At Home in Capernaum
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For January 22, 2023:
At Home in Capernaum
by Chris Keating
Matthew 4:12-23
There’s a little detail in Matthew 4 that almost escapes notice. It’s an action-packed chapter of temptations in the wilderness, miraculous healings and the enlistment of the first disciples. Jesus’ fame is spreading “throughout Syria,” (v. 24) Matthew notes. In the midst of this activity, Matthew drops a little detail unique to his gospel. “He left Nazareth,” we are told, “and made his home in Capernaum by the sea.” (v. 13)
It sounds charming. After all, who doesn’t want a place by the water?
Yet Jesus’ relocation is not about setting up housekeeping in a seaside bungalow. He isn’t decorating with statues of gnomes in bathing suits or adding nautical flair to a beachside cabana. In centering Jesus’ life in a working-class fishing village that would never be featured on HGTV, Matthew is telegraphing an important message about the nature of kingdom. If Jerusalem was the equivalent of Manhattan or Los Angeles, then Capernaum was equivalent to the West Bronx or Compton. This is Gary, Indiana, not Chicago. Jesus is settling down in a flyover town the big shots would all ignore.
The gospel is all about location, location, location — and this location is especially vital. Living in Capernaum is a reminder that the kingdom of God is proclaimed in the marginal places of the world. It is also an invitation to remember that Jesus dwells with those most at risk in our world today: millions of refugees, immigrants searching for homelands, and rising numbers of working poor who are confronted with rising rents and threats of eviction.
Jesus is making a statement about his choice of locale. It’s a reminder that while celebrity A-listers are grabbing multimillion dollar estates in South Florida, many of their neighbors are being pushed out of the market. As celebrities like Sylvester Stallone, Ben Affleck, and Jennifer Lopez are purchasing elegant mansions along southern Florida’s golden coastlines, many of their neighbors can barely pay skyrocketing rents.
It's not just a problem in Florida. As 2023 dawns, no state has an adequate supply of affordable rental housing for the lowest income earners. A national housing crisis is looming, pushing us to reconsider the meaning of home.
Jesus choice to set up housekeeping in Galilee is yet one more reminder that God is dwelling with us. Emmanuel, God-with-us, is moving into the neighborhood.
In the News
The new year brings growing evidence of economic inequalities that might even shock Charles Dickens. It’s the best of times: prices for ultra-expensive houses have cooled a bit, and there are signs that buyers are beginning to feel more confident in making purchases. Mortgages are up, but prices have dropped, making some properties feel more attractive to buyers.
But for lower income groups, 2023 is also the worst of times: there remains an enormous racial disparity in home ownership in the United States, and evictions rates are surging across the country. In Florida, the cost of housing for the working poor or disabled now exceeds 50% of their income on average. In the second quarter of 2022, about 75% of white families reported owning homes, compared to 45% of Black families, 48% of Hispanic families, and 57% of non-Hispanic families of other races. Meanwhile, cities are enacting tougher anti-homelessness laws that have made homelessness illegal in many of America’s bigger cities.
It’s never easy to live on the margins, and it seems as if things may be getting worse.
In California, more than 170,000 homeless people have faced climate-change related challenges this year. Recent storms and floods have pummeled California and forced the state’s unhoused population to fend for themselves in an unprecedented weather crisis.
Homelessness in America continues to grow, as do laws preventing people from living outside. A new law in Missouri took effect on January 1st that bans people from sleeping under bridges or in state-owned land. Like other stricter prohibitions on homelessness, the law is in part the result of growing numbers of unsheltered or visible homelessness. Missouri’s law has the double edge of also restricting state funding for permanent housing. "To take funding away from housing that has the appropriate resources attached to it is devastating, problematic and perpetuates the issue of homelessness," said Kathy Connors, executive director of Gateway180 shelter in St. Louis.
Criminalizing homelessness does little to solve the crisis. It reinforces the assumption that homeless people are mobile and able to move easily to new states or areas, even though experts note that most people experience homelessness in the community or area where they once were housed. Criminal penalties and jail time are barriers to employment, or securing subsidized housing.
Yet there is no constitutional guarantee to housing. Moreover, the more marginalized persons are squeezed out of homes, there are related impacts to employment, participation in the political system, and an overall threat to economic stability. Last December, Manoj Mate, a contributing writer to The Hill newspaper, pushed for Congress to approve a National Housing Security Act, to codify protections and rights for tenants. Similar laws have been passed in 67 cities and 31 states.
“We saw a glimpse of the possibility of federal power to address systemic crises during the Covid-19 pandemic,” Mate wrote. “The pandemic highlighted the day-to-day precarity that millions of Americans have been dealing with for decades. But at the same time, the pandemic also highlighted the weaknesses and shortcomings of our federal system and the temporary and limited nature of the national response to the eviction crisis during the pandemic.”
Meanwhile, the national crisis continues. “What is shelter?” asked Ramona Choyce, a 44-year old Oakland, California resident. She said she did not believe people should be forced to live in shelters. A reporter watched as she waded through ankle-deep waters to get back to her small recreational vehicle, parked inside a homeless encampment. She said she has pets and finds some security in the privacy of her own RV. “I can’t just give them away,” she said of her four dogs. “They’re my kids.”
Choyce’s question is haunting. What is shelter? What does it mean to dwell secure, or to find light shining in the shadow of death? These are the questions raised from the voices of those on the margins — the very voices with whom Jesus identifies as he settles down in Galilee of the Gentiles.
In the Scripture
Jesus is getting organized for mission and ministry in chapter four of Matthew’s gospel. The chapter is divided into four separate scenes, beginning with the Spirit’s leading him into the wilderness. By the time word comes that John the Baptist has been arrested, it is clear that Jesus is once more a threat to the empire. The word “withdrew” is the same word used previously by Matthew when Jesus’ family escapes Herod’s rage. Still, the idea is puzzling: how does withdrawing to Galilee — a region still under Herod’s control — ensure Jesus’ safety?
Jesus is not in hiding, however. Matthew sees this not only as a fulfilling of scripture, but also an indication of the eventual broadening of Jesus’ mission to include the Gentiles. The land, now occupied by Rome, remains deeply connected to God’s covenant to Israel. (See Warren Carter, “Commentary on Matthew 4:12-23”) This is the place where Jesus announces the arrival of the reign of God, a reminder of God’s dwelling with all people. Its arrival, not unlike John’s baptism, requires repentance — a turning toward the new thing God is doing.
God’s sovereignty will dismantle the systems created by Caesar, and will bring light to those who have been frightened and marginalized. The fisher folk Jesus soon encounters will hear this as a message of hope and release. No longer subject to the taxation schemes of the emperor, they will instead turn toward the God who dwells with the lowly. Likewise, as indicated by Jesus’ travels in verses 23-25, the message of this kingdom is good news to those held captive by disease and illness. When God moves into the neighborhood, things begin to change.
In the Sermon
It’s intriguing to reflect on the idea of Jesus being “at home” in Capernaum. It’s a brief, yet meaning-filled comment deserving of reflection. The notion of Jesus setting up housekeeping in a tiny village whose economic mainstay was a commodity tightly controlled by a foreign empire offers a unique preaching possibility in 2023.
The pandemic forced a reckoning with the image of being “at home.” For those privileged to have homes, the pandemic was either a forced retreat or a sentence of house arrest. But our images of home became infused with different layers: children went to school in their bedrooms, adults attended board meetings in dining rooms, journalists broadcast news from basements. On Sundays, preachers set up temporary sanctuaries in living rooms. Family time was reduced to the confines of Zoom screens.
