Womb + Potential Medical Miracle + 2004 = Christian Debate Over Preservation Of Life And Stem-Cell Research
Children's sermon
Illustration
Preaching
Sermon
Worship
Object:
Dear Fellow Preachers,
In the lead article for this issue of The Immediate Word, team member Carter Shelley examines the current issue of embryonic stem-cell research addressed by Ron Reagan at the Democratic National Convention and by President Bush on a number of occasions. Whether discussing it in political, religious, or medical terms, the debate does not lend itself to cut-and-dried categories such as "liberal" versus "conservative." How does a God who knows us and cares for us "from the womb" and a Savior who breaks pietistic norms in order to heal fit into this 2004 debate? The question itself serves as the focus for an exploration of the significance of this Sunday's lectionary texts.
Team member George Murphy offers his own take on the topic of the day, George Reed provides worship resources, and CSS Publishing provides a children's sermon.
Womb + Potential Medical Miracle + 2004 = Christian Debate over Preservation of Life and Stem-Cell Research
Jeremiah 1:4-10; Psalm 71:1-6; Luke 13:10-17
By Carter Shelley
Introduction
Instead of offering a title similar to the lengthy one provided above for my article, you may want to stimulate curiosity and questions about the morning's sermon by simply using the word "Equation." This unusual approach to a sermon title invites the congregation to listen closely to each of the lectionary texts as it is read in order to see if they can make the connections you have already drawn. Since not all church members are equally aware that the various liturgical portions of Sunday services are meant to be thematically complementary, you may want to introduce the reading of the first biblical text with an invitation to look for the connections between the various readings as they are Word.
The word equation also offers a simple outline for developing this week's sermon. (1) You might begin with a brief examination of the significance of the word "womb" in Hebrew language, thought, and theology. (2) That discussion would be followed by a look at the situation Jesus faces in Luke 13:10-17 and the medical miracle Jesus performs. (3) Then the insights offered by the Old and New Testament readings get examined in relation to each other before applying those insights to (4) the current embryonic stem-cell debate. Since this debate touches on the religious, the political, and the scientific and has many different sources of information and perspective, the homiletical goal may be to introduce the concerns and offer basic information about stem-cell research rather than force yourself or the congregation to come to a premature conclusion concerning the best action for Christians to take. For helpful details and a variety of website sources for information about stem-cell research, be sure to consult the "Related Resources" section for this week as well as George Murphy's contribution.
The Significance of the Word "Womb" in Hebrew Language, Thought, and Theology
Although commentaries on neither Jeremiah 1:4-10 nor Psalm 71:1-6 offer extensive insights into the use of the word "womb," the word appears a number of times in the Old Testament. The word occurs also in Isaiah and Job 31:13-15. In all instances, the obvious meaning is intended: God has chosen and known the prophet, the individual, or, in the case of the Psalms, the people, from conception on. In the nine months prior to birth, the womb is the source of life support and life itself. In the womb the fetus/baby is sheltered, fed, and protected from the dangers of the outside world that he or she cannot yet physically survive. God as Creator serves as the source of that unborn life and as its overseer and protector.
In "Journey of a Metaphor," chapter 2 in God and the Rhetoric of Sexuality (Fortress Press), Old Testament scholar Phyllis Trible offers an invaluable discussion of the word "womb" in its application to both human and divine expressions of love and compassion:
Difficult to translate in the fullness of its imagery, the Hebrew noun rahamim connotes simultaneously both a mode of being and the locus of that mode. In its singular form the noun rehem means "womb" or "uterus." In the plural rahamim, this concrete meaning expands to the abstractions of compassion, mercy, and love.... Accordingly, our metaphor lies in the semantic movement from a physical organ of the female body to a psychic mode of being. It journeys from the concrete to the abstract. "Womb" is the vehicle; "compassion," the tenor. (p. 33)
In the rest of the chapter, Trible elaborates on the various ways the human "womb" is understood theologically. In the Old Testament, the womb of a woman belongs to God. For example, there are many instances of God opening the womb of a barren woman, such as Sarah, Leah, Rachel, or Hannah. In Genesis it is recorded that because Jacob loves Rachel and not Leah, God has compassion for Leah and opens her womb, and she becomes the mother of many children. God's foreordaining of Jeremiah begins prior to the prophet's birth, while he is still in the womb. Thus God's creative power is present in the womb shaping the future man. Job 31:13-15 suggests that such divine influence holds true for all human beings and is not limited to Old Testament prophets. In order to have life, the fetus must be relinquished to the outside world at birth. Just as the mother delivers her child and, from that day on must deal with the child's individuality, so also does God relinquish full control over his children when we are given life. We also are allowed autonomy and choices.
Most women bond instantaneously with their infant, feeling at the child's birth an overwhelming sense of love that does not decrease with the passage of time. The love is primal, visceral, and total. Whether we speak of our Father/Mother in heaven or of biological parents, this bonding of parent and child leads to both love and compassion. Such love cannot be restricted to particular days of the week or particular venues. Thus when Trible writes that the " 'womb' is the vehicle; 'compassion,' the tenor" she is referring to the integral relationship that results. That which began as a physical act becomes an emotional investment. In delivering his Son into the world, God participates in that physical delivery and expresses it through the compassion, mercy, and love that are embodied in Jesus person and ministry.
A Look at the Situation Jesus Faces in Luke 13:10-17 and the Medical Miracle Jesus Performs
Luke 13:10-17 opens with Jesus teaching in the synagogue. According to Fred Craddock's commentary on Luke in the Interpretation series (Westminster John Knox), "synagogue services were rather informal, consisting primarily of prayers, reading of Scripture, comments, and alms for the poor" (p. 61). They were also fairly democratic in that any man present could read from scripture and then teach or preach if he was so inclined. Believed to have begun during the time of the Babylonian exile, when there was no temple, the synagogues functioned as a local gathering place for the community, with its central function to be a place of worship and study. The altar and the priests provided the central focus of the temple in Jerusalem, while the Word of God remained the focus in synagogue life. As the next best thing to the temple for devout Jews, the synagogue carried many of the connotations and expectations that present day churches also practice. One should dress appropriately for worship, keep children quiet during the services, and not profane the sacred symbols or space with irreverent language, actions, and so on.
In healing the woman who was crippled, Jesus broke the Sabbath requirement that no work be performed on it. We are told that Jesus was teaching when he saw the woman. Her condition was serious and longstanding. She was a woman with a spirit that had crippled her for eighteen years. She was bent over and quite unable to stand up straight. Without preamble or any spoken request by the woman, Jesus acted to heal her. Jesus healed the woman because he had compassion for her. The results of his labor were twofold. The woman praised God and saw God as the source of her healing. The leader of the synagogue became indignant and criticized the woman directly -- and incorrectly -- for seeking healing on this holy day. "There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be cured, and not on the Sabbath day." The leader of the synagogue, by implication, also criticized Jesus for his lack of restraint and respect. "There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be cured, and not on the Sabbath day" (NRSV). Certain conduct and behavior was expected on the Sabbath. That conduct did not include getting folks all riled up and emotional over some fancy miracle-making. Yet, the woman and the crowd saw what the pious critic did not. Just as Satan's presence could be attested to in the suffering that such a debilitating illness can cause, so also could God's presence be named and celebrated in the physical liberation the woman receives. In healing the woman, Jesus demonstrated neither restraint nor a withholding of compassion. The proper response is praise of God and rejoicing.
