Seeing the Signs, Taking the Steps
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For August 18, 2019:
Seeing the Signs, Taking the Steps
by Mary Austin
Luke 12:49-56
Interpreting the present time, as Jesus calls us to do, is a multi-billion dollar business. People examine trends to tell us what the color of the year will be (Living Coral, if you’re wondering) and who will win the 2020 Presidential election. In the world of food, we should be on the alert for oat milk and vegan jerky. But it’s much harder to take the pulse of the nation on gun laws, since we’re so divided about what “common sense gun laws” mean. After the recent shootings in California, Texas and Ohio, all clumped together, people are asking again why we’re allowing ourselves to be a nation in constant danger of public shootings. Shootings at schools, nightclubs, churches and other public spaces have become so common that we barely have time to think about one before the next one comes.
Still, we are in a moment of rage and pain where all of us are invited to interpret the present time, and see if we need to make a change in our shared life. Speaking at a vigil in Dayton, Ohio, the governor of Ohio was drowned out by people in the crowd shouting “Do something.” “Moments later, the chanting began — with a single voice yelling, “Do something!” It soon became a rallying cry with more and more people joining in.” People are reluctant to go to big public events, like outdoor concerts, and going shopping or to school now requires a different kind of preparation. “Why do you not know how to interpret the present time?” Jesus asks.
As followers of Jesus, we have to wonder if that voice is calling out to us, too, to do something.
In the News
A recent week with three mass shootings (Gilroy, California, Dayton, Ohio and El Paso, Texas) has brought unimaginable sorrow to the communities affected. In El Paso, the shooter both reflected a divided country, and added to it. Police say he “spent countless hours on the Internet studying the white supremacist theory known as “the great replacement.” And then, after hanging out with family members late last week, he jumped in his car with his newly purchased assault-style rifle and made the 10-hour drive to El Paso, where, authorities say, he fatally shot 22 people and injured dozens at a shopping center on Saturday near the Mexican border to stop “the Hispanic invasion of Texas,” according to a statement police think he posted online shortly before the attack.”
In Dayton, the family of the shooter is grieving for him and for the sibling he shot in the rampage, while cooperating with the police investigation. Meanwhile, people all over the country are clamoring for politicians to do something, and the President pondering expanded background checks for gun buyers. “On Friday, in the wake of massacres in El Paso and Dayton, Ohio, Mr. Trump presented himself now as a deal-maker eager to bring Democrats and Republicans together behind tougher background checks.” The President has been both for and against background checks over the years. “How far the president is willing to go — and whether his support for background checks is just another momentary reversal — is likely to determine whether the country responds to 31 deaths in two mass shootings with the first significant federal gun control measures in years. Mr. Trump said Friday that there was “tremendous” support for “really common-sense sensible, important background checks” even as the N.R.A. and gun rights supporters vowed to oppose them. The Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, was “on board,” the president insisted, and the gun lobby, which in the past has been brutally effective in defeating such measures in Congress, would “get there.” “There’s never been a president like President Trump,” Mr. Trump said as he left for a 10-day vacation, bragging that he could overcome years of gridlock on the fiercely contentious issue.
Many people wonder if anything is going to change. We’ve been through these steps many times before. Will anyone in power read the signs differently this time? Polling expert Anna Greenberg writes in an opinion piece that “Like a director yelling “action,” the horrific mass shootings in El Paso and Dayton, Ohio, last weekend cued all the same political actors to repeat all the same political lines. Conservatives offered their prayers and talked about mental health and video games; progressives decried inaction in Washington. Voters could be forgiven for assuming they have seen this play before and nothing will ever change. But this is wrong.” Perhaps we are better at reading the present moment, and seeing a need for change, than we think. Speaking from a Democratic polling firm, she says, “America’s relationship with guns is changing, and people, more than ever, want someone to ‘do something.’ These new attitudes will transcend the red/blue divide and provide a litmus test of our political leaders’ values. Republicans increasingly understand that they are on the wrong side of history and risk political ruin in the suburbs if they do not find a way to distance themselves from perceived complacency.” A recent survey shows a shift for people of all political beliefs. “In a recent GQR survey of 2,000 likely 2020 voters, more than 1 in 4 say their views on guns have changed within the past five years. This number includes 1 in 3 Democrats, but also 1 in 4 independents and 1 in 5 Republicans. Among these voters, 78 percent — and 70 percent of Republicans — have moved toward supporting stronger gun laws.”
Perhaps the signs are different this time.
In the Scriptures
In this section of Luke, Jesus is teaching people about how to find God’s presence, and warning about seeking God over material things. In the verses before this section, he warns about the perils of piling up goods, instead of piling up attention to God. He warns about worrying, and tells people to be watchful. Now, with a change in tone, he warns about struggle and turmoil ahead. Baptism and fire are coming, dividing people from each other. This baptism is a movement into a deeper level of service to God.
Fire purifies, and also terrifies. It finishes off the chaff and the unfruitful branches. Even if these teachings were given at different times, and in different settings, and gathered together later, they give us a picture of Jesus’ vision for devotion to God. This comes ahead of even traditional family obligations. Jesus tells us to keep alert — to watch for the coming of this new realm. We will find ourselves divided against even our closest family members, as we follow where God leads us.
With some dismay, Jesus notes that we can interpret the weather, and tell what’s coming next, and yet we have a hard time reading more important signs. The weather comes and goes, and we give it a lot of attention (especially if we’re farmers) but we miss the signs of God’s presence. We feel the call to respond to the changes in the weather, and miss the invitation to respond to what God is doing. This is another place where Jesus is saying “pay attention.”
Jesus, too, is telling us not just to watch the skies, but to “do something.”
In the Sermon
Jesus is asking us to be clear about who we are and where our loyalties belong. Seeing God at work in the world isn’t just about observation — it also calls for action. We see the signs, and need to react in some way. In the same way that we put on a coat when there’s a sign of snow, or pick up an umbrella when it looks like rain, Jesus tells us to get busy reading the signs in the world.
The sermon might look at how we watch for signs of change, and how we listen for God at work in the world. How can we tell which change is inspired by God, and which change serves human vanity and greed?
The sermon might also look at what we do when we’re divided in our beliefs, pitted against family members or friends or church members. Jesus promises division between us, particularly about important things, but he doesn’t say that division is fatal. It’s part of the process when passionate people listen for God. How then, do we live together with that division as our frequent companion?
Or, the sermon might look at how hard it is, and yet necessary, when fire comes to destroy what we know, in service to something new. Right now, public anger about dangerous shootings is like a fire, ready to consume the things in its path, until something new grows. There have been similar fires in our common life, leading to changes in civil rights, the role of women, and the LGBTQ+ movement. Only time will tell whether this fire of public outrage will keep burning, or whether inaction and inertia will snuff it out.
Or the sermon might look at how faith and public life intersect. As people of faith, how can we tell where to get involved? How do we know which voice is speaking with God’s call to use our own voices for change in the world? How do we mirror the change that God is seeking?
As followers of Jesus, we are always trying to read the signs, and to find God at work in the midst of our own world. We want to join in any crusade that God is prompting, which means working hard to read the signs of change, and joining in the holy work of making the world conform to God’s plans.
SECOND THOUGHTS
When Good News Is Bad News
by Dean Feldmeyer
Luke 12:49-56
Although the kingdom of God is characterized by reconciliation and peace, the announcement of that kingdom is always divisive.
Charles Darwin considered the harnessing of fire and the development of language the two most significant achievements in human history. Today, we use one to discuss the symbolic nature of the other.
“I came to bring fire to the earth,” says Jesus. Good news or bad news?
Burned and Cleansed
I don’t have any figures to back this up but I suspect that today’s gospel lesson is one of the most neglected passages in the synoptics when it comes to preaching.
It’s a tough passage, filled with tough statements by Jesus, statements that are hard to interpret and soften without violating the integrity of the pericope.
In The Message, Eugene Peterson paraphrases the passage without trying to re-interpret or soften it. He lets Jesus speak but in a more contemporary idiom.
He begins with a powerful symbol: fire. “I’ve come to start a fire on this earth — how I wish it were blazing right now!” Fire, let us note, can be a blessing and a curse at the same time.
My wife and I have long loved the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Gatlinburg, Tennessee, the northern entrance to the park. We have vacationed there probably a score of times in the 47 years we’ve been married and we still love going back. Several years ago, a wildfire devastated the national park and much of the city of Gatlinburg a few weeks before we were scheduled to spend a long weekend there with another couple. The cabin we were planning to stay at was burned and we were about to cancel our vacation when it occurred to us that we might use our time of discontinuity as an opportunity to help support those who were affected by the fire.
