Paying Attention
Children's sermon
Illustration
Preaching
Sermon
Worship
Object:
As the lectionary calendar begins anew with Advent, the big theme is anticipation -- and the posture we should take of watchfulness and patient waiting. Of course, that's not the way we impatient modern folk approach much of our lives; we are used to more or less controlling our own destinies through grit and hard work, and we quickly become frustrated when we are stuck in traffic or have to wait in line. Nevertheless, being watchful and paying attention to the signs around us is crucial if we are to make the most of the situations we find ourselves in. Those who have cultivated the ability of perception are sometimes credited with having special gifts like ESP... but as team member Dean Feldmeyer notes in this installment of The Immediate Word, being aware of our surroundings and seeing what's coming does not require being psychic -- it just means paying attention to clues that are in plain sight, rather than focusing on our own agendas. It's a dynamic that gets endlessly played out in the headlines -- and Dean suggests several areas of our lives that require us to pay attention. One large example from the news is the increasing threat posed by global climate change. Just this week a pair of scientists who study sea level change and storm surge penned a sobering article in the New York Times in which they noted their "fear that Hurricane Sandy gave only a modest preview of the dangers to come, as we continue to power our global economy by burning fuels that pollute the air with heat-trapping gases." Dean suggests that simple exhortation isn't the answer -- instead, we ought to take a hard look in the mirror and ask ourselves serious questions about what paying attention means in every facet of our lives.
Team member Leah Lonsbury offers some thoughts on conflict in our lives -- whether that's played out between siblings in a family or in the larger warfare of the family of nations. Of course, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been foremost in the news recently. But while it's difficult to imagine how both sides can be reconciled, Leah suggests that this week's lectionary passages offer us some guidance -- not only the Psalm, but also the Jeremiah text's allusion to Jerusalem living in safety and to the Thessalonians text's discussion of finding a way to "abound in love for one another and for all, just as we abound in love" for God.
Paying Attention
by Dean Feldmeyer
Luke 21:25-36
"Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day catch you unexpectedly, like a trap." -- Luke 21:34-35a
In the popular television program The Mentalist, Australian actor Simon Baker plays the part of Patrick Jane, a former con-man, carnival trickster, and "mentalist" who now works as a consultant for the California Bureau of Investigation, the investigative branch of the state police. In his previous life Jane used his keen powers of observation to make people believe that he was a psychic, but now he uses those same powers to solve crimes.
In an early episode a woman remembers him from his past and asks him why the police have a psychic on the payroll. He replies, "I'm not a psychic. There is no such thing as a psychic. I just pay attention." This line has been used on The Mentalist in various forms so many times that it is now the tag line in the show's promotional advertisements: "He isn't a psychic. He's just paying attention."
In the lectionary gospel text for this week, the First Sunday of Advent, Jesus calls his followers to pay attention -- to him, to the world, to their own lives -- or risk missing the important things that are coming our way.
THE WORLD
Tell me what you pay attention to and I will tell you who you are. -- Jose Ortega y Gasset
Paying Attention to the Environment
We can argue about the cause of global climate change, but the evidence is irrefutable. NASA lists eight instances of that evidence on its website:
1. Global sea level rose about 17 centimeters (6.7 inches) in the last century. The rate in the last decade, however, is nearly double that of the last century.
2. All three major global surface temperature reconstructions show that Earth has warmed since 1880. Most of this warming has occurred since the 1970s, with the twenty warmest years having occurred since 1981 and with all ten of the warmest years occurring in the past twelve years. Even though the 2000s witnessed a solar output decline resulting in an unusually deep solar minimum in 2007-2009, surface temperatures continue to increase.
3. The oceans have absorbed much of this increased heat, with the top 700 meters (about 2,300 feet) of ocean showing a warming of 0.302 degrees Fahrenheit since 1969.
4. The Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets have decreased in mass. Data from NASA's Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment show Greenland lost 150 to 250 cubic kilometers (36 to 60 cubic miles) of ice per year between 2002 and 2006, while Antarctica lost about 152 cubic kilometers (36 cubic miles) of ice between 2002 and 2005.
5. Both the extent and thickness of Arctic sea ice has declined rapidly over the last several decades.
6. Glaciers are retreating almost everywhere around the world -- including in the Alps, Himalayas, Andes, Rockies, Alaska, and Africa.
7. The number of record high temperature events in the United States has been increasing, while the number of record low temperature events has been decreasing, since 1950. The U.S. has also witnessed increasing numbers of intense rainfall events.
8. Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, the acidity of surface ocean waters has increased by about 30%. This increase is the result of humans emitting more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and hence more being absorbed into the oceans. The amount of carbon dioxide absorbed by the upper layer of the oceans is increasing by about 2 billion tons per year.
These are facts. We can argue about the minute details and the possible causes, but no matter how we interpret this data it is worth paying attention to.
Paying Attention to Our Bodies
The American Heart Association lists the signs of a heart attack. They include chest pain or discomfort (especially pressure), shortness of breath, nausea, cold sweat, lightheadedness, and pain in the shoulders, arms, neck, and/or jaw.
But it does no good to know these signs if we aren't paying attention to our bodies, listening to what they are telling us. The same is true when it comes to signs of stroke or cancer. The first and most important way to avoid any of these is to pay attention to what are bodies are telling us.
Paying Attention to Our Kids
In his new book Far From the Tree, Andrew Solomon talks about the relationships of parents to children who are radically and extremely different from other children and even from their own parents.
In one chapter he interviews Tom and Sue Klebold, the parents of Columbine killer Dylan Klebold. Asked what they would say to Dylan if he were sitting at the table with them, Sue pauses for a long time and then says that she would ask him to forgive her for being a mother who was so out of touch with her child that she didn't know what was going on with him.
Paying Attention in Advent
It's easy to lose track during the season leading up to Christmas. It's easy to not pay attention to what's going on around us because we're too wrapped up in, well, in what's going on around us.
Every year at this time we hear the admonition to slow down, look around, and enjoy the free stuff -- the family, the Christ Child, the good will and good cheer that comes so naturally to us all at Christmas. And every year, if we are not very careful we forget to do any of that.
We get so wrapped up in completing our shopping lists, getting the decorations hung, getting to all the parties with an appropriate gift for the hostess, rehearsing the children's pageant and the choir's cantata, and if we are not paying close attention, we miss the guest of honor.
