Immediate Word

The prophet Isaiah declares in this week’s Old Testament passage that “For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until her vindication shines out like the dawn, and her salvation like a burning torch.” In this installment of The Immediate Word, team member Mary Austin notes that similar language might be used to describe President Obama’s quest to reduce gun violence in America -- something that he’s been openly emotional about in the wake of numerous mass shootings in recent years. After years of fruitless efforts to push legislation through Congress, last week Obama tearfully announced executive measures aimed at closing loopholes allowing unlicensed sales of firearms with no background checks at gun shows. The new requirements are so modest that many gun dealers already follow them, and the NRA conceded that the administration was “not really doing anything” -- yet there were howls of protest in many quarters, especially from GOP presidential candidates. While opinions may differ about the efficacy of his actions, Obama’s determination to bring about a more peaceful future (and belief that the new measures are a step in that direction) parallels Isaiah’s vision: “You shall no more be termed Forsaken, and your land shall no more be termed Desolate.” And as Mary points out, telling uncomfortable truths may be risky, but it’s something we’re called to do as prophets of God’s Kingdom.

Team member Chris Keating shares some additional thoughts on the Corinthians text and Paul’s comments on the variety of spiritual gifts -- especially that “to each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” Unfortunately, as is evident in every day’s headlines, we’re all too often more concerned in contemporary society with what’s good for “number one” than we are with the common good... and Chris points to the burgeoning water crisis in Flint, Michigan as an example of selfish concerns run amok. While there are many exceptions (which typically don’t receive the same media attention as “bad news”), as a culture we’re more likely to limit our efforts for the common good to socially approved parameters such as donating our leftover clothing or giving charitable donations (as much for tax reasons as for altruistic ones). Chris suggests that perhaps our devotion to maximizing our share of things that “mine” is the operative word, rather than “ours” as Paul tells us is appropriate for our spiritual gifts.

 

Sometimes You Have to Shout
by Mary Austin
Isaiah 62:1-5

The prophet Isaiah has come to a time when he can’t keep silent, when there’s no rest until something is accomplished. President Obama recently came to a similar time, and could no longer keep silent about the ravages of gun violence around the country. In a major speech, the president drew on a well of deep emotion as he recalled numerous mass shootings during his time in office. As he said: “In Dr. King’s words, we need to feel ‘the fierce urgency of now,’ because people are dying -- and the constant excuses for inaction no longer do, no longer suffice. That’s why we’re here today. Not to debate the last mass shooting, but to do something to prevent the next one.” After so many meetings with grieving families, keeping silent about guns was no longer a choice.

This weekend also honors the life and legacy of another man who could not keep silent. The nation is richer for the life of a man who would not rest in the service of justice, as the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King continues to shape America’s shared life. Keeping quiet may be politically wiser and is surely safer, but the prophet calls us to find our voice in service to God’s future plans. 

In the News
The president’s recent speech on gun violence has been building for some time. He has flown to Oregon, Arizona, Colorado, California, Connecticut, Texas, and South Carolina during his time in office, each time meeting with families whose lives have been ripped apart by a gunman. He has taken the time to shape the experience of grief for bereaved families over and over, bearing the burden of loss along with them. Each time, we can imagine, he has hoped that this would be the last time, and it never is.    

And so his need to speak about this issue has been growing. In 2011, he attempted to work through the Justice Department for change, according to PBS’s Frontline. Six months after the Arizona shooting that killed six people and wounded then-Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and several others, “the White House said the attorney general had formed working groups in the Justice Department to identify ‘common-sense measures’ to prevent another mass shooting while respecting gun rights.” Then the upcoming election sidetracked those efforts. “After the July 20 shooting in the Aurora, Colorado, movie theater that killed 12, Obama spoke to the Urban League in New Orleans about the problem of violence -- not just mass shootings, but gang violence in cities -- that plagues the U.S.” 

In 2012, shortly after the shootings in Newtown, Connecticut, PBS noted that the president had sought a nuanced line on gun control: “Obama’s focus during his presidency so far has seemed to try to walk a line between gun control and gun rights. During the Democratic National Convention in 2008, for example, Obama spoke about finding common ground between supporters of both sides: ‘The reality of gun ownership may be different for hunters in rural Ohio than they are for those plagued by gang violence in Cleveland, but don’t tell me we can’t uphold the Second Amendment while keeping AK-47s out of the hands of criminals,’ he said.” 

Former staff member Joshua Dubois writes movingly about traveling to Newtown with the president and watching him console the families there: “The president took a deep breath and steeled himself, and went into the first classroom. And what happened next I’ll never forget.  Person after person received an engulfing hug from our commander in chief. He’d say, ‘Tell me about your son.... Tell me about your daughter,’ and then hold pictures of the lost beloved.... In each room, I saw his eyes water, but he did not break. And then the entire scene would repeat -- for hours. Over and over and over again, through well over a hundred relatives of the fallen, each one equally broken, wrecked by the loss. After each classroom, we would go back into those fluorescent hallways and walk through the names of the coming families, and then the president would dive back in, like a soldier returning to a tour of duty in a worthy but wearing war. We spent what felt like a lifetime in those classrooms, and every single person received the same tender treatment.” 