We called and asked the rental agent to find us another cabin, which she was happy to do. We arrived in Gatlinburg about six weeks after the fire had been extinguished and were shocked by what we saw.
The fires had claimed at least 14 lives, and injured 134. It would be determined to be one of the largest natural disasters in the history of Tennessee.
More than 10,000 acres (15 square miles) were burned inside the national park, and 6,000 acres in other parts of the area. At least 14,000 area residents and tourists were forced to evacuate. Over 2,000 buildings were damaged and/or destroyed.
Work was frantically underway to rebuild and reclaim as much as could be recovered. We contributed what was ours to contribute, money. We ate out, bought souvenirs and gifts for friends, went to shows and, generally, did what tourists do. And we took pictures and brought them back and reassured everyone we knew that Gatlinburg was still Gatlinburg, a fun, wacky, tourist mecca.
In some ways, it was even better than before. New buildings were cleaner and fresher and nicer than the old ones were. Where unemployment had been a problem, now there was employment aplenty as people scrambled to rebuild their homes and businesses. Locals who might have become complacent and even resentful of the tourists who clogged their streets and made demands on their services came to a new appreciation of the people upon whom their financial lives depended. And we tourists came to see that the dollars we spent were more than just indulgences we gave to ourselves; they were alms given to help support those who needed help getting back on their feet.
It is the nature of fire that it can destroy, wound and even kill. But it can also sterilize, clean and renew whatever it touches.
Jesus says, in this passage: “I come to start a fire…”
Fire In The Family
Peterson goes on to explain the symbolism a little more explicitly:
“I’ve come to change everything, to turn everything right side up — how I long for it to be finished! Do you think I came to smooth things over and make everything nice? Not so!”
Jesus gives fair warning about how the fire of the gospel will affect those who proclaim it and those who hear it proclaimed. R. Alan Culpepper says it as provocatively as he does plainly: “Although the Kingdom of God is characterized by reconciliation and peace, the announcement of that kingdom is always divisive because it requires decision and commitment,” to things that are contrary to the world’s wisdom. (New Interpreter's Bible, p. 266). And those stresses are the fires born of words that cause pain and scars even as they purify and cleanse that which they touch and consume.
And where will these fires burn the hottest? Why, in relationships, of course.
Living life by kingdom values will shake up our relationships to the things we own and want to own.
Living life by kingdom values will shake up our relationships with the people we befriend and who befriend us. It will even shake up our relationships with our families.
This kingdom living is not a thing for the faint of heart, right?
When I was a teenager, I had a classmate (we’ll call him David) who was Jewish. As far as I knew, he and his younger sister, upon whom I had an anonymous crush, were the only two Jewish kids in our rural, Indiana high school. They were not exactly devout and neither were their parents.
I, on the other hand, was very active in my church, along with my family, and I was a true believer in Christianity as it was taught in the United Methodist Church of the mid-60’s.
It never occurred to me to try and evangelize David, however. He and Sarah were Jews. I was a Christian. I didn’t see any reason why that should change. Besides, I had this kind of nightmare scenario that would occasionally run through my mind of David standing before his parents and saying something like, “Mom and Dad, I have great news. I have decided to reject everything you’ve taught me about God throughout my whole life. I’ve also decided to reject my Jewish culture and values and history and, well, I guess that means rejecting you, too, and becoming a Christian. I knew you’d be happy for me and I know I can count on your support.”
Most of us didn’t have to go through anything as traumatic as that to become baptized Christians. For most of us, it was easy.
But I knew devout Christians who, because of their Christian faith, refused to serve in the military during the Vietnam war and were, for that reason, ostracized by their families and friends.
I have known a devout Christian who left secular society totally behind to become a cloistered nun and devote her life to meditation, contemplation and prayer and, in the process, broke her parents’ hearts.
I have known devout Christians who refused to break the sabbath and work on Sundays and lost their jobs for their trouble.
Kingdom living, on the way to a life of reconciliation, peace, and grace can drive a wedge between us and those we love and whom, we thought, loved us.
It Wasn’t Always This Easy
But no one told us that, did they? No, what we were told is that all you have to do is accept Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and savior and your life will, from that point on, roll along in a greased groove. There’s even a good chance you’ll get rich. Problems will disappear, troubles will vanish, disappointments will evaporate, hate will depart, darkness will become light and life will be, suddenly and forever after, as it should be. It’s simple, right?
Say “yes” to some questions, have some water sprinkled on your head, (or hold your breath and let the preacher dunk you for a couple of seconds), sign a piece of paper, and you’re in like Flynn. Congratulations. You’re a Christian. Believe, really believe, that God wants you to be rich and, voila! you’re rich or, well, at least, you know, not so blandly middle class.
Oh, you can take it further if you want to, but, in most churches, if you show up from time to time and send in a check on a semi-regular basis, no one’s going to push you on any of it.
But it wasn’t always this easy.
Nero lit his gardens by dipping Christians in oil and burning them alive.
Hitler stood them before firing squads or sent them to concentration camps for helping and hiding Jews.
In El Salvador, Bishop Romero was assassinated for demanding that the so-called Christian government take care of the poor.
From 1597-1637 in Japan, over 435 Christian priests, nuns, lay missionaries, and native-born converts were murdered for the crime of being Christians.
And in our own time, Islamic extremists have produced videos of themselves beheading Christians as a demonstration of their power and a warning to other Christians.
No, brothers and sisters, the hard word which Luke’s gospel brings to us this morning, is that, sometimes, being a Christian is tough. Sometimes it’s hard. Sometimes it’s difficult.
Physically hard. Socially tough. Mentally and spiritually challenging. Emotionally draining.
Ask them in Chico, California. They know.
Trouble From Paradise
On November 8 of last year the famous “Camp” Wildfire in California (called that because it started near Camp Creek Road) raced into the town of Paradise (Pop. 27,000) and, in less than a day, consumed virtually every building in it.
Residents scrambled to get out before the flames reached their homes. Many of them, about 20,000, not knowing where else to go, shot down the highway about 15 miles to the small, college town of Chico (Pop. 90,000). The Paradise folks were, by and large, fairly well off. Many brought their campers and SUV’s with them, others checked into area hotels. No one expected to be there long.
Today, of the original 20,000 who arrived that day, about 17,500 are still there, waiting for insurance companies to write checks so they can rebuild their homes, waiting for government grants and emergency funds to be released to contractors so they can begin the work of rebuilding the town, waiting for things to get moving so their lives can return to something like normal.
But it’s taking time. A long time. Longer than anyone thought possible.
And, today, about 9 months after the folks of Chico initially opened their hearts and their arms, their love and their hospitality to these local refugees, increasing their population by about 20% in a single day, the love and hospitality is beginning to run a little thin.
Residents of Chico complain that the infrastructure is being taxed to its limit. Their police and fire departments are too small to handle a sudden and unexpected population explosion. The vacancy rate was below 1% before the fire. There’s simply no place to put all these new residents. Landlords are evicting long time renters so they can charge inflated rents to new ones. And, to add to the problem, people they refer to as “the hard core homeless” heard about the generosity being offered in Chico and many (no one knows exactly how many) have shown up to take advantage of the free food, gas cards, and gift cards that were originally offered to the fire refugees.
The citizens of Chico are, to put it mildly, worn out. Charity and generosity were okay back when everyone thought they wouldn’t be needed for long. Now, however, as one Chico resident put it, “At some point you have to make a decision, and, if it’s not working out for your family, you have to move on. Otherwise, you become a burden on society.”
Many argue that the problems, like the refugees, aren’t permanent, but residents have to be patient. Eventually, they say, the free market will catch up with the city’s commendable generosity and the desire of the refugees to return to their homes down the road and the problems will solve themselves. They point to the facts that “the overall crime rate in Chico is down. The city already has several thousand houses and apartments approved for construction, the reason the council opted out of state legislation pushed hard by Nava’s group that would have waived some environmental review on home building.
Even the housing market is showing signs of loosening, with new listings popping up and staying on the market longer. The rental market, though, is still so tight that the council is considering a law to prevent future evictions without cause.”
Others are just angry and frustrated and have let their vexation and ire come to focus on the mayor and one city council member in the form of an attempt to hold a recall of the two.
The town is divided and threatens to become more so if things don’t get better, soon.
As Fire Will
Paradise and Chico, California, serve as important illustrations for us this Sunday as we contemplate the words of Jesus in Luke’s gospel.
