When Faithfulness Counts As Righteousness
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Whether we look to the headlines or in the particulars of our own experiences, life is full of difficult situations that seem impervious to easy solutions. Yet, as team member Dean Feldmeyer points out in this installment of The Immediate Word, we trudge on like Sisyphus and keep trying to roll that heavy stone up the hill. Where do we find the strength to keep on "keeping on," and how do we keep hope alive against all odds? Dean suggests that the answer is to be found in the opening verse of this week's lectionary epistle text, in which the writer of the First Letter to Timothy notes that despite his sordid past, "I am grateful to Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because he judged me faithful and appointed me to his service." We may not see a difference in our circumstances immediately -- but Dean tells us that God sees and rewards faithfulness by strengthening us and providing us with the resources we need to cope with whatever comes our way.
Team member Ron Love provides some additional thoughts about the gospel passage. He notes that Jesus' parables about seeking the lost coin and the lost sheep offer something of a lesson for the church -- particularly when viewed in light of some of the complications we see in the business of disaster relief such as with the Pakistani floods. It's not that people don't care; the issue often is a logistical one of getting resources to where they're most needed. Likewise, Ron suggests, the church needs to consider that it's not only a matter of finding the "lost" -- we also need to think about how to get our spiritual resources where they are needed so that "lost" souls (i.e. the unchurched) can be "found."
When Faithfulness Counts as Righteousness
by Dean Feldmeyer
1 Timothy 1:12-27
"I am grateful to Christ Jesus, who has strengthened me," says Paul in the first chapter of First Timothy, "because he judged me faithful and appointed me to his service, even though I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a man of violence."
Paul was strengthened by Jesus not because he was righteous, and not because he was good or worthy or pious or holy or any of those things -- but because he was faithful.
As was the case with Abraham in Genesis 5, God saw faithfulness and decided to count it and reward it as though it was righteousness.
THE WORLD
Thirty-three miners are trapped below ground in Chile. They have been trapped for nearly a month, and it may be Christmas before they are brought out. So they have organized themselves into a disciplined cadre who work hard to support each other in those very trying circumstances. The eldest among them, 62-year-old Mr. Gomez, has become their chaplain and counselor -- sublimating his own doubts and anxieties, leading prayer and worship time, listening to their fears and worries. Another has become the medical officer, relying on advice from the surface and a few first aid courses he took decades ago. Others continue to work, clearing away the debris that falls into their safe room as the new shaft is dug.
How do they do it? How do they keep from dissolving into their own fears and doubts, giving in to the panic which must from time to time invade their consciousness?
On August 5, ten Christians, members off a medical team sponsored by the International Assistance Mission (IAM), were shot to death as they returned to Kabul from a journey into the remote areas of Afghanistan to bring medical aid and supplies to the impoverished people there.
Four days later, on August 9, Dirk R. Frans, the executive director of IAM, told the Associated Press that while the organization was devastated by the murders, they have no intention of abandoning their commitment to Afghanistan, which has kept them in that country for more than 40 years.
Where does that kind of courage come from? Aren't those people scared? Are they just foolish, or is there something else, something solid and substantial down deep in their souls that compels and at the same time reassures them?
What about our national leaders, the President and the Secretary of State? How do they rally within themselves the wherewithal to go once again to the Middle East in an effort to hammer out a peace accord between Palestinians and Israelis? Everyone knows the odds are against them. Everyone says that the hope of any lasting peace agreement is a long shot at best. So where do they get the energy to go back yet again?
If we open our eyes we see this kind of thing happening, often at the micro level, all around us. What drives the activist who has lived in the inner city his whole life even though he could afford to live in the suburbs? What compels those nuns who run the employment agency for ex-convicts year in and year out for thirty years? What is the source of energy that fuels that octogenarian who volunteers at the local soup kitchen every week?
As Delilah asked Samson, we want to ask them: "Where does your strength come from?"
THE WORD
The apostle Paul was a man of extraordinary energy and creativity. In his first letter to Timothy -- this week's epistle reading -- Paul shares where his energy came from. It came from Jesus Christ. It is "Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened" him.
But why?
Was it because he was handsome? Hardly. Was it because he was pious and could quote scripture by memory and could pray long and eloquent prayers? Not a chance. Was it because he gave lots of money to the church and sat on all the most powerful boards and committees? Nope.
Paul tells Timothy -- and us -- that he was strengthened by Jesus not because he (Paul) was good or sinless or pious or handsome or religious. He was given strength because he was faithful.
He did what he said he would do. He kept his word -- to God and to other people. He hung in there when things got tough. He kept to the path when the footing became unsure. He followed the light when the light grew dim.
He was faithful.
And the lesson of scripture is that God sees and accepts and rewards faithfulness as though it were righteousness.
As far back as Genesis, this is one of the most profound and foundational lessons for God's people. It was so in the story of Abraham (Genesis 5:6). Abraham believed the Lord, and the Lord reckoned it to him as righteousness.
In the story of Judah and Tamar we hear it again. Tamar, in order to provide an heir for her dead husband, has to seduce her father-in-law Judah. Enraged when he discovers her subterfuge, Judah intends to kill her -- but God softens his heart and he realizes that she has been more faithful than he has, and he reckons her faithfulness to her dead husband as righteousness.
Now, in Paul's letter we hear it again. "I am grateful to Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because he judged me faithful..."
God does not simply acknowledge faithfulness and count it to us as righteousness in some abstract, theological way. God actually rewards our faithfulness as if it were righteousness. God strengthens us!
CRAFTING THE SERMON
We live in a culture of success. Television preachers and pundits constantly remind us that God wants us to all be happy and successful, and if you aren't both of these things you are probably doing something wrong.
But in scripture at least, God seems to be fairly indifferent to how successful we are in earthly terms. God isn't really much concerned with what kind of car we drive -- unless it's wasteful and extravagant in the face of suffering. God doesn't seem to care how many rooms our houses have -- unless there are homeless people about who have no rooms at all. And God doesn't seem to be as concerned with how much money we make as how much we keep for ourselves and how much we give to the work of God's kingdom.
Over and over, the witness of scripture seems to be that God doesn't reward the righteous with success at the end of the journey. God rewards the faithful with strength for the journey. Stories that illustrate this indicative would be appropriate.
One thinks of the couple who was faithful to each other in marriage for many years and was able to provide strength for each other in their old age. We are reminded of those who persisted in their righteous cause even in the face of overwhelming opposition and came to know success because they were strengthened to continue when they might otherwise have given up.
How many souls have been renewed, we ask? How many lives have been saved? How many marriages have been reinforced and how many inventions have come into being to make our lives healthier and safer because someone, facing difficulty and even danger, remained faithful to their calling and their cause?
There are many forms of crucifixion and many forms of resurrection. Climbing upon the cross of failure only to be resurrected by faithfulness is as great a witness to the power of the gospel as many of us will ever experience in our lifetimes.
ANOTHER VIEW
Good People Do Good Things
by Ron Love
Luke 15:1-10
We are good people. It might not seem that way from watching television news and reading the newspaper headlines, where scoundrels seem to attract all of our attention. Perhaps they are newsworthy because they are so different from the rest of us -- they have the single-mindedness to do things none of our friends and associates would ever even consider. Their acts of debauchery hurt so many people in so many countless ways that we are drawn into the story with disbelief. We give credence to these stories out of our own anger for their callousness and because of our concern for those who have been trodden upon. But by and large, as we live our daily lives, we are surrounded by good people like ourselves. We care about our families, we are considerate of our neighbors, we will help a stranger when called upon, and we are conscientious workers at our places of employment.
