The Right Thing
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Matthew’s brief account of Jesus’ baptism seems curious in a way -- John the Baptist seems quite ambivalent about the whole process when Jesus approaches, saying that he doesn’t want to do it because if anything Jesus should be baptizing him. But Jesus responds by saying that we need to do this anyway, in order to “fulfill all righteousness.” In this installment of The Immediate Word, team member Dean Feldmeyer says that’s just another way of saying that we have to do it because it’s the right thing to do. Furthermore, Dean notes, it’s an important model for our lives -- there are many things we would rather avoid doing, yet taking on our obligations is an important part of how we can further God’s work in the world, as well as developing good faith habits that we can rely on when we lack the motivation to do what needs to be done.
Team member Chris Keating shares some additional thoughts on the final verse of the Isaiah passage: “See, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth, I tell you of them.” It’s become a popular meme that 2016 was a particularly brutal year in many respects, including that of celebrity deaths. Of course, famous people die every year -- perhaps what has driven that perception regarding 2016 is that it’s been shocking the number of celebrities who were very meaningful to those coming of age in the ’70s and ’80s to depart from the scene. Chris suggests that not only is that a painful reminder for younger generations that the things (and people) of this world will all eventually fade away, it’s also a powerful sign of hope that even as the former things pass God is always doing a new thing.
The Right Thing
by Dean Feldmeyer
Matthew 3:13-17
I was about two months into my first parish ministry at a little church in rural Ohio. It was about 7:30 a.m. on a Sunday morning in January, and my wife Jean and I were in our little Volkswagen on the way to the church.
Worship didn’t start until 9:30 a.m., but we had to get there early to turn up the thermostat. The outside temperatures were hovering just above zero and the wind was blowing snow across the barren corn and soybean fields, making it hard to control the car. It was just after sunrise and the sky was dark and gray.
The VW was taking its time heating up, and I kept scratching at the frost that was forming on the inside of the windshield. As I did so, my dear wife spoke through the big scarf that covered her face and said, “I just want you to know that if you weren’t the minister, I wouldn’t be going to church today.”
“Honey,” I said, trying to be consoling, “if I wasn’t the minister, I wouldn’t be going to church today.”
Sometimes our faith calls us to do something not because it’s fun or rewarding or even effective. Sometimes we do it because it is, as Jesus says in this week’s gospel text, “proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.”
Which is just a biblical way of saying “it’s the right thing to do.”
In the News
Have you seen those pictures of Donald Trump and President Obama sitting in two easy chairs after their long meeting together? We don’t need to spend a lot of time analyzing postures and facial expressions to realize that this was just about the last place the president wanted to be and the last thing he wanted to be doing.
And who can blame him? He had to play host to the guy who had insulted him, questioned his personal integrity, called into doubt his citizenship, and promised to tear down his legacy stone by stone.
But there he is, trying to work up a smile. Being nice. Not because he wants to, but because that’s what the country needs. The people of the United States, and the future of our republic, demand that he do everything he can to make the transition of power a smooth one. So he does it not because he wants to or because he gets something out of it. He does it because “it is proper... in this way, to fulfill all righteousness.”
In other words, it’s the right thing to do.
Last week my beloved Ohio State Buckeyes took one of the worst drubbings they have experienced in the last 30 years when the Clemson Tigers beat them 31-0 in the Fiesta Bowl.
As the game wore on and on, every time the camera sought out Ohio State coach Urban Meyer on the sidelines his expression and posture betrayed his mounting frustration and eventual despair.
So it is perfectly understandable that he didn’t really want to talk to reporters when the game finally, mercifully ended. What he wanted to do was comfort his players, remind them that this was the end of a season but not the end of their lives, and that they had a good season, winning some games that no one thought they would. Then he wanted to get on a plane and go back home and have a good night’s sleep before starting the recruiting calls for next year.
But there was the reporter, and talking to reporters is part of his job -- so he swallowed his pride and talked into the microphone. Not because he wanted to, but because it was “proper... in this way to fulfill all righteousness.”
In other words, it was the right thing to do.
One day last November, off-duty Jersey City, New Jersey police officer George Noutsopoulos was getting ready to leave his son’s elementary school after a program celebrating the boy’s perfect attendance for the first marking period. He had a second thought as he was leaving, and he turned to go back to his son’s room to tell him that he should clean his desk.
On his way out of the building he saw a commotion in the hall and was told that one of the students’ grandmothers had collapsed in the hallway of the school. She was not breathing and did not have a pulse, they told him.
Noutsopoulos was off-duty -- he was not planning to spend his morning giving CPR to a woman on the floor of an elementary school hallway. But that’s what he did. He gave her CPR, and when the school nurse arrived with a defibrillator, the two of them treated her until, after a few minutes, the grandmother’s heart started beating and she started breathing on her own.
It wasn’t his responsibility to be so caring. He was off-duty. If he hadn’t gone back to tell his son to clean his desk, he wouldn’t have even been there when all the commotion came down. The school had a “blue team” for just such emergencies. But Noutsopoulos was there, and when he saw the lady in distress he leapt to action because it was “proper... in this way to fulfill all righteousness.”
In other words, it was the right thing to do.
In the Scriptures
It might be helpful in exploring this text to back up a few verses and take something like a running start at the baptism narrative.
In the first 12 verses of Matthew’s third chapter we see John the Baptist preaching, and he is laying it on pretty thick. The baptism he offers is one for the forgiveness of sins -- and if it is to be effective, those who are baptized must first experience a kind of conviction of their own sinfulness.
In verses 1-4 Matthew establishes John as a true prophet, identifying him by his words and his appearance with Isaiah and Elijah. Matthew also establishes the heart of John’s message and the purpose of the baptism which he performs.
In a word, it is all about “repentance.”
John is drawing big crowds so the Sadducees and the Pharisees come out to see what he is all about, probably to judge whether his ministry is authentic or counterfeit and heretical. They have no intention of confessing or repenting of anything.
So John aims both barrels at them. “You brood of vipers!” Pretty harsh. Not the way to make friends and influence people in the 1%, right?
He concludes this section by talking about the one who will follow him. This baptism with water for repentance and forgiveness is pretty mild stuff, he says, especially when compared to what the next guy is bringing.
He will baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire. Of course, the people hearing this have not a clue who he is talking about... but we know. We’ve read the book. We know the ending. He’s talking about Jesus!
Now the scene shifts.
Throughout this chapter Matthew has told the story from a point of view of looking over John the Baptist’s shoulder, and this does not change when Jesus enters from stage left. Matthew does not say that Jesus “went” to John; he says that Jesus “came” to John at the Jordan.
This is the first time we’ve seen Jesus since the birth narrative. He’s a full-grown adult now, making his own decisions and doing what messiahs do.
Jesus enters the water to be baptized by John -- but John, realizing who he is, says that things are in the wrong order. “You should be baptizing me!” he says.
Let’s freeze the frame and pause here for a moment. This little dialogue between Jesus and John raises an important question: “If John was preaching a baptism for the confession and forgiveness of sins, why did Jesus come to be baptized?”
Isn’t he sinless? What could he possibly have to confess? Why is he here?
Now unfreeze the frame and watch closely. The answer to the question of why Jesus is being baptized is found in the next line of dialogue. And these are the first words Jesus speaks in the gospel of Matthew:
“Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.”
In other words, we need to do it this way because God wants us to do it this way. And because God wants us to do it, it is the right thing to do.
We do not actually see the baptism itself. The pericope jumps from the dialogue between Jesus and John to Jesus emerging from the water. Scholars differ on the meaning of this description but I believe that this was a personal revelation for Jesus alone.
We are told that the heavens opened up “to him.” He was the one who saw it. He was the one who saw the spirit descending gently like a dove. God’s pronouncement that Jesus is God’s son etc. is likely being made to the heavenly host and not necessarily to the people standing around the river on that day.
This is a private moment between Jesus and God.
In the Sermon
There are so many stories like the following one floating around the internet that it may very well be apocryphal -- but be that as it may, I know that it is true.
It’s about the famous anthropologist Margaret Mead, who was studying a group of remote Pacific islanders. The small tribe lived in horrible poverty, managing to eke out a kind of survival, and their diet consisted almost solely of the fish they caught from the ocean and some sweet potatoes that they grew.
They were undernourished, and illness seemed to be an ever-present reality for them.
Yet they also seemed quite content and happy.
Once a week they would gather driftwood and deadwood from the island and they would build a huge bonfire. They would bring out some drums and some beer they had made from the sweet potatoes, and they would drink and dance until everyone had passed out or gone home, usually around dawn.
Mead asked the village elder how it was that, living in such poverty and squalor, they could be so happy that every week they would throw a party and dance the night away.
The elder answered, “We do not dance because we are happy. We are happy because we dance.”
Sometimes God calls upon us to do things not because the doing of them is fun, easy, or even effective. Sometimes God calls upon us to do things because doing them is the right thing to do. Sometimes we are called to fight the fight that cannot be won and treat the illness that cannot be cured.
As we moved through the holidays, many of us probably found ourselves doing things that we didn’t necessarily want to do -- but we did them because it was the right thing to do. We visited elderly family or church members who didn’t even remember who we were and wouldn’t remember five minutes after we left. But we did it because it was the right thing to do.
We hosted parties and went to school programs and wrapped gifts and cooked special meals and spent more money than we intended to spend not because we were all gung-ho about doing any of these things, but because as it turned out they were the right things to do.
It’s the same in the community and the church. We take on tasks that don’t excite us but that need to be done. So we do them because doing them is the right thing to do.
The only question is not whether we should do these “right things,” but how we know when something is the right thing to do. How do we know that, in doing these things, we will “fulfill all righteousness”?
Well, that one, it turns out, is pretty simple.