Jesus says his word, his gospel, the kingdom he offers, and that we normally associate with peace and prosperity and quiet satisfaction, is like a wild fire that destroys and consumes all in its path. It throws us into situations we weren’t expecting to be in. It puts demands upon us that we weren’t expecting to meet. It creates a new understanding of who we are and what is expected of us.
It divides us into opposing camps, friend against friend, family member against family member.
We need look no further than Chico, California, to see this metaphor being played out in real life and displaying our options in stark relief.
We can become frustrated, angry and bitter, seeking to punish those who we believe allowed these changes to be forced upon us. Or we can open our arms in welcome, accepting the changes with love, kindness, and generosity, even when it makes us frustrated and uncomfortable.
If, as many believe, the climate is going to continue changing, this will not be the first ravaging wildfire, the destructive power of which lays waste the homes of our neighbors.
Scripture challenges us to open our eyes and see what is coming, to prepare our hearts and our homes for the challenges that will, inevitably, be ours if they aren’t already.
In the name of Jesus.
Amen.
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Tom Willadsen:
Bob Dylan references
People of a certain age will be reminded of two Bob Dylan songs which draw imagery from today’s lessons.
Jesus tells the crowd in the latter part of today’s Luke reading that they can look at the sky and predict the weather; everyone does that. He chastises them because they cannot read their present situation.
In “Subterranean Homesick Blues” Bob Dylan sings “You don’t need a weatherman to know which way the winds blows.” The ’60s radical group, the Weathermen, took their name from these lyrics. Later their name changed to The Weather Underground. They were responsible for numerous acts of domestic terrorism in opposition to the war in Vietnam.
Another Bob Dylan song, “All Along the Watchtower,” draws on imagery from the Isaiah reading. Jimi Henrdix’ version of this song was his lone Top 40 hit in the United States. In Matthew and Mark Jesus tells a parable about a landowner who built a vineyard, including a watchtower, but the tenants drove off or killed the agents the owner sent to collect the rent from the tenants. Finally, the landlord sends his son, whom they killed and threw out of the vineyard. This is one of the provocative parables that Jesus told against the religious authorities.
* * *
God the farmer
Both Isaiah and the psalm reading draw on agrarian images to describe God. The psalm passage begins with the Lord being described as a shepherd, but switches to describing Israel as a vine, and thus making the Lord the tender of the vine.
Vineyards are a lot of work. They need walls and watchtowers to protect and defend their produce. They need vats where the wine can be stored and aged. The vines need pruning and attention. In the psalm reading it is the Lord who has destroyed the vineyard.
The Isaiah reading appears to echo Song of Songs, in that it introduces a song, but today’s reading is no love song! It’s more of a ballad, a parody of folk songs sung at the harvest. The Lord intended the vine of Israel to spread throughout the land, but instead their faithlessness yielded “bitter fruit,” or, more literally “stinking fruit.” Again, it is the Lord who causes the destruction of the vineyard because of Israel’s faithlessness.
* * *
Speaking of clouds…
The Luke reading points out that people are better at reading the clouds than they are the signs of the times. Hebrews mentions, “so great a cloud of witnesses.” It should be noted that immediately before that memorable phrase, the author of Hebrews mentions some of the ways people who have gone before the first century Christians have demonstrated their faith. It is through action.
Today’s reading begins with three “By faiths,” recounting the Exodus, the Battle of Jericho and Rahab’s hiding Joshua’s spies. The next paragraph mentions some other significant leaders by name and covers others with “the prophets.” These people lived the faith, and suffered for it. It is these people who compose “cloud of witnesses.” While this phrase is often invoked at funerals and on All Saints’ Day, it is well to remember that the cloud of witnesses extends well before the Christian church.
Maybe you’ll want to play a recording of “Mighty Clouds of Joy.” B.J. Thomas had a hit with it in 1971; others prefer Al Green’s version.
* * *
The Pioneer of our Faith
The term “pioneer” has resonance for Americans, especially those of us who live in the Midwest or Plains states. The people who first settled and “tamed” this land were brave pioneers who went before us, clearing the land, establishing farms, towns and cities. Pioneers are hardy, resourceful and brave.
Do not forget, preacher, that the land the pioneers cleared and made safe for later settlers was occupied for millennia before our ancestors “tamed” it.
The Promised Land was also occupied; it was not a paradise waiting for Israel to inhabit. What we know as the Old Testament is filled with battles between the Israelites and the various tribes and nations who were defending their land.
In the Republic of South Africa, in the late 18th century, as some of the Boers migrated from the Dutch-held Cape Colony into the eastern Cape region. They encountered Xhosas who already lived there. In a series of events very similar to those on the American frontier, the Boers and later the British, set boundaries that were routinely ignored by settlers.
Bottom line: be careful when preaching about pioneers. Perhaps use the term for ground-breaking medical researchers, or inventors whose innovations have made life better.
* * *
Hebrews — late in the chapter 11 portion of passage
“They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.” Hebrews 11:38b, NRSV
Don’t overlook these words that describe how our Hebrew Bible “cloud of witness” members were homeless. This week in Milwaukee the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America declared itself a “sanctuary church body,” at their churchwide assembly.
They are taking a public stand in response to federal policies that are demonizing and victimizing immigrants and asylum seekers. They are the first denomination to take such a stand. While there are other passages in scripture that command care and protection for the vulnerable, Hebrews is a good tie in for the readings for August 18.
* * *
When churches are accused of being too political…
Many preachers in the United States are accused of being too political when preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. Caring for the vulnerable, feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, any act that cares for “the least of these,” the very things churches who seek to follow Christ do, is seen as “political” and therefore off limits as themes for sermons.
About ten years ago, Lincoln Park Presbyterian Church in Chicago was under pressure from neighbors who regarded the homeless shelter they hosted as attracting dangerous and suspicious people to their neighborhood, making them feel unsafe. The congregation took their neighbors’ concerns seriously and responded faithfully. They were, however, prepared to use an innovative legal strategy if the situation went to trial. As followers of Christ, who commands that we live out the commands in Matthew 25, they had no other choice than to help their homeless neighbors. If the resident neighbors interfered with that ministry, they were violating the church’s First Amendment right to practice their faith!
I have always wondered how the conversation about the role of the church in society would have been changed had that argument been publicized.
I share it now, hoping to plant a seed, somewhere. Christians, you have a duty, but also a right to practice your faith. So go ahead, do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with your God, you’ve got the Constitution behind you!
* * * * * *
From team member Bethany Peerbolte
Isaiah 5:1-7
But We Did Everything Right
Isaiah begins painting a beautiful picture of a vineyard well-tended. The vines were planted in good soil. Water was faithfully provided. Each vine is tended with the best care a vine could want. There is no reason to think these vines will produce anything but delicious grapes, but they do not. Instead wild grapes grow, small and bitter. They will not make a good drink. Distraught, the gardener plans to uproot the whole vineyard. The hard work has been worthless and now the vineyard will be left to the thorns and harsh environment.
This week 680 workers in Mississippi found themselves at the mercy of the harsh environment of ICE. They had been promised a good job and safe home for their family. Many of them had been working in the United States for decades. Their families are rooted here, their children speak only English, and Mississippi is the only place they have called home. The raids that took in 680 workers left many feeling like the gardener in Isaiah. They had worked hard their whole lives and expected good fruit to come of their labor. Instead they found themselves with bad fruit that would uproot their lives and leave them vulnerable to the system.
* * *
Hebrews 11:29--12:2
But They are Such Good People
The middle section of this scripture selection (v. 32-40) draws the community’s attention to “Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets.” The heroes of their faith. These martyrs are looked up to as an example of faithful living. However, they did not live easy lives. The verses outline the kinds of struggles they faced and how they died terrible deaths in service to their faithfulness. The reader is led to ask how such terrible things could happen to good people. The answer seems to be that they were ahead of their time. They suffered because they lived in God’s kingdom and not in the world that was physically around them. Their vision of life was beyond what the world was able to handle in the moment, and do they struggled to move the world forward. Ultimately dying because the world was not ready to change for the better.
Many of the “most influential people” lists that get released focus on people to which we already listen. Donald Trump, Ninja, Taylor Swift. This list, however, takes a different approach.The author profiles 23 people he believes we should be listening to based on what we could learn from their life experiences. Some of the people on the list are celebrities, like Oprah, but even the famous placeholders have been through something worthy of our awe. Scientists, homeless, paraplegics, and billionaires sit side by side on the merit of what they have overcome rather than just the number of twitter followers they have.
Hebrews is trying to refocus who the people see as celebrities in the community. A person becomes a hero not because of the battles they have won, but by the battles they have endured. It is by listening to their struggle that we learn how to live a fuller more faithful life.
