This week’s lectionary passages -- specifically the Genesis and Matthew texts -- illustrate the power of visions... and the dangers that come with trying to bring them to life in a violent and often seemingly hopeless world. Joseph gets himself sold into bondage by his jealous brothers, while Peter confidently steps out of the boat only to begin sinking beneath the water when he takes stock of his surroundings and gives in to his fear and doubt. In this installment of The Immediate Word, team member Chris Keating discusses how that’s a powerful analogy for the life of faith. We often have a strong image in our minds of what our Lord commands us to do, and eagerly take the initial steps of making it happen -- but when we eventually realize how difficult and threatening the situation is, it’s easy to give in to hopelessness and despair and to lose faith in the possibility of our dreams coming to fruition.
That’s certainly the case when it comes to peace in the world -- though this week’s alternate Psalm text (Psalm 85) tells us that the Lord “will speak peace to his people” and that “righteousness and peace will kiss each other,” lasting peace in the Holy Land seems further away than ever. After repeated broken ceasefires and angry recriminations, today finally brought a ceasefire in Gaza that seems to be holding... at least for 72 hours while Israeli forces withdraw to positions just outside Gaza. But all of this comes in the wake of a destructive campaign with many civilian casualties that led one media outlet to describe the Israeli response to Hamas rocket fire as a “campaign to send Gaza back to the Stone Age.” Indeed, the destruction of Gaza’s only power plant means that the densely populated area is not only without electricity, it’s also without clean drinking water for the foreseeable future without power to run desalinization facilities. Meanwhile charges were leveled of Hamas using human shields for their military activities. And all this doesn’t even address many of the world’s other hot spots of conflict and misery. It seems that everywhere we turn, those who believe in dedicating their lives to peace, justice, and righteousness find themselves, like Peter, sinking under the stormy waves -- and thus, as Chris points out, managing to keep our faith strong and to keep our doubt at bay is vital if we’re to continue stepping forward in faith and pursuing the dream of peace.
Team member Mary Austin offers some additional thoughts on the Genesis passage -- particularly the final part where Reuben talks the rest of Joseph’s brothers out of killing him. But Judah suggests the alternative strategy of selling Joseph to a passing caravan headed for Egypt, allowing the brothers to profit off of their kidnapping while avoiding having Joseph’s blood on their hands. Of course, kidnappers profiting by selling captives into slavery, or by claiming ransom, is a time-honored part of the criminal’s playbook -- but it’s in the headlines again with a report that ransom for kidnapping victims is becoming a primary way that Al Qaeda finances their operations. Though what we read about Joseph and his dysfunctional family this week is quite ugly, we know that there’s a good end to the story for both Joseph and his brothers. Mary suggests that happy reversal perhaps allows us to hold out some hope for God’s presence to work for good in the lives of today’s victims (even if that’s a tenuous hope at best).
Stepping Forward in Faith
by Chris Keating
Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28; Matthew 14:22-33
Dreams are free, yet pursuing them is costly.
In Gaza the battles raged over the weekend after yet another breakdown of a proposed ceasefire, and the dreams of a lasting peace faded once more. As the death toll kept rising, many believed that hope for a respite was highly unlikely while the suffering continued unabated. Despite the brief good news Tuesday morning that a 72-hour ceasefire seems to be holding while Israeli forces withdraw from Gaza, both Hamas and Israel remain extremely wary and distrustful of each other -- rejecting the other side’s legitimacy and openly calling for their complete destruction. Needless to say, dreams for a workable, secure two-state solution are a long, long way away.
Stepping forward for peace will be filled with risks, like Peter learning to walk on the wild side or Joseph navigating his way out of slavery.
Joseph’s proclivity for wild dreams landed him in a heap of trouble with his brothers -- and then in the bottom of a deep, desolate pit. He told his brothers that he had dreamed they were bowing down before him. As if that wasn’t enough, he had also seen the sun, the moon, and the stars worshiping him.
That must have been a rather interesting breakfast conversation.
In the midst of conflict, it is hard to imagine your way out of war’s empty pit. But, as both the Genesis and Matthew texts for Proper 14 seem to indicate, God’s people are called to listen to dreams and move forward in faith. The conflicts between Abraham’s offspring continue, but so do their deepest hopes for peace.
It could be that the only way forward is to join Peter in his jog across the waves, or to watch closely as God preserves Joseph’s life.
In the News
Looking for the way forward in Gaza has been difficult, especially given the ongoing fighting. Dreams of peace have largely been exchanged for deadly vengeance. Hamas strikes because of Israel’s attacks, and Israel keeps firing because Hamas vows to wipe the Jewish state out of existence. As Washington Post commentator Eugene Robinson noted, it feels as though no one really wants to make peace.