But now we are learning that for some, home, to borrow from Robert Frost, is no longer the “place where, when you have to go there, they have to take you in.” For those forced out of apartments by evictions or skyrocketing rents, or for LGBTQ youth exiled by unaccepting families, home is the place where you are pushed away. Those who have no place to live also have no one who dwells with them. When homelessness becomes a crime, but housing remains unaffordable, what is shelter?
Jesus identified with those living in marginal places. He realized, as we also know, that those situations create serious risks to physical health. People living in marginal housing situations are at much higher risk of stroke and cognitive difficulties. No wonder, after Jesus got done unpacking his stuff, he began to proclaim the end of one empire and the arrival of another.
A sermon could helpfully challenge our churches to consider the housing crisis and the dilemma faced by those who are homeless. It could also remind us that the places where God dwells are not the places where the powerful hang out. When God moves into the neighborhood, things begin to change. For congregations that have retreated from their neighborhoods, it may be helpful to be challenged into considering, “Where is God dwelling in our neck of the woods?”
What is shelter? What is home? As we hear the calling of Jesus in our lives, we are invited to consider these questions with fresh urgency.
* * * * *
SECOND THOUGHTS
Seeking God and Belonging
by Katy Stenta
Psalm 27:1, 4-9; 1 Corinthians 1:10-18
What does it mean to “seek after to live in the house of the Lord to behold the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple?” (v. 4). Seeking God these days is hard, there are so many factions in society. Its hard to hide in the shelter of God if you don’t know whether or not you belong. Research shows that human beings tend to believe after they feel like they belong.
So the question of who do you belong to in 1 Corinthians 1:10-18 is not a new one, but rather an old one. Perhaps it is the oldest one. Last week it was established that Jesus belonged to God in baptism, so too is the good news of our own baptism. In a political world where our divide is more than ever and in a time when our economic divide is similarly increasing, the question of belonging seems more important than ever.
This question is what fueled the insurrection on January 6th as well as Brazil. This question is what drives people to immigrate in terrible conditions, they want a place to be safe and belong. This drive to find home and safety is innate, and beautiful.
Meanwhile, we seek to live in the house of God. We want to be at home with God and Jesus. Jesus himself makes a home in a Capernaum before he starts his ministry, before he calls his disciples, after being baptized (Matthew 1:13). There is a lot that can be said about the fact that Jesus makes his home by the water, by the Sea of Galilee, a freshwater source of life. Water, as you know, is very important to Jesus’s ministry — from baptism to the idea that Jesus himself is the living water. The idea of Jesus, who often retreated to lakes for solace, made his home upon the water. We humans love to live by the water.
“‘Come,’ my heart says, ‘seek his face!’ Your face, Lord, do I seek. Do not hide your face from me.” (Psalm 27:7-9) Who does not want a safe home to live in? The psalm suggests that at home with God means being able to see beauty. If there is not beauty, if it’s violent or unequal, it’s probably because we’ve lost track of seeking God’s house. But a home by the water, a place to see beauty and solace, a time to retreat before ministry, all of these things ring true of home. Hopefully we can end where the psalmist does, “I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.” (Psalm 27:13) This helps us to know that we can “wait for the Lord” even in the midst of divisiveness and greed. We can “be strong, and let your heart take courage.” (Psalm 27:14)
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Mary Austin:
1 Corinthians 1:10-18
Division
Division is as old as the church itself, Paul’s letter reveals. A program called Bridging the Gap aims to teach people how to communicate across our divisions, and its most powerful tools are storytelling and deep listening. Most of us, they note, have never been trained to listen to other people.
Listening deeply “means silencing that noise, listening not just with your ears but with every sense you’ve got, every cell in your body. It means listening to all that is said and unsaid, to the body language, the tone, the eye movement. It’s full-body listening. This type of listening builds trust, opens doors, and offers a path to deep discovery and a sacred connection that forms the basis for new understandings and otherwise unimaginable possibilities.”
In turn, storytelling humanizes “a potential opponent” in our eyes and vice versa. We kept it simple but taught that good storytelling includes telling your story like a good play, in three acts:
* * *
Matthew 4:12-23
Friendship
When Jesus calls his disciples he’s also creating a circle of friends who will strengthen his ministry. Researcher and author Marisa Franco says that she often wonders how adults make friends — if we’re not Jesus. She says, “I’ve lived my 20s as a part-time nomad, flip-flopping between New York City and Washington, DC, wandering around Haiti for two summers, and spending six months in Trinidad and Tobago. I settled in Atlanta for my first job as a college professor. What I was most anxious about during all of these trips was never culture shock or homesickness. It was making friends. I would be haunted by visions of myself, isolated, in a new city or country.”
Dr. Franco says that having friends takes work, and “friendships don’t just happen. In fact, the belief that they happen organically can hinder our chances of making friends. One study found that believing that friendship happens based on luck was related to more loneliness five years later, whereas believing that friendship takes effort was related to less loneliness. Why? The people who believed making friends took effort put the effort in. They showed up at events and were intentional about making connections.”
She adds, “If you think a group is cliquey or unfriendly, ask yourself what you’ve done to engage with them. If you’ve tried and they’ve turned you down, then that conclusion may be warranted. But if you’ve kept to yourself and are resentful because no one has approached you, then it’s time to take ownership for forming the connection.” Jesus models this for us, too!
* * *
Matthew 4:12-23
Home
Jesus has a home! We’re so accustomed to thinking about him on the road all the time that Matthew’s mention that Jesus settles down in Capernaum is easy to miss. Having a place to call home is powerful, as formerly unhoused people are discovering in Detroit. Non-profit is building tiny homes. “For just $1 per square foot, people who are unhoused, people with disabilities, youth aging out of foster care, veterans, or those formerly incarcerated gain new accessibility to home ownership.” The new residents need some form of income “between $7,000 and $12,000 per year, the ability to pay rent and electric bills, meet regularly with financial coaches, and volunteer at least eight hours a month in the community…After seven years, the tiny home and the land on which it rests are deeded to the resident, mortgage-free, and one more person has transitioned from a place of housing insecurity to place of housing equity. For many making that transition, it’s the first time they’ve ever owned a home.”
Having a home is a gift to the spirit, and in this case, “Also functions as an anti-poverty program. Unlike most any other low-income housing across the country, these homes represent a strategic wealth-building opportunity, and don’t penalize tenants when their annual incomes rise above $12,000.” In fact, the residents are encouraged to make and save more money, possibly benefitting the next generation in the family.
* * *
Matthew 4:12-23
Friendship, Part Two
When Jesus meets the people who will become his close circle he invites them to come along saying, “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.” Matthew tells us that they respond “immediately.” In contrast, as we're reeling from the pandemic, we’re less likely to respond generously to each other. A new study says that the pandemic “triggered much greater shifts in personality than we would expect to have seen naturally over this period. In particular, the researchers found that people were less extroverted, less open, less agreeable, and less conscientious in 2021 and 2022 compared with before the pandemic.”
Our pandemic suffering is not just physical. “If we look more closely, the pandemic appears to have negatively affected the following areas:
• our ability to express sympathy and kindness toward others (agreeableness);
• our capacity to be open to new concepts and willing to engage in novel situations (openness);
• our tendency to seek out and enjoy other people’s company (extraversion);
• our desire to strive toward our goals, do tasks well, or take responsibilities toward others seriously (conscientiousness).”
We could use a dose of the disciples’ openness, as we engage with each other again.
* * * * * *
From team member Dean Feldmeyer:
Matthew 4:12-23
In this passage, Matthew tells us that Jesus “…left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the sea….” We rarely think of Jesus as having a home but there it is. Whether the home in question is really what we think of as a home or simply a temporary base of operations, we cannot deny the fact that, even to Jesus, home was an important concept.
