In this week’s lectionary gospel text, Jesus picks up right where he left off last week by continuing to criticize our capacity for greed and the selfish pursuit of accumulating possessions. When he tells the disciples to “sell your possessions, and give alms,” that certainly goes against the grain of the advice we receive about saving for retirement. The financial planning professionals encourage us to save as much as possible in order to have all our bases covered and enjoy our “golden years.” But no matter how well we think we’ve prepared, life has a way of upsetting our best-laid plans with nasty curveballs -- a fact that Jesus underlines when he reminds us that a thief can come without warning... as an Ohio woman discovered to her chagrin when she returned from vacation and discovered that her family’s house had been ransacked and its locks changed because a local bank’s agents mistakenly foreclosed on the wrong property. Team member Chris Keating notes in this installment of The Immediate Word that we too need to be ever alert and ready for whatever comes -- not by saving wealth, but by spiritual preparation -- because we never know when God will surprise us by suddenly breaking into our lives. If we haven’t made the proper provisions, we run the risk of being oblivious to Jesus and missing out on the special treasures he has in store for us when we encounter him in the people, places, and times we least anticipate.
Team member Mary Austin offers some additional thoughts on the Isaiah passage and its excoriation of elaborate rituals when we ought to be more interested in action -- “seek[ing] justice, rescu[ing] the oppressed, defend[ing] the orphan, plead[ing] for the widow.” Mary notes that weddings and funerals -- the entry points into our churches for many non-members -- have become in many cases more of an ostentatious production than a celebration of word and sacrament... an attitude that’s reflected in our popular culture. And Mary suggests that it’s not merely our weddings and funerals that might raise Isaiah’s hackles -- it’s also our often empty worship practices and flailing about as we try to think about how to market ourselves to young “millennials” who are increasingly choosing “none of the above” as their spiritual affiliation. What Isaiah tells us they’re looking for, Mary intimates, is religious practice that’s more about substance than about show.
Surprise, Surprise, Surprise
by Chris Keating
Luke 12:32-40
It’s the night before camp, and the last thing you need is a surprise.
Reviewing the packing list calms the nerves of anxious parents and campers alike: extra socks and underwear... check. Sunscreen... check. Water bottle... check. Notepad, Bible, pencil... check. Toss in the favorite pillow, a swimsuit, and a towel, and the bag is ready to be hauled to the car.
But not before you run through the list one more time.
While birthday surprises and Christmas morning shockers may bring delight, there’s little joy to be found in being caught off-guard or shockingly unprepared. Just as no child wants to show up at summer camp without their favorite pillow, no one wants a car that won’t start, a hotel room without hot water, or a PowerPoint presentation that won’t open.
It just makes sense. Planning ahead eases the anxieties of life. When floodwaters begin to rise or storms knock over power lines, there is comfort in knowing we’ve taken the advice of FEMA and planned ahead. The government agency’s website reminds us to “Prepare. Plan. Stay Informed.”
After all, as the old hotel ads used to boast, “The best surprise is no surprise.” That may be especially true for Christ’s disciples, who are called to maintain a posture of alert readiness in waiting for the arrival of God’s reign.
“Be prepared,” Jesus instructs the disciples. “Be dressed and ready for action.” It may sound as though he’s instructing a pack of scouts or briefing a combat platoon. Ironically, however, the state of preparedness Jesus urges is meant to equip the disciples to anticipate God’s surprising entrance into our world. Disciples are called to live lives of obedient anticipation -- always prepared for the surprising ways God appears.
Jesus’ emphasis in this week’s gospel lesson is a reminder that waiting for the kingdom is not a time of sitting back and doing nothing. Discipleship is matter of living in constant watchfulness. It is a calling of diligence, and waiting deep into the night. Just as a thief can come without warning, or a late-arriving master may show up at any minute, Jesus’ disciples never know when, how, or where God’s surprise may catch them off-guard.
