Tenants On the Earth
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For July 15, 2018:
Tenants On The Earth
by Dean Feldmeyer
Psalm 24
You make it, you own it.
That’s the rule.
It’s so simple, so elementary, so primordial that no one ever had to utter it or write it down for it to be true. It’s just common sense. And it’s pretty much universally recognized, right?
Well, maybe.
In 1963 Peter “Pete” Roberts was a teenager working as a clerk at the local Sears store. In his free time at home, he invented a quick release ratchet wrench that allowed the user to change sockets with one hand. He applied for and received a patent in 1965.
That year he took his new invention to his bosses at Sears who, after consulting with each other, told him it was a bad idea, mediocre at best and probably wouldn’t sell. They offered him $10,000 for the rights to the design.
The following year Sears sold about 26 million of the wrenches making a profit of about $44 million.
In 1969 Roberts sued Sears claiming that they intentionally misled him and lied about the value of the patent and he won the case. He was awarded $1 million. But Sears appealed the case all the way to the United States Supreme Court and lost. They were then ordered to pay Roberts $5 million.
So, they appealed again on different grounds. And they kept appealing for a total of 20 years. Finally, in 1989, having exhausted every appeal they could think of, they settled the case for a reported $8.9 million.
It took a long time and a lot of money but, in the end, the axiom was held as true: You make it, you own it.
In the 24th Psalm, David holds that God made the earth and everything that is in it.
The problem is that we humans tend to play the part of Sears in this cosmic courtroom drama. We try to convince God and ourselves that God’s creation isn’t really all that valuable and we have the right to do with it as we please.
It’s a policy we might want to reconsider.
You don’t want God suing you and taking you to court. God always wins.
In The News
Last week, Scott Pruitt, President Trump’s pick to run the Environmental Protection Agency, resigned amidst multiple accusations about ethics violations, wasteful spending, and misuse of government resources, human and otherwise.
But more important than all of that is the impact he had on the agency itself.
According to employees and insiders within the agency, “Pruitt’s actions at the EPA have left behind a demoralized agency where staff fret that their ability to protect public health has been diminished.”
According to The Guardian, he was, “a staunch ally of oil and gas companies,” who “stacked EPA advisory boards with industry representatives and sought to set aside whole troves of research that link pollution to various illnesses.”
He sought to delay or destroy dozens of clean air and water rules, and entered dozens of legal battles with states and environmental groups. His success in court was marginal, at best, but his zeal won him the admiration of the president.
He convinced Trump that the US should withdraw from the Paris climate agreement and put vehicle emissions standards on hold.
Under Pruitt, every vestige of action, research, or even mention of climate change was scrapped. All climate change-related content was erased from the EPA website and he repeatedly derided the accepted science of climate change.
Pruitt proposed looser safety rules for chemical plants and acquiesced to Dow Chemical in halting a planned ban on chlorpyrifos, an insecticide linked to developmental problems in children.
Funding for toxic clean-ups was winnowed away; money for the remediation of lead poisoning was slashed.
Eventually Congress had seen enough and even his original supporters began to turn away as his administration became more and more dismissive of genuine environmental concerns and what work he did do was being overshadowed by scandals.
Many, however, believe that the congressional response to Pruitt was too little, too late.
“The way the EPA evaluates science has been altered, leaving behind a process that is far friendlier to industry. Experienced staff either left in droves -- about 700 departed in Pruitt’s first year -- or found themselves forced to the sidelines.1
While we have been distracted by EPA politics, observable evidence of global climate change has continued to accumulate: reduction of the permanent ice cover at the north and south poles, shrinking glaciers, the northward movement of new animal and insect species, the loss of permafrost, and radical changes in the breeding habit of seals and walruses. The number of severe weather events is increasing. The location of sunrise and sunset in the north and south appear to have changed due to changed air density, and northern aboriginal populations report long term changes in hunting and weather
Finally, consider how plastic is choking our oceans to death.
About 8 million metric tons of plastic are thrown into the ocean annually. Of those, 236,000 tons are microplastics -- tiny pieces of broken-down plastic smaller than your little fingernail. There are five massive patches of plastic in the oceans around the world. These huge concentrations of plastic debris cover large swaths of the ocean; the one between California and Hawaii is the size of the state of Texas.
