In this week’s lectionary text from Genesis, a tenacious Jacob is tested by an all-night wrestling match that leaves him drained and hurting. President Obama might well feel the same, as he wrestles with how to respond to a convergence of interlocking foreign policy crises in which “the crosscurrents can be dizzying.” Team member Chris Keating points out in this installment of The Immediate Word that while Obama and his foreign policy team might have expected to deal with many problems around the world, we can easily feel overwhelmed by the staggering level of violence and rage we see through the media. It’s enough to make us want to disengage from the world and its endless parade of bad news and suffering, and to search for a respite in the form of a pleasant escape. But as Chris reminds us, those measures are merely temporary and leave us searching for a lasting hope that can sustain us. He notes that this week’s passages offer a glimpse of God’s presence at work -- and he suggests that the feeding of the 5,000 with a few loaves and two fish shows us a model for finding the hope we need in the midst of a frightening world.
Team member Dean Feldmeyer offers some thoughts on the gospel text, and explores how we can go about being agents of incarnational hope. As Paul notes in our Romans text, engaging with the world and speaking the truth in Christ means that we will “have great sorrow and unceasing anguish” in our hearts. In other words, the gospel is not merely hope; it’s also a continuing awareness of all the vast amounts of human need in its various forms -- physical, mental, and spiritual. Dean suggests that sensitivity to the size of the challenge can lead us to think like the disciples initially did when confronted with a hungry crowd -- that our resources are insufficient for the task at hand. Their solution was to counsel Jesus to disperse the crowd. But Jesus has a better idea... one that is a paradigm for Christian response to human need. He tells the disciples, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat,” and then proceeds to orchestrate a stunning demonstration of the power of that principle. We may not think we have enough to accomplish anything that’s more than a drop in the proverbial bucket, but Jesus underlines the importance of each small action. By sharing with those we encounter whatever we can, whether that’s food or visiting the sick or sharing God’s word or any of a thousand other ways we can provide our neighbors with something they need, like the disciples assisting Jesus our seemingly small actions are multiplied many times over -- leading to miraculous results that are beyond anything we might have imagined.
Wrestling With Hope
by Chris Keating
Genesis 32:22-31; Matthew 14:13-21
Cascading world crises have been popping up faster than a kid’s Whac-A-Mole game lately, filling newsfeeds with unnerving headlines and television broadcasts with dire reports. It’s been an ugly midsummer’s news cycle, filled with human tragedy and unceasing violence.
We’re seeing world conflict in all of its broadband glory. Cable news channels offer reports of the withering and bloody attacks in Gaza, where there is little hope for a permanent ceasefire after the breakdown of a temporary truce. Across the internet there are analyses of the investigation into the downed Malaysian Airline Flight 17, including photos of the remains of some of the Dutch victims being returned home. Meanwhile, headline news provides ongoing reports of fighting in Syria, a suicide bomber in Libya, and the fleeing of Christians from Mosul.
As a friend wrote on my Facebook page recently, “Show me the hope.”
Leaders grappling with the nonstop events might see themselves wrestling like Jacob at the Jabbok in Genesis 32. It is a tough struggle against fierce opponents. As the New York Times noted, “rarely has a president been confronted with so many seemingly disparate foreign policy crises all at once.”
Pick a country. Name a continent. The stories this past week have been grim, detailing wrestling matches that have exploded across the world at a frenetic pace. Jacob pushed against God, demanding to know with whom he was wrestling. This summer, the world seems to be doing something similar. And like Jacob, we yearn for the blessing which will make us whole.
When you wrestle unseen opponents, it’s hard to find hope. Yet both the Old Testament and New Testament lessons offer reminders of God’s incarnational presence -- and that alone may save us.
In the News
The world is spinning these days -- and not just on its axis.
It’s rather hard to keep track of the varying crises awash in the world right now. As Bob Dreyfuss discusses in the The Nation, the list is substantial. It is a nearly unprecedented time in history, with wars raging in Syria and Iraq; the Israeli incursion into Gaza; unrest in Ukraine; unrelenting conflict in Afghanistan; civil unrest in Libya; and scattered warfare across large swaths of Africa.