* * *
Home Ownership In the USA
Here are 8 interesting facts about home ownership in the USA and abroad:
She’s Coming Home
Several years ago, an acquaintance of my wife and I lost their daughter who had moved to a different part of the country to go to college. Several weeks into the first semester, just three weeks before Christmas, she was murdered by her boyfriend in a drug induced jealous rage, who then took his own life.
A few days before Christmas we attended a concert by the Tran-Siberian Orchestra. It was a beautiful concert and we loved the music but the high point for us was the song, “She’s Coming Home for Christmas Day.” As we listened, we gave thanks that our daughter really was coming home for Christmas and we prayed for comfort for our friend and his family whose daughter was not.
The lyrics begin:
So, tell me Christmas
Are we wise
To believe in things we never see
Are prayers just wishes in disguise
And are these wishes being granted me
For now I see
The answering
To every prayer I've prayed
She's coming home this
Christmas Day
My favorite performance of the song (by Russell Allen) can be found on YouTube.
* * *
ET Go Home
Perhaps no modern movie has expressed the importance of home as well as the Stephen Spielberg classic, “ET.”
In it a little child from another planet crash lands his space ship into earth and is rescued and secretly adopted by the children of a human family who name him “ET” (Extraterrestrial). Their relationship with the little traveler develops and improves as he learns to communicate with them in a few English words.
No words are so important to him, however, as these that he recites over and over as he points to the sky: “E.T. go home.” From the first time he says them through the end of the movie the kids who are now his friends apply themselves to the task of helping him communicate with his family so he can “go home.”
* * *
Matthew 4:12-23
In the same sentence as emphasized above, Matthew tells us that Jesus makes his home in Capernaum by the sea. There is something about water that calms and revitalizes the human soul when we are near it.
* * *
Drawn To The Water
Dr. Wallace J. Nichols has spent most of his adult life studying the relationship of humans to water and has found that “since humans started exploring the planet, we’ve followed the water. Crossing oceans gave way to new discoveries and changed the course of history; chasing rivers opened our horizons. As travelers, we seek waterways on vacation, driving new coastlines in search of wild surf spots. We return to familiar "blue spaces" we grew up around. Month after month, water graces the covers of travel magazines…”
In real estate, he points out, a water view tacks a 116.1% premium on a property; and real-world figures suggest we’re willing to pay 10 to 20 percent more for the same room with a sea view in a hotel.
Our love of water, it turns out, is pervasive, and the reasons behind why we travel — and rack up vast credit card bills — to be by the water can be hard to articulate. “You’re paying for a feeling,” Nichols tells Condé Nast Traveler. “When you ask people to describe that feeling, it’s hard for them to describe other than to say they really like it, need it, and are willing to pay a lot of money for it.”
* * *
Follow The Water
I have retained little of what I learned from being a Boy Scout, but this one thing has, for some reason, stuck with me through the decades. It was spoken by our scout master, an ex-Army Ranger: “If you’re ever lost in the wilderness, find the water and follow it in the direction it flows. Eventually, you’ll find people, because people always settle around water.”
Turns out, my scout master was right. We are drawn to water. It gives us a sense of peace. It renews and reenergizes us. There’s even a name for the sense of calm that we tend to have when we are near water: Blue Mind.
Wallace J. Nichols, Ph.D., has spent most of his career studying the Blue Mind phenomenon and has even written a book about it called — you guessed it — Blue Mind. One of his favorite things to ask people is, “What is your water?” and, he says, it turns out that nearly everyone has an answer. Everyone has a particular body of water to which they like to return to find renewal.
While water makes up about 70% of the human body (and about 70% of Earth), it also comprises 31 percent of our bones. “When we are by the water it…cuts us off from the rattle and hum of modern society,” says Nichols. “Moving water is expert at masking noise, especially the sound of the human voice,” he says, noting that the human voice is considered the number one source of workplace stress.
Offering us an auditory break, water even helps us fall asleep. “There is some research that says people may sleep better when they are adjacent to nature,” explains W. Christopher Winter, M.D., author of The Sleep Solution. “No wonder sleep machines always feature the sounds of rain, the ocean, or a flowing river.” One small study out of Northwestern University found that people who fell asleep listening to "pink noise" — sounds like rushing water or rain falling on pavement — not only slept more deeply but the experience also boosted their memories.
* * *
Matthew 4:12-23
Jesus leaves Nazareth and makes his home in Capernaum, a fishing village, where he calls his first disciples from among the fisher folk and promises to make them fishers of people. From this point on, fishing will be a powerful metaphor in the gospel. Perhaps in your sermon as well?
* * *
Fun Fishing Facts
The kind of fishing spoken of in the New Testament was not the recreational fishing upon which we spend thousands of dollars each year to fill our weekends. No, it was commercial fishing, hard work done with nets, to make a living. Nevertheless, here are some fun facts about fishing as we know it:
Commercial Fishing, Today
Commercial fishing as it was done in first century Capernaum probably had little impact on the environment and the hydro-ecosystem of the area. Both the small scale and the primitive methods of the fishing made it relatively safe. Today, however, there is much controversy about the impact of commercial fishing on the environment.
Editor-and-chief of Environment.co, Jane Marsh offers these pros and cons to be considered as we work to make commercial fishing both viable and sustainable.
Pros
1. Global Food Supply — Fish are a significant portion of the worldwide food supply. From Iceland to Malaysia, many people eat more fish than red meat. In countries with access to fresh seafood, fish contribute to a large percentage of daily protein intake.
2. Financial Impact — As of 2016, commercial fishing added $61 billion to the US GDP. The seafood industry historically has been a booming one, employing over a million people. It’s important in many rural regions around the United States and has a significant impact on local communities. In fact, many areas have historically relied on this sector for decades.
3. Protein Source — Seafood is a fantastic protein source, especially as an alternative to red meat. In the face of climate change, scientists are researching better ways to reduce meat consumption while still meeting daily protein recommendations.
Cons
1. Bycatching — An enormous amount of waste is generated due to bycatch, which is a term used to describe the many fish and other wildlife that are caught when catching a specific species, like tuna. Up to 40% of the world’s catch is bycatch, totaling around 63 billion pounds annually.
2. Habitat Destruction — All types of catching implements come with environmental impacts. Of the net-catching methods, bottom trawling and dredging often destroy sensitive ecosystems that do not respond well to disturbance. Often, commercial operations wreak havoc on aquatic life, often affecting other species without realizing it.
3. Climate Change — Rising temperatures of sea water are threatening entire species of fish, especially in the tropics. Commercial fishing enterprises need to be mindful of what fish are affected and how many of those are being harvested each year.
Marsh Concludes:
Commercial fisheries can be operated sustainably, but it will require significant changes in global methods and regulation. Considering how many people rely on seafood as a major protein source, protecting aquatic life and advocating for environmentally friendly methods should be the main focus moving forward.
* * *
1 Corinthians 1: 10-18
Paul appeals to the Corinthian Christians to stop bickering and fighting among themselves. The church of Jesus Christ is under constant scrutiny from the world and can ill afford to be seen as fractious and divided.
* * *
Reorganized Religion
In his book, Reorganized Religion, journalist Bob Smietana documents the decline of Christianity as a powerful force in the United States and offers reasons why this has happened, which are legion. One of the chief reasons Christianity is dying in this country, however, is infighting and arguing among Christians, most of which is political fighting only thinly disguised as theological.
He points out that religious communities that are thriving and growing are those that have discovered how to live together in peace through service.
When a disaster hits a region, he observes, people come together to save and serve the victims. When you’re in a tent, serving food to people whose homes have been destroyed by a tornado, you don’t ask or care whether the person standing next to you and helping in the food line believes in the virgin birth or some miracle that is attributed to Jesus.
Likewise, when you bring your chainsaw to help remove fallen trees from streets and roads, you don’t seek out the Christian homes only or the Muslim streets only. Everyone works together to help those who are hurt.
