fun things are nice, but justice/fairness is even more important.
CHILDREN’S SERMON
Oh, My Aching Back!
by Chris Keating
Luke 13:10-17, Psalm 103:1-8
Gather in advance:
* a foam Nerf ball, bean bag, or other soft item that can be tossed in church
* printed copies of Psalm 103:1
* a picture illustrating Jesus healing the bent-over woman Luke 13:10-17 (a quick internet search will yield many possibilities)
* optional: you may wish to research any statements or reflection papers from your denomination or faith tradition concerning disabilities
After the children have gathered, asked them if they have ever met someone with a special need. Of course, it’s possible that some of the children might identify themselves as having special needs, or that someone in the congregation could be disabled. The point today is to help children understand that we are all beloved children of God, and that we all have different abilities. If you have a story about a disability or there is a person in the church who might feel comfortable sharing part of their story, today would be a great opportunity for the children to learn about how God has gifted each one of us.
What do they know about having a disability? (Examples could include “some people need help doing things” or “a person might need a service animal,” or “they use a wheelchair.”) Point out that while there are differences between all people, there are certain things that are the same. Everyone wants to be treated with kindness and respect, and we all need help from time to time. Do they know that about 49 million people in the United States have some sort of disability?
If you have time, an option might be to ask one of the children if they would like to play catch. You are going to throw them the ball, and they will catch it. Easy, right? Well, the “catch” is they can only try to catch the Nerf ball with one hand, and it must be their non-dominant hand. Not so easy, is it? People with disabilities sometimes feel as though the world is not so easy.
That was the case for a woman that Jesus met one day when he was teaching in the synagogue. Jesus was teaching a Bible lesson. At the synagogue there was a woman whose back hurt so bad that she couldn’t stand up straight. What would it be like to be bent over like that? (Examples could be “you can’t see where you are going,” “you can’t see people smile,” and so forth.)
The Bible doesn’t tell us the woman’s name, or anything else about her other than that she had been sick for 18 years. That is a long time. It would be hard not being able to see where you are going for 18 years! Ask the children what might be hard about that sort of disability.
But Jesus had compassion on the woman. He healed her, and she could once again stand up straight. She was so excited that she began to praise God. Her back didn’t hurt any more! It was amazing. When she looked up, she could see Jesus. She could see the faces of her friends, and she could even see the frowns on the faces of the leaders who were unhappy with what Jesus did. (See Karoline Lewis’ article about this passage.)
But instead of frowning, she rejoiced! She might have even said these words from Psalm 103: “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless God’s holy name!”
You can pass around the copies of Psalm 103, and invite the children to say verse one with you.
She was so excited -- but the leaders of the synagogue were mad at Jesus for breaking the rules. Jesus wanted them to see the new thing that God was doing, and he wanted them to rejoice with the woman too. But they could not see. In many ways, they were behaving like people who couldn’t stand up straight and see. Jesus told them that they were forgetting that this woman was also one of God’s children.
She knew she was a special person -- not just because she had a disability, but because God loved her. The other people did not understand.
The story today offers us a chance to think about how it is that we treat persons with special needs. Jesus wants us to share acts of love and kindness with all people. Encourage them to think of ways that they can help others in the church see with the joy of the woman who had been healed, so that we can share God’s good news. Close with a prayer asking God to help us show more compassion and kindness to all of God’s children.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, August 21, 2016, issue.
Copyright 2016 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to The Immediate Word service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons and in worship and classroom settings only. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
