Abram's Journey With God -- And Ours
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It's difficult to watch the unfolding news from Japan and not be humbled by the overwhelming power of nature... and be frightened by the looming specter of a possible nuclear meltdown. The immense scale of suffering and destruction wrought by one of the most powerful earthquakes in a century and a resulting tsunami is becoming increasingly apparent -- and while the loss of life may not be quite as enormous as with the Haitian earthquake or the giant Christmas tsunami of several years ago, the tasks of recovery and rebuilding may take decades... even for an economically and technologically advanced society that's relatively well equipped to cope with the devastation.
It's all so difficult to wrap our minds around -- and yet, this week's lectionary readings may offer some comfort and solace as we look for something to bolster our sense of hope and security. In a style reminiscent of Sgt. Joe Friday ("just the facts, ma'am"), the brief Genesis passage details God's call to Abram and Abram's response. Abram's journey has a lot in common with those of immigrants in our day -- who leave the familiar surroundings of home ("your country and your kindred and your father's house") on a perilous and uncertain journey to a new place ("the land that I shall show you") that holds the promise of rich rewards. In this installment of The Immediate Word, team member Ron Love notes that Abram's journey is also an apt metaphor for our journey during Lent, as we make the arduous journey toward Calvary and anticipate the ultimate blessing of Jesus' sacrifice and resurrection. But even in the face of unimaginable suffering -- such as what the Japanese people are struggling with -- we can, like Abram, count with certainty on the blessings we will receive from placing our faith in the Almighty and "being born from above." Even though we are on an uncertain journey filled with questions, we will not be disappointed -- and the proof is outlined in God's promises in the Genesis passage, fleshed out in the Psalm (in which God's promises are repeatedly described as being "kept"), and elucidated on further by Paul (who summarizes his discourse by saying "For this reason it depends on faith"). Team member Mary Austin shares some additional thoughts on this week's Psalm, which poses the timely question of where we can look to for help in a time of despair. Mary points out that the Psalmist's definitive answer -- "My help comes from the Lord" -- is vital to keep in mind... not only for the Japanese people who need so much assistance, but also for us on our individual journeys of faith.
An Uncertain Journey
by Ronald H. Love
Genesis 12:1-4a
THE WORLD
Uncertain journeys are prevalent throughout the world this week. The populace of Egypt is on a journey to form a democratic government, but with the influence of the Islamic Brotherhood will they find themselves in the land of a theocracy? Libya's rebel forces are on a journey for independence from a tyrannical ruler, but with billions of dollars ready for his military defense and an overpowering air force will they find themselves slaughtered on the field of battle? The Roman Catholic church is on a journey to rid itself of pedophile priests, but with an immovable bureaucracy will they continue to be shuffled from parish to parish? The Republicans and governor of Wisconsin are on a journey to end unions and collective bargaining, but will it end with a policy of social injustice? The police are on a journey to retrace the steps of the East Coast rapist, but will they ever discover all of the victims? In these journeys, will the victimized discover some redemptive resurrection?
Japan has been on a journey for decades to protect itself from earthquakes, as the country lies at the juncture of three fault lines. Yet even the strictest building codes for any country to prevent buildings from collapsing and 40% of its 22,000 miles of coastline protected by a seawall to stop the devastation of a tsunami proved insufficient for an 8.9-magnitude earthquake. John Schwartz, in an article for the New York Times titled "The Limits of Safeguards and Human Foresight," wrote: "The sobering fact is that megadisasters like the Japanese earthquake can overcome the best efforts of our species to protect against them." With an estimated 10,000 dead and billions of dollars of destruction, Japan now has an even longer journey in recovery. There is a promised land of rebuilt cities, but the journey will be harsh and taxing.
THE WORD
As we continue our journey in Lent we are not unlike Abram, leaving behind that which is familiar for an uncertain future. But the future for Abram came with a promise -- a promise that he would be delivered to a land flowing with milk and honey, and that his offspring would outnumber the stars in the night sky. Yet these blessings did not just magically materialize, for they were accompanied by skepticism, struggle, and much sorrow. The promise given to us is not as tangible as a parcel of land, but our promise is just as real. We are not promised wealth and celebrity status, nor are we promised a life absent of hardship and heartache, but we do have the greatest promise of all -- the Resurrection. We know that whatever is discouraging and unfortunate that befalls us, we can resurrect some good from it. And in the end, we know we will pass from the church militant to the church triumphant. So in many ways, we do walk the same path as Abram.
It can only be hoped for our fellow citizens across the globe that those who have embarked on a journey for freedom and others for the rights of workers and others to recover their lost homes, there will be a resurrection. Be it a physical, emotional, or spiritual journey, it can only be hoped that our resting destination will be that of Abraham's.
CRAFTING THE SERMON
As you prepare your sermon for this week, consider all of the different journeys that are taking place throughout the world. Then focus on the individual journeys of your congregants. Next, discuss the hardships and struggles that each journey imposes. Conclude on a message of hope, as Abraham came into the land of promise, others will find similar spiritual wealth and security. It may not be the land that they imagined it to be, but in the promise of the resurrection it will be a land flowing with milk and honey.
SECOND THOUGHTS
by Mary Austin
Psalm 121
"I lift up my eyes to the hills -- from where will my help come?"
Surely one of the most famous lines in scripture, this psalm is often read at hospital bedsides and funerals. The recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan render it even more poignant, as the people of Japan wonder about the source of immediate help with food, water, shelter, and news about loved ones, and about the longer-term help with rebuilding after such devastation.
This psalm is located among the "Songs of Ascent," Psalms 120-134. Scholars believe that this was originally a separate book of songs, added later to the Psalter. Many scholars suggest that this small collection was used by travelers going to Jerusalem. In an article about this psalm, James Limburg of Luther Northwestern Theological Seminary quotes the work of Klaus Seybold, suggesting that "Psalms 120-122 are concerned with setting out, 123-132 fit the situation 'again on Mount Zion,' and 133 and 134 are suited for the time of farewell."