“I applaud President Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry for diving in and trying to forge a peace deal, if only because history suggests that anything is better than leaving the parties to their own devices,” wrote Robinson. “But the obvious two-state solution seems an ever more distant dream.”
Reverberations of previous wars continue to be felt, and Robinson noted that the result will likely be a permanent state of conflict punctuated by times of outright combat.
Heart-wrenching images support this notion: a hospital in Gaza shelled by bombs, a United Nations school toppled by Israeli artillery, a breaching of a 72-hour truce by a Hamas suicide attack. By the end of the week, with thousands of Palestinians dead, including many children, there seemed to be little hope that hostilities would end soon. Over the weekend, Israel sent signals that the war may be winding down, though hostilities continued cease until Tuesday’s Egyptian-brokered deal took effect.
On Sunday, United States officials condemned Israel’s shelling of the UN school in Rafah, where more than 3,000 displaced persons had sought refuge. Calling the action “disgraceful,” the State Department demanded that Israel meet its own standards in avoiding civilian casualties.
It’s a tenuous situation, and as Palestinian residents began returning home Tuesday it was apparent that both sides still eye each other with distrust. The densely populated region remains under siege. More than 200,000 residents of Gaza have been displaced, and Gaza is still without basic services. One student in Gaza observed, “Peace? What peace? We have no home, no water, no power. There is no peace here.”
Likewise, Israel remains on full alert. “We are entering this with our eyes open,” Israeli spokesperson Mark Regev told CNN. “We have been burnt more than once.”
It’s a sentiment shared on both sides of the conflict. Both sides remain distrustful of the other.
For example, on Sunday just minutes after Israel announced a unilateral partial ceasefire, its air force struck a refugee camp in Gaza City, killing an 8-year-old girl and wounding at least 29 other persons. Israel’s chief military spokesperson told reporters that troops had been redeployed to continue working on dismantling Hamas’ vast network of tunnels and to provide a secure defense. “There is no ending here,” said Gen. Motti Almoz, “perhaps an interim phase.”
Ceasefires may come and go, but solutions remain a dream.
Like Joseph’s brothers, Israel remains unable to speak peaceably to Hamas -- notably because Israel does not trust that Hamas will uphold any agreement. Israel maintains it is defending itself against terroristic threats. That view has struck a resonant chord among Israelis, who are nearly unanimous in their support of the war. About 95% of the country backs Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s war plans. Palestinian factions continue to meet in Egypt to propose a ceasefire, but Israel decided not to participate in these conversations.
In fact, according to Ron Dermer, the Israeli ambassador to the United States, “The road for peace goes over Hamas. It doesn’t include Hamas.”
Across the world, however, support for Israel is slipping, and there has been a noticeable uptick not just in anti-Zionist views but anti-Semitism. Anger against Israel is more widespread in Europe than in America. Yet among younger Americans, support for Israel is not as strong as it is among older groups. A Pew Research Center survey revealed 29% of Americans under age 30 believe Israel is more to blame for the violence than Hamas.
Such division is perhaps indicative of how elusive the dream of peace remains. As Roger Cohen noted in an op-ed piece for the New York Times, “I find myself dreaming of some island in the middle of the Atlantic where the blinding excesses on either side of the water are overcome and a fundamental truth is absorbed: that neither side is going away, that both have made grievous mistakes, and that the fate of Jewish and Palestinian children -- united in their innocence -- depends on placing the future above the past.”
It’s one thing to dream of peace; it is quite another to actively pursue that dream. Pursuing that dream means remaining open to the redemption and presence of One larger than ourselves -- as seen in both the Genesis and Matthew texts this week.
In the Scriptures
Achieving peace was not a top priority for Joseph’s brothers either. Genesis 37 initiates the Joseph narratives, stories which are Sunday school favorites and the inspiration behind Andrew Lloyd Webber’s hit musical. Despite our imaginations, there is no reference to a coat of many colors -- but there is a coat of long sleeves, a garment certainly not worn by those engaged in manual labor. The coat is a sign of royalty perhaps -- but was more certainly a royal pain to Joseph’s siblings. He’s marked early on as the favorite son of their father (v. 3). Privilege and envy go hand in hand, with status creating a fertile environment for envy to thrive.
Envy seems to be a generational problem for this family. It rears its ugly head in this generation after Joseph narrates his vivid dreams to his brothers. Fed up with Joseph and his dreams, the brothers conspire to kill him, with only their brother Reuben intervening. “Shed no blood,” said Reuben, who nonetheless acts to rid the family of this menace.
The dreamer cannot be tolerated.