THE WORD
The gospel lesson for this Sunday, which is taken from what some refer to as the "Little Apocalypse of Luke," reminds us that paying attention is not just a good idea; it is vital.
That which is coming is a game-changer -- indeed, a life-changer.
Some people will "ooo and ahh" over the baby in the manger, but others will "faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world."
Things -- even things in heaven -- are going to get shaken up. Things are going to change. Things are going to get knocked down and rearranged. This good news that is coming isn't going to be good news for everyone (cf. Herod's response).
So powerful is this moment, so important, so filled with awe and wonder is it that the first things the angels say when announcing it is "Don't be afraid." If we are not ready, if we are not prepared, if we are not clear about what is happening, fear will be our natural response.
So we had better be paying attention -- paying attention to the signs, paying attention to the world, and paying attention to the scriptures.
If there was ever a time of year noted for dissipation and drunkenness, it is Advent. Dissipation means "overindulgence." Enough said, right? And there are other kinds of drunkenness besides that which is brought on by alcohol. Primary among these might be the spending drunk, brought on by credit cards and an overgenerous spirit.
Luke warns us to pay attention (be alert) so that we are not distracted or overcome with the dissipation and drunkenness that is so common at this season, and to be awake, alert, and ready to stand before the one Son of God who is Jesus Christ.
CRAFTING THE SERMON
The first thing we want to do here is avoid the cliché that is the sermon which admonishes people to slow down and smell the poinsettias.
We've all heard it. We all know that we should do it, and we would if we could -- but it's not easy. Telling people to avoid the hustle bustle of the season is like telling them to quit smoking cold turkey.
Better that we should start with small steps.
Let us, for this one hour, leave the hustle and bustle outside. Let us, for this one hour, stand undistracted, sober and serious, before the stable and take stock of the huge import of what is about to happen here.
What demands is this event going to make upon us? What changes is it going to require in us? What new direction is our life going to take if we take this event seriously?
How am I going to be different in the next year if I really accept and own what this means? In my life? In my home? In my work? At school? In my church? In my relationships?
How are things going to be different if I start paying close attention, not just to this, but to my entire life and all of those people in it?
The text can be appropriately addressed not by answering all of these questions necessarily, but by asking them in a serious and realistic way.
SECOND THOUGHTS
The Common-State Solution
Jeremiah 33:14-16; Psalm 25:1-10; 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13
by Leah Lonsbury
I am a mother of two young children. That makes me a lot of things -- a chauffeur, a laundress, a kisser of skinned knees, and sleep-deprived. But lately, it feels like the role I play most frequently (to the great detriment of my sanity) is that of referee. There is so much bickering, name-calling, shoving, and incessant picking at each other that goes on between my children that I feel like I now understand the expression "Death by a thousand..." nibbles, cuts, fights about who hit first -- with an excruciating clarity I never could have imagined before becoming a mother of two.
I know other parents, so I know I'm not the only one who feels they need a whistle and a timeout of their own. There's a reason any adult who has children or a sibling of their own can rattle off this exchange as easily as they can recite their ABCs...
"He hit me first!"
"Well, she started it!"
"I don't care who started it. Stop it. NOW."
Discovering and punishing the perpetrator often isn't possible and hardly ever works. Segregating the warring parties is a tenuous, temporary, and unrealistic solution at best. The thought of trying to broker agreeable terms about every situation of potential conflict just makes me laugh and shake my head in a sad and maniacal sort of way.
Because we cannot seem to come to any sort of two-state solution in my household, I've decided (in what might be yet another failed tactic tomorrow) to introduce my two warmongers to their common-state solution -- their shared human experience.
I'm doing my best to help them dig deep for a little empathy. I know it must be in there somewhere, right? Right?
I'm trying in every way I know how to reintroduce them -- as human beings with real feelings -- since they currently know each other only as "The-Little-Sister-Who-Ruined-My-Life" and "The-Big-Brother-Who-Hits-First-and-Asks-Questions-Later."
I'm attempting to familiarize them with that very foreign concept -- forgiveness -- and the even stranger idea that they might need to ask for it as well as begrudgingly grant it.
I'm no expert. This is my latest best idea, but I don't think thinking's going to solve this completely. I'm praying for an Advent miracle on this one.
As I have followed the recent reports on the heightened violence and conflict between Israel and Palestine, I've felt the resonance between what's going on in my home with the much larger, much more serious, much more far-reaching and life-threatening conflict playing out between Abraham's two children, Ishmael and Isaac.
Best-selling author and blogger Marianne Williamson has a new post out about this continuing conflict in which she shares her thoughts on a potential common-state solution for Israel and Palestine. She also means "common state" as the human experience and recognizes that this is only the beginning, and God's children will need a miracle if they're going to live in peace together. Williamson writes about failed peace efforts between Israel and Palestine and proposes that nothing will change until all the involved parties stop trying to think up new political and military solutions that miss the common state of these humans -- their shared suffering and their shared wrongdoing:
"Our best thinking" is simply not good enough. The mortal mind alone cannot devise an answer to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, because the true answer lies on a level of consciousness that's beyond our mortal thinking. Quite simply, when it comes to Israel and the Palestinians, we need a miracle. There will be no political solution until an opening of the heart occurs that simply doesn't exist en masse as yet. It's very difficult to get whole nations to forgive. Yet nothing short of forgiveness will sort this out.
Williamson goes on to suggest that until Israelis and Palestinians can see each other differently and can somehow know on a visceral level that they are created as equals who should be loved equally, the blood will continue to flow. When this deep shift happens, when the radical notions of love and equality prevail, she writes, it "will literally part the waters of blood now raging between the two."
According to Williamson, forgiveness is key. Forgiveness must begin with the people so that they can begin the radical work of love and equality. She writes:
I believe the Israelis have been wronged, but they also have a lot to apologize for. And I believe the Palestinians have been wronged, but they have a lot to apologize for as well. There are Israelis and Palestinians who understand this, who have taken this stance within their hearts and repeated it verbally to the other.
The U.S. must catch on to this line of thinking and peace-building, writes Williamson. Military and political policies that do not promote justice and brother- and sister-hood will never ultimately result in peace. The externalizing of solutions must stop, she says. The answer is to act from the heart, the common state of our humanity...
