There’s been no shortage of big headlines this past week, from the stunning news of actor/comedian Robin Williams’ suicide, to the heartbreaking predicament in Iraq of thousands of Yazidis stranded on a barren mountaintop while seeking to avoid massacre by fundamentalist Muslim fighters, to the disturbing images of unrest on the streets of Ferguson, Missouri, following the killing by a white police officer of an unarmed black teenager. It’s notable that
themes from this Sunday’s lectionary texts coincide with and offer insight on issues raised by each of these major events -- and this installment of The Immediate Word features two mediations that delve further into these stories and how scripture can help us come to grips with them.
Team member Chris Keating uses the Exodus passage, which details the persecution visited upon the Israelites during their Egyptian servitude, as a springboard for examining the plight of the Yazidis and the residents of Ferguson. Each situation shows the resentment and rage that inevitably emerges when a population feels like they’re under the thumb of an occupying army -- and the resulting determination to resist and survive. But as Chris notes, the Exodus text also demonstrates that God is attentive to the pleas of those who are oppressed offers hope... often in the form of leadership (like baby Moses) that emerges from the unlikeliest of sources.
Team member Leah Lonsbury examines the sad case of Robin Williams, and the difficulty that millions touched by his performances have had in processing how someone of such supreme talent and with a seemingly successful and prosperous life could have been in such a dark place as to take his own life. Williams’ struggles with addiction were well-known; but what was perhaps less well-known was that he also struggled with depression... and apparently those close to him had seen worrying signs recently that it was taking over his life. Writer Anne Lamott offered a moving a moving reflection about Williams and their shared genetic disposition for mental illness and addiction; she also quoted theologian Fred Buechner: “It is absolutely crucial, therefore, to keep in constant touch with what is going on in your own life’s story and to pay close attention to what is going on in the stories of others’ lives. If God is present anywhere, it is in those stories that God is present.” As Lamott points out and Leah echoes, being present in our own lives and being of help to others is the only way we can pull ourselves through what otherwise might seem impossible to cope with -- and in doing so, we reveal God’s presence in our lives. Leah notes that this message is underlined in our Romans text, where Paul counsels us to use our various gifts for the betterment of the community, telling us that “we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another.” Leah reminds us that suicide, mental illness, and addiction are very complex issues without simple answers. Yet with their incidence reaching epic proportions in our society, she suggests it is vital that we address them from the pulpit... as long as we do so with sensitivity.
Sparking Hope from Bricks of Oppression
by Chris Keating
Exodus 1:8--2:10
If you’re stuck in the wilderness, using a couple of rocks like flint or quartzite might be useful in sparking a fire. There are plenty of websites and videos on Youtube that will show you how -- if you’re lucky enough to be stranded in a wilderness that just happens to have Wifi.
On the other hand, those stuck in the throes of oppression might find that bricks and mortar will be a more helpful symbol for igniting hope, just as the Israelite people discovered when Pharaoh ruled over them.
Images of oppression, rage, and murder have filled the headlines this week -- ranging from the ISIS-led assault on the Yazidi ethnic minority in Iraq, to the streets of Ferguson, Missouri, where days of riots and unrest followed the killing by police of an unarmed teenager. Yazidi refugees fleeing the terror of ISIS strikes found sanctuary in Sinjar at an ancient mud and brick temple. Thousands of miles away in Ferguson, families hunkered down inside small brick houses. Outside, police used tear gas, and pelted protestors and reporters with rubber bullets.
Bricks and mortars, sticks and stones. It’s been a deadly week. Racial oppression -- in Iraq and in the streets of middle America -- has once again taken center stage. Yet as the story of Exodus reminds us, God hears the cries of those who have been oppressed, and turns the bricks of oppression into pathways for hope.
In the News
Ferguson, Missouri, is just about 20 minutes from my front door. Michael Brown, the teenager whose death at the hands of a police officer has created days of protests and violence, grew up in the same county where my children have been raised. But the high school Brown attended, the neighborhoods where he played, and the streets that he knew could not be more different than where we raised our family.
And that is what makes the difference.
Ferguson is a small town of around 21,000 persons, a majority of whom are African-American. It’s a quiet suburb whose overall crime rate is actually lower than many surrounding municipalities. Like many neighboring communities, Ferguson’s demographics have steadily changed over the past 40 years. Ferguson’s median household income -- around $37,000 annually -- is less than the statewide median of $47,000.
It was once known as a typical middle-class suburb, with sprawling parks and good schools -- the exact opposite of the epicenter of unrest and upheaval. Yet years of unresolved racial conflict emerged following the August 9 shooting of Michael Brown by police officer Darrell Wilson, ending what the St. Louis Post-Dispatch called “50 years of racial peace.”
Over the years Ferguson’s demographics have changed, along with many neighboring cities. Deteriorating conditions in St. Louis sent many city families to inner-ring suburbs in search of better schools and safer streets. But in spite of these changes, the town has been known for its tolerance of racial diversity. Terry Jones, a political science professor from the University of Missouri-St. Louis, scores Ferguson “at or near the top” in terms of maintaining racial harmony. But, as professor Jones said, “tragically, that didn’t happen here.”
