Who Do You Trust?
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For March 5, 2023:
Who do You Trust?
by Dean Feldmeyer
Genesis 12:1-4a, Psalm 121, Romans 4: 1-5, 13-17
Pub owner, bartender, and folk philosopher Mr. Dooley, the literary character made famous by Chicago humorist Finley Peter Dunne (1867-1936), is credited with having been the first to say, “Trust everyone but cut the cards.”
Cross cultural variations on Mr. Dooley’s witticism include: Trust God but keep your powder dry. Trust Allah but tie up your camel.
Many people believe that Ronald Regan was paraphrasing Mr. Dooley when he said, “Trust but verify,” to the Russians in their own language. In fact, Regan’s phrase is a rhyming Russian proverb that was taught to the president by American scholar Suzanne Massie. The president later used it on several occasions in the context of nuclear disarmament discussions with the Soviet Union.
The Wiktionary interprets Mr. Dooley’s axiom to mean that we should have a general faith in the good intentions of others, but never neglect to take appropriate precautions against being deceived or cheated.
The apostle Paul admonishes us to put our trust in God. Apparently, if we can bring ourselves to do that, there will be no need to cut the cards, metaphorically or otherwise.
In the News
East Palestine (PAL-es-steen), Ohio. Population: 4,761 (1,282 families). Located on the state's border with Pennsylvania about 20 miles south of Youngstown and 40 miles northwest of Pittsburgh. Politically “red,” Donald Trump carried the area by more than 70 percent in the last election.
On February 3, 2023, an explosion and fire occurred following the derailment of a two-mile long, 150-car Norfolk Southern freight train with 11 cars carrying hazardous chemicals on the eastern end of town. A "state of emergency" was declared by the city council on February 4. An evacuation area was extended by Ohio Governor Mike DeWine on February 6 to allow for "a controlled release of vinyl chloride" and burning of it in a nearby trench.
In the ensuing weeks, the EPA as well as state and local agencies all tested the air and water in the area in and around East Palestine and found it to be safe and uncontaminated. Residents, however, remained unconvinced. Even when popular Republican governor Mike DeWine and EPA administrator Michael Regan went house-to-house, drinking from kitchen tap water, the homeowners were skeptical. The attitude seems to be, “Okay, it may be safe today, but what about tomorrow, and next week, and next year?” Driven by fear, outrage, and distrust, some residents have started a class-action lawsuit against Norfolk Southern.
Some 300 miles away, in Cincinnati, where contaminants never went above the normal and acceptable 4 parts per million, water management services assured everyone that all drinking water is cleaned and filtered through activated charcoal. Yet, citizens raised so much doubt that water management closed the intake valves from the Ohio River, where drinking water comes from, for four days.
Nearly three weeks after the incident, local news sources continue to raise doubts, sow distrust, and blow on the flames of fear. “Is our drinking water safe?” “How will the East Palestine toxins affect us?” “How clean is the air your family is breathing?” Film at eleven.
Lack of trust is not confined to Ohio, however. We have become, by and large, a culture of distrust.
Vast numbers of Americans distrust science, refusing to get vaccinated against disease. Still others distrust not just the government but the democratic process itself, refusing to believe the outcome of free elections. We arm ourselves against our neighbors and we scoff at the news media. We don’t believe what we are told by the CDC, or the EPA, or the superintendent of our local school district.
Edelman is a global communications firm that employs more than 6,000 people creating communications strategies that earn the trust of their stakeholders. Every year, since 2002, Edelman has surveyed more than 36,000 people to create the Edelman Trust Barometer (ETB), a measurement of trust and distrust in the USA and around the world. A few of the findings of the 2022 ETB:
1) Distrust is now society’s default emotion. 6 in 10 respondents said that their default tendency is to distrust something until they see evidence it is trustworthy. Another 64% say it’s now to a point where people are incapable of having constructive and civil debates about issues they disagree on. When distrust is the default — we lack the ability to debate or collaborate.
2) Of the studied institutions, business is the most trusted at 61%, ahead of NGOs at 59%, government at 52% and media at only 50%.
3) Government and media fuel a cycle of distrust. Nearly one out of every two respondents view government and media as divisive forces in society — 48% and 46%, respectively.
4) Fear fuels distrust and societal fears are on the rise. Respondents lack faith that our institutions will provide societal leadership or solutions to our problems. Most notably, 85% are worried about job loss and 75% worry about climate change.
All of which leads us to the question: How long can a country survive saturated with distrust at nearly every level? How did we get here and how can we solve this toxic and destructive cultural problem?
In the Scripture
Today’s lessons from Genesis, Psalm 121, and Romans would seem to indicate that our distrust is the natural outcome from putting our trust in the wrong things.
If we insist on investing our existential trust in things human — human creations, human institutions, even human beings themselves — we will be disappointed and distrust will be the result. The only one worthy of our trust is God.
Let us start with a hymn: The psalmist looks out at the vast wilderness and asks the rhetorical question: From where does my help come. Hearing no answer, they answer it themselves: My help is from YHWH. Then the poet goes into an expanded poetic commentary on how it is that God helps us and what we can expect from God in terms of help. The bottom line: Trust in the LORD.
The Genesis passage reminds us of how our great grandfather Abraham was, perhaps, the archetypical example of trusting in God. YHWH tells him, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.” In other words, leave everything and everyone you know or have known for your entire life and start walking west and I’ll tell you when to stop. Trust me.
Oh, there’s a promise involved, but, let’s face it, it’s pretty vague. It’s kind of broad and general as promises go: “I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great so that you will be a blessing.” Okay, what does all that mean, exactly? I mean, in concrete terms, what should I expect? But Abraham never asks that question. He just picks up and goes. He trusts God.
In Romans, Paul takes us back to Abraham: “Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.” But the “believed” spoken of here is more than mere intellectual assent. The apostle makes that clear two sentences later. “But to one who without works trusts him who justifies the ungodly, such faith is reckoned as righteousness.”
The issue, here, is trust, which Paul equates with faith. And God, he says, equates faith with righteousness.
Paul’s admonition is clear: Trust not in any human being, creation, or institution. Do not even trust in the law for your salvation. If you do you will be sorely disappointed. Stop worrying about getting saved. Worry instead about placing your trust, that is, your faith, in God. And God will count that faith as salvific righteousness.
In the Sermon
My father used to put it this way: “I can believe that you can push me across Niagara Falls on a tightrope in a wheelbarrow. I can sit right here and believe it and that belief requires nothing of me except intellectual assent. Faith is when I get into the wheelbarrow.”
A couple of observations about faith in the Christian sense:
It need not be blind. Our faith may be supported by observation, experience, reason, and tradition. In fact, it may be stronger for the application of those things.
But, even with those assurances, faith still involves risk. Faith cannot be held only; it must be demonstrated. In other words, at some point, you have to get in the wheelbarrow.
With faith, we believe a thing to be true and then we act as though it is, in fact, the case. This acting is, I believe, what James was talking about when he said: “… faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” (2:17)
So, first, we place our faith (trust) in that which is worthy of trust. At the macro level, this is, of course, God alone. Ultimately, only God is worthy of our trust.
At the micro-level, author Nan R. Russell, writing for Psychology Today, offers two suggestions for creating trust in a culture of distrust:
First, create a “pocket of trust” in and around yourself. That is, show (don’t just tell) those you live and work with that that you can be trusted — trusted to keep your promises; to be fair, kind, and accountable; to keep and protect confidences; and to succeed at the tasks you undertake.
Secondly, speak for trust and not against distrust. We constantly hear people talking about the things that are wrong, aren't working, or need changing. Such speech weakens relationships, erodes institutions, and is a large part of the political rancor that is eating away at the foundations of our country and democracy itself. To build trust in a culture of distrust, however, we must discipline ourselves to talk more about what we want, and less about what we don't want.
We create a culture of trust by trusting in the one who made us and, then, by being trustworthy, ourselves.
