This Sunday comes just a few days before the 50th anniversary of the massive 1963 March on Washington that has become synonymous with Martin Luther King’s stirring “I Have a Dream” speech. That landmark occasion will be commemorated on August 28th with another march, to be culminated by remarks from President Obama delivered from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial -- the same spot where King delivered his iconic address. It seems particularly serendipitous that this observance dovetails with the lectionary readings for Proper 16, because the main theme of the Jeremiah passage powerfully speaks to how the Lord prepares us to be messengers of his Word, even if we may think (like the prophet) that we’re unworthy or unready to take up that responsibility.
As team member Leah Lonsbury notes in this installment of The Immediate Word, many of the civil rights movement’s leaders who appeared on the dais at the 1963 rally -- including Rep. John Lewis, the last remaining survivor of those who spoke -- came from most unlikely backgrounds for those who would so profoundly influence history. That’s not only true of those whose names have been immortalized, it’s just as true for all the untold thousands of anonymous foot soldiers who risked being beaten or arrested in order to participate in the bus rides, sit-ins, marches, and prayer services that made a dynamic statement of moral authority to the world. Few of them felt fully prepared for what they took on. Rather, like Jeremiah, they responded to the call -- trusting in the Lord to lead the way. (It’s no coincidence that the church was central to the civil rights movement, and that many of its leaders were pastors.) And as Leah points out, the message can be communicated in surprising ways too... like a comic book, for instance. Lewis, inspired by a 1950s comic book about Martin Luther King and the Montgomery bus boycott, has recently released a graphic novel telling his story, including how he was beaten senseless while leading the famous 1965 march in Selma, Alabama. But as reminds us, God doesn’t care about our expectations of the proper forum for his message, or whether we think we’re appropriate spokespersons, or whether we’re communicating in a dignified fashion -- we are called to (like those in the civil rights movement) go out and bear witness with the words “I have put your mouth.”
Team member Mary Austin offers some additional thoughts on the Luke passage and the central complaint of the synagogue leaders -- namely, that Jesus was healing on the Sabbath instead of the other “six days on which work ought to be done.” Jesus responds to the griping by highlighting their hypocrisy, noting that their division of when work is done seemed needlessly artificial... particularly when compared to the woman’s 18 years of suffering. But as Mary observes, perhaps the synagogue leaders had a point -- maybe we’ve gone too far in the other direction. In our electronically connected world, Mary tells us, it seems that there's no time for the rest, refreshment, and contemplation that the Sabbath observance was intended to engender. We’re always connected to work through e-mail, cellphones, and text messaging, and more people are working in their off-hours as well as at the office. It seems that modern communication devices are not only liberating, but they’re also extremely confining, for we’re constantly tethered to the responsibilities of the workplace. While Jesus excoriated the synagogue leaders for their hypocrisy, Mary suggests that we might need to reconnect with their Sabbath actions that Jesus identifies in this reading... untying our metaphorical oxen and donkeys from their mangers in order to lead them away and give them (and ourselves) water.
Troublesome Marching Orders and Unlikely Superheroes
by Leah Lonsbury
Jeremiah 1:4-10
What seems more likely?
a.) The 23-year-old son of sharecroppers speaking at the 1963 March on Washington?;
b.) That same son of sharecroppers becoming a long-standing member of the United States House of Representatives, now hailed as “the closest thing to a moral voice in the divided Congress”?; or
c.) That long-standing member of Congress receiving a hero’s welcome from the Incredible Hulk and other avid fans at Comic-Con for a graphic novel he wrote about his life’s work, including his experience as a Freedom Rider?
As civil rights icon and Representative John Lewis -- and the “boy” prophet Jeremiah -- can attest, sometimes God chooses unlikely characters in unlikely circumstances (sometimes even under protest!) to bear witness to the work God is doing in the world.
We might not think we’re the best person for the job. We might be sure we don’t have the right words or the courage to speak. We might be surprised by the unlikely message or the platform we are given. But God places a word in our mouths. Will we bear witness?
