Missile Gap
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For December 18, 2022:
Missile Gap
by Tom Willadsen
Isaiah 7:10-16; Matthew 1:18-25
Late in Dwight Eisenhower’s presidency he was attacked by both political parties who feared that the United States was falling behind the Soviet Union in the arms race. The USSR’s successful launch of Sputnik in October of 1957 shocked the American public. The following month the Gaither Report leaked out. The report, prepared by a blue ribbon commission of the Office of Defense Mobilization, chaired by Rowan Gaither, concluded that the Soviets were becoming stronger all the time and concluded that there was “an increasing threat which may become critical in 1959 or early 1960.” (The Fifties by David Halberstam, New York: Random House Publishing Group 1993, p. 699.)
Ike was in a most uncomfortable position. The secret U-2 spy plane flights over Soviet airspace clearly showed that the Soviets were nowhere near as well armed as the Gaither Report led the public to believe. If Eisenhower had said, however, that there was no need to be concerned he would have had to reveal the source of this knowledge — and the existence of the clandestine U-2 flights.
Joseph was in a similar position. His wife was pregnant, yet the marriage had not been consummated. He was a righteous man, a blameless follower of the law. His choices were to divorce Mary in what would be a biblical equivalent of public divorce court, or privately, presenting her with divorce papers with two witnesses. The only difference would be how widely Mary’s sin would be known. Joseph found a third option, one that he would not be able to explain or defend. Whether it was more righteous one cannot say. It was certainly more filled with mercy, but it exposed him to humiliation — humiliation that he could neither defend nor explain.
What comes after “righteous?”
In the Scriptures
In addition to Joseph’s faithfulness and willingness to effectively take on the public shame that could have been Mary’s, there’s another angle worth exploring in the gospel reading.
There are three names for Jesus in today’s gospel reading: Jesus, Emmanuel, and Christ. One could easily build a sermon around exploring the distinct identities each name points to.
“Jesus” is the English version of the Greek name Ιησου “Jesu,” which is the Greek version of the Hebrew name יהושע “Yoshua” or Joshua. The name means “he saves” or “he delivers.” In the same way the Joshua in Deuteronomy and Joshua delivered the people to the Promised Land, Jesus delivers us from sin.
“Emmanuel” is a citation of Isaiah 7:14 from today’s Hebrew Bible reading; the name means “God is with us” or, perhaps more strongly, “God dwells with us.” While it’s clear that Isaiah’s prophecy came in a very different moment in history, Matthew appropriates the title to make his point.
“Christ” is commonly considered to be Jesus’ last name, but is in fact a title. “Messiah” means exactly the same thing, “anointed ruler.” I had a professor in seminary who insisted that we should say “Jesus the Christ” because it helped worshipers understand that we made a specific claim about Jesus. While this convention has yet to catch on, it was an entertaining rant. I believe it would reduce “the” to the status of a middle name, put Jesus in league with John the Baptizer and Winnie the Pooh.
In the News
Joseph paid a price for choosing to complete his marriage to Mary by exposing himself to public ridicule. What other figures have suffered for their convictions?
Britney Griner’s recent release from a Russian prison was certainly a top news story. She had been imprisoned in Russia for drug smuggling; a cannabis derivative that her doctor had prescribed, was found in her luggage. Her case received a lot of media attention and clearly Ms. Griner was a pawn in an international drama. I cannot put her suffering for righteousness’ sake on a par with Joseph’s.
As Dr. Anthony Fauci nears the end of his time as head of the National Institute of and Infectious Diseases he was interviewed by the BBC. He shared that he had faced a lot of personal attacks by “lowlifes.” “The abuse toward his family is more perturbing, he said. He noted that at least two people are in jail in the United States for “credible” attempts on his life.”
Fauci, who often spoke alongside Trump at briefings about managing the pandemic, said breaking with the former president to maintain his “personal and scientific integrity and fulfill my responsibilities to the American public” sometimes turned into a personal risk. “That I had to disagree publicly with the president of the United States.… That triggered a lot of hostility against me,” Fauci told The Washington Post. Right-leaning pundits, including Fox News host Tucker Carlson, have called for a criminal investigation into Fauci’s handling of the pandemic.
Both Liz Cheney (R-Wyoming) and Adam Kinzinger (R-Illinois) will leave Congress when their terms end January 3, 2023. They were among the ten Republicans who voted to impeach President Trump. Cheney and Kinzinger were the sole Republicans on the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the United States Capitol. Both paid a huge political price for standing by their convictions.
“On February 4, 2022, the Republican National Committee called the events of January 6, 2021, "legitimate political discourse" and overwhelmingly voted to censure Cheney and Representative Adam Kinzinger by voice vote for taking part in the House investigation of the Capitol assault.” (Liz Cheney - Wikipedia)
In the Sermon
While it’s easy to imagine stories like Eisenhower’s, a moment when one seems to act in a way that didn’t makes sense, but couldn’t be defended. Here’s one near and dear to my heart:
In the late ’40s my mother was in junior high school and was permitted to take her best friend on vacation. Her best friend at the time was Jewish.
My mother’s father was a well-respected physician who had been called in for a second opinion on my mother’s best friend’s father. The friend’s father had a terminal condition and was not expected to live more than two weeks. My mother’s friend knew her father was ill, but did not know how serious the illness was.
My grandfather explained to my mother that she could not invite her best friend on vacation. Mom invited her second best friend, who was not Jewish.
For years there was a hesitancy, a strain in their friendship. Mom’s friend never perceived any anti-Semitism from my mother or her family, but was puzzled by this snub. Mom could not explain or defend her situation without revealing her friend’s father’s medical condition. Doing the right, righteous thing put a young girl in an extremely awkward, exposed situation. Fortunately, the two stayed friends for the next 70 years and were able to look back with understanding and fondness. However, not every righteous act ends so well.
Sometimes the righteous pay a price that only they can pay, a price that can never be repaid.
When I heard about Eisenhower’s missile gap situation I immediately thought of this story that my mother shared with me as an adult.
