Immediate Word

"Why can't we all just get along?" This is one of the oldest pleas in the human -- and Christian -- book. We don't have to look far to see that it remains a struggle today, both within and beyond the church. Though the world united magnificently in responding compassionately to South East Asia's tsunami, cooperation is far less assured in other areas. The election of Mahmoud Abbas as Palestinian leader this week was catalyst for a fresh commitment to work toward peace; but at this writing that hope seems very distant. Meanwhile the Iraqi government is struggling to pacify insurgents enough to make the country safe for voters on January 30. Even within the Christian community, this year's Week of Prayer for Christian Unity dawns on an America whose Christian disunity was all too evident in the recent election campaign. And as an ELCA task force brings forward recommendations around human sexuality, peace within that denomination is also likely to be strained. What does Paul have to say to the disagreements within the church today? Does his Christocentric message offer any resources to those seeking harmony where a Christian commitment is not shared? In this Epiphany season of sharing light with the world, what does it mean for us to say that the Prince of Peace is in our midst?

For Paul, everything flows from Christ crucified: the astonishing and unmerited self-offering of God to redeem and reconcile us. If this is the face that God showed the world, then it is the same face Christ's followers should show, particularly to each other.

This is not simply a plea to "make nice," as his steely response to church-tolerated immorality in 1 Corinthians 5 makes clear. Rather, it is a profound challenge to human self-seeking, and a call to participate in Christ's incarnational and redemptive work.

Although Paul takes seriously the ethical issues facing the congregation at Corinth, and thoughtfully addresses them, he identifies the root cause of congregational divisions as spiritual immaturity (1 Corinthians 3:1-4). This is not a word that most of us would care to stand up and deliver to our congregations, but we can all testify that a lack of seasoned saintliness is a factor in many disputes both within and beyond the church. Without necessarily being as forthright as the apostle about the childishness we witness, we can certainly follow him in pointing out the path of spiritual maturity. The first step along that path, he suggests, is to unlearn much of what we take for granted about the way the world works. Worldly wisdom is not necessarily an asset (1 Corinthians 2), nor is our predilection for hanging on to advantage or shoring up our positions. The wisdom and power of God are pre-eminently seen in the appalling vulnerability of the cross.

Renunciation of human wisdom is not an excuse to stop thinking, however. Paul is nothing if not a thinker. But he invites his community to think in a new mould, governed by the vision of what God is doing in the world, and by the modus operandi of Christ. In this light, personal rights and even conceptual accuracy take second place to reconciling love. This is seen in his nuanced discussion of meat sacrificed to idols in 1 Corinthians 8-10. It is quite possibly Paul himself who radically demythologized the universe of those who were claiming freedom to eat whatever they pleased, since idols were purely human constructs. Yet he urges these robust and exciting Christian thinkers to consider the effect of their conviction on others whose thinking was still captive to a pre-Christian world. You are absolutely right, he says ... and, I would rather never eat meat at all than risk wounding the conscience of a fellow Christian. Rather than challenging the "weak" Christian to grow up intellectually, then, he challenges the "strong" to grow up spiritually.

Of course, this argument of Paul's has been used to hamstring efforts to think the faith in contemporary context. Contentious issues such as human sexuality are often shelved for years at a time in the name of not wounding people's faith. Considerable discernment must be exercised in coming to such a decision. Paul could confidently tell believers to back off the matter of meat because "we are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do" (8:8). The same cannot be said of shutting down people's authentic sexual expression and denying them the possibility of a life partner. In this case, people are being hurt whether the issue is discussed or not. Here it is not a matter of whether to hurt but whom to hurt, and there are no easy answers.

Paul asks of his congregation that, rather than force a choice of whom to hurt, they take the initiative in submitting to the needs of each other. Rather than demanding that such and such a course be taken or not taken out of respect for themselves, he urges them to follow his own example (chapter 9) of putting the good of the other first, even at cost to their own well-being. Scandalized, for instance, at the reality of lawsuits among believers, he expostulates, "Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be defrauded?" (6:7). The reputation of the church and its character as an incarnational witness to Christ are compromised by self-seeking behavior, no matter how justified. Better to submit to evil as Christ did than to become indistinguishable from the rest of the world.

