As if the NFL didn’t already have enough on its hands dealing with the uproar over the video clip of Ray Rice knocking out his girlfriend (now wife), things mushroomed further last week with revelations that pro football’s premier running back, Adrian Peterson, had been indicted on charges of child abuse related to disciplinary beatings administered to his young son. The initial reaction from Peterson’s camp was to defend his behavior by emphasizing the importance of similar discipline in forming his own character. But police photos of the child’s injuries have been especially damning -- with welts and bruises still apparent more than a week later. While there has been revulsion in many quarters over the intensity of the “whooping” administered by Peterson, a significant segment of our society still believes deeply in the efficacy of this brand of corporal punishment -- and as some observers have noted, in much of America physical beating of children by their parents is perfectly legal. So what is the most appropriate way to teach discipline? And who is best suited to make those decisions? In this installment of The Immediate Word, team member Dean Feldmeyer addresses the issues of corporal punishment, parental authority, and discipline raised by the Peterson affair -- and suggests that we ought to view them in light of Jesus’ response to the temple poohbahs who challenge him by asking “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?”
Team member Chris Keating shares some additional thoughts on the epistle text’s theme of the church being “in full accord and of one mind.” That’s certainly a challenge facing the people of Scotland in the wake of last week’s referendum on independence. While a majority voted to remain part of the United Kingdom, there are raw feelings in many quarters -- and moving forward it will be important to heal rifts and restore harmony. But that may not be easy as the country grapples with where to go from here, particularly as discussion begins on further devolution promised by UK officials advocating for Scotland to vote “no” on independence. “What now?” remains the question of the day -- and as Chris points out, that could apply to the Church too, wracked as it often is on the denominational level by threats of schism and on the congregational level by garden-variety heated discord.
By What Authority?
by Dean Feldmeyer
Matthew 21:23-32
It’s not a matter of if he did it -- he readily admits that he did it.
Adrian Peterson -- a 6'1", 217 lb. professional football player -- took a branch from a tree, stripped the leaves from it, pulled down the pants of his 4-year-old son, and whipped the child with that branch until bleeding welts formed on the boy’s buttocks, thighs, legs, ankles, scrotum, back, and hands. The wounds on the hands were considered by police and medical examiners to be defensive wounds.
There are pictures of the welts, if you can stomach looking at them, and Adrian Peterson has admitted openly to several sources, in text messages to the child’s mother, and in statements to the media that he caused them.
The only real question before us, the church of Jesus Christ, is whether or not it was okay for him to cause them.
In the News
There are two parts to this question: one, the issue of legality, and two, the issue of morality.
Whether or not the “whooping,” as Peterson calls it, was legal may not be as cut and dried as we think. It is legal to whip your children in virtually every state in the union. And it’s legal in 19 states for other people, namely school teachers and administrators, to whip your children. Practices that would be considered “cruel and unusual punishment” for convicted felons are considered not just acceptable for parents but their constitutionally protected rights. We are not allowed to beat mass murderer Charles Manson or “Unabomber” Ted Kaczynski, but we are allowed, by law, to beat children. Indeed, in 1977 the Supreme Court upheld the legality of corporal punishment for children.
The line between what is acceptable and what is not, what is reasonable discipline and what is criminal assault, is often ambiguous, pliant, and elusive. Child abuse, as a criminal offense, is a relatively new concept which did not even make it into the psyche of middle-class Americans until the 1960s. And juries that are often made up of parents who know they may have themselves crossed that line from time to time are reluctant to convict other parents for doing the same.
The Texas law under which Peterson was arrested allows that parents may physically punish their children with violent force whenever they determine that it was “necessary to discipline the child or to safeguard or promote his welfare.”
Parents are not allowed to cause “bodily injury” to a child “recklessly, or with criminal negligence,” but it’s up to a jury to decide whether the bodily injury caused is too much and to define “recklessly” and “criminal negligence.”
Gregory S. McNeal, a professor of law and public policy, argues in an article on Forbes.com that if precedent is followed Peterson may yet do some time behind bars. He cites several recent Texas cases where the injury done to the children was not as severe as those done to Peterson’s son and the parents were convicted.
Even if he is convicted, however, Peterson will face no more than two years in prison and a $10,000 fine -- pocket change for a guy who pulls down $13 million per year.
As the church of Jesus Christ, we are called to look beyond what is legal or illegal. We are called to examine the morality at work in this issue.
