The Power Of Passover
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"The Power of Passover" by John Fitzgerald
"When Someone Sins Against You..." by Keith Hewitt
* * * * * * *
The Power of Passover
by John Fitzgerald
Exodus 12:1-14
A beloved tradition for a marriage ceremony is for the bride to wear "Something old, Something new, Something borrowed, Something blue." The custom originates from an Old English rhyme ("Something Olde, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue, A Sixpence in your Shoe"). Something old represents continuity, something new offers optimism for the future, something borrowed symbolizes our gratitude for others, something blue stands for purity and love, and a sixpence in the shoe demonstrates good fortune and prosperity.
Jesus taught a similar blending of old and new in his short parable found in Matthew 13:52: "Therefore every teacher of the law who has become a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old."
We all could agree that heritage from the past and contemporary expressions are both important. Yet the trick becomes in finding ways to merge both streams of thought. Far too often we are tempted to be either trapped in the past or encompassed strictly by a present moment. Church life in America witnesses to these two extremes.
Many congregations are prisoners of long-held patterns. Have you ever tried sitting in a church pew where someone else has been for many years? See what kind of reaction you get when pulling such a stunt. The seven last words of a dying church prove true: "We have never done it this way before."
The opposite tendency is to be caught up only in what God has to say in 2014. There is no appreciation for church teachings and the authority of divine witnesses from other eras. It's as if God did not exist until we came into the world.
The Body of Christ in our country struggles to find suitable testimonies to both past and present. It is something most of our local churches are trying to work out. In our scripture reading for today we take an important step forward in helping with this task.
Our Bible lesson is given by God to Moses upon the heels of a miraculous event. Hebrew slaves have been delivered to freedom from Egypt by the Lord's right hand. Moses used by God to part the Red Sea witnessed destruction of an Egyptian Army and rescue for oppressed people. So powerful and all-consuming is the event that God commands it to be memorialized for succeeding generations.
Exodus 12 is an account of the Lord's Passover, which is to be celebrated annually by God's people. Verses 12-13 from our scripture are at the heart of what actually occurred on Passover. God says here, "On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn of both people and animals, and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord. The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plaque will touch you when I strike Egypt."
The Lord passed over Hebrew households only to bring death upon sons of Egypt. Divine judgment merited out to a stubborn people along with grace extended for the Lord's chosen ones is what happened on this holy night. It is a night to be remembered for all time.
God's mighty work as evidenced in the Passover is never to be forgotten. We shall not forsake the Lord's grace and mercy demonstrated in history. The biblical record shows over and over again a Lord who blesses faithfulness while holding individuals and nations accountable for sin.
At the same time, Passover is each year fresh and relevant. God speaks to us about our personal bondage through this event. The Lord ministers a word concerning his love for each person and nations who are suffering at Passover. The Holy Spirit reminds us of punishment for those who continue to abuse those created in God's image.
Passover has roots in the past with a message for today. The final verse (14) of our scripture passage sums up well what God intends for us in this special activity: "This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord -- a lasting ordinance."
John Fitzgerald lives in Leesburg, Ohio, with his wife Carolyn and has served as pastor at the Leesburg Friends Meeting for the past 27 years. Cornfield Cathedral (Fairway Press, 2013) is the second book authored by Pastor Fitzgerald. John has earned a Master's of Ministry Degree from the Earlham School of Religion in Richmond, Indiana.
When Someone Sins Against You...
by Keith Hewitt
Matthew 18:15-20
The sweet aroma of Sir Walter Raleigh pipe tobacco filled the office, insulating John Randall from the world around him as he stared down at the yellow legal pad and waited for inspiration to hit. Sermon writing was like that -- sometimes the ideas just seemed to flow, sometimes they were determined to hide until the last minute, or even a little beyond. Sometimes, in the middle of the night, he wondered if it was because he was running out of things to say... but in the light of day he knew that was ridiculous.
Ridiculous when the source of his sermons was the inexhaustible richness of God's word. There would always be something to be said...
Still, the knock on his open door was something of a relief, and he looked up to see Mark standing diffidently in the doorway. "Come in, come in," he said, pushing aside his legal pad as his visitor came in and sort of collapsed into the chair across the desk from him, like a balloon losing air. Randall waited in silence for a heartbeat or two, then gently prompted him. "So, how did it go?"
Mark raised a hand to his face, rubbed his eyes by moving thumb and forefinger toward one another, then slowly ran his hand down over the rest of his face, as though wiping something away. "Well, Reverend, do you remember when I had those two impacted wisdom teeth pulled last spring?"
Randall nodded. "You were on our joys and concerns list."
"Right. This was way worse than that."
Gauging the man's mood, Randall allowed the barest smile to flicker over his face before he went on seriously, "I'm sorry for that, Mark. But were you successful?"