As Jim Nabors’ 1960s TV character private Gomer Pyle would often tell his exasperated sergeant, “Surprise, surprise, surprise!”
In the News
Jesus’ admonition that the owner of the house did not know when the thief would come certainly rings true for an Ohio woman who recently returned home after vacation to find that a bank had mistakenly foreclosed on her home. Struggling to enter her own home, Katie Barnett crawled through a window because her locks had been changed. Once inside, she discovered that the house had been cleared. Almost everything she owned had been removed, including furniture, her children’s clothing, and supplies for cleaning the family pool.
Surprise, surprise, surprise.
After a police investigation, she learned that the First National Bank of Wellston (Ohio) had sent employees to foreclose on her neighbor’s home. Apparently the employees’ GPS mistakenly led them to Barnett’s house instead. Because her grass hadn’t been mowed and the house looked unoccupied, the foreclosure team assumed her house was the one scheduled for repossession.
Oops.
The workers changed Barnett’s locks, tossed rooms of her possessions into the trash, and even offered some of her belongings to neighbors. Barnett and her children are continuing to live in the house, and the single mother has purchased new clothing for her children. The bank disputes some of Barnett’s claims for missing items, but has issued a statement apologizing for the mistake. “This situation was a mistake on the part of our bank and -- as we have done previously -- we sincerely apologize to the homeowner for the inconvenience and concern it may have caused,” said bank president Tony Thorne in a statement.
Her sense of surprise has changed into anger. “Now, I’m just angry,” Barnett said. “It wouldn’t be a big deal if they would step up and say ‘I’m sorry, we will replace your stuff.’ Instead, I’m getting attitude from them. They’re sarcastic when they talk to me. They make it sound like I’m trying to rip the bank off. All I want is my stuff back.”
There is one thing which isn’t surprising about this story, however. Barnett has now engaged an attorney and is planning on suing the bank.
The lesson for the bank and its employees seems clear. Assumptions can lead to costly consequences. Sometimes, our assumptions can even impair our ability to be surprised by what God is doing, as demonstrated by a bumbling interview by FoxNews.com anchor Lauren Green last week.
In a segment that has generated plenty of internet commentary, Green interviewed Reza Aslan about his recent book Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth. Aslan is a religious scholar and expert in the New Testament who happens to be Muslim. Yet rather than focusing on Aslan’s historical research and scholarly views about Jesus, Green instead seemed baffled about why a Muslim would choose to write a book about Jesus.
In response, Aslan reviewed his credentials as a scholar. And then he did it again. And again. While obviously annoyed about Green’s line of questioning, he remained calm, patiently reciting his qualifications at least three times, firmly establishing himself as a well-known authority on the historical Jesus. But it was to no avail, as the nearly ten-minute interview rarely deviated from Green’s insistence that Aslan must have a hidden agenda in writing about Jesus.
She seemed to assume he was trying to pull a fleece over the eyes of an unsuspecting Christian flock.
At one particularly nerve-shattering point, she wonders if a Muslim writing about the founder of Christianity is a bit like a Democrat writing about Ronald Reagan.
In response, Aslan calmly suggested that it would actually be like a professor with a Ph.D. in political science who has spent 20 years researching Ronald Reagan, who also happens to be a Democrat. The interview concluded without exploring many of the claims Aslan raises in his book.
Aslan’s claims about Jesus will be debated in and out of the church, but that is not primary point. Compared to other religious historians, Aslan’s conclusions may not be so surprising. What is intriguing is his passionate interest in devoting his life to studying Jesus. As he says, “I am convinced that one can be a devoted follower of Jesus without being a Christian, just as I know that one can be a Christian without being a follower of Jesus.” (Check here for a detailed analysis of the claims Aslan makes about Jesus.)
