The Love of Power vs. The Power of Love
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Sermon
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For July 25, 2021:
The Love of Power vs. The Power of Love
by Dean Feldmeyer
2 Samuel 11:1-15, John 6:1-21
For years, popular culture has cast Bathsheba as a seductress, knowing full well that she is bathing in full view of the king whose power she wished to share. The #MeToo movement, however, has provided us with some tools for reevaluating this interpretation of the story.
The insights given us by those brave souls who have testified against abusive sexual practices of the power brokers in our culture remind us that it is David who is in control, here. He has all the power and when the King says, “Come to my bed,” you obey or face dire consequences. He is abusing his power and, as the story continues, he will abuse it still further, even to the point of murder.
Jesus, on the other hand, brings the power of YHWH into the story of the hungry multitude and uses that power not to exploit but to feed the vulnerable and the helpless.
Two biblical stories to keep in mind as we watch Bill Cosby, once identified as one of the most powerful men in Hollywood, walk, smiling, from his prison cell.
In the News
Bill Cosby. Harvey Weinstein. Charlie Rose. Matt Lauer. Kevin Spacey. Les Moonves.
Just a few of more than 200 powerful men whose power and position were challenged by the #MeToo movement that called them out for using their power to exploit, abuse, and in some cases, attack women who were dependent upon them.
Will the movement continue to be effective? Will people in positions of power, men and women, learn anything from these cases? Will we, as a culture, come to view the use of power differently?
How we get and use power says much about who we are, our ethic and our character, as a nation, a culture, and as individuals.
President Biden is commander and chief of what may be the most powerful military force ever assembled on planet Earth and the temptations to police the world, to force American values upon other countries, must be significant. But upon removing American troops from Afghanistan and ending America’s longest war, he said “We did not go to Afghanistan to nation build.”
At the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) meeting in Dallas, earlier this month, former president Donald Trump demonstrated that he still holds considerable, if not total power in the Republican party and intends to use that power to punish those who did not support his erroneous contention that the presidential election was rigged and stolen from him.
That wealth confers power is axiomatic. Rich people have more power than poor people. Very rich people are very powerful. Hence the phrase: “Too big to fail.” When a person or a company becomes big enough and rich enough and employs enough people, the government has a vested interested in keeping them financially afloat. They have the power to manipulate the government toward their own ends.
Most of us pay taxes. Rich, powerful people, not so much.
Jeff Bezos is the richest man in the world with a personal worth of just over $177 billion. Sir Richard Branson shows up way down the list with a paltry net worth of just over $5 billion. How have they decided to use their financial power? By shooting themselves and some very rich ticket holders into space, of course.
Branson’s VSS Unity launch and recovery cost about $600 million. It’s a little harder to find out just how much Jeff Bezos spent to take his 11-mile ride into space but a first-class ticket was recently auctioned at $28 million.
While arguments can be made about how discoveries made in engineering space travel have real world applications, other, equally valid arguments can be made about how much human suffering could be alleviated by applying the dollars spent on rocket ships to hunger programs and disease research.
But the one who owns the money is the one with the power to decide. Poor people, hungry people, homeless people, working class people don’t get to make those decisions.
In the Scripture
“It’s good to be the king,” says Mel Brooks in his film, The History of the World: Part I. Brooks plays a clueless, narcissistic King Louis XIV who flits through his reign over eating, over spending, molesting his chamber maids, and using the world as his toilet.
King David, in today’s passage, isn’t quite Brooks’ Louis but he is, at least in this sequence, cut from a similar mold. He sees the young bride next door bathing on her rooftop, he desires her, he orders her brought to his bedchamber, and he claims her as his own. Having satisfied his curiosity and his lust, he is prepared to send her back to her husband who is off fighting one of David’s wars but she sends word that she is pregnant.
Through a series of machinations that only a king with absolute power could manage, he arranges to have Bathsheba’s husband killed in battle and brings her into his harem.
Is David corrupted by power or does power simply make it easier for him to act on the corruption that was already at work within him? Whichever it is, his abuse of power leads to suffering and death that pollutes the rest of his reign as king.
Jesus, on the other hand, has power that makes David seem weak in comparison. Jesus’ power is the power of YHWH, Lord of Hosts, Creator of all that is. But when he is tempted by Satan in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11 & Luke 4:1-13) he refuses to exploit his power for power’s sake.
In today’s passage he channels God’s miraculous power into an act of love and feeds a multitude of hungry people. When the people, moved by the miracle, come to make him king, he flees from that worldly power.
In the Sermon
I am a straight, white, man. I stand 6’4” tall and weigh 250 pounds. And I’m the smallest of my three brothers. I was raised in a middle-class family and have two college degrees. My family of origin is a big, fun-loving, hugging, laughing, supportive clan.
All of these things give me power.
I have never, to my knowledge, been denied a job because of the color of my skin. I have not, since junior high school, been challenged to a fight. I haven’t been hungry, really hungry, in my 70-year-old memory.
I could have easily decided to be a bully — to use my size and my privilege to exploit others. I’m big enough. But, instead, I chose to follow Jesus, to be one of his disciples and an ordained minister of his Good News. To use my powers for good, as the comic books say.
I put on a clerical collar (which confers a different kind of power) and walk into a hospital and people rarely challenge my being there, even during the pandemic.
But enough about me. What about you?
What kind of power do you have?
In Sociology 101 we learned from Max Weber that power and authority are conferred by us upon people and that there are, basically, three kinds of power or authority:
Legitimate Power is based on long standing custom and tradition. Example: The Royal Family who has no political power but has a great deal of social influence.
Charismatic Power is based on the personal attributes of the leader. Example: Martin Luther King, Jr., Napoleon, Jesus, Mother Theresa.
Legal Power resides in the office, not in the person. Example: President of the United States, Senator, Parliament, etc.
Scripture tells us that God confers other kinds of power upon us through gifts of the Spirit.
We have all seen televangelists and others who exploit those gifts to increase their own personal power and wealth. And we have seen those who use their God given power for good.
God leaves it to us to choose.
SECOND THOUGHTS
Enough Already
by Bethany Peerbolte
John 6:1-15
I love miracles. I need miracles. There was plenty of debate in my seminary classes about miracles being exaggerations and every one of them having a logical, rational explanation. I have heard Marcus Borg’s take and I still cling to the existence of miracles exactly as scripture describes them. However, there is one miracle I am willing to accept another interpretation for and it is the John 6 version of Jesus feeding the crowd.
The traditional interpretation is of course beautiful. I am perfectly happy with the boy bringing Jesus his lunch and Jesus miraculously blessing the basket so that the food is replenished and multiplied every time it is passed to another person. And yet, it is equally as beautiful to remove the miraculous blessing and instead see it as a moment of humanities willingness to participate in the feeding of each other.
This interpretation understands what happened in the crowd this way. Jesus’s arrival inspires thousands to gather and hear his message. Some were able to plan ahead and pack food, some grabbed something from market on their way, some forgot to bring provisions, and others would not have eaten that day anyway. This diverse group with varying degrees of food security was all moved by Jesus’ words. When it came time to eat the disciples noticed not everyone was equally provided for. They mention this inequity to Jesus and Jesus decides to see what the crowd has learned. He draws their attention to the need for food. At first no one is willing to give up what they have. The ones who planned ahead think “why should we sacrifice for someone else’s mistake.” There is a stalemate.
