Simply Sacerdotal
Children's sermon
Illustration
Preaching
Sermon
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Object:
In this week’s lectionary epistle passage, the writer of the letter to the Hebrews maintains that Jesus has rendered the Jewish high priests obsolete: while the high priests are term-limited (“prevented by death from continuing in office”) and “are subject to weakness,” Christ “has been made perfect” and “holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever.” Moreover, while the high priests “offer sacrifices day after day, first for [their] own sins, and then for those of the people,” there is no longer a necessity for this process after Christ made a permanent intercession for us through offering himself on the cross. Though the high priests of Jesus’ time may have been consigned to history, there are contemporary figures that function in a similar manner by acknowledging the sins of others and offering sacrifices for them. In this installment of The Immediate Word, team member Chris Keating points to Pope Francis as a notable example. Last week the pope began his weekly address by openly asking forgiveness on behalf of the church for recent scandals, rather than sweeping matters under the rug like his predecessors. Chris suggests that the pontiff offers an important example for all Christians -- for if we are truly Christ’s followers, we need to emulate his lead in acting on behalf of others as well as ourselves. Of course, Jesus is the ultimate model -- taking on the sins of the world and offering forgiveness to everyone who comes to him.
Team member Dean Feldmeyer shares some additional thoughts on the Job passage, examining some of the ways in which Christians provide financial and other forms of support that parallel the “sympathy and comfort” (not to mention “a piece of money and a gold ring”) offered by Job’s family and friends. That can range from the everyday fellowship and assistance shared within congregations to acts of generosity in supporting the needs of others who may not even be known to us. When we help others in many and various ways, Dean notes, it is a living demonstration not just of our commitment to act “on behalf” of others but also of God’s love at work in the world.
Simply Sacerdotal
by Chris Keating
Hebrews 7:23-28
Pope Francis may be the most unusual guest at this year’s Reformation Day worship services.
While the thought of it might be enough to curl Martin Luther’s tonsure, there is ample reason to highlight the pope’s priestly functioning this Reformation Sunday -- a day when many Protestants recall Luther’s defiance of papal authority. Rather than shutting the door on secrets, Francis has repeatedly demonstrated his desire to seek forgiveness for the church’s mistakes and grave errors.
Speaking extemporaneously last week, the pope begged for forgiveness for recent “scandals” surrounding the church. “Today... in the name of the Church, I ask you for forgiveness for the scandals that have occurred recently either in Rome or in the Vatican,” Francis said. Without elaborating, he then continued with his prepared remarks.
It’s the sort of thing we have come to expect from Francis, who has repeatedly taught that God does not tire of forgiving us. On the one hand, Francis is simply fulfilling his oblation obligations -- he is, after all, a priest of the church. Yet on the other hand, his pastoral style seems to indicate a new way of doing business in Rome. It’s an example others might consider following -- not just in the Roman church, but in the church universal.
His willingness to forgive and to ask for forgiveness is not only a mark of Pope Francis’ mission, it also resonates with the message of this week’s epistle reading. Hebrews makes comparisons between Jesus’ high priestly service and the role human priests serve in offering forgiveness. Francis has shown his commitment to acts of mercy, and may even be helping Protestants discover anew the meaning of the priesthood of all believers.
Mercy... it’s what’s coming this Reformation Sunday. And the next priest you meet may well be Francis, the unassuming pope from Buenos Aires.
In the News
From the very beginning of his papacy, Francis has articulated concerns about high-styling clericalism and its stifling of the church. He has worked to debunk the notion of priests being a superior class of believers, in effect uplifting a Catholic understanding of the priesthood of all believers. For Francis, humility is the key to priestly functioning -- something he acknowledged last week during his weekly audience in St. Peter’s Square.
He asked to be forgiven.
It’s unusual for any leader to be so candid, let alone the pontiff of the Holy See. But for Pope Francis -- who once said mercy changes the world, and that God’s mercy could make even the driest land a flowering oasis -- it seemed to be just another aspect of his priestly ministry. With the faithful gathered before him, the pope asked to be forgiven “for the scandals that have occurred recently either in Rome or in the Vatican.”
Despite the pope’s penchant for stunning impromptu dialogue, the moment caught many off-guard. No further explanations were offered, allowing the incident to be seen as another example of Francis’ willingness to be “the people’s pope.” It is also a critical example for all Christians, particularly on this Sunday when we celebrate the birth of Protestantism. Francis’ unique style is a cautionary reminder to not drift too far from the gospel message of humility and sacrifice.
“Jesus’ words are strong, aren’t they?” CBCP news reported the pope as saying. “ ‘Woe to the world for scandals.’ Jesus is a realist. He says it’s inevitable that there will be scandals, but ‘woe to the one who causes the scandals.’ ”
It was not immediately clear what (or which) scandals the pontiff had in mind. Yet Francis once more threw open the Vatican shutters to allow God’s light to shine.
Perhaps he was referring to the news that a Polish-born cleric assigned to the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith is in a committed gay relationship. The announcement by Monsignor Krzysztof Charamsa that he was “happy and proud of his own identity” was made shortly before the start of an important gathering of bishops to discuss family issues. Despite Francis’ more tolerant understanding of homosexuality, the priest was removed from his position.
Or perhaps Francis was repenting of tensions that filled the Vatican prior to the bishops’ synod following the leaked publication of a letter by 13 bishops critical of more progressive stances on family issues and doctrine. Some also speculated that the pope was referring to various tensions between the Vatican and the Roman municipal government over the city’s failure to make progress on infrastructure projects designed to help the city cope with millions of pilgrims during the church’s jubilee year in 2016.
On the other hand, maybe the pope was simply serving as an intercessor for the people, a faithful priest fulfilling his understanding of offering oblation for sins, and gently reminding the church of its need to confess. Maybe he spoke as a leader, a pastor who intends to model confession and repentance. As a spokesperson said, the pope’s apology was intended to be “ample and general,” indicating that perhaps Francis is concerned about all aspects of the Catholic church’s witness. Forgiveness, confession, and priestly humility have so far been integral to his papacy, and these latest remarks are signs that such intercession will continue.
Unlikely as it seems, his candor in seeking forgiveness and rendering intercession on behalf of the church speaks to the way Christ intends for Christians to serve as priests of one another. This pope does indeed seem to inhabit a calling to make intercessions on behalf of others. For Francis, God’s message of mercy is core to the faith. As a Vanity Fair profile of the pontiff observes:
Mercy is the theme of the Francis era. Francis even came up with a verb for it: misericordiando, or mercy-ing. Where his predecessors John Paul II and Benedict XVI saw the Church as the bulwark of a “culture of life” -- set squarely against a “culture of death” -- Francis sees the Church as the voice and the face of mercy.
Time and time again, the pope has indicated that offering reassurance to Catholics across the world is a priority. It is also clear that for Francis these themes are deeply personal.
“Who is Jorge Mario Bergoglio?” he was asked following his election as pope. His answer: “I am a sinner. This is the most accurate definition. It is not a figure of speech, a literary genre. I am a sinner.” Perhaps that understanding has been most clearly evident by the way he practices what he preaches: washing the feet of prisoners, urging compassion for women who have had abortions, and calling for the inclusion of many who have traditionally felt excluded by the church.
In their new book Jesus, Pope Francis, and a Protestant Walk into a Bar: Lessons for the Christian Church (Westminster/John Knox Press, 2015), Presbyterians Paul Rock and Bill Tammeus reflect on Francis’ humble style of papal leadership:
...look at this pope and wonder: How can someone whose primary definition of himself is “sinner” seem to be so happy and peaceful most of the time? The answer is in his profession. I would contend that it’s precisely because he knows he is a slave to sin. He knows that he can’t do it on his own, that he needs help. That’s the freedom and joy that self-honesty brings.
Or, as Hebrews implies, a hope derived from experiencing the promise of “a Son who has been made perfect forever.”
To put it in Francis’ own words, this is a God who never grows tired of forgiving. For the pope, this is just part and parcel of his priestly vocation -- but it also models the quintessential Reformation understanding of the priesthood of all believers.
In the Scripture
Hebrews is a pond stocked with reflections on leadership and ministry. Its reflections on priesthood are particularly compelling, and make an excellent Reformation Sunday text. Taking time to trace back the Old Testament allusions and references will enhance the preacher’s understanding of the text and its implications for contemporary audiences.
