Soft Targets
Children's sermon
Illustration
Preaching
Sermon
Worship
Object:
The news last Monday afternoon was stunning. The finish line of the Boston Marathon -- an annual event that has been conducted for over a century, and whose unique atmosphere has been compared to "a giant parade" and even called "the world's largest backyard barbecue" because throngs of spectators line its traditional 26-mile route to cheer on the runners -- was rocked by two explosions that shattered the celebratory mood and revealed again the darkness that often lurks within the human heart. Questions abounded: Why would someone want to strike at such an innocent ritual, one that brings people from all around the country and even the globe to challenge themselves and to share with each other a striving to run the race that is placed before them? In the chaos and carnage that ensued from the blasts, a curious thing occurred. While fearful crowds wondered what was happening and tried to connect with loved ones they were separated from, multitudes of emergency personnel, course volunteers, and just ordinary bystanders began to move toward the explosions, rather than away from them. Stories of heroism multiplied as people rushed to give assistance in every way imaginable... and the ripples of generosity continued to spread as residents around the city spontaneously organized to provide food and shelter for thousands of stranded runners.
It can be difficult to come to terms with the implications of an incident whose perpetrators' intention is clearly to sow maximum fear and destruction. But as we all try to process what has happened, the response has been inspiring. As news related to the bombing and the intense manhunt for two suspects kept us riveted to our televisions throughout the week, "viral" reaction on social media only underlined the helping impulse that we saw played out in Boston. In the next installment of The Immediate Word, team member Mary Austin notes that the countless instances we've seen this week of people coming together to provide comfort and assistance to one another are a powerful demonstration of exactly what Jesus and John were talking about in the lectionary's assigned scripture texts for the Fifth Sunday of Easter. Jesus tells the disciples that the proof of their commitment is in the pudding, so to speak, when he says that "I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:34-35). Mary reminds us that when we engage in acts of love for one another that draw an entire city together as one community of helpers (such as those in Boston), reinforcing a faith in humanity that can easily be shaken by tragic events, we become a living embodiment of the new heaven and the new earth that John discusses in our Revelation passage... giving us a glimpse of what that looks like here on earth.
Team member Dean Feldmeyer offers some additional thoughts on this week's Acts text and its themes of inclusiveness and who is worthy to be part of the church. Peter is confronted with criticism by several of his members who feel that Gentiles are not observing the appropriate rituals to be a part of the congregation -- and Dean suggests that there is a strong analogy to be made with the issue of immigration that is in the headlines again as Congress debates proposed immigration reform legislation. Like the arguments in Peter's time, this issue is capable of generating a great deal of rancor, as evidenced by an extremely testy exchange during a Senate hearing this week. But Dean points out that just as Peter concludes that we should not stand in God's way and should not "make a distinction between them and us," we are called to examine how welcoming we are to outsiders -- not only to our nation, but also in our churches as well.
Soft Targets
by Mary Austin
Revelation 21:1-6; John 13:31-35
Events unfolded so quickly that it was hard to take them in. The shift from celebrating the marathon finishers to transporting the wounded. The movement from being part of an excited crowd to being a fearful one. A city in mourning transformed into a city on lockdown. The president as mourner-in-chief to the president in the situation room, being briefed on the hunt for terror suspects. The careening speculation about the suspects and their motives.
It's difficult to know where to look for facts, let alone solace, in such a swirl.
In the News
Usually the tears at the Boston Marathon come at the famed Heartbreak Hill.
The marathon is the triumph of will over pain, and even non-runners are riveted by the extraordinary accomplishment of completing 26.2 miles. Racers come in all shapes and sizes, running or in wheelchairs, to make their way through not just the miles but their own limitations, fears, physical pain, and despair.
The finish line is the place where the triumphs of the day are on display. At this place of exuberance and celebration, the recent bombings replaced elation with panic, joy with pain. Surprise and shock are essential for acts of terror to succeed -- and by those standards, this was an ugly success. The ensuing hunt for the suspects brought the city of Boston to a state of lockdown, adding to the atmosphere of panic and terror. Some analysts have suggested that bringing the whole city to a standstill made it an even greater victory for the two suspects.
The numbers are grim. Three people killed, over 170 wounded, and over a dozen amputations as a result of two explosions at the finish line of the marathon. The images of the wounded have become dreadfully familiar. The bombs have been reported as designed to wound as widely and deeply as possible. People who came to run or watch the race started the day strong and healthy, in good spirits, and now find their lives changed in unexpected ways.
Other horrors came during the week too. Hilary Hylton summarizes in Time magazine the damage after a Texas fertilizer plant explosion: "While the exact number of dead and injured have yet to be finalized, the damage in West, Texas, is already quite evident: 75 homes demolished or badly damaged; a nursing home, an apartment complex, and middle school laid waste; and West Fertilizer Company's plant itself destroyed. Experts expect insurance claims to be in the millions of dollars. Already, property and casualty claims specialists have flooded the zone, according to Mark Hanna, spokesman for the Insurance Council of Texas. And so have the litigators."
A recent article by Robert Koehler offers a reminder that while violence is not new and isn't unique to us, we do feel some deaths more keenly and personally than others: "On the same day as the Boston Marathon bombing, a string of car bombs exploded across Iraq, killing 55 people and injuring at least 200, according to CBC News. The next day nine people were killed and 27 wounded when two more car bombs detonated in Aziziyah, a city about 35 miles south of Baghdad. This is 'our' Iraq, the country we invaded, occupied for eight years, and ultimately abandoned, leaving the shattered nation to fend for itself. Also on Monday, the same day as the Marathon bombing, seven were killed and four more wounded when a roadside bomb went off in Afghanistan, in the southern province of Zabul. Again, again, again. Our beautiful world erupts with spasms of violence; our loved ones die. Yet we cannot grieve with innocence. We also participate in the violence." We are not just victims, but also perpetrators of violence in other places around the world.
In the Scriptures
"Revelation is supposed to be good news!" one of my seminary professors would often proclaim. "In what circumstances can this text be good news?" he would often ask. The events of this past week deepen our longing for God's reign on earth. In the face of so much that's horrific or sad or mystifying, we do yearn for the new heaven and the new earth, for the fullness of God's triumph over evil and destruction.
As Beverly R. Gaventa writes in Texts for Preaching [Year C, p. 308], the vision of the new heaven and the new earth provides security that's comprehensive: "It begins with the notion of a new dwelling place that encompasses all the cosmos." All the enemies of God are defeated "so that the new Jerusalem can descend from heaven in an atmosphere of peace." In the old Jerusalem, holiness came from the presence of the temple. In the new Jerusalem, God lives among the people and glory and security come from God's very presence. This is our security, beyond what governments or cameras can offer.