Then a boy steps forward and offers his lunch to share. Jesus smiles and makes a huge deal out of the boy’s gesture. The switch flips in the crowds head and they suddenly realize how to apply the amazing teachings they have been hearing. As the basket is passed around those who have food add their excess to the basket. The people who had a good breakfast and who have food waiting for them at home decide to go without for this one meal so that those around them can eat. Those who were not going to eat that day or maybe for the whole week can take all they need. Everyone is fed.
I am willing to accept this interpretation, though technically nothing miraculous happened, because arguably something just as miraculous occurs. Humans collectively decide that there is enough. The people with plenty decide to make a sacrifice to help the people with less. They see each other and they assess the needs of someone else over their own. It feels equally as miraculous as rejuvenating fish.
It is hilarious and heartbreaking at the same time how far humans have come and yet still slip over the same mental banana peels. The scarcity mentality is alive and well in 2021 and we are in need of a miracle basket still today. Just mention the word “reparations” and you will feel this mindset attack. Arguments vary for why reparations are not feasible and they are all rooted in a scarcity mentality. There is not enough to make appropriate amends for past wrongs.
This scarcity mentality exists in the same world as billionaires racing to see who can get to Mars first. Branson and Bezos are the two most recent billionaires to use their massive fortune for space exploration, inspiring some of us left on earth to wonder why world hunger or pandemic disaster assistance wasn’t higher on their list of worthy endeavors. While it is not their job to solve the problems of humanity, 120,000 people are questioning Bezos’ compassion and empathy. Signatures on a recent petition are demanding the CEO of Amazon stay in space if he won’t recognize the way he has benefitted from the global pandemic and at least fairly compensate Amazon workers.
This month millions of families will receive a boost to their income if they have children. The stimulus checks are part of a new initiative to decrease childhood poverty. Many are hoping they are successful enough to become a permanent part of how America addresses systemic poverty. The opposition say there is not enough money to fund an ongoing program. These arguments are made while the military budget for 2022 is set for $715 billion. That leaves us again searching for a child to offer their lunch and begin passing the miracle basket.
Two groups may be doing just that. The state of California and Virginia Theological Seminary are shedding their scarcity mentality and stepping out to offer help to those they have been wronged. As early as 11 years ago California was running a program that sterilized women without their consent. Now, in the middle of economic uncertainty, $75 million dollars have been set aside to give reparations to thousands of women. “No monetary compensation will ever rectify the injustice of this,” state assemblywoman Wendy Carrillo said. “But there is a level of dignity that is bestowed on the survivors by the acknowledgment that this happened.” California is hoping other states will follow their lead since this was at one time a national practice.
Virginia Theological Seminary began writing checks for direct decedents of slaves who helped build and maintain the campus. With a starting commitment of $1.7 million dollars, the seminary is committed to growing the endowment. “Though no amount of money could ever truly compensate for slavery, the commitment of these financial resources means that the institution's attitude of repentance is being supported by actions of repentance,” said Rev. Ian S. Markham, dean and president of the seminary.
Hopefully, we are at a moment where we can truly reflect on the idea that we do not have enough to care for our neighbors. California and Virginia Theological Seminary are offering their share to get us started. It is a moment where reading the feeding of the 5,000 as a communal miracle will serve us better. We have enough. There is more than enough to go around. We are not asking for a spaceship in every driveway. What we need is basic recognition that people have been hurt and left out. I think we will find the reward will be just as thrilling as landing on Mars.
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Tom Willadsen:
Psalm 14
A Fool’s Holiday
There is a very good chance you’ve seen this joke before:
In Florida, an atheist became incensed over the preparation for Easter and Passover holidays and decided to contact the local ACLU about the discrimination inflicted on atheists by the constant celebrations afforded to Christians and Jews with all their holidays while the atheists had no holiday to celebrate.
The ACLU jumped on the opportunity to once again pick up the cause of the godless and assigned their sharpest attorneys to the case. The case was brought before a wise judge who after listening to the long, passionate presentation of the ACLU lawyers, promptly banged his gavel and declared, “Case dismissed!”
The lead ACLU lawyer immediately stood and objected to the ruling and said, “Your honor, how can you possibly dismiss this case? Surely the Christians have Christmas, Easter and many other observances. And the Jews — why in addition to Passover they have Yom Kippur and Hanukkah . . . and yet my client and all other atheists have no such holiday!”
The judge leaned forward in his chair and simply said “Obviously your client is too confused to know about, or for that matter, even celebrate the atheists’ holiday!”
The ACLU lawyer pompously said: “We are aware of no such holiday for atheists. Just when might that be, Your Honor?”
The judge said, “Well, it comes every year on exactly the same date — April 1st!”
The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”
— Psalm 14:1, Psalm 53:1
HOORAY FOR THIS JUDGE
It began circulating in 2003 and a quick visit to Snopes.com, 'Holiday for Atheists', confirms that it is not true. Still, it’s a nice tie in to the first verse of this morning’s psalm.
* * *
2 Samuel 11:1-15
Did you say something?
The only agency Bathsheba displays in today’s Hebrew Bible lesson is when she sends word to David saying, “I am pregnant.” For the rest of the passage she is merely subject to the whims of the men who surround her. Even in Jesus’ genealogy at the start of Matthew’s gospel she is mentioned indirectly, as “the wife of Uriah.”
Bathsheba is not always a door mat. After the first son she had with David dies, (the one whose conception is covered in today’s reading) she conceives again and gives birth to Solomon. In 1 Kings 1 and 2, Bathsheba advocates for her son, Solomon, to succeed David on the throne. Perhaps this passage is a better depiction of Bathsheba’s character.
* * *
John 6:1-21
…when he had given thanks…
There is a common misunderstanding when we gather for the Lord’s Supper. Many of us understand that Jesus “blessed” the bread. This is an error caused by punctuation. In this morning’s reading from John’s gospel, the evangelist gets it right, Jesus gave thanks, that is, Jesus blessed God.
The ancient Hebrew prayer said before eating begins, “Blessed art Thou, O Lord, our God….” The pray-er blesses God for the gift of bread. Jesus gave thanks before distributing the bread to the 5,000 gathered up on the mountain near where He sat.
Luke’s account of the Last Supper in the NRSV reads, “he took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it….” [22:19] Luke also gets it right.
Matthew, on the other hand, shows a lack of knowledge about the Hebrew custom of praying prior to eating. Matthew’s account of the Last Supper reads, “…Jesus took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it he broke it, and gave it to his disciples.” [26:26]
Mark also has Jesus blessing the bread at the Last Supper, “…he took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it he broke it….” [14:22]
In some standard liturgies for the Lord’s Supper the words of institution read “Jesus took bread, blessed, and broke it….” While not heard by the worshiper, the comma following blessed indicates that Jesus said the prayer blessing God for the bread. It’s easy to understand that Jesus blessed the bread, but actually Jesus blessed God for the gift of bread. The gospel of John makes this clear.
* * *
Ephesians 3:14-21
Filled with the fullness
The reading from Ephesians is a prayer for those reading or hearing the words of the author. Ephesians could end after the two verses that follow the reading which comprises today’s epistle lesson. The prayer has a Trinitarian sequence — father, spirit, Christ — though it hardly conveys the doctrine that became essential for Christians. The last verse contains this wonderful phrase, “…that you may be filled with the fullness of God.”