Perhaps we would know this to be true if we spent less time on the front page and took time to read the human interest stories embedded on the inside pages of sections B and C of the daily paper. Or perhaps we should spend more time listening to the final story of the network evening newscasts, which usually share an inspiring story of an individual making a difference, or on Friday highlight a person of the week.
How do we know we are good? We have 33 men trapped in a mine in Chile, 2,200 feet below ground. As they will be entombed there for months, resources from across the globe are voluntarily being sent to their assistance. The United States government has even sent to the scene submarine commanders and officials from NASA to offer advice on how to live in a confined space for an extended period of time. This response is reminiscent of the July 2002 Quecreek mine disaster in Pennsylvania, when nine men were held captive in the bowels of the earth. When Pennsylvania needed extra rescue equipment, across the border from West Virginia came the needed rigs, drills, personnel, expert engineers, and specially trained rescue crews.
But as these mine disasters demonstrate, the dilemma we often face is not a lack of desire to help, but a lack of ability to help. In flood-ravaged Pakistan, we know there are countless thousands in need of food, housing, and medicine. There has been great difficulty in getting assistance to those who need it. This is not because we do not care -- the issue is that in a country where a great deal of farmland has now become a lake, helicopters are the only means of transportation. To amass enough helicopters for the thousands that are stranded is not quickly accomplished, and may not even be possible. One could make many arguments on how the people of New Orleans were forsaken when the levees broke during Katrina, but how much of it can be attributed to bureaucracy and how much of it with a failure to understand the magnitude of the problem? For every politician who was chastised, there was a doctor and a nurse and a police officer who faithfully remained at his or her station.
So is the main problem that we do not care or is it that we are limited in what we can do?
This is really an issue for the local church. Put aside the great calamities of the world and look to the sorrows only blocks from our front doors. There are too many impoverished homes to be repaired. The Salvation Army and House of Hope can never care for all the homeless. Rehab centers are expensive, and halfway houses are nearly impossible to establish.
And those in need of assistance don't always have to be the indigent who are pushing grocery carts. Seated in our pews are fine and wonderful people who are crying out for help, but may be too humble to ask for it. How about an elderly saint who is on a fixed income and has the burden of expensive monthly medications? Then there is the unemployed individual who desperately needs businesspeople who will help him network. There is the family with a special needs child who would welcome parenting assistance. And for the child who has difficulty learning, where is the tutor? Or consider sports. Not everyone is naturally talented, so there are many youth who would welcome coaching assistance.
In our lectionary gospel reading this week, Jesus instructs us to look for the one lost sheep. To be honest, most lost sheep truly want to be found, for they are at home in the herd. So we need to stop our inclination to think that people are avoiding Jesus and the gospel message, and start contemplating that they want to be found and healed.
The problem in our churches is not a lack of desire, but a lack of resources to connect with the unchurched. Even if everyone in our congregations would tithe, we would still come up woefully short to address the human needs perched on our own doorsteps. It may tax our resources to find that one lost sheep -- and then there will be the 99 whose needs will not abide in our absence. Does it ever end? Unfortunately, no!
What we need to do is continue our faithful service, for our congregations do try and they do care. But we must always be seeking new avenues to bring physical and spiritual healing to others. Yes, our congregants need to sacrifice even more. Yes, we must be ecumenical in our approach. Yes, we must collaborate with community organizations.
In preparing a sermon on this theme, the following outline may be helpful:
I. Affirm that your congregants are good people who are doing their best.
II. Share with your congregation international, national, and local stories of the good that individuals are doing.
III. Discuss the countless unmet needs that still loom, especially in your own community. Be sure to share scriptural passages that outline the many ways in which individuals suffer.
IV. Then challenge the congregation, in an affirmative manner, to consider how we must dedicate ourselves to doing even more. Be sure to share scriptural passages that demonstrate the uncompromising calling to Christian service.
ILLUSTRATIONS
In August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina crashed upon the city of New Orleans. Now, five years later, though many of the buildings and bridges have been rebuilt, the emotional damage still lingers. Because homes were lost and families were displaced -- many even separated one from another -- the emotional trauma has yet to be healed. A recent study, led by David Abramson of Columbia University, confirmed that the psychological problems the hurricane created have yet to be resolved. The study was focused on the children of the area, both those who returned and those who are still displaced. Abramson said, "If children are the bellwethers of recovery, then the social systems supporting affected Gulf Coast populations are still far from having recovered from Hurricane Katrina." He said, "Children are a bit of canary in a coal mine in that they really represent a failure or a dysfunction of many, many other systems in the community."
In our lectionary gospel lesson we read about Jesus seeking one lost sheep. But from our understanding of his entire public ministry, Jesus never strayed from seeking one lost sheep. Jesus never ceased from his labor of helping another individual. He was forever offering his healing touch and soothing words. Jesus would have walked through New Orleans in August 2005, and he would still be walking the streets in August 2010. Five years after the catastrophe the children and adults of New Orleans are still in need of emotional healing, along with the restoration of their city. Our calling as Christians is not to put a roof on a house, set up a counseling tent, and then leave, thinking that our work for the Lord is complete. Our calling is to remain as long as people are in need of the gospel message of healing.
* * *
"Almost Christian" -- for the faithful believer, being called an "almost Christian" should be troubling. But that's the term created by Kenda Creasy Dean, a professor at Princeton Theological Seminary, to describe the understanding of Christianity many of today's youth are learning in our churches. She notes that they hold to the tenets that "God loves you and wants you to be happy." They believe, "Be nice to other people and pray if you get into trouble." She calls the religion they ascribe to a "cult of niceness."
The problem, according to Dean, is that while these youth believe in God, they don't believe in Christian doctrine. Dean says, "The problem is that it's an incredibly selfish way to look at faith. It means that God is out there to make me happy." Absent of an understanding of Christian doctrine and the scriptures, these youth learn to view God as a deity to enhance their own personal happiness. Absent of being schooled in doctrine and church history, they have no comprehension of the parallel dynamic of being happy, and that is being engaged in Christian service.
Dean suggests two programs to help youth understand the meaning of Christian service. The first is that the Sunday evening youth program needs to be less about video games and more about Bible-centered activities. The second is that every youth ought to have an adult mentor who understands and is involved in volunteer service. A smiley-face Jesus is not who we believe in, and he is not the one we serve. Though we know that Jesus promises the assurance of his presence (which makes us happy because it provides us with a sense of reassurance), Jesus is also the shepherd who left the 99 sheep in search of the one that was lost. As Jesus walked among the rocks on the country hillside listening for the "baa" of the one who was lost, he was engaged in Christian service. Kenda Dean's thoughts should summon us to review our church's youth program, as well as all of our church programs, to be sure we are moving beyond being "almost Christian."
* * *
Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin says that inside linebacker Lawrence Timmons is "ridiculously talented" -- but the problem is that that the former Florida State star performs exceptionally well in practice, but not on the field on game days. Exasperated, Tomlin says of his linebacker: "It's time."
