Keep Calm And Hope On
Children's sermon
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Less than three months after a similar coordinated attack on Westminster Bridge and the area around the buildings of Parliament, the city of London experienced another dose of terror with another attack at the heart of the bustling metropolis: an attack on London Bridge and the nearby Borough Market area. Coming on the heels of an attack on concertgoers in Manchester less than a fortnight previously, no one could fault the city’s residents if they reacted with fear and trepidation. Yet they instead exhibited a defiant determination not to let would-be terrorists crush their spirits -- an attitude reflected in the viral spread of the social media meme and hashtag #WeAreNotAfraid. As team member Chris Keating points out in this installment of The Immediate Word, it certainly seems to be in keeping with a national character that is often defined by the popular meme “Keep Calm and Carry On” -- a motto that originally appeared on a World War II-era motivational poster produced by the British government. London’s mayor Sadiq Khan seemed to embody that outlook when he reassured the city’s residents. Though recent months have been difficult for Londoners, Chris notes that Paul’s assertion to the Romans that “suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope” offers a silver lining not only to them, but to everyone in any locale who experiences suffering. Paul is not exalting hard times; rather he is reminding us that in Christ we have a hope that is greater than any difficulty, and that can sustain us through even the worst of times.
Team member Dean Feldmeyer shares some additional thoughts on the story of Abraham and Sarah’s enthusiastic hospitality for three travelers, suggesting that it might be something of a parable for how the church should function today. Rather than looking at guests as potential members (and thinking of what they can do for the congregation), Dean notes that we might want to adopt Abraham’s conception of being a “servant” to those who are not regular members... and thereby reap unexpected blessings. In its most basic terms, it’s not about what people can do for the church -- it’s about what the church can do to meet the needs (spiritual and otherwise) of those outside our walls.
Keep Calm and Hope On
by Chris Keating
Romans 5:1-8
Following a double dose of terror attacks, Londoners had a right proper response: instead of fleeing the city, they took to the pubs and hoisted a pint or two. Defying fear, many seemed to be responding with more than a stiff upper lip.
Responding to a New York Times dispatch that said the nation was “still reeling from the shock of the bombing in Manchester,” British author J.K. Rowling declared that “The thugs who mowed down innocent people would love to think of the UK ‘reeling’ but it isn’t. Don’t confuse grief with a lack of courage,” she tweeted.
Another person tweeted a vintage photo of a Londoner sipping a cup of tea while sitting on top of a pile of debris following a World War II bombing raid, adding the comment: “This is what ‘reeling’ means in British English.”
Humor aside, the attacks did create fear while also instilling a deep commitment to carry on. Despite President Donald Trump’s call to set aside “political correctness” in order to achieve greater security, many in England seemed to be choosing a different path. Their commitment to not letting the terrorists win seem to be echoing the words of Sir Winston Churchill during another period of “Never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never -- in nothing, great or small, large or petty -- never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense.”
Enduring suffering and tribulation never comes easy, though arguably the United Kingdom has a longer history of terrorist attacks than the United States. There is more to becoming resilient than drinking a pint and blowing a raspberry in the face of terror. Paul gets to the heart of the matter in Romans 5 when he assures the Romans that life is filled with strife. The greater promise, however, is that in Christ we are assured of a deeper hope which shall not disappoint -- even in the face of suffering.
It’s a word for our times. In a sense, Paul may be telling us to “Keep calm, and Christ on.”
In the News
The past few months have witnessed brutal terror attacks in the United Kingdom. Even for a nation accustomed to terrorism, the past months have seemed especially harsh.
ISIS has claimed responsibility for the London Bridge/Borough Market attack, which killed eight and injured dozens more on June 3. A few weeks before that attack, a lone suicide bomber killed 22 and wounded more than 100 at an Ariana Grande concert at the Manchester Arena. In March, a man in a SUV ran over pedestrians on London’s Westminster Bridge, and then stabbed a police officer outside of Parliament.
Britain is no stranger to bombings and terrorism, having endured Irish Republican Army attacks for generations as well as dozens of other attacks, including the coordinated 2005 bombings in central London.
But as victims were being treated last week and police began investigating, something else became immediately clear: despite the long struggle with suffering, Londoners remained calm under pressure. As far as they were concerned, London Bridge was never going to fall.
Indeed, only hours after the attacks people in London returned to the streets, indicating that life would continue. Keep calm, and carry on.
Case in point: on Sunday, a newlywed couple walked hand in hand not far from the apex of the Borough Market attacks. Pausing near the police lines, Chris and Isabel Charlton began kissing. The couple told reporters that they had been entertaining friends Saturday evening. Otherwise, they said, it’s likely they would have been near the site of the second attack, eating at one of area’s trendy restaurants. When asked what brought them out a day after the attack, Charlton was clear.
Don’t let the terrorists win, he said. “You’ve got to carry on.”
Reporters and news crews expected the couple to be scared. Instead they seemed to be taking it all in stride. The terrorists failed in their attempt to disrupt their lives. “Terrified?” said Charlton. “That’s a bit strong. We’re probably going to go shopping... very mundane. Sorry.”
Carry on, indeed. The couple was not alone, though. News feeds posted footage of people leaving the scene of the attack in orderly lines. Some bystanders offered cups of tea or soda to those caught in the mayhem. A few took refuge in pubs. All seemed well, in spite of the Metropolitan Police warnings to “run, hide, tell.”
Taking stock of London’s well-mannered reactions, one writer noted that “these moments encapsulated something about Britain’s calm, defiant response to the threat of terror. Even as we face an increasing number of attacks, we are learning to cope with grief, loss, and violence in our own way.”
Just as they had done in March, Londoners expressed solidarity, resolve, and a stiff refusal to melt in the face of fear. Democracy continued -- as did election campaigns and other national business.
It’s a resolve which may seem disquieting to some -- including many Americans. Sunday morning, Londoners took to Twitter following a CNN crew’s description of the “eerily quiet” city streets. “Dear American media, can we get a few things straight?” tweeted one woman. “It’s Sunday. The streets are quiet because nothing is open yet, apart from churches.”
Sarcasm aside, a pervasive sense of calm endurance, or perhaps stubborn resignation, marked the UK’s response to the series of terror attacks. In fact, a rather incredulous President Donald Trump criticized London mayor Sadiq Khan for suggesting that there was “no reason to be alarmed.” Khan insisted that he wasn’t suggesting his residents let down their guard.
“Severe means an attack across the country is still highly likely,” said Khan. Supporters suggested the mayor was taking the threat seriously, while also encouraging a response that was dignified, resolute, and even calm.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Theresa May’s response highlighted a need for continued vigilance and increased security. May asserted that there has been “far too much tolerance of extremism in our country,” and vowed to review the nation’s counterterrorism strategies.
But her party’s resounding setback in the June 8 election may illustrate the nation’s divided attitudes about terror. It could prove to be a stumbling block for the prime minister -- if she manages to retain her job.
Voters seemed to not resonate with their prime minister’s calls for increased security and vigilance. But as author J.K. Rowling pointed out in her tweet, pressing on does not equate with denial. The UK is clearly grieving the violence, and keenly aware that their cities are being targeted.
But in a manner somewhat reminiscent of Paul’s conviction that endurance in the face of suffering produces hope, the nation seems insistent to carry on.
Sipping a pint of beer, one London resident summed up his feelings this way. “I’m not frightened in the least,” John King said. “I’m the gentlest, politest chap you’ll meet, but I’ve never been terrified of nobody in all my life and I’m not going to start now.” King noted that endurance ran deep in his family.
“Mum had been in the Blitz. Dad had been in a Japanese POW camp.” That, he said, was “hard, hard, hard.” And while ISIS’ threat is real, King said the UK has been here before. During World War II, the bombings were more numerous, the damage greater. King said the public warnings during the war were even more ominous than the Metropolitan Police Department’s alert to take immediate cover. That was a time “when the public was warned to ‘Make sure your family have their gas masks with them night and day.... Learn to put a baby’s gas helmet on quickly.’ ”
As the reporter notes, “Back then, (King said), the shop windows carried signs saying: ‘Business as usual Mr. Hitler.’ Now, Mr. King sipped his pint and chuckled: ‘That bunch of (expletive) animals aren’t going to make me afraid.’ ”
Suffering, it seems, still produces endurance.
In the Scriptures
For Paul, hope emerges in Christian life as a byproduct of grace. Just as Abraham and Sarah were justified by faith and could therefore imagine a future, such confidence provides an ample foundation for boasting (or “rejoicing”) in moments of suffering.