This, Smietana observes, is more of what the gospel is about than theological orthodoxy.
* * *
Isaiah 9:1-4 and Matthew 4:12-23
In both of these passages the tribes/territories of Zebulun and Naphtali are mentioned not because of how grand and great they are but because of how humble they are. These two were considered the lesser of the 12 tribes and their territories on the fringe of life and culture among the Jews. Yet, it is to these regions that Jesus fled for safety and renewal.
* * *
Worst Place to Live In America
Worldatlas.com used data about health care, education, economy, opportunity, infrastructure, crime, fiscal stability, and quality of life to determine which states are the best and worst to live in.
Here are the 10 lowest ranked states in the United States. What we might call the Zebulun and Naphtali of the US. Starting from the worst and moving up:
* * * * * *
WORSHIP
by George Reed
Call to Worship
One: God is our light and our salvation; whom shall we fear?
All: God is the stronghold of our life; of whom shall we be afraid?
One: Hear, O Lord, when we cry aloud.
All: Be gracious to us and answer us!
One: “Come,” our heart says, “seek God’s face!”
All: Your face, O God, do we seek.
OR
One: “Come and dwell in me,” says God, the Almighty One.
All: We long to rest in the presence of our God.
One: There is rest in God but there is also the work of mission.
All: With God’s help we will join Christ in ministry.
One: When our home is in God we are at home in all creation.
All: We celebrate our place in God and in God’s work.
Hymns and Songs
All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name
UMH: 154/155
H82: 450/451
PH: 142/143
GTG: 263
AAHH: 292/293/294
NNBH: 3/5
NCH: 304
CH: 91/92
LBW: 328/329
ELW: 634
W&P: 100/106
AMEC: 4/5/6
Renew: 45
I Want to Walk as a Child of the Light
UMH: 206
H82: 490
GTG: 377
ELW: 815
W&P: 248
Renew: 152
Here I Am, Lord
UMH: 593
PH: 525
GTG: 69
AAHH: 567
CH: 452
ELW: 574
W&P: 559
Renew: 149
Lord, You Give the Great Commission
UMH: 584
H82: 528
PH: 29
GTG: 298
CH: 459
ELW: 579
W&P: 592
Renew: 305
This Is a Day of New Beginnings
UMH: 383
NCH: 417
CH: 518
W&P: 355
Pues Si Vivimos (When We Are Living)
UMH: 356
PH: 400
GTG: 822
NCH: 499
CH: 536
ELW: 639
W&P: 415
Pass It On
UMH: 572
NNBH: 417
CH: 477
W&P: 557
Sois la Semilla (You Are the Seed)
UMH: 583
NCH: 528
CH: 478
O Zion, Haste (O Christians, Haste)
UMH: 573
H82: 539
NNBH: 422
CH: 482
LBW: 397
ELW: 668
AMEC: 566
When the Church of Jesus
UMH: 592
CH: 470
ELW: 555
Sanctuary
CCB: 87
Renew: 185
People Need the Lord
CCB: 52
Music Resources Key
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
GTG: Glory to God, The 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 the true home of all creation:
Grant us the faith to trust in you as our security
so that we may go forth and do your will;
through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We praise you, O God, because you are the true home of all creation. In you we find our strength and our rightful place. Help us to trust in you so that we can go and do your will seeking the lost. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
One: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins and especially our failure to ground our lives in God.
All: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We too easily forget that it is in you that we live, and move, and have our being. We are so consumed by whether or not we have a physical dwelling place that we forget we live in you. Even when we do the good work of providing homes for those who are unhoused, we neglect helping them find shelter in you. Open our eyes and our hearts that we may dwell in you and so be faithful in seeking others for your realm. Amen.
One: God is our dwelling place for all eternity. Receive God’s loving grace and seek out those who you need to share it with.
Prayers of the People
Praise and glory, blessing and might are you, O God in whom all creation dwells. You are our foundation and our life.
(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 easily forget that it is in you that we live, and move, and have our being. We are so consumed by whether or not we have a physical dwelling place that we forget we live in you. Even when we do the good work of providing homes for those who are unhoused, we neglect helping them find shelter in you. Open our eyes and our hearts that we may dwell in you and so be faithful in seeking others for your realm.
We offer you thanks, O God, for all the ways you draw us into yourself so that we may find our home in you. We thank you for the stories of scripture that help us find our place in your world. We thank you for those you have sent into our lives to call us to you and your realm. We thank you for Jesus who teaches us how to dwell confidently in your Spirit so that we can share you love with all creation.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for one another in our need. We pray for those who do not have physical housing and those find their souls with no secure dwelling place. We pray for those who find their bodies no longer able to provide a place for them to dwell in. We pray for those who do not feel at home in their own skin. We pray for those who dwell in the midst of violence.
(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
Follow Me
by Tom Willadsen
Matthew 4:18-22
It is best if you have a microphone that you can move about the worship space with.
Once the children have gathered up front, look each of them in the eye, then say, “Follow me.” Turn your back on them and walk to a corner of the room. Do not look to see whether they are following you until you reach the corner. At this point you will need to take one of two courses.
If the kids have followed you, look the group over. Count them. Then turn and walk to another corner of the room. Chances are they will follow you again. Stop. Look the group over. Count them. Walk to another corner. Repeat the process. Conclude your field trip back where you started.
Ask why they followed you. Let them answer into the microphone so everyone can hear. Chances are they trust you; they’re used to playing along with your zany ideas; you’re a grown up and they should do what you say…expect answers like that. Then tell them about when Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee and he said to Simon and Andrew, “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.” Would they have followed Jesus then? Point out that the situation is quite different. Simon and Andrew quit their jobs to follow Jesus. So did James and John. They just walked off their jobs because Jesus told them they would fish for people. Maybe it would be easier to drop everything and follow Jesus if you had someone to go with you. I think it would be much harder to do it alone. Still, Jesus was a stranger to them and they left their jobs, homes and families to follow him. That took a lot of trust and courage — and faith.
If the kids have not followed, walk as far away from them as you can get with them still being able to see you. Ask them to come to you while you’re far away. If they didn’t follow you at the start, chances are they won’t come to you now. Tell them you’ll make them fish for people, make that sound like a really great idea. Come back to the kids and find out why they didn’t follow you. Reassure them that not following someone is usually a wise choice, which makes the first disciples’ willingness to follow Jesus immediately all the more amazing. Hold them up as models of faith.
Conclude with a prayer like this one:
Mighty God, help us to hear you when you ask us to follow you. Give us the faith to trust that you will guide us to be your children in the world. Amen.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, January 22, 2023 issue.
Copyright 2023 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.
- At Home in Capernaum by Chris Keating. When Jesus moves into the neighborhood, everything begins to change.
- Seeking God and Belonging by Katy Stenta based on Psalm 27:1, 4-9.
- Sermon illustrations by Mary Austin and Dean Feldmeyer.
- Worship resources by George Reed.
- Children's sermon: Follow Me by Tom Willadsen.
At Home in Capernaumby Chris Keating
Matthew 4:12-23
There’s a little detail in Matthew 4 that almost escapes notice. It’s an action-packed chapter of temptations in the wilderness, miraculous healings and the enlistment of the first disciples. Jesus’ fame is spreading “throughout Syria,” (v. 24) Matthew notes. In the midst of this activity, Matthew drops a little detail unique to his gospel. “He left Nazareth,” we are told, “and made his home in Capernaum by the sea.” (v. 13)
It sounds charming. After all, who doesn’t want a place by the water?