In our gospel text a shepherd is watching over 100 sheep, only to discover that one is missing. He now gazes over a flock of 99 while a single lamb is lost and bewildered. This parable causes many of us uneasiness, for we ponder whether or not we should leave the 99 temporarily unprotected while we diligently search for the one who is lost. The answer, Jesus made obvious, is that our calling is always to the one who is lost. We cannot stand in the open field unconcerned, but we must leave our post in search of the one who momentarily needs our care and concern the most. We must leave the security of the practice field, the open expanse of grassland, to the field of play among the hillside rocks and all the dangers that lurk within. So in the words of Coach Tomlin, we must know when "it's time" to leave the security of the church pew and venture onto the streets of the world.
* * *
The Smithsonian Institute recently received the hymnbook that was carried by Harriet Tubman -- the legendary leader of the Underground Railroad.
Tubman's story is a moving one. She escaped her bondage as a slave and found refuge in Philadelphia. But she could not be content knowing that thousands of others were still in chains. So she made 13 trips from Philadelphia into the deep South, allowing her to guide 70 slaves to Canada. For her daring exploits she was given the name of "Moses."
On all of her journeys, this lady who could neither read nor write carried her hymnbook. Yet the ability to read was unnecessary for her, as she had all the hymns memorized. When the crisis of capture was imminent, she would calm the fears of those on their Exodus to freedom by softly singing a hymn.
Tubman also employed herself as a Union guide and spy. In June 1863, when Union gunboats led a raid along the Combahee River in South Carolina, over 700 slaves were liberated. These slaves only knew captivity, and were anxious and afraid of the new life that awaited them -- so to calm their fears as they boarded the boats Tubman sang:
Of all the whole creation in the east or in the west
The glorious Yankee nation is the greatest and the best
Come along! Come along! Don't be alarmed
Jesus teaches us in the parable of the lost sheep that we are all to be called "Moses." We know that there are many individuals who are suffering physically, emotionally, and spiritually that we must go to with the healing power of the gospel. Like Harriet Tubman, we are to look for the people who surround us that are scared and forsaken and offer these words of comfort: "Come along! Come along! Don't be alarmed."
* * *
These Christians give themselves to this kind of humanity. Now we see what it is that makes them such powerful enemies of our gods. It is the love they manifest toward the stranger, the suffering, and the poor.
-- Julian the Apostate, Roman Emperor
* * *
Sir William Osler was one of England's most famous medical doctors. During World War I he was working as a surgeon in a British military hospital. One day Osler was called away from his rounds to receive the news that his own son had been killed in France. He was stunned by the news, but after only a moment he returned to the wards.
For days the nurses and orderlies noticed that the cheerful tone was gone from Dr. Osler's voice; no longer did he whistle as he worked. It seemed that a change had come over him. Before he had practiced medicine with an air of cool professionalism. But now his colleagues could see -- in his eyes, his tone of voice, the way he laid a gentle hand on a patient's shoulder -- there was something new.
The new element was compassion. It was as though each soldier, lost in pain and fear, was Osler's own son. No longer were these soldiers abstract medical cases. They were lost sheep, and he was the shepherd.
* * *
My children are long past the age of taking delight in childhood games, but I remember hours in years past playing hide-and-seek together, even though it was a game they never quite learned to play according to the rules. In fact, I used to worry about my son. For years I couldn't get him to understand that he shouldn't yell "ready" when he'd found a good hiding place; that only gave it away. He was missing the whole point of the game, I explained. One wants to hide well! Only later did I come to realize that from his perspective, I had missed the whole point of the game. The most fun comes, of course, in being found! Meister Eckhart expressed this mystery well when he said that "God is like a person who clears his throat while hiding and so gives himself away." Even God -- perhaps especially God -- discovers the highest joy in hiding only so as to be found.
-- Belden C. Lane, The Solace of Fierce Landscapes (Oxford University Press, 1998), p. 179
* * *
John Newton was a swearing, seafaring man who found more profit in transporting human slave cargo than material goods. He had a reputation as a shrewd businessperson and a "man of the world." His name struck fear into the hearts of those who knew whence his business profits originated.
Then the grace of our Lord overflowed into his life. He changed dramatically. He was converted from his sinful ways to a life of Christian witness. In 1779 this repentant sinner gave the world what two centuries later would become the best-known and most-loved hymn in America: "Amazing Grace." The hymn continues to grow in popularity. For example, when the Presbyterian Hymnal was published in 1990 it contained versions of "Amazing Grace" in the English, Navaho Kiowa, Creek, Cherokee, and Choctaw languages!
* * *
One of the greatest church fathers, Augustine, spent his entire youth and young adult life as a pagan. He was mourned by his mother Monica for years as a wayward child. She spoke with him, witnessed to him, pleaded with him, and prayed for him over the course of many years in the hopes that he would finally realize his need and the great blessings of the new life available in the Lord Jesus. After Augustine became a Christian and realized what a difference it made to live life for God rather than simply for oneself, he wrote a book he titled Confessions in which he told of the emptiness and loneliness and searching of that earlier time and with what joy he eventually found the power of life in Christ. Reflecting on those years and rejoicing in his present awareness of grace and mercy, Augustine said, "Our hearts are restless until they find their rest in thee." He was a most gifted man in many ways, and putting those gifts to work in the service of Christ made him a major influence on Christian thinking and understanding.
In this week's text today Paul speaks of his earlier life in something of the same way as he laments the "blasphemy and persecution" he had perpetrated on the Christian community. At the same time he says, "I thank him who has given me the strength for this, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful by appointing me to his service." He speaks of himself as "the foremost of sinners," but says that it is precisely because of this that God's mercy and grace shine through him to "display the perfect patience for an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life." God uses the strangest material to fashion the tools for divine service!
* * *
The renowned physicist Steven Hawking, best known for his 1988 book A Brief History of Time, expressed the notion that we will one day know the mind of God. In that book he wrote, "If we discover a complete theory, it would be the ultimate triumph of human reason -- for then we should know the mind of God." Hawking held fast to this religious belief until 1992. In that year a planet was discovered orbiting another star other than our sun. This discovery, for Hawking, replaced a universe created by God with one established by coincidence. In his new book The Grand Design, to be published this month, Hawking has publicly surrendered his religious convictions and accepted a universe based on coincidences. He writes that discovery "makes the coincidences of our planetary conditions -- the single Sun, the lucky combination of Earth-Sun distance and solar mass, far less remarkable, and far less compelling evidence that the Earth was carefully designed just to please us human beings." Hawking now advocates "spontaneous creation." He confesses, "It is not necessary to invoke God to light the blue touch paper and set the universe going." Hawking now preaches that God did not create the universe, for the "Big Bang" was an inevitable consequence of the laws of physics.
This week's lectionary psalm passage begins: "The fool says in his heart, 'There is no God.' " The psalmist is trying to make a poignant point -- people who do not believe in God have a tragic failure in knowledge. This is coupled with the inability (or lack of desire) to have an intimate and personal relationship with God. Because of their refusal to seek the Lord and call upon him, they become the god of their own lives. Divorcing themselves from God, they are asserting their independence.
Hawking is representative of many people we know -- individuals who once believed, but now don't; individuals who cannot accept there is a coexistence between religion and science. These individuals have shunned the idea of an indwelling Holy Spirit, and have decided to be the masters of their own universe. They are fools. "Fool" is a harsh word, but obviously the psalmist felt it was an apt and appropriate word for the atheist and agnostic alike. Our calling for this month is to hold The Grand Design in one hand and the Bible in the other, and lead people away from their foolish beliefs.
