The Isaiah passage appointed by the lectionary for this coming Sunday tells us that “A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots.” The symbolism of the reading makes it clear that this is a prophecy about the coming Messiah -- but it’s also a striking description of the new growth and change that can arise from already existing roots. In this installment of The Immediate Word, team member Dean Feldmeyer suggests that it’s also an arresting illustration of the situation facing many of our churches today. Dean notes that while some congregations have embraced the shoots of new growth by looking forward, all too many remain fossilized and hidebound by an excessive devotion to rules and traditions. And, Dean points out, we can find examples of each tendency in recent headlines.
In an encyclical released last week, Pope Francis indicated his intention to clear out some of the Roman Catholic church’s accumulated brush and point it in a new direction by calling for reform of papal powers and a shakeup of the Vatican bureaucracy. The pontiff also called for Catholics to refocus on creating “a more missionary and merciful church that gets its hands dirty as it seeks out the poor and oppressed.” Francis pointedly criticized what he termed the church’s “obsession” with a disjointed set of moral doctrines, and noted that in the church’s “hierarchy of truths, mercy is paramount, proportion is necessary, and that what counts is inviting the faithful in.” On the other hand, Dean notes that adherence to rules and regulations at the expense of mercy is an apt description of the ongoing controversy in the United Methodist Church’s Pennsylvania conference, where a pastor was suspended and faces defrocking for officiating at his son’s same-sex wedding. Dean reminds us that when our churches rely less on showing mercy and more on slavish devotion to tradition and regulations, then they are firmly pointed back at the past -- rather than in the direction Isaiah talks about, of a future which provides a healthy environment for new growth.
Team member Mary Austin offers additional thoughts on Isaiah’s imagery, focusing on the evolving and complex composition of American families -- a subject addressed in a fascinating New York Times piece. What might the massive changes in the typical American family unit have to say about the demographic changes facing our congregations? Mary suggests that the vast diversity of modern families, and how they coexist and even promote an attitude of tolerance, might provide a living example of Isaiah’s vision of different species living together in unity.
Advance to the Rear
by Dean Feldmeyer
Isaiah 11:1-10; Matthew 3:1-12
On the Second Sunday of Advent, Isaiah builds upon the metaphor that he created in chapter 6, that of a tree that has been chopped down (Israel) leaving only a stump, a sad remnant left to remember it by. But, he reminds us, there is life in that stump, and another tree -- a new, healthy tree -- may grow from it.
The image the prophet commends to us is one of new beginnings. The old ways have been chopped down and burned up, but new life is still possible. The remnant that is left can change the self-destructive direction that was set by the old guard.
Some churches who are trying to take this image seriously discover that the new direction that God is calling them to is “forward.” Churches that have spent their resources -- time, energy, money, creativity -- on preserving and celebrating their past suddenly find themselves pondering an uncertain future. And faced with this uncertainty the temptation is to advance, as quickly as possible, to the rear.
But in a culture that is changing as rapidly as our own, charging backwards into the past is a formula for certain death.
This will be a helpful insight to keep before us as we struggle to build our church’s future, whether in something as seemingly simple as choosing a worship style for our congregation or as difficult as establishing our ethical/moral/theological stance on complex issues like human sexuality and sexual orientation.
In the News
In the past few weeks, the Christian church has figured prominently in the news.
When Pope Francis released his first encyclical in July, Lumen Fidei (“The Light of Faith”), Protestants joined Roman Catholics in rushing to see what the new pontiff would have to say about the modern issues pressing in on the ancient church.
The word “encyclical” comes from the Greek word for “circle,” which indicates that this pastoral letter is to be circulated. In fact, it is addressed to “the bishops, priests, and deacons, consecrated persons, and the lay faithful,” a broad and inclusive Roman Catholic audience. As with all encyclicals, it is not considered infallible but it is authoritative.
The outline for this particular letter was actually the third of three that Pope Benedict intended to write, but when his health prohibited him from completing the trilogy he left this one to his successor to complete and perfect. Francis took up the challenge and added his own distinctive voice.
We need look no further than his signature to see a hint of this difference. Rather than sign the encyclical in the traditional way, as pope, he chose the signature “Francis, Bishop of Rome,” which put him on more of a level footing with other bishops and church leaders. But by and large, Lumen Fidei touched on many of Benedict’s characteristic themes.