Yet Jesus’ relocation is not about setting up housekeeping in a seaside bungalow. He isn’t decorating with statues of gnomes in bathing suits or adding nautical flair to a beachside cabana. In centering Jesus’ life in a working-class fishing village that would never be featured on HGTV, Matthew is telegraphing an important message about the nature of kingdom. If Jerusalem was the equivalent of Manhattan or Los Angeles, then Capernaum was equivalent to the West Bronx or Compton. This is Gary, Indiana, not Chicago. Jesus is settling down in a flyover town the big shots would all ignore.
The gospel is all about location, location, location — and this location is especially vital. Living in Capernaum is a reminder that the kingdom of God is proclaimed in the marginal places of the world. It is also an invitation to remember that Jesus dwells with those most at risk in our world today: millions of refugees, immigrants searching for homelands, and rising numbers of working poor who are confronted with rising rents and threats of eviction.
Jesus is making a statement about his choice of locale. It’s a reminder that while celebrity A-listers are grabbing multimillion dollar estates in South Florida, many of their neighbors are being pushed out of the market. As celebrities like Sylvester Stallone, Ben Affleck, and Jennifer Lopez are purchasing elegant mansions along southern Florida’s golden coastlines, many of their neighbors can barely pay skyrocketing rents.
It's not just a problem in Florida. As 2023 dawns, no state has an adequate supply of affordable rental housing for the lowest income earners. A national housing crisis is looming, pushing us to reconsider the meaning of home.
Jesus choice to set up housekeeping in Galilee is yet one more reminder that God is dwelling with us. Emmanuel, God-with-us, is moving into the neighborhood.
In the News
The new year brings growing evidence of economic inequalities that might even shock Charles Dickens. It’s the best of times: prices for ultra-expensive houses have cooled a bit, and there are signs that buyers are beginning to feel more confident in making purchases. Mortgages are up, but prices have dropped, making some properties feel more attractive to buyers.
But for lower income groups, 2023 is also the worst of times: there remains an enormous racial disparity in home ownership in the United States, and evictions rates are surging across the country. In Florida, the cost of housing for the working poor or disabled now exceeds 50% of their income on average. In the second quarter of 2022, about 75% of white families reported owning homes, compared to 45% of Black families, 48% of Hispanic families, and 57% of non-Hispanic families of other races. Meanwhile, cities are enacting tougher anti-homelessness laws that have made homelessness illegal in many of America’s bigger cities.
It’s never easy to live on the margins, and it seems as if things may be getting worse.
In California, more than 170,000 homeless people have faced climate-change related challenges this year. Recent storms and floods have pummeled California and forced the state’s unhoused population to fend for themselves in an unprecedented weather crisis.
Homelessness in America continues to grow, as do laws preventing people from living outside. A new law in Missouri took effect on January 1st that bans people from sleeping under bridges or in state-owned land. Like other stricter prohibitions on homelessness, the law is in part the result of growing numbers of unsheltered or visible homelessness. Missouri’s law has the double edge of also restricting state funding for permanent housing. "To take funding away from housing that has the appropriate resources attached to it is devastating, problematic and perpetuates the issue of homelessness," said Kathy Connors, executive director of Gateway180 shelter in St. Louis.
Criminalizing homelessness does little to solve the crisis. It reinforces the assumption that homeless people are mobile and able to move easily to new states or areas, even though experts note that most people experience homelessness in the community or area where they once were housed. Criminal penalties and jail time are barriers to employment, or securing subsidized housing.
Yet there is no constitutional guarantee to housing. Moreover, the more marginalized persons are squeezed out of homes, there are related impacts to employment, participation in the political system, and an overall threat to economic stability. Last December, Manoj Mate, a contributing writer to The Hill newspaper, pushed for Congress to approve a National Housing Security Act, to codify protections and rights for tenants. Similar laws have been passed in 67 cities and 31 states.
“We saw a glimpse of the possibility of federal power to address systemic crises during the Covid-19 pandemic,” Mate wrote. “The pandemic highlighted the day-to-day precarity that millions of Americans have been dealing with for decades. But at the same time, the pandemic also highlighted the weaknesses and shortcomings of our federal system and the temporary and limited nature of the national response to the eviction crisis during the pandemic.”
Meanwhile, the national crisis continues. “What is shelter?” asked Ramona Choyce, a 44-year old Oakland, California resident. She said she did not believe people should be forced to live in shelters. A reporter watched as she waded through ankle-deep waters to get back to her small recreational vehicle, parked inside a homeless encampment. She said she has pets and finds some security in the privacy of her own RV. “I can’t just give them away,” she said of her four dogs. “They’re my kids.”
Choyce’s question is haunting. What is shelter? What does it mean to dwell secure, or to find light shining in the shadow of death? These are the questions raised from the voices of those on the margins — the very voices with whom Jesus identifies as he settles down in Galilee of the Gentiles.
In the Scripture
Jesus is getting organized for mission and ministry in chapter four of Matthew’s gospel. The chapter is divided into four separate scenes, beginning with the Spirit’s leading him into the wilderness. By the time word comes that John the Baptist has been arrested, it is clear that Jesus is once more a threat to the empire. The word “withdrew” is the same word used previously by Matthew when Jesus’ family escapes Herod’s rage. Still, the idea is puzzling: how does withdrawing to Galilee — a region still under Herod’s control — ensure Jesus’ safety?
Jesus is not in hiding, however. Matthew sees this not only as a fulfilling of scripture, but also an indication of the eventual broadening of Jesus’ mission to include the Gentiles. The land, now occupied by Rome, remains deeply connected to God’s covenant to Israel. (See Warren Carter, “Commentary on Matthew 4:12-23”) This is the place where Jesus announces the arrival of the reign of God, a reminder of God’s dwelling with all people. Its arrival, not unlike John’s baptism, requires repentance — a turning toward the new thing God is doing.
God’s sovereignty will dismantle the systems created by Caesar, and will bring light to those who have been frightened and marginalized. The fisher folk Jesus soon encounters will hear this as a message of hope and release. No longer subject to the taxation schemes of the emperor, they will instead turn toward the God who dwells with the lowly. Likewise, as indicated by Jesus’ travels in verses 23-25, the message of this kingdom is good news to those held captive by disease and illness. When God moves into the neighborhood, things begin to change.
In the Sermon
It’s intriguing to reflect on the idea of Jesus being “at home” in Capernaum. It’s a brief, yet meaning-filled comment deserving of reflection. The notion of Jesus setting up housekeeping in a tiny village whose economic mainstay was a commodity tightly controlled by a foreign empire offers a unique preaching possibility in 2023.
The pandemic forced a reckoning with the image of being “at home.” For those privileged to have homes, the pandemic was either a forced retreat or a sentence of house arrest. But our images of home became infused with different layers: children went to school in their bedrooms, adults attended board meetings in dining rooms, journalists broadcast news from basements. On Sundays, preachers set up temporary sanctuaries in living rooms. Family time was reduced to the confines of Zoom screens.
But now we are learning that for some, home, to borrow from Robert Frost, is no longer the “place where, when you have to go there, they have to take you in.” For those forced out of apartments by evictions or skyrocketing rents, or for LGBTQ youth exiled by unaccepting families, home is the place where you are pushed away. Those who have no place to live also have no one who dwells with them. When homelessness becomes a crime, but housing remains unaffordable, what is shelter?
Jesus identified with those living in marginal places. He realized, as we also know, that those situations create serious risks to physical health. People living in marginal housing situations are at much higher risk of stroke and cognitive difficulties. No wonder, after Jesus got done unpacking his stuff, he began to proclaim the end of one empire and the arrival of another.
A sermon could helpfully challenge our churches to consider the housing crisis and the dilemma faced by those who are homeless. It could also remind us that the places where God dwells are not the places where the powerful hang out. When God moves into the neighborhood, things begin to change. For congregations that have retreated from their neighborhoods, it may be helpful to be challenged into considering, “Where is God dwelling in our neck of the woods?”