Is it morally acceptable, by Christian, biblical standards, for a 6'1", 217 lb. man to beat a 4-year-old child, not just to the degree that Peterson beat his son, but at all?
Peterson has attempted to justify and defend his actions, and a few people have come forward to defend him.
In a statement to the press, he used the “I’m sorry for what I did” and the “I’m not a bad parent” defenses as well as the “this is how I was disciplined and I turned out okay” justification -- which to a reasonable mind might seem a lot like rationalizations, and contradictory rationalizations at that.
First, if you’re sorry for what you did, you don’t try to rationalize and defend it. Feeling sorry about something you intend to do again is not true repentance.
Secondly, one need look only briefly at the damage done to his son’s legs and bottom to thoroughly dismiss Peterson’s contention that “I am, without a doubt, not a child abuser.” Yeah, Adrian, you kinda are.
And thirdly, the man himself stands as stark evidence that being abused as a child did not turn him into a model citizen so much as it turned him into a child abuser who is well on the way to turning his own children into child abusers.
Former basketball star Charles Barkley offered the “it’s a black thing” and “it’s a southern thing” defenses for his friend, but neither of those hold water either. Take a look at those marks on that child. Is this really what all southern black parents are doing to their children, Charles? Really?
Fullback Jerome Felton (a Minnesota Vikings teammate) notes that he was beaten even worse than Peterson’s son when he was a child, and he turned out okay. He shrugs the issue off as nothing more than a personal choice for parents.
And just a few days ago Peterson again reiterated on Twitter that he just doesn’t get why everyone is being so judgmental about how he chose to discipline his child, whom he apparently should be allowed to treat as he chooses. After all, he didn’t intend to do any real harm: “I am someone that disciplined his child and did not intend to cause him any injury.”
And just in case every other rationalization and justification fails, he falls back on the Bible -- or in his case, something that sounds biblical. After it was announced that he would not be playing in any games until his legal problems were resolved, he posted a page from an unidentified devotional book with some passages highlighted in blue and some scriptural references at the bottom of the page.
The gist of the passage seems to be “don’t judge me.”
In the Scriptures
Before we go to today’s gospel lesson, let us admit that parents have justified abusive treatment of their children for years, perhaps even centuries, by lifting phrases from the Bible.
The book of Proverbs has been a veritable treasure trove of axiomatic justification for beating children:
* Those who spare the rod hate their children, but those who love them are diligent to discipline them. (13:24)
* Folly is bound up in the heart of a boy, but the rod of discipline drives it far away. (22:15)
* Do not withhold discipline from your children; if you beat them with a rod, they will not die. If you beat them with the rod, you will save their lives from Sheol. (23:13-14)
Abraham was willing to sacrifice his child on an altar, and God actually did sacrifice his son (Jesus). Jephthah sacrificed his teenage daughter after making an impetuous vow to do so (Judges 11), and Lot offered his daughters to a mob of rapists (Genesis 19).
If we insist on literalism we will find ourselves swimming “in an Iron Age sea... sanctify[ing] fragments of culture from a time when our ancestors had yet to discover the spinning wheel or the simple lifesaving power of hand-washing.”
In today’s gospel text Jesus offers an alternative to mindless literalism, and it begins with a discussion about authority.
When Jesus begins teaching in the temple, the chief priests and the elders approach him and ask by what authority he is doing “these things.” Matthew’s “these things” opens the subject up to more than just teaching, however. By what authority, one might ask, does Jesus do any of the outrageous things he does -- healing the sick, working miracles, defying established authority, teaching countercultural lessons.
Predictably, Jesus turns the discussion on its head by making it not about him but about the nature of authority... and his answer seems to be a paraphrase of Forrest Gump: “Righteousness is as righteousness does.”
He begins by asking the church leaders of his day if John the Baptist’s ministry was an authentic one or not. They hem and haw around and finally admit that his calling was authentically from God, not because they believe that but because they’re afraid of the reaction of the people standing around if they say otherwise.
Jesus responds, “Well, then why didn’t you do what he said?”
Then he tells a parable: A man has two sons. One says he will obey the father and doesn’t. The other says he won’t obey the father but does. Which son is truly obedient?
All agree that the obedient, righteous son is the one who actually DOES the will of the father.
