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Paul has a bracing message for us in this week’s epistle lesson -- one that seems just as appropriate for Americans extolling their country’s virtues on Independence Day as for the Corinthian congregation: “[O]n my own behalf I will not boast, except of my weaknesses.” There is much about America to take pride in, but especially on this holiday weekend we tend to be boastful about our perceived superiority over other countries rather than cognizant of our weaknesses. But Paul maintains that only Christ is worthy of boasting about -- and draws on his own experience to suggest that God gives us “thorns in the flesh” to “keep [us] from being too elated.” Paradoxically, Paul notes, our ultimate strength is to be found in our weakness -- “for power is made perfect in weakness.... Therefore I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ; for whenever I am weak, then I am strong.”

In this installment of The Immediate Word, team member Robin Lostetter points out that there is no more powerful or achingly moving illustration of that paradigm than last week’s horrific shooting in a Charleston church. Indeed, the pastor and Bible study group welcomed a stranger into their midst and sat with him for an hour -- having no clue about his violent intentions. Assailant Dylann Roof is reported to have said that they were so nice to him that he even considered abandoning his premeditated mission of starting a race war. But while Roof’s actions caused unimaginable grief at a historically significant black church, he ultimately failed in achieving his stated goal. Paul’s vision of strength was demonstrated in the aftermath by the victims’ families as they offered forgiveness to Roof. In the wake of this incident, Robin asks us to consider: Are we willing to emulate the Christian devotion of the pastor and parishioners of Emanuel AME? Are we willing to “be content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ”?

Team member Chris Keating shares some additional thoughts on the 2 Samuel text and Psalm 48 -- both of which lift up the city of Jerusalem, describing it as a “stronghold” with “a sure defense” that is located on a “holy mountain, beautiful in elevation.” Chris points out that this offers an important metaphor for the moral high ground of the gospel. Jerusalem also served as the seat of centralized authority and power (much like Washington, DC today) -- and he reflects on that combination of “moral high ground” and political decision-making in light of the various issues arising in the national debate in the wake of the Charleston shooting. Chris suggests that perhaps we need to have fewer arguments over contentious subjects and seek instead the “higher ground” of faith, and the true freedom and security which it provides.

As part of our usual complement of illustrations this week, team member Ron Love has provided several specifically for Independence Day.

 

To Choose Weakness
by Robin Lostetter
2 Corinthians 12:2-10; Mark 6:1-13

How many times have we as preachers or teachers encountered the question “Are you willing to die for your faith?” And how many times has that question rung hollow for those of us living the good life in the United States of America? Teens in my confirmation classes, for example, have continued to play with poorly hidden smartphones and made eyerolls at their more sophisticated peers. The question might apply in some far-off land with an unpronounceable name, but not for Christians in Everytown, USA.

But the shooting of nine innocents on June 17 at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina, may change the context for that question. Amid questions of “to carry or not to carry” and newly raging gun regulation debates, 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 becomes highly pertinent. Every time worshipers step into a church sanctuary, the tacit understanding is that one is entering a non-combative zone (except for theological debate) and “sanctuary” from outside attacks. June 17 -- though not the only incident of a violent attack inside a church building -- is the herald of a public change in that perception.

How do we interpret this “new normal” for American Christians on the Fourth of July holiday weekend? In a country of rugged individualism, Second Amendment pride, and a rate of gun violence higher than most industrialized nations, it is counterintuitive to choose weakness. What meaning will it carry if we choose not to arm our pastors, elders, or ushers? If we choose not to use metal detectors or pat down those attending Bible study? If we choose weakness?

The members of Mother Emanuel’s Bible study group showed Judeo-Christian hospitality to Dylann Roof and welcomed him into their discussion of sacred text. Their weakness nearly changed his will to violence. What can we learn from June 17 and its aftermath? Will we choose weakness and hospitality, or will we choose guns? Are we willing to die for our faith? 

In the Scriptures
In our epistle reading, Paul gets to the “dialectic of power and weakness that lies at the heart of the Christian gospel” (Garrett Green, “Theological Perspective on 2 Corinthians 12:2-10,” in Feasting on the Word [Year B, Volume 3]: Pentecost and Season after Pentecost 1 [Westminster John Knox Press, 2009]). N. Graham Standish has written an entire chapter on this particular Christian paradox in his book Paradoxes for Living: Cultivating Faith in Confusing Times ([John Knox Press, 2001], pp. 5-24). He explores the inborn human need for power to survive, and how it is manifest in each of our relationships in contemporary society and within religious institutions. Standish then turns to Paul in our epistle reading: “To understand how God wants us to deal with the natural striving for power, we need to look more closely at the spiritual paradox of strength versus weakness” (Paradoxes for Living, p. 10). When Paul asks three times to be freed from his “thorn in the flesh,” God responds: “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.”

Standish observes: “This is not the kind of answer Paul wanted, nor is it the kind of answer we expect.  We would expect God to give Paul more power and strength so he could fulfill Christ’s mission. Paradoxically, God told Paul that he wanted him to be weak. What this passage of scripture is telling us is that the quest for human power and strength eventually becomes a spiritual and even practical weakness for all people. In essence, when we are strong, then we are weak. Why? The answer is that the quest for personal, communal, and societal power creates a weakness not only in our ability to be guided by God, but in our capacity for living in true harmony. While hierarchical structures can bring about a temporary harmony, real harmony exists only when people give up their egos and willingly work together to seek God’s way.”