What is shelter? What is home? As we hear the calling of Jesus in our lives, we are invited to consider these questions with fresh urgency.
* * * * *
SECOND THOUGHTSSeeking God and Belonging
by Katy Stenta
Psalm 27:1, 4-9; 1 Corinthians 1:10-18
What does it mean to “seek after to live in the house of the Lord to behold the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple?” (v. 4). Seeking God these days is hard, there are so many factions in society. Its hard to hide in the shelter of God if you don’t know whether or not you belong. Research shows that human beings tend to believe after they feel like they belong.
So the question of who do you belong to in 1 Corinthians 1:10-18 is not a new one, but rather an old one. Perhaps it is the oldest one. Last week it was established that Jesus belonged to God in baptism, so too is the good news of our own baptism. In a political world where our divide is more than ever and in a time when our economic divide is similarly increasing, the question of belonging seems more important than ever.
This question is what fueled the insurrection on January 6th as well as Brazil. This question is what drives people to immigrate in terrible conditions, they want a place to be safe and belong. This drive to find home and safety is innate, and beautiful.
Meanwhile, we seek to live in the house of God. We want to be at home with God and Jesus. Jesus himself makes a home in a Capernaum before he starts his ministry, before he calls his disciples, after being baptized (Matthew 1:13). There is a lot that can be said about the fact that Jesus makes his home by the water, by the Sea of Galilee, a freshwater source of life. Water, as you know, is very important to Jesus’s ministry — from baptism to the idea that Jesus himself is the living water. The idea of Jesus, who often retreated to lakes for solace, made his home upon the water. We humans love to live by the water.
“‘Come,’ my heart says, ‘seek his face!’ Your face, Lord, do I seek. Do not hide your face from me.” (Psalm 27:7-9) Who does not want a safe home to live in? The psalm suggests that at home with God means being able to see beauty. If there is not beauty, if it’s violent or unequal, it’s probably because we’ve lost track of seeking God’s house. But a home by the water, a place to see beauty and solace, a time to retreat before ministry, all of these things ring true of home. Hopefully we can end where the psalmist does, “I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.” (Psalm 27:13) This helps us to know that we can “wait for the Lord” even in the midst of divisiveness and greed. We can “be strong, and let your heart take courage.” (Psalm 27:14)
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Mary Austin:1 Corinthians 1:10-18
Division
Division is as old as the church itself, Paul’s letter reveals. A program called Bridging the Gap aims to teach people how to communicate across our divisions, and its most powerful tools are storytelling and deep listening. Most of us, they note, have never been trained to listen to other people.
Listening deeply “means silencing that noise, listening not just with your ears but with every sense you’ve got, every cell in your body. It means listening to all that is said and unsaid, to the body language, the tone, the eye movement. It’s full-body listening. This type of listening builds trust, opens doors, and offers a path to deep discovery and a sacred connection that forms the basis for new understandings and otherwise unimaginable possibilities.”
In turn, storytelling humanizes “a potential opponent” in our eyes and vice versa. We kept it simple but taught that good storytelling includes telling your story like a good play, in three acts:
- meet the characters;
- understand the challenge or conflict;
- seek the resolution.
* * *
Matthew 4:12-23
Friendship
When Jesus calls his disciples he’s also creating a circle of friends who will strengthen his ministry. Researcher and author Marisa Franco says that she often wonders how adults make friends — if we’re not Jesus. She says, “I’ve lived my 20s as a part-time nomad, flip-flopping between New York City and Washington, DC, wandering around Haiti for two summers, and spending six months in Trinidad and Tobago. I settled in Atlanta for my first job as a college professor. What I was most anxious about during all of these trips was never culture shock or homesickness. It was making friends. I would be haunted by visions of myself, isolated, in a new city or country.”
Dr. Franco says that having friends takes work, and “friendships don’t just happen. In fact, the belief that they happen organically can hinder our chances of making friends. One study found that believing that friendship happens based on luck was related to more loneliness five years later, whereas believing that friendship takes effort was related to less loneliness. Why? The people who believed making friends took effort put the effort in. They showed up at events and were intentional about making connections.”
She adds, “If you think a group is cliquey or unfriendly, ask yourself what you’ve done to engage with them. If you’ve tried and they’ve turned you down, then that conclusion may be warranted. But if you’ve kept to yourself and are resentful because no one has approached you, then it’s time to take ownership for forming the connection.” Jesus models this for us, too!
* * *
Matthew 4:12-23
Home
Jesus has a home! We’re so accustomed to thinking about him on the road all the time that Matthew’s mention that Jesus settles down in Capernaum is easy to miss. Having a place to call home is powerful, as formerly unhoused people are discovering in Detroit. Non-profit is building tiny homes. “For just $1 per square foot, people who are unhoused, people with disabilities, youth aging out of foster care, veterans, or those formerly incarcerated gain new accessibility to home ownership.” The new residents need some form of income “between $7,000 and $12,000 per year, the ability to pay rent and electric bills, meet regularly with financial coaches, and volunteer at least eight hours a month in the community…After seven years, the tiny home and the land on which it rests are deeded to the resident, mortgage-free, and one more person has transitioned from a place of housing insecurity to place of housing equity. For many making that transition, it’s the first time they’ve ever owned a home.”
Having a home is a gift to the spirit, and in this case, “Also functions as an anti-poverty program. Unlike most any other low-income housing across the country, these homes represent a strategic wealth-building opportunity, and don’t penalize tenants when their annual incomes rise above $12,000.” In fact, the residents are encouraged to make and save more money, possibly benefitting the next generation in the family.
* * *
Matthew 4:12-23
Friendship, Part Two
When Jesus meets the people who will become his close circle he invites them to come along saying, “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.” Matthew tells us that they respond “immediately.” In contrast, as we're reeling from the pandemic, we’re less likely to respond generously to each other. A new study says that the pandemic “triggered much greater shifts in personality than we would expect to have seen naturally over this period. In particular, the researchers found that people were less extroverted, less open, less agreeable, and less conscientious in 2021 and 2022 compared with before the pandemic.”
Our pandemic suffering is not just physical. “If we look more closely, the pandemic appears to have negatively affected the following areas:
• our ability to express sympathy and kindness toward others (agreeableness);
• our capacity to be open to new concepts and willing to engage in novel situations (openness);
• our tendency to seek out and enjoy other people’s company (extraversion);
• our desire to strive toward our goals, do tasks well, or take responsibilities toward others seriously (conscientiousness).”
We could use a dose of the disciples’ openness, as we engage with each other again.
* * * * * *
From team member Dean Feldmeyer:Matthew 4:12-23
In this passage, Matthew tells us that Jesus “…left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the sea….” We rarely think of Jesus as having a home but there it is. Whether the home in question is really what we think of as a home or simply a temporary base of operations, we cannot deny the fact that, even to Jesus, home was an important concept.
* * *
Home Ownership In the USA
Here are 8 interesting facts about home ownership in the USA and abroad:
- From 2009 to 2019, the US home ownership rate decreased by 2.1%.
- The average age of American homeowners is 54.
- In 59% of US housing markets, renting costs less than buying a home.
- The USA home ownership rate is 67.9%.
- Only 32% of American millennial households own their homes.
- Delaware has the highest rate of home ownership by state.
- In 2020, the African-American home ownership rate was 47%.
- Romania holds the record for the highest percentage of homeowners.
She’s Coming Home
Several years ago, an acquaintance of my wife and I lost their daughter who had moved to a different part of the country to go to college. Several weeks into the first semester, just three weeks before Christmas, she was murdered by her boyfriend in a drug induced jealous rage, who then took his own life.