By this time in the gospel we have already heard the Great Commandment (Matthew 12:30-31). Jesus has already said that it supersedes and absorbs all of the other commandments into its broad prescription to love God and our neighbor.
The only question left for us is, what does “love” mean? And here Jesus seems to be saying in unambiguous terms that love is something we DO. It has not to do with how we feel about other people, or what we say about our relationships with other people (including our children), but how we treat them.
In the Pulpit
When preaching on the topic of corporal punishment, there are two pitfalls that the preacher must avoid.
One is that we will simply skirt the issue because it’s controversial. There are people in our churches who were whipped by their parents, and who are whipping or have whipped their children -- and when you challenge that practice, they are going to become defensive.
So it’s very tempting to just avoid the topic altogether rather than take a chance on offending someone, especially someone who is “important” in our church.
This pitfall must be avoided at all costs. We go where the text leads us, and if it leads us through the living rooms of our congregants, so be it. Just be ready to dodge the stones when they come zinging your way.
The other pitfall is that of personalization.
I was abused as a child. My parents were not sadists. They were just too young to have so many children so close together, and the only role models they had in parenting were people who believed that children had to be beaten to keep them from growing up badly.
So they beat us. They whipped us hard and often. They whipped us when they were mad at us, and they whipped us when they were mad at each other, and they whipped us when they were just mad at life in general.
More than once did I find myself cowering under my bed, fearing that my parents were killing my little brother and that I would be next. More the than once did my father leave us bruised to the point that examining the wounds that he had left brought tears of shame to his own eyes.
Fortunately, they learned and grew. They went to church and learned from other older, more patient, and less stressed parents. They read Dr. Benjamin Spock’s Baby and Child Care book, which would become the parenting bible of its generation and, now in its 9th edition and celebrating its 65th anniversary, is still very good. They learned and put into practice better, more effective, kinder, gentler parenting techniques so that our younger brothers did not have to live with the constant fear and trembling that we did.
Later, in my training for the ministry I served as a chaplain in a children’s hospital in Ohio and saw almost daily the battered, beaten, burned, and abused children who came into our emergency room and held in my arms the shaken or neglected babies, some of whom did not survive their ordeal.
It is still difficult for me to modulate my voice, to speak calmly and reasonably when speaking or writing on this topic. And it may be for you too.
But there is no denying that the well-modulated, even matter-of-fact delivery can be highly effective when talking about horrific subjects, and few subjects are more horrific than this one.
The effective preacher will begin like Isaiah: “Come, let us reason together...” And that same preacher will end like Jesus: It’s not about how you feel about your kids; it’s about how you treat them. What does the evidence show? Because righteous is as righteous does.
SECOND THOUGHTS
A Time to Say Yes
by Chris Keating
Philippians 2:1-13
In the end, it was a solid “noo.”
Scotland made up its mind to remain part of the United Kingdom last week, voting 55%-45% against independence. While few Americans paid close attention to the referendum vote, the campaign electrified Scotland, where nearly 85% of eligible voters participated.
It was a passionate contest involving heritage, heraldry, and even Harry Potter. And that is not to mention what could have been a seriously detrimental impact on exports of famed Scotch whiskey. Single malt devotees should have been paying close attention.
With the vote over, there is still work to be done. Now comes the time to say yes -- yes to reconciliation, yes to unity, yes to working together to solve economic and social struggles.
What remains to be seen now is whether the “yes” and “no” parties can take the higher road back to unity. If so, the nation may be able to model for the world what Paul urges for Christians: a life that does nothing from selfish ambition or conceit but instead finds unity in spirit.
Post-referendum unity will be a challenge. Yet if Scots can achieve that, it might be encouragement for the rest of the world to lace up our ghillie brogues in order to work out our own salvation in the face of bitter conflicts and divisions.
In the News
Prospects of dividing the United Kingdom sent the British pound plunging in the weeks leading up to the vote. While separatists promised that independence from Great Britain would result in lower taxes and higher social benefits, there were fears over potential political turmoil if the United Kingdom was embroiled in a prolonged constitutional crisis. Commentators speculated that separating the two countries would have made it difficult for Britain to “act effectively” on issues as diverse as Ukraine, ISIS, and the European Union.