Connection between the Old and New Testaments
A baby born from the womb enters life with all its fullness and promise. A woman crippled so badly that for eighteen years she is bent over and unable to stand up straight reenters life full and whole. Whether the subject is Jeremiah, the woman in the synagogue, or someone you know or love who suffers from a serious illness or physical disability, the biblical word is clear. God as the source of life seeks to preserve life and to order it so those who need love, compassion, and mercy receive it from those of us with the wholeness to provide it. Jesus' anger comes through in his sharp address, "You hypocrites!" While these men would not deprive their ox or donkey of water on the Sabbath if the animal were thirsty and in need, they seem content to deprive this woman, "a daughter of Abraham," who has been tied in physical knots for eighteen years, of the opportunity to be set free. The Pharisees know the Torah but they do not know rahamim (mercy), how to express love or practice compassion. They have missed the tenor of their law. God's law exists to create community, harmony, safety, wholeness, and health for its subjects. Like the womb, the law is a vehicle intended to produce love and righteousness. It fails to provide this service when it fails to provide mercy.
The Current Embryonic Stem-Cell Debate
In looking at the word equation provided above, a connection can be made between God's creative action in the womb, Jesus' creative action in healing the woman who was physically crippled, and the current embryonic stem-cell debate. The connection begins with the obvious. Embryonic stem-cell research involves stem cells taken from the earliest stages of embryo formation. At this point, the subject under discussion remains cells -- not fully formed or even distinctively formed human fetuses. The stance one may take revolves around our stance on the sanctity of life. Is it precious at the one-cell, two-cell stage? Is it precious at that stage because of its exciting potential to save or enhance the life of a seriously ill, already born human being? While science is a long, long way from literal accomplishment of medical miracles such as a full-fledged cure for Alzheimer's, diabetes, or the ability to grow healthy transplantable kidneys for dialysis patients, the big question for Christians concerns the sanctity of life. The problem is: whose life? Embryonic stem cells? Three-month-old fetuses? Eighty-four-year-old adults?
Ron Reagan, son of the former president, spoke at the Democratic Convention of the need for many more federal dollars to be dedicated to embryonic stem-cell research. President George W. Bush approved 25 million dollars worth of federal funding for embryonic stem-cell research, stipulating that it be used only on already existing stem cells created for use in the in-vitro fertilization processes. While Bush agreed that these pre-existing embryonic stem cells might be used for research, the president has balked at recommending further federal funding, due to his own faith-based discomfort with the notion that they would be created and then used to sustain other life while sacrificing their own potential.
Whether the forum of debate is political, religious, or scientific, the questions are legion and the issues multifaceted. Does womb + potential medical miracle + 2004 = sacrilege, salvation, or some point in between? What would Jesus do? What would God want? As preparation for this sermon topic I spent considerable time surfing the web and reading articles written by doctors, Catholic priests, scientists, and so on. From that reading, I have pulled out several points. In addition I've provided a number of website addresses for ones I found particularly helpful in learning more about embryonic stem-cell research.
1. There are differences between embryonic stem cells, adult stem cells, and stem cells gleaned from the placenta or umbilical cord once a healthy baby has been born. Embryonic stem cells possess properties and potentials that some of the other stem cells do not, and that is why there's a debate in the first place.
2. Cloning and stem-cell research are not synonymous. George's contribution this week makes these distinctions clear.
3. Beware of getting caught up in the Republican and Democratic presidential election polarization of the issue. The closer we get to November, the more extreme will be the portrayal of each opponent's stance. It's not as cut-and-dried as campaign-speak would make it, and neither side has a corner on the market on how to resolve the medical, ethical, and religious conundrum embryonic stem-cell research and usage poses.
What would Jesus do? He wouldn't demonize the opponent in order to garner votes. What Jesus demonizes in Luke 13:10-17 is the illness of the woman who is crippled. He uses the language of Satan and "spirit" to describe the woman's suffering. Jesus acts to correct it. He does not act alone. God's creative Spirit heals the woman's body. God's creative Spirit is present in each womb that supports prenatal life. God's creative Spirit offers the hypocrites the way of compassion and mercy. God's Son's example offers us a better way to approach the present and the future. As Christians we believe God wills life and affirms it. The debate and what's at stake are too large to leave to only one portion of the religious spectrum. The wisdom of Protestants and Catholics, conservatives and liberals, Unitarian, Muslims, Jews, etc. all need to be put in dialogue and brought to bear in seeking a way to be loving, compassionate, and merciful rather than "right."
Information Gleaned from Websites Discussing Embryonic Stem-Cell Research and Usage
1. Not all stem-cell research is controversial.
2. The focus of media attention is not upon the existence of embryonic research itself, but upon the use of federal funds to support this research.
3. Embryonic stem-cell research is not the same as cloning. When people talk of technology that would enable adults to access "spare parts" in the case of illnesses, this relates to cloning, not to the typical embryonic stem-cell research.
4. A common misconception is that only embryonic stem-cell research holds promise for medical treatment. Adult stem cells hold great promise.
5. In their zeal to obtain funds for embryonic research, proponents have sometimes given the impression that countless patients could be miraculously treated today ... in fact, research utilizing embryonic stem cells is in its infancy, and any potential medical applications are still theoretical and years away from realization.
Team Comments
George L. Murphy responds: Most of my comment for this week is the article I wrote for Lutheran Partners a couple of years ago (reproduced below). It may be worth mentioning that this is one of the "Handiwork" columns that I write regularly on issues of science and technology in ministry for that journal, which is directed to clergy and other rostered personnel in the ELCA. The fact that such a column is thought to be useful is an indication of the importance that such issues have for the church today.
A couple of further points can be added here. The possibilities for medical advances from new biological science and technology shouldn't be minimized, but we also shouldn't count on fantastic breakthroughs, especially in the short term. For years we've heard promises about amazing cures from somatic cell genetic engineering, and there have been a few. Some people with immune system disorders and other ailments have been healed, but there hasn't been a flood of cures. The situation could be the same with stem-cell research. This isn't a reason to give up such research, but no one should expect that people with Parkinson's disease or spinal cord injuries will be healed as easily -- or for that matter, healed at all -- as the woman in the synagogue was.
Of course there are other aspects of the Gospel story. One point that used to puzzle me before I started serious study of the Bible was that Jesus performed so many of his healings on the Sabbath. Did he just happen to meet a lot of sick people on Saturdays? Was he going out of his way to antagonize people?
Part of the emphasis on healing on the Sabbath is probably due to the way in which the Gospel writers wanted to portray conflict between Jesus and the religious establishment. But there's a more fundamental reason. For the Jewish people the Sabbath was (and for many Jews still is) not simply a weekly observance but a living symbol of the promise of the messianic age and the fulfillment of history. Already in the first creation story of Genesis, it has something of that character. (Note also Hebrews 4:1-11.) The coming of the Messiah will mean that the true Sabbath has begun. In light of that belief, the Sabbath is not just a time when Jesus is allowed to heal. It is precisely the right time for him to heal, to show that the powers of evil that threaten human life are being overcome as the kingdom of God breaks into the world.
* * *
The following article was originally published in Lutheran Partners 18/3, 38 (2002):
HUMAN LIFE AND EMBRYOLOGICAL ISSUES
The fact that it took 9/11 to put stem-cell debates on the back page temporarily shows the importance of controversies about human embryos. They have been with us for more than 30 years as we've debated abortion, but discussions today are not just rehashes of that topic. In-vitro fertilization (IVF), stem-cell research, and cloning have introduced new issues.
