The lectionary readings appointed for Proper 28 provide us with powerful messages about the future of the church -- the Isaiah text talks about God creating “new heavens and a new earth” where “the wolf and lamb shall feed together,” while the gospel passage forecasts the coming destruction of the beautifully adorned temple in Jerusalem. For many of our people, the disciples’ questions to Jesus about the fate of the temple will surely feel familiar. In the face of increasing maintenance costs, declining membership, and reports that church giving has reached historic lows, numerous congregations (especially in mainline denominations) are closing their doors each year -- leading members of those who remain to worry about their future viability.
But in this installment of The Immediate Word, team member Dean Feldmeyer notes that we fall into a major trap if we focus too much on our church buildings as the symbol of our ministry. Instead, Dean points out, the real future of the church lies in people... and in particular, those people who vaguely view themselves as Christian but who have not engaged in the hard work (as our Thessalonians text exhorts) for their daily spiritual bread as well as for their literal bread. Dean suggests that there are many people who fit this description both inside (what one observer calls “free-rider” Christians) and outside (“nominals,” as defined by recent surveys) the church. In order to create the new heaven and the new earth, we have to be willing to take a hard look into the mirror and confront the state of the church as it is now... not in despair, but rather in a sense that in breaking free from our slavish devotion to tradition and doing the work of the church we “shall not labor in vain.”
Team member Leah Lonsbury shares some additional thoughts on the Thessalonians passage. This text is often used by some Christians as a cudgel against what they view as free-riders among the poor -- idlers who are not willing to work for their daily bread. But Leah asks what about those for whom few if any jobs are available, or even more, who work in the service industry and still depend on government largesse to make ends meet? What is our underlying attitude toward those who we (often erroneously) view as “free-riders”? Do we have any appreciation for the challenges and circumstances they face? Leah reminds us that poverty is more mainstream than many of us might imagine, and few of us truly understand the psychology of poverty. While this passage is often cited by those looking to buttress their arguments against what they consider overly generous aid to the idle, Leah suggests that perhaps we ought to consider some of the related issues before we rush to judgment.
Free-Riders, Nominals, and Nones
by Dean Feldmeyer
Luke 21:5-19; 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13
So we’re walking through the church, Jesus and me. I’m giving him the “Cook’s tour.”
“Isn’t our sanctuary beautiful, Lord? Did you notice the stained glass? How about the hand-carved woodwork and the pipe organ? And that grand piano! Six-and-a-half-foot Steinway. And check out those pews; my great-grandparents sat in those pews.”
Jesus nods and sighs, then says, “Yeah, it’s all very nice. And one day it will all fall down and turn to dust.”
Kind of a buzzkill, this Jesus.
But he’s right. I know that. In fact, the deterioration has already begun. The worshiping congregation is half the size that it was in the ’60s. A handful of kids is a big turnout for the youth fellowship that used to count attendance in dozens. The choir is shrinking, and the handbell choir had to fold up shop for lack of interest. The average age here is over 65.
This old mainline Protestant church is starting to crumble, and nothing I do -- no leadership seminars, no church-growth convocations, no books written by megachurch pastors -- seems to have any answers that work.
Is this the beginning of the end of mainline Protestant Christianity? What are we gonna do?
In the News
When a phenomenon has been observed for more than ten straight years it’s hardly news, right? That’s how long the American old-line or mainline churches have been declining. Ten years... at least.
Here’s the picture from 2000-2010, according to the Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies (ASARB):
United Methodists (UMC): -4.7%
Lutherans (LCMS): -9.9%
Episcopalians: -15.7%
Lutherans (ELCA): -18.2%
Presbyterians (PCUSA): -22%
United Church of Christ: -24.4%
And it’s not just the Protestants... Catholics: -5%
Old-line Protestant churches lost an average of 12.8% of their members in that decade -- and while the trend seems to be leveling off in the 21st century, it isn’t even close to reversing. Even the big-box evangelical circles and the fundamentalist churches are not immune. In the 21st century, the decline is spreading.
