A Song Of Rejoicing
Stories
Object:
Contents
"A Song of Rejoicing" by Sandra Herrmann
"Risking Our Gifts" by Keith Wagner
"For Mercy's Sake" by Keith Wagner
* * * * * * *
A Song of Rejoicing
by Sandra Herrmann
1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
Prophecy and prophets are tricky things. You never know what you're going to hear. Is this a mere fortune teller, or a true prophecy from God? Is this prophet in the business for the money and prestige, or is this a prophet who tells the truth about future events?
Prophets were common in the ancient world. Even women prophets were famous for their work. Deborah was not even the first among the people of Israel (See Exodus 15: 20-21). Nor was she the last (See, as one example, 2 Kings 22:14-20). There were prophets one could hire to declare destruction and damnation on one's enemies, such as Noadiah, a woman who joined in a sound condemnation of Nehemiah's project of rebuilding the temple, in order to demoralize the Jews so they could not re-establish Jerusalem after the exile.
Prophets, both male and female, often had a specific site where they received those who wanted their services, such as Delphi, where the prophets leaned over a gas vent from the volcano beneath the temple. Deborah sat under a palm tree in the hill country of Ephraim, on the northern end of Palestine, "between Ramah and Bethel." Bethel was the religious center of Israel (the Northern Kingdom) and the same area from which Amos was later called to a prophetic ministry. Ramah is the name of several towns in Palestine, but this one is probably south of Bethel, on one of the "high places" where Israel, like the Canaanites before them, worshiped.
The main difference between Deborah and other famous prophets is her directness. Unlike the Delphic Oracle, consulted by the ancient Greeks, Deborah speaks plainly rather than in riddles. She summons Barak Ben A-bin-oam to her and tells him exactly where to go and where to stand so that he may engage Sisera, the oppressor of Israel, in battle. Despite the overwhelming odds (the army of Sisera has chariots with iron wheels, a newly invented and devastating technology at the time), she promises him victory in the upcoming war. Victory, but no credit for killing Sisera; a woman will do that.
Upon hearing that, Barak says he is willing to go into battle, but only if Deborah will go with him, leading their troops. Evidently, he thinks that woman will be Deborah, so she is essential to their victory. And thus it happens that Deborah, like Joan of Arc centuries later, leads her nation's army into battle. And, like Joan, she whips up the anti-Sisera feelings of the Israelite soldiers to such a frenzied degree that they absolutely rout the enemy forces.
Even so, it is not Deborah's privilege to kill Sisera. That is left to another woman -- Jael, wife of Heber, who invites Sisera, who has been separated from his army and is fleeing on foot past her tent, to come in and rest. Rest he does, after she gives him a drink of milk; and while he is sleeping Jael steps quietly to his bed and pounds a tent stake into his temple and out the other side, into the ground. Thus ends the life of a powerful general/king, at the hands of a woman, fulfilling Deborah's prophecy. Though really, it took two women: one to win the battle, and one to kill the enemy Sisera.
This story was so important to the people that they wrote a song about the battle and Deborah, "a Mother in Israel," Barak and his army from the tribes of Zebulon and Naphtali (from which area the later prophets said Messiah was to come), and Jael, "most blessed of women." A song about heroism, a song about those who considered whether to go to battle until the war was over. A song of remembrance, a song of celebration, a war chant, perhaps, but also a song rejoicing in being able to live in peace and freedom from oppression.
Sandra Herrmann is a retired United Methodist pastor living in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Risking Our Gifts
by Keith Wagner
Matthew 25:14-30
I believe this parable is directed toward our fear. When it comes to taking risks we are cautious. The risks Jesus wants us to take have to do with our God-given talents. The servant who buried his money in the ground was not willing to take any risk. He was afraid and did not trust the concept of "reaping where you do not sow." He protected what he had been given which resulted in his losing everything.
The other two servants did not let fear or doubt keep them from doing something with what they had been given. They acted on trust and faithfulness. As a result they were rewarded. There was a risk, but it didn't keep them from putting their talents to work.