No, it didn’t. The shooting of Michael Brown brought a reminder of underlying historic racial divisions that in some ways date back to the Civil War. Jones indicated that the situation in Ferguson could have happened in any one of many St. Louis municipalities.
“But a white police officer could have shot an African-American young man just about anywhere in the metropolitan area,” Jones told The Atlantic, “and I think we would have seen the same sort of reaction. The probability of it happening is almost evenly spread over the metropolitan area. It just happened to be Ferguson.”
The educational, economic, and political disparities between African-Americans and Caucasians in Ferguson are also present across the entire St. Louis metropolitan area. It’s a problem created by historical and current realities, and is shared by other cities across the United States, according to Jones.
For example, it’s been widely reported that only three of the town’s 53 police officers are black, and that only one of the six city council members is black. Young black persons report being frequently harassed by the town’s police department. In addition, reports of racial profiling by Ferguson police have captured the attention of the Missouri attorney general -- about 9 out of 10 people stopped by Ferguson officers are black.
Adding to the pain have been images of Ferguson as an urban war zone -- a place where reporters have been arrested, protestors pushed back with tear gas and rubber bullets, and National Guard troops summoned to back up local law enforcement. Many have been critical of the increased militarization of urban police departments, which are increasingly implementing military grade weapons, equipment, and tactics.
Police, equipped with military-grade gear, pelted protestors and media with rubber bullets and tear gas. But like the story of Exodus, it seemed as though the more the police presence increased, the more protests continued.
The presence of heavily armored vehicles and officers clad in body armor provoked an intense reaction from the Ferguson community, igniting several days of riots and unrest. The heavy police presence did not incite peace -- and protests are now headed into their second week. In response, politicians of varying stripes jumped on the bandwagon to “demilitarize” police forces across the country, with many noting that additional armor and weaponry brings a different mindset to local police officials.
One commentator put it this way:
In Afghanistan, we patrolled in big, armored trucks. We wore uniforms that conveyed the message “We are a military force, and we are in control right now.” Many Afghans saw us as occupiers.
And now we see some of our police officers in this same way. “The militarization of law enforcement is counterproductive to domestic policing and needs to stop,” tweeted Andrew Exum, a former Army infantry officer.
If there’s one thing I learned in Afghanistan, it’s this: You can’t win a person’s heart and mind when you are pointing a rifle at his or her chest.
Today in Ferguson, fear continues. Fingers -- and rifles -- continue to be pointed as the wheels of justice creak along. Yesterday I spoke with a St. Louis County police office about another matter. He was tired from working double shifts, and his voice was filled with fatigue. He expressed worry about the toll such long hours exact on his fellow officers -- another reminder of how fear reaches across all sorts of boundaries.
It’s calm in Ferguson at the moment, but the night is still to come.
That’s been the predictable yet unfortunate pattern lately. Peace-filled days become angry nights. The state-imposed curfew was lifted Monday, and by evening tear gas canisters were again landing on the streets in an attempt to disperse crowds. Local pastors had attempted to maintain calm on the streets, yet groups were again gathering near Canfield Drive, the street where Michael Brown died.
Captain Ron Johnson, the Missouri Highway Patrol officer charged with the responsibility of maintaining security in Ferguson, said that acts of violence are coming from a “tiny minority” of persons, including many persons from out of the area. Johnson said that among those arrested on Monday were persons from New York and California. He urged the media to be more restrained in its coverage, and pleaded with peaceful protestors to stay home at night.
“Make your voices heard when you can be seen and when you’re not the cover for violent agitators,” Johnson said.
For those caught in the crossfire, the situation is exacting a heavy toll. Schools remain closed, and families are exhausted from the chaos. As one ten-year-old girl told reporters, “I can’t go to sleep, I just hear shots and stuff. I can’t go to soccer practice, I can’t go outside and play. I can’t go to bed at night.”Thousands of miles away from the United States, fear is also gripping another ancient people, as Islamic State fighters threaten to crush the Yazidi people of Kurdistan. Many Yazidis are preparing to be a people on the run. Their faith leaders are afraid they are on the brink of genocide (the 73rd such experience the Yazidi people have faced in history), already carried out in one community this week with the massacre of 80 men and the abduction of the village’s women and children. Tens of thousands are seeking shelter, with many saying over and over again “our neighbors did this to us.” Some are preparing to run, while others are taking up arms.
Whether it is across the street or across the world, oppression calls to us. The question to be considered is whether we will let a narrative of hope inform our response, or whether we will return to the old, failed narratives of despair and fear.
In the Scriptures
The fear which holds St. Louis is rooted in deep-seated racial tensions. For Israel, the rise of a new king in Egypt led to similar tensions. As a new king began to rule, fear of the Hebrews led to ruthless oppression. Heavy burdens were placed on the people’s backs (Exodus 1:11). Conscripted into the labor force, the Hebrew people flourished. As Walter Brueggemann notes in The New Interpreter’s Bible [Vol. 1] (p. 694), coercive and abusive labor techniques are essential to building an empire. “Slaves must enhance precisely the power they fear, resent, and hate.”