With this recent speech politics fell away, and we saw the raw pain of the man who has held so many hands and consoled so many families. The weight of their tears moved him forward into his own. Writing for On Being about the president’s speech, Courtney E. Martin calls it a testimony more than a political speech. Moved by the president’s tears, Martin says that “his testimony that he feels such emotion every single time that he thinks about these slain children, which is no doubt frequent in the lead-up to taking a highly unusual executive action, is also noble. It means that the abstraction of policy, the inanity of partisanship, none of it is more powerful than his basic connection to the sadness and anger of these losses.” The president appeared to add a line that was unscripted: “Every time I think about those kids, it gets me mad. And by the way, it happens on the streets of Chicago every day.” Martin observes about this: “The second unscripted line is equally moving. In about a dozen words, President Obama fearlessly inserts race and class into the center of the conversation. The kids getting gunned down on the streets of Chicago -- Dantrell Davis, Ryan Harris, Eric Morse, Tyshawn Lee -- are black. They’re often forgotten, at least by the larger public. Their deaths certainly didn’t inspire $12 million in donations. And not one of their lives is worth any less than the lives of those children lost in Sandy Hook. President Obama reminds us of this, in no uncertain terms, with just one piercing sentence. He picks Chicago, because that is home for him. He picks his home, because it reminds us that he was one of those children too. Their value is presidential; their loss, profound.” The president has been moved in a way that forces him to speak. 

In the Scriptures
We hear Third Isaiah speaking in a similar way -- unable to keep silent. He speaks to people who have been battered by exile, and bruised by being uprooted again. The people who return home are not the ones who were carried off into exile -- both generationally and metaphorically. The generations who return to Jerusalem were born in exile, and knew it as home. The return to Jerusalem is another time of being uprooted, as they have to create a whole new life. For them, Isaiah spins out a vision of God’s glory that is so much greater than their current struggles. 

As always, the prophet’s word reorients the listeners. The current moment is part of a much bigger pattern, in the mind of the Creator. The future of Jerusalem propels the prophet forward with a sense of urgency -- his vison is so compelling that he has to speak. He can see it so clearly, and the vision comes to life with his words. Zion shall be rebuilt, Jerusalem shall flourish again. The prophet can’t help but speak, the vision is so clear. 

As Anathea Portier-Young writes, it’s not clear who’s speaking in this text. Some scholars believe that the prophet is speaking for God, and others believe he speaks for himself -- interceding with God for the fate of Jerusalem, not resting until the city’s vindication is complete. God has made promises to the people, and the prophet is calling on God to keep them. Either way, God’s purposes are at work. It’s God’s future that the prophet lifts up for the people to see. Where the people are discouraged, Isaiah lifts up another reality. The future is bright, if we can only see it as he does. 

In the Sermon
The sermon might examine the how our words and God’s words come together when we cannot be silent. Anathea Portier-Young concludes: “The prophet promises newness, transformation, and new names signaling joyful union for Jerusalem and all the land around her. The prophet can only make these promises because God has made them.” When we speak the truth, our words and God’s mingle together.

Or the sermon might look at the role of the truth-teller in faith communities. The prophets who spoke to the nation of Israel told the people the truth about themselves, prodding and goading the people back to faithfulness to God. As we honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. this weekend, we remember his prophetic role in American life. He told America the truth about ourselves, and gave us the opportunity to see that truth in protests, sit-ins, and marches across the South. His brand of prophetic speaking was always more popular when he was talking to someone else. 

Or the sermon might look at what truths we would tell if we had nothing to fear. What message burns in us and compels us to speak? Speaking that prophetic word is risky... dangerous. That same word may be uncomfortable to hear too. How can we be communities of faith strong enough to hear the unsettling words of prophets? 

Or the sermon might look at how people come to the point where they can’t keep silent. We see the finished product -- Isaiah, full of God’s dream for the people; or we remember the mature Martin Luther King at the height of his courage and his prophetic gifts. How do people get to that point where the message has a life of its own and won’t be ignored or silenced? 

There is a word in each one of us waiting to be spoken. It may be a grand word or a small word, but each of us has a place where we can speak for God, seeing something bigger, finer, more filled with God’s glory than the moment we’re in right now. There is a word in each of us that won’t keep silent -- may it be that we have the courage to say it to a weary and waiting world. 

 

SECOND THOUGHTS
Intoxicating Individualism
by Chris Keating
1 Corinthians 12:1-11

Dreams of never working again, shiny cars, and never-ending cruises fueled fantasies of Powerball players in 44 states this week as the juicy, never-seen-before jackpot topped one billion dollars. Cue Mike Myers as Dr. Evil: that’s right, it’s now $1.5 billion -- and growing! Never before has the sweet allure of mega-millions loomed so large. It’s the perfect cocktail for those yearning to reach Donald Trump-esque stature. (Or at least the upper floors of one of his buildings.)