The tone and scope of this week’s passage from Hebrews may be initially hard to grasp for readers unfamiliar with Jewish cultic practices. In chapter 7, the author circles back to the theme of Jesus’ priesthood, which was explored earlier in chapters 2 and 4-5. Here the author continues exploring the contrasts between Jesus, the “pioneer and perfector of faith,” and human priests, who were “prevented by death from continuing in office.”
Jesus stands apart from the Levitical priests, eliminating the need for the people’s reliance on daily offerings and sacrifices. Christ’s work removes the need for constant acts of sacrifice -- though, as Francis has shown, there is always room for sacrifice, and always a call to living sacrificially. It is knowledge, as David Cunningham points out, that reorients our lives (see “Theological Perspective” for Proper 25, in Feasting on the Word [Year B, Vol. 4]).
In contrast to the Levitical priests, whose service ends upon death, Jesus is an eternal priest. “Consequently,” the letter argues at 7:25, “he is able for all time to save those who approach God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.” The author sees Christ as a priest along the lines of Melchizedek, whose intercession for Abraham produced Abraham and Sarah’s tithe (Genesis 14). Melchizedek continued on as a priest forever, unlike other priests who may come and go. In the same manner, Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever (cf. 13:8), and constitutes the eternal priest whose sacrificial life will guide us into God’s presence. By his priestly service, Jesus provides salvation.
It is a once and for all intercession, and a model for how Christians ought to live. Jesus’ offering is the definitive sacrifice that endures “for all time” (v. 25). As a priest, Jesus guides the people closer to God, which is indeed our good news -- and the basis for church becoming priests to and with each other. This is indeed the priest who meets our needs perfectly.
In the Sermon
Preaching about priests on Reformation Sunday may seem as appetizing as day-old tuna salad in the potluck line. Protestants rankle at the notion of priesthood, clinging to the Reformation declaration of the priesthood of all believers. Yet Hebrews points out the vitality which Christ’s priestly sacrifice bestows upon the church -- and calls us to reorient our understandings of leadership and priesthood.
Pope Francis has done much the same. He resists the clericalism that removes joy from faith through rigid adherence to power and structure. He opens his arms to bless children and the disabled, and stands with those who have no power. As Paul Rock notes in Jesus, Pope Francis, and a Protestant Walk into a Bar, this form of leadership is refreshing and deeply connected to Jesus:
Leaders who choose to lead like Jesus have the guts to acknowledge things that are a whole lot easier to ignore and to speak the truth without a residual tone of accusation. They shine a light on the situation in a way that doesn’t demean or assume. They speak the truths that we actually, in the corners of our souls, long to hear.
Such leaders are priests in the deepest sense of the word. For this reason, Pope Francis and the text from Hebrews 7 might not be such a surprising guest on Reformation Sunday. Their appearance reminds us of our dependence upon Christ’s sacrifice, and our need for corporate confession and repentance. By acts of humility and mercy, Francis reminds us of our need to accept the sacrifice of Christ as a permanent and lasting change within us, the very argument Hebrews is asserting.
A sermon could explore the purpose of the priesthood of all believers in light of the Hebrews text. It could remind us that ministers and teachers, priests and popes, come and go, but Christ’s permanence in our lives anchors our ability to forgive each other. By comparing Francis’ willingness to engage in public acts of repentance with... oh, I don’t know, perhaps just about every American politician, a sermon could articulate the sort of leadership needed in the church today.
While there is no longer a need for daily sacrifice from an ever-changing line of priests (such as existed in the Old Testament), there is a need for believers to discover the meaning of daily practicing the mercies of God. Like Pope Francis, the living Christ is a breath of fresh air that opens windows and allows light to shine, a reminder that “though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us, we will not fear, for God hath willed his truth to triumph through us” (“A Mighty Fortress Is Our God”).
SECOND THOUGHTS
Friends and Family
by Dean Feldmeyer
Job 42:1-6, 10-17
In the News
When Sarah Ray got married recently in Clarksville, Tennessee, all the guests left the church and headed for the reception while Sarah and her new husband stayed behind for pictures. On their way to the reception, the bride and groom (both of whom are paramedics) got word that there had been a crash involving some of the wedding guests -- so they drove to the scene, only to discover that the people involved were Sarah’s father and grandparents.
No one was seriously injured -- but Sarah, still in her wedding dress, helped give first aid before heading off to the reception. As Ray returned to her own vehicle, her mother snapped a picture of Sarah walking on the road in her bridal gown which appeared in local and national media. But Sarah said that it wasn’t only because she was related to those in the accident -- she would have stopped for anyone in distress. She’s a paramedic, after all, and that’s what they do.
Ten-year-old Michael Keating has cerebral palsy. He weighs 70 pounds (and together with his bulky wheelchair probably twice that), so the family was glad to receive a used van with a wheelchair lift as a gift some years ago. The lift stopped working, however, so Michael and his chair had to be lifted separately into the van. The family was struggling along, making do as best they could with the old van. Michael’s mother has had two surgeries to repair hernias from hoisting her son and his chair, and she gets up at 4:45 a.m. so she can go to the gym and try to get stronger.
Then in September, Pope Francis saw Michael in the crowd greeting him at the Philadelphia airport and ordered his driver to make an unexpected stop so he could bless the boy. The Washington Post subsequently published an article about the family and their struggles, noting that other family members had talked Michael’s parents into starting a crowdfunding webpage to help raise the $60,000 they needed to eventually buy a new wheelchair-accessible van.
Within hours after the Post article’s publication, Michael’s crowdfunding page received a gift of $50,000 from movie director J.J. Abrams and his wife along with another $44,000 from other contributors. (As of this writing, the page had raised almost $130,000.) The new van is now on its way. “Katie and I made the donation,” Abrams wrote in an e-mail, “likely for the same reason others did: we were moved by the Keating family’s grace, strength, and commitment to each other.”
On August 18, 2014, nine-year-old Riley Sandler unexpectedly went into respiratory arrest while at summer camp and died. To date no one is sure what caused her death, and her family still grieves over their tragic loss of their little girl.
Out of their grief, her parents decided to create a foundation that would be used to “carry her spirit and love of life forward by instilling her kindness, caring, compassion, and empathy in other children.” So they went online to youcaring.com and created a site where they could tell Riley’s story and where those who wanted to could donate to her foundation. Their goal was to raise $1,000,000.
As of this writing, the Riley Sandler Memorial Foundation has raised $2,052,247. Nearly all of the donations have been under $1,000 and have come from friends, family, and others who did not know Riley but who heard or read her story and were moved to give.
And what is more, youcaring.com is full of stories like Riley’s.
We don’t really have to dig that deep into the news of the day to find stories of people going out of their way to be generous and caring for others -- their friends, their family members, and often people they don’t even know.
In the Scriptures
Ask most people who know it to paraphrase the story of Job and they will often offer a rather perfunctory outline of an innocent man who is abused by God, or at least whom God allows to be abused. The man argues with his friends about whether or not he deserves what has befallen him. Then, when the man gets fed up and rails at God, God answers him by reminding him that God is God and he is just a puny little man to whom God owes no explanations. Job, overwhelmed by God’s magnificence, apologizes to God and humbles himself -- and God gives him new wealth and a new family (as if that solves everything)... and everyone, unbelievably, lives happily ever after.
Truth be told, most of us feel that it’s a highly unsatisfying ending to a highly troubling story.
Left out of this somewhat cynical account, however, is something that -- while it may not rescue the story completely -- is worth a few minutes of our time, and that is the support that Job receives from his family and friends.
The story begins with God allowing some terrible things to be done to Job, yes. But it also begins with three of Job’s friend showing up to comfort him. When they see how horrible is his state, they put on sackcloth and ashes and they weep for him and they sit with him for seven days and seven nights and they say not a single word.
Seven days and seven nights!
Who among us has friends that are that loyal, that loving, that caring that they would sit with us seven days and nights and say not a single word, but simply let their presence be a comfort to us?
True, on the eighth day they start talking and things go downhill from there, but even their poor attempts at pastoral care are well-meant. They come from a place of love and concern for their friend.