Limburg, again quoting Seybold, notes that these Psalms are all short, with an average of seven verses -- much shorter than the rest of the Psalter. "Many of these psalms have a formal conclusion, consisting of a blessing, a confession, or a hymnic sentence." This collection of psalms has numerous references to Zion, and the speaker often calls upon the Lord.
The imagery in this collection of psalms references everyday life -- farming, housework, building, along with festivals and celebration. Notes Limburg: "The God whom these psalms address and about whom they speak is the mighty creator of the heavens and the earth... That God is also the powerful Deliverer who has rescued Israel from their enemies in warfare... But the primary impression one gets in listening to these psalms is that this mighty Creator and Deliverer is also a God who is close at hand, who cares about the everyday concerns of [the] people, who blesses them with those things needed for a happy and successful life."
It may be that this is a psalm of farewell, as one party sets out on the journey and another blesses the trip and the traveler. Limburg imagines that the psalm might function as a dialogue, with verses 1-2 said by the one leaving for the journey, and verses 3-8 spoken by the one saying good-bye. The latter verses function as a farewell blessing, with the promise that "the Lord will watch over your going out and your coming in" (v. 8). We later readers can be assured that God watches over not just the original traveler, but all who leave home for another place.
The setting of this psalm in Lent prompts us to consider the journey aspect of the Psalm as we make our own journey toward Easter. J. Clinton McCann Jr. writes that the ascent psalms "probably originated as a pilgrimage collection" (Feasting on the Word, Year A, Volume 2, p. 57). If the Psalm were intended to be sung on the journey toward Jerusalem and the temple, the words may be encouragement for the journey, as well as a farewell at the start of it. He notes the possibility that the writer can see Mount Zion in the distance, "the destination of the pilgrimage."
If so, we might ask ourselves about our own destination in Lent. We're headed for Easter, of course, but where else? When Easter comes and we can eat chocolate or potato chips again, or lay down the spiritual practice we took up for Lent, where have we traveled? The sense of ascending, built into the psalm, invites us to do more than end up right where we started. If we end up captive to the same habits that we use as a pacifier, or the same beliefs that keep us from the fullness of God's embrace, we haven't found the gift in Lent's desert journey. The vision of a journey calls us to think about where we're going.
The Psalm might also call us to renew our trust in the God who "keeps our life... our coming in and our going out." Our lives are full of moments of coming and going. In an immediate sense, we come and go all day to school, work, sporting events, and medical appointments, often rushing, so stressed that we forget the God who is mindful of our travels through the day. In a larger sense, we go in and out of military service, school, health, marriage or partnership, parenthood, and finally life itself. The psalm offers us the beautiful reminder that God is mindful of all that.
Our Lenten journey is about drawing closer to the God who is at the beginning and the end of the journey, and is our certain help along the way, and about seeing where God is leading us. This psalm is an evocative traveling companion, pointing us back to the God who is both our help along the way, and our final destination.
ILLUSTRATIONS
No doubt many of our faithful are asking some theological questions as we witness the aftermath of the terrible earthquakes that have hit Japan this past week.†Where is God in all this?†How can a loving God let something like this happen?
A reporter once asked writer and holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel how, after the Holocaust, he could still believe in God.†Wiesel answered, "After the Holocaust, what else is there to believe in?"†Faith in God is that power which keeps us going when all other powers have been rendered powerless by the destructive forces of nature and the evil inclinations of humankind. It is the voice that pronounces the word "nevertheless" over all our trials.
* * *
This week's lectionary passages cluster around the biblical idea of faith. Probably the greatest passage of faith in the Bible is that wonderful passage in Hebrews 11. In a hard time of disillusionment and difficulty when apostasy was a serious problem for the struggling church, the author of Hebrews pens a written oratorio of faith. It begins: "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." This is followed, of course, by that great roll call of faith: Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, and on and on it goes. We could add our own roll call today, couldn't we? It's a list of people who dared to plod and go on against all sorts of difficulties: Nelson Mandela, Mother Teresa, Archbishop Bernardin, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Martin Luther King -- and that little man in the house around the corner who lovingly attended his wife with Alzheimer's for years, and when she died took care in the same loving way of her sister. You might think of people in your own roll call of faith.
* * *
Writing for the National Journal in 2008, Ashley Johnson noted that "it's the broken promises that people often remember. In 1992, Clinton promised 'the most ethical administration' in history. His predecessor, George H.W. Bush, famously vowed 'No new taxes' in the run-up to the 1988 election, and then raised taxes while in office. Going back further, Franklin D. Roosevelt reneged on his 1932 campaign pledges to maintain a balanced budget and to cut government operations by 25%. Herbert Hoover ran in 1928 with the slogan 'Vote for prosperity' and predicted 'a final triumph over poverty'; the next year, the nation plunged into the Great Depression. 'Public cynicism is a real response to the gap between promises and performance,' said Stephen Wayne, a professor of government at Georgetown University. 'Promises have gotten larger and more extensive. And from the point of view of the public, the achievements haven't been there.' "
We learn from Abraham's experience that God always keeps God's promises; therefore we can live by faith and not the cynicism that professor Wayne speaks of.
* * *
How is faith different from belief?
Belief requires nothing from us but intellectual assent.†When we affirm that an assertion is in fact the case that affirmation happens in our brains but nowhere else.
Faith requires action. To have faith is to do something.
I can, for instance, believe that you can push me across Niagara Falls on a tightrope in a wheelbarrow without doing anything to test or prove that belief.†Faith is getting in the wheelbarrow.
The proof of Abram's faith is found in Genesis 12:4.†Three words: "So Abram went."
* * *
Martin Luther has been quoted as saying: "It should be noted that there are two ways of believing. One way is to believe about God, as I do when I believe that what is said of God is true; just as I do when I believe what is said about the Turk, the devil, or hell. This faith is knowledge or observation rather than faith. The other way is to believe in God, as I do when I not only believe that what is said about Him is true, but put my trust in Him, surrender myself to Him, and make bold to deal with Him, believing without doubt that he will be to me and do to me just was what is said of Him."
* * *
What Is Your Word Worth?