SECOND THOUGHTS
Wrestling with Obedience
by Chris Keating
Matthew 1:18-25, Romans 1:1-7
A few years ago, our children’s committee elder came to see me. She was panicked. It was the week before the Christmas pageant and she still hadn’t found someone to play Joseph. Picking Mary was easy, she said, and there was an abundant flock of preschoolers to serve as sheep. There were a few early elementary kids who were okay with being shepherds and angels, but no one was willing to take on the role of Jesus’ father.
Well, can you blame them?
Joseph is scared out of his mind in Matthew, and appears only as a silent sidekick in Luke. There’s not much to work with in fleshing out Joseph’s role other than to cast him as the proud, if somewhat confused, papa. One year I did a creative adaptation of the Christmas pageant, giving Joseph a few one liners to punch up the role a bit. It worked, though it sort of made Joseph sound like Rodney Dangerfield.
Eventually, our elder was able to recruit a middle school boy to play the part. More accurately, she was able to have the middle school boy’s mother convince him. The boy was never fully on board with the project, which became evident the morning of the pageant. He made it clear that his appearance was made under duress. As he stepped into the chancel to behold the babe lying in the manger, he looked something like a grumpy Vin Diesel. With his jaw tightly shut, he stared in the general direction of his mother. Mary beamed in her postpartum glow, but Joseph looked as if he was ready to shank someone.
It was not a pretty picture. Yet for many, this is also what many people — both inside and outside of the church — envision what it looks like to obey God. Obedience is assumed to be a “do as you are told” response. Stanley Milgram’s infamous experiments on the conflict between obeying orders and personal conscience set out to demonstrate this very truth. Milgram, a Yale University psychologist, puzzled over the claims made by Nazi underlings that the Holocaust occurred simply because they were following orders. He set out to study how far people would go in obeying instructions.
Likewise, from a theological standpoint, Christians have often constructed theologies of obedience rooted in male-oriented models of power. From this perspective, Joseph, “being a righteous man,” believed that obedience required him to divorce Mary quietly. As Layton Williams points out, this sort of submissive theology is exemplified in Jesus’ self-submission to God’s violent demand of self-sacrifice. Williams is exploring theologies of atonement, but her principles can be applied to Jesus’ birth as well. Is Joseph modeling a male-oriented “do as you are told” approach? Or is Matthew pointing at a higher righteousness?
Both the gospel and epistle texts hint at obedience as the response of faith. Matthew’s image of Joseph as the paragon of obedience is rooted deeply within Jewish traditions of obedience as deep and faithful listening — hearing — of God’s call on our lives. For Matthew’s readers, such traditions would include the stories of the Hebrew midwives in Exodus who understood obeying the life-giving ways of Yahweh to be of a higher priority than obeying Pharaoh’s deadliest commands. Obedience is framed as hearing the call to be righteous, a call that takes shape in life-giving actions of love — something Jesus will address later during the Sermon on the Mount.
Indeed, Joseph obeys not out of fear of what will happen to his reputation, nor from a fear of violence, but rather because of his understanding of the power of God’s presence in the world. Matthew demonstrates this in the less-frequently read genealogy of chapter one, which includes not only a listing of Israel’s pedigreed patriarchs, but three female outsiders (Tamar, Rahab, Ruth) whose lives demonstrate a higher obedience shaped by relationship to God and to others.
Paul extends obedience further. Sketching out the roots of Jesus as Messiah, Paul reminds the church that obedience flows from the roots of grace and mercy. Those called by God are summoned to do the work that leads to obedience. Obedience is not for our shame, nor a reminder of our powerlessness before God, but rather a calling to our new and more true self.
Old Joe was up to something new. As he wrestled with this understanding of obedience, he found that by yielding himself to the creative presence of God that was about to be born, his life took on new meaning and purpose. His calling was rooted in a higher righteousness, which is a theme Matthew will return to over and over again.
Obedience reimagined goes beyond images of brute force and violence, and is shaped by the creative power of the Spirit. Obedience becomes an aspect of our relationship to God as well as an enacting of that relationship in specific acts of service. For Joe, this obedience would become costly. But it would be even more costly for his son.
Every time I imagine obedience to God as a sort of bit-and-bridle tempering of the spirit or a do-as-your-told-or-else response, I think of the young boy conscripted to be Joseph. There was no joy in his face, no excitement in his task. Drafted into service, he showed up, played his part, and went home. I’m not sure I’ve seen him back at church since.
Fortunately, that’s not the only model we have of obedience. Like Joseph, we can awaken to the possibilities of this new righteousness, and behold its joyful birth.
ILLUSTRATIONS
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From team member Mary Austin:
Romans 1:1-7
At the Margins
God calls Paul, the ultimate insider — educated man, Pharisee, Roman citizen — to bring the outsiders, the Gentiles, to faith. In a similar way, Father Greg Boyle, a Jesuit priest, has found his calling with the young women and men who want to leave gang life in Los Angeles.
Father Greg says that ministry, for him, takes place at the margins. He tells people, “don't go to the margins to make a difference, go to the margin so that the folks at the margins make you different. So that the widow, orphan, and stranger change you.”
He adds, “It's not about what you will do. It's about what will happen to you here at the margins. I was in Chicago and a young woman who was in her senior year at a university there came up to me and she said, "I'm afraid to go to the margins." I said, "Why are you afraid?" She said, "I'm afraid I won't fit in." And I said, "As long as it's about you, you'll always be afraid."”
For anyone looking, Father Greg says, “service is the hallway that gets you to the bottom,” where the meaning and joy are.
* * *
Matthew 1:18-25
Valuable Baby
Joseph’s visit from the angel sets his life on a different course than he’s expecting, and it also is a way to show him the importance of the baby that will come to him and Mary.
The writer Ann Patchett tells about flying home from Russia with her husband, Karl. Somehow, they ended up on a flight where everyone seemed to be holding a baby. Improbably, they were part of a flight full of adoptive parents, returning to the US with new babies, adopted with great effort and at great expense. A woman sitting near them came back and sat down with her baby, almost in tears.
“A woman in the back told me something was wrong with her.” She was looking at her baby. “Can you see it? The woman said she wasn’t holding her head up enough. She said I should take her to see a neurologist as soon as we get home.” “Give me that baby,” Karl said. He told her he was a doctor, that he had delivered hundreds of babies. He held out his hands and she passed the infant over. Karl studied the baby carefully.