The power of Joseph’s dream has the effect of making him “the other.” He is excluded by an act of violence. Indeed, it is only by the hidden providence of God that Joseph is preserved. Worried that they may be held culpable for his death, the boys sell Joseph to a passing Ishmaelite caravan, and then concoct evidence to prove his death to Jacob. Interestingly, nowhere in this story is God mentioned. Yet that does not mean God is absent.
But exactly how is God present? After the passage of time, Joseph will come to acknowledge how God preserved his life (Genesis 45:5). God is present as the dreamer and the dream are both protected (see Walter Brueggemann, Genesis [John Knox Press, 1982], p. 293). Understanding what it means to trust God in a time of crisis is key to not only understanding the narrative of Joseph’s life, but ours as well.
As Brueggemann has noted elsewhere, “Joseph is a case study of the way in which God acts characteristically in Israel’s life to work good from evil” (see “Psalm 105:1-6, 16-22, 45b,” Proper 14, Ordinary Time 19, in Texts for Preaching, Year A [Westminster/John Knox Press, 1995], p. 438).
Similarly, God’s providential care of Peter figures prominently in Matthew 14:22-33. As Jesus appears to the disciples, they are in a boat which has been battered by waves and wind. They are terrified by his appearance. In this instance, God appears to be hidden but is present. Jesus assures the disciples of his presence, and delivers the hallmark words of the Gospel promise: “Do not be afraid” (v. 27). God’s assurance penetrates the disciples’ fear.
For some reason, Peter does not take heart. He is inclined to question Jesus’ methods, and so demands a chance to be on equal footing with Christ. When Jesus invites Peter to step outside of the boat, he begins to ride the waves. But he is terrified again and begins to sink. The odds are against him, just as they are against Joseph. He cries out for Jesus, “Lord, save me!” Peter’s boldness melted when his gaze fell upon the wind and the waves -- he stopped looking at Jesus.
Peter stepped forward, but panicked when he looked at the realities that surrounded him. There are no guarantees to a life of faith -- except the presence of the One who calls us to step forward. Faith is an activity that pushes us beyond our places of comfort. It is a risky lesson, and one that changed Peter. It could also change the church today.
In the Sermon
Stepping forward in faith is not easy. It was not easy for Joseph to cling to his dream in the depths of the pit, nor was it easy for Peter to remain obedient to Jesus out on the lake. Nor is it easy for either Hamas or Israel to take the risks involved in discovering a lasting peace. It is a messy, sensitive predicament, but such is the risk of obedience that people of faith are called to undertake.
Beginning with Joseph’s dream, a sermon might explore the risks involved with discerning peace in the Middle East. His brothers could not speak peaceably about him -- and yet eventually they learn to take the risks involved with reconciliation. What would it be like within our North American contexts to explore walking the waves of conflict in search of peace?
Taking risks is not easy -- as Peter quickly learns, and as Joseph will discover through his various trials. Yet obedience calls us to step forward. “Faith is only real,” wrote Dietrich Bonhoeffer, “when there is obedience, never without it, and faith only becomes faith in the act of obedience” (The Cost of Discipleship [Macmillan, 1960], pp. 53-60). As the violence in Gaza continues, and the children of Abraham continue to pursue deadly paths, being obedient to God’s desire for reconciliation is indeed a risky endeavor.
An important aspect of risking faith is acknowledging our own contributions to the conflict. While Joseph’s brothers were not able to speak peaceably about him, Joseph was hardly innocent either. Both Joseph and his brothers have contributed to the family’s chaotic way of functioning. They are unable to step forward in faith -- something which is perhaps akin to the intransigent situation in the Middle East.
Secondly, a sermon might also explore God’s providential care for Joseph which leads eventually to reconciliation with his brothers. Like Peter, this family cannot see how God is going to save them. Yet the family conflict is eventually resolved, giving witness to the way the twelve tribes of Israel bring God’s promise into the future (see Terence Fretheim, “The Book of Genesis,” in The New Interpreter’s Bible, Vol. 1 [Abingdon Press, 1994], p. 601). Clearly, just as God’s steadying hand preserves Joseph’s life, it is Jesus’ outstretched arm that raises Peter to new life.
In Maine last week, teenagers from Israel and Palestine gathered by a peaceful lake for three weeks of summer camp. They are eyewitnesses to war, and admit that learning to trust each other is risky. They worry about families back home, and are somewhat fearful of each other. The camp, sponsored by Seeds of Peace, remains dedicated to helping them take steps toward peace. While at camp, the youth learn baseball and go canoeing -- while also learning that taking steps toward peace is a process.