The prior two verses extol the love of Christ. The author prays that his readers will comprehend the breadth, length, height and depth of the love of Christ. These verses are filled with abundance. And the Greek word for fullness “πλήρωμα” is the root for the English word “plenary.” Plenary sessions at conferences are when everyone gathers. The plentiful love of Christ fills the universe, if only we could comprehend that!
* * * * * *
From team member Mary Austin:
2 Samuel 11:1-15
How We Use Power
King David, who has risen from youngest son and sheep-herder to king, misunderstands the purpose of his power. Community organizer Lucas Johnson tells a story about being on the receiving end of someone over-reaching with their power, and using his own power to turn the tables. He recalls an incident from his college days, “I was a sophomore in college, and I went to school at a predominantly white private school. I was walking around, talking — I was in the Baptist Student Union at the time, and I was walking with a young white woman… We’re having this conversation and walking around campus, and all of a sudden, a police car pulls up, and the lights are shining, and the officer gets out of the car, and he shines a flashlight in my eye. I don’t know if any of you have ever had that experience, but you can’t see anything. So it’s already just a very disorienting experience, because if they’re shining that light in your eye, you can’t — you just hear the voices. So the officer says, “Ma’am, are you OK?” And my friend says, “Yeah, I’m fine. We’re just walking around.” And then they look at me and say — well, I’m assuming they’re looking at me, at this point, since I can’t see, still. They say, “Are you a student here?” And I say, “Yes, I am.” And then I played a trick that I learned to do as a kid, because at the time, I was on student government, and so I had met some of the police officers on the campus. And so I start to call names, start to say, “Officer such-and-such, is that you?” And the flashlight begins to lower, and I think I have to show my campus ID, and then they go away.”
Power doesn’t always come in the form we expect, and we all have choices about how we use the power we have.
* * *
2 Samuel 11:1-15
Why Do We Need Power?
Rami Nashishibi, also a community organizer in Chicago and a MacArthur "genius grant" recipient, says that community organizing is a work of love. He says that people in spiritual communities struggle with the idea of power because it seems so corrupt. He says, “We talk about, organizers need to build unapologetic power. And you cannot conflate power with “power corrupts” and “absolute power corrupts, absolutely.” “Why do we want power? We’re a spiritual people” — no. You need power. Power, the ability to act, to get things done.” He adds that power is a ways of expressing “love in public.” We can use our power for evil or for good, and he asks, “do we love those who are directly affected, including ourselves, enough to make the type of sacrifices to build collective power to change those realities that are on the ground?”
His work as a community organizer allows him to help people understand their power to improve the world.
* * *
John 6:1-21
Having Enough
As John’s gospel tells the story, Jesus and a young boy remind the disciples, and then the crowd, that there is enough food for everyone. It doesn’t seem like there will be enough, and then, in God’s providence, there is enough.
The writer Ross Gay set out to teach himself the same lesson. “On the day he turned 42, the writer Ross Gay set himself a challenge. Every day for a year, he would write an essay about something delightful.” His volume “The Book of Delights” chronicles his lessons in noticing the delights of each day, and making note of them, assuring himself that there was enough goodness in his life to sustain him. Gay says, “one of the things that I realized is that in the beginning I thought — oh, man. I'm going to, like, have to look around — like, be like really attentive.” A few weeks in, he realized that delightful experiences were piling up faster than he could write about them. In the process, he says, his “attention got cultivated.” Delight led to more delight. There was more than enough, once he started to pay attention.
* * *
John 6:1-21
God Speaks Through Food
On the hillside, facing a hungry crowd, Jesus uses food to show God’s abundant care for God’s people. Diana Aydin says that God often speaks to her through food, also. She says that the gift of a cronut led to the bigger gift of friendship with her co-workers. Since cronuts made their debut, she had been wanting one. “But quantities are limited. You have to get to the bakery very early in the morning, and even then, the line wraps around the block. Two months ago, though, my sister’s boyfriend, Jeff, managed to get his hands on a few. He offered to give me a precious cronut, but I’d have to walk to his office, 20 minutes away, to pick it up... in the pouring rain. Frizzy hair seemed like a small sacrifice to pay for a cronut. So, at lunchtime, I grabbed my umbrella — more for the Cronut’s protection than my own! — and set off on my journey.” She promised her co-workers that she would share the precious cronut.
When she arrived, Jeff opened the box, and it was gorgeous. “It wasn’t very big, and Dan and Danielle weren’t even doughnut fans. Would they really care? Temptation was staring me in the face, but I’d made a promise. There was no way I could enjoy the cronut without Dan and Danielle now. Back at the office, I sliced it up and handed them each a piece. It was unbelievably delicious. Really, I could’ve eaten three whole cronuts on my own! Oh well, I thought, trying to stop thinking about those flaky, cream-filled layers. A bite is better than nothing.”
The next day, “there was a white pastry box sitting on Danielle’s desk. “Guess what I’ve got?” she said, beaming. Mini-cupcakes from her favorite bakery — she’d traveled 45 minutes, all the way uptown, just to get them for Dan and me. Then, a week and a half later, Dan showed up to work carrying a tray of Starbucks coffee. “Coffee’s on me today!” he said. It didn’t end there. Next came my mom’s baklava, Danielle’s special turkey chili, lollipops, nectarines, sandwiches, bananas, even Doritos. It was like a never-ending buffet of food. That one little cronut fed the three of us for weeks upon weeks.”
She reflects, “maybe God was trying to tell me something. That a miracle doesn’t have to be as big as feeding thousands or healing the sick. Sometimes a miracle can happen in the simplest of ways, just by sharing a lunchtime snack. And everyone, when acting out of love, can produce miracles for one another. Thanks to that delicious pastry, I now show up to work every week not knowing what I might find waiting for me at my desk.” There is enough for everyone — and more!
* * * * * *
From team member Katy Stenta:
Kingdom of Heaven is Like
The Kingdom of Heaven is like a potluck,
Where everyone looks at how many people are present,
and if there are but a few there, they take extra helpings.
But if there are many
You realize you aren’t that hungry.
And skip the things that are not your favorite.
And make sure everyone has something upon their plate.
Like the feast of fishes and loaves.
* * *
Food as Blessings
God’s blessings are hard to count, so God makes them as tangible as possible for us. One of the ways God makes God’s blessings tangible to us is in good things to eat. Is it any wonder that some of the miracles God gives us is to feed everyone? Is it any wonder that God tells us parable after parable of feasts and banquets and parties? Is it any wonder that God invented chocolate? Picture your favorite thing to eat. Is our God not full of bounty? Does our God not give us enough? Do we not have enough variety for us all to be nourished and satisfied? Food is a wonderful illustration of God’s bounty, sharing it, is illustrative of a theology that there is enough for all.
* * *
Compassion as Power
“A student once asked anthropologist Margaret Mead, “What is the earliest sign of civilization?” The student expected her to say a clay pot, a grinding stone, or maybe a weapon.
Margaret Mead thought for a moment, then she said, “A healed femur.”
A femur is the longest bone in the body, linking hip to knee. In societies without the benefits of modern medicine, it takes about six weeks of rest for a fractured femur to heal. A healed femur shows that someone cared for the injured person, did their hunting and gathering, stayed with them, and offered physical protection and human companionship until the injury could mend.