This relationship between power and weakness is central to Christianity because of the very nature of Christ’s incarnation -- his self-emptying to become a vulnerable baby, and his acceptance of a painful human death on the cross in order to defeat death. Nothing could be more critical to understanding our faith than the humility of weakness.

In the News
“We forgive you.” This statement from the families of those allegedly killed by Dylann Roof set the tone for how a nation responded to the nine horrific murders committed on June 17. The power in those humble words, free from revenge and retribution, exceeded whatever power might have been found in angry words or threats. The power of the words “You hurt me. You hurt a lot of people. But God forgives you. I forgive you” and “You took something really precious from me. I will never talk to her again. But I forgive you and have mercy on your soul” turned Roof’s first volley in a new race war into the first steps in bringing people of many races together and in removing a flag that represented oppression and slavery. “A hateful person came to this community with some crazy idea he’d be able to divide, but all he did was unite us and make us love each other even more,” Charleston Mayor Joseph P. Riley Jr. told the Associated Press.

But the hard work of maintaining that impetus to weed out the seeds of racism was expressed most eloquently by President Barack Obama in his eulogy at the funeral service for Rev. Clementa Pinckney. Here are some of the particularly relevant quotes from that address:

* [Dylann Roof] didn’t know he was being used by God. Blinded by hatred, the alleged killer could not see the grace surrounding Reverend Pinckney and that Bible study group -- the light of love that shone as they opened the church doors and invited a stranger to join in their prayer circle. The alleged killer could have never anticipated the way the families of the fallen would respond when they saw him in court -- in the midst of unspeakable grief, with words of forgiveness. He couldn’t imagine that. 

* The alleged killer could not imagine... how the state of South Carolina, how the United States of America would respond -- not merely with revulsion at his evil act, but with big-hearted generosity and, more importantly, with a thoughtful introspection and self-examination that we so rarely see in public life.

* As a nation, out of this terrible tragedy, God has visited grace upon us, for he has allowed us to see where we’ve been blind. He has given us the chance, where we’ve been lost, to find our best selves. We may not have earned it, this grace, with our rancor and complacency, and short-sightedness and fear of each other -- but we got it all the same. 

* Removing the [Confederate] flag from this state’s capitol... would be one step in an honest accounting of America’s history; a modest but meaningful balm for so many unhealed wounds. It would be an expression of the amazing changes that have transformed this state and this country for the better, because of the work of so many people of goodwill, people of all races striving to form a more perfect union. By taking down that flag, we express God’s grace.  

(For competing views on the Confederate flag, see these two articles: one describes the growing nationwide movement to remove Confederate emblems from public display, and the other reports on the predictable counter-reaction -- sales of Confederate flag merchandise are soaring as retailers begin pulling their stock.)

* Maybe we now realize the way racial bias can infect us even when we don't realize it, so that we’re guarding against not just racial slurs, but we’re also guarding against the subtle impulse to call Johnny back for a job interview but not Jamal. So that we search our hearts when we consider laws to make it harder for some of our fellow citizens to vote. By recognizing our common humanity by treating every child as important, regardless of the color of their skin or the station into which they were born, and to do what’s necessary to make opportunity real for every American -- by doing that, we express God’s grace. 

In the Sermon
There are two applications of all this information. First is one that addresses Christians in “first world” or developed countries. It is the set of questions asked in our editorial introduction: Are we willing to emulate the Christian devotion of the pastor and parishioners of Emanuel AME? Are we willing to “be content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ”? In other words, can we stand in solidarity -- true solidarity -- with our black brothers and sisters in the faith? Can we forego our concern with propriety in ritual, dress, and all that accompanies “white church” on Sunday mornings, “the most segregated hour in our week”? Can we continue to extend scriptural hospitality and be open to welcoming the stranger?

And further, in the “new normal,” where we see that it is possible to die for one’s faith in this country, will we be willing to continue to maintain our sanctuaries as vulnerable places, unprotected by guns and metal detectors? Not everyone agrees on that subject. But it is a question our congregations might want to struggle with, since it is possibly the first threat that they can actually relate to in decades.

Secondly, since this is the July 4 weekend, how does this passage apply to our national hubris? A Religion News Service article summarizes the results of a new survey by describing Americans’ attitude as “We’re gung-ho for the idea that the USA has a special status with God, and we’re almost always proud of our nation.” Of course there are things to be proud of: We support countries with poverty-level standards of living, seek to protect people from groups such as ISIS, and join forces with other nations in groups such as the UN. However, it seems very difficult for us to speak of our flaws without seeming to be unpatriotic.

How much stronger we might be if we were to admit to the thorns in our flesh... the excessive gun violence relative to other countries, the racism just below the surface (and sometimes right out in public), and the dominant white culture’s fear of losing status and power. Might we be stronger partners with other nations if we were able to assume a more humble stance? Perhaps Mark 6:12 has something to say to us all: “So they went out and proclaimed that all should repent.”

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the new relationships, seen in Charleston’s response to the June 17 murders, were to mark the beginning of real change in that community and beyond?  

And let us sing “America, America, God mend thine every flaw” -- and also shout “Oh, Freedom!”