In the News
When John Lewis was a young teenager preaching the gospel to the chickens on his family’s tenant farm in Troy, Alabama, it might have been hard to imagine that he would come to be one of the loudest and most persistent voices for racial justice and the right of all to vote in Washington for the last half-century.
So how did this young man move from the coop to the Lincoln Memorial? His Freedom Rider journey began with his own curiosity. When young Lewis asked his parents about the “Colored Only” signs he saw during his childhood in the South, they responded, “That’s the way it is, don’t get in the way, don’t get in trouble!”
But not so many years later, a 23-year-old Lewis was organizing the now-famous March on Washington, as well as speaking from a vision he shared with Martin Luther King Jr. and theologian Jim Lewis of the beloved community, a world without poverty, racism, or war. This vision is what inspired him to disobey his parents many years ago and what keeps him in “trouble.” At last month’s National Urban League convention in Philadelphia, Lewis said: “I was inspired to get in the way, to get in trouble. And for more than 50 years, I’ve been getting in what I call good trouble, necessary trouble! And it’s time for all of us to get in trouble again!”
This is the kind of “trouble” Lewis is trying to stir up in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision to invalidate the provisions of the Voting Rights Act that many see as its functioning heart -- what gave the law its power to make change. That’s why Lewis is pursuing unlikely allies, like House majority leader Eric Cantor. Cantor joined Lewis on a recent re-enactment of the “Bloody Sunday” march on the Edward Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, where the brutal response of the police to the nonviolent tactics civil rights marchers employed shocked the nation. Cantor and his college-aged son were “very moved” by the experience -- an emotion Lewis plans to lean on as he works on new legislation to protect voting rights.
Perhaps, in Jeremiah fashion, one might say that the word God placed in John Lewis’ mouth all those years ago and continues to command that he speak is “trouble.” He seems to be tirelessly stirring the pot, cooking up “good trouble” in unlikely situations while keeping the most unlikely company.
Now this sharecropper’s son can add “superhero” right under “voice of a movement,” “congressman,” “icon,” and “troublemaker” on his CV. Lewis’ latest venture, March, a graphic novel he penned with the help of aide Andrew Aydin, recently took him to Comic-Con, the annual sci-fi/fantasy/comic book convention that has grown into quite the cultural event. Warren Rojas of Roll Call reports that a crowd of “gray-haired grandfathers, breast-feeding mothers, heavily tattooed couples, and even a costumed tyke or two” was camped out long before Lewis was set to appear.
After Lewis spoke, members of the crowd called him a “real-life superhero,” and he found a powerful connection with this “newfound constituency.”
“It’s almost like being in church,” Lewis said. “The people, through their actions, just the way they look at you, the way they greet you, they don’t even have to verbalize it. But in a sense they’re saying ‘Amen.’ ”
Like they might if they were paying attention when they received a word from God.
Lou Ferrigno, the bodybuilding actor known as television’s Incredible Hulk, and other fantastical characters may have been amongst the gathered fans in Lewis’ “congregation” that day at Comic-Con, but this trip to the center of the comic world was “serious business” for Lewis. He saw it as a way for him to reach young people and fulfill his duty to “bear witness.”
In the shadow of the 50th anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington and the continuing turmoil surrounding the future of the Voting Rights Act, this unlikely superhero took the story and message of his and so many others’ lifelong work for civil rights into an unknown frontier. Once again, he’s starting “good trouble, necessary trouble” in a whole new way with an unlikely cast of characters.
In the Scriptures
As the “boy” prophet Jeremiah can attest, sometimes God chooses unlikely characters in unlikely circumstances (sometimes even under protest!) to deliver God’s word to the people. And it isn’t always a word the people want to hear. Many folks out there might call it a troublesome word.
Jeremiah knows that he is living in a volatile time of national transition and that change is urgent and necessary, but he doesn’t want the job. He knows that he comes from a priestly line that has stood in opposition to the indulgent lifestyle of the mainstream Davidic priests. He thinks he knows exactly how he will be received as a result. It’s also likely that Jeremiah is clear that Judah’s civic, cultural, and religious life must be dismantled and rebuilt, and that the long process is likely to be fraught with conflict and upheaval (Louis Stulman, Jeremiah [Abingdon, 2005], p. 42).