But Pharaoh’s strategy backfired. The Hebrew people grew and multiplied. Egypt, like the heavily armored police forces struggling to quell protestors in Ferguson, is strangely outnumbered. There is a greater power at work -- namely, the presence of God whose purpose bends toward hope and liberation. Even selective infanticide doesn’t stop the emergence of God’s people, as noted in Exodus 1:19. The cunning and deliberate disobedience of the Hebrew midwives should be noted as an essential part of the story. These are the women who are giving birth to hope. They are reminders of exactly how God’s hope is delivered into this world.
In the Sermon
#Ferguson has occupied our national attention this week. In another news cycle, the Yazidi humanitarian crisis might have been featured more prominently. Yet both events are compelling. Both provide illustrations of the struggle for people to overcome oppression, and both offer insight into the way hope can emerge in the midst of struggle.
It is difficult to defend the notoriously bad behavior of those who have looted markets and destroyed small businesses. It is a self-defeating strategy that will not help bring about lasting change. But as the Hebrew midwives demonstrate, nonviolent resistance to the oppressive threats of injustice can be effective. As Brueggemann says, the birthing (of the Hebrew boys) “turns the hopeless into powerful, dangerous hopers” (The New Interpreter’s Bible [Vol. 1], p. 698). No matter how the actual Michael Brown case is resolved, it is clear that this is a defining moment for how this nation continues to resolve racial tensions. The Hebrew women became carriers of liberation -- and this text invites a sermon on how ruthless oppression can be met by the imaginative hopefulness of God’s people.
Further, reflecting on the Yazidis’ lament that “our neighbors did this to us” reminds us that it was Pharaoh’s daughter who helped preserve the life of Moses. Hope arises out of the river, but first it is protected by a neighbor. Pharaoh’s daughter becomes the guardian of hope.
How will we become neighbors who provide hope -- to those who live in communities of need, and to those who live in Iraq? We cannot continue tossing tear gas at protestors or bricks at windows. Guided by these ancient stories of Exodus, we might begin to see that those bricks could be more useful paving roads of hope.
Facing the Monster... Together
by Leah Lonsbury
Psalm 124; Isaiah 51:1-6; Psalm 138; Romans 12:1-8; Matthew 16:13-20
Social media and the news are full of reports and reactions to the loss of comedic genius Robin Williams. The facts of his final days are emerging, as are countless blog postings by nearly experts and movie fans. More slowly, we are beginning to hear the voices of those who also suffer from addiction and depression. It’s as if they had to catch their breath and consider if they could speak. Momastery’s Glennon Doyle Melton wrote that there was something else going on, something else giving pause to those who struggle as Williams did...
I felt like I needed to slink, cower, tiptoe around my home because the monster was still out there -- prowling, picking us off, one by one. And so I needed, really, just to be as tiny as possible and not draw any attention to myself. And so that’s what I did until that awful remembering set in like a slinky, foggy cartoon ghost. It tapped me on the inside and said: “But the monster’s not out there, honey -- it’s in here. It’s in here with you. It IS you.” Where do you hide when the deadly monster is inside of you?
There is nowhere to hide from yourself. Except, of course, inside of death. People who get that GET THAT, and so that is why you’ll never hear a fellow addict saying wide-eyed: “How could he do that?” And why you only hear non-addicts saying: “My God, I can’t even IMAGINE.” Because addicts can. We can imagine.
Well, yes -- I guess a person without a monster living inside of them would not be able to imagine the need to hide from one. But we do. And so we’d never suggest that an addict died of a lack of courage or love any faster than we’d suggest a diabetic died of a lack of courage or love. We don’t say much at all in the wake of it all -- we’re just quiet and we hang our head in reverence for our brother or sister’s suffering and we hold our hat in our hand and clench our fists in solidarity and we wonder who’s next.
According to the National Alliance on Mental Health, 25 million people in the United States will have an episode of major depression this year. Only one-half of those will receive treatment for their depression. Friends in the pulpit -- the people in our pews, as Glennon Doyle Melton would say, “GET THAT.” They are familiar with that monster. So if you’ve never preached on mental illness or suicide, maybe this Sunday is the day. If you have, maybe this Sunday is the day as well. If we consider that 39,000 lives are claimed by suicide in the U.S. each year, that suicide is the fourth leading cause of death for adults aged 15-64 in the U.S., and that 60% of those who take their lives suffer from major depression (75% for alcoholics who are depressed), maybe this Sunday is the day. If you believe Paul, that we are “members one of another,” maybe this Sunday is the day.
Preaching on mental illness, suicide, and/or addiction takes incredible sensitivity, careful delivery, and a brave heart, but we have voices surrounding us -- coming from our biblical texts, and often living within us -- that will help us speak. Let’s do this as members of “one body,” gifted and graced for just such a ministry.
In the News
Last Monday, MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell began his news report by describing Robin Williams in this way: “He was voted least likely to succeed by his California high school classmates. Twenty years later, he was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actor. And ten years after that, after two more Best Actor nominations, he won an Oscar for Best Actor in a Supporting Role...”
O’Donnell went on to trace both the highs and the lows of Williams’ life on screen and off, with an emphasis on the gifts he gave as an actor and a friend. In an interview with Inside the Actors Studio host James Lipton, O’Donnell asked Lipton about having Williams on his show. “Genius, just genius,” is how Lipton summed up Williams’ six-minute improvisation before Lipton could even ask his first question.