If and when the United States is serious about promoting peace in the Middle East, it will invite representatives from the Palestinian Authority, Hamas (yes, I said that), and Israel to come to the United States for a forgiveness process, in which all parties acknowledge and apologize for their transgressions toward the other, bless the children of the other, and pray together for a miracle.
It seems to me several of our lectionary scriptures for this Sunday give us plenty of material and guidance for seeking this common state, this new way of justice and peace based outside our common thinking and smack in the middle of the radical heart notions of love and equality.
First from Jeremiah...
The prophet is making the miraculous promise we need to hear, a promise of that for which we hope for ourselves and for our Israeli and Palestinian sisters and brothers -- safety, well-being, relief, and peace. I would interpret Jeremiah for our day and circumstances to be telling us that the miracle will be from God, but we are a part of the branch that will bring "justice and righteousness in the land." And that righteousness? It's God's. We take it on when we do God's saving work of sharing love and recognizing one another as beloved equals.
Then Psalm 25...
In light of the incessant bickering in my household and continued conflict between Israel and Palestine (or whatever persistent struggle is relative to your situation or congregation's life), it seems this Psalm can read as the thoughts and prayers of one who is struggling to live in God's way -- the way of justice and righteousness, love and equality, and the path toward the common state of the human heart that brings lasting peace.
But the petitioner hasn't quite gotten there exactly. Just like my children. Just like Ishmael and Isaac. Just like... (add your conflict here).
She gets off to a good start...
"To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul." (All excerpts from Psalm 25 in this article are taken from The Inclusive Bible [Rowman & Littlefield Publishers].)
And then she spirals into worries and asks for favors that will make her come out on top.
"...don't let me be ashamed, don't let my enemies triumph over me. No -- none who hope in you will be ashamed, but some will come to the wantonly treacherous."
(It's pretty clear which category she puts herself in and which one she chooses for her opponents.)
She knows the way to the common state, the peace of God.
"Show me your ways, YHWH! Teach me your paths! Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation."
But she's quick to gloss over the hard work of love, equality, and forgiveness.
"Pardon the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; remember me because of your love, because of your goodness, YHWH!"
However, she does get a key piece of the "stance within [our] hearts" that will lead to a life of love with God and real peace.
"You guide the humble in what is right, and teach them your way."
And deep down she knows that only faithfulness to the love that changes everything changes anything.
"All of your paths, YHWH, are full of love and faithfulness for those who keep your Covenant and Testimonies."
And 1 Thessalonians too...
What if one day the Palestinians and Israelis or my son and daughter (drop in archrivals appropriate to your setting here) could write letters like this to each other? How could they come to a place where their prayers of gratitude were for each other and their joy was rooted in their common state of love?
How can God direct our ways to each other? How can our love for one another increase and abound because of God? How can our hearts be strengthened so that our walk toward one another (and so toward God) can be without blame?
*****
Here's hoping (and loving and forgiving) toward "the days that are surely coming" in which we can lay down our household referee whistles, bless each other, and pray together for a miracle. May this be the way we choose to walk this Advent season.
ILLUSTRATIONS
Dr. Joseph B. Slowinski was an expert on venomous snakes. Ever since he was four years old, he had been fascinated with all manner of reptiles and amphibians. Dr. Slowinski pursued his passion, earned a Ph.D. in herpetology, and became an associate curator at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco.
Dr. Slowinski had a special place in his heart for the country of Myanmar, making eleven trips there. In the summer and fall of 2001, he was part of a team of researchers financed by the National Science Foundation that was involved in a comprehensive survey of wildlife in Myanmar. Since 1997, Dr. Slowinski had discovered eighteen new species of amphibians and reptiles.
However, in September 2001 the expert herpetologist was bitten by a krait -- a relative of the cobra -- in the jungles near Myanmar's border with China. Despite his expertise and experience, Dr. Slowinski was unable to get the help he needed. He died thirty hours later.
Even an expert like Dr. Slowinski needs to be watchful when working around venomous snakes. So we too need to be watchful.
* * *
There are many signs that tell us a new season is upon us. The first frost, changing leaves, and gathering of birds herald fall's arrival. Robins singing and snowdrops and crocuses pushing through the ground announce that spring is around the corner.
Living in a city or town, there are some other signs of spring. Chalk drawings begin to decorate sidewalks and driveways all over town -- drawings of happy faces, fancy letters forming names, stick people, and basketball keys. Children are drawn from their homes to the parks. Silent one day, teeming with children the next, the once dormant parks are alive with laughter and voices. Jackets are slung over shoulders, stuffed into backpacks, or abandoned in playgrounds and street corners as the heat of the sun warms the skin. Spring has surely come and one knows that now is the time to begin dusting off the lawn furniture, fill the barbecue tank, and tune up the lawnmower.
Jesus said there will be signs before he comes again -- signs that, if we are alert, will be just as identifiable as chalk drawings heralding spring.
* * *
There's an old story about a bird who made a deal with a farmer. In exchange for a feather the bird would receive a worm. Pretty soon the bird ate so many worms and lost so many feathers that he couldn't fly anymore. Though he recognized his real destiny was in the sky, the worms proved too tempting. Foolish bird, we say. Yet sometimes we are like that bird. Though we realize our outlook is beyond this world and that we are "citizens of heaven," how often do the worms get the best of us? How often do we center our lives on the temporary, short-lived treasures of this earth? How often do we give Mammon the feathers of service in exchange for worms and become hopelessly weighed down with the cares, riches, and pleasures of this world?
* * *
There have been more than 7,000 nonfiction books written about General George Armstrong Custer -- and Larry McCurtry, the acclaimed author who recently wrote and published his own short illustrated biography on Custer, read over 1,000 of those books. McCurtry did that because he wanted his work to bring the complexity of "Custerology" into focus for the average reader.
The words of Jesus will not pass away. But if we are to bring the complexity of Christology into focus for the average listener, then we must first study and understand the words of Jesus.
* * *
Steven Spielberg's movie Lincoln, which is currently showing in theaters, was a struggle to produce. Daniel Day-Lewis (who portrays Abraham Lincoln), Sally Field (who plays his wife Mary), and the other assembled cast members had such reverence for the sixteenth president that it inhibited their acting skills.