In the end, Green, who is Christian, seemed to get tangled by her own assumptions. She missed the opportunity for a meaningful conversation on what new insights Aslan might offer to dialogues about Jesus. The interview was horribly bungled, becoming what Slate writer Daniel Politi called it perhaps the “single most cringe-worthy, embarrassing interview on Fox News.” While her network has defended her interview, even friends of hers were left wondering what had happened.
But it also seems that Green’s assumptions kept her from seeing the astonishing truth that somehow a Muslim scholar’s encounter with the Christ of faith and the Jesus of history could yield new insights for the faithful. It is easy to be lulled into thinking that defending the faith means being diligent against strangers. Yet, as Luke reminds us in chapter 12, being watchful actually means remaining open to surprises. “Blessed are those slaves whom the master finds alert when he comes,” says Jesus. “Truly I tell you, he will fasten his belt and have them sit down to eat, and he will come and serve them.”
Surprise, surprise, surprise.
In the Scriptures
Luke has interspersed his gospel with hints of the startling ways God arrives, a theme he continues to explore in this week’s lection. The disciples are bench players, eager to be called into the game. They are to be free of possessions, and focused on the unfailing treasure of heaven. Disciples are to be nimble-footed and focused, dressed for action with lamps trimmed and ready to burn.
Jesus bolsters this point with two mini-parables about slaves waiting for their master to come home from a wedding banquet and thieves breaking into a house. The first parable conveys God’s blessing upon those who are dressed and ready to go to work. When the master comes back from the party, the servants are wearing their work clothes. They’re ready to serve him, although he has planned a surprise for them.
Instead of wanting the slaves (doulos in Greek) to serve him, the gracious master switches roles, surprising the staff by preparing a late-night meal for them. Blessed, indeed, are those happy servants, because they have not become weary in their waiting.
On the other hand, surprises await those who have not adequately prepared, as Jesus notes in the second parable. Jesus upbraids the disciples for not remaining alert, giving them the example of a thief entering a home. Since burglars rarely call ahead to schedule break-ins, the homeowner seems defenseless. But those who are dressed for action, whose lamps are lit, will remain ready for whatever surprise may come their way.
Blessed are those servants, the doulos who are faithfully prepared and always diligent, and who shall delight in the surprises which God provides.
In the Sermon
Surprises may make us anxious, especially when what we’re waiting for is long in arriving. There is ample evidence to suggest that Luke’s church was filled with great enthusiasm that Jesus would return soon. His intent here seems to suggest that the best way to be prepared for God’s surprising return is ongoing witness and diligence in service.
A sermon might explore this call to faithfulness by noting Jesus’ words of assurance. “Do not be afraid,” he tells the disciples in verse 32, echoing the early statements in chapter 12. A confident faith takes its assurance in God’s abundant provision, and is able to trust that though the wedding has run late, the master will indeed return.
It’s not a matter of just doing busywork or trying to determine exactly when Jesus shall return. Faithfully listening to these words evokes an image of disciples who can delight in the surprising ways signs of God’s kingdom may appear. These are servants of the master who shows up, and then surprisingly reverses the roles by serving the servants a late-night snack.
Surprise, surprise, surprise.
Perhaps a sermon could invite contemporary disciples to remain alert to the surprises of life, whether that is a malfunctioning GPS or scholar of religions whose take on Jesus may catch us off-guard. Such a community trusts that it is always God’s good pleasure to give us the kingdom, and therefore remains open, active, and devoted.
SECOND THOUGHTS
by Mary Austin
Isaiah 1:1, 10-20
Destination weddings, too far away for Grandma and unwanted friends to attend. Say Yes to the Dress. Bridezillas.
Weddings are in the public eye lately, and the focus is more on the spectacle than the marriage. I don’t watch The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, but they’re widely covered in the media, and I’ve never heard any mention of premarital counseling to help the couple actually have a happy marriage. In fact, most of the made-for-TV couples make it to the big sparkly engagement ring, but not the wedding.