The core of Paul’s theological case in Romans has been building since chapter one. He has described sin and its power, and announced God’s response. Moreover, Paul understands that for the Romans, life is hardly a promenade in the park. Suffering can be expected. Yet even the expectation of suffering does not blunt its breathtaking, traumatic arrival. In the words of the late J. Christiaan Beker: “Suffering in the face of death is so unbearable because it compels us to face the specter of meaningless and ‘hopeless’ suffering. Here our soul cries ‘out of the depths’ ” (Beker, Suffering and Hope [Fortress, 1987], p. 68).
The context for Paul’s consideration of suffering yields significant clues. Having concluded his theological analysis of chapters one through four, chapter five begins with a thunderous “Therefore” that sets the stage for the chain reaction of verses three through five. He describes the implications of justification. It’s a homiletical hook: Paul’s first movement in Romans has been to explore the content of justification. Here, however, the tone changes and Paul begins to describe the contours of faith.
The bottom line, for Paul, is that those who are in Christ have been granted an “all-access” pass to Christ, and therefore have achieved peace with God. Romans 5:1-8 explores the nature of this peace as the foundation of our hope.
This all-access pass is the reminder that we have received grace in Jesus Christ. This grace, notes David Bartlett, is the greatest assurance of faith. “It is not that we are striving to reach God, it is that God is striving to reach us -- grace. It is not that we use Jesus to attain God’s mercy, it is that God sends Jesus to enact the mercy that God has intended from the beginning of time.” Grace becomes a spring from which a multitude of gifts flow.
Paradoxically, grace also enables the believer to “boast even in our sufferings.” Verses three and four are hard to understand. They pose a pastoral dilemma. “Say, Paul,” we muse, “what do we say to the woman whose husband died of a sudden heart attack? Or the man whose beloved wife struggled through years of chemotherapy? Are we to tell them to be proud of that God has allowed them the privilege of suffering?”
Mary Hinkle Shore notes that the message is not that they rejoice because of their suffering, but rather to have confidence of faith in the midst of their suffering. Paul urges readers to claim “on what lies ahead.” Here boasting is possible because of God’s power. Boasting is made possible because of Christ’s endurance of suffering, and the eschatological hope at the root of our faith. With the assurance of our hope secure, and having achieved peace through Jesus Christ, we can stand -- and even boast -- in all that life tosses our way.
Such proclamation needs careful reflection, otherwise what is offered is cheap hope that will disappoint. What is clear in Romans 5:1-8 is that the source of hope is the love of God which has been poured into our hearts. It is an image of baptism, a reminder that in the waters of baptism we have been claimed by God. Love is poured into our lives in such a way that we can endure suffering -- and suffering can give rise to undefeatable hope.
In the Sermon
A grace-shaped life allows endurance to arise from suffering, and will not quash the experience that our lives are grounded in a hope which does not disappoint. To quote Dr. Beker once more, “a biblical theology of hope views the present power of death in terms of its empty future and in the knowledge of its, and not God’s sure defeat.” This declaration forms the heart of Romans, and is a grace-infused promise likely to resonate with many in today’s world.
A sermon could explore the contours of hope and the capacity to experience resilience in the face of life’s difficulties. At the heart of Romans is the determined “nevertheless” of God and God’s triumph in Jesus Christ. The sermon will name the ways God accompanies us into moments of suffering, pointing out the ability of God’s people to “Keep calm and carry on.”
Where are the moments where the congregation has endured suffering? Naming those moments and exploring them through the prism of grace will remind hearers of the confidence we have in God. This confidence -- much like the UK’s resolute stance in the face of terror -- flows from the understanding of what has been offered in Jesus Christ.
Describe how this process of producing hope finds expression in our lives today. We move through seasons of struggle -- not denying the ugliness of suffering, but with the assurance of knowing that in the end suffering will not separate us from the presence of Christ. Christ is the source of this hope; it is through Christ that we have access to grace. Therefore, he says, we can boast.
We can boast, as it were, since we are called to keep faith so that the terror of the night or of the day shall not have the last word.
SECOND THOUGHTS
Happy Hospitality
by Dean Feldmeyer
Genesis 18:1-15 (21:1-7)
Some years ago I saw a cartoon that depicted a church sanctuary full of people on Sunday morning. In the center aisle a group of people were carrying a fancy, pillow-covered litter -- upon which sat a middle-aged couple wearing go-to-church attire and looking kind of puzzled. Before and after the litter came children dancing and throwing flower petals, and people playing trumpets and flutes and lyres. In the front of the sanctuary stood the pastor and associate pastor, and one was saying to the other: “Do you think the hospitality committee has taken things a little too far in welcoming visitors?”
Probably one of the reasons I remember the cartoon so vividly after all these years is the fact that at that time I was the pastor of a small church in a small town, and any time a new family moved into the community the race was on to see which church would get them.
In one particular case my church put on the full-court press. People greeted the new visitors, welcoming them, complimenting them on the beauty and behavior of their children. Someone handed them a folder filled with flyers about all of the church’s many activities and ministries, and someone else gave them a coffee mug with the church’s logo imprinted on it. We followed up that week with several welcome cards and greetings from members of the church, and even a couple of phone calls.
Alas, they ended up going to another church. When I happened to run into them at the grocery store, they jokingly told me that it was between my church and the one they chose, and “the other church’s signing bonus was what swing the deal.” (Again, it was a joke.)
Which brings us to the question of the week: Is it possible to go too far in showing hospitality?
For our answer let’s look at the biblical model, Father Abraham.
The Genesis author’s depiction of this story is written broad and bold, with much room for humor. I like to visualize it with Jim Carrey playing the part of Abraham and Meryl Streep as Sarah. Kevin Spacey plays all three of the visitors. (They can do that now with computers.)
The story opens with Abraham sitting in the shade on his front porch trying to catch a breeze. It’s late afternoon, in the heat of the day. You can see the heat shimmering off the ground as he looks into the distance. Suddenly three figures appear, walking toward him.
Abraham (in his best Jim Carrey goofy run) falls all over himself running to greet them, throws himself at their feet, and begs, literally begs, them to come over to his favorite shade tree, sit under it, and have something cold and refreshing to drink. We, the audience, know that these three men are actually, God, YHWH, the Lord of the Universe -- but Abraham is clueless. He just thinks they are three guys who don’t have sense enough to sit out the heat of the day and do their walking in the morning and evening.
So he convinces them to come on over and sit in the shade and have a sip of ice water. He has met the minimum standard for hospitality in ancient Near Eastern culture. Let us remember that in this hot and hostile part of the world hospitality was not just something nice -- it was often a life-or-death kind of thing. You needed to be able to count on the hospitality of strangers or you could die out there.
So it was sort of written into the cultural norms that if you gave someone the blessing of hospitality, you would receive a blessing in return -- either the hospitality of another when you needed it or, as we will see with Abraham and Sarah, a blessing from God.
So God (the three strangers) comes over and sits beneath the shade tree, and Abraham decides to extend the hospitality a little further. He tells Sarah to make some little flatbreads for them to eat, the good kind like she serves on holidays, and even as he is saying the words it occurs to him that bread isn’t really enough, so he has a perfect calf killed and slaughtered so he can serve them some veal with their flatbreads.
And while they are waiting for their food, he has a servant bring some water and wash their feet for them so they’ll feel refreshed as well as fed when they leave.
During the meal one of the three men asks Abraham where his wife is, and Abraham says that she’s in the tent, over there, overseeing the kitchen work.
“Well,” says the stranger, “I’m going to come back by here in a few months, and when I do, she’s going to have had a son.”
Sarah, listening from inside the tent, snorts a laugh. “Yeah, fat chance.” And she said this, we are told, because she and Abraham were old. Really old.
The stranger hears her laugh and asks Abraham, “Why did she laugh?”
Sarah calls out from the tent, “I didn’t laugh.”
“Yeah, ya kinda did,” says the stranger. “You laughed. You know, it’s God who’s going to make this happen. Is anything too great or wonderful for God?”
Then the narrator skips ahead in the story and tells us that Sarah did, in fact, have a son -- and he made her so happy that she was just smiling and laughing all the time, only this time the smiles and laughter were genuine and not the cynical kind she did that day with the three strangers. That’s why she and Abraham named their son Isaac, which means “he laughs.”
So Abraham showed hospitality, extreme hospitality in fact, and he received a blessing in the form of offspring. He did not worry about making his visitors feel smothered. He didn’t worry about seeming too anxious or needy. He simply received them with as much generosity and kindness as was his to give.
So the answer to our question this week is “No.”
It is not possible to go too far in showing hospitality, especially if the act emanates from a genuine desire to be kind and generous, to help those who are in need, to refresh those who are weary, to safeguard those who are vulnerable.
In other words, fear not. Be kind. Show lavish hospitality to those who venture into your midst.
And who knows? Maybe you will reap a blessing. Maybe your church family will grow, just as Abraham’s family did.