Every minute, one garbage truck of plastic is dumped into our oceans. The amount of plastic in the ocean is set to increase tenfold by 2020. By 2050 there will be more plastic in the oceans than there are fish (by weight). Plastic is found in the ocean as far as 11km (6.8 Miles) deep, meaning synthetic fibers have contaminated even the most remote places on Earth.
Many marine organisms can’t distinguish common plastic items from food. Animals who eat plastic often starve because they can’t digest the plastic and it fills their stomachs, preventing them from eating real food. Sea turtles caught by fisheries operating within and around the Great Pacific Garbage Patch can have up to 74% (by dry weight) of their diets composed of ocean plastics.
And if all that isn’t enough to make us change our plastic habits, consider this: Many fish humans consume, including brown trout, cisco, and perch, have at one time or another, ingested plastic microfibers.2
In The Scripture
If we become active in saving the earth because we feel sorry for sea turtles, that’s good.
If we participate in saving the earth because trash and garbage is ugly and we want our world to be pretty, that, too is good.
If we recycle and participate in clean-up projects because we want the earth to be clean and beautiful and healthy for our children and grandchildren, that’s great.
But there is one more reason to take care of this planet that is especially important to those of us who worship in the Judeo/Christian tradition and that reason is found in the first two verses of the Psalm 24: “The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it; for he has founded it on the seasand established it on the rivers.”
Psalm 24, according to most biblical scholars, is a processional hymn and may be the very hymn that was sung as the Ark of the Covenant was first brought into the newly built and consecrated Jerusalem Temple.
It begins with the verses quoted above, a proclamation of God’s sovereignty and power. The earth is God’s. That is, everything that is belongs to God. Why? Because God made it and the rule we talked about in the introduction applies here: You made it, you own it. It’s yours.
And then the poet, presumably David, reminds us of how God made it. God took the unbridled chaos that is represented in the oceans and the rivers and brought forth the earth from it. God spoke it into existence out of chaos.
There is more than a little evidence which suggests that the psalm originally proceeded from verse 3 to verses 7-10 and then 4-6 and was read antiphonally. Here’s one suggestion:
Whether the psalm is “the” processional hymn that was sung at the beginning of the first Temple worship or it is “a” processional hymn that can be sung at the beginning of any worship, it is worth noting that when the people of God enter into the place of worship they sing a song that reminds them of the appropriate relationship they seek to have with YHWH.
God is the maker and owner of all that is.
We live here at God’s pleasure.
We would do well to remember that and to humble oursleves as we enter into God’s presence (which, it could be argued, is always and everywhere). How do we appropriately humble ourselves? Why, by cleansing our hearts of malice and prejudice and hate, by cleansing our actions of violence and theft, by casting away those objects of worship that are not God, and by keeping our promises and living by our word.
Only then will we be able to receive the full blessing that is to be had in being reconciled to God and each other.
In The Sermon
In 2016 Andrew Cooper and Alexander Schulze graduated from college and decided to fulfill a lifelong dream. They would go to Bali, Indonesia, and surf what are purported to be the finest most awesome waves in the world.
But when they got there and ran with their surfboards out onto the beach they were shocked and appalled to find the beach littered with trash, mostly plastic trash. No, not littered, covered. They could not take a step without stepping on a piece of single use, consumer wrapping that had found its way into the ocean.
They asked a nearby lifeguard why no one was cleaning up the mess.
His answer: “Oh, we did clean it up. We clean it up every morning. This is what has accumulated in just the past couple of hours.”
Day after day they saw the same drama being acted out. Lifeguards and beach overs spending hours cleaning the beach of debris only to have it covered again with trash in just a few hours.
It was heartbreaking.
Devastated by the amount of plastic in the ocean, they set out to find out why no one was doing anything about it. One afternoon they came across an old fishing village where fishermen were literally pushing their boat through piles of plastic that had washed up on shore. The two surfers realized that the proliferation of plastic threatened both the ocean environment and the fishermen's livelihood. Could the fishermen use their nets, they wondered, to pull the plastic from the ocean? This idea stuck with the 2 surfers and they knew it was time to hit the drawing board. After realizing that the demand for seafood was driving the fishermen to focus on fish instead of plastic, they knew they had to create something that could fund the desired cleanup efforts.