John gives us a glimpse of what the new heaven and the new earth will look like, through the new commandment from Jesus that we who follow him should love one another. The setting of this new commandment might give us pause. Just before this, Jesus has predicted that one of those closest to him will betray him. After this, Jesus will warn Peter about denying him three times before the night is over. As Charles Cousar writes (again in Texts for Preaching), "At the darkest moment in the narrative, when the anticipation of human failure seems certain... the announcement is made of Jesus' glorification. His moment of exaltation, honor, and praise is set against the backdrop of betrayal and denials" (p. 310). Cousar adds that "the betrayal and denials do not deter or thwart the divine intention."
That's good news for us too, that our betrayal and denials do not change the divine intention for glory in the world, and for love between the children of God. As always, God is doing something altogether different from what people are doing.
In the Pulpit
Love one another, Jesus says. When we learn to do that, we share in God's intentions for the world.
The horror of the Boston bombings also revealed extraordinary acts of kindness, which have also become iconic. Donations of blood poured in to help the injured. Finishers gave away medals to the people prevented from finishing. Ordinary folks all over Boston offered places to stay for stranded runners. A registry offering shelter to runners became a living registry of generosity. The messages include words like "I don't live in the city, but can come get anyone who needs a place to stay." Another reads: "I live in Hopkinton, but would happily drive anywhere to pick up a runner who needs food, shelter, and comfort." "Space for one person on a pull-out couch," goes a third. "Will cook you a nice meal too!" As one article notes, "The list goes on and on, filled with sudden patriots on a terrible Patriots Day. One man offers not only his place, but offers to sleep somewhere else so a stranded runner can sleep in his bed. One woman from Cambridge writes she will pay for the taxi ride from wherever. Someone from Somerville apologetically says he has to work late but he'll leave early and head straight home if anyone has a need."
Countless people also contributed to the hunt for the suspects, uploading pictures to the FBI's website and calling in tips. The second suspect was captured when a homeowner found him hiding and called the authorities. In this age of social media, having a way to help with the search shifts the feeling of helplessness after an attack. The balance of power shifts away from the suspects to the crowd, as they use their collective technology and experience to help. (There were also notable failures, where misinformation traveled too far and too fast before it was corrected.) People, initially bound together by fear and horror, found another source of connection in caring for each other and in helping change the outcome of the story.
In the actions of so many people to serve each other, we see a slice of the new heaven and the new earth. As Frederick Buechner writes in The Clown in the Belfry: Writings on Faith and Fiction (1992): "If we only had eyes to see and ears to hear and wits to understand, we would know that the Kingdom of God in the sense of holiness, goodness, and beauty is as close as breathing and is crying out to be born both within ourselves and within the world; we would know that the Kingdom of God is what all of us hunger for above all other things even when we don't know its name or realize it's what we're starving to death for. The Kingdom of God is where our best dreams come from and our truest prayers. We glimpse it at those moments when we find ourselves being better than we are and wiser than we know. We catch sight of it when at some moment of crisis some strength seems to come to us that is greater than our own strength. The Kingdom of God is where we belong. It is home, and whether we realize it or not, I think we are all of us homesick for it" (p. 152).
As we care for each other, we live into Jesus' commandment to love one another. The commandment paves the way for God's new heaven and new earth to take shape in the midst of the darkness and evil so present on this earth, and we're reminded that God's heaven and earth fill and surround all that happens here. Difficult as it may be to see sometimes in the fog of destruction and loss, the new heaven and new earth are coming to birth in our midst.
SECOND THOUGHTS
A Cautious Hospitality
by Dean Feldmeyer
Acts 11:1-18
Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!
-- inscription on the Statue of Liberty, from "The New Colossus" by Emma Lazarus
In the News
Last Tuesday the "Gang of Eight," a committee of four Democrat and four Republican senators delivered a long-awaited proposal for immigration reform to Congress for consideration.
The 844-page document provides a "pathway to citizenship" for immigrants who have been in the country for a long time without proper documentation. It also secures funding for increased border security in order to stem the flow of undocumented workers into the country, and it provides some new classes of visas for highly skilled foreign workers and investors.
Writing for the Reuters news syndicate, Richard Cowan and Rachelle Younglai note that even though the bill was written by a bipartisan team, with much of the proposed legislation "designed to be palatable to Republicans," approval is far from being a shoo-in. Senator Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) echoed that sentiment when he called the proposal "nothing but a starting point." The bill faces months of debate, "especially in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives."
To be sure, none have suggested that we remove Emma Lazarus's immortal poem from the base of the Statue of Liberty -- but in the shadow of September 11, 2001, and the current unemployment crunch, our national hospitality has been tempered with caution.
In the Scriptures
We tend to think of the book of Acts as Paul's book, and it certainly details much of Paul's post-conversion life and ministry. But nearly half of the book is about Peter and his ministry. Peter first understood "The Way" to be a reform movement within Judaism, but this week's passage shows how his consciousness was expanded to be more inclusive.
The early Christian movement had barely taken its first breaths when it was immediately embroiled in controversy over who should be welcomed into "The Way" and who should not. In chapter 10 Peter meets with Cornelius, the Roman centurion who, along with his whole household, hears and accepts the gospel.
Now Peter has been called before the apostles, who want him to explain himself. How could he enter the home of and eat with people who are "unclean"? If he's not careful, his behavior is going to put them all at risk of being brought up on charges by the temple authorities.
Peter's response is a message of inclusion and inclusiveness. He tells them of his dream wherein he learned that it is God, not custom or tradition, that makes things sacred and/or profane. And he tells them of a simultaneous vision by a Cornelius in Caesarea and how he went to the centurion's house, preached the gospel, and saw it transform the lives of those who lived there. God, apparently, loves the Gentiles too and wants to see them saved. The Good News of Jesus Christ is an inclusive word, meant for all people.
He concludes his story with the question: "Who was I that I could stand in God's way?" The inference is, of course, "Who are any of us to stand in God's way?"
In the Pulpit
The intersection of immigration reform legislation and the story of early inclusiveness in the church provides rich opportunities for preaching.
Politicians see this issue of hospitality as a quagmire, a legislative Rubik's Cube to be solved by allowing seekers to make the American dream their own even as they narrow the borders to limit those who come through. At the same time, they have to seem tough on "illegal immigrants" even though reality shows that we don't have the resources to track down and escort 11 million people back across our borders.
For the church, thankfully, the issue is not that complicated.
Hospitality, even radical hospitality, is part of who we are. It's in our DNA.