Mead explained that where the law of the jungle — the survival of the fittest — rules, no healed femurs are found. The first sign of civilization is compassion, seen in a healed femur.”
* * *
Phenomenal Cosmic Power
In the Disney Movie Aladdin, the Genie seems to have the phenomenal cosmic power. However it is soon revealed that he only has the power to serve, and is stuck with itty-bitty-living space of being trapped enslaved to the lamp. To be a Master of the Lamp, also, it turns out, is not the real power. The real power, in the end, is not to be a princess, or a sultan, or a Grand Vizier, but instead to be the master of one’s own destiny. To be able to choose, to dance when one wants, not in a parade to impress others — as Aladdin and the Genie do in the beginning or the Princess and the Sultan are forced to at the end to serve the Vizier, but just dance out of joy, as the Genie does in the end. And the power to set healthy boundaries, and to say no, that, it turns out, is the true power.
* * * * * *
WORSHIP
by George Reed
Call to Worship:
One: God looks on humankind to see if any are wise, who seek after God.
All: We have all gone astray; no one does good, no, not one.
One: Evildoers eat up the people as they eat bread.
All: But God is with the company of the righteous.
One: O that deliverance for Israel would come from Zion!
All: When God restores the fortunes of the people, we will be glad.
OR
One: The God of all power calls us to worship.
All: Where is the thunder and lightning of God’s power?
One: God’s power is not in force but in the mystery of love.
All: We see the power of love in the cross of Jesus.
One: Be filled with the power of God’s love today.
All: Filled with God’s love we will share it with others this week.
Hymns and Songs:
God of Grace and God of Glory
UMH: 577
H82: 594/595
PH: 420
NCH: 436
CH: 464
LBW: 415
ELW: 705
W&P: 569
AMEC: 62
STLT: 115
Renew: 301
Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise
UMH: 103
H82: 423
PH: 263
NCH: 1
CH: 66
LBW: 526
ELW: 834
W&P: 48
AMEC: 71
STLT: 273
Renew: 46
Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah
UMH: 127
H82: 690
PH: 281
AAHH: 138/139/140
NNBH: 232
NCH: 18/19
CH: 622
LBW: 343
ELW: 618
W&P: 501
AMEC: 52/53/65
Praise to the Lord, the Almighty
UMH: 139
H82: 390
AAHH: 117
NNBH: 2
NCH: 22
CH: 25
ELW: 858/859
AMEC: 3
STLT: 278
Renew: 57
Great Is Thy Faithfulness
UMH: 140
AAHH: 158
NNBH: 45
NCH: 423
CH: 86
ELW: 733
W&P: 72
AMEC: 84
Renew: 249
Seek Ye First
UMH: 405
H82: 711
PH: 333
CH: 354
W&P: 349
CCB: 76
The Gift of Love
UMH: 408
AAHH: 522
CH: 526
W&P: 397
Renew: 155
Take Up Thy Cross
UMH: 415
H82: 675
PH: 393
LBW: 398
ELW: 667
W&P: 351
AMEC: 294
Jesu, Jesu
UMH: 432
H82: 602
PH: 367
NCH: 498
CH: 600
ELW: 708
W&P: 273
CCB: 66
Renew: 289
My Faith Looks Up to Thee
UMH: 452
H82: 691
PH: 383
AAHH: 456
NNBH: 273
CH: 576
LBW: 479
ELW: 759
W&P: 419
AMEC: 415
Lord, Be Glorified
CCB: 62
Renew: 172
I Exalt You
CCB: 34
Renew: 44
Music Resources Key:
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982
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
ELW: 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 all powerful and all love:
Grant us the wisdom to find love as our power
that we may truly reflect you in our lives;
through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We praise you, O God of power, because your power flows from your love. So fill us with your love that we may not seek power through other means. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
One: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins and especially our lust for power which only breaks and destroys.
All: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. You have shown us that power resides in love and yet we continually seek power through violence and force. We try to dress up our use of force by calling it influence or saying it is for the other person’s good. Yet it is lust for naked power that drives us. Call us back to you and your love that we may be your people and true disciples of Jesus the Christ. Amen.
One: God is always willing to share the power of love with all who desire it. Receive God’s grace and love and share it with others.
Prayers of the People
Praise and glory are yours, O God of love. You exercise your power through your great love that never seeks to use force or violence.
(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. You have shown us that power resides in love and yet we continually seek power through violence and force. We try to dress up our use of force by calling it influence or saying it is for the other person's good. Yet it is lust for naked power that drives us. Call us back to you and your love that we may be your people and true disciples of Jesus the Christ.
We give you thanks for all the ways you express your love for us and for all creation. The bounty of your love is ever before us.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for the needs of our world. We pray for those caught in struggles of power and violence both the victims and those who are victims of the seduction of power.
(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 Our Father 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 about where we see power. Super heroes, monster trucks, thunder storms. All kinds of places where we see things that seem very powerful but Jesus reminds us that nothing is more powerful than love. Other things can change the way things look but love changes the way we are, love changes us inside, in our hearts.
* * * * * *
CHILDREN'S SERMON
What’s in Your Lunchbox?
by Chris Keating
John 6:1-21
Gather ahead of time:
A lunch box
A sandwich (or a packaged lunch like a “Lunchable.”)
An apple
As August draws near, so does “Back to School” with all of its clamoring for supplies, notebooks, backpacks — and, of course, lunch boxes! As you explore the story of Jesus feeding the 5,000, take this opportunity to share a message about meeting the needs of hungry children in your community.
In 2019, more than one in seven children in the United States lived in food insecure homes. During the Covid-19 pandemic, that number increased to more than one in six. Summer is a particularly difficult time for families who depend on free and reduced lunch programs to feed their children. Though estimates vary, there are millions of Americans who experience food insecurity. It’s clear that hunger does not take a vacation. Faced with these statistics, Andrew’s question of Jesus hits home. “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish,” Andrew tells Jesus. “But what are they among so many people?”
Allow the story of Jesus’ feeding the multitude to spark the imagination of your children. How might they share what they have in order to help feed other children? The problems of hunger may seem so large, and our donations seem so small. But Jesus reminds us that all things are possible with God.
This Sunday, bring a lunch box along with you, complete with a small sandwich and a piece of fruit, or even a pre-packaged lunch like a “Lunch-able.” Begin by sharing the story of Jesus feeding the 5,000, pointing out that this is a miracle included in all of the Gospel stories. Tell them you’ve been thinking about boys and girls in your area who struggle with being hungry. It’s not because they are picky eaters, or because their families have not gone shopping yet. They do not have enough money to buy the food they need.
How might we help them? Perhaps we could invite all the hungry people in town to our church for lunch today! Could we feed them like Jesus and the disciples? Ask them to wonder with you — what do we need to feed as many as five thousand people? Would this lunch box help? As you open the lunch box, show them the small lunch inside. Is this enough for 5,000? Probably not. That’s what the disciples thought when they shared the little boy’s lunch with the crowd. But in Jesus’ hands, it was more than enough.
We all have gifts to share. Some of us have more food than others, but each of us can bring what we have to share with our siblings in Christ — because in Jesus’ hands, what we have is always more than enough.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, July 25, 2021 issue.
Copyright 2021 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.
- The Love of Power vs. The Power of Love by Dean Feldmeyer — “Until the power of love overrules the love of power, the world will not know peace.” — Gandhi
- Second Thoughts: Enough Already by Bethany Peerbolte — This is a moment where reading the feeding of the 5,000 as a communal miracle will serve us better. We have enough.