* * *
The psalmist asks in his hymn from this week's lectionary reading, "Will evildoers never learn?" One wonders why evildoers continually seek a life of self-centeredness and self-righteousness over one that is admired for humility and servanthood. One could surmise that the joy of controlling others and plundering their wealth of others provides a greater satisfaction for them than inviting the outcast into one's fellowship. Yet these people live in hypocrisy, a greater hypocrisy than can ever be leveled against the church, for they often uncaringly condemn their very own. This matters not to them, as long as the "I" is advanced.
It has been long believed that Adolf Hitler was not a pure Aryan, that a percentage of his blood was Jewish. Genealogy could never prove this -- but the best researchers could determine as that his grandfather was Jewish. Now, with the advent of DNA, it has been scientifically proven that a certain percentage of Hitler's blood was Jewish.
Throughout history much has been made of what percentage of an individual's bloodline qualifies him/her to be African-American, Native American, Jewish, or any other despised ethnic group. In our narrow-mindedness, the majority ethnic group is considered to be the best. But of course, we know that equality is based on the soul, not on blood.
Academics aside, the man who said Germany had a "Jewish problem" had a partly Jewish heritage himself. The man who signed off on the "final solution" qualified to ride in the same cattle cars, along with the brothers and sisters of his lineage, to Auschwitz.
It has also been long believed that Hitler knew that Jewish blood flowed through his veins. Yet his regime still attempted to use eugenics to create the perfect blond-haired and blue-eyed Aryan race. A Jewish grandfather was of little importance to a man who enjoyed parades, adulation, commanding armies, and the luxury of the Eagle's Nest.
All of us are a great distance from the evil committed by Hitler -- yet we are evildoers who still must learn. We cannot criticize others for faults that are our own as well. We must allow others to make the same daily mistakes that we are prone to commit ourselves. We must realize that behavior such as telling racist jokes, ogling women, gossiping, spreading rumors, and all things languishing between means that we still must learn not to be evildoers.
WORSHIP RESOURCES
by George Reed
Call to Worship
Leader: God looks down from heaven on humankind
People: to see if there are any who are wise, who seek after God.
Leader: We have all gone astray, we are all alike perverse;
People: there is no one who does good, no, not one.
Leader: When the Lord restores the fortunes of his people,
People: Jacob will rejoice; Israel will be glad.
OR
Leader: The God of faithfulness calls into the Holy Presence.
People: We come to rest in the faithfulness of God.
Leader: God calls us to care for one another with steadfast love.
People: We offer to our sisters and brothers God's own love.
Leader: God calls us to reach out with the love to the stranger and our enemy.
People: By the grace of God, we will be faithful in loving those who are different from us and who are against us.
Hymns and Sacred Songs
ìAll People Who on Earth Do Dwellî
found in:
UMH: 75
H82: 377, 378
PH: 220, 221
NNBH: 36
NCH: 7
CH: 18
LBW: 245
ìGreat Is Thy Faithfulnessî
found in:
UMH: 140
AAHH: 158
NNBH: 45
NCH: 423
CH: 86
Renew: 249
ìWe Believe in One True Godî
found in:
UMH: 85
ìO Jesus, I Have Promisedî
found in:
UMH: 396
H82: 655
PH: 388, 389
NCH: 493
CH: 612
LBW: 503
ìTake My Life and Let It Beî
found in:
UMH: 399
H82: 707
PH: 391
NNBH: 213
NCH: 448
CH: 609
LBW: 406
Renew: 150
ìA Charge to Keep I Haveî
found in:
UMH: 413
AAHH: 467, 468
NNBH: 436
ìDear Jesus, in Whose Life I Seeî
found in:
UMH: 468
ìStand Up, Stand Up for Jesusî
found in:
UMH: 514
H82: 561
AAHH: 476
NNBH: 409
CH: 613
LBW: 389
ìThe Steadfast Love of the Lordî
found in:
CCB: 28
Renew: 23
ìI Call You Faithfulî
found in:
CCB: 70
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
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
Renew: Renew! Songs & Hymns for Blended Worship
Prayer for the Day / Collect
O God who is faithful in all things: Grant that we may truly reflect your image in our faithfulness to you and your reign; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We come into your presence, Faithful One, to worship you and to learn how to live in your reign. So fill us with your Spirit this day that we may find ourselves truly faithful to you and your Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
Leader: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins, and especially our lack of faithfulness to the God we have pledged to worship and serve.
People: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We have offered ourselves to you and your reign, but we are so easily persuaded to follow other ways. We say Jesus is our Savior, but when we encounter the places where we are called to live in his Way, we falter and look for a detour. Forgive us and redirect us so that we may truly be your faithful people. Amen.
Leader: God is faithful and welcomes us back when we have strayed away yet again. Live in the faithful presence of God's Spirit.
Prayers of the People (and the Lord's Prayer)
We worship you, O Faithful God, because you do not turn from side to side but walk the straight and difficult path of love. When all else fails us in life, we know that you are faithful and gracious to your creation.
(The following paragraph may be used if a separate prayer of confession has not been used.)
We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We have offered ourselves to you and your reign, but we are so easily persuaded to follow other ways. We say Jesus is our Savior, but when we encounter the places where we are called to live in his Way, we falter and look for a detour. Forgive us and redirect us so that we may truly be your faithful people.
We give you thanks for all the ways we experience your faithfulness and loving kindness toward us and all creation. We thank you for the rhythms of nature and life that reflect your steadfastness. We thank you for presence that always surrounds us, though we are often unaware of you.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for those who have not found safety and security in life and do not know your faithfulness. We pray that we may be the visible presence of your faithfulness to them.
(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.
Visuals
pictures that show things we count on -- such as Old Faithful, the rising and setting sun, the constellations, and so forth
Children's Sermon Starter
Ask the children if someone has ever promised them something. Ask if the promise was true or not. Talk about how it feels when someone breaks their promise, and how it feels when they keep it. God is the one who always keeps faith with us. God is the faithful one.
CHILDREN'S SERMON
Happiness Is Finding the Lost
Luke 15:1-10
Object: a coin
Good morning, boys and girls! How many of you have ever lost some money? (let them answer) Was it a lot of money? (let them answer) I think that people really are upset when they lose money, because it is usually money that was needed to spend for food, or clothes, or maybe a gift for somebody that they loved. Money is very important to all of us because we use it to buy the things that we need. Our fathers and mothers work very hard for their money, and if they lose it they usually hunt for it.
How many of you have ever hunted for money? (let them answer) Did you find it? (let them answer) If you found it, do you remember if it made you happy? I know the answer to that question, because I have lost money and then found it, and it made me very happy.
Jesus knows how important money can be to all of us, and he told a story about a woman who lost some money to show us how important people are to God. He said that when a woman lost some money she hunted all day and night until she found it, and then when she found it she celebrated by inviting all of her friends in to her home.
Jesus said that this is the way that God feels about people who become lost from him. He is sad that he lost them, but when he finds them he has a great celebration. Jesus did not mean that he forgot where he put one of us. Jesus did not mean that he dropped one of us in another country and did not bring us back home. Jesus talks about people being lost when they forget to worship him or decide that they want to be their own gods or when they hate others instead of loving people the way they were taught. These are the lost people, and God is very sad when he loses people.
If you would decide to stop coming to Sunday church school and church, or if you started to live differently by cheating your friends and lying to your parents, then God would think that you were lost from him. That would make him very sad. But if you also remembered what God had taught you, and decided that you wanted to be forgiven, and you asked God to be with you, then you would know how happy it made him feel to find you again. That is the thing that makes God the happiest: finding his children and bringing them back home to live with him and Jesus.