Not exactly an appealing job description, is it? Sounds like trouble.
And it isn’t just Judah for whom God is giving Jeremiah a troublesome word. Jerusalem, Egypt, Gaza, Moab, Ammon, Edom, Syria, and Babylon are also on the line. As Alphonetta Wines writes for workingpreacher.org, “Jeremiah’s critique will leave none unscathed.”
No wonder Jeremiah tries to tell God “thanks, but no thanks.”
But God won’t accept the youth excuse or Jeremiah’s fear of public speaking. “You will go exactly where I send you and say what I tell you to say,” God answers.
God knows Jeremiah intimately and has created and blessed him for just such a task. God reassures and equips Jeremiah and promises to be present. “Here’s the plan, Jeremiah. I’ve included your to-do list and Google map. Now get going.”
There is a rough road ahead of Jeremiah. Even all the ways God has prepared and shored up the prophet will not keep him from trouble. In fact, it seems to be the word he is also called to speak. After all, God’s instructions include six verbs -- twice as many with negative connotations as with positive. The word Jeremiah must deliver will be difficult and unwelcome -- troublesome for the hearers and the speaker. No wonder he tries to convince God that he’s the wrong guy for the job.
Once again from Alphonetta Wines:
The complexity of [Jeremiah’s] message is reflected in the ambivalence of his love-hate relationship with his assigned task. Though compelled to preach, Jeremiah seems to retain the reluctance of his youth throughout his ministerial career. For example, later in Jeremiah 20:9, Jeremiah complains that preaching is “like a burning fire shut up in my bones.” Not only does Jeremiah protest that he has become a “laughingstock” and an object of mockery, he accuses God of enticing and overpowering him (20:7). Like Job, he laments the day of his birth.
In the Sermon
Unlikely heroes John Lewis and the prophet Jeremiah were both given a word that could be described by many other words -- surprising, difficult, unwelcome, unfamiliar, unsettling, radical, and... trouble. To deliver that word, they both faced spectacularly difficult circumstances and likely felt unworthy and unprepared for the unknown paths ahead of them, despite God’s direction, assurance, and presence. With these unlikely characters, words from God, and circumstances in mind, this week the preacher might consider these ways to get in trouble...
* How many of us in the pulpit and the pews feel the same way about the word that we have been given? How quick are we to act on God’s call towards the beloved community? In what tangible ways are we building a world free of poverty, racism, and war?
* What surprising word are we being commanded to speak? In what surprising circumstances? How are we speaking it? How are we telling God we’re too young or that we don’t know how to speak? What is God’s response to our excuses?
* How is the word we have been given and called to speak “trouble”? For whom is it trouble?
* The 50th anniversary of the March on Washington will be on Wednesday, Aug. 28th, just three days after we preach this sermon -- and major commemorative events are planned to take place on both the preceding Saturday and on the actual anniversary date. The Voting Rights Act has been dismantled this year. In light of Lewis’ recent statement that electing a black president is not the fulfillment of Dr. King’s dream but only a “down payment” and God’s undeterred commands to Jeremiah to “go” and “speak,” where will we go, what will we say?
* How do we struggle at the crossroads of God’s commands and our own ambivalence, reluctance, or love-hate relationship with our calling?
* How do we get stuck on the farm preaching to the chickens and miss the march towards God’s vision? What keeps us from hearing God’s word and heeding God’s command to go and speak?
* Lewis and Jeremiah both faced significant struggles to speak the word God gave them for the people. Alphonetta Wines writes for working preacher.org about Jeremiah’s internal struggles as well. Check out her concluding thoughts on Jeremiah’s wrestling with his call and his “grappling that may lead to a deeper faith” (Wines borrowing that phrase from Paul Reddit). How does this sit with our understanding of struggles and faith? Is it troubling? If so, how? Does it resonate with our own experience, or is it somewhere in that space in between? What are our own internal struggles (and those of our congregation) as unlikely superheroes called to a word that keeps stirring up trouble? If it isn’t causing trouble for us or for the world, is it really God’s word that we’re speaking?