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Ron Love:
Matthew 9:35--10:8 (9-23)
Tracy Antonelli, 43, has been afflicted with thalassemia since she was a child, requiring her to have three blood transfusions each week. When the Arlington, Massachusetts, stay-at-home mother saw an 18-month-old baby suffering from thalassemia in an orphanage in China on an adoption website, she and her husband Patrick knew that they had to adopt her. They then went on to adopt two other young girls from orphanages in China that have the same medical disorder. Today the four of them go for their weekly blood transfusions as a family affair, taking games with them. Upon seeing the first girl, Emmie, on the web page, Tracy said: “From that moment on, it became my life’s work to make her my daughter.” Then the other two girls, Rosie and Frannie, soon followed.
Application: Jesus instructs us to be involved in a ministry of healing.
*****
Matthew 9:35--10:8 (9-23)
When Roxane Gray was 12 years old, the slender adolescent was gang-raped by her boyfriend and his friends in a Nebraska mountain cabin. In order to protect herself from further rapes Roxane put on weight, reaching 577 pounds, so that she could never be overpowered again. In her recently released memoir Hunger, she discusses what it is like to live in a society where beauty is based on body shape and not personality. In addition to discussing the difficulties of living with obesity, she recounts the societal persecution of being fat. Roxane wrote: “Fat shaming is real, constant, and rather pointed.... These tormentors blind themselves in righteousness when they point out the obvious -- that our bodies are unruly, defiant, fat. It’s a strange civic-minded cruelty.”
Application: Jesus instructs to be accepting of all people as we share the Good News.
*****
Matthew 9:35--10:8 (9-23)
Susan Roy wrote a book studying the history of the fallout shelter, titled Bamboozled: How the U.S. Government Misled Itself and Its People Into Believing They Could Survive a Nuclear Attack. The summary of the book is that nuclear bombs are so powerful and radiation so long-lasting that even the best built and best stocked fallout shelter would prove ineffective. This lesson really became apparent to Roy when she visited the Nevada Test Site where experimental nuclear bombs have been detonated. The test site is larger than the state of Rhode Island. As one takes a bus tour through the test grounds, massive craters are visible. But what disturbed Roy the most was this: “The tone of the tour is relentlessly upbeat. The bomb is described as a marvelous technical achievement; there is never a reference to what its actual purpose was -- to efficiently kill hundreds of thousands or millions of people. It is one of the most profoundly depressing places I’ve seen.”
Application: Jesus taught us that when we go out into the world, we are to be a people of peace.
*****
Matthew 9:35--10:8 (9-23)
After President Trump pulled out of the Paris Climate Agreement, former Vice-President Al Gore, who is an active environmentalist, was interviewed by People magazine. In the interview Gore discussed how we are putting 110 million tons of global-warming pollution into the atmosphere every 24 hours. He then described some of the effects of that, with droughts and harsher ocean storms. But then Gore said: “You don’t need to rely on the consensus from the scientific community to see that the climate crisis is real. Mother Nature is telling us, and people are noticing it.”
Application: Hopefully people will listen to the evangelistic teachings of Christians and see the obvious.
*****
Matthew 9:35--10:8 (9-23)
After 25 years of breast cancer remission, Olivia Newton-John has an active cancer once again. This time the cancer is located on her sacrum. Even though she is a celebrity, when she was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 1992 she said, “I had the same fears and traumas that everyone feels.”
Application: Jesus taught us to have compassion for everyone who suffers.
*****
Romans 5:1-8
After 25 years of breast cancer remission, Olivia Newton-John has an active cancer once again. This time the cancer is located on her sacrum. As she begins treatment, Olivia has strong support from her husband John Easterling, 65. They met on a trip touring the Amazon, and were married in 2008. John says of the recent ordeal: “We are not trying to be positive. We have an absolute knowingness that we can turn this around.”
Application: As we suffer, God does give us hope.
*****
Genesis 18:1-15 (21:1-7); Father’s Day
Comedian George Burns and Gracie Allen were married in 1926 in Cleveland, Ohio. Over the decades the loving and devout couple shared the stage as a comedy team. When Gracie died in 1964, George was devastated with grief. He could not function, and he could not sleep at night. As they slept in twin beds, one night George decided to sleep in Gracie’s bed instead of his own. That somehow gave him the comfort and assurance to deal with his grief and continue his life. George slept in Gracie’s bed until his death in 1996.
Application: God will bring us comfort.
*****
Genesis 18:1-15 (21:1-7); Father’s Day
Celine Dion has had only one man in her life, and that was René Angélil. They met when she was 12 and he was her producer. They were married when Celine was 26. After René’s death at the age of 73, Celine is without the man whom she loved and who guided her career. But even in death, René still guides Celine’s career. She keeps a photo of him, and before she makes any record decisions, for instance whether to record “How Does a Moment Last Forever” for Disney’s movie Beauty and the Beast, Celine sits in front of that picture and discusses her decision with René.
Application: God has promised to guide us.
*****
Genesis 18:1-15 (21:1-7); Father’s Day
The divorce of Mary Kay Letourneau and Vili Fualaau has become headline news. Mary Kay was the sixth-grade teacher who had sexual relations with her 12-year-old student Vili, and became pregnant with his child. For the offense, she was sentenced in 1997 to 7-and-a-half years in prison, but she only served six months with the promise not to contact the student. But she violated that proviso immediately upon her release, and was sent back to prison to complete her entire sentence. At the time of the incident, Mary Kay was married and had four children with her husband. Now, after being together 20 years, and married for 12, Mary Kay and Vili are divorcing. Vili filled for the divorce, claiming that Mary Kay is a nag and controlling. Reflecting on their first meeting, Vili wonders what would have happened if he had not pursued Mary Kay. Vili said, “I can never see more than the question.”
Application: Abraham and Sarah show us the blessing of stable relationships.
*****
Genesis 18:1-15 (21:1-7); Father’s Day
In tabloid news, Lauren Bushnell, 27, is dissolving her relationship with her fiancé Ben Higgins, 29. On the season 20 of the ABC series Bachelor, Ben gave Lauren the rose on the final episode. As they then lived together, Lauren blogged about their relationship and their romance. One of the causes of the separation, Lauren said, was her inability to forgive Ben for saying he loved both her and another contestant, runner-up JoJo Fletcher, on the on the same show. Lauren said, “I don’t think I’ve ever talked about how hurtful it was to watch Ben tell both of us he loved us.”
Application: Abraham and Sarah show us the blessing of stable relationships.
***************
From team member Mary Austin:
Genesis 18:1-15 (21:1-7)
Welcoming Guests
Abraham has the art of hospitality down pat, but for those of us in need of help with the summer season of house guests, experts advise spending time in your guest room before your guests arrive. Get into the bed, see if the pillow is lumpy, test out the light -- you can see what your guests will experience. Another expert suggests, “I’ll leave breath mints in the drawer, and a bottle of water by the bed. Guests who’ll be there for a few weeks get their own slippers and robe. And for people who aren’t familiar with the area, I leave a guidebook in the room to help them decide what they’d like to do while in town.” Another frequent host advises other hosts to think like a hotel. “I always provide a basket of sundries from mouthwash to a razor. And I have a collection of stationery from hotels around the world that I’ll put in the room as a fun, novel way for guests to write notes to their friends and family. Finally, I’ll spritz the room with a lavender linen spray and put out a bottle of Perrier so it feels like a little French hotel.” Abraham understands the holy work of hospitality, and this summer’s guests invite us to entertain like we too may receive angels unaware.
*****
Genesis 18:1-15 (21:1-7)
And If You Are the Guest...
Abraham’s guests are exempt from all ordinary rules, but for the rest of us, there’s plenty of advice about how to be a good guest. Rule number one would seem to go without saying, but apparently does not: be clear about when you’re coming and going. “Make sure you lock down your visiting dates far in advance with your hosts... at their invitation. Don’t ever be vague or hope to stretch out your visit after you arrive.” Also seemingly obvious, but evidently must need to be said: no surprises. “Never show up unannounced -- or even worse, with a puppy, child, significant other, or friend (even if it’s a mutual friend) unless you’ve cleared it with your host beforehand.”
In Britain, Debrett’s, the guide to etiquette, takes it a step further, advising: “Put your phone away, resist the urge to post pictures of your dinner to social media -- and certainly don’t get drunk. These are the most important rules of being the perfect 21st-century houseguest.” According to a Debrett’s guide published in conjunction with AirBnB: “Along with playing with gadgets and getting drunk, wearing dirty shoes in the house and ‘snooping’ without invitation were among the five most irritating habits shown by houseguests.” Abraham’s guests are in trouble on that one. Good thing they have good news to share!