Like the servant who only had one talent all of us are afraid at times. We are afraid to fail, fearful of embarrassment, or afraid of how others might react. Our human instinct drives us to protect ourselves, surrounding ourselves with things and people who make us secure.
So how do we overcome fear? One way is to take advantage of our freedom. The master never told the other two servants what to do with their talents. They were free to invest them as they wished. The amounts were different. What made the master happy was the fact that they used what they had been given.
We live in a time when many corporations are cutting benefits from their employees. Unfortunately health care is getting more expensive. Several years ago one corporation set a new precedence. George Eastman, founder of the Eastman Kodak Company, appreciated money but cared little about keeping it for himself. At the age of 65, he gave one third of his own holdings of company stock, then worth ten million dollars, to his employees. He was also one of the first industrialists to establish fringe benefit programs such as retirement pensions, life insurance, and disability insurance for his employees.
To overcome fear we also have to believe in ourselves. So many folks I know discount what they are able to do. They minimize their strengths and underestimate their courage. They have feelings of powerlessness and hopelessness. They forget that with God all things are possible.
The parable is not just about money. It is about using our gifts for the sake of the kingdom. When we bury love, forgiveness, hope, and salvation God is angered. For what God gives us is not meant to be put in a vault or stored in a barn; it is to be given away.
In her book, Small Miracles, Yitta Halberstam tells a story about a man called Mandelbaum. He was a modern "good Samaritan." When he and his wife would go shopping in town, Mandelbaum would walk up and down the streets putting quarters in parking meters. He had a habit of making it to the meter before the meter maid. His wife thought his little acts of kindness were a bit obsessive. She wondered why he bothered since no one ever had done anything nice for him.
Her husband was being highly charitable, but none of the owners of the parked cars would ever know who he was or even if they had been spared a $25 parking ticket. His wife was proud of him but she never witnessed anyone returning the favor. One day she was shopping in another area of the city and ended up in a dress shop. She lost all track of time and finally realized that her parking meter had expired. She ran outside only to see the meter maid a few feet away from her car. There was no way she was going to beat her to the meter. She knew her husband would be upset if she got a parking ticket. He considered that the height of irresponsibility and a horrible waste of money.
The maid was almost at the meter when a strange man appeared from nowhere and put a quarter in the meter. He smiled broadly at the meter maid then quickly walked away. "Who could it be?" she wondered. "Perhaps he was a neighbor, a relative, or a friend of her husband." She hastily walked after him and finally caught up with him. She thanked him for rescuing her from a parking ticket then asked him why he did it. He must have known her husband. But he replied, "I don't know your husband nor do I know you or your car. I just thought it was a shame for someone to pay $25 for a parking ticket when all it cost me was 25 cents." She was overwhelmed with his generosity. "Oh, it's okay, really," he said, "I do this all the time."
Not only was Mrs. Mandelbaum a recipient of charity from a total stranger it also changed the way she thought of her husband's obsessive habit of putting quarters in meters for complete strangers.
Putting quarters in parking meters is not very risky but it does involve a sacrifice and commitment to using one's talents. Most importantly, just as it brought great joy to the Mendelbaums it could bring joy to us.
We all have talents and to keep them hidden is offensive to God. God wants us to use all that we have been given to make this a better world and to enhance the kingdom of God. When we hold back the world misses out on something good and unfortunately we miss out too, living lives that are void and hopeless.
We may never know who is helped with our gifts and talents. However, we can be assured that God is acutely aware of the risks we take. When we are willing to risk what we have been given for the sake of the kingdom of God, we trust that the master will be pleased. Hopefully he will also say to us, "Well done, good and faithful servants."
For Mercy's Sake
by Keith Wagner
Psalm 123
In this Psalm the faith community seeks mercy from God. They are oppressed and struggling for freedom and fairness. They acknowledge themselves as God's servants and therefore trust that God will help them.
My first job out of college was working as a credit manager for a department store. Since I was subject to the military draft I didn't have many options. I got a job with the W.T. Grant Company who needed someone with a business degree. Part of my job as credit manager was to repossess items when people had become delinquent on their accounts. One day I was asked to repossess a television from a family who was over four months behind on their payments. When I arrived the woman was very nice and invited me in. She sat on an old sofa with two small children. There was no other furniture in the house except the television. I told her I had to take it. She understood. As I removed the set from the home I noticed the sadness in the eyes of her children. I felt like I had taken their best friend. I thought to myself, "What an awful job this is, repossessing furniture from the poor."