But that doesn't make it easy. It has been a struggle for us ever since the infancy of the Christian movement, and it still is.
Who do we welcome, and who, if anyone, do we shun? What does a generous and enthusiastic welcome look like, and how does it differ from a cautious one? Is a cautious welcome ever called for?
Jesus has called us to take the gospel into "the whole world."
Does that include pedophiles and sex offenders? Are we really called to love terrorists, pimps, and drug dealers? What does that love look like?
Most of us will never have to wrestle with the question of hospitality at that level, but there are lower, simpler levels that are just as troublesome.
What about the man who smells bad? How do we make him feel welcome in church? Or the woman who has bedbugs on her clothing or lice in her hair?
And what about the person whose behavior is inappropriate or disruptive in the Sunday school class, or the parents who refuse to control their rowdy children during the worship service, or anywhere for that matter?
How do we offer a welcoming hand to those folks? How do we make them feel wanted and loved? Is our hospitality an open, enthusiastic, generous, and even radical one? Or is ours a timid, fearful, and cautious hospitality?
The question of inclusiveness continues to be a challenge for us 2,000 years after Peter first testified before that first church council in Jerusalem.
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Leah Lonsbury:
Acts 11:1-18
Earlier this month, the Associated Press publicly abandoned the term "illegal immigrant," which marked a major victory for Hispanic media organizations that argue that "the term criminalizes people rather than their actions" and stigmatizes both immigrants and Hispanics. A week later USA Today followed suit, and the New York Times has announced it is reviewing the use of the term.
This week, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer, whose state's population is now one-third Hispanic, defended her use of the increasingly provocative term during an interview with Jim Avila of ABC News.
Brewer told Avila...
Well I'm sorry, but I believe that if you break the law and you're an illegal immigrant and you're in this country illegally that you are an illegal immigrant. We know they're human beings, we know that they're our brothers and our sisters, but we believe in the rule of law and we can't afford it and we certainly can't afford the criminal element, with Arizona having to deal with the drug cartels.
What would Peter have to say to Jan Brewer?
How can someone be simultaneously our brother or sister and also less valuable than upholding the law?
What should our response be to those upon whom the Holy Spirit falls, just as it does on us? (v. 15)
If God gives and welcomes without qualification or limitation, then as Peter says -- who are we that we could hinder God? (v. 17)
* * *
Acts 11:1-18; Revelation 21:1-6
From the Huffington Post:
Krystle Campbell, one of the three people who died in last week's Boston Marathon bombing, will have her funeral protected by a "human shield" of Teamsters on Monday, in case protesters from the Westboro Baptist Church show up and rally as they said they intended to do.
Is this a glimpse of the "new heaven and the new earth," when Teamsters build a place of refuge for the grieving? What does it mean that the refuge is needed because of the Church? Is this the Church?
Our text from Acts tells us that "what God has made clean, you must not call profane" (v. 9).
Peter tells the apostles and believers that the Spirit told him to go to the Gentiles and "not to make a distinction between them and us" (v. 12).
Peter witnesses that when he spoke to the Gentiles, "the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as it had upon us" (v. 15) and "God gave them the same gift that God gave us" (v. 17).
Who are we to hinder what God might be up to in the unveiling of the new heaven and new earth? How can we catch and build the kind of vision that Revelation offers us?
* * *
Revelation 21:1-6; John 13:31-35
There are echoes of Revelation's vision of God dwelling with the people and wiping away their tears in the stories of the first responders at the Boston Marathon. They also embodied the commandment we receive from Jesus in our passage from John's gospel for this week -- "love one another."
The above link provides numbers of these stories. Below is a portion of the story of Jim Asaiante, a former Army nurse, and Stephan Segatore, a nurse from Tufts Medical Center. The two men were volunteers working in a medical tent set up to attend to the needs of the marathon's runners. They received, attended to, and honored Krystle Campbell, one of the three victims of the days' attacks. They were unable to identify her until the next day when they saw pictures of her in the news, yet they showed her the attentiveness God shows the people in our passage from Revelation and the love that Jesus commands in our passage from John's gospel.
Segatore had just worked to save a man who had lost both his legs when a woman arrived in critical condition, struggling to breathe.
The father of seven children looked at her face. Her freckles, wide eyes, and body type reminded him of his 19-year-old daughter.
"We can't let this young girl die," he kept thinking.
Along with a doctor and emergency medical technician, Segatore scanned her wounds, mostly on the left side of her body. One leg was twisted backwards, and she had a wound near her left hip. She had black markings on her head, possibly residue from being so close to the blast.
She had already been given several minutes of CPR by those who rushed her into the tent. Segatore offered her comforting words before taking over CPR.
I'm a nurse, he told her.†You're in a tent at the finish line.
He tried to resuscitate her. They stopped CPR briefly to hook up a heart monitor. The screen showed squiggly lines, but the heart wasn't pumping blood. There was no pulse. The physician said to stop. "We knew what we had," Segatore said.
All at once, a wave of sadness and anger coursed through the three men. In exasperated unison, they shouted, "F*#@!"
"You don't expect them to die of a bomb blast in the middle of your own city," Segatore reflected.
He covered her with a blanket. Eventually, he and a National Guardsman moved her cot to a private area. They worried it might get tipped over or her blanket pulled off.
Even amid the chaos, they thought to give her dignity. "In death, we want people to be as respected as they are in life," he said. "We do that by treating them as we would want to be treated, as if they're our family members."
* * *
From team member Ron Love:
Revelation 21:1-6
The Hawaii Board of Land and Natural Resources has approved the construction of the world's largest telescope on the summit of the Mauna Kea volcano. The Thirty Meter Telescope, which will cost over $1 billion, will feature a segmented primary mirror that is nearly 100 feet long -- allowing the telescope to be able to see 13 billion light years away... giving us a glimpse of the early years of the universe.
Application: We are not expected to explain how the universe began or how it will end. It is only our calling to interpret the meaning of creation and the coming day when we will see "a new heaven and a new earth."
* * *
Revelation 21:1-6
Native Hawaiian groups had petitioned to stop the Thirty Meter Telescope project, arguing that it would defile the Mauna Kea's sacred summit. Native Hawaiians believe that high altitudes are the sacred gateway to heaven -- and that mountaintops are so sacred that only chiefs and priests are permitted on the summits.
Application: With the coming of "a new heaven and a new earth," we will all be drawn to the mountaintop, finding a new gateway to heaven.
* * *
Acts 11:1-18
The recently released movie 42 tells the story of Jackie Robinson, the first black player in major league baseball. Writer-director Brian Helgeland noted how difficult it was to make the film when he said, "It's always a tricky thing because it's a movie, and even in this movie we're trying to tell two years in two hours."