*****
Matthew 9:35--10:8 (9-23)
Lost Sheep
Jesus sees the crowds and has “compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” In India, Jeroo Billimoria had a similar reaction to the street children she encountered. Meeting children who were living on the streets, dependent on themselves for survival, she saw how vulnerable they were, and began to give them her cellphone number. It started to ring, night after night. “The population of street children in India is the highest in the world. The urge for independence, emotional trauma, and economic destitution drive children away from home or take them to the streets to earn a living. Health-related problems such as sickness and injuries are everyday affairs for them, alongside and exacerbated by sexual abuse, drug addiction, and violence by police officials. With no comprehensive government schemes for their rehabilitation and the lack of a strong labor movement, the growing numbers of street children (48 million at last count) have become an embarrassing reality for the country.”
Realizing the scope of the problem, Billimoria founded Childline, allowing street children to call and talk to a trained, former street child for help. “Since pay phones are as ubiquitous as working children in the streets of Indian cities, Jeroo Billimoria is bringing the two together in a program to provide ready communication and support linkages.... Trained volunteer street children take the calls and make the link to relevant services. The volunteer on the line meets the street child and takes the necessary follow-up steps or refers the caller to a support organization enlisted by Childline in the zone.”
The organization started as a source of emergency help, and now provides links to overnight shelters, social services, education, and jobs through the network of trained volunteers.
Following up, Jeroo now works on connecting street children with financial resources. Seeing that many of them had entrepreneurial spirits, she decided to address their financial instability. She “decided to tackle the root of this issue through her vision of children having and managing their own savings accounts.” Her next organization was “Child and Youth Finance International, which spearheads a global Child Finance movement uniting policy-makers and experts from private, public, and civil society sectors. The movement is dedicated to facilitating the creation of a safe and inclusive financial environment for children, while giving the financial rights of children a higher priority on national and international agendas. Activities within the Child Finance movement promote the provision and certification of child-friendly banking products for children and youth.”
*****
Romans 5:1-8
Hope
The tribulations of our lives require hope, and also wear away at it. In a 2008 commencement address at Duke, author Barbara Kingsolver talked about how to hold on to hope.
She said: “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, to 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.”
She added: “Look, you might as well know, this thing is going to take endless repair: rubber bands, crazy glue, tapioca, the square of the hypotenuse. Nineteenth-century novels. Heartstrings, sunrise: all of these are useful. Also, feathers. To keep it humming, sometimes you have to stand on an incline, where everything looks possible; on the line you drew yourself. Or in the grocery line, making faces at a toddler secretly, over his mother’s shoulder.”
Keeping hope vibrant in our lives takes work, she’s saying. It doesn’t just happen. But it’s work worth doing.
WORSHIP RESOURCES
by George Reed
Call to Worship
Leader: We love God, who has heard our voice and supplications.
People: God’s ear is inclined to us; therefore we will call on our God.
Leader: What shall we return to God for all the bounty we have received?
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 the people.
People: We will offer to God a thanksgiving sacrifice and call on God’s name.
OR
Leader: Praise be to God, who redeems all creation.
People: Glory to our God, who does not forsake us.
Leader: Whatever life brings to us, God is our foundation.
People: We stand upon the faithfulness of our God.
Leader: We will not let any circumstance come between us and God.
People: In all things, we will trust and grow in God.
Hymns and Sacred Songs
“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
“Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah”
found in:
UMH: 127
H82: 690
PH: 281
AAHH: 138, 139, 140
NNBH: 232
NCH: 18, 19
CH: 622
LBW: 343
ELA: 618
W&P: 501
AMEC: 52, 53, 65
“We Gather Together”
found in:
UMH: 131
H82: 433
PH: 559
NNBH: 326
NCH: 21
CH: 276
ELA: 449
W&P: 81
AMEC: 576
STLT: 349
“All My Hope Is Firmly Grounded”
found in:
UMH: 132
H82: 665
NCH: 408
CH: 88
ELA: 757
“Where Charity and Love Prevail”
found in:
UMH: 549
H82: 581
NCH: 396
LBW: 126
ELA: 359
“I Want Jesus to Walk with Me”
found in:
UMH: 521
PH: 363
AAHH: 563
NNBH: 500
NCH: 490
CH: 627
W&P: 506
AMEC: 375
“What a Friend We Have in Jesus”
found in:
UMH: 526
PH: 403
AAHH: 430/431
NNBH: 61
NCH: 506
CH: 585
LBW: 439
ELA: 742
W&P: 473
AMEC: 323, 325
“Nearer, My God, to Thee”
found in:
UMH: 528
AAHH: 163
NNBH: 314
NCH: 606
CH: 577
AMEC: 311
STLT: 87
“Shalom to You”
found in:
CCB: 98
“Shalom, My Friends, Shalom”
found in:
Renew: 294
“Something Beautiful”
found in:
CCB: 84
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 seeks to redeem all of creation: Grant us the grace to see in our difficult times the opportunities that you open up for us so that we might grow in faith and grace; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
O God who claims all people as your children: Grant us the grace to open our hearts to others and to see others as an opportunity to serve them rather to receive something from them; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We praise you, O God, and lift your name on high. You are the gracious God who seeks to bring redemption in every situation. Help us to see the opportunities you offer for our growth in the midst of our difficulties. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
Leader: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins, and especially our lack of faith in God.
People: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. Although you are always faithful, we doubt you. We look at the circumstances around us and we fear that we will be swamped by it all. We look for ways out, and when we don’t find them we blame you. We forget that you promised to be with us in all things. We worry about our congregation, and treat visitors as possible resources instead of as your children who need you. Forgive us, and renew us so that we might place our lives fully in your hands. Amen.
Leader: God is faithful eternally and in the here and now. Receive God’s grace and love, and find your strength in our God.
Prayers of the People (and the Lord’s Prayer)
O Gracious God who seeks always the good of your people and of all creation, we praise your name and sing your glory. We praise you for your sustaining hand that holds us all in your love and care.
(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. Although you are always faithful, we doubt you. We look at the circumstances around us and we fear that we will be swamped by it all. We look for ways out, and when we don’t find them we blame you. We forget that you promised to be with us in all things. We worry about our congregation, and treat visitors as possible resources instead of as your children who need you. Forgive us, and renew us so that we might place our lives fully in your hands.
We thank you for the blessings you have showered upon us. Though we forget about you, you are always with us and seeking to bless us. You invite us to receive more blessings as we reach out in love to strangers.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for one another in our need. We pray for those who are strangers. Some of them have chosen to be in a new place, and others have been forced there. We pray especially for those who have been forced from their homes by violence, famine, drought, or war. As you care for them, help us to share your love through our own gracious hospitality.
(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 about how we may have a discussion with friends about what game we are going to play. They may have chosen the last two times, and we want to choose this time. We are nice, but we talk about it and work it out. That is friendship. Today we are talking about hospitality. That is different. Friendship is with friends; hospitality is with strangers. When we have someone new in school or in our neighborhood who wants to play, we want to be hospitable, friendly to strangers, so we let them choose what to play. Since they are new, they might not feel very comfortable with new people so we let them choose the game that they are comfortable playing. It is how we show the love of God to strangers.
CHILDREN’S SERMON
by Beth Herrinton-Hodge
Matthew 9:35--10:8 (9-23)
(After you welcome the children, tell them that you are going to read aloud a few verses from the Bible.)
I’d like you to listen for two things as I’m reading:
1) What do these verses tell about Jesus?
2) What do these verses say about the crowds of people?
(Read aloud Matthew 9:35-36.)
What did you hear about Jesus in these verses? (Possible answers from the children might include teaching, preaching/proclaiming the good news, and curing people of sickness and disease.
What did you hear about the crowds? (Possible answers could be harassed, bothered, bullied; helpless/needing help; lost; like sheep without a shepherd.)
The things we read about Jesus doing -- we expect Jesus to do these things, right? But when he looked at the crowds of people and saw that they seemed lost -- without a shepherd or a leader -- that, to me, is a bit of a surprise.
Have you ever felt lost? Or felt like you needed special help from a teacher or an adult friend? When have you felt “harassed” or bullied or helpless? (Allow the children to voice examples -- if they can. If they don’t seem to be comfortable sharing, or if they are too young to really understand the question, you may offer your own example of when you felt like you needed help.)
What do you do when you feel this way? (Or give an example of what you do when you feel this way.)
The rest of our Bible passage tells about what Jesus does to help the people who seem lost or hurting. He gives his disciples power to help people who are in need. Then Jesus sends the disciples out to help!
I like this... I like knowing that Jesus sees us when we need help, when we are hurting, when we need someone to guide and lead us.
Jesus came to help us. And Jesus’ friends and disciples are called to help one another in Jesus’ name. We are not left alone without a shepherd -- Jesus, and Jesus’ followers, are in the world right now... ready to see and help when we feel lost, or alone, or bullied.
