In this week’s gospel text, Jesus not only shares with us the Lord’s Prayer, he also offers an explanation about what to pray for by way of an object lesson based on an illustration involving a man asking a neighbor for some bread. At first glance Jesus seems to be lifting up the virtue of perseverance and assuring us that our prayers will be answered, as he tells the disciples: “Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened” (Luke 11:9-10). Many of the people in our pews (perhaps most?) might interpret this to mean that, if we’re persistent enough, we can expect to receive the answers we’re asking for in response to our prayers.
But that view might ring hollow to the loved ones of Talia Joy Castellano, the 13-year-old cancer patient and YouTube sensation who finally succumbed to the disease this past week. Castellano inspired millions with her unrelentingly positive outlook -- so questions are sure to be asked about how a compassionate God could let someone like her suffer without a response. Some could take an overly literal interpretation of Jesus’ comments and suggest that the prayers offered for Castellano weren’t fervent or faithful enough. But to think that way is to echo the attitude of Job’s friends, who blamed the victim for his catastrophic predicament. Team member Chris Keating explores this sensitive subject in this installment of The Immediate Word, and he cautions us to remember that while our prayers are surely heard, God doesn’t always respond in the time or fashion that we demand.
Team member Mary Austin offers some additional thoughts on the Hosea text and the symbolism that can be embodied by our names. The names God instructs Hosea to give his offspring are quite startling: rather than naming them after positive qualities like Faith, Hope, or Grace, it’s as if Hosea is told to name his children Osama bin Laden or Dzhokhar Tsarnaev (the surviving Boston Marathon bomber whose portrait is controversially on the cover of the current issue of Rolling Stone). Mary points out that names can have a powerful cultural symbolism -- many names not only represent actual persons but have also become shorthand representing larger issues, something that was exactly God’s intention with the names he assigns to Hosea’s children. In the wake of weeks of wall-to-wall cable news coverage and a controversial verdict, Mary ponders whether the names of Trayvon Martin and George Zimmerman will become similarly meaningful -- and she asks us to consider how we respond to names... especially ones that continually remind us of the darker aspects of human existence.
When Scorpions Sting and Prayers Go Unanswered
by Chris Keating
Luke 11:1-13
She seemed to have it all: thousands of adoring fans, celebrities as friends, appearances on television, and beauty tip videos that skyrocketed her to fame and the cover of CoverGirl magazine.
Talia Joy Castellano seemed to have it all, except a chance to beat cancer.
Her smile and spirit seemed to be undefeatable. When she lost her hair, she painted “Makeup is my Wig” in bright colors across her head. She was persistent in touching others, knocking on the doorways of her fans’ hearts. When asked by Ellen DeGeneres how she maintained her upbeat attitude, Talia responded, “When people ask me that, what do you want me to do, be depressed? I mean, a little fishy told me, ‘Just keep swimming, just keep swimming!’ ” (a reference to a line spoken by Dory the fish -- the character voiced by DeGeneres -- in the popular animated movie Finding Nemo).
Talia brought joy and hope to many, but when it came to cancer it seemed as though she didn’t have a prayer of a chance. Like many who have stood by the bedside of dying children, her family surely must have knocked on heaven’s door, pleading with God to intervene, turning to the words of the one who said, “Ask, and it will be given to you.”
“If the child asks for an egg, will you give that one a scorpion?” asks Jesus in Luke 11:1-13. “How much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?”
Would it have been too much to ask that the scorpion of cancer not sting young Talia, and many more like her?
In the News
Talia Castellano’s struggles with cancer began with her diagnosis on Valentine’s Day 2007, and continued for more than half of her life. Through it all, she became a voice for other kids with cancer, using social media to communicate with fans and friends. Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube provided this youth of the millennial generation with a platform to reach a fan base far beyond her Orlando, Florida, home. And today, those videos and messages remain her legacy. According to her obituary:
Talia wanted “to leave her footprints and handprints” on this world so she will never be forgotten, and she has definitely done more than that. Talia started doing makeup tutorials on YouTube in 2011, and also used this social media platform to share her life living with cancer. Talia said she always wanted to be remembered “as the bubbly girl who is the voice of childhood cancer.”