In Huntingburg, Indiana, where my grandparents lived, there were only two car dealerships in the 1940s. One sold Fords, and the other sold Chevys.†During World War II it was nearly impossible to buy a new car, so when the war ended lots of customers (who had waited for several years) were ready to buy a car -- and my grandfather, Howard Clark, was one of them. That year the average price of a car was $1,400.
The story my grandmother told was that Howard went to the Ford dealer and priced a car, but said that after waiting so long he felt that he owed it to himself to check out the Chevys before he made up his mind.†"But," he told the Ford dealer, "if I buy a Ford I'll buy it from you."
Howard went to the Chevy dealer and after looking around decided he was going to buy the Ford -- but the Chevy dealer stopped him as he was leaving and told him, "My brother owns a Ford dealership in Jasper.†I can save you a hundred bucks on your price here in Huntingburg."
Grandma said that Howard didn't even miss a beat: "I gave him my word -- and my word is worth a whole lot more than a hundred bucks."
-- Dean Feldmeyer
* * *
Where Do You Go for Help?
In 1902 nine motor clubs met in Chicago to form the American Automobile Association. In 1903 AAA began its work campaigning on motorists' behalf for better and safer roadways by supporting federal legislation to establish the US Department of Transportation. In 1905 the first AAA map was produced and depicted roads on Staten Island, New York.†In 1915 AAA's "Men on Motorcycles" provided the first emergency road service.
Today, AAA is a federation of more than 50 affiliated clubs with some 1,100 offices in the United States and Canada serving more than 51 million members.†AAA annually distributes more than 90 million maps and 17 million TripTik customized routings.†And today, the American Automobile Association operates a network of 13,500 contract towing facilities that annually respond to more than 30 million roadside assistance calls.
Yet we can still say, with the Psalmist:†"My help is in the name of the Lord..."
* * *
Jim and I were canoeing in the boundary waters of Ontario with eight teenage boys, and we were lost.†The portage trail was supposed to be right about here but after passing up and down along the bank a dozen times we could not find it. Finally, there was nothing to do but get out of the canoes and walk along the shore looking for footprints where other canoeists had passed before.
After a while I heard Jim whistle and followed the sound.†When I found him, he was smiling and pointing to a tree.†On it was a piece of gum wrapper stuck to the tree with a wad of well-chewed gum.†Written on the wrapper was: "Trail here." We couldn't see the trail, but we walked another 20 feet or so and the underbrush cleared and there was the trail as plain as day.
The note directed us to the trail -- but we had to keep walking even when we couldn't see it.†"It depends on faith," says Paul to the Romans (4:16).
-- Dean Feldmeyer
* * *
One of the books that keeps me going is Tim Madigan's little book I'm Proud of You (Gotham Books, 2006). In 1995 Madigan was a reporter for the Fort Worth Star-Telegraph. He was given the assignment of interviewing the children's television icon Fred Rogers of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood.
Even though Tim's writing career was flourishing, the rest of his life was in shambles. He was having trouble in almost every area of his life: spirituality, marriage, and personal relationships. His health was causing him a great deal of difficulty. He had never had a good relationship with his father and had never heard his father say he was proud of him.
So Madigan interviewed Mr. Rogers. In that conversation Fred Rogers began to ask Tim about his life. Over a period of months they kept in contact. Tim opened up his heart and let Rogers in. It was a remarkable relationship -- not one-way at all. Mr. Rogers would call or email Tim and find out how he was doing. After every conversation or email Mr. Rogers would always write "I'm proud of you."
That became the title of the book that Tim writes about his healing relationship with Mr. Rogers. He tells how his life slowly began to come together and how he was a different person. When someone has faith in us, it really has the capacity to change our lives.
* * *
There was a mother and her little son who stood looking at the huge marble statue of Christ that stands overlooking the city of Rio de Janeiro. As they looked, a low cloud cover driven by the wind blocked the view of Jesus. The statue, which had stood in contrast against the blue, blue sky, was hidden in the darkness of the clouds.
The little boy tugged at his mother's hand, "Look, Mommy, look! He was there when the clouds came. Will he be there when they go away?"
The mother looked up and the clouds and said to her son, "Yes, oh yes, of course, darling. He will be there when the clouds move away."
* * *
Several years ago David Herbert Donald published a book about Abraham Lincoln (Lincoln, Simon & Schuster, 1995). In that book he said: "Lincoln's belief that the 'Almighty has His own purposes' sustained him during a life of constant striving that might otherwise have crushed him. It helped rescue him from self-righteousness, allowed him to be forbearing when others made mistakes, and encouraged in him the realistic caution that served him and his country so well during its gravest crises."
* * *
The late Baptist minister Luther Jo Thompson told about a visitor to a small community who was so impressed by the radiant happiness of the woman that came to clean his hotel room. He asked her why she seemed so cheerful. She said it was because she was a Christian. The visitor asked her, "Do all the people around here enjoy their religion like you?"
She replied, "Them that has it does. That's the way you know they got it."
* * *
On one of my favorite poems are these lines by Patrick Overton, which come from his book The Learning Tree:
When we talk to the edge of all
the light we have
and take that step into the darkness
Of the unknown,
we must believe that one of two things
will happen --
There will be something solid for us
to stand on,
Or, we will be taught how to fly.
* * *
Many of us have been moved by the Oscar-winning film The King's Speech. Some time ago a British documentary of World War II was released. The man who struggled to conquer his stuttering, King George VI, spoke to his people when England was on the verge of experiencing one of her greatest military tragedies. This is what the king told his people: "I said to the man who stood at the gate of shadows, 'Give me a light that I may tread faithfully out into the dark unknown.' A voice replied, 'In order to find victory in the darkness, go in courage; and then put your hand in the hand of God. That will be better than having light and safer than knowing the way.' "
WORSHIP RESOURCES
by George Reed
Call to Worship
Leader: Lift up your eyes and see your help.
People: We look to God as our helper.
Leader: God will not let your foot slip.
People: God is always awake and watching over us.
Leader: God will keep you from all evil.
People: God will preserve us now and for ever.
OR
Leader: God, the Faithful One, calls us to worship.
People: We come to worship God who is steadfast.