In this week’s lectionary selection we are given the final and concluding paragraphs of the story, and in vv. 10-11 we hear these words: “And the Lord restored the fortunes of Job when he had prayed for his friends; and the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before. Then there came to him all his brothers and sisters and all who had known him before, and they ate bread with him in his house; they showed him sympathy and comforted him for all the evil that the Lord had brought upon him; and each of them gave him a piece of money and a gold ring.”
Just as Job’s story began in the presence of friends and family, so it concludes in the presence of friends and family. In the end Job stops focusing on his own misery, turns his gaze to his friends and family, and begins to pray for them -- and with that, something really amazing begins to happen.
Job’s friends and family show up at his side and they do three things:
1) They eat with him.
2) They give him sympathy and comfort.
3) And they also give him a new stake, something he could use to start over.
They don’t just send a sympathy card or a “thinking of you” card. They actually show up, physically, at his side. They show up, and they eat with him as an equal and a friend. Then they give him money to use as he begins his new life, which he does with God’s help.
In the Pulpit
This text is instructive on two levels.
On one hand, it reminds us that even at our darkest hour, when we are at our lowest physically and emotionally, we are still called to pray for others, for our families and friends. Often it is that very act which begins to lift us out of our despair.
On the other hand, we are given a brief but valuable lesson on how to minister to those who are suffering.
In the opening chapters of the book Job’s friends come and silently sit with him for seven days and nights. It is only when they begin talking that their presence becomes not a comfort but an irritant to Job. Our silent presence is often the very best form of ministry and comfort that we can offer to those we love. We do not need to have the perfect words for the occasion, or even any words at all for that matter.
As the story concludes, we are reminded that there is a reason that we bring food to the homes of those who are grieving. Food isn’t just physical sustenance, it’s also a symbol of our frailty and our dependence upon sources from outside ourselves that keep us going. To sit and break bread with another soul is to be reminded that we are all frail and fragile creatures who depend upon God and other people.
When Job’s friends and family come to him, they offer him “sympathy and comfort.” The narrator doesn’t elaborate beyond that, but we can imagine that the first comfort they offer is that of their presence. If words are used, they need be no more than “I’m sorry” and “I love you.”
And finally, the sympathy and comfort that are offered by Job’s friends and family go beyond words and feelings. They actually dig down deep and give him money that he can use to restart his life. The author of this marvelous story has already heard the words that James will speak in his epistle: “If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,’ and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead. But someone will say, ‘You have faith and I have works.’ Show me your faith apart from your works, and I by my works will show you my faith” (James 2:15-18).
When God finally does bring comfort to Job, it is through Job’s friends and family that God chooses to reach out. It is in the love and fellowship of the faithful community that God does God’s most loving work.
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Ron Love:
Job 42:1-6, 10-17
Actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner starred on The Cosby Show as Theo Huxtable, the eldest son of Cliff Huxtable (played by Bill Cosby). Warner expressed his concern with the sexual assault accusations against Bill Cosby -- worrying that the show’s legacy will be “tarnished” and that a series which once stood for family values may now lose that message.
Application: The faithfulness and obedience of Job never tarnished his reputation as a dedicated servant of God. We should strive to be just as faithful and obedient.
*****
Job 42:1-6, 10-17
Kirsten Powers is apparently Pope Francis’ latest convert. Powers -- a columnist for USA Today and a contributor to Fox News -- announced that she is becoming a Catholic. She became an evangelical Christian several years ago after she felt Jesus speaking to her on an overseas trip. When she returned home, she joined a Bible study group. In describing her changed life, Powers said: “I’ll never forget standing outside that apartment on the Upper East Side and saying to myself, ‘It’s true. It’s completely true.’ ” Powers offered no details about her reasons for changing denominations.
Application: The faithfulness of Job does tell us that it is all true.
*****
Job 42:1-6, 10-17
Che Jinguang was tortured for four days by Chinese officials, who ordered him to renounce his Christian faith. When refusing to do so, he was killed and his body was thrown into a river. On October 16, 1861, Che Jinguang became the first-known Protestant martyr in China.
Application: We can learn from Job’s refusal never to deny his faith, even when he was being questioned by his friends.
*****
Job 42:1-6, 10-17
In a piece for Quartz magazine, Lorraine Duffy Merkl discusses how the “title of ‘guru’ was once reserved for religious leaders and spiritual guides,” but that today a number “of corporate and creative professionals” are claiming the title for themselves. For example, there is “lifestyle guru Martha Stewart.” She notes that many others are calling themselves gurus: marketing gurus, literary gurus, environmentalist gurus. These individuals think of themselves as such experts in their fields they can claim this title. Merkl writes that the disturbing fact, however, is that there are no qualifications for being a guru other than calling yourself one (or being referred to by others that way). She suggests that this means if you consider yourself a guru it would be a good idea to have huge attendance at your lectures and multitudes following your latest 140-character bits of wisdom on Twitter. Merkl concludes that the term has been misappropriated by individuals for the sake of self-promotion and self-indulgence. Instead of using the term “guru,” we should use the term “leader, expert, and guide.”
Application: Job was not a guru, which can be seen by his questioning and confusion -- but he was a guide for all of us in our faith. All of us probably fall short of being biblical gurus, but we all can be guides.
*****
Hebrews 7:23-28
A recent Associated Press reports discusses how wedding dresses are becoming sexier. Some of the gowns that brides want to wear are too inappropriate for church, so they have an add-on covering piece that can be taken off at the reception. Other brides are even buying two dresses -- a modest one for church and a sexy gown for the reception.
Application: If we are to be priests, does our behavior differ when we are in and out of church?
*****
Hebrews 7:23-28
A fascinating phenomenon is that the number of what are often referred to as “nones” -- secular people unaffiliated with any organized religious denomination -- attending seminary has been increasing in recent years. The New York Times reports there are two factors for this surge. First, the proportion of “nones” has grown to about a third of millennials. Second, divinity school offers these “nones” moral language and training as activists.
Application: This student population may understand the meaning of social involvement, but they will fail to understand what it means to be the biblical description of a priest.
*****
Hebrews 7:23-28
On October 18, 1009, Caliph Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah, a Muslim, destroyed the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. He brought the church down to where only the foundation on the bedrock could be seen.
Application: We know from Jesus that being a priest is not a building but a lifestyle.
*****
Mark 10:46-52
The new movie Bridge of Spies, starring Tom Hanks and directed by Steven Spielberg, is about James B. Donovan -- the attorney who was able to secure the release of U.S. pilot Francis Gary Powers in a prisoner exchange after Powers’ spy plane was shot down over the Soviet Union. In a review of the film for Christianity Today, critic Jackson Cuidon writes: “Remarkably, the first 20 minutes of the film lack music, allowing you to read the scene for yourself to determine its feel, rather than having it blared at you.”
Application: Have we taken the time to really feel what the blind man was experiencing when he first encountered Jesus?
*****
Mark 10:46-52
Where I live in South Carolina, every time I leave my home I have to pass under the I-95 overpass. Because of recent flooding the interstate highway was closed for several days, and it was strange to view the bridge without vehicles. Perhaps the strangeness came when I learned that 30,000 cars and trucks cross that bridge daily. (Note: You can personalize this story by saying “a friend told me” or “I read...”)
Application: When we look to the story of the blind man, we must ask ourselves: How aware are we of our surroundings?
*****
Mark 10:46-52
The newly released movie Woodlawn tells the story of a high school football team in Birmingham, Alabama during the tense time of desegregation -- showing how black and white players on the team united together in their love for God, setting an example for the entire city. The movie is one of several faith-based movies that have recently been shown in theaters. Jon Erwin, the creator of Woodlawn, believes that this trend will only increase. “In five to seven years we’ll see Christian blockbusters,” he says, “that are as big and competing with Jurassic World.”
Application: People did not want the blind man to cry out with his message, but he persisted and his message became known to all. Like the movie Woodlawn, if we are persistent our Christian message will be heard as a blockbuster.