This is one of the most challenging of Paul's demands. In our increasingly litigious society, it has the potential to be the most distinctive witness the church can offer ... if we can bring ourselves to offer it! In fact it is rare that we have the courage to be so deeply the church.

We are more willing to entertain some of the other aspects of Paul's practical theology. His vision of diverse and differently gifted individuals working together to build up the church (3:5-9 and 12:4-30) is a popular theme at ordination and induction services, and a fact of life in most congregations. It will be a few weeks before the lectionary brings us to these passages, but when it does, the preacher can take the opportunity to hold up and celebrate the contributions of different members, as well as exhorting them to remember the whole to which they contribute.

This vision of different gifts contributing to a common cause is probably the most easily transposed element of Paul's thinking to contexts where Christian commitment is not shared. It is a reasonable thing to ask of anyone, once a "common good" has been agreed upon. There is no need to treat this as a specifically Christian value, although Christians often need to be reminded of it in times of conflict. The specifically Christian value with which Paul challenges us is to go beyond the concept of the common good to a self-sacrificial concern for the well-being of the other and the building up of the body, in direct imitation of Jesus Christ. It is in doing this that we show ourselves most truly the temple of the Holy Spirit (3:16-17).


Team Comments

Carlos Wilton responds: Chris, you've done a wonderful job of summarizing the message of Paul in 1 Corinthians. We're going to be combing through the dense prose of that letter in our Epistle lessons for many weeks to come, and you give us a helpful, big-picture perspective that will be valuable to many of us in the larger Immediate Word community.

You begin by raising the familiar question, "Why can't we all just get along?" Most of us, I expect, have raised that question ourselves, as we've faced one conflicted situation or another. Observing Christian friends who are locked in interminable conflict with one another, sometimes we wish we could just shake them, and say, "Hey -- don't you see what you're doing -- to yourselves and to the Body of Christ? Look at the big picture!" That sort of meta-perspective is hard to communicate, however. Sometimes the trenches of ecclesiastical warfare are dug too deep.

A recent New York Times op-ed piece tells of a conflict that arose recently in a refugee camp, among people who have lost everything in the December tsunamis. It's an instructive tale, for it lays bare one of the root causes of human conflict. Amitav Ghosh tells the story in the January 14, 2005 New York Times. The full article can be found at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/14/opinion/14ghosh.html

Ghosh tells of a refugee camp in the disaster-devastated Anadaman and Nicobar Islands, which are a territory of India. A Roman Catholic priest by the name of Father Johnson runs this makeshift camp, which is filled with people from whom the tsunamis have stolen absolutely everything.

Due to the generosity of relief agencies, there is sufficient food, clothing, and shelter in the camp for the refugees' immediate needs. But those relief supplies cannot fill a deeper hunger that aches within each newly homeless person. On the morning the Times correspondent visited the camp, there was an altercation, and Father Johnson of course ended up at the center of it. It could be described as a crisis of freedom: after days of anxious waiting, no one had informed the refugees what was to become of them. These people who have lost so much, who have so much to grieve, were aching for some shred of information about what the future holds for them.

Father Johnson was not in a position to tell them. The scope of the tsunami damage is so vast that relief agencies are concentrating, for now, only on immediate needs. The focus of the refugees' discontent was on documentation. Having lost so much, they were afraid the world would soon forget them. It seemed their very identity had somehow been washed away by the waves. As Ghosh tells it:

To be middle class in India, or anywhere else, is to be kept afloat on a life raft of paper: identity cards, drivers licenses, ration cards, school certificates, checkbooks, certificates of life insurance and records of deposits. An earthquake would have left remnants to rummage through; floods and hurricanes would have allowed time for survivors to pack up their essential documents. The tsunami, in the suddenness of its onslaught, allowed for no preparations: not only did it destroy the survivors' homes and families; it also robbed them of all the evidentiary traces of their place in the world. And this, more than anything, was the cause of the panic that morning ...