Today's questions are primarily about scientific research and public policy. Few counselors will be called to deal with individuals or couples about their choices in these matters as they might about abortion. But the church must make an effort to educate its members about the issues if Christians are to exert informed moral influence on society's decisions. Discussion should take place in congregations as well as in larger expressions of the church.
We're now familiar with production of embryos from ova and sperm in order to have children by IVF. But there can be "spare" embryos that may be disposed of or used for research. Embryos could also be produced deliberately for study and medical use.
Stem Cells/Cloning
In particular, embryonic stem cells have excited considerable attention. They have the potential to develop into any kind of cell in the body, and might be used to treat some ailments, such as Parkinson's disease or spinal cord injuries. Adult stem cells could also be used, though their potential range of development is more limited.
Cloning, which became a hot topic with the sheep Dolly, introduces new possibilities. In cloning, the nucleus is removed from an ovum and is replaced by the nucleus of a somatic (body) cell of the animal to be cloned. This ovum can be induced to revert to the state of a newly fertilized egg and begin embryonic development. It will have the nuclear DNA of the animal being cloned and so will be his or her "delayed identical twin" (but not completely identical: The DNA in mitochondria outside the nucleus is that of the egg donor.)
There has been a lot of speculation about reproductive human cloning leading to fully developed genetic duplicates of people. Once the legitimacy of IVF has been accepted, there seem to be no fundamental theological objections to this, but it's hard to come up with really good reasons for doing it.
In any case, more immediate attention is being given to therapeutic cloning to get stem cells tailored to specific individuals for the types of medical uses I've mentioned. This would eliminate the problem of rejection of foreign stem cells by the patient's immune system. Further down the road may be development of replacement organs to solve the problems of rejection and shortage of organ donors.
Moral Questions
I've sketched these possibilities rather antiseptically, but there are profound moral questions about them. These have to do with the theological status of the human embryo and return us to aspects of the abortion debate, though now with an important new dimension.
A fertilized ovum, however produced, is distinctively human life with the potential to become a fully developed person. Those who believe that the Holy Spirit is "the Lord, the giver of life" should respect this life -- it is not just disposable tissue like fat removed by liposuction.
But when is the embryo a human person? Science can't answer that question, because "person" is a term of philosophy, theology, and law, not of natural science. Still, theology and ethics need to take scientific knowledge into account. If we are to use natural-law arguments (as traditional theology often does at this point), we need to know what nature is really like.
Even after undergoing a few cell divisions, an embryo has the potential to develop into identical twins. It is difficult to see how we can say that a fertilized ovum is a "person" if it can develop into two (or more) persons.
Moreover, a very early embryo has no brain. Especially in light of the ideas about human nature sketched in this column (see Lutheran Partners for Jan./Feb. 2002), such an embryo could be considered only potentially rational. Since the classical definition of "person" is "an individual substance of a rational nature," the personal character of this embryo would be questionable.
Some ethicists make this point in another way. Just as we now differentiate between "brain death" and the cessation of other bodily functions, we might differentiate between "brain birth" and the beginning of embryological development.
These considerations apply only to very early embryos. I think that later a fetus should be given considerable protection and that abortion should be allowed only in rare circumstances. But early embryonic stages are more ambiguous.
In addition, a new factor changes the terms of debate from earlier disputes about abortion. Stem-cell research now offers the hope of positive medical benefits from procedures that involve the destruction of embryos.
The facts about embryological development and the possibility that serious injuries and illnesses could be treated with embryonic stem cells seem to many people to justify research on and destruction of embryos. But we should not allow the issue to be posed -- as it sometimes has been -- as "Are you in favor embryonic stem-cell research or are you for Parkinson's disease?" Work on embryonic stem cells can be justified, but the dangers of embryonic and fetal research with no ethical constraints at all are quite real. Slippery-slope arguments do have some pragmatic validity. The fact that the benefits of such work are still unproven and the possibility that things can be done with adult stem cells should cause us to proceed rather cautiously with research on embryos.
For Further Study
I hope that what has been said here will be helpful in providing some basic information for discussion of these issues in contexts of ministry. Here are a few resources for further study.
The Human Embryonic Stem Cell Debate, ed. Suzanne Holland, Karen Lebacqz, and Laurie Zoloth (MIT Press, 2001), and Human Cloning: Papers from a Church Consultation, ed. Roger A. Willer (ELCA Division for Church in Society, 2001) both have a number of relevant essays.
Lee M. Silver, Remaking Eden (Avon, 1997) presents some far-reaching speculations about human cloning. The December 3, 2001, U.S. News & World Report, pp. 50-63, reports on the first experiment to clone a human embryo and its implications.
Related Resources
Websites recommended by Carter Shelley:
http://www.thedailycitizen.com/articles/2004/08/15/news/opinion/opinionc...
The above source also provides a very helpful summary of Dr. Michael J. Sandel's article in The New England Journal of Medicine. The article's title is "Embryo Ethics: The Moral Logic of Stem Cell Research"; it appears in the July 15, 2004, issue. The complete article can be read online at www.nejm.org
Other websites that provided further perspectives and insights are:
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apscience_story.asp?category=1501...... 8/15/2004
http://christianity.about.com/library/weekly/aa07201.htm 08/13/2004
"Stem Cell Battles," in The New York Times, August 15, 2004.
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/15/opinion/15sun2.html
Stem Cell Research Foundation
http://www.stemcellresearchfoundation.org/About/FAQ.htm 8/17/04
Worship Resources
By George Reed
OPENING
(N.b.: All copyright information is given from the first cited place where found. Some copyright information may differ in other sources due to adaptations, etc.)
Music
Hymns
"Many And Great, O God." WORDS: Joseph R. Renville, ca. 1846; para. by Philip Frazier, 1929. MUSIC: Native American melody; harm. by Richard Proulx, 1986. Harm. (c) 1986 G.I.A. Publications, Inc. As found in UMH 148; Hymnal '82; TPH 271; TNCH 3; CH 58.
"God, Who Stretched The Spangled Heavens." WORDS: Catherine Cameron, 1967; MUSIC: William Moore, 1825. Words (c) 1967 Hope Publishing Co. As found in UMH 150; Hymnal '82 580; LBOW 463; TPH 268; TNCH 556; CH 651.
"I Sing The Almighty Power Of God." WORDS: Isaac Watts, 1715; MUSIC: Trad. English melody; arr. by Ralph Vaughan Williams, 1906. Public domain. As found in UMH 152; Hymnal '82 398; TPH 288; TNCH 12.
"There's A Wideness In God's Mercy." WORDS: Frederick W. Faber, 1854; MUSIC: Lizzie S. Tourjeee, 1877; harm. by Charles H. Webb, 1988. Harm. (c) 1989 The United Methodist Publishing House. As found in UMH 121; Hymnal '82 469, 470; LBOW 290; TPH 298; TNCH 23; CH 73.
"O God, Our Help In Ages Past." WORDS: Isaac Watts, 1719; MUSIC: attr. to William Croft, 1708; harm. by W. H. Monk, 1861. Public domain. As found in UMH 117; Hymnal '82 680; LBOW 320; AAHH 170; TNNBH 46; TNCH 25; CH 67.
"Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise." WORDS: Walter Chalmers Smith, 1867; MUSIC: Welsh melody from John Roberts's Canaidau y Cyssegr, 1839. Public domain. As found in UMH 103; Hymnal '82 423; LBOW 526;
TPH 263; TNCH 1; CH 66.