We know when a thing is the right thing to do because it harmonizes with the red letters in our Bible. We know it’s the right thing to do because it’s something Jesus would have done. We know when it’s the right thing to do because God says so -- in the scriptures, in the still small voice, in the sudden epiphany or the long sought-after answer, in the voices of friends and family, and in the witness of the historic church and our own faith experience.
One final observation: it is clear in the text that the baptism that John performs upon Jesus is pretty meaningless if it is a baptism for confession of sins, repentance, and God’s forgiveness. If the traditional theology of the church is to be believed, Jesus was in need of none of those things.
He and John were, quite literally, going through the motions.
But sometimes going through the motions is all God asks us to do. Even when we don’t feel like going to church and when outside thoughts and worries keep us from being totally attentive, God still says to go to church. Even when the children’s grace at the dinner table has long since become a bit of rote memorization, devoid of anything like sincerity, we still do it. We go through the motions because it’s the motions that will one day come back to us when we need them.
Our minds wander when we say the Lord’s Prayer and we wonder if we aren’t just going through the motions, but that’s okay. If the motions are all you have to give on this or that day, it’s okay. God can work with that.
When you no longer have the energy or the mental sharpness to think deeply about the prayer, go ahead and just go through the motions -- and for the time being, God will take care of the rest.
SECOND THOUGHTS
What’s New?
by Chris Keating
Isaiah 42:1-9
No pun intended, but it was said that New Year’s Eve in the afterlife was heavenly this year. Even the late, great Dick Clark could not have put together a more rocking and rolling event.
David Bowie and Prince hammered out new guitar licks, while Leonard Cohen led the heavenly host in singing “Hallelujah.” Glenn Frey and George Michael on the same stage as Merle Haggard! Who would believe it? Rapper Phyfe Dawg shared the limelight with Earth, Wind & Fire legend Maurice White.
Last year has been described as “the year music died.” Not just musicians, either. Notable actors, journalists, athletes, and other celebrities died in 2016, leaving behind a surfeit of achievements and legacies. While it may not have been a record-breaking year for celebrities passing away, the list is impressive.
It was the year we lost not just Prince, but a Princess (Carrie Fisher), and the King (Arnold Palmer). With the back-to-back deaths of Fisher and her mother, Debbie Reynolds, a Hollywood dynasty shrank. But there were other notables as well, including Alan Rickman, Gene Wilder, Abe Vigoda, Alan Thicke, Florence Henderson, and Zsa Zsa Gabor. First lady Nancy Reagan gets credit in both Hollywood and Washington, D.C. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia exited with world champion boxer Muhammad Ali and the garrulous Joe Garagiola. Playwright Edward Albee also passed in 2016, along with journalists Gwen Ifill and Morley Safer, Holocaust survivor and Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel, reclusive novelist Harper Lee, and revolutionary Fidel Castro.
It’s a hefty list, many of whom were particularly prominent in the 1980s. Those who came of age in the 1980s said good-bye to many of their cultural heroes in 2016. Kids in the ’80s were taught by Mrs. Reagan to just say no, even if their actions didn’t always match their words. Sitcom dads like Alan Thicke were surrogate parents. Bill Cosby didn’t die in 2016, but his career as “America’s dad” is long gone.
The former things have come to pass. The debut of young Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia marked not just the premiere of a role, but the initiation of a generation-shaping film enterprise. Likewise, Prince reshaped expectations and musical styles, influencing both fans and the music industry.
The intersection of Jesus’ baptism with our year-end lists of the deaths of notable public figures offers several insights. Members of Generation X are suddenly brought face-to-face with the bitter pill of mortality. Figures who shaped their lives in both positive and negative ways are gone. The old has passed, and like Jesus arising out of the waters of baptism, the new is suddenly emerging.
Secondly, we recall how these icons introduced conversations still relevant today -- like David Bowie’s pushing of boundaries of gender identity and sexual orientation into the mainstream in the 1980s. When MTV was still playing music, Bowie transformed himself from 1970s rock singer into a superstar for a new generation. It was as if he was the “new thing” for a younger audience.
Even traditionalist Scalia was the harbinger of things to come. Back in 1986, he was the new guy on the Supreme Court, but his death in 2016 may have influenced a presidential election. His career created a monumental judicial legacy which will continue to influence generations of constitutional battles. Whether you agreed with his rulings, Justice Scalia was part of a wave of change in the 1980s. His death leaves us pondering the next new thing.
It is one thing, of course, to mourn the loss of childhood heroes and icons. Reflecting on things past leads us to consider the present. Standing on the banks of the Jordan, we listen for the voice that affirms Christ’s identity. We have said good-bye to 2016 and its legacy of loss, and now we are called to see the new things that God is doing.
That’s the message we proclaim at Epiphany. For Isaiah, it is a message of profound hope that God is about to embark on an entirely new course -- even during a time of dereliction and despair. We can wonder about who will be the latest “new thing” in the culture, but there is no wondering about what God is doing. Like Israel’s idols, celebrities will come and go -- but the one who says to us “Take courage!” is the God of our ancestors, who has called “the generations from the beginning” (41:4).
The next new thing? It’s revealed in the promise of God’s salvation. As Christians, we see that hope descending like a dove as the waters of baptism roll down Jesus’ back. For Isaiah, it is the promise of a servant who will lead God’s people as a light for the nations.
The new servant leader acts not out of arrogance or infantile narcissism. Instead, the next new thing of Israel -- the servant of Yahweh -- comes humbly to pursue justice, peace, and righteousness. The former things have gone -- including many beloved and talented treasures of popular culture. But what will endure is the new thing God is doing, whose assurance of hope is anything but new.
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Mary Austin:
Matthew 3:13-17
Whether he needs it or not, Jesus shows up to be baptized by John to fulfill the cause of righteousness. Sometimes God asks us to show up too -- either to be a giver of grace, or to receive it. In Madrid, Spain, people who are homeless are invited to show up for dinner at a “Robin Hood café.” This unusual restaurant charges regular prices to regular customers for breakfast and lunch. Those funds then subsidize dinner for people who are homeless and live under bridges and on the streets. This kind of warm, healthy dinner is badly needed in Spain, where after a recent economic downturn one in every five people lives close to the poverty line. “The project is the brainchild of the ‘Messengers of Peace’ association, led by Angel Garcia, a 79-year-old rebel priest with a thick head of white hair and kindly smile known for his charity work and alternative church.” Says Garcia: “It’s about giving more dignity to the people who need it.” It’s the right thing to do, the priest says.
*****
Matthew 3:13-17
Before Jesus appears to be baptized by John, John spends countless days at the Jordan River baptizing other people who are seeking God’s presence. The story seems to be about Jesus, but John has prepared the way by showing up day after day at the river, waiting for the one whom God is sending. Showing up matters more than we think. Gregory Ciotti, a marketing strategist who studies human behavior, says: “Consistency doesn’t count for everything, but it sure counts for a whole lot. With the many landmines out there, ready to derail even the most talented of people, ‘showing up’ regularly offers undeniable benefits.” First, “consistency begets consistency. A person in motion stays in motion, unless acted upon by a Netflix binge session.”
Ciotti adds, “Consistency trumps goal setting.... You can aim to become a famous author, or you can bleed a thousand words per day onto the page come hell or high water. You can aim to play Für Elise on the piano by March, or you can design the habit that regularly gets you in front of the keys for 30 minutes after work.”
Without John showing up consistently, there’s nowhere for Jesus to show up when it’s time for his own baptism and his initiation into God’s work. Showing up allows God to work through us.
*****
Matthew 3:13-17
The invisible part of Jesus’ baptism is the water. John and Jesus step into the river without thinking too much about the water. Yet around the world, water is increasingly hard to come by. Tyler Riewer from charity:water traveled to Africa to see how access to water changes people’s lives, and he writes: “It’s hard to fathom. The idea of waking up before sunrise every morning and spending hours walking just to find a water source. Standing in line to access a muddy hole in the ground that you share with both your neighbors and their livestock. Carrying 40 pounds of dirty water all the way home on your back and then serving it to the people you love most. Constantly suffering from stomach pain and diarrhea. Losing children to water-related diseases. It’s a world most of us don’t know. And yet, it’s the reality for 748 million people around the world -- 748 million! That’s nearly 10 percent of everyone living on this planet. You and I got lucky. We’re the other 90 percent. We happened to be born in places where we’ve never had to worry about finding water or deal with the fear that our water might affect the health of our families.”
Gathering water is, universally, the work of women and girls. It uses up hours in the day, keeps girls out of school, and exposes them to danger on the long trips to obtain water. But ready access to water can change all of that.
Riewer tells about a place with clean water. “By the time we reached our first village in Mozambique, a small crowd had already gathered around the water point. They were eager to talk about the difference clean water had made in their community. At the front of the pack, neatly lined up in matching blue t-shirts, were five members of the local water committee (a team responsible for taking care of the water access and educating the community about health and sanitation). One by one, the men and women introduced themselves: a chairman, mechanic, tax collector, health and hygiene officer. And then the final introduction, which came from a seemingly shy 15-year-old girl at one end. ‘My name is Natalia. I’m the president.’ Ahem. I don’t know what your reaction to that was just now, but I had to pick my jaw up off the ground. I’ve visited more than 25 communities with charity:water, and never had I met a 15-year-old water committee president before. What it came down to was Natalia’s education, leadership, and work ethic. Having access to clean water gives her more time to spend in school, and as a result, she’s become better educated than many of the adults in her community. Now she’s a leader.”
Water is essential for baptism, but even more importantly for life and health.
