Sermon Illustrations For Proper 8 | Ordinary Time 13 (2017)
Illustration
Genesis 22:1-14
The truth that God will provide is one most of us know well. I ran across this gem, which I thought would be good to share.
A young woman brought home her fiancé to meet her parents. After dinner, her mother told her father to find out about the young man. The father invites the fiancé to his study for a drink.
“So, what are your plans?” the father askws the young man.
“I am a Torah scholar,” he replied.
“A Torah scholar? Hmmm,” the father said. “Admirable, but what will you do to provide a nice house for my daughter to live in, as she’s accustomed to?”
“I will study,” the young man replied, “and God will provide for us.”
“And how will you buy her a beautiful engagement ring, such as she deserves?” asked the father.
“I will concentrate on my studies,” the young man replied. “God will provide for us.”
“And children?” asked the father. “How will you support children?”
“Don’t worry, sir, God will provide,” replied the fiancé. The conversation proceeded like this, and each time the father questioned him the young man insisted that God would provide.
Later, the mother asked, “How did it go, honey?”
The father answered, “The bad news is he has no job and no prospects, but the good news is he thinks I’m God.”
In this text Abraham is put to the ultimate test. God promised him and Sarah a son. Now he is asking Abraham to sacrifice this son on Mt. Moriah. His words in verse 8 ring out with confidence and trust. “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” Abraham knew that God would provide. Will you trust him too?
Bill T.
Genesis 22:1-14
This lesson concerning God’s decree that Abraham violate the Law (killing his son) illustrates one of several times when the Bible advocates a situational ethic, teaches that God would have us violate the Ten Commandments in some circumstances. Martin Luther was (at least at times) an advocate of such thinking. A few examples follow:
* “...a Christian does not have anything to do with the Law and sin. For to the extent that he is a Christian, [the Christian] is above the Law” (Luther’s Works, Vol. 26, pp. 133-134).
* “Men must adapt themselves to laws and regulations wherever possible and where the laws are beneficial. But where laws prove detrimental to men’s interests, the former must yield” (Complete Sermons, Vol. 4/1, pp. 65-66).
* “Thus in the wars the saints frequently deceived their enemies, but those are lies one is permitted in the service of God against the devil and the enemies of God” (Luther’s Works, Vol. 5, p. 150).
Even Luther’s modern spiritual heir Dietrich Bonhoeffer made a similar point, as he noted that “Old Testament men tell lies vigorously and often to the glory of God” (Letters and Papers from Prison, p. 86). God’s goodness exceeds our finite measures of goodness. We are wise to be open to that distinction in our ethical decision-making. We are not to kill, but how about if someone attacks someone else we know in our presence? We are not to lie, but is the truth about how someone really looks or is behaving the loving thing to say at all time? Sometimes God’s “thing” is to break the Law for the sake of love and justice.
Mark E.
Genesis 22:1-14
Ethnocentrism was the first internal conflict the Christian church experienced. Ethnocentrism considers one’s own ethnic group as superior to all others, and therefore views alien cultures with disdain. It is the audacity of superiority. It is rife with judgment. It is void of compromise. It is an intolerable self-righteousness.
It is the Christian church -- past, present, future.
After a harmonious homogenous infancy, ethnocentrism emerged during the church’s adolescence. Approximately 17 years after the crucifixion of Jesus, the dispute erupted. Paul met with James, the brother of Jesus, in Jerusalem. Paul maintained that the grace bestowed by Jesus fulfilled the laws of Judaism, nullifying adherence. James acknowledged Jesus as the Messiah, but held that circumcision, dietary laws, and all other Jewish mandates must still be obeyed. Unable to compromise, it was agreed that Paul would be a missionary to the Gentile cities while James remained the patriarch of the church in Jerusalem. As a sign of reconciliation, Paul would send money from the affluent seacoast cities to the impoverished inner-city church in Jerusalem. It was money, not a spirit of solidarity, which became the totem of unity.
It was an ethnic controversy that emerged -- Paul preaching that Gentiles need not become Jews, and James declaring that all Christians must be observant Jews. Redemption was displaced by identity. To be a Christian you must think as I think, act as I act, believe as I believe. A believer must be a member of my group, otherwise be ostracized.
Jesus foretold this, but his message went unobserved. “Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites that you are.” Jesus never judged sinners, only hypocrites. Jesus acknowledged sin and cautioned against its destructive ramifications. Yet he offered forgiveness coupled with an admonishment to change.