Songs
"Arise, Shine." WORDS: Isaiah 60:1; MUSIC: Gary Alan Smith. Music (c) 1992 Gamut Music Productions. As found in CCB 2.
"From The Rising Of The Sun." WORDS & MUSIC: Anon. Public domain. As found in CCB 4.
"This Is The Day." WORDS: based on Psalm 118:24; adapt. by Les Garrett; MUSIC: Les Garrett. (c) 1967 Scripture in Song. As found in CCB 13.
CALL TO WORSHIP
Leader: In you, O God, I take refuge;
People: Let us never be put to shame.
Leader: In your righteousness deliver and rescue us.
People: Incline your ear to us and save us.
Leader: Upon you, O God, we have leaned from our birth.
People: Our praise is continually of you.
COLLECT / OPENING PRAYER
O God who creates us and knows us better than we know ourselves: Grant us wisdom to participate in your healing ways that we may honor creation and our Creator; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
or
We praise you, O God, for you have wondrously made us as part of your creation. Our world and our bodies are complex and magnificent. Our minds reflect your creative image. Grant that we may have the wisdom to use our minds and knowledge to further your creation and to participate in your healing ministry. We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Response Music
Hymns
"Heal Me, Hands Of Jesus." WORDS: Michael Perry, 1982; MUSIC: Norman L. Warren, 1982. (c) 1982 Hope Publishing Co. As found in UMH 262; CH 504.
"Dear Lord, For All In Pain." WORDS: Amy W. Carmichael, 1931; MUSIC: K. D. Smith, 1928; alt. Words (c) 1933 Dohnavur Fellowship; music (c) K. D. Smith, reprinted by permission of Oxford University Press. As found in UMH 458.
"There Is A Balm In Gilead." WORDS: Afro-American spiritual; MUSIC: Afro-American spiritual; adapt. and arr. by William Farley Smith, 1986. Adapt. and arr. (c) 1989 The United Methodist Publishing House. As found in UMH 375; Hymnal '82 676; TPH 394; AAHH 524; TNNBH 489; TNCH 553; CH 501.
"Word Of God, Come Down On Earth." WORDS: James Quinn, 1969; MUSIC: Johann R. Able, 1664. Words (c) 1969 James Quinn. As found in UMH 182.
Songs
"O How He Loves You And Me!" WORDS & MUSIC: Kurt Kaiser. (c) 1975 Word Music. As found in CCB 38.
"Spirit Song." WORDS & MUSIC: John Wimber. (c) 1979 Mercy Publishing. As found in CCB.
"Cares Chorus." WORDS & MUSIC: Kelly Willard. (c) 1978 Maranatha! Music.
As found in CCB 53.
PRAYERS OF CONFESSION / PARDON
Leader: We are finite people of limited knowledge and wisdom but we are also made in God's image and filled with God's Spirit. Let us confess to God and before one another the difficulties we have in dealing with these realities.
People: We confess to you, Our God and Creator, that we struggle to deal with our limits. We want to believe that we know all that we need to know and that we can render final decisions. We want to think that what we believe is right on every complex and difficult issue. We find it hard to be humble and to admit that we may not know the final answer. It is difficult for us to admit that others may be right.
We confess, as well, that we often lack the boldness to go where your Spirit tries to lead us. We hesitate to participate in your creating activity or your healing ministry. We want to leave these things to the professionals. Even when your call us to new things, we cling to the old.
In our failure to own up to our limits and to our possibilities we have labeled as false what is now accepted as sure fact and we have believed things that no one accepts as true any longer.
By the power of your Spirit that dwells in us, your creatures and your children, grant us wisdom and courage to deal with the difficult issues of life. Give us humility, listening ears and open hearts to work with one another and with you. Amen.
Leader: Know that the One who created us and knows us better than we know ourselves is also the One who loves us beyond all measure. In the Name of Jesus Christ you are forgiven and by the power of his Spirit you are empowered to live as his disciples.
GENERAL PRAYERS, LITANIES, ETC.
We adore and worship you, O Creating Spirit. Your works are beyond our comprehension and appreciation. We are in awe of you as we see your works.
(The following paragraph is most suitable if a prayer of confession will not be used elsewhere.)
We confess that we do not understand how you have made us so limited and yet so expansive. Our knowledge grows and grows and yet we cling to old ways and old ideas. We confess you as our Creator, our master image and our God and yet we do not trust the creative powers you have given us. When we look at the way we have treated those with new ideas we understand that we have often not used those powers well. Grant that by the power of your Creating Spirit, we might have both wisdom and courage to seek to honor your creation and your healing desires.
We give thanks to you for all the blessings we have received. We have a wonder filled world that gives us abundantly more than we need for our food and shelter. There is beauty all around us on grand scales and small. We have family and friends who share these blessings with us and we have our brothers and sisters around the world who desire, with us, to have a good life. Most of all we thank you for your love as we have experienced it in Jesus Christ.
(Other specific thanksgiving may be offered.)
Relying on your never failing love and grace, we offer up to you the cares of our hearts. As you share your love and healing with who suffer in body, mind, or spirit, help us to understand how we are to be part of your healing presence in this world. May our words and actions be a means of your being present to others.
(Other petitions may be offered.)
All these things we ask in the Name of Jesus who taught us to pray saying, "Our Father...."
Hymnal & Songbook Abbreviations
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
Hymnal '82: The Hymnal 1982, The Episcopal Church
LBOW: Lutheran Book of Worship
TPH: The Presbyterian Hymnal
AAHH: African American Heritage Hymnal
TNNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
TNCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
PMMCH3: Praise. Maranatha! Music Chorus Book, Expanded 3rd Edition
A Children's Sermon
Jesus can set you free
Object: a small piece of rope to tie someone's hands, a book, a piece of paper, and a pencil
Based on Luke 13:10-17
I need a volunteer today. For the lesson, I need to tie someone's hands together. (select a child) Thank you very much. I am going to tie your hands together. I won't make them too tight, but I don't want you to be able to get them apart, okay? (tie the child's hands so that the palms are together and can't be pulled apart)
Okay. Now I want you to take this book and open it to page 32. Go ahead; we'll wait for you. (take a few moments for the child to do this, if possible) It took a while, but you did it. It's not very easy, is it? Now I want you to do something else. Take this piece of paper and this pencil and write down your first, middle, and last names. (wait a moment) Good. That one was a bit harder.
Our Bible lesson today tells us about a woman whose body didn't work the way yours and mine work. It was very hard for her to do things, so she went to Jesus to ask for help. Jesus laid his hands on her and healed her. (untie your volunteer's hands) When she was healed, Jesus said, "You have been set free from your infirmity." He set her free. Now can you write your name for me? (give the child a chance to do it) Thanks. You can sit down now.
We usually don't think of being healed as being set free, but that's how Jesus saw it. The woman couldn't do the things she wanted, so it was almost like her body was keeping her prisoner. When Jesus healed her body she was free to do anything she wanted. Her body worked and she didn't have any more problems. It was like Jesus untied her and her body was free again.
All kinds of things can tie us up: sicknesses, worry, anger, and lots of other things. These things can keep us from living a life that's free and easy. These things aren't a problem for God, though. He is bigger than any problem we have, and he wants to help us be free.
Prayer: Thank you, God, that you are bigger than any of our troubles. Please help us remember to ask for your help, just like the woman in our story today. Amen.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, August 22, 2004, issue.