It’s also the tempting aperitif to a life of headaches and heartaches created by the isolating individualism of wealth. The quest for the winning Powerball ticket magnifies our cultural preoccupation with individualism. As the numbers are drawn, we’re all reduced to the flock of single-minded seagulls from Finding Nemo, whose chorus of voices ring in our ears: “Mine? Mine? Mine?”

Some people say that the money wouldn’t change them. Right. A billion-dollar jackpot changes everything. “I’ll give a bunch to the church,” the faithful will say. (After, of course, making a quick stop by the Tesla dealership.) “I’ll take care of my family.” (Translation: “I’ll check in on them every now and then while sipping champagne and nibbling Beluga caviar on my new yacht.”) Others vow: “I’ll build a state-of-the-art homeless shelter.” (But first they hire an attorney, and then begin deleting their social media presence so they may disappear and avoid incessant requests for gifts.)

While the promise of instantaneous millions is alluring, so is the temptation to take the money and run -- far from the arena of the common good. That’s true for just about anyone, perhaps even for pastors who stop by a 7-Eleven for a cup of coffee in the morning and then slip a couple of bucks to the cashier for a lottery ticket when no one’s watching. (Names withheld upon request.)

The temptation to ignore the needs of others while overindulging in your own needs is more potent than lead levels in the Flint, Michigan water system, a crisis which also highlights our preoccupation with individualism. It’s just as toxic too. And considering Paul observed this behavior centuries ago among the Christians in Corinth, it seems as though humans have long preferred to watch out for number one instead of cultivating the common good.

Flint’s water situation could be emblematic of the hyper-individualism of our age, a time when the needs of others are isolated by our pursuit of individual good. Such individualism has always been part of the American experience, but has been traced in modern times by sociologists such as Robert Putnam in his famous work Bowling Alone.

Back in 1996, a team of writers led by Laurent Parks Daloz noted that “it is becoming increasingly clear even to middle and upper-class folks -- for whom our society is presumed to work -- that their well-being depends not only upon their talent, initiative, and ability to work hard, but also upon the quality of our common life” (Daloz et al, Common Fire, p. 11).

Theologian Andrew Root notes that there is a specific challenge for pastors in these moments of increased individualism. “We could say,” Root says in The Relational Pastor, “we are at the point of the ‘crisis of the personal’... because we stand at the point of an either-or, either we will turn our theology toward personhood or we’ll be mesmerized by market mentalities and consumer calculations and therefore worship the false Baal of individualism.”

The water crisis in Flint is not the only example of neglecting the common good, but the situation offers an interesting example of how policy decisions can go awry. The situation also highlights the selfless actions of volunteers and grassroots organizers who are utilizing their various gifts in service of their community to deliver bottled water and filters.

The lotto provides the smile, but the corroding water that’s been poisoning children in Flint, Michigan is no joke. It’s a big problem that began about 18 months ago (following the arrival of a state-appointed management team), even though the governor only recently declared a state of emergency. No doubt Flint residents are more concerned with what is coming out of their taps than the Powerball numbers.

Flint’s economic woes prompted state-appointed officials to switch the city’s water supply from water from the Detroit water system to water from the Flint River. Soon after the switch was made, residents began to notice something about the appearance and odor of tap water. Untreated water had become corrosive, and was leeching lead from pipes into the drinking water of hundreds of thousands of children.

City officials estimate that repairs to the system could cost at least $1.5 billion. But the exact cost remains unclear, said Flint mayor Karen Weaver. As schools have shut down water systems and the public has been advised not to drink unfiltered tap water, it is nearly impossible to comprehend how such a crisis could have been ignored for so many months. Though local residents have known about the problem for some time, the state’s response was only initiated last week.

Meanwhile, volunteers have been going door-to-door in order to make sure those who cannot afford to buy water or install filters have access to safe drinking water. Fanning across the city, their presence has reminded residents that Flint is a city unified in spite of the crisis. Volunteers hit the streets this week in the midst of blowing snow and freezing temperatures, ensuring that elderly and disadvantaged residents had access to clean water.

One volunteer said she wanted to make sure those who couldn’t get out would be safe. “I know a lot of people that are disadvantaged and don’t have vehicles,” said volunteer Lisa Smith. “I want to help them so they aren’t being poisoned by the lead,” Smith said. “It’s terrible. It’s kind of scary.”

And an indication of the necessity of what it means to seek the common good.

For Paul, of course, the inadequate utilization of gifts among the divided Corinthians is a reminder of what God in Christ was seeking to overcome. Paul’s call for unity, spread across the epistle, finds its essence in chapter 12 in the familiar discussion of unity in spite of difference. The interdependent nature of the body of Christ, a theme familiar to congregations, takes on new urgency when pressed into conversation with the contemporary world.