But it is a process that begins with a dream, and moves forward through risky first steps.
SECOND THOUGHTS
by Mary Austin
Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28
As Joseph’s brothers know, hostages and ransoms are very useful tools. Apart from the human pain involved, kidnappings are an appealing way to solve a problem. Joseph has so aggravated his brothers that they are ready to kill him, and then Reuben convinces them otherwise. He plans to ransom Joseph and bring him back to their doting father. The story doesn’t say whether he plans to be the hero of the story or whether he just has a softer heart than his brothers. Either way, the plan gets away from him when Judah sees an opportunity to sell Joseph to some foreign traders. They sell Joseph off and end up rid of him, and richer, all at once.
In today’s world, kidnappings are useful too -- and big business.
Al Qaeda uses kidnappings to finance its operations, targeting Europeans whose governments will pay a ransom, often labeled “development aid.” As the New York Times reports, “While European governments deny paying ransoms, an investigation by the New York Times found that Al Qaeda and its direct affiliates have taken in at least $125 million in revenue from kidnappings since 2008, of which $66 million was paid just last year.” The payments come from European governments, who channel the funds “through a network of proxies, sometimes masking it as development aid, according to interviews conducted for this article with former hostages, negotiators, diplomats, and government officials in 10 countries in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.” If you pick the right victim, kidnapping pays.
In Pakistan, infighting among the Taliban has inspired a recent rash of kidnappings there too. As the Pakistani Taliban splinter, each separate group is now seeking funds for their own operations. The Wall Street Journal reports, “Pakistan’s commercial hub, Karachi, has long been a notorious center for kidnapping, but these crimes are now increasingly being committed by Taliban factions or criminals they subcontract. Taliban-linked groups are also extending the practice to parts of the country where kidnappings have been rarer, including the capital, Islamabad.” The Taliban kidnap wealthy victims or government officials, but now “in some cases, kidnapping gangs of ordinary criminals sell their victims to the Taliban-linked groups, which then demand much higher ransoms from their families.”
Recognition, more than money, was the payoff in Nigeria, where parents are still waiting for news of their daughters, kidnapped months ago. The kidnappings brought worldwide attention to Boko Haram, the group which claimed responsibility. At the end of June, the group kidnapped more people, including some adult women and some boys. The Nigerian government and President Goodluck Jonathan seem stumped about where to search for the kidnapping victims, and how to rein in Boko Haram.
National Geographic writes about the kidnapping as part of a larger pattern around the world. As the article notes, “the International Labour Organization estimates that about 1.2 million children are trafficked worldwide, and the U.S. State Department says as many as 27 million men, women, and children are victims of trafficking at any given time.” Benjamin N. Lawrance, an expert in trafficking, says in the article, “Nigeria is an important location for trafficked children coming from many countries, primarily for domestic work, for mining, for laboring in cacao fields or other agricultural industry, and also for prostitution.” The article observes that kidnapping for sexual purposes receives more attention than people kidnapped to serve as cheap labor, but people forced into servitude also suffer. Poverty and political instability fuel kidnapping as a labor tool, but so does geography. “Natural resources such as mines that require labor and are far from the watchful eyes of authorities, remote areas where traffickers can operate or hide, and porous borders can all contribute to the problem.” Also, natural disasters play a role, particularly when relief workers leave, taking the safety net with them.
Oddly, simple things can have a big impact. “Worldwide, some 230 million children under the age of five do not have birth certificates, a key document for tracking vulnerable populations and -- as UNICEF’s [chief of child protection Susan] Bissell calls it -- ‘a passport to protection.’ UNICEF has launched a program to fix that problem, and is aiming for universal registration by 2035.”
Joseph’s problem was a little different -- his family knew where he was, at least to start, and he knew where he belonged. Looking ahead, we know that after all of his ordeals Joseph is able to tell his brothers that though they meant him harm, God used his kidnapping for good. As Luke Powery writes for the African-American Lectionary about Joseph’s ordeal, and being thrown into the pit or a place of despair: “Pits do not necessarily destroy us or our dreams. Waiting does not kill us.... A dream deferred is not a dream denied. Wait on the Lord and be of good courage. Yes! Rough times are coming, but sweet change is also coming. Yes. Some old enemies and old problems will come back for another round. But we are better now, stronger, so much better.”
Reading this story, we can hardly wait for next week’s installment in which things improve for Joseph. We can hardly wait for God to turn the tables. We know that Joseph’s advancement couldn’t happen without his descent, and yet we like the second half of the story better than the first. For the people in our world who are in the pit of kidnapping, of being held somewhere, future uncertain, we long for the assurance of God’s presence with them too. We’re eager for the second half of their story also. We hope for reversals and restoration for them, for God to make the divine power known. Since their stories parallel Joseph’s, it seems impossible to imagine that God will use their time away for good, as with Joseph, and yet we lift up our prayers that it is so.