*****
Isaiah 42:1-9
God declares new things, and we also find new things to love every year. In home decor, the tiny house trend is fading and new homes are becoming even more luxurious “as owners use their homes for personal retreats and to nurse the passions in their lives: entertaining, wine collecting, crafts, and even sports.” Inspired by HGTV, we want to do things ourselves. “The DIY movement and upcycling were still strong this year as home and apartment dwellers made new things from old -- and sometimes made new things look old.” Dark-colored furniture, the color green, and terra cotta will be new, while copper and pineapples are now out of style. Cork and woven baskets are new again.
In fashion, stripes will continue to be in style, and sneakers are essential. No, not the ones you have in your closet. One fashion buyer advises that “you can never have too many. Glitter, leopard, and satin updates to sneakers effortlessly dress up an outfit and give you a reason to buy multiple pairs.” If you get tired of sneakers, the mule will also be big in 2017. Making something new requires something else to be old, so out of style for 2017 will be (thankfully) the corset, which apparently had a big moment in 2016. (Who knew?) Also, high heels and plain sneakers.
More broadly, the shift of “in” and “out” says that the widely-read book Hillbilly Elegy is out, and hillbillies are in. Chip & Joanna are out, and Martha & Snoop are in. Camp David is out, and Mar-a-Lago is in. Matcha’s moment is over, and turmeric is big now. Food trucks are over, and sidewalk carts are here. The National Archives is out, and the Museum of the Bible is in.
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From team member Robin Lostetter:
Matthew 3:13-17
Terri Roberts, one of the Washington Post’s “Most Inspiring People We Met This Year,” is the mother of Charles Carl Roberts IV -- the gunman who shot and killed Amish girls in their schoolhouse 10 years ago. After her son’s violent act against innocents in their community, Terri “was embraced by the Amish community in a remarkable display of true forgiveness. In the decade since, Roberts has invited the families to her home, has cared for one of the girls her son left in a vegetative state, and befriended an Amish boy who was in the classroom that day and still blames himself for not doing more to stop the attack.” Doing the right thing; what pulls at one’s heart; helping, perhaps, to bring about redemption.
*****
Matthew 3:13-17
The following dialogue is from the script to “Crisis in Chicago,” a 60 Minutes segment which aired on New Year’s Day. Correspondent Bill Whitaker set the context:
The number of casualties in Chicago since last New Year’s Day has surged to a level more in line with a war zone than one of America’s great cities. More than 700 people were murdered. Over 4,000 shot. That’s more than Los Angeles and New York combined.
Gangs, guns and drugs have caused chaos in Chicago for years. But something new caught our attention. There’s been a drop in the kind of police work that law enforcement says is critical to preventing crime. Usually stops and arrests go up when violence is rising. So we went to Chicago to look for an explanation. What we found was a police department on its heels as the city suffered its worst bloodshed in 18 years....
But we were astonished by data we obtained from inside the police department. It revealed that as killings rose, police activity fell. In August of 2015, cops stopped and questioned 49,257 people. A year later those stops dropped to 8,859, down 80 percent. At the same time arrests were off by a third, from just over 10,000 to 6,900....
There are reasons for the scrutiny. Since 2004, the city has paid out more than a half-billion dollars in settlements for police misconduct. A task force appointed by the mayor found evidence of racial bias, and reported that nearly 90 percent of police shootings involved minorities.
Richard Wooten: The Chicago Police is not racist, but I do know and do believe that there are racist police officers in the Chicago Police Department.
Richard Wooten broke ranks and talked to the mayor’s task force about what he saw during his 23 years as a Chicago cop.
Richard Wooten: They put me in this car with this guy, and my first couple of stops, I saw this guy stop a black guy. You know, several black guys on the street and they literally almost got strip-searched right in the middle of the street. And I’m looking like “Wow.” Is this the way things are supposed to be done?
Bill Whitaker: You were called a traitor for speaking out?
Richard Wooten: Oh yes. At my retirement party when I got up to speak, a group of white boys in the back, they booed me, called me traitor, snitch.
Bill Whitaker: Was the booing the extent of it?
Richard Wooten: No. I went into the restroom, and I was confronted by a couple of the guys in the restroom about, you know, my position and how could I do that after 20-some years of service? But then as I’m looking into the urinal I see my picture that they’ve torn out of the program is in each urinal.
Bill Whitaker: They put your picture in the urinals?
Richard Wooten: My picture in the urinals. But I wasn’t angry, Bill.
Bill Whitaker: You weren’t angry?
Richard Wooten: I was not angry. Because that just told me how dysfunctional of officers we have on the police department.
Wooten was clear that the Chicago police department was not racist, but that there were racist officers in the department. He exercised courage and did what was right in speaking out. That he was not angry at the reprisal is rather surprising, and speaks to the peace he experienced in doing the right thing.
*****
Matthew 3:13-17
James N. Mattis is president-elect Donald J. Trump’s nominee for secretary of defense. During his service in Iraq, he set the standard for fair treatment of prisoners, both during their interment and during questioning:
General Mattis led the United States Central Command from August 2010 to March 2013. Lt. Col. T. G. Taylor, who was General Mattis’ spokesman during much of that time, said in an interview that the commander had spoken of America as needing to hold the moral high ground. Failing to uphold important principles “makes it easier for a soldier or a Marine to ask, ‘What am I fighting for?’ ” Colonel Taylor said. “That is something that General Mattis is keenly aware of,” he added.
The Department of Defense has clear policies on the humane treatment of detainees. For example, the Army field manual’s section on intelligence collection states: “Use of torture is not only illegal but also it is a poor technique that yields unreliable results.” The manual adds, “Cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment is prohibited.”
Mr. Mattis does not support abusive techniques, let alone waterboarding. “Give me a pack of cigarettes and a couple of beers,” he told Mr. Trump during their meeting in November, according to the president-elect, “and I do better with that than I do with torture.”
As a young officer, learning the Geneva Convention and other rules and laws of war in ROTC during the height of the war in Vietnam, Mattis was not yet in active duty. But he expressed to friends even then that “he believed that American prisoners of war were more likely to be tortured by the Vietcong if the United States tortured enemy captives.”
His long career, and his belief in doing the right thing, led him in 2006 to support Gen. Petraeus of the Army and other military leaders “in the development of a new counterinsurgency field manual that included this statement: ‘Torture and cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment is never a morally permissible option, even if lives depend on gaining information.’ ” Mattis’ philosophy: “Lose moral legitimacy, lose the war.”
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From team member Ron Love:
Isaiah 42:1-9
In a Beetle Bailey comic strip, Brigadier General Amos T. Halftrack is standing on a golf practice tee. He is wearing his traditional golf outfit with a Scottish shirt and matching Scottish Ivy cap. Sitting across from Halftrack in a director’s chair is a golf pro who is observing and instructing the general. The general is not very good at the sport he loves to play, and this day is no different. Amos says to the pro, “Well, you’ve watched me swing. Any ideas how I can lower my score?” The golf pro is quick to respond to that question, “Yes. Take an eraser with you.” (Note: If your sanctuary has a projection screen, you may want to display this comic.)
Application: Isaiah has come to take an eraser to the sins of the Hebrews, and then by lowering their score he will create a new nation.
*****
Isaiah 42:1-9
In the Lockhorns comics, Leroy and Loretta have a marriage that is loving but contentious, where barbs are the common form of communication. In one recent panel, Loretta, who dominates the relationship, is sitting on the couch talking with a friend. In the picture window we can see Leroy walking to the door as he returns from work. Leroy has a very tired look on his face. But his exhaustion from work seems to mean little to Loretta, as she says to her friend: “Leroy’s job is our day-old bread and buy-one-get-one-free butter.” (Note: If your sanctuary has a projection screen, you may want to display this comic.)
Application: Earning one’s bread and butter is not an easy task, and most people are not paid enough for what their labor is worth. This is why Isaiah’s message of restoration is so important.
*****
Isaiah 42:1-9; Acts 10:34-43; Matthew 3:13-17
The newspaper comic Real Life Adventures discusses the real-life problems we all encounter in the course of the day, offering a hilarious fast-take on the ordinarily mundane aspects of life. Cartoonists Gary Wise and Lance Aldrich successfully parody the everyday chores, squabbles, and quirks of humankind, but the power of their message is never lost. In their Christmas comic there was no humor; only a powerful message to contemplate. The names of the characters are never revealed, but after a few months of reading it is well understood who each character represents. In the Christmas panel a father and his son are looking out the window of their home. A Christmas tree can be seen behind them. Outside the window snow is gently falling, and two pine trees are covered with snow. The scene is very heart-warming. The father, with his hand on his son’s shoulder, listens to the boy’s question “Whatcha looking at, Dad?” His father replies, “Peace on earth.” (Note: If your sanctuary has a projection screen, you may want to display this comic.)
Application: The message conveyed in our lectionary readings is that we as Christians are to be people of peace, following the example of Isaiah, Peter, and Jesus.
*****
Psalm 29
In a Family Circus comic, Thelma hands her son Jeffy a single sheet of paper. Jeffy, with pencil in hand, immediately complains to his mother, saying: “I’ll need more than that. I’m writing my Christmas list.” (Note: If your sanctuary has a projection screen, you may want to display this comic.)
Application: If we so self-centered as to only focus on what we want, we will never be able to recognize and “ascribe to the Lord” how powerful God is and meaningful God is in our lives.
*****
Acts 10:34-43
In a Lockhorns comic, Leroy and Loretta are in their bedroom getting dressed in business attire as they prepare to attend a New Year’s Eve party. Leroy, with a disgusting look on his face, says to his wife: “What’s the point of going to a New Year’s Eve party if I have to be on my best behavior?” (Note: If your sanctuary has a projection screen, you may want to display this comic.)
Application: The lesson tells us that “anyone who fears God and does what is right is acceptable to God.” The challenge for us in the coming year is to do that which is right.