This past week, Francis issued Evangelii Gaudium (“The Joy of the Gospel”), the first encyclical that was entirely (or even primarily) his work -- and as what some observers called a “mission statement for his papacy,” it reflects the concerns of a pope who clearly isn’t afraid to break with tradition. Evangelii Gaudium provides glimpses of some significant changes Pope Francis is considering.
He calls on Christians to “embrace with affection and respect Muslim immigrants to our countries in the same way” we want to be received and respected in Islamic countries.
He indicates a desire for decentralization of the Roman Catholic bureaucracy, and has called together a special committee of cardinals to begin working on a process that would give more authority to local and regional leaders. The papacy, he says, should not “be expected to offer a definitive or complete word on every question which affects the Church and the world.”
And while the encyclical restates the Church’s opposition to the ordination of women and to abortion, he chastises the Church for doing “little to adequately accompany women in very difficult situations... especially when the life developing within them is the result of rape or a situation of extreme poverty.”
“Who can remain unmoved before such painful situations?” he asks.
And in what appears to be his most controversial statement -- one that has drawn loud criticism from Wall Street (and from Rush Limbaugh) -- he calls upon Christians to “say thou shalt not to an economy of exclusion and inequality.” He points out that “such an economy kills,” and he castigates the “new idolatry of money.”
“I beg the Lord to grant us more politicians who are genuinely disturbed by the state of society, the people, the lives of the poor!” he says.
BBC correspondent David Willey points out that the new pope is calling for a church that is “bruised, hurting, and dirty because it has been out on the streets, rather than a Church which is unhealthy from being confined and from clinging to its own security.”
“The document suggests major changes are on the way,” adds Willey, “with Francis noting that the Church has to get over an attitude that says: ‘We have always done it this way.’ ”
As though to underscore and italicize this new attitude, Pope Francis has launched an unprecedented survey of the views of lay Catholics on modern family life and sexual ethics, the results of which are to be compiled and made available in a preparatory document for the extraordinary Synod of Bishops on the family, which will be held in October 2014.
[An English translation of the entire Evangelii Gaudium encyclical -- which could serve as an interesting study document for any group, Protestant or Catholic -- can be found here.]
Meanwhile, in the United States, my own denomination, the United Methodist Church, appeared to be charging headlong back into the 1950s at a church trial in Pennsylvania.
Five years and eleven months ago, Rev. Frank Schaefer quietly officiated at the small, private wedding ceremony of his gay son and his son’s male partner. He didn’t make a big deal of it, and didn’t announce it to his church because he didn’t do it as a protest or a demonstration against church policy. (The UMC accepts gay members and affirms that they are loved by God, but does not allow clergy to participate in gay marriages and condemns gay behavior as “contrary to Christian teaching.”) He did it out of love for his son -- and because his son asked him to perform the wedding.
But when Ray Boger -- who hasn’t lived in the community since he joined the military after high school and by his own admission attends Schaefer’s church only about once a year -- heard of it one month before the statute of limitations ran out, he filed charges to have Rev. Schaefer removed from the ministry of his congregation and the United Methodist Church. “He should not be in service as a minister of the United Methodist Church, not at Iona, not anywhere else,” said Boger. Another member of Schaefer’s church called for a punishment that “should serve as a deterrent to other like-minded clergy.”
At the trial and during the penalty phase after Schaefer was convicted, the prosecutor, Rev. Christopher Fisher, used his closing argument to condemn homosexuality as immoral and said that, when choosing between church rules (which are subject to change every four years) and his love for his son, Schaefer was duty-bound to choose obedience to the church. “You’ll give an account for that at the last day, as we all will,” he told the jury. There were no words of grace, no mentions of love, no nod to reconciliation.
In the Scriptures
The texts from Isaiah during this Advent season point to new beginnings and second chances. In this week’s reading, Isaiah reminds us that a new branch will rise out of the stump of Jesse, that is, out of the Davidic royal line.
Isaiah has high hopes for this new king, possibly Uzziah or his son Jotham. This new king will usher in a new age for the People of God. He will judge with equity and righteousness. He shall favor not the wealthy and powerful but the poor and powerless. The lambs and wolves among us will live together in peace and equality. The untamed and the tamed, the ferocious and the peaceful, shall all live together in peace -- and this new, inexperienced child-king shall lead them.
Of course, we Christians have seen in these prophetic words a reflection of Jesus Christ, our king who calls us to live together in peace and love. We are not chained to our old ways of doing things. We can change. We can, by God’s grace, un-ring the bells of discord and prejudice and hatred that have ruled our lives in the past. We can choose to be the true People of God.