Being Americans, they decided to form a corporation they called 4Ocean. They would pay the fishermen to use their nets to fish not for fish but for plastic. They would fund this effort by recycling the plastic and glass they collected into bracelets that would be sold with all the money being returned to the effort to clean up the ocean.
This is how the 4Ocean Bracelet was born.
The $20 bracelets are made from recycled materials, and every bracelet purchased pays for the removal of approximately 1 pound of trash from the ocean and coastlines. In less than two years, 4Ocean has sold just over a million bracelets and removed more than 863,000 pounds of trash from the ocean and coastlines.
Today, 4Ocean operates out of 28 countries and employs over 150 people worldwide. Their work now includes not just cleaning the oceans but also working in the areas of:
RECYCLING AWARENESS
“Recycling is still an after-thought in many places around the world. So, part of our mission is to spread this awareness globally.”
CREATING GLOBAL ECONOMIES
“By giving ocean trash a value, we are changing the way people think about the problem and creating new economies in the process.”
EARTH PRESERVATION
“We only have this one planet to live on. Preserving its beauty, function and form for the next generations is the ultimate end goal.”
OCEAN SUSTAINABILITY
“Healthy oceans are critical for life on this planet. They provide the food we eat, the oxygen we breathe and their continued health depends on us.”
While we cannot all start companies to clean the ocean, there is much that each of us can do. We can purchase 4Ocean bracelets from their web site: https://4ocean.com
We can limit the plastics we use and make sure that our plastics are recycled.
We can pick up our litter and the litter that others leave.
We can use waterproof sunscreen.
When we are at the beach we can stay on the path to protect beach life and we can make sure our dog is on a leash and we clean up after him.
And we can report it to the proper authorities when we see someone hurting beach or marine life, whether it’s plants or animals.
There are lots of things we can do. Just google that question and you’ll find hundreds of opportunities from the cheap and simple to the complex and expensive. From small chores and gestures to huge adventures.
Whatever we choose to do to take care of the earth and the sea, we do it because God made it and it belongs, lock, stock and barrel, to its maker. God in that amazing love and grace that comes only from the divine, has invited us to live on it and take care of it. God has assigned us to be guardian tenants.
We get to use it. We get to enjoy it. We get to take care of it. We even get to participate in the earth’s ongoing evolution.
But it does not belong to us. It belongs to the one who made it.
In the conclusion to his commentary on Psalm 24, J. Clinton McCann, Jr. puts it this way: “’The earth is the Lord’s.’ For those who see the world first and foremost as the sphere of God’s reign, every human activity and ethical decision -- personal, political, ecological, and otherwise, will be grounded in and result from unreserved trust in God and the desire to embody God’s loving, life-giving purposes for ‘the world, and all who live in it.’”3
On the Baptizer
by Tom Willadsen
Mark 6:14-29
Today’s lesson from Mark’s gospel is kind of an interlude. Way back in the first chapter, before Jesus was on the scene, there was John the Baptizer (A quick note on this terminology: Because there are Christians who are part of Baptist denominations, the phrase “John the Baptist” sounds like an analogue to Tom the Presbyterian and Daryl the Lutheran. Years ago in seminary I found the use of baptizer to avoid this potential confusion) leading a sort of popular movement, a very popular movement -- people were streaming in from the Judean countryside and some were making the trip all the way from Jerusalem to the Jordan to make a renewed commitment to righteousness and liberation.
He was an extremist: he wore burlap, and ate honey and insects. And, oh why not, here’s a joke you can use: What three things did Winnie the Pooh have in common with John the Baptizer?
So there was John, a long way from Jerusalem, preparing the way of the Lord, citing prophets Malachi and Isaiah. But he was nothing. Someone, he said, would come after him, and he wouldn’t even be worthy to untie that one’s shoe. The social distance between the baptizer and the one whose way he was preparing was greater than the distance between master and slave. John’s baptism was just with water, this one coming later would baptize with the Holy Spirit.
John had gathered some followers, perhaps disciples similar to the ones who would soon follow Jesus. John preached that the kingdom of heaven was at hand and judgment was coming. John made a lot of enemies. He was critical of the Pharisees and Sadducees. He was arrested (Mark 1:14) and shortly after that Jesus began his ministry. There is no word in Mark 1 about why John had been arrested. It’s not as though he had been accused of a crime, he’d just gotten some powerful people upset. In the first chapter of Mark’s gospel, only John and the man with the unclean spirit (or perhaps the spirit itself, not the man per se) recognize Jesus as being special, the latter calling Jesus “the Holy One of God.” Only Jesus heard, “You are my son, the beloved; with you I am well pleased.”