Leader: God calls us to trust in the One who is Love.
People: God's love and grace are sure and trustworthy.
Leader: Let go of those things that will only fail you.
People: We offer them up to God and put our trust in God alone.
Hymns and Sacred Songs
"O God, Our Help in Ages Past"
found in:
UMH: 117
H82: 680
AAHH: 170
NNBH: 46
NCH: 25
CH: 67
LBW: 320
"Great Is Thy Faithfulness"
found in:
UMH: 140
AAHH: 158
NNBH: 45
NCH: 423
CH: 86
"Rock of Ages"
found in:
UMH: 361
H82: 685
AAHH: 559
NNBH: 254
NCH: 596
CH: 214
LBW: 327
"A Mighty Fortress Is Our God"
found in:
UMH: 110
H82: 687, 688
PH: 260
AAHH: 124
NNBH: 37
NCH: 139, 140
CH: 65
LBW: 228, 229
"God Will Take Care of You"
found in:
UMH: 130
AAHH: 137
NNBH: 52
NCH: 460
"I Need Thee Every Hour"
found in:
UMH: 397
AAHH: 451
NNBH: 303
NCH: 517
CH: 578
"In the Cross of Christ I Glory"
found in:
UMH: 295
H82: 441, 442
PH: 84
NNBH: 104
NCH: 193, 194
LBW: 104
"Jesus Calls Us"
found in:
UMH: 398
H82: 549, 550
NNBH: 183
NCH: 171, 172
CH: 337
LBW: 494
Music Resources Key:
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982 (The Episcopal Church)
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
AAHH: African-American Heritage Hymnal
NNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
LBW: Lutheran Book of Worship
Prayer for the Day / Collect
O God who deals with your children with faithfulness and love: Grant us the faith to trust in you so that we may boldly live as your children; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We have come to worship and adore you, O God, because you are the faithful One. You stand with your creation in all its waywardness. In times of change and calamity, you are the One who is steadfast. Open us to your presence this day and help us to trust in you now and for ever. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
Leader: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins, and especially our failure to trust in God completely.
People: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We have placed our trust and faith in human people, human institutions, and ourselves. We think that wealth and power are the things that will keep us safe and bring us blessing. We have forgotten the teachings of Jesus that it is forgiveness, love, and service that bring blessings to us and to others. Forgive us, and by the power of your Spirit give us the true faith that looks to you and your love as the only true security. Amen.
Leader: God is the One we can trust in at all times. Even when we have forsaken God, God does not forsake us. Receive once again God's Spirit and be filled with faith in the truth of God's love and grace.
Prayers of the People (and the Lord's Prayer)
We bow before your glory and are in awe of your total faithfulness. When all around us crumbles, you stand as the Rock of Ages.
(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 have placed our trust and faith in human people, human institutions, and ourselves. We think that wealth and power are the things that will keep us safe and bring us blessing. We have forgotten the teachings of Jesus that it is forgiveness, love, and service that bring blessings to us and to others. Forgive us, and by the power of your Spirit give us the true faith that looks to you and your love as the only true security.
We give you thanks for all the ways in which we have experienced your faithfulness. We thank you for those who by their faith have trusted steadfastly in you and have provided us with an example to follow.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for those whose faith is being tested by illness, death, or grief. We pray for those being tested by poverty, hunger, or need. We pray for those being tested by violence, hatred, or hurtful actions and words. We pray that as you place your arms of strength around them and as you stand with them in their testing we may be faithful in reaching out in love to those around us.
(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 Lord's Prayer is not used at this point in the service)
All this we ask in the Name of the Blessed and Holy Trinity. Amen.
Visuals
Show pictures of a high-wire walker with a balance pole, a child riding a bike with training wheels, a skydiver with a parachute on their back, or images of people trusting in something or someone.
Children's Sermon Starter
Ask the children if they have ever seen a high-wire walker at the circus or on television. (Explain what they do, if needed.) Tell the children you thought you would try it, and you brought the things you will need. (Produce a length of thin twine and a toothpick.) Tell them you are going to string the twine between two high poles (use a place in the sanctuary, if that is appropriate) and you are going to use the toothpick for a balance beam. If they don't object, ask them if they think it will work. Then talk about trusting in things that can't hold you or aren't big enough to trust. A strong wire and a long balance pole may be enough to high-wire walk, but in life we need to trust God. God is the only one we can really trust.
CHILDREN'S SERMON
Have Faith
Romans 4:1-5, 13-17
Object: a set of car keys
Good morning, boys and girls! I have a set of keys to my car here. Later today I will get in my car and put the keys in the ignition. I have faith that the keys will start my car. Then, when I start the car, I have faith that the engine will pull the car, the tires will turn safely, and that the steering wheel will turn the car as I turn the steering wheel. It takes a lot of this thing called "faith" for me to just get home today! On the highway I may travel 55 miles per hour -- fast and efficient. But if something went wrong, I might have to sit and wait for help to come so that my car could be fixed. It takes faith for me to trust my car this much.
Can anyone here tell me what "faith" is? (let the children answer) Faith is something we have and use every day, and yet it is hard to say exactly what it is. I guess you could say that faith means we depend on something or someone to do what we expect it or them to do.
The word "faith" is a big word we use often here at church. Today we talk about faith as our trust that Jesus is who he said he is and that he will do what he said he would do. I believe Jesus is trustworthy and so I have faith in Jesus.
My faith in Jesus is much different from my faith in my car. I can't see Jesus -- but I can see my car. I can't hear Jesus -- but I can hear my car. I can't touch Jesus -- but I can touch my car. In fact, I'm touching my car keys now. Yet I believe Jesus is trustworthy and that Jesus is my Lord and my Savior. I trust in Jesus. I know that Jesus hears me when I pray to him. I know that Jesus loves me. I know that Jesus is watching out for me. I know that Jesus is protecting me. My faith in Jesus is different from my faith in my car. I have more faith in Jesus than I do my car -- even though I cannot see, hear, or touch Jesus.
Prayer: Dear Jesus, we believe in you, we have faith in you, we trust you, and we thank you for being who you are and for loving us and giving us faith. Amen.