This, Paul reminds us, is good news for Jews and Gentiles alike. It is good news for EVERYONE. It is an inclusive word of grace and peace that fills us with the power of renewal and reconciliation. None are left out. All are accepted into God’s all-encompassing embrace.
In Matthew, John the Baptist tells us how to respond to God’s grace: Bear fruit worthy of repentance. It’s not enough to say we love and accept each other. We have to actually DO it. Our past, our heredity, will not save us. Only God’s grace can do that, and it is up to us to demonstrate that grace in our lives and our relationships.
In the Sermon
Those who have already begun to differ with Pope Francis have been heard to preface their concerns with phrases like “But Benedict said...” or “But Benedict always...” or “Pope John Paul II didn’t...”
Those in my beloved United Methodist Church who, despite the inclusive language of their own Book of Discipline, insist upon excluding LGBT persons from the full ministry of the church often preface their arguments with appeals to “Wesleyan” tradition and “orthodox” Christian theology and “biblical” values, as though their interpretation of John Wesley’s words, Christian theology, and biblical exegesis are infallible because they point backward, into the past.
A sermon which is bold enough to challenge this type of thinking might begin playfully by paraphrasing John the Baptist thus: “Bear fruit worthy of repentance. Do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have __________ as our ancestor’; for I tell you God is able from these stones to raise up children to _________.”
And we can then fill in the blanks with words like “John Wesley” or “Pope John Paul II” or “orthodox theology” or “literal biblical interpretation.”
Then, having had the opportunity to laugh at our own presumption, we might challenge ourselves to be the inclusive, loving, accepting, affirming, reconciling family that God calls the church to be -- not by turning back to our past and advancing to the rear, but by marching courageously and faithfully into the future.
SECOND THOUGHTS
by Mary Austin
Isaiah 11:1-10
The shoot coming out of the stump of Jesse invites us to think about how the new grows from the roots of the old. Nothing looks more new these days than the shape of the American family, with combinations of partners and parents, new arrangements for raising children, and more people living alone and choosing friends to serve as family.
As America gathered around the Thanksgiving table last week, the families at the feast were as diverse as they’ve ever been in our country. The New York Times observed that “The typical American family, if it ever lived anywhere but on Norman Rockwell’s Thanksgiving canvas, has become as multilayered and full of surprises as a holiday turducken -- the all-American seasonal portmanteau of deboned turkey, duck, and chicken.” The article added, “Researchers who study the structure and evolution of the American family express unsullied astonishment at how rapidly the family has changed in recent years...”
As we live longer, we can experience more family configurations over the course of a lifetime. We may be single, live with a partner, have children at home and then not at home and then back at home, and then be single again. We may be married, unmarried, live with a partner, live alone, or live with friends. As we are less likely to stay in unhappy relationships, “this churning, this turnover in our intimate partnerships is creating complex families on a scale we’ve not seen before,” says Andrew Cherlin, adding that we are still in the middle of the wave of change.
For some, marriage seems more and more like a luxury, like expensive cars and luxury vacations, belonging only to those educated and wealthy enough to afford it. “At the same time, the old-fashioned family plan of stably married parents residing with their children remains a source of considerable power in America -- but one that is increasingly seen as out of reach to all but the educated elite,” the Times says. The rate of marriage has fallen dramatically for young women of childbearing age, even as the cost of raising a child to adulthood has grown.
Writing for Slate magazine, Andrea Marcotte observed that these trends have benefits for our relationships: “Perhaps this is why the millennial generation is so famously tolerant and appreciative of community. They’ve grown up in a world where no one’s family looks exactly like anyone else’s, a situation that quickly teaches you to take people as they come instead of trying to fit them into predetermined boxes. And complicated familial relationships -- you say that your flower girl is your ex-husband’s new daughter? -- can teach us to emphasize the emotional connection over the delineated family structure.” Having to choose to be with family makes us more appreciative, and more willing to invest in the people we care about.
Another change has come as more women work outside the home. Families have become more egalitarian, dividing tasks up by ability or availability rather than gender or tradition.
With all the shifts, our ideas of what family means remain the same, even when the shape of the individual family changes. As the Times observes, “We’re sappy family romantics. When an informal sample of 52 Americans of different ages, professions, and hometowns were asked the first thought that came to mind on hearing the word ‘family,’ the answers varied hardly at all. Love! Kids! Mom! Dinner!”