*****
Acts 10:34-43
In Ziggy comics, the main character (Ziggy) is a rather non-descript individual who is best known for his large nose and for always being kind of confused about what is going on in his immediate surroundings as well as on the national scale. In one particular episode, Ziggy is standing in front of an airline lost luggage counter. There, with a shocked look on his face, he hears the attendant say: “We’ve located your lost suitcase, sir. It’s still sitting on your bed back home!” (Note: If your sanctuary has a projection screen, you may want to display this comic.)
Application: Peter is trying to instruct us to act responsibly.
*****
Acts 10:34-43
In a Born Loser comic strip, Brutus P. “Thorny” Thornapple is standing in front of the desk of his boss Rancid W. “Rank” Veeblefester. Veeblefester is a rich tycoon and a very cranky, unpleasant man. He works in an office surrounded by moneybags, reflecting his stinginess. He always scolds Brutus for being incompetent and seems to enjoy tormenting him. Veeblefester, leaning forward across his desk, says to Brutus: “I read Dickens’ A Christmas Carol last night.” Brutus is impressed by this and tells his boss, “Oh, I love that story! Don’t you find it incredibly inspiring?” Brutus then becomes dismayed when Veeblefester offers a reply reflective of his selfish behavior: “Yes... except for the last part, when Scrooge wakes up on Christmas and changes his behavior!” (Note: If your sanctuary has a projection screen, you may want to display this comic.)
Application: It is Peter’s desire that the birth and baptism and ministry of Jesus will change our behavior.
*****
Acts 10:34-43
In a Born Loser comic strip, Brutus Thornapple is laying on a psychiatrist’s couch. Brutus is known as a “born loser” because everything in life seems to go against him. This, of course, could cause anyone feelings of being inferior. The psychiatrist asks Brutus, “Are you having any success dealing with your feelings of not fitting in with society?” Brutus is unhesitant in his response to that question: “Yes, but I had no idea trying to act ‘normal’ would be so exhausting!” (Note: If your sanctuary has a projection screen, you may want to display this comic.)
Application: Peter is clear in his message that following the behavior of Jesus will be exhausting.
*****
Acts 10:34-43
A recent Hagar the Horrible comic strip had a message that was more disturbing than comical. Hagar and Lucky Eddie, who is Hagar’s first mate, are defending their castle. It appears that the castle is going to be conquered, so Hagar becomes desperate. He orders Lucky Eddie to pour boiling oil on the invaders scaling the wall. Lucky Eddie is hesitant to do that, telling Hagar that such an action would be considered a war crime. This causes Hagar to ponder “Yeah... what was I thinking?!” Hagar now gives a new order, “Archers! Mow them down!” (Note: If your sanctuary has a projection screen, you may want to display this comic.)
Application: Cartoonist Chris Browne wants us to consider every act of killing as a war crime, that there is no humane way to kill somebody in battle. With this realization we must follow the advice of Peter, which is “preaching peace by Jesus Christ.”
*****
Matthew 3:13-17
In a Peanuts comic strip, Snoopy is lying on top of his doghouse on Christmas evening. It is always on the roof of his domain where Snoopy becomes introspective. Snoopy wonders: “I just don’t know. Anyone who would fly around from house to house in a sleigh with a bunch of reindeer at night has to out of his mind!” Suddenly a Christmas package falls from the sky and lands on Snoopy with a loud “Wump!” Sitting up with a large smile on his face, Snoopy says: “But we appreciate it.” (Note: If your sanctuary has a projection screen, you may want to display this comic.)
Application: We may not fully understand the meaning of the baptism of Jesus or even our own baptism, but we do appreciate being baptized.
WORSHIP RESOURCES
by George Reed
Call to Worship
Leader: Ascribe to God glory and strength.
People: Worship God in holy splendor.
Leader: The voice of God is over the waters.
People: The voice of God is full of majesty.
Leader: God sits enthroned as sovereign forever.
People: May God give strength and bless us with peace!
OR
Leader: God calls us to worship together each Lord’s Day.
People: We hear God’s call, but we have so much to do.
Leader: God knows we are busy, but God still calls.
People: What good is it to come if my mind is elsewhere?
Leader: God knows where our minds are, and God still calls.
People: I come to worship with my brothers and sisters.
Hymns and Sacred Songs
“When in Our Music God Is Glorified”
found in:
UMH: 68
H82: 420
PH: 264
AAHH: 112
NCH: 561
CH: 7
LBW: 555
ELA: 850, 851
W&P: 7
STLT: 36
Renew: 62
“O Worship the King”
found in:
UMH: 73
H82: 388
PH: 476
NNBH: 6
NCH: 26
CH: 17
LBW: 548
ELA: 842
W&P: 2
AMEC: 12
“This Is the Spirit’s Entry Now”
found in:
UMH: 608
LBW: 195
ELA: 448
“Here, O My Lord, I See Thee”
found in:
UMH: 623
H82: 318
PH: 520
NCH: 336
CH: 416
LBW: 211
AMEC: 531
“Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing”
found in:
UMH: 400
H82: 686
PH: 356
AAHH: 175
NNBH: 166
NCH: 459
CH: 16
LBW: 499
ELA: 807
W&P: 68
AMEC: 77
STLT: 126
“Jesus Calls Us”
found in:
UMH: 398
H82: 549, 550
NNBH: 183
NCH: 171, 172
CH: 337
LBW: 494
ELA: 696
W&P: 345
AMEC: 238
“O God of Every Nation”
found in:
UMH: 435
H82: 607
PH: 289
CH: 680
LBW: 416
ELA: 713
W&P: 626
“More Love to Thee, O Christ”
found in:
UMH: 453
PH: 359
AAHH: 575
NNBH: 214
NCH: 456
CH: 527
AMEC: 460
“As the Deer”
found in:
CCB: 83
Renew: 9
“Shine, Jesus, Shine”
found in:
CCB: 81
Renew: 247
Music Resources Key:
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982 (The Episcopal Church)
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
AAHH: African-American Heritage Hymnal
NNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
LBW: Lutheran Book of Worship
ELA: Evangelical Lutheran Worship
W&P: Worship & Praise
AMEC: African Methodist Episcopal Church Hymnal
STLT: Singing the Living Tradition
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
Renew: Renew! Songs & Hymns for Blended Worship
Prayer for the Day / Collect
O God who is the ever faithful One: Grant us the grace to do the right thing, even when it seems meaningless, so that we might learn to be obedient disciples; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We praise you, O God, because you are our faithful God. You speak, and your words have the integrity of your very being. Help us to listen to you and to obediently follow your instructions. Mold us into the beings you created us to become. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
Leader: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins, and especially our failure to do what we know is right, always with a very good excuse.
People: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We have heard your voice calling us, and we have ignored you. We look around us and make all kinds of excuses for not doing what we know is right. But they are only poor excuses, not real reasons for our disobedience. We even shy away from using the word “disobedience,” but that is what we have been guilty of in reality. Help us not only to hear your voice but also to follow your instructions that we might move into your light and your life. Amen.
Leader: God is faithful and continues to call us, even when we are disobedient. Receive God’s love and grace as well as the power of God’s Spirit to follow in the Holy Way.
Prayers of the People (and the Lord’s Prayer)
We worship you, O God, and sing your praises. You are our faithful God and the light of our lives.
(The following paragraph may be used if a separate prayer of confession has not been used.)
We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We have heard your voice calling us, and we have ignored you. We look around us and make all kinds of excuses for not doing what we know is right. But they are only poor excuses, not real reasons for our disobedience. We even shy away from using the word “disobedience,” but that is what we have been guilty of in reality. Help us not only to hear your voice but also to follow your instructions that we might move into your light and your life.
We give you thanks for all the times you speak to us and help us to know the right thing to do. We thank you for your Spirit that empowers us to be the kind of people you intend for us to be. We thank you for those who help us hear you and obey you.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for one another in our need. We remember those who find their lives in ruin and their hopes dashed because they failed to do what they knew they should do. Help us to reach out and offer hope to all around us.
(Other intercessions may be offered.)
All these things we ask in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ, who taught us to pray together, saying:
Our Father . . . Amen.
(or if the 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
Sometimes it may seem silly to do the right thing. Why should we wait for the “walk” light when we can see that there are no cars coming? It is part of being faithful, and it builds up in us good habits.
CHILDREN’S SERMON
Jesus’ Baptism
by Beth Herrinton-Hodge
Matthew 3:13-17
Supplies: Bible; baptismal font or baptistery.
(If your sanctuary allows, gather the children around the baptismal font or baptistery.) Begin a discussion about baptism that reflects your faith tradition and practice, inviting the children to speak about what they know or have seen during a baptism.
Ask: Who can tell me what we are gathered around? When have you seen this in use during a worship service? What happens when this is used for a baptism? Who participates in a baptism? Are there special words that are said? (Allow responses.)
Say: Long ago, Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist in the Jordan River. Our scripture for today tells about Jesus’ baptism in five short verses. Listen while I read it. (Read Matthew 3:13-17 [NRSV].)
Ask: What do you notice about Jesus’ baptism? Where did Jesus’ baptism take place? Who participated in the baptism? Were there special words that were said or heard? (Allow responses.)
Say: I notice that during Jesus’ baptism, Jesus himself saw the Spirit of God, like a dove, coming from God and landing on him. Then Jesus heard God say, “This is my Son. I am pleased with him.” Can you imagine how Jesus felt when he heard and saw and felt this? (Allow responses.)
Christians celebrate baptism because Jesus was baptized. Christians baptize with water because Jesus was baptized in water. Christians believe that God’s Spirit is with a person when he or she is baptized, like God’s Spirit was with Jesus. This makes baptism a very special event in a person’s life.
Every year, right after Christmas, Christians read this scripture passage and remember Jesus’ baptism. Every year, we are reminded that God’s Spirit is with us, just like it was and is with Jesus.