She taught makeup skills and talked candidly about having terminal cancer. During her appearance on Ellen, she was named an honorary CoverGirl by the cosmetic company, a tribute to her irrepressible personality and skill. She often shared her beauty skills directly with other cancer kids, inspiring them to find beauty in the face of illness.
“She inspired us to be beautiful inside and out,” said her father, Marc Winthrop. “She wanted to be able to be beautiful how she was, with no hair.”
In her videos, Talia mixed strength, humor, and never-failing optimism with teenage jargon and spirit. Her sister called her spunky, her father inspirational. A Florida pastor called her a blessing to others.
“I’m grateful for the time I got to spend with this beautiful young girl,” DeGeneres tweeted.
It seemed that in all Talia did she tried to live up to her middle name -- Joy.
As she faced her incurable illness, the bubbly voiced girl with long eyelashes persevered, telling her friends and family that every journey must come to an end. She endured pain, loneliness, and fear. But even in facing her final journey, she maintained her wit. In the waning days of her life, Talia composed a whimsical “bucket list” of things she wanted to accomplish before dying -- a potpourri of items ranging from attending a concert by Usher to having a paint war with friends.
It was her legacy to her fans, in a way, and now her fans are returning the favor. Photographs of fans doing things on Talia’s list are popping up across social media. The tributes have touched Talia’s mother and sister.
Desiree Castellano described the amazing impact her daughter had on her fans: “I think the world understands how precious life is, that we should live each day and do the thing that makes us happy, and don’t take anything for granted.”
Many fans and friends shared that commitment. They have learned not to take anything for granted, and have embodied deep faith in the one who called us to knock persistently on heaven’s doors. They prayed fervently for Talia, and for her family. Their prayers were hash-tagged #prayfortalia, and offered in faith.
Yet all the prayers on her behalf did not lead to a healing. Talia could not overcome cancer. Like many others, she was surrounded in prayer and hopes for healing. Many held her prayer, asking, knocking, and seeking. God’s children asked for an egg, but Talia’s death (as well as the deaths of many others who suffer) seems indeed like the sting of a scorpion.
Have those who have raised their hearts in prayer, sincerely interceding on behalf of loved ones, been ignored by God? Or is Jesus’ assurance that “everyone who asks receives” a promise without substance?
Talia’s own life may provide one answer to these questions, as well as a way to sensitively enter into conversations about being bold and persistent in our prayers. Despite the candor and honesty with which she lived, Talia’s own spirituality and faith traditions, along with those of her family, have remained somewhat private. Honoring her family’s Jewish traditions, a rabbi presided over a private service, and a public memorial is being planned. It seems that the stunning boldness with which she lived could provide an indirect way of seeing how she may have been the answer to her very own prayers.
In Luke, Jesus’ own disciples also are perplexed and confused by prayer. Throughout Luke, there are many instances of Jesus praying, and chapter 11 begins with Jesus praying “in a certain place.” The disciples are plainly expressing their yearning for a deeper understanding into prayer. Staring into the mysteries of life, they are provoked to ask, “Lord, teach us to pray!”
In the Scriptures
In some ways, Talia Castellano’s ability to persist in the face of despair and complications mirrors the instructions Jesus offers to his own disciples in Luke 11. Without question, those enrolled in Jesus’ academy of prayer first learn what it means to be bold in their approach, and to persevere in asking God no matter how slow the response.
Luke switches direction at the beginning of this section, moving away from exploring what it means to love God and the neighbor into a directed conversation about prayer. Luke’s prayer differs from Matthew’s in ways, including two fewer petitions. The prayer is clearly intended for communal use, and establishes a sense of intimacy between God as “Father” (Abba) and the disciples. Verse 3 notably asserts three petitions for daily needs, including bread, forgiveness, and deliverance. The believer is called to faithfulness in asking, and boldness in expecting that God will provide what is needed for that day.