Jesus only judged hypocrites, with the most visible being the Pharisees. The Pharisees demanded that individuals adhere to theological standards that they themselves avoided. Anyone who did not live as a Pharisee pretended to live was dismissed. Thus, they were like whitewashed tombs; clean to the observer but filthy within.
Realizing that Palestine was Hellenized, Jesus understood Greek culture. The word “hypocrisy” comes from Greek theater. An actor appears onstage as someone who he is not offstage. The Pharisees were judged by Jesus as hypocrites for their disobedience, having expectations of others that they failed to practice. A hypocrite is a Christian who thinks of himself as purer than others, when in fact he needs to be distilled.
Application: It is hypocrites that pollute the pews of the sanctuary, keeping unbelievers away. Worshipers apologize for their incongruent behavior by saying that the church is a hospital for sinners. If that were true, then every bed would be taken. Instead, the altar is really a judgment seat where anyone who is different is shunned. The Pharisees wondered “How could a Samaritan be good?” Our lesson calls us to be obedience, which means we are to live the scriptures as they are written -- not as we choose them to be.
Ron L.
Romans 6:12-23
“So what advantage did you then get from the things of which you now are ashamed? The end of those things is death.” I love this question and response. I remember as a child that I thought my mother was a mind-reader. She always knew when I had misbehaved. Now I wonder if the shame shone in my face or somehow in my demeanor. As I think about Paul’s letter to the church in Rome, particularly this section, I think about how we sometimes seem drawn to do that for which we are later ashamed, that which seems to separate us from God and our neighbor. I believe it was Ignatius that equated sin with desolation, a separation from God. Forgiveness and righteousness move us back into relationship with God, or move us into consolation. Shame and sin bring death, at least of our spirits and our relationships. Honor and reconciliation move us into life and consolation. This letter is a good reminder that we have choices to make -- and the choices make a difference to us, to God, and to our neighbor.
Bonnie B.
Romans 6:12-23
Any 12-year-old used to winning arguments against parents and grandparents sees the flaw in Paul’s argument: If God has responded to our sins with the wonderful gift of grace, should we sin more regularly in order to keep the font of grace flowing? The word translated as “sin” in Romans 6:15 means a deliberate act for which one can be held accountable, not something accidental. Even if grace is given and a sin is forgiven, it can have a coarsening effect on us and on our church’s life. Sooner or later a sin can begin to be seen as normal, or at least tolerable, and we may cease to open the door to grace.
Perhaps this is the result of the Romans living in Rome. Although practice never lives up to theory, in theory the Romans were proud that their laws were just and applied to everyone. They considered their laws the gift they gave to their empire. As Paul knows because of his association with some of his more legalistic fellow believers, a good legal system requires the grace to discern when the laws do not really apply in a particular case. (For instance, the Romans did not require that the emperor’s face be displayed in Jerusalem, because of the Jewish religious laws against graven images.)
So the legalistic case that returning to sin forces God to grant even more grace is false. A return to an addictive behavior doesn’t automatically prevent further rehabilitation, but there is a law of diminishing returns and ultimately you reach a point of no return. Perhaps it is the same with sin.
Frank R.
Romans 6:12-23
Some factory workers are considered as slaves to their bosses -- they do whatever their master tells them. They may not even feel guilty about doing something their boss tells them to do that sounds questionable. After all, Jesus said you had to do what you were commanded -- even if, for example, it meant following a new law for our country that will hurt many who are coming to this country to seek freedom! It is only through our Lord that we are free from an unholy master. He bought our freedom on the cross and gave us the gift of eternal life.
We have to make up our mind to be a slave to our Lord, or to the scam boss down here. The temptation may not be easy to tell. We have only two choices in life -- God or sin. Jesus is the only one who can free us from sin and give us life with him.
It sounds easy, but it is impossible without rejecting sin. We can only reject sin by recognizing what is sin and then calling on the only one who can free us from slavery to sin, our Lord Jesus.
It is our church that can help us be a slave to righteousness, so don’t resist it. We want to inherit the gift of eternal life! So we have to choose which master we want to serve.
Bob O.
