Swamp Cleaning 101
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In the lectionary gospel text for Proper 26 (Matthew 23:1-12), Jesus shames the scribes and the Pharisees for their hypocrisy -- telling his followers that these religious authority figures “do not practice what they teach” and that they “do all their deeds to be seen by others.” The problem, as Jesus sees it, is not with the burdens imposed by the spiritual rules the scribes and Pharisees have prescribed for others -- it’s with their unwillingness to “lift a finger” to live up to those laws themselves. It’s as if, in the parlance of President Trump, Jesus is reminding the people of the need to “drain the swamp” in the temple.
In this installment of The Immediate Word, team member Chris Keating compares the swamp of the temple to the swamp in Washington -- one so fetid that some longtime members of Congress are beginning to flee. Yet many of the denizens of the swamp happily remain, in most cases because (like the scribes and Pharisees) they enjoy the power and privilege they have accumulated... especially when they feel no particular need to apply the laws they pass to themselves. But Jesus notes that eventually the tables will turn, and that “all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted.” Though it will take a great deal of effort, we can truly “drain the swamp” and usher in God’s kingdom -- and Jesus offers us a roadmap of what that looks like with the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-12, the lectionary gospel text for All Saints Sunday).
Team member Dean Feldmeyer shares some additional thoughts on the Joshua text and the vision it suggests of what defines true leadership in the wilderness. Dean notes that while in our contemporary society most of us may not live in actual wildernesses, we do find ourselves in the midst of all kinds of metaphorical wildernesses that are equally harsh in their effects on our bodies, minds, and hearts. To find the way to our promised land, Dean points out, requires purposeful action and skilled leadership that is in tune with where God is leading us.
Swamp Cleaning 101
by Chris Keating
Matthew 23:1-12; Matthew 5:1-12
When it comes to draining swamps, Candace Miller could give President Donald Trump a few pointers. Miller, a Republican who previously represented Michigan’s 10th congressional district, gave up her seat in 2015 after seven terms.
She could have walked into a lucrative lobbying position, but instead she took a plunge -- literally diving into Macomb County’s sewers as its public works commissioner. Just days after taking office, one of the county’s major sewer lines ruptured , sending millions of gallons of sewage into rivers and streams that feed the Great Lakes. Miller found that she had traded the metaphorical swamp of Washington for a stinking mess back home. Talk about the exalted being humbled.
Yet Miller says she prefers her new job . When she gave up her seat, she took a hard look at Congress. Petty infighting led her out of the proverbial sausage factory. These days, she is often found being lowered into decaying sewer lines, inspecting damage and supervising repairs. “I couldn’t be happier where I am right now, to tell you the truth,” Miller recently told a reporter.
The former congresswoman is hardly alone in walking away from the Capitol. Last week, Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Arizona) made a stunning speech denouncing the tone and tenor of contemporary politics. In announcing that he would not seek re-election , Flake gave a stinging rebuke of his own party and president. He joins Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tennessee), who had earlier announced his intention to not seek another term.
Some may see Flake and Corker’s departures as proof that Trump’s ostensible plan -- emptying the stale political waters of Washington -- is working. Others call it the death pangs of mainstream conservative Republicans. It’s also possible to wonder if Trump, who came into power as an outsider yet packed his staff with corporate chiefs and wealthy bankers, will be able to stand swamp stench. While the not-so civil war that is tearing apart Republicans is easily detected, the truth is that our smelly, polarized politics has come from both parties, and has caused much of the stagnant, swampy air which pollutes our public discourse. It is hardly a new phenomenon.
Jesus decried the scribes and Pharisees’ abusive and hypocritical authority. His words in Matthew 23 (Proper 26) form a nice parallel to the Beatitudes of Matthew 5 (All Saints Sunday). Jesus reminds the disciples that those who do not seek his kingdom love to teach people about God. Yet their actions bring them personal gain.
His message seems to be that while it is difficult to drain a swamp, it’s even harder if you can’t tolerate the smell. The gospel readings this week are reminders that swamp draining begins with hearts that seek first the kingdom, and disciples who are willing to be humbled.
In the News
Aside from tolerating smelly bogs and copious mosquito bites, the first lesson of draining swamps might be to pay attention to the politics of perception. In a “what you see is what you get” culture, image is paramount. It’s an insight raised in Rob Reiner’s 1995 romantic comedy The American President, the script for which was written by future West Wing creator Aaron Sorkin. Widowed president Andrew Shepherd (Michael Douglas) falls in love with powerful lobbyist Sydney Ellen Wade (Annette Bening). Sydney is supported by the president’s opponents -- which leads lobbyist Leo Solomon (John Mahoney) to quip that “politics is about perception.” It’s fiction, but Solomon’s wisdom is certainly apt, particularly in our current political quagmire.
While misconduct, scandal, and hypocrisy have long defined politics, there’s little happening in Washington or elsewhere to suggest that the swamp’s demise is imminent. Examples of bad behavior hang like Spanish moss from trees, and can be culled from all parts of the political spectrum. It’s truly a bipartisan bog.
Swamp behavior is certainly not new nor limited to politics -- witness the number of accusations levied against media and business leaders -- but recent revelations are reminders of Jesus’ admonitions about the Pharisees. The swamp has become a camouflaged hideout for the privileged and famous, a hiding place for the secrets of moguls, actors, and even former presidents.
This week the spotlight has fallen on former Trump campaign chair Paul Manafort and others who were indicted as a result of the Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigations. Manafort, a longtime Republican political consultant, was charged with a long list of crimes including money laundering. His indictment does not directly tie the Trump campaign to acts of collusion with Russia, but it’s not hard to catch a whiff of fetid swamp air.
Critics note that despite Trump’s pledge to purge politics of corruption, the first year of his administration may have deepened the swamp. Conflicts of interest are rife among the president’s appointments, including many who have ties to the industries they are now charged with regulating. One writer has called the Trump administration “epically swampy.”
Politics is about perceptions -- and the perception is that the swamp is thriving.
Journalist Conor Friedersdorf took a gander at the Trump marshlands, and noted that former campaign staffers have nabbed key jobs as Washington lobbyists, while many former registered lobbyists have found their way into the administration. That doesn’t include profits the Trump family has earned or the perks enjoyed by Cabinet officials such as former Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price, who resigned following revelations of his extensive use of private jets.
In fairness, however, it’s important to point out that this is not just a Republican issue. Just a few weeks ago, Democrat and movie tycoon Harvey Weinstein was accused of serious sexual harassment allegations. Weinstein had access to key politicians, including Bill and Hillary Clinton. Neither Weinstein nor Manafort will be a finalist for citizen of the year, yet clearly both have enjoyed occupying seats of honor. There’s no denying the swamps are bipartisan.
Few politicians could uphold the ethical standards Jesus offers throughout Matthew. The ethical standards set by the Beatitudes are a high bar, though it seemed that Sen. Flake, a devout Mormon, was attempting to reach that standard in his compelling speech on the floor of the Senate. Flake denounced much of the rancid, swampy politics of our time with words lauded by politicians of both parties. But it’s not clear his words will be matched by actions.
For example, just hours after decrying the current political culture, he joined other Republicans, including Vice President Mike Pence, in removing the ability of Americans to file class action suits against banks engaged in abusive practices such Wells Fargo’s creation of fake accounts. The Obama-era regulation was repealed, forcing consumers to rely on arbitration processes one critic described as being as “rigged as a North Korean election.” It is hard work to drain a swamp, especially when you keep populating it with more alligators.
Flake’s high-minded outcry of Trump’s petty and self-aggrandizing behavior did not fully translate into actions that might help the meek inherit the earth. He wasn’t alone -- Senators Bob Corker and John McCain also chose to support the administration-promoted bill. As Charles Pierce quipped, “And the U.S. Senate, an otherwise torpid beast unable to get anything done, bestirs itself to make sure that these swindlers (banks) never are called to a proper account.”
Clearly, hypocrisy and Pharisaical double-speak are part and parcel of American political life, with examples found on both sides of the aisle. Last week, awareness of sexual harassment of women in California travelled north from Hollywood to the steps of the state capital in Sacramento. More than 140 women, including legislators, aides, and lobbyists, came forward to expose decades of misconduct by California legislators. Their accounts detail acts of lewd behavior by men holding power in one of the nation’s most powerful -- and often most progressive-leaning -- statehouses.
Cristina Garcia, a Democratic assemblywoman, was one of the lawmakers who signed a letter to the Los Angeles Times detailing the incidents. “Multiple people have grabbed my butt and grabbed my breasts,” she said. “We’re talking about senior lobbyists and lawmakers.” Christine Pelosi, leader of the California Democratic Women’s Caucus, called Sacramento a “fantasy camp” for legislators who routinely act different in Sacramento than they do at home.