SECOND THOUGHTS
by Mary Austin
Luke 13:10-17
Perhaps the synagogue leader had it right after all.
In this story, found only in Luke, he complains that Jesus is ruining the Sabbath by healing a crippled woman. Jesus breaks the rule about working on the Sabbath, of course, to show that liberation is a higher good. Jesus answers the leader by observing that that the woman has been tethered by her ailment for years, and that her healing should be cause for celebration.
Or perhaps they both have it right.
We are increasingly tethered -- not by illness, but by our electronic devices and the changes they bring to our habits. Dr. Peter Whybrow is a psychiatrist and endocrinologist at UCLA, and he observes that “modern American culture has outrun the biology of our brains.” We are tied to our mobile phones and tablets, and we check them repeatedly throughout the day -- and night. Whybrow believes that we keep our minds “on” all the time, and that this constant stimulation is connected to loss of sleep, irritability, and depression, not to mention obesity and anxiety.
Whybrow wonders why we continually tether ourselves -- why can’t we just free ourselves and enjoy a Sabbath from technology whenever we want to? “Why is it that we’ve been railroaded down this path of continuous stimulation and can’t seem to control ourselves?” he asks.
From the viewpoint of brain science, “The computer is electronic cocaine for many people,” says Whybrow. “Our brains are wired for finding immediate reward. With technology, novelty is the reward. You essentially become addicted to novelty.” We put ourselves into bondage to technology in search of those rewards -- a new e-mail, Facebook post, or text. The rewards come with a price, though. Kicking up our reward centers also kicks up the part of the brain that warns us about threats, and the brain perceives the stresses of modern life as a series of threats which never go away. “In the past, you either fought and won or you died, but either way the stress disappeared,” explains Whybrow. “Now the alarm bells go off much of the time as we encounter one prolonged threat.” The experience of constant stress keeps us always vigilant and likely to overreact.
Jesus came to unfetter the woman bent over by illness and life, and he has the same desire for us. Our bondage is different, but we too are bent over by our own stresses. We are burdened by the abundance in our lives, if we are affluent enough to have access to technology. We fetter ourselves, and won’t be free unless we make an effort to turn off the constant stream of novelty.
The synagogue leader wants people to know the joy and holiness of the Sabbath, and we could use a dose of his advice. The space, freedom, and quiet of the Sabbath are good medicine for us too.
Christine Organ wrote recently about her own attempts to create Sabbath space in her life. She also notices a connection between technology and impatience: “One of the most challenging parts of observing the Sabbath in today’s day and age is overcoming a dependence on instant gratification and distraction. The internet makes it possible for us to feed most of our wants and needs now -- whether looking for a recipe, buying a new swimsuit, or checking the weather. Technology has also made it easier than ever to numb our emotions and distract us from anxieties.... But a constant reliance on technology to do everything right now has the potential to feed our impatience and self-importance. An over-reliance on technology as a means of communication has the potential to trivialize our relationships, and the use of technology as a coping mechanism to numb our emotions has the potential to prevent personal growth and development.” Stepping away from technology, she observes, turns us away from focusing on the things we can provide for ourselves. The empty space turns us back to God, and the awareness of all that God provides.
Technology itself is not the problem. It can be a joyful tool for connection with faraway friends and family, a place to be creative, and a source of information and amusement. The problem, as always, is us, and our inattention to God.
Whybrow himself says he checks e-mail once a day on the weekends, and doesn’t work at home. He turns his cellphone off most of the time, creating space to talk to people without interruption. He has found a way to create pockets of Sabbath in the week, freeing himself from the constant drive to check for something new.
God is always seeking our freedom and wholeness, our health in mind and body... and we can share in that process by hitting the “off” button so we can revel in that freedom.