***************
From team member Robin Lostetter:
Job 42:1-6, 10-17
Friends and family can be more than gift-givers at the birth of a baby -- they can be true support to a new mother at a time of real need. According to this Washington Post article, here are some ways to be more than superficial help: it is the mother who needs us most after childbirth. Sure, bring the tiny cute stuff if you like, but do this too:
1) Bring food. Nourish her. Bring everything she needs, including paper plates. Eat with her if she wants the company, and just leave the food with her if she wants to collapse later and eat it on the couch.
2) Support her baby-feeding choices.
3) Call or text her from the grocery store, drugstore, or department store: “I’m out at ________. Can I pick up anything for you while I’m here?” Small to you, huge to her.
4) Take the big kids. If she’s just had her second or third child or beyond, offer to drive the older ones to preschool or soccer. Invite them over to play with your kids.
5) Listen, and don’t assume that she’s loving new motherhood. If she shows signs of postpartum depression, help her feel okay about asking her Ob/Gyn or midwife for additional care. She may not know if what she is feeling is a normal bout of blues or something that could use a little extra attention from her medical provider.
6) Support maternal leave and postpartum care in the United States. By now most of us have heard the statistic: the U.S. is one of just three countries in the world that do not provide guaranteed paid maternity leave. (Papua New Guinea and Suriname are the other two.)
*****
Job 42:1-6, 10-17
Speaking of postpartum depression, do you know what to say to someone who is dealing with clinical depression? Perhaps the best thing to say is nothing. Your quiet presence is the best thing. Take a hint from Job’s friends who sat with him for seven days and nights in silence. Things got worse as soon as they started to speak. And if you want more contemporary help, here are some things from a list of 12 things you should never say to someone with depression:
1) Everything will be okay.
2) Don’t be sad.
3) Don’t cry.
4) Just cheer up.
Instead, the author recommends asking a loved one with depression if there's anything you can do for them. That way you’ll know what they want rather than guessing and potentially getting it wrong. And if their answer is that there’s nothing you can do, that’s okay. You might feel useless, but how they feel is more important. Plus, even if you can’t help they may take comfort in just knowing you want to.
*****
Hebrews 7:23-28
Chris Keating’s words in his article above -- “To put it in Francis’ own words: this is a God who never grows tired of forgiving” -- reminded me of a conversation with a friend. There had been a discussion in a class on forgiveness. When one is deeply hurt -- say, in a divorce -- and there is never an apology or even the understanding of a need for one, then the sense of “forgiving seventy times seven” changes. It is not about forgiving one person seventy times seven for repeating an action. It is about forgiving every time that one action (or series of actions) comes to mind. And in many ways, that is more difficult. For a parent, if the action(s) also affect one’s child or children and the maternal/paternal monster is wakened, the ability to forgive becomes even more difficult. Perhaps it takes seventy times seven each year that passes before one can, with God’s help, truly forgive.
WORSHIP RESOURCES
by George Reed
Call to Worship
Leader: Let us bless God at all times.
People: God’s praise shall continually be in our mouths.
Leader: O taste and see that God is good.
People: Happy are those who take refuge in our God.
Leader: God redeems the life of God’s servants.
People: None who take refuge in God will be condemned.
OR
Leader: God calls us to worship and praise.
People: We joyfully speak and sing of God’s glory.
Leader: God calls us to stand up for those in need.
People: We pray for courage to stand for others.
Leader: God calls us to stand with others who are in need.
People: We pray for faithfulness to be God’s presence to others.
Hymns and Sacred Songs
“O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing”
found in:
UMH: 57, 59
H82: 493
PH: 466
AAHH: 184
NNBH: 23
NCH: 42
CH: 5
LBW: 559
ELA: 886
W&P: 96
AMEC: 1, 2
Renew: 32
“All Creatures of Our God and King”
found in:
UMH: 62
H82: 400
PH: 455
AAHH: 147
NNBH: 33
NCH: 17
CH: 22
LBW: 527
ELA: 835
W&P: 23
AMEC: 50
STLT: 203
Renew: 47
“Freely, Freely”
found in:
UMH: 389
Renew: 192
“Forgive Our Sins as We Forgive”
found in:
UMH: 390
H82: 674
PH: 347
LBW: 307
ELA: 605
W&P: 382
Renew: 184
“The Gift of Love”
found in:
UMH: 408
PH: 358
NCH: 388
CH: 487
W&P: 596
AMEC: 558
Renew: 155
“Help Us Accept Each Other”
found in:
UMH: 560
PH: 358
NCH: 388
CH: 487
W&P: 596
AMEC: 558
“Spirit of the Living God”
found in:
UMH: 393
PH: 322
AAHH: 320
NNBH: 133
NCH: 283
CH: 259
W&P: 492
CCB: 57
Renew: 90
“Love Divine, All Loves Excelling”
found in:
UMH: 384
H82: 657
PH: 376
AAHH: 440
NNBH: 65
NCH: 43
CH: 517
LBW: 315
ELA: 631
W&P: 358
AMEC: 455
Renew: 196
“People Need the Lord”
found in:
CCB: 52
“I Am Loved”
found in:
CCB: 80
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 has acted on our behalf when we were unable to act: Grant us the grace to follow your good example and to speak and act for those who have no voice; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We offer our praise to you, O God, for you act on our behalf when we are unable to care for ourselves. As we speak and offer our praise to you, help us to be so filled with your Spirit that we speak for others. Help us to care enough to know them and stand by them in their needs. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
Leader: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins, and especially our self-centeredness that causes us to care more about ourselves than others.
People: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We are too concerned about ourselves and not caring enough for others. We are too quick to pray for our own wants and too slow to pray for the needs of others. We are not shy to speak out when we think we have been slighted, but we are reluctant to speak for those who are pushed aside and can’t speak for themselves. Help us to be true disciples of Jesus and to pray for others more than we pray for ourselves. Amen.
Leader: We are called to be disciples of Jesus and to stand with him as the mediator for others. Receive God’s love and forgiveness, and share in Christ’s ministry of reconciliation.
Prayers of the People (and the Lord’s Prayer)
Praise and glory to you, O God, for you seek the good of all creation out of the abundance of your love.
(The following paragraph may be used if a separate prayer of confession has not been used.)
We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We are too concerned about ourselves and not caring enough for others. We are too quick to pray for our own wants and too slow to pray for the needs of others. We are not shy to speak out when we think we have been slighted, but we are reluctant to speak for those who are pushed aside and can’t speak for themselves. Help us to be true disciples of Jesus and to pray for others more than we pray for ourselves.
We give you thanks for all the blessings of this life. We thank you for those who have stayed with us during the rough times of our lives. We thank you for those who hold us up to you in prayer. We thank you for Jesus, who continues to intercede for us.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We offer to you the hurts and needs of our world. We pray for your blessing on all of creation. We pray for ourselves, that we may be faithful in caring for others. We ask your blessing now on these we name in our hearts. (Silence). Make us a blessing for others.
(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 we know that someone is sick and we pray for them, or we know they have been hurt or are sad and we pray for them. But we can always pray for other people (speak to God for them). One way we can pray for others is to simply ask God to bless them: “God, please bless mommy and daddy”; “God, please bless my brother and sister”; “God, please bless the person who shoved me on the playground today.” When we ask God to bless someone we are asking God to give them whatever it is that will help them most. We can trust God to know what that is.
CHILDREN’S SERMON
by Mary Austin
Hebrews 7:23-28
Prepare ahead of time:
Slips of paper listing things that might be hard for kids to forgive. For example:
* You study hard for a test; but someone copies answers off of your test paper and gets the same grade you do.
* Someone grabs the ball from you and scores the winning goal at your soccer game.
* Someone makes a mess in your classroom. When the teacher asks who did it someone in your class says that you did, so you have to clean it up even though you didn’t do it.
* Someone takes your new notebook out of your locker and uses it before you can. When you confront them, they say it was theirs all along.
Add other things that you think would be hard to forgive. Prepare enough slips for the size of your group and the time you have.
On Sunday morning:
Have the kids draw a slip and read the “crime” out loud. Talk about whether it would be easy or hard to forgive each offense. Share with the kids that part of our faith means that we try to forgive people when they make a bad choice or do something wrong. Sometimes this is easy, and sometimes it’s very hard. Sometimes it takes us a long time to forgive someone.