Some churches have shrunk because their members have, well... died.
The mainline churches are aging faster than the general population. According to an extensive national survey, in 2008 a quarter of the members of the mainline denominations were 65 or older in 60% of the churches. By comparison, in 24% of evangelical churches, one-quarter of members are 65 or older, and in 36% of Roman Catholic churches, one-quarter of members are 65 or older.
And our churches haven’t gotten any younger in the past five years. If our congregations continue to age at the present rate, we will have lost half of our current membership by 2033.
But demographics do not account for all or even most of the shrinkage in today’s Christian churches. Sociologists tell us that it’s complicated, with lots of reasons and causes sharing responsibility. But they all tend to eventually get around to three phenomena that inform our understanding of the decline: Free-Riders, Nominals, and Nones.
Nones
Some people have left their churches because they thought their churches were too liberal. Generally, however, these folks find their ways to other churches that match their conservative theology and politics.
But there are some who left the church because they perceived the church to be too conservative -- anti-gay, anti-science, anti-women, anti-intellectual. During the past decade and into the current one, the news media have led us to believe that there was a single Christian voice, a single ethos that drove what they called “values” voters, and that voice, that ethos, was universally a theologically conservative to fundamentalist one.
When they talked about “Christian” voters, they were inevitably talking about conservative, evangelical, fundamentalist voters. Liberal or progressive Christians allowed themselves to be duped into believing that this was the only voice of Christianity, and that being the case, they left the church and religion in general en masse.
It has only been in the past five years that the progressive, liberal voice of Christianity has begun to reassert itself, often to be dismissed by conservatives and the media in general as “not really Christian.” It is only in the past five years or so that gay and lesbian Christians, theologically liberal Christians, scientifically-minded Christians, and politically liberal Christians have begun to find churches that welcomed them. Many, however, did not wait for that to happen. They just gave up on the church and walked away.
These liberal people who felt they were rejected or marginalized by the church are what sociologists call “nones.” When asked their religious affiliation, they say “none.” And they are the fastest growing group in the United States today, about 25% of all young adults according to the Pew Research Center. They aren’t hostile toward religion. They don’t think about it enough to be hostile toward it. Religion simply isn’t on their mental map. They consider it to be irrelevant.
So some left because they thought their church was too liberal. Some left because they thought their church was too conservative. And some left because they were tired of the arguing.
All who have left the churches, however, are not as visible as those who declare themselves unaffiliated and those who have died. The contemporary mainline church is also plagued with a new form of walking dead, a new zombification of the Christian faith.
Nominals
These are the people who left the Christian church and the Christian faith, but are not ready to give up the Christian name. “Nominals” are those who like to be called and call themselves “Christian,” but just don’t want the responsibility of joining and participating in the body of Christ that is the church.
They think of themselves as Christians, but they consider the Christian church to be too exclusive. They believe in God and Jesus... kind of. They embrace the moralistic, therapeutic deism that is the darling of pop Christianity. They are proudly Catholic but they don’t attend mass; they’re Protestants who don’t believe Jesus is essential to salvation.
They tend to feel guilty about not being as religious as their parents, so they don’t call themselves atheist; that’s going too far. On the other hand, they eschew specificity and commitment, so they just call themselves “Christian.” That’s a broad, generic title that honors their heritage without tying them down to any specific system of theology or church participation.
Nominals are most prevalent among those under 30 -- 72% of which call themselves “more spiritual than religious.” Two-thirds say they rarely or never pray with others, attend worship service, or read the Bible. Twenty-eight percent say that God is “just a concept."
Like “nones,” they are not so much hostile as they are simply indifferent about organized religion.
Free-Riders
The third phenomenon at the heart of the shrinking of American Christianity is what sociologist Rodney Stark has termed “free-riders” (Rodney Stark and Roger Finke, Acts of Faith: Explaining the Human Side of Religion [University of California Press, 2000], pgs. 147-150).
