Many congregations will observe this coming Sunday as Epiphany Sunday -- so this installment of The Immediate Word will focus primarily on those texts and themes. Team member Dean Feldmeyer draws on the familiar text from the Gospel of Matthew about the visit of the magi to young Jesus, which describes King Herod’s interest in news of a “king of the Jews” as well as his attempt to manipulate the magi into providing him with intelligence he might use to eliminate a potential threat. Dean suggests that there are many parallels between Herod and a dictator currently in the headlines -- North Korea’s “Glorious Leader” Kim Jong-Un, who is at the center of the ongoing controversy over the comic Seth Rogen movie The Interview. Like Herod, Kim Jong-Un and his government have demonstrated the extreme lengths that clueless despots will go to in an effort to intimidate critics and hang on to their power and influence. Dean notes that the fear and egotism that motivate both Herod and Kim Jong-Un’s behavior are quite similar... not to mention the fact that in the long arc of history, their paranoid efforts are doomed to failure. Dictators always believe they retain their control until well past their “sell-by date” -- and the coming of light heralded by the star that the magi are tracking to its ultimate “source” provides us with a powerful sign that the dark machinations of despots ultimately have no influence in the Kingdom. Yet, as Dean points out, we aren’t immune to the same temptations as those dictators... we too are attracted to the allure of power in our lives.
Team member Chris Keating provides some additional thoughts on the Isaiah text and its metaphor of light overcoming the darkness -- a theme powerfully illustrated in movie theaters through the current release Unbroken, which details the amazing life story of Louis Zamperini.
The Emperor’s Clothes
by Dean Feldmeyer
Matthew 2:1-12
According to Time magazine editor and film critic Richard Corliss, The Interview is a movie about three adult men who are all caught in adolescence -- two by choice, and one by circumstances. It contains a “parade of ribald gags and [an] infantile preoccupation with body parts,” and “displays all the mindless excesses that repressive regimes condemn in Hollywood movies.”
Think of it as a Bob Hope/Bing Crosby Road picture with all the dirty parts left in. It’s a lightweight in the film industry, a quick moneymaker that would have played a few weeks to audiences made up of adolescent boys who never heard a dirty joke they didn’t like, and then would likely have disappeared into the same obscurity as other Seth Rogen vehicles like Knocked Up, Superbad, and Pineapple Express.
But North Korean “Glorious Leader” Kim Jong-Un, the third adult adolescent depicted in the film, was offended. Like most adolescent boys, he doesn’t like being made fun of.
So he overreacted, threatening to kill everyone in sight, and has as a result given the film millions of dollars in free advertising. If (when all is said and done) The Interview is a financial success, it will be due in large part to the reaction of a small despot about whom most people couldn’t care less.
Kind of puts you in mind of another despot who overreacted to a minor event in his kingdom two thousand years ago, doesn’t it?
In the News
You almost need a program to keep track of all the players in this little drama.
First, we have actor/writer Seth Rogen and actor James Franco -- two of the “adult adolescents” referred to above -- who have collaborated on several films, all of which have similar themes: a couple of clueless stoners/drunks get drawn into a situation which they are clearly not suited for and which is way over their heads. Somehow they manage to extricate themselves from the situation, and in doing so they bond even closer than they were before. At the end of the film, however, they are still clueless, still stoners, still losers. But they’re lovable.
For this outing, they recruited their buddy Evan Goldberg to direct, and threw in some barbed satire of Hollywood as well as North Korea’s “Glorious Leader” -- dictator Kim Jong-Un (using his real name). Then they mixed in a truckload of dirty words, dirty jokes, sexual innuendo, and over-the-top violence to create a film with a shelf life only slightly longer than white bread.
Here’s the plot of The Interview: Dave (Franco) is the star of a tabloid TV talk show that focuses solely on National Enquirer-type headlines. He’s charming, vacuous, mindless, and cute. Aaron (Rogen) is his best friend and the producer of the show. He is marginally smarter than Dave and not nearly as cute.
They learn that “Glorious Leader” Kim Jong-Un -- the dictator of the most inscrutable country in the world, and thus one of the most dangerous men in the world -- is a fan of their show and would consent to an interview if they requested one. Certain in their belief that this could launch them from tabloid obscurity into legitimate mainstream journalism, Dave and Aaron gleefully ask for and obtain the interview.
As they are celebrating their good fortune and preparing for their journey to North Korea, the pair -- perhaps the least-qualified people imaginable -- are approached by the CIA and recruited to assassinate Kim Jong-Un. They agree, and as they say in Hollywood, hijinks ensue.
Because Rogen and Franco are almost always sure moneymakers, Columbia Pictures (and its corporate parent, Sony Pictures) agreed to back the film, and it was scheduled for a Christmas Day release -- because nothing says “celebrate the birth of the savior” like a movie about two bumbling, ignorant, clueless adult adolescents trying to kill a despotic, psychotic, adult adolescent... “God bless us, every one.”