SECOND THOUGHTS
Doing What Is True
by Chris Keating
Genesis 12:1-4a, John 3:1-17 (18-21)
Nothing tells us what God saw in Abram, or why the Lord chose him to become a blessing to all the families of the earth. Left unsaid in Genesis is what made Abram a likely person to answer God’s calling to leave the familiar for the unknown, or whether Abram took some time to consider his options. It’s a cut and dry choice: God called, Abram followed.
Look at the verbs, as Anna Carter Florence often says, and you’ll find out what the text is trying to say. That’s true in this short passage from the larger life of Abram and his wife, Sarai. The verbs dominate. Abram is told to go, and God will show, make, and bless. In the space of very few verses, Abram is born again. He leaves behind all that he has known in search of something he cannot see or even begin to understand.
Life involves doing what is true. In fact, as Jesus explains to Nicodemus, doing what is true is the result and the purpose behind being born anew or “born from above.” No blazing fire, no divine appearance, or mythical apparition — simply taking the steps to be led closer to God.
If that is hard to understand, consider the life of former President Jimmy Carter, who has recently elected for hospice care. Carter, age 98, was once described by journalist E.J. Dionne Jr., as being “as religious a president as we’ve had.” Carter raised eyebrows among the political establishment when he proclaimed himself a “born again” Christian during the 1976 North Carolina presidential primary. Americans wearied by President Richard Nixon’s scandals identified with Carter’s downhome faith as well as his promise to never tell a lie.
According to his longtime attorney, that promise cost him the liar vote.
This isn’t to raise Carter to the status of biblical patriarch. Even his fans will say that while much of his presidency has been underrated, some of his greatness as a retired president has also been overrated. But Carter’s life is filled with examples of what it means to take steps into the unknown. Like Abraham, he faced overwhelming odds and improbable chances to succeed. Raised in a small town, he headed to the Naval Academy to pursue a degree in engineering. After Annapolis, Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, followed the typical Naval officer trajectory and crisscrossed around the nation. After serving in the Navy’s fledgling nuclear submarine program, Carter returned home to Georgia. It wasn’t what his wife wanted, but his father had died, and he was needed to run the family farm. The rest, as the saying goes, is history.
Years later, Fox News would ask Carter what he understood “being born again” meant. His answer lacked the political finesse some conservatives would prefer, while stepping into a religious faith eschewed by many progressives:
In the Book of John, when Christ was questioned by one of the Pharisees, he said, 'You must be born again to have a new life as one of my followers.' So being born again is just like breathing for us. It was a phrase that we used without question for the first 50 years of my existence. And then, of course, evangelical to me is someone who relates their experience with Christ and others in hopes that the other person will accept Christ as Savior. So, I look upon both these not as a matter of liberal versus conservative, or fundamentalist versus progressive, or whatever, but as a standard description of someone who is a believer in Christ and who follows the Bible.
Like Abraham, he was simply doing what he felt to be true. When he appeared to have lost a 1962 election for state senate, doing what was true involved exposing his opponent’s efforts to stuff the ballot box. As president, that meant pursuing peace in the Mid-East, even though that issue had not been a focus of his campaign. Aside from Thomas Jefferson, Carter is the only president to not lose a single soldier in battle.
Abraham defied conventional wisdom by pursuing a future that was murky at best. Carter’s biographer claims that he remains “the most misunderstood president of the last century.” He was a Southerner who understood the deep roots of America’s racism. He installed solar panels on the White House and pushed for wide-sweeping environmental legislation that was largely ahead of its time. His theology reflected both his evangelical roots and the deep influence of Reinhold Niebuhr from whom he frequently quoted by heart.
Theologian Cornel West once observed that the greatness of Niebuhr was that he was willing to risk being popular for integrity. Carter lived that sort of life. Following his loss of the presidency to Ronald Reagan, Carter struggled with depression. One night, his wife found him sitting up in bed, wide awake. Mrs. Carter wondered if he was feeling sick. No, said Carter, he had simply decided what to do with the rest of his life. “I know what we can do,” he replied. “We can develop a place to help people who want to resolve disputes.” That late night conversion led him to be born anew again in the form of the Carter Center, a nonprofit organization dedicated to international conflict resolution, public health, and election monitoring.
All that while he was building houses for Habitat for Humanity and teaching Sunday school whenever he was home. Perhaps pastors might cite President Carter whenever potential teacher recruits say they are too busy. He extended his presidency’s unfinished agenda to 43 years of research, activism, and problem solving. While his own aides described his presidency as “passionless,” they now see his life after the White House as consumed by a passion to serve.
Consider the case of guinea worm disease. Spread through contaminated water, guinea worms can grow up to three feet in length and create painful blisters on a person’s legs and feet. In 1986, there were an estimated 3.5 million cases of guinea worm disease — mostly in remote areas of the world. There is no cure or vaccination available. Prevention primarily involves education and simple tools.
The Carter center led the way in wiping out the disease. Jimmy Carter pledged to see it eradicated in his lifetime. It may happen: in 2022 there were only 13 cases of Guinea worm disease globally. “I’d like for the last Guinea worm to die before I do,” Carter said in 2022.
Like Abraham, he believed in doing what was true — in reaching forward. It was anything spectacular, it was just a matter of being born anew.
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Mary Austin:
John 3:1-17
Breaking the Jar
When Nicodemus comes to Jesus in the night, he doesn’t get anything like the answers he expected. Father Greg Boyle says, “Our notion of God is like a jar, [that] we're always breaking. We're supposed to break it because, to make room for this larger notion of who our God is.” Jesus nudges Nicodemus to break the jar on everything he knows as a religious leader.
Father Greg Boyle adds, “You know, our faith journey, for everybody, it's always subtraction. It's like on a boat and you have to jettison things so that you can stay afloat. So you're always discarding things, notions of God that are tiny and puny and partial, so that you can arrive at the God we actually have. So there were quite a number of things. There were jarring notions of God that I went, "No, I don't believe in that." So then you come to a sense of there's a huge gulf and difference between belief in God and knowing the God of Jesus. So, part of the task, I think in one's own life is to reclaim the mysticism of Jesus. It's like with Moses. Moses talks to God face to face. That's way different than belief in God. So you're always moving from the third grade, graduating to a higher level." (from an interview with Pepperdine University)
Jesus is giving Nicodemus the chance to graduate to a deeper level of knowing God.
* * *
John 3:1-17
Seeing Differently
When Nicodemus comes to Jesus, he’s on the edge of a life transformation, one that ends when he comes to ask for the body of Jesus for burial. All of a sudden, he’s going to see differently, on the other side of this encounter.
Author Monica Guzman says this happened to her when she became a parent. "Look beyond your ken, and you won’t see anything clearly. Sometimes you won’t see certain things at all. I’ll never forget what happened to Seattle when I sailed into motherhood. Seemingly overnight, it transformed from a city of bars and restaurants to a city packed with parks and playgrounds I’d never seen before in my life." (from I Never Thought of It That Way: How to Have Fearlessly Curious Conversations in Dangerously Divided Times by Mónica Guzmán)
Overnight, the world changes, or so it seems. Instead we are the ones who are changed, like Nicodemus.
* * *
Genesis 12:1-4a
Putting Our Trust in the Right Place
Author and attorney Bob Goff says he has a vision problem that requires frequent surgeries. He notes, "They’ve done quite a few operations on my eye since I had my problem. Before every operation, I always ask my eye doctor how much I’ll be able to see afterward. You know what? She’s never told me. Instead, each time she just says, “Bob, you’re going to see more.” At first I felt like she was dodging the question."
Then he came to realize that she was offering something better. “I got a promise from someone I could trust and a reminder about my life. It’s the same promise God gives us every day. We want God to tell us all the details, but all we usually get is a promise that we’ll see more of him if we look in the right places. This doctor knows what she’s doing. She practically invented eyes. Jesus knows what he’s doing, too, and he did invent eyes. Because I trust both of them, I’m okay with the promise I’ll see more." (from Everybody, Always)
Abram gets this same elusive promise — that he’ll see more, as time goes on.