Copyright 2004 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 permissions@csspub.com or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., P.O. Box 4503, Lima, Ohio 45802-4503.
In the lead article for this issue of The Immediate Word, team member Carter Shelley examines the current issue of embryonic stem-cell research addressed by Ron Reagan at the Democratic National Convention and by President Bush on a number of occasions. Whether discussing it in political, religious, or medical terms, the debate does not lend itself to cut-and-dried categories such as "liberal" versus "conservative." How does a God who knows us and cares for us "from the womb" and a Savior who breaks pietistic norms in order to heal fit into this 2004 debate? The question itself serves as the focus for an exploration of the significance of this Sunday's lectionary texts.
Team member George Murphy offers his own take on the topic of the day, George Reed provides worship resources, and CSS Publishing provides a children's sermon.
Womb + Potential Medical Miracle + 2004 = Christian Debate over Preservation of Life and Stem-Cell Research
Jeremiah 1:4-10; Psalm 71:1-6; Luke 13:10-17
By Carter Shelley
Introduction
Instead of offering a title similar to the lengthy one provided above for my article, you may want to stimulate curiosity and questions about the morning's sermon by simply using the word "Equation." This unusual approach to a sermon title invites the congregation to listen closely to each of the lectionary texts as it is read in order to see if they can make the connections you have already drawn. Since not all church members are equally aware that the various liturgical portions of Sunday services are meant to be thematically complementary, you may want to introduce the reading of the first biblical text with an invitation to look for the connections between the various readings as they are Word.
The word equation also offers a simple outline for developing this week's sermon. (1) You might begin with a brief examination of the significance of the word "womb" in Hebrew language, thought, and theology. (2) That discussion would be followed by a look at the situation Jesus faces in Luke 13:10-17 and the medical miracle Jesus performs. (3) Then the insights offered by the Old and New Testament readings get examined in relation to each other before applying those insights to (4) the current embryonic stem-cell debate. Since this debate touches on the religious, the political, and the scientific and has many different sources of information and perspective, the homiletical goal may be to introduce the concerns and offer basic information about stem-cell research rather than force yourself or the congregation to come to a premature conclusion concerning the best action for Christians to take. For helpful details and a variety of website sources for information about stem-cell research, be sure to consult the "Related Resources" section for this week as well as George Murphy's contribution.
The Significance of the Word "Womb" in Hebrew Language, Thought, and Theology
Although commentaries on neither Jeremiah 1:4-10 nor Psalm 71:1-6 offer extensive insights into the use of the word "womb," the word appears a number of times in the Old Testament. The word occurs also in Isaiah and Job 31:13-15. In all instances, the obvious meaning is intended: God has chosen and known the prophet, the individual, or, in the case of the Psalms, the people, from conception on. In the nine months prior to birth, the womb is the source of life support and life itself. In the womb the fetus/baby is sheltered, fed, and protected from the dangers of the outside world that he or she cannot yet physically survive. God as Creator serves as the source of that unborn life and as its overseer and protector.
In "Journey of a Metaphor," chapter 2 in God and the Rhetoric of Sexuality (Fortress Press), Old Testament scholar Phyllis Trible offers an invaluable discussion of the word "womb" in its application to both human and divine expressions of love and compassion:
Difficult to translate in the fullness of its imagery, the Hebrew noun rahamim connotes simultaneously both a mode of being and the locus of that mode. In its singular form the noun rehem means "womb" or "uterus." In the plural rahamim, this concrete meaning expands to the abstractions of compassion, mercy, and love.... Accordingly, our metaphor lies in the semantic movement from a physical organ of the female body to a psychic mode of being. It journeys from the concrete to the abstract. "Womb" is the vehicle; "compassion," the tenor. (p. 33)
In the rest of the chapter, Trible elaborates on the various ways the human "womb" is understood theologically. In the Old Testament, the womb of a woman belongs to God. For example, there are many instances of God opening the womb of a barren woman, such as Sarah, Leah, Rachel, or Hannah. In Genesis it is recorded that because Jacob loves Rachel and not Leah, God has compassion for Leah and opens her womb, and she becomes the mother of many children. God's foreordaining of Jeremiah begins prior to the prophet's birth, while he is still in the womb. Thus God's creative power is present in the womb shaping the future man. Job 31:13-15 suggests that such divine influence holds true for all human beings and is not limited to Old Testament prophets. In order to have life, the fetus must be relinquished to the outside world at birth. Just as the mother delivers her child and, from that day on must deal with the child's individuality, so also does God relinquish full control over his children when we are given life. We also are allowed autonomy and choices.
Most women bond instantaneously with their infant, feeling at the child's birth an overwhelming sense of love that does not decrease with the passage of time. The love is primal, visceral, and total. Whether we speak of our Father/Mother in heaven or of biological parents, this bonding of parent and child leads to both love and compassion. Such love cannot be restricted to particular days of the week or particular venues. Thus when Trible writes that the " 'womb' is the vehicle; 'compassion,' the tenor" she is referring to the integral relationship that results. That which began as a physical act becomes an emotional investment. In delivering his Son into the world, God participates in that physical delivery and expresses it through the compassion, mercy, and love that are embodied in Jesus person and ministry.
A Look at the Situation Jesus Faces in Luke 13:10-17 and the Medical Miracle Jesus Performs
Luke 13:10-17 opens with Jesus teaching in the synagogue. According to Fred Craddock's commentary on Luke in the Interpretation series (Westminster John Knox), "synagogue services were rather informal, consisting primarily of prayers, reading of Scripture, comments, and alms for the poor" (p. 61). They were also fairly democratic in that any man present could read from scripture and then teach or preach if he was so inclined. Believed to have begun during the time of the Babylonian exile, when there was no temple, the synagogues functioned as a local gathering place for the community, with its central function to be a place of worship and study. The altar and the priests provided the central focus of the temple in Jerusalem, while the Word of God remained the focus in synagogue life. As the next best thing to the temple for devout Jews, the synagogue carried many of the connotations and expectations that present day churches also practice. One should dress appropriately for worship, keep children quiet during the services, and not profane the sacred symbols or space with irreverent language, actions, and so on.
In healing the woman who was crippled, Jesus broke the Sabbath requirement that no work be performed on it. We are told that Jesus was teaching when he saw the woman. Her condition was serious and longstanding. She was a woman with a spirit that had crippled her for eighteen years. She was bent over and quite unable to stand up straight. Without preamble or any spoken request by the woman, Jesus acted to heal her. Jesus healed the woman because he had compassion for her. The results of his labor were twofold. The woman praised God and saw God as the source of her healing. The leader of the synagogue became indignant and criticized the woman directly -- and incorrectly -- for seeking healing on this holy day. "There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be cured, and not on the Sabbath day." The leader of the synagogue, by implication, also criticized Jesus for his lack of restraint and respect. "There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be cured, and not on the Sabbath day" (NRSV). Certain conduct and behavior was expected on the Sabbath. That conduct did not include getting folks all riled up and emotional over some fancy miracle-making. Yet, the woman and the crowd saw what the pious critic did not. Just as Satan's presence could be attested to in the suffering that such a debilitating illness can cause, so also could God's presence be named and celebrated in the physical liberation the woman receives. In healing the woman, Jesus demonstrated neither restraint nor a withholding of compassion. The proper response is praise of God and rejoicing.