Look out at the people sitting here in church -- they are followers of Jesus, just like you. They are here for you, to lead and help and stand with you -- they stand with one another -- to help when there is hurt.
That’s what being part of Christ’s church is all about! Knowing that Jesus is always here with us, and knowing that other followers of Jesus are here to help us.
Let us pray: Jesus, our Good Shepherd, you know what it’s like to hurt and need help. Thank you for always being with us. Thank you, too, for sending disciples to help us and to stand with us. Amen.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, June 18, 2017, issue.
Copyright 2017 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to The Immediate Word service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons and in worship and classroom settings only. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
Team member Dean Feldmeyer shares some additional thoughts on the story of Abraham and Sarah’s enthusiastic hospitality for three travelers, suggesting that it might be something of a parable for how the church should function today. Rather than looking at guests as potential members (and thinking of what they can do for the congregation), Dean notes that we might want to adopt Abraham’s conception of being a “servant” to those who are not regular members... and thereby reap unexpected blessings. In its most basic terms, it’s not about what people can do for the church -- it’s about what the church can do to meet the needs (spiritual and otherwise) of those outside our walls.
Keep Calm and Hope On
by Chris Keating
Romans 5:1-8
Following a double dose of terror attacks, Londoners had a right proper response: instead of fleeing the city, they took to the pubs and hoisted a pint or two. Defying fear, many seemed to be responding with more than a stiff upper lip.
Responding to a New York Times dispatch that said the nation was “still reeling from the shock of the bombing in Manchester,” British author J.K. Rowling declared that “The thugs who mowed down innocent people would love to think of the UK ‘reeling’ but it isn’t. Don’t confuse grief with a lack of courage,” she tweeted.
Another person tweeted a vintage photo of a Londoner sipping a cup of tea while sitting on top of a pile of debris following a World War II bombing raid, adding the comment: “This is what ‘reeling’ means in British English.”
Humor aside, the attacks did create fear while also instilling a deep commitment to carry on. Despite President Donald Trump’s call to set aside “political correctness” in order to achieve greater security, many in England seemed to be choosing a different path. Their commitment to not letting the terrorists win seem to be echoing the words of Sir Winston Churchill during another period of “Never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never -- in nothing, great or small, large or petty -- never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense.”
Enduring suffering and tribulation never comes easy, though arguably the United Kingdom has a longer history of terrorist attacks than the United States. There is more to becoming resilient than drinking a pint and blowing a raspberry in the face of terror. Paul gets to the heart of the matter in Romans 5 when he assures the Romans that life is filled with strife. The greater promise, however, is that in Christ we are assured of a deeper hope which shall not disappoint -- even in the face of suffering.
It’s a word for our times. In a sense, Paul may be telling us to “Keep calm, and Christ on.”
In the News
The past few months have witnessed brutal terror attacks in the United Kingdom. Even for a nation accustomed to terrorism, the past months have seemed especially harsh.
ISIS has claimed responsibility for the London Bridge/Borough Market attack, which killed eight and injured dozens more on June 3. A few weeks before that attack, a lone suicide bomber killed 22 and wounded more than 100 at an Ariana Grande concert at the Manchester Arena. In March, a man in a SUV ran over pedestrians on London’s Westminster Bridge, and then stabbed a police officer outside of Parliament.
Britain is no stranger to bombings and terrorism, having endured Irish Republican Army attacks for generations as well as dozens of other attacks, including the coordinated 2005 bombings in central London.
But as victims were being treated last week and police began investigating, something else became immediately clear: despite the long struggle with suffering, Londoners remained calm under pressure. As far as they were concerned, London Bridge was never going to fall.
Indeed, only hours after the attacks people in London returned to the streets, indicating that life would continue. Keep calm, and carry on.
Case in point: on Sunday, a newlywed couple walked hand in hand not far from the apex of the Borough Market attacks. Pausing near the police lines, Chris and Isabel Charlton began kissing. The couple told reporters that they had been entertaining friends Saturday evening. Otherwise, they said, it’s likely they would have been near the site of the second attack, eating at one of area’s trendy restaurants. When asked what brought them out a day after the attack, Charlton was clear.
Don’t let the terrorists win, he said. “You’ve got to carry on.”
Reporters and news crews expected the couple to be scared. Instead they seemed to be taking it all in stride. The terrorists failed in their attempt to disrupt their lives. “Terrified?” said Charlton. “That’s a bit strong. We’re probably going to go shopping... very mundane. Sorry.”
Carry on, indeed. The couple was not alone, though. News feeds posted footage of people leaving the scene of the attack in orderly lines. Some bystanders offered cups of tea or soda to those caught in the mayhem. A few took refuge in pubs. All seemed well, in spite of the Metropolitan Police warnings to “run, hide, tell.”
Taking stock of London’s well-mannered reactions, one writer noted that “these moments encapsulated something about Britain’s calm, defiant response to the threat of terror. Even as we face an increasing number of attacks, we are learning to cope with grief, loss, and violence in our own way.”
Just as they had done in March, Londoners expressed solidarity, resolve, and a stiff refusal to melt in the face of fear. Democracy continued -- as did election campaigns and other national business.
It’s a resolve which may seem disquieting to some -- including many Americans. Sunday morning, Londoners took to Twitter following a CNN crew’s description of the “eerily quiet” city streets. “Dear American media, can we get a few things straight?” tweeted one woman. “It’s Sunday. The streets are quiet because nothing is open yet, apart from churches.”
Sarcasm aside, a pervasive sense of calm endurance, or perhaps stubborn resignation, marked the UK’s response to the series of terror attacks. In fact, a rather incredulous President Donald Trump criticized London mayor Sadiq Khan for suggesting that there was “no reason to be alarmed.” Khan insisted that he wasn’t suggesting his residents let down their guard.
“Severe means an attack across the country is still highly likely,” said Khan. Supporters suggested the mayor was taking the threat seriously, while also encouraging a response that was dignified, resolute, and even calm.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Theresa May’s response highlighted a need for continued vigilance and increased security. May asserted that there has been “far too much tolerance of extremism in our country,” and vowed to review the nation’s counterterrorism strategies.
But her party’s resounding setback in the June 8 election may illustrate the nation’s divided attitudes about terror. It could prove to be a stumbling block for the prime minister -- if she manages to retain her job.
Voters seemed to not resonate with their prime minister’s calls for increased security and vigilance. But as author J.K. Rowling pointed out in her tweet, pressing on does not equate with denial. The UK is clearly grieving the violence, and keenly aware that their cities are being targeted.
But in a manner somewhat reminiscent of Paul’s conviction that endurance in the face of suffering produces hope, the nation seems insistent to carry on.
Sipping a pint of beer, one London resident summed up his feelings this way. “I’m not frightened in the least,” John King said. “I’m the gentlest, politest chap you’ll meet, but I’ve never been terrified of nobody in all my life and I’m not going to start now.” King noted that endurance ran deep in his family.
“Mum had been in the Blitz. Dad had been in a Japanese POW camp.” That, he said, was “hard, hard, hard.” And while ISIS’ threat is real, King said the UK has been here before. During World War II, the bombings were more numerous, the damage greater. King said the public warnings during the war were even more ominous than the Metropolitan Police Department’s alert to take immediate cover. That was a time “when the public was warned to ‘Make sure your family have their gas masks with them night and day.... Learn to put a baby’s gas helmet on quickly.’ ”
As the reporter notes, “Back then, (King said), the shop windows carried signs saying: ‘Business as usual Mr. Hitler.’ Now, Mr. King sipped his pint and chuckled: ‘That bunch of (expletive) animals aren’t going to make me afraid.’ ”
Suffering, it seems, still produces endurance.
In the Scriptures
For Paul, hope emerges in Christian life as a byproduct of grace. Just as Abraham and Sarah were justified by faith and could therefore imagine a future, such confidence provides an ample foundation for boasting (or “rejoicing”) in moments of suffering.
The core of Paul’s theological case in Romans has been building since chapter one. He has described sin and its power, and announced God’s response. Moreover, Paul understands that for the Romans, life is hardly a promenade in the park. Suffering can be expected. Yet even the expectation of suffering does not blunt its breathtaking, traumatic arrival. In the words of the late J. Christiaan Beker: “Suffering in the face of death is so unbearable because it compels us to face the specter of meaningless and ‘hopeless’ suffering. Here our soul cries ‘out of the depths’ ” (Beker, Suffering and Hope [Fortress, 1987], p. 68).
The context for Paul’s consideration of suffering yields significant clues. Having concluded his theological analysis of chapters one through four, chapter five begins with a thunderous “Therefore” that sets the stage for the chain reaction of verses three through five. He describes the implications of justification. It’s a homiletical hook: Paul’s first movement in Romans has been to explore the content of justification. Here, however, the tone changes and Paul begins to describe the contours of faith.