These are Christians who have left Christianity but not the church. They go to church out of habit or because they like the music or enjoy the fellowship, but they have no real commitment to the body. They believe all the right doctrines and they give their intellectual assent to most of the traditional creeds. But they do not contribute financially, and they do not participate in the life of the church beyond attending the occasional worship service. Or conversely, they send a check once a year to keep their name on the roster, but they never actually attend. They are religious but not spiritual.
“Free-riders” do not take membership vows seriously. Either they didn’t from the moment they took the vows, or they got burned out and decided that their vows no longer were pertinent.
In the Scriptures
Luke’s gospel lection finds Jesus admiring the temple with some of his followers.
The temple was a point of pride for first-century Jews. It was not just a church, a house of worship -- it was a nationalistic symbol and rallying point for the Jewish people. It had survived for more than five centuries. It was the only place where acceptable sacrifices could be made to YHWH. It was God’s house.
More importantly, however, the readers of Luke’s gospel knew that as Jesus spoke his words this magnificent edifice was in the last hours of its life. They had lived through what historians refer to as the First Jewish Revolt of 66-70 CE, also known as the “Great Jewish Revolution.” They had seen Jews turn against Jews in the Roman siege of Jerusalem, and they had fled before the Roman campaign of revenge by devastation, destruction, and mass murder. They had watched as the temple was destroyed, the city of Jerusalem leveled, and the Qumran community slaughtered. They had heard the stories of how the last rebels committed suicide at Masada rather than be taken prisoner.
For them, Jesus wasn’t speaking in metaphors -- he was prophesying.
They didn’t have to wait for the eschaton to see nation rise up against nation. They didn’t have to read the book of Revelation to see famines and plagues. Many of Luke’s readers were refugees who had fled from Palestine to Syria to escape the war. They had experienced firsthand all of the horrors that Jesus describes in his speech at the temple.
But now, Luke was giving them a context for their suffering. It was not without meaning. In fact, it was a perfect opportunity for witnessing. No testimony is as powerful as that of those who are willing to suffer for their faith.
This present devastation, this suffering, this fear and deprivation is not the end of the story. It’s the beginning. God’s plan cannot be undone by human action, not even the action of the Roman Empire. The appropriate Christian response to all of this: Be faithful. “By your endurance you will gain your souls.”
The lection from 2 Thessalonians offers a lighter reflection on the problems of the church, and is so on point for the modern church that it is almost funny. Even in Paul’s day the church was having to deal with free-riders, those “who are living in idleness and not according to the tradition that they received... living in idleness, mere busybodies, not doing any work.”
Paul’s remedy for this regrettable situation: standards.
Those who wish to sit down at table with the body must show that they have produced and contributed to the body. “Anyone unwilling to work should not eat.” No free-riders!
In verse 14, one verse beyond the end of the lection, the church is told to enforce this rule gently: “Do not regard them as enemies but as believers.”
As an overall rule, Paul reminds us that the church thrives when the faithful do not allow themselves to become “weary in doing what is right.”
In the Sermon
Begin with the gospel. Luke was not speaking in metaphors to his contemporaries. These are powerful words prophesying events that, for the readers, had already happened. They were painful descriptions of a holocaust that threatened to exterminate Christians and Jews alike.
Luke was not speaking in metaphors, but his words have become powerful metaphors for us as we watch what we fear may be the crumbling of our temple, the old mainline form of Christianity. The stones are teetering and about to fall. The big-box evangelical churches, the Crystal Cathedrals, the Roman Catholic churches, and even the Jewish synagogues are not immune.
Organized religion is being rejected on a larger and larger scale. “None” has become a respectable, even a popular way of answering the question of religious preference.
“Nominals” are becoming the majority. It’s okay to call yourself a Christian, a Catholic, a Jew, even if you have no interest in religion. These have become cultural labels, not religious ones.