That is not to mention horrific famine in South Sudan, a series of aircraft crashes, the jaw-clenching tensions between China and its neighbors, or the rapidly spreading outbreak of the Ebola virus in west Africa.
“In normal times,” writes Dreyfuss, “any one of these crises, each one of which brings unbearable losses of human life and ill forebodings of things to come, would grab the attention of the entire world. But this is not normal times. Why is this all happening, and why now?”
It’s a tough question.
Engaging that question creates a bit of “geopolitical whiplash” for world leaders like President Obama. The tangled mess leads to high levels of frustration, which was evident when Obama addressed Ukraine, Gaza, Iran, and Afghanistan all in the space of a few minutes last week. “We live in a complex world and at a challenging time,” he said, “and none of these challenges lend themselves to quick or easy solutions.”
Keeping focus is hard. While the world has been focused on Ukraine and Gaza, for example, Iraq seems to be at a breaking point. On Monday, top Iraqi military leaders acknowledged that they have their suitcases packed and ready to flee Baghdad at a moment’s notice. Meanwhile, as foreigners leave Libya, a fire broke out at an oil depot in Tripoli. Government officials have said it could prompt a significant humanitarian and ecological disaster. And on it goes.
Some are quick to blame President Obama and his foreign policy advisors, though blogger Dreyfuss adds that this could well be the shape of “the new normal.” While Obama has significant options, Dreyfuss says there certainly is no one-size-fits-all strategy. Extinguishing fires abroad cannot be done on a piecemeal basis, and most certainly includes building broad consensus.
Which means the wrestling will only continue.
For example, despair over the current Palestinian/Israeli conflict prompted Israeli author David Grossman to declare that the two sides are trapped inside a dangerous bubble. Grossman, at times critical of his own nation, acknowledges that Israel must defend itself. And how can Palestinians withstand Israel’s deadly attacks? “In this cruel and desperate bubble, both sides are right. They both obey the law of the bubble -- the law of violence and war, revenge and hatred,” writes Grossman.
Locked inside the bubble, the two sides wrestle with each other endlessly, both sides pushing against the other. Grossman rightly acknowledges that as long as “the suffocation felt in Gaza is not alleviated, we in Israel will not be able to breathe freely either.”
Like a bunch of kids on a hot and humid afternoon who have spent the entire summer bickering, the world seems to need a break from each other. It feels crushing. As writer Anne Lamott tweeted last week: “Here’s the problem: the world’s nearly ruined; and overwhelming. People are such handfuls. Plus, the parking’s terrible. But hallelujah anyway.”
Overwhelmed by the staggering brutalities, we might try escaping for a while by taking in a movie or practicing yoga. Yet real life is never far away, and what we need is a hope that is lasting and real -- a hope that is incarnational and will enable us to shout our hallelujah in the face of the world’s discordant chaos. Even as the wrestling match continues, we need something that will cause us to rise up and shout in our best Jerry Maguire-inspired voices, “Show me the hope!”
In the Scriptures
Jacob is no stranger to wrestling. He had wrestled with his twin before they were born, and had managed to swipe Esau’s birthright away from their elderly father. On his way to be reconciled with his brother, as well as to woo him with a bounty of gifts, Jacob stops at the river Jabbok for the night. It’s not a restful night. In fact, left alone by the river’s edge, Jacob wrestles an unknown stranger all night long. It’s a mysterious encounter, traditionally interpreted as Jacob wrestling with God. As day breaks, Jacob relents and begs to be blessed by the stranger (Genesis 32:26).
The story is dark, which perhaps makes it particularly apt for a dark period of human history. We cannot see clearly the one with whom Jacob wrestles, but we know it is a substantial opponent.
In Hebrew, the notion of wrestling with Yahweh is wrapped into the idea of God getting mixed up with human affairs. (See Gary Simpson in Feasting on the Word [Year A, Vol. 3].) This is a messy story -- and at its core is the reminder that God is willing to become messy with humans. In the end, Jacob discovers that blessings must be received rather than usurped, and it is clear that he has changed. As the sun rises across the river, he limps away from the encounter with God and calls the place “Peniel,” or “the face of God.” Hope arises out of this substantial struggle.
