The walk to Emmaus takes center stage in this week’s gospel text. It’s an interesting scene, as the disciples fail to recognize Jesus as their companion while telling him all about the astounding events of recent days. After patiently listening to their description, Jesus interprets everything in the context of the larger scriptural picture -- helping his friends to understand (“to see”) what has really happened. Then he breaks bread with them -- and at that moment they recognize who their walking companion is, which Luke again describes in terms of sight (“their eyes were opened”). Sight, and learning to see, is the central metaphor in this story, and in this installment of The Immediate Word, team member Leah Lonsbury discusses the difference between recognizing what is plainly in front of us and (like the disciples walking to Emmaus) failing to understand it because of willful blindness or because we aren’t sufficiently trained to interpret it correctly. Leah utilizes the inspiring story of a Michigan man who is learning to see again with the benefit of a “bionic eye” to illustrate how we too can have our memories reawakened and put into context, and learn from Jesus how to make the most of our new, spiritually enhanced vision. And for an example of not seeing, she points to the recent Supreme Court decision on affirmative action, in which Justice Sonia Sotomayor accused her colleagues of failing to perceive the lingering reality of racial discrimination. Leah asks us to consider: How much does the new vision Jesus offers mean to us, and what are we doing to reflect it in our everyday lives?
Team member Chris Keating shares some additional thoughts on the Acts text and Peter’s exhortation to “save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” Complaining about the moral turpitude of the younger generation is a time-honored practice, but Chris cites new research indicating that context matters in this regard -- that different cultures and different generations have different moral touchpoints that can be influenced by a whole host of factors, especially economic ones. When assessing what makes a corrupt generation, Chris reminds us, there’s more to take into account than initially meets the eye -- and fewer significant differences than we might imagine.
Then Their Eyes Were Opened
by Leah Lonsbury
Luke 24:13-35
“It’s awesome. It’s exciting -- seeing something new every day,” says 55-year-old Roger Pontz.
Pontz was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa as a teenager, and the degenerative eye disease slowly stole more and more of his sight until he was completely blind. That is, until he received his “bionic eye” at the University of Michigan Kellogg Eye Center. Now an implant in Pontz’s eye receives electrical pulses that represent images captured by a camera in his new high-tech glasses. The brain then interprets the visual information received by the eye by translating the images into patterns of light that can be recognized and interpreted. This is what has given Pontz back his sight, limited though it may be.
When Pontz puts on his glasses, which he refers to as his “eyes,” he can spot and grab his cat and recognize the flash of light that is his grandson flying through the room. Both Pontz and his wife Terri continue to be amazed by his progress. Terri regularly drives her husband nearly 200 miles from their small hometown of Reed City, Michigan to the center in Ann Arbor for checkups and therapy with occupational therapist Ashley Howson. Howson is helping Pontz reawaken his visual memory and learn techniques that can help him make the most of his new vision.
These long trips and the “homework” or therapeutic exercises Terri helps Roger do in between visits are not a hassle, but a gift according to the couple. “What’s it worth to see again? It’s worth everything,” says Terri.
Like Roger Pontz, the disciples on the road to Emmaus are having their memories reawakened and reinterpreted. As they walk and talk with Jesus, and especially as they break bread with him, they are learning to see again in a new way, and finding ways to make the most of their new, spiritually enhanced vision.
It’s easy to imagine the disciples speaking the words of the Pontzes:
“It’s awesome. It’s exciting -- seeing something new every day.”
“What’s it worth to see again? It’s worth everything.”
It’s worth everything, because it changes everything.
Sight and learning how to see are central to this story from Luke’s gospel. But what happens if we don’t see? What happens if our vision remains at “we had hoped” and we miss seeing that “the Lord has risen indeed”? What if we fail to see what is right before us?
Let’s join the disciples on the road to Emmaus this week to relearn what it means and what it takes to have and keep our eyes open for Jesus.
In the News
There’s Roger Pontz, and then there’s the Supreme Court.
Sometimes we long to see. Sometimes we work oh so hard to see. And sometimes we don’t.
That’s the conclusion of Supreme Court Justice Sotomayor in her 58-page dissent from the majority’s April 22 ruling that the state of Michigan may continue its ban on race-based affirmative action in higher education. Sotomayor uses strong terms to point out the majority’s willful blindness, their refusal to see and consider our nation’s history of discrimination and the needs of those on the margins because of that very history.
Sotomayor knows firsthand this history and how it affects the present if we turn a blind eye. In her 2013 memoir, she writes of benefiting from race-based affirmative action at Princeton University and Yale Law School. She knows personally the power of looking head-on at race and the U.S.’s history of racism. Were it not for such affirmative action, would Sotomayor sit on the bench that allows her to issue such statements?