Even with the changing picture of American families, our visions of it grow from the roots of what we know. The prophet Isaiah tells us that “the wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze, their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.” In our world we have the human equivalent of this, as communities form around people with shared interests, or as people create their own forms of family. We don’t recognize some of these families right away because they look so different from our Norman Rockwell-inspired, Leave it to Beaver images.
The shoot coming forth from the stump is challenging. We prefer the familiar stump to the new shoot, and yet the new growth challenges us to see God at work in the unfamiliar. Echoing the pattern of Isaiah, the changes in the families we know prompt us to see again that God is always doing something new. We all have the same longings for affection, companionship, and support, met in all kinds of families, and we can extend God’s welcome to all of them.
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Chris Keating:
Isaiah 11:1-10
New Priorities
Isaiah has a view of the future. Out of the old stump of Jesse a new shoot shall emerge, bringing new hope, new peace, and reconciliation among all people. It’s a surprise, for this new king seems to emerge from nowhere. Likewise, the surprising energy and vision of Pope Francis seems to have caught the church off-guard. Last week, the Pope issued what some see as a mission statement for his papacy. His encyclical Evangelii Gaudium (“The Joy of the Gospel”), could be seen as a modern-day statement of the peaceable kingdom. In part, the encyclical calls for the media to adjust its priorities, and the rich to share with the poor: “How can it be that it is not a news item when an elderly homeless person dies of exposure, but it is news when the stock market loses two points?” the Pope wrote. “How can we continue to stand by when food is thrown away while people are starving?” he asked. “Today, everything comes under the laws of competition and the survival of the fittest, where the powerful feed upon the powerless. As a consequence, masses of people find themselves excluded and marginalized: without possibilities, without any means of escape.”
Application: Both Pope Francis and Isaiah point to a future marked by radically different priorities. In Advent, we are called to yearn for this coming day of peace, made possible by the birth of Jesus.
*****
Isaiah 11:1-10
Bruised and Hurting
Like Isaiah, Pope Francis sees hope coming as the result of great risks. Isaiah calls for the wolf to dwell with the lamb, while the Pope urges the church to dwell with the hurting. “I prefer a Church which is bruised, hurting, and dirty because it has been out on the streets, rather than a Church which is unhealthy from being confined and from clinging to its own security,” he wrote. That vision calls the church to a risky faith. As Woody Allen is said to have quipped, “Someday the lamb will lie down with the lion -- but it won’t get much sleep.”
Application: The Pope’s call for the church to overhaul financial systems and address problems like poverty and hunger may seem radical and risky. Yet so does Isaiah’s image of the nursing child playing over the hole of the asp.
*****
Romans 15:4-13
Harbingers of Hatred
The Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kansas, does not deserve the publicity its members receive, even though their penchant for inciting grief continues. On Monday the group announced its plans to picket the funeral of Fast and Furious actor Paul Walker. It also released a hate-filled video clip that features children racing toy cars marked “Don’t Worship the Dead.”
To further demonstrate their lack of sensitivity, the church then expressed joy in the deaths of victims of Sunday’s New York train derailment.
Application: Paul’s exhortation to the Romans calls the church to live in harmony with one another, joyfully welcoming one another “just as Christ has welcomed you.” Paul notes that such relationships will exhibit love, peace, and hope.
*****
Matthew 3:1-12
Defensive Forgiveness
Forgiveness and football don’t usually go hand in hand. In fact, with a league dominated by violence and media-savvy “bad boys,” it’s probable that John the Baptist might have stood in an NFL locker room and cried, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?”
But then John didn’t know members of the Baltimore Ravens.
John’s proclamation of forgiveness and repentance aptly describes the lessons Baltimore Ravens player DeAngelo Tyson has learned. The second-year defensive end grew up in a long-term foster care home in Statesboro, Georgia. He was abandoned by his birth parents and was raised in a group home that provided stability and love. When he was accepted into the University of Georgia, he became the first youth from that home to go directly from high school into college.
Writing in the Baltimore Sun, reporter Jeff Zrebiec says Tyson’s journey has been one of forgiveness and mercy:
Along the way, Tyson has been strengthened by lessons on love, trust, and forgiveness. He’s come to terms with his birth parents not being in his life, embraced [his foster family] as his new family, and gotten married to his high school sweetheart. Tyson and his wife, Shabrae, have three kids.