Hope is also at the center of this week’s gospel text. Jesus faces the crowd, a crowd who has followed him into a deserted place (Matthew 14:13). After hearing of the death of John the Baptist, Jesus has withdrawn to an isolated place. Yet the crowd gets there before him. Jesus responds to their needs by healing those who were sick and having compassion on all who sought him.
As the day draws to a close, the disciples become concerned with the crowd. The disciples must have assumed that this group was nothing more than a bunch of hungry, anxious, and tired folks. They were “hangry” -- that volatile mixture of hunger and a pinch of anger. Who knows what they had expected to find in Jesus? But they had followed him to that deserted place. They lived in a time of military occupation, and were likely fearful of their rulers. They longed for words of hope.
“Send the crowds away so that they may go into the village and buy food for themselves,” the disciples implore Jesus. Yet Jesus remains filled with compassion, and so he says, “You give them something to eat.” When the disciples bring the scraps they have scrounged to Jesus, he blesses them -- and as the disciples feed the multitudes, there is plenty.
Facing the mob, the disciples are given the resources necessary to make hope become real. It’s a reminder of what the church is called to do.
In the Sermon
It is interesting to note that the stories of Jacob wrestling and the disciples feeding the multitudes both take place at night. For Jesus and the disciples, it is barely twilight -- the stars have just begun to twinkle. For Jacob, the painful wrestling match lasts all night. Hope for him comes as he is blessed at dawn. But there is something to be said for the notion of hope not arriving until it is dark. Perhaps, not unlike our own time, it is only when it is darkest that we can sense God’s presence with us.
A sermon could find ways of wrestling with the struggles of the world, just the way Jacob wrestled with God. We may wonder if God is with us. Like the Christians who have fled Mosul, perhaps we feel as though recent events have left us displaced. In the night of our struggles, we are brought face to face not only with deep questions of faith, but also with the God who will not let go of us.
Jacob’s story is filled with themes of darkness and anxiety, worry and even pain. But hope arrives, and when it does it becomes clear God was never far away.
Likewise, as the crowds grew restless, the disciples grew worried. Where would they get food to feed 5,000 men, not to mention the women and children? People who plan church dinners know what it is like to have 40 people make reservations but to find more than 100 crowding into the fellowship hall. That evening, anxiety threatened to overtake the gospel. Yet Jesus remained confident, and the disciples learned they had enough to feed. They learned to wrestle with hope.
It seems to me that a sermon could proclaim this sort of incarnational hope. It is this type of hope that we need when the sun sets on our anxious lives. A sermon could point a congregation into a new day of its life. As disciples, we are called to share God’s hope -- filling up baskets at food pantries, praying with those who are lonely, bringing baskets filled with grace to those who are despairing. And when we do that, it will become clear that God was never far away.
SECOND THOUGHTS
You Give Them Something to Eat
by Dean Feldmeyer
Psalm 17:1-7, 15; Romans 9:1-5; Matthew 14:13-21
Australians Anthony Maslin and Marite “Rin” Norris took their three kids and Rin’s dad Nick on vacation to Amsterdam this year. As vacations are wont to do, it flew by all too quickly. So, when Nick offered to take the kids back home in time for school to start while Anthony and Rin stayed behind for a few romantic days together, they took him up on his offer.
On July 17, they kissed Nick and their kids Mo (12), Evie (10), and Otis (8) goodbye and saw them onto the plane for the first leg of their flight home to Australia.
That plane was Malaysian Airlines flight MH 17. Nick, Mo, Evie, and Otis were killed when the flight was shot down over Ukraine.
Since returning home Anthony and Rin have issued only a single statement to the media, describing their grief as “a hell beyond hell.”
I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. -- Romans 9:2
According to a report from the United Nations High Commission on Refugees (UNHCR), “The number of people forced to flee their homes across the world has exceeded 50 million for the first time since the second world war.” The commission’s “figures for 2013 showed a total of 51.2 million refugees, asylum seekers, and internally displaced people. If displaced people had their own country it would be the 24th most populous in the world.”
Fifty percent, or about 25 million of those refugees, are children, many traveling alone or in groups in a desperate quest for sanctuary, and often falling into the clutches of human traffickers: “More than 25,000 unaccompanied children lodged asylum applications in 77 countries last year, a fraction of the number of displaced minors across the globe.”