* * *
Genesis 12:1-4a
Where to Move?
If only Abram had place expert Melody Warnick to tell him where to move. Warnick writes about how we learn to love where we live (place attachment) and how to find the places we love. Recently, a modern day Abram wrote to her asking for suggestions about where he should move. The wish list was almost as simple as Abram’s: “They want to be in a neighborhood with restaurants and breweries. They want to be less than 20 minutes from a trail network where they can ride their bikes or hike. They don’t want to be in a big city.”
Readers wrote in with their recommendations, including “128 (and counting) suggestions. See the full list here. The #1 suggestion, recommended by four separate readers, was Flagstaff, Arizona. One reader described it as “one of the funnest towns in Arizona with tons of mountain biking, hiking, skiing opportunities. Fantastic food in the old downtown area with Dark Sky Brewing Company and other breweries. Lots of great culture.” Other top vote-getters were Bend, Oregon; Coeur d’Alene, Idaho; and Park City, Utah.
I wonder where his journey will end.
* * * * * *
From team member Elena Delhagen:
Genesis 12:1-4a, John 3:1-17
The Dangerous Side of Blessing
Jewish biblical scholar and theologian Martin Buber, in his article “Abraham the Seer,” writes:
We are to trace the meaning of [Israel’s] origin back to the meaning of the origin of the world, and back to the intention of the Creator for His creation. To be sure, the Bible does not present us with theological statements about this intention and this meaning; it presents us with a story only, but this story is theology; biblical theology is narrated theology. The Bible cannot be comprehended if it is not comprehended in this way. (p.25-26)
In other words, the narrative placement of this story matters. It occurs after the story of the dispersion at Babel, thereby significantly reframing what Abram’s call means in terms of God’s purposes for the larger human family. It is far too easy to read this passage and focus simply on the blessing of Abram — yet when we do that we, either consciously or subconsciously, exclude other nations from God’s plan. We do well to ask ourselves this question: Does this passage mean that God’s focus and blessing now rest solely with this one family? Or, as Old Testament scholar J. Richard Middleton queries, “Does God’s calling of Abraham/Israel (with intent to bless) address in some way his creational purposes for human flourishing, which have been stymied by sin?”[1] The Hebrew idiom of “being a blessing” means to be a model, the example par excellence who others will look to. Seen in this light, it certainly would seem that God’s purposes for Israel, as expressed through his call of Abram/Abraham, were and have always been inextricably linked with God’s desire for the flourishing of all of humanity. God, Middleton reminds us, “is no petty national or regional deity.”[2] Before he was Abram’s YHWH, he was the creator of heaven, earth, and all those who reside within.
In recent months, following modern Israel’s most recent election, there has been an alarming increase in systematic violence against Palestinians at the hand of the Israeli government. The cabinet has moved to legitimize illegal outposts in the West Bank area of Judea and Samaria, an outcome of the new government’s radical policies that vow to “promote and develop the settlement of all parts of the Land of Israel” — even those parts that are currently occupied by the Palestinian people. Staggering violence has erupted as settler forces forced their way into Palestinian territories. Then, a day later, Palestinian terror suspects retaliated by shooting seven people dead in an Israeli-occupied community in Jerusalem, making the event the deadliest Palestinian terror attack since 2008.
This certainly could not have been God’s plan when he told Abram that through him would come a great nation. Surely God did not bless Abram and Israel simply for them to turn around and use the privilege of said blessing for the dehumanization and oppression of others. Rather, God’s purposes for Israel were for them to see their blessings as a calling for them to live into. In the midst of God’s promises for incredible flourishing for Abram and his descendants, God also expects Abram to encourage his descendants to follow in the loving ways of our Lord, thereby benefiting all of the nations by way of moral example. And as our passage from John reminds us this week, God so loved the world. Not only a nation, not just one family, not a geographical region, not our Christian nationalism. Not our selfish religiosity, and not our indignant cries of, “Me first” or “mine first” or “America first.”
God so loved the world, friends. Are we doing the same?
[1] Middleton, “The Blessings of Abraham and the Missio Dei,” 55.
[2] Ibid., 56.
* * *
Psalm 121
It is impossible for me to read Psalm 121 and not think of God as a tender mother with her newborn child. This particular psalm is a Song of Ascent, meaning it was an important part of the Hebraic liturgy as they made their way to Jerusalem to worship at the Temple. In it, God’s people recite her faithfulness to watch over, protect, and guard them. It is a litany of comfort, reminding its reader that God is ever-present and attentive to her people.
My son, now six, slept either on or near me for most of the first year of his life. I was never far from him, for he was usually unable to settle unless he knew I was near. I was all he knew. I was his source — his source of nourishment, of comfort, of security. A new mother, I was sleep deprived in a way I had never before been, and my body was tender and bruised, yet my entire being was engrossed with the ferocious safeguarding of my beloved child.
This psalm reminds us that God is like that, too. For isn’t that one of the greatest gifts of our scriptures, that they show us glimpses of Yahweh’s ever-attentive, all-consuming, never-ending love for us? What if we read this psalm as a love song from a parent to child? What if it could be a reminder that God holds us close, tenderly shh-shh-shh’ing us whenever we fear we are alone? What if this psalm is God’s reminder to us that she is here, has always been here, and always will be?
The Lord is indeed our keeper; what beautiful, good news for our souls this truly is.
* * *
Romans 4:1-5, 13-17
In these verses of scripture (as well as within Romans as a whole) is Paul’s repeated assertion that resurrection faith can exist separately from the Law, or following Torah. This is his way of proclaiming a universal gospel, one that is available for both Jews and gentiles alike. This statement would have undoubtedly been heard as radical for Jews within their context of obedience to Mosaic Law. Yet it is crucial to remember that Christianity was a very new religion at the time of Paul’s writing, and many were concerned with how it might mesh with the Judaic practices of following Torah. For this reason, Paul clearly builds upon a foundation of traditional Jewish and Jewish-Christian interpretations of Abraham’s faith. He consistently builds upon the thematic elements of the promise (Greek: ἐπαγγελία) and faith (πίστις). The word “faith,” for example, appears in the book of Romans an impressive 34 times — that is more than any other book in the New Testament besides Hebrews. Paul uses “promise” specifically as it relates to Abraham and Sarah multiple other times throughout Romans, most notably in 9:8-9 and 15:8.
Yet what constitutes this faith that Paul speaks of? Faith is discussed at various points throughout Romans, but it is not always as explicitly connected to the promise of which Paul speaks, nor, more specifically, the God who gave Abraham the promise to begin with (Romans 4:21). In vv. 11-12, Paul forcefully asserts that “the true descendants of Abraham are those who believe;” as such, the phrase “all Abraham’s descendants” from v. 16 is clearly intended in a spiritual sense. Thus, Abraham is the “father of all of us” who share in Abraham’s faith, not just those who share in Abraham’s following of the law.
* * * * * *
From team member Katy Stenta:
Genesis 12:1-4a
Catching Blessings: Blessings are by nature an overflowing. They cannot be contained or cut off. When Abram is blessed to be a blessing, it is assumed that his blessedness cannot be contained — it will be catching, like the common cold. When one has good news, it is irrepressible. One does not want to keep the good news to oneself — you want to shout it from the rooftops. According to Archbishop Elias Chacour, the Aramaic word for blessing (the language Jesus spoke) is ashray. It means to get up, go ahead and do something. To be blessed is not passive, it is active. When you are blessed, it is implied that you are also called to bless others. The imperative is contained within the word. Blessing is an abundant word, it implies overflowing in its very definition — you cannot be blessed without blessing others because that is what is contained within its very definition.