“He didn’t have the traditional upbringing with Mommy and Daddy there together and a happy home with a little white picket fence,” said Kim Lamb, who was Tyson’s seventh-grade teacher and ultimately welcomed him into her family with her husband Chris and their two sons, Taylor, 21, and Jake, 18. “But he has more than what many people have, and he has so many people that love him.”
Zrebiec’s story notes that the Ravens roster includes others who have overcome childhood struggles, including Michael Oher (whose story inspired the movie The Blind Side), Jameel McClain (who was frequently homeless as a youngster), and Courtney Upshaw.
Applicaton: John the Baptist calls God’s people to pursue the path of reconciliation and forgiveness. As DeAngelo Tyson’s story shows, that is not an easy route. Yet Tyson demonstrates the ability to pursue reconciliation even in the midst of his career as a professional athlete.
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From team member Ron Love:
Isaiah 11:1-10
The adorable olinguito has been living among us in plain sight. Thousands of the reddish-brown mammals, who are so cute that they look like a raccoon with a teddy bear face, jump from tree to tree all night long in Ecuador and Columbia. One even lived at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., and was privileged to travel from zoo to zoo to be a delight for visitors. But it was not until after the death of Ringerl (the name given to the National Zoo’s specimen) that the mystery of why she wouldn’t mate with other olingos was solved. It was discovered that she was an entirely new species of mammal -- the first new mammal identified in the Americas in 35 years. The reason for the mistaken identity is her close appearance to her neighboring species, and the fact that no one ventured to entertain that Ringerl could be new and unique. With thousands inhabiting the high forests of Ecuador and Colombia, they truly are in plain sight if only we would take the time to look and understand.
Application: Someday, just as the adorable olinguito and her sister species olingo coexist, all animals, both two-legged and four-legged, will be able to dwell together in the treetops of life.
*****
Romans 15:4-13
As the 50th anniversary of John F. Kennedy’s assassination was observed in recent weeks, many questions regarding that event still go unanswered. There is still a great deal of popular belief in various conspiracy theories, and though the preponderance of evidence appears to validate the official conclusion of a single shooter, these theories cannot be entirely dismissed. It has recently been reported that 22,000 pages of documents are still being withheld from the public, secured in the National Archives building in College Park, Maryland. The documents primarily deal with what the CIA knew about Lee Harvey Oswald prior to the assassination. The main implication is that Oswald was working as a double agent for the Mafia, the Communists, and/or the CIA. Absent of a clear and complete disclosure of all the documents involved, the public will always remain with unanswered questions, and worse, a feeling of being misled.
Application: Paul is very clear that Christians are not misled on the teachings of the faith, for they are forthrightly stated in the Bible.
*****
Romans 15:4-13
Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his Hendrick Motorsports team have developed what something they call the “Digital Dashboard.” It is located in their social media command center, and allows AMA (Ask Me Anything) and Twitter chats with Earnhardt. It also provides several weekly programs offering glimpses of behind-the-scenes action taking place in Hendrick’s 12 buildings sprawling across 140 acres. The initiative’s purpose is to increase the number of the team’s fans, but more importantly to secure lucrative sponsorships.
Application: Paul did not need a “Digital Dashboard” to attract adherents to the faith; it was enough to present the straightforward message of the scriptures.
*****
Romans 15:4-13
After 25 years in production, the 11-volume Encyclopedia on Hinduism is finally being published. At over 7,000 pages, it will become the standard work on Hindu beliefs and practices. Researchers felt an encyclopedia like this (which hadn’t been attempted previously) was necessary because many parents no longer understood their faith and needed an accurate reference work in order to instruct their children.
Application: Paul is clear that the scriptures are written for our instruction, without need of an encyclopedia for clarification.
*****
Matthew 3:1-12
Major League Baseball has finally agreed to allow video review of most umpire calls (not only those involving home runs). Beginning next season, managers will be able to challenge decisions of the umpires -- and in a system similar to that already in use for goals in the NHL, videotape will be reviewed by MLB headquarters in New York City, with their judgment being final. It is reported that 89% of incorrect calls in the past will be reviewable. This continues a trend in all sports where its referees’ duty to officiate is no longer sacred. Their work is no longer an act of individual decision-making, but now is subject to a committee review. Lost will be that element of the sport that is dependent upon the human element, even if at times it is fallible.
Application: When John called individuals to come to be baptized, it was a personal decision, a decision that did not have to be scrutinized by a committee.