Wondrously show your steadfast love, O savior of those who seek refuge from their adversaries at your right hand. -- Psalm 17:7
Now the refugee crisis has found its way to North America.
In Latin America, conditions are so horrible, so desperate, that parents -- afraid of gangs, drug lords, human traffickers, and exploitative corporations who thrive on lax child labor laws -- are willing to send their children, some as young as 10 or 12 years old, alone, through the jungles and deserts, across different countries, over the border into the United States of America because they believe that their children will have a better chance at survival in that great land of hopes and dreams.
For some Americans, the answer to this influx of desperate children is to dress in camo, wrap themselves in the flag, arm themselves with assault weapons, and stand at the border screaming insults, curses, and threats.
When those children are interdicted by the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), our law requires that they be taken care of in order to keep them protected from predators who would exploit them. And that’s probably a good idea -- except that it means building shelters, and no one wants these children cared for in their own neighborhood.
Just last week, Escondido, California, a suburb of San Diego, rejected a proposed 96-bed shelter for refugee children who were being processed through the INS.
“They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” -- Matthew 14:16
If we feel overwhelmed by the depth and number of humanitarian crises in the world and in our own country, we are not alone. On July 22 the New York Times ran an article with the headline “Crises Cascade and Converge, Testing Obama.” It noted that the president is currently juggling delicate yet critical events in Ukraine, Israel, Syria, Iraq, Iran, and Russia.
Neither are we the first.
In this week’s gospel lesson the disciples look out over a crowd of about 10,000-12,000 people (5,000 men plus women and children) and realize that if they all get hungry at the same time and there is no food to eat this situation could deteriorate into something very ugly and very dangerous.
They suggest to Jesus that he should cut the teaching short and send them away so they can get to the nearby markets and first-century equivalents of fast food restaurants before they close.
Jesus, never one to let a teaching moment pass by, responds with an observation and a challenge: “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.”
The disciples make two mistakes in their exegesis of Jesus’ comments. First, they take him literally, failing to see the broad implications of what he is saying, and, second, they allow their response to be constrained by their limited vision and understanding.
Clearly, “you give them something to eat” is not just about food and stomachs.
It is the challenge of Jesus to every Christian everywhere for the past 2,000 years whenever we find ourselves confronted by human suffering.
“You give them something to eat!”
Whenever we see starving and desperate refugees on television, in the news...
“You give them something to eat.”
Whenever we see frightened children looking out the windows of INS buses on their way to they know not where...
“You give them something to eat.”
Whenever we hear breaking news of tsunamis or earthquakes or hurricanes or tornadoes or wars and the human suffering they engender...
“You give them something to eat.”
And more often than not, our immediate, unconsidered response is like that of the disciples: “We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish.” Translated into modern terms: “Lord, the resources with which we have come to this situation are insufficient for the task that you have set before us.”
“We have to be realistic.”
“We don’t want to enable their dysfunctional behavior.”
“People might think we approve of what they are doing!”
“Hunger is a great motivator. Maybe next time they’ll think to pack a sack lunch.”
Jesus, of course, is having none of this. He says simply, “Bring [the fish and bread] here to me.”
(Step one: Turn what you have over to Jesus.)
Then he has everyone sit down on the grass.
(Step two: Get organized.)
Then he blesses the fish and loaves.
(Step three: Ask for God’s help.)
Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds.
(Step four: Give it away to those who are in need.)
And everyone ate and was filled, and there were 12 baskets full of leftovers.
(Step five: Recognize and celebrate that your resources turned out to be more than sufficient.)
Though the challenge may seem overwhelming, it really is within our capability, with God’s help, to make a difference in the world, to touch and help those who are hurting and in need.
We really can “give them something to eat.”
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Ron Love:
Genesis 32:22-31
Mariam Ibraheem Ishag is a Christian woman from the Sudan who refused to convert to Islam. Married to a Christian American citizen, and pregnant, she was sentenced to death for apostasy. While in prison she gave birth to her child, who suffered birth defects from a lack of prenatal care. Submitting to international pressure, the Sudanese government released Ishag from prison and permitted her to leave the country. She recently met with Pope Francis in Rome. The pope thanked Ishag for her “courageous witness to perseverance in faith.”
Application: As Jacob kept wrestling with the angel to receive the blessing of being named Israel, we all need perseverance in the faith.