* * *
Luke 12:49-56
But Can’t We All Just Get Along
It is hard to believe these words were not written yesterday. They so easily fit into the discourse America is in now. “From now on five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three; they will be divided: father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.” It all sounds very familiar, but that’s a good thing. People can get too caught up in the peaceful loving welcoming Jesus. There is actually more potential for Jesus’ message to cause division.
Polarization seems to be more and more drastic every political cycle. Left gets more left and right becomes more right. An article from the BBC presents an experiment that may help us understand how these messages divide us so drastically. Computers were given varying levels of ability in regards to memory. Some remembered everything, some easily forgot weak arguments, and some forgot old arguments. The computers that remembered everything stayed neutral on issues. They were able to sort through all the arguments they have ever heard and conclude that reasonable people could believe either side. This is not how the human brain works. We forget things. We forget unimpressive points and we forget things said last week (or last night). The computers that forgot things began to be polarized. The direction they went was with the persistent and consistent voices.
Makes me want to pay closer attention to what voices I allow to be consistent and persistent. It may be time to infuse some opposing rhetoric.
* * * * * *
WORSHIP
by George Reed
Call to Worship:
Leader: Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, you who lead us like a flock!
People: You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth!
Leader: Let your hand be upon us whom you made strong for yourself.
People: Let us never turn back from you who gives us life.
Leader: Restore us, O God of hosts; let your face shine.
People: Let your face shine that we may be saved.
OR
Leader: God calls us to come and be healed.
People: We are broken and in need of healing.
Leader: God calls us to come and become healers.
People: How can the broken be healers?
Leader: God will do the healing through us.
People: Send us, O God, to be your healers in this world.
Hymns and Songs:
Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty
UMH: 64/65
H82: 362
PH: 138
AAHH: 329
NNBH: 1
NCH: 277
CH: 4
LBW: 165
ELW: 413
W&P: 136
AMEC: 25
STLT: 26
Renew: 204
O God, Our Help in Ages Past
UMH: 117
H82: 680
AAHH: 170
NNBH: 46
NCH: 25
CH: 67
LBW: 320
ELW: 632
W&P: 84
AMEC: 61
STLT: 281
Praise to the Lord, the Almighty
UMH: 139
H82: 390
AAHH: 117
NNBH: 2
NCH: 22
CH: 25
ELW: 858/859
AMEC: 3
STLT: 278
Renew: 57
O Master, Let Me Walk with Thee
UMH: 430
H82: 659/660
PH: 357
NNBH: 445
NCH: 503
CH: 602
LBW: 492
ELW: 818
W&P: 589
AMEC: 299
Jesu, Jesu
UMH: 432
H82: 602
PH: 367
NCH: 498
CH: 600
ELW: 708
W&P: 273
Renew: 289
What Does the Lord Require
UMH: 441
H82: 605
PH: 405
CH: 659
W&P: 686
Go Down, Moses
UMH: 448
PH: 334
AAHH: 543
NNBH: 490
CH: 663
LBW: 618
Open My Eyes, That I May See
UMH: 454
PH: 324
NNBH: 218
CH: 586
W&P: 480
AMEC: 285
Change My Heart, O God
CCB: 56
Renew: 143
Live in Charity
CCB: 71
Music Resources Key:
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
AAHH: African American Heritage Hymnal
NNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
LBW: Lutheran Book of Worship
ELW: Evangelical Lutheran Worship
W&P: Worship & Praise
AMEC: African Methodist Episcopal Church Hymnal
STLT: Singing the Living Tradition
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
Renew: Renew! Songs & Hymns for Blended Worship
Prayer for the Day/Collect
O God who is a cleansing fire:
Grant us the wisdom to discern the times
that we may live in justice and peace with all;
through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We praise you, O God, because you a cleansing flame who comes to restore us. Give us of your wisdom that we may be aware of what you are doing in our midst. Give us courage to join in your quest for justice. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
Leader: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins and especially our failure to discern how you are moving among us for justice.
People: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. You created us to live in peace and harmony with all creation and yet we live each day in the midst of injustice and strife. We are concerned about justice when we feel we have been wronged but we ignore the cries of our sisters and brothers who are oppressed. As long as we have all we want, we do not worry about those who do not have what they need. Help us to see the world as you see it, O God, that we may be moved to act with compassion and justice for all. Amen.
Leader: God desires not to be the fire that destroys but the flame that renews creation. Receive God’s grace and wisdom to understand what God is doing among us and work with God to bring justice and peace to all.
Prayers of the People
Praise and glory are yours by right, O God, because you are the creator and redeemer of all creation.
(The following paragraph may be used if a separate prayer of confession has not been used.)
We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. You created us to live in peace and harmony with all creation and yet we live each day in the midst of injustice and strife. We are concerned about justice when we feel we have been wronged but we ignore the cries of our sisters and brothers who are oppressed. As long as we have all we want, we do not worry about those who do not have what they need. Help us to see the world as you see it, O God, that we may be moved to act with compassion and justice for all.
We give you thanks for all the blessings we have received from your hand. You have blessed us with an abundant earth. You have shown us how to live in peace and harmony with all. You have sent your prophets to remind us of your ways.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for all your children in their need. We pray for those who feel trampled like a plant which is not valued or wanted. We lift up to you those who suffer injustice and violence.
(Other intercessions may be offered.)
All these things we ask in the Name of our Savior Jesus Christ who taught us to pray together saying:
Our Father....Amen.
(Or if the Our Father is not used at this point in the service.)
All this we ask in the Name of the Blessed and Holy Trinity. Amen.
Children’s Sermon Starter
Talk to the children about gardens. Ask if any of them have a garden at home. Gardens are wonderful. They provide good food for us but they are a lot of work. We have to make sure that every plant gets enough water and sunlight to allow it to grow. Sometimes we have to trim back other plants for this to happen. Today we hear about God being like a gardener who is taking care of creation. God wants all to thrive and have enough. God wants us to help with this work. We can do this by sharing and working for justice.
CHILDREN'S SERMON
Let’s hear it for the heroes!
by Chris Keating
Hebrews 11:29--12:2
Gather ahead of time:
In many places, school is starting or has already started. This can bring a mixture of feelings for both children and adults. Some years ago, an office supply chain had a commercial featuring a father shopping for school supplies. He was singing “It’s the most wonderful time of the year!” as his less-than impressed children walked like doomed prisoners. The truth is many families do mourn the end of summer, and that many children experience anxiety about going back to school. Keep this in mind as you proceed with today’s lesson which explores the ways Jesus helps us in challenging times.
As the children gather, hold up the “back to school” banner or sign. Be sure to let them know that for most children (and even teachers!), going back to school is an adjustment. It takes time to “get back,” which may involve remembering how to get up, get ready, and get to school on time. There may be other changes, too: a new building, new friends, new routines, new teachers. It’s ok to admit we may have mixed feelings.
Read portions of Hebrews 11:29--12:2, helping the children understand that this story was written to encourage people who were having a hard time. The writer uses examples of biblical “witnesses,” who were people we might call heroes. The writer also uses the image of a foot race. They learned how to do hard things by trusting in God, or by “looking to Jesus.” Depending on the ages of the children and the time available, you may wish to talk about some of the biblical heroes named in the Hebrews text.
Next, hold up your hero poster. Tell brief stories about how the people you named did something that inspired you. They each faced obstacles, but still “persevered.” Take a moment to define what it means to “keep on keeping on.” Heroes like the persons on the poster remind us that even in times of challenges, God gives us the ability to keep working toward our goal.
Does going back to school feel like a race to them? As you pass around the “Jesus is my hero” cards, remind them God will be with them as they go back to school. There will be hard challenges, and there may be times when they are frustrated, or even scared. But we do not need to worry because “Jesus is our hero,” and we know that God will guide our feet. You may even wish to end by singing the great spiritual, “Guide My Feet While I Run This Race.”
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, August 18, 2019 issue.
Copyright 2019 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.
- Seeing the Signs, Taking the Steps by Mary Austin — Jesus tells the crowds listening to him to see the signs, and watch for change in the world. We can interpret the weather, but seeing change in our communal life is much harder.
- Second Thoughts: When Good News Is Bad News by Dean Feldmeyer — Although the kingdom of God is characterized by reconciliation and peace, the announcement of that kingdom is always divisive.
- Sermon illustrations by Tom Willadsen, Ron Love and Bethany Peerbolte. (To come.)
- Worship resources by George Reed focusing on interpreting the times; fire and dealing with its aftermath.