But this was my job and the company I worked for had rules. They had every legal right to repossess the television since the family had not lived up to the terms of the agreement. As for me, I was just doing my job, protecting the company's interest. Fortunately, I didn't stay in that occupation very long. But as I look back at that event, I wish now I had given that family a break. I wish I had been more merciful. I learned later that the company recouped very little on repossessed furniture.
Unfortunately we live in a society where people are not always very merciful. Those who sang this psalm to God were lamenting over the fact that they were being taken advantage of. In other words, they believed God was their only source of hope.
In The Third Helping of Chicken Soup for the Soul, Diane Rayner tells the story about two families in San Francisco. One family had emigrated from Japan and the other from Switzerland. The two families were neighbors. The family from Japan grew roses and the family from Switzerland marketed roses. They both were very successful and had a good reputation in the San Francisco area. When Japan attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941, the father of the Japanese family, who was never naturalized, along with the rest of his family was shipped to an internment camp in Colorado. Their neighbors promised they would take care of their business while they were incarcerated. As the years passed, the Swiss family took care of the roses and greenhouse for their neighbors. They worked long hours, taking care of both businesses.
Finally, the war ended. The Japanese family was released and permitted to return home. They wondered what they would find. When they arrived at their home in San Francisco they just stood and stared. There was their nursery, completely intact, neat, prosperous, and healthy. Their house was clean too. The Swiss family handed over the books, which were completely balanced. On the dining room table was one red rosebud, just waiting to unfold. They took care of their neighbor's home and business while they were away. And they attributed it to what they had learned in church, "to be merciful to others as God has been merciful to you" (Luke 6:36).
Rev. Dr. Keith Wagner is the pastor of St. John's UCC in Troy, Ohio. He and his wife, Lin, live in Springfield, Ohio.
*****************************************
StoryShare, November 16, 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.
"A Song of Rejoicing" by Sandra Herrmann
"Risking Our Gifts" by Keith Wagner
"For Mercy's Sake" by Keith Wagner
* * * * * * *
A Song of Rejoicing
by Sandra Herrmann
1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
Prophecy and prophets are tricky things. You never know what you're going to hear. Is this a mere fortune teller, or a true prophecy from God? Is this prophet in the business for the money and prestige, or is this a prophet who tells the truth about future events?
Prophets were common in the ancient world. Even women prophets were famous for their work. Deborah was not even the first among the people of Israel (See Exodus 15: 20-21). Nor was she the last (See, as one example, 2 Kings 22:14-20). There were prophets one could hire to declare destruction and damnation on one's enemies, such as Noadiah, a woman who joined in a sound condemnation of Nehemiah's project of rebuilding the temple, in order to demoralize the Jews so they could not re-establish Jerusalem after the exile.
Prophets, both male and female, often had a specific site where they received those who wanted their services, such as Delphi, where the prophets leaned over a gas vent from the volcano beneath the temple. Deborah sat under a palm tree in the hill country of Ephraim, on the northern end of Palestine, "between Ramah and Bethel." Bethel was the religious center of Israel (the Northern Kingdom) and the same area from which Amos was later called to a prophetic ministry. Ramah is the name of several towns in Palestine, but this one is probably south of Bethel, on one of the "high places" where Israel, like the Canaanites before them, worshiped.
The main difference between Deborah and other famous prophets is her directness. Unlike the Delphic Oracle, consulted by the ancient Greeks, Deborah speaks plainly rather than in riddles. She summons Barak Ben A-bin-oam to her and tells him exactly where to go and where to stand so that he may engage Sisera, the oppressor of Israel, in battle. Despite the overwhelming odds (the army of Sisera has chariots with iron wheels, a newly invented and devastating technology at the time), she promises him victory in the upcoming war. Victory, but no credit for killing Sisera; a woman will do that.