Everyone connected to the film was happy with the result and sat back ready to count their money when it came rolling in -- but a problem developed before the release date.
Kim Jong-Un -- the real one, not the one in the movie -- heard about the film, and even though he hadn’t seen it he objected to its comic depiction of him as a psychotic, childish despot who is actually vulnerable to assassination. A statement from the North Korean government called the movie “an act of war,” demanded that it not be shown, and threatened dire consequences if it was screened.
Sony/Rogen/Franco et al had a good laugh at that and ignored it.
But on November 24, someone called “The Guardians of Peace” hacked into Sony’s computer network and stole pretty much everything that was stored there, including every e-mail that was sent... even and especially private ones. Also stolen were five completed films and several screenplays for movies currently in development. Many of the stolen items were leaked to the press, causing much embarrassment to Sony executive and entertainers.
While never coming right out and saying it, the FBI let it be known that the “Guardians of Peace” was probably the North Korean government or someone working for them.
Sony refused to back down, however. The Christmas release date for The Interview was still on.
On December 16, the hackers raised the specter of September 11, 2001, and threatened to physically attack the New York premiere of the film and other movie houses where the film was being shown.
Several theater companies heard that and decided that, even if the threat was unlikely to be carried out, the loss of revenue due to people staying away from other movies at cineplexes would be substantial -- so they decided not to show the movie. Realizing that it was silly to release a film to theaters that were not going to show it, Sony canceled not only the premiere but the entire release of the project -- saying that there was (at that time) no plan to release the film at all, ever.
The response was nearly all negative.
Hollywood stars tweeted their little hearts out about cowardice and lack of guts on Sony’s part, but saying little about the theaters that refused to show the movie.
Politicians on both sides of the political aisle weighed in with anger and indignation that some political pipsqueak should tell Americans what they can and cannot see at the movies. Said pipsqueak was, after all, according to Forbes, only the 49th most powerful man in the world -- less powerful than Amazon founder Jeff Bezos; less powerful than Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg; and even less powerful than Bill Clinton.
Mitt Romney, in a flash of brilliance, suggested that Sony release the film online for free, allowing it to saturate the internet, and ask anyone who watched it to contribute five dollars to the fight against Ebola.
President Obama opined that attacking one of our big multibillion-dollar corporations was the same as attacking the American people. (Corporations are people, after all, as Mitt Romney was so fond of telling us.) He vowed that the U.S. would respond in a measured, controlled, proportional way at “a time and place of our own choosing.”
On December 22, North Korea’s internet went down throughout the country for about 10 hours; then it was offline again several brief times on December 23. President Obama said that the administration knew nothing about any of it (nod, nod, wink, wink). Other experts, when asked, said that the North Korean internet was so primitive and rudimentary that knocking it offline could have been done by a kid on a home computer in his basement. North Korea has only about 1,000 IP addresses in the entire country, compared with billions in the USA.
By Christmas Eve, Sony had backed off its decision to delay indefinitely the opening of The Interview. It was released for a Christmas Day opening in independent theaters around the country, and is now being streamed on the internet for a small fee which is not going to fight Ebola but will likely make Seth Rogen and company very rich. The Interview reportedly earned about $1 million in its limited release on opening day, and given the lines to see it, it’s almost certainly going to make a whole lot more.
In the Scriptures
Despotic paranoia is not a new phenomenon. All despots are, and always have been, at least somewhat paranoid.
Take Herod, for example, about whom we hear in the gospel lesson for Epiphany.
Herod the Great was born in 73 BCE. He was an ethnic Arab who converted to Judaism after being appointed king of Judea by Augustus Caesar. By almost any modern standard he could only be described as an evil genius.
He was a consummate politician, able to ingratiate himself into the favor of powerful people all over the Roman world. He was a business partner with Cleopatra, and an ally of Mark Anthony during the Roman civil war after the death of Julius Caesar. When Octavian (later Augustus) defeated Anthony and Cleopatra, Herod maneuvered his way into Augustus’s favor.
He was also extremely paranoid, and probably bipolar. He executed his wife, his brother-in-law, and at least three of his sons out of fear that they were conspiring to kill him and steal his throne. It was said that the only thing that kept his brother from a similar fate was that he died of natural causes before Herod could kill him. He was ruthless in suppressing dissent, kept the peace with secret police, and boasted a personal bodyguard contingent of 2,000 soldiers.
His greatest achievement was his massive building program that included the renovation and expansion of the Jerusalem temple, the completion of the wall around Jerusalem, designing and building the entire city of Caesarea Maritima, and creating the fortresses at Masada and Herodium.
All of this we know from the writings of Josephus and other extra-biblical historical sources. The only mention of Herod in the New Testament is the one read in today’s lectionary offering. The man who has sacrificed his wife and children to his own unbridled lust for power is told by some visiting magi that a child has been born in Judea who will become King of the Jews -- four words that strike at the very core of Herod’s psychotic paranoia. “King of the Jews” is the exact title that was conferred upon Herod by Augustus.