Instead of sipping what Andrew Root calls “the sweet, hard liquor of individualism,” Paul calls the church to drink from the cup of Christ (11:27) which brings the church together into a charisma-formed unity. “There are varieties of activities,” Paul exhorts, “but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone.” In other words, set aside squabbling about who is most important, and instead seek the good of the commons.

Individualism, as Root notes, “is constructed around the core commitment of seeing people as fundamentally rational animals that are loyal to what enhances of fulfills their individual self-interest.” All of our lives, he notes, are spent like those seagulls from Finding Nemo shouting “Mine! Mine! Mine!” But such individualism eventually becomes as polluted as the Flint water stream.

In place of competing self-interests, Paul calls the church to become a flourishing community of Spirit-gifted Christians, whose focus is much like the volunteers in Flint -- activating resources, relationships, and gifts of love for the common good. “All these are activated,” concludes Paul, “by the one and same Spirit.”

We are more than our individual interests, and a sermon could point a congregation in that direction. Recall the strength we discover in community, for “so it is with Christ.” Realizing that would indeed be like winning a billion-dollar prize -- or perhaps be even more valuable.

 

ILLUSTRATIONS

From team member Dean Feldmeyer:

Five Reasons Why You Should Speak Up (Even When You Think You Shouldn’t)
1. Silence is deemed approval. You may think that staying silent keeps you from being involved in any conflict, but quite the opposite. Silence is as much an active form of communication as talking. Anytime you are involved in a situation, people are aware of all the input and lack of it. If you disapprove and don’t say anything, it will not make you seem easygoing.

2. The greater good should be the priority. Most people are good-hearted by nature -- and many stay silent because they don’t want to do any harm by offending or criticizing someone. But when a person or the team is headed down a dangerous path, it’s selfish to put your own need to be comfortable above the needs of the others.

3. Demonstrate you are invested. Why are you in the conversation in the first place? Someone invited you into the dynamic. If you truly don’t have a stake, then find a better use of your time. But if you are there for a reason you need to show your commitment to the process and the people involved by being active and vocal.

4. No one else may know. You can’t assume the obvious is obvious. Your experience and knowledge has value in a given situation. No one else has your unique perspective. That doesn’t mean that everything in your brain is worth communicating, but with a little discretion and thought you should be able to bring value in most situations.

5. You may not be alone in your thinking. It’s entirely possible that your insightful observations and conclusions have surfaced in the minds of others. Others may share your thoughts and opinions, but may be also unwilling to speak up. By speaking your mind you encourage them to voice their opinions as well.

*****      

Famous Whistleblowers Who Spoke Out
Mark Felt: In the Watergate scandal that toppled Richard Nixon’s presidency of, this FBI figure was the secret informant (known as Deep Throat) who helped Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein.

Daniel Ellsberg: This State Department employee in 1971 leaked the Pentagon Papers, secret documents pertaining to how the United States came to fight the Vietnam War. The Nixon administration sought the Supreme Court’s help in preventing the New York Times and Washington Post from publishing the papers, but was rejected.

Frank Serpico: This New York City police officer, later portrayed by Al Pacino in a 1973 movie, attempted to confront rampant corruption within the police department. He left the force after being shot in the face during a botched drug raid and later moved out of the country, but in his wake the Knapp Commission and Mollen Commission investigations uncovered widespread corruption in the NYPD and were responsible for major housecleaning and reforms in the department.

Jeffrey Wigand: This former tobacco company executive made enemies by claiming on 60 Minutes in 1996 that cigarette companies were fully aware that they were packing their products with addictive levels of nicotine. He was played by Russell Crowe in the 1999 film The Insider.

Sherron Watkins: An executive for Enron, she helped expose the seemingly formidable company in 2001 and 2002 as one constructed on enormous financial lies and frauds. Along with Coleen Rowley and WorldCom’s Cynthia Cooper, she was one of three whistleblowers named Time magazine’s Persons of the Year in 2002.

*****      

The Sad Fate of America’s Whistleblowers
John Kiriakou is a former CIA analyst and whistleblower who is now an associate fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington, DC. He worked for the CIA from 1990 to 2004, including as chief of counter-terrorist operations in Pakistan. In an interview in 2009, he became the first former government official to confirm the use of waterboarding against al-Qaeda suspects. From 2009 to 2011, Kiriakou was a senior investigator for the Senate Foreign Relations committee. In 2012, he was charged with leaking classified information to journalists and served two years in prison.

He was asked, “What is it about whistleblowers that the powers that be can’t stand?” And this is his answer:

“When I blew the whistle on the CIA’s illegal torture program, I was derided in many quarters as a traitor. My detractors in the government attacked me for violating my secrecy agreement, even as they ignored the oath we’d all taken to protect and defend the Constitution. All of this happened despite the fact that the torture I helped expose is illegal in the United States. Torture also violates a number of international laws and treaties to which our country is signatory -- some of which the United States itself was the driving force in drafting.