"I think so. John realizes -- says he realizes -- that he can't continue to proposition Janet. That it makes Janet very uncomfortable and makes her not want to come to church functions when she knows he might be there and is really not appreciated by Janet's husband either. He, uh, thought it was just harmless flirtation -- nothing outrageous. But now he understands he was wrong."
Randall thought back over some of the letters that had been shared and shook his head. "Harmless flirtation? Really? Even when he --"
Mark raised a hand. "Stop. I don't even know which letter you were going to quote, but we heard them all tonight. And, no, we both know John's not an idiot. He knew what he was doing and was hoping to get something started. But he said he was sorry. Apologized to her and promised he wouldn't do it again. Apologized to us too -- I think he was a little embarrassed that Bob and I were there, that we knew what he was doing."
"Good... on all counts."
"Agreed." There was another long pause, while Mark fished a pack of cigarettes out of his shirt pocket, tapped one out, lit it, inhaling deeply, then letting the tension billow out of him, streaming from nostrils and slightly parted lips. "But here's what I don't get, Reverend. Why do we have to go through all this?"
Randall raised an eyebrow. "Well, Jesus laid it out pretty well. If someone in the church sins against you, you go to him, yourself... and if you don't get satisfaction, you go with two or three others--"
"No, I understand that part, what he said. But what I don't get is why? When something like this happens to us, why can't we just deal with it the civilized, adult way -- bury it, pretend it didn't happen, and just ignore and avoid the other person?"
The smile stayed a little longer, this time. "Well, Mark, I think you'll find a number of professionals, these days, who'll tell you that it's not healthy to suppress things. That it's better to get them out in the open, deal with them, and put them behind you by resolving them."
"Of course they would say that, that's their job. They make money by 'helping' people do that kind of thing. But it seems like a lot of unnecessary stress, to me, and in the end I'm not sure it's going to do any good. Plus, I'm pretty sure they didn't have psychologists and whatnot back in Jesus' day."
"It can be stressful. I admit that. I've been on one or two of these same kinds of calls, and it's never pleasant. But let me ask you, when your wife makes a mistake --"
Mark grunted. "She doesn't make mistakes. She'll be glad to tell you that."
"We're speaking hypothetically, here. If Linda makes a mistake with the checkbook, say -- forgets to write down a check or makes a math error -- do you tell her?"
"Sure."
"Why?"
"So she'll know what she did and not make the same mistake next time. Hypothetically."
"Exactly. For the same reason, God gave us the law, so that we would know when we've sinned or fallen short of his expectations for us. Later, Jesus prescribed this way of dealing with sinners within the church for the same reason. When you go to someone who's sinned, explain the sin to them, and tell them you're concerned, you give them a chance to recognize what they've done, admit to it, and make a commitment to not do it again. A chance to repent." Randall paused to take a puff of his pipe, which was starting to go out. "If we didn't tell people when they've strayed, they might never know it -- and would certainly never understand that what they did had an effect on you, personally."
Mark nodded slowly. "I suppose so."
"It's what Jesus did for us, when you think about it. His ministry -- at least part of it -- was about calling us to task, showing us where we'd gone wrong, and then making it possible for us to come back from it. When you love someone -- and, remember, we're all supposed to love one another -- you want to help them and this is a form of helping. It's not enforcement or judgment so much as teaching and giving a chance at redemption."
"I didn't realize this was part of what I was signing up for when I agreed to be on the committee."
Randall shrugged. "It's hard to explain until it happens. And it doesn't happen often. But you did good tonight, Mark. You helped John see the error of his ways, and you made it possible for Janet to continue coming to church, to fellowship with the rest of us. You did good."
Mark nodded again, leaned forward and stubbed out what was left of his cigarette in the ashtray, on the desk. "Well, thank you for that, and I hope you're right. All in all, they're both good people, we know that. John's just got some problems."
"Exactly -- we all do. His are just a little more visible. But by doing this, you've made it possible -- made it easier -- for everyone to stay within the structure of our church family, where we can be in support of one another... and keep each other honest."
"Right. And I can see that that's a good thing, Reverend," Mark agreed, then added, "But overall, I still prefer oral surgery."
Randall smiled around the stem of his pipe, and nodded. "Who wouldn't?"
Keith Hewitt is the author of three volumes of NaTiVity Dramas: Nontraditional Christmas Plays for All Ages (CSS). He is a local pastor, former youth leader and Sunday school teacher, and occasional speaker at Christian events. He is currently serving as the pastor at Parkview UMC in Turtle Lake, Wisconsin. Keith is married to a teacher, and they have two children and assorted dogs and cats.
*****************************************
StoryShare, September 7, 2014, issue.
Copyright 2014 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.