Connection between the Old and New Testaments
A baby born from the womb enters life with all its fullness and promise. A woman crippled so badly that for eighteen years she is bent over and unable to stand up straight reenters life full and whole. Whether the subject is Jeremiah, the woman in the synagogue, or someone you know or love who suffers from a serious illness or physical disability, the biblical word is clear. God as the source of life seeks to preserve life and to order it so those who need love, compassion, and mercy receive it from those of us with the wholeness to provide it. Jesus' anger comes through in his sharp address, "You hypocrites!" While these men would not deprive their ox or donkey of water on the Sabbath if the animal were thirsty and in need, they seem content to deprive this woman, "a daughter of Abraham," who has been tied in physical knots for eighteen years, of the opportunity to be set free. The Pharisees know the Torah but they do not know rahamim (mercy), how to express love or practice compassion. They have missed the tenor of their law. God's law exists to create community, harmony, safety, wholeness, and health for its subjects. Like the womb, the law is a vehicle intended to produce love and righteousness. It fails to provide this service when it fails to provide mercy.
The Current Embryonic Stem-Cell Debate
In looking at the word equation provided above, a connection can be made between God's creative action in the womb, Jesus' creative action in healing the woman who was physically crippled, and the current embryonic stem-cell debate. The connection begins with the obvious. Embryonic stem-cell research involves stem cells taken from the earliest stages of embryo formation. At this point, the subject under discussion remains cells -- not fully formed or even distinctively formed human fetuses. The stance one may take revolves around our stance on the sanctity of life. Is it precious at the one-cell, two-cell stage? Is it precious at that stage because of its exciting potential to save or enhance the life of a seriously ill, already born human being? While science is a long, long way from literal accomplishment of medical miracles such as a full-fledged cure for Alzheimer's, diabetes, or the ability to grow healthy transplantable kidneys for dialysis patients, the big question for Christians concerns the sanctity of life. The problem is: whose life? Embryonic stem cells? Three-month-old fetuses? Eighty-four-year-old adults?
Ron Reagan, son of the former president, spoke at the Democratic Convention of the need for many more federal dollars to be dedicated to embryonic stem-cell research. President George W. Bush approved 25 million dollars worth of federal funding for embryonic stem-cell research, stipulating that it be used only on already existing stem cells created for use in the in-vitro fertilization processes. While Bush agreed that these pre-existing embryonic stem cells might be used for research, the president has balked at recommending further federal funding, due to his own faith-based discomfort with the notion that they would be created and then used to sustain other life while sacrificing their own potential.
Whether the forum of debate is political, religious, or scientific, the questions are legion and the issues multifaceted. Does womb + potential medical miracle + 2004 = sacrilege, salvation, or some point in between? What would Jesus do? What would God want? As preparation for this sermon topic I spent considerable time surfing the web and reading articles written by doctors, Catholic priests, scientists, and so on. From that reading, I have pulled out several points. In addition I've provided a number of website addresses for ones I found particularly helpful in learning more about embryonic stem-cell research.
1. There are differences between embryonic stem cells, adult stem cells, and stem cells gleaned from the placenta or umbilical cord once a healthy baby has been born. Embryonic stem cells possess properties and potentials that some of the other stem cells do not, and that is why there's a debate in the first place.
2. Cloning and stem-cell research are not synonymous. George's contribution this week makes these distinctions clear.
3. Beware of getting caught up in the Republican and Democratic presidential election polarization of the issue. The closer we get to November, the more extreme will be the portrayal of each opponent's stance. It's not as cut-and-dried as campaign-speak would make it, and neither side has a corner on the market on how to resolve the medical, ethical, and religious conundrum embryonic stem-cell research and usage poses.
What would Jesus do? He wouldn't demonize the opponent in order to garner votes. What Jesus demonizes in Luke 13:10-17 is the illness of the woman who is crippled. He uses the language of Satan and "spirit" to describe the woman's suffering. Jesus acts to correct it. He does not act alone. God's creative Spirit heals the woman's body. God's creative Spirit is present in each womb that supports prenatal life. God's creative Spirit offers the hypocrites the way of compassion and mercy. God's Son's example offers us a better way to approach the present and the future. As Christians we believe God wills life and affirms it. The debate and what's at stake are too large to leave to only one portion of the religious spectrum. The wisdom of Protestants and Catholics, conservatives and liberals, Unitarian, Muslims, Jews, etc. all need to be put in dialogue and brought to bear in seeking a way to be loving, compassionate, and merciful rather than "right."
Information Gleaned from Websites Discussing Embryonic Stem-Cell Research and Usage
1. Not all stem-cell research is controversial.
2. The focus of media attention is not upon the existence of embryonic research itself, but upon the use of federal funds to support this research.
3. Embryonic stem-cell research is not the same as cloning. When people talk of technology that would enable adults to access "spare parts" in the case of illnesses, this relates to cloning, not to the typical embryonic stem-cell research.
4. A common misconception is that only embryonic stem-cell research holds promise for medical treatment. Adult stem cells hold great promise.
5. In their zeal to obtain funds for embryonic research, proponents have sometimes given the impression that countless patients could be miraculously treated today ... in fact, research utilizing embryonic stem cells is in its infancy, and any potential medical applications are still theoretical and years away from realization.
Team Comments
George L. Murphy responds: Most of my comment for this week is the article I wrote for Lutheran Partners a couple of years ago (reproduced below). It may be worth mentioning that this is one of the "Handiwork" columns that I write regularly on issues of science and technology in ministry for that journal, which is directed to clergy and other rostered personnel in the ELCA. The fact that such a column is thought to be useful is an indication of the importance that such issues have for the church today.
A couple of further points can be added here. The possibilities for medical advances from new biological science and technology shouldn't be minimized, but we also shouldn't count on fantastic breakthroughs, especially in the short term. For years we've heard promises about amazing cures from somatic cell genetic engineering, and there have been a few. Some people with immune system disorders and other ailments have been healed, but there hasn't been a flood of cures. The situation could be the same with stem-cell research. This isn't a reason to give up such research, but no one should expect that people with Parkinson's disease or spinal cord injuries will be healed as easily -- or for that matter, healed at all -- as the woman in the synagogue was.
Of course there are other aspects of the Gospel story. One point that used to puzzle me before I started serious study of the Bible was that Jesus performed so many of his healings on the Sabbath. Did he just happen to meet a lot of sick people on Saturdays? Was he going out of his way to antagonize people?
Part of the emphasis on healing on the Sabbath is probably due to the way in which the Gospel writers wanted to portray conflict between Jesus and the religious establishment. But there's a more fundamental reason. For the Jewish people the Sabbath was (and for many Jews still is) not simply a weekly observance but a living symbol of the promise of the messianic age and the fulfillment of history. Already in the first creation story of Genesis, it has something of that character. (Note also Hebrews 4:1-11.) The coming of the Messiah will mean that the true Sabbath has begun. In light of that belief, the Sabbath is not just a time when Jesus is allowed to heal. It is precisely the right time for him to heal, to show that the powers of evil that threaten human life are being overcome as the kingdom of God breaks into the world.
* * *
The following article was originally published in Lutheran Partners 18/3, 38 (2002):
HUMAN LIFE AND EMBRYOLOGICAL ISSUES
The fact that it took 9/11 to put stem-cell debates on the back page temporarily shows the importance of controversies about human embryos. They have been with us for more than 30 years as we've debated abortion, but discussions today are not just rehashes of that topic. In-vitro fertilization (IVF), stem-cell research, and cloning have introduced new issues.