He looked in her eyes, sat her upright, let the baby grab his finger. He did whatever he could think of to appear as medical as possible. “I’ve looked at all these babies,” he said to the woman. “This is the best baby on the plane.” She leaned over, touched her daughter’s head. “Do you think so?”
“I’ll give you twenty thousand for this baby.” The woman and I both looked at him. “What?” “I’d love to have this baby,” he said. “We can wait in Atlanta. My accountant will wire the money.” “I don’t want to sell her,” the woman said.
“This is the best baby I’ve ever seen,” Karl said. “If you don’t feel sure about her, you could get another one.”
Ann Patchett thought the woman would call for the flight attendant, but instead the woman’s grief broke apart and vanished.
“No, I don’t want to sell her.” Karl handed the baby back with some regret, then gave the woman his card. “In case you change your mind.” She thanked him and thanked him. He had offered to buy her child and, in doing so, had restored her to joy.
She had been reminded of the worth of her baby, and how precious the baby was. In the same way, the angel’s visit conveys to Joseph the worth of the coming child.
* * *
Matthew 1:18-25
Sudden Life Changes
Matthew’s gospel barely hints at the emotional turmoil Joseph must have experienced when he learned that Mary was pregnant. He “planned” to dismiss her quietly, the story says, leaving out the shock, pain, sleepless nights, and moments of indecision. Author and professor Kate Bowler reflects eloquently on this kind of life change, which happened with a stage IV cancer diagnosis at the age of 35. She says, “It is a hard thought to accept that we are all a breath away from a problem that could destroy something irreplaceable or alter our lives completely. We know that in life there are befores and afters. I am asked all the time to say that I would never go back, or that I've gained so much in perspective. And I tell them no, before was better.” Joseph may feel exactly the same way.
Bowler adds, “We all want reasons. We want formulas to predict whether our hard work will pay off, whether our love and support will always make our partners happy and our kids love us. We want to live in a world in which not one ounce of our hard work or our pain or our deepest hopes will be for nothing. We want to live in a world in which nothing is lost.
But what I have learned in living with stage IV cancer is that there is no easy correlation between how hard I try and the length of my life. In the last three years, I've experienced more pain and trauma than I ever thought I could survive. I realized the other day that I've had so many abdominal surgeries that I'm on my fifth belly button, and this last one is my least favorite.”
Joseph is quite quiet, and we don’t hear much form him. He might have said what Kate Bowler says, though. “I see that the world is jolted by events that are wonderful and terrible, gorgeous and tragic. I can't reconcile the contradiction, except that I am beginning to believe that these opposites do not cancel each other out. Life is so beautiful, and life is so hard.”
* * *
Matthew 1:18-25
Treading Lightly
No doubt Joseph is wise enough to choose his words carefully when he talks to his pregnant fiancée. Pregnancy and new parenthood, with the constant levels of exhaustion and uncertainty, require all of us to consider what we say to expectant and new parents. Some staple comments to avoid include things like “Enjoy every moment. It goes by so fast.” Also, “When are you thinking about having another one?” Nope. That will not land well for fatigued new parents. “Are you watching your weight?” calls up all kinds of cultural expectations about how new moms are supposed to look.
“Is the baby sleeping?” also turns out to be a minefield. One mom: “Rebecca A. believes sleep questions are cruel and unusual punishment. “[Don’t ask,] ‘Is he sleeping through the night?’ say, ‘Sleep when he does,’ or ask, ‘How are you sleeping?’ or anything else about sleep. Because, no. The answer is no. Obviously, no. You know it’s no,” she says.”
May we be as wise as Joseph when we talk to expectant and new parents this holiday season!
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From team member Katy Stenta:
Matthew 1:18-25
Fear Not
Not only does Joseph not say a word, an introvert in contrast to his magnifying fiancé, but he is told not to fear for anything. I picture Joseph as the kind of brave man who quietly backs up his wife.
When I was an intern, I once volunteered some ideas in ministry. The pastor was in the room. The best thing he did was sit in the room, let me speak for myself, and do nothing to speak against me, nor did he take the “microphone” from me (there was none, but the metaphor sticks). He let me speak to my ideas in my own words and let me speak for myself, sitting behind me, backing up my every word. His bravery, backed up mine. In a church where he was a different age, race, and gender than I was, his presence spoke more than words, and was a very brave way to lend his authority to mine.
I picture the angels backing up Joseph, who in turn backed up fierce Mary. What a magnificent act of Biblical manhood.
* * *
Romans 1:1-7
Belonging to Jesus Christ
Whenever we baptize a child in the church, I like to emphasize that we baptize the child by their first name only. That is because we are bringing them into a community of faith. We are promising to care for them as family. We are becoming to them as Christ. I like to say that they are taking on the same last name that we all have — Jesus Christ. We are no longer discriminated against by the old ways: gender, sexuality, race, or even last name. We have instead become the body and the name of Jesus Christ. Thus to discriminate in the name of Jesus Christ, should by definition, be impossible. We are obedient to our faith, and have but one name, Christ Jesus.
* * *
Isaiah 7:10-16
Childs and Signs
Sometimes I enter Advent and remind myself that every single child is a sign of Christmas. I remember that Jesus said that children are the kingdom of heaven. I take a moment to remember that every child is a promise of God, not because one child is more special than another, but because children mean life and love, and good, and that God continues to speak through children. God loves children so much God came and lived as one, and it chokes me up with tears. Because I do not need to argue over coffee cups or Advent hymn versus Christmas carols, to remember the church. God promises to be with us, God loves us, and God is with us.
* * * * * *
WORSHIP
by George Reed
Call to Worship
One: Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock!
All: You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth.
One: Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved.
All: Let your hand be upon the one at your right hand.
One: Give us life, and we will call on your name.
All: Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved.
OR
One: God calls us to trust and to obey.
All: In trust we offer ourselves as God’s obedient ones.
One: In the midst of struggles God comes to dwell with us.
All: We rejoice that God is with us all times of our lives.
One: The Christ, Emmanuel, is our constant help and guide.
All: In joyful faith we will follow the Christ to new life.