The bottom line, for Paul, is that those who are in Christ have been granted an “all-access” pass to Christ, and therefore have achieved peace with God. Romans 5:1-8 explores the nature of this peace as the foundation of our hope.
This all-access pass is the reminder that we have received grace in Jesus Christ. This grace, notes David Bartlett, is the greatest assurance of faith. “It is not that we are striving to reach God, it is that God is striving to reach us -- grace. It is not that we use Jesus to attain God’s mercy, it is that God sends Jesus to enact the mercy that God has intended from the beginning of time.” Grace becomes a spring from which a multitude of gifts flow.
Paradoxically, grace also enables the believer to “boast even in our sufferings.” Verses three and four are hard to understand. They pose a pastoral dilemma. “Say, Paul,” we muse, “what do we say to the woman whose husband died of a sudden heart attack? Or the man whose beloved wife struggled through years of chemotherapy? Are we to tell them to be proud of that God has allowed them the privilege of suffering?”
Mary Hinkle Shore notes that the message is not that they rejoice because of their suffering, but rather to have confidence of faith in the midst of their suffering. Paul urges readers to claim “on what lies ahead.” Here boasting is possible because of God’s power. Boasting is made possible because of Christ’s endurance of suffering, and the eschatological hope at the root of our faith. With the assurance of our hope secure, and having achieved peace through Jesus Christ, we can stand -- and even boast -- in all that life tosses our way.
Such proclamation needs careful reflection, otherwise what is offered is cheap hope that will disappoint. What is clear in Romans 5:1-8 is that the source of hope is the love of God which has been poured into our hearts. It is an image of baptism, a reminder that in the waters of baptism we have been claimed by God. Love is poured into our lives in such a way that we can endure suffering -- and suffering can give rise to undefeatable hope.
In the Sermon
A grace-shaped life allows endurance to arise from suffering, and will not quash the experience that our lives are grounded in a hope which does not disappoint. To quote Dr. Beker once more, “a biblical theology of hope views the present power of death in terms of its empty future and in the knowledge of its, and not God’s sure defeat.” This declaration forms the heart of Romans, and is a grace-infused promise likely to resonate with many in today’s world.
A sermon could explore the contours of hope and the capacity to experience resilience in the face of life’s difficulties. At the heart of Romans is the determined “nevertheless” of God and God’s triumph in Jesus Christ. The sermon will name the ways God accompanies us into moments of suffering, pointing out the ability of God’s people to “Keep calm and carry on.”
Where are the moments where the congregation has endured suffering? Naming those moments and exploring them through the prism of grace will remind hearers of the confidence we have in God. This confidence -- much like the UK’s resolute stance in the face of terror -- flows from the understanding of what has been offered in Jesus Christ.
Describe how this process of producing hope finds expression in our lives today. We move through seasons of struggle -- not denying the ugliness of suffering, but with the assurance of knowing that in the end suffering will not separate us from the presence of Christ. Christ is the source of this hope; it is through Christ that we have access to grace. Therefore, he says, we can boast.
We can boast, as it were, since we are called to keep faith so that the terror of the night or of the day shall not have the last word.
SECOND THOUGHTS
Happy Hospitality
by Dean Feldmeyer
Genesis 18:1-15 (21:1-7)
Some years ago I saw a cartoon that depicted a church sanctuary full of people on Sunday morning. In the center aisle a group of people were carrying a fancy, pillow-covered litter -- upon which sat a middle-aged couple wearing go-to-church attire and looking kind of puzzled. Before and after the litter came children dancing and throwing flower petals, and people playing trumpets and flutes and lyres. In the front of the sanctuary stood the pastor and associate pastor, and one was saying to the other: “Do you think the hospitality committee has taken things a little too far in welcoming visitors?”
Probably one of the reasons I remember the cartoon so vividly after all these years is the fact that at that time I was the pastor of a small church in a small town, and any time a new family moved into the community the race was on to see which church would get them.
In one particular case my church put on the full-court press. People greeted the new visitors, welcoming them, complimenting them on the beauty and behavior of their children. Someone handed them a folder filled with flyers about all of the church’s many activities and ministries, and someone else gave them a coffee mug with the church’s logo imprinted on it. We followed up that week with several welcome cards and greetings from members of the church, and even a couple of phone calls.
Alas, they ended up going to another church. When I happened to run into them at the grocery store, they jokingly told me that it was between my church and the one they chose, and “the other church’s signing bonus was what swing the deal.” (Again, it was a joke.)
Which brings us to the question of the week: Is it possible to go too far in showing hospitality?
For our answer let’s look at the biblical model, Father Abraham.
The Genesis author’s depiction of this story is written broad and bold, with much room for humor. I like to visualize it with Jim Carrey playing the part of Abraham and Meryl Streep as Sarah. Kevin Spacey plays all three of the visitors. (They can do that now with computers.)
The story opens with Abraham sitting in the shade on his front porch trying to catch a breeze. It’s late afternoon, in the heat of the day. You can see the heat shimmering off the ground as he looks into the distance. Suddenly three figures appear, walking toward him.
Abraham (in his best Jim Carrey goofy run) falls all over himself running to greet them, throws himself at their feet, and begs, literally begs, them to come over to his favorite shade tree, sit under it, and have something cold and refreshing to drink. We, the audience, know that these three men are actually, God, YHWH, the Lord of the Universe -- but Abraham is clueless. He just thinks they are three guys who don’t have sense enough to sit out the heat of the day and do their walking in the morning and evening.
So he convinces them to come on over and sit in the shade and have a sip of ice water. He has met the minimum standard for hospitality in ancient Near Eastern culture. Let us remember that in this hot and hostile part of the world hospitality was not just something nice -- it was often a life-or-death kind of thing. You needed to be able to count on the hospitality of strangers or you could die out there.
So it was sort of written into the cultural norms that if you gave someone the blessing of hospitality, you would receive a blessing in return -- either the hospitality of another when you needed it or, as we will see with Abraham and Sarah, a blessing from God.
So God (the three strangers) comes over and sits beneath the shade tree, and Abraham decides to extend the hospitality a little further. He tells Sarah to make some little flatbreads for them to eat, the good kind like she serves on holidays, and even as he is saying the words it occurs to him that bread isn’t really enough, so he has a perfect calf killed and slaughtered so he can serve them some veal with their flatbreads.
And while they are waiting for their food, he has a servant bring some water and wash their feet for them so they’ll feel refreshed as well as fed when they leave.
During the meal one of the three men asks Abraham where his wife is, and Abraham says that she’s in the tent, over there, overseeing the kitchen work.
“Well,” says the stranger, “I’m going to come back by here in a few months, and when I do, she’s going to have had a son.”
Sarah, listening from inside the tent, snorts a laugh. “Yeah, fat chance.” And she said this, we are told, because she and Abraham were old. Really old.
The stranger hears her laugh and asks Abraham, “Why did she laugh?”
Sarah calls out from the tent, “I didn’t laugh.”
“Yeah, ya kinda did,” says the stranger. “You laughed. You know, it’s God who’s going to make this happen. Is anything too great or wonderful for God?”
Then the narrator skips ahead in the story and tells us that Sarah did, in fact, have a son -- and he made her so happy that she was just smiling and laughing all the time, only this time the smiles and laughter were genuine and not the cynical kind she did that day with the three strangers. That’s why she and Abraham named their son Isaac, which means “he laughs.”
So Abraham showed hospitality, extreme hospitality in fact, and he received a blessing in the form of offspring. He did not worry about making his visitors feel smothered. He didn’t worry about seeming too anxious or needy. He simply received them with as much generosity and kindness as was his to give.
So the answer to our question this week is “No.”
It is not possible to go too far in showing hospitality, especially if the act emanates from a genuine desire to be kind and generous, to help those who are in need, to refresh those who are weary, to safeguard those who are vulnerable.
In other words, fear not. Be kind. Show lavish hospitality to those who venture into your midst.
And who knows? Maybe you will reap a blessing. Maybe your church family will grow, just as Abraham’s family did.
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Ron Love:
Matthew 9:35--10:8 (9-23)
Tracy Antonelli, 43, has been afflicted with thalassemia since she was a child, requiring her to have three blood transfusions each week. When the Arlington, Massachusetts, stay-at-home mother saw an 18-month-old baby suffering from thalassemia in an orphanage in China on an adoption website, she and her husband Patrick knew that they had to adopt her. They then went on to adopt two other young girls from orphanages in China that have the same medical disorder. Today the four of them go for their weekly blood transfusions as a family affair, taking games with them. Upon seeing the first girl, Emmie, on the web page, Tracy said: “From that moment on, it became my life’s work to make her my daughter.” Then the other two girls, Rosie and Frannie, soon followed.