 

SECOND THOUGHTS
Seeking Higher Ground
by Chris Keating
Psalm 48; 2 Samuel 5:1-5, 9-10

Samuel narrates David’s striking move toward unity for his fledgling kingdom by claiming the Jebusite city of Jerusalem. David’s takeover of Jerusalem unified the various tribes and placed the capital city in a location claimed by neither the northern nor southern tribes. The move consolidated David’s power, assuring -- if even metaphorically -- Israel’s move to Zion’s higher ground.

Psalm 48 enthusiastically voices this accomplishment: “Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised in the city of our God. His holy mountain, beautiful in elevation, is the joy of all the earth... within its citadels God has shown himself a sure defense.”

Jerusalem becomes a symbol of God’s presence and protection, the center of God’s provision. Both Psalm 48 and this week’s 2 Samuel text point to the unity enshrined in that moment, and in a similar way summon God’s people today to seek the theological and moral higher ground of faith. In the aftermath of the shooting of nine churchgoers in Charleston, South Carolina, these texts might point out the way we are also called to seek higher ground.

Some believe it will come in lowering the Confederate flag for the final time. Some see the tragedy as a wakeup call for conversations on gun control and racial reconciliation. Others say now is the time to lock and load, to praise God and pass the ammo. There is much to ponder and consider, even as we ask “Where is our sure defense, our hope and promise?”

Perhaps that is the question that might guide us to God’s high and holy sanctuary.

In the News
Following the grisly attacks, the first word Americans heard from the families of the victims was a word of grace. In his first court appearance, accused Charleston shooter Dylann Roof faced not only the scales of justice but also the tear-streaked faces of family members of some of his victims. In moving testimony, the family members offered forgiveness.

Family members took their turn to face Roof via video screen. They turned not to anger but to forgiveness. “I forgive you,” said Nadine Collier, daughter of one of Roof’s victims. “You took something very precious from me. I will never talk to her again. I will never, ever hold her again. But I forgive you. And have mercy on your soul.” The television footage of Roof’s court appearance was gripping, much more emotional than a typical bond hearing.

The statements by Collier and others have stymied and confused some. “I do not forgive Dylann Roof, a racist terrorist whose name I hate saying or knowing,” wrote Roxane Gay in the New York Times. Noting that while she is amazed at the poise and grace Collier offered in court, Gay wrote that she believes there are times when forgiveness is not appropriate: “I have no immediate connection to what happened in Charleston last week beyond my humanity and my blackness, but I do not foresee ever forgiving his crimes, and I am wholly at ease with that choice.”

Yet from the victims’ statements to President Obama leading mourners in singing “Amazing Grace” at Rev. Clementa Pinckney’s funeral, words of grace were like pitons spiked into the face of the tragedy. Grace seemed to lift Charleston as well as the nation toward higher ground.

Hope for unity and healing began to emerge following the call by Gov. Nikki R. Haley of South Carolina to remove the Confederate battle flag from the statehouse grounds. Retailers like Amazon and Walmart decided to stop selling Confederate flag merchandise, and the conversation about the symbol of the old South became a talking point for many politicians, including Republican presidential candidates.

South Carolina state senator Paul Thurmond -- son of the late United States Senator Strom Thurmond (who ran for president as a segregationist) -- joined Republicans in calling for the flag’s removal. Thurmond described his conversion moment to NPR:

I went to a vigil around noon [last Wednesday] and just really felt a tremendous heartache and love and unity from this vigil, and so it started to somewhat set in. I had a conversation with my wife, and her response was pretty straightforward: “Why do you think we need to keep it up?” I had some conversations with some other people, and it was the same: “Do you really have a burning desire to keep it up? Does it make sense?”

For many in the African-American community, the flag is a symbol of hatred. Historians note that the flag is steeped in traditions of “genteel manners, Christian piety, and happy slaves” as well as being a symbol of resistance to the civil rights movement. Promoters of the flag see it as a vital link to southern history, yet images of the alleged shooter holding the flag on his hate-spiked website are not likely to help their cause.

While the Confederate flag may be seen by some as a symbol of security, there is another even more potent symbol under discussion: handguns. Despite the searing image of a gunman shooting churchgoers attending a Bible study, some pastors are encouraging their congregations to bear arms. It’s part of being prepared, they say.

“We need protection,” Debbie Caudle, member of Green Valley Community Church in Placerville, California, said. “People that go through classes and get licenses and stuff to carry a gun. I feel like we need this in our lives. We need it in church and in our businesses.” Pack the heat, and pass the plate -- is this where we receive our security?

In the Scriptures
Psalm 48 seems to offer a different answer. Looking at the Mount of Zion, the psalmist praises God and declares that it is within this high ground of Zion that true security and peace can be found. God is the great King (v. 1), the protector (v. 3) who confounds the imaginations of the nations and sends all other leaders fleeing in panic (v. 5). The centerpiece of Jerusalem, God’s temple at Zion, provides our security -- even in the face of the perfect storm.

Indeed, the city of our God is a mountain of hope, a place that towers over other landscapes (see Emily R. Askew, “Theological Perspective,” Proper 9, Psalm 48, in Feasting on the Word [Year B, Volume 3]). Those who seek to harm Israel are turned away at the very gates, if only because Israel has learned to trust God’s steadfast love (v. 9). Those gathered for worship are instructed to look around at the strength of Zion, so that they may tell succeeding generations “this is our God, our God forever and ever. He will be our guide forever.”