- Children’s sermon: Let’s hear it for the heroes! by Chris Keating — Our heroes and faith-mentors help us face life’s difficult challenges by reminding us to keep our eyes on Jesus.
Seeing the Signs, Taking the Stepsby Mary Austin
Luke 12:49-56
Interpreting the present time, as Jesus calls us to do, is a multi-billion dollar business. People examine trends to tell us what the color of the year will be (Living Coral, if you’re wondering) and who will win the 2020 Presidential election. In the world of food, we should be on the alert for oat milk and vegan jerky. But it’s much harder to take the pulse of the nation on gun laws, since we’re so divided about what “common sense gun laws” mean. After the recent shootings in California, Texas and Ohio, all clumped together, people are asking again why we’re allowing ourselves to be a nation in constant danger of public shootings. Shootings at schools, nightclubs, churches and other public spaces have become so common that we barely have time to think about one before the next one comes.
Still, we are in a moment of rage and pain where all of us are invited to interpret the present time, and see if we need to make a change in our shared life. Speaking at a vigil in Dayton, Ohio, the governor of Ohio was drowned out by people in the crowd shouting “Do something.” “Moments later, the chanting began — with a single voice yelling, “Do something!” It soon became a rallying cry with more and more people joining in.” People are reluctant to go to big public events, like outdoor concerts, and going shopping or to school now requires a different kind of preparation. “Why do you not know how to interpret the present time?” Jesus asks.
As followers of Jesus, we have to wonder if that voice is calling out to us, too, to do something.
In the News
A recent week with three mass shootings (Gilroy, California, Dayton, Ohio and El Paso, Texas) has brought unimaginable sorrow to the communities affected. In El Paso, the shooter both reflected a divided country, and added to it. Police say he “spent countless hours on the Internet studying the white supremacist theory known as “the great replacement.” And then, after hanging out with family members late last week, he jumped in his car with his newly purchased assault-style rifle and made the 10-hour drive to El Paso, where, authorities say, he fatally shot 22 people and injured dozens at a shopping center on Saturday near the Mexican border to stop “the Hispanic invasion of Texas,” according to a statement police think he posted online shortly before the attack.”
In Dayton, the family of the shooter is grieving for him and for the sibling he shot in the rampage, while cooperating with the police investigation. Meanwhile, people all over the country are clamoring for politicians to do something, and the President pondering expanded background checks for gun buyers. “On Friday, in the wake of massacres in El Paso and Dayton, Ohio, Mr. Trump presented himself now as a deal-maker eager to bring Democrats and Republicans together behind tougher background checks.” The President has been both for and against background checks over the years. “How far the president is willing to go — and whether his support for background checks is just another momentary reversal — is likely to determine whether the country responds to 31 deaths in two mass shootings with the first significant federal gun control measures in years. Mr. Trump said Friday that there was “tremendous” support for “really common-sense sensible, important background checks” even as the N.R.A. and gun rights supporters vowed to oppose them. The Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, was “on board,” the president insisted, and the gun lobby, which in the past has been brutally effective in defeating such measures in Congress, would “get there.” “There’s never been a president like President Trump,” Mr. Trump said as he left for a 10-day vacation, bragging that he could overcome years of gridlock on the fiercely contentious issue.
Many people wonder if anything is going to change. We’ve been through these steps many times before. Will anyone in power read the signs differently this time? Polling expert Anna Greenberg writes in an opinion piece that “Like a director yelling “action,” the horrific mass shootings in El Paso and Dayton, Ohio, last weekend cued all the same political actors to repeat all the same political lines. Conservatives offered their prayers and talked about mental health and video games; progressives decried inaction in Washington. Voters could be forgiven for assuming they have seen this play before and nothing will ever change. But this is wrong.” Perhaps we are better at reading the present moment, and seeing a need for change, than we think. Speaking from a Democratic polling firm, she says, “America’s relationship with guns is changing, and people, more than ever, want someone to ‘do something.’ These new attitudes will transcend the red/blue divide and provide a litmus test of our political leaders’ values. Republicans increasingly understand that they are on the wrong side of history and risk political ruin in the suburbs if they do not find a way to distance themselves from perceived complacency.” A recent survey shows a shift for people of all political beliefs. “In a recent GQR survey of 2,000 likely 2020 voters, more than 1 in 4 say their views on guns have changed within the past five years. This number includes 1 in 3 Democrats, but also 1 in 4 independents and 1 in 5 Republicans. Among these voters, 78 percent — and 70 percent of Republicans — have moved toward supporting stronger gun laws.”
Perhaps the signs are different this time.
In the Scriptures
In this section of Luke, Jesus is teaching people about how to find God’s presence, and warning about seeking God over material things. In the verses before this section, he warns about the perils of piling up goods, instead of piling up attention to God. He warns about worrying, and tells people to be watchful. Now, with a change in tone, he warns about struggle and turmoil ahead. Baptism and fire are coming, dividing people from each other. This baptism is a movement into a deeper level of service to God.
Fire purifies, and also terrifies. It finishes off the chaff and the unfruitful branches. Even if these teachings were given at different times, and in different settings, and gathered together later, they give us a picture of Jesus’ vision for devotion to God. This comes ahead of even traditional family obligations. Jesus tells us to keep alert — to watch for the coming of this new realm. We will find ourselves divided against even our closest family members, as we follow where God leads us.
With some dismay, Jesus notes that we can interpret the weather, and tell what’s coming next, and yet we have a hard time reading more important signs. The weather comes and goes, and we give it a lot of attention (especially if we’re farmers) but we miss the signs of God’s presence. We feel the call to respond to the changes in the weather, and miss the invitation to respond to what God is doing. This is another place where Jesus is saying “pay attention.”
Jesus, too, is telling us not just to watch the skies, but to “do something.”
In the Sermon
Jesus is asking us to be clear about who we are and where our loyalties belong. Seeing God at work in the world isn’t just about observation — it also calls for action. We see the signs, and need to react in some way. In the same way that we put on a coat when there’s a sign of snow, or pick up an umbrella when it looks like rain, Jesus tells us to get busy reading the signs in the world.
The sermon might look at how we watch for signs of change, and how we listen for God at work in the world. How can we tell which change is inspired by God, and which change serves human vanity and greed?
The sermon might also look at what we do when we’re divided in our beliefs, pitted against family members or friends or church members. Jesus promises division between us, particularly about important things, but he doesn’t say that division is fatal. It’s part of the process when passionate people listen for God. How then, do we live together with that division as our frequent companion?
Or, the sermon might look at how hard it is, and yet necessary, when fire comes to destroy what we know, in service to something new. Right now, public anger about dangerous shootings is like a fire, ready to consume the things in its path, until something new grows. There have been similar fires in our common life, leading to changes in civil rights, the role of women, and the LGBTQ+ movement. Only time will tell whether this fire of public outrage will keep burning, or whether inaction and inertia will snuff it out.
Or the sermon might look at how faith and public life intersect. As people of faith, how can we tell where to get involved? How do we know which voice is speaking with God’s call to use our own voices for change in the world? How do we mirror the change that God is seeking?
As followers of Jesus, we are always trying to read the signs, and to find God at work in the midst of our own world. We want to join in any crusade that God is prompting, which means working hard to read the signs of change, and joining in the holy work of making the world conform to God’s plans.
SECOND THOUGHTSWhen Good News Is Bad News
by Dean Feldmeyer
Luke 12:49-56
Although the kingdom of God is characterized by reconciliation and peace, the announcement of that kingdom is always divisive.
Charles Darwin considered the harnessing of fire and the development of language the two most significant achievements in human history. Today, we use one to discuss the symbolic nature of the other.
“I came to bring fire to the earth,” says Jesus. Good news or bad news?
Burned and Cleansed
I don’t have any figures to back this up but I suspect that today’s gospel lesson is one of the most neglected passages in the synoptics when it comes to preaching.
It’s a tough passage, filled with tough statements by Jesus, statements that are hard to interpret and soften without violating the integrity of the pericope.
In The Message, Eugene Peterson paraphrases the passage without trying to re-interpret or soften it. He lets Jesus speak but in a more contemporary idiom.
He begins with a powerful symbol: fire. “I’ve come to start a fire on this earth — how I wish it were blazing right now!” Fire, let us note, can be a blessing and a curse at the same time.
My wife and I have long loved the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Gatlinburg, Tennessee, the northern entrance to the park. We have vacationed there probably a score of times in the 47 years we’ve been married and we still love going back. Several years ago, a wildfire devastated the national park and much of the city of Gatlinburg a few weeks before we were scheduled to spend a long weekend there with another couple. The cabin we were planning to stay at was burned and we were about to cancel our vacation when it occurred to us that we might use our time of discontinuity as an opportunity to help support those who were affected by the fire.