Eventually, the agitated refugees realized that Father Johnson was doing all he could. Their demands became more modest. Some paper and a few pens -- could he get them some of those? That, Father Johnson could arrange. Ghosh continues:

No sooner had this request been met than another uproar broke out: those who'd been given pens and paper now became the center of the siege. People began to push and jostle, clamoring to have their names written down. It seemed to occur to them simultaneously that identity was now no more than a matter of assertion, and nothing seemed to matter more than to create a trail of paper. Somehow they had come to believe that on this, the random scribbling of a name on a sheet of paper in a refugee camp, depended the eventual reclamation of a life.

This week's Psalm and Epistle Lessons have to do, among other things, with identity. It is the discovery of human identity, that naming of persons, that forms the foundation of future peace and harmony. In distress, the psalmist cries, "Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud, be gracious to me and answer me ... do not forsake me!" (Psalm 27:7, 9). If God will only answer, if God will only recognize the psalmist's plea, that will be sufficient. In 1 Corinthians 1:10-18, Paul bemoans the state of affairs that has led one faction in the church to identify themselves as lining up behind Apollos, another behind Cephas, and so on. They are finding their identity in their human leaders, and not in their relationship with Christ (evidently, something similar is true even of the one group whose members identify themselves as the "Christ" party).

We all have a need to be named. That need is deeply human. Many of the conflicts and divisions that tear the social fabric are rooted in a divisive party spirit that leads us to identify ourselves as belonging to one faction or another. "I am a liberal," says one. "I am a conservative," proclaims another. "You conservatives always ..." "You liberals just can't seem to ..." The sad and debilitating dance goes on and on.

If only there had been a true recognition of identity! If only there had been a true, and very personal naming -- not on the categorical level of party or tribe, but on a deeply individual level. This is what began to occur, in the most insignificant of ways, in that refugee camp in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Such is what always occurs when we enter into relationship with God, as the author of Psalm 27 discovers. Such is what can and does occur, when in our human communities we transcend party spirit, and recognize that we are all blessed individuals, whom God loves!

George Murphy responds: As mentioned, this Sunday falls in the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. That's the term a lot of churches use now because we're used to operating with weeks, but originally it was the Octave of Prayer for Christian Unity, a period of eight days extending from the Feast of the Confession of St. Peter on January 18 through the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul on January 25.

That may sound like liturgical trivia, and I realize that a lot of churches don't have those festivals on their calendar. Even those that do probably don't observe them if they fall on weekdays, as they do this year. But I think there's a real lesson about Christian unity to be gained from thinking about the beginning and end of this period. If you'll remember, Peter and Paul didn't always agree on things. Galatians 2:11-14 is Paul's account of a dispute that he had had with Peter (Cephas) at Antioch about the observance of torah regulations by Christians. It's too bad that we don't have Peter's account of this dispute, but it's worth noting that 2 Peter 3:15-16 has an interesting comment on the letters of Paul. Even though 2 Peter probably wasn't written by Peter, it may convey some Petrine traditions, and these verses suggest gently that Christians should be careful about what Paul wrote.

Some Christians have found it hard to believe that the two great apostles actually could have had a serious disagreement on some substantive matter. But this reflects an overly idealized picture of the early church, and of the church in general. Christians do have different views on some things, and different ways of doing the things that we agree we should do.

Nor is that just a matter of individual differences. Peter and Paul are not just two Christians chosen at random, or even two arbitrarily selected apostles. They have often been seen as symbols of the two great branches of western Christianity, the Roman Catholic and Protestant. Those identifications shouldn't be pushed too far, but it's true that Roman Catholics are generally those who are most interested in a "Petrine function" or "Petrine office" in the church while Protestants are more likely to center their theology on teachings from the Pauline epistles. And if we wanted to be really complete we should perhaps have a "Month of Prayer for Christian Unity" beginning on December 27. That is the Feast of St. John, for whose rather mystical theology the Eastern Orthodox tradition has special fondness.

As we pray for unity and work toward unity, we need to remember the essentials of the sevenfold (but also Trinitarian) expression of oneness in Ephesians 4:4-6: "One body and one Spirit, ... one hope, ... one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all." None of these essentials are to be compromised or negotiated away. But the Ephesians passage doesn't say "one theology" (something different from one faith), "one type of church polity" or "one approach to social issues." Diversity in the church is not just a concession to a modern spirit of independence. As Paul emphasizes with his description of the church as the body of Christ later in 1 Corinthians, in the twelfth chapter, some amount of diversity is a necessary complement of being "one body." What is needed for unity is not that all members be the same, but that they be in accord and able to work together to carry out God's purposes for the church.