In the Samuel readings, David is called to be the king over all Israel. Long before there is a mighty fortress in Zion there is a shepherd-king, called by God and anointed to lead the people. The elders come to David, rejecting Saul’s kingship and calling upon David to rule over them. Shrewdly, the new king moves to capture the Jebusite city of Jerusalem. Renamed the City of David, Jerusalem becomes the symbol of David’s power -- a symbol of the “higher ground” he has sought in order to unite the northern and southern tribes.

Verse nine refers to David’s rebuilding of Jerusalem “all around from the Millo inward.” The Millo was likely a terrace or other elevated piece of land between the old city and Zion, the probable location of the eventual palace and temple. David’s move to locate the seat of government in Jerusalem thus located Israel on higher ground, a place where covenant faithfulness was evident, and a place where David “became greater and greater, for the Lord, the God of hosts, was with him.”

Ultimately, of course, the tribes would separate. But in these verses there is a proclamation of the power of God at work in unifying a people and providing for healing. Reconciliation emerges as David makes a covenant with the elders of the northern tribes, so that together they may build a place where God could reign.

In the Sermon
With the smell of tempera-painted Vacation Bible School decorations hanging in the narthex and the regular exodus of vacationers fleeing church for the lake, a preacher could be swayed away from the story in 2 Samuel 5 of David’s ascension as king. It might make sense, as these verses seem barren of connection to our lives in so many ways.

Or maybe not. Perhaps now is the time to move beyond “conversations” about gun control, race relations, and the issues. A sermon could outline the ways we are called to seek our security in God. David set aside conversations -- he made a covenant. He took them to a higher ground, as it were -- to Zion, where the presence of the Lord God of hosts would be made known. New hope emerges in this moment. God’s steadfast love is revealed.

Coupled with the exuberant praise of Psalm 48, these texts reveal the source of our security. Those who sang this psalm understood well what it meant to be surrounded by threats and terror, just as we do today. Yet still they looked toward the steadfast love of God for protection. As they entered worship, they did not pass through airport screening and metal detectors. If they removed their shoes, it was only because they knew they were on holy ground. The images of David’s shepherd-kingship and God’s provision of steadfast love should encourage us, on this July 4 weekend, to seek the high moral ground of faith and the true independence and freedom which that kingdom provides.

 

ILLUSTRATIONS

From team member Ron Love:

(You can personalize this story by saying “A friend shared with me...”)
It was a dreary November day when I made my pilgrimage to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC. They say you can never approach the monument without seeing someone standing before the wall in tears. It was true this day. I witnessed a middle-aged woman who stood weeping. I suspect years earlier she had buried her son, but now, seeing his name engraved on the black granite, it was the same as burying him a second time. A man with a ladder stood silently by the wall, willing to climb to its height to “rub” the name of a special someone. I asked the gentleman for a sheet of paper, and randomly selected one of the more than 58,000 names etched on the wall. The man’s name was Edgar Davidson Berner. I went to the register book to read about this man who surrendered his life for our country. He was born on April 20, 1940, in Marshall, Illinois -- a community I had never heard of, but certainly one like most in America. He was a Chief Warrant Officer, probably a helicopter pilot, who died on April 29, 1970, at the age of 30. Independence Day is a national holiday to remember and truly be thankful for those who have gone before us to secure our blessings.

*****

During World War II, Norman Rockwell longed to use his artistic abilities to support the nation’s war effort. It was his desire to put on canvas the “big idea” for which we were fighting, but a void remained. Suddenly, at 3 a.m. on July 16, 1942, Rockwell sat bolt upright in bed. President Roosevelt, in his state of the union address, had pronounced the “four essential human freedoms” that summoned the nation to armed conflict. Rockwell would portray in oil each of these freedoms, translating the spoken ideology into commonplace scenes everyone could understand. “Freedom of Speech” portrayed a man standing in rough work clothes, speaking openly at a New England town meeting. “Freedom of Worship” depicted a group of people in prayer, each of a different faith. “Freedom from Want” placed a family around a Thanksgiving dinner table. “Freedom from Fear” pictured two children being tucked into bed, safe and secure, while the father held an evening newspaper whose headline reported the bombing of Europe. On this Fourth of July, we recognize and celebrate our cherished freedoms. Grateful for the civil liberties guaranteed to every citizen, we respect our heritage and are mindful of the sacrifices made on our behalf.

*****

Painted on the president’s chair at the Constitutional Convention (held at the Pennsylvania statehouse in Philadelphia) was a sun. Though George Washington distinguished the chair by his presence, during the dull moments of the legislative sessions the delegates would amuse themselves by debating if the sun was rising or setting, for the orange cast lent itself to either persuasion. The discussion of the sun ceased the day the document was signed on September 17, 1787, when Benjamin Franklin declared: “I have often and often in the course of the session, and the vicissitudes of my hopes and fears as to its issue, looked at that sun behind the president without being able to tell whether it was rising or setting. But now at length I have the happiness to know that it is a rising and not a setting sun.” On Independence Day we celebrate that the sun has never set on our nation. There may have been cloudy days, but the sun has always shined.