Too often, however, we have domesticated this prayer, blunting its edges so that it is as soft as an offering plate’s velvet lining. We ignore the rubric often used to introduce the Lord’s Prayer during worship: “And, as our Savior has taught us, we are bold to pray...”
But notice the parable that follows the petitions, and how it reinforces Jesus’ intent that our prayers ought to be bold in their persistence. Both the parable in verses 5-8 and the direct instruction in verses 9ff instruct the disciples to be forthright in their requests to God. The parable is built around the assurance that no one in Jesus’ time could ignore a late-night plea for bread.
It leads to the rather ridiculous image of a nagging neighbor incessantly ringing another neighbor’s doorbell at midnight. Yet this is more than a game of ding-dong ditch; there is serious embarrassment on the part of the neighbor who has no bread to give his late-arriving guest. This shameless neighbor is willing to disturb the neighborhood peace in pursuit of a couple of loaves of bread. While this may cause a rift in their friendship, the other neighbor complies with the request just so he can get back to bed.
If even a sleepy neighbor can be aroused by persistent banging on the door, how much more will God give what is needed?
What is assumed throughout is that God will indeed answer our prayers, and that disciples ought to be boldly persistent in their requests. Note that God is not an ATM, automatically granting exactly what has been requested. Nor is there any indication that God is a wish-granter, waving a magic wand to erase suffering or any other condition of our humanity. Scripture attests to the miraculous intervention of God, to be sure; but the pattern of prayer Jesus commends only includes the expectation that God will provide answers -- not how they will be answered.
In the Sermon
The prayer Jesus offers was never intended to be merely a quiet interlude during worship. The words and images associated with the Lord’s Prayer are bold and daring, and those who say them are called to be doggedly persistent in their petitioning. This prayer is nothing less than a daring encounter with God, and a reminder of Annie Dillard’s famous remark that those who attend worship should be outfitted with crash helmets and life preservers. Those invited by Jesus to pray daily are called into a deeply trusting relationship.
A sermon could explore what it means to engage prayer in such a bold fashion. What does it mean to encounter God in a daring conversation? Staying in relationship with God -- even as our prayers seem to go unanswered -- may take us back to the image of the friend pounding his fist on a neighbor’s locked door. Thomas Long, in his wonderful book What Shall We Say? (Eerdmans, 2011), reminds us that “prayer... is a part of our total and ongoing relationship with God, and in a way we do not understand and cannot articulate God allows our cries, laments, demands, desperate appeals, grateful thanksgivings, praises, and protests to be gathered up into God’s actions in the world.”
In 1998, the Rev. Mike Turner, of Caldwell, Idaho, was found dead on an isolated trail, his legs pinned between two massive boulders. Turner’s story is remarkable, made even more astonishing by the journal he kept for nine days following his accident. Trapped alive, Turner knew that death was near. Running low on water, facing hypothermia, Turner was nearly despairing. In one passage, just days before his death, Turner wrote: “God is with me, but I am angry with him (sic). What is the purpose of this ordeal? Will I ever know, or continue to be puzzled, angered, and feel quite abandoned by the one I serve?”
Then, as his handwriting weakened, Turned prayed: “Fill me with peace, Lord. May the conditions not deny my love for you.”
As we approach this text, preachers can expect to encounter those who, figuratively speaking, have been caught between two boulders, yearning for God to act. Their prayers have ascended, but the answers seem never to arrive. But Jesus calls us to persist, to be bold, to act like Talia in leaving our handprints and footprints all over the world. Jesus calls us into a relationship of deep trust that allows us to say, “Fill me with peace, Lord.”
Our prayers may not always be answered the way we expect them. Certainly, Talia Castellano’s family and close friends would relish another moment with her. Yet her spirit inspired thousands to take up her cause. Her life added beauty to the world in its short 13 years. And her bucket list has now sent hundreds into new adventures, both serious and playful. Her voice will continue to be heard on behalf of other children with cancer.
She might have just become the answer to her own prayers.