Prayer: Loving God, you called Jesus to be baptized in water and you marked him as your own beloved Son. You call us too as your beloved children. Send your Spirit to walk with us every day, so we may know and love you as Jesus did. Amen.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, January 8, 2017, issue.
Copyright 2017 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.
Team member Chris Keating shares some additional thoughts on the final verse of the Isaiah passage: “See, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth, I tell you of them.” It’s become a popular meme that 2016 was a particularly brutal year in many respects, including that of celebrity deaths. Of course, famous people die every year -- perhaps what has driven that perception regarding 2016 is that it’s been shocking the number of celebrities who were very meaningful to those coming of age in the ’70s and ’80s to depart from the scene. Chris suggests that not only is that a painful reminder for younger generations that the things (and people) of this world will all eventually fade away, it’s also a powerful sign of hope that even as the former things pass God is always doing a new thing.
The Right Thing
by Dean Feldmeyer
Matthew 3:13-17
I was about two months into my first parish ministry at a little church in rural Ohio. It was about 7:30 a.m. on a Sunday morning in January, and my wife Jean and I were in our little Volkswagen on the way to the church.
Worship didn’t start until 9:30 a.m., but we had to get there early to turn up the thermostat. The outside temperatures were hovering just above zero and the wind was blowing snow across the barren corn and soybean fields, making it hard to control the car. It was just after sunrise and the sky was dark and gray.
The VW was taking its time heating up, and I kept scratching at the frost that was forming on the inside of the windshield. As I did so, my dear wife spoke through the big scarf that covered her face and said, “I just want you to know that if you weren’t the minister, I wouldn’t be going to church today.”
“Honey,” I said, trying to be consoling, “if I wasn’t the minister, I wouldn’t be going to church today.”
Sometimes our faith calls us to do something not because it’s fun or rewarding or even effective. Sometimes we do it because it is, as Jesus says in this week’s gospel text, “proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.”
Which is just a biblical way of saying “it’s the right thing to do.”
In the News
Have you seen those pictures of Donald Trump and President Obama sitting in two easy chairs after their long meeting together? We don’t need to spend a lot of time analyzing postures and facial expressions to realize that this was just about the last place the president wanted to be and the last thing he wanted to be doing.
And who can blame him? He had to play host to the guy who had insulted him, questioned his personal integrity, called into doubt his citizenship, and promised to tear down his legacy stone by stone.
But there he is, trying to work up a smile. Being nice. Not because he wants to, but because that’s what the country needs. The people of the United States, and the future of our republic, demand that he do everything he can to make the transition of power a smooth one. So he does it not because he wants to or because he gets something out of it. He does it because “it is proper... in this way, to fulfill all righteousness.”
In other words, it’s the right thing to do.
Last week my beloved Ohio State Buckeyes took one of the worst drubbings they have experienced in the last 30 years when the Clemson Tigers beat them 31-0 in the Fiesta Bowl.
As the game wore on and on, every time the camera sought out Ohio State coach Urban Meyer on the sidelines his expression and posture betrayed his mounting frustration and eventual despair.
So it is perfectly understandable that he didn’t really want to talk to reporters when the game finally, mercifully ended. What he wanted to do was comfort his players, remind them that this was the end of a season but not the end of their lives, and that they had a good season, winning some games that no one thought they would. Then he wanted to get on a plane and go back home and have a good night’s sleep before starting the recruiting calls for next year.
But there was the reporter, and talking to reporters is part of his job -- so he swallowed his pride and talked into the microphone. Not because he wanted to, but because it was “proper... in this way to fulfill all righteousness.”
In other words, it was the right thing to do.
One day last November, off-duty Jersey City, New Jersey police officer George Noutsopoulos was getting ready to leave his son’s elementary school after a program celebrating the boy’s perfect attendance for the first marking period. He had a second thought as he was leaving, and he turned to go back to his son’s room to tell him that he should clean his desk.
On his way out of the building he saw a commotion in the hall and was told that one of the students’ grandmothers had collapsed in the hallway of the school. She was not breathing and did not have a pulse, they told him.
Noutsopoulos was off-duty -- he was not planning to spend his morning giving CPR to a woman on the floor of an elementary school hallway. But that’s what he did. He gave her CPR, and when the school nurse arrived with a defibrillator, the two of them treated her until, after a few minutes, the grandmother’s heart started beating and she started breathing on her own.
It wasn’t his responsibility to be so caring. He was off-duty. If he hadn’t gone back to tell his son to clean his desk, he wouldn’t have even been there when all the commotion came down. The school had a “blue team” for just such emergencies. But Noutsopoulos was there, and when he saw the lady in distress he leapt to action because it was “proper... in this way to fulfill all righteousness.”
In other words, it was the right thing to do.
In the Scriptures
It might be helpful in exploring this text to back up a few verses and take something like a running start at the baptism narrative.
In the first 12 verses of Matthew’s third chapter we see John the Baptist preaching, and he is laying it on pretty thick. The baptism he offers is one for the forgiveness of sins -- and if it is to be effective, those who are baptized must first experience a kind of conviction of their own sinfulness.
In verses 1-4 Matthew establishes John as a true prophet, identifying him by his words and his appearance with Isaiah and Elijah. Matthew also establishes the heart of John’s message and the purpose of the baptism which he performs.
In a word, it is all about “repentance.”
John is drawing big crowds so the Sadducees and the Pharisees come out to see what he is all about, probably to judge whether his ministry is authentic or counterfeit and heretical. They have no intention of confessing or repenting of anything.
So John aims both barrels at them. “You brood of vipers!” Pretty harsh. Not the way to make friends and influence people in the 1%, right?
He concludes this section by talking about the one who will follow him. This baptism with water for repentance and forgiveness is pretty mild stuff, he says, especially when compared to what the next guy is bringing.
He will baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire. Of course, the people hearing this have not a clue who he is talking about... but we know. We’ve read the book. We know the ending. He’s talking about Jesus!
Now the scene shifts.
Throughout this chapter Matthew has told the story from a point of view of looking over John the Baptist’s shoulder, and this does not change when Jesus enters from stage left. Matthew does not say that Jesus “went” to John; he says that Jesus “came” to John at the Jordan.
This is the first time we’ve seen Jesus since the birth narrative. He’s a full-grown adult now, making his own decisions and doing what messiahs do.
Jesus enters the water to be baptized by John -- but John, realizing who he is, says that things are in the wrong order. “You should be baptizing me!” he says.
Let’s freeze the frame and pause here for a moment. This little dialogue between Jesus and John raises an important question: “If John was preaching a baptism for the confession and forgiveness of sins, why did Jesus come to be baptized?”
Isn’t he sinless? What could he possibly have to confess? Why is he here?
Now unfreeze the frame and watch closely. The answer to the question of why Jesus is being baptized is found in the next line of dialogue. And these are the first words Jesus speaks in the gospel of Matthew:
“Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.”
In other words, we need to do it this way because God wants us to do it this way. And because God wants us to do it, it is the right thing to do.
We do not actually see the baptism itself. The pericope jumps from the dialogue between Jesus and John to Jesus emerging from the water. Scholars differ on the meaning of this description but I believe that this was a personal revelation for Jesus alone.
We are told that the heavens opened up “to him.” He was the one who saw it. He was the one who saw the spirit descending gently like a dove. God’s pronouncement that Jesus is God’s son etc. is likely being made to the heavenly host and not necessarily to the people standing around the river on that day.
This is a private moment between Jesus and God.
In the Sermon
There are so many stories like the following one floating around the internet that it may very well be apocryphal -- but be that as it may, I know that it is true.
It’s about the famous anthropologist Margaret Mead, who was studying a group of remote Pacific islanders. The small tribe lived in horrible poverty, managing to eke out a kind of survival, and their diet consisted almost solely of the fish they caught from the ocean and some sweet potatoes that they grew.
They were undernourished, and illness seemed to be an ever-present reality for them.
Yet they also seemed quite content and happy.
Once a week they would gather driftwood and deadwood from the island and they would build a huge bonfire. They would bring out some drums and some beer they had made from the sweet potatoes, and they would drink and dance until everyone had passed out or gone home, usually around dawn.
Mead asked the village elder how it was that, living in such poverty and squalor, they could be so happy that every week they would throw a party and dance the night away.
The elder answered, “We do not dance because we are happy. We are happy because we dance.”
Sometimes God calls upon us to do things not because the doing of them is fun, easy, or even effective. Sometimes God calls upon us to do things because doing them is the right thing to do. Sometimes we are called to fight the fight that cannot be won and treat the illness that cannot be cured.
As we moved through the holidays, many of us probably found ourselves doing things that we didn’t necessarily want to do -- but we did them because it was the right thing to do. We visited elderly family or church members who didn’t even remember who we were and wouldn’t remember five minutes after we left. But we did it because it was the right thing to do.
We hosted parties and went to school programs and wrapped gifts and cooked special meals and spent more money than we intended to spend not because we were all gung-ho about doing any of these things, but because as it turned out they were the right things to do.
It’s the same in the community and the church. We take on tasks that don’t excite us but that need to be done. So we do them because doing them is the right thing to do.
The only question is not whether we should do these “right things,” but how we know when something is the right thing to do. How do we know that, in doing these things, we will “fulfill all righteousness”?
Well, that one, it turns out, is pretty simple.
We know when a thing is the right thing to do because it harmonizes with the red letters in our Bible. We know it’s the right thing to do because it’s something Jesus would have done. We know when it’s the right thing to do because God says so -- in the scriptures, in the still small voice, in the sudden epiphany or the long sought-after answer, in the voices of friends and family, and in the witness of the historic church and our own faith experience.