Application: It is difficult to retell and interpret stories. How difficult it is for us to explain and understand Peter's vision.
* * *
John 13:31-35
The twin bombs planted at the Boston Marathon were set to explode at the finish line on the four-hour mark of the race. It is at this hour of the race when the finish line is most crowded -- not with the elite runners, but with the multitude of casual runners. It is also this group of runners that have the greatest number of spectators present -- the family and friends who have come to cheer them on across the final line.
Application: The Boston Marathon bombings demonstrate just how far society needs to yet travel to "love one another."
* * *
John 13:31-35
Umpire Gerry Davis recently completed officiating at his 4,000th major league baseball game. He is the 21st umpire to reach that mark, with his first game being on June 9, 1982. One of the significant changes in baseball during the course of his career has been the introduction of instant replay -- and rather than resisting it like some of his colleagues, Davis welcomed it. He actually considers it a blessing, reasoning that "until there was instant replay, people didn't realize how often we were correct."
Application: To love one another requires trust and respect. Instant replay is not a part of that formula.
WORSHIP RESOURCES
by George Reed
Call to Worship
Leader: Praise God! Praise God from the heavens; praise God in the heights!
People: Praise God, all you angels; praise God, all heavenly host!
Leader: Praise God, sun and moon; praise God, all you shining stars!
People: Praise God, you highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens!
Leader: Kings of the earth and all peoples, princes and all rulers of the earth!
People: Young men and women alike, old and young together!
OR
Leader: The God of love has created us.
People: We have been made in the image of love.
Leader: The God of love embraces and holds us.
People: We are God's loving arms which embrace the world.
Leader: The God of love fills us with good things.
People: May the Spirit of our God empower us to loving acts and words.
Hymns and Sacred Songs
"How Great Thou Art"
found in:
UMH: 77
PH: 467
AAHH: 148
NNBH: 43
CH: 33
LBW: 532
ELA: 856
W&P: 51
AMEC: 68
Renew: 250
"I Sing the Almighty Power of God"
found in:
UMH: 152
H82: 398
PH: 288
NCH: 12
W&P: 31
Renew: 54
"All Things Bright and Beautiful"
found in:
UMH: 147
H82: 405
PH: 267
NCH: 31
CH: 61
W&P: 30
AMEC: 434
"The Gift of Love"
found in:
UMH: 408
AAHH: 522
CH: 526
W&P: 397
Renew: 155
"Lord, Whose Love Through Humble Service"
found in:
UMH: 581
H82: 610
PH: 427
CH: 461
LBW: 423
ELA: 712
W&P: 575
Renew: 286
"Let There Be Peace on Earth"
found in:
UMH: 431
CH: 677
W&P: 614
"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: 466
Renew: 196
"God of Grace and God of Glory"
found in:
UMH: 577
H82: 594/595
PH: 420
NCH: 436
CH: 464
LBW: 415
ELA: 705
W&P: 569
AMEC: 62
STLT: 115
Renew: 301
"I Am Loved"
found in:
CCB: 80
"God Is So Good"
found in:
CCB: 75
Music Resources Key:
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982 (The Episcopal Church)
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
AAHH: African-American Heritage Hymnal
NNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
LBW: Lutheran Book of Worship
ELA: Evangelical Lutheran Worship
W&P: Worship & Praise
AMEC: African Methodist Episcopal Church Hymnal
STLT: Singing the Living Tradition
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
Renew: Renew! Songs & Hymns for Blended Worship
Prayer for the Day / Collect
O God who is love and who created us in your image: Grant us the faith in you and the power of your love that we may know we are loved unconditionally and so that we may love others as we are loved; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We have come today to worship you, O God of love. You have created us out of your loving care and you have created us in your image. Help us to share that love with those we encounter this week. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
Leader: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins and especially the unloving ways we treat each other.
People: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We know that you are love and that your love for this world knows no boundaries. We also know we have been created in your image and are called to share your love with all your children. Yet we do not. We are judgmental, and we pick and choose who we think is worthy of being loved. Forgive us our shameful behavior and call us back to your ministry of loving care for all. Amen.
Leader: God is love and God loves us even when we are unloving. God forgives us and empowers us to reflect the divine image of love each and every day.
Prayers of the People (and the Lord's Prayer)
We are in awe, O God, of your great love. We read the scriptures and find time and time again how unfaithful we have been and yet you love us still. We offer you our praise and worship.
(The following paragraph may be used if a separate prayer of confession has not been used.)
We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We know that you are love and that your love for this world knows no boundaries. We also know we have been created in your image and are called to share your love with all your children. Yet we do not. We are judgmental, and we pick and choose who we think is worthy of being loved. Forgive us our shameful behavior and call us back to your ministry of loving care for all.
We give you thanks for all the ways that you have shared your love with us. We thank you for creation and the joy of life. We thank you for family and friends who have loved and cared for us. We thank you for your church that nurtures and loves us and especially for the Christ who pours your love over us and into us.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for all who are in need of your loving touch. We are aware of many who feel unloved and unlovable. They are those whose circumstances in life make it very difficult for them to believe there is love anywhere in this world. As your Spirit embraces them, help us to hold them in your love with our actions and words that reflect your love.
(Other intercessions may be offered.)
All these things we ask in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ, who taught us to pray together, saying:
Our Father . . . Amen.
(or if the Lord's Prayer is not used at this point in the service)
All this we ask in the name of the Blessed and Holy Trinity. Amen.
Children's Sermon Starter
Talk to the children about how much you "love" something -- ice cream, boating, hiking, taking a nap, and so on. Then talk about how the love Jesus talks about is much more than a very strong liking... it is about caring and taking care of each other. That is what we are called to do.
CHILDREN'S SERMON
What Does a Disciple Look Like?
John 13:31-35
Object: several bandanas of the same color
Good morning, boys and girls! Have you ever been someplace like an amusement park or the zoo and seen a group of people traveling together who were all wearing the same color shirt? Or maybe they had matching hats, or maybe they all wore bandanas of the same color, kind of like these? (show bandanas) If we were all going someplace together, I would probably have each of you wear something that was the same so that we could all recognize each other. That way we would know who was in our group and who wasn't.
One day when Jesus was talking with his disciples, he told them how he wanted them to live their lives. He said, "Love one another. As I have loved you, so must you love one another." If they wanted to be his disciples -- his followers -- then they should love others in the same way that Jesus loved them. He told them that if they did this then all people would recognize them as his disciples. How can we love others the way Jesus loves us? What kinds of things should we do? (get responses from the children)
The Bible tells us that when we love others we should be patient and kind. We shouldn't be arrogant or rude. We should see in others the best things and not the worst things. Sometimes this is very hard to do, which is exactly why it's so important. Lots of people can get mean or angry when something makes them mad. Getting angry is easy. Being patient and forgiving is hard. It takes a special person to be patient and kind no matter what the situation.