- Sermon illustrations by Tom Willadsen, Mary Austin, Katy Stenta.
- Worship resources by George Reed.
- Children's sermon: What’s in Your Lunchbox? by Chris Keating.
The Love of Power vs. The Power of Loveby Dean Feldmeyer
2 Samuel 11:1-15, John 6:1-21
For years, popular culture has cast Bathsheba as a seductress, knowing full well that she is bathing in full view of the king whose power she wished to share. The #MeToo movement, however, has provided us with some tools for reevaluating this interpretation of the story.
The insights given us by those brave souls who have testified against abusive sexual practices of the power brokers in our culture remind us that it is David who is in control, here. He has all the power and when the King says, “Come to my bed,” you obey or face dire consequences. He is abusing his power and, as the story continues, he will abuse it still further, even to the point of murder.
Jesus, on the other hand, brings the power of YHWH into the story of the hungry multitude and uses that power not to exploit but to feed the vulnerable and the helpless.
Two biblical stories to keep in mind as we watch Bill Cosby, once identified as one of the most powerful men in Hollywood, walk, smiling, from his prison cell.
In the News
Bill Cosby. Harvey Weinstein. Charlie Rose. Matt Lauer. Kevin Spacey. Les Moonves.
Just a few of more than 200 powerful men whose power and position were challenged by the #MeToo movement that called them out for using their power to exploit, abuse, and in some cases, attack women who were dependent upon them.
Will the movement continue to be effective? Will people in positions of power, men and women, learn anything from these cases? Will we, as a culture, come to view the use of power differently?
How we get and use power says much about who we are, our ethic and our character, as a nation, a culture, and as individuals.
President Biden is commander and chief of what may be the most powerful military force ever assembled on planet Earth and the temptations to police the world, to force American values upon other countries, must be significant. But upon removing American troops from Afghanistan and ending America’s longest war, he said “We did not go to Afghanistan to nation build.”
At the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) meeting in Dallas, earlier this month, former president Donald Trump demonstrated that he still holds considerable, if not total power in the Republican party and intends to use that power to punish those who did not support his erroneous contention that the presidential election was rigged and stolen from him.
That wealth confers power is axiomatic. Rich people have more power than poor people. Very rich people are very powerful. Hence the phrase: “Too big to fail.” When a person or a company becomes big enough and rich enough and employs enough people, the government has a vested interested in keeping them financially afloat. They have the power to manipulate the government toward their own ends.
Most of us pay taxes. Rich, powerful people, not so much.
Jeff Bezos is the richest man in the world with a personal worth of just over $177 billion. Sir Richard Branson shows up way down the list with a paltry net worth of just over $5 billion. How have they decided to use their financial power? By shooting themselves and some very rich ticket holders into space, of course.
Branson’s VSS Unity launch and recovery cost about $600 million. It’s a little harder to find out just how much Jeff Bezos spent to take his 11-mile ride into space but a first-class ticket was recently auctioned at $28 million.
While arguments can be made about how discoveries made in engineering space travel have real world applications, other, equally valid arguments can be made about how much human suffering could be alleviated by applying the dollars spent on rocket ships to hunger programs and disease research.
But the one who owns the money is the one with the power to decide. Poor people, hungry people, homeless people, working class people don’t get to make those decisions.
In the Scripture
“It’s good to be the king,” says Mel Brooks in his film, The History of the World: Part I. Brooks plays a clueless, narcissistic King Louis XIV who flits through his reign over eating, over spending, molesting his chamber maids, and using the world as his toilet.
King David, in today’s passage, isn’t quite Brooks’ Louis but he is, at least in this sequence, cut from a similar mold. He sees the young bride next door bathing on her rooftop, he desires her, he orders her brought to his bedchamber, and he claims her as his own. Having satisfied his curiosity and his lust, he is prepared to send her back to her husband who is off fighting one of David’s wars but she sends word that she is pregnant.
Through a series of machinations that only a king with absolute power could manage, he arranges to have Bathsheba’s husband killed in battle and brings her into his harem.
Is David corrupted by power or does power simply make it easier for him to act on the corruption that was already at work within him? Whichever it is, his abuse of power leads to suffering and death that pollutes the rest of his reign as king.
Jesus, on the other hand, has power that makes David seem weak in comparison. Jesus’ power is the power of YHWH, Lord of Hosts, Creator of all that is. But when he is tempted by Satan in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11 & Luke 4:1-13) he refuses to exploit his power for power’s sake.
In today’s passage he channels God’s miraculous power into an act of love and feeds a multitude of hungry people. When the people, moved by the miracle, come to make him king, he flees from that worldly power.
In the Sermon
I am a straight, white, man. I stand 6’4” tall and weigh 250 pounds. And I’m the smallest of my three brothers. I was raised in a middle-class family and have two college degrees. My family of origin is a big, fun-loving, hugging, laughing, supportive clan.
All of these things give me power.
I have never, to my knowledge, been denied a job because of the color of my skin. I have not, since junior high school, been challenged to a fight. I haven’t been hungry, really hungry, in my 70-year-old memory.
I could have easily decided to be a bully — to use my size and my privilege to exploit others. I’m big enough. But, instead, I chose to follow Jesus, to be one of his disciples and an ordained minister of his Good News. To use my powers for good, as the comic books say.
I put on a clerical collar (which confers a different kind of power) and walk into a hospital and people rarely challenge my being there, even during the pandemic.
But enough about me. What about you?
What kind of power do you have?
In Sociology 101 we learned from Max Weber that power and authority are conferred by us upon people and that there are, basically, three kinds of power or authority:
Legitimate Power is based on long standing custom and tradition. Example: The Royal Family who has no political power but has a great deal of social influence.
Charismatic Power is based on the personal attributes of the leader. Example: Martin Luther King, Jr., Napoleon, Jesus, Mother Theresa.
Legal Power resides in the office, not in the person. Example: President of the United States, Senator, Parliament, etc.
Scripture tells us that God confers other kinds of power upon us through gifts of the Spirit.
We have all seen televangelists and others who exploit those gifts to increase their own personal power and wealth. And we have seen those who use their God given power for good.
God leaves it to us to choose.
SECOND THOUGHTSEnough Already
by Bethany Peerbolte
John 6:1-15
I love miracles. I need miracles. There was plenty of debate in my seminary classes about miracles being exaggerations and every one of them having a logical, rational explanation. I have heard Marcus Borg’s take and I still cling to the existence of miracles exactly as scripture describes them. However, there is one miracle I am willing to accept another interpretation for and it is the John 6 version of Jesus feeding the crowd.
The traditional interpretation is of course beautiful. I am perfectly happy with the boy bringing Jesus his lunch and Jesus miraculously blessing the basket so that the food is replenished and multiplied every time it is passed to another person. And yet, it is equally as beautiful to remove the miraculous blessing and instead see it as a moment of humanities willingness to participate in the feeding of each other.
This interpretation understands what happened in the crowd this way. Jesus’s arrival inspires thousands to gather and hear his message. Some were able to plan ahead and pack food, some grabbed something from market on their way, some forgot to bring provisions, and others would not have eaten that day anyway. This diverse group with varying degrees of food security was all moved by Jesus’ words. When it came time to eat the disciples noticed not everyone was equally provided for. They mention this inequity to Jesus and Jesus decides to see what the crowd has learned. He draws their attention to the need for food. At first no one is willing to give up what they have. The ones who planned ahead think “why should we sacrifice for someone else’s mistake.” There is a stalemate.