One final observation: it is clear in the text that the baptism that John performs upon Jesus is pretty meaningless if it is a baptism for confession of sins, repentance, and God’s forgiveness. If the traditional theology of the church is to be believed, Jesus was in need of none of those things.
He and John were, quite literally, going through the motions.
But sometimes going through the motions is all God asks us to do. Even when we don’t feel like going to church and when outside thoughts and worries keep us from being totally attentive, God still says to go to church. Even when the children’s grace at the dinner table has long since become a bit of rote memorization, devoid of anything like sincerity, we still do it. We go through the motions because it’s the motions that will one day come back to us when we need them.
Our minds wander when we say the Lord’s Prayer and we wonder if we aren’t just going through the motions, but that’s okay. If the motions are all you have to give on this or that day, it’s okay. God can work with that.
When you no longer have the energy or the mental sharpness to think deeply about the prayer, go ahead and just go through the motions -- and for the time being, God will take care of the rest.
SECOND THOUGHTS
What’s New?
by Chris Keating
Isaiah 42:1-9
No pun intended, but it was said that New Year’s Eve in the afterlife was heavenly this year. Even the late, great Dick Clark could not have put together a more rocking and rolling event.
David Bowie and Prince hammered out new guitar licks, while Leonard Cohen led the heavenly host in singing “Hallelujah.” Glenn Frey and George Michael on the same stage as Merle Haggard! Who would believe it? Rapper Phyfe Dawg shared the limelight with Earth, Wind & Fire legend Maurice White.
Last year has been described as “the year music died.” Not just musicians, either. Notable actors, journalists, athletes, and other celebrities died in 2016, leaving behind a surfeit of achievements and legacies. While it may not have been a record-breaking year for celebrities passing away, the list is impressive.
It was the year we lost not just Prince, but a Princess (Carrie Fisher), and the King (Arnold Palmer). With the back-to-back deaths of Fisher and her mother, Debbie Reynolds, a Hollywood dynasty shrank. But there were other notables as well, including Alan Rickman, Gene Wilder, Abe Vigoda, Alan Thicke, Florence Henderson, and Zsa Zsa Gabor. First lady Nancy Reagan gets credit in both Hollywood and Washington, D.C. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia exited with world champion boxer Muhammad Ali and the garrulous Joe Garagiola. Playwright Edward Albee also passed in 2016, along with journalists Gwen Ifill and Morley Safer, Holocaust survivor and Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel, reclusive novelist Harper Lee, and revolutionary Fidel Castro.
It’s a hefty list, many of whom were particularly prominent in the 1980s. Those who came of age in the 1980s said good-bye to many of their cultural heroes in 2016. Kids in the ’80s were taught by Mrs. Reagan to just say no, even if their actions didn’t always match their words. Sitcom dads like Alan Thicke were surrogate parents. Bill Cosby didn’t die in 2016, but his career as “America’s dad” is long gone.
The former things have come to pass. The debut of young Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia marked not just the premiere of a role, but the initiation of a generation-shaping film enterprise. Likewise, Prince reshaped expectations and musical styles, influencing both fans and the music industry.
The intersection of Jesus’ baptism with our year-end lists of the deaths of notable public figures offers several insights. Members of Generation X are suddenly brought face-to-face with the bitter pill of mortality. Figures who shaped their lives in both positive and negative ways are gone. The old has passed, and like Jesus arising out of the waters of baptism, the new is suddenly emerging.
Secondly, we recall how these icons introduced conversations still relevant today -- like David Bowie’s pushing of boundaries of gender identity and sexual orientation into the mainstream in the 1980s. When MTV was still playing music, Bowie transformed himself from 1970s rock singer into a superstar for a new generation. It was as if he was the “new thing” for a younger audience.
Even traditionalist Scalia was the harbinger of things to come. Back in 1986, he was the new guy on the Supreme Court, but his death in 2016 may have influenced a presidential election. His career created a monumental judicial legacy which will continue to influence generations of constitutional battles. Whether you agreed with his rulings, Justice Scalia was part of a wave of change in the 1980s. His death leaves us pondering the next new thing.
It is one thing, of course, to mourn the loss of childhood heroes and icons. Reflecting on things past leads us to consider the present. Standing on the banks of the Jordan, we listen for the voice that affirms Christ’s identity. We have said good-bye to 2016 and its legacy of loss, and now we are called to see the new things that God is doing.
That’s the message we proclaim at Epiphany. For Isaiah, it is a message of profound hope that God is about to embark on an entirely new course -- even during a time of dereliction and despair. We can wonder about who will be the latest “new thing” in the culture, but there is no wondering about what God is doing. Like Israel’s idols, celebrities will come and go -- but the one who says to us “Take courage!” is the God of our ancestors, who has called “the generations from the beginning” (41:4).
The next new thing? It’s revealed in the promise of God’s salvation. As Christians, we see that hope descending like a dove as the waters of baptism roll down Jesus’ back. For Isaiah, it is the promise of a servant who will lead God’s people as a light for the nations.
The new servant leader acts not out of arrogance or infantile narcissism. Instead, the next new thing of Israel -- the servant of Yahweh -- comes humbly to pursue justice, peace, and righteousness. The former things have gone -- including many beloved and talented treasures of popular culture. But what will endure is the new thing God is doing, whose assurance of hope is anything but new.
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Mary Austin:
Matthew 3:13-17
Whether he needs it or not, Jesus shows up to be baptized by John to fulfill the cause of righteousness. Sometimes God asks us to show up too -- either to be a giver of grace, or to receive it. In Madrid, Spain, people who are homeless are invited to show up for dinner at a “Robin Hood café.” This unusual restaurant charges regular prices to regular customers for breakfast and lunch. Those funds then subsidize dinner for people who are homeless and live under bridges and on the streets. This kind of warm, healthy dinner is badly needed in Spain, where after a recent economic downturn one in every five people lives close to the poverty line. “The project is the brainchild of the ‘Messengers of Peace’ association, led by Angel Garcia, a 79-year-old rebel priest with a thick head of white hair and kindly smile known for his charity work and alternative church.” Says Garcia: “It’s about giving more dignity to the people who need it.” It’s the right thing to do, the priest says.
*****
Matthew 3:13-17
Before Jesus appears to be baptized by John, John spends countless days at the Jordan River baptizing other people who are seeking God’s presence. The story seems to be about Jesus, but John has prepared the way by showing up day after day at the river, waiting for the one whom God is sending. Showing up matters more than we think. Gregory Ciotti, a marketing strategist who studies human behavior, says: “Consistency doesn’t count for everything, but it sure counts for a whole lot. With the many landmines out there, ready to derail even the most talented of people, ‘showing up’ regularly offers undeniable benefits.” First, “consistency begets consistency. A person in motion stays in motion, unless acted upon by a Netflix binge session.”
Ciotti adds, “Consistency trumps goal setting.... You can aim to become a famous author, or you can bleed a thousand words per day onto the page come hell or high water. You can aim to play Für Elise on the piano by March, or you can design the habit that regularly gets you in front of the keys for 30 minutes after work.”
Without John showing up consistently, there’s nowhere for Jesus to show up when it’s time for his own baptism and his initiation into God’s work. Showing up allows God to work through us.
*****
Matthew 3:13-17
The invisible part of Jesus’ baptism is the water. John and Jesus step into the river without thinking too much about the water. Yet around the world, water is increasingly hard to come by. Tyler Riewer from charity:water traveled to Africa to see how access to water changes people’s lives, and he writes: “It’s hard to fathom. The idea of waking up before sunrise every morning and spending hours walking just to find a water source. Standing in line to access a muddy hole in the ground that you share with both your neighbors and their livestock. Carrying 40 pounds of dirty water all the way home on your back and then serving it to the people you love most. Constantly suffering from stomach pain and diarrhea. Losing children to water-related diseases. It’s a world most of us don’t know. And yet, it’s the reality for 748 million people around the world -- 748 million! That’s nearly 10 percent of everyone living on this planet. You and I got lucky. We’re the other 90 percent. We happened to be born in places where we’ve never had to worry about finding water or deal with the fear that our water might affect the health of our families.”
Gathering water is, universally, the work of women and girls. It uses up hours in the day, keeps girls out of school, and exposes them to danger on the long trips to obtain water. But ready access to water can change all of that.
Riewer tells about a place with clean water. “By the time we reached our first village in Mozambique, a small crowd had already gathered around the water point. They were eager to talk about the difference clean water had made in their community. At the front of the pack, neatly lined up in matching blue t-shirts, were five members of the local water committee (a team responsible for taking care of the water access and educating the community about health and sanitation). One by one, the men and women introduced themselves: a chairman, mechanic, tax collector, health and hygiene officer. And then the final introduction, which came from a seemingly shy 15-year-old girl at one end. ‘My name is Natalia. I’m the president.’ Ahem. I don’t know what your reaction to that was just now, but I had to pick my jaw up off the ground. I’ve visited more than 25 communities with charity:water, and never had I met a 15-year-old water committee president before. What it came down to was Natalia’s education, leadership, and work ethic. Having access to clean water gives her more time to spend in school, and as a result, she’s become better educated than many of the adults in her community. Now she’s a leader.”
Water is essential for baptism, but even more importantly for life and health.
*****
Isaiah 42:1-9
God declares new things, and we also find new things to love every year. In home decor, the tiny house trend is fading and new homes are becoming even more luxurious “as owners use their homes for personal retreats and to nurse the passions in their lives: entertaining, wine collecting, crafts, and even sports.” Inspired by HGTV, we want to do things ourselves. “The DIY movement and upcycling were still strong this year as home and apartment dwellers made new things from old -- and sometimes made new things look old.” Dark-colored furniture, the color green, and terra cotta will be new, while copper and pineapples are now out of style. Cork and woven baskets are new again.