“I was charged with three counts of espionage, all of which were eventually dropped when I took a plea to a lesser count. I had to choose between spending up to 30 months in prison and rolling the dice to risk a 45-year sentence. With five kids, and three of them under the age of 10, I took the plea.”

Kiriakou identifies other whistleblowers who have paid a heavy price for their actions:

Tom Drake -- the NSA whistleblower who went through the agency’s chain of command to report its illegal program to spy on American citizens -- was thanked for his honesty and hard work by being charged with 10 felonies, including five counts of espionage. The government eventually dropped the charges, but by that time Drake was financially ruined.

Chelsea Manning is serving 35 years in prison for her disclosure of State Department and military cable traffic showing American military crimes in Iraq and beyond. And Edward Snowden, who told Americans about the extent to which our government is spying on us, faces life in prison if he ever returns to the country.

Baltimore Police Department whistleblower Joe Crystal knew what he was getting into when he reported an incident of police brutality to his superiors after witnessing two colleagues brutally beat a suspect. Crystal immediately became known as a “rat cop” and a “snitch.” He finally resigned from the department after receiving credible death threats.

*****      

Saving Lives and the Common Good
If we were holding a contest for the person who has saved the most lives in history by taking some action (rather than not taking some action), one serious contender would be Edward Jenner, the pioneer of the world’s first vaccine (for smallpox) -- who by most estimates is considered responsible for saving about 530 million lives. Here’s how that breaks down, just for comparison purposes. It is:
* 1.5 times the population of the United States
* 2.5 times that of Brazil
* 4.5 times that of Russia
* 6 times that of Germany
* 9 times that of the United Kingdom or France

One remarkable thing about Jenner’s discovery of vaccination is that it came before people knew that viruses existed, or knew much at all about the immune system. He used his observation of case studies to fit the puzzle pieces together and start a truly lifesaving procedure. 

His idea was (of course) met with widespread skepticism, but he persisted in spite of the resistance he met. There was even a cartoon drawn making fun of his theory showing people developing cow parts after vaccination. However, Jenner was not put off. And now the world is thankful.

Fun fact: When Britain was at war with France in the early 1800s Jenner wrote to Napoleon, requesting that he release some British prisoners. As a mark of respect for all that Jenner had achieved, Napoleon agreed. 

*****      

Pay What You Can
Cathy Mathews is co-founder and executive director of Café 180, a pay-what-you-can restaurant in Englewood, Colorado. And on any given day the people eating lunch at the café represent a broad cross-section of the community. When writer Jeff Haanen was there he noted the presence of a businessman, two elderly ladies, a middle-aged mother, and a man wearing several coats and a tattered winter cap.

“Going out for a meal tends to segregate age, race, and social class, based on one’s ability to pay,” says Haanen. “At Café 180, the serrated knife that separates wealthy and poor is laid down next to plate, fork, and spoon on the table of fellowship. Here is a radical culinary experiment in dignity and community.”

Cathy Matthews got her idea for Café 180 after a visit to Denver’s first pay-what-you-can restaurant, SAME (So All May Eat). The idea is simple: Healthy and delicious food is available to all, regardless of their ability to pay. Customers are asked either to pay a donation for their meal, or if they can’t pay to volunteer. Café 180 espouses a philosophy of pay-what-you-can, not pay-if-you-can. All are expected to participate in the community and give a certain amount. Mathews says that about 30 percent of customers volunteer for their meal, 50 percent pay what their meal is worth, and 20 percent pay it forward. Officially organized as a nonprofit, with a volunteer coordinator and 250 regular volunteers, Café 180 nonetheless functions as a business. A chef runs the kitchen, each plate is checked for quality, and each diner is considered a cherished customer.

But the bottom line for pay-what-can restaurants isn’t profit. Instead, it’s dignity for the poor, a vibrant and diverse community, and subtle life transformation.

*****      

Taxes and the Common Good
Libbey Goldberg is a chef and social justice activist living in Oakland, California. She comes from a wealthy family and believes that the wealthy have a responsibility to serve the common good.

When the Bush-era tax cuts to the rich were about to expire in 2010, she noted that if the taxes were restored they could bring in an estimated $45 billion in annual revenue. That, she says, is money that could have been far better spent “on investments in our schools, infrastructure, research institutions, and social services.”

Goldberg tells of how her grandfather grew up poor, the son of produce peddlers who were Jewish refugees from Poland, and how he made his own fortune through “sheer will, hard work, shrewd business sense, and intelligence.”

But, she says, that while this “story is in large part true, there are gaping holes. The truth is that my grandfather would never have achieved his success without the public education system, not to mention his white skin privilege, albeit Jewish. He would never have achieved this success without the community of Jewish professionals who had also depended on public infrastructure for their success. Attending the University of Texas opened all the doors to upward class mobility for my Papa Billy.”