Then a boy steps forward and offers his lunch to share. Jesus smiles and makes a huge deal out of the boy’s gesture. The switch flips in the crowds head and they suddenly realize how to apply the amazing teachings they have been hearing. As the basket is passed around those who have food add their excess to the basket. The people who had a good breakfast and who have food waiting for them at home decide to go without for this one meal so that those around them can eat. Those who were not going to eat that day or maybe for the whole week can take all they need. Everyone is fed.
I am willing to accept this interpretation, though technically nothing miraculous happened, because arguably something just as miraculous occurs. Humans collectively decide that there is enough. The people with plenty decide to make a sacrifice to help the people with less. They see each other and they assess the needs of someone else over their own. It feels equally as miraculous as rejuvenating fish.
It is hilarious and heartbreaking at the same time how far humans have come and yet still slip over the same mental banana peels. The scarcity mentality is alive and well in 2021 and we are in need of a miracle basket still today. Just mention the word “reparations” and you will feel this mindset attack. Arguments vary for why reparations are not feasible and they are all rooted in a scarcity mentality. There is not enough to make appropriate amends for past wrongs.
This scarcity mentality exists in the same world as billionaires racing to see who can get to Mars first. Branson and Bezos are the two most recent billionaires to use their massive fortune for space exploration, inspiring some of us left on earth to wonder why world hunger or pandemic disaster assistance wasn’t higher on their list of worthy endeavors. While it is not their job to solve the problems of humanity, 120,000 people are questioning Bezos’ compassion and empathy. Signatures on a recent petition are demanding the CEO of Amazon stay in space if he won’t recognize the way he has benefitted from the global pandemic and at least fairly compensate Amazon workers.
This month millions of families will receive a boost to their income if they have children. The stimulus checks are part of a new initiative to decrease childhood poverty. Many are hoping they are successful enough to become a permanent part of how America addresses systemic poverty. The opposition say there is not enough money to fund an ongoing program. These arguments are made while the military budget for 2022 is set for $715 billion. That leaves us again searching for a child to offer their lunch and begin passing the miracle basket.
Two groups may be doing just that. The state of California and Virginia Theological Seminary are shedding their scarcity mentality and stepping out to offer help to those they have been wronged. As early as 11 years ago California was running a program that sterilized women without their consent. Now, in the middle of economic uncertainty, $75 million dollars have been set aside to give reparations to thousands of women. “No monetary compensation will ever rectify the injustice of this,” state assemblywoman Wendy Carrillo said. “But there is a level of dignity that is bestowed on the survivors by the acknowledgment that this happened.” California is hoping other states will follow their lead since this was at one time a national practice.
Virginia Theological Seminary began writing checks for direct decedents of slaves who helped build and maintain the campus. With a starting commitment of $1.7 million dollars, the seminary is committed to growing the endowment. “Though no amount of money could ever truly compensate for slavery, the commitment of these financial resources means that the institution's attitude of repentance is being supported by actions of repentance,” said Rev. Ian S. Markham, dean and president of the seminary.
Hopefully, we are at a moment where we can truly reflect on the idea that we do not have enough to care for our neighbors. California and Virginia Theological Seminary are offering their share to get us started. It is a moment where reading the feeding of the 5,000 as a communal miracle will serve us better. We have enough. There is more than enough to go around. We are not asking for a spaceship in every driveway. What we need is basic recognition that people have been hurt and left out. I think we will find the reward will be just as thrilling as landing on Mars.
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Tom Willadsen:Psalm 14
A Fool’s Holiday
There is a very good chance you’ve seen this joke before:
In Florida, an atheist became incensed over the preparation for Easter and Passover holidays and decided to contact the local ACLU about the discrimination inflicted on atheists by the constant celebrations afforded to Christians and Jews with all their holidays while the atheists had no holiday to celebrate.
The ACLU jumped on the opportunity to once again pick up the cause of the godless and assigned their sharpest attorneys to the case. The case was brought before a wise judge who after listening to the long, passionate presentation of the ACLU lawyers, promptly banged his gavel and declared, “Case dismissed!”
The lead ACLU lawyer immediately stood and objected to the ruling and said, “Your honor, how can you possibly dismiss this case? Surely the Christians have Christmas, Easter and many other observances. And the Jews — why in addition to Passover they have Yom Kippur and Hanukkah . . . and yet my client and all other atheists have no such holiday!”
The judge leaned forward in his chair and simply said “Obviously your client is too confused to know about, or for that matter, even celebrate the atheists’ holiday!”
The ACLU lawyer pompously said: “We are aware of no such holiday for atheists. Just when might that be, Your Honor?”
The judge said, “Well, it comes every year on exactly the same date — April 1st!”
The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”
— Psalm 14:1, Psalm 53:1
HOORAY FOR THIS JUDGE
It began circulating in 2003 and a quick visit to Snopes.com, 'Holiday for Atheists', confirms that it is not true. Still, it’s a nice tie in to the first verse of this morning’s psalm.
* * *
2 Samuel 11:1-15
Did you say something?
The only agency Bathsheba displays in today’s Hebrew Bible lesson is when she sends word to David saying, “I am pregnant.” For the rest of the passage she is merely subject to the whims of the men who surround her. Even in Jesus’ genealogy at the start of Matthew’s gospel she is mentioned indirectly, as “the wife of Uriah.”
Bathsheba is not always a door mat. After the first son she had with David dies, (the one whose conception is covered in today’s reading) she conceives again and gives birth to Solomon. In 1 Kings 1 and 2, Bathsheba advocates for her son, Solomon, to succeed David on the throne. Perhaps this passage is a better depiction of Bathsheba’s character.
* * *
John 6:1-21
…when he had given thanks…
There is a common misunderstanding when we gather for the Lord’s Supper. Many of us understand that Jesus “blessed” the bread. This is an error caused by punctuation. In this morning’s reading from John’s gospel, the evangelist gets it right, Jesus gave thanks, that is, Jesus blessed God.
The ancient Hebrew prayer said before eating begins, “Blessed art Thou, O Lord, our God….” The pray-er blesses God for the gift of bread. Jesus gave thanks before distributing the bread to the 5,000 gathered up on the mountain near where He sat.
Luke’s account of the Last Supper in the NRSV reads, “he took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it….” [22:19] Luke also gets it right.
Matthew, on the other hand, shows a lack of knowledge about the Hebrew custom of praying prior to eating. Matthew’s account of the Last Supper reads, “…Jesus took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it he broke it, and gave it to his disciples.” [26:26]
Mark also has Jesus blessing the bread at the Last Supper, “…he took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it he broke it….” [14:22]
In some standard liturgies for the Lord’s Supper the words of institution read “Jesus took bread, blessed, and broke it….” While not heard by the worshiper, the comma following blessed indicates that Jesus said the prayer blessing God for the bread. It’s easy to understand that Jesus blessed the bread, but actually Jesus blessed God for the gift of bread. The gospel of John makes this clear.