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From team member Leah Lonsbury:
Isaiah 11:1-10
When considering...
the shoot;
the spirit of wisdom and understanding, counsel and might, and knowledge and fear of the Lord;
judging the poor with righteousness;
deciding with equity for the meek of the earth;
being cloaked righteousness and faithfulness;
signs of peace in the natural order;
and being led to that peace by a child...
check out Jon Stewart’s interview with Malala Yousafzai, and Yousafzai’s speech at the United Nations. (Malala is the young Pakistani teenager who was shot by the Taliban while returning home on a school bus. The Taliban was seeking to silence her vocal support for women’s rights and education -- but far from silencing her, they created an international media sensation whose articulate advocacy has led to a nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize and the release of a riveting memoir.)
Some excerpts from Yousafzai’s appearance on The Daily Show:
The best way to fight against this war is education, because as you can see children are suffering from terrorism, they are suffering from child labor and child trafficking. They are also suffering from the cultural norms and traditions. There is not only one issue that we are facing. There are many others as well. So I think that education is the best way... Going to school is not only learning about different subjects. It teaches you communication. It teaches you how to live a life. It teaches you about history. It teaches you about how science is working. And other than that, you learn about equality, because students are provided the same benches. They sit equally. It shows us equality. It teaches students how to live with others together, how to accept each other’s language, how to accept each other’s traditions and each other’s religion. It also teaches us justice. It also teaches us respect. It teaches us how to live together. That’s why I support the idea of sending children to school, because it is the best way to fight terrorism.
I used to think that the Talib would come, and he would kill me. But then I thought, “If he comes, what would you do, Malala?” Then I would reply to myself, “Malala, just take a shoe and hit him.” But then I said, “If you hit the Talib with your shoe, then there would be no difference between you and the Talib. You must not treat others that much with cruelty and that much harshly. You must fight... through peace and through dialogue and through education.” Then I said, “I’ll tell him how important education is, and that I even want education for your children as well.” Then I tell him, “That’s what I want to tell you. Now do what you want.”
They were using religion for their own personal benefit... then later on, people tried to realize this. And the girls are very brave. Girls in our school -- at that time we were just 11 and 12 years old -- but we spoke up for our rights to every media channel, to every newspaper that we could. And we did not know at that time that our small interview would have an impact or not, but it had, because we were raising up our voice, and we were speaking up for our rights. And we were speaking for peace...
From her UN speech:
They thought that the bullets would silence us. But they failed. And then, out of that silence came thousands of voices. The terrorists thought that they would change our aims and stop our ambitions, but nothing changed in my life except this: Weakness, fear, and hopelessness died. Strength, power, and courage was born.
Dear sisters and brothers, now it’s time to speak up.
So today, we call upon the world leaders to change their strategic policies in favor of peace and prosperity.
We call upon the world leaders that all the peace deals must protect women and children’s rights. A deal that goes against the dignity of women and their rights is unacceptable.
We call upon all governments to ensure free compulsory education for every child all over the world.
We call upon all governments to fight against terrorism and violence, to protect children from brutality and harm.
We call upon the developed nations to support the expansion of educational opportunities for girls in the developing world.
We call upon all communities to be tolerant -- to reject prejudice based on caste, creed, sect, religion, or gender; to ensure freedom and equality for women so that they can flourish. We cannot all succeed when half of us are held back.
We call upon our sisters around the world to be brave -- to embrace the strength within themselves and realize their full potential.
Dear brothers and sisters, we want schools and education for every child’s bright future. We will continue our journey to our destination of peace and education for everyone. No one can stop us. We will speak for our rights, and we will bring change through our voice. We must believe in the power and the strength of our words. Our words can change the world, because we are all together, united for the cause of education. And if we want to achieve our goal, then let us empower ourselves with the weapon of knowledge and let us shield ourselves with unity and togetherness.
Dear brothers and sisters, we must not forget that millions of people are suffering from poverty, injustice, and ignorance. We must not forget that millions of children are out of school. We must not forget that our sisters and brothers are waiting for a bright, peaceful future.
So let us wage a global struggle against illiteracy, poverty, and terrorism, and let us pick up our books and pens. They are our most powerful weapons.
One child, one teacher, one pen, and one book can change the world.
*****
Romans 15:4-13
“Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you...”
This week, British Olympic diver Tom Daley revealed that he is in a relationship with another man via a YouTube video.