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Dean Feldmeyer:
Top Five Dreamers
FamilyEducation.com’s five dreamers who changed human history:
1) Mother Teresa was born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu on August 27, 1910, in Skopje, Macedonia. At the age of 18, she joined the Order of the Sisters of Our Lady of Loreto in Ireland. She chose the name of Sister Teresa, in memory of Saint Therese of Lisieux. Mother Teresa spent over 50 years helping the poor. Her devotion to humanity was recognized by the world -- she was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize in 1979.
2) Martin Luther King was a black civil rights leader and Baptist clergyman. He pioneered nonviolent resistance in the civil rights movement. He was ordained a Baptist minister in 1947. After the arrest of Rosa Parks, he led a 382-day boycott of segregated buses in Montgomery, Alabama, successfully leading to a court injunction ordering bus desegregation.
3) The wife of a popular U.S. president, Anna Eleanor Roosevelt was a tireless worker for social causes. She was a niece of President Theodore Roosevelt, and in 1905 she married her cousin, Franklin Delano Roosevelt. When Franklin became president in 1933, Eleanor became a powerful voice on behalf of a wide range of social causes, including youth employment and civil rights for black people and women.
4) Did you know that Langston Hughes dropped out of the engineering program at Columbia University to write poetry? He was a prolific writer and helped shape the artistic movement of the 1920s known as the Harlem Renaissance.
5) Albert Einstein is probably the most famous scientist of the 20th century. He revolutionized and reshaped scientific thinking in the modern world. Acknowledged as the greatest theoretical physicist who ever lived, his 1921 Nobel Prize was awarded not for his theory of relativity but for his theory of the photoelectric effect.
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Dreamers and Dissenters
Men and women who worked for the right to vote for women at the turn of the 20th century were called suffragists. But they were often frustrated in their efforts by recalcitrant politicians -- all of whom were men.
When the suffragists failed to achieve voting rights for women by peaceful methods, many women began to advocate a more militant approach. These groups became known as the suffragettes. Their motto was “Deeds not Words.”
In 1903, Emmeline Pankhurst founded the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU) in England with her daughters Christabel and Sylvia. The WSPU adopted militant tactics. They chained themselves to railings, disrupted public meetings, and damaged public property. In 1913, Emily Davison was killed throwing herself under the King’s horse at the Epsom Derby.
Suffragettes were arrested and imprisoned, but continued their protest in prison by hunger strike. Although initially they were fed by force, in 1913 the Prisoners Temporary Discharge for Ill-Health Act was passed in Parliament. Commonly known as the Cat and Mouse Act, this allowed prison authorities to release hunger-striking women prisoners when they became too weak, and rearrest them when they had recovered. Emmeline Pankhurst was jailed and released on 11 occasions.
When the First World War broke out in 1914, the suffragettes and suffragists stopped their campaign in support of the government’s war effort. In 1918 -- after the war -- women were given limited voting rights.
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A Dreamer Who’s Still Thinking Big
The founder of PayPal and the commercial spaceflight company SpaceX Corp., 42-year-old Elon Musk is probably the closest thing we have to a real-life version of Iron Man’s Tony Stark, a superhero with startup capital.
When he’s not launching rockets into space, the South-African-born Musk is the CEO for Tesla Motors, which released its first all-electric sports car model, the Tesla Roadster, in 2008. In 2013, Musk announced his proposal for a Hyperloop, a pneumatic traveling tube that would whisk passengers from Los Angeles to San Francisco in 30 minutes; whether that comes to pass or not, the news coverage showed once again that when Musk talks about an idea, the media listens. His SpaceX Corp. now delivers supplies to the International Space Station, using its Dragon spacecraft. Musk envisions that the Dragon/Falcon 9 combination will eventually transport crew as well, and his Falcon 9 Heavy rocket may begin lifting payloads beyond Earth orbit in 2014. Another space visionary, Dennis Tito, has expressed interest in using a Dragon module for his proposed 2018 Mars flyby. It’s not a reach to say that Musk’s vision may one day make it possible for human civilization to leave our planet.
Musk, who has said that he works up to 100 hours per week, still finds time for philanthropic interests; in 2012, he pledged his support to help preserve and restore the Long Island Wardenclyffe laboratory of Nikola Tesla -- himself one of the greatest visionaries of all time.
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A Vision in Stone
Ask most Americans if they recognize the name Gutzon Borglum, and they won’t have a clue. But ask them if the know who is on Mount Rushmore, and they will be able to name most if not all of the four presidents sculpted into the side of the 6,000-foot mountain.