Herod has, by this time, begun to suffer from the physical deterioration that will eventually cause his death. He is in constant physical pain for which doctors have found no relief, so he is likely self-medicating with alcohol. He is thinking about his legacy, his sons who will follow him as rulers of Judea. This new child who according to the magi will ascend to the throne is a threat to Herod’s progeny and his place in history. Herod knows firsthand, having lived through the Roman civil war, how one king can literally erase a previous king’s name from the history books -- and, paranoid that he is, he foresees this happening to him.
So this great king, friend and confidant of emperors and queens, architect of the new temple, builder of cities, and defeater of armies, is threatened by a baby in a backwater little town in a backwater country on the fringe of the Roman Empire. So paranoid was he that he would order the murders of all of the male children in the town of Bethlehem.
He died painfully and miserably, probably in the spring of 4 CE of chronic kidney disease and gangrene. So worried was he that people would not mourn his passing that he ordered a number of prominent men to be brought to the city and executed when he died so there would be much mourning and public grief. (His heirs did not carry out his wishes.)
His kingdom was divided between his three sons. You may be able to name one... the other two, probably not. (They were Herod Antipas, Phillip, and Herod Archelaus.) The name everyone knows and remembers is the one who Herod tried to have killed: Jesus.
In the Pulpit
Kim Jong-Un -- supreme leader of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea [North Korea], First Secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea, chairman of the Central Military Commission, chairman of the National Defense Commission, supreme commander of the Korean People’s Army, and presidium member of the Politburo of the Workers’ Party of Korea -- was born in 1983, is the world’s youngest head of state (31), and, according to the Forbes list of the world’s most powerful people, is the 49th most powerful person in the world.
Not bad for a man who was virtually unknown until 2011, when he became the leader of North Korea after the death of his father Kim Jong-Il (aka the “Dear Leader”).
The “Glorious Leader” (as he insists on being called) controls, with a handful of loyal supporters, nearly all information that flows in and out of the country. North Koreans have to have special permission from the government to own a computer; there are only about 1,000 IP addresses in the country. So anything unflattering that we know or think we know about him has been smuggled out of the country by defectors or reported to the media by former professional basketball player Dennis Rodman. (The Glorious Leader is a basketball fan.)
According to what the Wikipedia has been able to cobble together from various sources, Kim Jong-Un crushes dissent and executes or “disappears” those he considers to be disloyal to himself or his agenda. Nearly all of his father’s advisors have disappeared, including Kim Jong-Un’s uncle -- who was executed (along with members of his family) in order to make “the party and the revolutionary ranks purer.”
Kim Jong-Un has been accused by the United Nations of human rights violations, and it was recommended in February of 2014 that he be charged and tried at the International Criminal Court. The Japanese Asia Press agency in January 2013 claimed that in North and South Hwanghae provinces more than 10,000 people had died of famine while the “Glorious Leader” sank hundreds of millions of dollars into strengthening his army and developing weapons of mass destruction.
Students of history understand that people who lust for power will do anything, break any law, commit any atrocity, and betray any formerly held value in order to have it. They are desperate, degenerate junkies, and power is their drug of choice.
Kim Jong-Un and Herod the Great are such extreme examples of this that they would be comic caricatures if it weren’t for the number of human bodies they’ve left in their wake. But caricatures are always based on a reality, and in this case the reality lives in each of us.
We all lust for power.
We many not lust for international power of life and death over millions of people, but our lust for power -- power given in small, measured doses -- is no less real.
I have known people whose desire it was to control their children and their children’s lives, sometimes even after the children were fully grown adults. And I have seen those parents willfully sacrifice their relationships with their children in their pursuit of that power.
Conversely, I have known people who were so desperate to control their own lives and be free of their parents that they have said things and done things that can’t be unsaid or undone, that have caused grievous injury to people they loved just to be free of them.
I have known people who, because they had had no power or control in their own personal lives, chose to exercise despotic power in their clubs or civic organizations -- good people who wanted to do good things, but who were so controlling that they drove people away from the very things they were trying to accomplish.
I have known people who were so paranoid of losing their personal power that they refused to go to the doctor, refused to make friends, refused to make commitments, and eschewed responsibility of any kind.
Christian believers, however, know through the life and teaching of Jesus that power, real power, comes not from the barrel of a gun or the edge of a sword or the nose of a nuclear missile. Real power comes from our willingness to sacrifice ourselves for the good of those we love.
Real power, for those who seek it, is to be found not upon a throne but upon a cross.
That’s why we don’t remember the names of Herod’s sons. That’s why, a thousand years from now, no one will remember who Kim Jong-Un was -- but they will still remember Jesus of Nazareth, he who was born humbly in a stable to a carpenter and his teenage wife.
SECOND THOUGHTS
Light in the Darkness
by Chris Keating
Isaiah 60:1-6
Let’s be honest: much of 2014 was pretty grim.