The next time that you lose a coin or any amount of money and you feel bad, remember how bad God feels when he loses a person; but then when you find your money you will also know how much God loves bringing back the people who were lost.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, September 12, 2010, issue.
Copyright 2010 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.
Team member Ron Love provides some additional thoughts about the gospel passage. He notes that Jesus' parables about seeking the lost coin and the lost sheep offer something of a lesson for the church -- particularly when viewed in light of some of the complications we see in the business of disaster relief such as with the Pakistani floods. It's not that people don't care; the issue often is a logistical one of getting resources to where they're most needed. Likewise, Ron suggests, the church needs to consider that it's not only a matter of finding the "lost" -- we also need to think about how to get our spiritual resources where they are needed so that "lost" souls (i.e. the unchurched) can be "found."
When Faithfulness Counts as Righteousness
by Dean Feldmeyer
1 Timothy 1:12-27
"I am grateful to Christ Jesus, who has strengthened me," says Paul in the first chapter of First Timothy, "because he judged me faithful and appointed me to his service, even though I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a man of violence."
Paul was strengthened by Jesus not because he was righteous, and not because he was good or worthy or pious or holy or any of those things -- but because he was faithful.
As was the case with Abraham in Genesis 5, God saw faithfulness and decided to count it and reward it as though it was righteousness.
THE WORLD
Thirty-three miners are trapped below ground in Chile. They have been trapped for nearly a month, and it may be Christmas before they are brought out. So they have organized themselves into a disciplined cadre who work hard to support each other in those very trying circumstances. The eldest among them, 62-year-old Mr. Gomez, has become their chaplain and counselor -- sublimating his own doubts and anxieties, leading prayer and worship time, listening to their fears and worries. Another has become the medical officer, relying on advice from the surface and a few first aid courses he took decades ago. Others continue to work, clearing away the debris that falls into their safe room as the new shaft is dug.
How do they do it? How do they keep from dissolving into their own fears and doubts, giving in to the panic which must from time to time invade their consciousness?
On August 5, ten Christians, members off a medical team sponsored by the International Assistance Mission (IAM), were shot to death as they returned to Kabul from a journey into the remote areas of Afghanistan to bring medical aid and supplies to the impoverished people there.
Four days later, on August 9, Dirk R. Frans, the executive director of IAM, told the Associated Press that while the organization was devastated by the murders, they have no intention of abandoning their commitment to Afghanistan, which has kept them in that country for more than 40 years.
Where does that kind of courage come from? Aren't those people scared? Are they just foolish, or is there something else, something solid and substantial down deep in their souls that compels and at the same time reassures them?
What about our national leaders, the President and the Secretary of State? How do they rally within themselves the wherewithal to go once again to the Middle East in an effort to hammer out a peace accord between Palestinians and Israelis? Everyone knows the odds are against them. Everyone says that the hope of any lasting peace agreement is a long shot at best. So where do they get the energy to go back yet again?
If we open our eyes we see this kind of thing happening, often at the micro level, all around us. What drives the activist who has lived in the inner city his whole life even though he could afford to live in the suburbs? What compels those nuns who run the employment agency for ex-convicts year in and year out for thirty years? What is the source of energy that fuels that octogenarian who volunteers at the local soup kitchen every week?
As Delilah asked Samson, we want to ask them: "Where does your strength come from?"
THE WORD
The apostle Paul was a man of extraordinary energy and creativity. In his first letter to Timothy -- this week's epistle reading -- Paul shares where his energy came from. It came from Jesus Christ. It is "Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened" him.
But why?
Was it because he was handsome? Hardly. Was it because he was pious and could quote scripture by memory and could pray long and eloquent prayers? Not a chance. Was it because he gave lots of money to the church and sat on all the most powerful boards and committees? Nope.
Paul tells Timothy -- and us -- that he was strengthened by Jesus not because he (Paul) was good or sinless or pious or handsome or religious. He was given strength because he was faithful.
He did what he said he would do. He kept his word -- to God and to other people. He hung in there when things got tough. He kept to the path when the footing became unsure. He followed the light when the light grew dim.
He was faithful.
And the lesson of scripture is that God sees and accepts and rewards faithfulness as though it were righteousness.
As far back as Genesis, this is one of the most profound and foundational lessons for God's people. It was so in the story of Abraham (Genesis 5:6). Abraham believed the Lord, and the Lord reckoned it to him as righteousness.
In the story of Judah and Tamar we hear it again. Tamar, in order to provide an heir for her dead husband, has to seduce her father-in-law Judah. Enraged when he discovers her subterfuge, Judah intends to kill her -- but God softens his heart and he realizes that she has been more faithful than he has, and he reckons her faithfulness to her dead husband as righteousness.
Now, in Paul's letter we hear it again. "I am grateful to Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because he judged me faithful..."
God does not simply acknowledge faithfulness and count it to us as righteousness in some abstract, theological way. God actually rewards our faithfulness as if it were righteousness. God strengthens us!
CRAFTING THE SERMON
We live in a culture of success. Television preachers and pundits constantly remind us that God wants us to all be happy and successful, and if you aren't both of these things you are probably doing something wrong.
But in scripture at least, God seems to be fairly indifferent to how successful we are in earthly terms. God isn't really much concerned with what kind of car we drive -- unless it's wasteful and extravagant in the face of suffering. God doesn't seem to care how many rooms our houses have -- unless there are homeless people about who have no rooms at all. And God doesn't seem to be as concerned with how much money we make as how much we keep for ourselves and how much we give to the work of God's kingdom.
Over and over, the witness of scripture seems to be that God doesn't reward the righteous with success at the end of the journey. God rewards the faithful with strength for the journey. Stories that illustrate this indicative would be appropriate.
One thinks of the couple who was faithful to each other in marriage for many years and was able to provide strength for each other in their old age. We are reminded of those who persisted in their righteous cause even in the face of overwhelming opposition and came to know success because they were strengthened to continue when they might otherwise have given up.
How many souls have been renewed, we ask? How many lives have been saved? How many marriages have been reinforced and how many inventions have come into being to make our lives healthier and safer because someone, facing difficulty and even danger, remained faithful to their calling and their cause?
There are many forms of crucifixion and many forms of resurrection. Climbing upon the cross of failure only to be resurrected by faithfulness is as great a witness to the power of the gospel as many of us will ever experience in our lifetimes.
ANOTHER VIEW
Good People Do Good Things
by Ron Love
Luke 15:1-10
We are good people. It might not seem that way from watching television news and reading the newspaper headlines, where scoundrels seem to attract all of our attention. Perhaps they are newsworthy because they are so different from the rest of us -- they have the single-mindedness to do things none of our friends and associates would ever even consider. Their acts of debauchery hurt so many people in so many countless ways that we are drawn into the story with disbelief. We give credence to these stories out of our own anger for their callousness and because of our concern for those who have been trodden upon. But by and large, as we live our daily lives, we are surrounded by good people like ourselves. We care about our families, we are considerate of our neighbors, we will help a stranger when called upon, and we are conscientious workers at our places of employment.
Perhaps we would know this to be true if we spent less time on the front page and took time to read the human interest stories embedded on the inside pages of sections B and C of the daily paper. Or perhaps we should spend more time listening to the final story of the network evening newscasts, which usually share an inspiring story of an individual making a difference, or on Friday highlight a person of the week.