It's all very well to talk about the unity of the church, but some people may wonder if the rather slow processes of ecumenical dialogue aren't something of a luxury when the world at large is so dangerously divided between rich and poor nations, peoples of different religions, and along other fault lines. Appeals to the language of Ephesians 4, Jesus' prayer "that they may be one" (John 17:22) or the ecumenical creeds will not have much immediate effect in trying to heal these divisions. Christians need to be able to work with other people to help bring about concord on other terms.

But this doesn't mean that the distinctively Christian understanding of unity is irrelevant for such concerns. Colossians 1:21-22 speaks of God's work in reconciling Christians to himself, but that is preceding by the grander statement in verse 20 that God "was pleased to reconcile to himself all things" through the cross of Christ. And that statement about God's cosmic purpose is, in turn, preceded by language about Christ as "the head of the body, the church" in verse 18. It is perhaps not too much here to see the church as a kind of condensation nucleus for the reconciliation of the world. The church is called to proclaim, in word and deed, the peace that God intends in Christ.


Related Illustrations

If you want to go fast, go alone.
If you want to go far, go together.
-- African Proverb

***

Heresy is better than schism, the Episcopal bishop of Virginia said yesterday in a speech that gently chided church conservatives for imperiling the unity of the country's largest diocese over the consecration of the denomination's first homosexual bishop last November.

"If you must make a choice between heresy and schism, always choose heresy," said the Rt. Rev. Peter J. Lee to 500 Episcopalians meeting for the annual diocesan council at the Hyatt Regency in Reston.

"For as a heretic, you are only guilty of a wrong opinion," Bishop Lee said, quoting Presbyterian scholar James McCord. "As a schismatic, you have torn and divided the body of Christ. Choose heresy every time."

After delegates applauded him, he added, "I hope we will avoid both heresy and schism."
-- Julia Dunn, "Heresy better idea than schism?" in The Washington Times, January 31, 2004

***

A mosaic consists of thousands of little stones. Some are blue, some are green, some are yellow, some are gold. When we bring our faces close to the mosaic, we can admire the beauty of each stone. But as we step back from it, we can see that all these little stones reveal to us a beautiful picture, telling a story none of these stones can tell by itself. That is what our life in community is about. Each of us is like a little stone, but together we reveal the face of God to the world. Nobody can say: "I make God visible." But others who see us together can say: "They make God visible." Community is where humility and glory touch.
-- Henri Nouwen, Bread for the Journey (New York: Harper Collins, 1997)

***

There is no person in history who has impacted all of mankind more than Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus was deeply concerned for the continuation of his redemptive, reconciling work after the close of his earthly existence, and his chosen method was the formation of a small band of committed friends. He did not form any army, establish a headquarters, or even write a book. What he did was to collect a few very common men and women, inspire them with the sense of his spirit and vision, and build their lives into an intensive fellowship of affection, worship and work.

One of the truly shocking passages of the gospel is that in which Jesus indicates that there is absolutely no substitute for the tiny, loving, caring, reconciling society. If this fails, he suggests, all is failure, there is no other way. He told the little bedraggled fellowship that they were actually the salt of the earth and that if this salt should fail there would be no adequate preservative at all. He was staking all on one throw.

What we need is not intellectual theorizing or even preaching, but a demonstration. One of the most powerful ways of turning people's loyalty to Christ is by loving others with the great love of God. We cannot revive faith by argument. But we might catch the imagination of puzzled men and women by an exhibition of a fellowship so intensely alive that every thoughtful person would be forced to respect it. If there should emerge in our day such a fellowship, wholly without artificiality and free from the dead hand of the past, it would be an exciting event of momentous importance. A society of genuine loving friends, set free from the self-seeking struggle for personal prestige and from all unreality, would be something unutterably priceless and powerful. A wise person would travel any distance to join it.
-- Elton Trueblood

***

God is never closer than when the space between two hearts narrows.
-- Joan Borysenko