This was the year an Olympic ring wouldn’t light, and Ebola spread its deadly path throughout West Africa and into the world. The first quarter of 2014 saw an airliner with more than 227 people aboard vanish without a trace. Wars raged across the world, and racial tensions rose at home. Even as the year winds to an end, the bad news keeps coming. Just weeks ago children were massacred while attending school in Pakistan. This past week, another airplane disappeared and is thought to have crashed -- a conclusion that seems to be confirmed with the recovery of debris and bodies from the Java Sea.
In short, darkness was just about everywhere... including the movies.
In that vein, those looking for a bubbly and upbeat, finger-snapping, comforting-as-a-warm-blanket-on-a-cold-winter’s-night film to ward off the post-holiday blahs should probably not go see the movie Unbroken. Those bothered by scenes of torture had better stay home as well. It’s not a typical holiday heartwarmer.
But it is a movie worthy of attention this Epiphany.
In the Culture
Directed by actress Angelina Jolie, Unbroken tells the story of Olympian and World War II bombardier Louis Zamperini’s ordeal as a Japanese prisoner of war. Though Universal Studios had purchased options for a movie about Zamperini decades ago (based on his 1956 memoir Devil on My Heels), it took the efforts of noted screenwriters Joel and Ethan Coen to adapt Laura Hillenbrand’s award-winning 2010 book into a chilling, shadowy film.
The son of Italian immigrants, Zamperini grew up rebellious and was frequently in trouble. Convinced by his brother to cultivate his track talents into a pathway out of delinquency, Zamperini became so accomplished as a distance runner that in 1934 he set the national high school record in the mile, and as an 18-year-old USC freshman finished in a dead heat with world record holder Don Lash in the 5000 meters at the 1936 Olympic Trials, qualifying him for that year’s Berlin Olympics. Along with his Olympic roommate Jesse Owens, Zamperini achieved success in Berlin -- finishing in 8th place in the 5000 (unusually high for someone so young). Two years later, Zamperini set the national collegiate record in the mile.
But then, with the winds of war blowing, he enlisted in the Army prior to Pearl Harbor and was sent to the Pacific. On one of his missions, Zamperini’s plane crashed -- and after surviving an unimaginable stretch on the open ocean in a life raft, things got even bleaker when he was captured by the Japanese.
Unbroken is more than a movie about despair, however.
It’s a movie about the ability of the human spirit to rise above the coal-black soot of evil. It’s a movie about grace extended and prayers offered. It’s a movie about a miracle even the director herself cannot fully understand.
In fact, as Jolie noted, it’s a movie about both light and darkness. These themes play against each other throughout the movie. We see not only the darkness of Zamperini’s imprisonment, but also the shadows which nurtured his undying spirit. Shadows dissolve as beaten prisoners discover hope. Yet light and darkness remain inseparably twinned, giving the movie a finely honed theological edge.
Jolie indicated that for her the primary theme of the movie is light infused into darkness, calling it “both a metaphor and... practical.” It’s dark inside the prisoner of war camps, explains Jolie, but light outside. Yet even the daylight at the camp is hazy and colorless. The light shines, and all nations shall see its glory.
The worst, perhaps, comes toward the end of the film, when Zamperini and his fellow prisoners are ordered to load coal onto barges. At that point light fades nearly completely as darkness envelopes the camp, just as the coal dust covers the prisoners from head to toe.
Despite this, however, hope somehow remains present, even in the deepest moments of the unflinching ordeal. The reverse is also true as well. Despair is never far behind in spite of the brief moments of hope-filled illumination. For 47 blistering days, Zamperini and his crewmates float across the bright Pacific Ocean. In the day, light is blinding. In the night, sharks appear. Hope fades as days turn into weeks. Suddenly, the men are enveloped by the shadows of their rescuers -- who of course become their captors.
Horrifying, but Zamperini’s ordeal is far from over. His trek into night will cover three POW camps, endless beatings at the hand of a sadistic commandant nicknamed “The Bird,” as well as ongoing dysentery and malnutrition. Through it all, Zamperini endured the torture, though the darkness did not end with his release from the POW camp. His post-war years included extended bouts with alcoholism and struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder. Years later, Zamperini attended a Billy Graham revival and dedicated his life to Christ. He rebuilds his life, managing to maintain sobriety. Moved by Graham’s call to faith, Zamperini devoted his adult life to helping others overcome difficulties.
Light, shining in the darkness.
In time, Zamperini finds grace to forgive his captors. In 1988, he comes back to Japan to run a final leg in the Nagano Olympic torch relay. During his visit, he reached out to his former tormentor, Mutsuhiro Watanabe. But Watanabe refused to see Zamperini.
By all accounts, Zamperini (who died earlier this year at age 97) lived an extraordinary life. Author Hillenbrand called him “the grandest, most buoyant, most generous soul I ever knew.” In a statement following his death, she said:
In a life of almost unimaginable drama, he experienced supreme triumphs, but also brutal hardship, incomprehensible suffering, and the cruelty of his fellow man. But Louie greeted every challenge of his long journey with singular resilience, determination and ingenuity, with a ferocious will to survive and prevail, and with hope that knew no master.