This is the first time in her five-year tenure on the Supreme Court that Sotomayor has written independently on the subject of race. This is also the first time Sotomayor has chosen to read portions of her dissent from the bench. She answered the majority’s written decision with 40 more pages than they produced, and she spoke for 12 minutes, nearly as long as Justice Anthony Kennedy who spoke for the majority.
Calling the ban unfair, Sotomayor pointed out that it allows college administrators to make decisions based on factors that would disproportionately favor white students, like whether a student had relatives who were alumni, but blocks race-based criteria that might shift some preference to minority students. The law, she wrote, “restructures the political process in Michigan in a manner that places unique burdens on racial minorities” to win changes in admissions policies.
This decision is a result of the majority’s choice to remain blind, to squash conversation around race that just might reawaken their memories of the U.S.’s history of racism and cause them to reinterpret the way they see the landscape that encompasses, but sweeps wider and deeper than, the issue of education.
The way to make change is to open your eyes and choose to see, Sotomayor is saying. What kind of “visual therapy,” to use Pontz’s terminology, would it take to help these judges and each of us to reawaken our memories and vision? What techniques might they employ to help them make the most of that newfound vision and keep their eyes wide open? How might we answer that same question about ourselves?
This is hard work, but like with the Pontzes, it is also a gift. Remember the man with the bionic eye?
“It’s awesome. It’s exciting -- seeing something new every day.”
“What’s it worth to see again? It’s worth everything.”
What might the majority judges see with a new, enhanced vision? What might we see?
The way forward.
Sotomayor writes of this, “The way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to speak openly and candidly on the subject of race.”
And why do this? “Does race really matter anymore?” the majority seems to be saying.
YES, says Sotomayor.
And race matters for reasons that really are only skin deep, that cannot be discussed any other way, and that cannot be wished away. Race matters to a young man’s view of society when he spends his teenage years watching others tense up as he passes, no matter the neighborhood where he grew up. Race matters to a young woman’s sense of self when she states her hometown, and then is pressed “No, where are you really from?” regardless of how many generations her family has been in the country. Race matters to a young person addressed by a stranger in a foreign language, which he does not understand because only English was spoken at home. Race matters because of the slights, the snickers; the silent judgments that reinforce that most crippling of thoughts: “I do not belong here.”
It matters, and it changes everything.
In the Scriptures
In Feasting on the Word (Year A, Vol. 2, pp. 418-422), Molly Marshall offers a most generous interpretation for the blindness of Cleopas and the other disciple on the road. “The resurrected Jesus eludes easy identification,” she writes.
Throughout each of the gospels, Luke included, there is a muddied combination of continuity and discontinuity whenever followers come in contact with the resurrected one, Marshall continues. They weren’t expecting a “proleptic inbreaking of the end, but a resurrection on the ‘last day.’ ”
There’s always familiarity mixed in with the mystery, recognition with the confusion, writes Marshall. “They sense that he is the one with whom they have shared a table; they recognize that he continues to teach and encourage them even in their vanquished hope.”
Generous. Marshall is ever so generous.
The disciples have a lot working against them.
They’re not totally in the dark.
They can see dimly through the black veil of their grief.
There might yet be the smallest glimmer of, well... something in the haze that surrounds their surrender, their declaration of defeat.
“But their eyes were kept from recognizing him,” says verse 16.
So Jesus keeps walking and talking, and scores himself an invitation to the table. And that last bit matters; it changes everything.
Jesus persistently, intentionally draws near, just like he has always done. He comes closer, so the disciples can have their memories reawakened and reinterpreted and so they can learn to see again with a new, spiritually enhanced vision.
He employs his never-fail tactic, his old faithful remedy for blindness -- he joins them at the table. “Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him...” (v. 31).
They see, we see (finally!) Jesus in the breaking of the bread. In what Marshall calls Luke’s “emerging eucharistic theology,” hospitality becomes “the doorway to grace.”
The willingness of the disciples to open and offer their table, their bread, their lives to others in the pattern of their teacher restores their sight. This faithfulness, in the face of what seems like defeat and hopelessness, casts a new vision. This is faithfulness to the way of Jesus, and it makes him visible to them once again and in a new, resurrected, and resurrecting way.
Marshall writes of this:
Hospitality expresses deep vulnerability; welcoming a stranger is always risky, and the tables might be turned -- for good or ill. It is not readily apparent who the guest really might be. Jesus becomes the host at this meal, which becomes an expression of thanksgiving and deepened faith. Eucharistic hospitality should emulate the expansive welcome portrayed in this text.
Hospitality, vulnerability, stranger welcome, risk -- these are the techniques Jesus employs to bestow, restore, and maintain his disciples’ sight. They are also key to the disciples’ (this includes us) development of the Christ vision that will call them beyond their loss and collapse and into a reawakened and reimagined sense of what it means to see and be Jesus in the world.