In fashion, stripes will continue to be in style, and sneakers are essential. No, not the ones you have in your closet. One fashion buyer advises that “you can never have too many. Glitter, leopard, and satin updates to sneakers effortlessly dress up an outfit and give you a reason to buy multiple pairs.” If you get tired of sneakers, the mule will also be big in 2017. Making something new requires something else to be old, so out of style for 2017 will be (thankfully) the corset, which apparently had a big moment in 2016. (Who knew?) Also, high heels and plain sneakers.
More broadly, the shift of “in” and “out” says that the widely-read book Hillbilly Elegy is out, and hillbillies are in. Chip & Joanna are out, and Martha & Snoop are in. Camp David is out, and Mar-a-Lago is in. Matcha’s moment is over, and turmeric is big now. Food trucks are over, and sidewalk carts are here. The National Archives is out, and the Museum of the Bible is in.
***************
From team member Robin Lostetter:
Matthew 3:13-17
Terri Roberts, one of the Washington Post’s “Most Inspiring People We Met This Year,” is the mother of Charles Carl Roberts IV -- the gunman who shot and killed Amish girls in their schoolhouse 10 years ago. After her son’s violent act against innocents in their community, Terri “was embraced by the Amish community in a remarkable display of true forgiveness. In the decade since, Roberts has invited the families to her home, has cared for one of the girls her son left in a vegetative state, and befriended an Amish boy who was in the classroom that day and still blames himself for not doing more to stop the attack.” Doing the right thing; what pulls at one’s heart; helping, perhaps, to bring about redemption.
*****
Matthew 3:13-17
The following dialogue is from the script to “Crisis in Chicago,” a 60 Minutes segment which aired on New Year’s Day. Correspondent Bill Whitaker set the context:
The number of casualties in Chicago since last New Year’s Day has surged to a level more in line with a war zone than one of America’s great cities. More than 700 people were murdered. Over 4,000 shot. That’s more than Los Angeles and New York combined.
Gangs, guns and drugs have caused chaos in Chicago for years. But something new caught our attention. There’s been a drop in the kind of police work that law enforcement says is critical to preventing crime. Usually stops and arrests go up when violence is rising. So we went to Chicago to look for an explanation. What we found was a police department on its heels as the city suffered its worst bloodshed in 18 years....
But we were astonished by data we obtained from inside the police department. It revealed that as killings rose, police activity fell. In August of 2015, cops stopped and questioned 49,257 people. A year later those stops dropped to 8,859, down 80 percent. At the same time arrests were off by a third, from just over 10,000 to 6,900....
There are reasons for the scrutiny. Since 2004, the city has paid out more than a half-billion dollars in settlements for police misconduct. A task force appointed by the mayor found evidence of racial bias, and reported that nearly 90 percent of police shootings involved minorities.
Richard Wooten: The Chicago Police is not racist, but I do know and do believe that there are racist police officers in the Chicago Police Department.
Richard Wooten broke ranks and talked to the mayor’s task force about what he saw during his 23 years as a Chicago cop.
Richard Wooten: They put me in this car with this guy, and my first couple of stops, I saw this guy stop a black guy. You know, several black guys on the street and they literally almost got strip-searched right in the middle of the street. And I’m looking like “Wow.” Is this the way things are supposed to be done?
Bill Whitaker: You were called a traitor for speaking out?
Richard Wooten: Oh yes. At my retirement party when I got up to speak, a group of white boys in the back, they booed me, called me traitor, snitch.
Bill Whitaker: Was the booing the extent of it?
Richard Wooten: No. I went into the restroom, and I was confronted by a couple of the guys in the restroom about, you know, my position and how could I do that after 20-some years of service? But then as I’m looking into the urinal I see my picture that they’ve torn out of the program is in each urinal.
Bill Whitaker: They put your picture in the urinals?
Richard Wooten: My picture in the urinals. But I wasn’t angry, Bill.
Bill Whitaker: You weren’t angry?
Richard Wooten: I was not angry. Because that just told me how dysfunctional of officers we have on the police department.
Wooten was clear that the Chicago police department was not racist, but that there were racist officers in the department. He exercised courage and did what was right in speaking out. That he was not angry at the reprisal is rather surprising, and speaks to the peace he experienced in doing the right thing.
*****
Matthew 3:13-17
James N. Mattis is president-elect Donald J. Trump’s nominee for secretary of defense. During his service in Iraq, he set the standard for fair treatment of prisoners, both during their interment and during questioning:
General Mattis led the United States Central Command from August 2010 to March 2013. Lt. Col. T. G. Taylor, who was General Mattis’ spokesman during much of that time, said in an interview that the commander had spoken of America as needing to hold the moral high ground. Failing to uphold important principles “makes it easier for a soldier or a Marine to ask, ‘What am I fighting for?’ ” Colonel Taylor said. “That is something that General Mattis is keenly aware of,” he added.
The Department of Defense has clear policies on the humane treatment of detainees. For example, the Army field manual’s section on intelligence collection states: “Use of torture is not only illegal but also it is a poor technique that yields unreliable results.” The manual adds, “Cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment is prohibited.”
Mr. Mattis does not support abusive techniques, let alone waterboarding. “Give me a pack of cigarettes and a couple of beers,” he told Mr. Trump during their meeting in November, according to the president-elect, “and I do better with that than I do with torture.”
As a young officer, learning the Geneva Convention and other rules and laws of war in ROTC during the height of the war in Vietnam, Mattis was not yet in active duty. But he expressed to friends even then that “he believed that American prisoners of war were more likely to be tortured by the Vietcong if the United States tortured enemy captives.”
His long career, and his belief in doing the right thing, led him in 2006 to support Gen. Petraeus of the Army and other military leaders “in the development of a new counterinsurgency field manual that included this statement: ‘Torture and cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment is never a morally permissible option, even if lives depend on gaining information.’ ” Mattis’ philosophy: “Lose moral legitimacy, lose the war.”
***************
From team member Ron Love:
Isaiah 42:1-9
In a Beetle Bailey comic strip, Brigadier General Amos T. Halftrack is standing on a golf practice tee. He is wearing his traditional golf outfit with a Scottish shirt and matching Scottish Ivy cap. Sitting across from Halftrack in a director’s chair is a golf pro who is observing and instructing the general. The general is not very good at the sport he loves to play, and this day is no different. Amos says to the pro, “Well, you’ve watched me swing. Any ideas how I can lower my score?” The golf pro is quick to respond to that question, “Yes. Take an eraser with you.” (Note: If your sanctuary has a projection screen, you may want to display this comic.)
Application: Isaiah has come to take an eraser to the sins of the Hebrews, and then by lowering their score he will create a new nation.
*****
Isaiah 42:1-9
In the Lockhorns comics, Leroy and Loretta have a marriage that is loving but contentious, where barbs are the common form of communication. In one recent panel, Loretta, who dominates the relationship, is sitting on the couch talking with a friend. In the picture window we can see Leroy walking to the door as he returns from work. Leroy has a very tired look on his face. But his exhaustion from work seems to mean little to Loretta, as she says to her friend: “Leroy’s job is our day-old bread and buy-one-get-one-free butter.” (Note: If your sanctuary has a projection screen, you may want to display this comic.)
Application: Earning one’s bread and butter is not an easy task, and most people are not paid enough for what their labor is worth. This is why Isaiah’s message of restoration is so important.
*****
Isaiah 42:1-9; Acts 10:34-43; Matthew 3:13-17
The newspaper comic Real Life Adventures discusses the real-life problems we all encounter in the course of the day, offering a hilarious fast-take on the ordinarily mundane aspects of life. Cartoonists Gary Wise and Lance Aldrich successfully parody the everyday chores, squabbles, and quirks of humankind, but the power of their message is never lost. In their Christmas comic there was no humor; only a powerful message to contemplate. The names of the characters are never revealed, but after a few months of reading it is well understood who each character represents. In the Christmas panel a father and his son are looking out the window of their home. A Christmas tree can be seen behind them. Outside the window snow is gently falling, and two pine trees are covered with snow. The scene is very heart-warming. The father, with his hand on his son’s shoulder, listens to the boy’s question “Whatcha looking at, Dad?” His father replies, “Peace on earth.” (Note: If your sanctuary has a projection screen, you may want to display this comic.)
Application: The message conveyed in our lectionary readings is that we as Christians are to be people of peace, following the example of Isaiah, Peter, and Jesus.
*****
Psalm 29
In a Family Circus comic, Thelma hands her son Jeffy a single sheet of paper. Jeffy, with pencil in hand, immediately complains to his mother, saying: “I’ll need more than that. I’m writing my Christmas list.” (Note: If your sanctuary has a projection screen, you may want to display this comic.)
Application: If we so self-centered as to only focus on what we want, we will never be able to recognize and “ascribe to the Lord” how powerful God is and meaningful God is in our lives.
*****
Acts 10:34-43
In a Lockhorns comic, Leroy and Loretta are in their bedroom getting dressed in business attire as they prepare to attend a New Year’s Eve party. Leroy, with a disgusting look on his face, says to his wife: “What’s the point of going to a New Year’s Eve party if I have to be on my best behavior?” (Note: If your sanctuary has a projection screen, you may want to display this comic.)
Application: The lesson tells us that “anyone who fears God and does what is right is acceptable to God.” The challenge for us in the coming year is to do that which is right.
*****
Acts 10:34-43
In Ziggy comics, the main character (Ziggy) is a rather non-descript individual who is best known for his large nose and for always being kind of confused about what is going on in his immediate surroundings as well as on the national scale. In one particular episode, Ziggy is standing in front of an airline lost luggage counter. There, with a shocked look on his face, he hears the attendant say: “We’ve located your lost suitcase, sir. It’s still sitting on your bed back home!” (Note: If your sanctuary has a projection screen, you may want to display this comic.)