In the Scriptures
Isaiah’s glorious pronouncement in chapter 60 frames the church’s celebration of Epiphany’s light. Battling back from despair and defeat, the prophet shines the light of God’s hope into a decaying and ruined homeland. The exiles have been released, but like Zamperini and his fellow prisoners at the end of World War II, no one is quite sure what to expect. The landscape of home is bleary and lacking color.
But against this backdrop, the prophet’s intentions are clear. God’s people are invited to rise, and to allow the light of God to fill Zion with glory. The light of Yahweh will arise, eradicating darkness and casting away hopelessness. Where the darkness of difficulty and hopelessness have prevailed, God will bring new joy. Moreover, the brilliance of the landscape -- now tattered and frayed -- will attract the attention of all nations (v. 3). Kings of all nations will take note of Zion. God will be made manifest in this dawning of a new light, “and his [sic] glory will appear over you.” The land and her people shall be redeemed.
This new time is set in contrast to the days of darkness. Israel shall shine and be restored, becoming a destination for all nations (see Katherine C. Calore, “Exegetical Perspective,” Feasting on the Word,“Epiphany of the Lord,” Year B, Vol. 1). The prophet envisions that the homecoming will be such an astonishing moment that all people will take note and be drawn to Israel. She will shine with a brilliance that will result in a parade of nations. Gloom and anguish will be replaced by joy, the abundance of the sea, a multitude of camels, and the wealth of many nations.
It is an invitation to leave the shadowy, hazy, nondescript world of their imprisonment for the blazing technicolor spectrum of God’s light. And like the battle-weary and tortured POWs, Israel can only imagine what such an epiphany might offer.
In the Sermon
Epiphany gets lost in the holiday shuffle. After all, the bathrobe-clad wise men have already been to the church -- they were here a few weeks ago shuffling nervously down the aisle during the children’s Christmas pageant. Too often Epiphany feels like an intruder, or perhaps the last relative left from the big family holiday extravaganza.
Isaiah, however, offers us more than mystical magic and star-crossed wanderers in search of a child. Isaiah’s call to “arise, shine” reminds us that Epiphany is a feast of God’s light shining against the dark world. A sermon could explore this invitation, recalling the ways we have felt helpless and held hostage by darkness. Allowing the story of Louie Zamperini’s resilience in the face of tremendous difficulty to inform our reading of Isaiah might provide a new epiphany moment for a congregation. Where are we called to rise above the darkness of struggle and claim God’s promise?
It is also possible to sift through the various stories of gloom and despair of the previous year, and to hear in Isaiah’s call an invitation to shine. Perhaps like Zamperini, we are called to reflect light so that others may see.
At times, we discount darkness and the spiritual opportunity it offers. As Barbara Brown Taylor notes in her book Learning to Walk in the Dark, at times it is helpful for us to feel spiritually at home in the dark so that we may discover new ways of walking forward when we do not have all the answers. Imagine Israel returning home following its exile, or Louie Zamperini returning to his mother’s pillow-like gnocchi dumplings following his imprisonment. How do we live in the light when our lives have become so accustomed to the dark? For many churches, “darkness” is a timely metaphor -- how is it that we can emerge unbroken? A sermon could help a congregation articulate the ways God’s people are called to live in the light of a new day.
In time, Zamperini was guided to the place where he could faithfully forgive his tormentors. It was not an easy journey, certainly, but such is the way out of darkness. The scars of his imprisonment remained with him for many years. The promise of Epiphany is that God’s light guides us toward that cradle where the hope of mercy has been born. “Then you shall see and be radiant, and your heart shall thrill and rejoice.” It’s not a bad way to start the new year.
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Ron Love:
John 1:(1-9) 10-18
In his Christmas sermon, Pope Francis deviated from the traditional pastoral message of encouragement and challenged bishops and priests present to live more spiritual lives. The pope listed “15 ailments of the Curia,” including having “spiritual Alzheimer’s” -- which he said comes from forgetting one’s original calling to the priesthood and living instead for one’s passions. Francis commented on committing to the “terrorism of gossip,” which is the sickness of cowardly people who speak behind the backs of others. He described that as having a “funeral face” instead of transmitting your joy wherever you go.
Application: The power of God’s Word to bring about change.
*****
John 1:(1-9) 10-18
LeBron James has returned to the Cleveland Cavaliers and to the region of his birth. He is as active off the court as he is on it, being involved in many social justice and humanitarian causes. Speaking of his dual roles as a basketball player and community leader, James said: “At the end of the day, I just want to be able to make an impact for our team while I’ve got the strength to do these things on the floor. As a parent, as a role model, I want to make an impact on people’s lives. Hopefully I can be remembered for the good things.”
Application: The power of God’s Word and living God’s Word to bring about change.
*****
John 1:(1-9) 10-18
USA Today reports that 2015 will be known as the year of “TV Everywhere.” With TV apps, streaming, and iPhones -- to name just of the few of the devices on which programming can be watched -- people will be able to watch television wherever they are.