This restoration of sight is not easy, nor is it without its risks. But, as Terri Pontz would say: “What’s it worth to see again? It’s worth everything.”
Like Jesus, we must move from isolation to community, from death to life. This kind of struggle and risk is the key to spiritual practice and outreach in post-modernity, according to Marshall:
Actions speak more than words, welcome more than self-protection provides the space where others might fearlessly enter and find themselves at home. Sharing the common meal transgresses boundaries and allows communion with Christ, who meets us whenever we gather at the Lord’s Table -- or at the tables that provide self-giving welcome.
In the Sermon
This week, the preacher might choose to...
* examine our blind spots. Where do we fail and/or refuse to see Jesus? What does that mean for us as disciples? How does it “restructure” (to use Sotomayor’s word) our journey on The Way? How does it direct our vision? What or whom do we miss at Jesus’ table?
* ask how our evangelism does or does not mirror that of Jesus. Does our “missions programming” look at all like Jesus’ welcome to the table?
* consider how we see those with whom we break bread (literally or figuratively). How does the experience change us? Does our welcome to the table sound like a welcome? What does it risk? What does it protect? What is (in Marshall’s words) our “emerging eucharistic theology”?
* think with the congregation about what their version of 200 miles and vision therapy (from Pontz’s story) might look like. What have we committed to the healing of our sight? How are we investing in our newfound vision? How are we keeping our eyes open and on Jesus? How do we know it is “worth everything,” as Terri Pontz says?
* enjoy the view. Consider how our journey reflects our restored vision. How does it mirror the “thanksgiving and deepened faith” Jesus experienced at the table? How is our journey marked and changed by our new sight? How are we celebrating, and what is our version of those key statements from the Pontzes?
“It’s awesome. It’s exciting -- seeing something new every day.”
“What’s it worth to see again? It’s worth everything.”
SECOND THOUGHTS
Repent, Be Saved, and Get Off My Lawn!
Saving Ourselves from Generational Corruption
by Chris Keating
Acts 2:14a, 36-41
Walt Kowalski, the main character in Clint Eastwood’s 2008 movie Gran Torino, has had enough. He’s had enough of the youth gangs roaming his changing neighborhood, enough of the religion touted by his young parish priest, and enough of his adult children’s desires to sell his home.
He swears; he glares untrustingly at his immigrant neighbors; he dismisses his priest’s pastoral counsel.
In short, Kowalski is a cranky old man. He is also a fair characterization of the generational fissures some think are emerging today. Generational conflicts aren’t new, of course. In the 1960s, it was all about questioning authority -- turning on, tuning in, and dropping out.
Today, however, things just ain’t the way they used to be.
Heeding Peter’s admonition to “save ourselves from this corrupt generation” in Acts 2:40 takes on new meaning today. Understanding exactly what defines a corrupt generation is a slippery task, one that calls for nuanced theological and sociological reflection. What is going on in our world? What external forces impact the current generation?
Like Kowalski’s Detroit neighborhood, our world is changing. What’s happening in the world calls the preacher to carefully consider the widely disparate definitions of morality as well as important cultural shifts in order to proclaim God’s saving good news, the promise that is for all people.
In the News
It’s not just generational divisions that impact our context. What’s considered morally accepted seems to vary among particular nations. A new Pew Research Center survey asked people in 40 countries about morality. Participants were asked what they found as morally unacceptable, morally acceptable, or not a moral issue. The survey issues included extramarital affairs, gambling, drinking alcohol, homosexuality, and using contraceptives.
Survey says: “It depends.”
In France, for example, only about 47% of the population thinks having an extramarital affair is unacceptable. On the other hand, 12% replied it was completely acceptable. Internationally, having an affair, gambling, and abortion are typically viewed as morally unacceptable. But there are differences: in the United States, only 37% consider homosexuality unacceptable, while 95% of Egyptians consider it wrong. About half of Americans think drinking alcoholic beverages is not a moral issue, and only 7% believe contraceptive use is unacceptable.
Strong differences about definitions of morality among nations can be expected -- but what about home? In a different Pew study, researchers have concluded that the United States is facing a critical “aha” moment. Pew’s Next America study is a fascinating look at current economic, cultural, and demographic transformations within the United States. Researchers believe we’re in the midst of two critical changes: age and race.
Kowalski may growl at his Hmong neighbors, but the truth is America is indeed becoming more multiracial even as it is aging. It’s a theme captured by Madison Avenue during the last Super Bowl. Advertisers rolled out versions of the “new us,” with ads featuring interracial families and same-gender households. Coca-Cola took “E Pluribus Unum” to a new level by featuring “America the Beautiful” sung in different languages -- causing consternation among some, but showing how fast our nation is changing.