Upon hearing that, Barak says he is willing to go into battle, but only if Deborah will go with him, leading their troops. Evidently, he thinks that woman will be Deborah, so she is essential to their victory. And thus it happens that Deborah, like Joan of Arc centuries later, leads her nation's army into battle. And, like Joan, she whips up the anti-Sisera feelings of the Israelite soldiers to such a frenzied degree that they absolutely rout the enemy forces.
Even so, it is not Deborah's privilege to kill Sisera. That is left to another woman -- Jael, wife of Heber, who invites Sisera, who has been separated from his army and is fleeing on foot past her tent, to come in and rest. Rest he does, after she gives him a drink of milk; and while he is sleeping Jael steps quietly to his bed and pounds a tent stake into his temple and out the other side, into the ground. Thus ends the life of a powerful general/king, at the hands of a woman, fulfilling Deborah's prophecy. Though really, it took two women: one to win the battle, and one to kill the enemy Sisera.
This story was so important to the people that they wrote a song about the battle and Deborah, "a Mother in Israel," Barak and his army from the tribes of Zebulon and Naphtali (from which area the later prophets said Messiah was to come), and Jael, "most blessed of women." A song about heroism, a song about those who considered whether to go to battle until the war was over. A song of remembrance, a song of celebration, a war chant, perhaps, but also a song rejoicing in being able to live in peace and freedom from oppression.
Sandra Herrmann is a retired United Methodist pastor living in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Risking Our Gifts
by Keith Wagner
Matthew 25:14-30
I believe this parable is directed toward our fear. When it comes to taking risks we are cautious. The risks Jesus wants us to take have to do with our God-given talents. The servant who buried his money in the ground was not willing to take any risk. He was afraid and did not trust the concept of "reaping where you do not sow." He protected what he had been given which resulted in his losing everything.
The other two servants did not let fear or doubt keep them from doing something with what they had been given. They acted on trust and faithfulness. As a result they were rewarded. There was a risk, but it didn't keep them from putting their talents to work.
Like the servant who only had one talent all of us are afraid at times. We are afraid to fail, fearful of embarrassment, or afraid of how others might react. Our human instinct drives us to protect ourselves, surrounding ourselves with things and people who make us secure.
So how do we overcome fear? One way is to take advantage of our freedom. The master never told the other two servants what to do with their talents. They were free to invest them as they wished. The amounts were different. What made the master happy was the fact that they used what they had been given.
We live in a time when many corporations are cutting benefits from their employees. Unfortunately health care is getting more expensive. Several years ago one corporation set a new precedence. George Eastman, founder of the Eastman Kodak Company, appreciated money but cared little about keeping it for himself. At the age of 65, he gave one third of his own holdings of company stock, then worth ten million dollars, to his employees. He was also one of the first industrialists to establish fringe benefit programs such as retirement pensions, life insurance, and disability insurance for his employees.
To overcome fear we also have to believe in ourselves. So many folks I know discount what they are able to do. They minimize their strengths and underestimate their courage. They have feelings of powerlessness and hopelessness. They forget that with God all things are possible.
The parable is not just about money. It is about using our gifts for the sake of the kingdom. When we bury love, forgiveness, hope, and salvation God is angered. For what God gives us is not meant to be put in a vault or stored in a barn; it is to be given away.
In her book, Small Miracles, Yitta Halberstam tells a story about a man called Mandelbaum. He was a modern "good Samaritan." When he and his wife would go shopping in town, Mandelbaum would walk up and down the streets putting quarters in parking meters. He had a habit of making it to the meter before the meter maid. His wife thought his little acts of kindness were a bit obsessive. She wondered why he bothered since no one ever had done anything nice for him.
Her husband was being highly charitable, but none of the owners of the parked cars would ever know who he was or even if they had been spared a $25 parking ticket. His wife was proud of him but she never witnessed anyone returning the favor. One day she was shopping in another area of the city and ended up in a dress shop. She lost all track of time and finally realized that her parking meter had expired. She ran outside only to see the meter maid a few feet away from her car. There was no way she was going to beat her to the meter. She knew her husband would be upset if she got a parking ticket. He considered that the height of irresponsibility and a horrible waste of money.