How do we know we are good? We have 33 men trapped in a mine in Chile, 2,200 feet below ground. As they will be entombed there for months, resources from across the globe are voluntarily being sent to their assistance. The United States government has even sent to the scene submarine commanders and officials from NASA to offer advice on how to live in a confined space for an extended period of time. This response is reminiscent of the July 2002 Quecreek mine disaster in Pennsylvania, when nine men were held captive in the bowels of the earth. When Pennsylvania needed extra rescue equipment, across the border from West Virginia came the needed rigs, drills, personnel, expert engineers, and specially trained rescue crews.
But as these mine disasters demonstrate, the dilemma we often face is not a lack of desire to help, but a lack of ability to help. In flood-ravaged Pakistan, we know there are countless thousands in need of food, housing, and medicine. There has been great difficulty in getting assistance to those who need it. This is not because we do not care -- the issue is that in a country where a great deal of farmland has now become a lake, helicopters are the only means of transportation. To amass enough helicopters for the thousands that are stranded is not quickly accomplished, and may not even be possible. One could make many arguments on how the people of New Orleans were forsaken when the levees broke during Katrina, but how much of it can be attributed to bureaucracy and how much of it with a failure to understand the magnitude of the problem? For every politician who was chastised, there was a doctor and a nurse and a police officer who faithfully remained at his or her station.
So is the main problem that we do not care or is it that we are limited in what we can do?
This is really an issue for the local church. Put aside the great calamities of the world and look to the sorrows only blocks from our front doors. There are too many impoverished homes to be repaired. The Salvation Army and House of Hope can never care for all the homeless. Rehab centers are expensive, and halfway houses are nearly impossible to establish.
And those in need of assistance don't always have to be the indigent who are pushing grocery carts. Seated in our pews are fine and wonderful people who are crying out for help, but may be too humble to ask for it. How about an elderly saint who is on a fixed income and has the burden of expensive monthly medications? Then there is the unemployed individual who desperately needs businesspeople who will help him network. There is the family with a special needs child who would welcome parenting assistance. And for the child who has difficulty learning, where is the tutor? Or consider sports. Not everyone is naturally talented, so there are many youth who would welcome coaching assistance.
In our lectionary gospel reading this week, Jesus instructs us to look for the one lost sheep. To be honest, most lost sheep truly want to be found, for they are at home in the herd. So we need to stop our inclination to think that people are avoiding Jesus and the gospel message, and start contemplating that they want to be found and healed.
The problem in our churches is not a lack of desire, but a lack of resources to connect with the unchurched. Even if everyone in our congregations would tithe, we would still come up woefully short to address the human needs perched on our own doorsteps. It may tax our resources to find that one lost sheep -- and then there will be the 99 whose needs will not abide in our absence. Does it ever end? Unfortunately, no!
What we need to do is continue our faithful service, for our congregations do try and they do care. But we must always be seeking new avenues to bring physical and spiritual healing to others. Yes, our congregants need to sacrifice even more. Yes, we must be ecumenical in our approach. Yes, we must collaborate with community organizations.
In preparing a sermon on this theme, the following outline may be helpful:
I. Affirm that your congregants are good people who are doing their best.
II. Share with your congregation international, national, and local stories of the good that individuals are doing.
III. Discuss the countless unmet needs that still loom, especially in your own community. Be sure to share scriptural passages that outline the many ways in which individuals suffer.
IV. Then challenge the congregation, in an affirmative manner, to consider how we must dedicate ourselves to doing even more. Be sure to share scriptural passages that demonstrate the uncompromising calling to Christian service.
ILLUSTRATIONS
In August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina crashed upon the city of New Orleans. Now, five years later, though many of the buildings and bridges have been rebuilt, the emotional damage still lingers. Because homes were lost and families were displaced -- many even separated one from another -- the emotional trauma has yet to be healed. A recent study, led by David Abramson of Columbia University, confirmed that the psychological problems the hurricane created have yet to be resolved. The study was focused on the children of the area, both those who returned and those who are still displaced. Abramson said, "If children are the bellwethers of recovery, then the social systems supporting affected Gulf Coast populations are still far from having recovered from Hurricane Katrina." He said, "Children are a bit of canary in a coal mine in that they really represent a failure or a dysfunction of many, many other systems in the community."
In our lectionary gospel lesson we read about Jesus seeking one lost sheep. But from our understanding of his entire public ministry, Jesus never strayed from seeking one lost sheep. Jesus never ceased from his labor of helping another individual. He was forever offering his healing touch and soothing words. Jesus would have walked through New Orleans in August 2005, and he would still be walking the streets in August 2010. Five years after the catastrophe the children and adults of New Orleans are still in need of emotional healing, along with the restoration of their city. Our calling as Christians is not to put a roof on a house, set up a counseling tent, and then leave, thinking that our work for the Lord is complete. Our calling is to remain as long as people are in need of the gospel message of healing.
* * *
"Almost Christian" -- for the faithful believer, being called an "almost Christian" should be troubling. But that's the term created by Kenda Creasy Dean, a professor at Princeton Theological Seminary, to describe the understanding of Christianity many of today's youth are learning in our churches. She notes that they hold to the tenets that "God loves you and wants you to be happy." They believe, "Be nice to other people and pray if you get into trouble." She calls the religion they ascribe to a "cult of niceness."
The problem, according to Dean, is that while these youth believe in God, they don't believe in Christian doctrine. Dean says, "The problem is that it's an incredibly selfish way to look at faith. It means that God is out there to make me happy." Absent of an understanding of Christian doctrine and the scriptures, these youth learn to view God as a deity to enhance their own personal happiness. Absent of being schooled in doctrine and church history, they have no comprehension of the parallel dynamic of being happy, and that is being engaged in Christian service.
Dean suggests two programs to help youth understand the meaning of Christian service. The first is that the Sunday evening youth program needs to be less about video games and more about Bible-centered activities. The second is that every youth ought to have an adult mentor who understands and is involved in volunteer service. A smiley-face Jesus is not who we believe in, and he is not the one we serve. Though we know that Jesus promises the assurance of his presence (which makes us happy because it provides us with a sense of reassurance), Jesus is also the shepherd who left the 99 sheep in search of the one that was lost. As Jesus walked among the rocks on the country hillside listening for the "baa" of the one who was lost, he was engaged in Christian service. Kenda Dean's thoughts should summon us to review our church's youth program, as well as all of our church programs, to be sure we are moving beyond being "almost Christian."
* * *
Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin says that inside linebacker Lawrence Timmons is "ridiculously talented" -- but the problem is that that the former Florida State star performs exceptionally well in practice, but not on the field on game days. Exasperated, Tomlin says of his linebacker: "It's time."
In our gospel text a shepherd is watching over 100 sheep, only to discover that one is missing. He now gazes over a flock of 99 while a single lamb is lost and bewildered. This parable causes many of us uneasiness, for we ponder whether or not we should leave the 99 temporarily unprotected while we diligently search for the one who is lost. The answer, Jesus made obvious, is that our calling is always to the one who is lost. We cannot stand in the open field unconcerned, but we must leave our post in search of the one who momentarily needs our care and concern the most. We must leave the security of the practice field, the open expanse of grassland, to the field of play among the hillside rocks and all the dangers that lurk within. So in the words of Coach Tomlin, we must know when "it's time" to leave the security of the church pew and venture onto the streets of the world.