A few days before Christmas we attended a concert by the Tran-Siberian Orchestra. It was a beautiful concert and we loved the music but the high point for us was the song, “She’s Coming Home for Christmas Day.” As we listened, we gave thanks that our daughter really was coming home for Christmas and we prayed for comfort for our friend and his family whose daughter was not.
The lyrics begin:
So, tell me Christmas
Are we wise
To believe in things we never see
Are prayers just wishes in disguise
And are these wishes being granted me
For now I see
The answering
To every prayer I've prayed
She's coming home this
Christmas Day
My favorite performance of the song (by Russell Allen) can be found on YouTube.
* * *
ET Go Home
Perhaps no modern movie has expressed the importance of home as well as the Stephen Spielberg classic, “ET.”
In it a little child from another planet crash lands his space ship into earth and is rescued and secretly adopted by the children of a human family who name him “ET” (Extraterrestrial). Their relationship with the little traveler develops and improves as he learns to communicate with them in a few English words.
No words are so important to him, however, as these that he recites over and over as he points to the sky: “E.T. go home.” From the first time he says them through the end of the movie the kids who are now his friends apply themselves to the task of helping him communicate with his family so he can “go home.”
* * *
Matthew 4:12-23
In the same sentence as emphasized above, Matthew tells us that Jesus makes his home in Capernaum by the sea. There is something about water that calms and revitalizes the human soul when we are near it.
* * *
Drawn To The Water
Dr. Wallace J. Nichols has spent most of his adult life studying the relationship of humans to water and has found that “since humans started exploring the planet, we’ve followed the water. Crossing oceans gave way to new discoveries and changed the course of history; chasing rivers opened our horizons. As travelers, we seek waterways on vacation, driving new coastlines in search of wild surf spots. We return to familiar "blue spaces" we grew up around. Month after month, water graces the covers of travel magazines…”
In real estate, he points out, a water view tacks a 116.1% premium on a property; and real-world figures suggest we’re willing to pay 10 to 20 percent more for the same room with a sea view in a hotel.
Our love of water, it turns out, is pervasive, and the reasons behind why we travel — and rack up vast credit card bills — to be by the water can be hard to articulate. “You’re paying for a feeling,” Nichols tells Condé Nast Traveler. “When you ask people to describe that feeling, it’s hard for them to describe other than to say they really like it, need it, and are willing to pay a lot of money for it.”
* * *
Follow The Water
I have retained little of what I learned from being a Boy Scout, but this one thing has, for some reason, stuck with me through the decades. It was spoken by our scout master, an ex-Army Ranger: “If you’re ever lost in the wilderness, find the water and follow it in the direction it flows. Eventually, you’ll find people, because people always settle around water.”
Turns out, my scout master was right. We are drawn to water. It gives us a sense of peace. It renews and reenergizes us. There’s even a name for the sense of calm that we tend to have when we are near water: Blue Mind.
Wallace J. Nichols, Ph.D., has spent most of his career studying the Blue Mind phenomenon and has even written a book about it called — you guessed it — Blue Mind. One of his favorite things to ask people is, “What is your water?” and, he says, it turns out that nearly everyone has an answer. Everyone has a particular body of water to which they like to return to find renewal.
While water makes up about 70% of the human body (and about 70% of Earth), it also comprises 31 percent of our bones. “When we are by the water it…cuts us off from the rattle and hum of modern society,” says Nichols. “Moving water is expert at masking noise, especially the sound of the human voice,” he says, noting that the human voice is considered the number one source of workplace stress.
Offering us an auditory break, water even helps us fall asleep. “There is some research that says people may sleep better when they are adjacent to nature,” explains W. Christopher Winter, M.D., author of The Sleep Solution. “No wonder sleep machines always feature the sounds of rain, the ocean, or a flowing river.” One small study out of Northwestern University found that people who fell asleep listening to "pink noise" — sounds like rushing water or rain falling on pavement — not only slept more deeply but the experience also boosted their memories.
* * *
Matthew 4:12-23
Jesus leaves Nazareth and makes his home in Capernaum, a fishing village, where he calls his first disciples from among the fisher folk and promises to make them fishers of people. From this point on, fishing will be a powerful metaphor in the gospel. Perhaps in your sermon as well?
* * *
Fun Fishing Facts
The kind of fishing spoken of in the New Testament was not the recreational fishing upon which we spend thousands of dollars each year to fill our weekends. No, it was commercial fishing, hard work done with nets, to make a living. Nevertheless, here are some fun facts about fishing as we know it:
- Fish can swim backward.
- The first fishing hooks were made out of bone, stone, or wood.
- The most expensive fish in the world is the Bluefin tuna, which sells at between $20 and $200 per pound.
- Black marlin, sailfish, and swordfish: The speed demons of the sea reaching speeds in excess of 70 MPH.
- There are over 20,000 fish species in the oceans.
- The first fishing rod was a wooden pole and was used in Egypt China more than 4,000 years ago. Reels didn’t come into play until about 1600.
- Bananas don’t keep the fish away. The superstition was probably born of the fact that picking and shipping was dangerous work at which people often died but instead of blaming the working conditions, people blamed the cargo.
- The Greenland shark is the grandpa of the seas and can live up to 200 years.
- No fishing at the Dead Sea, it’s too salty for fish to survive in it. The Sea of Galilee, however, is a freshwater lake that is, even today, a great place to fish.
- Anglers spend over 300 million dollars on ice to keep fish they have caught cool.
- The name anglers come from the old English word “angle” which means hook.
- Anglers spend 7.4 billion dollars per year on fishing gear in the US alone.
- All anglers have a “lucky hat,” or so it seems.
Commercial Fishing, Today
Commercial fishing as it was done in first century Capernaum probably had little impact on the environment and the hydro-ecosystem of the area. Both the small scale and the primitive methods of the fishing made it relatively safe. Today, however, there is much controversy about the impact of commercial fishing on the environment.
Editor-and-chief of Environment.co, Jane Marsh offers these pros and cons to be considered as we work to make commercial fishing both viable and sustainable.
Pros
1. Global Food Supply — Fish are a significant portion of the worldwide food supply. From Iceland to Malaysia, many people eat more fish than red meat. In countries with access to fresh seafood, fish contribute to a large percentage of daily protein intake.
2. Financial Impact — As of 2016, commercial fishing added $61 billion to the US GDP. The seafood industry historically has been a booming one, employing over a million people. It’s important in many rural regions around the United States and has a significant impact on local communities. In fact, many areas have historically relied on this sector for decades.
3. Protein Source — Seafood is a fantastic protein source, especially as an alternative to red meat. In the face of climate change, scientists are researching better ways to reduce meat consumption while still meeting daily protein recommendations.
Cons
1. Bycatching — An enormous amount of waste is generated due to bycatch, which is a term used to describe the many fish and other wildlife that are caught when catching a specific species, like tuna. Up to 40% of the world’s catch is bycatch, totaling around 63 billion pounds annually.
2. Habitat Destruction — All types of catching implements come with environmental impacts. Of the net-catching methods, bottom trawling and dredging often destroy sensitive ecosystems that do not respond well to disturbance. Often, commercial operations wreak havoc on aquatic life, often affecting other species without realizing it.
3. Climate Change — Rising temperatures of sea water are threatening entire species of fish, especially in the tropics. Commercial fishing enterprises need to be mindful of what fish are affected and how many of those are being harvested each year.
Marsh Concludes:
Commercial fisheries can be operated sustainably, but it will require significant changes in global methods and regulation. Considering how many people rely on seafood as a major protein source, protecting aquatic life and advocating for environmentally friendly methods should be the main focus moving forward.
* * *
1 Corinthians 1: 10-18
Paul appeals to the Corinthian Christians to stop bickering and fighting among themselves. The church of Jesus Christ is under constant scrutiny from the world and can ill afford to be seen as fractious and divided.