The show Say Yes to the Dress follows brides-to-be as they shop for their dream dresses, with mothers, attendants, mothers-in-law, and even dads along, all voicing their opinions. In the handful of occasions I’ve seen the show, each time the bride announces her budget for the dress -- and before the episode ends, the salesperson encourages her to blow past it for the perfect dress.
Even modest weddings have become expensive, and celebrity weddings lift the bar for everyone else, unless the couple has unusual resolve in sticking to a budget and a plan. The last few weddings I’ve done have all had photo booths for fun photos of the guests. Other expensive fads come and go: doves flying away at the end of the ceremony, butterflies to flutter off into the sky, wedding favors like wine with personalized labels, trashing the dress, and on and on. As a guest and as a pastor, I have to say that my favorites are the simplest, where the love and joy of the couple is all the decor we need.
Funerals, always expensive, have also become more showy. As fewer people go to church, funerals have changed into “memorial gatherings” and moved to country clubs, backyards, parks, and firehouses.
For both weddings and funerals, the ceremony is meant to mark a life transition, and to bring our focus to something larger than ourselves. Often, though, the focus is more intensely on the person who died, or on the couple being married. Ritual is meant to be a container for emotion, connecting people in a shared experience. In these splashy, well-produced events, the emotions get lost in the spectacle.
The people of Israel have a similar problem, as all true worship has gotten lost. Through the prophet Isaiah, God is calling the people to attention, thundering at them that their worship has become shallow. It’s all show, and no heart. They follow the forms of worship, and it all looks impressive, but it’s hollow and without conviction. Worse, it’s the display without the justice and righteousness behind it. “Wash yourselves,” Isaiah urges on God’s behalf, “make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your doings from before my eyes.” The people see the sacrifices and feel like they’re doing well. God sees their lack of care for the poor and oppressed, and finds it all empty.
God is calling the people back to worship, and a way of living, that draw on the heart and spirit. As J. Clinton McCann notes on Working Preacher.org: “This divine intent is evident in 1:10-20. Although the indictment of worship dominates the passage (verses 11-15), and although the warning about destructive consequences for persistent rebellion is clear (verse 20), God’s intent is not to punish. The imperatives of verses 16-18 invite transformation, and they culminate in verse 18a with a final invitation that might be translated, ‘Come now, let us correct the situation,’ a possibility that is grounded in God’s willingness to forgive.”
God may have a similar impatience with us. There’s been much conversation lately about how the church can appeal to younger people, who are staying home in droves. Should it be music they enjoy? Screens? Excellent coffee? Or is it something deeper that we’re missing? Rachel Held Evans wrote recently in a CNN opinion piece that “millennials need the church as much as the church needs them,” not for the coffee or the music, but as a place of connection to something older and deeper and wider than themselves. As she notes: “In a culture that stresses individualism, the church satisfies the human need for community, for shared history and experiences. And in a world where technology enables millennials to connect only with those who are like-minded, baptism drags us -- sometimes kicking and screaming as infants -- into the large, dysfunctional, and beautiful family of the church. ‘Sin’ is not a popular word these days, perhaps because it is so often invoked in the context of judgment and condemnation. But like all people, millennials need reminding now and then that the hate and violence we observe in the world is also present within ourselves.... The accountability that comes from participation in a local church gives young Christians the chance to speak openly about our struggles with materialism, greed, gossip, anger, consumerism, and pride.”
Brett McCracken responded to Held in the Washington Post with a reaction not unlike Isaiah’s: “Christianity has become too obsessed with how it is perceived. Just like the Photoshop-savvy millennials she is so desperate to retain, the church is ever more meticulously concerned with her image, monitoring what people are saying about her and taking cues from that.... [P]art of it is Christianity’s capitulation to a consumerist culture where the primary goal is to scratch where the market itches. But at the end of the day, the Christian gospel is defined outside of and with little regard to whatever itch people think Christianity should scratch. Consumerism asserts that people want what they want and get what they want, for a price. It’s all about me.... As a millennial, if I’m truly honest with myself, what I really need from the church is not another yes-man entity enabling my hubris and giving me what I want. Rather, what I need is something bigger than me, older than me, bound by a truth that transcends me and a story that will outlast me; basically, something that doesn’t change to fit me and my whims, but changes me to be the Christ-like person I was created to be.”