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Ron Love:
Jeremiah 1:4-10
Major League Baseball has suspended 12 players for using performance-enhancing drugs through the Biogenesis clinic (with the suspension of a 13th player, Alex Rodriguez, on hold while he appeals his case). New York Yankees outfielder Alfonso Soriano said in response, “I am not surprised by the names. It surprises me that people keep trying. God gave you the talent, so don’t try and be a superhero or something like that. Play with the talent that God gave you and see what happens.”
Application: Jeremiah felt unworthy of his calling, but soon realized that the talent God bestowed upon him was more than sufficient.
*****
Luke 13:10-17
According to Douglas Carver, retired Army chief of chaplains, an average of 22 veterans commit suicide each day. This is truly a sad and tragic number. Fortunately, it has not gone unnoticed by everyone. The Alabama Well-Being Ministry is an interdenominational ministry created to provide spiritual counseling for returning veterans. In describing the ministry, Carver said, “We are trying to help bring them back from chaos to normalcy.”
Application: Jesus understood that healing was to be extended to any person in need without exception.
*****
Luke 13:10-17
Butch Acosta Jr. grew up on the streets of New York. Knowing only hate, he joined a gang, then joined the Black Panthers. He read books that filled him with rage, and in his rebellion against the United States he became a communist. In fact, he was ready to become a martyr. He then joined the Young Lords, a militant group that advocated violence to bring about social change. Butch then married his second wife, Maureen, who worked in the Wounded Warriors program at Fort Bragg. It was from that experience that he began to see a different perspective on life. Under Maureen’s influence, Butch joined the Army as a nurse anesthetist. He retired as a lieutenant colonel. Regarding his previous life, he said: “It was easy to hate. I learned that the easiest thing to teach someone is to hate.”
Application: The Pharisees, with their legalism, can teach people to be unsympathetic; that is, to hate.
*****
Luke 13:10-17
Recently in Florence, South Carolina, five women were arrested for prostitution. They were using the internet to post pictures, fees, and meeting places. Major Carlos Raines, the commander of the Florence Police Department, said, “Prostitution has been going on everywhere since the beginning of time, but the internet has created a whole new business. For some reason, people think they’re safer using the internet. But it’s not. It’s the same thing as picking somebody up off the street corner.”
Application: Sin is timeless and universal; even if technology seems to upgrade it, the attitude of the Pharisees is the same today as yesterday.
*****
Luke 13:10-17
In a Frank and Ernest comic strip, the two are standing in their yard and looking at their neighbor’s, where the grandparents just arrived. One of the children rushes over to the pair and says, “I finally figured out that the ‘spoiler alert’ is my parents’ code for a visit from Grandma.”
Application: It would appear that the Pharisees approach everything with the attitude of proclaiming a “spoiler alert.”
***************
From team member Chris Keating:
Jeremiah 1:4-10
Nine-year-old Asean Johnson could barely reach the microphone, but his words rocketed across the internet. During the protests over school closings in Chicago last May, Asean stepped to the microphone and electrified those present. As the crowd roared, he called on Mayor Rahm Emmanuel to put the needs of children first. Johnson’s brief speech was quickly seen by thousands of YouTube viewers, and also apparently was one of the reasons why his elementary school was not among those being closed.
Application: Voices of children and youth matter -- just as Jeremiah’s voice of prophecy mattered.
*****
Jeremiah 1:4-10
In his book Adam, God’s Beloved (Orbis Books, 2000), Henri Nouwen describes the impact a severely handicapped young man had on his life. Adam could not speak and suffered from frequent seizures. In Nouwen’s reflections, what emerges is a vision of a person sent by God to be an instrument of blessing and an emissary of God’s peace. “Most people say Adam was a disabled person who had little to give and who was a burden to his family,” wrote Nouwen. Yet within the Daybreak community in Toronto where Adam lived, he was seen as “a wonderful, gifted, child of promise. His wonderful presence and his incredible worth would enlighten us to comprehend that we, like him, are also precious, graced, and beloved children of God, whether we see ourselves as rich or poor, intelligent or disabled, good-looking or unattractive. As a spiritual teacher [Adam] would lead us ever so gently to those inner spaces we prefer to leave untouched” (p. 31).