As the Pew study observes:
At the same time our population is going gray, we’re also becoming multi-colored. In 1960, the population of the United States was 85% white; by 2060, it will be only 43% white. We were once a black and white country. Now, we’re a rainbow.
Moreover, new data also reveals that the American middle class is no longer the world’s richest. Only a small percentage of households are truly benefiting from the economic resurgence, with the middle class shrinking. With resources dwindling, even the time-honored American dream of a college education is being deferred, with some even questioning its value. Rising fees, anxiety about unsavory student loan practices, and uncertain job prospects have all combined to lead many to question the value of a college degree.
Because generational shifts occur over time, they’re sometimes hard to notice. It’s a point the folks at Pew are willing to concede, while still contending America seems to be at a tipping point. Around 10,000 Baby Boomers are turning 65 every day. Meanwhile, the latest adult cohort, the Millennial Generation, is finding it hard to launch. The financial constraints faced by both generations may eventually strain the economy.
Serious political divides separate the generations, as noted by the new research. A split between the generations is seen in voting patterns, support for bigger government, and even faith. Millenials (aged 18-33) are less religiously inclined -- while still remaining steady in their actual systems of belief. They are the definition of “spiritual, but not religious.”
So does this mean there will soon be a clash between this “crooked and perverse generation” and their elders?
Probably not. There is data to suggest that tensions between generations are actually somewhat mild and irenic. And a Grey Matter Research (pdf) report concludes that younger persons actually have a strong sense of morality:
Probably reflecting societal norms as much as spiritual ones, Millennials are actually more likely than older Americans to say that using tobacco is a sin (37% to 22%). The same is true about “not taking proper care of your body” (47% to 34%). They are also slightly more likely to say working on the Sabbath is a sin (19% to 13%).
The behaviors Millennials are less likely to define as sinful included adultery (66% to 83%), homosexual activity or sex (44% to 53%), reading or watching pornography (42% to 51%), gossip (39% to 48%), and, flying in the face of all the stereotypes that have Millennials as particularly “green,” doing things as a consumer that harm the environment (32% to 42%).
So yes, Millennials do have a definition of sin that, particularly in areas of sexuality, does differ somewhat from that of older generations. But it’s far more similar to other generations than it is different. And in areas where Millennials are often seen as more liberal -- abortion, drinking, sex before marriage, smoking marijuana, homosexual thoughts -- there are no differences.
In the Scriptures
Acts 2 is a demonstration of how the gospel speaks to a changing world. Luke narrates a changing world. At its forefront are Peter and the apostles, who have become witnesses to Jesus’ resurrection and his ascension. Their lives have been changed by all they have seen and heard. On the day of Pentecost, Luke describes the Spirit’s sudden appearance: a violent wind, the appearance of tongues of fire, and the gift of understanding different languages (Acts 2:2-4).
Luke makes it clear that Peter’s audience was as diverse as New Year’s Eve in Times Square. Perhaps even more diverse, as it includes groups long considered extinct. Luke reminds his readers that God’s gift of the Spirit awakens new life in all persons. When compared to the spectacle of Pentecost, today’s breathtaking cultural and generational shifts seem as tame as child’s play.
The lectionary picks up the Pentecost story at verse 14, with Peter raising his voice in response to the ruckus all have witnessed. His sermon is a call to understand the new thing that God is doing, and an invitation to turn from sin. It prompts an immediate and overwhelming response from the congregation. “What should we do?” the crowd inquires.
Preacher Peter leans forward and delivers a thundering response. “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
I bet even Walt Kowalski would have been moved that day.
In the Sermon
Peter’s sermon offers an opportunity to see how the gospel promises transformation to every generation. As the world was changing for the apostles, so it continues to change for us. The promise of God was offered to all who were present that Pentecost, including the youngest children. The story of Jesus cuts across generational divides, and invites all people to see their lives in light of God’s grace.
The crooked and perverse generation? Why, it could even be us. That is the nature of the redemption Peter promises.
A sermon could explore the promise of the Spirit’s unifying gift to a diverse (and often divided) world. One sign of the Spirit’s work can perhaps be seen in the gathering of generations in single homes. Generations may struggle with conversations over divergent opinions, but more and more those conversations may be taking place under the same roof -- especially as younger generations “boomerang” home.
The diversity of those present at Pentecost is a reminder of the breadth of God’s call. It transcends divisions of all kinds -- generational, economic, and cultural -- and gathers into one body the people of God. As Gran Torino reminds us, barriers which keep us divided ultimately fade before the promise that we are cherished and claimed by a grace we may not fully comprehend. Peter’s sermon extends God’s call, declaring the forgiveness of sins and inviting us to participate in Christ’s welcoming mission.