SECOND THOUGHTS
by Mary Austin
Hosea 1:2-10
Certain names call up vivid images.
Some are historical: George Washington, Martin Luther King Jr., Neil Armstrong. Others are fictional: Harry Potter, Voldemort, Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader.
Some names have such vivid associations that they rarely show up for newborns: Adolf, Benedict, Mata.
In smaller ways, many of us carry meaning in our own names. We carry on a family story as we live with the name of a parent or grandparent. We look at ourselves and wonder if we have the qualities of a beloved aunt or family friend whose name is part of our name. People who are a “Junior” or even the third or fourth person to carry a name also live with a weight of family expectations. Others carry their family’s ethnic heritage in a middle name, a reminder of distinct roots and traditions.
This Monday, an event the world has been waiting for took place -- the birth of England’s new royal baby -- and there’s a great deal of speculation about his name, which has yet to be revealed. Some names are out of the question for the heir to the throne. Trendy names won’t work for the future monarch, and as CNN reported, “History has... knocked several male names out of the equation: Edward is unlikely, given that scandalous abdication so he could marry American divorcee Wallis Simpson, and the various King Richards, Charleses, and Johns are viewed as cruel, tyrannical, or just downright unpopular.” In addition to a first name, or probably several names, the baby will also be known as the Prince of Cambridge.
Not just any name will do for some babies, as the prophet Hosea learns. God gives him very specific instructions about both his wife and the names of his children. The opening message to the prophet is to take a wife “of whoredom,” a wife with an unfortunate past, and to have children with her. God seems to know that there's no possibility of faithfulness in this relationship, mirroring Israel’s unfaithfulness to God. Their life together will serve as a morality play about the relationship between God and Israel.
In our time, we understand fidelity in a covenant relationship as an obligation of both partners, but ancient Israel understood it as a duty solely of the wife. We also understand prostitution as a devastating way to make a living, often connected with prior sexual abuse, addiction, or severe financial limitations. For the purposes of this story, no such current wisdom applies. Gomer, Hosea’s wife, exists in the story only as a stand-in for the nation of Israel, representing Israel’s inability to remain faithful to God. The unsettling parts of the relationship are meant to jolt Israel into seeing its own unfaithfulness to God. The element of prostitution is a reminder of the places where commerce has taken precedence over an intimate connection. The people seek gain over loyalty.
God tells the story of the divine relationship with Israel in the names of the children. First is Jezreel, the battlefield where Jehu killed the worshipers of Baal along with the kings of Israel and Judah (2 Kings 9-10). God recalls the battle, and seems to be saying that the current state of Israel is just as corrupt as it once was. Next is Lo-ruhamah, meaning “not loved” or “not pitied,” showing God’s further movement away from Israel. Finally there’s Lo-ammi, meaning “not my people.” God has moved even further away from the once beloved people.
These names are a stunning message to the people of Israel, a dramatic rendering of God’s message. Hosea embodies God’s message in his life, his marriage, and in the names of his children. Anyone who met these children would hear God’s word in the sound of their names. Each name called up images for the people who heard them. There’s no missing the meaning of these names.
American public life has some of those names, names which call up memories of a moment in our history. They take on a life beyond the individual, and come to symbolize a larger injustice: Emmett Till, Ryan White, Rosa Parks. Other names evoke movement forward, a person who taught us something and moved us all to a new understanding: Nelson Mandela, Jackie Robinson, Harvey Milk, Susan B. Anthony, Cesar Chavez.
As we emerge from the verdict in the trial of George Zimmerman for shooting Trayvon Martin to death, we might wonder if the name Trayvon Martin will become one of those iconic names in American life. Will it become larger than an individual name, drawing us back to questions of race and justice in our common life? A name to rally around? A symbol of the injustice embedded in the justice system? It’s too soon to tell. Like ancient Israel, we need the names that call us to do better as a nation. Some names are touchstones that remind us of our better selves. Some names become larger than one single life, and call to mind the places where we’ve fallen away from our best intentions and lost sight of our principles.