Fantasy Camp sounds like the title of a kitschy adolescent horror flick. Perhaps its sequel will be Return of the Privileged Leeches. No doubt both films stink, if only because they depict a life opposite of the one Jesus intends for those seeking the kingdom of God.
In the Scriptures
Those congregations which celebrate All Saints Sunday are likely to skip Matthew 23:1-12, focusing instead on the abundance of treasures in Matthew 5:1-12. But a preacher willing to explore both texts will discover how one informs the other. The Sermon on the Mount in general, and particularly the Beatitudes, form Jesus’ inaugural address for Matthew, functioning the same way Jesus’ sermon in the synagogue does in Luke 4:16-30. Jesus enumerates the priorities of the kingdom, and offers reminders of the paths trod by the saints.
The language of the Beatitudes points us toward the now and not yet eschatology of the kingdom. The poor in spirit are happy not because of outward circumstances, but because of the promise of their place in the kingdom. The meek have nothing, but are destined to inherit everything. The persecuted can look beyond their present condition to claim a promise beyond all imagination.
But promises are not just “pie in the sky, by and by.” These promises are rooted in the character of God. These words are invitations to live lives of faithfulness which are congruent with the character of a God who rejoices with the poor, who weeps with the broken-hearted, and who stands with the excluded.
With that in mind, Jesus’ words in Matthew 23 take on additional significance. Jesus is fed up with the sort of leadership the shepherds of Israel have provided. The scribes and Pharisees may sit on the seat of Moses, but their position does not impress Jesus. It is, in fact, as phony as a department store Santa Claus -- a bit like Buddy the Elf in Elf, who looks at the ersatz Santa and says, “You sit on a throne of lies!”
This is not to participate in an anti-Semitic reading of this text. That would miss the mark entirely. Instead, Jesus is identifying their vain, hypocritical behavior as inconsistent with the principles he has described earlier in Matthew 5. “Do not do as they do,” he adjures. In other words, allow the promise of the law to take up residence in you, so that your life will reflect the priorities of one seeking the kingdom of God.
In the Sermon
Swamps smell worse than a bunch of sweaty sixth-graders, and getting both clean take a good bit of effort. The preacher who listens carefully to Jesus’ words will offer the congregation an opportunity to move beyond pious-sounding indictments (“You stink!”) to a humbler disposition. Draining the swamp begins with understanding that we too are stuck in its mud and infused with its stench. Only when we see ourselves in the swamps will we find a pathway toward the life God intends for all creation.
I’m struck by Maya Angelou’s haunting words in her poem “These Yet to Be United States” (I Shall Not Be Moved [Random House, 1990], p. 21). She describes the vast power of political systems, observing that:
Seas shift at your bidding
your mushrooms fill the sky.
Why are you unhappy?
Why do your children cry?
They kneel alone in terror,
with dread in every glance…
You dwell in whitened castles
with deep and poisoned moats
and cannot hear the curses
which fill your children’s throats.
One option of connecting the sermon with All Saints Sunday could be to tell the stories of those whose faith did not take up residency in the swamp, but who instead understood that remaining in deep communion with meant striving first for the kingdom. We remember the saints, both those whose stories are well known and those whose stories are known only to a few. Their stories are reminders of what it means for the humble to be exalted as servant/leaders.
If the image of draining the swamp is fraught with too much political difficulty, consider another image. Look at the ways the saints of your congregation persevered in humble paths of service. It is powerful to name those who have died in the past year, and to recall their individual gifts. Where did their humility enrich the life of the church, and what is their legacy?
Another option is to spend some time with Matthew 23, allowing its words and setting to marinate within you. “Preaching but not practicing” is an important theme. As Karoline Lewis points out, Matthew 23:1-12 shares a connection to the Beatitudes. Lewis says Matthew 23 offers an image of the “anti-Beatitudes.” Jesus gives us an object lesson on what kingdom behavior does not look like. His words are indeed a message for our time.
Aside from the obvious associations of “the swamp” with contemporary politics, there are myriad ways we have become as stuck in the mire of sinfulness as the Pharisees were. Take a moment and explore the swamp of human behavior you encounter this week. Is it a pristine everglade, or a toxic waste dump? Name some of the places of your context that may reek -- the cesspools of decaying relationships, the shallow and stagnant streams of hubris, the spongy bogs of injustice. But also point to the wellsprings of hope, for even a swamp teems with life.
SECOND THOUGHTS
Out of the Wilderness
by Dean Feldmeyer
Joshua 3:7-17
In the Scriptures
For 40 years they wandered aimlessly in the wilderness.
Now two score years have come to an end, the old generation has passed away. Moses, the great leader who spoke with God “as a man speaketh unto his friend,” has died and been buried. He has been mourned and the designated time of grieving is over.
It’s time to enter the promised land, and God has no intention of letting this occasion go by unremarked. God has big plans for this day -- and primary among them is making it clear to all the people that there’s “a new sheriff in town,” and his name is Joshua. Furthermore, this new leader will have all of the authority of his predecessor, Moses.
God will accomplish this difficult task of passing the baton from Moses to Joshua, leader to leader, with an act of high symbolic significance.
Moses was established as the leader of Israel many times in many acts. He came out of the wilderness and went before Pharaoh with all of the self-assurance and charisma of one who is truly called. There were the plagues, of course. And if there was any doubt left in anyone’s mind that he was God’s chosen leader, the deal was pretty much sealed with the parting of the Red Sea, the opening of the gate into the wilderness.
Now, God will place this same stamp of approval upon Joshua. Water will again be parted. As the sea was opened to begin the journey, now the River Jordan will be parted to end it. As the people began the journey through parted waters, so they will now end it. As they entered the wilderness by passing through the sea, they will enter the promised land by passing through the river.
One more time, God will part the waters as a sign of God’s power and presence, God’s imprimatur and approval on the people and their leader.
In the Culture
Wildernesses come in all shapes and sizes.
The Children of Israel traveled through a physical/geographical wilderness, a desert where life was hard and tenuous, where they required supernatural interventions just to have enough food and water to keep them alive. But there are other kinds of wildernesses, not of the physical or geographical kind, that are just as tenuous, just as dangerous.
What is life lived in a constant state of fear if not a wilderness?
Mass murders (where four or more people are victims) have become the new normal in America. We have developed a comfortable and familiar liturgy for dealing with them. First there are the shocked cries of fear and grief. Then follow the calls for “thoughts and prayers” for the victims. A few politicians broach the topic of increasing and tightening gun laws, and others react by saying that the answer to these kinds of tragedies is not fewer but more guns. There is only one effective way to stop a “man with a gun,” they argue, and that’s another man with a gun. So nothing gets done, while gun manufacturers get rich.
We are currently walking through a wilderness of opioid addiction that stretches from our inner cities through our suburban parks and playgrounds to our rural villages. It defies explanation by even our best criminologists and public health experts. It defies traditional demographic studies of crime and addiction, and challenges us to create new models and new tools if we are to ever cross out of this desert.
For reasons we don’t understand, the wildernesses of racism and ethnic hate have reappeared in our country -- and while “white nationalists” and neo-Nazis demand to be heard in the streets and on the campuses of our universities, we find ourselves struggling to understand where they came from and how we can return them to the shadows from which they crawled.
And, painful as it is, we cannot leave this subject of wandering in the wilderness without examining the status of our political life together. What shall we call this wilderness? Is it gridlock, the inability to move forward or backward? Is it stalemate, a standoff of opposing sides, each unable to move but capable of keeping the other from moving? Or is it even lower and worse than that?
Our political discourse has become not just harsh but mean and even cruel. The extreme ends of the political spectrum have taken the microphone captive and refuse to give it up over even the most trivial of issues. The president has not seen an issue so small or a criticism so obscure that he does not feel compelled to respond in social media with violent rhetoric, personal attacks, and scalding insults.
People respond to this new, dark, antagonistic political discourse by seeing who can go the lowest or by pulling away and refusing to participate at all.
And our deserts are not only of the corporate kind. We often find ourselves in private deserts as well, deserts of addiction, loneliness, despair; financial deserts, emotional deserts, and energy deserts.
Finding ourselves in the deserts of gun violence or opioid abuse and addiction or racism or ethnic hatred or poisonous political disquisition that accomplishes nothing except occasional emotional catharsis, we become the very things we have beheld -- or we give up altogether.
In the Sermon
The Joshua text offers two answers to the contemporary wilderness conundrum, no matter how it comes into our lives.
The first is authentic, purposeful, symbolic action. We note that the story of the wilderness exile begins and ends with significant symbolic action -- crossing through water that has been parted by God. This realization sends us to search for our own powerful symbols, and the ways that we can make them live so that, resurrected, they can revive us and give us the strength to pass through the waters and the wilderness that assail us -- emerging stronger and more faithful than ever.
The second is skilled, called leadership.