* * *
Psalm 121
God’s Pocket
This is the most comforting psalm according to researchers. When some people look for comfort, they use this psalm. God is our keeper, God will always keep track of where we are. We do not have to keep God in our pocket because we are always in the palm of God’s hand. God always knows where we are. One could say we do not need to worry about keeping God in our pocket because, in some ways, we are always in God’s pocket — that is how big and powerful God is.
* * *
Romans 4:1-5, 13-17
We are the descendants of Abraham not through blood or the law but through faith. Thus, we are forgiven not through blood or the law but through faith. We are all in the waiting room waiting for the adoption papers to come through. We are not waiting because we have the right pedigree or the law on our side, but because we believe that Jesus and God love us enough to adopt us. Baptism is the seal of that adoption. That’s us, waiting for the adoption to come through.
* * *
John 3:1-17
Sneaky Ninja Faith
Nicodemus is playing word games, thinking that if he gets the words just right, he can be saved. But the joke is on him. Jesus already loves him. Can you imagine that? Thinking you have to sneak back home and convince Jesus to love you, but the kitchen light is already on, and Jesus is waiting with open arms? Its a very prodigal son scenario. My eldest is always saying that they could just say the right words then everything could be all right (they are a teenager). We are too often trying to explain that its not about words, or even actions. We love them. We love them no matter what, and we are always on their side, even when it doesn’t feel like it to them. We are sadly human so we do not always do it the best, so just imagine how much better a job Jesus is doing of conveying that here to Nicodemus?
* * * * * *
WORSHIP
by George Reed
Call to Worship
One: We look around us and we ask,
All: From where will our help come?
One: And yet we know the source of our help and strength.
All: Our help comes from God, who made heaven and earth.
One: God is our keeper; God is our shade at our right hand.
All: God will keep us from all evil and will keep our life.
OR
One: God invites us into unity with the Holy Trinity.
All: We are in awe that God desires to commune with us.
One: God calls us to community with all of creation.
All: Why does God desire this unity from us?
One: God wants to bless us so we can bless others.
All: With God’s help we will become a blessing to others.
Hymns and Songs
Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah
UMH: 127
H82: 690
PH: 281
GTG: 65
AAHH: 138/139/140
NNBH: 232
NCH: 18/19
CH: 622
LBW: 343
ELW: 618
W&P: 501
AMEC: 52/53/65
Great Is Thy Faithfulness
UMH: 140
GTG: 39
AAHH: 158
NNBH: 45
NCH: 423
CH: 86
ELW: 733
W&P: 72
AMEC: 84
Renew: 249
If Thou But Suffer God to Guide Thee
UMH: 142
H82: 635
PH: 282
GTG: 816
NCH: 410
LBW: 453
ELW: 769
W&P: 429
Of the Father’s Love Begotten
UMH: 184
PH: 309
GTG: 108
NCH: 118
CH: 104
LBW: 42
ELW: 295
W&P: 181
Renew: 252
Seek Ye First
UMH: 405
H82: 711
PH: 333
GTG: 175
CH: 354
W&P: 349
CCB: 76
Breathe on Me, Breath of God
UMH: 420
H82: 508
PH: 316
GTG: 286
AAHH: 317
NNBH: 126
NCH: 292
CH: 254
LBW: 488
W&P: 461
AMEC: 192
Be Thou My Vision
UMH: 451
H82: 488
PH: 339
GTG: 450
NCH: 451
CH: 595
ELW: 793
W&P: 502
AMEC: 281
STLT: 20
Renew: 151
Trust and Obey
UMH: 467
AAHH: 380
NNBH: 322
CH: 556
W&P: 443
AMEC: 377
Precious Lord, Take My Hand
UMH: 474
PH: 404
GTG: 834
AAHH: 471
NCH: 472
CH: 628
ELW: 773
W&P: 500
AMEC: 393
STLT: 199
I Will Trust in the Lord
UMH: 464
AAHH: 391
NNBH: 285
NCH: 416
You Are
CCB: 23
As We Gather
CCB: 12
Renew: 6
Music Resources Key
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
GTG: Glory to God, The 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
ELW: 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 is the faithful and trustworthy One:
Grant us the grace to respond to you in faith
trusting you to lead us to life even in the midst of death;
through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We praise you, O God, because you are faithful and trustworthy. When all else fails us, you stand with us. Help us to respond to you with a faith that trusts you to always lead us to life even when all seems to be death. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
One: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins and especially our lack of trust and faith in your love for us and all creation.
All: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. You have proven you that you are trustworthy over and over again. Throughout the ages you have kept the covenant when we deserted it and you. When we have gone astray, you have sought us; when we have chosen death you have come to rescue us. Yet we fail to trust in you and that you are constantly seeking our good. Forgive us and renew us so that we may place all our trust in you. Amen.
One: God is trustworthy and gracious. Receive God’s forgiveness and grace and follow the Christ so that others may know God’s faithfulness through you.
Prayers of the People
We worship and adore you, O God who comes to dwell with your creation. Your faithfulness is from everlasting to everlasting.
(The following paragraph may be used if a separate prayer of confession has not been used.)
We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. You have proven you that you are trustworthy over and over again. Throughout the ages you have kept the covenant when we deserted it and you. When we have gone astray, you have sought us; when we have chosen death you have come to rescue us. Yet we fail to trust in you and that you are constantly seeking our good. Forgive us and renew us so that we may place all our trust in you.
We give you thanks for all those faithful souls who have touched our lives and helped us to learn trust in others so that we could learn to trust you. We thank you for those who have taught us the lessons of our faith so that we heard of your faithfulness. We thank you for the faithfulness of creation that allows us to rely on tested knowledge and facts.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for one another in our need. We pray for those who struggle to develop faith in you because of the untrustworthiness of folks in their lives. We pray for those who have been exploited and used by those who would use their trust as a weapon against them. We pray for the courage to learn to trust again.
(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 Our Father 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
Nic at Night
by Tom Willadsen
John 3:1-17
This morning I want to tell you about a man who was curious about Jesus and wanted to know more about him, to really understand what Jesus was doing.
The man’s name is Nicodemus, but I’m going to call him “Nic,” for short.
Nic was an important person, a leader of his people. He knew all the rules to follow to be a faithful and honest man.
Nic heard about some of the amazing things Jesus had done: Jesus had changed a lot of water into really, really good wine, for example. Jesus knew people’s names before he had even met them. Jesus did some other things that people started to notice. Nicodemus was the first of the people who went to Jesus to ask about what he was doing.
Nic tried to understand Jesus, but it was hard for him. Jesus left him confused, but still, Nic was curious and did not forget about Jesus.
A little later some people in Nic’s group were angry at Jesus and wanted to have Jesus arrested. When Nic heard about this plan, he reminded the others that their own rules said that someone gets a chance to explain what he’s doing. They can’t just arrest anyone they want! (John 7:50) Nic thought the others should be as curious about Jesus as he was. They didn’t arrest Jesus, but they also did not go talk to him as Nic had.
Later on, Jesus was arrested, and they gave him a chance to explain what he was doing, but it didn’t change anything. They decided to have Jesus killed. And that’s why we have a cross here in the sanctuary, to remind us how Jesus was killed.
Nic didn’t think it was right or fair that Jesus was killed, so Nic and a guy named Joe, took care of Jesus’ body after he died on the cross.
We know that Jesus rose from the dead on Easter morning, but the Bible does not say another word about Nic.
What do you think happened to him?
What do you think would be a fair way for Nic to be treated?
I think about Nic a lot. And I wonder if I would have the courage he had, to go talk to Jesus in secret, at night; to stand up for Jesus to be treated fairly by their own rules; and to be buried with dignity.
It’s easy to overlook a guy like Nic, but I hope we will all remember him.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, March 5, 2023 issue.
Copyright 2023 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.
- Who do You Trust? by Dean Feldmeyer — If you truly trust someone, should you still cut the cards?
- Second Thoughts: Doing What is True by Chris Keating. Both Abraham and people like President Jimmy Carter exhibit what it means to be "born again" by fulfilling Jesus' admonition to "come to the light."