God ends the message written into Hosea’s life with a word of hope. May the same come to us also.
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Dean Feldmeyer:
Luke 11:1-13
One of country singer Garth Brooks’ most popular songs is “Unanswered Prayer,” which he co-wrote and released in 1991 as a single on his No Fences album.
The song, which is loosely based on Brooks’ own experience, tells the story of a man who runs into his old high school girlfriend while attending a football game in his hometown. He introduces her to his wife, and then spends some time reminiscing about their youthful relationship and how he fervently prayed that she would one day be his wife and they would build a life together.
Then, looking at his wife and the former girlfriend together, he realizes that he and the old flame have grown up, changed, and grown apart, and that not marrying her was probably the luckiest thing that ever happened to him. It turned out that God was right when God let that prayer go unanswered:
She wasn’t quite the angel that I remembered in my dreams
And I could tell that time had changed me
In her eyes too it seemed
We tried to talk about the old days
There wasn’t much we could recall
I guess the Lord knows what he’s doin’ after all
And as she walked away and I looked at my wife
And then and there I thanked the good Lord
For the gifts in my life
Sometimes I thank God for unanswered prayers
*****
Luke 11:1-13
Peter Marshall was a Scots-American preacher and pastor of the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in Washington, DC, who was twice appointed as Chaplain of the United States Senate. People often waited in lines around the block to enter the church where he preached. He is remembered popularly from the success of A Man Called Peter (1951), a biography written by his widow, Catherine Marshall, and its 1955 film adaptation, which was nominated for an Academy Award for cinematography.
For all his energy, enthusiasm, talent, and personal charisma, Peter Marshall was afflicted with heart problems, and he died suddenly in 1949 at the age of 46. Some of his struggles to deal with his heart problems while maintaining his very active ministry are reflected in this prayer from The Prayers of Peter Marshall, a volume collected, edited, and published by Catherine Marshall:
I do need thee, Lord. I need thee now. I know that I can do without many things that once I thought were necessities, but without thee I cannot live, and I dare not die.
I needed thee when sorrow came, when shadows were thrown across the threshold of my life, and thou didst not fail me then. I needed thee when sickness laid a clammy hand upon my family, and I cried to thee, and thou didst hear. I needed thee when perplexity brought me to a parting of the ways, and I knew not how to turn. Thou didst not fail me then, but in many ways, big and little, didst indicate the better way. And though the sun is shining around me today, I know that I need thee even in the sunshine, and shall still need thee tomorrow...
*****
Hosea 1:2-10
Here are the top ten baby names for girls and boys searched for by parenting.com readers in 2012 (ranked from 1-10):
Female: Isabella, Millie, Sookie, Ann, Ella, Betty, Ellie, Emma, Eithne, and Charlotte.
Male: Jacob, Max, Liam, Ted, Mo, Aiden, Andy, Bertie, Ned, and Gus.
Compare those to the most popular baby names 50 years ago, in 1963:
Female: Lisa, Mary, Susan, Karen, Linda, Donna, Patricia, Lori, Sandra, and Cynthia.
Male: Michael, John, David, James, Robert, Mark, William, Richard, Thomas, and Jeffrey.
*****
Hosea 1:2-10
Today’s popular baby names would have seemed weird to parents who were naming their babies 50 years ago, but when it comes to weird baby names, Hollywood celebrities seem to compete for the honor of “weirdest.” Here are the top ten weirdest celebrity baby names, according to the website cracked.com:
10.) Actor/director Forest Whitaker named his son Ocean.
9.) Michael Jackson named his first two sons Prince Michael and Prince Michael II -- and Prince Michael II’s nickname was Blanket.
8.) Movie director Robert Rodriguez named his son Rocket.
7.) U2 guitarist The Edge named his daughter Blue Angel.
6.) Actress Shannyn Sossamon named her new baby Audio Science.
5.) & 4.) Rock Star Frank Zappa named two of his children Moon Unit and Diva Thin Muffin.