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Ron Love:
Acts 2:14a, 36-41
In a recent op-ed piece, conservative columnist George Will of the Washington Post took President Obama to task for Obama’s adolescent choice of words. Obama had referred to the budget proposed by Republican Paul Ryan as a “meanwich” and a “stinkburger.” Will wrote: “Try to imagine Franklin Roosevelt or Dwight Eisenhower or John Kennedy or Ronald Reagan talking like that. It is unimaginable that those grownups would resort to japes that fourth-graders would not consider sufficiently clever for use on the playground.”
Application: When sharing the gospel message, we need to do so in a way that does not offend or degrade.
*****
Acts 2:14a, 36-41
The most common tattoo, especially for young people, is a religious symbol. Religious symbols are especially popular with youth since they are the most easily justifiable tattoos to explain to their parents. The problem that is now arising is that years after getting that religious symbol or scriptural verse inscribed one’s beliefs change, and the tattoo may no longer express a previously held belief. This means some delicate artwork to change the design -- or painful laser removal.
Application: We can be assured that Peter and his followers never changed their beliefs and that their proclamation remained steadfast and constant.
*****
Acts 2:14a, 36-41
In the small village of Borja in northeastern Spain, a fading fresco of Jesus was featured on the wall of the Sanctuary of Mercy church. Painted in 1930 by a minor Spanish artist -- a professor at the nearby school of art in Zaragoza -- the work was titled Ecco Homo, which means “Behold the Man.” If it was not restored, the badly peeling painting was destined for certain obscurity. So in 2012 local devotee Cecilia Gimenez took it upon herself to restore the painting that she frequently visited and so adored. But the 80-year-old amateur artist botched her well-intentioned attempt, and her restorations made Jesus appear like a monkey. The resulting image has become a global phenomenon, with social media, t-shirts, and coffee mugs all now displaying the new picture -- which is unflattering and jokingly called Ecco Mono, meaning “Behold the Monkey.”
Application: One can only wonder how people heard the sermon of Peter. Beyond the 3,000, how many instead heard the words “ecco mono”?
*****
Acts 2:14a, 36-41
During his homily for Palm Sunday, Pope Francis ignored his prepared text and spoke candidly. In the course of his remarks he discussed the disciples sleeping while Jesus was praying in the Mount of Olives. Then the Pope asked, “Has my life fallen asleep?”
Application: Peter in his sermon wanted to awaken the Jews and all who would listen to the message that Jesus is the Messiah.
*****
Acts 2:14a, 36-41
Michelle Wie has finally won her first LPGA title in the United States. When the Hawaiian native first participated in a professional tournament at the age of 12, she said she was “so star-struck” that she had difficulty competing. Now, at the age of 24 she has left that youthfulness behind her and became a champion -- helping her to relax and perhaps fulfill the superstardom that has long been predicted for her.
Application: We need to move away from the wonderment and mystery of Jesus to be able to affirm his Messianic message.
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From team member Dean Feldmeyer:
Luke 24:13-35
15 Fun Facts About the Human Eye
1. Eyes are thought to have first developed in animals, in a very basic form, around 550 million years ago.
2. The world’s most common eye color is brown.
3. You see with your brain, not your eyes. Our eyes function like a camera, capturing light and sending data back to the brain.
4. We have two eyeballs in order to give us depth perception -- comparing two images allows us to determine how far away an object is from us.
5. 20/20 vision simply means that you have normal vision.
6. Your eyes become tired when you read or stare at a computer because you blink less often.
7. Although our nose and ears keep growing throughout our lives, our eyes remain the same size from birth.
8. You blink more when you talk.
9. People generally read 25 times slower on screen than on paper.
10. All babies are color blind at birth.
11. It’s impossible to sneeze with your eyes open.
12. The human eye can distinguish 500 shades of grey.
13. Our eyes are made up of over 200 million working parts.
14. In the right conditions and lighting, humans can see the light of a single candle from 14 miles away.
15. It’s possible to blink five times in a single second, but you can’t do it if you try.
*****
Luke 24:13-35
Rashomon
Acclaimed Japanese director Akira Kurosawa’s 1950 movie Rashomon tells the story of a samurai and his wife who are attacked by a bandit. The samurai is killed in the attack, and when the bandit is later captured and put on trial his account and the account of the wife are so different that the murdered samurai is allowed to testify through a psychic. But his account is different from those of his wife and the bandit. The film ends when the woodcutter who is telling the story reveals that he saw the entire incident and gives his account -- which is different from the other three. Rashomon is often studied for raising questions about eyewitness testimony and the nature of truth.