Application: We should never forget that the Word of God is with us wherever we go.
*****
John 1:(1-9) 10-18
We have recently normalized our relations with Cuba. After Fidel Castro came to power in 1959, the Roman Catholic church excommunicated members of the Communist party. In return, Castro began to persecute the church. In 1970 he intensified his persecution, turning most churches into government and community buildings. If one was a member of the Catholic church and not a member of the Communist party, it was difficult to get good employment. This all changed when Pope John Paul II visited the island in 1998. It came as a total shock to the Cuban citizens when Castro shook the hand of the Pope, and even wore a business suit instead of his military uniform for the encounter. After that visit, Christmas Day was recognized as an official holiday.
Application: The Word of God can transform individual lives and society.
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From team member Mary Austin:
Worst Gifts Ever
The gifts the magi bring -- although filled with symbolic significance -- seem wildly inappropriate for a poor baby and his family. One blog observes that giving bad gifts is problematic everywhere. “As we struggle to find that perfect gift, ever so many of us will fail,” the author notes. We give the same bad gifts every year, so the list is full of repeat offenders. That list of the top terrible gift choices includes anything with the word “novelty” in the title, “Chia” anything, calendars, and board games. (You can read the rest of the list here.)
*****
And What We Really Want
Gold, frankincense, and myrrh might be the gifts of the magi, but most Americans wanted something else this year -- plastic surgery. Fox News and CNN reported that one holiday gift-giving trend was an increase in people asking for and giving tummy tucks, breast implants, fillers, and facelifts. As plastic surgery is more accepted, people feel less need to keep it a secret, and feel more free to ask for it as a gift: “Cosmetic surgery is a major splurge, so it’s an obvious choice for a gift wish list. The average cost of breast augmentation surgery was $3,678 in 2013, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. The average face lift cost was $6,556 and a tummy tuck was $5,217.” Further, “the majority of these gifts come from a significant other. A survey... found that, of those who had gotten some kind of a procedure as a gift, 75% received it from their romantic partner or spouse.” (Read more here.)
*****
Economy of Gifts
The magi bring gifts to the infant Jesus without any expectation of receiving anything in return, other than the opportunity to see this remarkable baby. In a similar way, the economy in parts of Mali functions based on gifts. Gifts are given to be passed on, when someone sees a need. As Yes magazine writes, “dama is a vibrant economy and culture propagated primarily through a strong, though informal, women’s social network. Gift-giving is not based on exchange or equivalence between giver and receiver. The person who receives a gift will probably pass it on to someone else. Another person altogether, on down the line, will give back to the original giver. Dama involves return, but from within a broadly defined community to which the gift has moved on.” Further, every gift has layers beyond the object itself. “A gift is never just a material object or service. One of its purposes is to maintain social connections.”
This economy based on gifts connects people, just as the magi’s gifts create a connection with Jesus and his family. This way of doing things “is a time-honored, well-honed means of keeping away hunger, prolonged illness, and early death. It provides the social safety net which the state -- egged on by the World Bank and IMF -- has neglected: a working health system, social security for the elders, education, and child care. In addition to trying to prevent anyone from being too poor, yet another purpose of dama is to prevent most everyone from becoming too rich.” (Read more here.)
A gift is never just as gift, as the magi know.
*****
The Spirit of Giving
Rachel Macy Stafford, who writes the blog Hands Free Mama, observes that her daughter is a natural gift-giver. “From a very young age, my oldest daughter has been a gift-giver. Like most children, her offerings consisted of items that adults wouldn’t ordinarily classify as gifts. Broken seashells, traumatized frogs, dying weeds, and misshapen rocks were often presented in small, dirt-laden hands beneath a wide smile. In the past two years my child’s gift-giving practices have moved up a notch. Gifts are no longer found in nature; they are found in our home. Yes, it’s re-gifting at its best -- wrapping barely-used items and presenting them with great love.”
Over the years, Stafford has learned from her daughter about the power of the right gift. “I must be honest; I used to cringe at the sight of my child tearing through our (multiple) junk drawers looking for the perfect gift. When she found it, she would beam at the ‘treasure’ as if she just knew the recipient was going to love it. Then without delay, she’d get straight to wrapping. Although highly practical and earth-friendly, this gift-giving practice brought to mind words like ‘tacky’ and ‘cheap.’ But for some reason, the control freak in me kept her mouth shut. Miraculously I had enough sense to stand aside and let my child give as her heart felt lead.”
She adds, “Last Christmas, my daughter spent hours wrapping barely-used bottles of lotion, tiny hotel shampoos, and gently-used books. She then declared she wanted to distribute the colorful packages to homeless people in the downtown area on Christmas Eve. Her very first recipient was a frail, elderly woman with sad eyes who clutched her life possessions in a ripped trash bag. It wasn’t until I watched this woman’s face completely transform by the mere sight of my pint-sized-gift-bearer that I got over myself.”