Today's questions are primarily about scientific research and public policy. Few counselors will be called to deal with individuals or couples about their choices in these matters as they might about abortion. But the church must make an effort to educate its members about the issues if Christians are to exert informed moral influence on society's decisions. Discussion should take place in congregations as well as in larger expressions of the church.
We're now familiar with production of embryos from ova and sperm in order to have children by IVF. But there can be "spare" embryos that may be disposed of or used for research. Embryos could also be produced deliberately for study and medical use.
Stem Cells/Cloning
In particular, embryonic stem cells have excited considerable attention. They have the potential to develop into any kind of cell in the body, and might be used to treat some ailments, such as Parkinson's disease or spinal cord injuries. Adult stem cells could also be used, though their potential range of development is more limited.
Cloning, which became a hot topic with the sheep Dolly, introduces new possibilities. In cloning, the nucleus is removed from an ovum and is replaced by the nucleus of a somatic (body) cell of the animal to be cloned. This ovum can be induced to revert to the state of a newly fertilized egg and begin embryonic development. It will have the nuclear DNA of the animal being cloned and so will be his or her "delayed identical twin" (but not completely identical: The DNA in mitochondria outside the nucleus is that of the egg donor.)
There has been a lot of speculation about reproductive human cloning leading to fully developed genetic duplicates of people. Once the legitimacy of IVF has been accepted, there seem to be no fundamental theological objections to this, but it's hard to come up with really good reasons for doing it.
In any case, more immediate attention is being given to therapeutic cloning to get stem cells tailored to specific individuals for the types of medical uses I've mentioned. This would eliminate the problem of rejection of foreign stem cells by the patient's immune system. Further down the road may be development of replacement organs to solve the problems of rejection and shortage of organ donors.
Moral Questions
I've sketched these possibilities rather antiseptically, but there are profound moral questions about them. These have to do with the theological status of the human embryo and return us to aspects of the abortion debate, though now with an important new dimension.
A fertilized ovum, however produced, is distinctively human life with the potential to become a fully developed person. Those who believe that the Holy Spirit is "the Lord, the giver of life" should respect this life -- it is not just disposable tissue like fat removed by liposuction.
But when is the embryo a human person? Science can't answer that question, because "person" is a term of philosophy, theology, and law, not of natural science. Still, theology and ethics need to take scientific knowledge into account. If we are to use natural-law arguments (as traditional theology often does at this point), we need to know what nature is really like.
Even after undergoing a few cell divisions, an embryo has the potential to develop into identical twins. It is difficult to see how we can say that a fertilized ovum is a "person" if it can develop into two (or more) persons.
Moreover, a very early embryo has no brain. Especially in light of the ideas about human nature sketched in this column (see Lutheran Partners for Jan./Feb. 2002), such an embryo could be considered only potentially rational. Since the classical definition of "person" is "an individual substance of a rational nature," the personal character of this embryo would be questionable.
Some ethicists make this point in another way. Just as we now differentiate between "brain death" and the cessation of other bodily functions, we might differentiate between "brain birth" and the beginning of embryological development.
These considerations apply only to very early embryos. I think that later a fetus should be given considerable protection and that abortion should be allowed only in rare circumstances. But early embryonic stages are more ambiguous.
In addition, a new factor changes the terms of debate from earlier disputes about abortion. Stem-cell research now offers the hope of positive medical benefits from procedures that involve the destruction of embryos.
The facts about embryological development and the possibility that serious injuries and illnesses could be treated with embryonic stem cells seem to many people to justify research on and destruction of embryos. But we should not allow the issue to be posed -- as it sometimes has been -- as "Are you in favor embryonic stem-cell research or are you for Parkinson's disease?" Work on embryonic stem cells can be justified, but the dangers of embryonic and fetal research with no ethical constraints at all are quite real. Slippery-slope arguments do have some pragmatic validity. The fact that the benefits of such work are still unproven and the possibility that things can be done with adult stem cells should cause us to proceed rather cautiously with research on embryos.
For Further Study
I hope that what has been said here will be helpful in providing some basic information for discussion of these issues in contexts of ministry. Here are a few resources for further study.
The Human Embryonic Stem Cell Debate, ed. Suzanne Holland, Karen Lebacqz, and Laurie Zoloth (MIT Press, 2001), and Human Cloning: Papers from a Church Consultation, ed. Roger A. Willer (ELCA Division for Church in Society, 2001) both have a number of relevant essays.
Lee M. Silver, Remaking Eden (Avon, 1997) presents some far-reaching speculations about human cloning. The December 3, 2001, U.S. News & World Report, pp. 50-63, reports on the first experiment to clone a human embryo and its implications.
Related Resources
Websites recommended by Carter Shelley:
http://www.thedailycitizen.com/articles/2004/08/15/news/opinion/opinionc...
The above source also provides a very helpful summary of Dr. Michael J. Sandel's article in The New England Journal of Medicine. The article's title is "Embryo Ethics: The Moral Logic of Stem Cell Research"; it appears in the July 15, 2004, issue. The complete article can be read online at www.nejm.org
Other websites that provided further perspectives and insights are:
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apscience_story.asp?category=1501...... 8/15/2004
http://christianity.about.com/library/weekly/aa07201.htm 08/13/2004
"Stem Cell Battles," in The New York Times, August 15, 2004.
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/15/opinion/15sun2.html
Stem Cell Research Foundation
http://www.stemcellresearchfoundation.org/About/FAQ.htm 8/17/04
Worship Resources
By George Reed
OPENING
(N.b.: All copyright information is given from the first cited place where found. Some copyright information may differ in other sources due to adaptations, etc.)
Music
Hymns
"Many And Great, O God." WORDS: Joseph R. Renville, ca. 1846; para. by Philip Frazier, 1929. MUSIC: Native American melody; harm. by Richard Proulx, 1986. Harm. (c) 1986 G.I.A. Publications, Inc. As found in UMH 148; Hymnal '82; TPH 271; TNCH 3; CH 58.
"God, Who Stretched The Spangled Heavens." WORDS: Catherine Cameron, 1967; MUSIC: William Moore, 1825. Words (c) 1967 Hope Publishing Co. As found in UMH 150; Hymnal '82 580; LBOW 463; TPH 268; TNCH 556; CH 651.
"I Sing The Almighty Power Of God." WORDS: Isaac Watts, 1715; MUSIC: Trad. English melody; arr. by Ralph Vaughan Williams, 1906. Public domain. As found in UMH 152; Hymnal '82 398; TPH 288; TNCH 12.
"There's A Wideness In God's Mercy." WORDS: Frederick W. Faber, 1854; MUSIC: Lizzie S. Tourjeee, 1877; harm. by Charles H. Webb, 1988. Harm. (c) 1989 The United Methodist Publishing House. As found in UMH 121; Hymnal '82 469, 470; LBOW 290; TPH 298; TNCH 23; CH 73.
"O God, Our Help In Ages Past." WORDS: Isaac Watts, 1719; MUSIC: attr. to William Croft, 1708; harm. by W. H. Monk, 1861. Public domain. As found in UMH 117; Hymnal '82 680; LBOW 320; AAHH 170; TNNBH 46; TNCH 25; CH 67.
"Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise." WORDS: Walter Chalmers Smith, 1867; MUSIC: Welsh melody from John Roberts's Canaidau y Cyssegr, 1839. Public domain. As found in UMH 103; Hymnal '82 423; LBOW 526;
TPH 263; TNCH 1; CH 66.