*****

After the opening salvo of the Revolutionary War at Concord, colonial defeat was looming. Desperate, the Continental Congress issued a call for all citizens to fast and pray that the Lord God might bless the nation. This vociferous summons could only be issued by a legislature that recognized and professed their faith in God. These were the same delegates who penned the Declaration of Independence. As a nation we celebrate Independence Day by recognizing the deposing of the tyranny endured under King George III. Having been subjugated, Congress recognized everyone’s “unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” The Declaration is not a religious manuscript, but its 1,320 words are a political statement. Latent within the parchment is the recognition that we are a Christian nation. In the manifesto such phrases as “God entitle them,” “endowed by their Creator,” and “appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world” are not superfluous but an intentional assertion that we are a God-oriented nation. This can be attested because all 56 signers were affiliated with a Christian church.

***************

From team member Dean Feldmeyer:

2 Samuel 5:1-5, 9-10; Psalm 48
Taking the High Ground
Nobody appreciates more than Darren Bean just how important it is to own the high ground on the battlefield.
 
Bean, who retired in 2007 as sergeant major of the U.S. Army Mountain Warfare School in Jericho, Vermont, spent most of his 23-year military career training soldiers to fight at high altitudes.

Soon after he took off the uniform, Bean came to the Natick Soldier Systems Center, where he went to work as the project manager for mountaineering equipment. He has spent over four years developing mountaineering kits for the army, special forces, and marines.

At the same time he was working on equipment designed to help them, service members were contending with the hostile, mountainous regions of Afghanistan. He has watched that conflict unfold with great interest.

“You can’t fight from below,” Bean said. “That’s been how it’s gone a lot over there, is we’ve fought them from below. We need to have those observation posts and combat outposts and stuff like that up on the high ground. And sometimes the high ground takes mountaineering equipment to get to, or it gives you a different avenue of approach.”

*****

2 Samuel 5:1-5, 9-10; Psalm 48
Buford on the High Ground
The Civil War’s Battle of Gettysburg began when two brigades of unmounted Union cavalry, led by General John Buford, clashed with Confederate soldiers of General Henry Heth’s division. Buford and his cavalry were reconnoitering ahead of the army in Pennsylvania, and discovered the Confederates as they were advancing on Gettysburg. Buford knew the importance of Gettysburg as a transportation junction, and the value of the high ground northwest of town. His cavalry dismounted and held McPherson Ridge for the Union. The resulting skirmish on the outskirts of Gettysburg was the beginning of the three-day Battle of Gettysburg. Without John Buford’s actions early on the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg, the Union may not have triumphed at Gettysburg.

The perspective from the high ground on McPherson Ridge gave the Union army a view of the battlefield and important information that turned out to be a crucial advantage during the Battle of Gettysburg. There is a statue of General John Buford today along the Chambersburg Pike at the Gettysburg National Military Park. Buford’s monument at Gettysburg depicts him standing and looking to the west, holding a pair of field glasses, wearing cavalry boots, with sheathed sword at his side... as he did on July 1, 1863.

*****

2 Corinthians 12:2-10
Goose’s Story
Goose’s Story by Cari Best is an award-winning illustrated children’s book that tells about the Canada geese who settle each by the pond near the home of the narrator. She and her dog enjoy watching the geese and listening to their distinctive honking. The young girl takes an interest in one particular goose that has lost a foot from an accident. The girl encourages the goose when it cannot swim and is ostracized by the other geese. Though she knows she shouldn’t, she can’t help but feed corn to the injured goose. Then one day in the fall the geese are gone, and the injured goose with them. Throughout the fall, winter, and early spring, the young girl wonders about her injured goose, and then spring comes and brings with it a great surprise. Not only is the injured goose back, but it has found a mate and has seven adorable chicks. This story teaches children the power of perseverance and the ability of animals in the wild to adapt and survive.

*****

2 Corinthians 12:2-10
Coloring Outside the Lines
Kathleen Flannigan’s Berkeley apartment features many of the trappings you might expect to find in an artist’s studio. A worktable covered with sheets of paper, jars of pencils, and markers. Walls festooned with colorful drawings. Hand-painted furniture. A leather case bulging with illustrations -- she works mostly in colored pencil on paper, although she also paints a bit and creates mosaics from ceramic tile. Then you notice the steel-armed adjustable hospital bed.

Kathleen is not your typical artist.

At 72, the arthritis stemming from her lifelong cerebral palsy now requires Kathleen to use a wheelchair. But she says that living with disability is part of what brings her art to life. “Some say my artwork is triumphing over my disability, but my disability has been helpful to me -- instead of fighting it, I exploit it,” she says. “My work is unique because I am unique.”

Kathleen’s work has been shown at the Smithsonian and in locations as diverse as Brussels and Rio de Janeiro. She is an artist-in-residence at the California Academy of Sciences, and her work was recently shown at the exhibition Parallel Universes: The Flowering Gardens of Downtown Berkeley in the San Francisco Library. She has won numerous prestigious awards, including a Pollock-Krasner grant. On top of all that, she holds down a part-time job at Disability Rights California, a law firm where she acts as a consultant and liaison to the disabled community.

“In art school I was told, ‘Never draw your disability because it won’t sell,’ ” she says. At that time, she remembers, photorealism was being pushed in art schools, frustrating her desire to create art based on her own vision. “I’m not a Western artist,” she says, “I’m inspired more by folk art, Latino art, outsider art.”

She left school in 1983, ditching the stringent and methodical rules of realism to join forces with a nonprofit arts center, Creative Growth. The Oakland studio and gallery serves adult artists with developmental, mental, and physical disabilities, and provided her with an alternative to the confining fads of the mainstream contemporary art world.