Now switch... move to Thessalonians.
A new threat to our beloved temple has been discovered. It does not come from outside the church, from “nominal” and “nones.” It comes from within, from “free-riders” -- those who are content to ride along on the work that others have done, to benefit from the gifts others have given, to reap what others have sown.
If we choose to preach on these passages, we would do well to approach them with humor and good will. Our goal is not to accuse and condemn our parishioners because their level of commitment is not at the same level as our own, but to encourage them to a deeper commitment to Jesus Christ and his resurrected body, the church.
If our observations are to be delivered effectively, they must be delivered gently and with love. Let Paul’s admonition guide us: “Do not regard them as enemies but as believers.”
ANOTHER VIEW
Us and Them
by Leah Lonsbury
2 Thessalonians 3:6-13
During a month that is usually known for giving thanks and a high caloric intake, 47 million people are scrambling more and eating less. That’s because this November brought the largest wholesale cut in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) since Congress passed the first Food Stamps Act in 1964. This cut affects about one in every seven Americans.
Those representatives who have taken to airwaves to defend this move cite widespread abuse of the program. “It’s wrong for middle class people to pay” for this kind of exploitation and misuse, according to House Majority Leader Eric Cantor.
In reality, fraud and abuse of the SNAP program amounts to less than 1% of the benefits awarded. This is down from 1993’s 4% figure due to increased oversight and improvements to the program’s management.
Cantor continues, “No law-abiding beneficiary who meets the income and asset tests of the current program and is willing to comply with applicable work requirements will lose their benefits under the bill.”
This is, unfortunately, not true. Bob Greenstein of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities writes about how this round of cuts takes away waivers previously available to override a 1996 measure requiring food stamp recipients to be employed or in job training at a minimum of 20 hours a week after 3 months or lose their benefits. These waivers were designed to protect recipients who live in areas of high unemployment and low availability of job training programs.
Greenstein notes:
That means that people who pound the pavement looking for work but can’t find a job in an area with unemployment at 8, 10, even 25 percent would be summarily thrown off SNAP after three months. The average income of those who would be affected is 22 percent of the poverty line (about $2,500 a year for an individual), according to Agriculture Department data. These are some of the poorest people in America.
So, Cantor's statement... is deeply deceptive. Many very poor people who are looking hard for work and willing to take any job they can find, but can’t land a job in three months, would see their food assistance ripped away. No one would know that from Cantor’s soothing statement.
Cantor isn’t the only representative to go after the unemployed recipients of SNAP benefits. Tea Party-elected Rep. Stephen Fincher (R-Tennessee), who helped lead the effort to cut food stamps, drew from our passage from Thessalonians for this week when he said, “The one who is unwilling to work should not eat.”
It seems important to point out that Rep. Fincher collected $3.5 million in farm subsidies between 1999 and 2012, according to the New York Times. Jim Wallis of Sojourners nails Fincher for “illogically quoting” the Bible and engaging in the “kind of hypocrisy that makes Christians look bad and turns young people away from the church.”
Who is it again who is unwilling to work? And who is it that is not being allowed to eat?
The unemployed aren’t the only ones smarting from the SNAP cut. Of the current SNAP households with at least one working-age, non-disabled adult, more than half work while receiving SNAP benefits. More than 80% work in the year prior or the year after this assistance, and the numbers are even higher for households that include children. Sixty percent work during and 90% work the year before or after their time on SNAP. These numbers make Fincher’s biblical quoting seem even more misguided.
Even those who are willing and able to find work often have trouble feeding their families and need assistance due to our nation’s current economic situation. This has become apparent through recent press on the fast-food industry. Fast-food workers, whose median hourly wage is $8.69, have been taking to the picket line to demand a living wage.
These aren’t just teenagers seeking an increase in their pocket money. Recent analysis shows that teens make up only 30% of the current fast-food workforce. Thirty-six percent of fast-food workers over age 20 are raising children, and due to the low wages, part-time hours, and almost non-existent employee benefit programs available, a majority of them are forced to turn to government assistance to take care of their families’ most basic needs.