The text calls us to examine those who would lead us. Whether they are currently in position to do so or are seeking to be given that authority, God bids us to ask for their credentials. Are they morally qualified? Do they have not just the skills to lead but the confidence of those they would lead? Can their deficiencies be corrected? Can they learn from their mistakes? Are they clear about their responsibilities? Are they willing and prepared to meet them?
As we examine our own call to lead this or that group, do we possess the necessary qualifications?
Certainly some forms of wilderness require specific responses unique to their situation, but these two elements are high on the list of necessary assets.
The promise of scripture is that, if we are willing to lead where God is going, God will go with us. In the Exodus, God accompanies the people disguised as a pillar of salt and a floating cloud. The point, however, is that whether or not we can see God, God is always there.
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Mary Austin:
1 Thessalonians 2:9-13
Too Busy
As Paul writes to the church at Thessalonica, he recalls being busy with working and proclaiming the gospel “night and day.” In spite of being so busy, Paul had something that researchers recommend to all of us: focus. Christine Carter says that we can feel better if we sharpen our focus: “We Americans are often overwhelmed and exhausted. Did you know that 235 million people are currently grappling with feelings of time-starvation and moderate to high levels of stress, exhaustion, or burnout in the United States alone? While many things factor into this collective exhaustion, I’ve found, in my own life, that much of it stems from the sheer amount of stimulus and the buildup of, well, stuff. Here are several ways I filter out what I’ve come to think of as ‘junk stimulus.’ ” Eliminating mental clutter helps us feel less busy, she says.
If we’re too stressed by a long to-do list, “this too is a source of junk stimulus. So weed that puppy down with gusto until it is a realistic representation of what you actually can accomplish given your current status as a human being (and not a super computer).” Automate everything you can, she suggests. She also advises: “Prune your to-do list with this question: If it turns out that my life is a lot shorter than I hope it will be, which of the things on my list right now will I wish I hadn’t wasted time on? Pay particular attention to anything you do just for prestige, praise, or to feel superior to others, anything that makes you tense or anxious but doesn’t contribute to your growth over the long haul, and anything that involves toxic people or situations.”
If we can manage this, we can be busy like Paul is busy -- doing something for God.
*****
Joshua 3:7-17
Being the Doorkeeper
God is preparing Joshua to lead the people in Moses’ place, growing his ability to lead. Bill Treasurer tells about learning what leadership really means. One day his son, who was in preschool, came home and announced that he was the class leader that day.
“Really? Class leader? That’s a big deal, little buddy,” Bill Treasurer said. “What did you get to do as the class leader?” As a nationally known management consultant and writer about leadership, he thought he had a pretty good idea what was coming. He knew all about leadership. But his son surprised him. Treasurer says: “With seven simple words, Ian cut through two decades of studying and researching about leadership. ‘I got to open doors for people!’ Ian’s simple but profound insight helped remind me that leaders are simply creators of opportunity for others: they open doors for people.”
Joshua will open the door to the promised land for the people, under God’s direction. All of us who serve God have the blessing and challenge of opening doors for people.
*****
Joshua 3:7-17; Matthew 23:1-12
Leadership -- Diminishers and Multipliers
Leadership coach Liz Wiseman asks people she coaches how much of their intelligence gets returned to their boss in a work setting. Some bosses get a lot of productivity from people, and she says it’s because some people are diminishers and others are multipliers. A multiplier is a “leader who brings out the best in people around them.” Other leaders are “really smart people [who] seem to suck intelligence out of a group. And they’re leaders I call diminishers. They may be smart, but people around them aren’t really allowed to or invited to be smart, whereas other leaders, equally intelligent themselves, seem to use their intelligence in a way that provokes and invites and even demands intelligence in the people around them. It’s about a leader who sees and uses and grows intelligence in others. They become, as a leader, the multiplier to the intelligence of their team. Or even maybe more simply put, it’s about a leader who other people are really smart around.”
Jesus and Joshua are multipliers -- leaders who build up the people around them.
*****
Joshua 3:7-17; Matthew 23:1-12
Leadership in Unusual Forms
Leaders come in unexpected forms. After 40 years, the Hebrew people perhaps expected that Moses would be with them forever. Surprisingly, Jesus tells the people listening to him to do what the Pharisees tell them to do, just not to follow their example. Bishop Vashti McKenzie, the first woman bishop in the AME Church, says she’s waiting for the day when her gender and skin color are not issues in people taking her leadership seriously: “I live for the day when my gender and my race means nothing -- means nothing -- that my gifts, my skills, my character, my mental astuteness, these things qualify me to do the job. Period.”
She was the first woman to serve as the pastor of Payne Memorial Church in Baltimore, where leadership meant getting outside the church. The church was surrounded by people who were homeless, hungry, out of work, and struggling with addiction. There had to be a transfer of power, she says, “and so then our job is, is to be sure that the power that is on the inside becomes the power that reaches the people on the outside.”
Under her leadership, one thing led to another. “The outreach center, you know, started with, of course, the food pantry and the clothes pantry -- the traditional things that happen. And then we moved to helping people with their shut-off and cut-off notices. And then we became like the referral agency. ‘I need help.’ ‘OK. Let’s see how we can connect you to the appropriate agency or organization in the community, in the city, that can help you with that need.’ Because some people just can’t navigate all the red tape that they face when they need help. Or they don’t know where to go for help. And so the natural progression was to move into a place where we train persons for jobs and, you know, held their hands while they navigated coming out of tennis shoes and jeans. And we had a professional clothes closet. We did soft skills of how to get your résumé out, how to do an interview, how to do all those kinds of things, and then go through the training program. So we did all of the prep work.”
Like Joshua taking the people into the promised land, like Jesus moving in and out of the temple toward the cross, leadership involves movement.
***************
From team member Ron Love:
Joshua 3:7-17
The Irwin family is returning to television’s Animal Planet channel. This is 11 years after the death of the family’s patriarch Steve Irwin, who was known to viewers as the “Crocodile Hunter.” Steve died in September 2006 at the age of 44 while filming an underwater scene, when a stingray’s stinging barbs pierced his heart. His wife Terri, who hosted the show with him, resigned from the show to raise their two children. At the time Bindi was 8 and Robert was 3. Over the years the family remained active in animal preservation. Now that the children are older, Terri and her two children will once again host the show. Terri said about returning to television: “Grief is never something you get over. You don’t get up one morning and say, ‘I’ve conquered that, now I’m moving on.’ It’s something that walks beside you every day. And if you learn how to manage it and honor the person that you miss, you can take something that is incredibly sad and have some form of positivity. That’s kind of what we decided to do with Steve.”
Application: All of us need to be led by the ark of the covenant to a land of peace.
*****
Joshua 3:7-17
In the spring of 1942 when he was 11 years old, multi-billionaire Warren Buffett made his first investment. He put down his entire fortune, $120, for three shares of Cities Service Preferred. By June the stock dropped drastically, and Buffett had little equity to his name. But as the shares slowly improved he sold them at a small profit, which he again invested. And that beginning made Warren Buffett what is today -- the third wealthiest person in the United States. Bill Gates, with a net worth of $89 billion, is the wealthiest person. Donald Trump, our first billionaire president, is ranked as the 248th wealthiest person, with $3.1 billion.
Application: Joshua teaches us to always keep moving forward.
*****
Psalm 107:1-7, 33-37
It seems that hurricanes and mass shootings receive unprecedented news coverage. Though the wildfires in California have received news coverage, it has not been as nearly intense as the Las Vegas shooting or the hurricane aftermath in Puerto Rico. This should not necessarily be the case, as the wildfires have killed 42 people, destroyed 7,000 homes and businesses, and caused damage to insured properties of at least $1 billion -- and all of these figures are expected to increase dramatically.
Application: The psalmist discusses the need for people to be delivered from their distress.
*****
1 Thessalonians 2:9-13
In July 2012, Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) cast her 5,000th consecutive vote in the Senate. Achieving that milestone required a great deal of preparation and sacrifice. For example, unlike other senators she arrives in Washington, DC on Sunday instead of Monday. This way, the weather in Maine cannot delay her trip for a Monday vote. Reflecting on her 5,000 consecutive votes, Collins said: “But I’m proud of the fact that I’ve gone 15 and a half years without missing one, and I believe it reflects the seriousness with which I take this job and the fact that I consider it an honor to represent the people of Maine. And I know that they’re very diligent about showing up for work and that the people of my state have a great work ethic, and I’ve tried to mirror that.”
Application: Paul instructs us to have a strong work ethic and a strong moral character.