Hymns and Songs
Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus
UMH: 196
H82: 66
PH: 1/2
NCH: 122
LBW: 30
ELW: 254
W&P: 153
AMEC: 103:
Emmanuel, Emmanuel
UMH: 204
AAHH: 189
NNBH: 98
CH: 134
W&P: 178
Renew: 28
O Come, O Come Emmanuel
UMH: 211
H82: 56
PH: 9
AAHH: 188
NNBH: 82
NCH: 116
CH: 119
LBW: 34
ELW: 257
W&P: 154
AMEC: 102
STLT: 225
Good Christian Friends, Rejoice
UMH: 224
H82: 107
PH: 28
NCH: 129
CH: 164
LBW: 55
ELW: 288
W&P: 198
O Come, All Ye Faithful
UMH: 234
H82: 83
PH: 41/42
AAHH: 199
NNBH: 93
NCH: 135
CH: 148
LBW: 45
ELW: 283
W&P: 182
AMEC: 106
STLT 253
Trust and Obey
UMH: 467
AAHH: 380
NNBH: 322
CH: 556
W&P: 443
AMEC: 377
What Child Is This
UMH: 219
H82: 115
PH: 53
AAHH: 220
NNBH: 86
NCH: 148
CH: 40
LBW: 296
ELW: 296
W&P: 184
Love Came Down at Christmas
UMH: 242
H82: 84
NCH: 165
W&P: 210
O Morning Star, How Fair and Bright
UMH: 247
PH: 69
NCH: 158
CH: 105
LBW: 76
ELW: 308
W&P: 230
Once in Royal David’s City
UMH: 250
H82: 102
PH: 49
NCH: 145
CH: 165
ELW: 269
W&P: 183
STLT 228
We Are One in Christ Jesus (Somos uno en Cristo)
CCB: 43
Behold, What Manner of Love
CCB: 44
Music Resources Key
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
AAHH: African American Heritage Hymnal
NNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
LBW: Lutheran Book of Worship
ELW: Evangelical Lutheran Worship
W&P: Worship & Praise
AMEC: African Methodist Episcopal Church Hymnal
STLT Singing the Living Tradition
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
Renew: Renew! Songs & Hymns for Blended Worship
Prayer for the Day/Collect
O God who is trustworthy and true:
Grant us the faith to obey your direction
knowing all you ask is for our good;
through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We worship and adore you, O God, because you are trustworthy and true. You give us loving words of direction for our lives so that we may know joy, peace, and eternal life. Give us the faith to trust in you so that our obedience may be joyful. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
One: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins and especially our lack of trust in your goodness towards us.
All: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We too often hear your words of instruction and think of them as odious burdens. And, often, we choose to not listen for your instructions so that we can avoid them altogether. Sometimes we even use the teachings of our faith to sidestep the path you are clearly showing us to travel. All of this is because we have not learned to trust you goodness; we fail to believe you truly are love. Strengthen our faith in you and give us a clear picture of your loving intent so that we may be not only faithfully obedient but joyfully obedient followers of your Christ. Amen.
One: God is love and God is trustworthy. God seeks our good and the good of all creation. Receive God’s loving embrace and reach out to others in God’s love.
Prayers of the People
Praise and glory to you, O God, of faithfulness and love. You are our joy and our peace when we fully trust in you.
(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 too often hear your words of instruction and think of them as odious burdens. And, often, we choose to not listen for your instructions so that we can avoid them altogether. Sometimes we even use the teachings of our faith to sidestep the path you are clearly showing us to travel. All of this is because we have not learned to trust you goodness; we fail to believe you truly are love. Strengthen our faith in you and give us a clear picture of your loving intent so that we may be not only faithfully obedient but joyfully obedient followers of your Christ.
We give you thanks for you constant care of us and of all creation. We thank you for your Spirit that embraces us and fills us with each new breath we take. We thank you for the faithfulness of Joseph and Mary who dared to trust you in the midst of bewildering events. We thank you for all the ways in which you manifest your love to us through the graciousness of nature and the comfort of family and friends. We thank you for Emmanuel, for being with us always.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We lift up into the light of your loving grace those who are on our hearts. We pray for those who are sick, or dying, or in grief. We pray for those who are in poverty and want. We pray for those caught in hatred and violence. We pray for those who have lost their way and struggle to find the path of life again.
(Other intercessions may be offered.)
All these things we ask in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ who taught us to pray together saying:
Our Father....Amen.
(Or if the Our Father is not used at this point in the service.)
All this we ask in the name of the Blessed and Holy Trinity. Amen.
* * * * * *
CHILDREN'S SERMON
Simon/Jesus Says
by Dean Feldmeyer
Matthew 1:18-25
Theme: Obedience
When the children are gathered at the front, say:
Good morning! How many of you have ever played the game called, “Simon says?”
Okay, let’s play a quick game, shall we? Everyone, stand up and face me. Good.
Now, I’m going to be Simon. When I tell you to do something, I want you to do it, but only if I say “Simon says” first.
If I tell you to do something but I don’t say “Simon Says” then you don’t do it. If you do it, you sit down. Okay? Let’s practice.
Do a couple of practice commands, then play the game for a few minutes then stop and have everyone sit down. Say:
When you do something that someone tells you to do, that’s being what we call obedient. Like when your parents or your teachers tell you to do something and you do it, that’s good. That’s being what? Obedient, right?
Well, one of the things we learn from the Bible is that, as Christians, we are obedient to Jesus and the things he says. In fact, let’s play a quick game of “Jesus Says,” okay? Everyone, stand up.
Okay, Jesus says, look at each other and smile and wave.
Jesus says, hug the person next to you.
Turn and wave to the adults in the congregation.
Ah, ha! I didn’t say, Jesus says! I guess that means you have to go back and sit with your families.
But first, Jesus says, let’s pray together...
End with a prayer asking God to make us more obedient to God’s will and the Word of Jesus Christ.
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The Immediate Word, December 18, 2022 issue.
Copyright 2022 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.
- Missile Gap by Tom Willadsen based on Isaiah 7:10-16 and Matthew 1:18-25.
- Second Thoughts: Wrestling with Obedience by Chris Keating. Joseph learns that obedience goes far beyond doing as he’s told.