Alternative approach: Ask the children about various objects and how we have faith in them. (Examples: We have faith that our clothes will withstand our wearing them, our money will buy what we want or need, and our building will not leak and let the rain in.)
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, March 20, 2011, issue.
Copyright 2011 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.
It's all so difficult to wrap our minds around -- and yet, this week's lectionary readings may offer some comfort and solace as we look for something to bolster our sense of hope and security. In a style reminiscent of Sgt. Joe Friday ("just the facts, ma'am"), the brief Genesis passage details God's call to Abram and Abram's response. Abram's journey has a lot in common with those of immigrants in our day -- who leave the familiar surroundings of home ("your country and your kindred and your father's house") on a perilous and uncertain journey to a new place ("the land that I shall show you") that holds the promise of rich rewards. In this installment of The Immediate Word, team member Ron Love notes that Abram's journey is also an apt metaphor for our journey during Lent, as we make the arduous journey toward Calvary and anticipate the ultimate blessing of Jesus' sacrifice and resurrection. But even in the face of unimaginable suffering -- such as what the Japanese people are struggling with -- we can, like Abram, count with certainty on the blessings we will receive from placing our faith in the Almighty and "being born from above." Even though we are on an uncertain journey filled with questions, we will not be disappointed -- and the proof is outlined in God's promises in the Genesis passage, fleshed out in the Psalm (in which God's promises are repeatedly described as being "kept"), and elucidated on further by Paul (who summarizes his discourse by saying "For this reason it depends on faith"). Team member Mary Austin shares some additional thoughts on this week's Psalm, which poses the timely question of where we can look to for help in a time of despair. Mary points out that the Psalmist's definitive answer -- "My help comes from the Lord" -- is vital to keep in mind... not only for the Japanese people who need so much assistance, but also for us on our individual journeys of faith.
An Uncertain Journey
by Ronald H. Love
Genesis 12:1-4a
THE WORLD
Uncertain journeys are prevalent throughout the world this week. The populace of Egypt is on a journey to form a democratic government, but with the influence of the Islamic Brotherhood will they find themselves in the land of a theocracy? Libya's rebel forces are on a journey for independence from a tyrannical ruler, but with billions of dollars ready for his military defense and an overpowering air force will they find themselves slaughtered on the field of battle? The Roman Catholic church is on a journey to rid itself of pedophile priests, but with an immovable bureaucracy will they continue to be shuffled from parish to parish? The Republicans and governor of Wisconsin are on a journey to end unions and collective bargaining, but will it end with a policy of social injustice? The police are on a journey to retrace the steps of the East Coast rapist, but will they ever discover all of the victims? In these journeys, will the victimized discover some redemptive resurrection?
Japan has been on a journey for decades to protect itself from earthquakes, as the country lies at the juncture of three fault lines. Yet even the strictest building codes for any country to prevent buildings from collapsing and 40% of its 22,000 miles of coastline protected by a seawall to stop the devastation of a tsunami proved insufficient for an 8.9-magnitude earthquake. John Schwartz, in an article for the New York Times titled "The Limits of Safeguards and Human Foresight," wrote: "The sobering fact is that megadisasters like the Japanese earthquake can overcome the best efforts of our species to protect against them." With an estimated 10,000 dead and billions of dollars of destruction, Japan now has an even longer journey in recovery. There is a promised land of rebuilt cities, but the journey will be harsh and taxing.
THE WORD
As we continue our journey in Lent we are not unlike Abram, leaving behind that which is familiar for an uncertain future. But the future for Abram came with a promise -- a promise that he would be delivered to a land flowing with milk and honey, and that his offspring would outnumber the stars in the night sky. Yet these blessings did not just magically materialize, for they were accompanied by skepticism, struggle, and much sorrow. The promise given to us is not as tangible as a parcel of land, but our promise is just as real. We are not promised wealth and celebrity status, nor are we promised a life absent of hardship and heartache, but we do have the greatest promise of all -- the Resurrection. We know that whatever is discouraging and unfortunate that befalls us, we can resurrect some good from it. And in the end, we know we will pass from the church militant to the church triumphant. So in many ways, we do walk the same path as Abram.
It can only be hoped for our fellow citizens across the globe that those who have embarked on a journey for freedom and others for the rights of workers and others to recover their lost homes, there will be a resurrection. Be it a physical, emotional, or spiritual journey, it can only be hoped that our resting destination will be that of Abraham's.
CRAFTING THE SERMON
As you prepare your sermon for this week, consider all of the different journeys that are taking place throughout the world. Then focus on the individual journeys of your congregants. Next, discuss the hardships and struggles that each journey imposes. Conclude on a message of hope, as Abraham came into the land of promise, others will find similar spiritual wealth and security. It may not be the land that they imagined it to be, but in the promise of the resurrection it will be a land flowing with milk and honey.
SECOND THOUGHTS
by Mary Austin
Psalm 121
"I lift up my eyes to the hills -- from where will my help come?"
Surely one of the most famous lines in scripture, this psalm is often read at hospital bedsides and funerals. The recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan render it even more poignant, as the people of Japan wonder about the source of immediate help with food, water, shelter, and news about loved ones, and about the longer-term help with rebuilding after such devastation.
This psalm is located among the "Songs of Ascent," Psalms 120-134. Scholars believe that this was originally a separate book of songs, added later to the Psalter. Many scholars suggest that this small collection was used by travelers going to Jerusalem. In an article about this psalm, James Limburg of Luther Northwestern Theological Seminary quotes the work of Klaus Seybold, suggesting that "Psalms 120-122 are concerned with setting out, 123-132 fit the situation 'again on Mount Zion,' and 133 and 134 are suited for the time of farewell."
Limburg, again quoting Seybold, notes that these Psalms are all short, with an average of seven verses -- much shorter than the rest of the Psalter. "Many of these psalms have a formal conclusion, consisting of a blessing, a confession, or a hymnic sentence." This collection of psalms has numerous references to Zion, and the speaker often calls upon the Lord.