Application: Jesus instructs us to be involved in a ministry of healing.
*****
Matthew 9:35--10:8 (9-23)
When Roxane Gray was 12 years old, the slender adolescent was gang-raped by her boyfriend and his friends in a Nebraska mountain cabin. In order to protect herself from further rapes Roxane put on weight, reaching 577 pounds, so that she could never be overpowered again. In her recently released memoir Hunger, she discusses what it is like to live in a society where beauty is based on body shape and not personality. In addition to discussing the difficulties of living with obesity, she recounts the societal persecution of being fat. Roxane wrote: “Fat shaming is real, constant, and rather pointed.... These tormentors blind themselves in righteousness when they point out the obvious -- that our bodies are unruly, defiant, fat. It’s a strange civic-minded cruelty.”
Application: Jesus instructs to be accepting of all people as we share the Good News.
*****
Matthew 9:35--10:8 (9-23)
Susan Roy wrote a book studying the history of the fallout shelter, titled Bamboozled: How the U.S. Government Misled Itself and Its People Into Believing They Could Survive a Nuclear Attack. The summary of the book is that nuclear bombs are so powerful and radiation so long-lasting that even the best built and best stocked fallout shelter would prove ineffective. This lesson really became apparent to Roy when she visited the Nevada Test Site where experimental nuclear bombs have been detonated. The test site is larger than the state of Rhode Island. As one takes a bus tour through the test grounds, massive craters are visible. But what disturbed Roy the most was this: “The tone of the tour is relentlessly upbeat. The bomb is described as a marvelous technical achievement; there is never a reference to what its actual purpose was -- to efficiently kill hundreds of thousands or millions of people. It is one of the most profoundly depressing places I’ve seen.”
Application: Jesus taught us that when we go out into the world, we are to be a people of peace.
*****
Matthew 9:35--10:8 (9-23)
After President Trump pulled out of the Paris Climate Agreement, former Vice-President Al Gore, who is an active environmentalist, was interviewed by People magazine. In the interview Gore discussed how we are putting 110 million tons of global-warming pollution into the atmosphere every 24 hours. He then described some of the effects of that, with droughts and harsher ocean storms. But then Gore said: “You don’t need to rely on the consensus from the scientific community to see that the climate crisis is real. Mother Nature is telling us, and people are noticing it.”
Application: Hopefully people will listen to the evangelistic teachings of Christians and see the obvious.
*****
Matthew 9:35--10:8 (9-23)
After 25 years of breast cancer remission, Olivia Newton-John has an active cancer once again. This time the cancer is located on her sacrum. Even though she is a celebrity, when she was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 1992 she said, “I had the same fears and traumas that everyone feels.”
Application: Jesus taught us to have compassion for everyone who suffers.
*****
Romans 5:1-8
After 25 years of breast cancer remission, Olivia Newton-John has an active cancer once again. This time the cancer is located on her sacrum. As she begins treatment, Olivia has strong support from her husband John Easterling, 65. They met on a trip touring the Amazon, and were married in 2008. John says of the recent ordeal: “We are not trying to be positive. We have an absolute knowingness that we can turn this around.”
Application: As we suffer, God does give us hope.
*****
Genesis 18:1-15 (21:1-7); Father’s Day
Comedian George Burns and Gracie Allen were married in 1926 in Cleveland, Ohio. Over the decades the loving and devout couple shared the stage as a comedy team. When Gracie died in 1964, George was devastated with grief. He could not function, and he could not sleep at night. As they slept in twin beds, one night George decided to sleep in Gracie’s bed instead of his own. That somehow gave him the comfort and assurance to deal with his grief and continue his life. George slept in Gracie’s bed until his death in 1996.
Application: God will bring us comfort.
*****
Genesis 18:1-15 (21:1-7); Father’s Day
Celine Dion has had only one man in her life, and that was René Angélil. They met when she was 12 and he was her producer. They were married when Celine was 26. After René’s death at the age of 73, Celine is without the man whom she loved and who guided her career. But even in death, René still guides Celine’s career. She keeps a photo of him, and before she makes any record decisions, for instance whether to record “How Does a Moment Last Forever” for Disney’s movie Beauty and the Beast, Celine sits in front of that picture and discusses her decision with René.
Application: God has promised to guide us.
*****
Genesis 18:1-15 (21:1-7); Father’s Day
The divorce of Mary Kay Letourneau and Vili Fualaau has become headline news. Mary Kay was the sixth-grade teacher who had sexual relations with her 12-year-old student Vili, and became pregnant with his child. For the offense, she was sentenced in 1997 to 7-and-a-half years in prison, but she only served six months with the promise not to contact the student. But she violated that proviso immediately upon her release, and was sent back to prison to complete her entire sentence. At the time of the incident, Mary Kay was married and had four children with her husband. Now, after being together 20 years, and married for 12, Mary Kay and Vili are divorcing. Vili filled for the divorce, claiming that Mary Kay is a nag and controlling. Reflecting on their first meeting, Vili wonders what would have happened if he had not pursued Mary Kay. Vili said, “I can never see more than the question.”
Application: Abraham and Sarah show us the blessing of stable relationships.
*****
Genesis 18:1-15 (21:1-7); Father’s Day
In tabloid news, Lauren Bushnell, 27, is dissolving her relationship with her fiancé Ben Higgins, 29. On the season 20 of the ABC series Bachelor, Ben gave Lauren the rose on the final episode. As they then lived together, Lauren blogged about their relationship and their romance. One of the causes of the separation, Lauren said, was her inability to forgive Ben for saying he loved both her and another contestant, runner-up JoJo Fletcher, on the on the same show. Lauren said, “I don’t think I’ve ever talked about how hurtful it was to watch Ben tell both of us he loved us.”
Application: Abraham and Sarah show us the blessing of stable relationships.
***************
From team member Mary Austin:
Genesis 18:1-15 (21:1-7)
Welcoming Guests
Abraham has the art of hospitality down pat, but for those of us in need of help with the summer season of house guests, experts advise spending time in your guest room before your guests arrive. Get into the bed, see if the pillow is lumpy, test out the light -- you can see what your guests will experience. Another expert suggests, “I’ll leave breath mints in the drawer, and a bottle of water by the bed. Guests who’ll be there for a few weeks get their own slippers and robe. And for people who aren’t familiar with the area, I leave a guidebook in the room to help them decide what they’d like to do while in town.” Another frequent host advises other hosts to think like a hotel. “I always provide a basket of sundries from mouthwash to a razor. And I have a collection of stationery from hotels around the world that I’ll put in the room as a fun, novel way for guests to write notes to their friends and family. Finally, I’ll spritz the room with a lavender linen spray and put out a bottle of Perrier so it feels like a little French hotel.” Abraham understands the holy work of hospitality, and this summer’s guests invite us to entertain like we too may receive angels unaware.
*****
Genesis 18:1-15 (21:1-7)
And If You Are the Guest...
Abraham’s guests are exempt from all ordinary rules, but for the rest of us, there’s plenty of advice about how to be a good guest. Rule number one would seem to go without saying, but apparently does not: be clear about when you’re coming and going. “Make sure you lock down your visiting dates far in advance with your hosts... at their invitation. Don’t ever be vague or hope to stretch out your visit after you arrive.” Also seemingly obvious, but evidently must need to be said: no surprises. “Never show up unannounced -- or even worse, with a puppy, child, significant other, or friend (even if it’s a mutual friend) unless you’ve cleared it with your host beforehand.”
In Britain, Debrett’s, the guide to etiquette, takes it a step further, advising: “Put your phone away, resist the urge to post pictures of your dinner to social media -- and certainly don’t get drunk. These are the most important rules of being the perfect 21st-century houseguest.” According to a Debrett’s guide published in conjunction with AirBnB: “Along with playing with gadgets and getting drunk, wearing dirty shoes in the house and ‘snooping’ without invitation were among the five most irritating habits shown by houseguests.” Abraham’s guests are in trouble on that one. Good thing they have good news to share!
*****
Matthew 9:35--10:8 (9-23)
Lost Sheep
Jesus sees the crowds and has “compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” In India, Jeroo Billimoria had a similar reaction to the street children she encountered. Meeting children who were living on the streets, dependent on themselves for survival, she saw how vulnerable they were, and began to give them her cellphone number. It started to ring, night after night. “The population of street children in India is the highest in the world. The urge for independence, emotional trauma, and economic destitution drive children away from home or take them to the streets to earn a living. Health-related problems such as sickness and injuries are everyday affairs for them, alongside and exacerbated by sexual abuse, drug addiction, and violence by police officials. With no comprehensive government schemes for their rehabilitation and the lack of a strong labor movement, the growing numbers of street children (48 million at last count) have become an embarrassing reality for the country.”