- Sermon illustrations by Mary Austin and Katy Stenta.
- Worship resources by George Reed.
- Children’s Sermon: Simon/Jesus Says by Dean Feldmeyer based on Matthew 1:18-25.
Missile Gapby Tom Willadsen
Isaiah 7:10-16; Matthew 1:18-25
Late in Dwight Eisenhower’s presidency he was attacked by both political parties who feared that the United States was falling behind the Soviet Union in the arms race. The USSR’s successful launch of Sputnik in October of 1957 shocked the American public. The following month the Gaither Report leaked out. The report, prepared by a blue ribbon commission of the Office of Defense Mobilization, chaired by Rowan Gaither, concluded that the Soviets were becoming stronger all the time and concluded that there was “an increasing threat which may become critical in 1959 or early 1960.” (The Fifties by David Halberstam, New York: Random House Publishing Group 1993, p. 699.)
Ike was in a most uncomfortable position. The secret U-2 spy plane flights over Soviet airspace clearly showed that the Soviets were nowhere near as well armed as the Gaither Report led the public to believe. If Eisenhower had said, however, that there was no need to be concerned he would have had to reveal the source of this knowledge — and the existence of the clandestine U-2 flights.
Joseph was in a similar position. His wife was pregnant, yet the marriage had not been consummated. He was a righteous man, a blameless follower of the law. His choices were to divorce Mary in what would be a biblical equivalent of public divorce court, or privately, presenting her with divorce papers with two witnesses. The only difference would be how widely Mary’s sin would be known. Joseph found a third option, one that he would not be able to explain or defend. Whether it was more righteous one cannot say. It was certainly more filled with mercy, but it exposed him to humiliation — humiliation that he could neither defend nor explain.
What comes after “righteous?”
In the Scriptures
In addition to Joseph’s faithfulness and willingness to effectively take on the public shame that could have been Mary’s, there’s another angle worth exploring in the gospel reading.
There are three names for Jesus in today’s gospel reading: Jesus, Emmanuel, and Christ. One could easily build a sermon around exploring the distinct identities each name points to.
“Jesus” is the English version of the Greek name Ιησου “Jesu,” which is the Greek version of the Hebrew name יהושע “Yoshua” or Joshua. The name means “he saves” or “he delivers.” In the same way the Joshua in Deuteronomy and Joshua delivered the people to the Promised Land, Jesus delivers us from sin.
“Emmanuel” is a citation of Isaiah 7:14 from today’s Hebrew Bible reading; the name means “God is with us” or, perhaps more strongly, “God dwells with us.” While it’s clear that Isaiah’s prophecy came in a very different moment in history, Matthew appropriates the title to make his point.
“Christ” is commonly considered to be Jesus’ last name, but is in fact a title. “Messiah” means exactly the same thing, “anointed ruler.” I had a professor in seminary who insisted that we should say “Jesus the Christ” because it helped worshipers understand that we made a specific claim about Jesus. While this convention has yet to catch on, it was an entertaining rant. I believe it would reduce “the” to the status of a middle name, put Jesus in league with John the Baptizer and Winnie the Pooh.
In the News
Joseph paid a price for choosing to complete his marriage to Mary by exposing himself to public ridicule. What other figures have suffered for their convictions?
Britney Griner’s recent release from a Russian prison was certainly a top news story. She had been imprisoned in Russia for drug smuggling; a cannabis derivative that her doctor had prescribed, was found in her luggage. Her case received a lot of media attention and clearly Ms. Griner was a pawn in an international drama. I cannot put her suffering for righteousness’ sake on a par with Joseph’s.
As Dr. Anthony Fauci nears the end of his time as head of the National Institute of and Infectious Diseases he was interviewed by the BBC. He shared that he had faced a lot of personal attacks by “lowlifes.” “The abuse toward his family is more perturbing, he said. He noted that at least two people are in jail in the United States for “credible” attempts on his life.”
Fauci, who often spoke alongside Trump at briefings about managing the pandemic, said breaking with the former president to maintain his “personal and scientific integrity and fulfill my responsibilities to the American public” sometimes turned into a personal risk. “That I had to disagree publicly with the president of the United States.… That triggered a lot of hostility against me,” Fauci told The Washington Post. Right-leaning pundits, including Fox News host Tucker Carlson, have called for a criminal investigation into Fauci’s handling of the pandemic.
Both Liz Cheney (R-Wyoming) and Adam Kinzinger (R-Illinois) will leave Congress when their terms end January 3, 2023. They were among the ten Republicans who voted to impeach President Trump. Cheney and Kinzinger were the sole Republicans on the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the United States Capitol. Both paid a huge political price for standing by their convictions.
“On February 4, 2022, the Republican National Committee called the events of January 6, 2021, "legitimate political discourse" and overwhelmingly voted to censure Cheney and Representative Adam Kinzinger by voice vote for taking part in the House investigation of the Capitol assault.” (Liz Cheney - Wikipedia)
In the Sermon
While it’s easy to imagine stories like Eisenhower’s, a moment when one seems to act in a way that didn’t makes sense, but couldn’t be defended. Here’s one near and dear to my heart:
In the late ’40s my mother was in junior high school and was permitted to take her best friend on vacation. Her best friend at the time was Jewish.
My mother’s father was a well-respected physician who had been called in for a second opinion on my mother’s best friend’s father. The friend’s father had a terminal condition and was not expected to live more than two weeks. My mother’s friend knew her father was ill, but did not know how serious the illness was.
My grandfather explained to my mother that she could not invite her best friend on vacation. Mom invited her second best friend, who was not Jewish.
For years there was a hesitancy, a strain in their friendship. Mom’s friend never perceived any anti-Semitism from my mother or her family, but was puzzled by this snub. Mom could not explain or defend her situation without revealing her friend’s father’s medical condition. Doing the right, righteous thing put a young girl in an extremely awkward, exposed situation. Fortunately, the two stayed friends for the next 70 years and were able to look back with understanding and fondness. However, not every righteous act ends so well.
Sometimes the righteous pay a price that only they can pay, a price that can never be repaid.