If we live our lives the way Jesus did, then the whole world will know that we love him and follow him.
Prayer: Please help us, Jesus, to live our lives the way that you did. Help us love others and be the kind of people you ask us to be. Amen.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, April 28, 2013, issue.
Copyright 2013 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.
It can be difficult to come to terms with the implications of an incident whose perpetrators' intention is clearly to sow maximum fear and destruction. But as we all try to process what has happened, the response has been inspiring. As news related to the bombing and the intense manhunt for two suspects kept us riveted to our televisions throughout the week, "viral" reaction on social media only underlined the helping impulse that we saw played out in Boston. In the next installment of The Immediate Word, team member Mary Austin notes that the countless instances we've seen this week of people coming together to provide comfort and assistance to one another are a powerful demonstration of exactly what Jesus and John were talking about in the lectionary's assigned scripture texts for the Fifth Sunday of Easter. Jesus tells the disciples that the proof of their commitment is in the pudding, so to speak, when he says that "I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:34-35). Mary reminds us that when we engage in acts of love for one another that draw an entire city together as one community of helpers (such as those in Boston), reinforcing a faith in humanity that can easily be shaken by tragic events, we become a living embodiment of the new heaven and the new earth that John discusses in our Revelation passage... giving us a glimpse of what that looks like here on earth.
Team member Dean Feldmeyer offers some additional thoughts on this week's Acts text and its themes of inclusiveness and who is worthy to be part of the church. Peter is confronted with criticism by several of his members who feel that Gentiles are not observing the appropriate rituals to be a part of the congregation -- and Dean suggests that there is a strong analogy to be made with the issue of immigration that is in the headlines again as Congress debates proposed immigration reform legislation. Like the arguments in Peter's time, this issue is capable of generating a great deal of rancor, as evidenced by an extremely testy exchange during a Senate hearing this week. But Dean points out that just as Peter concludes that we should not stand in God's way and should not "make a distinction between them and us," we are called to examine how welcoming we are to outsiders -- not only to our nation, but also in our churches as well.
Soft Targets
by Mary Austin
Revelation 21:1-6; John 13:31-35
Events unfolded so quickly that it was hard to take them in. The shift from celebrating the marathon finishers to transporting the wounded. The movement from being part of an excited crowd to being a fearful one. A city in mourning transformed into a city on lockdown. The president as mourner-in-chief to the president in the situation room, being briefed on the hunt for terror suspects. The careening speculation about the suspects and their motives.
It's difficult to know where to look for facts, let alone solace, in such a swirl.
In the News
Usually the tears at the Boston Marathon come at the famed Heartbreak Hill.
The marathon is the triumph of will over pain, and even non-runners are riveted by the extraordinary accomplishment of completing 26.2 miles. Racers come in all shapes and sizes, running or in wheelchairs, to make their way through not just the miles but their own limitations, fears, physical pain, and despair.
The finish line is the place where the triumphs of the day are on display. At this place of exuberance and celebration, the recent bombings replaced elation with panic, joy with pain. Surprise and shock are essential for acts of terror to succeed -- and by those standards, this was an ugly success. The ensuing hunt for the suspects brought the city of Boston to a state of lockdown, adding to the atmosphere of panic and terror. Some analysts have suggested that bringing the whole city to a standstill made it an even greater victory for the two suspects.
The numbers are grim. Three people killed, over 170 wounded, and over a dozen amputations as a result of two explosions at the finish line of the marathon. The images of the wounded have become dreadfully familiar. The bombs have been reported as designed to wound as widely and deeply as possible. People who came to run or watch the race started the day strong and healthy, in good spirits, and now find their lives changed in unexpected ways.
Other horrors came during the week too. Hilary Hylton summarizes in Time magazine the damage after a Texas fertilizer plant explosion: "While the exact number of dead and injured have yet to be finalized, the damage in West, Texas, is already quite evident: 75 homes demolished or badly damaged; a nursing home, an apartment complex, and middle school laid waste; and West Fertilizer Company's plant itself destroyed. Experts expect insurance claims to be in the millions of dollars. Already, property and casualty claims specialists have flooded the zone, according to Mark Hanna, spokesman for the Insurance Council of Texas. And so have the litigators."
A recent article by Robert Koehler offers a reminder that while violence is not new and isn't unique to us, we do feel some deaths more keenly and personally than others: "On the same day as the Boston Marathon bombing, a string of car bombs exploded across Iraq, killing 55 people and injuring at least 200, according to CBC News. The next day nine people were killed and 27 wounded when two more car bombs detonated in Aziziyah, a city about 35 miles south of Baghdad. This is 'our' Iraq, the country we invaded, occupied for eight years, and ultimately abandoned, leaving the shattered nation to fend for itself. Also on Monday, the same day as the Marathon bombing, seven were killed and four more wounded when a roadside bomb went off in Afghanistan, in the southern province of Zabul. Again, again, again. Our beautiful world erupts with spasms of violence; our loved ones die. Yet we cannot grieve with innocence. We also participate in the violence." We are not just victims, but also perpetrators of violence in other places around the world.
In the Scriptures
"Revelation is supposed to be good news!" one of my seminary professors would often proclaim. "In what circumstances can this text be good news?" he would often ask. The events of this past week deepen our longing for God's reign on earth. In the face of so much that's horrific or sad or mystifying, we do yearn for the new heaven and the new earth, for the fullness of God's triumph over evil and destruction.
As Beverly R. Gaventa writes in Texts for Preaching [Year C, p. 308], the vision of the new heaven and the new earth provides security that's comprehensive: "It begins with the notion of a new dwelling place that encompasses all the cosmos." All the enemies of God are defeated "so that the new Jerusalem can descend from heaven in an atmosphere of peace." In the old Jerusalem, holiness came from the presence of the temple. In the new Jerusalem, God lives among the people and glory and security come from God's very presence. This is our security, beyond what governments or cameras can offer.
John gives us a glimpse of what the new heaven and the new earth will look like, through the new commandment from Jesus that we who follow him should love one another. The setting of this new commandment might give us pause. Just before this, Jesus has predicted that one of those closest to him will betray him. After this, Jesus will warn Peter about denying him three times before the night is over. As Charles Cousar writes (again in Texts for Preaching), "At the darkest moment in the narrative, when the anticipation of human failure seems certain... the announcement is made of Jesus' glorification. His moment of exaltation, honor, and praise is set against the backdrop of betrayal and denials" (p. 310). Cousar adds that "the betrayal and denials do not deter or thwart the divine intention."