*****
1 Thessalonians 2:9-13
Glenn Odom, a school board member in Florence, South Carolina, recently needed a ride to a board meeting. He sent an e-mail to the chairman saying, “Would you be so kind to send an e-mail out to the board asking if I could get a ride? Just don’t send it to any darkies.” Odom, who has been a board member for more than 25 years, did not want to ride with an African-American board member. Community activist James Williams said: “It is difficult to imagine that someone who still uses the word ‘darkie’ will not inject racial biases into the decisions he makes regarding our children.” Williams went on to say that more than 50 percent of the students in the school district are African-American or Hispanic. Odom resigned from the school board, saying he now lives outside the section of the district that he represented.
Application: Paul instructs us to be individuals with integrity.
*****
1 Thessalonians 2:9-13
Chris Wallace, 70, is considered the dean of Sunday morning political talk hosts. Wallace moderated the first presidential debate last year, for which he received high marks for his performance. Wallace is a reporter for Fox News, and is concerned about other Fox News commentators who are bashing the media. Wallace said they are free to express their opinion, but he went on to say: “I don’t like them bashing the media, because oftentimes what they’re bashing is stuff that we on the news side are doing. I don’t think they recognize that they have a role at Fox News and we have a role at Fox News. I don’t know what’s in their head. I just think it’s bad form.” Wallace noted that Sean Hannity, President Trump’s fiercest defender on Fox, has made frequent references to what he calls the “destroy Trump media,” by which he means reporters who report negative stories on the president. Hannity has criticized the press in 90 percent of his monologues, and used the term “fake news” 67 times in a four-month period.
Application: Paul instructs us to be bold in our proclamations, but that we must speak with integrity. This means not denouncing our colleagues.
*****
Matthew 23:1-12
Washington Post columnist Kathleen Parker recently interviewed Gretchen Carlson about Carlson’s new book Be Fierce. In the book Carlson discusses her experience, and the experiences of other women, regarding sexual harassment in the workplace. Carlson was a reporter for Fox News Channel whose lawsuit led to the termination of Fox News creator and CEO Roger Ailes. During the interview Parker said she personally has never experienced being sexual harassed. Upon further discussion with Carlson, Parker realized that she was sexually harassed on several occasions. Parker then wrote, “Indeed, I did what most women do. I shrugged them off and stashed the experiences so deeply in my psyche’s junk folder that I forgot about them until now.” With that revelation Parker became a member of the #MeToo movement of women who are openly discussing their personal traumas.
Application: Jesus discussed the hypocrisy of leaders who do not practice what they teach. This would include business leaders and politicians who discuss their contributions for the good of society, yet sexually harass women in the workplace.
*****
Matthew 23:1-12
In a Peanuts comic strip, freckle-faced tomboy Peppermint Patty is sitting at her school desk behind Franklin, an African-American child. Peppermint Patty is holding her test paper in front of her face and says, “An essay test! I’m doomed!” She goes on to lament that the test is not multiple-choice or true and false. Then, putting the test on her desk and sitting back in her chair while Franklin is diligently writing in front of her, she says: “I hate it when you have to know what you’re writing about.”
Application: Jesus said we should always be students.
*****
Matthew 23:1-12
In a Peanuts comic strip, Peppermint Patty is walking up to the teacher’s desk to hand in her essay exam. Placing the test paper on the desk, she laments: “Handing in an essay test when you know you did terrible is an awful feeling.” She walks back to her desk thinking that the awful feeling is so bad that she wants to die. Sitting back down at her desk and leaning back in her chair, she realizes that you don’t die because it is only October “and there’ll be more essay tests and more agony.” She then sits up with the sudden realization that “Maybe I should try studying.”
Application: Jesus said we should always be students.
*****
Matthew 23:1-12
In a Born Loser comic, Brutus Thornapple is sitting slouched in his easy chair. His wife, Gladys, is leaning on her elbows on the back of the chair. Their son, Wilberforce, is standing at the foot of the chair. Wilberforce asks his father if he will help him with his math homework. Brutus, as any good father would, answers “Of course.” Then, in a marriage that seems to be built on criticism, Gladys says: “It’s nice that Daddy can help you now. Next year, you’ll be in the fifth grade and he’ll be of no use to you at all!”
Application: Jesus instructs us to always be students who are learning. That means having a better than fourth-grade understanding of the Bible.
WORSHIP RESOURCES
by George Reed
Call to Worship
Leader: Let us bless our God at all times.
People: The praise of God shall continually be in our mouths.
Leader: O magnify God with me.
People: Let us exalt God’s name together.
Leader: God redeems the life of God’s servants.
People: None who take refuge in God will be condemned.
OR
Leader: O give thanks to our good God.
People: God’s steadfast love endures forever.
Leader: Let the redeemed of God say so.
People: Let those of us who were redeemed from trouble speak.
Leader: Let us thank God for steadfast love.
People: Let us thank God for wonderful works to humankind.
OR
Leader: God calls, “Come and learn of me.”
People: We come to find the one in whose image we were made.
Leader: Rejoice in the integrity of our God.
People: Great is our God who acts and speaks as one.
Leader: Let us follow God’s example as we deal with others.
People: We strive to always align our actions with our words.
Hymns and Sacred Songs
“Ye Watchers and Ye Holy Ones”
found in:
UMH: 90
H82: 618
PH: 451
LBW: 175
ELA: 424
“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
“Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise”
found in:
UMH: 103
H82: 423
PH: 263
NCH: 1
CH: 66
LBW: 526
ELA: 834
W&P: 48
AMEC: 71
STLT: 273
Renew: 46
“For All the Saints”
found in:
UMH: 711
H82: 287
PH: 526
AAHH: 339
NNBH: 301
NCH: 299
CH: 637
LBW: 174
ELA: 422
W&P: 529
AMEC: 476
STLT: 103
“Rejoice in God’s Saints”
found in:
UMH: 708
CH: 476
ELA: 418
W&P: 531
“O God of Every Nation”
found in:
UMH: 435
H82: 607
PH: 289
CH: 680
LBW: 416
ELA: 713
W&P: 626
“O Master, Let Me Walk with Thee”
found in:
UMH: 430
H82: 659, 660
PH: 357
NNBH: 445
NCH: 503
CH: 602
LBW: 492
ELA: 818
W&P: 589
AMEC: 299
“Breathe on Me, Breath of God”
found in:
UMH: 420
H82: 508
PH: 316
AAHH: 317
NNBH: 126
NCH: 292
CH: 254
LBW: 488
W&P: 461
AMEC: 192
“Dear Jesus, in Whose Life I See”
found in:
UMH: 468
(Although only in the United Methodist Hymnal, this simple two-verse hymn speaks very clearly of the struggle we have to make our words and deeds one.)
“Change My Heart, O God”
found in:
CCB: 56
Renew: 143
“God, You Are My God” (“Step by Step”)
found in:
CCB: 60
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 speaks and acts as One: Grant us the grace to not only proclaim our faith but also to live it out in our daily lives; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We praise you, O God, because your words and acts are one. Help us to give glory to you by proclaiming our faith boldly and living our faith with integrity. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
Leader: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins, and especially our failure to match our deeds with our words.
People: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We are quick to speak about our faith, but slow to act according to our words. We find it easy to judge others, while we overlook our own faults. We have become the hypocrites we speak so harshly against. Forgive us, and renew your Spirit within us that we might live according to our beliefs. Amen.
Prayers of the People (and the Lord’s Prayer)
Praise and glory to you, O God, for you are perfect in your unity.
(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 are quick to speak about our faith, but slow to act according to our words. We find it easy to judge others, while we overlook our own faults. We have become the hypocrites we speak so harshly against. Forgive us, and renew your Spirit within us that we might live according to our beliefs.
We give you thanks for all the blessings you have given to us. We thank you for our world and the universe that holds it. We thank you for those who speak truth to us about the world and about ourselves.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for those who suffer. Some suffer in body, some in mind, and some in spirit. We pray for those who are deceived by people who would rob them of their goods or their affection.
(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
Show children pictures of people’s faces with obvious emotion. Mislabel those emotions, and ask the children about that. (This person says, “I am happy.”) Have them sort the pictures and emotion labels to match. Talk about how when we talk one way and act another we are not being the image of God we are supposed to be.
CHILDREN’S SERMON
Looks Like a Duck
by Dean Feldmeyer
Matthew 23:1-12
Items needed:
* A picture of a duck.
* A series of portraits of people -- some good, some bad; some attractive, some not so much. (You can cull these images from the internet.) Pictures might include John Dillinger, Adolf Hitler, Mother Teresa, Rudolf Valentino, Ma Barker, Pretty Boy Floyd, etc. For fun, you might want to include an old picture of yourself. (If you have a small group of children, you can put print these faces enlarged, one to a sheet. If you have a large group, put all the pictures on a single sheet, then print and distribute copies to everyone.)
We have a saying that if something looks like a duck and quacks like a duck and walks like a duck and flies like a duck -- well, it must be a duck, right?
The only problem with that saying is that sometimes things can look like other than what they are.