When I heard about Eisenhower’s missile gap situation I immediately thought of this story that my mother shared with me as an adult.
SECOND THOUGHTSWrestling with Obedience
by Chris Keating
Matthew 1:18-25, Romans 1:1-7
A few years ago, our children’s committee elder came to see me. She was panicked. It was the week before the Christmas pageant and she still hadn’t found someone to play Joseph. Picking Mary was easy, she said, and there was an abundant flock of preschoolers to serve as sheep. There were a few early elementary kids who were okay with being shepherds and angels, but no one was willing to take on the role of Jesus’ father.
Well, can you blame them?
Joseph is scared out of his mind in Matthew, and appears only as a silent sidekick in Luke. There’s not much to work with in fleshing out Joseph’s role other than to cast him as the proud, if somewhat confused, papa. One year I did a creative adaptation of the Christmas pageant, giving Joseph a few one liners to punch up the role a bit. It worked, though it sort of made Joseph sound like Rodney Dangerfield.
Eventually, our elder was able to recruit a middle school boy to play the part. More accurately, she was able to have the middle school boy’s mother convince him. The boy was never fully on board with the project, which became evident the morning of the pageant. He made it clear that his appearance was made under duress. As he stepped into the chancel to behold the babe lying in the manger, he looked something like a grumpy Vin Diesel. With his jaw tightly shut, he stared in the general direction of his mother. Mary beamed in her postpartum glow, but Joseph looked as if he was ready to shank someone.
It was not a pretty picture. Yet for many, this is also what many people — both inside and outside of the church — envision what it looks like to obey God. Obedience is assumed to be a “do as you are told” response. Stanley Milgram’s infamous experiments on the conflict between obeying orders and personal conscience set out to demonstrate this very truth. Milgram, a Yale University psychologist, puzzled over the claims made by Nazi underlings that the Holocaust occurred simply because they were following orders. He set out to study how far people would go in obeying instructions.
Likewise, from a theological standpoint, Christians have often constructed theologies of obedience rooted in male-oriented models of power. From this perspective, Joseph, “being a righteous man,” believed that obedience required him to divorce Mary quietly. As Layton Williams points out, this sort of submissive theology is exemplified in Jesus’ self-submission to God’s violent demand of self-sacrifice. Williams is exploring theologies of atonement, but her principles can be applied to Jesus’ birth as well. Is Joseph modeling a male-oriented “do as you are told” approach? Or is Matthew pointing at a higher righteousness?
Both the gospel and epistle texts hint at obedience as the response of faith. Matthew’s image of Joseph as the paragon of obedience is rooted deeply within Jewish traditions of obedience as deep and faithful listening — hearing — of God’s call on our lives. For Matthew’s readers, such traditions would include the stories of the Hebrew midwives in Exodus who understood obeying the life-giving ways of Yahweh to be of a higher priority than obeying Pharaoh’s deadliest commands. Obedience is framed as hearing the call to be righteous, a call that takes shape in life-giving actions of love — something Jesus will address later during the Sermon on the Mount.
Indeed, Joseph obeys not out of fear of what will happen to his reputation, nor from a fear of violence, but rather because of his understanding of the power of God’s presence in the world. Matthew demonstrates this in the less-frequently read genealogy of chapter one, which includes not only a listing of Israel’s pedigreed patriarchs, but three female outsiders (Tamar, Rahab, Ruth) whose lives demonstrate a higher obedience shaped by relationship to God and to others.
Paul extends obedience further. Sketching out the roots of Jesus as Messiah, Paul reminds the church that obedience flows from the roots of grace and mercy. Those called by God are summoned to do the work that leads to obedience. Obedience is not for our shame, nor a reminder of our powerlessness before God, but rather a calling to our new and more true self.
Old Joe was up to something new. As he wrestled with this understanding of obedience, he found that by yielding himself to the creative presence of God that was about to be born, his life took on new meaning and purpose. His calling was rooted in a higher righteousness, which is a theme Matthew will return to over and over again.
Obedience reimagined goes beyond images of brute force and violence, and is shaped by the creative power of the Spirit. Obedience becomes an aspect of our relationship to God as well as an enacting of that relationship in specific acts of service. For Joe, this obedience would become costly. But it would be even more costly for his son.
Every time I imagine obedience to God as a sort of bit-and-bridle tempering of the spirit or a do-as-your-told-or-else response, I think of the young boy conscripted to be Joseph. There was no joy in his face, no excitement in his task. Drafted into service, he showed up, played his part, and went home. I’m not sure I’ve seen him back at church since.
Fortunately, that’s not the only model we have of obedience. Like Joseph, we can awaken to the possibilities of this new righteousness, and behold its joyful birth.
ILLUSTRATIONS
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From team member Mary Austin:Romans 1:1-7
At the Margins
God calls Paul, the ultimate insider — educated man, Pharisee, Roman citizen — to bring the outsiders, the Gentiles, to faith. In a similar way, Father Greg Boyle, a Jesuit priest, has found his calling with the young women and men who want to leave gang life in Los Angeles.
Father Greg says that ministry, for him, takes place at the margins. He tells people, “don't go to the margins to make a difference, go to the margin so that the folks at the margins make you different. So that the widow, orphan, and stranger change you.”
He adds, “It's not about what you will do. It's about what will happen to you here at the margins. I was in Chicago and a young woman who was in her senior year at a university there came up to me and she said, "I'm afraid to go to the margins." I said, "Why are you afraid?" She said, "I'm afraid I won't fit in." And I said, "As long as it's about you, you'll always be afraid."”
For anyone looking, Father Greg says, “service is the hallway that gets you to the bottom,” where the meaning and joy are.
* * *
Matthew 1:18-25
Valuable Baby
Joseph’s visit from the angel sets his life on a different course than he’s expecting, and it also is a way to show him the importance of the baby that will come to him and Mary.
The writer Ann Patchett tells about flying home from Russia with her husband, Karl. Somehow, they ended up on a flight where everyone seemed to be holding a baby. Improbably, they were part of a flight full of adoptive parents, returning to the US with new babies, adopted with great effort and at great expense. A woman sitting near them came back and sat down with her baby, almost in tears.