That particular episode won Inside the Actor’s Studio an Emmy and was voted as the viewers’ favorite. In many ways, it’s easy to remember everything Williams touched as having turned to gold. According to O’Donnell, that’s how actor and now quadriplegic Christopher Reeve described Williams and his devotion after Reeve was injured in an accident. “Because if Robin was your friend, he was there during good times and bad.” (Reeve and Williams became close friends while classmates at Juilliard Drama School.)
O’Donnell’s report includes video of Reeve remembering Williams’ constant presence during his recovery and the healing power of Williams’ humor. Reeve says of his fellow actor’s influence on him during a time of significant struggle: “When you can still experience genuine joy and laughter and love. Anyone who says life is not worth living is totally wrong.”
Perhaps Williams could not receive the gifts he gave to others. Perhaps he didn’t understand or couldn’t experience the power of his own giftedness, devotion, and genius. This is not uncommon with those who suffer from depression or addiction, and it’s often these kinds of gifts that make the suffering hard to spot.
Many knew of Williams’ struggles with addiction. He had long mined them for comic material. What wasn’t as public until after his loss was his battle with depression, which we now know was compounded by his recent discovery that he had Parkinson’s disease.
Friends began to see glimpses of Williams’ darkness in the months before his death. Longtime friend and fellow comedian Rick Overton reported to the Los Angeles Times that “He started to disconnect. He wasn't returning calls as much. He would send texts and things like that, but they would get shorter and shorter.... He got real quiet. I’ve known those eyes for decades. I know where the spark is supposed to be.”
Williams had recently returned from a stint in rehab in Minnesota, where his publicist said he had gone not to get a handle on his addictions but to address his struggle to hold himself together under the crushing weight of his depression.
Another comedian and longtime friend, Steven Pearl, ran in to Williams at a barbecue about a month ago and remembers their interaction this way: “You could just tell something was off. He seemed detached. It’s hard to explain. He didn’t seem like his usual self. My fiancée and I were like, ‘Is he OK?’ I didn’t know it would get this dark.”
Williams’ struggle turned out to be too much in the end, and it’s unclear why that is and what meaning exactly we might draw from this kind of loss. Despite the powerful connection he had forged with countless fans through his humor and the craft of his many roles, Williams must have felt alone, at least to the extent that there was no solution, no fix to be found. The darkness must have been too thick or the monster too strong.
Of all the public responses seeking to understand and make meaning of Williams’ death, writer Anne Lamott’s take seems to seems hang truer to the heart of things than any other. Lamott and Williams grew up together in Tiburon, California, but they shared more than just a hometown:
He lived three blocks away on Paradise Drive. His family had money; ours didn’t. But we were in the same boat -- scared, shy, with terrible self-esteem and grandiosity. If you have a genetic predisposition towards mental problems and addiction, as Robin and I did, life here feels like you were just left off here one day, with no instruction manual, and no idea of what you were supposed to do; how to fit in; how to find a day’s relief from the anxiety, how to keep your beloved alive; how to stay one step ahead of abyss.
In her tribute, Lamott tells us what we are all learning in the widespread public reaction to Williams’ death, that we, the people we love, and the neighbors and strangers with whom we rub shoulders everyday are all Robin Williams -- the light and the dark. The monster, as Glennon Doyle Melton says, lives everywhere, and it won’t be easy or maybe even possible to make sense of or conquer it. But, according to Lamott, fear and hiding and giving up can never be the answer.
And there is no meaning in Robin’s death, except as it sheds light on our common humanity, as his life did. But I’ve learned that there can be meaning without things making sense.
Here is what is true: a third of the people you adore and admire in the world and in your families have severe mental illness and/or addiction. I sure do. I have both. And you still love me. You help hold me up. I try to help hold you up. Half of the people I love most have both; and so do most of the artists who have changed and redeemed me, given me life. Most of us are still here, healing slowly and imperfectly. Some days are way too long.
And I hate that, I want to say. I would much prefer that God have a magic wand, and not just a raggedy love army of helpers.
Sometimes the darkness remains despite our best efforts. The monster still threatens, and we can’t always know why. But, according to Lamott, we can still take action. We can “still sit with scared, dying people; we get the thirsty drinks of water.”
We can still continue to reach out, to learn, to accompany, to help, and to redeem one another. God’s “raggedy love army of helpers” must always be hard at work. We may also have to learn to receive these kinds of efforts from other helpers and seek others willing to love us and light our way if the darkness is our own. Lamott quotes from theologian Frederick Buechner’s blog to instruct us on how to begin:
It is absolutely crucial, therefore, to keep in constant touch with what is going on in your own life’s story and to pay close attention to what is going on in the stories of others’ lives. If God is present anywhere, it is in those stories that God is present. If God is not present in those stories, then they are scarcely worth telling!
Lamott goes on to urge her readers to intimately know our own and others’ stories, to get the help we need, and help others in their need. She promises that there is help and Love available in the darkness, and tells this truth...