That's good news for us too, that our betrayal and denials do not change the divine intention for glory in the world, and for love between the children of God. As always, God is doing something altogether different from what people are doing.
In the Pulpit
Love one another, Jesus says. When we learn to do that, we share in God's intentions for the world.
The horror of the Boston bombings also revealed extraordinary acts of kindness, which have also become iconic. Donations of blood poured in to help the injured. Finishers gave away medals to the people prevented from finishing. Ordinary folks all over Boston offered places to stay for stranded runners. A registry offering shelter to runners became a living registry of generosity. The messages include words like "I don't live in the city, but can come get anyone who needs a place to stay." Another reads: "I live in Hopkinton, but would happily drive anywhere to pick up a runner who needs food, shelter, and comfort." "Space for one person on a pull-out couch," goes a third. "Will cook you a nice meal too!" As one article notes, "The list goes on and on, filled with sudden patriots on a terrible Patriots Day. One man offers not only his place, but offers to sleep somewhere else so a stranded runner can sleep in his bed. One woman from Cambridge writes she will pay for the taxi ride from wherever. Someone from Somerville apologetically says he has to work late but he'll leave early and head straight home if anyone has a need."
Countless people also contributed to the hunt for the suspects, uploading pictures to the FBI's website and calling in tips. The second suspect was captured when a homeowner found him hiding and called the authorities. In this age of social media, having a way to help with the search shifts the feeling of helplessness after an attack. The balance of power shifts away from the suspects to the crowd, as they use their collective technology and experience to help. (There were also notable failures, where misinformation traveled too far and too fast before it was corrected.) People, initially bound together by fear and horror, found another source of connection in caring for each other and in helping change the outcome of the story.
In the actions of so many people to serve each other, we see a slice of the new heaven and the new earth. As Frederick Buechner writes in The Clown in the Belfry: Writings on Faith and Fiction (1992): "If we only had eyes to see and ears to hear and wits to understand, we would know that the Kingdom of God in the sense of holiness, goodness, and beauty is as close as breathing and is crying out to be born both within ourselves and within the world; we would know that the Kingdom of God is what all of us hunger for above all other things even when we don't know its name or realize it's what we're starving to death for. The Kingdom of God is where our best dreams come from and our truest prayers. We glimpse it at those moments when we find ourselves being better than we are and wiser than we know. We catch sight of it when at some moment of crisis some strength seems to come to us that is greater than our own strength. The Kingdom of God is where we belong. It is home, and whether we realize it or not, I think we are all of us homesick for it" (p. 152).
As we care for each other, we live into Jesus' commandment to love one another. The commandment paves the way for God's new heaven and new earth to take shape in the midst of the darkness and evil so present on this earth, and we're reminded that God's heaven and earth fill and surround all that happens here. Difficult as it may be to see sometimes in the fog of destruction and loss, the new heaven and new earth are coming to birth in our midst.
SECOND THOUGHTS
A Cautious Hospitality
by Dean Feldmeyer
Acts 11:1-18
Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!
-- inscription on the Statue of Liberty, from "The New Colossus" by Emma Lazarus
In the News
Last Tuesday the "Gang of Eight," a committee of four Democrat and four Republican senators delivered a long-awaited proposal for immigration reform to Congress for consideration.
The 844-page document provides a "pathway to citizenship" for immigrants who have been in the country for a long time without proper documentation. It also secures funding for increased border security in order to stem the flow of undocumented workers into the country, and it provides some new classes of visas for highly skilled foreign workers and investors.
Writing for the Reuters news syndicate, Richard Cowan and Rachelle Younglai note that even though the bill was written by a bipartisan team, with much of the proposed legislation "designed to be palatable to Republicans," approval is far from being a shoo-in. Senator Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) echoed that sentiment when he called the proposal "nothing but a starting point." The bill faces months of debate, "especially in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives."
To be sure, none have suggested that we remove Emma Lazarus's immortal poem from the base of the Statue of Liberty -- but in the shadow of September 11, 2001, and the current unemployment crunch, our national hospitality has been tempered with caution.
In the Scriptures
We tend to think of the book of Acts as Paul's book, and it certainly details much of Paul's post-conversion life and ministry. But nearly half of the book is about Peter and his ministry. Peter first understood "The Way" to be a reform movement within Judaism, but this week's passage shows how his consciousness was expanded to be more inclusive.
The early Christian movement had barely taken its first breaths when it was immediately embroiled in controversy over who should be welcomed into "The Way" and who should not. In chapter 10 Peter meets with Cornelius, the Roman centurion who, along with his whole household, hears and accepts the gospel.
Now Peter has been called before the apostles, who want him to explain himself. How could he enter the home of and eat with people who are "unclean"? If he's not careful, his behavior is going to put them all at risk of being brought up on charges by the temple authorities.
Peter's response is a message of inclusion and inclusiveness. He tells them of his dream wherein he learned that it is God, not custom or tradition, that makes things sacred and/or profane. And he tells them of a simultaneous vision by a Cornelius in Caesarea and how he went to the centurion's house, preached the gospel, and saw it transform the lives of those who lived there. God, apparently, loves the Gentiles too and wants to see them saved. The Good News of Jesus Christ is an inclusive word, meant for all people.
He concludes his story with the question: "Who was I that I could stand in God's way?" The inference is, of course, "Who are any of us to stand in God's way?"
In the Pulpit
The intersection of immigration reform legislation and the story of early inclusiveness in the church provides rich opportunities for preaching.
Politicians see this issue of hospitality as a quagmire, a legislative Rubik's Cube to be solved by allowing seekers to make the American dream their own even as they narrow the borders to limit those who come through. At the same time, they have to seem tough on "illegal immigrants" even though reality shows that we don't have the resources to track down and escort 11 million people back across our borders.
For the church, thankfully, the issue is not that complicated.
Hospitality, even radical hospitality, is part of who we are. It's in our DNA.
But that doesn't make it easy. It has been a struggle for us ever since the infancy of the Christian movement, and it still is.
Who do we welcome, and who, if anyone, do we shun? What does a generous and enthusiastic welcome look like, and how does it differ from a cautious one? Is a cautious welcome ever called for?
Jesus has called us to take the gospel into "the whole world."
Does that include pedophiles and sex offenders? Are we really called to love terrorists, pimps, and drug dealers? What does that love look like?
Most of us will never have to wrestle with the question of hospitality at that level, but there are lower, simpler levels that are just as troublesome.