Isaiah’s word is true for us too, calling us back to a simpler, truer way of looking for God. God is alive in that place where we see beyond ourselves. God invites us to sacrifice that involves the heart, and giving that enlivens community. Enough with the impressive sacrifices... enough with the displays... enough with the things that look good and feel hollow. God invites us to look beyond our own lives so we can give richly, and live deeply.
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Ron Love:
Isaiah 1:1, 10-20
Ken Hackett was recently appointed as the U.S. ambassador to the Vatican. Previous to this position, Hackett served as the head of Catholic Relief Services. He acknowledges that the policies of the Obama administration and that of the Vatican may not always coincide, but there are places that unity can be a powerful force. Hackett said: “I am going to look for... those opportunities where we can come together and find strength in collaboration, coincidence of interests. There are some powerful connections that together will really make a difference.”
Application: Isaiah sought to bring the people of Israel together so they could become a powerful witness for the Lord.
*****
Isaiah 1:1, 10-20
The influential sociologist Robert Bellah recently died. Bellah, renowned for his research into religion in America, introduced the term “civil religion” into our vocabulary in 1966. He lamented that “Americans want the freedom of radical individualism, but they don’t like the consequences.” The consequences that Bellah was referring to were the decline of institutions and the family and the rise of the conglomerate power of corporations and the government.
Application: Isaiah spoke to a civil religion, or no religion, that took over the people of Israel.
*****
Isaiah 1:1, 10-20
Four months after the death of his son by suicide, Rick Warren returned to his pulpit at Saddleback Church -- and during his initial message he announced that the congregation would begin a new initiative to remove the stigma of mental illness from churches, similar to their previous campaign addressing the stigma associated with AIDS. Warren said, “Ten years ago, God called Kay, and then me, to help remove the stigma attached to HIV and AIDS. Now, it looks like we’re being called to help remove the stigma for a much bigger disease. 34 million people have HIV and AIDS, but 400 million battle mental illness worldwide.”
Application: Isaiah desired to address the big issues facing the Israelites, and once again reorient them to the cause of justice.
*****
Isaiah 1:1, 10-20
It was a David vs. Goliath legal case -- Los Angeles Angels star outfielder Josh Hamilton facing off against a small clothing company. Both produced sports apparel... one enterprise was started by the ballplayer’s wife, while the other began as a small two-man operation in Dallas. But both used the same slogan: “Play Hard, Pray Harder.” Thus it fell to a judge to determine who would be able to continue using the slogan -- and the court sided with the small two-man outfit who originated the slogan in January 2012. (Hamilton began using in it April 2012.) While Hamilton, who preaches how Christianity has helped him battle his drug and alcohol addiction, was disappointed at the decision, he stated that he was “happy to have the distraction resolved,” and quoted from Matthew: “And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well.”
Application: Isaiah spoke to disunity and contention among the followers of the Lord.
*****
Isaiah 1:1, 10-20
Each year, ESPN the Magazine has a “Body Issue” that features artistic nude photographs of several prominent athletes. The athletes pose naked yet discreetly covered, as the images are intended to highlight the grace and beauty of the human body. One of this year’s participants was
tennis star Agnieszka Radwanska, pictured sitting by a pool with floating tennis balls. But Radwanska was heavily criticized in her native Poland, and as a result was even dismissed from a Catholic youth group for which she had served as an ambassador. In a promotional photograph for this group, Radwanska had appeared with tennis balls spelling “I am not ashamed of Jesus.” Radwanska defended her choice to appear in the ESPN photos, saying, “I think it was good for the sport.”