Matthew 10:40-42
When the new administration was getting started in Washington, DC, there was a lot of talk about who would be in the president’s cabinet and who he would appoint to be our ambassadors around the world. The discussion about various ambassadors was interesting, and I decided to look up what an ambassador does. According to an article on the State Department website: “An ambassador is the President’s highest-ranking representative to a specific nation or international organization abroad. An effective ambassador has to be a strong leader -- a good manager, a resilient negotiator, and a respected representative of the United States.” The article also describes the job of the ambassador: “A key role of an ambassador is to coordinate the activities not only of the Foreign Service Officers and staff serving under him, but also representatives of other U.S. agencies in the country.” Attacks against ambassadors are usually viewed as attacks against the country he or she represents.
I thought about the idea of ambassadors as I read Matthew 10. In this chapter, Jesus is sending out the 12 with some specific tasks. They are going to be his representatives or ambassadors. He tells them to teach, preach, and do miracles. He gives them instructions about what to do if a town rejects their message. He tells them that the Holy Spirit will guide them in what they should say. He adds in this passage that whoever welcomes them also welcomes him and will be rewarded. Just as a political ambassador represents the state from which he or she is sent, so too do the apostles represent Jesus. How the people of the town treat them is treating Jesus himself that way. How ambassadors are treated matters. It is important politically, and even more important in the Christian realm.
Bill T.
Matthew 10:40-42
It is a depressing time to be a Christian and to undertake mission work on behalf of the Church. Pew Research Center has noted an almost 8% decline in the number of American Christians in just seven years. Jesus’ call in this lesson to discipleship is not at first glance a very appealing invitation -- the prospects of success are not promising.
Søren Kierkegaard, the founder of existentialism, sketches the challenges of being a disciple. In his view discipleship is not about following teachings, it is a way of life. “A follower [disciple] strives to be what he admires” (Training in Christianity, p. 234).
Martin Luther offers some reflections that make discipleship a little less threatening, a little more inviting: “...trust in him [God] who out of an impossible thing can make something possible and make something out of nothing” (Complete Sermons, Vol. 3/1, p. 133).
God can take the worst-looking situation and make good out of it. This freeing, liberating insight takes off the pressure associated with being a disciple. According to St. Augustine, it follows that since what we do is not of ultimate significance in saving us, all our “important” deeds are relegated to the status of mere games (Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First Series, Vol. 1, p. 49). Because we are like the beloved children of God, the play in which we engage in discipleship is a joyful thanks to the indulgence of the Father and even may somehow miraculously contribute to his aims. A life of discipleship is a lot of fun in that light.
Mark E.
Matthew 10:40-42
On March 25, 1965, Martin Luther King Jr. led a procession of 25,000 demonstrators into Montgomery, Alabama. They solemnly passed the Jefferson Davis Hotel, which had a huge Rebel flag draped across its front. Quietly they stood at Confederate Square, where Negroes had been auctioned off in the days of servitude. Spontaneously, the multitude sang: “Deep in my heart, I do believe; we have overcome today.” The cavalcade lurched forward, proceeding up Dexter Avenue, following the same path as Jefferson Davis’ inaugural parade. These descendants of slaves freely strode to the portico of the state capitol -- the place where Davis had taken his oath of office as president of the Confederate States. Governor George Corley Wallace refused to meet with the Freedom Marchers, nor would he receive their petition demanding the right to vote. The crowd milled in front of the statehouse as the governor peered anxiously from behind his cracked office blinds.
Positioned below the governor’s window, King stood on the flatbed of a trailer, readying himself to address the gathering. With television cameras focused on his round, intense face, and his body silhouetted against the setting sun, King intoned: “We are on the move now. The burning of our churches will not deter us. We are on the move now. The bombing of our homes will not dissuade us. We are on the move now. The beating and killing of our clergymen and young people will not divert us. We are on the move now. The arrest and release of known murderers will not discourage us. We are on the move now. Like an idea whose time has come, not even the marching of mighty armies can halt us. We are moving to the land of freedom.”
Application: “We are on the move now” ought to be the battle cry of everyone. We rebuke any organization that promotes racism, sexism, and ageism. We denounce economic and social injustice. We deplore rules that dehumanize people. We condemn autocrats who are self-indulgent. We censure derogatory comments and gossip. We reprimand any individual that demeans or belittles another human being. We confront persons who are callous and insensitive. We sally forth, allowing nothing -- absolutely nothing -- to stave off our protest. This is the message of discipleship we read about in our lesson. It is the message that if we are not welcomed, then we proclaim social justice.