In the spirit of the magi, sometimes the gift is more about our presence than something inside a box. Macy adds another story: “My daughter’s best friend became suddenly ill with the flu. Within minutes of hearing the news, a card was made by my daughter and a bracelet from her drawer was lovingly wrapped. Briefly relapsing into my old ways, I felt slightly relieved that the price tag was still on the bracelet. But I was quickly reminded that the price tag meant nothing. The next day, the child’s mother told me how much my daughter’s gift meant to her daughter. And when the mother recounted what her child said, I could not hold back my tears. With sincerity her daughter said: ‘I bet a lot of people heard I was sick. And after they said, “That’s too bad,” they just went on with their life. But not Natalie. She stopped what she was doing to show me she cared about me. She is the best friend anyone could have.’ ” Macy notes that “our most precious gift is when we stop in the midst of our busy lives and give a piece of ourselves... our attention, a listening ear, a lingering embrace, a word of encouragement, meaningful eye contact, snuggles in bed, one-on-one time, or a helping hand. In order to give our most precious commodity -- the gift of ourselves -- we must let go of all that distracts us from what truly matters. Perhaps the perfect gift is not in the getting, but rather in the letting go.” (You can read more here.)
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From team member Leah Lonsbury:
Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14
Blogger Lamar White Jr. recently uncovered a number of posts on Stormfront, one of the original white supremacist websites, that places House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-Louisiana) at a 2002 gathering of EURO (European-American Unity and Rights Organization). The posts also reveal that Scalise was at the gathering as a speaker “to teach the most effective and up-to-date methods of civil rights and heritage-related activism.”
Scalise claims he didn’t know what the group was about and that claims that he belongs to EURO are “ludicrous and insulting.”
Mark Potok, a senior fellow at the Southern Poverty Law Center, responded to Scalise’s claim by saying: “EURO already was well known as a racist hate group at the time that Steve Scalise apparently spoke to its workshop, and it is hard to believe that any aspiring politician would not have known that. In any case, it’s worth noting that Scalise apparently did not leave even after hearing other racist speakers spouting their hatred.”
Two years later after speaking at the EURO conference, Steve Scalise was one of six Louisiana lawmakers who voted against making Martin Luther King Jr. Day a holiday in the state. That was at least the second time Scalise had voted against such a bill. He was one of three lawmakers to vote against it in 1999.
This isn’t sounding much like the justice and righteousness the psalmist is seeking in a leader. Defending the cause of the poor, delivering the needy, and crushing the oppressor are on the psalmist’s lists of qualifications for a king. This leader must redeem his people’s lives from oppression and violence. Speaking at a conference of a group started by former Klu Klux Klan Grand Wizard David Duke doesn’t seem like a step in that direction for Rep. Steve Scalise.
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Ephesians 3:1-12
In this passage, Paul writes about being a messenger so all people can know the revelation of God’s wisdom for their lives together. That wisdom? It’s grace. It’s grace that claims us, makes us one, and makes us equal sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus (v. 6).
Perhaps New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio was trying to send a similar message to the latest graduates of the police academy when just moments after he was booed by the crowd he said: “We ask you to selflessly protect others, but it’s our job to protect you.” The mayor went on to add that the city would provide training, resources, and funding for the 894 new officers who graduated on Monday so they could do their jobs safely and well.
There was more booing when the mayor offered his hope that the graduating officers could be a part of the solution to the city’s problems concerning race, but he continued to extend grace when referencing the recent loss of two officers. He called the officers peacemakers and heroes, and said, “They stood up for all that is good and right and gave us hope.”
Beyond the graduation ceremony, one police union head has alleged via social media that de Blasio had “blood on [his] hands” because he spoke about the divide between the city’s minority population and its law enforcement, and because the mayor has said publicly that in the past he advised his black son to use caution when interacting with police.
This claim, sense of oneness, and promise to provide come after repeated booing at the graduation ceremony and elsewhere, and after officers turned their backs when de Blasio spoke at the funeral of an officer who was targeted after a non-indictment was announced in the Eric Garner case.
When will this grace be accepted and returned to the messenger/mayor?
WORSHIP RESOURCES
by George Reed
Call to Worship
Leader: Arise, shine; for our light has come.
People: The glory of God has risen upon us.
Leader: Darkness may cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples,
People: But our God will arise upon us, and God’s glory will appear over us.
Leader: Lift up your eyes and look around; see and be radiant.
People: Our hearts thrill within us and we rejoice in our God.
OR
Leader: Come and worship the Sovereign of the Universe!
People: Our God is a mighty God ruling over all.
Leader: God’s rule comes in service and caring for creation.
People: Praise to God who stoops to lift the lowly.
Leader: The power of God is seen in God’s love for all.
People: May our hearts be tuned to the power of God’s sacrificial love.