Kathleen has enjoyed commercial success -- she recently sold work to Kaiser for display in their pediatric hospitals, she’s building a business called Blazing Glazings that markets her mosaics and greeting cards, and she’s worked on commissions for corporate clients such as Verizon and 1-800-Flowers.       

*****

2 Corinthians 12:2-10
A Thorn in Her Flesh 
Her name is Adriana Macias, and taking a look at her, we find a cute, enthusiastic, and dynamic woman. Her fighting spirit not only embraces a winner, but also a lady with sense of humor, beauty, intelligence, and love.  She has been called “the complete woman.”

She is a Mexican lawyer who was born 28 years ago in a humble home. Her parents waited her birth joyfully; however, the birth of this baby was a source of sadness and concern for them: Adriana was born without arms.

Doctors did not find an explanation for her disability and ignored the way to deal with “special” people. In spite of this fact, her parents immediately decided to take away sadness. They would raise her exactly as they did their first child Eloisa, who would become Adriana’s guide.

Adolescence was tough for Adriana: “At the beginning, I got upset because I would have to achieve my dreams by means of others. Then I understood that our physical characteristics are independent of them. What really matters is the will and discipline we have to do things,” she says.

Her disability never was an obstacle for Adriana. She seems to achieve whatever she pursues.“There is no obstacle to success in life,” she says. “Positive attitude is the essential tool to achieve individual and collective projects.”

*****

2 Corinthians 12:2-10
Comedians with Disabilities Act
A blind man. A woman who stutters and has learning disabilities. A wheelchair user. A little person. While this may sound like a description of a support group, it is in fact the lineup for the “Comedians with Disabilities Act,” a comedy tour that the San Francisco Examiner called “The most unconventional comics to pop up in 2011.”

The foursome, all of them working northern California comedians, met each other through the comedy club circuit and decided to band together to treat audiences to a unique and unforgettable experience.

“Lots of able-bodied comedians out there tell blind or wheelchair jokes and get the audience to laugh at people with disabilities,” said Michael O’Connell, the group’s wheelchair representative. “But we thought wouldn’t it be more fun for the crowd to laugh with people with disabilities instead? That’s guilt-free fun right there.”

Since their sold-out debut show in Sacramento, the group has been in growing demand, getting booked at such lauded venues as Hollywood’s Laugh Factory and San Francisco’s Punch Line.

Their comedy comes from the lifetime of experiences each has had due to their individual challenges. They see the tour as not only a chance to entertain, but also to educate people on disability issues. “We’re all comedians first,” said Steve Danner, who identifies as a little person, “and it’s a comedy show. But who says you can’t make people laugh and send them home with something to think about too?”

*****

Mark 6:1-13
No Mulligans in the Senior Open                   
In 2005, the U.S. Senior Open was played at NCR Country Club in Dayton, Ohio, only about 40 minutes from my house. My brother is a member there -- and membership having its privileges, he was able to get tickets for me and four of my golfing buddies.

They say that car race fans go to see the crashes, and that is probably true of golf fans as well. We like being there when a pro hits a miraculously good shot, but we also take a certain amount of pleasure from their bad shots. It is nice to be able to say, “See, even they hit some bad shots like I hit.” Of course, they hit a lot fewer of them. They are professionals, after all. And when they do hit a bad shot, they often have an uncanny ability to recover from their errors and failures.

A case in point was demonstrated for us as we watched Fuzzy Zoeller hit an approach shot that rolled over the green and about 30 feet down a 70-degree embankment, coming to rest on the tee box for the next hole.

A crowd quickly gathered to watch how Fuzzy would handle this adversity. He looked over the edge of the embankment, spotted the ball, and sighed, realizing that the descent was so steep that he’d have to walk around to get to it so he could take his next shot. Upon arriving at the ball, he realized that he was going to have to hit it nearly straight up more than 40 feet and laterally about 20 feet, with sufficient backspin to keep it from rolling off the green again. And he would have to do this completely blind, unable to see the pin at all. And, of course, that’s exactly what he did. With only one practice swing he lobbed the ball up over the top of the bank and onto the green, where it plopped on and came immediately to rest within a foot of the pin.

The crowd roared and laughed at what seemed like magic, and Fuzzy doffed his hat and took several deep bows, laughing all the while. A few minutes later he tapped in for par on a hole that most of us thought was a lost cause. Fuzzy had pulled triumph from the teeth of an apparent failure.

*****

Mark 6:1-13
Famous People Who Failed at First
* Colonel Sanders: The founder of KFC started his dream at 65 years old! He got a social security check for only $105 and was mad. Instead of complaining, he did something about it. He thought restaurant owners would love his fried chicken recipe, use it, their sales would increase, and he’d get a percentage of it. He drove around the country knocking on doors, sleeping in his car, and wearing his white suit. Do you know how many times people said no until he got one yes? 1009 times!

* Walt Disney: The first animation company of the man who gave us Disney World and Mickey Mouse went bankrupt. He was fired by a news editor because he lacked imagination. Legend has it that he was turned down 302 times before he got the financing to create Disney World.

* Richard Branson: The billionaire mogul of Virgin has had his share of failures. Remember Virgin Cola or Virgin credit cards? Probably not. He’s lost hundreds of millions of dollars, but hasn’t let failure stop him. When you’re rich like him you can rent his private island for $53,000 a night.