Emphasize that forgiving doesn’t mean that they can do it again, or that it didn’t hurt -- and that forgiving them doesn’t mean that what they did was okay. It just means that we’re willing to let go of our hurt and our anger, and to see the person with an open mind again. We remember how much it hurt, but we also try to understand why the person did what they did.
Forgiving someone means we let go of what they did, and we try hard to keep loving the person. This can happen in a day, or a week, or maybe a lifetime.
End by asking the kids if anyone has ever forgiven them. If anyone has a story, ask them how they felt when someone forgave them. Hopefully there’s a sense of relief and release. Talk about how this is a gift we can give to other people, even when we have to work hard to do it.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, October 25, 2015, issue.
Copyright 2015 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 Dean Feldmeyer shares some additional thoughts on the Job passage, examining some of the ways in which Christians provide financial and other forms of support that parallel the “sympathy and comfort” (not to mention “a piece of money and a gold ring”) offered by Job’s family and friends. That can range from the everyday fellowship and assistance shared within congregations to acts of generosity in supporting the needs of others who may not even be known to us. When we help others in many and various ways, Dean notes, it is a living demonstration not just of our commitment to act “on behalf” of others but also of God’s love at work in the world.
Simply Sacerdotal
by Chris Keating
Hebrews 7:23-28
Pope Francis may be the most unusual guest at this year’s Reformation Day worship services.
While the thought of it might be enough to curl Martin Luther’s tonsure, there is ample reason to highlight the pope’s priestly functioning this Reformation Sunday -- a day when many Protestants recall Luther’s defiance of papal authority. Rather than shutting the door on secrets, Francis has repeatedly demonstrated his desire to seek forgiveness for the church’s mistakes and grave errors.
Speaking extemporaneously last week, the pope begged for forgiveness for recent “scandals” surrounding the church. “Today... in the name of the Church, I ask you for forgiveness for the scandals that have occurred recently either in Rome or in the Vatican,” Francis said. Without elaborating, he then continued with his prepared remarks.
It’s the sort of thing we have come to expect from Francis, who has repeatedly taught that God does not tire of forgiving us. On the one hand, Francis is simply fulfilling his oblation obligations -- he is, after all, a priest of the church. Yet on the other hand, his pastoral style seems to indicate a new way of doing business in Rome. It’s an example others might consider following -- not just in the Roman church, but in the church universal.
His willingness to forgive and to ask for forgiveness is not only a mark of Pope Francis’ mission, it also resonates with the message of this week’s epistle reading. Hebrews makes comparisons between Jesus’ high priestly service and the role human priests serve in offering forgiveness. Francis has shown his commitment to acts of mercy, and may even be helping Protestants discover anew the meaning of the priesthood of all believers.
Mercy... it’s what’s coming this Reformation Sunday. And the next priest you meet may well be Francis, the unassuming pope from Buenos Aires.
In the News
From the very beginning of his papacy, Francis has articulated concerns about high-styling clericalism and its stifling of the church. He has worked to debunk the notion of priests being a superior class of believers, in effect uplifting a Catholic understanding of the priesthood of all believers. For Francis, humility is the key to priestly functioning -- something he acknowledged last week during his weekly audience in St. Peter’s Square.
He asked to be forgiven.
It’s unusual for any leader to be so candid, let alone the pontiff of the Holy See. But for Pope Francis -- who once said mercy changes the world, and that God’s mercy could make even the driest land a flowering oasis -- it seemed to be just another aspect of his priestly ministry. With the faithful gathered before him, the pope asked to be forgiven “for the scandals that have occurred recently either in Rome or in the Vatican.”
Despite the pope’s penchant for stunning impromptu dialogue, the moment caught many off-guard. No further explanations were offered, allowing the incident to be seen as another example of Francis’ willingness to be “the people’s pope.” It is also a critical example for all Christians, particularly on this Sunday when we celebrate the birth of Protestantism. Francis’ unique style is a cautionary reminder to not drift too far from the gospel message of humility and sacrifice.
“Jesus’ words are strong, aren’t they?” CBCP news reported the pope as saying. “ ‘Woe to the world for scandals.’ Jesus is a realist. He says it’s inevitable that there will be scandals, but ‘woe to the one who causes the scandals.’ ”
It was not immediately clear what (or which) scandals the pontiff had in mind. Yet Francis once more threw open the Vatican shutters to allow God’s light to shine.
Perhaps he was referring to the news that a Polish-born cleric assigned to the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith is in a committed gay relationship. The announcement by Monsignor Krzysztof Charamsa that he was “happy and proud of his own identity” was made shortly before the start of an important gathering of bishops to discuss family issues. Despite Francis’ more tolerant understanding of homosexuality, the priest was removed from his position.
Or perhaps Francis was repenting of tensions that filled the Vatican prior to the bishops’ synod following the leaked publication of a letter by 13 bishops critical of more progressive stances on family issues and doctrine. Some also speculated that the pope was referring to various tensions between the Vatican and the Roman municipal government over the city’s failure to make progress on infrastructure projects designed to help the city cope with millions of pilgrims during the church’s jubilee year in 2016.
On the other hand, maybe the pope was simply serving as an intercessor for the people, a faithful priest fulfilling his understanding of offering oblation for sins, and gently reminding the church of its need to confess. Maybe he spoke as a leader, a pastor who intends to model confession and repentance. As a spokesperson said, the pope’s apology was intended to be “ample and general,” indicating that perhaps Francis is concerned about all aspects of the Catholic church’s witness. Forgiveness, confession, and priestly humility have so far been integral to his papacy, and these latest remarks are signs that such intercession will continue.
Unlikely as it seems, his candor in seeking forgiveness and rendering intercession on behalf of the church speaks to the way Christ intends for Christians to serve as priests of one another. This pope does indeed seem to inhabit a calling to make intercessions on behalf of others. For Francis, God’s message of mercy is core to the faith. As a Vanity Fair profile of the pontiff observes:
Mercy is the theme of the Francis era. Francis even came up with a verb for it: misericordiando, or mercy-ing. Where his predecessors John Paul II and Benedict XVI saw the Church as the bulwark of a “culture of life” -- set squarely against a “culture of death” -- Francis sees the Church as the voice and the face of mercy.
Time and time again, the pope has indicated that offering reassurance to Catholics across the world is a priority. It is also clear that for Francis these themes are deeply personal.
“Who is Jorge Mario Bergoglio?” he was asked following his election as pope. His answer: “I am a sinner. This is the most accurate definition. It is not a figure of speech, a literary genre. I am a sinner.” Perhaps that understanding has been most clearly evident by the way he practices what he preaches: washing the feet of prisoners, urging compassion for women who have had abortions, and calling for the inclusion of many who have traditionally felt excluded by the church.
In their new book Jesus, Pope Francis, and a Protestant Walk into a Bar: Lessons for the Christian Church (Westminster/John Knox Press, 2015), Presbyterians Paul Rock and Bill Tammeus reflect on Francis’ humble style of papal leadership:
...look at this pope and wonder: How can someone whose primary definition of himself is “sinner” seem to be so happy and peaceful most of the time? The answer is in his profession. I would contend that it’s precisely because he knows he is a slave to sin. He knows that he can’t do it on his own, that he needs help. That’s the freedom and joy that self-honesty brings.
Or, as Hebrews implies, a hope derived from experiencing the promise of “a Son who has been made perfect forever.”
To put it in Francis’ own words, this is a God who never grows tired of forgiving. For the pope, this is just part and parcel of his priestly vocation -- but it also models the quintessential Reformation understanding of the priesthood of all believers.
In the Scripture
Hebrews is a pond stocked with reflections on leadership and ministry. Its reflections on priesthood are particularly compelling, and make an excellent Reformation Sunday text. Taking time to trace back the Old Testament allusions and references will enhance the preacher’s understanding of the text and its implications for contemporary audiences.
The tone and scope of this week’s passage from Hebrews may be initially hard to grasp for readers unfamiliar with Jewish cultic practices. In chapter 7, the author circles back to the theme of Jesus’ priesthood, which was explored earlier in chapters 2 and 4-5. Here the author continues exploring the contrasts between Jesus, the “pioneer and perfector of faith,” and human priests, who were “prevented by death from continuing in office.”