* * *
The Smithsonian Institute recently received the hymnbook that was carried by Harriet Tubman -- the legendary leader of the Underground Railroad.
Tubman's story is a moving one. She escaped her bondage as a slave and found refuge in Philadelphia. But she could not be content knowing that thousands of others were still in chains. So she made 13 trips from Philadelphia into the deep South, allowing her to guide 70 slaves to Canada. For her daring exploits she was given the name of "Moses."
On all of her journeys, this lady who could neither read nor write carried her hymnbook. Yet the ability to read was unnecessary for her, as she had all the hymns memorized. When the crisis of capture was imminent, she would calm the fears of those on their Exodus to freedom by softly singing a hymn.
Tubman also employed herself as a Union guide and spy. In June 1863, when Union gunboats led a raid along the Combahee River in South Carolina, over 700 slaves were liberated. These slaves only knew captivity, and were anxious and afraid of the new life that awaited them -- so to calm their fears as they boarded the boats Tubman sang:
Of all the whole creation in the east or in the west
The glorious Yankee nation is the greatest and the best
Come along! Come along! Don't be alarmed
Jesus teaches us in the parable of the lost sheep that we are all to be called "Moses." We know that there are many individuals who are suffering physically, emotionally, and spiritually that we must go to with the healing power of the gospel. Like Harriet Tubman, we are to look for the people who surround us that are scared and forsaken and offer these words of comfort: "Come along! Come along! Don't be alarmed."
* * *
These Christians give themselves to this kind of humanity. Now we see what it is that makes them such powerful enemies of our gods. It is the love they manifest toward the stranger, the suffering, and the poor.
-- Julian the Apostate, Roman Emperor
* * *
Sir William Osler was one of England's most famous medical doctors. During World War I he was working as a surgeon in a British military hospital. One day Osler was called away from his rounds to receive the news that his own son had been killed in France. He was stunned by the news, but after only a moment he returned to the wards.
For days the nurses and orderlies noticed that the cheerful tone was gone from Dr. Osler's voice; no longer did he whistle as he worked. It seemed that a change had come over him. Before he had practiced medicine with an air of cool professionalism. But now his colleagues could see -- in his eyes, his tone of voice, the way he laid a gentle hand on a patient's shoulder -- there was something new.
The new element was compassion. It was as though each soldier, lost in pain and fear, was Osler's own son. No longer were these soldiers abstract medical cases. They were lost sheep, and he was the shepherd.
* * *
My children are long past the age of taking delight in childhood games, but I remember hours in years past playing hide-and-seek together, even though it was a game they never quite learned to play according to the rules. In fact, I used to worry about my son. For years I couldn't get him to understand that he shouldn't yell "ready" when he'd found a good hiding place; that only gave it away. He was missing the whole point of the game, I explained. One wants to hide well! Only later did I come to realize that from his perspective, I had missed the whole point of the game. The most fun comes, of course, in being found! Meister Eckhart expressed this mystery well when he said that "God is like a person who clears his throat while hiding and so gives himself away." Even God -- perhaps especially God -- discovers the highest joy in hiding only so as to be found.
-- Belden C. Lane, The Solace of Fierce Landscapes (Oxford University Press, 1998), p. 179
* * *
John Newton was a swearing, seafaring man who found more profit in transporting human slave cargo than material goods. He had a reputation as a shrewd businessperson and a "man of the world." His name struck fear into the hearts of those who knew whence his business profits originated.
Then the grace of our Lord overflowed into his life. He changed dramatically. He was converted from his sinful ways to a life of Christian witness. In 1779 this repentant sinner gave the world what two centuries later would become the best-known and most-loved hymn in America: "Amazing Grace." The hymn continues to grow in popularity. For example, when the Presbyterian Hymnal was published in 1990 it contained versions of "Amazing Grace" in the English, Navaho Kiowa, Creek, Cherokee, and Choctaw languages!
* * *
One of the greatest church fathers, Augustine, spent his entire youth and young adult life as a pagan. He was mourned by his mother Monica for years as a wayward child. She spoke with him, witnessed to him, pleaded with him, and prayed for him over the course of many years in the hopes that he would finally realize his need and the great blessings of the new life available in the Lord Jesus. After Augustine became a Christian and realized what a difference it made to live life for God rather than simply for oneself, he wrote a book he titled Confessions in which he told of the emptiness and loneliness and searching of that earlier time and with what joy he eventually found the power of life in Christ. Reflecting on those years and rejoicing in his present awareness of grace and mercy, Augustine said, "Our hearts are restless until they find their rest in thee." He was a most gifted man in many ways, and putting those gifts to work in the service of Christ made him a major influence on Christian thinking and understanding.
In this week's text today Paul speaks of his earlier life in something of the same way as he laments the "blasphemy and persecution" he had perpetrated on the Christian community. At the same time he says, "I thank him who has given me the strength for this, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful by appointing me to his service." He speaks of himself as "the foremost of sinners," but says that it is precisely because of this that God's mercy and grace shine through him to "display the perfect patience for an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life." God uses the strangest material to fashion the tools for divine service!
* * *
The renowned physicist Steven Hawking, best known for his 1988 book A Brief History of Time, expressed the notion that we will one day know the mind of God. In that book he wrote, "If we discover a complete theory, it would be the ultimate triumph of human reason -- for then we should know the mind of God." Hawking held fast to this religious belief until 1992. In that year a planet was discovered orbiting another star other than our sun. This discovery, for Hawking, replaced a universe created by God with one established by coincidence. In his new book The Grand Design, to be published this month, Hawking has publicly surrendered his religious convictions and accepted a universe based on coincidences. He writes that discovery "makes the coincidences of our planetary conditions -- the single Sun, the lucky combination of Earth-Sun distance and solar mass, far less remarkable, and far less compelling evidence that the Earth was carefully designed just to please us human beings." Hawking now advocates "spontaneous creation." He confesses, "It is not necessary to invoke God to light the blue touch paper and set the universe going." Hawking now preaches that God did not create the universe, for the "Big Bang" was an inevitable consequence of the laws of physics.
This week's lectionary psalm passage begins: "The fool says in his heart, 'There is no God.' " The psalmist is trying to make a poignant point -- people who do not believe in God have a tragic failure in knowledge. This is coupled with the inability (or lack of desire) to have an intimate and personal relationship with God. Because of their refusal to seek the Lord and call upon him, they become the god of their own lives. Divorcing themselves from God, they are asserting their independence.
Hawking is representative of many people we know -- individuals who once believed, but now don't; individuals who cannot accept there is a coexistence between religion and science. These individuals have shunned the idea of an indwelling Holy Spirit, and have decided to be the masters of their own universe. They are fools. "Fool" is a harsh word, but obviously the psalmist felt it was an apt and appropriate word for the atheist and agnostic alike. Our calling for this month is to hold The Grand Design in one hand and the Bible in the other, and lead people away from their foolish beliefs.
* * *
The psalmist asks in his hymn from this week's lectionary reading, "Will evildoers never learn?" One wonders why evildoers continually seek a life of self-centeredness and self-righteousness over one that is admired for humility and servanthood. One could surmise that the joy of controlling others and plundering their wealth of others provides a greater satisfaction for them than inviting the outcast into one's fellowship. Yet these people live in hypocrisy, a greater hypocrisy than can ever be leveled against the church, for they often uncaringly condemn their very own. This matters not to them, as long as the "I" is advanced.