Application: What may be good for the sport of tennis may not be good for the church. It is a question of obedience.
***************
From team member Dean Feldmeyer:
Luke 12:32-40
Surprised by Grace
Grace, by definition, cannot be expected. It is always a surprise. The Bible is full of such surprises.
The woman who is caught in adultery is surprised by Jesus’ forgiving attitude. When she is brought before him for judgment he says to the angry mob, “Let any of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” Surprised by his response, they leave. Then he looks at the woman and says, “Neither do I condemn you.”
We are surprised to hear Jesus say from the cross, “Father forgive them. They don’t know what they are doing.”
But probably the biggest grace surprise in the Bible comes in the book of Jonah. The prophet is himself a self- righteous, judgmental bigot. God, on the other hand, is kind, gentle, and forgiving -- and God can’t understand why Jonah isn’t.
Writing in his book Surprised by Grace (Crossway, 2010) about grace as it appears in the book of Jonah, author Tulian Tchividjian says this: “I’m convinced there’s just as much confusion inside the church as there is outside it regarding the gospel’s true meaning -- sometimes even in churches where the gospel is regularly preached and taught. To get a better grip on the gospel maybe what we need most is to be startled... surprised... even shocked by it” (p. 15).
*****
Luke 12:32-40
Surprised by Light
Back in April of this year (2013), a small news item appeared about how 300 taxi drivers brought their cabs to a remote airstrip in Peru and lit it up with their headlights so a medical evacuation airplane could take off and deliver three people to a hospital for emergency medical care.
The story reminded me of one told by attorney F. Lee Bailey in his book The Defense Never Rests. In that story a bush pilot was bringing medical supplies to a remote village in the mountains. He had calculated that he had enough daylight to reach the village, but forgot that due to the higher horizon it gets dark earlier in the mountains.
By the time he reached the airstrip it was still daylight at the altitude of his plane, but the valley was pitch-dark. The pilot began to circle as the sun went down, desperately hoping for a glimpse of something that would tell him where the landing strip was, but the area only got darker until he was flying nearly blind... and his fuel was running out. Now it was too late to fly somewhere else, and he realized he was going to have to try to land his plane completely blind, in the dark -- a nearly always fatal thing to attempt.
Then all of a sudden he began to see lights on the ground, first a few darting about, then others until they were all lined up in a row, dozens of them. The residents of the village had heard him circling overhead, and realizing what was happening, they called each other and rallied at the airstrip in their cars and pickup trucks to illuminate the landing strip with their headlights.
The landing was made safely and the much-needed medical supplies were delivered on time.
*****
Luke 12:32-40
Surprised by… Garbage
The 1981 New York City garbage strike is considered one of the worst garbage strikes in history. It lasted 17 days, and luckily it was January so the smell didn’t overwhelm the city.
The story may be apocryphal, but it was told that New Yorkers, not knowing what to do with their garbage, would put it in boxes, gift-wrap the boxes, and leave them on the back seats of their unlocked cars while they were at work. When it was time to go home, the boxes would inevitably be gone.
Likewise, the story was told of a New York businessman who decided to save a service charge by changing a fluorescent light tube in his office by himself. The change went successfully, but he didn’t want to discard the old tube at the office because someone might discover what he’d done, so he took it with him on the subway as he headed home, planning to dump it in the first dumpster he came across.
As he stood on the subway holding the tube, another commuter mistook the tube for a handbar and took hold of it. Before long several other commuters had done the same, so that several people were holding on to the glass tube. When the train came to the man’s stop he simply let go of the tube and exited the train, leaving it with the other riders.