Ron L.
The truth that God will provide is one most of us know well. I ran across this gem, which I thought would be good to share.
A young woman brought home her fiancé to meet her parents. After dinner, her mother told her father to find out about the young man. The father invites the fiancé to his study for a drink.
“So, what are your plans?” the father askws the young man.
“I am a Torah scholar,” he replied.
“A Torah scholar? Hmmm,” the father said. “Admirable, but what will you do to provide a nice house for my daughter to live in, as she’s accustomed to?”
“I will study,” the young man replied, “and God will provide for us.”
“And how will you buy her a beautiful engagement ring, such as she deserves?” asked the father.
“I will concentrate on my studies,” the young man replied. “God will provide for us.”
“And children?” asked the father. “How will you support children?”
“Don’t worry, sir, God will provide,” replied the fiancé. The conversation proceeded like this, and each time the father questioned him the young man insisted that God would provide.
Later, the mother asked, “How did it go, honey?”
The father answered, “The bad news is he has no job and no prospects, but the good news is he thinks I’m God.”
In this text Abraham is put to the ultimate test. God promised him and Sarah a son. Now he is asking Abraham to sacrifice this son on Mt. Moriah. His words in verse 8 ring out with confidence and trust. “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” Abraham knew that God would provide. Will you trust him too?
Bill T.
Genesis 22:1-14
This lesson concerning God’s decree that Abraham violate the Law (killing his son) illustrates one of several times when the Bible advocates a situational ethic, teaches that God would have us violate the Ten Commandments in some circumstances. Martin Luther was (at least at times) an advocate of such thinking. A few examples follow:
* “...a Christian does not have anything to do with the Law and sin. For to the extent that he is a Christian, [the Christian] is above the Law” (Luther’s Works, Vol. 26, pp. 133-134).
* “Men must adapt themselves to laws and regulations wherever possible and where the laws are beneficial. But where laws prove detrimental to men’s interests, the former must yield” (Complete Sermons, Vol. 4/1, pp. 65-66).
* “Thus in the wars the saints frequently deceived their enemies, but those are lies one is permitted in the service of God against the devil and the enemies of God” (Luther’s Works, Vol. 5, p. 150).
Even Luther’s modern spiritual heir Dietrich Bonhoeffer made a similar point, as he noted that “Old Testament men tell lies vigorously and often to the glory of God” (Letters and Papers from Prison, p. 86). God’s goodness exceeds our finite measures of goodness. We are wise to be open to that distinction in our ethical decision-making. We are not to kill, but how about if someone attacks someone else we know in our presence? We are not to lie, but is the truth about how someone really looks or is behaving the loving thing to say at all time? Sometimes God’s “thing” is to break the Law for the sake of love and justice.
Mark E.
Genesis 22:1-14
Ethnocentrism was the first internal conflict the Christian church experienced. Ethnocentrism considers one’s own ethnic group as superior to all others, and therefore views alien cultures with disdain. It is the audacity of superiority. It is rife with judgment. It is void of compromise. It is an intolerable self-righteousness.
It is the Christian church -- past, present, future.
After a harmonious homogenous infancy, ethnocentrism emerged during the church’s adolescence. Approximately 17 years after the crucifixion of Jesus, the dispute erupted. Paul met with James, the brother of Jesus, in Jerusalem. Paul maintained that the grace bestowed by Jesus fulfilled the laws of Judaism, nullifying adherence. James acknowledged Jesus as the Messiah, but held that circumcision, dietary laws, and all other Jewish mandates must still be obeyed. Unable to compromise, it was agreed that Paul would be a missionary to the Gentile cities while James remained the patriarch of the church in Jerusalem. As a sign of reconciliation, Paul would send money from the affluent seacoast cities to the impoverished inner-city church in Jerusalem. It was money, not a spirit of solidarity, which became the totem of unity.
It was an ethnic controversy that emerged -- Paul preaching that Gentiles need not become Jews, and James declaring that all Christians must be observant Jews. Redemption was displaced by identity. To be a Christian you must think as I think, act as I act, believe as I believe. A believer must be a member of my group, otherwise be ostracized.
Jesus foretold this, but his message went unobserved. “Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites that you are.” Jesus never judged sinners, only hypocrites. Jesus acknowledged sin and cautioned against its destructive ramifications. Yet he offered forgiveness coupled with an admonishment to change.