Perhaps that is why the normally reserved Queen Elizabeth had coyly indicated Scots should “think very carefully about the future” prior to voting. The monarch, of course, is constitutionally required to remain in the middle. Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown barnstormed across Scotland in an attempt to rally the “no” vote. J.K. Rowling, author of the acclaimed Harry Potter novels, on the other hand, never made attempts at feigned neutrality. Instead, the author provided £1 million (approximately $1.6 million) to the “no” campaign.
Others in Scotland think the nation made a dire mistake, including tennis player Andy Murray, who urged a “yes” vote.
“The Scottish people got it wrong,” said Susie McIntyre, a 40-year-old stay-at-home mother in central Edinburgh over the weekend, who was one of the 45% of voters who had cast a ballot for independence. “The people who voted for the union -- they should’ve taken the bull by the horns and stood up for what they truly believed.”
With much fear and trembling, Scotland and Great Britain now turn their attention to the even harder work of building bridges and seeking unity. Like any family involved in heated squabbles, reconciliation will take time, energy, and prayers.
Inside historic St. Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh, leaders from the Church of Scotland began the long work of reconciliation last week. More than 1,000 people attended a reconciliation service led by the Rt. Rev. John Chalmers, moderator of the Church of Scotland. Chalmers noted that many were elated, while others were bitterly disappointed.
Echoing the apostle Paul, Chalmers urged Scotland to unite, and to walk together. But he said there will be no “quick fix or an easy dusting down.” Rather, Chalmers said it becomes a deeply spiritual journey of recovery.
Chalmers added: “Recovery and healing [are] a soul-searching matter and, for me, that is deeply spiritual -- so no quick fix. Instead, it will take a force of magnanimity and graciousness to restore equilibrium to nation and individuals. Today and in the weeks to come Scotland needs magnanimity all round and it needs a process for shaping our future [that] allows every voice (the 45% as well as the 55%) not just to be heard but to be listened to.”
Chalmers reminded the worshipers that “more unites us than divides us.” Presumably, the moderator meant more than sharing a dram or two of the national beverage.
In the Scriptures
Scotland’s acrimonious referendum vote provides a timely backdrop to the epistle reading assigned to Proper 21. In the second chapter of Philippians, Paul addresses the series of divisions which threaten the Philippian church. Earlier in the letter (1:15-18) Paul alludes to divisions he has encountered while imprisoned. Beginning at 1:27, Paul begins to explore what it means to live “in a manner worthy of the gospel.”
For Paul, the locus of such a life is Christ himself.
The Philippians are called to imitate Christ, the one who said “yes” to being emptied of himself through death on the cross. Paul’s passions for the Philippians and for their spiritual lives are clear. He encourages them to “make my joy complete,” and to seek unity which comes from looking after the interests of others. He calls them to live into their identity as people claimed by Jesus Christ, and then urges them to allow Jesus’ self-giving to be the model of their own discipleship.
Like many preachers, Paul finds a suitable illustration from the words of hymns. The hymn in verses 6-11 recites the drama of Jesus’ life and passion -- a life that was humbled and brought low, but then “highly exalted” as kyrios, Lord.
Christ’s life and death provide the grounding for the Philippians’ discipleship. It is to a life of looking after the interests of others that they are called to pursue. The call to seek unity is grounded in the experience of Jesus’ act of obedience -- “even death on a cross.” It is Jesus’ passion that propels the Philippians to say “yes” to unity in order to “shine like stars in the world.”
This is the choice that matters, the “yes” vote which makes the ultimate difference. Paul urges the Philippians to say yes to Christ, in order that they might work out their salvation in fear and trembling. As William Greenway observes, “When concern for others takes one utterly beyond self-interest, beyond obsession with achievements and self-obsessing guilt over failures, beyond self, then one receives the comfort of an Easter ‘yes’ so overwhelming, unconditional, undeniable, and absolute that it is experienced as unfailing and forever -- a yes more potent and enduring than any imaginable no” (Feasting on the Word: Preaching the Revised Common Lectionary [Year A, Vol. 4]).
In the Sermon
We don’t need to travel to Scotland to see divisions among people. We may only need to look up the street.
Members of many denominations are wrestling through issues of division -- including the Presbyterian Church (USA), which might be interested in listening to the words of the Moderator of its ecclesiastical cousin in Scotland. “I expect those on the winning side to go out of their way to avoid triumphalism and to be inclusive in their plans for Scotland’s future,” said the Rt. Rev. Chalmers, “and to take the time to assure those who are anxious, disappointed, and down that they understand how they must feel. Today we must begin to stop thinking in terms of them and us -- only us.”