***

The new survival unit is no longer the individual nation; it's the entire human race and its environment. Unity is not something we are called to create; it's something we are called to recognize.
-- William Sloane Coffin

***

When I go to church, I have learned to look up, look around, look outward, and look inward. This new way of seeing has helped me to stop merely tolerating the church and instead learn to love it.
-- Philip Yancey

***

Our duty is not to see through one another, but to see one another through.
-- Leonard Sweet, A Cup of Coffee at the Soul Cafe

***

When God puts us back together again (with the aid of our willingness to cooperate) this great Church will be marked by the dignity and scholarship of the Anglicans, the order and sacraments of Roman Catholics, the warm fellowship of the Methodists, the Presbyterian desire for good preaching, the Lutheran respect for sound theology. There will be the Baptist concern for individual salvation, the Congregational respect for the rights of lay members, the Pentecostal reliance on the power of the Holy Spirit and the Quaker appreciation for silence. We will find there the Mennonite sense of community, the social action of the Salvation Army, the social justice of the United and the Reformed love of the Bible, all wrapped in Orthodox reverence before the mystery of God.
-- Fr. Thomas Ryan, CSP

***

Judging by what I have learned about men and women, I am convinced that far more idealistic aspiration exists than is ever evident. Just as the rivers we see are much less numerous than the underground streams, so the idealism that is visible is minor compared to what men and women carry in their hearts, unreleased or scarcely released. Mankind is waiting and longing for those who can accomplish the task of untying what is knotted and bringing the underground waters to the surface.
-- Albert Schweitzer

***

Psychologist and communication trainer Marshall Rosenberg maintains that almost any conflict can be resolved within twenty minutes, even after decades of marital discord or tribal war ... once the warring parties have recognized what each other is feeling and needing. His basic resource is titled "Nonviolent Communication: a language of life." There is a companion workbook and a host of other resources available from the Center for Nonviolent Communication (CNVC). The Center also offers workshops and audiovisual resources. www.cnvc.org or www.nonviolentcommunication.com

***

The Seasons of the Spirit church school curriculum for this date (Congregational Life pack, p. 99) includes an article by Roddy Hamilton, "More Unity than we Thought?" on the melting of ecclesiastical distinctions in western Scotland. He urges Christians to recognize and celebrate the often unnoticed places where divisions are in fact being transcended.

***

If two or three of you will ever get together on anything, I'll show up to see it for myself.
-- Joseph Garlington's take on Matthew 18:20, quoted in Leadership, vol. Xvii, no. 2 (spring 1996), p. 11

***

Never speak to an angry man.
-- favorite saying of a former parishioner's mother

***

A woman went to the post office to buy stamps. "What denomination?" asked the clerk. "Oh, good heavens! Has it come to this?" said the woman. "Well, give me 50 Baptist and 50 Catholic ones."

***

When one member of a family can calmly state his own convictions and beliefs, and take action on his convictions without criticism of the beliefs of others and without becoming involved in emotional debate, then other family members will start the same process of becoming more sure of self and more accepting of others.
-- Dr. Murray Bowen, 1971

***

Wouldn't it be something if we [in the church] could show the world the transforming power of a gospel that turns ideological opponents into brothers and sisters who love one another, who can't stop enjoying ... praying ... caring for ... protecting one another? If we did that, the world might even find us interesting again.
-- Rev. John Buchanan

***

If you haven't any charity in your heart, you have the worst kind of heart trouble.
-- Bob Hope

***

"Outwitted"

He drew a circle that shut me out --
Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout.
But Love and I had the wit to win
And we drew a circle that took him in!
-- Edwin Markham (Chalice Hymnal #551)

***

"Love Them Anyway"

People are often unreasonable, illogical and self-centered.
Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives.
Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies.
Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you.
Be honest and frank anyway.
What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight.
Build anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, others may be jealous.
Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow.
Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough.
Give the world the best you've got anyway.
You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God:
it was never between you and them anyway.

***

"Ten Commandments of How to Get Along"

1. Keep skid chains on your tongue. Always say less than you think. Cultivate a low, persuasive voice. How you say it often counts more than what you say.