* Mark Cuban: The billionaire owner of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks got rich when he sold his company to Yahoo for $5.9 billion in stock. He’s admitted that he was terrible at his early jobs. His parents wanted him to have a normal job. So he tried carpentry but hated it. He was a short order cook, but a terrible one. He waited tables, but couldn’t open a bottle of wine. He says of his failures: “I’ve learned that it doesn’t matter how many times you failed. You only have to be right once. I tried to sell powdered milk. I was an idiot lots of times, and I learned from them all.”

* Vincent Van Gogh: He only sold one painting in his lifetime! Just one to a friend. Despite that, he kept painting and finished over 800 pieces. Now everyone wants to buy them, and his most expensive painting is valued at $142.7 million.

* Theodor Seuss Geisel: Dr. Seuss gave us The Cat in the Hat and Green Eggs and Ham -- books every child reads. At first, many didn’t think he would succeed... 27 different publishers rejected his first book, To Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street.

* John Grisham: This renowned author was originally a lawyer who loved to write. His first book, A Time to Kill, took three years to write. The book was rejected 28 times, until he got one yes for a 5,000-copy printing. He’s now sold over 250 million total copies of his books.

* Steven Spielberg: He applied two times to the prestigious University of Southern California film school, and was denied admission both times. Instead he went to Cal State University in Long Beach, and went on to direct some of the biggest movie blockbusters in history. Now he’s worth $2.7 billion, and in 1994 got an honorary degree from the film school that rejected him twice.

* Stephen King: His first book Carrie was rejected 30 times, and he threw the manuscript in the trash. His wife retrieved it and encouraged him to resubmit it. The rest is history... he has sold more than 350 million copies of his books.

* Stephenie Meyer: The author of the Twilight series said the inspiration for the books came from a dream. She finished the first one in three months, but never intended to publish it until a friend suggested she should. She wrote 15 letters to literary agencies -- five didn’t reply, nine rejected her submission; only one gave her a chance. Then eight publishers auctioned for the right to publish Twilight. She got a three-book deal worth $750,000. In 2010, Forbes reported she earned $40 million.

* The Beatles: They were rejected by many record companies -- one label famously said, “guitar groups are on the way out” and “the Beatles have no future in show business.” After that the Beatles signed with EMI, brought Beatlemania to the United States, and became the greatest band in history.

* Michael Jordan: He’s famous for being cut from his high school basketball team. He turned out to be perhaps the greatest basketball player in history, but never let failure deter him. Probably his most famous speech began with these words: “I have missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I have lost almost 300 games. On 26 occasions I have been entrusted to take the game-winning shot and I missed. I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”

***************

From team member Mary Austin:

2 Corinthians 12:2-10
What Looks Like Weakness May Be Strength
Sometimes our biggest weakness can become our biggest strength. Take, for example, the story of one 10-year-old boy who decided to study judo despite the fact that he had lost his left arm in a devastating car accident.

The boy began lessons with an old Japanese judo master. The boy was doing well, so he couldn’t understand why after three months of training the master had taught him only one move. “Sensei,” the boy finally said, “Shouldn’t I be learning more moves?”

“This is the only move you know, but this is the only move you’ll ever need to know,” the sensei replied.

Not quite understanding, but believing in his teacher, the boy kept training.

Several months later, the sensei took the boy to his first tournament. Surprising himself, the boy easily won his first two matches. The third match proved to be more difficult, but after some time his opponent became impatient and charged; the boy deftly used his one move to win the match. Still amazed by his success, the boy was now in the finals.

This time, his opponent was bigger, stronger, and more experienced. For a while the boy appeared to be overmatched. Concerned that the boy might get hurt, the referee called a timeout. He was about to stop the match when the sensei intervened. “No,” the sensei insisted, “Let him continue.”

Soon after the match resumed, his opponent made a critical mistake: he dropped his guard. Instantly the boy used his move to pin him. The boy had won the match and the tournament. He was the champion.

On the way home, the boy and sensei reviewed every move in each and every match. Then the boy summoned the courage to ask what was really on his mind. “Sensei, how did I win the tournament with only one move?”

“You won for two reasons,” the sensei answered. “First, you’ve almost mastered one of the most difficult throws in all of judo. And second, the only known defense for that move is for your opponent to grasp your left arm.”

The boy’s biggest weakness had become his biggest strength.

 

WORSHIP RESOURCES
by George Reed

Call to Worship
Leader: Great is God and greatly to be praised in the city of our God.
People: God’s holy mountain, beautiful in elevation, is the joy of all the earth.
Leader: Within its citadels God is a sure defense.
People: We ponder your steadfast love, O God, in the midst of your temple.
Leader: Your name, O God, like your praise, reaches to the ends of the earth.
People: Your right hand is filled with victory.

OR

Leader: God calls us to come and celebrate the weakness that is power.
People: We come to rejoice in the power that is love.
Leader: God comes to give us the answer that looks like a question.
People: We gladly receive the question that is really an answer.
Leader: God sends us out into the violence of the world with our only shield the power of peace and love.
People: We go in joy, knowing that peace and love are the strongest powers.