She concludes her essay by saying that those of us who have disproportionately benefited from public institutions have a special responsibility to make sure that others can also benefit. Unless all of us are thriving, none of us is truly thriving. It is immoral and short-sighted for wealthy families to evade paying their share of taxes so that their wealth accumulates more and more, being passed on through the generations.

*****      

Building for the Future
Although it has been more than three decades since Nancy Grant served in the Peace Corps, the impact of the experience has lasted a lifetime.

Her commitment to the community led her to help establish ServeIT, a project that pairs website design training with community service. Grant, and educational technology consultant, trains Bowdoin College students in web design, and the students put their new skills to use by building websites for community organizations.

The project beganin the fall of 2004 when Grant worked with students in a course as they learned website programming while building websites for local nonprofit organizations that did not have the resources to do so on their own. In the years since, students have built many websites for local organizations -- and in many cases the student-designed sites are the agencies’ first and provide a starting point for future additions.

*****      

He Saved the World
Stanislav Petrov was in command of a Soviet missile silo back in 1983. His job was to watch for a potential nuclear attack from the United States, and if necessary to respond with a counterattack.

On September 26, 1983, he received a missile warning -- alerting him that a potential nuclear missile strike had been launched against his country. As a good Soviet officer, when this alarm was raised it was Petrov’s job to relay this to his high command immediately, which most likely would result in a full-scale counterstrike on the part of the Soviets -- which would have resulted in a full-scale counterstrike by the Americans, and, well, mutually assured destruction (MAD).

Petrov, however, decided that it was more likely his new warning system was faulty than that the U.S. was launching a pre-emptive nuclear strike. In addition, the fact that his warning indicated five missiles in the air seemed strange, because all intelligence suggested that any U.S. strike would be “all-out.”

His intuition was right -- the malfunction, and the alarm that might have caused World War III and the deaths of countless millions, was caused by a rare alignment of sunlight on high-altitude clouds and satellite orbits, an error later corrected by cross-referencing a geostationary satellite.

***************

From team member Ron Love:

Isaiah 62:1-5
Last Sunday the pastor of the church that I attend, Highland Park United Methodist in Florence, South Carolina, preached a sermon on the baptism of Jesus. The sermon was well-organized and interesting, but included an insensitive remark that violated Isaiah’s message. The pastor began with a series of questions about when you knew that you were a part of your family, and offered various answers. He then went on to tell the congregation that a staff member announced that she is pregnant. He noted that this child became a member of their family the moment they thought about having a child, even before its conception. This statement somewhat predates the biblical message that God knew Isaiah when he was in the womb. He then placed a prayer shawl around the expectant mother, saying that the church will be praying for her during the coming months until the birth. I wondered: If there is a miscarriage, will the shawl become a hindrance to belief, as it would then represent a violation of prayers and God’s promise? To pray for the couple at the altar is wholesome, but perhaps the shawl should be presented after the birth of the child. But there is even a more important issue: my thoughts went to those in the congregation who have had miscarriages or voluntary abortions. What would be their thoughts? If God knew and seemingly accepted this child before birth, what about their fetuses who had been lost? Many of those who have had abortions suffer from guilt and sorrow as they look back upon the incident and the circumstances surrounding it. The pastor’s point may have been well-intentioned, but the presentation was insensitive. (Note: You can personalize this story by introducing it with the words “A friend told me...” or “I read about...”)

Application: When Isaiah spoke that God has “married” his people, it is a marriage of acceptance, not intimidation.

*****      

Isaiah 62:1-5
Several years ago I got a mutt from the pound in Sumter, South Carolina. Though the dog is a mixed breed, she looks primarily like a Labrador -- she is black with a white chest. When I first brought her home she constantly followed me around the house, and with her being so black I said, “You are just like a shadow” -- so Shadow became her name. When I come home after being away, I always get the exuberant greeting that lasts at least 15 minutes. Even after many years, that energetic welcome has not diminished even a little. I asked my vet about it, and she kindly informed me that I must accept her exuberant personality. To be honest, the absence of her greeting of kisses, tail-wagging, and jumping would disappoint me. The acceptance of my coming home is as welcomed as it is overwhelming. (Note: You can personalize this story by introducing it with the words “A friend told me...” or “I read about...”)

Application: When the people of Israel learned that God was going to welcome them home, it was received with all the joy of a dancing Shadow.