* * *
Ephesians 3:14-21
Filled with the fullness
The reading from Ephesians is a prayer for those reading or hearing the words of the author. Ephesians could end after the two verses that follow the reading which comprises today’s epistle lesson. The prayer has a Trinitarian sequence — father, spirit, Christ — though it hardly conveys the doctrine that became essential for Christians. The last verse contains this wonderful phrase, “…that you may be filled with the fullness of God.”
The prior two verses extol the love of Christ. The author prays that his readers will comprehend the breadth, length, height and depth of the love of Christ. These verses are filled with abundance. And the Greek word for fullness “πλήρωμα” is the root for the English word “plenary.” Plenary sessions at conferences are when everyone gathers. The plentiful love of Christ fills the universe, if only we could comprehend that!
* * * * * *
From team member Mary Austin:2 Samuel 11:1-15
How We Use Power
King David, who has risen from youngest son and sheep-herder to king, misunderstands the purpose of his power. Community organizer Lucas Johnson tells a story about being on the receiving end of someone over-reaching with their power, and using his own power to turn the tables. He recalls an incident from his college days, “I was a sophomore in college, and I went to school at a predominantly white private school. I was walking around, talking — I was in the Baptist Student Union at the time, and I was walking with a young white woman… We’re having this conversation and walking around campus, and all of a sudden, a police car pulls up, and the lights are shining, and the officer gets out of the car, and he shines a flashlight in my eye. I don’t know if any of you have ever had that experience, but you can’t see anything. So it’s already just a very disorienting experience, because if they’re shining that light in your eye, you can’t — you just hear the voices. So the officer says, “Ma’am, are you OK?” And my friend says, “Yeah, I’m fine. We’re just walking around.” And then they look at me and say — well, I’m assuming they’re looking at me, at this point, since I can’t see, still. They say, “Are you a student here?” And I say, “Yes, I am.” And then I played a trick that I learned to do as a kid, because at the time, I was on student government, and so I had met some of the police officers on the campus. And so I start to call names, start to say, “Officer such-and-such, is that you?” And the flashlight begins to lower, and I think I have to show my campus ID, and then they go away.”
Power doesn’t always come in the form we expect, and we all have choices about how we use the power we have.
* * *
2 Samuel 11:1-15
Why Do We Need Power?
Rami Nashishibi, also a community organizer in Chicago and a MacArthur "genius grant" recipient, says that community organizing is a work of love. He says that people in spiritual communities struggle with the idea of power because it seems so corrupt. He says, “We talk about, organizers need to build unapologetic power. And you cannot conflate power with “power corrupts” and “absolute power corrupts, absolutely.” “Why do we want power? We’re a spiritual people” — no. You need power. Power, the ability to act, to get things done.” He adds that power is a ways of expressing “love in public.” We can use our power for evil or for good, and he asks, “do we love those who are directly affected, including ourselves, enough to make the type of sacrifices to build collective power to change those realities that are on the ground?”
His work as a community organizer allows him to help people understand their power to improve the world.
* * *
John 6:1-21
Having Enough
As John’s gospel tells the story, Jesus and a young boy remind the disciples, and then the crowd, that there is enough food for everyone. It doesn’t seem like there will be enough, and then, in God’s providence, there is enough.
The writer Ross Gay set out to teach himself the same lesson. “On the day he turned 42, the writer Ross Gay set himself a challenge. Every day for a year, he would write an essay about something delightful.” His volume “The Book of Delights” chronicles his lessons in noticing the delights of each day, and making note of them, assuring himself that there was enough goodness in his life to sustain him. Gay says, “one of the things that I realized is that in the beginning I thought — oh, man. I'm going to, like, have to look around — like, be like really attentive.” A few weeks in, he realized that delightful experiences were piling up faster than he could write about them. In the process, he says, his “attention got cultivated.” Delight led to more delight. There was more than enough, once he started to pay attention.
* * *
John 6:1-21
God Speaks Through Food
On the hillside, facing a hungry crowd, Jesus uses food to show God’s abundant care for God’s people. Diana Aydin says that God often speaks to her through food, also. She says that the gift of a cronut led to the bigger gift of friendship with her co-workers. Since cronuts made their debut, she had been wanting one. “But quantities are limited. You have to get to the bakery very early in the morning, and even then, the line wraps around the block. Two months ago, though, my sister’s boyfriend, Jeff, managed to get his hands on a few. He offered to give me a precious cronut, but I’d have to walk to his office, 20 minutes away, to pick it up... in the pouring rain. Frizzy hair seemed like a small sacrifice to pay for a cronut. So, at lunchtime, I grabbed my umbrella — more for the Cronut’s protection than my own! — and set off on my journey.” She promised her co-workers that she would share the precious cronut.
When she arrived, Jeff opened the box, and it was gorgeous. “It wasn’t very big, and Dan and Danielle weren’t even doughnut fans. Would they really care? Temptation was staring me in the face, but I’d made a promise. There was no way I could enjoy the cronut without Dan and Danielle now. Back at the office, I sliced it up and handed them each a piece. It was unbelievably delicious. Really, I could’ve eaten three whole cronuts on my own! Oh well, I thought, trying to stop thinking about those flaky, cream-filled layers. A bite is better than nothing.”
The next day, “there was a white pastry box sitting on Danielle’s desk. “Guess what I’ve got?” she said, beaming. Mini-cupcakes from her favorite bakery — she’d traveled 45 minutes, all the way uptown, just to get them for Dan and me. Then, a week and a half later, Dan showed up to work carrying a tray of Starbucks coffee. “Coffee’s on me today!” he said. It didn’t end there. Next came my mom’s baklava, Danielle’s special turkey chili, lollipops, nectarines, sandwiches, bananas, even Doritos. It was like a never-ending buffet of food. That one little cronut fed the three of us for weeks upon weeks.”
She reflects, “maybe God was trying to tell me something. That a miracle doesn’t have to be as big as feeding thousands or healing the sick. Sometimes a miracle can happen in the simplest of ways, just by sharing a lunchtime snack. And everyone, when acting out of love, can produce miracles for one another. Thanks to that delicious pastry, I now show up to work every week not knowing what I might find waiting for me at my desk.” There is enough for everyone — and more!
* * * * * *
From team member Katy Stenta:Kingdom of Heaven is Like
The Kingdom of Heaven is like a potluck,
Where everyone looks at how many people are present,
and if there are but a few there, they take extra helpings.
But if there are many
You realize you aren’t that hungry.
And skip the things that are not your favorite.
And make sure everyone has something upon their plate.
Like the feast of fishes and loaves.
* * *
Food as Blessings
God’s blessings are hard to count, so God makes them as tangible as possible for us. One of the ways God makes God’s blessings tangible to us is in good things to eat. Is it any wonder that some of the miracles God gives us is to feed everyone? Is it any wonder that God tells us parable after parable of feasts and banquets and parties? Is it any wonder that God invented chocolate? Picture your favorite thing to eat. Is our God not full of bounty? Does our God not give us enough? Do we not have enough variety for us all to be nourished and satisfied? Food is a wonderful illustration of God’s bounty, sharing it, is illustrative of a theology that there is enough for all.
* * *
Compassion as Power
“A student once asked anthropologist Margaret Mead, “What is the earliest sign of civilization?” The student expected her to say a clay pot, a grinding stone, or maybe a weapon.
Margaret Mead thought for a moment, then she said, “A healed femur.”
A femur is the longest bone in the body, linking hip to knee. In societies without the benefits of modern medicine, it takes about six weeks of rest for a fractured femur to heal. A healed femur shows that someone cared for the injured person, did their hunting and gathering, stayed with them, and offered physical protection and human companionship until the injury could mend.