“A woman in the back told me something was wrong with her.” She was looking at her baby. “Can you see it? The woman said she wasn’t holding her head up enough. She said I should take her to see a neurologist as soon as we get home.” “Give me that baby,” Karl said. He told her he was a doctor, that he had delivered hundreds of babies. He held out his hands and she passed the infant over. Karl studied the baby carefully.
He looked in her eyes, sat her upright, let the baby grab his finger. He did whatever he could think of to appear as medical as possible. “I’ve looked at all these babies,” he said to the woman. “This is the best baby on the plane.” She leaned over, touched her daughter’s head. “Do you think so?”
“I’ll give you twenty thousand for this baby.” The woman and I both looked at him. “What?” “I’d love to have this baby,” he said. “We can wait in Atlanta. My accountant will wire the money.” “I don’t want to sell her,” the woman said.
“This is the best baby I’ve ever seen,” Karl said. “If you don’t feel sure about her, you could get another one.”
Ann Patchett thought the woman would call for the flight attendant, but instead the woman’s grief broke apart and vanished.
“No, I don’t want to sell her.” Karl handed the baby back with some regret, then gave the woman his card. “In case you change your mind.” She thanked him and thanked him. He had offered to buy her child and, in doing so, had restored her to joy.
She had been reminded of the worth of her baby, and how precious the baby was. In the same way, the angel’s visit conveys to Joseph the worth of the coming child.
* * *
Matthew 1:18-25
Sudden Life Changes
Matthew’s gospel barely hints at the emotional turmoil Joseph must have experienced when he learned that Mary was pregnant. He “planned” to dismiss her quietly, the story says, leaving out the shock, pain, sleepless nights, and moments of indecision. Author and professor Kate Bowler reflects eloquently on this kind of life change, which happened with a stage IV cancer diagnosis at the age of 35. She says, “It is a hard thought to accept that we are all a breath away from a problem that could destroy something irreplaceable or alter our lives completely. We know that in life there are befores and afters. I am asked all the time to say that I would never go back, or that I've gained so much in perspective. And I tell them no, before was better.” Joseph may feel exactly the same way.
Bowler adds, “We all want reasons. We want formulas to predict whether our hard work will pay off, whether our love and support will always make our partners happy and our kids love us. We want to live in a world in which not one ounce of our hard work or our pain or our deepest hopes will be for nothing. We want to live in a world in which nothing is lost.
But what I have learned in living with stage IV cancer is that there is no easy correlation between how hard I try and the length of my life. In the last three years, I've experienced more pain and trauma than I ever thought I could survive. I realized the other day that I've had so many abdominal surgeries that I'm on my fifth belly button, and this last one is my least favorite.”
Joseph is quite quiet, and we don’t hear much form him. He might have said what Kate Bowler says, though. “I see that the world is jolted by events that are wonderful and terrible, gorgeous and tragic. I can't reconcile the contradiction, except that I am beginning to believe that these opposites do not cancel each other out. Life is so beautiful, and life is so hard.”
* * *
Matthew 1:18-25
Treading Lightly
No doubt Joseph is wise enough to choose his words carefully when he talks to his pregnant fiancée. Pregnancy and new parenthood, with the constant levels of exhaustion and uncertainty, require all of us to consider what we say to expectant and new parents. Some staple comments to avoid include things like “Enjoy every moment. It goes by so fast.” Also, “When are you thinking about having another one?” Nope. That will not land well for fatigued new parents. “Are you watching your weight?” calls up all kinds of cultural expectations about how new moms are supposed to look.
“Is the baby sleeping?” also turns out to be a minefield. One mom: “Rebecca A. believes sleep questions are cruel and unusual punishment. “[Don’t ask,] ‘Is he sleeping through the night?’ say, ‘Sleep when he does,’ or ask, ‘How are you sleeping?’ or anything else about sleep. Because, no. The answer is no. Obviously, no. You know it’s no,” she says.”
May we be as wise as Joseph when we talk to expectant and new parents this holiday season!
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From team member Katy Stenta:Matthew 1:18-25
Fear Not
Not only does Joseph not say a word, an introvert in contrast to his magnifying fiancé, but he is told not to fear for anything. I picture Joseph as the kind of brave man who quietly backs up his wife.
When I was an intern, I once volunteered some ideas in ministry. The pastor was in the room. The best thing he did was sit in the room, let me speak for myself, and do nothing to speak against me, nor did he take the “microphone” from me (there was none, but the metaphor sticks). He let me speak to my ideas in my own words and let me speak for myself, sitting behind me, backing up my every word. His bravery, backed up mine. In a church where he was a different age, race, and gender than I was, his presence spoke more than words, and was a very brave way to lend his authority to mine.
I picture the angels backing up Joseph, who in turn backed up fierce Mary. What a magnificent act of Biblical manhood.
* * *
Romans 1:1-7
Belonging to Jesus Christ
Whenever we baptize a child in the church, I like to emphasize that we baptize the child by their first name only. That is because we are bringing them into a community of faith. We are promising to care for them as family. We are becoming to them as Christ. I like to say that they are taking on the same last name that we all have — Jesus Christ. We are no longer discriminated against by the old ways: gender, sexuality, race, or even last name. We have instead become the body and the name of Jesus Christ. Thus to discriminate in the name of Jesus Christ, should by definition, be impossible. We are obedient to our faith, and have but one name, Christ Jesus.
* * *
Isaiah 7:10-16
Childs and Signs
Sometimes I enter Advent and remind myself that every single child is a sign of Christmas. I remember that Jesus said that children are the kingdom of heaven. I take a moment to remember that every child is a promise of God, not because one child is more special than another, but because children mean life and love, and good, and that God continues to speak through children. God loves children so much God came and lived as one, and it chokes me up with tears. Because I do not need to argue over coffee cups or Advent hymn versus Christmas carols, to remember the church. God promises to be with us, God loves us, and God is with us.
* * * * * *
WORSHIPby George Reed
Call to Worship
One: Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock!
All: You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth.
One: Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved.
All: Let your hand be upon the one at your right hand.
One: Give us life, and we will call on your name.
All: Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved.
OR
One: God calls us to trust and to obey.
All: In trust we offer ourselves as God’s obedient ones.