3.) Magician Penn Teller comes in at third place with a daughter named Moxie Crimefighter.
2.) Actor Rob Morrow named his daughter Tu. (Tu Morrow, get it?)
1.) And the top prize goes to singer Jermaine Jackson, who named his child Jermajesty.
*****
Hosea 1:2-10
You have to wonder why celebrities would saddle their kids with such weird names when they take such pains to name themselves. Some Hollywood celebs change their names because the Screen Actors Guild allows for only one member per name. (Ed Byrnes had to register as Edward Byrnes because Ed Byrnes was already taken.)
Other celebs change their names to make them more memorable, or at least not so common. See if you can match these birth names to the celebrities who changed them: Carlos Ray (Chuck Norris), Curtis Jackson (50 Cent), Pauline Phillips (Dear Abby), Adele Laurie Blue Adkins (Adele), Alphonso D’Abruzzo (Alan Alda), Angelina Voigt (Angelina Jolie), Robert Zimmerman (Bob Dylan), Archibald Alexander Leach (Cary Grant).
Many more can be found here.
*****
Hosea 1:2-10
Daniela Petroff, writing for the Associated Press in March of this year, reminds us that the names popes choose for themselves are filled with historical and symbolic significance.
Pope Benedict XVI, for instance, chose that name to honor the last pope to hold that name, Benedict XV, who was pope during and immediately after World War I and spent much of his papacy working to bring reconciliation and healing to Europe after the war. The new Benedict said that he wanted to follow in those footsteps.
Pope John Paul I was the first pope to use two names, but his papacy lasted only 33 days when he died unexpectedly. His successor, Polish-born John Paul II, considered the name Stanislaw to honor the patron saint of Warsaw, but chose John Paul II instead to honor John Paul I.
Until the first millennium, popes were called by their first names, except for the 6th-century Roman Mercurious, who having been named by his parents after a pagan god, decided the name would not be appropriate for a pope. He chose the name of John II.
John XXIII chose his name in 1958 because John the Baptist was the name of the parish church in Sotto il Monte, the small northern Italian town where he was baptized.
Over the 2,000-year history of the church, the most popular papal name is John, followed by Gregory and Benedict. Pius was the most popular choice in the past century, picked by three popes. Another famous Pius was the 19th-century Pius IX, who holds the record as the longest reigning pope -- almost 32 years.
***************
From team member Ron Love:
Hosea 1:2-10
Eliot Spitzer was known as the “Sheriff of Wall Street” when he was New York state’s attorney general, as he vehemently prosecuted the unethical practices of the business community. Beyond that, he is now better known as the New York governor who had to resign because of his extracurricular activities. Now, Spitzer is running for public office again, seeking the post of New York City comptroller. In his recently released book, Spitzer describes his downfall by saying that “self-importance” can lead to a “dangerous arrogance” that often ends badly. He continued by writing, “The only question now is moving forward.”
Application: The arrogance of Israel brought about their judgment. Hosea, in his marriage and in the naming of his children, is trying to tell the Israelites it is time to move forward into a new relationship with God.
*****
Hosea 1:2-10
Staff Sgt. Reckless now has her own statue in Semper Fidelis Memorial Park. The last known war horse to be actively engaged in combat, Reckless played an important role in the Battle of Outpost Vegas during the Korean War, making 51 trips in one day up and down a steep mountain slope, often on her own, carrying ammunition up and wounded soldiers down. The new statue depicts her climbing up the mountain, and will be dedicated on the day before the 60th anniversary of the Korean War armistice. Reckless was purchased from a young Korean boy, Kim Huk Moon, who used the money to buy an artificial leg for his older sister.
Application: Many may have thought Hosea was reckless in his marriage and in the naming of his children, but he realized there was a battle to be won in securing the hearts and minds of the Israelites.