Jesus only judged hypocrites, with the most visible being the Pharisees. The Pharisees demanded that individuals adhere to theological standards that they themselves avoided. Anyone who did not live as a Pharisee pretended to live was dismissed. Thus, they were like whitewashed tombs; clean to the observer but filthy within.
Realizing that Palestine was Hellenized, Jesus understood Greek culture. The word “hypocrisy” comes from Greek theater. An actor appears onstage as someone who he is not offstage. The Pharisees were judged by Jesus as hypocrites for their disobedience, having expectations of others that they failed to practice. A hypocrite is a Christian who thinks of himself as purer than others, when in fact he needs to be distilled.
Application: It is hypocrites that pollute the pews of the sanctuary, keeping unbelievers away. Worshipers apologize for their incongruent behavior by saying that the church is a hospital for sinners. If that were true, then every bed would be taken. Instead, the altar is really a judgment seat where anyone who is different is shunned. The Pharisees wondered “How could a Samaritan be good?” Our lesson calls us to be obedience, which means we are to live the scriptures as they are written -- not as we choose them to be.
Ron L.
Romans 6:12-23
“So what advantage did you then get from the things of which you now are ashamed? The end of those things is death.” I love this question and response. I remember as a child that I thought my mother was a mind-reader. She always knew when I had misbehaved. Now I wonder if the shame shone in my face or somehow in my demeanor. As I think about Paul’s letter to the church in Rome, particularly this section, I think about how we sometimes seem drawn to do that for which we are later ashamed, that which seems to separate us from God and our neighbor. I believe it was Ignatius that equated sin with desolation, a separation from God. Forgiveness and righteousness move us back into relationship with God, or move us into consolation. Shame and sin bring death, at least of our spirits and our relationships. Honor and reconciliation move us into life and consolation. This letter is a good reminder that we have choices to make -- and the choices make a difference to us, to God, and to our neighbor.
Bonnie B.
Romans 6:12-23
Any 12-year-old used to winning arguments against parents and grandparents sees the flaw in Paul’s argument: If God has responded to our sins with the wonderful gift of grace, should we sin more regularly in order to keep the font of grace flowing? The word translated as “sin” in Romans 6:15 means a deliberate act for which one can be held accountable, not something accidental. Even if grace is given and a sin is forgiven, it can have a coarsening effect on us and on our church’s life. Sooner or later a sin can begin to be seen as normal, or at least tolerable, and we may cease to open the door to grace.
Perhaps this is the result of the Romans living in Rome. Although practice never lives up to theory, in theory the Romans were proud that their laws were just and applied to everyone. They considered their laws the gift they gave to their empire. As Paul knows because of his association with some of his more legalistic fellow believers, a good legal system requires the grace to discern when the laws do not really apply in a particular case. (For instance, the Romans did not require that the emperor’s face be displayed in Jerusalem, because of the Jewish religious laws against graven images.)
So the legalistic case that returning to sin forces God to grant even more grace is false. A return to an addictive behavior doesn’t automatically prevent further rehabilitation, but there is a law of diminishing returns and ultimately you reach a point of no return. Perhaps it is the same with sin.
Frank R.
Romans 6:12-23
Some factory workers are considered as slaves to their bosses -- they do whatever their master tells them. They may not even feel guilty about doing something their boss tells them to do that sounds questionable. After all, Jesus said you had to do what you were commanded -- even if, for example, it meant following a new law for our country that will hurt many who are coming to this country to seek freedom! It is only through our Lord that we are free from an unholy master. He bought our freedom on the cross and gave us the gift of eternal life.
We have to make up our mind to be a slave to our Lord, or to the scam boss down here. The temptation may not be easy to tell. We have only two choices in life -- God or sin. Jesus is the only one who can free us from sin and give us life with him.
It sounds easy, but it is impossible without rejecting sin. We can only reject sin by recognizing what is sin and then calling on the only one who can free us from slavery to sin, our Lord Jesus.
It is our church that can help us be a slave to righteousness, so don’t resist it. We want to inherit the gift of eternal life! So we have to choose which master we want to serve.
Bob O.