One: In the midst of struggles God comes to dwell with us.
All: We rejoice that God is with us all times of our lives.
One: The Christ, Emmanuel, is our constant help and guide.
All: In joyful faith we will follow the Christ to new life.
Hymns and Songs
Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus
UMH: 196
H82: 66
PH: 1/2
NCH: 122
LBW: 30
ELW: 254
W&P: 153
AMEC: 103:
Emmanuel, Emmanuel
UMH: 204
AAHH: 189
NNBH: 98
CH: 134
W&P: 178
Renew: 28
O Come, O Come Emmanuel
UMH: 211
H82: 56
PH: 9
AAHH: 188
NNBH: 82
NCH: 116
CH: 119
LBW: 34
ELW: 257
W&P: 154
AMEC: 102
STLT: 225
Good Christian Friends, Rejoice
UMH: 224
H82: 107
PH: 28
NCH: 129
CH: 164
LBW: 55
ELW: 288
W&P: 198
O Come, All Ye Faithful
UMH: 234
H82: 83
PH: 41/42
AAHH: 199
NNBH: 93
NCH: 135
CH: 148
LBW: 45
ELW: 283
W&P: 182
AMEC: 106
STLT 253
Trust and Obey
UMH: 467
AAHH: 380
NNBH: 322
CH: 556
W&P: 443
AMEC: 377
What Child Is This
UMH: 219
H82: 115
PH: 53
AAHH: 220
NNBH: 86
NCH: 148
CH: 40
LBW: 296
ELW: 296
W&P: 184
Love Came Down at Christmas
UMH: 242
H82: 84
NCH: 165
W&P: 210
O Morning Star, How Fair and Bright
UMH: 247
PH: 69
NCH: 158
CH: 105
LBW: 76
ELW: 308
W&P: 230
Once in Royal David’s City
UMH: 250
H82: 102
PH: 49
NCH: 145
CH: 165
ELW: 269
W&P: 183
STLT 228
We Are One in Christ Jesus (Somos uno en Cristo)
CCB: 43
Behold, What Manner of Love
CCB: 44
Music Resources Key
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
AAHH: African American Heritage Hymnal
NNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
LBW: Lutheran Book of Worship
ELW: Evangelical Lutheran Worship
W&P: Worship & Praise
AMEC: African Methodist Episcopal Church Hymnal
STLT Singing the Living Tradition
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
Renew: Renew! Songs & Hymns for Blended Worship
Prayer for the Day/Collect
O God who is trustworthy and true:
Grant us the faith to obey your direction
knowing all you ask is for our good;
through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We worship and adore you, O God, because you are trustworthy and true. You give us loving words of direction for our lives so that we may know joy, peace, and eternal life. Give us the faith to trust in you so that our obedience may be joyful. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
One: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins and especially our lack of trust in your goodness towards us.
All: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We too often hear your words of instruction and think of them as odious burdens. And, often, we choose to not listen for your instructions so that we can avoid them altogether. Sometimes we even use the teachings of our faith to sidestep the path you are clearly showing us to travel. All of this is because we have not learned to trust you goodness; we fail to believe you truly are love. Strengthen our faith in you and give us a clear picture of your loving intent so that we may be not only faithfully obedient but joyfully obedient followers of your Christ. Amen.
One: God is love and God is trustworthy. God seeks our good and the good of all creation. Receive God’s loving embrace and reach out to others in God’s love.
Prayers of the People
Praise and glory to you, O God, of faithfulness and love. You are our joy and our peace when we fully trust in you.
(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 too often hear your words of instruction and think of them as odious burdens. And, often, we choose to not listen for your instructions so that we can avoid them altogether. Sometimes we even use the teachings of our faith to sidestep the path you are clearly showing us to travel. All of this is because we have not learned to trust you goodness; we fail to believe you truly are love. Strengthen our faith in you and give us a clear picture of your loving intent so that we may be not only faithfully obedient but joyfully obedient followers of your Christ.
We give you thanks for you constant care of us and of all creation. We thank you for your Spirit that embraces us and fills us with each new breath we take. We thank you for the faithfulness of Joseph and Mary who dared to trust you in the midst of bewildering events. We thank you for all the ways in which you manifest your love to us through the graciousness of nature and the comfort of family and friends. We thank you for Emmanuel, for being with us always.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We lift up into the light of your loving grace those who are on our hearts. We pray for those who are sick, or dying, or in grief. We pray for those who are in poverty and want. We pray for those caught in hatred and violence. We pray for those who have lost their way and struggle to find the path of life again.
(Other intercessions may be offered.)
All these things we ask in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ who taught us to pray together saying:
Our Father....Amen.
(Or if the Our Father is not used at this point in the service.)
All this we ask in the name of the Blessed and Holy Trinity. Amen.
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CHILDREN'S SERMONSimon/Jesus Says
by Dean Feldmeyer
Matthew 1:18-25
Theme: Obedience
When the children are gathered at the front, say:
Good morning! How many of you have ever played the game called, “Simon says?”
Okay, let’s play a quick game, shall we? Everyone, stand up and face me. Good.
Now, I’m going to be Simon. When I tell you to do something, I want you to do it, but only if I say “Simon says” first.
If I tell you to do something but I don’t say “Simon Says” then you don’t do it. If you do it, you sit down. Okay? Let’s practice.
Do a couple of practice commands, then play the game for a few minutes then stop and have everyone sit down. Say:
When you do something that someone tells you to do, that’s being what we call obedient. Like when your parents or your teachers tell you to do something and you do it, that’s good. That’s being what? Obedient, right?
Well, one of the things we learn from the Bible is that, as Christians, we are obedient to Jesus and the things he says. In fact, let’s play a quick game of “Jesus Says,” okay? Everyone, stand up.
Okay, Jesus says, look at each other and smile and wave.
Jesus says, hug the person next to you.
Turn and wave to the adults in the congregation.
Ah, ha! I didn’t say, Jesus says! I guess that means you have to go back and sit with your families.
But first, Jesus says, let’s pray together...
End with a prayer asking God to make us more obedient to God’s will and the Word of Jesus Christ.
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The Immediate Word, December 18, 2022 issue.
Copyright 2022 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.