Discuss the collection of pictures you collected. Who are the good people? Who are the evil ones? Some of these people look perfectly nice, but aren’t. Some look kind of scary, but aren’t.
Jesus was adamant that looking good isn’t the same as being good. And looking right isn’t the same thing as doing right.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, November 5, 2017, issue.
Copyright 2017 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.
In this installment of The Immediate Word, team member Chris Keating compares the swamp of the temple to the swamp in Washington -- one so fetid that some longtime members of Congress are beginning to flee. Yet many of the denizens of the swamp happily remain, in most cases because (like the scribes and Pharisees) they enjoy the power and privilege they have accumulated... especially when they feel no particular need to apply the laws they pass to themselves. But Jesus notes that eventually the tables will turn, and that “all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted.” Though it will take a great deal of effort, we can truly “drain the swamp” and usher in God’s kingdom -- and Jesus offers us a roadmap of what that looks like with the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-12, the lectionary gospel text for All Saints Sunday).
Team member Dean Feldmeyer shares some additional thoughts on the Joshua text and the vision it suggests of what defines true leadership in the wilderness. Dean notes that while in our contemporary society most of us may not live in actual wildernesses, we do find ourselves in the midst of all kinds of metaphorical wildernesses that are equally harsh in their effects on our bodies, minds, and hearts. To find the way to our promised land, Dean points out, requires purposeful action and skilled leadership that is in tune with where God is leading us.
Swamp Cleaning 101
by Chris Keating
Matthew 23:1-12; Matthew 5:1-12
When it comes to draining swamps, Candace Miller could give President Donald Trump a few pointers. Miller, a Republican who previously represented Michigan’s 10th congressional district, gave up her seat in 2015 after seven terms.
She could have walked into a lucrative lobbying position, but instead she took a plunge -- literally diving into Macomb County’s sewers as its public works commissioner. Just days after taking office, one of the county’s major sewer lines ruptured , sending millions of gallons of sewage into rivers and streams that feed the Great Lakes. Miller found that she had traded the metaphorical swamp of Washington for a stinking mess back home. Talk about the exalted being humbled.
Yet Miller says she prefers her new job . When she gave up her seat, she took a hard look at Congress. Petty infighting led her out of the proverbial sausage factory. These days, she is often found being lowered into decaying sewer lines, inspecting damage and supervising repairs. “I couldn’t be happier where I am right now, to tell you the truth,” Miller recently told a reporter.
The former congresswoman is hardly alone in walking away from the Capitol. Last week, Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Arizona) made a stunning speech denouncing the tone and tenor of contemporary politics. In announcing that he would not seek re-election , Flake gave a stinging rebuke of his own party and president. He joins Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tennessee), who had earlier announced his intention to not seek another term.
Some may see Flake and Corker’s departures as proof that Trump’s ostensible plan -- emptying the stale political waters of Washington -- is working. Others call it the death pangs of mainstream conservative Republicans. It’s also possible to wonder if Trump, who came into power as an outsider yet packed his staff with corporate chiefs and wealthy bankers, will be able to stand swamp stench. While the not-so civil war that is tearing apart Republicans is easily detected, the truth is that our smelly, polarized politics has come from both parties, and has caused much of the stagnant, swampy air which pollutes our public discourse. It is hardly a new phenomenon.
Jesus decried the scribes and Pharisees’ abusive and hypocritical authority. His words in Matthew 23 (Proper 26) form a nice parallel to the Beatitudes of Matthew 5 (All Saints Sunday). Jesus reminds the disciples that those who do not seek his kingdom love to teach people about God. Yet their actions bring them personal gain.
His message seems to be that while it is difficult to drain a swamp, it’s even harder if you can’t tolerate the smell. The gospel readings this week are reminders that swamp draining begins with hearts that seek first the kingdom, and disciples who are willing to be humbled.
In the News
Aside from tolerating smelly bogs and copious mosquito bites, the first lesson of draining swamps might be to pay attention to the politics of perception. In a “what you see is what you get” culture, image is paramount. It’s an insight raised in Rob Reiner’s 1995 romantic comedy The American President, the script for which was written by future West Wing creator Aaron Sorkin. Widowed president Andrew Shepherd (Michael Douglas) falls in love with powerful lobbyist Sydney Ellen Wade (Annette Bening). Sydney is supported by the president’s opponents -- which leads lobbyist Leo Solomon (John Mahoney) to quip that “politics is about perception.” It’s fiction, but Solomon’s wisdom is certainly apt, particularly in our current political quagmire.
While misconduct, scandal, and hypocrisy have long defined politics, there’s little happening in Washington or elsewhere to suggest that the swamp’s demise is imminent. Examples of bad behavior hang like Spanish moss from trees, and can be culled from all parts of the political spectrum. It’s truly a bipartisan bog.
Swamp behavior is certainly not new nor limited to politics -- witness the number of accusations levied against media and business leaders -- but recent revelations are reminders of Jesus’ admonitions about the Pharisees. The swamp has become a camouflaged hideout for the privileged and famous, a hiding place for the secrets of moguls, actors, and even former presidents.
This week the spotlight has fallen on former Trump campaign chair Paul Manafort and others who were indicted as a result of the Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigations. Manafort, a longtime Republican political consultant, was charged with a long list of crimes including money laundering. His indictment does not directly tie the Trump campaign to acts of collusion with Russia, but it’s not hard to catch a whiff of fetid swamp air.
Critics note that despite Trump’s pledge to purge politics of corruption, the first year of his administration may have deepened the swamp. Conflicts of interest are rife among the president’s appointments, including many who have ties to the industries they are now charged with regulating. One writer has called the Trump administration “epically swampy.”
Politics is about perceptions -- and the perception is that the swamp is thriving.
Journalist Conor Friedersdorf took a gander at the Trump marshlands, and noted that former campaign staffers have nabbed key jobs as Washington lobbyists, while many former registered lobbyists have found their way into the administration. That doesn’t include profits the Trump family has earned or the perks enjoyed by Cabinet officials such as former Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price, who resigned following revelations of his extensive use of private jets.
In fairness, however, it’s important to point out that this is not just a Republican issue. Just a few weeks ago, Democrat and movie tycoon Harvey Weinstein was accused of serious sexual harassment allegations. Weinstein had access to key politicians, including Bill and Hillary Clinton. Neither Weinstein nor Manafort will be a finalist for citizen of the year, yet clearly both have enjoyed occupying seats of honor. There’s no denying the swamps are bipartisan.
Few politicians could uphold the ethical standards Jesus offers throughout Matthew. The ethical standards set by the Beatitudes are a high bar, though it seemed that Sen. Flake, a devout Mormon, was attempting to reach that standard in his compelling speech on the floor of the Senate. Flake denounced much of the rancid, swampy politics of our time with words lauded by politicians of both parties. But it’s not clear his words will be matched by actions.
For example, just hours after decrying the current political culture, he joined other Republicans, including Vice President Mike Pence, in removing the ability of Americans to file class action suits against banks engaged in abusive practices such Wells Fargo’s creation of fake accounts. The Obama-era regulation was repealed, forcing consumers to rely on arbitration processes one critic described as being as “rigged as a North Korean election.” It is hard work to drain a swamp, especially when you keep populating it with more alligators.
Flake’s high-minded outcry of Trump’s petty and self-aggrandizing behavior did not fully translate into actions that might help the meek inherit the earth. He wasn’t alone -- Senators Bob Corker and John McCain also chose to support the administration-promoted bill. As Charles Pierce quipped, “And the U.S. Senate, an otherwise torpid beast unable to get anything done, bestirs itself to make sure that these swindlers (banks) never are called to a proper account.”
Clearly, hypocrisy and Pharisaical double-speak are part and parcel of American political life, with examples found on both sides of the aisle. Last week, awareness of sexual harassment of women in California travelled north from Hollywood to the steps of the state capital in Sacramento. More than 140 women, including legislators, aides, and lobbyists, came forward to expose decades of misconduct by California legislators. Their accounts detail acts of lewd behavior by men holding power in one of the nation’s most powerful -- and often most progressive-leaning -- statehouses.
Cristina Garcia, a Democratic assemblywoman, was one of the lawmakers who signed a letter to the Los Angeles Times detailing the incidents. “Multiple people have grabbed my butt and grabbed my breasts,” she said. “We’re talking about senior lobbyists and lawmakers.” Christine Pelosi, leader of the California Democratic Women’s Caucus, called Sacramento a “fantasy camp” for legislators who routinely act different in Sacramento than they do at home.
Fantasy Camp sounds like the title of a kitschy adolescent horror flick. Perhaps its sequel will be Return of the Privileged Leeches. No doubt both films stink, if only because they depict a life opposite of the one Jesus intends for those seeking the kingdom of God.