Matthew 10:40-42
When the new administration was getting started in Washington, DC, there was a lot of talk about who would be in the president’s cabinet and who he would appoint to be our ambassadors around the world. The discussion about various ambassadors was interesting, and I decided to look up what an ambassador does. According to an article on the State Department website: “An ambassador is the President’s highest-ranking representative to a specific nation or international organization abroad. An effective ambassador has to be a strong leader -- a good manager, a resilient negotiator, and a respected representative of the United States.” The article also describes the job of the ambassador: “A key role of an ambassador is to coordinate the activities not only of the Foreign Service Officers and staff serving under him, but also representatives of other U.S. agencies in the country.” Attacks against ambassadors are usually viewed as attacks against the country he or she represents.
I thought about the idea of ambassadors as I read Matthew 10. In this chapter, Jesus is sending out the 12 with some specific tasks. They are going to be his representatives or ambassadors. He tells them to teach, preach, and do miracles. He gives them instructions about what to do if a town rejects their message. He tells them that the Holy Spirit will guide them in what they should say. He adds in this passage that whoever welcomes them also welcomes him and will be rewarded. Just as a political ambassador represents the state from which he or she is sent, so too do the apostles represent Jesus. How the people of the town treat them is treating Jesus himself that way. How ambassadors are treated matters. It is important politically, and even more important in the Christian realm.
Bill T.
Matthew 10:40-42
It is a depressing time to be a Christian and to undertake mission work on behalf of the Church. Pew Research Center has noted an almost 8% decline in the number of American Christians in just seven years. Jesus’ call in this lesson to discipleship is not at first glance a very appealing invitation -- the prospects of success are not promising.
Søren Kierkegaard, the founder of existentialism, sketches the challenges of being a disciple. In his view discipleship is not about following teachings, it is a way of life. “A follower [disciple] strives to be what he admires” (Training in Christianity, p. 234).
Martin Luther offers some reflections that make discipleship a little less threatening, a little more inviting: “...trust in him [God] who out of an impossible thing can make something possible and make something out of nothing” (Complete Sermons, Vol. 3/1, p. 133).
God can take the worst-looking situation and make good out of it. This freeing, liberating insight takes off the pressure associated with being a disciple. According to St. Augustine, it follows that since what we do is not of ultimate significance in saving us, all our “important” deeds are relegated to the status of mere games (Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First Series, Vol. 1, p. 49). Because we are like the beloved children of God, the play in which we engage in discipleship is a joyful thanks to the indulgence of the Father and even may somehow miraculously contribute to his aims. A life of discipleship is a lot of fun in that light.
Mark E.
Matthew 10:40-42
On March 25, 1965, Martin Luther King Jr. led a procession of 25,000 demonstrators into Montgomery, Alabama. They solemnly passed the Jefferson Davis Hotel, which had a huge Rebel flag draped across its front. Quietly they stood at Confederate Square, where Negroes had been auctioned off in the days of servitude. Spontaneously, the multitude sang: “Deep in my heart, I do believe; we have overcome today.” The cavalcade lurched forward, proceeding up Dexter Avenue, following the same path as Jefferson Davis’ inaugural parade. These descendants of slaves freely strode to the portico of the state capitol -- the place where Davis had taken his oath of office as president of the Confederate States. Governor George Corley Wallace refused to meet with the Freedom Marchers, nor would he receive their petition demanding the right to vote. The crowd milled in front of the statehouse as the governor peered anxiously from behind his cracked office blinds.
Positioned below the governor’s window, King stood on the flatbed of a trailer, readying himself to address the gathering. With television cameras focused on his round, intense face, and his body silhouetted against the setting sun, King intoned: “We are on the move now. The burning of our churches will not deter us. We are on the move now. The bombing of our homes will not dissuade us. We are on the move now. The beating and killing of our clergymen and young people will not divert us. We are on the move now. The arrest and release of known murderers will not discourage us. We are on the move now. Like an idea whose time has come, not even the marching of mighty armies can halt us. We are moving to the land of freedom.”
Application: “We are on the move now” ought to be the battle cry of everyone. We rebuke any organization that promotes racism, sexism, and ageism. We denounce economic and social injustice. We deplore rules that dehumanize people. We condemn autocrats who are self-indulgent. We censure derogatory comments and gossip. We reprimand any individual that demeans or belittles another human being. We confront persons who are callous and insensitive. We sally forth, allowing nothing -- absolutely nothing -- to stave off our protest. This is the message of discipleship we read about in our lesson. It is the message that if we are not welcomed, then we proclaim social justice.
Ron L.