"The Power of Passover" by John Fitzgerald
"When Someone Sins Against You..." by Keith Hewitt
* * * * * * *
The Power of Passover
by John Fitzgerald
Exodus 12:1-14
A beloved tradition for a marriage ceremony is for the bride to wear "Something old, Something new, Something borrowed, Something blue." The custom originates from an Old English rhyme ("Something Olde, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue, A Sixpence in your Shoe"). Something old represents continuity, something new offers optimism for the future, something borrowed symbolizes our gratitude for others, something blue stands for purity and love, and a sixpence in the shoe demonstrates good fortune and prosperity.
Jesus taught a similar blending of old and new in his short parable found in Matthew 13:52: "Therefore every teacher of the law who has become a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old."
We all could agree that heritage from the past and contemporary expressions are both important. Yet the trick becomes in finding ways to merge both streams of thought. Far too often we are tempted to be either trapped in the past or encompassed strictly by a present moment. Church life in America witnesses to these two extremes.
Many congregations are prisoners of long-held patterns. Have you ever tried sitting in a church pew where someone else has been for many years? See what kind of reaction you get when pulling such a stunt. The seven last words of a dying church prove true: "We have never done it this way before."
The opposite tendency is to be caught up only in what God has to say in 2014. There is no appreciation for church teachings and the authority of divine witnesses from other eras. It's as if God did not exist until we came into the world.
The Body of Christ in our country struggles to find suitable testimonies to both past and present. It is something most of our local churches are trying to work out. In our scripture reading for today we take an important step forward in helping with this task.
Our Bible lesson is given by God to Moses upon the heels of a miraculous event. Hebrew slaves have been delivered to freedom from Egypt by the Lord's right hand. Moses used by God to part the Red Sea witnessed destruction of an Egyptian Army and rescue for oppressed people. So powerful and all-consuming is the event that God commands it to be memorialized for succeeding generations.
Exodus 12 is an account of the Lord's Passover, which is to be celebrated annually by God's people. Verses 12-13 from our scripture are at the heart of what actually occurred on Passover. God says here, "On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn of both people and animals, and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord. The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plaque will touch you when I strike Egypt."
The Lord passed over Hebrew households only to bring death upon sons of Egypt. Divine judgment merited out to a stubborn people along with grace extended for the Lord's chosen ones is what happened on this holy night. It is a night to be remembered for all time.
God's mighty work as evidenced in the Passover is never to be forgotten. We shall not forsake the Lord's grace and mercy demonstrated in history. The biblical record shows over and over again a Lord who blesses faithfulness while holding individuals and nations accountable for sin.
At the same time, Passover is each year fresh and relevant. God speaks to us about our personal bondage through this event. The Lord ministers a word concerning his love for each person and nations who are suffering at Passover. The Holy Spirit reminds us of punishment for those who continue to abuse those created in God's image.
Passover has roots in the past with a message for today. The final verse (14) of our scripture passage sums up well what God intends for us in this special activity: "This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord -- a lasting ordinance."
John Fitzgerald lives in Leesburg, Ohio, with his wife Carolyn and has served as pastor at the Leesburg Friends Meeting for the past 27 years. Cornfield Cathedral (Fairway Press, 2013) is the second book authored by Pastor Fitzgerald. John has earned a Master's of Ministry Degree from the Earlham School of Religion in Richmond, Indiana.
When Someone Sins Against You...
by Keith Hewitt
Matthew 18:15-20
The sweet aroma of Sir Walter Raleigh pipe tobacco filled the office, insulating John Randall from the world around him as he stared down at the yellow legal pad and waited for inspiration to hit. Sermon writing was like that -- sometimes the ideas just seemed to flow, sometimes they were determined to hide until the last minute, or even a little beyond. Sometimes, in the middle of the night, he wondered if it was because he was running out of things to say... but in the light of day he knew that was ridiculous.
Ridiculous when the source of his sermons was the inexhaustible richness of God's word. There would always be something to be said...
Still, the knock on his open door was something of a relief, and he looked up to see Mark standing diffidently in the doorway. "Come in, come in," he said, pushing aside his legal pad as his visitor came in and sort of collapsed into the chair across the desk from him, like a balloon losing air. Randall waited in silence for a heartbeat or two, then gently prompted him. "So, how did it go?"
Mark raised a hand to his face, rubbed his eyes by moving thumb and forefinger toward one another, then slowly ran his hand down over the rest of his face, as though wiping something away. "Well, Reverend, do you remember when I had those two impacted wisdom teeth pulled last spring?"
Randall nodded. "You were on our joys and concerns list."
"Right. This was way worse than that."
Gauging the man's mood, Randall allowed the barest smile to flicker over his face before he went on seriously, "I'm sorry for that, Mark. But were you successful?"