The Washington Post reports that only 28% of fast-food workers are able to secure 40 hours a week or more of work. Even with full-time work, half of those workers are forced to turn to the federal safety net to make ends meet. These low wages cost taxpayers nearly $7 billion a year through the earned income tax credit ($1.9 billion), SNAP ($1 billion), and Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program ($3.9 billion).
These numbers come from a report done by UC Berkeley’s Labor Center and the University of Illinois. The lead author, Sylvia Allegretto, writes: “These statistics paint a picture of workers not being able to get their fair share of the largest, richest economy in the world.... It is a good thing that we have these work supports, but they should be a last resort.”
Why are so many working Americans relying on that last resort when the nation’s seven largest fast-food companies netted a combined $7.4 billion in profits last year, while giving their top executives $53 million in salaries and distributing $7.7 billion to shareholders?
Again, it seems important to ask these questions...
* Who is unwilling to work?
* And who is not allowed to eat?
Mark Rank, professor of social welfare at Washington University, expands on these questions and dives into commonly held misconceptions in his article “Poverty in America Is Mainstream.” He asserts that contrary to popular belief...
* a majority of Americans will experience poverty or near poverty for at least a year during their lifetimes;
* at some point, half of American children will live in a household that relies on food stamps;
* the average time that Americans spend in poverty is relatively short -- one year or less;
* only 10% of households living in poverty are located in extremely poor urban neighborhoods; and
* according to the latest Census Bureau numbers, two-thirds of those who live below the poverty line self-identify as white (this number has held steady over several decades).
Is any of this changing the way Americans look at the poor or provide assistance? No, says Rank. He writes that the U.S. currently expends the fewest resources of all industrialized countries towards pulling families out of and keeping families from falling into poverty. He points to our status as one of few developed nations not to provide universal health care, affordable child care, or reasonably priced low-income housing as the main reason. As a result, Rank writes, our poverty rate almost doubles the European average.
Rank writes:
The solutions to poverty are to be found in what is important for the health of any family -- having a job that pays a decent wage, having the support of good health and child care, and having access to a first-rate education. Yet these policies will become a reality only when we begin to truly understand that poverty is an issue of us, rather than an issue of them.
This “us” and “them” mentality invades the workings of Congress, our own thinking about poverty, and even our reading of this week’s passage from Thessalonians if we aren’t careful. Our determination of who is unwilling to work requires some nuance. Our deciding of who deserves to eat requires some reflection on the actions and words of the one we claim to follow -- Jesus. And finally, our following of commands (as in verse 10) must be measured and weighed in light of the broader message and tradition of our faith, and especially as it relates to the greatest commandment pointing us always to love of and reverence towards God and others.
Brothers and sisters, this is the “right” work we should not grow weary of doing, despite the countercultural effort, ever-widening view, and self-reflection it requires.
***For another thoughtful and thought-provoking angle on how we look at poverty in America, check out Tressie McMillan Cottom’s piece “Why Do Poor People ‘Waste’ Money on Luxury Goods?”
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Ron Love:
Isaiah 65:17-25
The death toll from Typhoon Haiyan, which hit the central Philippine province of Leyte is now estimated at more than 10,000 people -- upgraded from previous estimates of 1,200.
Application: There are many who still live in a ruined land, either by natural disasters or corrupt politics, who await a new heaven and a new earth. As Christians we are to help them secure a land where the prophecy of Isaiah can become a reality.