Hymns and Sacred Songs
“O Morning Star, How Bright and Fair”
found in:
UMH: 247
PH: 69
NCH: 158
CH: 105
LBW: 76
ELA: 308
W&P: 230
“Go, Tell It on the Mountain”
found in:
UMH: 251
H82: 99
PH: 29
AAHH: 202
NNBH: 92
NCH: 154
CH: 167
LBW: 70
ELA: 290
W&P: 218
AMEC: 122
STLT: 239
“I Want to Walk as a Child of the Light”
found in:
UMH: 206
H82: 490
Renew: 152
“Make Me a Captive, Lord”
found in:
UMH: 421
PH: 375
“Lord, Whose Love Through Humble Service”
found in:
UMH: 581
H82: 610
PH: 427
CH: 461
LBW: 423
ELA: 712
W&P: 575
Renew: 286
“O Zion, Haste”
found in:
UMH: 573
H82: 539
NNBH: 422
LBW: 397
ELA: 665
AMEC: 566
“Behold, a Broken World”
found in:
UMH: 426
“Breathe on Me, Breath of God”
found in:
UMH: 420
H82: 508
PH: 316
AAHH: 317
NNBH: 126
NCH: 292
CH: 254
LBW: 488
W&P: 461
AMEC: 192
“Make Me a Servant”
found in:
CCB: 90
“Arise, Shine”
found in:
CCB: 2
Renew: 123
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
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 is the Sovereign of All Creation: Grant us the grace to learn from you that power is best understood as service and that sacrificial love is the greatest power of all; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We come to praise you, O God, and to sing of your greatness. You are the Creator and the Ruler of all creation. Receive our worship and bestow us with your Spirit, that we may learn from Jesus the true meaning of power through sacrifice. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
Leader: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins, and especially our lust for power that is so insidious.
People: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We claim to be simple folks who have no interest in power, but we are deceiving ourselves. We want to be in control. We want to change the behavior of our spouse, parents, or children. We want the congregation to worship in a style we like and our denomination to agree with our beliefs. We desire our state legislature to be filled with people who we find like-minded and think that our interpretation of our national constitution should prevail. In ways large and small we seek power, and often to the detriment of others and even our own well-being. Forgive us for seeking to model our lives after Herod, and call us back again to be followers of Jesus of Nazareth. Amen.
Leader: God knows how easily we go astray and seek strange gods, but God loves us and forgives us as we are invited to rejoin the followers of Jesus.
Prayers of the People (and the Lord’s Prayer)
We praise you, O God, for you are the one who created all that is and who reigns over all creation.
(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 claim to be simple folks who have no interest in power, but we are deceiving ourselves. We want to be in control. We want to change the behavior of our spouse, parents, or children. We want the congregation to worship in a style we like and our denomination to agree with our beliefs. We desire our state legislature to be filled with people who we find like-minded and think that our interpretation of our national constitution should prevail. In ways large and small we seek power, and often to the detriment of others and even our own well-being. Forgive us for seeking to model our lives after Herod, and call us back again to be followers of Jesus of Nazareth.
We give you thanks for all the ways in which you have demonstrated your love for us and for all of your creation. We thank you for those who have followed the example of Jesus and have unselfishly served those in need. We thank you for those who have taken the time and effort to care for us.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for all the needs of your people. We pray for those who have not experienced the loving care your people are capable of offering to others. We pray that we may become more powerful by becoming better servants to others.
(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
When you are playing games, do you like to be one who chooses people to be on your side? When it is time to play, do you like to pick which game to play? Do you like it when you get to pick what you want to eat? Most of us do -- we want to be in charge. But Jesus reminds us that real power comes in taking care of others.
CHILDREN’S SERMON
The Spark of Life
John 1:(1-9) 10-18
Object: a picture or article about the first new baby of the year
Every year at the hospitals there is a kind of contest. Do you know what kind of contest it is? (let the children answer) It’s a contest to see who will the first brand-new baby for the new year. Sometimes this baby and the baby’s parents get special gifts from some of the businesses in town. It would be kind of exciting to be the parents of the very first baby of the new year. Have any of you had new babies at your house this past year? (wait for a show of hands) Babies are pretty exciting creatures. I’ve always wondered what makes them alive. Do they have a battery in them like a flashlight? (let them answer) No, they don’t! Do they have a cord like a lamp or a clock radio? (let them answer) No, they don’t. But they are alive. Babies must be hooked up to a source of power -- like electricity or gas. Have you ever seen any babies who had an on-off switch on them, like the lights in the ceiling or a cord that you could pull like on some basement lights? (let them answer) No, I haven’t either. I just don’t know what makes babies alive! What do you think it is? (let them answer) I think we all must have this power in us or we wouldn’t be alive either -- it’s love!
Our lesson today says that all living life comes from God. God’s love turns our life on, even before we are born. God’s love is the power that turns on the life of every brand-new baby. Where do you think God gets that life? (let them answer) Does God have a special hookup with a giant huge battery or electric cord? (let them answer) No, God doesn’t need a power hookup, because God is life and God is love. God gives us life and God gives us love. God is our power! All life comes from that power! God gives it to us as a gift -- the gift of life!
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The Immediate Word, January 4, 2015, issue.
Copyright 2014 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.