Application: To many, Jeremiah’s youth disqualified him from being a capable prophet. Yet as Nouwen reminds us, God uses many different types of people to fulfill God’s intent of breaking down and building up. It was Adam’s wonderful presence that became a source of inspiration to those who knew him.
*****
Luke 13:10-17
As our lives become cluttered with more and more devices, it becomes harder to untether ourselves from the yoke of work. The impact of this non-stop high-tech world can be devastating, as noted by the tragic suicide death of a Swiss telecommunications executive last month. Carsten Schloter, who was CEO of Swisscom, often spoke publicly about being “always on” and the toll it was exacting on his personal life. In an interview last May, Schloter noted: “The most dangerous thing that can happen is that you drop into a mode of permanent activity. When you permanently check your smartphone to see if there are any new e-mails. It leads to you not finding any rest whatsoever.”
Application: The gift of the Sabbath guides us to the place where we can “untie” ourselves from work, which is the gift of release that Jesus offers the woman.
*****
Luke 13:10-17
Equally seductive is the notion of trying to sneak in work while on vacation. Over 60 percent of Americans will spend time on work projects while on vacation this summer, an increase from 52 percent last year. The younger you are, the more likely you are to remain tethered to the office: about 79 percent of millennials report needing to have a work-capable device handy while on vacation.
One health care professional offers the following advice: “In today’s challenging economic times and competitive work environment, you might not feel it’s okay to simply ignore work for the duration of your vacation. But do set parameters. Tell your co-workers (and your boss) that you’ll check mail in the morning and at night and that you’re available to answer questions but not do projects remotely. Most projects can wait a few days, especially if you’ve already briefed everyone (including your clients) about your vacation time.”
Application: What about “Sabbath” do we not yet understand? If releasing animals from their burden is allowed on the Sabbath, then why do we not understand the necessity of being released from our burdens?
*****
Hebrews 12:18-29
Churches in Egypt have become targets in the recent unrest, including the Archangel Michael Coptic church about 16 miles outside of Cairo. The church was attacked by as many as 1,000 persons who torched the church and destroyed its altar. One church member who was guarding the ransacked church indicated that despite the violence, he thought he could forgive those who had tried to destroy the building.
Other Christians said that despite the threats and firebombs worship will continue, with or without protection from the army. “I don’t think that we really need a big staff of military people surrounding the church, because at the end of the day, I am telling you the Egyptians will not allow the minority to do these harmful attacks to our churches,” Father Boutros Samy said. “We have faith in the country, I have faith in the people. I believe in the people, Christians or Muslims.”
Application: In the midst of enduring strife and pain, the Egyptian Christians have discovered that they are part of a kingdom which cannot be shaken, standing fast in their worship and faithfulness.
WORSHIP RESOURCES
by George Reed
Call to Worship
Leader: In you, O God, we take refuge.
People: Let us never be put to shame.
Leader: In your righteousness deliver us and rescue us.
People: Incline your ear to us and save us.
Leader: Be to us a rock of refuge, a strong fortress, to save us.
People: You are our rock and our fortress for ever and ever.
OR
Leader: God calls us to come rest in the divine.
People: We are too busy to stop our work.
Leader: The One who made us and knows us calls us to rest.
People: We are weary from always taking care of ourselves and others.
Leader: God invites us to have faith and trust that the world will turn without our help for a time.
People: We will let God be God and rest in our Creator.