*****
Isaiah 65:17-25
The moment came midpoint in a dismal career. It was 2009 in Michigan, when during a race driver Kevin Harvick got into a screaming match with team owner Richard Childress. As the discourse took place on the car’s radio, all of the attending spectators were engaged listeners. While coming up through the racing ranks Harvick’s nickname had been “Happy.” But once he made it to NASCAR’s top level, he became moody with a quick temper. Looking back on the Michigan incident, Harvick said: “I think for me it was the moment I said, ‘All right, I need to change.’ You can still have enthusiasm and the drive, and still be charismatic about how you carry yourself and answer things, but just going off the handle isn’t really effective.” Since then Harvick has once again become known as “Happy.”
Application: The wolf and the lamb can feed together when we learn that anger does not accomplish anything, but being charismatic does.
*****
2 Thessalonians 3:6-13
“The term ‘trip of a lifetime’ has for once been delivered on,” according to Paul Telegdy, who is NBC’s president of alternative and late-night programming. And the “trip of a lifetime” that Telegdy is referring to is an opportunity to travel into space. The reason it will be delivered upon is that NBC has created Space Race -- a reality television show featuring a competition for the first team of private entrepreneurs to take passengers into space. Mark Burnett, the producer of such hits as Survivor and The Voice, will be the producer of this first flight into space. It is to be determined if the flight will be shown live or not, but Burnett has promised “viewers at home will have a first-class seat.”
Application: The real trip of a lifetime will be to have served the Lord all of your days without having become weary in well-doing.
*****
2 Thessalonians 3:6-13
There is a Frank and Ernest comic strip with Frank and Ernie sitting on a park bench, each slouching down, wearing floppy clothes, and with a look of contentment. Frank looks over to his pal and says to Ernie, “The best thing about being my own worst enemy is that we’re evenly matched.”
Application: Idleness is not something to be joked about or to be proud of, as we are summoned to be serious and dedicated workers for the Lord.
*****
2 Thessalonians 3:6-13
Bill Mazeroski, who hit the winning home run for the Pittsburgh Pirates in the ninth inning of the seventh game of the 1960 World Series, just auctioned the uniform that he wore when he hit his legendary walk-off homer. Until the auction, where the uniform was sold for $632,500, Mazeroski kept it in a cedar chest for over a half-century -- only looking at it once to be sure that it was still protected from moths.
Application: Many might wonder why Mazeroski would part with something as nostalgic as his winning uniform; but then, one must ask what good was the uniform doing resting idle in a cedar trunk? The uniform shall now be displayed by the buyer, and once again become useful.
***************
From team member Chris Keating:
Isaiah 65:17-25
Life in the Digital Now
About a year ago, as Superstorm Sandy wreaked havoc over the northeast, writer Abha Dawesar learned an important lesson about life in the present moment. Rushing around a blacked-out Manhattan, Dawesar struggled to find a place to charge her electronic devices. It was her struggle to find a place to (quite literally) “connect” that led Dawesar to think about what it means to live in what she calls “the digital now.”
“Our story of our life is not just about the chapters,” she reflects. “It’s about the whole.” And the whole finds its place when the self can discover its place in both the long arc of time and the immediate. Despite the advantages of technology, Dawesar suggests we are forever distracted and always absent from the immediate moment -- precisely because our technological, digital world of devices has made it different to separate “the signal from the noise.”
Her question is beautifully described in a moving TED talk: “How does one live inside distraction?”
Application: The prophet calls God’s people to be deeply aware of the present moment, and invites us to find ourselves in the long arc of time that is held forever in the deep hope of God. The former things shall not be remembered, says Isaiah, because in a moment great joy will surely come.
*****
2 Thessalonians 3:6-13
Working Incognito
Paul’s words in 2 Thessalonians (“Anyone unwilling to work should not eat”) could easily be used to clobber the unemployed and those struggling to “pull themselves up from their bootstraps.” But other translators change “living in idleness” to “the undisciplined life.” Those who were undisciplined were creating chaos and hardship -- in other words, they were acting like bullies.
Perhaps they were acting like the rather undisciplined NFL player Ritchie Incognito, who is accused of tormenting teammate Jonathan Martin. Inside the Miami Dolphins locker room and front office, “Hurricane Richie” continues to cause a stir, blowing around accusations of racism, bullying, and harassment. Nor is this the first time Incognito has been accused of being a bully -- as USA Today’s Brent Schrotenboer indicates.