Songs
"Arise, Shine." WORDS: Isaiah 60:1; MUSIC: Gary Alan Smith. Music (c) 1992 Gamut Music Productions. As found in CCB 2.
"From The Rising Of The Sun." WORDS & MUSIC: Anon. Public domain. As found in CCB 4.
"This Is The Day." WORDS: based on Psalm 118:24; adapt. by Les Garrett; MUSIC: Les Garrett. (c) 1967 Scripture in Song. As found in CCB 13.
CALL TO WORSHIP
Leader: In you, O God, I take refuge;
People: Let us never be put to shame.
Leader: In your righteousness deliver and rescue us.
People: Incline your ear to us and save us.
Leader: Upon you, O God, we have leaned from our birth.
People: Our praise is continually of you.
COLLECT / OPENING PRAYER
O God who creates us and knows us better than we know ourselves: Grant us wisdom to participate in your healing ways that we may honor creation and our Creator; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
or
We praise you, O God, for you have wondrously made us as part of your creation. Our world and our bodies are complex and magnificent. Our minds reflect your creative image. Grant that we may have the wisdom to use our minds and knowledge to further your creation and to participate in your healing ministry. We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Response Music
Hymns
"Heal Me, Hands Of Jesus." WORDS: Michael Perry, 1982; MUSIC: Norman L. Warren, 1982. (c) 1982 Hope Publishing Co. As found in UMH 262; CH 504.
"Dear Lord, For All In Pain." WORDS: Amy W. Carmichael, 1931; MUSIC: K. D. Smith, 1928; alt. Words (c) 1933 Dohnavur Fellowship; music (c) K. D. Smith, reprinted by permission of Oxford University Press. As found in UMH 458.
"There Is A Balm In Gilead." WORDS: Afro-American spiritual; MUSIC: Afro-American spiritual; adapt. and arr. by William Farley Smith, 1986. Adapt. and arr. (c) 1989 The United Methodist Publishing House. As found in UMH 375; Hymnal '82 676; TPH 394; AAHH 524; TNNBH 489; TNCH 553; CH 501.
"Word Of God, Come Down On Earth." WORDS: James Quinn, 1969; MUSIC: Johann R. Able, 1664. Words (c) 1969 James Quinn. As found in UMH 182.
Songs
"O How He Loves You And Me!" WORDS & MUSIC: Kurt Kaiser. (c) 1975 Word Music. As found in CCB 38.
"Spirit Song." WORDS & MUSIC: John Wimber. (c) 1979 Mercy Publishing. As found in CCB.
"Cares Chorus." WORDS & MUSIC: Kelly Willard. (c) 1978 Maranatha! Music.
As found in CCB 53.
PRAYERS OF CONFESSION / PARDON
Leader: We are finite people of limited knowledge and wisdom but we are also made in God's image and filled with God's Spirit. Let us confess to God and before one another the difficulties we have in dealing with these realities.
People: We confess to you, Our God and Creator, that we struggle to deal with our limits. We want to believe that we know all that we need to know and that we can render final decisions. We want to think that what we believe is right on every complex and difficult issue. We find it hard to be humble and to admit that we may not know the final answer. It is difficult for us to admit that others may be right.
We confess, as well, that we often lack the boldness to go where your Spirit tries to lead us. We hesitate to participate in your creating activity or your healing ministry. We want to leave these things to the professionals. Even when your call us to new things, we cling to the old.
In our failure to own up to our limits and to our possibilities we have labeled as false what is now accepted as sure fact and we have believed things that no one accepts as true any longer.
By the power of your Spirit that dwells in us, your creatures and your children, grant us wisdom and courage to deal with the difficult issues of life. Give us humility, listening ears and open hearts to work with one another and with you. Amen.
Leader: Know that the One who created us and knows us better than we know ourselves is also the One who loves us beyond all measure. In the Name of Jesus Christ you are forgiven and by the power of his Spirit you are empowered to live as his disciples.
GENERAL PRAYERS, LITANIES, ETC.
We adore and worship you, O Creating Spirit. Your works are beyond our comprehension and appreciation. We are in awe of you as we see your works.
(The following paragraph is most suitable if a prayer of confession will not be used elsewhere.)
We confess that we do not understand how you have made us so limited and yet so expansive. Our knowledge grows and grows and yet we cling to old ways and old ideas. We confess you as our Creator, our master image and our God and yet we do not trust the creative powers you have given us. When we look at the way we have treated those with new ideas we understand that we have often not used those powers well. Grant that by the power of your Creating Spirit, we might have both wisdom and courage to seek to honor your creation and your healing desires.
We give thanks to you for all the blessings we have received. We have a wonder filled world that gives us abundantly more than we need for our food and shelter. There is beauty all around us on grand scales and small. We have family and friends who share these blessings with us and we have our brothers and sisters around the world who desire, with us, to have a good life. Most of all we thank you for your love as we have experienced it in Jesus Christ.
(Other specific thanksgiving may be offered.)
Relying on your never failing love and grace, we offer up to you the cares of our hearts. As you share your love and healing with who suffer in body, mind, or spirit, help us to understand how we are to be part of your healing presence in this world. May our words and actions be a means of your being present to others.
(Other petitions may be offered.)
All these things we ask in the Name of Jesus who taught us to pray saying, "Our Father...."
Hymnal & Songbook Abbreviations
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
Hymnal '82: The Hymnal 1982, The Episcopal Church
LBOW: Lutheran Book of Worship
TPH: The Presbyterian Hymnal
AAHH: African American Heritage Hymnal
TNNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
TNCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
PMMCH3: Praise. Maranatha! Music Chorus Book, Expanded 3rd Edition
A Children's Sermon
Jesus can set you free
Object: a small piece of rope to tie someone's hands, a book, a piece of paper, and a pencil
Based on Luke 13:10-17
I need a volunteer today. For the lesson, I need to tie someone's hands together. (select a child) Thank you very much. I am going to tie your hands together. I won't make them too tight, but I don't want you to be able to get them apart, okay? (tie the child's hands so that the palms are together and can't be pulled apart)
Okay. Now I want you to take this book and open it to page 32. Go ahead; we'll wait for you. (take a few moments for the child to do this, if possible) It took a while, but you did it. It's not very easy, is it? Now I want you to do something else. Take this piece of paper and this pencil and write down your first, middle, and last names. (wait a moment) Good. That one was a bit harder.
Our Bible lesson today tells us about a woman whose body didn't work the way yours and mine work. It was very hard for her to do things, so she went to Jesus to ask for help. Jesus laid his hands on her and healed her. (untie your volunteer's hands) When she was healed, Jesus said, "You have been set free from your infirmity." He set her free. Now can you write your name for me? (give the child a chance to do it) Thanks. You can sit down now.
We usually don't think of being healed as being set free, but that's how Jesus saw it. The woman couldn't do the things she wanted, so it was almost like her body was keeping her prisoner. When Jesus healed her body she was free to do anything she wanted. Her body worked and she didn't have any more problems. It was like Jesus untied her and her body was free again.
All kinds of things can tie us up: sicknesses, worry, anger, and lots of other things. These things can keep us from living a life that's free and easy. These things aren't a problem for God, though. He is bigger than any problem we have, and he wants to help us be free.
Prayer: Thank you, God, that you are bigger than any of our troubles. Please help us remember to ask for your help, just like the woman in our story today. Amen.
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The Immediate Word, August 22, 2004, issue.
Copyright 2004 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 permissions@csspub.com or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., P.O. Box 4503, Lima, Ohio 45802-4503.