Application: Peter is trying to instruct us to act responsibly.
*****
Acts 10:34-43
In a Born Loser comic strip, Brutus P. “Thorny” Thornapple is standing in front of the desk of his boss Rancid W. “Rank” Veeblefester. Veeblefester is a rich tycoon and a very cranky, unpleasant man. He works in an office surrounded by moneybags, reflecting his stinginess. He always scolds Brutus for being incompetent and seems to enjoy tormenting him. Veeblefester, leaning forward across his desk, says to Brutus: “I read Dickens’ A Christmas Carol last night.” Brutus is impressed by this and tells his boss, “Oh, I love that story! Don’t you find it incredibly inspiring?” Brutus then becomes dismayed when Veeblefester offers a reply reflective of his selfish behavior: “Yes... except for the last part, when Scrooge wakes up on Christmas and changes his behavior!” (Note: If your sanctuary has a projection screen, you may want to display this comic.)
Application: It is Peter’s desire that the birth and baptism and ministry of Jesus will change our behavior.
*****
Acts 10:34-43
In a Born Loser comic strip, Brutus Thornapple is laying on a psychiatrist’s couch. Brutus is known as a “born loser” because everything in life seems to go against him. This, of course, could cause anyone feelings of being inferior. The psychiatrist asks Brutus, “Are you having any success dealing with your feelings of not fitting in with society?” Brutus is unhesitant in his response to that question: “Yes, but I had no idea trying to act ‘normal’ would be so exhausting!” (Note: If your sanctuary has a projection screen, you may want to display this comic.)
Application: Peter is clear in his message that following the behavior of Jesus will be exhausting.
*****
Acts 10:34-43
A recent Hagar the Horrible comic strip had a message that was more disturbing than comical. Hagar and Lucky Eddie, who is Hagar’s first mate, are defending their castle. It appears that the castle is going to be conquered, so Hagar becomes desperate. He orders Lucky Eddie to pour boiling oil on the invaders scaling the wall. Lucky Eddie is hesitant to do that, telling Hagar that such an action would be considered a war crime. This causes Hagar to ponder “Yeah... what was I thinking?!” Hagar now gives a new order, “Archers! Mow them down!” (Note: If your sanctuary has a projection screen, you may want to display this comic.)
Application: Cartoonist Chris Browne wants us to consider every act of killing as a war crime, that there is no humane way to kill somebody in battle. With this realization we must follow the advice of Peter, which is “preaching peace by Jesus Christ.”
*****
Matthew 3:13-17
In a Peanuts comic strip, Snoopy is lying on top of his doghouse on Christmas evening. It is always on the roof of his domain where Snoopy becomes introspective. Snoopy wonders: “I just don’t know. Anyone who would fly around from house to house in a sleigh with a bunch of reindeer at night has to out of his mind!” Suddenly a Christmas package falls from the sky and lands on Snoopy with a loud “Wump!” Sitting up with a large smile on his face, Snoopy says: “But we appreciate it.” (Note: If your sanctuary has a projection screen, you may want to display this comic.)
Application: We may not fully understand the meaning of the baptism of Jesus or even our own baptism, but we do appreciate being baptized.
WORSHIP RESOURCES
by George Reed
Call to Worship
Leader: Ascribe to God glory and strength.
People: Worship God in holy splendor.
Leader: The voice of God is over the waters.
People: The voice of God is full of majesty.
Leader: God sits enthroned as sovereign forever.
People: May God give strength and bless us with peace!
OR
Leader: God calls us to worship together each Lord’s Day.
People: We hear God’s call, but we have so much to do.
Leader: God knows we are busy, but God still calls.
People: What good is it to come if my mind is elsewhere?
Leader: God knows where our minds are, and God still calls.
People: I come to worship with my brothers and sisters.
Hymns and Sacred Songs
“When in Our Music God Is Glorified”
found in:
UMH: 68
H82: 420
PH: 264
AAHH: 112
NCH: 561
CH: 7
LBW: 555
ELA: 850, 851
W&P: 7
STLT: 36
Renew: 62
“O Worship the King”
found in:
UMH: 73
H82: 388
PH: 476
NNBH: 6
NCH: 26
CH: 17
LBW: 548
ELA: 842
W&P: 2
AMEC: 12
“This Is the Spirit’s Entry Now”
found in:
UMH: 608
LBW: 195
ELA: 448
“Here, O My Lord, I See Thee”
found in:
UMH: 623
H82: 318
PH: 520
NCH: 336
CH: 416
LBW: 211
AMEC: 531
“Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing”
found in:
UMH: 400
H82: 686
PH: 356
AAHH: 175
NNBH: 166
NCH: 459
CH: 16
LBW: 499
ELA: 807
W&P: 68
AMEC: 77
STLT: 126
“Jesus Calls Us”
found in:
UMH: 398
H82: 549, 550
NNBH: 183
NCH: 171, 172
CH: 337
LBW: 494
ELA: 696
W&P: 345
AMEC: 238
“O God of Every Nation”
found in:
UMH: 435
H82: 607
PH: 289
CH: 680
LBW: 416
ELA: 713
W&P: 626
“More Love to Thee, O Christ”
found in:
UMH: 453
PH: 359
AAHH: 575
NNBH: 214
NCH: 456
CH: 527
AMEC: 460
“As the Deer”
found in:
CCB: 83
Renew: 9
“Shine, Jesus, Shine”
found in:
CCB: 81
Renew: 247
Music Resources Key:
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982 (The Episcopal Church)
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
AAHH: African-American Heritage Hymnal
NNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
LBW: Lutheran Book of Worship
ELA: Evangelical Lutheran Worship
W&P: Worship & Praise
AMEC: African Methodist Episcopal Church Hymnal
STLT: Singing the Living Tradition
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
Renew: Renew! Songs & Hymns for Blended Worship
Prayer for the Day / Collect
O God who is the ever faithful One: Grant us the grace to do the right thing, even when it seems meaningless, so that we might learn to be obedient disciples; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We praise you, O God, because you are our faithful God. You speak, and your words have the integrity of your very being. Help us to listen to you and to obediently follow your instructions. Mold us into the beings you created us to become. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
Leader: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins, and especially our failure to do what we know is right, always with a very good excuse.
People: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We have heard your voice calling us, and we have ignored you. We look around us and make all kinds of excuses for not doing what we know is right. But they are only poor excuses, not real reasons for our disobedience. We even shy away from using the word “disobedience,” but that is what we have been guilty of in reality. Help us not only to hear your voice but also to follow your instructions that we might move into your light and your life. Amen.
Leader: God is faithful and continues to call us, even when we are disobedient. Receive God’s love and grace as well as the power of God’s Spirit to follow in the Holy Way.
Prayers of the People (and the Lord’s Prayer)
We worship you, O God, and sing your praises. You are our faithful God and the light of our lives.
(The following paragraph may be used if a separate prayer of confession has not been used.)
We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We have heard your voice calling us, and we have ignored you. We look around us and make all kinds of excuses for not doing what we know is right. But they are only poor excuses, not real reasons for our disobedience. We even shy away from using the word “disobedience,” but that is what we have been guilty of in reality. Help us not only to hear your voice but also to follow your instructions that we might move into your light and your life.
We give you thanks for all the times you speak to us and help us to know the right thing to do. We thank you for your Spirit that empowers us to be the kind of people you intend for us to be. We thank you for those who help us hear you and obey you.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for one another in our need. We remember those who find their lives in ruin and their hopes dashed because they failed to do what they knew they should do. Help us to reach out and offer hope to all around us.
(Other intercessions may be offered.)
All these things we ask in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ, who taught us to pray together, saying:
Our Father . . . Amen.
(or if the 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
Sometimes it may seem silly to do the right thing. Why should we wait for the “walk” light when we can see that there are no cars coming? It is part of being faithful, and it builds up in us good habits.
CHILDREN’S SERMON
Jesus’ Baptism
by Beth Herrinton-Hodge
Matthew 3:13-17
Supplies: Bible; baptismal font or baptistery.
(If your sanctuary allows, gather the children around the baptismal font or baptistery.) Begin a discussion about baptism that reflects your faith tradition and practice, inviting the children to speak about what they know or have seen during a baptism.
Ask: Who can tell me what we are gathered around? When have you seen this in use during a worship service? What happens when this is used for a baptism? Who participates in a baptism? Are there special words that are said? (Allow responses.)
Say: Long ago, Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist in the Jordan River. Our scripture for today tells about Jesus’ baptism in five short verses. Listen while I read it. (Read Matthew 3:13-17 [NRSV].)
Ask: What do you notice about Jesus’ baptism? Where did Jesus’ baptism take place? Who participated in the baptism? Were there special words that were said or heard? (Allow responses.)
Say: I notice that during Jesus’ baptism, Jesus himself saw the Spirit of God, like a dove, coming from God and landing on him. Then Jesus heard God say, “This is my Son. I am pleased with him.” Can you imagine how Jesus felt when he heard and saw and felt this? (Allow responses.)
Christians celebrate baptism because Jesus was baptized. Christians baptize with water because Jesus was baptized in water. Christians believe that God’s Spirit is with a person when he or she is baptized, like God’s Spirit was with Jesus. This makes baptism a very special event in a person’s life.
Every year, right after Christmas, Christians read this scripture passage and remember Jesus’ baptism. Every year, we are reminded that God’s Spirit is with us, just like it was and is with Jesus.
Prayer: Loving God, you called Jesus to be baptized in water and you marked him as your own beloved Son. You call us too as your beloved children. Send your Spirit to walk with us every day, so we may know and love you as Jesus did. Amen.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, January 8, 2017, issue.
Copyright 2017 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.