And they would be surprised to know that it was Gutzon Borglum who brought them there.
By 1927 Borglum, the son of Swedish immigrants, had already made a name for himself for his huge sculptures of figures from American history. So it was to him that the state of South Dakota turned when they decided to have the giant sculpture done.
Borglum began sculpting the images of George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, and Theodore Roosevelt in 1927, with most of the sculpting done by experienced miners under his direction. Working with jackhammers and dynamite, they removed some 400,000 tons of outer rock, cutting within three inches of the final surface.
Washington’s head was unveiled in 1930, Jefferson’s in 1936, Lincoln’s in 1937, and Roosevelt’s in 1939. The work was completed in 1941, the year of Borglum’s death, although the last details were completed by his son, Lincoln Borglum, some 14 years after it was begun.
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Ten Years of Silence
Blogger James Clear writes about the work of Carnegie-Mellon psychologist John Hayes, who has done extensive studies on the length of time and amount of work it takes to be a world-class success at something:
Hayes started his research by examining successful composers. He analyzed thousands of musical pieces produced between the years of 1685 to 1900. The central question that drove his work was, “How long after one becomes interested in music is it that one becomes world-class?”
Eventually, Hayes developed a list of 500 pieces that were played frequently by symphonies around the world and were considered to be the “masterworks” in the field. These 500 popular pieces were created by a total of 76 composers.
Next, Hayes mapped out the timeline of each composer’s career and calculated how long they had been working before they created their popular works. What he discovered was that virtually every single “masterwork” was written after year ten of the composer’s career. (Out of 500 pieces there were only three exceptions, which were written in years eight and nine.)
Not a single person produced incredible work without putting in a decade of practice first. Even a genius like Mozart had to work for at least ten years before he produced something that became popular. Professor Hayes began to refer to this period, which was filled with hard work and little recognition, as the “ten years of silence.”
In follow-up studies, Hayes found similar patterns among famous painters and popular poets. These findings have been further confirmed by research from professors like K. Anders Ericsson, who produced research that revealed that you needed to put in “10,000 hours” to become an expert in your field. (This idea was later popularized by Malcolm Gladwell.)
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From team member Leah Lonsbury:
Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28
It can be a dangerous thing to be a dreamer. Joseph knows this. So do two American missionary medical personnel who have recently been airlifted from Africa to Atlanta after contracting the Ebola virus from their patients.
What kind of risks do we take for what we perceive to be God’s dream?
*****
Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28
One church in New Hampshire is having its vision of God’s dream reinforced after multiple rainbow flags, a sign that the church is welcoming of all people, were stolen from its building. The Rev. Eliza Buchakjian-Tweedy, pastor of First Church Congregational of Rochester, New Hampshire, wrote on a blog about the thefts: “We are expecting vandalism. But this is more important. Being a safe place, including our conviction that God’s love encompasses all people -- no asterisks, no exceptions -- is worth a little annoyance.”
Buchakijian-Tweedy also reported the thefts to the police and put the word out on Facebook and to other like-minded clergy that thieves were stealing rainbow flags. The response was “extraordinary,” says Buchakjian-Tweedy. The church received dozens of rainbow flags, garlands, and banners from supporters.
By hanging the flags, “we are saying to the LGBT community, who are often silenced and bullied and told they are unlovable in the eyes of God, that they are worthy of love and are beloved,” Buchakjian-Tweedy told the Rochester Times. “The flag is for kids who are alone and might attempt suicide and for people who have been rejected by their families and their churches.”
How is our willingness to take risks and work for the unfolding of God’s dream (as we perceive it) reinforced? What is stolen from us or what knocks do we encounter when we dream God’s dream? How do we keep on dreaming?
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Matthew 14:22-33
Peter is distracted by the strong wind and the storm swirling around him, and he loses his focus on Jesus. So he sinks.
What happens when we get distracted by the storms around us and lose our focus on the sustaining vision of Jesus? Well, we had probably better start plugging our nose.
The vision or dream of the United States was framed early on by poet Emma Lazarus’ sonnet “The New Colossus.” Lazarus wrote it in the voice of Lady Liberty as she welcomes immigrants into her care. Lady Liberty says:
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!
Sounds like something Jesus might say. So what happens when we lose sight of this kind of formative vision and its insistence that our nation be a place of refuge and welcome?
This. We start accusing children who have crossed into our nation illegally of being carriers of Ebola.
Feel the waters rising around us?