This is why Spielberg had the cast remain in character during the entire production, and he had to constantly remind them, "Remember, you've been married to this guy for thirty years, you've seen this guy every day for the last five years."
When we are told that Jesus' words will not pass away, we must share those words as if we have known Jesus every day.
* * *
Over the past eleven years, more than 46 million units of Halo and its sequels have been sold -- at a price of about $60 each -- making it one of the most popular and lucrative video game franchises in history. The new release of Halo 4 is projected to sell six to eight million copies. Because of competitive games that are scheduled to be released at the same time, a week lost in production could reduce Halo 4 sales by as much as a third. That is why 340 employees are working on a project that will cost $40 million to produce -- and it is why Microsoft has launched a huge marketing campaign to be sure that every male under the age of 45 will know that Halo 4 has been released.
If the words of Jesus are not going to pass away, then we need a dedication and commitment that surpasses the massive promotion of Halo 4. To proclaim the message of the coming of the Lord this Advent season, it does not take 340 -- it only takes one... you, me.
* * *
Christianity is not a faith of individuals. We are encouraged to bind ourselves together in communities and thereby strengthen one another in the faith. In the end time, Christians are all residents of a city, the New Jerusalem. Oftentimes we ask "Why go to church?" and seek an answer in terms of "What can it do for me?" The real questions are: "How can my joining a congregation benefit those who I come in contact with? How can I help others to abound in love?" As we await the coming of Christ, we join together in anticipation, praying exceedingly and helping perfect in others what they may be lacking. That is the life of a Christian.
WORSHIP RESOURCES
by George Reed
Call to Worship
Leader: To you, O God, we lift up our souls.
People: O my God, in you we trust; do not let us be put to shame.
Leader: Make us to know your ways, O God; teach us your paths.
People: Lead us in your truth, and teach us, for you are the God of our salvation.
Leader: Be mindful of your mercy, O God, and of your steadfast love.
People: All the paths of God are steadfast love and faithfulness.
OR
Leader: Come and let us attend to our God.
People: We come to hear a word from God.
Leader: Together let us be alert for God's message in this space.
People: Then we will be better able to listen for God out in the world.
Leader: Let us rejoice that our God seeks to speak with us.
People: We are blessed that God is among us and for us.
Hymns and Sacred Songs
"Lift Up Your Heads, Ye Mighty Gates"
found in:
UMH: 213
H82: 436
PH: 8
NCH: 117
CH: 129
LBW: 32
Renew: 59
"Savior of the Nations, Come"
found in:
UMH: 214
PH: 14
LBW: 25
ELA: 263
"Toda la Tierra" ("All Earth Is Waiting")
found in:
UMH: 210
NCH: 121
ELA: 266
"People, Look East"
found in:
UMH: 202
PH: 12
CH: 142
ELA: 248
"Jesus Calls Us"
found in:
UMH: 398
H82: 549/550
NNBH: 183
NCH: 171/172
CH: 337
LBW: 494
ELA: 696
"Seek Ye First"
found in:
UMH: 405
H82: 711
PH: 333
CH: 354
CCB: 76
"Open My Eyes, That I May See"
found in:
UMH: 454
PH: 324
NNBH: 218
CH: 586
"Be Thou My Vision"
found in:
UMH: 451
H82: 488
PH: 339
NCH: 451
CH: 595
ELA: 793
Renew: 292
"Open Our Eyes, Lord"
found in:
CCB: 77
"Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus"
found in:
CCB: 55
Music Resources Key:
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982 (The Episcopal Church)
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
NNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
LBW: Lutheran Book of Worship
ELA: Evangelical Lutheran Worship
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
Renew: Renew! Songs & Hymns for Blended Worship
Prayer for the Day / Collect
O God who is willing to use all means for our salvation: Help us to be alert to all around us and to listen for your word that speaks to us through all situations; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We praise and worship you, O God, for you are a constant guide and help to us. In all the turmoil of our lives you speak to us words of instruction. Help us this day and all days to listen for what you have to say to us. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
Leader: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins and especially our failure to be alert to God in our midst.
People: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We have allowed our attention to be drawn to the circumstances of our lives and world without asking deeper questions about their meaning. We have looked for answers to the problems that confront us without regard for justice and righteousness. Forgive us for our nearsightedness and give us the courage to live into your realm. Amen.
Leader: God is with us and among us. God is for us and speaks through all creation. Let us listen always for God's word to us.
Prayers of the People (and the Lord's Prayer)
We worship you, O God, as you come to bring us justice and righteousness. We praise you for your faithfulness in speaking to us.
(The following paragraph may be used if a separate prayer of confession has not been used.)
We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We have allowed our attention to be drawn to the circumstances of our lives and world without asking deeper questions about their meaning. We have looked for answers to the problems that confront us without regard for justice and righteousness. Forgive us for our nearsightedness and give us the courage to live into your realm.
We give you thanks for all the ways in which you guide us and call us to wholeness. We thank you for scripture and the faithfulness of those who have preserved this record for us. We thank you for those who have been alert to understand your message presented in creation.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We offer to you the needs of the world that you create, love, and redeem. We pray for ourselves as we try to be faithful disciples of Jesus.
(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
Has anything ever happened to you that didn't seem fair? Did anyone hit you for no reason or take your toys? Maybe they called you a name or wouldn't let you play their game. We don't like it when things are not fair. God doesn't like things to not be fair either. The prophet Jeremiah gives us God's promise that someday there will be justice or fairness. As God's children we can help God by being fair.
CHILDREN'S SERMON
Jesus Tells Us to Be Ready
Luke 21:25-36
Object: some tree leaves
Good morning, boys and girls! I brought some leaves with me this morning. Has your family raked all your leaves off the ground? (let the children answer) I want to ask you some questions about trees this morning. Can anyone tell me what season of the year it is when these leaves fall from the trees? (let them answer) Good. It is fall. What season of the year is it when there is nothing on the trees but snow? (let them answer) Good. It is winter. What season of the year is it when the trees begin to have new buds on the tree branches after a cold winter? (let them answer) Good. It is spring. What season of the year is it when the leaves are on the tree and it is very warm outside? (let them answer) Good. It is summer. You children are very observant. You know how to tell the seasons by looking at a tree.