What about the man who smells bad? How do we make him feel welcome in church? Or the woman who has bedbugs on her clothing or lice in her hair?
And what about the person whose behavior is inappropriate or disruptive in the Sunday school class, or the parents who refuse to control their rowdy children during the worship service, or anywhere for that matter?
How do we offer a welcoming hand to those folks? How do we make them feel wanted and loved? Is our hospitality an open, enthusiastic, generous, and even radical one? Or is ours a timid, fearful, and cautious hospitality?
The question of inclusiveness continues to be a challenge for us 2,000 years after Peter first testified before that first church council in Jerusalem.
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Leah Lonsbury:
Acts 11:1-18
Earlier this month, the Associated Press publicly abandoned the term "illegal immigrant," which marked a major victory for Hispanic media organizations that argue that "the term criminalizes people rather than their actions" and stigmatizes both immigrants and Hispanics. A week later USA Today followed suit, and the New York Times has announced it is reviewing the use of the term.
This week, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer, whose state's population is now one-third Hispanic, defended her use of the increasingly provocative term during an interview with Jim Avila of ABC News.
Brewer told Avila...
Well I'm sorry, but I believe that if you break the law and you're an illegal immigrant and you're in this country illegally that you are an illegal immigrant. We know they're human beings, we know that they're our brothers and our sisters, but we believe in the rule of law and we can't afford it and we certainly can't afford the criminal element, with Arizona having to deal with the drug cartels.
What would Peter have to say to Jan Brewer?
How can someone be simultaneously our brother or sister and also less valuable than upholding the law?
What should our response be to those upon whom the Holy Spirit falls, just as it does on us? (v. 15)
If God gives and welcomes without qualification or limitation, then as Peter says -- who are we that we could hinder God? (v. 17)
* * *
Acts 11:1-18; Revelation 21:1-6
From the Huffington Post:
Krystle Campbell, one of the three people who died in last week's Boston Marathon bombing, will have her funeral protected by a "human shield" of Teamsters on Monday, in case protesters from the Westboro Baptist Church show up and rally as they said they intended to do.
Is this a glimpse of the "new heaven and the new earth," when Teamsters build a place of refuge for the grieving? What does it mean that the refuge is needed because of the Church? Is this the Church?
Our text from Acts tells us that "what God has made clean, you must not call profane" (v. 9).
Peter tells the apostles and believers that the Spirit told him to go to the Gentiles and "not to make a distinction between them and us" (v. 12).
Peter witnesses that when he spoke to the Gentiles, "the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as it had upon us" (v. 15) and "God gave them the same gift that God gave us" (v. 17).
Who are we to hinder what God might be up to in the unveiling of the new heaven and new earth? How can we catch and build the kind of vision that Revelation offers us?
* * *
Revelation 21:1-6; John 13:31-35
There are echoes of Revelation's vision of God dwelling with the people and wiping away their tears in the stories of the first responders at the Boston Marathon. They also embodied the commandment we receive from Jesus in our passage from John's gospel for this week -- "love one another."
The above link provides numbers of these stories. Below is a portion of the story of Jim Asaiante, a former Army nurse, and Stephan Segatore, a nurse from Tufts Medical Center. The two men were volunteers working in a medical tent set up to attend to the needs of the marathon's runners. They received, attended to, and honored Krystle Campbell, one of the three victims of the days' attacks. They were unable to identify her until the next day when they saw pictures of her in the news, yet they showed her the attentiveness God shows the people in our passage from Revelation and the love that Jesus commands in our passage from John's gospel.
Segatore had just worked to save a man who had lost both his legs when a woman arrived in critical condition, struggling to breathe.
The father of seven children looked at her face. Her freckles, wide eyes, and body type reminded him of his 19-year-old daughter.
"We can't let this young girl die," he kept thinking.
Along with a doctor and emergency medical technician, Segatore scanned her wounds, mostly on the left side of her body. One leg was twisted backwards, and she had a wound near her left hip. She had black markings on her head, possibly residue from being so close to the blast.
She had already been given several minutes of CPR by those who rushed her into the tent. Segatore offered her comforting words before taking over CPR.
I'm a nurse, he told her.†You're in a tent at the finish line.
He tried to resuscitate her. They stopped CPR briefly to hook up a heart monitor. The screen showed squiggly lines, but the heart wasn't pumping blood. There was no pulse. The physician said to stop. "We knew what we had," Segatore said.
All at once, a wave of sadness and anger coursed through the three men. In exasperated unison, they shouted, "F*#@!"
"You don't expect them to die of a bomb blast in the middle of your own city," Segatore reflected.
He covered her with a blanket. Eventually, he and a National Guardsman moved her cot to a private area. They worried it might get tipped over or her blanket pulled off.
Even amid the chaos, they thought to give her dignity. "In death, we want people to be as respected as they are in life," he said. "We do that by treating them as we would want to be treated, as if they're our family members."
* * *
From team member Ron Love:
Revelation 21:1-6
The Hawaii Board of Land and Natural Resources has approved the construction of the world's largest telescope on the summit of the Mauna Kea volcano. The Thirty Meter Telescope, which will cost over $1 billion, will feature a segmented primary mirror that is nearly 100 feet long -- allowing the telescope to be able to see 13 billion light years away... giving us a glimpse of the early years of the universe.
Application: We are not expected to explain how the universe began or how it will end. It is only our calling to interpret the meaning of creation and the coming day when we will see "a new heaven and a new earth."
* * *
Revelation 21:1-6
Native Hawaiian groups had petitioned to stop the Thirty Meter Telescope project, arguing that it would defile the Mauna Kea's sacred summit. Native Hawaiians believe that high altitudes are the sacred gateway to heaven -- and that mountaintops are so sacred that only chiefs and priests are permitted on the summits.
Application: With the coming of "a new heaven and a new earth," we will all be drawn to the mountaintop, finding a new gateway to heaven.
* * *
Acts 11:1-18
The recently released movie 42 tells the story of Jackie Robinson, the first black player in major league baseball. Writer-director Brian Helgeland noted how difficult it was to make the film when he said, "It's always a tricky thing because it's a movie, and even in this movie we're trying to tell two years in two hours."
Application: It is difficult to retell and interpret stories. How difficult it is for us to explain and understand Peter's vision.
* * *
John 13:31-35
The twin bombs planted at the Boston Marathon were set to explode at the finish line on the four-hour mark of the race. It is at this hour of the race when the finish line is most crowded -- not with the elite runners, but with the multitude of casual runners. It is also this group of runners that have the greatest number of spectators present -- the family and friends who have come to cheer them on across the final line.
Application: The Boston Marathon bombings demonstrate just how far society needs to yet travel to "love one another."