*****
Genesis 32:22-31
In Utah, Pioneer Day is one of the most recognized holidays of the year. All government offices are closed, as well as most businesses. The holiday commemorates the day in 1847 when Mormons pushed their wooded handcarts into the Salt Lake Valley as Brigham Young looked into the valley from Wahatch Ridge and uttered his famous words, “This is the right place.” Two years later, in 1849, the day began to be celebrated. Those who are not Mormon in Utah are referred to as gentiles -- but they also celebrate the day, with a twist: Pie ’n Beer Day, with festivities including drinking beer while eating a slice of pie.
Application: Jacob found his encounter with the angel to be a sacred place that he called Peniel. Though many people may not respect the Mormons, everyone ought to be respectful of a sacred day in the life of their faith, for we all have a place called Peniel.
*****
Genesis 32:22-31
Anthony Smith, a British explorer recognized for many daring feats, recently died at the age of 88. The accomplishment that brought him the greatest media recognition was his 2011 voyage across the Atlantic Ocean on a raft that traveled at approximately 2.4 miles per hour. Smith chose for his three-person crew men who were, like himself, well past retirement age. He wanted older men because, he said, “Older people are more cautious about themselves. They’re not as stupid as young people.”
Application: We learn from Jacob the importance of perseverance and wisdom.
*****
Matthew 14:13-21
In Sao Paulo, Brazil, Pastor Edir Macedo has built a church the size of Solomon’s Temple. The Universal Church of the Kingdom of God is an 11-story complex with 30 columns. The $300 million structure, complete with helicopter pad, is representative of Macedo’s prosperity gospel message.
Application: Jesus realized that ministry is not expressed in extravagance but in providing for the daily need of individuals.
*****
Matthew 14:13-21
Jordan Ellenberg is a college math professor who recently wrote an op-ed piece in the New York Times titled “Don’t Teach Math, Coach It.” Ellenberg says that while his students pay him to teach math, for children the situation is different -- for them learning math should be a game. Ellenberg cites many games where math is at the forefront, but he particularly points to baseball -- a sport built around numbers, thus the idea of being a math coach.
Application: Jesus did not teach in feeding the 5,000; but he did coach them on how to live as a community.
***************
From team member Mary Austin:
You Give Them Something to Eat
Writer Adam Gopnik is a devoted reader of cookbooks, more for pleasure than for the actual pursuit of cooking. He contends that it’s impossible to learn to cook from a cookbook -- the gap between the promised dish and the actual result is too great, and leads to frustration. (Although, he admits, sometimes when the cook goes wrong the dish is better, not worse, than advertised.) “Unsupported by your mom, the cookbook is the model of empty knowledge,” he writes. Still, he believes that the pleasure of reading cookbooks offers a different kind of food -- one for the imagination.
*****
You Give Them Something to Eat, Family Version
From time to time scientists study the power of eating with other people, and they always conclude the same thing -- we are healthier and more content when we eat food with people we love. Eating is more than taking in food -- it connects us with other people as we share both food and time.
Research from the University of Florida reports that the benefits of eating a family dinner include better communication, a greater awareness of family history, better nutrition, and increased family connection. The report notes, “Eating together as a family is more than just a meal, it is an opportunity for families to come together regularly in support of family unity. Most research suggests that both parents and children value sharing a meal together and find the experience rewarding. Although there is no guarantee that eating together as a family will resolve all family problems, it may provide the opportunity to make a fresh start.” For busy families or those reluctant to get to the table together, the report suggests these things:
* Make shared family meals a priority. Emphasize the importance of being together, not creating an elaborate meal that everyone will enjoy. Set regular meal times by writing them on the calendar. Let everyone know when dinner is served and when they must be home.
* If the family is not used to eating together regularly, start small. At first, get used to eating together by scheduling family meals two or three days per week. Then, as the weeks progress, begin to have more and more regular meals.
* Make family meals fun. Include children in the preparation of the meal and in the decision about what foods will be offered during the meal. Of course, parents have final say about what foods are prepared, but allowing the children to participate can create a fun environment.
* Keep a sense of humor while at the dinner table.
* Eliminate distractions, like TV, telephone, and cellphones.