- Sermon illustrations by Mary Austin, Elena Delhagen, and Katy Stenta.
- Worship resources by George Reed.
- Children's sermon: Nic at Night by Tom Willadsen based on John 3:1-17.
Who do You Trust?by Dean Feldmeyer
Genesis 12:1-4a, Psalm 121, Romans 4: 1-5, 13-17
Pub owner, bartender, and folk philosopher Mr. Dooley, the literary character made famous by Chicago humorist Finley Peter Dunne (1867-1936), is credited with having been the first to say, “Trust everyone but cut the cards.”
Cross cultural variations on Mr. Dooley’s witticism include: Trust God but keep your powder dry. Trust Allah but tie up your camel.
Many people believe that Ronald Regan was paraphrasing Mr. Dooley when he said, “Trust but verify,” to the Russians in their own language. In fact, Regan’s phrase is a rhyming Russian proverb that was taught to the president by American scholar Suzanne Massie. The president later used it on several occasions in the context of nuclear disarmament discussions with the Soviet Union.
The Wiktionary interprets Mr. Dooley’s axiom to mean that we should have a general faith in the good intentions of others, but never neglect to take appropriate precautions against being deceived or cheated.
The apostle Paul admonishes us to put our trust in God. Apparently, if we can bring ourselves to do that, there will be no need to cut the cards, metaphorically or otherwise.
In the News
East Palestine (PAL-es-steen), Ohio. Population: 4,761 (1,282 families). Located on the state's border with Pennsylvania about 20 miles south of Youngstown and 40 miles northwest of Pittsburgh. Politically “red,” Donald Trump carried the area by more than 70 percent in the last election.
On February 3, 2023, an explosion and fire occurred following the derailment of a two-mile long, 150-car Norfolk Southern freight train with 11 cars carrying hazardous chemicals on the eastern end of town. A "state of emergency" was declared by the city council on February 4. An evacuation area was extended by Ohio Governor Mike DeWine on February 6 to allow for "a controlled release of vinyl chloride" and burning of it in a nearby trench.
In the ensuing weeks, the EPA as well as state and local agencies all tested the air and water in the area in and around East Palestine and found it to be safe and uncontaminated. Residents, however, remained unconvinced. Even when popular Republican governor Mike DeWine and EPA administrator Michael Regan went house-to-house, drinking from kitchen tap water, the homeowners were skeptical. The attitude seems to be, “Okay, it may be safe today, but what about tomorrow, and next week, and next year?” Driven by fear, outrage, and distrust, some residents have started a class-action lawsuit against Norfolk Southern.
Some 300 miles away, in Cincinnati, where contaminants never went above the normal and acceptable 4 parts per million, water management services assured everyone that all drinking water is cleaned and filtered through activated charcoal. Yet, citizens raised so much doubt that water management closed the intake valves from the Ohio River, where drinking water comes from, for four days.
Nearly three weeks after the incident, local news sources continue to raise doubts, sow distrust, and blow on the flames of fear. “Is our drinking water safe?” “How will the East Palestine toxins affect us?” “How clean is the air your family is breathing?” Film at eleven.
Lack of trust is not confined to Ohio, however. We have become, by and large, a culture of distrust.
Vast numbers of Americans distrust science, refusing to get vaccinated against disease. Still others distrust not just the government but the democratic process itself, refusing to believe the outcome of free elections. We arm ourselves against our neighbors and we scoff at the news media. We don’t believe what we are told by the CDC, or the EPA, or the superintendent of our local school district.
Edelman is a global communications firm that employs more than 6,000 people creating communications strategies that earn the trust of their stakeholders. Every year, since 2002, Edelman has surveyed more than 36,000 people to create the Edelman Trust Barometer (ETB), a measurement of trust and distrust in the USA and around the world. A few of the findings of the 2022 ETB:
1) Distrust is now society’s default emotion. 6 in 10 respondents said that their default tendency is to distrust something until they see evidence it is trustworthy. Another 64% say it’s now to a point where people are incapable of having constructive and civil debates about issues they disagree on. When distrust is the default — we lack the ability to debate or collaborate.
2) Of the studied institutions, business is the most trusted at 61%, ahead of NGOs at 59%, government at 52% and media at only 50%.
3) Government and media fuel a cycle of distrust. Nearly one out of every two respondents view government and media as divisive forces in society — 48% and 46%, respectively.
4) Fear fuels distrust and societal fears are on the rise. Respondents lack faith that our institutions will provide societal leadership or solutions to our problems. Most notably, 85% are worried about job loss and 75% worry about climate change.
All of which leads us to the question: How long can a country survive saturated with distrust at nearly every level? How did we get here and how can we solve this toxic and destructive cultural problem?
In the Scripture
Today’s lessons from Genesis, Psalm 121, and Romans would seem to indicate that our distrust is the natural outcome from putting our trust in the wrong things.
If we insist on investing our existential trust in things human — human creations, human institutions, even human beings themselves — we will be disappointed and distrust will be the result. The only one worthy of our trust is God.
Let us start with a hymn: The psalmist looks out at the vast wilderness and asks the rhetorical question: From where does my help come. Hearing no answer, they answer it themselves: My help is from YHWH. Then the poet goes into an expanded poetic commentary on how it is that God helps us and what we can expect from God in terms of help. The bottom line: Trust in the LORD.
The Genesis passage reminds us of how our great grandfather Abraham was, perhaps, the archetypical example of trusting in God. YHWH tells him, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.” In other words, leave everything and everyone you know or have known for your entire life and start walking west and I’ll tell you when to stop. Trust me.
Oh, there’s a promise involved, but, let’s face it, it’s pretty vague. It’s kind of broad and general as promises go: “I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great so that you will be a blessing.” Okay, what does all that mean, exactly? I mean, in concrete terms, what should I expect? But Abraham never asks that question. He just picks up and goes. He trusts God.
In Romans, Paul takes us back to Abraham: “Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.” But the “believed” spoken of here is more than mere intellectual assent. The apostle makes that clear two sentences later. “But to one who without works trusts him who justifies the ungodly, such faith is reckoned as righteousness.”
The issue, here, is trust, which Paul equates with faith. And God, he says, equates faith with righteousness.
Paul’s admonition is clear: Trust not in any human being, creation, or institution. Do not even trust in the law for your salvation. If you do you will be sorely disappointed. Stop worrying about getting saved. Worry instead about placing your trust, that is, your faith, in God. And God will count that faith as salvific righteousness.
In the Sermon
My father used to put it this way: “I can believe that you can push me across Niagara Falls on a tightrope in a wheelbarrow. I can sit right here and believe it and that belief requires nothing of me except intellectual assent. Faith is when I get into the wheelbarrow.”
A couple of observations about faith in the Christian sense:
It need not be blind. Our faith may be supported by observation, experience, reason, and tradition. In fact, it may be stronger for the application of those things.
But, even with those assurances, faith still involves risk. Faith cannot be held only; it must be demonstrated. In other words, at some point, you have to get in the wheelbarrow.
With faith, we believe a thing to be true and then we act as though it is, in fact, the case. This acting is, I believe, what James was talking about when he said: “… faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” (2:17)
So, first, we place our faith (trust) in that which is worthy of trust. At the macro level, this is, of course, God alone. Ultimately, only God is worthy of our trust.
At the micro-level, author Nan R. Russell, writing for Psychology Today, offers two suggestions for creating trust in a culture of distrust:
First, create a “pocket of trust” in and around yourself. That is, show (don’t just tell) those you live and work with that that you can be trusted — trusted to keep your promises; to be fair, kind, and accountable; to keep and protect confidences; and to succeed at the tasks you undertake.
Secondly, speak for trust and not against distrust. We constantly hear people talking about the things that are wrong, aren't working, or need changing. Such speech weakens relationships, erodes institutions, and is a large part of the political rancor that is eating away at the foundations of our country and democracy itself. To build trust in a culture of distrust, however, we must discipline ourselves to talk more about what we want, and less about what we don't want.