Trees make me think of this week's gospel lesson. Today is the first day of the new church year. It is the First Sunday of Advent. Advent leads us to Christmas. During Advent we learn to be watchful. That means we watch for signs telling us that Jesus is coming. In today's lesson Jesus tells his disciples to watch for the signs. Jesus said that no one knows when God will end the world. We must be prepared for it to happen. One way to be ready for God's return is to watch, wait, and be ready. During Advent we wait for Jesus to come. In this morning's lesson we are reminded that God too will return. When God returns all the faithful followers will be ready. One way to be ready is to watch for signs.
Here's what I want you to remember this week. The next time you see a tree without leaves think of winter. When you see that tree, remember that it is one sign of winter. Jesus wants us to be prepared and watch for the signs of God's return.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, December 2, 2012, issue.
Copyright 2012 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.
Team member Leah Lonsbury offers some thoughts on conflict in our lives -- whether that's played out between siblings in a family or in the larger warfare of the family of nations. Of course, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been foremost in the news recently. But while it's difficult to imagine how both sides can be reconciled, Leah suggests that this week's lectionary passages offer us some guidance -- not only the Psalm, but also the Jeremiah text's allusion to Jerusalem living in safety and to the Thessalonians text's discussion of finding a way to "abound in love for one another and for all, just as we abound in love" for God.
Paying Attention
by Dean Feldmeyer
Luke 21:25-36
"Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day catch you unexpectedly, like a trap." -- Luke 21:34-35a
In the popular television program The Mentalist, Australian actor Simon Baker plays the part of Patrick Jane, a former con-man, carnival trickster, and "mentalist" who now works as a consultant for the California Bureau of Investigation, the investigative branch of the state police. In his previous life Jane used his keen powers of observation to make people believe that he was a psychic, but now he uses those same powers to solve crimes.
In an early episode a woman remembers him from his past and asks him why the police have a psychic on the payroll. He replies, "I'm not a psychic. There is no such thing as a psychic. I just pay attention." This line has been used on The Mentalist in various forms so many times that it is now the tag line in the show's promotional advertisements: "He isn't a psychic. He's just paying attention."
In the lectionary gospel text for this week, the First Sunday of Advent, Jesus calls his followers to pay attention -- to him, to the world, to their own lives -- or risk missing the important things that are coming our way.
THE WORLD
Tell me what you pay attention to and I will tell you who you are. -- Jose Ortega y Gasset
Paying Attention to the Environment
We can argue about the cause of global climate change, but the evidence is irrefutable. NASA lists eight instances of that evidence on its website:
1. Global sea level rose about 17 centimeters (6.7 inches) in the last century. The rate in the last decade, however, is nearly double that of the last century.
2. All three major global surface temperature reconstructions show that Earth has warmed since 1880. Most of this warming has occurred since the 1970s, with the twenty warmest years having occurred since 1981 and with all ten of the warmest years occurring in the past twelve years. Even though the 2000s witnessed a solar output decline resulting in an unusually deep solar minimum in 2007-2009, surface temperatures continue to increase.
3. The oceans have absorbed much of this increased heat, with the top 700 meters (about 2,300 feet) of ocean showing a warming of 0.302 degrees Fahrenheit since 1969.
4. The Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets have decreased in mass. Data from NASA's Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment show Greenland lost 150 to 250 cubic kilometers (36 to 60 cubic miles) of ice per year between 2002 and 2006, while Antarctica lost about 152 cubic kilometers (36 cubic miles) of ice between 2002 and 2005.
5. Both the extent and thickness of Arctic sea ice has declined rapidly over the last several decades.
6. Glaciers are retreating almost everywhere around the world -- including in the Alps, Himalayas, Andes, Rockies, Alaska, and Africa.
7. The number of record high temperature events in the United States has been increasing, while the number of record low temperature events has been decreasing, since 1950. The U.S. has also witnessed increasing numbers of intense rainfall events.
8. Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, the acidity of surface ocean waters has increased by about 30%. This increase is the result of humans emitting more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and hence more being absorbed into the oceans. The amount of carbon dioxide absorbed by the upper layer of the oceans is increasing by about 2 billion tons per year.
These are facts. We can argue about the minute details and the possible causes, but no matter how we interpret this data it is worth paying attention to.
Paying Attention to Our Bodies
The American Heart Association lists the signs of a heart attack. They include chest pain or discomfort (especially pressure), shortness of breath, nausea, cold sweat, lightheadedness, and pain in the shoulders, arms, neck, and/or jaw.
But it does no good to know these signs if we aren't paying attention to our bodies, listening to what they are telling us. The same is true when it comes to signs of stroke or cancer. The first and most important way to avoid any of these is to pay attention to what are bodies are telling us.
Paying Attention to Our Kids
In his new book Far From the Tree, Andrew Solomon talks about the relationships of parents to children who are radically and extremely different from other children and even from their own parents.
In one chapter he interviews Tom and Sue Klebold, the parents of Columbine killer Dylan Klebold. Asked what they would say to Dylan if he were sitting at the table with them, Sue pauses for a long time and then says that she would ask him to forgive her for being a mother who was so out of touch with her child that she didn't know what was going on with him.
Paying Attention in Advent
It's easy to lose track during the season leading up to Christmas. It's easy to not pay attention to what's going on around us because we're too wrapped up in, well, in what's going on around us.
Every year at this time we hear the admonition to slow down, look around, and enjoy the free stuff -- the family, the Christ Child, the good will and good cheer that comes so naturally to us all at Christmas. And every year, if we are not very careful we forget to do any of that.
We get so wrapped up in completing our shopping lists, getting the decorations hung, getting to all the parties with an appropriate gift for the hostess, rehearsing the children's pageant and the choir's cantata, and if we are not paying close attention, we miss the guest of honor.
THE WORD
The gospel lesson for this Sunday, which is taken from what some refer to as the "Little Apocalypse of Luke," reminds us that paying attention is not just a good idea; it is vital.
That which is coming is a game-changer -- indeed, a life-changer.
Some people will "ooo and ahh" over the baby in the manger, but others will "faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world."
Things -- even things in heaven -- are going to get shaken up. Things are going to change. Things are going to get knocked down and rearranged. This good news that is coming isn't going to be good news for everyone (cf. Herod's response).
So powerful is this moment, so important, so filled with awe and wonder is it that the first things the angels say when announcing it is "Don't be afraid." If we are not ready, if we are not prepared, if we are not clear about what is happening, fear will be our natural response.