* Try to limit conversations to positive or neutral topics. Do not let a conversation get out of hand and allow family members to criticize one another. Keep it light and fun. Create an environment that leads to healthy communication.
* Be a good role model. Show children good etiquette and table manners.
* Eat slowly. Remember, this is an opportunity for the family to spend time together. Do not make it about the food; make it about the family.
Lindsay Seaman expands on this idea: “When I was growing up in rural northern California, I could always count on meeting my parents and two sisters at the maple dinner table around 6:30. We all helped getting dinner ready and would sit down together. For at least half an hour we would discuss how our day had gone, talked about matters which concerned us, and made future family plans. After a busy day our evening meal was a chance to gather our little tribe around the table and reconnect with each other. This pleasant time seemed like a reward for the day’s hard work.”
*****
Eating Seasonally
Chef Dan Barber has a new book called The Third Plate, in which he suggests that we will derive more satisfaction, as well as more nutrition, from eating differently. The book’s website explains: “The Third Plate is grounded in the history of American cuisine over the last two centuries. Traditionally, we have dined on the ‘first plate,’ a classic meal centered on a large cut of meat with few vegetables. Thankfully, that’s become largely passé. The farm-to-table movement has championed the ‘second plate’ -- where the meat is from free-range animals and the vegetables are locally-sourced. It’s better tasting, and better for the planet, but the second plate’s architecture is identical to the first. It, too, is damaging -- disrupting the ecological balances of the planet, causing soil depletion and nutrient loss -- and in the end it isn’t a sustainable way to farm or eat. The solution, explains Barber, lies in the ‘third plate’: an integrated system of vegetable, grain, and livestock production that is fully supported -- in fact, dictated -- by what we choose to cook for dinner. The Third Plate is where good farming and good food intersect.”
Writing about the book for the Christian Science Monitor, Diana Donlon observes: “When you eat in season, you are connecting to nature’s rhythms. In spring nature typically expresses itself with an outpouring of plant growth; summer means long, light-filled days; fall may be marked by plants going to seed in all manner of ways; and winter typically signals a period of rest for the land. Food reflects this continuous ebb and flow. A perfect summer peach is so satisfying precisely because it connects us to the expectation of abundance, and concentrated sweetness of warm, sunny days. A peach that has flown halfway around the world to be eaten in January can’t provide that same sense of satisfaction.”
*****
Who’s Hungry?
Millions of people around the world are as hungry today as the people listening to Jesus were. The United Nations World Food Programme says that the hungry of today’s world are much like the hungry of Jesus’ time: “FAO [United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization] calculates that around half of the world’s hungry people are from smallholder farming communities, surviving off marginal lands prone to natural disasters like drought or flood. Another 20 percent belong to landless families dependent on farming and about 10 percent live in communities whose livelihoods depend on herding, fishing, or forest resources.”
*****
Better Than Food
Sometimes the things that feed us aren’t physical food, but gifts for the spirit.
After being diagnosed with breast cancer, Nancy Siegler of California decided to grow sunflowers. The sunflowers brought her strength and peace during her treatment, and her garden expanded from 30 plants to planting 310 sunflower seeds. Siegler says the sunflowers are “magical. They make me feel good and give me inner strength.”
Hoping to raise money for the American Cancer Society, Siegler decided to invite people to her garden and take donations for cancer research. She opened her garden to the public, not sure if anyone would come. More than 600 people came to soak in the magic of the sunflowers -- and they gave more than $5,000 in donations.
The flowers started as food for the spirit for one woman, who passed the gift on to others, who gave so the gift of hope could continue to spread.
*****
Maintaining Hope
Author Barbara Kingsolver spoke about “How to be Hopeful” in a commencement address at Duke University in 2008. Her first words to the graduates evoked the need for hope: “The very least you can do in your life is to figure out what you hope for. The most you can do is live inside that hope, running down its hallways, touching the walls on both sides.”