We create a culture of trust by trusting in the one who made us and, then, by being trustworthy, ourselves.
SECOND THOUGHTSDoing What Is True
by Chris Keating
Genesis 12:1-4a, John 3:1-17 (18-21)
Nothing tells us what God saw in Abram, or why the Lord chose him to become a blessing to all the families of the earth. Left unsaid in Genesis is what made Abram a likely person to answer God’s calling to leave the familiar for the unknown, or whether Abram took some time to consider his options. It’s a cut and dry choice: God called, Abram followed.
Look at the verbs, as Anna Carter Florence often says, and you’ll find out what the text is trying to say. That’s true in this short passage from the larger life of Abram and his wife, Sarai. The verbs dominate. Abram is told to go, and God will show, make, and bless. In the space of very few verses, Abram is born again. He leaves behind all that he has known in search of something he cannot see or even begin to understand.
Life involves doing what is true. In fact, as Jesus explains to Nicodemus, doing what is true is the result and the purpose behind being born anew or “born from above.” No blazing fire, no divine appearance, or mythical apparition — simply taking the steps to be led closer to God.
If that is hard to understand, consider the life of former President Jimmy Carter, who has recently elected for hospice care. Carter, age 98, was once described by journalist E.J. Dionne Jr., as being “as religious a president as we’ve had.” Carter raised eyebrows among the political establishment when he proclaimed himself a “born again” Christian during the 1976 North Carolina presidential primary. Americans wearied by President Richard Nixon’s scandals identified with Carter’s downhome faith as well as his promise to never tell a lie.
According to his longtime attorney, that promise cost him the liar vote.
This isn’t to raise Carter to the status of biblical patriarch. Even his fans will say that while much of his presidency has been underrated, some of his greatness as a retired president has also been overrated. But Carter’s life is filled with examples of what it means to take steps into the unknown. Like Abraham, he faced overwhelming odds and improbable chances to succeed. Raised in a small town, he headed to the Naval Academy to pursue a degree in engineering. After Annapolis, Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, followed the typical Naval officer trajectory and crisscrossed around the nation. After serving in the Navy’s fledgling nuclear submarine program, Carter returned home to Georgia. It wasn’t what his wife wanted, but his father had died, and he was needed to run the family farm. The rest, as the saying goes, is history.
Years later, Fox News would ask Carter what he understood “being born again” meant. His answer lacked the political finesse some conservatives would prefer, while stepping into a religious faith eschewed by many progressives:
In the Book of John, when Christ was questioned by one of the Pharisees, he said, 'You must be born again to have a new life as one of my followers.' So being born again is just like breathing for us. It was a phrase that we used without question for the first 50 years of my existence. And then, of course, evangelical to me is someone who relates their experience with Christ and others in hopes that the other person will accept Christ as Savior. So, I look upon both these not as a matter of liberal versus conservative, or fundamentalist versus progressive, or whatever, but as a standard description of someone who is a believer in Christ and who follows the Bible.
Like Abraham, he was simply doing what he felt to be true. When he appeared to have lost a 1962 election for state senate, doing what was true involved exposing his opponent’s efforts to stuff the ballot box. As president, that meant pursuing peace in the Mid-East, even though that issue had not been a focus of his campaign. Aside from Thomas Jefferson, Carter is the only president to not lose a single soldier in battle.
Abraham defied conventional wisdom by pursuing a future that was murky at best. Carter’s biographer claims that he remains “the most misunderstood president of the last century.” He was a Southerner who understood the deep roots of America’s racism. He installed solar panels on the White House and pushed for wide-sweeping environmental legislation that was largely ahead of its time. His theology reflected both his evangelical roots and the deep influence of Reinhold Niebuhr from whom he frequently quoted by heart.
Theologian Cornel West once observed that the greatness of Niebuhr was that he was willing to risk being popular for integrity. Carter lived that sort of life. Following his loss of the presidency to Ronald Reagan, Carter struggled with depression. One night, his wife found him sitting up in bed, wide awake. Mrs. Carter wondered if he was feeling sick. No, said Carter, he had simply decided what to do with the rest of his life. “I know what we can do,” he replied. “We can develop a place to help people who want to resolve disputes.” That late night conversion led him to be born anew again in the form of the Carter Center, a nonprofit organization dedicated to international conflict resolution, public health, and election monitoring.
All that while he was building houses for Habitat for Humanity and teaching Sunday school whenever he was home. Perhaps pastors might cite President Carter whenever potential teacher recruits say they are too busy. He extended his presidency’s unfinished agenda to 43 years of research, activism, and problem solving. While his own aides described his presidency as “passionless,” they now see his life after the White House as consumed by a passion to serve.
Consider the case of guinea worm disease. Spread through contaminated water, guinea worms can grow up to three feet in length and create painful blisters on a person’s legs and feet. In 1986, there were an estimated 3.5 million cases of guinea worm disease — mostly in remote areas of the world. There is no cure or vaccination available. Prevention primarily involves education and simple tools.
The Carter center led the way in wiping out the disease. Jimmy Carter pledged to see it eradicated in his lifetime. It may happen: in 2022 there were only 13 cases of Guinea worm disease globally. “I’d like for the last Guinea worm to die before I do,” Carter said in 2022.
Like Abraham, he believed in doing what was true — in reaching forward. It was anything spectacular, it was just a matter of being born anew.
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Mary Austin:John 3:1-17
Breaking the Jar
When Nicodemus comes to Jesus in the night, he doesn’t get anything like the answers he expected. Father Greg Boyle says, “Our notion of God is like a jar, [that] we're always breaking. We're supposed to break it because, to make room for this larger notion of who our God is.” Jesus nudges Nicodemus to break the jar on everything he knows as a religious leader.
Father Greg Boyle adds, “You know, our faith journey, for everybody, it's always subtraction. It's like on a boat and you have to jettison things so that you can stay afloat. So you're always discarding things, notions of God that are tiny and puny and partial, so that you can arrive at the God we actually have. So there were quite a number of things. There were jarring notions of God that I went, "No, I don't believe in that." So then you come to a sense of there's a huge gulf and difference between belief in God and knowing the God of Jesus. So, part of the task, I think in one's own life is to reclaim the mysticism of Jesus. It's like with Moses. Moses talks to God face to face. That's way different than belief in God. So you're always moving from the third grade, graduating to a higher level." (from an interview with Pepperdine University)
Jesus is giving Nicodemus the chance to graduate to a deeper level of knowing God.
* * *
John 3:1-17
Seeing Differently
When Nicodemus comes to Jesus, he’s on the edge of a life transformation, one that ends when he comes to ask for the body of Jesus for burial. All of a sudden, he’s going to see differently, on the other side of this encounter.
Author Monica Guzman says this happened to her when she became a parent. "Look beyond your ken, and you won’t see anything clearly. Sometimes you won’t see certain things at all. I’ll never forget what happened to Seattle when I sailed into motherhood. Seemingly overnight, it transformed from a city of bars and restaurants to a city packed with parks and playgrounds I’d never seen before in my life." (from I Never Thought of It That Way: How to Have Fearlessly Curious Conversations in Dangerously Divided Times by Mónica Guzmán)
Overnight, the world changes, or so it seems. Instead we are the ones who are changed, like Nicodemus.
* * *
Genesis 12:1-4a
Putting Our Trust in the Right Place
Author and attorney Bob Goff says he has a vision problem that requires frequent surgeries. He notes, "They’ve done quite a few operations on my eye since I had my problem. Before every operation, I always ask my eye doctor how much I’ll be able to see afterward. You know what? She’s never told me. Instead, each time she just says, “Bob, you’re going to see more.” At first I felt like she was dodging the question."