So we had better be paying attention -- paying attention to the signs, paying attention to the world, and paying attention to the scriptures.
If there was ever a time of year noted for dissipation and drunkenness, it is Advent. Dissipation means "overindulgence." Enough said, right? And there are other kinds of drunkenness besides that which is brought on by alcohol. Primary among these might be the spending drunk, brought on by credit cards and an overgenerous spirit.
Luke warns us to pay attention (be alert) so that we are not distracted or overcome with the dissipation and drunkenness that is so common at this season, and to be awake, alert, and ready to stand before the one Son of God who is Jesus Christ.
CRAFTING THE SERMON
The first thing we want to do here is avoid the cliché that is the sermon which admonishes people to slow down and smell the poinsettias.
We've all heard it. We all know that we should do it, and we would if we could -- but it's not easy. Telling people to avoid the hustle bustle of the season is like telling them to quit smoking cold turkey.
Better that we should start with small steps.
Let us, for this one hour, leave the hustle and bustle outside. Let us, for this one hour, stand undistracted, sober and serious, before the stable and take stock of the huge import of what is about to happen here.
What demands is this event going to make upon us? What changes is it going to require in us? What new direction is our life going to take if we take this event seriously?
How am I going to be different in the next year if I really accept and own what this means? In my life? In my home? In my work? At school? In my church? In my relationships?
How are things going to be different if I start paying close attention, not just to this, but to my entire life and all of those people in it?
The text can be appropriately addressed not by answering all of these questions necessarily, but by asking them in a serious and realistic way.
SECOND THOUGHTS
The Common-State Solution
Jeremiah 33:14-16; Psalm 25:1-10; 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13
by Leah Lonsbury
I am a mother of two young children. That makes me a lot of things -- a chauffeur, a laundress, a kisser of skinned knees, and sleep-deprived. But lately, it feels like the role I play most frequently (to the great detriment of my sanity) is that of referee. There is so much bickering, name-calling, shoving, and incessant picking at each other that goes on between my children that I feel like I now understand the expression "Death by a thousand..." nibbles, cuts, fights about who hit first -- with an excruciating clarity I never could have imagined before becoming a mother of two.
I know other parents, so I know I'm not the only one who feels they need a whistle and a timeout of their own. There's a reason any adult who has children or a sibling of their own can rattle off this exchange as easily as they can recite their ABCs...
"He hit me first!"
"Well, she started it!"
"I don't care who started it. Stop it. NOW."
Discovering and punishing the perpetrator often isn't possible and hardly ever works. Segregating the warring parties is a tenuous, temporary, and unrealistic solution at best. The thought of trying to broker agreeable terms about every situation of potential conflict just makes me laugh and shake my head in a sad and maniacal sort of way.
Because we cannot seem to come to any sort of two-state solution in my household, I've decided (in what might be yet another failed tactic tomorrow) to introduce my two warmongers to their common-state solution -- their shared human experience.
I'm doing my best to help them dig deep for a little empathy. I know it must be in there somewhere, right? Right?
I'm trying in every way I know how to reintroduce them -- as human beings with real feelings -- since they currently know each other only as "The-Little-Sister-Who-Ruined-My-Life" and "The-Big-Brother-Who-Hits-First-and-Asks-Questions-Later."
I'm attempting to familiarize them with that very foreign concept -- forgiveness -- and the even stranger idea that they might need to ask for it as well as begrudgingly grant it.
I'm no expert. This is my latest best idea, but I don't think thinking's going to solve this completely. I'm praying for an Advent miracle on this one.
As I have followed the recent reports on the heightened violence and conflict between Israel and Palestine, I've felt the resonance between what's going on in my home with the much larger, much more serious, much more far-reaching and life-threatening conflict playing out between Abraham's two children, Ishmael and Isaac.
Best-selling author and blogger Marianne Williamson has a new post out about this continuing conflict in which she shares her thoughts on a potential common-state solution for Israel and Palestine. She also means "common state" as the human experience and recognizes that this is only the beginning, and God's children will need a miracle if they're going to live in peace together. Williamson writes about failed peace efforts between Israel and Palestine and proposes that nothing will change until all the involved parties stop trying to think up new political and military solutions that miss the common state of these humans -- their shared suffering and their shared wrongdoing:
"Our best thinking" is simply not good enough. The mortal mind alone cannot devise an answer to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, because the true answer lies on a level of consciousness that's beyond our mortal thinking. Quite simply, when it comes to Israel and the Palestinians, we need a miracle. There will be no political solution until an opening of the heart occurs that simply doesn't exist en masse as yet. It's very difficult to get whole nations to forgive. Yet nothing short of forgiveness will sort this out.
Williamson goes on to suggest that until Israelis and Palestinians can see each other differently and can somehow know on a visceral level that they are created as equals who should be loved equally, the blood will continue to flow. When this deep shift happens, when the radical notions of love and equality prevail, she writes, it "will literally part the waters of blood now raging between the two."
According to Williamson, forgiveness is key. Forgiveness must begin with the people so that they can begin the radical work of love and equality. She writes:
I believe the Israelis have been wronged, but they also have a lot to apologize for. And I believe the Palestinians have been wronged, but they have a lot to apologize for as well. There are Israelis and Palestinians who understand this, who have taken this stance within their hearts and repeated it verbally to the other.
The U.S. must catch on to this line of thinking and peace-building, writes Williamson. Military and political policies that do not promote justice and brother- and sister-hood will never ultimately result in peace. The externalizing of solutions must stop, she says. The answer is to act from the heart, the common state of our humanity...
If and when the United States is serious about promoting peace in the Middle East, it will invite representatives from the Palestinian Authority, Hamas (yes, I said that), and Israel to come to the United States for a forgiveness process, in which all parties acknowledge and apologize for their transgressions toward the other, bless the children of the other, and pray together for a miracle.
It seems to me several of our lectionary scriptures for this Sunday give us plenty of material and guidance for seeking this common state, this new way of justice and peace based outside our common thinking and smack in the middle of the radical heart notions of love and equality.
First from Jeremiah...
