Breaking Jesus’ Heart
Illustration
Stories
Contents
“Breaking Jesus’ Heart” by John Sumwalt
“Wade In the Water” by Frank Ramirez
Breaking Jesus’ Heart
by John Sumwalt
Psalm 22:23-31
For he did not despise or abhor
the affliction of the afflicted;
he did not hide his face from me,
but heard when I cried to him. (Psalm 22:24)
My heart is heavy as I think about what I saw as I walked our grand-doggie (another story) one Sunday morning during the time that I would ordinarily be in church. For forty-four years, in a previous life, I was in church every Sunday leading worship, preaching, greeting people who were dear to my heart, laughing and talking with them during coffee hour. I felt blessed to be there and I miss it. I ache for it, and can't wait 'til we can safely return to worship with our friends in the church we attend in retirement.
What I saw was so distressing because it was outside a neighborhood church. People were coming out the door talking and laughing. They were wearing masks, but not social distancing. I waved at them and they waved back. One of them called out a compliment to my "beautiful" grand-doggie.
I walked several more blocks, feeling both anger and deep sadness as the pooch and I passed the hospital. I wondered how many people are in intensive care, fighting for their lives. And how the nurses and doctors who are fighting for them are coping with the long hours and the stress of watching helplessly as some of them die alone, without the comforting presence of loved ones.
I thought about what our County Health Officer said on the radio: "County residents should use caution when interacting with others and we discourage residents from traveling or gathering at this time." And I wondered how church people, my people, could so brazenly ignore the caution of a health official who is echoing what every other health officer in the country is saying.
As coronavirus cases spike, a national group that represents thousands of evangelical Christian doctors and other healthcare providers is asking churches to stop holding services in person. In a statement provided to NPR, titled, "A Plea to Our Churches," leaders of the Christian Medical & Dental Associations say that Christians who persist in holding large gatherings at this time could "appear to care only about our individual freedoms and don't care that we may be contributing to others getting this illness because of our selfishness."
We can all do better. The seriousness of this Covid pandemic demands it.
A South Dakota nurse wrote this disturbing dispatch on Twitter: "I have a night off from the hospital. As I’m on my couch with my dog I can’t help but think of the Covid patients the last few days. The ones that stick out are those who still don’t believe the virus is real. The ones who scream at you for a magic medicine... All while gasping for breath on 100% Vapotherm. They tell you there must be another reason they are sick. They call you names and ask why you have to wear all that “stuff” because they don’t have COVID because it’s not real. Yes. This really happens."
A Wisconsin nurse tells a similar story: "Theresa Weiler started to panic when the number of seriously ill COVID-19 patients in the hospital unit she manages rose from two to 13 in a single weekend. At the end of the day, she'd head straight to the shower. It was partly to protect her family in case she'd picked up the virus at work — but also because she needed to cry. Weiler gave an emotional update about what her staff is facing:
"More than 2,200 patients across the state are hospitalized with complications from COVID-19, according to the Wisconsin Hospital Association, and an average of 52 people a day have died in the last week. Hospitals are straining at their limits of bed capacity, and large swaths of their employees are out sick and quarantining, meaning others are picking up longer and more frequent shifts. Some of the nurses Weiler oversees are working 16-hour days eight days in a row because they don't want to leave their co-workers short-staffed. They're in tears because they feel their quality of care is decreased due to the volume of people they're serving," she said.
I wonder if Jesus is weeping over us like he wept over Jerusalem.
* * *
Wade in the Water
by Frank Ramirez
Mark 8:31-38
He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. (Mark 8:34)
In this verse Jesus warned his disciples, not only those standing before him, but all who would follow in the centuries ahead, that there might be a cost to discipleship.
In 1711, Count Charles August, a German prince, was alarmed to hear that religious dissenters were baptizing local citizens of Ysenberg, which at that time was against the law. There was no such thing as freedom of religion. One had to belong to the same church as one’s prince. Otherwise dire consequences could befall.
The count commanded the local pastor and a town official of Düdelsheim to spy on them and report what they saw. This is the official report of Pastor Louis Herman Rosa, and J.L. Winter, written on September 1, 1711, of the crime of baptism.