Kingsolver evoked the distressing state of the world in 2008, saying: “We’re a world at war, ravaged by disagreements, a bizarrely globalized people in which the extravagant excesses of one culture wash up as famine or flood on the shores of another. Even the architecture of our planet is collapsing under the weight of our efficient productivity -- our climate, our oceans, migratory paths, things we believed were independent of human affairs. Twenty years ago, climate scientists first told Congress that unlimited carbon emissions were building toward a disastrous instability. Congress said, we need to think about that. About ten years later, nations of the world wrote the Kyoto Protocol, a set of legally binding controls on our carbon emissions. The U.S. said, we still need to think about it. Now we can watch as glaciers disappear, the lights of biodiversity go out, the oceans reverse their ancient orders. A few degrees looked so small on the thermometer. We are so good at measuring things and declaring them under control. How could our weather turn murderous, pummel our coasts, and push new diseases like denge fever onto our doorsteps? It’s an emergency on a scale we’ve never known. We’ve responded by following the rules we know: Efficiency, Isolation. We can’t slow down our productivity and consumption, that’s unthinkable. Can’t we just go home and put a really big lock on the door?”
The answer to all of that, she said, is not success, or efficiency, or technology, or any of the places where we usually place our trust. The answer lies in deliberately choosing to be hopeful: “The arc of history is longer than human vision. It bends. We abolished slavery, we granted universal suffrage. We have done hard things before. And every time it took a terrible fight between people who could not imagine changing the rules, and those who said, ‘We already did. We have made the world new.’ The hardest part will be to convince yourself of the possibilities, and hang on. If you run out of hope at the end of the day, rise in the morning and put it on again with your shoes. Hope is the only reason you won’t give in, burn what’s left of the ship, and go down with it.”
WORSHIP RESOURCES
by George Reed
Call to Worship
Leader: Hear a just cause, O God; attend to our cry.
People: Give ear to our prayer from lips free of deceit.
Leader: From you let our vindication come.
People: Let your eyes see the right.
Leader: We call upon you, for you will answer us, O God.
People: Wondrously show your steadfast love, O savior.
OR
Leader: The God who comes among us calls us together.
People: We come to worship the God who comes in flesh.
Leader: The God who created us became one of us.
People: We praise the Christ who walked long ago in Galilee.
Leader: Our God continues to live within each of his disciples.
People: May God’s presence be evident in all we do and say.
Hymns and Sacred Songs
“Hope of the World”
found in:
UMH: 178
H82: 472
PH: 360
NCH: 46
CH: 538
LBW: 493
W&P: 404
“Out of the Depths I Cry to You”
found in:
UMH: 515
H82: 666
PH: 240
NCH: 483
CH: 510
LBW: 295
ELA: 600
“O God, Our Help in Ages Past”
found in:
UMH: 117
H82: 680
AAHH: 170
NNBH: 46
NCH: 25
CH: 67
LBW: 320
ELA: 632
W&P: 84
AMEC: 61
STLT: 281
“Soon and Very Soon”
found in:
UMH: 706
AAHH: 193
NNBH: 476
ELA: 439
W&P: 523
Renew: 276
“Jesus, Joy of Our Desiring”
found in:
UMH: 644
NNBH: 72
“Hymn of Promise”
found in:
UMH: 707
NCH: 433
CH: 638
W&P: 515
“God of the Sparrow, God of the Whale”
found in:
UMH: 122
PH: 272
NCH: 32
CH: 70
ELA: 740
W&P: 29
“Great Is Thy Faithfulness”
found in:
UMH: 140
AAHH: 158
NNBH: 45
NCH: 423
CH: 86
ELA: 733
W&P: 72
AMEC: 84
Renew: 249
“We Are His Hands”
found in:
CCB: 85
“O How He Loves You and Me”
found in:
CCB: 38
Renew: 27
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 comes in flesh to offer us hope: Grant us the courage to believe in your constant grace, that we may find hope for ourselves in your ever-present love and offer hope to others as you work through us; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We call on you in our need, O God, knowing you are always present to us. We offer our praises and open our hearts to your Spirit. So fill us during this time of worship that we may not only find hope for ourselves but that we might become hope as you work through us. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
Leader: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins, and especially how easily we give up hope.
People: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We are the Easter people, the people of hope, and yet we find ourselves overwhelmed by all the negatives of life and feel defeated. While we are tuned into the news of the day with all of its disasters and violence, we forget about the story of Jesus. We forget that God is incarnational and dwells among us and within us. We forget that we are called to be the Body of Christ, God incarnate for this generation. Forgive us our blindness to the truth, and so fill us with your Spirit that we may take our rightful place as your people. Amen.