Hymns and Sacred Songs
“God, Whose Love Is Reigning o’er Us”
found in:
UMH: 100

“Lift High the Cross”
found in:
UMH: 159
H82: 473
PH: 371
AAHH: 242
NCH: 198
CH: 108
LBW: 377
ELA: 660
W&P: 287

“The Gift of Love”
found in:
UMH: 408
AAHH: 522
CH: 526
W&P: 397

“Let There Be Peace on Earth”
found in:
UMH: 431
CH: 677
W&P: 614

“O God of Every Nation”
found in:
UMH: 435
H82: 607
PH: 289
CH: 680
LBW: 416
ELA: 713
W&P: 626

“This is My Song”
found in:
UMH: 437
NCH: 591
CH: 722
ELA: 887
STLT: 159

“Be Thou My Vision”
found in:
UMH: 451
H82: 488
PH: 339
NCH: 451
CH: 595
ELA: 793
W&P: 502
AMEC: 281
STLT: 20

“Lord, Speak to Me”
found in:
UMH: 463
PH: 426
NCH: 531
ELA: 671
W&P: 593

Music Resources Key:
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982 (The Episcopal Church)
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
AAHH: African-American Heritage Hymnal
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
LBW: Lutheran Book of Worship
ELA: Evangelical Lutheran Worship
W&P: Worship & Praise
AMEC: African Methodist Episcopal Church Hymnal
STLT: Singing the Living Tradition

Prayer for the Day / Collect
O God who is our strength in the midst of our weakness: Grant us the grace to find in your love the strength to face the weakness of violence that seems too strong to us, so that we might follow Jesus to the cross and to resurrection; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.

OR

We praise you, O God, because you come to us as the humble one. Give us your wisdom and your grace, so that we may find that the weakness of peace is stronger than the strength of violence. Amen.

Prayer of Confession
Leader: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins, and especially the quickness with which we embrace violence as an answer.

People: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We call ourselves disciples of the Prince of Peace, but when we are confronted with violence we are too quick to find in violence the answer to life’s problems. We forget that the one we follow gave himself up to a violent death, only to become the resurrected one enthroned forever above all the powers of the earth. Forgive us, and renew your Spirit within us so that we may have the courage to find strength in weakness. Amen.

Leader: God continues to come among us in simple weakness to confound the powers of violence. Receive God’s love, grace, and forgiveness, and live as Christ’s disciples.

Prayers of the People (and the Lord’s Prayer)
Praise and glory are yours, O God, by right of your wondrous power made known through weakness. 

(The following paragraph may be used if a separate prayer of confession has not been used.)

We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We call ourselves disciples of the Prince of Peace, but when we are confronted with violence we are too quick to find in violence the answer to life’s problems. We forget that the one we follow gave himself up to a violent death, only to become the resurrected one enthroned forever above all the powers of the earth. Forgive us, and renew your Spirit within us so that we may have the courage to find strength in weakness.

We give you thanks for those who in weakness have given us your love. They have showed us the tenderness of love and care. They have showed us the power of forgiveness.

(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)

We pray for all who are caught in the snare of power and violence. We pray for the victims and the perpetrators who are also victims. 

(Other intercessions may be offered.)

All these things we ask in the Name of our Savior Jesus Christ, who taught us to pray together, saying:
Our Father . . . Amen.

(or if the Lord’s Prayer is not used at this point in the service)

All this we ask in the Name of the Blessed and Holy Trinity. Amen.

Children’s Sermon Starter
If you know anything about martial arts or catching a ball in a glove, you know that to not resist is the strongest position. Go with the flow of the power and you can control things better than if you push back. Use these to help the children understand that bringing violence to violence only makes it hurt worse.

 

CHILDREN’S SERMON
by Mary Austin
2 Corinthians 12:2-10

Ahead of time, solicit the help of a good-natured older member of the church. If you can get them to sit near the front, so much the better. 

Call the kids up and point out your volunteer. “I want you all to meet [Mrs. Jones]. [Mrs. Jones] has been a member of the church for a while now...” Add whatever you want to say about her/him. 

Invite the kids to think about having a race around the church, or an all-church soccer game. “Do you think [Mrs. Jones] could beat you in a race around the church?” (You’ll certainly get a chorus of “no” answers.)

“No... really? Well, what do you think, [Mrs. Jones]? Yes, you’re probably right. You can run faster than [Mrs. Jones].

“What if we need someone to lift a heavy box? Should we ask [Mrs. Jones]?” (Another chorus of “no” answers.)

“Well, what if we need someone to pray for us when we’re sick? [Mrs. Jones] would be great at that, wouldn’t she/he?” Highlight some other talents of the member you’ve chosen, whatever their particular strengths are, and then talk about how people sometimes look weak or frail or slow, but they carry their strength on the inside. Talk about how there are different kinds of strength. Some people look strong, or have strong bodies. Other people have strong minds. Other people have courage. Other people have persistence. Other people can sing really well. 

Share with everyone that in today’s scripture, Paul says: “power is made perfect in weakness.” When we’re weak or need help, God’s power is even stronger in us. We never know from the outside who’s weak and who’s strong, and God takes our weaknesses and makes them into strengths. 

Let everyone know that [Mrs. Jones] agreed to do this ahead of time, and that you would never put anyone on the spot without checking with them first. Thank her/him, and invite everyone to give her/him a round of applause, if that’s suitable in your tradition.   

 
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The Immediate Word, July 5, 2015, issue.

Copyright 2015 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.