Huffington Post reports:
Daley, 19, says in the video, “Come spring this year, my life changed massively when I met someone and it made me feel so happy, so safe, and everything just feels great. And that someone is a guy.”
He then adds, “It was always in the back of my head that something like that could happen, but it wasn’t until spring this year that something just clicked... My whole world just changed, right there and then.”
Still, Daley stops short of using either the term “gay” or “bisexual.” “Of course I still fancy girls,” he says. “But I mean, right now I’m dating a guy and I couldn’t be happier. It makes me feel safe and just really does feel right.”
The diver, who tweeted the video to his more than 2.4 million Twitter followers, concludes, “I’m still Tom. I still want to win an Olympic gold medal at Rio 2016 for Great Britain. I’m still as motivated as ever to do that.”
There has been cyber backlash, but there has also been an outpouring of support from celebrities, fans, and the general public. Fellow Olympian Matthew Mitcham tweeted in response:
@TomDaley1994 is a champion in every sense of the word. And it’s super cute that he’s in love =) he should be rewarded with all our support
Singer Kylie Minogue added:
@TomDaley1994 Inspiring and brave?.. as always!!! #RespectTom
NPR responded by replaying an interview with Wade Davis, one of the first professional athletes to come out and speak publicly about doing so. Throughout the interview, Davis speaks of “my own silence” and the pain and difficulty of remaining closeted for so long. Later, NPR host Ari Shapiro asks what it takes to be the first professional athlete in a league to come out. In his answer, Davis emphasizes the need for a welcoming and supportive community for gay athletes and LGBTQ individuals in general:
That person is going to have to be someone who loves themselves. I think one of the biggest reasons why I decided to not come out was that I was going through so much self-hatred and self-loathing that I think the first step for any player who decides to come out, whether he’s a top athlete or a free agent like myself, there has to be a lot of self-love that has to happen.
He also has to have an environment around him of friends and family who he knows is going to support him. And I think lastly he’s probably going to have to have a couple teammates that he comes out to first that are guaranteed to be his allies within the locker room.
*****
Matthew 3:1-12
In September 2008, Jim Wallis wrote an article called “Repent, the End Is Near!” calling the members of Congress to a time of repentance during their recess for Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. In it, Wallis offers a fine definition of repentance and suggests several reasons why our elected officials might need to consider and enact that definition. He also offers some suggestions of what repentance might look like in the lives of us common folks. Here are his thoughts...
As for the rest of us, perhaps we could also reflect on our need for repentance.
For being seduced into lifestyles beyond our means and contrary to our religious traditions of simplicity and stewardship.
For living on far too much credit, rather than living within our limits.
For sometimes putting economic values ahead of family values.
For letting the relentless assault of advertising and a culture of consumption to seed in us the sin of covetousness.
For valuing our lives too much by the cultural values of worth, instead of by the values of the kingdom of God.
And for the students at Harvard (where I sometimes teach), the fact that half of you want to go into investment banking as a career is a sign that something has gone wrong with the culture. Repent, and make sure your vocation benefits the common good.
Maybe we should all go to synagogue or church in the next ten days in order to repent. Because if we don’t, the end of a lot of things may indeed be near.
WORSHIP RESOURCES
by George Reed
Call to Worship
Leader: May the mountains yield prosperity for the people.
People: May the hills yield righteousness.
Leader: May righteousness flourish and peace abound.
People: May it abound until the moon is no more.
Leader: Blessed be our God, who alone does wondrous things.
People: Blessed be God’s glorious name forever.
OR
Leader: Come and see the new things of God.
People: We come anticipating what God is now doing!
Leader: Some of our old things must be put away.
People: We know we are too attached to some of them.
Leader: All that God is doing is for our good.
People: We will trust our God and join God’s new ways.