Reverend, Honorable and Dread Sirs:
We will obediently report without reservation in response to the order received on the thirty-first of past month about the baptismal act in the water here, which we were diligent to investigate in detail immediately. We learned that this was carried out on the twenty-first of August in the Seeme brook in the woods. It was seen by some subjects, named John Fegebrandt, John Ernest Lüder, John George Nantz, Christopher Krafft, etc. A person named Alexander Mack, born at Schriesheim near Heidelberg and usually residing at Schwarzenau but now staying with Jacob Bossert at Himbach, performed this act. The other men who allegedly attended the baptism act are by name: The above-mentioned Jacob Bossert, settler at Himbach; Martin Lucas, buttonmaker of the upper village [Düdelsheim], and Daniel Ritter staying with him. The women were: the baptized, known under the name of Eva Elizabeth [Hoffman’s] daughter from Himbach’ the others supposedly attending the act were the sister of the baptized, and the wives of Jacob Bossert, Martin Lucas, and Daniel Ritter.
These are the circumstances of how the baptism was carried out; they knelt around an oak tree with lifted hands, and prayed. The baptizer, however, went at once into the brook, measuring the depth with a stick. He then said, “Come in.” The person in question (who looked as if she did not want to go into the water but was held to it by the others) entered the water and knelt, resting on her heels. The baptizer then began to question her: “If you are willing to renounce the world and the devil and your own flesh, then answered with ‘Yes.’” She answered, “Yes.” He then grasped her braids and dipped her three consecutive times under the water with these words: “I baptize you in the name of God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” After this he went with her out of the water and said, “Now your spirit and faith are strengthened.” She went to the tree where the other women held a linen sheet around her on one side.
While she changed her clothes, they all sang the last verse of the hymn, “Lord Jesus Christ, Turn Toward us” [Herr Jesu Christ, dich zu uns wend].After this they kissed one another and went to the house of the buttonmaker, Martin Lucas.
Nowadays there’s nothing illegal at all about changing from one church to another, or being baptized as an adult rather than as an infant. Considering that there’s no risk involved, everything to gain without the danger of a cross, it’s interesting how many people find it impossible to make it to worship, and to choose Jesus, on any particular Sunday morning.
*****************************************
StoryShare, February 28, 2021 issue.
Copyright 2021 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to the StoryShare service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons, in worship and classroom settings, in brief devotions, in radio spots, and as newsletter fillers. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to permissions@csspub.com or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
“Breaking Jesus’ Heart” by John Sumwalt
“Wade In the Water” by Frank Ramirez
Breaking Jesus’ Heart
by John Sumwalt
Psalm 22:23-31
For he did not despise or abhor
the affliction of the afflicted;
he did not hide his face from me,
but heard when I cried to him. (Psalm 22:24)
My heart is heavy as I think about what I saw as I walked our grand-doggie (another story) one Sunday morning during the time that I would ordinarily be in church. For forty-four years, in a previous life, I was in church every Sunday leading worship, preaching, greeting people who were dear to my heart, laughing and talking with them during coffee hour. I felt blessed to be there and I miss it. I ache for it, and can't wait 'til we can safely return to worship with our friends in the church we attend in retirement.
What I saw was so distressing because it was outside a neighborhood church. People were coming out the door talking and laughing. They were wearing masks, but not social distancing. I waved at them and they waved back. One of them called out a compliment to my "beautiful" grand-doggie.
I walked several more blocks, feeling both anger and deep sadness as the pooch and I passed the hospital. I wondered how many people are in intensive care, fighting for their lives. And how the nurses and doctors who are fighting for them are coping with the long hours and the stress of watching helplessly as some of them die alone, without the comforting presence of loved ones.
I thought about what our County Health Officer said on the radio: "County residents should use caution when interacting with others and we discourage residents from traveling or gathering at this time." And I wondered how church people, my people, could so brazenly ignore the caution of a health official who is echoing what every other health officer in the country is saying.
As coronavirus cases spike, a national group that represents thousands of evangelical Christian doctors and other healthcare providers is asking churches to stop holding services in person. In a statement provided to NPR, titled, "A Plea to Our Churches," leaders of the Christian Medical & Dental Associations say that Christians who persist in holding large gatherings at this time could "appear to care only about our individual freedoms and don't care that we may be contributing to others getting this illness because of our selfishness."
We can all do better. The seriousness of this Covid pandemic demands it.