Immediately before today’s gospel lesson, Jesus has noted that prophets are not honored in their hometowns. He had sent the disciples out in groups of two and they had had amazing success. “They cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.” (6:13) Was this the only time the disciples did something right?
As the lesson starts, the reader learns that Herod has gotten word about Jesus and his power to perform miracles. There was speculation in other quarters about who Jesus was, a prophet, maybe even Elijah, the prophet who it was believed would preceded the Messiah. Herod is convinced that John the Baptizer has come back to life. Who else could do such things? This belief is the background into which the story of Herod’s ordering the beheading of John the Baptizer is placed. It’s flashback. It tells the reader that Herod is not an especially moral or courageous leader. Vain. Impulsive. Concerned with appearances and status. Perhaps hen-pecked.
One can imagine that John the Baptizer is preparing the way for Jesus again in this lesson. This time preparing the reader for the Cross. There is nothing to indicate when Herod threw his party that led to the beheading of John. The act appears “off stage,” but is ghastly all the same. Herod had married Herodias, his brother’s ex-wife. John the Baptizer had been critical of the marriage. Herod kind of liked to listen to John, and feared John, knowing John was righteous, but his wife, his former sister-in-law, had a grudge against John. So at Herod’s fancy white tie affair Herod’s step-daughter, Herodias’s daughter, entertained the guests by dancing beautifully. (The girl’s name and age are not mentioned in scripture. Josephus named her Salome.) Herod was so pleased with her dancing, and probably so drunk at his own birthday party that he made a rash promise in front of all the muckety-mucks, he’d give the girl anything she asked, up to half his kingdom.
(Haven’t we all at one time or another been so enchanted by a stage performance that we’ve shouted, “Bravo! I will give you anything you ask for, up to half my stock portfolio?” No, of course not! Now go back to the article.)
The girl used a lifeline, asking her mother what she should ask for. Herodias wanted John’s head. Everyone had heard the promise; Herod couldn’t back out. John was conveniently already in prison, so there was no delay. The girl upped the ante a little, by requesting John’s head on a platter. She got it and took it to her mother.
The reading concludes with noting that John’s disciples got John’s body and laid it in a tomb. There is no word on whether John’s head was buried with the rest of the body.
Okay, reader, are you ready now? John, the leader of the wild renewal movement out in the desert, prepared the way for Jesus to start his career in ministry. With this morning’s interlude, John again prepares the way for Jesus, this time the way to violence and death, humiliation and abandonment. It’s not a happy story. There’s no good news to be found here, save the promise of redemption after the cross.
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Mary Austin:
Mark 6:14-29
Gift and Responsibility
In the Native American Potawatomi tradition, a gift and a responsibility are two sides of the same coin, says Robin Wall Kimmerer. There’s no gift without an attached responsibility. If Herodias had understood that, when she was allowed to ask Herod for a gift, she would have chosen differently. Her gift leads to circles of horror and sorrow, for her and Herod, along with John the Baptist and the people who love him.
Robin Wall Kimmerer writes, “The possession of a gift is coupled with a duty to use it for the benefit of all. A thrush is given the gift of song -- and so has a responsibility to greet the day with music. Salmon have the gift of travel, so they accept the duty of carrying food upriver. So when we ask ourselves, what is our responsibility to the Earth, we are also asking, “What is our gift?” For human beings, one of our most potent gifts is gratitude. “Gratitude may seem like weak tea given the desperate challenges that lie before us, but it is powerful medicine, much more than a simple thank you. Giving thanks implies recognition not only of the gift, but of the giver. When I eat an apple, my gratitude is directed to that wide-armed tree whose tart offspring are now in my mouth, whose life has become my own.”
She adds, “Indigenous story traditions are full of cautionary tales about the failure of gratitude. When people forget to honor the gift, the consequences are always material as well as spiritual. The spring dries up, the corn doesn’t grow, the animals do not return, and the legions of offended plants and animals and rivers rise up against the ones who neglected gratitude…”
The story of Herodias and her gift reminds us of the responsibility to ask wisely, and use our gifts for more than our own selfish pursuits.