2. Make promises sparingly, and keep them faithfully, no matter what the cost.

3. Never let an opportunity pass to say a kind and encouraging word to or about somebody. Praise good work, regardless of who did it. If criticism is needed, offer it gently, never harshly.

4. Be interested in others -- their pursuits, their work, their homes and families. Make merry with those who rejoice, and weep with those who mourn. Let everyone you meet, however humble, feel that you regard him or her as a person of importance.

5. Be cheerful. Don't burden or depress those around you by dwelling on your minor aches and pains and small disappointments. Remember, everyone is carrying some kind of burden, often heavier than your own.

6. Keep an open mind. Discuss, but don't argue. It is a mark of a superior mind to be able to disagree without being disagreeable.

7. Let your virtues, if you have any, speak for themselves. Refuse to talk of another's vices. Discourage gossip. It is a waste of valuable time, and can be extremely destructive.

8. Be careful of another's feelings. Wit and humor at another person's expense may do more damage than you will ever know.

9. Pay no attention to disparaging remarks. Remember, the person who carried the message may not be the most accurate reporter in the world, and things become twisted in the retelling. Live so that nobody will believe them. Nervous tension and bad digestion are common causes of backbiting.

10. Don't be too eager to get the credit due you. Do your best, and be patient. Forget about yourself, and let others "remember." Success is much sweeter that way.

***

Twelve Signs of Inner Peace:

Loss of interest in conflict
Frequent attacks of smiling
Frequent overwhelming attacks of appreciation
Loss of desire to judge others
Unmistakable ability to enjoy each moment
Tendency to think and act spontaneously rather than from fear based on past experience
Loss of interest in interpreting the actions of others
Loss of ability to worry (a serious symptom)
Contented feelings of connectedness to others and nature
Increasing susceptibility to love extended by others as well as an uncontrollable urge to extend it
Increasing tendency to let things happen rather than make things happen


Worship Resources
By Julia Ross Strope

CALL TO WORSHIP
From Psalm 27
Leader: What a day God has made! Rejoice with me!
People: God is our light and our salvation --
Leader: Here, in this place, and everywhere we go!
People: Though we are afraid, we will trust God to care for us.
Leader: In times of trouble, we feel drawn to God --
People: To sanctuary where we can experience safety.
Leader: I'm glad we are together in this house of God.
People: With joy we sing, pray, and listen!
Leader: God is listening ...
People: God will speak to us.
Leader: Let it be so.

PRAYER OF ADORATION
From Psalm 27

Light of our lives --
We are aware that you lead us along paths that reveal your goodness. You never abandon us in despairing times or in satisfying times. Thank you for your Presence and for the hope of unity ourselves and among all peoples.
We eagerly offer our praise and anticipate your Word. Amen.

CALL TO CONFESSION

Leader: When we are at loose ends and when we feel goal-directed, we know that our attitudes and behaviors need adjusting to holy expectations. Together, then in our own depths, let us name what needs grace and transformation.

COMMUNITY CONFESSION (unison)

Gracious God --
We hear the words of scripture urge us to be peacemakers.
We hear scriptures speak of "one body, many parts," of "like-mindedness."
We hear scriptures tell us to care for the earth.
With a sense of guilt and with high hopes for new behaviors, we ask you to free us from the past and guide us to wholesome behaviors and relationships.
Amen.

WORD OF GRACE

Leader: God is good and loves us. In Christ, we learn a new hospitality and a new direction for our living. With people around the world, we are one human race in God's care. Receive this good news and be at peace with yourself and your neighbors.

CONGREGATIONAL CHORAL RESPONSE

"O God Of Earth And Altar," stanza 3 Tune: LLANGLOFFAN
Awaken us to action and forge us into one,
Defying sect and faction; O God, Your will be done!
Oppressive systems snare us; our apathies increase.
Great God, in mercy, spare us for justice and for peace!