Hymns and Sacred Songs
“People, Look East”
found in:
UMH: 202
PH: 12
CH: 142
ELA: 248
W&P: 161
STLT: 226
“This Is a Day of New Beginnings”
found in:
UMH: 383
NCH: 417
CH: 518
W&P: 355
“Tell Out, My Soul”
found in:
UMH: 200
H82: 437, 438
W&P: 41
Renew: 130
“My Soul Gives Glory to My God”
found in:
UMH: 198
CH: 130
ELA: 882
“The Voice of God Is Calling”
found in:
UMH: 436
“What Does the Lord Require”
found in:
UMH: 441
H82: 605
PH: 405
CH: 659
W&P: 686
“Be Thou My Vision”
found in:
UMH: 451
PH: 324
NNBH: 218
CH: 586
W&P: 480
AMEC: 285
Renew: 151
“Open My Eyes, That I May See”
found in:
UMH: 454
PH: 324
NNBH: 218
CH: 586
W&P: 480
AMEC: 285
“Create in Me a Clean Heart”
found in:
CCB: 54
Renew: 181
“Sing Unto the Lord a New Song”
found in:
CCB: 16
Renew: 99
Music Resources Key:
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982 (The Episcopal Church)
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
NNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
ELA: 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 brings new things out of the old: Grant us the wisdom to see what new things you are doing, and grant us the courage to leave the old behind; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We come to worship you, O God, who brings new things out of the old. We ask that as we sing your praises today we may also listen for your words to us, that we may see the new and leave the old and do it all for your glory. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
Leader: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins, and especially the way we hold on to the old and familiar without sensing what you are doing to make all things new.
People: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We have been blind to the new things you have been about as we have focused on the old and comfortable ways. We have forgotten that Jesus taught us that all the law and the prophets are built on our loving you and loving one another. We forget that the purpose of the scriptures is to make love, mercy, and justice available to all. Instead we try to enforce the form by which our ancestors understood those principles. Forgive us our willful blindness, and renew our sight. Help us to encourage the new growth that you are bringing out of our old treasures. Amen.
Leader: God is doing a new thing -- in all creation, in the Church, and in us. Receive these new gifts with gladness.
Prayers of the People (and the Lord’s Prayer)
We worship, O God, the One who created and is ever creating. There is no end to the newness you are bringing to us.
(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 been blind to the new things you have been about as we have focused on the old and comfortable ways. We have forgotten that Jesus taught us that all the law and the prophets are built on our loving you and loving one another. We forget that the purpose of the scriptures is to make love, mercy, and justice available to all. Instead we try to enforce the form by which our ancestors understood those principles. Forgive us our willful blindness, and renew our sight. Help us to encourage the new growth that you are bringing out of our old treasures.
We give you thanks for this earth and the way you have created it to renew itself. We give you thanks for the ways that even in death the plants and animals provide for new life. Most of all we thank you for Jesus, who taught us to find new life always in you.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for those in need. There are many who can see only death and destruction. Some struggle with physical disease and bodily death. Some see the ending of relationships. Some are so overwhelmed by their poverty that they cannot see beyond their most basic needs. Some are surrounded by anger and violence that destroys their soul as well as their bodies.
(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.
Children’s Sermon Starter
Find a picture of a new growth coming from an old stump (here’s a good example) and show it to the children. Talk about how God’s creation takes old things and makes them new. You can add as many other examples of this as you wish. Even in our lives, God takes the old and makes things new. Just because we messed up yesterday doesn’t mean we can’t do better today.
CHILDREN’S SERMON
Prepare Your Hearts
Matthew 3:1-12
Object: Christmas decorations
It’s the second Sunday in Advent! There are only two more weeks until Christmas! Are you getting ready? What are some things you see people doing to get ready for Christmas? (get responses from the children) There’s a lot going on all around us as people get ready. I’ve brought some decorations with me today. (show what you have brought) I’ll put these around my house to help me get into the holiday mood. They help me get excited!
In the gospel reading today we hear: “Prepare the way of the Lord.” Get ready for him, because he’s coming! This is what Advent is all about: waiting and getting ready. We see people getting ready in lots of different ways. We get our houses ready with decorations like the ones I have, but we also should spend time getting our hearts ready.
What do I mean by that? (listen to the children’s ideas) Jesus lived in the world, but he also wants to live inside us. His ideas about love, his ideas about God the Father, his ideas about how to treat other people -- Jesus wants us to understand these ideas and do things like he did. When we spend time praying, learning, and talking about Jesus, we can become more like him. When we become more like Jesus we have made a place for him in our hearts.
Before he can live in us, though, we need to make room for him. We need to get rid of the things that make it hard to see and listen to him. We need to clean our hearts out, just like we clean our houses. What are some things we might clean out of our hearts? (get responses) As we prepare for Christmas, let’s clean out our hearts and make a place for Jesus to come and live.
Prayer: Dear God, it’s hard to be patient for Christmas, but the waiting will help us get ready. While we wait, create in us clean hearts. Make us ready for Jesus to come into the world and into our lives. Amen.
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The Immediate Word, December 8, 2013, issue.
Copyright 2013 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.