A South Dakota nurse wrote this disturbing dispatch on Twitter: "I have a night off from the hospital. As I’m on my couch with my dog I can’t help but think of the Covid patients the last few days. The ones that stick out are those who still don’t believe the virus is real. The ones who scream at you for a magic medicine... All while gasping for breath on 100% Vapotherm. They tell you there must be another reason they are sick. They call you names and ask why you have to wear all that “stuff” because they don’t have COVID because it’s not real. Yes. This really happens."
A Wisconsin nurse tells a similar story: "Theresa Weiler started to panic when the number of seriously ill COVID-19 patients in the hospital unit she manages rose from two to 13 in a single weekend. At the end of the day, she'd head straight to the shower. It was partly to protect her family in case she'd picked up the virus at work — but also because she needed to cry. Weiler gave an emotional update about what her staff is facing:
"More than 2,200 patients across the state are hospitalized with complications from COVID-19, according to the Wisconsin Hospital Association, and an average of 52 people a day have died in the last week. Hospitals are straining at their limits of bed capacity, and large swaths of their employees are out sick and quarantining, meaning others are picking up longer and more frequent shifts. Some of the nurses Weiler oversees are working 16-hour days eight days in a row because they don't want to leave their co-workers short-staffed. They're in tears because they feel their quality of care is decreased due to the volume of people they're serving," she said.
I wonder if Jesus is weeping over us like he wept over Jerusalem.
* * *
Wade in the Water
by Frank Ramirez
Mark 8:31-38
He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. (Mark 8:34)
In this verse Jesus warned his disciples, not only those standing before him, but all who would follow in the centuries ahead, that there might be a cost to discipleship.
In 1711, Count Charles August, a German prince, was alarmed to hear that religious dissenters were baptizing local citizens of Ysenberg, which at that time was against the law. There was no such thing as freedom of religion. One had to belong to the same church as one’s prince. Otherwise dire consequences could befall.
The count commanded the local pastor and a town official of Düdelsheim to spy on them and report what they saw. This is the official report of Pastor Louis Herman Rosa, and J.L. Winter, written on September 1, 1711, of the crime of baptism.
Reverend, Honorable and Dread Sirs:
We will obediently report without reservation in response to the order received on the thirty-first of past month about the baptismal act in the water here, which we were diligent to investigate in detail immediately. We learned that this was carried out on the twenty-first of August in the Seeme brook in the woods. It was seen by some subjects, named John Fegebrandt, John Ernest Lüder, John George Nantz, Christopher Krafft, etc. A person named Alexander Mack, born at Schriesheim near Heidelberg and usually residing at Schwarzenau but now staying with Jacob Bossert at Himbach, performed this act. The other men who allegedly attended the baptism act are by name: The above-mentioned Jacob Bossert, settler at Himbach; Martin Lucas, buttonmaker of the upper village [Düdelsheim], and Daniel Ritter staying with him. The women were: the baptized, known under the name of Eva Elizabeth [Hoffman’s] daughter from Himbach’ the others supposedly attending the act were the sister of the baptized, and the wives of Jacob Bossert, Martin Lucas, and Daniel Ritter.
These are the circumstances of how the baptism was carried out; they knelt around an oak tree with lifted hands, and prayed. The baptizer, however, went at once into the brook, measuring the depth with a stick. He then said, “Come in.” The person in question (who looked as if she did not want to go into the water but was held to it by the others) entered the water and knelt, resting on her heels. The baptizer then began to question her: “If you are willing to renounce the world and the devil and your own flesh, then answered with ‘Yes.’” She answered, “Yes.” He then grasped her braids and dipped her three consecutive times under the water with these words: “I baptize you in the name of God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” After this he went with her out of the water and said, “Now your spirit and faith are strengthened.” She went to the tree where the other women held a linen sheet around her on one side.
While she changed her clothes, they all sang the last verse of the hymn, “Lord Jesus Christ, Turn Toward us” [Herr Jesu Christ, dich zu uns wend].After this they kissed one another and went to the house of the buttonmaker, Martin Lucas.
Nowadays there’s nothing illegal at all about changing from one church to another, or being baptized as an adult rather than as an infant. Considering that there’s no risk involved, everything to gain without the danger of a cross, it’s interesting how many people find it impossible to make it to worship, and to choose Jesus, on any particular Sunday morning.
*****************************************
StoryShare, February 28, 2021 issue.
Copyright 2021 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to the StoryShare service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons, in worship and classroom settings, in brief devotions, in radio spots, and as newsletter fillers. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to permissions@csspub.com or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