* * *
Mark 6:14-29
Fear
Herod is afraid, and in his terror of John the Baptist, he imprisons him. To save face, fearful of what his guests will think, he has John killed in a gruesome way. Fear is a kind of prison for Herod, too.
Christian Picciolini recalls that fear got him into the neo-Nazi movement when he was just 14. He meets a man who represents power and security. “For 14 years, I'd felt marginalized and bullied. I had low self-esteem. And frankly, I didn't know who I was, where I belonged, or what my purpose was. I was lost. And overnight, because this man had pulled me in, and I had grabbed onto that lifeline with every fiber of my being. I had gone from "Joanie Loves Chachi" to full-blown Nazi. Overnight.” He taught himself the beliefs of the movement, and was drawn deeper and deeper in. He adds, “And though I saw no evidence of it whatsoever, I didn't hesitate to blame every Jewish person in the world for what I thought was a white, European genocide being promoted by them through a multiculturalist agenda. I blamed people of color for the crime and violence and the drugs in the city, completely neglecting the fact that I was committing acts of violence on a daily basis, and that in many cases, it was white supremacists who were funneling drugs into the inner cities. And I blamed immigrants for taking jobs from white Americans, completely neglecting the fact that my parents were hardworking immigrants who struggled to survive, despite not getting help from anybody else.” Fear took him to a place where his vision of the world was twisted, much like Herod’s view of the world.
Through an odd series of events, he ended up installing computers in his old high school, one he had been kicked out of. He saw Mr. Holmes, the security guard he had fought with, and was terrified that his past would come out. At the end of the day, he followed Mr. Holmes out to the parking lot, “and I tapped him on the shoulder. And when he turned around and he recognized me, he took a step back because he was afraid. And I didn't know what to say. Finally, the words came out of my mouth, and all I could think to say was, "I'm sorry." And he embraced me, and he forgave me. And he encouraged me to forgive myself. He recognized that it wasn't the story of some broken go-nowhere kid who was going to just join a gang and go to prison. He knew that this was the story of every young person who was vulnerable, who was searching for identity, community and purpose, and then hit a wall and was unable to find it and went down a dark path. And he made me promise one thing, that I would tell my story to whoever would listen. That was 18 years ago, and I've been doing it ever since.”
When he stopped basing his life around his fears, and instead chose to work for reconciliation, his whole world changed.
* * *
Mark 6:14-29
Importance
On her blog, Rev. Deirdre Whitfield tells the story of a man who gets impatient waiting at the doctor’s office. Certain of his own importance, he storms up to the receptionist. “Unwilling to wait any longer, he decided to barge in and demanded to be seen by the doctor. “Don’t you know who I am?” shouted the individual. The secretary calmly asked the waiting patients; “I have a someone here who doesn’t know who he is. Can anybody please assist him in finding out?” We often find ourselves in social systems like a hospital, and quickly become one of many in need of attention.”
Herod has a similar problem, as he’s caught up in his own importance. Mark’s gospel tells us that Herod is upset with John the Baptist, and yet also likes to listen to him. John the Baptist causes Herod to wonder who he is. We can imagine that Herod has never met anyone quite like John.
Whitfield adds, “In God’s vision we’re all important. We forget that God shows no impartiality, and fall victim to self-importance, selfishness, jealousy, and begrudgement, believing that no one is paying attention to us. But rest assured, God is paying attention! Do you know who you are?”
* * * * * * * * *
From team member Ron Love:
Prophecy
Elizabeth Vargas for two decades hosted ABC World News Tonight and 20/20. She has left ABC to host the new program A&E Investigates. Vargas said, “I love doing breaking news, but I’ve been doing that for 25 years.” She went on to say regarding her new program, “The storytelling we’re doing now involves that in-depth, long-term digging.”
Application: When we read about David and John the Baptist, we must fully understand their stories to fully appreciate their stories.
* * *
Prophecy
Elizabeth Vargas for two decades hosted ABC World News Tonight and 20/20. She has left ABC to host the new program A&E Investigates. With her new assignment Vargas reflected on her life for an interview with People magazine. Though on television Vargas seemed totally composed to us, the viewer, as we were unaware of her battle with alcoholism. In her memoir Between Breaths, she was open and forward about her addiction. Regarding her confession recorded in the book, Vargas said it “was one of the hardest and most rewarding things I’ve done. I was painfully honest about my struggles with anxiety and how I self-medicated with alcohol. I felt very alone when I was in the grip of the disease.”