Paul would agree. There is little room in the body of Christ for thoughts of “them” against “us.” Instead, Paul would urge Christians to discover an obedience deeply rooted in looking out for the needs of others. Philippians outlines the praxis of faith by urging Christians to shape their lives according to the cross. In all circumstances of life, Christians are called to model the self-giving love of Jesus. That is the “yes” vote we are called to make.
Listening faithfully to Philippians, a preacher might shape a sermon that highlights the ways cultural, social, economic, and theological divisions fracture the church and the world. Paul packs this letter with personal stories of how unity in the Philippian church is threatened -- urging Euodia and Syntyche (4:2) to find agreement in spite of differences. What stories -- from Scotland or from the pews of our churches -- could illustrate the ways we are called to discover unity?
Perhaps Euodia and Syntyche found themselves humming this hymn as it was read. Perhaps they looked at each other with newfound respect instead of animosity. And perhaps there are those within our embattled congregations who might take the opportunity put aside theological arguments for a moment and instead stand to sing “Brother, sister, let me serve you / let me be as Christ to you.” In saying yes, we might once more have the same mind that was in Christ Jesus.
There is good news in this epistle, and it begins with realizing that now is the time to say yes.
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Ron Love:
Philippians 2:1-13
Dr. Kent Brantly and missionary Nancy Writebol were the two Americans who contracted the Ebola virus while treating patients in Liberia, and who were subsequently transported to Atlanta’s Emory University Hospital for treatment. Brantly received a transfusion from an Ebola survivor before being flown to Atlanta, and he was the first recipient of the experimental drug ZMapp, which seems to have helped him survive. But while there is still an Ebola epidemic raging in West Africa, supplies of ZMapp have been exhausted. At a recent news conference Brantly said, “It’s unfortunate that thousands of African lives and deaths did not warrant the same attention as two infected Americans.”
Application: Paul instructs us that the interests of others ought to be received as if they were our own.
*****
Philippians 2:1-13
Pro football has suffered perhaps is worst week in history, with high-profile allegations of domestic violence and child abuse. Sports agent Leigh Steinberg said that it was “as unusual a week as I can remember in 40 years around the NFL. What should have been as positive a week as they have, with opening weekend and a lot of good games, turned into a destructive minefield of negativity.”
Application: Some players seem to have lost any understanding of humility and having the mind of Christ.
*****
Exodus 17:1-7
A list of the 50 best places to live was recently released by 24/7 Wall St., and ranking at the top of the list was Newton, Massachusetts. The attributes that 24/7 Wall St. looked for were employment, low crime and poverty rates, and amenities. Large cities could not qualify because of their large crime and poverty rates. But most cities that did qualify were “bedroom communities” located next to large cities, with the ability to take advantage of employment opportunities and the city’s amenities such as parks and bike trails.
Application: We may not live in one of the 50 cites listed by 24/7 Wall St., but unlike the Israelites in the desert, we can give thanks for the blessings afforded by our local communities.
*****
Exodus 17:1-7
A big word in college football now is “energy vampires.” This refers to a negative attitude that takes away your energy. Coaches call out a player by name if their attitude is not focused on the game with a positive spirit, and chastise him for being an “energy vampire” for himself and the team. The term comes from a book written by Jon Gordon, and it was intended to be about leadership in business. To Gordon’s surprise, it became part of the lexicon for NFL coaches.
Application: The pessimistic attitude of the Israelites in the desert caused them all to be energy vampires, as they quarreled with their coach Moses.
*****
Exodus 17:1-7
Columnist George Will recently observed that there are two types of civilizations. One is civic nations that are held together by laws. The United States is an example of a civic civilization. The second are ethnic nations, which are held together by a common heritage and religion. Scotland is an example of an ethnic civilization. He believes that this was the reason so many Scots voted for secession from the United Kingdom in a referendum that ultimately did not succeed.
Application: The Israelites are an ethnic nation bound together by a common ancestry and the covenant made with Abraham. But this solidarity was tested as they quarreled with and challenged Moses in the desert.