Then he came to realize that she was offering something better. “I got a promise from someone I could trust and a reminder about my life. It’s the same promise God gives us every day. We want God to tell us all the details, but all we usually get is a promise that we’ll see more of him if we look in the right places. This doctor knows what she’s doing. She practically invented eyes. Jesus knows what he’s doing, too, and he did invent eyes. Because I trust both of them, I’m okay with the promise I’ll see more." (from Everybody, Always)
Abram gets this same elusive promise — that he’ll see more, as time goes on.
* * *
Genesis 12:1-4a
Where to Move?
If only Abram had place expert Melody Warnick to tell him where to move. Warnick writes about how we learn to love where we live (place attachment) and how to find the places we love. Recently, a modern day Abram wrote to her asking for suggestions about where he should move. The wish list was almost as simple as Abram’s: “They want to be in a neighborhood with restaurants and breweries. They want to be less than 20 minutes from a trail network where they can ride their bikes or hike. They don’t want to be in a big city.”
Readers wrote in with their recommendations, including “128 (and counting) suggestions. See the full list here. The #1 suggestion, recommended by four separate readers, was Flagstaff, Arizona. One reader described it as “one of the funnest towns in Arizona with tons of mountain biking, hiking, skiing opportunities. Fantastic food in the old downtown area with Dark Sky Brewing Company and other breweries. Lots of great culture.” Other top vote-getters were Bend, Oregon; Coeur d’Alene, Idaho; and Park City, Utah.
I wonder where his journey will end.
* * * * * *
From team member Elena Delhagen:Genesis 12:1-4a, John 3:1-17
The Dangerous Side of Blessing
Jewish biblical scholar and theologian Martin Buber, in his article “Abraham the Seer,” writes:
We are to trace the meaning of [Israel’s] origin back to the meaning of the origin of the world, and back to the intention of the Creator for His creation. To be sure, the Bible does not present us with theological statements about this intention and this meaning; it presents us with a story only, but this story is theology; biblical theology is narrated theology. The Bible cannot be comprehended if it is not comprehended in this way. (p.25-26)
In other words, the narrative placement of this story matters. It occurs after the story of the dispersion at Babel, thereby significantly reframing what Abram’s call means in terms of God’s purposes for the larger human family. It is far too easy to read this passage and focus simply on the blessing of Abram — yet when we do that we, either consciously or subconsciously, exclude other nations from God’s plan. We do well to ask ourselves this question: Does this passage mean that God’s focus and blessing now rest solely with this one family? Or, as Old Testament scholar J. Richard Middleton queries, “Does God’s calling of Abraham/Israel (with intent to bless) address in some way his creational purposes for human flourishing, which have been stymied by sin?”[1] The Hebrew idiom of “being a blessing” means to be a model, the example par excellence who others will look to. Seen in this light, it certainly would seem that God’s purposes for Israel, as expressed through his call of Abram/Abraham, were and have always been inextricably linked with God’s desire for the flourishing of all of humanity. God, Middleton reminds us, “is no petty national or regional deity.”[2] Before he was Abram’s YHWH, he was the creator of heaven, earth, and all those who reside within.
In recent months, following modern Israel’s most recent election, there has been an alarming increase in systematic violence against Palestinians at the hand of the Israeli government. The cabinet has moved to legitimize illegal outposts in the West Bank area of Judea and Samaria, an outcome of the new government’s radical policies that vow to “promote and develop the settlement of all parts of the Land of Israel” — even those parts that are currently occupied by the Palestinian people. Staggering violence has erupted as settler forces forced their way into Palestinian territories. Then, a day later, Palestinian terror suspects retaliated by shooting seven people dead in an Israeli-occupied community in Jerusalem, making the event the deadliest Palestinian terror attack since 2008.
This certainly could not have been God’s plan when he told Abram that through him would come a great nation. Surely God did not bless Abram and Israel simply for them to turn around and use the privilege of said blessing for the dehumanization and oppression of others. Rather, God’s purposes for Israel were for them to see their blessings as a calling for them to live into. In the midst of God’s promises for incredible flourishing for Abram and his descendants, God also expects Abram to encourage his descendants to follow in the loving ways of our Lord, thereby benefiting all of the nations by way of moral example. And as our passage from John reminds us this week, God so loved the world. Not only a nation, not just one family, not a geographical region, not our Christian nationalism. Not our selfish religiosity, and not our indignant cries of, “Me first” or “mine first” or “America first.”
God so loved the world, friends. Are we doing the same?
[1] Middleton, “The Blessings of Abraham and the Missio Dei,” 55.
[2] Ibid., 56.
* * *
Psalm 121
It is impossible for me to read Psalm 121 and not think of God as a tender mother with her newborn child. This particular psalm is a Song of Ascent, meaning it was an important part of the Hebraic liturgy as they made their way to Jerusalem to worship at the Temple. In it, God’s people recite her faithfulness to watch over, protect, and guard them. It is a litany of comfort, reminding its reader that God is ever-present and attentive to her people.
My son, now six, slept either on or near me for most of the first year of his life. I was never far from him, for he was usually unable to settle unless he knew I was near. I was all he knew. I was his source — his source of nourishment, of comfort, of security. A new mother, I was sleep deprived in a way I had never before been, and my body was tender and bruised, yet my entire being was engrossed with the ferocious safeguarding of my beloved child.
This psalm reminds us that God is like that, too. For isn’t that one of the greatest gifts of our scriptures, that they show us glimpses of Yahweh’s ever-attentive, all-consuming, never-ending love for us? What if we read this psalm as a love song from a parent to child? What if it could be a reminder that God holds us close, tenderly shh-shh-shh’ing us whenever we fear we are alone? What if this psalm is God’s reminder to us that she is here, has always been here, and always will be?
The Lord is indeed our keeper; what beautiful, good news for our souls this truly is.
* * *
Romans 4:1-5, 13-17
In these verses of scripture (as well as within Romans as a whole) is Paul’s repeated assertion that resurrection faith can exist separately from the Law, or following Torah. This is his way of proclaiming a universal gospel, one that is available for both Jews and gentiles alike. This statement would have undoubtedly been heard as radical for Jews within their context of obedience to Mosaic Law. Yet it is crucial to remember that Christianity was a very new religion at the time of Paul’s writing, and many were concerned with how it might mesh with the Judaic practices of following Torah. For this reason, Paul clearly builds upon a foundation of traditional Jewish and Jewish-Christian interpretations of Abraham’s faith. He consistently builds upon the thematic elements of the promise (Greek: ἐπαγγελία) and faith (πίστις). The word “faith,” for example, appears in the book of Romans an impressive 34 times — that is more than any other book in the New Testament besides Hebrews. Paul uses “promise” specifically as it relates to Abraham and Sarah multiple other times throughout Romans, most notably in 9:8-9 and 15:8.
Yet what constitutes this faith that Paul speaks of? Faith is discussed at various points throughout Romans, but it is not always as explicitly connected to the promise of which Paul speaks, nor, more specifically, the God who gave Abraham the promise to begin with (Romans 4:21). In vv. 11-12, Paul forcefully asserts that “the true descendants of Abraham are those who believe;” as such, the phrase “all Abraham’s descendants” from v. 16 is clearly intended in a spiritual sense. Thus, Abraham is the “father of all of us” who share in Abraham’s faith, not just those who share in Abraham’s following of the law.
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From team member Katy Stenta:Genesis 12:1-4a
Catching Blessings: Blessings are by nature an overflowing. They cannot be contained or cut off. When Abram is blessed to be a blessing, it is assumed that his blessedness cannot be contained — it will be catching, like the common cold. When one has good news, it is irrepressible. One does not want to keep the good news to oneself — you want to shout it from the rooftops. According to Archbishop Elias Chacour, the Aramaic word for blessing (the language Jesus spoke) is ashray. It means to get up, go ahead and do something. To be blessed is not passive, it is active. When you are blessed, it is implied that you are also called to bless others. The imperative is contained within the word. Blessing is an abundant word, it implies overflowing in its very definition — you cannot be blessed without blessing others because that is what is contained within its very definition.