* * *
Reorganized Religion
In his book, Reorganized Religion, journalist Bob Smietana documents the decline of Christianity as a powerful force in the United States and offers reasons why this has happened, which are legion. One of the chief reasons Christianity is dying in this country, however, is infighting and arguing among Christians, most of which is political fighting only thinly disguised as theological.
He points out that religious communities that are thriving and growing are those that have discovered how to live together in peace through service.
When a disaster hits a region, he observes, people come together to save and serve the victims. When you’re in a tent, serving food to people whose homes have been destroyed by a tornado, you don’t ask or care whether the person standing next to you and helping in the food line believes in the virgin birth or some miracle that is attributed to Jesus.
Likewise, when you bring your chainsaw to help remove fallen trees from streets and roads, you don’t seek out the Christian homes only or the Muslim streets only. Everyone works together to help those who are hurt.
This, Smietana observes, is more of what the gospel is about than theological orthodoxy.
* * *
Isaiah 9:1-4 and Matthew 4:12-23
In both of these passages the tribes/territories of Zebulun and Naphtali are mentioned not because of how grand and great they are but because of how humble they are. These two were considered the lesser of the 12 tribes and their territories on the fringe of life and culture among the Jews. Yet, it is to these regions that Jesus fled for safety and renewal.
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Worst Place to Live In America
Worldatlas.com used data about health care, education, economy, opportunity, infrastructure, crime, fiscal stability, and quality of life to determine which states are the best and worst to live in.
Here are the 10 lowest ranked states in the United States. What we might call the Zebulun and Naphtali of the US. Starting from the worst and moving up:
- Louisiana
- Mississippi
- New Mexico
- West Virginia
- Alabama
- Arkansas
- Alaska
- Oklahoma
- South Carolina
- Kentucky
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WORSHIPby George Reed
Call to Worship
One: God is our light and our salvation; whom shall we fear?
All: God is the stronghold of our life; of whom shall we be afraid?
One: Hear, O Lord, when we cry aloud.
All: Be gracious to us and answer us!
One: “Come,” our heart says, “seek God’s face!”
All: Your face, O God, do we seek.
OR
One: “Come and dwell in me,” says God, the Almighty One.
All: We long to rest in the presence of our God.
One: There is rest in God but there is also the work of mission.
All: With God’s help we will join Christ in ministry.
One: When our home is in God we are at home in all creation.
All: We celebrate our place in God and in God’s work.
Hymns and Songs
All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name
UMH: 154/155
H82: 450/451
PH: 142/143
GTG: 263
AAHH: 292/293/294
NNBH: 3/5
NCH: 304
CH: 91/92
LBW: 328/329
ELW: 634
W&P: 100/106
AMEC: 4/5/6
Renew: 45
I Want to Walk as a Child of the Light
UMH: 206
H82: 490
GTG: 377
ELW: 815
W&P: 248
Renew: 152
Here I Am, Lord
UMH: 593
PH: 525
GTG: 69
AAHH: 567
CH: 452
ELW: 574
W&P: 559
Renew: 149
Lord, You Give the Great Commission
UMH: 584
H82: 528
PH: 29
GTG: 298
CH: 459
ELW: 579
W&P: 592
Renew: 305
This Is a Day of New Beginnings
UMH: 383
NCH: 417
CH: 518
W&P: 355
Pues Si Vivimos (When We Are Living)
UMH: 356
PH: 400
GTG: 822
NCH: 499
CH: 536
ELW: 639
W&P: 415
Pass It On
UMH: 572
NNBH: 417
CH: 477
W&P: 557
Sois la Semilla (You Are the Seed)
UMH: 583
NCH: 528
CH: 478
O Zion, Haste (O Christians, Haste)
UMH: 573
H82: 539
NNBH: 422
CH: 482
LBW: 397
ELW: 668
AMEC: 566
When the Church of Jesus
UMH: 592
CH: 470
ELW: 555
Sanctuary
CCB: 87
Renew: 185
People Need the Lord
CCB: 52
Music Resources Key
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
GTG: Glory to God, The 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 the true home of all creation:
Grant us the faith to trust in you as our security
so that we may go forth and do your will;
through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We praise you, O God, because you are the true home of all creation. In you we find our strength and our rightful place. Help us to trust in you so that we can go and do your will seeking the lost. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
One: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins and especially our failure to ground our lives in God.
All: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We too easily forget that it is in you that we live, and move, and have our being. We are so consumed by whether or not we have a physical dwelling place that we forget we live in you. Even when we do the good work of providing homes for those who are unhoused, we neglect helping them find shelter in you. Open our eyes and our hearts that we may dwell in you and so be faithful in seeking others for your realm. Amen.
One: God is our dwelling place for all eternity. Receive God’s loving grace and seek out those who you need to share it with.
Prayers of the People
Praise and glory, blessing and might are you, O God in whom all creation dwells. You are our foundation and our life.
(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 easily forget that it is in you that we live, and move, and have our being. We are so consumed by whether or not we have a physical dwelling place that we forget we live in you. Even when we do the good work of providing homes for those who are unhoused, we neglect helping them find shelter in you. Open our eyes and our hearts that we may dwell in you and so be faithful in seeking others for your realm.
We offer you thanks, O God, for all the ways you draw us into yourself so that we may find our home in you. We thank you for the stories of scripture that help us find our place in your world. We thank you for those you have sent into our lives to call us to you and your realm. We thank you for Jesus who teaches us how to dwell confidently in your Spirit so that we can share you love with all creation.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for one another in our need. We pray for those who do not have physical housing and those find their souls with no secure dwelling place. We pray for those who find their bodies no longer able to provide a place for them to dwell in. We pray for those who do not feel at home in their own skin. We pray for those who dwell in the midst of violence.
(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 SERMONFollow Me
by Tom Willadsen
Matthew 4:18-22
It is best if you have a microphone that you can move about the worship space with.
Once the children have gathered up front, look each of them in the eye, then say, “Follow me.” Turn your back on them and walk to a corner of the room. Do not look to see whether they are following you until you reach the corner. At this point you will need to take one of two courses.
If the kids have followed you, look the group over. Count them. Then turn and walk to another corner of the room. Chances are they will follow you again. Stop. Look the group over. Count them. Walk to another corner. Repeat the process. Conclude your field trip back where you started.
Ask why they followed you. Let them answer into the microphone so everyone can hear. Chances are they trust you; they’re used to playing along with your zany ideas; you’re a grown up and they should do what you say…expect answers like that. Then tell them about when Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee and he said to Simon and Andrew, “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.” Would they have followed Jesus then? Point out that the situation is quite different. Simon and Andrew quit their jobs to follow Jesus. So did James and John. They just walked off their jobs because Jesus told them they would fish for people. Maybe it would be easier to drop everything and follow Jesus if you had someone to go with you. I think it would be much harder to do it alone. Still, Jesus was a stranger to them and they left their jobs, homes and families to follow him. That took a lot of trust and courage — and faith.
If the kids have not followed, walk as far away from them as you can get with them still being able to see you. Ask them to come to you while you’re far away. If they didn’t follow you at the start, chances are they won’t come to you now. Tell them you’ll make them fish for people, make that sound like a really great idea. Come back to the kids and find out why they didn’t follow you. Reassure them that not following someone is usually a wise choice, which makes the first disciples’ willingness to follow Jesus immediately all the more amazing. Hold them up as models of faith.
Conclude with a prayer like this one:
Mighty God, help us to hear you when you ask us to follow you. Give us the faith to trust that you will guide us to be your children in the world. Amen.
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The Immediate Word, January 22, 2023 issue.
Copyright 2023 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.