Application: Paul’s understanding of a disciplined life is a life grounded in community, a life not characterized by bullying, busybodies, or idle workers who place undue burdens on others. This is what it means to not be “weary in doing what is right,” and appears to be quite different from the sort of selfish lifestyle promulgated within certain locker rooms, or even boardrooms or legislative bodies.
*****
2 Thessalonians 3:6-13
Living the Life We Are Called to Pursue
In the marvelous book Let Your Life Speak Parker Palmer quotes the poet William Stafford, who says “Ask me whether what I have done is my life.” When undisciplined idleness takes hold in our lives, the life that wants to live in us becomes covered the way a sheet of ice covers a moving river. When we let our lives become out of sync with our vocations -- the work God has called us to pursue -- Palmer suggests the poet’s words will be “precise, piercing, and disquieting.”
As Palmer writes, “They remind me of moments when it is clear -- if I have eyes to see -- that the life I am living is not the life that wants to live in me.”
Application: Paul calls the Christian community to pursue its true vocation. He is not condemning solitude and contemplation; rather, Paul is calling all believers to pursue their holy callings so that the community can flourish in Christ.
*****
Luke 21:5-19
An Antidote for Anxiety
It is so easy to be led astray -- either by television infomercials or political pitchmen (or pitchwomen) who tackle our emotions and cause us to think “The time is near!”
Yet Jesus calls the faithful to an endurance that will deepen their souls. Perhaps one way of entering this difficult saying of Jesus is to reflect on the current “Thirty Days of Gratitude” social media phenomenon. Throughout November, particularly as Thanksgiving approaches, participants post Facebook daily updates that testify to one thing for which they are grateful. These are often spontaneous words of wisdom not necessarily prepared in advance.
Being thankful offers an opportunity to avoid apocalyptic anxiety, and to remain faithful to Jesus in spite of an ever-changing world.
Application: Jesus’ admonition is to live without fear or worry, knowing that “not a hair of your head will perish.” By living gratefully, acknowledging that our lives are grounded in God’s grace, we shall discover the gift of endurance.
WORSHIP RESOURCES
by George Reed
Call to Worship
Leader: We will give thanks to you, O Lord, for though you were angry,
People: Your anger turned away, and you comforted us.
Leader: Surely God is our salvation; we will trust, and will not be afraid,
People: For God is our strength and our might; God has become our salvation.
Leader: With joy we will draw water from the wells of salvation.
People: Shout aloud and sing for joy, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.
OR
Leader: Come and worship the God who is still creating.
People: We offer our hymns and songs to our Creator.
Leader: All that God is doing has not yet been revealed.
People: We await the fulfillment of God’s desires for us.
Leader: God calls all creation to a new beginning.
People: We offer ourselves to God’s renewing work.