*****
Hosea 1:2-10
Linda Rottenberg is the founder and CEO of Endeavor Global, a corporation that provides startup money for companies in emerging markets. Based on her work in Latin America,
Rottenberg realized that while there is abundant talent in emerging markets, the necessary resources for entrepreneurs are often lacking. She is presently writing a book regarding her exploits, with the working title Crazy Is a Compliment. Regarding her book title and her philosophy, Rottenberg said, “I do believe that if people aren’t calling you crazy, you aren’t thinking big enough.”
Application: Many people in Israel though Hosea was crazy, for he was thinking too big for them.
*****
Colossians 2:6-15 (16-19)
A recent report indicates that employers today are as concerned that applicants have soft skills as opposed to only hard skills. An individual’s soft skills are defined as attributes of being able to work well in teams, write and speak with clarity, adapt quickly to changes in technology and business conditions, and interact with colleagues from different countries and cultures. To test for these skills, in addition to the application and standard interview, potential employees are placed in small-group encounter sessions. Joseph Krok, university research liaison for Britain’s Rolls-Royce said, “Soft skills tend to differentiate good college graduates from exceptional college graduates.”
Application: One of the points that Paul is trying to make in his letter is the need for Christians to be able to work together in the midst of their diversity.
*****
Colossians 2:6-15 (16-19)
Playboy centerfold, author, movie star, TV personality -- yes.
Medical expert -- no.
A great deal of concern and controversy has arisen with the announcement that Jenny McCarthy will be the newest host on ABC’s The View. The reason for the public consternation in the medical community is McCarthy’s belief that vaccination causes autism in young children. Though over two dozen studies have conclusively proven this is not the case, McCarthy continues to trumpet the cause. Now, on The View she will have a national platform to spread false information. Amy Pisani, the executive director of Every Child by Two, said, “Children have died due to this misinformation.” Seattle pediatrician Wendy Sue Swanson said, “We’ll work to undo myths around vaccine safety for the rest of our lives, in part because of Ms. McCarthy.”
Application: Paul wrote his letter to combat the false teachings that were plaguing the church.
WORSHIP RESOURCES
by George Reed
Call to Worship
Leader: O God, you were favorable to your land;
People: you restored the fortunes of Jacob.
Leader: You forgave the iniquity of your people;
People: you pardoned all their sin.
Leader: Restore us again, O God of our salvation;
People: put away your indignation toward us.
Leader: Show us your steadfast love, O God;
People: grant us the joy of your salvation.
OR
Leader: God invites us to come and know the holy.
People: In humility, we come to know our God.
Leader: God invites us to seek and find the way of life.
People: In awe, we enter the journey of life with our God.
Leader: God invites us to learn our own, true name.
People: Held in God’s love, we are able to know ourselves.
Hymns and Sacred Songs
“All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name”
found in:
UMH: 154, 155
H82: 450, 451
PH: 142, 143
AAHH: 292, 293, 294
NNBH: 3, 5
NCH: 304
CH: 91, 92
LBW: 328, 329
ELA: 634
W&P: 100, 106
AMEC: 4, 5, 6
Renew: 45
“Seek the Lord”
found in:
UMH: 124
“Seek Ye First”
found in:
UMH: 405
H82: 711
PH: 333
CH: 359
W&P: 349
CCB: 76
“God of Many Names”
found in:
UMH: 105
CH: 13
W&P: 58
STLT: 198
“If Thou But Suffer God to Guide Thee”
found in:
UMH: 142
H82: 635
PH: 282
NCH: 410
LBW: 453
ELA: 769
W&P: 429
“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
“We Are Climbing Jacob’s Ladder”
found in:
UMH: 418
AAHH: 464
NNBH: 217
NCH: 500
AMEC: 363
STLT: 211
“Make Me a Captive, Lord”
found in:
UMH: 421
PH: 378
“All I Need Is You”
found in:
CCB: 100
“Emmanuel, Emmanuel”
found in:
CCB: 31
Renew: 28
Music Resources Key:
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982 (The Episcopal Church)
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
AAHH: African-American Heritage Hymnal
NNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
LBW: Lutheran Book of Worship
ELA: Evangelical Lutheran Worship
W&P: Worship & Praise
AMEC: African Methodist Episcopal Church Hymnal
STLT: Singing the Living Tradition
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
Renew: Renew! Songs & Hymns for Blended Worship
Prayer for the Day / Collect
O God who invites us to seek you and your way with all our being: Grant us the grace and wisdom to seek you and your way and not to seek after the satisfaction of our own wants and desires; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We have come to worship you, O God, for you know our name and offer us the way of life. Help us to seek from you the way of life you offer and to not get sidetracked by the many wants and desires of our lives. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
Leader: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins, and especially the ways in which we expect God to be our servant, fulfilling our every want.