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From team member Mary Austin:
Matthew 21:23-32
Authority
After years of studying early Christian texts, author and Princeton University professor Elaine Pagels has found her faith stretched and deepened. She also suggests that there’s spiritual authority in ourselves as well as in our sacred scriptures. To follow the way of Jesus is to ask questions, she believes. A recent profile/interview notes that “In the final chapter of Beyond Belief, Pagels tells us that when she no longer believed everything she thought she was supposed to believe as a Christian -- an experience that clearly resonates with that of many of her readers -- she came to see that ‘besides belief, Christianity involves practice -- and paths toward transformation.... [Pagels says,] ‘We need all kinds of beliefs, but I am talking about going beyond them as well. There is a story about the Tibetan yogi Milarepa. After he’s been sitting in a cave for three years, turning green from drinking nettle broth, his teacher comes to him and asks, “What have you learned?” That’s wonderful. When I go to my own Episcopal church and people are being confirmed as Christians, nobody asks them that question. They ask them to say the creed: “I believe in one God, Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth...” ’ ”
*****
Matthew 21:23-32
The Authority of the Leader
Similarly, an essential part of being a strong leader is finding one’s own authoritative voice and not being a “pre-packaged leader,” according to Janice Marturano, founder of the Institute for Mindful Leadership. As she says, there’s no substitute for the ability to follow an inner authority when one is a leader. It seems simple enough, but “the realities of evolving into a leadership role can present many enticing moments to be like someone else, to ignore that gut feeling and step away from what is deeply held as our values, our ethics. There are the unwritten rules of the organization, the stories about the need to ‘manage up,’ the pressures of meeting this quarter’s numbers, the calls to ‘do something’ even when patience is the better course, and the statements about what ‘everyone’ is doing in the marketplace as justification for actions that are ‘gray.’ It takes strength and courage to stand in ‘who I am’ at moments like this. But when we don’t, a little piece of us is lost forever.” When one is the authority for others, finding inner authority is all the more important.
*****
Philippians 2:1-13
Look and See
“Look to the interests of others,” Paul commends in the Letter to the Philippians. New York Rescue Mission recently did an experiment which revealed how invisible some people are as we walk past them. They recruited people to pose as homeless people, and had their loved ones walk past. The “homeless” were invisible, even to people who knew them well. In an article about the experiment, writer Elisha Cuthbert observes that our brains tend to sort and categorize people, making some of them invisible to us: “Our brain’s greatest blind spot may be that it is wired to make everything an object. But we have to remember that everyone is worthy of love and belonging (including ourselves). Choosing that is a conscious choice and that starts with mindfulness.” Looking to the interests of others may begin with just looking -- and actually seeing.
*****
Philippians 2:1-13
Hard Wired to Care?
Margaret Wheatley, author of Leadership and the New Science, writes that human goodness is alive and well, in spite of what seems like a worldwide epidemic of violence and hatred. As she says: “Of course, human goodness seems like an outrageous ‘fact,’ since every day we are confronted by evidence of the great harm we so easily do to one another. We are numbed by the genocide, ethnic hatred, and individual violence committed daily. Of the 240 or so nations in the world, nearly a quarter are currently at war.”
Wheatley also notes that our personal lives offer the same challenges: “In our daily life we encounter people who are angry and deceitful, intent only on satisfying their own needs. There is so much anger, distrust, greed, and pettiness that we are losing our capacity to work well together, and many of us are more withdrawn and distrustful than ever. Yet this incessant display of what is worst in us makes it essential that we believe in human goodness. Without that belief, there really is no hope.”
Paul urges us toward the mind of Christ, and Wheatley writes: “There is nothing equal to human creativity, caring, and will. We can be incredibly generous, imaginative, and open-hearted. We can do the impossible, learn and change quickly, and extend instant compassion to those in distress. And these are not behaviors we keep hidden. We exhibit them daily.”
“Let each of you look to the interests of others,” Paul urges us, and Wheatley suggests that we don’t have to look far to see evidence of people doing just that.
*****
Philippians 2:1-13
Five Dollars a Visit
Dr. Russell Dohner has been the doctor for Rushville, Illinois, for over 50 years, and he still charges the same price for office visits -- five dollars per visit -- and “He takes no appointments. Those who are seriously ill use the back door to get immediate attention; others sit for an hour or more to visit a doctor who knows more about them than some of their families do. The first baby he delivered now drives her granddaughter 30 miles for an office visit. ‘When your little girl gets carried to surgery by the doctor instead of one of the nurses, she will learn to trust him too,’ she said.” Dr. Dohner has displayed an unusual level of caring for his town, never taking time off except when he himself was seriously ill. When asked how he doesn’t burn out with such a challenging schedule, one of his employees answered, “Well, I think because every day he makes a difference to at least one person, and if you can do that, you can go on.” Look to the needs of others, Paul tells us, and Dr. Dohner has lived that for over 50 years.