* * *
John 13:31-35
Umpire Gerry Davis recently completed officiating at his 4,000th major league baseball game. He is the 21st umpire to reach that mark, with his first game being on June 9, 1982. One of the significant changes in baseball during the course of his career has been the introduction of instant replay -- and rather than resisting it like some of his colleagues, Davis welcomed it. He actually considers it a blessing, reasoning that "until there was instant replay, people didn't realize how often we were correct."
Application: To love one another requires trust and respect. Instant replay is not a part of that formula.
WORSHIP RESOURCES
by George Reed
Call to Worship
Leader: Praise God! Praise God from the heavens; praise God in the heights!
People: Praise God, all you angels; praise God, all heavenly host!
Leader: Praise God, sun and moon; praise God, all you shining stars!
People: Praise God, you highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens!
Leader: Kings of the earth and all peoples, princes and all rulers of the earth!
People: Young men and women alike, old and young together!
OR
Leader: The God of love has created us.
People: We have been made in the image of love.
Leader: The God of love embraces and holds us.
People: We are God's loving arms which embrace the world.
Leader: The God of love fills us with good things.
People: May the Spirit of our God empower us to loving acts and words.
Hymns and Sacred Songs
"How Great Thou Art"
found in:
UMH: 77
PH: 467
AAHH: 148
NNBH: 43
CH: 33
LBW: 532
ELA: 856
W&P: 51
AMEC: 68
Renew: 250
"I Sing the Almighty Power of God"
found in:
UMH: 152
H82: 398
PH: 288
NCH: 12
W&P: 31
Renew: 54
"All Things Bright and Beautiful"
found in:
UMH: 147
H82: 405
PH: 267
NCH: 31
CH: 61
W&P: 30
AMEC: 434
"The Gift of Love"
found in:
UMH: 408
AAHH: 522
CH: 526
W&P: 397
Renew: 155
"Lord, Whose Love Through Humble Service"
found in:
UMH: 581
H82: 610
PH: 427
CH: 461
LBW: 423
ELA: 712
W&P: 575
Renew: 286
"Let There Be Peace on Earth"
found in:
UMH: 431
CH: 677
W&P: 614
"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: 466
Renew: 196
"God of Grace and God of Glory"
found in:
UMH: 577
H82: 594/595
PH: 420
NCH: 436
CH: 464
LBW: 415
ELA: 705
W&P: 569
AMEC: 62
STLT: 115
Renew: 301
"I Am Loved"
found in:
CCB: 80
"God Is So Good"
found in:
CCB: 75
Music Resources Key:
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982 (The Episcopal Church)
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
AAHH: African-American Heritage Hymnal
NNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
LBW: Lutheran Book of Worship
ELA: Evangelical Lutheran Worship
W&P: Worship & Praise
AMEC: African Methodist Episcopal Church Hymnal
STLT: Singing the Living Tradition
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
Renew: Renew! Songs & Hymns for Blended Worship
Prayer for the Day / Collect
O God who is love and who created us in your image: Grant us the faith in you and the power of your love that we may know we are loved unconditionally and so that we may love others as we are loved; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We have come today to worship you, O God of love. You have created us out of your loving care and you have created us in your image. Help us to share that love with those we encounter this week. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
Leader: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins and especially the unloving ways we treat each other.
People: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We know that you are love and that your love for this world knows no boundaries. We also know we have been created in your image and are called to share your love with all your children. Yet we do not. We are judgmental, and we pick and choose who we think is worthy of being loved. Forgive us our shameful behavior and call us back to your ministry of loving care for all. Amen.
Leader: God is love and God loves us even when we are unloving. God forgives us and empowers us to reflect the divine image of love each and every day.
Prayers of the People (and the Lord's Prayer)
We are in awe, O God, of your great love. We read the scriptures and find time and time again how unfaithful we have been and yet you love us still. We offer you our praise and worship.
(The following paragraph may be used if a separate prayer of confession has not been used.)
We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We know that you are love and that your love for this world knows no boundaries. We also know we have been created in your image and are called to share your love with all your children. Yet we do not. We are judgmental, and we pick and choose who we think is worthy of being loved. Forgive us our shameful behavior and call us back to your ministry of loving care for all.
We give you thanks for all the ways that you have shared your love with us. We thank you for creation and the joy of life. We thank you for family and friends who have loved and cared for us. We thank you for your church that nurtures and loves us and especially for the Christ who pours your love over us and into us.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for all who are in need of your loving touch. We are aware of many who feel unloved and unlovable. They are those whose circumstances in life make it very difficult for them to believe there is love anywhere in this world. As your Spirit embraces them, help us to hold them in your love with our actions and words that reflect your love.
(Other intercessions may be offered.)
All these things we ask in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ, who taught us to pray together, saying:
Our Father . . . Amen.
(or if the Lord's Prayer is not used at this point in the service)
All this we ask in the name of the Blessed and Holy Trinity. Amen.
Children's Sermon Starter
Talk to the children about how much you "love" something -- ice cream, boating, hiking, taking a nap, and so on. Then talk about how the love Jesus talks about is much more than a very strong liking... it is about caring and taking care of each other. That is what we are called to do.
CHILDREN'S SERMON
What Does a Disciple Look Like?
John 13:31-35
Object: several bandanas of the same color
Good morning, boys and girls! Have you ever been someplace like an amusement park or the zoo and seen a group of people traveling together who were all wearing the same color shirt? Or maybe they had matching hats, or maybe they all wore bandanas of the same color, kind of like these? (show bandanas) If we were all going someplace together, I would probably have each of you wear something that was the same so that we could all recognize each other. That way we would know who was in our group and who wasn't.
One day when Jesus was talking with his disciples, he told them how he wanted them to live their lives. He said, "Love one another. As I have loved you, so must you love one another." If they wanted to be his disciples -- his followers -- then they should love others in the same way that Jesus loved them. He told them that if they did this then all people would recognize them as his disciples. How can we love others the way Jesus loves us? What kinds of things should we do? (get responses from the children)
The Bible tells us that when we love others we should be patient and kind. We shouldn't be arrogant or rude. We should see in others the best things and not the worst things. Sometimes this is very hard to do, which is exactly why it's so important. Lots of people can get mean or angry when something makes them mad. Getting angry is easy. Being patient and forgiving is hard. It takes a special person to be patient and kind no matter what the situation.
If we live our lives the way Jesus did, then the whole world will know that we love him and follow him.
Prayer: Please help us, Jesus, to live our lives the way that you did. Help us love others and be the kind of people you ask us to be. Amen.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, April 28, 2013, issue.
Copyright 2013 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.