The prophet is making the miraculous promise we need to hear, a promise of that for which we hope for ourselves and for our Israeli and Palestinian sisters and brothers -- safety, well-being, relief, and peace. I would interpret Jeremiah for our day and circumstances to be telling us that the miracle will be from God, but we are a part of the branch that will bring "justice and righteousness in the land." And that righteousness? It's God's. We take it on when we do God's saving work of sharing love and recognizing one another as beloved equals.
Then Psalm 25...
In light of the incessant bickering in my household and continued conflict between Israel and Palestine (or whatever persistent struggle is relative to your situation or congregation's life), it seems this Psalm can read as the thoughts and prayers of one who is struggling to live in God's way -- the way of justice and righteousness, love and equality, and the path toward the common state of the human heart that brings lasting peace.
But the petitioner hasn't quite gotten there exactly. Just like my children. Just like Ishmael and Isaac. Just like... (add your conflict here).
She gets off to a good start...
"To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul." (All excerpts from Psalm 25 in this article are taken from The Inclusive Bible [Rowman & Littlefield Publishers].)
And then she spirals into worries and asks for favors that will make her come out on top.
"...don't let me be ashamed, don't let my enemies triumph over me. No -- none who hope in you will be ashamed, but some will come to the wantonly treacherous."
(It's pretty clear which category she puts herself in and which one she chooses for her opponents.)
She knows the way to the common state, the peace of God.
"Show me your ways, YHWH! Teach me your paths! Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation."
But she's quick to gloss over the hard work of love, equality, and forgiveness.
"Pardon the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; remember me because of your love, because of your goodness, YHWH!"
However, she does get a key piece of the "stance within [our] hearts" that will lead to a life of love with God and real peace.
"You guide the humble in what is right, and teach them your way."
And deep down she knows that only faithfulness to the love that changes everything changes anything.
"All of your paths, YHWH, are full of love and faithfulness for those who keep your Covenant and Testimonies."
And 1 Thessalonians too...
What if one day the Palestinians and Israelis or my son and daughter (drop in archrivals appropriate to your setting here) could write letters like this to each other? How could they come to a place where their prayers of gratitude were for each other and their joy was rooted in their common state of love?
How can God direct our ways to each other? How can our love for one another increase and abound because of God? How can our hearts be strengthened so that our walk toward one another (and so toward God) can be without blame?
*****
Here's hoping (and loving and forgiving) toward "the days that are surely coming" in which we can lay down our household referee whistles, bless each other, and pray together for a miracle. May this be the way we choose to walk this Advent season.
ILLUSTRATIONS
Dr. Joseph B. Slowinski was an expert on venomous snakes. Ever since he was four years old, he had been fascinated with all manner of reptiles and amphibians. Dr. Slowinski pursued his passion, earned a Ph.D. in herpetology, and became an associate curator at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco.
Dr. Slowinski had a special place in his heart for the country of Myanmar, making eleven trips there. In the summer and fall of 2001, he was part of a team of researchers financed by the National Science Foundation that was involved in a comprehensive survey of wildlife in Myanmar. Since 1997, Dr. Slowinski had discovered eighteen new species of amphibians and reptiles.
However, in September 2001 the expert herpetologist was bitten by a krait -- a relative of the cobra -- in the jungles near Myanmar's border with China. Despite his expertise and experience, Dr. Slowinski was unable to get the help he needed. He died thirty hours later.
Even an expert like Dr. Slowinski needs to be watchful when working around venomous snakes. So we too need to be watchful.
* * *
There are many signs that tell us a new season is upon us. The first frost, changing leaves, and gathering of birds herald fall's arrival. Robins singing and snowdrops and crocuses pushing through the ground announce that spring is around the corner.
Living in a city or town, there are some other signs of spring. Chalk drawings begin to decorate sidewalks and driveways all over town -- drawings of happy faces, fancy letters forming names, stick people, and basketball keys. Children are drawn from their homes to the parks. Silent one day, teeming with children the next, the once dormant parks are alive with laughter and voices. Jackets are slung over shoulders, stuffed into backpacks, or abandoned in playgrounds and street corners as the heat of the sun warms the skin. Spring has surely come and one knows that now is the time to begin dusting off the lawn furniture, fill the barbecue tank, and tune up the lawnmower.
Jesus said there will be signs before he comes again -- signs that, if we are alert, will be just as identifiable as chalk drawings heralding spring.
* * *
There's an old story about a bird who made a deal with a farmer. In exchange for a feather the bird would receive a worm. Pretty soon the bird ate so many worms and lost so many feathers that he couldn't fly anymore. Though he recognized his real destiny was in the sky, the worms proved too tempting. Foolish bird, we say. Yet sometimes we are like that bird. Though we realize our outlook is beyond this world and that we are "citizens of heaven," how often do the worms get the best of us? How often do we center our lives on the temporary, short-lived treasures of this earth? How often do we give Mammon the feathers of service in exchange for worms and become hopelessly weighed down with the cares, riches, and pleasures of this world?
* * *
There have been more than 7,000 nonfiction books written about General George Armstrong Custer -- and Larry McCurtry, the acclaimed author who recently wrote and published his own short illustrated biography on Custer, read over 1,000 of those books. McCurtry did that because he wanted his work to bring the complexity of "Custerology" into focus for the average reader.
The words of Jesus will not pass away. But if we are to bring the complexity of Christology into focus for the average listener, then we must first study and understand the words of Jesus.
* * *
Steven Spielberg's movie Lincoln, which is currently showing in theaters, was a struggle to produce. Daniel Day-Lewis (who portrays Abraham Lincoln), Sally Field (who plays his wife Mary), and the other assembled cast members had such reverence for the sixteenth president that it inhibited their acting skills.
This is why Spielberg had the cast remain in character during the entire production, and he had to constantly remind them, "Remember, you've been married to this guy for thirty years, you've seen this guy every day for the last five years."
When we are told that Jesus' words will not pass away, we must share those words as if we have known Jesus every day.
* * *
Over the past eleven years, more than 46 million units of Halo and its sequels have been sold -- at a price of about $60 each -- making it one of the most popular and lucrative video game franchises in history. The new release of Halo 4 is projected to sell six to eight million copies. Because of competitive games that are scheduled to be released at the same time, a week lost in production could reduce Halo 4 sales by as much as a third. That is why 340 employees are working on a project that will cost $40 million to produce -- and it is why Microsoft has launched a huge marketing campaign to be sure that every male under the age of 45 will know that Halo 4 has been released.