The film was remade by an American film company in 1964 under the title The Outrage, starring Paul Newman as a Mexican bandit in a performance so convincing that many audiences refused to believe that it was Newman playing the part.
The film and its plot device -- different eyewitnesses offering vastly different accounts of the same event -- have been so influential that stories of this type are often referred to as “Rashomons” and behavioral scientists refer to this phenomenon as the “Rashomon Effect.”
*****
Luke 24:13-35
Hitchcockian Suspense
Film director Alfred Hitchcock didn’t have much use for horror movies where things jump out of the darkness to scare the character onscreen and the audience in the theater. He considered that cheap and easy. And, he said, the thrill lasts only a few seconds.
Hitch believed that a better, more literary style of filmmaking didn’t surprise the audience. Rather, it let the audience see the danger but kept it a secret from the character on the screen. A bomb explosion onscreen, he explained, would make everyone scream for a few seconds and then they would all laugh about being surprised. Better to place the bomb under a table, in plain view of the audience but where the characters on the screen don’t see it. Let the audience see the timer ticking down while the characters chat unaware. The suspense will be unbearable, Hitchcock said -- and the thrill much more memorable.
Steven Spielberg remembered Hitchcock’s advice when he made his first hit movie, Jaws. The audience always knows where the shark is, even though the characters in the film rarely do.
*****
Luke 24:13-35
A Goal in View
In 1952, Florence Chadwick was the first woman to attempt to swim the 26 miles between Catalina Island and the California coastline. Accompanied by small boats that watched for sharks and monitored her health and stamina, she swam for 15 hours when a thick, heavy fog began to settle in. Unable to see or have any idea where she was in the journey, her energy began to flag -- and after the 16th hour she gave up and asked to be pulled out of the water and into one of the boats. A few minutes later the fog parted and she learned that she had stopped swimming just one mile away from her destination -- the California shoreline.
*****
Acts 2:14a, 36-41
Generation to Generation
Writing for the Portland Business Journal in 2008, businesswoman and consultant Carol Parker Walsh offers some advice for those who want to create a diverse and inclusive work environment. One of the first things we need to be aware of, she says, is generational differences. She identifies four generations in today’s workplace:
Silents / Veterans / Traditionalists (born 1920-1943)
This generation grew up as the suffocated children of war and depression. They came of age just too late to be war heroes and just too early to be youthful free spirits. This group married early and became leaders in the civil rights movement, rock ’n roll era, and the political landscape of this country.
This generation also grew up with segregation, stories of the Civil War from their grandparents, and a belief in the superiority of whites and contentment in the separation of races. Conversations around diversity, including any importance placed on understanding, working with, or change as it relates to this issue, will often be met with frustration, resentment, or fear.
Baby Boomers (born 1944-1963)
During the time of the baby boomers the world was at peace and America was in an idealistic state. Leave It to Beaver and Father Knows Best idealism, however, gave way to free love, flower children, and Black Panthers as the boomers moved into their late teenage years.
This free-spirited generation came of age rebelling against the blueprints of their parents proclaiming themselves arbiters of public morals. However, in adulthood they defined the “Me” and “Yuppie” generation that created the 80-hour work week and declared greed was a good thing.
Although there is a belief in diversity, freedom, and equality, this generation feels the work has been done and the days for radical revolution are over. Today it’s about maintaining the advances already achieved, not necessarily revisiting them for potential change.
Generation X / Xers (born 1964-1981)
Generation Xers, who by the way hate this vernacular, are considered the most cynical and difficult to understand generation.
This generation redefined the concept of family, choosing to break away from their traditional families in lieu of self-created units. Work/life balance is the contribution of this generation. Opportunity and autonomy are important values to Xers and loyalty and respect are earned, not given by virtue of position, authority, or power.
If an Xer feels passionate about their task they will move quickly and independently, which will often cause those in the silent and boomer generations to feel intimidated and put upon.
Generation Y/ Millennials / Nexters (born 1982-2000)
This is the most technologically and globally advanced generation to date. Products of non-traditional families, they have an entrepreneurial spirit, are self-reliant, and have true concerns for the social welfare of the world. Child abuse, child safety, and the child’s well-being became of vital concern to our nation.
However, with the advancement of the internet and cable television, this generation has been openly exposed to more violence, sex, and drugs then generations before. This generation witnessed September 11th, the Oklahoma City bombings, the Columbine shootings, and cloning.
The greatest divide within this generation is economic wealth or class. Conversations of diversity within this generation are often met with confusion and frustration, because they have a global perspective of the world as interrelated.
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From team member Mary Austin:
Luke 24:13-35
Seeing Behind the Scenes
Visitors to Disney World see happy people on vacation and take in the magic of Disney, alive in the famous Disney characters. Cartoon figures and princesses appear and inspire awe in small children and adults. Looking behind the scenes, though, shows a different story.