*****      

1 Corinthians 12:1-11
My church, Highland Park United Methodist in Florence, South Carolina, recently began their yearly stewardship campaign. The finance committee is trying not to emphasize raising money, focusing instead on increasing our total participation in the ministry of the church. Unfortunately, this is not possible when the campaign is still centered on pledging money. They presented in worship a chart depicting several steps, with each step indicating how many individuals or family units are participating on each step. We are fortunate to have ten units on the highest step of $200 or more per week. This is balanced by 31 who contribute nothing. What became insulting is that the presenter compared the lowest steps to secular entertainment. If you give only $1 to $5 per week, as 48 units do, you are just contributing the equivalent of a Starbucks coffee. If you give $10 to $19 per week, as 36 units do, that is just the cost of a movie ticket. The congregation has a number of wealthy individuals -- doctors, lawyers, and business executives who are able to stand at the top of the staircase. Then there are a number of individuals whose income is very limited, making almost impossible to be anywhere but at the bottom. I am disabled, and each month it is a struggle to pay my bills. If an unexpected financial crisis hits me, such as a necessary repair, the sacrifice is absorbed by limiting my grocery spending. If I am told that my financial contribution is worth no more than a cup of coffee or a movie ticket, I question if my gifts are needed or appreciated. The presentation lacked the sensitivity that we all have a contribution to make, even if it is only equivalent to Starbucks coffee. Some of us, by the circumstances of life, will always be forced to reside on the lower steps of the staircase; the church need not chastise us as selfish. (Note: You can personalize this story by introducing it with the words “A friend told me...” or “I read about...”)

Application: Paul did not make a distinction between the gifts of the Spirit or the value of each.

*****      

1 Corinthians 12:1-11
The Sunday school class at the church that I attend recently did a several-week study on the gifts of the Holy Spirit. A chart was presented noting that we excelled at leadership, administration, and missions, but were very much wanting in speaking in tongues and evangelism. It was discussed as if there was something wrong with our class, rather than realizing that like-minded people tend to gather together. Instead of questioning where we lack, we should have focused on how we can excel with the gifts we possess as a single part of the body of Christ. There are other classes, I am sure, that excel in the gifts that we do not possess. (Note: You can personalize this story by introducing it with the words “A friend told me...” or “I read about...”)

Application: Paul instructs us to focus on the gifts that we have and not to concern ourselves about the gifts we lack, because there are others in the body of Christ who can offer a meaningful balance.

*****      

1 Corinthians 12:1-11
My local newspaper, the Morning News of Florence, South Carolina, has two “citizen columnists” submit essays each week. Recently Teena Rogers, a homemaker, wrote that this year she is not making any grandiose New Year’s resolutions, instead making just a simple one of general self-improvement. For the first time in her life she purchased a daily devotional book to be read for inspiration. But she has decided to take this one step further. She is also going to journal on each daily devotional, as she describes it, “where I try and tie in the day’s message with my own life and what happens to be going on at the time.”

Application: We should always find time for daily reflection on the spiritual gifts that have been bestowed upon us, examining if we are fulfilling our intended purpose for ministry.

 

WORSHIP RESOURCES
by George Reed

Call to Worship
Leader: Your steadfast love, O God, extends to the heavens.
People: Your faithfulness extends to the clouds.
Leader: Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains.
People: Your judgments are like the great deep.
Leader: How precious is your steadfast love, O God!
People: All people may take refuge in the shadow of your wings.

OR

Leader: The God of the prophets of Israel calls us to speak.
People: What are we to say in the name of our God?
Leader: God always calls creation to justice and mercy.
People: We see many places around us where they are needed.
Leader: Let us speak, then, that God’s mercy and justice may prevail.
People: We will lift up our voices, that all may know God’s good.

Hymns and Sacred Songs
“Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty”
found in:
UMH: 64
H82: 362
PH: 138
AAHH: 329
NNBH: 1
NCH: 277
CH: 4
LBW: 165
ELA: 413
W&P: 136
AMEC: 25
STLT: 26
Renew: 204

“Many Gifts, One Spirit”
found in:
UMH: 114
NCH: 177

“O Master, Let Me Walk with Thee”
found in:
UMH: 430
H82: 659, 660
PH: 357
NNBH: 445
NCH: 503
CH: 602
LBW: 492
ELA: 818
W&P: 589
AMEC: 299

“This Is My Song”
found in:
UMH: 437
NCH: 591
CH: 722
ELA: 887
STLT: 159

“What Does the Lord Require”
found in:
UMH: 441
H82: 605
PH: 405
CH: 659
W&P: 686

“Where Cross the Crowded Ways of Life”
found in:
UMH: 427
H82: 609
PH: 408
NCH: 543
CH: 665
LBW: 429
ELA: 719
W&P: 591
AMEC: 561

“The Gift of Love”
found in:
UMH: 408
AAHH: 522
CH: 526
W&P: 397
Renew: 155

“Jesus Calls Us”
found in:
UMH: 398
H82: 549, 550
NNBH: 183
NCH: 171, 172
CH: 337
LBW: 494
ELA: 696
W&P: 345
AMEC: 238

“Shine, Jesus, Shine”
found in:
CCB: 81
Renew: 247

“Walk with Me”
found in:
CCB: 88

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 whose loving kindness is unending: Grant us the grace and courage to speak out in your name, calling all creation to justice and mercy; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.

OR

We praise you, O God, for your loving kindness never ends. You created us in love and made us to be your image, your presence on this earth. Help us by the power of your Spirit to boldly call for justice in mercy. Amen.

Prayer of Confession
Leader: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins, and especially our failure to speak out for the common good.