The imagery in this collection of psalms references everyday life -- farming, housework, building, along with festivals and celebration. Notes Limburg: "The God whom these psalms address and about whom they speak is the mighty creator of the heavens and the earth... That God is also the powerful Deliverer who has rescued Israel from their enemies in warfare... But the primary impression one gets in listening to these psalms is that this mighty Creator and Deliverer is also a God who is close at hand, who cares about the everyday concerns of [the] people, who blesses them with those things needed for a happy and successful life."
It may be that this is a psalm of farewell, as one party sets out on the journey and another blesses the trip and the traveler. Limburg imagines that the psalm might function as a dialogue, with verses 1-2 said by the one leaving for the journey, and verses 3-8 spoken by the one saying good-bye. The latter verses function as a farewell blessing, with the promise that "the Lord will watch over your going out and your coming in" (v. 8). We later readers can be assured that God watches over not just the original traveler, but all who leave home for another place.
The setting of this psalm in Lent prompts us to consider the journey aspect of the Psalm as we make our own journey toward Easter. J. Clinton McCann Jr. writes that the ascent psalms "probably originated as a pilgrimage collection" (Feasting on the Word, Year A, Volume 2, p. 57). If the Psalm were intended to be sung on the journey toward Jerusalem and the temple, the words may be encouragement for the journey, as well as a farewell at the start of it. He notes the possibility that the writer can see Mount Zion in the distance, "the destination of the pilgrimage."
If so, we might ask ourselves about our own destination in Lent. We're headed for Easter, of course, but where else? When Easter comes and we can eat chocolate or potato chips again, or lay down the spiritual practice we took up for Lent, where have we traveled? The sense of ascending, built into the psalm, invites us to do more than end up right where we started. If we end up captive to the same habits that we use as a pacifier, or the same beliefs that keep us from the fullness of God's embrace, we haven't found the gift in Lent's desert journey. The vision of a journey calls us to think about where we're going.
The Psalm might also call us to renew our trust in the God who "keeps our life... our coming in and our going out." Our lives are full of moments of coming and going. In an immediate sense, we come and go all day to school, work, sporting events, and medical appointments, often rushing, so stressed that we forget the God who is mindful of our travels through the day. In a larger sense, we go in and out of military service, school, health, marriage or partnership, parenthood, and finally life itself. The psalm offers us the beautiful reminder that God is mindful of all that.
Our Lenten journey is about drawing closer to the God who is at the beginning and the end of the journey, and is our certain help along the way, and about seeing where God is leading us. This psalm is an evocative traveling companion, pointing us back to the God who is both our help along the way, and our final destination.
ILLUSTRATIONS
No doubt many of our faithful are asking some theological questions as we witness the aftermath of the terrible earthquakes that have hit Japan this past week.†Where is God in all this?†How can a loving God let something like this happen?
A reporter once asked writer and holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel how, after the Holocaust, he could still believe in God.†Wiesel answered, "After the Holocaust, what else is there to believe in?"†Faith in God is that power which keeps us going when all other powers have been rendered powerless by the destructive forces of nature and the evil inclinations of humankind. It is the voice that pronounces the word "nevertheless" over all our trials.
* * *
This week's lectionary passages cluster around the biblical idea of faith. Probably the greatest passage of faith in the Bible is that wonderful passage in Hebrews 11. In a hard time of disillusionment and difficulty when apostasy was a serious problem for the struggling church, the author of Hebrews pens a written oratorio of faith. It begins: "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." This is followed, of course, by that great roll call of faith: Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, and on and on it goes. We could add our own roll call today, couldn't we? It's a list of people who dared to plod and go on against all sorts of difficulties: Nelson Mandela, Mother Teresa, Archbishop Bernardin, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Martin Luther King -- and that little man in the house around the corner who lovingly attended his wife with Alzheimer's for years, and when she died took care in the same loving way of her sister. You might think of people in your own roll call of faith.
* * *
Writing for the National Journal in 2008, Ashley Johnson noted that "it's the broken promises that people often remember. In 1992, Clinton promised 'the most ethical administration' in history. His predecessor, George H.W. Bush, famously vowed 'No new taxes' in the run-up to the 1988 election, and then raised taxes while in office. Going back further, Franklin D. Roosevelt reneged on his 1932 campaign pledges to maintain a balanced budget and to cut government operations by 25%. Herbert Hoover ran in 1928 with the slogan 'Vote for prosperity' and predicted 'a final triumph over poverty'; the next year, the nation plunged into the Great Depression. 'Public cynicism is a real response to the gap between promises and performance,' said Stephen Wayne, a professor of government at Georgetown University. 'Promises have gotten larger and more extensive. And from the point of view of the public, the achievements haven't been there.' "
We learn from Abraham's experience that God always keeps God's promises; therefore we can live by faith and not the cynicism that professor Wayne speaks of.
* * *
How is faith different from belief?
Belief requires nothing from us but intellectual assent.†When we affirm that an assertion is in fact the case that affirmation happens in our brains but nowhere else.
Faith requires action. To have faith is to do something.
I can, for instance, believe that you can push me across Niagara Falls on a tightrope in a wheelbarrow without doing anything to test or prove that belief.†Faith is getting in the wheelbarrow.
The proof of Abram's faith is found in Genesis 12:4.†Three words: "So Abram went."
* * *
Martin Luther has been quoted as saying: "It should be noted that there are two ways of believing. One way is to believe about God, as I do when I believe that what is said of God is true; just as I do when I believe what is said about the Turk, the devil, or hell. This faith is knowledge or observation rather than faith. The other way is to believe in God, as I do when I not only believe that what is said about Him is true, but put my trust in Him, surrender myself to Him, and make bold to deal with Him, believing without doubt that he will be to me and do to me just was what is said of Him."
* * *
What Is Your Word Worth?
In Huntingburg, Indiana, where my grandparents lived, there were only two car dealerships in the 1940s. One sold Fords, and the other sold Chevys.†During World War II it was nearly impossible to buy a new car, so when the war ended lots of customers (who had waited for several years) were ready to buy a car -- and my grandfather, Howard Clark, was one of them. That year the average price of a car was $1,400.