We called and asked the rental agent to find us another cabin, which she was happy to do. We arrived in Gatlinburg about six weeks after the fire had been extinguished and were shocked by what we saw.
The fires had claimed at least 14 lives, and injured 134. It would be determined to be one of the largest natural disasters in the history of Tennessee.
More than 10,000 acres (15 square miles) were burned inside the national park, and 6,000 acres in other parts of the area. At least 14,000 area residents and tourists were forced to evacuate. Over 2,000 buildings were damaged and/or destroyed.
Work was frantically underway to rebuild and reclaim as much as could be recovered. We contributed what was ours to contribute, money. We ate out, bought souvenirs and gifts for friends, went to shows and, generally, did what tourists do. And we took pictures and brought them back and reassured everyone we knew that Gatlinburg was still Gatlinburg, a fun, wacky, tourist mecca.
In some ways, it was even better than before. New buildings were cleaner and fresher and nicer than the old ones were. Where unemployment had been a problem, now there was employment aplenty as people scrambled to rebuild their homes and businesses. Locals who might have become complacent and even resentful of the tourists who clogged their streets and made demands on their services came to a new appreciation of the people upon whom their financial lives depended. And we tourists came to see that the dollars we spent were more than just indulgences we gave to ourselves; they were alms given to help support those who needed help getting back on their feet.
It is the nature of fire that it can destroy, wound and even kill. But it can also sterilize, clean and renew whatever it touches.
Jesus says, in this passage: “I come to start a fire…”
Fire In The Family
Peterson goes on to explain the symbolism a little more explicitly:
“I’ve come to change everything, to turn everything right side up — how I long for it to be finished! Do you think I came to smooth things over and make everything nice? Not so!”
Jesus gives fair warning about how the fire of the gospel will affect those who proclaim it and those who hear it proclaimed. R. Alan Culpepper says it as provocatively as he does plainly: “Although the Kingdom of God is characterized by reconciliation and peace, the announcement of that kingdom is always divisive because it requires decision and commitment,” to things that are contrary to the world’s wisdom. (New Interpreter's Bible, p. 266). And those stresses are the fires born of words that cause pain and scars even as they purify and cleanse that which they touch and consume.
And where will these fires burn the hottest? Why, in relationships, of course.
Living life by kingdom values will shake up our relationships to the things we own and want to own.
Living life by kingdom values will shake up our relationships with the people we befriend and who befriend us. It will even shake up our relationships with our families.
This kingdom living is not a thing for the faint of heart, right?
When I was a teenager, I had a classmate (we’ll call him David) who was Jewish. As far as I knew, he and his younger sister, upon whom I had an anonymous crush, were the only two Jewish kids in our rural, Indiana high school. They were not exactly devout and neither were their parents.
I, on the other hand, was very active in my church, along with my family, and I was a true believer in Christianity as it was taught in the United Methodist Church of the mid-60’s.
It never occurred to me to try and evangelize David, however. He and Sarah were Jews. I was a Christian. I didn’t see any reason why that should change. Besides, I had this kind of nightmare scenario that would occasionally run through my mind of David standing before his parents and saying something like, “Mom and Dad, I have great news. I have decided to reject everything you’ve taught me about God throughout my whole life. I’ve also decided to reject my Jewish culture and values and history and, well, I guess that means rejecting you, too, and becoming a Christian. I knew you’d be happy for me and I know I can count on your support.”
Most of us didn’t have to go through anything as traumatic as that to become baptized Christians. For most of us, it was easy.
But I knew devout Christians who, because of their Christian faith, refused to serve in the military during the Vietnam war and were, for that reason, ostracized by their families and friends.
I have known a devout Christian who left secular society totally behind to become a cloistered nun and devote her life to meditation, contemplation and prayer and, in the process, broke her parents’ hearts.
I have known devout Christians who refused to break the sabbath and work on Sundays and lost their jobs for their trouble.
Kingdom living, on the way to a life of reconciliation, peace, and grace can drive a wedge between us and those we love and whom, we thought, loved us.
It Wasn’t Always This Easy
But no one told us that, did they? No, what we were told is that all you have to do is accept Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and savior and your life will, from that point on, roll along in a greased groove. There’s even a good chance you’ll get rich. Problems will disappear, troubles will vanish, disappointments will evaporate, hate will depart, darkness will become light and life will be, suddenly and forever after, as it should be. It’s simple, right?
Say “yes” to some questions, have some water sprinkled on your head, (or hold your breath and let the preacher dunk you for a couple of seconds), sign a piece of paper, and you’re in like Flynn. Congratulations. You’re a Christian. Believe, really believe, that God wants you to be rich and, voila! you’re rich or, well, at least, you know, not so blandly middle class.
Oh, you can take it further if you want to, but, in most churches, if you show up from time to time and send in a check on a semi-regular basis, no one’s going to push you on any of it.
But it wasn’t always this easy.
Nero lit his gardens by dipping Christians in oil and burning them alive.
Hitler stood them before firing squads or sent them to concentration camps for helping and hiding Jews.
In El Salvador, Bishop Romero was assassinated for demanding that the so-called Christian government take care of the poor.
From 1597-1637 in Japan, over 435 Christian priests, nuns, lay missionaries, and native-born converts were murdered for the crime of being Christians.
And in our own time, Islamic extremists have produced videos of themselves beheading Christians as a demonstration of their power and a warning to other Christians.
No, brothers and sisters, the hard word which Luke’s gospel brings to us this morning, is that, sometimes, being a Christian is tough. Sometimes it’s hard. Sometimes it’s difficult.
Physically hard. Socially tough. Mentally and spiritually challenging. Emotionally draining.
Ask them in Chico, California. They know.
Trouble From Paradise
On November 8 of last year the famous “Camp” Wildfire in California (called that because it started near Camp Creek Road) raced into the town of Paradise (Pop. 27,000) and, in less than a day, consumed virtually every building in it.
Residents scrambled to get out before the flames reached their homes. Many of them, about 20,000, not knowing where else to go, shot down the highway about 15 miles to the small, college town of Chico (Pop. 90,000). The Paradise folks were, by and large, fairly well off. Many brought their campers and SUV’s with them, others checked into area hotels. No one expected to be there long.
Today, of the original 20,000 who arrived that day, about 17,500 are still there, waiting for insurance companies to write checks so they can rebuild their homes, waiting for government grants and emergency funds to be released to contractors so they can begin the work of rebuilding the town, waiting for things to get moving so their lives can return to something like normal.
But it’s taking time. A long time. Longer than anyone thought possible.
And, today, about 9 months after the folks of Chico initially opened their hearts and their arms, their love and their hospitality to these local refugees, increasing their population by about 20% in a single day, the love and hospitality is beginning to run a little thin.
Residents of Chico complain that the infrastructure is being taxed to its limit. Their police and fire departments are too small to handle a sudden and unexpected population explosion. The vacancy rate was below 1% before the fire. There’s simply no place to put all these new residents. Landlords are evicting long time renters so they can charge inflated rents to new ones. And, to add to the problem, people they refer to as “the hard core homeless” heard about the generosity being offered in Chico and many (no one knows exactly how many) have shown up to take advantage of the free food, gas cards, and gift cards that were originally offered to the fire refugees.
The citizens of Chico are, to put it mildly, worn out. Charity and generosity were okay back when everyone thought they wouldn’t be needed for long. Now, however, as one Chico resident put it, “At some point you have to make a decision, and, if it’s not working out for your family, you have to move on. Otherwise, you become a burden on society.”
Many argue that the problems, like the refugees, aren’t permanent, but residents have to be patient. Eventually, they say, the free market will catch up with the city’s commendable generosity and the desire of the refugees to return to their homes down the road and the problems will solve themselves. They point to the facts that “the overall crime rate in Chico is down. The city already has several thousand houses and apartments approved for construction, the reason the council opted out of state legislation pushed hard by Nava’s group that would have waived some environmental review on home building.
Even the housing market is showing signs of loosening, with new listings popping up and staying on the market longer. The rental market, though, is still so tight that the council is considering a law to prevent future evictions without cause.”
Others are just angry and frustrated and have let their vexation and ire come to focus on the mayor and one city council member in the form of an attempt to hold a recall of the two.
The town is divided and threatens to become more so if things don’t get better, soon.
As Fire Will
Paradise and Chico, California, serve as important illustrations for us this Sunday as we contemplate the words of Jesus in Luke’s gospel.