Mead explained that where the law of the jungle — the survival of the fittest — rules, no healed femurs are found. The first sign of civilization is compassion, seen in a healed femur.”
* * *
Phenomenal Cosmic Power
In the Disney Movie Aladdin, the Genie seems to have the phenomenal cosmic power. However it is soon revealed that he only has the power to serve, and is stuck with itty-bitty-living space of being trapped enslaved to the lamp. To be a Master of the Lamp, also, it turns out, is not the real power. The real power, in the end, is not to be a princess, or a sultan, or a Grand Vizier, but instead to be the master of one’s own destiny. To be able to choose, to dance when one wants, not in a parade to impress others — as Aladdin and the Genie do in the beginning or the Princess and the Sultan are forced to at the end to serve the Vizier, but just dance out of joy, as the Genie does in the end. And the power to set healthy boundaries, and to say no, that, it turns out, is the true power.
* * * * * *
WORSHIPby George Reed
Call to Worship:
One: God looks on humankind to see if any are wise, who seek after God.
All: We have all gone astray; no one does good, no, not one.
One: Evildoers eat up the people as they eat bread.
All: But God is with the company of the righteous.
One: O that deliverance for Israel would come from Zion!
All: When God restores the fortunes of the people, we will be glad.
OR
One: The God of all power calls us to worship.
All: Where is the thunder and lightning of God’s power?
One: God’s power is not in force but in the mystery of love.
All: We see the power of love in the cross of Jesus.
One: Be filled with the power of God’s love today.
All: Filled with God’s love we will share it with others this week.
Hymns and Songs:
God of Grace and God of Glory
UMH: 577
H82: 594/595
PH: 420
NCH: 436
CH: 464
LBW: 415
ELW: 705
W&P: 569
AMEC: 62
STLT: 115
Renew: 301
Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise
UMH: 103
H82: 423
PH: 263
NCH: 1
CH: 66
LBW: 526
ELW: 834
W&P: 48
AMEC: 71
STLT: 273
Renew: 46
Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah
UMH: 127
H82: 690
PH: 281
AAHH: 138/139/140
NNBH: 232
NCH: 18/19
CH: 622
LBW: 343
ELW: 618
W&P: 501
AMEC: 52/53/65
Praise to the Lord, the Almighty
UMH: 139
H82: 390
AAHH: 117
NNBH: 2
NCH: 22
CH: 25
ELW: 858/859
AMEC: 3
STLT: 278
Renew: 57
Great Is Thy Faithfulness
UMH: 140
AAHH: 158
NNBH: 45
NCH: 423
CH: 86
ELW: 733
W&P: 72
AMEC: 84
Renew: 249
Seek Ye First
UMH: 405
H82: 711
PH: 333
CH: 354
W&P: 349
CCB: 76
The Gift of Love
UMH: 408
AAHH: 522
CH: 526
W&P: 397
Renew: 155
Take Up Thy Cross
UMH: 415
H82: 675
PH: 393
LBW: 398
ELW: 667
W&P: 351
AMEC: 294
Jesu, Jesu
UMH: 432
H82: 602
PH: 367
NCH: 498
CH: 600
ELW: 708
W&P: 273
CCB: 66
Renew: 289
My Faith Looks Up to Thee
UMH: 452
H82: 691
PH: 383
AAHH: 456
NNBH: 273
CH: 576
LBW: 479
ELW: 759
W&P: 419
AMEC: 415
Lord, Be Glorified
CCB: 62
Renew: 172
I Exalt You
CCB: 34
Renew: 44
Music Resources Key:
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982
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
ELW: 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 all powerful and all love:
Grant us the wisdom to find love as our power
that we may truly reflect you in our lives;
through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We praise you, O God of power, because your power flows from your love. So fill us with your love that we may not seek power through other means. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
One: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins and especially our lust for power which only breaks and destroys.
All: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. You have shown us that power resides in love and yet we continually seek power through violence and force. We try to dress up our use of force by calling it influence or saying it is for the other person’s good. Yet it is lust for naked power that drives us. Call us back to you and your love that we may be your people and true disciples of Jesus the Christ. Amen.
One: God is always willing to share the power of love with all who desire it. Receive God’s grace and love and share it with others.
Prayers of the People
Praise and glory are yours, O God of love. You exercise your power through your great love that never seeks to use force or violence.
(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. You have shown us that power resides in love and yet we continually seek power through violence and force. We try to dress up our use of force by calling it influence or saying it is for the other person's good. Yet it is lust for naked power that drives us. Call us back to you and your love that we may be your people and true disciples of Jesus the Christ.
We give you thanks for all the ways you express your love for us and for all creation. The bounty of your love is ever before us.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for the needs of our world. We pray for those caught in struggles of power and violence both the victims and those who are victims of the seduction of power.
(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 Our Father 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 about where we see power. Super heroes, monster trucks, thunder storms. All kinds of places where we see things that seem very powerful but Jesus reminds us that nothing is more powerful than love. Other things can change the way things look but love changes the way we are, love changes us inside, in our hearts.
* * * * * *
CHILDREN'S SERMONWhat’s in Your Lunchbox?
by Chris Keating
John 6:1-21
Gather ahead of time:
A lunch box
A sandwich (or a packaged lunch like a “Lunchable.”)
An apple
As August draws near, so does “Back to School” with all of its clamoring for supplies, notebooks, backpacks — and, of course, lunch boxes! As you explore the story of Jesus feeding the 5,000, take this opportunity to share a message about meeting the needs of hungry children in your community.
In 2019, more than one in seven children in the United States lived in food insecure homes. During the Covid-19 pandemic, that number increased to more than one in six. Summer is a particularly difficult time for families who depend on free and reduced lunch programs to feed their children. Though estimates vary, there are millions of Americans who experience food insecurity. It’s clear that hunger does not take a vacation. Faced with these statistics, Andrew’s question of Jesus hits home. “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish,” Andrew tells Jesus. “But what are they among so many people?”
Allow the story of Jesus’ feeding the multitude to spark the imagination of your children. How might they share what they have in order to help feed other children? The problems of hunger may seem so large, and our donations seem so small. But Jesus reminds us that all things are possible with God.
This Sunday, bring a lunch box along with you, complete with a small sandwich and a piece of fruit, or even a pre-packaged lunch like a “Lunch-able.” Begin by sharing the story of Jesus feeding the 5,000, pointing out that this is a miracle included in all of the Gospel stories. Tell them you’ve been thinking about boys and girls in your area who struggle with being hungry. It’s not because they are picky eaters, or because their families have not gone shopping yet. They do not have enough money to buy the food they need.
How might we help them? Perhaps we could invite all the hungry people in town to our church for lunch today! Could we feed them like Jesus and the disciples? Ask them to wonder with you — what do we need to feed as many as five thousand people? Would this lunch box help? As you open the lunch box, show them the small lunch inside. Is this enough for 5,000? Probably not. That’s what the disciples thought when they shared the little boy’s lunch with the crowd. But in Jesus’ hands, it was more than enough.
We all have gifts to share. Some of us have more food than others, but each of us can bring what we have to share with our siblings in Christ — because in Jesus’ hands, what we have is always more than enough.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, July 25, 2021 issue.
Copyright 2021 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.