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From team member Ron Love:
Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28
A Los Angeles judge recently ruled that Rochelle Sterling, the estranged wife of Donald Sterling, could sell the Los Angeles Clippers to Steve Ballmer for a record $2 billion. Pierce O’Donnell, the lawyer representing Ms. Sterling, said that she was “one woman who stood up against her husband, who had the courage to go to court and prevailed. So for the cynics out there, sometimes it works out O.K. This is a Hollywood ending.”
Application: The story of Joseph, a tragic as it begins, does have a Hollywood ending.
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Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28
Defensive lineman Michael Sam made headlines when was drafted in the final round by the St. Louis Rams this year -- making him potentially the first openly homosexual player to play in the NFL. Dispelling concerns about his sexual orientation, Sam said that he expects the media questions to be primarily about football “When I lay somebody out that first game.”
Application: Joseph dispelled the judgment of everyone when he succeeded as a leader in Egypt.
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Romans 10:5-15
It has been recently revealed that the internet dating service OKCupid manipulates their matches in order to test their site. By providing false information to clients, they test the validity of many of the questions and matching techniques. These manipulated matches are unknown to the user, who thinks he or she is being paired with a compatible individual. OKCupid justifies this as being the same as when a new medicine is tested using a placebo.
Application: The assurance we have from Paul is that we never have to question truth.
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Matthew 14:22-33
The New York Times recently featured an article with thoughts on some of the greatest actors who have ever portrayed Shakespeare’s Hamlet. In his mid-70s, the legendary Laurence Olivier reflected on a role that shaped his career: “Once you have played it, it will devour you and obsess you for the rest of your life. It has me. I think each day about it. I’ll never play him again, of course, but by God, I wish I could.”
Application: Peter will never forget the encounter with Jesus and the attempt to walk on the water.
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Matthew 14:22-33
With the 100th anniversary of the onset of World War I this year, there have been numerous articles regarding the conflict. When the war began, commanders failed to adapt to new tactics. One battlefield tactic they could not relinquish was the use of cavalry. While it was previously an effective fighting force, the invention of barbed wire made cavalry assaults obsolete. Yet both armies kept cavalry units, even though they were never deployed.
Application: Peter will never forget how his inability to have the faith to walk on water was of no difference than a cavalry solider confronting barbed wire.
WORSHIP RESOURCES
by George Reed
Call to Worship
Leader: O give thanks to God, call on his name.
People: We will make known God’s deeds among the peoples.
Leader: Sing to God, sing praises.
People: We will tell of all God’s wonderful works.
Leader: Glory in God’s holy name; let the hearts of those who seek God rejoice.
People: We will seek God and God’s strength. We will seek God’s presence continually.
OR
Leader: The God of all creation calls us to worship and praise.
People: We lift our voices to the God who is always creating.
Leader: God calls us and all creation to the wholeness God has envisioned from the beginning.
People: We offer ourselves to be made whole and to work for wholeness for all.
Leader: God delights in creation and our participation in creating it.
People: With joy we join God in the work of healing creation.
Hymns and Sacred Songs
“I Sing the Almighty Power of God”
found in:
UMH: 152
H82: 398
PH: 208
NCH: 12
W&P: 31
Renew: 54
“Many and Great, O God”
found in:
UMH: 148
H82: 385
PH: 271
NCH: 3
CH: 58
ELA: 837
W&P: 26
“This Is My Father’s World”
found in:
UMH: 144
H82: 651
PH: 293
AAHH: 149
NNBH: 41
CH: 59
LBW: 554
ELA: 824
W&P: 21
AMEC: 41
“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
“Lord, You Give the Great Commission”
found in:
UMH: 584
H82: 528
PH: 429
CH: 459
ELA: 579
W&P: 592
Renew: 305
“O Zion, Haste”
found in:
UMH: 573
H82: 539
NNBH: 422
LBW: 397
ELA: 668
AMEC: 566
“O Day of God, Draw Nigh”
found in:
UMH: 730
H82: 600, 601
PH: 452
NCH: 611
CH: 700
“How Firm a Foundation”
found in:
UMH: 529
H82: 636, 637
PH: 361
AAHH: 146
NNBH: 48
NCH: 407
CH: 618
LBW: 507
ELA: 796
W&P: 411
AMEC: 433
“We Are His Hands”
found in:
CCB: 85
“Shine, Jesus, Shine”
found in:
CCB: 81
Renew: 247
Music Resources Key:
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982 (The Episcopal Church)
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
AAHH: African-American Heritage Hymnal
NNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
LBW: Lutheran Book of Worship
ELA: Evangelical Lutheran Worship
W&P: Worship & Praise
AMEC: African Methodist Episcopal Church Hymnal
STLT: Singing the Living Tradition
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
Renew: Renew! Songs & Hymns for Blended Worship
Prayer for the Day / Collect
O God who holds a wonderful and exciting vision for creation: Grant to us your grace, that we may not only see the vision but that we might have the courage to pursue it; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We praise you, O God of wondrous visions. You offer us a glimpse of creation as you see it. We are awed by its beauty and drawn to its majesty. Fill us now with your Spirit, that we may have the courage to walk with Jesus into the reality of your hopes. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
Leader: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins, and especially our lack of faith and courage to follow God’s vision.