It has been long believed that Adolf Hitler was not a pure Aryan, that a percentage of his blood was Jewish. Genealogy could never prove this -- but the best researchers could determine as that his grandfather was Jewish. Now, with the advent of DNA, it has been scientifically proven that a certain percentage of Hitler's blood was Jewish.
Throughout history much has been made of what percentage of an individual's bloodline qualifies him/her to be African-American, Native American, Jewish, or any other despised ethnic group. In our narrow-mindedness, the majority ethnic group is considered to be the best. But of course, we know that equality is based on the soul, not on blood.
Academics aside, the man who said Germany had a "Jewish problem" had a partly Jewish heritage himself. The man who signed off on the "final solution" qualified to ride in the same cattle cars, along with the brothers and sisters of his lineage, to Auschwitz.
It has also been long believed that Hitler knew that Jewish blood flowed through his veins. Yet his regime still attempted to use eugenics to create the perfect blond-haired and blue-eyed Aryan race. A Jewish grandfather was of little importance to a man who enjoyed parades, adulation, commanding armies, and the luxury of the Eagle's Nest.
All of us are a great distance from the evil committed by Hitler -- yet we are evildoers who still must learn. We cannot criticize others for faults that are our own as well. We must allow others to make the same daily mistakes that we are prone to commit ourselves. We must realize that behavior such as telling racist jokes, ogling women, gossiping, spreading rumors, and all things languishing between means that we still must learn not to be evildoers.
WORSHIP RESOURCES
by George Reed
Call to Worship
Leader: God looks down from heaven on humankind
People: to see if there are any who are wise, who seek after God.
Leader: We have all gone astray, we are all alike perverse;
People: there is no one who does good, no, not one.
Leader: When the Lord restores the fortunes of his people,
People: Jacob will rejoice; Israel will be glad.
OR
Leader: The God of faithfulness calls into the Holy Presence.
People: We come to rest in the faithfulness of God.
Leader: God calls us to care for one another with steadfast love.
People: We offer to our sisters and brothers God's own love.
Leader: God calls us to reach out with the love to the stranger and our enemy.
People: By the grace of God, we will be faithful in loving those who are different from us and who are against us.
Hymns and Sacred Songs
ìAll People Who on Earth Do Dwellî
found in:
UMH: 75
H82: 377, 378
PH: 220, 221
NNBH: 36
NCH: 7
CH: 18
LBW: 245
ìGreat Is Thy Faithfulnessî
found in:
UMH: 140
AAHH: 158
NNBH: 45
NCH: 423
CH: 86
Renew: 249
ìWe Believe in One True Godî
found in:
UMH: 85
ìO Jesus, I Have Promisedî
found in:
UMH: 396
H82: 655
PH: 388, 389
NCH: 493
CH: 612
LBW: 503
ìTake My Life and Let It Beî
found in:
UMH: 399
H82: 707
PH: 391
NNBH: 213
NCH: 448
CH: 609
LBW: 406
Renew: 150
ìA Charge to Keep I Haveî
found in:
UMH: 413
AAHH: 467, 468
NNBH: 436
ìDear Jesus, in Whose Life I Seeî
found in:
UMH: 468
ìStand Up, Stand Up for Jesusî
found in:
UMH: 514
H82: 561
AAHH: 476
NNBH: 409
CH: 613
LBW: 389
ìThe Steadfast Love of the Lordî
found in:
CCB: 28
Renew: 23
ìI Call You Faithfulî
found in:
CCB: 70
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
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
Renew: Renew! Songs & Hymns for Blended Worship
Prayer for the Day / Collect
O God who is faithful in all things: Grant that we may truly reflect your image in our faithfulness to you and your reign; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We come into your presence, Faithful One, to worship you and to learn how to live in your reign. So fill us with your Spirit this day that we may find ourselves truly faithful to you and your Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
Leader: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins, and especially our lack of faithfulness to the God we have pledged to worship and serve.
People: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We have offered ourselves to you and your reign, but we are so easily persuaded to follow other ways. We say Jesus is our Savior, but when we encounter the places where we are called to live in his Way, we falter and look for a detour. Forgive us and redirect us so that we may truly be your faithful people. Amen.
Leader: God is faithful and welcomes us back when we have strayed away yet again. Live in the faithful presence of God's Spirit.
Prayers of the People (and the Lord's Prayer)
We worship you, O Faithful God, because you do not turn from side to side but walk the straight and difficult path of love. When all else fails us in life, we know that you are faithful and gracious to your creation.
(The following paragraph may be used if a separate prayer of confession has not been used.)
We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We have offered ourselves to you and your reign, but we are so easily persuaded to follow other ways. We say Jesus is our Savior, but when we encounter the places where we are called to live in his Way, we falter and look for a detour. Forgive us and redirect us so that we may truly be your faithful people.
We give you thanks for all the ways we experience your faithfulness and loving kindness toward us and all creation. We thank you for the rhythms of nature and life that reflect your steadfastness. We thank you for presence that always surrounds us, though we are often unaware of you.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for those who have not found safety and security in life and do not know your faithfulness. We pray that we may be the visible presence of your faithfulness to them.
(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.
Visuals
pictures that show things we count on -- such as Old Faithful, the rising and setting sun, the constellations, and so forth
Children's Sermon Starter
Ask the children if someone has ever promised them something. Ask if the promise was true or not. Talk about how it feels when someone breaks their promise, and how it feels when they keep it. God is the one who always keeps faith with us. God is the faithful one.
CHILDREN'S SERMON
Happiness Is Finding the Lost
Luke 15:1-10
Object: a coin
Good morning, boys and girls! How many of you have ever lost some money? (let them answer) Was it a lot of money? (let them answer) I think that people really are upset when they lose money, because it is usually money that was needed to spend for food, or clothes, or maybe a gift for somebody that they loved. Money is very important to all of us because we use it to buy the things that we need. Our fathers and mothers work very hard for their money, and if they lose it they usually hunt for it.
How many of you have ever hunted for money? (let them answer) Did you find it? (let them answer) If you found it, do you remember if it made you happy? I know the answer to that question, because I have lost money and then found it, and it made me very happy.
Jesus knows how important money can be to all of us, and he told a story about a woman who lost some money to show us how important people are to God. He said that when a woman lost some money she hunted all day and night until she found it, and then when she found it she celebrated by inviting all of her friends in to her home.
Jesus said that this is the way that God feels about people who become lost from him. He is sad that he lost them, but when he finds them he has a great celebration. Jesus did not mean that he forgot where he put one of us. Jesus did not mean that he dropped one of us in another country and did not bring us back home. Jesus talks about people being lost when they forget to worship him or decide that they want to be their own gods or when they hate others instead of loving people the way they were taught. These are the lost people, and God is very sad when he loses people.
If you would decide to stop coming to Sunday church school and church, or if you started to live differently by cheating your friends and lying to your parents, then God would think that you were lost from him. That would make him very sad. But if you also remembered what God had taught you, and decided that you wanted to be forgiven, and you asked God to be with you, then you would know how happy it made him feel to find you again. That is the thing that makes God the happiest: finding his children and bringing them back home to live with him and Jesus.
The next time that you lose a coin or any amount of money and you feel bad, remember how bad God feels when he loses a person; but then when you find your money you will also know how much God loves bringing back the people who were lost.
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The Immediate Word, September 12, 2010, issue.
Copyright 2010 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.