People: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. You created us to be your image and your presence in this world, as you breathed into us your own Spirit. Yet we do not speak up in your name. We see injustice, hatred, and violence all around us, and we keep silent. We are more interested in our own benefit than we are the common good of all your children. Turn us once more to the path of justice and mercy. Renew your Spirit within us, that we may follow Jesus and bring your reign to all creation. Amen.

Leader: God created us in love, and in love re-creates us in the divine image. Receive God’s gifts of forgiveness and power, and live as God’s image in this world.

Prayers of the People (and the Lord’s Prayer)
We bless your name, O God, and praise you for your loving kindness. You are full of compassion and mercy for all creation. 

(The following paragraph may be used if a separate prayer of confession has not been used.)

We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. You created us to be your image and your presence in this world, as you breathed into us your own Spirit. Yet we do not speak up in your name. We see injustice, hatred, and violence all around us, and we keep silent. We are more interested in our own benefit than we are the common good of all your children. Turn us once more to the path of justice and mercy. Renew your Spirit within us, that we may follow Jesus and bring your reign to all creation.

We give you thanks for all the ways in which you show your love for us. You provide for us a wonderful world that is filled with beauty. You give us family and friends, and you give us sisters and brothers in the faith. You give us Jesus, who teaches us about your love and leads us into wholeness and blessing.

(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)

We pray for one another in our need, and especially for those who are denied justice and mercy. Help us to be your voice speaking out for all.

(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 about being on a team. A football player may act like he has the ball and get tackled, even though he doesn’t have it. A baseball player may hit a sacrifice fly, making an out while allowing someone else to score. It is all for the good of the team. God has made us members of a team that includes all people. Like good team players, we are called to make things better for all God’s children.

 

CHILDREN’S MESSAGE
by Robin Lostetter
Isaiah 62:1-5

“It’s hard to speak up among your peers. But you have something important to say.”*

Today we’re going to talk about something serious -- something that’s hard for adults as well as for kids. And you know what? It was also hard for a man named Isaiah thousands of years ago! He said, “For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest.” 

If I were to put that in your world today, it might be as if one of you said: “For [insert local school’s name]’s sake I will not keep silent, and for [hometown’s name]’s sake I will not rest.” 

In other words, Isaiah spoke up, raised his voice, for the good of the people where he lived and worked.

So where might that happen in your school or in church or at play? Let’s say someone is about to write on the school wall in ink or paint without permission -- would that be a good thing? Why not? (It’s damaging community property, it might be an unkind statement, it will take someone else time away from other work to remove it.) It would be hard to ask them to stop. It would take courage, right?

Can you think of another example of someone doing something you know is wrong -- where you know for the good of the school, or the good of other people, that someone needs to speak up? (Here’s your risk -- entertaining their example, which may include things that have happened to them.)

What about if someone is being bullied? Let’s say there’s a bully at school and she or he is making fun of a kid that’s a little younger, or maybe has just moved there -- someone who’s just a bit different from the other kids. Now, if there’s physical hurting going on, you’d need a grownup to help. But if it’s mean teasing, could you say to yourself, “For [Joey]’s sake, I will not keep silent”?

That would be scary, wouldn’t it? But what if you were that kid being bullied? If everyone else was being silent, it would be as if they all agreed with the bully -- right? So if you are silent while someone else is being bullied, it may seem as though you agree with the bully.

Everyone has been in a situation like that, a time where they knew they needed to speak up about something, and found it was really hard to do so. (Turn to the congregation.) Am I right, grownups? Let’s see the hands of everyone who has been in a situation where they knew they needed to speak up about something... and I’m not asking if you were able to do so, just that you found yourself in that situation.

And you know what? Very often there are lots of others around you who think just the way you do, and are just as scared as you are to say something. But if you raise your voice, they might just join you and raise their voices too. You might be the one to give them courage not to be silent. 

In fact, just like Isaiah, you might be the person in the group that knows and has something important to say.

That might be a good time to remember that God is always with you, that you are never alone. You can ask God for strength and courage, for the ability to know what to say and when, and to be by your side as you speak.

Shall we pray about that?

Dear Jesus, please help us know when to speak up and what words to use. We trust you to be by our side when we feel we must speak up to protect someone or to protect something important to our community. Give us courage and strength at those times. Amen.

(You may choose to reverse my use of “God” and “Jesus” above. Also, this may be too tough for the very young ones as it is worded, and it may bring up difficult examples if your group is older. You might want to talk with one of the teachers ahead of time, especially one with experience in dealing with bullies. This is not my area of expertise, and I have put my toe in the water in as safe a way as possible -- recognizing that physical violence is not an area I’d want to encourage a child to intervene in.)

* inspired by http://www.inc.com/kevin-daum/5-reasons-you-should-speak-up-even-when-you-think-you-shouldnt.html

 
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The Immediate Word, January 17, 2017, issue.

Copyright 2016 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.

All rights reserved. Subscribers to The Immediate Word service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons and in worship and classroom settings only. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.