People: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. You have set before us the vision of your creation in peace and harmony. We have been enamored by the vision, but daunted by the work it calls us to do. It is easy for us to dream, but hard for us to turn that dream into reality. Sometimes we are disheartened by the size of the task, forgetting that we can depend on you for our resources. Sometimes we are discouraged because of the immensity of the evil we face. Forgive us, and empower us once more with your Spirit to confidently go forth to bring your vision to reality. Amen.
Leader: God’s vision for creation will come to pass. God waits only for us to do our part. Receive God’s forgiveness and power to be the people God created us to be.
Prayers of the People (and the Lord’s Prayer)
All praise to you, O God of majesty and power. You have formed creation and continue to create as you move us to your wholeness.
(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 have set before us the vision of your creation in peace and harmony. We have been enamored by the vision, but daunted by the work it calls us to do. It is easy for us to dream, but hard for us to turn that dream into reality. Sometimes we are disheartened by the size of the task, forgetting that we can depend on you for our resources. Sometimes we are discouraged because of the immensity of the evil we face. Forgive us, and empower us once more with your Spirit to confidently go forth to bring your vision to reality.
We give you thanks for all the blessings you have given to us. We thank you for the wonders of creation and for the wonders of creation as it shall one day become. We thank you for those who have caught your vision and work to make it a reality. We thank you for Jesus, who made your vision to clear to us.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for all of creation that is not yet as it could be. We pray for those who have lost hope and courage in making things better. As you move among us with your Spirit of salvation, help us to renew our faith in you and your vision.
(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 dreams, perhaps your own, of being a great athlete or pianist or whatever -- and how that takes dedication and work. The dream is great and you really want it, but then you realize just how much work it is. Hopefully you have an example, if not your own, of another who stuck to it and became what they dreamed of. Martin Luther King had a dream. Mother Teresa had a dream. It was hard work, but they did it. God has a dream for us of living together in love and peace with God and one another. It is hard work. It is not easy to get along with some people. But God’s vision is best -- and if we work hard, we will see results.
CHILDREN’S SERMON
Taking a Deep Breath
Matthew 14:22-33
Object: a deep breath
How many of you have ever been afraid? (let the children answer) Tell me about a time recently when you were afraid. (let them answer)
Fear is not a bad thing. Sometimes it keeps us from getting into trouble. For instance, I am afraid of fire and when I am around a fire I am very careful. All of us have fears.
How do you handle your fear? (let them answer) When I am afraid, I take a very deep breath. (take a deep breath) Let me hear you take a deep breath. (let them take several deep breaths) We feel a lot better after we have breathed deeply.
One night, the disciples were in a boat and they thought they saw someone walking on the water. It looked like a ghost and they were paralyzed with fear. On top of that, it was storming and the waves were coming into the boat. That's pretty scary, isn’t it? (let them answer) The Bible says the disciples screamed because they were afraid.
Then they heard a soft but strong voice. The voice said, “Calm down. It’s me. Don’t be afraid.” Peter thought this was Jesus and he called out to him to give him courage. The other disciples were still afraid but they were taking deep breaths. (have the children all take deep breaths) Peter was afraid, so he asked Jesus to command him to get out of the boat and walk toward him.
Jesus invited him to do so with a simple invitation: “Come!” Peter stepped over the side of the boat and began to walk toward Jesus. Just then a wave smacked Peter right in the face, and he became afraid again and immediately sank into the water. Then the disciples saw Jesus reach out and save Peter from the deep sea. All of the disciples, including Peter, took a deep breath and calmed down.
Within moments they were all back in the boat and the wind stopped blowing. It was time for another deep breath. (take deep breaths) Now everything was calm and they finished their trip across the sea. It was a scary night, and it was filled with deep breaths.
The next time you are afraid, perhaps you will remember the night Jesus walked on the water and saved Peter from his fear. Then you will think about taking a big, deep breath and you will calm down.
We all have fears; some of them are for good reasons, but when it is over we need to calm down by taking a deep breath and asking Jesus to come and be with us through our fears and our calm.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, August 10, 2014, issue.
Copyright 2014 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.