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Psalm 121
God’s Pocket
This is the most comforting psalm according to researchers. When some people look for comfort, they use this psalm. God is our keeper, God will always keep track of where we are. We do not have to keep God in our pocket because we are always in the palm of God’s hand. God always knows where we are. One could say we do not need to worry about keeping God in our pocket because, in some ways, we are always in God’s pocket — that is how big and powerful God is.
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Romans 4:1-5, 13-17
We are the descendants of Abraham not through blood or the law but through faith. Thus, we are forgiven not through blood or the law but through faith. We are all in the waiting room waiting for the adoption papers to come through. We are not waiting because we have the right pedigree or the law on our side, but because we believe that Jesus and God love us enough to adopt us. Baptism is the seal of that adoption. That’s us, waiting for the adoption to come through.
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John 3:1-17
Sneaky Ninja Faith
Nicodemus is playing word games, thinking that if he gets the words just right, he can be saved. But the joke is on him. Jesus already loves him. Can you imagine that? Thinking you have to sneak back home and convince Jesus to love you, but the kitchen light is already on, and Jesus is waiting with open arms? Its a very prodigal son scenario. My eldest is always saying that they could just say the right words then everything could be all right (they are a teenager). We are too often trying to explain that its not about words, or even actions. We love them. We love them no matter what, and we are always on their side, even when it doesn’t feel like it to them. We are sadly human so we do not always do it the best, so just imagine how much better a job Jesus is doing of conveying that here to Nicodemus?
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WORSHIPby George Reed
Call to Worship
One: We look around us and we ask,
All: From where will our help come?
One: And yet we know the source of our help and strength.
All: Our help comes from God, who made heaven and earth.
One: God is our keeper; God is our shade at our right hand.
All: God will keep us from all evil and will keep our life.
OR
One: God invites us into unity with the Holy Trinity.
All: We are in awe that God desires to commune with us.
One: God calls us to community with all of creation.
All: Why does God desire this unity from us?
One: God wants to bless us so we can bless others.
All: With God’s help we will become a blessing to others.
Hymns and Songs
Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah
UMH: 127
H82: 690
PH: 281
GTG: 65
AAHH: 138/139/140
NNBH: 232
NCH: 18/19
CH: 622
LBW: 343
ELW: 618
W&P: 501
AMEC: 52/53/65
Great Is Thy Faithfulness
UMH: 140
GTG: 39
AAHH: 158
NNBH: 45
NCH: 423
CH: 86
ELW: 733
W&P: 72
AMEC: 84
Renew: 249
If Thou But Suffer God to Guide Thee
UMH: 142
H82: 635
PH: 282
GTG: 816
NCH: 410
LBW: 453
ELW: 769
W&P: 429
Of the Father’s Love Begotten
UMH: 184
PH: 309
GTG: 108
NCH: 118
CH: 104
LBW: 42
ELW: 295
W&P: 181
Renew: 252
Seek Ye First
UMH: 405
H82: 711
PH: 333
GTG: 175
CH: 354
W&P: 349
CCB: 76
Breathe on Me, Breath of God
UMH: 420
H82: 508
PH: 316
GTG: 286
AAHH: 317
NNBH: 126
NCH: 292
CH: 254
LBW: 488
W&P: 461
AMEC: 192
Be Thou My Vision
UMH: 451
H82: 488
PH: 339
GTG: 450
NCH: 451
CH: 595
ELW: 793
W&P: 502
AMEC: 281
STLT: 20
Renew: 151
Trust and Obey
UMH: 467
AAHH: 380
NNBH: 322
CH: 556
W&P: 443
AMEC: 377
Precious Lord, Take My Hand
UMH: 474
PH: 404
GTG: 834
AAHH: 471
NCH: 472
CH: 628
ELW: 773
W&P: 500
AMEC: 393
STLT: 199
I Will Trust in the Lord
UMH: 464
AAHH: 391
NNBH: 285
NCH: 416
You Are
CCB: 23
As We Gather
CCB: 12
Renew: 6
Music Resources Key
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
GTG: Glory to God, The 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
ELW: 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 is the faithful and trustworthy One:
Grant us the grace to respond to you in faith
trusting you to lead us to life even in the midst of death;
through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We praise you, O God, because you are faithful and trustworthy. When all else fails us, you stand with us. Help us to respond to you with a faith that trusts you to always lead us to life even when all seems to be death. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
One: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins and especially our lack of trust and faith in your love for us and all creation.
All: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. You have proven you that you are trustworthy over and over again. Throughout the ages you have kept the covenant when we deserted it and you. When we have gone astray, you have sought us; when we have chosen death you have come to rescue us. Yet we fail to trust in you and that you are constantly seeking our good. Forgive us and renew us so that we may place all our trust in you. Amen.
One: God is trustworthy and gracious. Receive God’s forgiveness and grace and follow the Christ so that others may know God’s faithfulness through you.
Prayers of the People
We worship and adore you, O God who comes to dwell with your creation. Your faithfulness is from everlasting to everlasting.
(The following paragraph may be used if a separate prayer of confession has not been used.)
We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. You have proven you that you are trustworthy over and over again. Throughout the ages you have kept the covenant when we deserted it and you. When we have gone astray, you have sought us; when we have chosen death you have come to rescue us. Yet we fail to trust in you and that you are constantly seeking our good. Forgive us and renew us so that we may place all our trust in you.
We give you thanks for all those faithful souls who have touched our lives and helped us to learn trust in others so that we could learn to trust you. We thank you for those who have taught us the lessons of our faith so that we heard of your faithfulness. We thank you for the faithfulness of creation that allows us to rely on tested knowledge and facts.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for one another in our need. We pray for those who struggle to develop faith in you because of the untrustworthiness of folks in their lives. We pray for those who have been exploited and used by those who would use their trust as a weapon against them. We pray for the courage to learn to trust again.
(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 Our Father is not used at this point in the service.)
All this we ask in the name of the Blessed and Holy Trinity. Amen.
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CHILDREN'S SERMONNic at Night
by Tom Willadsen
John 3:1-17
This morning I want to tell you about a man who was curious about Jesus and wanted to know more about him, to really understand what Jesus was doing.
The man’s name is Nicodemus, but I’m going to call him “Nic,” for short.
Nic was an important person, a leader of his people. He knew all the rules to follow to be a faithful and honest man.
Nic heard about some of the amazing things Jesus had done: Jesus had changed a lot of water into really, really good wine, for example. Jesus knew people’s names before he had even met them. Jesus did some other things that people started to notice. Nicodemus was the first of the people who went to Jesus to ask about what he was doing.
Nic tried to understand Jesus, but it was hard for him. Jesus left him confused, but still, Nic was curious and did not forget about Jesus.
A little later some people in Nic’s group were angry at Jesus and wanted to have Jesus arrested. When Nic heard about this plan, he reminded the others that their own rules said that someone gets a chance to explain what he’s doing. They can’t just arrest anyone they want! (John 7:50) Nic thought the others should be as curious about Jesus as he was. They didn’t arrest Jesus, but they also did not go talk to him as Nic had.
Later on, Jesus was arrested, and they gave him a chance to explain what he was doing, but it didn’t change anything. They decided to have Jesus killed. And that’s why we have a cross here in the sanctuary, to remind us how Jesus was killed.
Nic didn’t think it was right or fair that Jesus was killed, so Nic and a guy named Joe, took care of Jesus’ body after he died on the cross.
We know that Jesus rose from the dead on Easter morning, but the Bible does not say another word about Nic.
What do you think happened to him?
What do you think would be a fair way for Nic to be treated?
I think about Nic a lot. And I wonder if I would have the courage he had, to go talk to Jesus in secret, at night; to stand up for Jesus to be treated fairly by their own rules; and to be buried with dignity.
It’s easy to overlook a guy like Nic, but I hope we will all remember him.
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The Immediate Word, March 5, 2023 issue.
Copyright 2023 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.