*****
Isaiah 1:1, 10-20
Not-So-Solemn Assembly
The record-holder for the world’s most expensive wedding to date is the nuptials of Vanisha Mittal (daughter of billionaire Lakshmi Mittal) and investment banker Amit Bhatia. This wedding took place in 2004 at Vaux le Vicomte, a 17th-century chateau in France. The elaborate, outrageous wedding has been honored by Forbes magazine as one of the most expensive weddings, and currently ranks in the Guinness Book of World Records for the most expensive wedding ever recorded, with $78 million spent. The wedding went on for five days, and included extravagances such as invitations sent out in a 20-page silver book, 100 different dishes prepared by a top Calcutta chef, a wine tab of $1.5 million, and 1,000 guests on hand to witness the world’s most expensive wedding ceremony ever.
In the list of the ten most expensive weddings ever, the nuptials of Donald Trump and Melania Knauss took tenth place with a measly $1 million spent.
*****
Isaiah 1:1, 10-20
Big Church, Big Pastor
The largest church building in the world is the Faith Tabernacle in Otta, Nigeria, with an indoor seating capacity of 50,400, and outdoor overflow seating for 250,000. It is the international headquarters of Winners Chapel and David Oyedepo Ministries International, and covers about 70 acres inside a church complex of more than 10,500 acres called Canaanland. (You can see pictures of the facility here.) The building took 12 months to be completed. The laying of the foundation took place on August 29, 1998, and the building was dedicated on September 19, 1999, with 97,800 people in attendance. The structure, where four services are held every Sunday, was purportedly built without any debts and within a year of work beginning.
*****
Isaiah 1:1, 10-20
Biggest Church in America
The largest church building and congregation in the U.S. is the Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas, led by Joel Osteen and his wife Lisa. Located in the 16,800-seat building formerly known as the Summit and the Compaq Center, the facility previously served as the home of several Houston professional sports franchises, including the Rockets (NBA), the Comets (WNBA), and the Aeros (WHA). Weekly worship attendance at multiple services is estimated at approximately 43,500, and the church also offers a Spanish language service that is attended by about 6,000 people per week.
When Lakewood took over the building, the church paid $11.8 million in advanced rent on a 30-year lease, then spent an estimated $75 million renovating the building to their needs.
WORSHIP RESOURCES
by George Reed
Call to Worship
Leader: Our God, the mighty one, speaks.
People: God summons the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting.
Leader: God calls to the heavens above and to the earth.
People: God calls the people to judgment.
Leader: Those who bring thanksgiving as their sacrifice honor God.
People: Those who go the right way will see the salvation of God.
OR
Leader: Come and let us meet our God in worship.
People: With joy and anticipation we expect God to meet us here.
Leader: Listen carefully for God’s voice today.
People: We listen so we can hear it now and after we leave this place.
Leader: It is good to have a place where we expect God to visit us.
People: It is awesome that God also comes in unexpected ways.
Hymns and Sacred Songs
“O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing”
found in:
UMH: 57, 59
H82: 493
PH: 466
AAHH: 184
NNBH: 23
NCH: 42
CH: 5
LBW: 559
ELA: 886
W&P: 96
AMEC: 1, 2
Renew: 32
“God of the Sparrow, God of the Whale”
found in:
UMH: 122
PH: 272
NCH: 32
CH: 70
ELA: 740
W&P: 29
“Hope of the World”
found in:
UMH: 178
H82: 472
PH: 360
NCH: 46
CH: 538
LBW: 493
W&P: 404
“Open My Eyes, That I May See”
found in:
UMH: 454
PH: 324
NNBH: 218
CH: 586
W&P: 480
AMEC: 285
“Like the Murmur of the Dove’s Song”
found in:
UMH: 544
H82: 513
PH: 314
NCH: 270
CH: 245
ELA: 403
W&P: 327
Renew: 280
“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
“Here, O My Lord, I See Thee”
found in:
UMH: 623
H82: 318
PH: 520
NCH: 336
CH: 416
LBW: 211
AMEC: 531
“Now the Silence”
found in:
UMH: 619
H82: 333
CH: 415
LBW: 205
ELA: 460
W&P: 700
Renew: 221
“Open Our Eyes, Lord”
found in:
CCB: 77
Renew: 91
“Awesome God”
found in:
CCB: 17
Renew: 245
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 comes to us in many surprising and unexpected ways: Grant us the faith to trust that you are present in every situation and the will to look for you in new and different places; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We come to worship you, O God, hopeful and yet leery of the way you may make yourself known to us. We want to hear a message from you, but we hope it will be a familiar message. Open us more fully to your presence, that we may receive what you have for our salvation this day. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
Leader: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins, and especially our desire for security that blocks our sense of adventure and excitement.