HYMN SUGGESTIONS

"In Christ There Is No East Or West"
"We Are One In The Spirit, We Are One In The Lord"
"I Sing A Song Of The Saints Of God"
"Help Us Accept Each Other"
"We Are Your People"
"We All Are One In Mission"
"God Is My Strong Salvation" (Psalm 27)
"The Church Of Christ In Every Age"

21ST CENTURY AFFIRMATION

from 1 Corinthians theme of unity

God is One in triplicate across time and space.
Christ is One, manifest in Jesus of Nazareth
and shining through us.
Spirit is One, empowering us to bring the
kingdom of heaven closer.
Church is One with many parts through the world --
encouraging peace and justice, hope and love.
In our living and in our dying, we offer and receive
hospitality and grace.
Let it be so!

OFFERTORY STATEMENT

As we perceive the abundance around us, we can together make this church, our homes, and the world more loving. Our offerings and our tithes are God's.

PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING

For all we have and for these gifts we share, we thank you, Holy One. Amen.

INTERCESSORY PRAYERS

(A leader can use this prayer or it can be divided among several readers who may stand at their seats.)

Light for the World --
Darkness threatens us in vulgar language, in aggressive rudeness, in visual images that invite crudity and in violence to our souls, minds and bodies. We turn to you and see hospitality, graciousness, mercy, and welcome. Be our light each day; guide our words and thoughts so that the world experiences beauty.

Energy of the Universe --
How we long for war to cease -- war in our hearts, in our homes, and in the world. Pour peace upon Africa; infest Palestine and Israel with new possibilities for tribal relationships. Drizzle wisdom through world leaders till the whole global village is surprised by the abundance of wealth and food for everyone.

God of Beauty --
We pray for wholeness -- for the earth and for ourselves. Perhaps we must be healed before we can participate to bring healing to the earth. Touch our minds and souls with deep contentment. Soothe our bodies where they ache and where they are under siege from disease. Let us feel your amazing grace inside and out. Thank you for our children. Throughout their lives, craft us to be dynamic mentors of your loving acceptance. When the world seems too close and too disheveled, let us represent well your peace.

God of Chaos --
When injustice and catastrophe impinge, let us reach to one another, disclosing your saving presence. In mudslides and in tsunamis, let your clear voice quiet the pain and loss. For parentless children and childless parents, provide a compensation for the heart.

God of All the Earth --
Hear our prayers for ourselves and for others. For Jesus' sake. Amen.

BENEDICTION/CHARGE

From Isaiah 9

A great light is available to you;
A deep peace is at your heart's door.
An elastic unity stretches your mind to welcome strange names and different rituals.
A wonderful counselor walks beside you now and until the end of time!
Go, embodying peace; live gently; volunteer joyfully.


Children's Sermon

Follow me

Object: a picture of a large passenger plane and a Bible

Based on Matthew 4:12-23

Good morning! How many of you have ever ridden on a big plane like this? (show the picture) Even if you have ridden on one, you probably don't see all that goes on when the plane lands and is looking for the right place to park and unload the passengers. If the pilot is not familiar with that particular airport, they may send a little jeep out to meet the plane and on the back of the jeep will be a big sign that says, "FOLLOW ME." Then, all the pilot has to do is follow that little jeep to the place where he is supposed to park and unload the passengers. Now, what do you suppose would happen if the pilot didn't follow the jeep and just decided to park in whatever spot looked good? (let them answer) Yes, that could be really bad. There might even be an accident if the pilot doesn't follow directions.

Once, Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee and he saw two fishermen called Simon and Andrew. He told them to follow him and he would let them fish for men. He saw two other men fishing whose names were John and James and he also told them to follow him. What do you think those men did? (let them answer) Yes, those four men gave up their fishing jobs and followed Jesus from that time forward. Do you think it was easy for them to do that? (let them answer) No, I'm sure it wasn't, but they recognized how important it was to follow Jesus, so they did it.

How about you and me? Has Jesus asked us to follow him? (let them answer) Yes, he has. He calls each one of us to be his people and do what he wants us to do. Where can we find out what Jesus wants us to do? (let them answer) Right here in this Bible! (show the Bible) All the directions that we are to follow are written right here. Let's ask Jesus to help us be good followers.

Dear Jesus: We know that you have called us to be your people. Please help us follow you in the way you want us to go. Amen.


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The Immediate Word, January 23, 2005 issue.

Copyright 2005 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 permissions@csspub.com or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., P.O. Box 4503, Lima, Ohio 45802-4503.