Gravity yanks us down, even a man as stunning in every way as Robin. We need a lot of help getting back up. And even with our battered, banged-up toolboxes and aching backs, we can help others get up, even when for them to do so seems impossible or at least beyond imagining. Or it if can’t be done, we can sit with them on the ground, in the abyss, in solidarity.
Or, as Frederick Buechner writes in Beyond Words: Daily Readings in the ABC’s of Faith: “Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Don’t be afraid.”
And in Now and Then: A Memoir of Vocation: “Listen to your life. See it for the fathomless mystery it is. In the boredom and pain of it, no less than in the excitement and gladness: touch, taste, smell your way to the holy and hidden heart of it, because in the last analysis all moments are key moments, and life itself is grace.”
In the Scriptures
In other words, be present to your own life and in the lives, stories, and struggles of others. It’s the only way we will survive a world and a life in which beautiful and terrible things are guaranteed to happen. It’s the only way we can step out unafraid. It’s how God’s healing and sustaining and redeeming presence will be revealed in our lives and in the lives of all God’s beloved.
Paul’s writings echo these truths in our passage from Romans for this week. He says...
Make yourself known. Give your life to God’s life and the lives of others -- a living sacrifice. Be continually transformed by staying in touch with God’s intentions for your life and the lives of others. Do not think that you are above or beyond the darkness. See the truth of your life and the lives around you with God’s grace and through the eyes of faith. The truth of it all is this -- we are all members of one body. Our stories take different turns. We all have different gifts for the journey. But we are all one. Use those gifts to speak God’s truth, take care of each other, teach a new way of light, encourage one another, give what another member needs, lead when others cannot see the way forward, keep each other diligently, be compassionate, and raise each other up.
Lamott often writes of the power of this last gift -- cheerfulness (NRSV). She writes repeatedly, “Laughter is carbonated holiness.”
In her tribute to Williams, Lamott adds to that statement: “Robin was the ultimate proof of that, and bubbles are spirit made visible.”
The Psalms for this week give us proof that there has always been need for those Spirit bubbles. Psalm 124 expresses well the experience of those who suffer from depression and addiction and contemplate or carry out suicide, especially if “our enemies” is read as the darkness or the monster within: “...when our enemies attacked us, then they would have swallowed us up alive, when their anger was kindled against us; then the flood would have swept us away, the torrent would have gone over us, then over us would have gone the raging waters” (vv. 2b-5).
Psalm 124 also reminds us that in the midst of the raging waters, God is on our side and does not give us up to be devoured by darker forces. As people of faith, we have to be proof of that for one another and the hands of God that hold one another fast. Depression and addiction can feel like the snare the Psalmist describes. In Psalm 124, it is broken by God and escape is possible. But the snare reappears for those who suffer from depression and addiction, and we have to work to break it repeatedly. We must also learn to seek God’s peace and presence for ourselves and others who grieve the loss of someone who ultimately could not escape the snare’s grasp.
Psalm 138 may serve as a reminder that in the midst of the darkness, even when it seems the monster has won, God’s steadfast love remains and God is ever faithful. The psalm reminds us that we can call on God to strengthen our souls and preserve us in the midst of trouble and that God is always stretching out God’s hand to deliver us and give us purpose. We must be the hand of God for each other in this way. Just as the psalmist asks God not to “forsake the work of your hands,” we must partner with God to shore up and sustain God’s good creation in one another.
Our text from Matthew for this week reminds us that it is work to know one another and that it is not always possible to understand the struggle or the truth that lies behind the public face that we all assume. Even Jesus has to check his truth with his most intimate friends, and unlike Peter’s quick and seemingly accurate proclamation in chapter 16, they don’t always understand or know the depth of what they profess to understand about their teacher. Jesus blesses Peter for his understanding and empowers him for the work for building the Church, the Body. His warning for his disciples not to tell anyone could be interpreted as a caution about timing and situation. Our truth must be shared in safe and ready places. We must be those places for one another.
In the Sermon
This week the preacher might consider...
* holding up Williams’ story as our story, one to which we must attend, one that is both beautiful and scary, one that it is crucial we know intimately. The scriptures witness to the truth that this is the story of our human family and give us assurance that God is in the midst of our story. They also call us to play our part as a member of the one Body and promise that we are gifted to do so.
* focusing on the Matthew text and the importance of knowing our truth and the truth of others. This is how, through God’s grace, we save ourselves and each other and build the Church, the Body. How might we practice taking off our masks and making ourselves vulnerable to one another?
* alternatively telling sweeping flood and torrent stories (Psalm 124) from the Bible and the world and stories of light and love and preservation (Psalm 138) from the Bible and the world. The preacher could then challenge the people in the pews to be and seek light when and where it is needed and challenge them to do so in the ways they have been gifted (Romans). Buechner’s quote about the simultaneous beautiful and terrible natures of the world could frame this storytelling, and his encouragement not to be afraid could send the people as a benediction.
* encourage the people in the pews to share their stories of darkness and light as they are comfortable. Ask them how they have experienced the Body as an expression of God’s presence and saving love. Challenge them to think of how they might live into their identity as a part of the whole.
* * * * *
Here are some additional resources relating to Robin Williams’ passing that could be useful:
-- Comic Norm MacDonald tells a story in a series of tweets that perfectly summarizes both Williams’ genius and the feeling of loss and isolation we all are left with.