Jesus stands apart from the Levitical priests, eliminating the need for the people’s reliance on daily offerings and sacrifices. Christ’s work removes the need for constant acts of sacrifice -- though, as Francis has shown, there is always room for sacrifice, and always a call to living sacrificially. It is knowledge, as David Cunningham points out, that reorients our lives (see “Theological Perspective” for Proper 25, in Feasting on the Word [Year B, Vol. 4]).
In contrast to the Levitical priests, whose service ends upon death, Jesus is an eternal priest. “Consequently,” the letter argues at 7:25, “he is able for all time to save those who approach God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.” The author sees Christ as a priest along the lines of Melchizedek, whose intercession for Abraham produced Abraham and Sarah’s tithe (Genesis 14). Melchizedek continued on as a priest forever, unlike other priests who may come and go. In the same manner, Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever (cf. 13:8), and constitutes the eternal priest whose sacrificial life will guide us into God’s presence. By his priestly service, Jesus provides salvation.
It is a once and for all intercession, and a model for how Christians ought to live. Jesus’ offering is the definitive sacrifice that endures “for all time” (v. 25). As a priest, Jesus guides the people closer to God, which is indeed our good news -- and the basis for church becoming priests to and with each other. This is indeed the priest who meets our needs perfectly.
In the Sermon
Preaching about priests on Reformation Sunday may seem as appetizing as day-old tuna salad in the potluck line. Protestants rankle at the notion of priesthood, clinging to the Reformation declaration of the priesthood of all believers. Yet Hebrews points out the vitality which Christ’s priestly sacrifice bestows upon the church -- and calls us to reorient our understandings of leadership and priesthood.
Pope Francis has done much the same. He resists the clericalism that removes joy from faith through rigid adherence to power and structure. He opens his arms to bless children and the disabled, and stands with those who have no power. As Paul Rock notes in Jesus, Pope Francis, and a Protestant Walk into a Bar, this form of leadership is refreshing and deeply connected to Jesus:
Leaders who choose to lead like Jesus have the guts to acknowledge things that are a whole lot easier to ignore and to speak the truth without a residual tone of accusation. They shine a light on the situation in a way that doesn’t demean or assume. They speak the truths that we actually, in the corners of our souls, long to hear.
Such leaders are priests in the deepest sense of the word. For this reason, Pope Francis and the text from Hebrews 7 might not be such a surprising guest on Reformation Sunday. Their appearance reminds us of our dependence upon Christ’s sacrifice, and our need for corporate confession and repentance. By acts of humility and mercy, Francis reminds us of our need to accept the sacrifice of Christ as a permanent and lasting change within us, the very argument Hebrews is asserting.
A sermon could explore the purpose of the priesthood of all believers in light of the Hebrews text. It could remind us that ministers and teachers, priests and popes, come and go, but Christ’s permanence in our lives anchors our ability to forgive each other. By comparing Francis’ willingness to engage in public acts of repentance with... oh, I don’t know, perhaps just about every American politician, a sermon could articulate the sort of leadership needed in the church today.
While there is no longer a need for daily sacrifice from an ever-changing line of priests (such as existed in the Old Testament), there is a need for believers to discover the meaning of daily practicing the mercies of God. Like Pope Francis, the living Christ is a breath of fresh air that opens windows and allows light to shine, a reminder that “though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us, we will not fear, for God hath willed his truth to triumph through us” (“A Mighty Fortress Is Our God”).
SECOND THOUGHTS
Friends and Family
by Dean Feldmeyer
Job 42:1-6, 10-17
In the News
When Sarah Ray got married recently in Clarksville, Tennessee, all the guests left the church and headed for the reception while Sarah and her new husband stayed behind for pictures. On their way to the reception, the bride and groom (both of whom are paramedics) got word that there had been a crash involving some of the wedding guests -- so they drove to the scene, only to discover that the people involved were Sarah’s father and grandparents.
No one was seriously injured -- but Sarah, still in her wedding dress, helped give first aid before heading off to the reception. As Ray returned to her own vehicle, her mother snapped a picture of Sarah walking on the road in her bridal gown which appeared in local and national media. But Sarah said that it wasn’t only because she was related to those in the accident -- she would have stopped for anyone in distress. She’s a paramedic, after all, and that’s what they do.
Ten-year-old Michael Keating has cerebral palsy. He weighs 70 pounds (and together with his bulky wheelchair probably twice that), so the family was glad to receive a used van with a wheelchair lift as a gift some years ago. The lift stopped working, however, so Michael and his chair had to be lifted separately into the van. The family was struggling along, making do as best they could with the old van. Michael’s mother has had two surgeries to repair hernias from hoisting her son and his chair, and she gets up at 4:45 a.m. so she can go to the gym and try to get stronger.
Then in September, Pope Francis saw Michael in the crowd greeting him at the Philadelphia airport and ordered his driver to make an unexpected stop so he could bless the boy. The Washington Post subsequently published an article about the family and their struggles, noting that other family members had talked Michael’s parents into starting a crowdfunding webpage to help raise the $60,000 they needed to eventually buy a new wheelchair-accessible van.
Within hours after the Post article’s publication, Michael’s crowdfunding page received a gift of $50,000 from movie director J.J. Abrams and his wife along with another $44,000 from other contributors. (As of this writing, the page had raised almost $130,000.) The new van is now on its way. “Katie and I made the donation,” Abrams wrote in an e-mail, “likely for the same reason others did: we were moved by the Keating family’s grace, strength, and commitment to each other.”
On August 18, 2014, nine-year-old Riley Sandler unexpectedly went into respiratory arrest while at summer camp and died. To date no one is sure what caused her death, and her family still grieves over their tragic loss of their little girl.
Out of their grief, her parents decided to create a foundation that would be used to “carry her spirit and love of life forward by instilling her kindness, caring, compassion, and empathy in other children.” So they went online to youcaring.com and created a site where they could tell Riley’s story and where those who wanted to could donate to her foundation. Their goal was to raise $1,000,000.
As of this writing, the Riley Sandler Memorial Foundation has raised $2,052,247. Nearly all of the donations have been under $1,000 and have come from friends, family, and others who did not know Riley but who heard or read her story and were moved to give.
And what is more, youcaring.com is full of stories like Riley’s.
We don’t really have to dig that deep into the news of the day to find stories of people going out of their way to be generous and caring for others -- their friends, their family members, and often people they don’t even know.
In the Scriptures
Ask most people who know it to paraphrase the story of Job and they will often offer a rather perfunctory outline of an innocent man who is abused by God, or at least whom God allows to be abused. The man argues with his friends about whether or not he deserves what has befallen him. Then, when the man gets fed up and rails at God, God answers him by reminding him that God is God and he is just a puny little man to whom God owes no explanations. Job, overwhelmed by God’s magnificence, apologizes to God and humbles himself -- and God gives him new wealth and a new family (as if that solves everything)... and everyone, unbelievably, lives happily ever after.
Truth be told, most of us feel that it’s a highly unsatisfying ending to a highly troubling story.
Left out of this somewhat cynical account, however, is something that -- while it may not rescue the story completely -- is worth a few minutes of our time, and that is the support that Job receives from his family and friends.
The story begins with God allowing some terrible things to be done to Job, yes. But it also begins with three of Job’s friend showing up to comfort him. When they see how horrible is his state, they put on sackcloth and ashes and they weep for him and they sit with him for seven days and seven nights and they say not a single word.
Seven days and seven nights!
Who among us has friends that are that loyal, that loving, that caring that they would sit with us seven days and nights and say not a single word, but simply let their presence be a comfort to us?
True, on the eighth day they start talking and things go downhill from there, but even their poor attempts at pastoral care are well-meant. They come from a place of love and concern for their friend.
In this week’s lectionary selection we are given the final and concluding paragraphs of the story, and in vv. 10-11 we hear these words: “And the Lord restored the fortunes of Job when he had prayed for his friends; and the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before. Then there came to him all his brothers and sisters and all who had known him before, and they ate bread with him in his house; they showed him sympathy and comforted him for all the evil that the Lord had brought upon him; and each of them gave him a piece of money and a gold ring.”
Just as Job’s story began in the presence of friends and family, so it concludes in the presence of friends and family. In the end Job stops focusing on his own misery, turns his gaze to his friends and family, and begins to pray for them -- and with that, something really amazing begins to happen.