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From team member Leah Lonsbury:
Matthew 21:23-32
The day after the People’s Climate March filled the streets of New York City, a smaller group of protestors staged a nonviolent direct action by conducting a sit-in on the steps of the New York Stock Exchange. They sat on the steps of the Exchange and blocked lower Broadway to confront “the system that both causes and profits from the crisis that is threatening humanity.”
The protest did not have a permit, and many participants came ready to risk arrest. At least one protestor was arrested and many were sprayed with pepper spray by the NYPD when they attempted to move barricades to get to Wall Street.
Any time a nonviolent direct action is in play, authority is being questioned. Who has authority in this situation? Who should have authority in this situation? Who grants them that authority, and how?
This week we see Jesus tangle with the powers-that-be in the temple and rework the order of things as they come to be in the kin-dom. Prostitutes and tax collectors will come before (and we assume hold greater authority than) the chief priests and elders, we hear him say. If we were to really get about the business of the kin-dom, who would hold the authority, who would grant it to them, and how would that play out in our world?
*****
Matthew 21:23-32
Apparently this is what happens when you get too sure of your own authority...
Indicted Texas Governor Rick Perry has had his counsel request that he be allowed to skip his next hearing scheduled for October 13. The reason? He has “long-standing plans to be in Europe.”
*****
Philippians 2:1-13
And we thought politics couldn’t get any more divided in the United States...
According to the Pew Research Center, the number of Americans who believe the influence of religion is waning in politics is up 5% since 2010 and tops out at 72%. Most of that 72% believes this is a negative trend. The segment of the population that wants public figures to speak out on religious issues is currently 49%, up 6% from 2010. The portion of American citizens who say they see too little public expression of faith from political leaders has risen from 37% to 41%, and the number of Americans who want houses of worship to endorse candidates for office has now nearly reached one-third (32%).
The Pew report notes: “The findings reflect a widening divide between religiously affiliated Americans and the rising share of the population that is not affiliated with any religion. The public’s appetite for religious influence in politics is increasing in part because those who continue to identify with a religion (e.g., Protestants, Catholics, and others) have become significantly more supportive of churches and other houses of worship speaking out about political issues and political leaders talking more often about religion.”
We’re divided, and we seem to want more of what divides us.
If Paul was writing his letters today, there could be any number of reasons his joy would not be complete, and this could very well climb toward the top of the list. As we make our decisions about who we will be as a people, we’re finding ourselves farther and farther apart. We are far from Paul’s instruction to “be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.”
We’ll likely never think and vote in full consensus, but Paul does give us some guidelines on how to navigate our differences and still remain together in love. First, we must “put on the mind of Christ,” so that we can proceed with the kind of humility that draws people together and makes room for all.
We must also put others first, even when, or maybe especially when, we don’t agree. “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit,” Paul writes, “but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others.”
Paul gives us a plan for our beginnings. Where will we go from there?
WORSHIP RESOURCES
by George Reed
Call to Worship
Leader: Let us open our mouths and tell the stories we have heard.
People: We will not hide them from our children but will tell them to all generations.
Leader: God divided the sea and let us pass through.
People: God led us by cloud at day and by fire at night.
Leader: God split the rocks and gave us drink.
People: God causes waters to flow down like rivers.
OR
Leader: Come and worship the God who loves us.
People: We praise our God, who cares for us with tender love.
Leader: Hear God’s guiding words that lead us to abundant life.
People: We attend to God’s teaching, that we may find life.
Leader: Share the good news of God’s life with others.
People: With care and compassion we will share God’s gifts with others.