-- Fans of Robin Williams’ movies have not only been revisiting popular favorites but have also been lifting up another interesting yet much less prominent film from his body of work.
-- Some very fascinating reflections from Carrie Fisher, including her recounting of a conversation she and Williams once had about bipolar disorder as well as her observation that Williams was an extreme empath whose genius was partly due to his ability to soak up and process everything that was going on around him.
-- Interesting article from Grantland in which the author references Williams’ appearance on fellow comic Marc Maron’s popular podcast and wonders if Williams might have coped better if he had publicly examined his addictions and foibles more deeply, as comics like Maron and Richard Pryor have.
-- Maron’s memorial podcast dedicated to Robin Williams... this episode includes both Williams’ 2010 appearance as well as Maron’s reflections on Williams.
-- David Letterman’s touching Late Show tribute to his friend and colleague.
-- The National Alliance on Mental Illness’s website.
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Mary Austin:
Matthew 16:13-20
Secrets
“Who do you say that I am?” Jesus asks. His question reminds us that all of us have hidden sides. If your secret self grows burdensome, the internet offers several places to share your secrets. The website PostSecret.com invites people to share some of their hidden side by sending in a postcard telling one of their secrets. Each week, several are selected to be shared on the site. Posts include things like: “I was an addict and my biggest regret is never cooking meals for my children.”
In a recent interview, Frank Warren, the founder of the site, commented on the power of revealing our true selves: “One of the things I’ve discovered through PostSecret is that when you keep a secret, it feels like this wall that divides us from others. But that’s just an illusion. If we can find the courage and the vulnerability to share our secrets in the right ways with the right people, we can discover that these walls are actually bridges that don’t just connect us with others but with our true selves.” Knowing our true selves, and the truth about others, is connected.
As Jesus reveals himself, the disciples have the potential to know him and their own mission more deeply.
*****
Romans 12:1-8
Building Up the Body
As Paul urges us to use our gifts to build up the body, we might wonder what that looks like in our world. People working on building up local communities are turning to “ancient wisdom now being rediscovered by community builders: namely, that communities can only be built by focusing on the strengths and capacities of the citizens who call that community home.” Community building, in this era of reduced funding, begins with an “Assets Map.” “At the center of the map, and of the community building process, lie the ‘gifts’ of individual residents -- their knowledge, skills, resources, values, and commitments.” This grows from an idea that sounds just like Paul: “Every person in this community is gifted, and every person in this community will contribute his/her gifts and resources.” Grants are hard to come by these days, but every community has people with talents and resources, and these are the building blocks for growth and development.
*****
Romans 12:1-8
Building Up the Body, Part Two
Knowing that it takes a variety of talents to sustain a business or generate new ideas or learn things, author and entrepreneur Ben Casnocha deliberately plans to bring a variety of people into his life.
Recently an interviewer asked him: “I love the idea that you present in the book [The Start-Up of You] of an ‘interesting people fund’ -- where you encourage people to set aside time and money in advance to keep their networks up to date. Can you talk a little bit about this ‘long view’ approach to networking?”
Casnocha replied: “The interesting people fund is a pre-commitment strategy: by pre-committing time and money to meeting interesting people, you increase the likelihood that you actually do it. Because many people know they ought to do it, and think about doing it, but when push comes to shove and it’s time to take an hour out of your day or spend $40 buying someone lunch -- they punt on it.” Casnocha believes that we have to plan to share our talents and benefit from the talents of others -- it doesn’t just happen. He adds, “Opportunities do not float like clouds in the sky. They’re attached to people. If you’re looking for an opportunity -- including one that has a financial payoff -- you’re really looking for a person.”
*****
Exodus 1:8--2:10
Suffering
The Exodus story highlights the suffering of the Hebrew people, which eventually gives way to their liberation. Consultant and writer Peter Bregman suggests that we need to enter in to the suffering of others to begin a chain of events that will end it. He tells about witnessing a painful interaction between a mother and a young child which left him -- along with the young child -- in tears, and says, “This act of diving deeply into the feelings we avoid, the feelings we don’t necessarily even know we have, is, I have come to believe, our only hope of breaking our link in the chain of hurt, suffering, and ineffectiveness.” Bregman writes about it from a leadership standpoint, but his idea applies to everything that we do. Being willing to experience suffering -- our own and others’ -- draws us toward liberation. As he says, “If we don’t feel our emotions, we are controlled by them.” Oddly, the suffering itself is also the path out of it.
*****
Exodus 1:8--2:10
Transforming Suffering
Bronnie Ware is a nurse and the author of The Top Five Regrets of the Dying, which is part instruction manual, part memoir. Ware tells about a hospice patient who was suffering deeply at the end of her life, struggling with things she wished she had done. As Ware says, “She was a woman who was in so much pain for not having given herself the life she wanted. It had a very profound effect on me. And she also made me promise, before she died, that I would live a life true to myself. I didn’t take that promise lightly. I knew that no matter how hard it would be to stay true to my own path -- and it does take courage to do that -- nothing could be as painful as lying on your deathbed with that regret. I was seeing it firsthand.” Ware was determined to live her life differently so the woman’s suffering would have some enduring value, and she has let that woman’s suffering inform and shape her work since that time.