The maid was almost at the meter when a strange man appeared from nowhere and put a quarter in the meter. He smiled broadly at the meter maid then quickly walked away. "Who could it be?" she wondered. "Perhaps he was a neighbor, a relative, or a friend of her husband." She hastily walked after him and finally caught up with him. She thanked him for rescuing her from a parking ticket then asked him why he did it. He must have known her husband. But he replied, "I don't know your husband nor do I know you or your car. I just thought it was a shame for someone to pay $25 for a parking ticket when all it cost me was 25 cents." She was overwhelmed with his generosity. "Oh, it's okay, really," he said, "I do this all the time."
Not only was Mrs. Mandelbaum a recipient of charity from a total stranger it also changed the way she thought of her husband's obsessive habit of putting quarters in meters for complete strangers.
Putting quarters in parking meters is not very risky but it does involve a sacrifice and commitment to using one's talents. Most importantly, just as it brought great joy to the Mendelbaums it could bring joy to us.
We all have talents and to keep them hidden is offensive to God. God wants us to use all that we have been given to make this a better world and to enhance the kingdom of God. When we hold back the world misses out on something good and unfortunately we miss out too, living lives that are void and hopeless.
We may never know who is helped with our gifts and talents. However, we can be assured that God is acutely aware of the risks we take. When we are willing to risk what we have been given for the sake of the kingdom of God, we trust that the master will be pleased. Hopefully he will also say to us, "Well done, good and faithful servants."
For Mercy's Sake
by Keith Wagner
Psalm 123
In this Psalm the faith community seeks mercy from God. They are oppressed and struggling for freedom and fairness. They acknowledge themselves as God's servants and therefore trust that God will help them.
My first job out of college was working as a credit manager for a department store. Since I was subject to the military draft I didn't have many options. I got a job with the W.T. Grant Company who needed someone with a business degree. Part of my job as credit manager was to repossess items when people had become delinquent on their accounts. One day I was asked to repossess a television from a family who was over four months behind on their payments. When I arrived the woman was very nice and invited me in. She sat on an old sofa with two small children. There was no other furniture in the house except the television. I told her I had to take it. She understood. As I removed the set from the home I noticed the sadness in the eyes of her children. I felt like I had taken their best friend. I thought to myself, "What an awful job this is, repossessing furniture from the poor."
But this was my job and the company I worked for had rules. They had every legal right to repossess the television since the family had not lived up to the terms of the agreement. As for me, I was just doing my job, protecting the company's interest. Fortunately, I didn't stay in that occupation very long. But as I look back at that event, I wish now I had given that family a break. I wish I had been more merciful. I learned later that the company recouped very little on repossessed furniture.
Unfortunately we live in a society where people are not always very merciful. Those who sang this psalm to God were lamenting over the fact that they were being taken advantage of. In other words, they believed God was their only source of hope.
In The Third Helping of Chicken Soup for the Soul, Diane Rayner tells the story about two families in San Francisco. One family had emigrated from Japan and the other from Switzerland. The two families were neighbors. The family from Japan grew roses and the family from Switzerland marketed roses. They both were very successful and had a good reputation in the San Francisco area. When Japan attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941, the father of the Japanese family, who was never naturalized, along with the rest of his family was shipped to an internment camp in Colorado. Their neighbors promised they would take care of their business while they were incarcerated. As the years passed, the Swiss family took care of the roses and greenhouse for their neighbors. They worked long hours, taking care of both businesses.
Finally, the war ended. The Japanese family was released and permitted to return home. They wondered what they would find. When they arrived at their home in San Francisco they just stood and stared. There was their nursery, completely intact, neat, prosperous, and healthy. Their house was clean too. The Swiss family handed over the books, which were completely balanced. On the dining room table was one red rosebud, just waiting to unfold. They took care of their neighbor's home and business while they were away. And they attributed it to what they had learned in church, "to be merciful to others as God has been merciful to you" (Luke 6:36).
Rev. Dr. Keith Wagner is the pastor of St. John's UCC in Troy, Ohio. He and his wife, Lin, live in Springfield, Ohio.
*****************************************
StoryShare, November 16, 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.