Hymns and Sacred Songs
“Be Thou My Vision”
found in:
UMH: 451
H82: 488
PH: 339
NCH: 451
CH: 595
ELA: 793
W&P: 502
AMEC: 281
STLT: 20
Renew: 151
“God Hath Spoken by the Prophets”
found in:
UMH: 108
LBW: 238
W&P: 667
“O God, Our Help in Ages Past”
found in:
UMH: 117
H82: 680
AAHH: 170
NNBH: 46
NCH: 25
CH: 67
LBW: 320
ELA: 623
W&P: 84
AMEC: 61
STLT: 281
“Rock of Ages, Cleft for Me”
found in:
UMH: 361
H82: 685
AAHH: 559
NNBH: 254
NCH: 596
CH: 214
LBW: 327
ELA: 623
W&P: 384
AMEC: 328
“Cuando el Pobre” (“When the Poor Ones”)
found in:
UMH: 434
PH: 407
CH: 662
ELA: 725
W&P: 624
“Where Cross the Crowded Ways of Life”
found in:
UMH: 427
H82: 609
PH: 408
NCH: 542
CH: 665
LBW: 429
ELA: 719
W&P: 591
AMEC: 561
“Seek Ye First”
found in:
UMH: 405
H82: 711
PH: 333
CH: 354
W&P: 349
CCB: 76
“Open My Eyes, That I May See”
found in:
UMH: 454
PH: 324
NNBH: 218
CH: 586
W&P: 480
AMEC: 285
“More Precious than Silver”
found in:
CCB: 25
“From the Rising of the Sun”
found in:
CCB: 4
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 has created and ever is creating anew: Grant us the grace to understand the eternal quality of your creation so that we do not get distracted by things that are passing away; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We come to praise you, O God, and to sing your glory. Help us to hear the word you would speak to us today so that we may join in building your eternal reign without getting distracted by things that are passing away. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
Leader: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins, and especially tendency to focus on the temporal rather than the eternal.
People: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We look at our church buildings, our attendance, and our finances, and we think that these are true indicators of the state of your reign. We forget about justice, mercy, and humility. We forget about loving you and caring for others as we care for ourselves. We are a short-sighted and small-hearted group. Forgive us, and by the power of your Spirit call us back to being true followers of Jesus who seek the lost and give glory to you. Amen.
Leader: God welcomes us back and graciously pours out the power of the Spirit to confirm our repentance and enable our amendment of life.
Prayers of the People (and the Lord’s Prayer)
Glory, praise, and blessings are yours, O God, for you have created us in your image and constantly work to re-create 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 look at our church buildings, our attendance, and our finances, and we think that these are true indicators of the state of your reign. We forget about justice, mercy, and humility. We forget about loving you and caring for others as we care for ourselves. We are a short-sighted and small-hearted group. Forgive us, and by the power of your Spirit call us back to being true followers of Jesus who seek the lost and give glory to you.
We give you thanks for all the ways in which you are bringing about the re-creation of heaven and earth. We thank you for our part in your great works of salvation.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We are painfully aware of how far we are from being your new creation as we see the suffering around us. We know there are those who suffer in body, mind, or spirit or who find themselves in relationships that are destructive to their lives. As you move among them and offer your healing presence, help us to mirror your actions.
(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
Talk to the children about the wolf and lamb imagery. Talk about how it looks to us like the wolf and the lamb would never get along, but God sees things differently. God sees all animals as God’s creatures, and so they should get along. God sees all of us as God’s children, and so we are brothers and sisters with everyone and need to get along with each other.
CHILDREN’S SERMON
Stone Pile
Luke 21:5-19
Object: a well-known book, piece of art, poem, or record -- anything people use to “make a name” for themselves
We human beings do not live on this earth forever. The day comes when every one of us will die. So we try to do something with our lives that will last when we are gone. Some people may write a book that people will read when they are gone. Others may paint paintings that will hang in museums and be seen by people years later. Have any of you ever read a book by someone who is not now living? (Let the children answer. Dr. Seuss might be an example you could cite.) Have you been to an art museum and seen paintings done by artists who are no longer living? (Let them answer.) We do many things to leave something behind that is lasting.
In Jesus’ day Herod wanted to do the same thing. He built a wonderful temple for the Jews to use for worship. It was made of giant stones that looked like they would be around forever. But Jesus said they would also tumble down and “not one stone will be left upon another; all will be thrown down.” In other words, the beautiful temple itself would someday become a rock pile!
How different it is for us! All those who believe in Jesus will live in eternity with God. Long after this church falls to the ground, you and I will be alive with God -- even if our bodies are gone. Jesus knows us better than we know ourselves, and Jesus loves us better than we could ever love ourselves. I’m glad we have a Savior like Jesus.
Prayer: Dear God: Thank you for giving us eternal life. Amen.
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The Immediate Word, November 17, 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.