People: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We look at life from the perspective of our own wants and desires. We act as if your love means we will have all our wants fulfilled. We act as if our will should reign over yours. Help us to look to Jesus and learn to place ourselves into the path of your life. Help us to understand that serving others is our goal and not getting you to be our divine bellhop. Amen.
Leader: God knows how easily we get distracted from the truth and from the reality of who we are. God calls us by our true name and offers us the opportunity to once again enter the way of life.
Prayers of the People (and the Lord’s Prayer)
We praise you, O God, the author of life and the guide for us in our lives.
(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 look at life from the perspective of our own wants and desires. We act as if your love means we will have all our wants fulfilled. We act as if our will should reign over yours. Help us to look to Jesus and learn to place ourselves into the path of your life. Help us to understand that serving others is our goal and not getting you to be our divine bellhop.
We give you thanks for all the ways in which you open up your life and wisdom to us that we may find our way to you. We thank you for the love in which you hold us. We thank you for the words of acceptance and grace with which you greet us.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We are painfully aware of our self-centeredness and how destructive that stance in life can be for us and for others. We see the greed around us and the pain that results from it. We pray for others in their need and pain, and ask that we may turn from satisfying our wants to helping others meet their needs.
(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 asked for something from their parents. Then ask them if they get what they’ve asked for. Always? Probably sometimes yes and sometimes no. It’s not just about what we want, it’s also about what our parents think would be good for us. We often don’t know all the reasons for their decisions. We also ask God for things. Sometimes we seem to get them and sometimes not. We also don’t know all about why. But just as we know our parents love us, we know our God loves us always.
CHILDREN’S SERMON
What Is Prayer?
Luke 11:1-13
Object: a copy of the Lord’s Prayer
How many of you know the Lord’s Prayer? See, I have a copy of it right here. Let me read it to you. I bet you’ll know it once I get going. (Read the prayer.) Remember it? It’s one of the most important prayers we have in the church, because Jesus gave this prayer to us. In our Bible reading today, one of the disciples asks Jesus to show them how to pray. The disciples weren’t really sure what they were supposed to say when they prayed. Jesus taught them this prayer.
Have you ever wondered how to pray? I have. We talk a lot about prayer in church and Sunday school, but I used to wonder what prayer really is and why it is so important. Prayer is what we do when we talk to God. Just like I am talking to you right now, we can talk to God about all kinds of things. It’s just like having a conversation with a friend. We can tell God about our day, ask for help if we have a problem, and thank him for the blessings we have. Sometimes we need to pray and ask God to forgive us for something we did wrong. We can pray and ask him to help someone else too. Prayers don’t just have to be about us.
We often pray at the end of our children’s sermon time. What are some of the things we’ve prayed about during this time together? (Give the children time to remember some of the prayers, if they are able.) In those prayer times we’ve talked to God about all kinds of things. It doesn’t matter what we tell God, because he wants to hear about everything. In fact, God will talk back to us sometimes, but we have to listen very carefully.
The most important thing to remember about prayer is that it is very simple. Sometimes we’ll hear people say complicated prayers in church, but not all prayers have to be complicated. Sometimes the simplest prayers are the best. Tell God you love him. Ask God to help you. Ask him to help someone else. The main thing is to talk to him in the first place.
Prayer: For our prayer time today, let’s say together the Lord’s Prayer. If you don’t know it, just listen as the rest of us pray. (Pray together.)
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, July 28, 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.