The story my grandmother told was that Howard went to the Ford dealer and priced a car, but said that after waiting so long he felt that he owed it to himself to check out the Chevys before he made up his mind.†"But," he told the Ford dealer, "if I buy a Ford I'll buy it from you."
Howard went to the Chevy dealer and after looking around decided he was going to buy the Ford -- but the Chevy dealer stopped him as he was leaving and told him, "My brother owns a Ford dealership in Jasper.†I can save you a hundred bucks on your price here in Huntingburg."
Grandma said that Howard didn't even miss a beat: "I gave him my word -- and my word is worth a whole lot more than a hundred bucks."
-- Dean Feldmeyer
* * *
Where Do You Go for Help?
In 1902 nine motor clubs met in Chicago to form the American Automobile Association. In 1903 AAA began its work campaigning on motorists' behalf for better and safer roadways by supporting federal legislation to establish the US Department of Transportation. In 1905 the first AAA map was produced and depicted roads on Staten Island, New York.†In 1915 AAA's "Men on Motorcycles" provided the first emergency road service.
Today, AAA is a federation of more than 50 affiliated clubs with some 1,100 offices in the United States and Canada serving more than 51 million members.†AAA annually distributes more than 90 million maps and 17 million TripTik customized routings.†And today, the American Automobile Association operates a network of 13,500 contract towing facilities that annually respond to more than 30 million roadside assistance calls.
Yet we can still say, with the Psalmist:†"My help is in the name of the Lord..."
* * *
Jim and I were canoeing in the boundary waters of Ontario with eight teenage boys, and we were lost.†The portage trail was supposed to be right about here but after passing up and down along the bank a dozen times we could not find it. Finally, there was nothing to do but get out of the canoes and walk along the shore looking for footprints where other canoeists had passed before.
After a while I heard Jim whistle and followed the sound.†When I found him, he was smiling and pointing to a tree.†On it was a piece of gum wrapper stuck to the tree with a wad of well-chewed gum.†Written on the wrapper was: "Trail here." We couldn't see the trail, but we walked another 20 feet or so and the underbrush cleared and there was the trail as plain as day.
The note directed us to the trail -- but we had to keep walking even when we couldn't see it.†"It depends on faith," says Paul to the Romans (4:16).
-- Dean Feldmeyer
* * *
One of the books that keeps me going is Tim Madigan's little book I'm Proud of You (Gotham Books, 2006). In 1995 Madigan was a reporter for the Fort Worth Star-Telegraph. He was given the assignment of interviewing the children's television icon Fred Rogers of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood.
Even though Tim's writing career was flourishing, the rest of his life was in shambles. He was having trouble in almost every area of his life: spirituality, marriage, and personal relationships. His health was causing him a great deal of difficulty. He had never had a good relationship with his father and had never heard his father say he was proud of him.
So Madigan interviewed Mr. Rogers. In that conversation Fred Rogers began to ask Tim about his life. Over a period of months they kept in contact. Tim opened up his heart and let Rogers in. It was a remarkable relationship -- not one-way at all. Mr. Rogers would call or email Tim and find out how he was doing. After every conversation or email Mr. Rogers would always write "I'm proud of you."
That became the title of the book that Tim writes about his healing relationship with Mr. Rogers. He tells how his life slowly began to come together and how he was a different person. When someone has faith in us, it really has the capacity to change our lives.
* * *
There was a mother and her little son who stood looking at the huge marble statue of Christ that stands overlooking the city of Rio de Janeiro. As they looked, a low cloud cover driven by the wind blocked the view of Jesus. The statue, which had stood in contrast against the blue, blue sky, was hidden in the darkness of the clouds.
The little boy tugged at his mother's hand, "Look, Mommy, look! He was there when the clouds came. Will he be there when they go away?"
The mother looked up and the clouds and said to her son, "Yes, oh yes, of course, darling. He will be there when the clouds move away."
* * *
Several years ago David Herbert Donald published a book about Abraham Lincoln (Lincoln, Simon & Schuster, 1995). In that book he said: "Lincoln's belief that the 'Almighty has His own purposes' sustained him during a life of constant striving that might otherwise have crushed him. It helped rescue him from self-righteousness, allowed him to be forbearing when others made mistakes, and encouraged in him the realistic caution that served him and his country so well during its gravest crises."
* * *
The late Baptist minister Luther Jo Thompson told about a visitor to a small community who was so impressed by the radiant happiness of the woman that came to clean his hotel room. He asked her why she seemed so cheerful. She said it was because she was a Christian. The visitor asked her, "Do all the people around here enjoy their religion like you?"
She replied, "Them that has it does. That's the way you know they got it."
* * *
On one of my favorite poems are these lines by Patrick Overton, which come from his book The Learning Tree:
When we talk to the edge of all
the light we have
and take that step into the darkness
Of the unknown,
we must believe that one of two things
will happen --
There will be something solid for us
to stand on,
Or, we will be taught how to fly.
* * *
Many of us have been moved by the Oscar-winning film The King's Speech. Some time ago a British documentary of World War II was released. The man who struggled to conquer his stuttering, King George VI, spoke to his people when England was on the verge of experiencing one of her greatest military tragedies. This is what the king told his people: "I said to the man who stood at the gate of shadows, 'Give me a light that I may tread faithfully out into the dark unknown.' A voice replied, 'In order to find victory in the darkness, go in courage; and then put your hand in the hand of God. That will be better than having light and safer than knowing the way.' "
WORSHIP RESOURCES
by George Reed
Call to Worship
Leader: Lift up your eyes and see your help.
People: We look to God as our helper.
Leader: God will not let your foot slip.
People: God is always awake and watching over us.
Leader: God will keep you from all evil.
People: God will preserve us now and for ever.
OR
Leader: God, the Faithful One, calls us to worship.
People: We come to worship God who is steadfast.
Leader: God calls us to trust in the One who is Love.
People: God's love and grace are sure and trustworthy.
Leader: Let go of those things that will only fail you.
People: We offer them up to God and put our trust in God alone.