Job’s friends and family show up at his side and they do three things:
1) They eat with him.
2) They give him sympathy and comfort.
3) And they also give him a new stake, something he could use to start over.
They don’t just send a sympathy card or a “thinking of you” card. They actually show up, physically, at his side. They show up, and they eat with him as an equal and a friend. Then they give him money to use as he begins his new life, which he does with God’s help.
In the Pulpit
This text is instructive on two levels.
On one hand, it reminds us that even at our darkest hour, when we are at our lowest physically and emotionally, we are still called to pray for others, for our families and friends. Often it is that very act which begins to lift us out of our despair.
On the other hand, we are given a brief but valuable lesson on how to minister to those who are suffering.
In the opening chapters of the book Job’s friends come and silently sit with him for seven days and nights. It is only when they begin talking that their presence becomes not a comfort but an irritant to Job. Our silent presence is often the very best form of ministry and comfort that we can offer to those we love. We do not need to have the perfect words for the occasion, or even any words at all for that matter.
As the story concludes, we are reminded that there is a reason that we bring food to the homes of those who are grieving. Food isn’t just physical sustenance, it’s also a symbol of our frailty and our dependence upon sources from outside ourselves that keep us going. To sit and break bread with another soul is to be reminded that we are all frail and fragile creatures who depend upon God and other people.
When Job’s friends and family come to him, they offer him “sympathy and comfort.” The narrator doesn’t elaborate beyond that, but we can imagine that the first comfort they offer is that of their presence. If words are used, they need be no more than “I’m sorry” and “I love you.”
And finally, the sympathy and comfort that are offered by Job’s friends and family go beyond words and feelings. They actually dig down deep and give him money that he can use to restart his life. The author of this marvelous story has already heard the words that James will speak in his epistle: “If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,’ and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead. But someone will say, ‘You have faith and I have works.’ Show me your faith apart from your works, and I by my works will show you my faith” (James 2:15-18).
When God finally does bring comfort to Job, it is through Job’s friends and family that God chooses to reach out. It is in the love and fellowship of the faithful community that God does God’s most loving work.
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Ron Love:
Job 42:1-6, 10-17
Actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner starred on The Cosby Show as Theo Huxtable, the eldest son of Cliff Huxtable (played by Bill Cosby). Warner expressed his concern with the sexual assault accusations against Bill Cosby -- worrying that the show’s legacy will be “tarnished” and that a series which once stood for family values may now lose that message.
Application: The faithfulness and obedience of Job never tarnished his reputation as a dedicated servant of God. We should strive to be just as faithful and obedient.
*****
Job 42:1-6, 10-17
Kirsten Powers is apparently Pope Francis’ latest convert. Powers -- a columnist for USA Today and a contributor to Fox News -- announced that she is becoming a Catholic. She became an evangelical Christian several years ago after she felt Jesus speaking to her on an overseas trip. When she returned home, she joined a Bible study group. In describing her changed life, Powers said: “I’ll never forget standing outside that apartment on the Upper East Side and saying to myself, ‘It’s true. It’s completely true.’ ” Powers offered no details about her reasons for changing denominations.
Application: The faithfulness of Job does tell us that it is all true.
*****
Job 42:1-6, 10-17
Che Jinguang was tortured for four days by Chinese officials, who ordered him to renounce his Christian faith. When refusing to do so, he was killed and his body was thrown into a river. On October 16, 1861, Che Jinguang became the first-known Protestant martyr in China.
Application: We can learn from Job’s refusal never to deny his faith, even when he was being questioned by his friends.
*****
Job 42:1-6, 10-17
In a piece for Quartz magazine, Lorraine Duffy Merkl discusses how the “title of ‘guru’ was once reserved for religious leaders and spiritual guides,” but that today a number “of corporate and creative professionals” are claiming the title for themselves. For example, there is “lifestyle guru Martha Stewart.” She notes that many others are calling themselves gurus: marketing gurus, literary gurus, environmentalist gurus. These individuals think of themselves as such experts in their fields they can claim this title. Merkl writes that the disturbing fact, however, is that there are no qualifications for being a guru other than calling yourself one (or being referred to by others that way). She suggests that this means if you consider yourself a guru it would be a good idea to have huge attendance at your lectures and multitudes following your latest 140-character bits of wisdom on Twitter. Merkl concludes that the term has been misappropriated by individuals for the sake of self-promotion and self-indulgence. Instead of using the term “guru,” we should use the term “leader, expert, and guide.”
Application: Job was not a guru, which can be seen by his questioning and confusion -- but he was a guide for all of us in our faith. All of us probably fall short of being biblical gurus, but we all can be guides.
*****
Hebrews 7:23-28
A recent Associated Press reports discusses how wedding dresses are becoming sexier. Some of the gowns that brides want to wear are too inappropriate for church, so they have an add-on covering piece that can be taken off at the reception. Other brides are even buying two dresses -- a modest one for church and a sexy gown for the reception.
Application: If we are to be priests, does our behavior differ when we are in and out of church?
*****
Hebrews 7:23-28
A fascinating phenomenon is that the number of what are often referred to as “nones” -- secular people unaffiliated with any organized religious denomination -- attending seminary has been increasing in recent years. The New York Times reports there are two factors for this surge. First, the proportion of “nones” has grown to about a third of millennials. Second, divinity school offers these “nones” moral language and training as activists.
Application: This student population may understand the meaning of social involvement, but they will fail to understand what it means to be the biblical description of a priest.
*****
Hebrews 7:23-28
On October 18, 1009, Caliph Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah, a Muslim, destroyed the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. He brought the church down to where only the foundation on the bedrock could be seen.
Application: We know from Jesus that being a priest is not a building but a lifestyle.
*****
Mark 10:46-52
The new movie Bridge of Spies, starring Tom Hanks and directed by Steven Spielberg, is about James B. Donovan -- the attorney who was able to secure the release of U.S. pilot Francis Gary Powers in a prisoner exchange after Powers’ spy plane was shot down over the Soviet Union. In a review of the film for Christianity Today, critic Jackson Cuidon writes: “Remarkably, the first 20 minutes of the film lack music, allowing you to read the scene for yourself to determine its feel, rather than having it blared at you.”
Application: Have we taken the time to really feel what the blind man was experiencing when he first encountered Jesus?
*****
Mark 10:46-52
Where I live in South Carolina, every time I leave my home I have to pass under the I-95 overpass. Because of recent flooding the interstate highway was closed for several days, and it was strange to view the bridge without vehicles. Perhaps the strangeness came when I learned that 30,000 cars and trucks cross that bridge daily. (Note: You can personalize this story by saying “a friend told me” or “I read...”)
Application: When we look to the story of the blind man, we must ask ourselves: How aware are we of our surroundings?
*****
Mark 10:46-52
The newly released movie Woodlawn tells the story of a high school football team in Birmingham, Alabama during the tense time of desegregation -- showing how black and white players on the team united together in their love for God, setting an example for the entire city. The movie is one of several faith-based movies that have recently been shown in theaters. Jon Erwin, the creator of Woodlawn, believes that this trend will only increase. “In five to seven years we’ll see Christian blockbusters,” he says, “that are as big and competing with Jurassic World.”
Application: People did not want the blind man to cry out with his message, but he persisted and his message became known to all. Like the movie Woodlawn, if we are persistent our Christian message will be heard as a blockbuster.
***************
From team member Robin Lostetter:
Job 42:1-6, 10-17
Friends and family can be more than gift-givers at the birth of a baby -- they can be true support to a new mother at a time of real need. According to this Washington Post article, here are some ways to be more than superficial help: it is the mother who needs us most after childbirth. Sure, bring the tiny cute stuff if you like, but do this too:
1) Bring food. Nourish her. Bring everything she needs, including paper plates. Eat with her if she wants the company, and just leave the food with her if she wants to collapse later and eat it on the couch.
2) Support her baby-feeding choices.
3) Call or text her from the grocery store, drugstore, or department store: “I’m out at ________. Can I pick up anything for you while I’m here?” Small to you, huge to her.
4) Take the big kids. If she’s just had her second or third child or beyond, offer to drive the older ones to preschool or soccer. Invite them over to play with your kids.