***************
From team member Ron Love:
Matthew 16:13-20
It began innocently enough when Tabatha Bundesen posted a picture on Reddit of her cat Tardar Sauce in 2012. Tardar Sauce has a form of dwarfism which causes her to have a downturned mouth; that’s why when her picture was posted Bundesen labeled it as Grumpy. Soon the social media frenzy took off, with people posting captions to Grumpy Cat’s picture. That it turn spawned a cottage industry for Bundesen, including several books, appearances on talk shows, the selling of memorabilia, and a movie that will be released November 29. Yet Grumpy Cat is anything but grumpy, as she is a rag doll for anyone who would like to hold her.
Application: We must often ask, even in the absence of social media, how long it took for Jesus to be recognized as the Messiah.
*****
Romans 12:1-8
As a quarterback for the Denver Broncos, Tim Tebow looked to have a very promising career. But following one glorious season in 2011, highlighted by a playoff victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers, his career stalled and never regained its initial quality. When the Broncos signed free agent quarterback Peyton Manning prior to the 2012 season, Tebow was traded to the New York Jets, where he languished on the bench. After being dismissed by the Jets as well as the New England Patriots, Tebow was confronted with a career decision. He had to decide whether to continue his attempt to be a viable NFL player or seek some other avenue for his life. When he was invited to be an announcer for SEC Nation, Tebow’s close friend and former college coach Urban Meyer (who had himself surrendered a promising football career for a year to become a television announcer) offered valuable advice. Meyer told Tebow that as an announcer you get to work people you like, but most importantly you can stay close to the game -- not as a player, not as a coach, but close enough.
Application: We all have many talents that can be used in productive and meaningful ways.
*****
Romans 12:1-8
Becky Hammon has made center court in sports news for being hired as the NBA’s first full-time female assistant coach. The team that broke the gender boundary is the champion San Antonio Spurs. When she was unable to play during the WNBA’s 2013 season due to a knee injury, Hammon inquired if she could sit in on the Spurs practice sessions. So impressed was coach Gregg Popovich with Hammon’s basketball knowledge that she was also invited to view game film and help with drills, which eventually resulted in her joining the Spurs coaching staff. Louisville coach Rick Pitino, who has hired a woman as a consultant but not as a coach, said: “It really has nothing to do with playing ability. It has to do with understanding the game of basketball.”
Application: Paul is encouraging when he shares that we all have a gift to contribute to the ministry of the church.
*****
Romans 12:1-8
The nonprofit advocacy group Safe Kids Worldwide recently released a report documenting how many youths continue to play in competitive games while injured. It reported that 54% have played injured, and of those 70% told their parents and coaches that they were not hurt. Of those studied, 42% lied to their coaches about the extent of their injuries so they could remain in the game. What is most disturbing is that 53% of the coaches reported that they allowed an injured youth to continue to play because of the pressure they received from parents to keep their child in the game.
Application: Paul wants us to be faithful servants of the church, but he understands there may be some limits for us to stay fully in the game.
*****
Exodus 1:8--2:10
Hollywood legend Lauren Bacall recently died. She is affectionately remembered for the loving marriage she had with Humphrey Bogart, a man 25 years her senior. She is also remembered as a versatile actress comfortable with both drama and comedy, and who performed in movies as well as on the stage. At birth she was named Betty Joan Perske, but renowned director Howard Hawks changed her stage name to Lauren Bacall for the film To Have and To Have Not. Bacall always described herself as a “nice Jewish girl from the Bronx.”
Application: It is sad that Pharaoh could not get past his hate and feeling threatened so that he could see that the Jews living in his country were nice people.
WORSHIP RESOURCES
by George Reed
Call to Worship
Leader: If it had not been God who was on our side,
People: Then the flood would have swept us away.
Leader: Blessed be God, who has not given us as prey.
People: We have escaped like a bird from the snare of the fowlers.
Leader: The snare is broken, and we have escaped.
People: Our help is in the name of God, who made heaven and earth.
OR
Leader: Come and worship the God who reigns over all creation.
People: We offer our praise to the God who continues to create.
Leader: God created all of us in the divine image.
People: We share with all people the image of our maker.
Leader: Let us open our hearts and minds to one another.
People: With love, justice, and mercy, we greet our sisters and brothers throughout all creation.