Jesus says his word, his gospel, the kingdom he offers, and that we normally associate with peace and prosperity and quiet satisfaction, is like a wild fire that destroys and consumes all in its path. It throws us into situations we weren’t expecting to be in. It puts demands upon us that we weren’t expecting to meet. It creates a new understanding of who we are and what is expected of us.
It divides us into opposing camps, friend against friend, family member against family member.
We need look no further than Chico, California, to see this metaphor being played out in real life and displaying our options in stark relief.
We can become frustrated, angry and bitter, seeking to punish those who we believe allowed these changes to be forced upon us. Or we can open our arms in welcome, accepting the changes with love, kindness, and generosity, even when it makes us frustrated and uncomfortable.
If, as many believe, the climate is going to continue changing, this will not be the first ravaging wildfire, the destructive power of which lays waste the homes of our neighbors.
Scripture challenges us to open our eyes and see what is coming, to prepare our hearts and our homes for the challenges that will, inevitably, be ours if they aren’t already.
In the name of Jesus.
Amen.
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Tom Willadsen:
Bob Dylan references
People of a certain age will be reminded of two Bob Dylan songs which draw imagery from today’s lessons.
Jesus tells the crowd in the latter part of today’s Luke reading that they can look at the sky and predict the weather; everyone does that. He chastises them because they cannot read their present situation.
In “Subterranean Homesick Blues” Bob Dylan sings “You don’t need a weatherman to know which way the winds blows.” The ’60s radical group, the Weathermen, took their name from these lyrics. Later their name changed to The Weather Underground. They were responsible for numerous acts of domestic terrorism in opposition to the war in Vietnam.
Another Bob Dylan song, “All Along the Watchtower,” draws on imagery from the Isaiah reading. Jimi Henrdix’ version of this song was his lone Top 40 hit in the United States. In Matthew and Mark Jesus tells a parable about a landowner who built a vineyard, including a watchtower, but the tenants drove off or killed the agents the owner sent to collect the rent from the tenants. Finally, the landlord sends his son, whom they killed and threw out of the vineyard. This is one of the provocative parables that Jesus told against the religious authorities.
* * *
God the farmer
Both Isaiah and the psalm reading draw on agrarian images to describe God. The psalm passage begins with the Lord being described as a shepherd, but switches to describing Israel as a vine, and thus making the Lord the tender of the vine.
Vineyards are a lot of work. They need walls and watchtowers to protect and defend their produce. They need vats where the wine can be stored and aged. The vines need pruning and attention. In the psalm reading it is the Lord who has destroyed the vineyard.
The Isaiah reading appears to echo Song of Songs, in that it introduces a song, but today’s reading is no love song! It’s more of a ballad, a parody of folk songs sung at the harvest. The Lord intended the vine of Israel to spread throughout the land, but instead their faithlessness yielded “bitter fruit,” or, more literally “stinking fruit.” Again, it is the Lord who causes the destruction of the vineyard because of Israel’s faithlessness.
* * *
Speaking of clouds…
The Luke reading points out that people are better at reading the clouds than they are the signs of the times. Hebrews mentions, “so great a cloud of witnesses.” It should be noted that immediately before that memorable phrase, the author of Hebrews mentions some of the ways people who have gone before the first century Christians have demonstrated their faith. It is through action.
Today’s reading begins with three “By faiths,” recounting the Exodus, the Battle of Jericho and Rahab’s hiding Joshua’s spies. The next paragraph mentions some other significant leaders by name and covers others with “the prophets.” These people lived the faith, and suffered for it. It is these people who compose “cloud of witnesses.” While this phrase is often invoked at funerals and on All Saints’ Day, it is well to remember that the cloud of witnesses extends well before the Christian church.
Maybe you’ll want to play a recording of “Mighty Clouds of Joy.” B.J. Thomas had a hit with it in 1971; others prefer Al Green’s version.
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The Pioneer of our Faith
The term “pioneer” has resonance for Americans, especially those of us who live in the Midwest or Plains states. The people who first settled and “tamed” this land were brave pioneers who went before us, clearing the land, establishing farms, towns and cities. Pioneers are hardy, resourceful and brave.
Do not forget, preacher, that the land the pioneers cleared and made safe for later settlers was occupied for millennia before our ancestors “tamed” it.
The Promised Land was also occupied; it was not a paradise waiting for Israel to inhabit. What we know as the Old Testament is filled with battles between the Israelites and the various tribes and nations who were defending their land.
In the Republic of South Africa, in the late 18th century, as some of the Boers migrated from the Dutch-held Cape Colony into the eastern Cape region. They encountered Xhosas who already lived there. In a series of events very similar to those on the American frontier, the Boers and later the British, set boundaries that were routinely ignored by settlers.
Bottom line: be careful when preaching about pioneers. Perhaps use the term for ground-breaking medical researchers, or inventors whose innovations have made life better.
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Hebrews — late in the chapter 11 portion of passage
“They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.” Hebrews 11:38b, NRSV
Don’t overlook these words that describe how our Hebrew Bible “cloud of witness” members were homeless. This week in Milwaukee the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America declared itself a “sanctuary church body,” at their churchwide assembly.
They are taking a public stand in response to federal policies that are demonizing and victimizing immigrants and asylum seekers. They are the first denomination to take such a stand. While there are other passages in scripture that command care and protection for the vulnerable, Hebrews is a good tie in for the readings for August 18.
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When churches are accused of being too political…
Many preachers in the United States are accused of being too political when preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. Caring for the vulnerable, feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, any act that cares for “the least of these,” the very things churches who seek to follow Christ do, is seen as “political” and therefore off limits as themes for sermons.
About ten years ago, Lincoln Park Presbyterian Church in Chicago was under pressure from neighbors who regarded the homeless shelter they hosted as attracting dangerous and suspicious people to their neighborhood, making them feel unsafe. The congregation took their neighbors’ concerns seriously and responded faithfully. They were, however, prepared to use an innovative legal strategy if the situation went to trial. As followers of Christ, who commands that we live out the commands in Matthew 25, they had no other choice than to help their homeless neighbors. If the resident neighbors interfered with that ministry, they were violating the church’s First Amendment right to practice their faith!
I have always wondered how the conversation about the role of the church in society would have been changed had that argument been publicized.
I share it now, hoping to plant a seed, somewhere. Christians, you have a duty, but also a right to practice your faith. So go ahead, do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with your God, you’ve got the Constitution behind you!
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From team member Bethany PeerbolteIsaiah 5:1-7
But We Did Everything Right
Isaiah begins painting a beautiful picture of a vineyard well-tended. The vines were planted in good soil. Water was faithfully provided. Each vine is tended with the best care a vine could want. There is no reason to think these vines will produce anything but delicious grapes, but they do not. Instead wild grapes grow, small and bitter. They will not make a good drink. Distraught, the gardener plans to uproot the whole vineyard. The hard work has been worthless and now the vineyard will be left to the thorns and harsh environment.
This week 680 workers in Mississippi found themselves at the mercy of the harsh environment of ICE. They had been promised a good job and safe home for their family. Many of them had been working in the United States for decades. Their families are rooted here, their children speak only English, and Mississippi is the only place they have called home. The raids that took in 680 workers left many feeling like the gardener in Isaiah. They had worked hard their whole lives and expected good fruit to come of their labor. Instead they found themselves with bad fruit that would uproot their lives and leave them vulnerable to the system.
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Hebrews 11:29--12:2
But They are Such Good People
The middle section of this scripture selection (v. 32-40) draws the community’s attention to “Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets.” The heroes of their faith. These martyrs are looked up to as an example of faithful living. However, they did not live easy lives. The verses outline the kinds of struggles they faced and how they died terrible deaths in service to their faithfulness. The reader is led to ask how such terrible things could happen to good people. The answer seems to be that they were ahead of their time. They suffered because they lived in God’s kingdom and not in the world that was physically around them. Their vision of life was beyond what the world was able to handle in the moment, and do they struggled to move the world forward. Ultimately dying because the world was not ready to change for the better.
Many of the “most influential people” lists that get released focus on people to which we already listen. Donald Trump, Ninja, Taylor Swift. This list, however, takes a different approach.The author profiles 23 people he believes we should be listening to based on what we could learn from their life experiences. Some of the people on the list are celebrities, like Oprah, but even the famous placeholders have been through something worthy of our awe. Scientists, homeless, paraplegics, and billionaires sit side by side on the merit of what they have overcome rather than just the number of twitter followers they have.
Hebrews is trying to refocus who the people see as celebrities in the community. A person becomes a hero not because of the battles they have won, but by the battles they have endured. It is by listening to their struggle that we learn how to live a fuller more faithful life.