Hymns and Sacred Songs
"O God, Our Help in Ages Past"
found in:
UMH: 117
H82: 680
AAHH: 170
NNBH: 46
NCH: 25
CH: 67
LBW: 320
"Great Is Thy Faithfulness"
found in:
UMH: 140
AAHH: 158
NNBH: 45
NCH: 423
CH: 86
"Rock of Ages"
found in:
UMH: 361
H82: 685
AAHH: 559
NNBH: 254
NCH: 596
CH: 214
LBW: 327
"A Mighty Fortress Is Our God"
found in:
UMH: 110
H82: 687, 688
PH: 260
AAHH: 124
NNBH: 37
NCH: 139, 140
CH: 65
LBW: 228, 229
"God Will Take Care of You"
found in:
UMH: 130
AAHH: 137
NNBH: 52
NCH: 460
"I Need Thee Every Hour"
found in:
UMH: 397
AAHH: 451
NNBH: 303
NCH: 517
CH: 578
"In the Cross of Christ I Glory"
found in:
UMH: 295
H82: 441, 442
PH: 84
NNBH: 104
NCH: 193, 194
LBW: 104
"Jesus Calls Us"
found in:
UMH: 398
H82: 549, 550
NNBH: 183
NCH: 171, 172
CH: 337
LBW: 494
Music Resources Key:
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982 (The Episcopal Church)
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
AAHH: African-American Heritage Hymnal
NNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
LBW: Lutheran Book of Worship
Prayer for the Day / Collect
O God who deals with your children with faithfulness and love: Grant us the faith to trust in you so that we may boldly live as your children; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We have come to worship and adore you, O God, because you are the faithful One. You stand with your creation in all its waywardness. In times of change and calamity, you are the One who is steadfast. Open us to your presence this day and help us to trust in you now and for ever. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
Leader: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins, and especially our failure to trust in God completely.
People: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We have placed our trust and faith in human people, human institutions, and ourselves. We think that wealth and power are the things that will keep us safe and bring us blessing. We have forgotten the teachings of Jesus that it is forgiveness, love, and service that bring blessings to us and to others. Forgive us, and by the power of your Spirit give us the true faith that looks to you and your love as the only true security. Amen.
Leader: God is the One we can trust in at all times. Even when we have forsaken God, God does not forsake us. Receive once again God's Spirit and be filled with faith in the truth of God's love and grace.
Prayers of the People (and the Lord's Prayer)
We bow before your glory and are in awe of your total faithfulness. When all around us crumbles, you stand as the Rock of Ages.
(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 have placed our trust and faith in human people, human institutions, and ourselves. We think that wealth and power are the things that will keep us safe and bring us blessing. We have forgotten the teachings of Jesus that it is forgiveness, love, and service that bring blessings to us and to others. Forgive us, and by the power of your Spirit give us the true faith that looks to you and your love as the only true security.
We give you thanks for all the ways in which we have experienced your faithfulness. We thank you for those who by their faith have trusted steadfastly in you and have provided us with an example to follow.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for those whose faith is being tested by illness, death, or grief. We pray for those being tested by poverty, hunger, or need. We pray for those being tested by violence, hatred, or hurtful actions and words. We pray that as you place your arms of strength around them and as you stand with them in their testing we may be faithful in reaching out in love to those around us.
(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 Lord's Prayer is not used at this point in the service)
All this we ask in the Name of the Blessed and Holy Trinity. Amen.
Visuals
Show pictures of a high-wire walker with a balance pole, a child riding a bike with training wheels, a skydiver with a parachute on their back, or images of people trusting in something or someone.
Children's Sermon Starter
Ask the children if they have ever seen a high-wire walker at the circus or on television. (Explain what they do, if needed.) Tell the children you thought you would try it, and you brought the things you will need. (Produce a length of thin twine and a toothpick.) Tell them you are going to string the twine between two high poles (use a place in the sanctuary, if that is appropriate) and you are going to use the toothpick for a balance beam. If they don't object, ask them if they think it will work. Then talk about trusting in things that can't hold you or aren't big enough to trust. A strong wire and a long balance pole may be enough to high-wire walk, but in life we need to trust God. God is the only one we can really trust.
CHILDREN'S SERMON
Have Faith
Romans 4:1-5, 13-17
Object: a set of car keys
Good morning, boys and girls! I have a set of keys to my car here. Later today I will get in my car and put the keys in the ignition. I have faith that the keys will start my car. Then, when I start the car, I have faith that the engine will pull the car, the tires will turn safely, and that the steering wheel will turn the car as I turn the steering wheel. It takes a lot of this thing called "faith" for me to just get home today! On the highway I may travel 55 miles per hour -- fast and efficient. But if something went wrong, I might have to sit and wait for help to come so that my car could be fixed. It takes faith for me to trust my car this much.
Can anyone here tell me what "faith" is? (let the children answer) Faith is something we have and use every day, and yet it is hard to say exactly what it is. I guess you could say that faith means we depend on something or someone to do what we expect it or them to do.
The word "faith" is a big word we use often here at church. Today we talk about faith as our trust that Jesus is who he said he is and that he will do what he said he would do. I believe Jesus is trustworthy and so I have faith in Jesus.
My faith in Jesus is much different from my faith in my car. I can't see Jesus -- but I can see my car. I can't hear Jesus -- but I can hear my car. I can't touch Jesus -- but I can touch my car. In fact, I'm touching my car keys now. Yet I believe Jesus is trustworthy and that Jesus is my Lord and my Savior. I trust in Jesus. I know that Jesus hears me when I pray to him. I know that Jesus loves me. I know that Jesus is watching out for me. I know that Jesus is protecting me. My faith in Jesus is different from my faith in my car. I have more faith in Jesus than I do my car -- even though I cannot see, hear, or touch Jesus.
Prayer: Dear Jesus, we believe in you, we have faith in you, we trust you, and we thank you for being who you are and for loving us and giving us faith. Amen.
Alternative approach: Ask the children about various objects and how we have faith in them. (Examples: We have faith that our clothes will withstand our wearing them, our money will buy what we want or need, and our building will not leak and let the rain in.)
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, March 20, 2011, issue.
Copyright 2011 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.