In the Scriptures
Those congregations which celebrate All Saints Sunday are likely to skip Matthew 23:1-12, focusing instead on the abundance of treasures in Matthew 5:1-12. But a preacher willing to explore both texts will discover how one informs the other. The Sermon on the Mount in general, and particularly the Beatitudes, form Jesus’ inaugural address for Matthew, functioning the same way Jesus’ sermon in the synagogue does in Luke 4:16-30. Jesus enumerates the priorities of the kingdom, and offers reminders of the paths trod by the saints.
The language of the Beatitudes points us toward the now and not yet eschatology of the kingdom. The poor in spirit are happy not because of outward circumstances, but because of the promise of their place in the kingdom. The meek have nothing, but are destined to inherit everything. The persecuted can look beyond their present condition to claim a promise beyond all imagination.
But promises are not just “pie in the sky, by and by.” These promises are rooted in the character of God. These words are invitations to live lives of faithfulness which are congruent with the character of a God who rejoices with the poor, who weeps with the broken-hearted, and who stands with the excluded.
With that in mind, Jesus’ words in Matthew 23 take on additional significance. Jesus is fed up with the sort of leadership the shepherds of Israel have provided. The scribes and Pharisees may sit on the seat of Moses, but their position does not impress Jesus. It is, in fact, as phony as a department store Santa Claus -- a bit like Buddy the Elf in Elf, who looks at the ersatz Santa and says, “You sit on a throne of lies!”
This is not to participate in an anti-Semitic reading of this text. That would miss the mark entirely. Instead, Jesus is identifying their vain, hypocritical behavior as inconsistent with the principles he has described earlier in Matthew 5. “Do not do as they do,” he adjures. In other words, allow the promise of the law to take up residence in you, so that your life will reflect the priorities of one seeking the kingdom of God.
In the Sermon
Swamps smell worse than a bunch of sweaty sixth-graders, and getting both clean take a good bit of effort. The preacher who listens carefully to Jesus’ words will offer the congregation an opportunity to move beyond pious-sounding indictments (“You stink!”) to a humbler disposition. Draining the swamp begins with understanding that we too are stuck in its mud and infused with its stench. Only when we see ourselves in the swamps will we find a pathway toward the life God intends for all creation.
I’m struck by Maya Angelou’s haunting words in her poem “These Yet to Be United States” (I Shall Not Be Moved [Random House, 1990], p. 21). She describes the vast power of political systems, observing that:
Seas shift at your bidding
your mushrooms fill the sky.
Why are you unhappy?
Why do your children cry?
They kneel alone in terror,
with dread in every glance…
You dwell in whitened castles
with deep and poisoned moats
and cannot hear the curses
which fill your children’s throats.
One option of connecting the sermon with All Saints Sunday could be to tell the stories of those whose faith did not take up residency in the swamp, but who instead understood that remaining in deep communion with meant striving first for the kingdom. We remember the saints, both those whose stories are well known and those whose stories are known only to a few. Their stories are reminders of what it means for the humble to be exalted as servant/leaders.
If the image of draining the swamp is fraught with too much political difficulty, consider another image. Look at the ways the saints of your congregation persevered in humble paths of service. It is powerful to name those who have died in the past year, and to recall their individual gifts. Where did their humility enrich the life of the church, and what is their legacy?
Another option is to spend some time with Matthew 23, allowing its words and setting to marinate within you. “Preaching but not practicing” is an important theme. As Karoline Lewis points out, Matthew 23:1-12 shares a connection to the Beatitudes. Lewis says Matthew 23 offers an image of the “anti-Beatitudes.” Jesus gives us an object lesson on what kingdom behavior does not look like. His words are indeed a message for our time.
Aside from the obvious associations of “the swamp” with contemporary politics, there are myriad ways we have become as stuck in the mire of sinfulness as the Pharisees were. Take a moment and explore the swamp of human behavior you encounter this week. Is it a pristine everglade, or a toxic waste dump? Name some of the places of your context that may reek -- the cesspools of decaying relationships, the shallow and stagnant streams of hubris, the spongy bogs of injustice. But also point to the wellsprings of hope, for even a swamp teems with life.
SECOND THOUGHTS
Out of the Wilderness
by Dean Feldmeyer
Joshua 3:7-17
In the Scriptures
For 40 years they wandered aimlessly in the wilderness.
Now two score years have come to an end, the old generation has passed away. Moses, the great leader who spoke with God “as a man speaketh unto his friend,” has died and been buried. He has been mourned and the designated time of grieving is over.
It’s time to enter the promised land, and God has no intention of letting this occasion go by unremarked. God has big plans for this day -- and primary among them is making it clear to all the people that there’s “a new sheriff in town,” and his name is Joshua. Furthermore, this new leader will have all of the authority of his predecessor, Moses.
God will accomplish this difficult task of passing the baton from Moses to Joshua, leader to leader, with an act of high symbolic significance.
Moses was established as the leader of Israel many times in many acts. He came out of the wilderness and went before Pharaoh with all of the self-assurance and charisma of one who is truly called. There were the plagues, of course. And if there was any doubt left in anyone’s mind that he was God’s chosen leader, the deal was pretty much sealed with the parting of the Red Sea, the opening of the gate into the wilderness.
Now, God will place this same stamp of approval upon Joshua. Water will again be parted. As the sea was opened to begin the journey, now the River Jordan will be parted to end it. As the people began the journey through parted waters, so they will now end it. As they entered the wilderness by passing through the sea, they will enter the promised land by passing through the river.
One more time, God will part the waters as a sign of God’s power and presence, God’s imprimatur and approval on the people and their leader.
In the Culture
Wildernesses come in all shapes and sizes.
The Children of Israel traveled through a physical/geographical wilderness, a desert where life was hard and tenuous, where they required supernatural interventions just to have enough food and water to keep them alive. But there are other kinds of wildernesses, not of the physical or geographical kind, that are just as tenuous, just as dangerous.
What is life lived in a constant state of fear if not a wilderness?
Mass murders (where four or more people are victims) have become the new normal in America. We have developed a comfortable and familiar liturgy for dealing with them. First there are the shocked cries of fear and grief. Then follow the calls for “thoughts and prayers” for the victims. A few politicians broach the topic of increasing and tightening gun laws, and others react by saying that the answer to these kinds of tragedies is not fewer but more guns. There is only one effective way to stop a “man with a gun,” they argue, and that’s another man with a gun. So nothing gets done, while gun manufacturers get rich.
We are currently walking through a wilderness of opioid addiction that stretches from our inner cities through our suburban parks and playgrounds to our rural villages. It defies explanation by even our best criminologists and public health experts. It defies traditional demographic studies of crime and addiction, and challenges us to create new models and new tools if we are to ever cross out of this desert.
For reasons we don’t understand, the wildernesses of racism and ethnic hate have reappeared in our country -- and while “white nationalists” and neo-Nazis demand to be heard in the streets and on the campuses of our universities, we find ourselves struggling to understand where they came from and how we can return them to the shadows from which they crawled.
And, painful as it is, we cannot leave this subject of wandering in the wilderness without examining the status of our political life together. What shall we call this wilderness? Is it gridlock, the inability to move forward or backward? Is it stalemate, a standoff of opposing sides, each unable to move but capable of keeping the other from moving? Or is it even lower and worse than that?
Our political discourse has become not just harsh but mean and even cruel. The extreme ends of the political spectrum have taken the microphone captive and refuse to give it up over even the most trivial of issues. The president has not seen an issue so small or a criticism so obscure that he does not feel compelled to respond in social media with violent rhetoric, personal attacks, and scalding insults.
People respond to this new, dark, antagonistic political discourse by seeing who can go the lowest or by pulling away and refusing to participate at all.
And our deserts are not only of the corporate kind. We often find ourselves in private deserts as well, deserts of addiction, loneliness, despair; financial deserts, emotional deserts, and energy deserts.
Finding ourselves in the deserts of gun violence or opioid abuse and addiction or racism or ethnic hatred or poisonous political disquisition that accomplishes nothing except occasional emotional catharsis, we become the very things we have beheld -- or we give up altogether.
In the Sermon
The Joshua text offers two answers to the contemporary wilderness conundrum, no matter how it comes into our lives.
The first is authentic, purposeful, symbolic action. We note that the story of the wilderness exile begins and ends with significant symbolic action -- crossing through water that has been parted by God. This realization sends us to search for our own powerful symbols, and the ways that we can make them live so that, resurrected, they can revive us and give us the strength to pass through the waters and the wilderness that assail us -- emerging stronger and more faithful than ever.
The second is skilled, called leadership.
The text calls us to examine those who would lead us. Whether they are currently in position to do so or are seeking to be given that authority, God bids us to ask for their credentials. Are they morally qualified? Do they have not just the skills to lead but the confidence of those they would lead? Can their deficiencies be corrected? Can they learn from their mistakes? Are they clear about their responsibilities? Are they willing and prepared to meet them?