Hymns and Sacred Songs
“Holy God, We Praise Thy Name”
found in:
UMH: 79
H82: 366
PH: 460
NNBH: 13
NCH: 276
LBW: 536
ELA: 414
W&P: 138
“Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee”
found in:
UMH: 89
H82: 376
PH: 464
AAHH: 120
NNBH: 40
NCH: 4
CH: 2
LBW: 551
ELA: 836
W&P: 59
AMEC: 75
STLT: 29
“From All That Dwell Below the Skies”
found in:
UMH: 101
H82: 380
PH: 229
NCH: 27
CH: 49
LBW: 550
AMEC: 69
STLT: 381
“Go Down, Moses”
found in:
UMH: 448
PH: 334
AAHH: 543
NNBH: 290
CH: 663
LBW: 618
“What Does the Lord Require”
found in:
UMH: 441
H82: 605
PH: 406
CH: 659
W&P: 686
“O God of Every Nation”
found in:
UMH: 435
H82: 607
PH: 289
CH: 680
LBW: 416
ELA: 713
W&P: 626
“The Gift of Love”
found in:
UMH: 408
AAHH: 522
CH: 526
W&P: 397
Renew: 155
“O Come and Dwell in Me”
found in:
UMH: 388
“Shalom to You”
found in:
CCB: 98
“Walk with Me”
found in:
CCB: 88
Music Resources Key:
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982 (The Episcopal Church)
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
AAHH: African-American Heritage Hymnal
NNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
LBW: Lutheran Book of Worship
ELA: Evangelical Lutheran Worship
W&P: Worship & Praise
AMEC: African Methodist Episcopal Church Hymnal
STLT: Singing the Living Tradition
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
Renew: Renew! Songs & Hymns for Blended Worship
Prayer for the Day / Collect
O God who created us all in your own image: Grant us the grace to know ourselves and reveal ourselves to others that we may live in peace and harmony with you and with all our sisters and brothers; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We praise you, O God, who created us all in your own image. We pray that as we worship you we may be open to the work of your Spirit, so that we might be renewed in your image, open ourselves to the truth of who we are, and live in peace and harmony with all your children. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
Leader: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins, and especially the ways we hide from ourselves and act in ways that deny the bonds of our humanity with others.
People: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We have tried to hide ourselves from our sight and from yours. We have tried to cover ourselves by pretending to be better than we are. We have tried to cover our shortcomings by lifting up the perceived shortcomings of others. In the midst of our duplicity we have not sought justice for others. Forgive us, and call us back to your image which you placed within us at creation. So fill us with your Spirit that we may accept ourselves with honesty and others with mercy. Amen.
Leader: God’s image is upon us. And God’s Spirit dwells within to bring that image forth. Know that God’s love and grace is always ready to bring that to fruition.
Prayers of the People (and the Lord’s Prayer)
We praise you, O God of Creation, who has placed upon us your image and your Spirit within 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 tried to hide ourselves from our sight and from yours. We have tried to cover ourselves by pretending to be better than we are. We have tried to cover our shortcomings by lifting up the perceived shortcomings of others. In the midst of our duplicity we have not sought justice for others. Forgive us, and call us back to your image which you placed within us at creation. So fill us with your Spirit that we may accept ourselves with honesty and others with mercy.
We thank you for all the ways in which you bring us your love and grace. We thank you for calling us your children and placing within us your very own Spirit.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for those who suffer injustice and oppression. We pray for those who hide themselves in fear of being known.
(Other intercessions may be offered.)
All these things we ask in the Name of our Savior Jesus Christ, who taught us to pray together, saying:
Our Father . . . Amen.
(or if the Lord’s Prayer is not used at this point in the service)
All this we ask in the Name of the Blessed and Holy Trinity. Amen.
Children’s Sermon Starter
Talk to the children about how sometimes people are not treated well just because of their religion or the color of their skin. God created us all to be God’s children. As God’s people we reach out and accept all of God’s children, no matter how different they are from us.
CHILDREN’S SERMON
The Gift of Engagement
Romans 12:1-8
Object: a round of applause and some pats on the back
Isn’t it wonderful how God made us different? He gave us so many gifts that we can use to build his church and bring peace to the world. All of us have gifts. What are some of your gifts? (let the children answer) Those are all wonderful. The one gift I really like to share is encouragement.
What does it mean to give encouragement? (let them answer) Sometimes we really need encouragement, don’t we? Let’s suppose we are going to try to ride a bike for the first time. We get on the bike, put our feet on the pedals, grab hold of the handlebars, and push forward. There are people there and they are cheering us on. They tell you that you can do it. That is encouragement.
Sometimes we have to stand up all by ourselves and give a speech or sing a song. We know we can do it at home, but will we be able to do it when we are all alone in school or church? Our parents or our teachers tell us we can do it. They are encouraging us.
Is there anyone here that knows a poem or can tell a story or sing a song? (see if you can get a volunteer; if not, ask them all to stand up on the steps and encourage them to sing “Jesus Loves Me” -- when they finish, get the congregation to give them a standing ovation) That was wonderful. We are so proud of you. Let me give you all a pat on the back. I want to encourage everyone to use their talents.
Wasn’t this fun? Did you know the Bible teaches us to encourage our friends, our family, and others? Not only is it in the Bible, but it is fun to encourage someone too.
How many of you like to be encouraged? Isn’t it better than someone telling you that you are dumb or that they can’t do it? (let them answer) Of course it is, and I hope that the next time I see you that you are encouraging someone to do better, to get stronger, to jump higher, and to sing more joyfully.
This is one of the gifts that God gives us, and it is called encouragement. It is a gift that is meant to be shared. Let’s ask the congregation to show their encouragement one more time to all of these gifted children of God. (ask for another round of applause or a standing ovation)
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The Immediate Word, August 24, 2014, issue.
Copyright 2014 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to The Immediate Word service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons and in worship and classroom settings only. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