Hymns and Sacred Songs
“How Like a Gentle Spirit”
found in:
UMH: 115
NCH: 443
CH: 69
“The Care the Eagle Gives Her Young”
found in:
UMH: 118
NCH: 468
CH: 76
“Lift High the Cross”
found in:
UMH: 159
H82: 473
PH: 371
AAHH: 242
NCH: 198
CH: 108
LBW: 377
ELA: 660
W&P: 287
Renew: 297
“Our Parent, by Whose Name”
found in:
UMH: 447
LBW: 357
ELA: 640
“Lord, Speak to Me”
found in:
UMH: 463
PH: 426
NCH: 531
ELA: 676
W&P: 593
“Where Charity and Love Prevail”
found in:
UMH: 549
H82: 581
NCH: 396
LBW: 126
ELA: 359
“Lord, Whose Love Through Humble Service”
found in:
UMH: 581
H82: 610
PH: 427
CH: 461
LBW: 423
ELA: 712
W&P: 575
Renew: 286
“Thy Word Is a Lamp”
found in:
UMH: 601
CH: 326
W&P: 664
Renew: 94
“Make Me a Servant”
found in:
CCB: 90
“Humble Yourself in the Sight of the Lord”
found in:
CCB: 72
Renew: 188
Music Resources Key:
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982 (The Episcopal Church)
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
AAHH: African-American Heritage 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
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
Renew: Renew! Songs & Hymns for Blended Worship
Prayer for the Day / Collect
O God who exercises authority with grace and love: Grant to us the wisdom to discipline, to disciple, others with the compassion and care you have shown us; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We worship and adore you, O God, for you come to us with grace and love to guide us through our lives. Receive our praise and grant us the blessing of your Spirit in our lives. Help us to be gentle with one another, that we may refrain from judgment and condemnation. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
Leader: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins, and especially our failure to offer guidance by example instead of by force.
People: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We think we know the truth, and we are anxious for others to know it as well. In our zeal we are sometimes too heavy-handed in our treatment of others. We judge them too harshly and are too demanding of them to meet our standards. We are more about force than persuasion. Cleanse us of our faults, and so fill us with your Spirit that we may offer guidance and assistance in ways that please you and are of true help to others. Amen.
Leader: God delights in our being willing to change and be more like God. Receive the grace and Spirit of God to fulfill all of your best intentions.
Prayers of the People (and the Lord’s Prayer)
All glory, honor, and praise are yours, O God, for you are the creator and redeemer of all creation.
(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 think we know the truth, and we are anxious for others to know it as well. In our zeal we are sometimes too heavy-handed in our treatment of others. We judge them too harshly and are too demanding of them to meet our standards. We are more about force than persuasion. Cleanse us of our faults, and so fill us with your Spirit that we may offer guidance and assistance in ways that please you and are of true help to others.
We give you thanks for all the ways in which you have instructed us and guided us to lead lives that are fulfilling and joyful. We thank you for those who have helped us find our way in life through their gentle guidance.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for all your children in their need, and especially for those who are caught in webs of violence and coercion. We pray for all parties that are entangled in this snare.
(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
If you have a pet you may wish to share how you “guide” that pet to have behavior that is acceptable to you and good for the pet. Even though the owner knows more than the pet, we need to offer guidance gently.
You may also have an experience where either an overaggressive coach or teacher scared you away from something, or a kind one helped you learn to love an activity. Sometimes younger children want to play our games. We need to be sure to be kind and caring as we try to teach them to have fun in our games.
CHILDREN’S SERMON
The Two Sons
by Elaine M. Ward
Matthew 21:23-32
Jesus said, “A father had two sons, two boys (young children sometimes confuse their “suns”). Early one morning the father asked the first son to help him, and the son said, ‘No, sorry, Dad!’ ”
The father asked the second son to help him. The second son said, “Yeah! Sure!”
Now the sun in the sky began to move across the day, and the son who had said “no” changed his mind and went to help his father. The second son, who had said “yes,” found something else to do and forgot his promise to his father.
Jesus asked the people who were listening, “Which of the two did the will of his father?”
Later, another rabbi (storyteller) asked those who were listening, “What would you do if you were walking along and found a purse full of money lying on the street?” The first said, “I would return it to its owner.” The rabbi thought, “Perhaps he answers too quickly. Does he mean what he says?” The second student said, “I would keep it if no one saw me,” and the rabbi thought, “That’s deceitful.” The third answerer said, “To be honest, I would be tempted to keep it. So I would pray to God to give me the strength to do the right thing.” The rabbi said to the people, “Go and do the same.”
Talk together: Have you ever said “no” and changed your mind? Why do you think the first son changed his mind?
Prayer: Dear God, help us to say “your will be done” and listen for your will for us. Give us strength to say “yes” to you and do it. Amen.
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The Immediate Word, September 28, 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.