Hymns and Sacred Songs
“Now Thank We All Our God”
found in:
UMH: 102
H82: 396, 397
PH: 555
NNBH: 330
NCH: 419
CH: 715
LBW: 533, 534
ELA: 839, 840
W&P: 14
AMEC: 573
STLT: 32
“Many Gifts, One Spirit”
found in:
UMH: 114
NCH: 177
“God Hath Spoken by the Prophets”
found in:
UMH: 108
LBW: 238
W&P: 667
“Make Me a Captive, Lord”
found in:
UMH: 421
PH: 378
“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
“The Voice of God Is Calling”
found in:
UMH: 436
“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
“O Come and Dwell in Me”
found in:
UMH: 388
“Make Me a Servant”
found in:
CCB: 90
“I Will Call upon the Lord”
found in:
CCB: 9
Renew: 15
Music Resources Key:
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982 (The Episcopal Church)
PH: Presbyterian 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
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
Renew: Renew! Songs & Hymns for Blended Worship
Prayer for the Day / Collect
O God who knows us better than we know ourselves: Grant us the faith to trust in you as you call us to your service; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We have come to worship you, O God, who has created us and who knows us better than we could ever know ourselves. As we listen for your word to us today, help us to trust you enough that we may gladly answer your call to service. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
Leader: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins, and especially our lack of faith.
People: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. You have created us and know us completely. Yet we fail to trust your knowledge of us. We draw back from the mission and service you call us to. We refuse to believe that we need time to rest, refresh, and be re-created. The end result is that we are burned out and discouraged. Forgive us, and renew us with your Spirit that we may ever trust in you. Amen.
Leader: God knows us and loves us. God puts aside our sins and our failures and ever calls us to new life and service in the power of the Spirit.
Prayers of the People (and the Lord’s Prayer)
Praise and blessings to you, O God, creator of all that is. From your own love you have created us in your image.
(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 created us and know us completely. Yet we fail to trust your knowledge of us. We draw back from the mission and service you call us to. We refuse to believe that we need time to rest, refresh, and be re-created. The end result is that we are burned out and discouraged. Forgive us, and renew us with your Spirit that we may ever trust in you.
We give you thanks for the wondrous way in which we have been made. You have formed us to be filled with your Spirit and to reflect your love. We thank you for those who have been faithful and answered your call to service. Through their ministry we have come to faith in you.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We lift up to you the hurts and needs of your children. Many do not believe they were created in love. They find their lives difficult and full of hatred and violence. Many find themselves so overwhelmed by their need for food, clothing, or shelter that they cannot see beyond their lack.
(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
Ask the children if they have ever made a drawing, and someone couldn’t tell what it was supposed to be. (Or you can tell how this happened to you.) Others may not be able to explain a created piece, but the creator can. God is our creator, and God says we have been made good and well so we can serve God and one another.
CHILDREN’S SERMON
Jesus Can Set You FreeLuke 13:10-17
Objects: a small piece of rope to tie someone’s hand, a book, a piece of paper, and a pencil
I need a volunteer today -- I need to tie someone’s hands together. (Select a child.) Thank you very much for assisting me... I am going to tie your hands together. I won’t make them too tight, but I don’t want you to be able to get them apart, okay? (Tie the child’s hands so that the palms are together and can’t be pulled apart.)
Okay. Now I want you to take this book and open it to page 32. Go ahead; we’ll wait for you. (Take a few moments for the child to do this, if possible.) It took a while, but you did it. It’s not very easy, is it? Now I want you to do something else. Take this piece of paper and this pencil and write down your first, middle, and last names. (Wait a moment.) Good. That one was a bit harder.
Our Bible lesson today tells us about a woman whose body didn’t work the way yours and mine work. It was very hard for her to do things, so she went to Jesus to ask for help. Jesus laid his hands on her and healed her. (Untie your volunteer’s hands.) When she was healed, Jesus said, “You have been set free from your infirmity.” He set her free. Now can you write your name for me? (Give the child a chance to do it.) Thanks. You can sit down now.
We usually don’t think of being healed as being set free, but that’s how Jesus saw it. The woman couldn’t do the things she wanted, so it was almost like her body was keeping her prisoner. When Jesus healed her body she was free to do anything she wanted. Her body worked and she didn’t have any more problems. It was like Jesus untied her and her body was free again.
All kinds of things can tie us up: sickness, worry, anger, and lots of other things. These things can keep us from living a life that’s free and easy. These things aren’t a problem for God, though. He is bigger than any problem we have, and he wants to help us be free.
Prayer: Thank you, God, that you are bigger than any of our troubles. Please help us remember to ask for your help, just like the woman in our story today. Amen.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, August 25, 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.