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Luke 12:49-56
But Can’t We All Just Get Along
It is hard to believe these words were not written yesterday. They so easily fit into the discourse America is in now. “From now on five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three; they will be divided: father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.” It all sounds very familiar, but that’s a good thing. People can get too caught up in the peaceful loving welcoming Jesus. There is actually more potential for Jesus’ message to cause division.
Polarization seems to be more and more drastic every political cycle. Left gets more left and right becomes more right. An article from the BBC presents an experiment that may help us understand how these messages divide us so drastically. Computers were given varying levels of ability in regards to memory. Some remembered everything, some easily forgot weak arguments, and some forgot old arguments. The computers that remembered everything stayed neutral on issues. They were able to sort through all the arguments they have ever heard and conclude that reasonable people could believe either side. This is not how the human brain works. We forget things. We forget unimpressive points and we forget things said last week (or last night). The computers that forgot things began to be polarized. The direction they went was with the persistent and consistent voices.
Makes me want to pay closer attention to what voices I allow to be consistent and persistent. It may be time to infuse some opposing rhetoric.
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WORSHIP
by George Reed
Call to Worship:
Leader: Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, you who lead us like a flock!
People: You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth!
Leader: Let your hand be upon us whom you made strong for yourself.
People: Let us never turn back from you who gives us life.
Leader: Restore us, O God of hosts; let your face shine.
People: Let your face shine that we may be saved.
OR
Leader: God calls us to come and be healed.
People: We are broken and in need of healing.
Leader: God calls us to come and become healers.
People: How can the broken be healers?
Leader: God will do the healing through us.
People: Send us, O God, to be your healers in this world.
Hymns and Songs:
Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty
UMH: 64/65
H82: 362
PH: 138
AAHH: 329
NNBH: 1
NCH: 277
CH: 4
LBW: 165
ELW: 413
W&P: 136
AMEC: 25
STLT: 26
Renew: 204
O God, Our Help in Ages Past
UMH: 117
H82: 680
AAHH: 170
NNBH: 46
NCH: 25
CH: 67
LBW: 320
ELW: 632
W&P: 84
AMEC: 61
STLT: 281
Praise to the Lord, the Almighty
UMH: 139
H82: 390
AAHH: 117
NNBH: 2
NCH: 22
CH: 25
ELW: 858/859
AMEC: 3
STLT: 278
Renew: 57
O Master, Let Me Walk with Thee
UMH: 430
H82: 659/660
PH: 357
NNBH: 445
NCH: 503
CH: 602
LBW: 492
ELW: 818
W&P: 589
AMEC: 299
Jesu, Jesu
UMH: 432
H82: 602
PH: 367
NCH: 498
CH: 600
ELW: 708
W&P: 273
Renew: 289
What Does the Lord Require
UMH: 441
H82: 605
PH: 405
CH: 659
W&P: 686
Go Down, Moses
UMH: 448
PH: 334
AAHH: 543
NNBH: 490
CH: 663
LBW: 618
Open My Eyes, That I May See
UMH: 454
PH: 324
NNBH: 218
CH: 586
W&P: 480
AMEC: 285
Change My Heart, O God
CCB: 56
Renew: 143
Live in Charity
CCB: 71
Music Resources Key:
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
AAHH: African American Heritage Hymnal
NNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
LBW: Lutheran Book of Worship
ELW: Evangelical Lutheran Worship
W&P: Worship & Praise
AMEC: African Methodist Episcopal Church Hymnal
STLT: Singing the Living Tradition
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
Renew: Renew! Songs & Hymns for Blended Worship
Prayer for the Day/Collect
O God who is a cleansing fire:
Grant us the wisdom to discern the times
that we may live in justice and peace with all;
through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We praise you, O God, because you a cleansing flame who comes to restore us. Give us of your wisdom that we may be aware of what you are doing in our midst. Give us courage to join in your quest for justice. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
Leader: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins and especially our failure to discern how you are moving among us for justice.
People: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. You created us to live in peace and harmony with all creation and yet we live each day in the midst of injustice and strife. We are concerned about justice when we feel we have been wronged but we ignore the cries of our sisters and brothers who are oppressed. As long as we have all we want, we do not worry about those who do not have what they need. Help us to see the world as you see it, O God, that we may be moved to act with compassion and justice for all. Amen.
Leader: God desires not to be the fire that destroys but the flame that renews creation. Receive God’s grace and wisdom to understand what God is doing among us and work with God to bring justice and peace to all.
Prayers of the People
Praise and glory are yours by right, O God, because you are the creator and redeemer of all creation.
(The following paragraph may be used if a separate prayer of confession has not been used.)
We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. You created us to live in peace and harmony with all creation and yet we live each day in the midst of injustice and strife. We are concerned about justice when we feel we have been wronged but we ignore the cries of our sisters and brothers who are oppressed. As long as we have all we want, we do not worry about those who do not have what they need. Help us to see the world as you see it, O God, that we may be moved to act with compassion and justice for all.
We give you thanks for all the blessings we have received from your hand. You have blessed us with an abundant earth. You have shown us how to live in peace and harmony with all. You have sent your prophets to remind us of your ways.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for all your children in their need. We pray for those who feel trampled like a plant which is not valued or wanted. We lift up to you those who suffer injustice and violence.
(Other intercessions may be offered.)
All these things we ask in the Name of our Savior Jesus Christ who taught us to pray together saying:
Our Father....Amen.
(Or if the Our Father is not used at this point in the service.)
All this we ask in the Name of the Blessed and Holy Trinity. Amen.
Children’s Sermon Starter
Talk to the children about gardens. Ask if any of them have a garden at home. Gardens are wonderful. They provide good food for us but they are a lot of work. We have to make sure that every plant gets enough water and sunlight to allow it to grow. Sometimes we have to trim back other plants for this to happen. Today we hear about God being like a gardener who is taking care of creation. God wants all to thrive and have enough. God wants us to help with this work. We can do this by sharing and working for justice.
CHILDREN'S SERMONLet’s hear it for the heroes!
by Chris Keating
Hebrews 11:29--12:2
Gather ahead of time:
- Create a “faith hero” poster that includes pictures or names of persons you would identify as “faith hero.” Your faith heroes could be a famous person who inspired you or a friend, family member, or mentor who made a difference. If there is a person in your congregation who falls in that category, be sure to include them as well.
- Using clip art or other picture source, find a picture of Jesus and create a “Jesus is my hero” card. A postcard template for Word or Google Docs will work fine. Place the picture of Jesus in the center and then print a portion of Hebrews 12:1 as a caption. (“Looking to Jesus, let us run the race…” or similar.)
- A bonus: find a “Back to school” pennant banner or sign.
In many places, school is starting or has already started. This can bring a mixture of feelings for both children and adults. Some years ago, an office supply chain had a commercial featuring a father shopping for school supplies. He was singing “It’s the most wonderful time of the year!” as his less-than impressed children walked like doomed prisoners. The truth is many families do mourn the end of summer, and that many children experience anxiety about going back to school. Keep this in mind as you proceed with today’s lesson which explores the ways Jesus helps us in challenging times.
As the children gather, hold up the “back to school” banner or sign. Be sure to let them know that for most children (and even teachers!), going back to school is an adjustment. It takes time to “get back,” which may involve remembering how to get up, get ready, and get to school on time. There may be other changes, too: a new building, new friends, new routines, new teachers. It’s ok to admit we may have mixed feelings.
Read portions of Hebrews 11:29--12:2, helping the children understand that this story was written to encourage people who were having a hard time. The writer uses examples of biblical “witnesses,” who were people we might call heroes. The writer also uses the image of a foot race. They learned how to do hard things by trusting in God, or by “looking to Jesus.” Depending on the ages of the children and the time available, you may wish to talk about some of the biblical heroes named in the Hebrews text.
Next, hold up your hero poster. Tell brief stories about how the people you named did something that inspired you. They each faced obstacles, but still “persevered.” Take a moment to define what it means to “keep on keeping on.” Heroes like the persons on the poster remind us that even in times of challenges, God gives us the ability to keep working toward our goal.
Does going back to school feel like a race to them? As you pass around the “Jesus is my hero” cards, remind them God will be with them as they go back to school. There will be hard challenges, and there may be times when they are frustrated, or even scared. But we do not need to worry because “Jesus is our hero,” and we know that God will guide our feet. You may even wish to end by singing the great spiritual, “Guide My Feet While I Run This Race.”
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The Immediate Word, August 18, 2019 issue.
Copyright 2019 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.