As Yahoo News reports, “Disney World may be the happiest place on earth, but it turns out a hotbed of income inequality is simmering around Cinderella’s castle. Despite visitors paying about $100 a pop to enter the Orlando, Florida theme park, the employees that create such a magical experience for guests are too poor to afford permanent housing. Many workers at Disney World, the area’s largest employer, only earn Florida’s minimum wage, $8.03 an hour. According to the Associated Press, that low salary puts most apartments in surrounding Osceola County beyond the financial reach of the workers. The county doesn’t operate homeless shelters, leaving 1,216 families with no choice but to shack up in the low-budget motels located throughout the area.” At current wages, the children of Disney employees wouldn’t be able to afford the experience that their parents create for others.
Visiting on vacation, we see what we’re meant to see -- and don’t see the plight of the workers, barely able to afford food and shelter.
*****
Luke 24:13-35
Seeing Is the Way to the Heart
A new study says that expectant fathers who see ultrasound images of their unborn babies make a strong connection with the child after they see the images. Dr. Tova Walsh, a researcher at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, says that the feelings of fathers haven’t been studied much. According to a recent article, “Seeing their babies’ ultrasound images for the first time is a powerful moment for expectant fathers, and could hasten family bonding and provide an opportunity for promoting positive partnering and parenting.”
Seeing the image increased the fathers’ sense of connection with their babies, and was “an important moment for men, establishing the reality of the coming child, and reassuring them that all was going well with the pregnancy. It also caused the men to reflect on their roles in the life of mother and child, making it an important practical and psychological preparation for parenthood.” That first look begins the process of attachment.
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Luke 24:13-35
Who’s Looking Back?
Millions of people see the Today show news staff in the mornings, but they were recently asked to share what they see when they look at themselves. As part of a current series on beauty, the news personalities were asked what happens when they look at themselves.
In a business where appearance is one of the tools of the job, the anchors said they don’t look in the mirror much. When they do, the mirror shows both strength and change. Savannah Guthrie, pregnant with her first child, appreciates being able to see the changes. Matt Lauer said he sees an older version of himself, “or maybe a younger version of my father.”
How we see ourselves is always, by definition, different from how other people see us. When millions of eyes are on every change in appearance, the stakes are much higher.
WORSHIP RESOURCES
by George Reed
Call to Worship
Leader: We love God, who has heard our voice and our supplications.
People: We will call on God as long as we live.
Leader: What shall we return to God for all God’s bounty to us?
People: We will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of God.
Leader: We will pay our vows to God in the presence of all God’s people.
People: We will offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving.
OR
Leader: God comes to meet us in the common things of life.
People: God is gracious and good to us.
Leader: In the simple gifts of bread and wine, we find the divine.
People: The God of glory comes in the humblest forms.
Leader: We are offered the very presence of God.
People: We will, in turn, offer ourselves to the world.
Hymns and Sacred Songs
“Here, O My Lord, I See Thee”
found in:
UMH: 623
H82: 318
PH: 520
NCH: 336
CH: 416
LBW: 211
AMEC: 531
“Open My Eyes, That I May See”
found in:
UMH: 454
PH: 324
NNBH: 218
CH: 568
W&P: 480
AMEC: 285
“Be Thou My Vision”
found in:
UMH: 451
H82: 488
PH: 339
NCH: 451
CH: 595
ELA: 793
W&P: 502
AMEC: 281
STLT: 20
Renew: 151
“Jesus, Joy of Our Desiring”/
“Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring”
found in:
UMH: 644
AAHH: 72
“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
“Come, My Way, My Truth, My Life”
found in:
UMH: 164
H82: 487
NCH: 331
LBW: 513
ELA: 816
W&P: 403
STLT: 89
“Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us”
found in:
UMH: 381
H82: 708
PH: 387
AAHH: 424
NNBH: 54
NCH: 252
CH: 558
LBW: 481
ELA: 789
W&P: 440
AMEC: 379
“My Faith Looks Up to Thee”
found in:
UMH: 452
H82: 691
PH: 383
AAHH: 456
NNBH: 273
CH: 576
LBW: 479
ELA: 759
W&P: 419
AMEC: 415
“Open Our Eyes, Lord”
found in:
CCB: 77
Renew: 91
“Shine, Jesus, Shine”
found in:
CCB: 81
Renew: 247
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 to whom the darkness is as the daylight: Grant us the grace to allow you to open our eyes that we perceive ourselves and our world in truth and compassion; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We praise you, O God, for you see what is true and right. You see the world not only as it is but as it should be. You see us in the same way. Help us to be open to your vision that we may perceive ourselves and the world in your truth. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
Leader: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins, and especially the ways in which we allow ourselves to be deceived in our vision of the world and of ourselves.