As we examine our own call to lead this or that group, do we possess the necessary qualifications?
Certainly some forms of wilderness require specific responses unique to their situation, but these two elements are high on the list of necessary assets.
The promise of scripture is that, if we are willing to lead where God is going, God will go with us. In the Exodus, God accompanies the people disguised as a pillar of salt and a floating cloud. The point, however, is that whether or not we can see God, God is always there.
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Mary Austin:
1 Thessalonians 2:9-13
Too Busy
As Paul writes to the church at Thessalonica, he recalls being busy with working and proclaiming the gospel “night and day.” In spite of being so busy, Paul had something that researchers recommend to all of us: focus. Christine Carter says that we can feel better if we sharpen our focus: “We Americans are often overwhelmed and exhausted. Did you know that 235 million people are currently grappling with feelings of time-starvation and moderate to high levels of stress, exhaustion, or burnout in the United States alone? While many things factor into this collective exhaustion, I’ve found, in my own life, that much of it stems from the sheer amount of stimulus and the buildup of, well, stuff. Here are several ways I filter out what I’ve come to think of as ‘junk stimulus.’ ” Eliminating mental clutter helps us feel less busy, she says.
If we’re too stressed by a long to-do list, “this too is a source of junk stimulus. So weed that puppy down with gusto until it is a realistic representation of what you actually can accomplish given your current status as a human being (and not a super computer).” Automate everything you can, she suggests. She also advises: “Prune your to-do list with this question: If it turns out that my life is a lot shorter than I hope it will be, which of the things on my list right now will I wish I hadn’t wasted time on? Pay particular attention to anything you do just for prestige, praise, or to feel superior to others, anything that makes you tense or anxious but doesn’t contribute to your growth over the long haul, and anything that involves toxic people or situations.”
If we can manage this, we can be busy like Paul is busy -- doing something for God.
*****
Joshua 3:7-17
Being the Doorkeeper
God is preparing Joshua to lead the people in Moses’ place, growing his ability to lead. Bill Treasurer tells about learning what leadership really means. One day his son, who was in preschool, came home and announced that he was the class leader that day.
“Really? Class leader? That’s a big deal, little buddy,” Bill Treasurer said. “What did you get to do as the class leader?” As a nationally known management consultant and writer about leadership, he thought he had a pretty good idea what was coming. He knew all about leadership. But his son surprised him. Treasurer says: “With seven simple words, Ian cut through two decades of studying and researching about leadership. ‘I got to open doors for people!’ Ian’s simple but profound insight helped remind me that leaders are simply creators of opportunity for others: they open doors for people.”
Joshua will open the door to the promised land for the people, under God’s direction. All of us who serve God have the blessing and challenge of opening doors for people.
*****
Joshua 3:7-17; Matthew 23:1-12
Leadership -- Diminishers and Multipliers
Leadership coach Liz Wiseman asks people she coaches how much of their intelligence gets returned to their boss in a work setting. Some bosses get a lot of productivity from people, and she says it’s because some people are diminishers and others are multipliers. A multiplier is a “leader who brings out the best in people around them.” Other leaders are “really smart people [who] seem to suck intelligence out of a group. And they’re leaders I call diminishers. They may be smart, but people around them aren’t really allowed to or invited to be smart, whereas other leaders, equally intelligent themselves, seem to use their intelligence in a way that provokes and invites and even demands intelligence in the people around them. It’s about a leader who sees and uses and grows intelligence in others. They become, as a leader, the multiplier to the intelligence of their team. Or even maybe more simply put, it’s about a leader who other people are really smart around.”
Jesus and Joshua are multipliers -- leaders who build up the people around them.
*****
Joshua 3:7-17; Matthew 23:1-12
Leadership in Unusual Forms
Leaders come in unexpected forms. After 40 years, the Hebrew people perhaps expected that Moses would be with them forever. Surprisingly, Jesus tells the people listening to him to do what the Pharisees tell them to do, just not to follow their example. Bishop Vashti McKenzie, the first woman bishop in the AME Church, says she’s waiting for the day when her gender and skin color are not issues in people taking her leadership seriously: “I live for the day when my gender and my race means nothing -- means nothing -- that my gifts, my skills, my character, my mental astuteness, these things qualify me to do the job. Period.”
She was the first woman to serve as the pastor of Payne Memorial Church in Baltimore, where leadership meant getting outside the church. The church was surrounded by people who were homeless, hungry, out of work, and struggling with addiction. There had to be a transfer of power, she says, “and so then our job is, is to be sure that the power that is on the inside becomes the power that reaches the people on the outside.”
Under her leadership, one thing led to another. “The outreach center, you know, started with, of course, the food pantry and the clothes pantry -- the traditional things that happen. And then we moved to helping people with their shut-off and cut-off notices. And then we became like the referral agency. ‘I need help.’ ‘OK. Let’s see how we can connect you to the appropriate agency or organization in the community, in the city, that can help you with that need.’ Because some people just can’t navigate all the red tape that they face when they need help. Or they don’t know where to go for help. And so the natural progression was to move into a place where we train persons for jobs and, you know, held their hands while they navigated coming out of tennis shoes and jeans. And we had a professional clothes closet. We did soft skills of how to get your résumé out, how to do an interview, how to do all those kinds of things, and then go through the training program. So we did all of the prep work.”
Like Joshua taking the people into the promised land, like Jesus moving in and out of the temple toward the cross, leadership involves movement.
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From team member Ron Love:
Joshua 3:7-17
The Irwin family is returning to television’s Animal Planet channel. This is 11 years after the death of the family’s patriarch Steve Irwin, who was known to viewers as the “Crocodile Hunter.” Steve died in September 2006 at the age of 44 while filming an underwater scene, when a stingray’s stinging barbs pierced his heart. His wife Terri, who hosted the show with him, resigned from the show to raise their two children. At the time Bindi was 8 and Robert was 3. Over the years the family remained active in animal preservation. Now that the children are older, Terri and her two children will once again host the show. Terri said about returning to television: “Grief is never something you get over. You don’t get up one morning and say, ‘I’ve conquered that, now I’m moving on.’ It’s something that walks beside you every day. And if you learn how to manage it and honor the person that you miss, you can take something that is incredibly sad and have some form of positivity. That’s kind of what we decided to do with Steve.”
Application: All of us need to be led by the ark of the covenant to a land of peace.
*****
Joshua 3:7-17
In the spring of 1942 when he was 11 years old, multi-billionaire Warren Buffett made his first investment. He put down his entire fortune, $120, for three shares of Cities Service Preferred. By June the stock dropped drastically, and Buffett had little equity to his name. But as the shares slowly improved he sold them at a small profit, which he again invested. And that beginning made Warren Buffett what is today -- the third wealthiest person in the United States. Bill Gates, with a net worth of $89 billion, is the wealthiest person. Donald Trump, our first billionaire president, is ranked as the 248th wealthiest person, with $3.1 billion.
Application: Joshua teaches us to always keep moving forward.
*****
Psalm 107:1-7, 33-37
It seems that hurricanes and mass shootings receive unprecedented news coverage. Though the wildfires in California have received news coverage, it has not been as nearly intense as the Las Vegas shooting or the hurricane aftermath in Puerto Rico. This should not necessarily be the case, as the wildfires have killed 42 people, destroyed 7,000 homes and businesses, and caused damage to insured properties of at least $1 billion -- and all of these figures are expected to increase dramatically.
Application: The psalmist discusses the need for people to be delivered from their distress.
*****
1 Thessalonians 2:9-13
In July 2012, Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) cast her 5,000th consecutive vote in the Senate. Achieving that milestone required a great deal of preparation and sacrifice. For example, unlike other senators she arrives in Washington, DC on Sunday instead of Monday. This way, the weather in Maine cannot delay her trip for a Monday vote. Reflecting on her 5,000 consecutive votes, Collins said: “But I’m proud of the fact that I’ve gone 15 and a half years without missing one, and I believe it reflects the seriousness with which I take this job and the fact that I consider it an honor to represent the people of Maine. And I know that they’re very diligent about showing up for work and that the people of my state have a great work ethic, and I’ve tried to mirror that.”
Application: Paul instructs us to have a strong work ethic and a strong moral character.
*****
1 Thessalonians 2:9-13
Glenn Odom, a school board member in Florence, South Carolina, recently needed a ride to a board meeting. He sent an e-mail to the chairman saying, “Would you be so kind to send an e-mail out to the board asking if I could get a ride? Just don’t send it to any darkies.” Odom, who has been a board member for more than 25 years, did not want to ride with an African-American board member. Community activist James Williams said: “It is difficult to imagine that someone who still uses the word ‘darkie’ will not inject racial biases into the decisions he makes regarding our children.” Williams went on to say that more than 50 percent of the students in the school district are African-American or Hispanic. Odom resigned from the school board, saying he now lives outside the section of the district that he represented.