"I think so. John realizes -- says he realizes -- that he can't continue to proposition Janet. That it makes Janet very uncomfortable and makes her not want to come to church functions when she knows he might be there and is really not appreciated by Janet's husband either. He, uh, thought it was just harmless flirtation -- nothing outrageous. But now he understands he was wrong."
Randall thought back over some of the letters that had been shared and shook his head. "Harmless flirtation? Really? Even when he --"
Mark raised a hand. "Stop. I don't even know which letter you were going to quote, but we heard them all tonight. And, no, we both know John's not an idiot. He knew what he was doing and was hoping to get something started. But he said he was sorry. Apologized to her and promised he wouldn't do it again. Apologized to us too -- I think he was a little embarrassed that Bob and I were there, that we knew what he was doing."
"Good... on all counts."
"Agreed." There was another long pause, while Mark fished a pack of cigarettes out of his shirt pocket, tapped one out, lit it, inhaling deeply, then letting the tension billow out of him, streaming from nostrils and slightly parted lips. "But here's what I don't get, Reverend. Why do we have to go through all this?"
Randall raised an eyebrow. "Well, Jesus laid it out pretty well. If someone in the church sins against you, you go to him, yourself... and if you don't get satisfaction, you go with two or three others--"
"No, I understand that part, what he said. But what I don't get is why? When something like this happens to us, why can't we just deal with it the civilized, adult way -- bury it, pretend it didn't happen, and just ignore and avoid the other person?"
The smile stayed a little longer, this time. "Well, Mark, I think you'll find a number of professionals, these days, who'll tell you that it's not healthy to suppress things. That it's better to get them out in the open, deal with them, and put them behind you by resolving them."
"Of course they would say that, that's their job. They make money by 'helping' people do that kind of thing. But it seems like a lot of unnecessary stress, to me, and in the end I'm not sure it's going to do any good. Plus, I'm pretty sure they didn't have psychologists and whatnot back in Jesus' day."
"It can be stressful. I admit that. I've been on one or two of these same kinds of calls, and it's never pleasant. But let me ask you, when your wife makes a mistake --"
Mark grunted. "She doesn't make mistakes. She'll be glad to tell you that."
"We're speaking hypothetically, here. If Linda makes a mistake with the checkbook, say -- forgets to write down a check or makes a math error -- do you tell her?"
"Sure."
"Why?"
"So she'll know what she did and not make the same mistake next time. Hypothetically."
"Exactly. For the same reason, God gave us the law, so that we would know when we've sinned or fallen short of his expectations for us. Later, Jesus prescribed this way of dealing with sinners within the church for the same reason. When you go to someone who's sinned, explain the sin to them, and tell them you're concerned, you give them a chance to recognize what they've done, admit to it, and make a commitment to not do it again. A chance to repent." Randall paused to take a puff of his pipe, which was starting to go out. "If we didn't tell people when they've strayed, they might never know it -- and would certainly never understand that what they did had an effect on you, personally."
Mark nodded slowly. "I suppose so."
"It's what Jesus did for us, when you think about it. His ministry -- at least part of it -- was about calling us to task, showing us where we'd gone wrong, and then making it possible for us to come back from it. When you love someone -- and, remember, we're all supposed to love one another -- you want to help them and this is a form of helping. It's not enforcement or judgment so much as teaching and giving a chance at redemption."
"I didn't realize this was part of what I was signing up for when I agreed to be on the committee."
Randall shrugged. "It's hard to explain until it happens. And it doesn't happen often. But you did good tonight, Mark. You helped John see the error of his ways, and you made it possible for Janet to continue coming to church, to fellowship with the rest of us. You did good."
Mark nodded again, leaned forward and stubbed out what was left of his cigarette in the ashtray, on the desk. "Well, thank you for that, and I hope you're right. All in all, they're both good people, we know that. John's just got some problems."
"Exactly -- we all do. His are just a little more visible. But by doing this, you've made it possible -- made it easier -- for everyone to stay within the structure of our church family, where we can be in support of one another... and keep each other honest."
"Right. And I can see that that's a good thing, Reverend," Mark agreed, then added, "But overall, I still prefer oral surgery."
Randall smiled around the stem of his pipe, and nodded. "Who wouldn't?"
Keith Hewitt is the author of three volumes of NaTiVity Dramas: Nontraditional Christmas Plays for All Ages (CSS). He is a local pastor, former youth leader and Sunday school teacher, and occasional speaker at Christian events. He is currently serving as the pastor at Parkview UMC in Turtle Lake, Wisconsin. Keith is married to a teacher, and they have two children and assorted dogs and cats.
*****************************************
StoryShare, September 7, 2014, issue.
Copyright 2014 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.