People: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. You offer us truth and a clear vision of the way things are and the way they can be. Yet we insist on inventing our own vision of the world. We see it as we want it to be or as we fear it is instead of seeing it as it really is. We substitute our vision of the way things should be for your vision of the way things can become when all is truly in your realm. Forgive us, and open us to your vision that we may have life and offer it to others. Amen.
Leader: God sees us in all our faults and in our blindness. God loves us and the world around us, and offers us forgiveness, grace, and mission that we might be made whole.
Prayers of the People (and the Lord’s Prayer)
We praise you, O God, for your wholeness and openness to accept creation in all its flaws and sinfulness. We praise you for your love for us in spite of our failures.
(The following paragraph may be used if a separate prayer of confession has not been used.)
We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. You offer us truth and a clear vision of the way things are and the way they can be. Yet we insist on inventing our own vision of the world. We see it as we want it to be or as we fear it is instead of seeing it as it really is. We substitute our vision of the way things should be for your vision of the way things can become when all is truly in your realm. Forgive us, and open us to your vision that we may have life and offer it to others.
We give you thanks for the wonders of creation and for the potential you have placed within all of creation. We thank you for allowing us to be part of your great plan for us and for all your children.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for one another in our need and for all your children throughout creation. We pray especially for those who wander without a vision of who they can become. We pray that your truth might set us all free for a life of wholeness.
(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
Use any simple visual trick. There is the one where the name of Jesus is done in light and dark so that being able to read it depends on whether you’re looking at the background or the foreground. Or the one where you either see a chalice or two people facing each other. Talk to the children about how we can look at the same thing and see different things, or may even not see anything meaningful at all. Jesus helps us see things clearly so that we can live as God’s children. Jesus helps us see each other as God’s special people who we are called to love and help.
CHILDREN’S SERMON
They Recognized Him
by Brett Blair & Tim Carpenter
Luke 24:13-35
Exegetical Aim: To teach that we need God’s assistance to truly see.
Props: Prescription eyeglasses and an eyechart (the chart can be hand-drawn). The ideal situation would be to use glasses that one of the children may be wearing. If you have an optometrist in your congregation, ask him/her to participate and bring an actual eyechart.
(You will need to use two children -- one with glasses and one without. In the example here, Hannah refers to the child with glasses and Tom to the child without glasses.) Good morning! I want to ask Hannah to come and sit beside me, and I am going to need one other volunteer. (Choose a child without glasses.) I have asked Hannah to come sit beside me because she wears glasses, and I have asked Tom to sit on my other side because he does not wear glasses. I also have another volunteer who is going to help. (Introduce the optometrist or person who will hold the eyechart. He/she should already be in place.) He has brought an eyechart. Does anyone know what an optometrist is? (Let the children respond.) And what is an eyechart? (Let them respond.) In just a minute he is going to hold up the eyechart and I am going to have Hannah and Tom read the chart, but before they do I am going to ask Hannah to give me her glasses. May I have your glasses for just a minute? (The child should hand their glasses to you.) Now I am going to ask Tom to put the glasses on. If either of your eyes hurt, you can close them until I am ready for you. (Make sure that the children’s head sizes match so the glasses are not stretched. Put them on the child yourself to be sure. When everyone is set, have the eyechart holder point to the appropriate lines.) Now, I only want Hannah and Tom to read the lines on the chart. No one else call out the letters. Hannah, can you read the first line? (Let her respond.) How about you, Tom, can you read the first line? (Let him respond.) Hannah, can you read the second line? (Let her respond.) How about you, Tom? Can you read the second line? (Let him respond.) Okay, Tom, you can take the glasses off and let’s give them back to Hannah. Is there anybody here like Hannah and Tom who cannot read the second line? (Let the children respond.) Is there anybody here that can’t read the third line?
(After they respond, proceed to the line that indicates 20/20 vision. Be attentive at this point to actual eyesight problems. This may be the first time a child is able to compare himself to others. However, do not call attention to it at this time.) What would happen if we couldn’t see clearly? (Let the children respond.) That’s right. We wouldn’t be able to read very well and we would have problems at school seeing the board. It would be very difficult to learn and grow. Being able to see and see well is extremely important, and when we can’t see we need our eyes fixed. Jesus fixed the eyes of a couple of guys. Now, I am not talking about these eyes. (Point to your eyes, then to your heart.) I am talking about the eyes of the heart. Jesus didn’t give them glasses; he gave them a new understanding.
Prayer: Jesus, fix our eyes; open them so we may learn and grow. Amen.
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The Immediate Word, May 4, 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.