If the words of Jesus are not going to pass away, then we need a dedication and commitment that surpasses the massive promotion of Halo 4. To proclaim the message of the coming of the Lord this Advent season, it does not take 340 -- it only takes one... you, me.
* * *
Christianity is not a faith of individuals. We are encouraged to bind ourselves together in communities and thereby strengthen one another in the faith. In the end time, Christians are all residents of a city, the New Jerusalem. Oftentimes we ask "Why go to church?" and seek an answer in terms of "What can it do for me?" The real questions are: "How can my joining a congregation benefit those who I come in contact with? How can I help others to abound in love?" As we await the coming of Christ, we join together in anticipation, praying exceedingly and helping perfect in others what they may be lacking. That is the life of a Christian.
WORSHIP RESOURCES
by George Reed
Call to Worship
Leader: To you, O God, we lift up our souls.
People: O my God, in you we trust; do not let us be put to shame.
Leader: Make us to know your ways, O God; teach us your paths.
People: Lead us in your truth, and teach us, for you are the God of our salvation.
Leader: Be mindful of your mercy, O God, and of your steadfast love.
People: All the paths of God are steadfast love and faithfulness.
OR
Leader: Come and let us attend to our God.
People: We come to hear a word from God.
Leader: Together let us be alert for God's message in this space.
People: Then we will be better able to listen for God out in the world.
Leader: Let us rejoice that our God seeks to speak with us.
People: We are blessed that God is among us and for us.
Hymns and Sacred Songs
"Lift Up Your Heads, Ye Mighty Gates"
found in:
UMH: 213
H82: 436
PH: 8
NCH: 117
CH: 129
LBW: 32
Renew: 59
"Savior of the Nations, Come"
found in:
UMH: 214
PH: 14
LBW: 25
ELA: 263
"Toda la Tierra" ("All Earth Is Waiting")
found in:
UMH: 210
NCH: 121
ELA: 266
"People, Look East"
found in:
UMH: 202
PH: 12
CH: 142
ELA: 248
"Jesus Calls Us"
found in:
UMH: 398
H82: 549/550
NNBH: 183
NCH: 171/172
CH: 337
LBW: 494
ELA: 696
"Seek Ye First"
found in:
UMH: 405
H82: 711
PH: 333
CH: 354
CCB: 76
"Open My Eyes, That I May See"
found in:
UMH: 454
PH: 324
NNBH: 218
CH: 586
"Be Thou My Vision"
found in:
UMH: 451
H82: 488
PH: 339
NCH: 451
CH: 595
ELA: 793
Renew: 292
"Open Our Eyes, Lord"
found in:
CCB: 77
"Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus"
found in:
CCB: 55
Music Resources Key:
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982 (The Episcopal Church)
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
NNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
LBW: Lutheran Book of Worship
ELA: Evangelical Lutheran Worship
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
Renew: Renew! Songs & Hymns for Blended Worship
Prayer for the Day / Collect
O God who is willing to use all means for our salvation: Help us to be alert to all around us and to listen for your word that speaks to us through all situations; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We praise and worship you, O God, for you are a constant guide and help to us. In all the turmoil of our lives you speak to us words of instruction. Help us this day and all days to listen for what you have to say to us. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
Leader: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins and especially our failure to be alert to God in our midst.
People: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We have allowed our attention to be drawn to the circumstances of our lives and world without asking deeper questions about their meaning. We have looked for answers to the problems that confront us without regard for justice and righteousness. Forgive us for our nearsightedness and give us the courage to live into your realm. Amen.
Leader: God is with us and among us. God is for us and speaks through all creation. Let us listen always for God's word to us.
Prayers of the People (and the Lord's Prayer)
We worship you, O God, as you come to bring us justice and righteousness. We praise you for your faithfulness in speaking to us.
(The following paragraph may be used if a separate prayer of confession has not been used.)
We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We have allowed our attention to be drawn to the circumstances of our lives and world without asking deeper questions about their meaning. We have looked for answers to the problems that confront us without regard for justice and righteousness. Forgive us for our nearsightedness and give us the courage to live into your realm.
We give you thanks for all the ways in which you guide us and call us to wholeness. We thank you for scripture and the faithfulness of those who have preserved this record for us. We thank you for those who have been alert to understand your message presented in creation.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We offer to you the needs of the world that you create, love, and redeem. We pray for ourselves as we try to be faithful disciples of Jesus.
(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
Has anything ever happened to you that didn't seem fair? Did anyone hit you for no reason or take your toys? Maybe they called you a name or wouldn't let you play their game. We don't like it when things are not fair. God doesn't like things to not be fair either. The prophet Jeremiah gives us God's promise that someday there will be justice or fairness. As God's children we can help God by being fair.
CHILDREN'S SERMON
Jesus Tells Us to Be Ready
Luke 21:25-36
Object: some tree leaves
Good morning, boys and girls! I brought some leaves with me this morning. Has your family raked all your leaves off the ground? (let the children answer) I want to ask you some questions about trees this morning. Can anyone tell me what season of the year it is when these leaves fall from the trees? (let them answer) Good. It is fall. What season of the year is it when there is nothing on the trees but snow? (let them answer) Good. It is winter. What season of the year is it when the trees begin to have new buds on the tree branches after a cold winter? (let them answer) Good. It is spring. What season of the year is it when the leaves are on the tree and it is very warm outside? (let them answer) Good. It is summer. You children are very observant. You know how to tell the seasons by looking at a tree.
Trees make me think of this week's gospel lesson. Today is the first day of the new church year. It is the First Sunday of Advent. Advent leads us to Christmas. During Advent we learn to be watchful. That means we watch for signs telling us that Jesus is coming. In today's lesson Jesus tells his disciples to watch for the signs. Jesus said that no one knows when God will end the world. We must be prepared for it to happen. One way to be ready for God's return is to watch, wait, and be ready. During Advent we wait for Jesus to come. In this morning's lesson we are reminded that God too will return. When God returns all the faithful followers will be ready. One way to be ready is to watch for signs.
Here's what I want you to remember this week. The next time you see a tree without leaves think of winter. When you see that tree, remember that it is one sign of winter. Jesus wants us to be prepared and watch for the signs of God's return.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, December 2, 2012, issue.
Copyright 2012 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.