Realizing the scope of the problem, Billimoria founded Childline, allowing street children to call and talk to a trained, former street child for help. “Since pay phones are as ubiquitous as working children in the streets of Indian cities, Jeroo Billimoria is bringing the two together in a program to provide ready communication and support linkages.... Trained volunteer street children take the calls and make the link to relevant services. The volunteer on the line meets the street child and takes the necessary follow-up steps or refers the caller to a support organization enlisted by Childline in the zone.”
The organization started as a source of emergency help, and now provides links to overnight shelters, social services, education, and jobs through the network of trained volunteers.
Following up, Jeroo now works on connecting street children with financial resources. Seeing that many of them had entrepreneurial spirits, she decided to address their financial instability. She “decided to tackle the root of this issue through her vision of children having and managing their own savings accounts.” Her next organization was “Child and Youth Finance International, which spearheads a global Child Finance movement uniting policy-makers and experts from private, public, and civil society sectors. The movement is dedicated to facilitating the creation of a safe and inclusive financial environment for children, while giving the financial rights of children a higher priority on national and international agendas. Activities within the Child Finance movement promote the provision and certification of child-friendly banking products for children and youth.”
*****
Romans 5:1-8
Hope
The tribulations of our lives require hope, and also wear away at it. In a 2008 commencement address at Duke, author Barbara Kingsolver talked about how to hold on to hope.
She said: “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, to 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.”
She added: “Look, you might as well know, this thing is going to take endless repair: rubber bands, crazy glue, tapioca, the square of the hypotenuse. Nineteenth-century novels. Heartstrings, sunrise: all of these are useful. Also, feathers. To keep it humming, sometimes you have to stand on an incline, where everything looks possible; on the line you drew yourself. Or in the grocery line, making faces at a toddler secretly, over his mother’s shoulder.”
Keeping hope vibrant in our lives takes work, she’s saying. It doesn’t just happen. But it’s work worth doing.
WORSHIP RESOURCES
by George Reed
Call to Worship
Leader: We love God, who has heard our voice and supplications.
People: God’s ear is inclined to us; therefore we will call on our God.
Leader: What shall we return to God for all the bounty we have received?
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 the people.
People: We will offer to God a thanksgiving sacrifice and call on God’s name.
OR
Leader: Praise be to God, who redeems all creation.
People: Glory to our God, who does not forsake us.
Leader: Whatever life brings to us, God is our foundation.
People: We stand upon the faithfulness of our God.
Leader: We will not let any circumstance come between us and God.
People: In all things, we will trust and grow in God.
Hymns and Sacred Songs
“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
“Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah”
found in:
UMH: 127
H82: 690
PH: 281
AAHH: 138, 139, 140
NNBH: 232
NCH: 18, 19
CH: 622
LBW: 343
ELA: 618
W&P: 501
AMEC: 52, 53, 65
“We Gather Together”
found in:
UMH: 131
H82: 433
PH: 559
NNBH: 326
NCH: 21
CH: 276
ELA: 449
W&P: 81
AMEC: 576
STLT: 349
“All My Hope Is Firmly Grounded”
found in:
UMH: 132
H82: 665
NCH: 408
CH: 88
ELA: 757
“Where Charity and Love Prevail”
found in:
UMH: 549
H82: 581
NCH: 396
LBW: 126
ELA: 359
“I Want Jesus to Walk with Me”
found in:
UMH: 521
PH: 363
AAHH: 563
NNBH: 500
NCH: 490
CH: 627
W&P: 506
AMEC: 375
“What a Friend We Have in Jesus”
found in:
UMH: 526
PH: 403
AAHH: 430/431
NNBH: 61
NCH: 506
CH: 585
LBW: 439
ELA: 742
W&P: 473
AMEC: 323, 325
“Nearer, My God, to Thee”
found in:
UMH: 528
AAHH: 163
NNBH: 314
NCH: 606
CH: 577
AMEC: 311
STLT: 87
“Shalom to You”
found in:
CCB: 98
“Shalom, My Friends, Shalom”
found in:
Renew: 294
“Something Beautiful”
found in:
CCB: 84
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 seeks to redeem all of creation: Grant us the grace to see in our difficult times the opportunities that you open up for us so that we might grow in faith and grace; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
O God who claims all people as your children: Grant us the grace to open our hearts to others and to see others as an opportunity to serve them rather to receive something from them; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We praise you, O God, and lift your name on high. You are the gracious God who seeks to bring redemption in every situation. Help us to see the opportunities you offer for our growth in the midst of our difficulties. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
Leader: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins, and especially our lack of faith in God.
People: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. Although you are always faithful, we doubt you. We look at the circumstances around us and we fear that we will be swamped by it all. We look for ways out, and when we don’t find them we blame you. We forget that you promised to be with us in all things. We worry about our congregation, and treat visitors as possible resources instead of as your children who need you. Forgive us, and renew us so that we might place our lives fully in your hands. Amen.
Leader: God is faithful eternally and in the here and now. Receive God’s grace and love, and find your strength in our God.
Prayers of the People (and the Lord’s Prayer)
O Gracious God who seeks always the good of your people and of all creation, we praise your name and sing your glory. We praise you for your sustaining hand that holds us all in your love and care.
(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. Although you are always faithful, we doubt you. We look at the circumstances around us and we fear that we will be swamped by it all. We look for ways out, and when we don’t find them we blame you. We forget that you promised to be with us in all things. We worry about our congregation, and treat visitors as possible resources instead of as your children who need you. Forgive us, and renew us so that we might place our lives fully in your hands.
We thank you for the blessings you have showered upon us. Though we forget about you, you are always with us and seeking to bless us. You invite us to receive more blessings as we reach out in love to strangers.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for one another in our need. We pray for those who are strangers. Some of them have chosen to be in a new place, and others have been forced there. We pray especially for those who have been forced from their homes by violence, famine, drought, or war. As you care for them, help us to share your love through our own gracious hospitality.
(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 about how we may have a discussion with friends about what game we are going to play. They may have chosen the last two times, and we want to choose this time. We are nice, but we talk about it and work it out. That is friendship. Today we are talking about hospitality. That is different. Friendship is with friends; hospitality is with strangers. When we have someone new in school or in our neighborhood who wants to play, we want to be hospitable, friendly to strangers, so we let them choose what to play. Since they are new, they might not feel very comfortable with new people so we let them choose the game that they are comfortable playing. It is how we show the love of God to strangers.
CHILDREN’S SERMON
by Beth Herrinton-Hodge
Matthew 9:35--10:8 (9-23)
(After you welcome the children, tell them that you are going to read aloud a few verses from the Bible.)
I’d like you to listen for two things as I’m reading:
1) What do these verses tell about Jesus?
2) What do these verses say about the crowds of people?
(Read aloud Matthew 9:35-36.)
What did you hear about Jesus in these verses? (Possible answers from the children might include teaching, preaching/proclaiming the good news, and curing people of sickness and disease.
What did you hear about the crowds? (Possible answers could be harassed, bothered, bullied; helpless/needing help; lost; like sheep without a shepherd.)
The things we read about Jesus doing -- we expect Jesus to do these things, right? But when he looked at the crowds of people and saw that they seemed lost -- without a shepherd or a leader -- that, to me, is a bit of a surprise.
Have you ever felt lost? Or felt like you needed special help from a teacher or an adult friend? When have you felt “harassed” or bullied or helpless? (Allow the children to voice examples -- if they can. If they don’t seem to be comfortable sharing, or if they are too young to really understand the question, you may offer your own example of when you felt like you needed help.)
What do you do when you feel this way? (Or give an example of what you do when you feel this way.)
The rest of our Bible passage tells about what Jesus does to help the people who seem lost or hurting. He gives his disciples power to help people who are in need. Then Jesus sends the disciples out to help!
I like this... I like knowing that Jesus sees us when we need help, when we are hurting, when we need someone to guide and lead us.
Jesus came to help us. And Jesus’ friends and disciples are called to help one another in Jesus’ name. We are not left alone without a shepherd -- Jesus, and Jesus’ followers, are in the world right now... ready to see and help when we feel lost, or alone, or bullied.
Look out at the people sitting here in church -- they are followers of Jesus, just like you. They are here for you, to lead and help and stand with you -- they stand with one another -- to help when there is hurt.
That’s what being part of Christ’s church is all about! Knowing that Jesus is always here with us, and knowing that other followers of Jesus are here to help us.
Let us pray: Jesus, our Good Shepherd, you know what it’s like to hurt and need help. Thank you for always being with us. Thank you, too, for sending disciples to help us and to stand with us. Amen.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, June 18, 2017, issue.
Copyright 2017 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to The Immediate Word service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons and in worship and classroom settings only. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