5) Listen, and don’t assume that she’s loving new motherhood. If she shows signs of postpartum depression, help her feel okay about asking her Ob/Gyn or midwife for additional care. She may not know if what she is feeling is a normal bout of blues or something that could use a little extra attention from her medical provider.
6) Support maternal leave and postpartum care in the United States. By now most of us have heard the statistic: the U.S. is one of just three countries in the world that do not provide guaranteed paid maternity leave. (Papua New Guinea and Suriname are the other two.)
*****
Job 42:1-6, 10-17
Speaking of postpartum depression, do you know what to say to someone who is dealing with clinical depression? Perhaps the best thing to say is nothing. Your quiet presence is the best thing. Take a hint from Job’s friends who sat with him for seven days and nights in silence. Things got worse as soon as they started to speak. And if you want more contemporary help, here are some things from a list of 12 things you should never say to someone with depression:
1) Everything will be okay.
2) Don’t be sad.
3) Don’t cry.
4) Just cheer up.
Instead, the author recommends asking a loved one with depression if there's anything you can do for them. That way you’ll know what they want rather than guessing and potentially getting it wrong. And if their answer is that there’s nothing you can do, that’s okay. You might feel useless, but how they feel is more important. Plus, even if you can’t help they may take comfort in just knowing you want to.
*****
Hebrews 7:23-28
Chris Keating’s words in his article above -- “To put it in Francis’ own words: this is a God who never grows tired of forgiving” -- reminded me of a conversation with a friend. There had been a discussion in a class on forgiveness. When one is deeply hurt -- say, in a divorce -- and there is never an apology or even the understanding of a need for one, then the sense of “forgiving seventy times seven” changes. It is not about forgiving one person seventy times seven for repeating an action. It is about forgiving every time that one action (or series of actions) comes to mind. And in many ways, that is more difficult. For a parent, if the action(s) also affect one’s child or children and the maternal/paternal monster is wakened, the ability to forgive becomes even more difficult. Perhaps it takes seventy times seven each year that passes before one can, with God’s help, truly forgive.
WORSHIP RESOURCES
by George Reed
Call to Worship
Leader: Let us bless God at all times.
People: God’s praise shall continually be in our mouths.
Leader: O taste and see that God is good.
People: Happy are those who take refuge in our God.
Leader: God redeems the life of God’s servants.
People: None who take refuge in God will be condemned.
OR
Leader: God calls us to worship and praise.
People: We joyfully speak and sing of God’s glory.
Leader: God calls us to stand up for those in need.
People: We pray for courage to stand for others.
Leader: God calls us to stand with others who are in need.
People: We pray for faithfulness to be God’s presence to others.
Hymns and Sacred Songs
“O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing”
found in:
UMH: 57, 59
H82: 493
PH: 466
AAHH: 184
NNBH: 23
NCH: 42
CH: 5
LBW: 559
ELA: 886
W&P: 96
AMEC: 1, 2
Renew: 32
“All Creatures of Our God and King”
found in:
UMH: 62
H82: 400
PH: 455
AAHH: 147
NNBH: 33
NCH: 17
CH: 22
LBW: 527
ELA: 835
W&P: 23
AMEC: 50
STLT: 203
Renew: 47
“Freely, Freely”
found in:
UMH: 389
Renew: 192
“Forgive Our Sins as We Forgive”
found in:
UMH: 390
H82: 674
PH: 347
LBW: 307
ELA: 605
W&P: 382
Renew: 184
“The Gift of Love”
found in:
UMH: 408
PH: 358
NCH: 388
CH: 487
W&P: 596
AMEC: 558
Renew: 155
“Help Us Accept Each Other”
found in:
UMH: 560
PH: 358
NCH: 388
CH: 487
W&P: 596
AMEC: 558
“Spirit of the Living God”
found in:
UMH: 393
PH: 322
AAHH: 320
NNBH: 133
NCH: 283
CH: 259
W&P: 492
CCB: 57
Renew: 90
“Love Divine, All Loves Excelling”
found in:
UMH: 384
H82: 657
PH: 376
AAHH: 440
NNBH: 65
NCH: 43
CH: 517
LBW: 315
ELA: 631
W&P: 358
AMEC: 455
Renew: 196
“People Need the Lord”
found in:
CCB: 52
“I Am Loved”
found in:
CCB: 80
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 has acted on our behalf when we were unable to act: Grant us the grace to follow your good example and to speak and act for those who have no voice; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We offer our praise to you, O God, for you act on our behalf when we are unable to care for ourselves. As we speak and offer our praise to you, help us to be so filled with your Spirit that we speak for others. Help us to care enough to know them and stand by them in their needs. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
Leader: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins, and especially our self-centeredness that causes us to care more about ourselves than others.
People: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We are too concerned about ourselves and not caring enough for others. We are too quick to pray for our own wants and too slow to pray for the needs of others. We are not shy to speak out when we think we have been slighted, but we are reluctant to speak for those who are pushed aside and can’t speak for themselves. Help us to be true disciples of Jesus and to pray for others more than we pray for ourselves. Amen.
Leader: We are called to be disciples of Jesus and to stand with him as the mediator for others. Receive God’s love and forgiveness, and share in Christ’s ministry of reconciliation.
Prayers of the People (and the Lord’s Prayer)
Praise and glory to you, O God, for you seek the good of all creation out of the abundance of your love.
(The following paragraph may be used if a separate prayer of confession has not been used.)
We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We are too concerned about ourselves and not caring enough for others. We are too quick to pray for our own wants and too slow to pray for the needs of others. We are not shy to speak out when we think we have been slighted, but we are reluctant to speak for those who are pushed aside and can’t speak for themselves. Help us to be true disciples of Jesus and to pray for others more than we pray for ourselves.
We give you thanks for all the blessings of this life. We thank you for those who have stayed with us during the rough times of our lives. We thank you for those who hold us up to you in prayer. We thank you for Jesus, who continues to intercede for us.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We offer to you the hurts and needs of our world. We pray for your blessing on all of creation. We pray for ourselves, that we may be faithful in caring for others. We ask your blessing now on these we name in our hearts. (Silence). Make us a blessing for others.
(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 we know that someone is sick and we pray for them, or we know they have been hurt or are sad and we pray for them. But we can always pray for other people (speak to God for them). One way we can pray for others is to simply ask God to bless them: “God, please bless mommy and daddy”; “God, please bless my brother and sister”; “God, please bless the person who shoved me on the playground today.” When we ask God to bless someone we are asking God to give them whatever it is that will help them most. We can trust God to know what that is.
CHILDREN’S SERMON
by Mary Austin
Hebrews 7:23-28
Prepare ahead of time:
Slips of paper listing things that might be hard for kids to forgive. For example:
* You study hard for a test; but someone copies answers off of your test paper and gets the same grade you do.
* Someone grabs the ball from you and scores the winning goal at your soccer game.
* Someone makes a mess in your classroom. When the teacher asks who did it someone in your class says that you did, so you have to clean it up even though you didn’t do it.
* Someone takes your new notebook out of your locker and uses it before you can. When you confront them, they say it was theirs all along.
Add other things that you think would be hard to forgive. Prepare enough slips for the size of your group and the time you have.
On Sunday morning:
Have the kids draw a slip and read the “crime” out loud. Talk about whether it would be easy or hard to forgive each offense. Share with the kids that part of our faith means that we try to forgive people when they make a bad choice or do something wrong. Sometimes this is easy, and sometimes it’s very hard. Sometimes it takes us a long time to forgive someone.
Emphasize that forgiving doesn’t mean that they can do it again, or that it didn’t hurt -- and that forgiving them doesn’t mean that what they did was okay. It just means that we’re willing to let go of our hurt and our anger, and to see the person with an open mind again. We remember how much it hurt, but we also try to understand why the person did what they did.
Forgiving someone means we let go of what they did, and we try hard to keep loving the person. This can happen in a day, or a week, or maybe a lifetime.
End by asking the kids if anyone has ever forgiven them. If anyone has a story, ask them how they felt when someone forgave them. Hopefully there’s a sense of relief and release. Talk about how this is a gift we can give to other people, even when we have to work hard to do it.
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The Immediate Word, October 25, 2015, issue.
Copyright 2015 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.