Application: Paul instructs us to be individuals with integrity.
*****
1 Thessalonians 2:9-13
Chris Wallace, 70, is considered the dean of Sunday morning political talk hosts. Wallace moderated the first presidential debate last year, for which he received high marks for his performance. Wallace is a reporter for Fox News, and is concerned about other Fox News commentators who are bashing the media. Wallace said they are free to express their opinion, but he went on to say: “I don’t like them bashing the media, because oftentimes what they’re bashing is stuff that we on the news side are doing. I don’t think they recognize that they have a role at Fox News and we have a role at Fox News. I don’t know what’s in their head. I just think it’s bad form.” Wallace noted that Sean Hannity, President Trump’s fiercest defender on Fox, has made frequent references to what he calls the “destroy Trump media,” by which he means reporters who report negative stories on the president. Hannity has criticized the press in 90 percent of his monologues, and used the term “fake news” 67 times in a four-month period.
Application: Paul instructs us to be bold in our proclamations, but that we must speak with integrity. This means not denouncing our colleagues.
*****
Matthew 23:1-12
Washington Post columnist Kathleen Parker recently interviewed Gretchen Carlson about Carlson’s new book Be Fierce. In the book Carlson discusses her experience, and the experiences of other women, regarding sexual harassment in the workplace. Carlson was a reporter for Fox News Channel whose lawsuit led to the termination of Fox News creator and CEO Roger Ailes. During the interview Parker said she personally has never experienced being sexual harassed. Upon further discussion with Carlson, Parker realized that she was sexually harassed on several occasions. Parker then wrote, “Indeed, I did what most women do. I shrugged them off and stashed the experiences so deeply in my psyche’s junk folder that I forgot about them until now.” With that revelation Parker became a member of the #MeToo movement of women who are openly discussing their personal traumas.
Application: Jesus discussed the hypocrisy of leaders who do not practice what they teach. This would include business leaders and politicians who discuss their contributions for the good of society, yet sexually harass women in the workplace.
*****
Matthew 23:1-12
In a Peanuts comic strip, freckle-faced tomboy Peppermint Patty is sitting at her school desk behind Franklin, an African-American child. Peppermint Patty is holding her test paper in front of her face and says, “An essay test! I’m doomed!” She goes on to lament that the test is not multiple-choice or true and false. Then, putting the test on her desk and sitting back in her chair while Franklin is diligently writing in front of her, she says: “I hate it when you have to know what you’re writing about.”
Application: Jesus said we should always be students.
*****
Matthew 23:1-12
In a Peanuts comic strip, Peppermint Patty is walking up to the teacher’s desk to hand in her essay exam. Placing the test paper on the desk, she laments: “Handing in an essay test when you know you did terrible is an awful feeling.” She walks back to her desk thinking that the awful feeling is so bad that she wants to die. Sitting back down at her desk and leaning back in her chair, she realizes that you don’t die because it is only October “and there’ll be more essay tests and more agony.” She then sits up with the sudden realization that “Maybe I should try studying.”
Application: Jesus said we should always be students.
*****
Matthew 23:1-12
In a Born Loser comic, Brutus Thornapple is sitting slouched in his easy chair. His wife, Gladys, is leaning on her elbows on the back of the chair. Their son, Wilberforce, is standing at the foot of the chair. Wilberforce asks his father if he will help him with his math homework. Brutus, as any good father would, answers “Of course.” Then, in a marriage that seems to be built on criticism, Gladys says: “It’s nice that Daddy can help you now. Next year, you’ll be in the fifth grade and he’ll be of no use to you at all!”
Application: Jesus instructs us to always be students who are learning. That means having a better than fourth-grade understanding of the Bible.
WORSHIP RESOURCES
by George Reed
Call to Worship
Leader: Let us bless our God at all times.
People: The praise of God shall continually be in our mouths.
Leader: O magnify God with me.
People: Let us exalt God’s name together.
Leader: God redeems the life of God’s servants.
People: None who take refuge in God will be condemned.
OR
Leader: O give thanks to our good God.
People: God’s steadfast love endures forever.
Leader: Let the redeemed of God say so.
People: Let those of us who were redeemed from trouble speak.
Leader: Let us thank God for steadfast love.
People: Let us thank God for wonderful works to humankind.
OR
Leader: God calls, “Come and learn of me.”
People: We come to find the one in whose image we were made.
Leader: Rejoice in the integrity of our God.
People: Great is our God who acts and speaks as one.
Leader: Let us follow God’s example as we deal with others.
People: We strive to always align our actions with our words.
Hymns and Sacred Songs
“Ye Watchers and Ye Holy Ones”
found in:
UMH: 90
H82: 618
PH: 451
LBW: 175
ELA: 424
“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
“Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise”
found in:
UMH: 103
H82: 423
PH: 263
NCH: 1
CH: 66
LBW: 526
ELA: 834
W&P: 48
AMEC: 71
STLT: 273
Renew: 46
“For All the Saints”
found in:
UMH: 711
H82: 287
PH: 526
AAHH: 339
NNBH: 301
NCH: 299
CH: 637
LBW: 174
ELA: 422
W&P: 529
AMEC: 476
STLT: 103
“Rejoice in God’s Saints”
found in:
UMH: 708
CH: 476
ELA: 418
W&P: 531
“O God of Every Nation”
found in:
UMH: 435
H82: 607
PH: 289
CH: 680
LBW: 416
ELA: 713
W&P: 626
“O Master, Let Me Walk with Thee”
found in:
UMH: 430
H82: 659, 660
PH: 357
NNBH: 445
NCH: 503
CH: 602
LBW: 492
ELA: 818
W&P: 589
AMEC: 299
“Breathe on Me, Breath of God”
found in:
UMH: 420
H82: 508
PH: 316
AAHH: 317
NNBH: 126
NCH: 292
CH: 254
LBW: 488
W&P: 461
AMEC: 192
“Dear Jesus, in Whose Life I See”
found in:
UMH: 468
(Although only in the United Methodist Hymnal, this simple two-verse hymn speaks very clearly of the struggle we have to make our words and deeds one.)
“Change My Heart, O God”
found in:
CCB: 56
Renew: 143
“God, You Are My God” (“Step by Step”)
found in:
CCB: 60
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 speaks and acts as One: Grant us the grace to not only proclaim our faith but also to live it out in our daily lives; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We praise you, O God, because your words and acts are one. Help us to give glory to you by proclaiming our faith boldly and living our faith with integrity. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
Leader: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins, and especially our failure to match our deeds with our words.
People: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We are quick to speak about our faith, but slow to act according to our words. We find it easy to judge others, while we overlook our own faults. We have become the hypocrites we speak so harshly against. Forgive us, and renew your Spirit within us that we might live according to our beliefs. Amen.
Prayers of the People (and the Lord’s Prayer)
Praise and glory to you, O God, for you are perfect in your unity.
(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 are quick to speak about our faith, but slow to act according to our words. We find it easy to judge others, while we overlook our own faults. We have become the hypocrites we speak so harshly against. Forgive us, and renew your Spirit within us that we might live according to our beliefs.
We give you thanks for all the blessings you have given to us. We thank you for our world and the universe that holds it. We thank you for those who speak truth to us about the world and about ourselves.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for those who suffer. Some suffer in body, some in mind, and some in spirit. We pray for those who are deceived by people who would rob them of their goods or their affection.
(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
Show children pictures of people’s faces with obvious emotion. Mislabel those emotions, and ask the children about that. (This person says, “I am happy.”) Have them sort the pictures and emotion labels to match. Talk about how when we talk one way and act another we are not being the image of God we are supposed to be.
CHILDREN’S SERMON
Looks Like a Duck
by Dean Feldmeyer
Matthew 23:1-12
Items needed:
* A picture of a duck.
* A series of portraits of people -- some good, some bad; some attractive, some not so much. (You can cull these images from the internet.) Pictures might include John Dillinger, Adolf Hitler, Mother Teresa, Rudolf Valentino, Ma Barker, Pretty Boy Floyd, etc. For fun, you might want to include an old picture of yourself. (If you have a small group of children, you can put print these faces enlarged, one to a sheet. If you have a large group, put all the pictures on a single sheet, then print and distribute copies to everyone.)
We have a saying that if something looks like a duck and quacks like a duck and walks like a duck and flies like a duck -- well, it must be a duck, right?
The only problem with that saying is that sometimes things can look like other than what they are.
Discuss the collection of pictures you collected. Who are the good people? Who are the evil ones? Some of these people look perfectly nice, but aren’t. Some look kind of scary, but aren’t.
Jesus was adamant that looking good isn’t the same as being good. And looking right isn’t the same thing as doing right.
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The Immediate Word, November 5, 2017, issue.
Copyright 2017 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.