Leader: God is within us and among us. God is calling creation to wholeness and welcomes us to be part of God’s presence in our world.
Prayers of the People (and the Lord’s Prayer)
We praise you, O God, for you are our Creator and yet you come and dwell among us, your creatures. You are the one who does not stay distant from your people.
(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 the Easter people, the people of hope, and yet we find ourselves overwhelmed by all the negatives of life and feel defeated. While we are tuned into the news of the day with all of its disasters and violence, we forget about the story of Jesus. We forget that God is incarnational and dwells among us and within us. We forget that we are called to be the Body of Christ, God incarnate for this generation. Forgive us our blindness to the truth, and so fill us with your Spirit that we may take our rightful place as your people.
We give you thanks for all the ways in which we are aware of your presence among us. We thank you for the Church, the sacraments, scripture, and prayer. We thank you for our sisters and brothers who make your presence known to us. We are grateful for all the times you are with us that we are unaware of because we are not looking for you.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for one another in our need, and especially for those who have no hope left. We know that poverty, disease, violence, and oppression can be life-sapping and hope-destroying at times. We pray that as you move among your creatures with your grace and healing we may be faithful in sharing the hope that is based on your incarnational presence among us.
(Other intercessions may be offered.)
All these things we ask in the Name of our Savior Jesus Christ, who taught us to pray together, saying:
Our Father . . . Amen.
(or if the Lord’s Prayer is not used at this point in the service)
All this we ask in the Name of the Blessed and Holy Trinity. Amen.
Children’s Sermon Starter
Talk to the children about the difference between wishing and hoping. Wishing is wanting for something to happen, while hope is waiting for something to happen that you know will happen. You may not know when or how it will happen, but you know it will. We often use the word “hope” when we are really wishing. In the church, when we say “hope” we mean that it will happen -- not just that we wish for it. We may wish for a certain present, but we hope our parents will come home from work. (Of course, any human activity is subject to disappointing us, but we probably don’t need to point that out to the children.)
CHILDREN’S SERMON
Do Something
Matthew 14:13-21
Objects: a lunch bag with a peanut butter sandwich, a banana, and a drink inside; a first-aid kit
How many of you have heard about the time Jesus fed more than 5,000 people with five loaves of bread and two fishes? (let the children answer) It was a miracle that no one ever forgot. There is another part of the story. This part is about what the disciples wanted to do. The people had been listening and visiting with Jesus all day. As it got closer to evening, the disciples asked Jesus to send the people home so they could eat and go to bed. The disciples knew the people were getting hungry, and when people get tired and hungry they get grouchy. That happens to you and me, doesn’t it? (let them answer) When I don’t eat at the right times and when I get tired, I begin to talk a little louder and I want a bigger space to be more comfortable. There isn’t a lot of space when there are 5,000 people!
When the disciples asked Jesus to send the people away, Jesus shocked them by saying, “No, I don’t want to send them home; you give them something to eat.” Now, how were they going to feed 5,000 people? We know that they fed all 5,000 with some fish and bread.
I think it is interesting that Jesus told the disciples they should do something. The disciples wanted to send the people home. That’s the way we do it when we don’t want to handle the problem. Jesus said you must do something for the people.
I brought a lunch bag with me today. Inside it, I have a peanut butter sandwich, a banana, and something to drink. (show the items) If you told me that you were hungry, I could do two things. One, I could send you home. If I did it the way Jesus would do, I would give you my lunch. If someone told me they were really cold and felt terrible, I could send them to the Salvation Army or Goodwill. Jesus teaches us to give them our coats. Let’s say that someone is very tired and can hardly walk. You can tell them to call a friend to pick them up, or you can give them a ride in your car or on your bicycle. If someone is hurt in a fall, you can tell them where the drugstore is or you can use your first-aid kit. (show the first-aid kit) Remember what Jesus said: “You do something.”
It is very easy to tell someone where to go or what to do, but Jesus wants us to be involved with other people. He wants us to do things for others and to help them whenever we can. You will never make a friend for Jesus if you just tell them where to go, but if you show them love and do something for them, they will know God’s love is inside of you.
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The Immediate Word, August 3, 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.