People: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We have become so comfortable in our lives that we are afraid of any change. We want things to stay the way they are even if they are not good, because we have learned how to live this way. We do not want to be surprised. We do not seek after adventure and the newness of life that God offers us in Jesus Christ. We are but shadows. Forgive us and renew us, O God, that we may once again find joy in life. Amen.
Leader: God desires us to know life in all its fullness. God forgives our past and welcomes us into the future.
Prayers of the People (and the Lord’s Prayer)
We praise you, O God of surprises. You come to us in some many different ways, but always in love and grace.
(The following paragraph may be used if a separate prayer of confession has not been used.)
We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We have become so comfortable in our lives that we are afraid of any change. We want things to stay the way they are even if they are not good, because we have learned how to live this way. We do not want to be surprised. We do not seek after adventure and the newness of life that God offers us in Jesus Christ. We are but shadows. Forgive us and renew us, O God, that we may once again find joy in life.
We give you thanks for all the ways you have made yourself known to us. You have come in ways that we expected and which comforted us. You have come in surprising ways, and at times it has been uncomfortable, but you have always come in love to lead us to abundant life in you.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for your creation and all your children. We continue to ignore your direction and instruction. We pray that we may all grow in wisdom as well as knowledge. Help us to see the glorious future you have in mind for us 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
Do you like surprises? Are some surprises better than others? Getting a present for your birthday you wanted but didn’t expect is pretty good. Finding out it is raining on the day you were going swimming isn’t so good. God surprises us sometimes also. We expect to come and meet God in worship, but sometimes God meets us in other places -- maybe in a hug we get that we didn’t expect, or being forgiven by someone when we thought we would be punished. Because God is love and loves us, we know that God’s surprises are always good.
CHILDREN’S SERMON
Be Ready!
Luke 12:32-40
How many of you have ever gone on a camping trip, where you will sleep in sleeping bags and be far away from any civilization? (Let the children answer.)
When we are planning to go on this kind of a trip, it’s very important to be sure that we have everything with us that we will need. Once we are out there in the woods or mountains, there will be no store or any other place to get the things we need, so have to be sure we have everything. We need to be ready. What are some of the things that we would need to take? (Let them answer, and write down the things they suggest on a notepad. If they forget important items, suggest them and add them to the list.) Well, that’s a good list. I think if we had all those things we would be ready.
Now, children, the Bible tells us that there is another trip we will all be going on one day, and it’s very important to be ready for that trip too. Jesus will be coming back one day to take us all with him to heaven. He tells us that we should be ready for that trip. What do we have to do to be ready for that trip? Do we need sleeping bags or tents? (Let them answer.)
Actually, there is only one essential thing which will make us ready for that trip. Jesus is going to take everybody who believes in him and loves him into heaven. So if you believe in Jesus and you know that he died on the cross to pay for your sins, you will be ready to make the trip with him. How many of you are ready if he comes today? (Let them answer.)
That’s great! I’m glad you are all his friends and that you’re ready to go with him when he comes. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if everyone in the world was ready? Let’s pray for that.
Prayer: Dear Jesus: We are ready to go with you when you come for us. We pray for all the people of the world who are not ready. Send your Holy Spirit to convince the whole world of your truth so that everyone will be ready when you come. Amen.
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The Immediate Word, August 11, 2013, issue.
Copyright 2013 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to The Immediate Word service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons and in worship and classroom settings only. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