Application: To be a prophet we must be “painfully honest.”
* * *
Hope
Meghan McCain, 33, is the cohost for The View, and the daughter of Sen. John McCain of Arizona. Senator McCain, 81, has been diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer with the median survival rate of just 15 months. Meghan has admired her father’s resilience and she has learned from that to “not sweat the small stuff.” Regarding what her father’s fortitude has done for her, Meghan said, “There are wired silver linings to this experience.”
Application: In our lectionary readings we learn that in tragedy there is hope. Paul even discussed the meaning of hope.
* * *
Discipleship
Ryan Phillippe, 43, is best know to us for his acting role in the televising program Shooter. What we didn’t know as a young man he watched his grandfather battle with alcoholism from what he experienced as a soldier in World War II, and his uncle battle with PTSD from his experience in Vietnam. It is for this reason Phillippe has become involved in Hidden Heroes, which is an organization founded by former Senator Elizabeth Dole. Hidden Heroes provides support and resources for family members who are taking care of veterans who return from war with various injuries and issues. Phillippe said, “I dedicate my time because these are people who are willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom.”
Application: In our lectionary readings we learn of individuals who were totally committed to serving the Lord.
* * *
Hope
Wilma Melville, of California, arrived in Oklahoma City with her search dog Murphy shortly after the 1995 bombing. She was alarmed to learn that there were only 15 certified search-dog teams in the nation. This led the retired gym teacher to begin her program National Search Dog Foundation. Melville and her volunteer staff take dogs from pounds and shelters and train them to be search dogs. Since the program began in 1996 they have trained and deployed nearly 200 canines. Melville said, “Since 1996 our dogs have been deployed around the world to hurricanes, earthquakes and floods. If anything good came out of the Oklahoma City bombing it was this.”
Application: In our lectionary readings we learn that in tragedy there is hope. Paul even discussed the meaning of hope.
* * *
Joy
Blake Shelton is a country music star who has recently opened several restaurants in Nashville. He may be best known to us as the winningest coach on The Voice. He has six wins for the last fourteen seasons. He is also in love with former Voice coach Gwen Stefani and her three children. Shelton said, “I’m happy. Sometimes happiness can seem like fleeting moments, but this one has been staying in the same lane for a long time. It’s amazing.” He went on to say, “I would just like to ride this wave till I die.”
Application: There is joy in life, and with that joy, like David, we dance.
* * *
Worship
It has been 40 years since the release of the movie Grease in 1978. It was the film adaptation of the high school musical by the same name. In the past four decades the movie has earned almost $400 million worldwide. Perhaps it is best known for solidifying stardom for John Travolta and Oliva Newton-John. Regarding the film Newton-John said, “We did something life-changing making this film. [At the premier] you got the feeling that something was happening.”
Application: David was able to dance for he understood the energy and life-changing aspects of worship.
* * *
Redemption
It has been 40 years since the release of the movie Grease in 1978. It was the film adaptation of the high school musical by the same name. In the past four decades the movie has earned almost $400 million worldwide. Perhaps it is best known for solidifying stardom for John Travolta and Oliva Newton-John. Newton-John could not comprehend the reaction that the movie received, as it was so powerful and overwhelming. It made her wonder, “What have I been doing wrong all these years?” As a result of her success in Grease, she said, “My next album was Totally Hot, and it gave me the opportunity to…what do you call it in Hollywood? Reinvent myself? Grease opened up a whole other world.”
Application: Redemption allows us to reinvent ourselves.
* * *
Prophecy
Early politicians required feedback from the public to determine what the people considered important. Since there were no telephones, TV's or radios, the politicians sent their assistants to local taverns, pubs, and bars. They were told to 'go sip some ale and listen to people's conversations and political concerns.' Many assistants were dispatched at different times. “You go sip here” and “You go sip there.” The two words “go sip” were eventually combined when referring to the local opinion and, thus we have the term “gossip.”
Application: We need to be able to distinguish between a true prophet and an individual who is only gossiping.
* * *
Worship
President John Adams described himself as “a church-going animal.” He and his wife Abigail, believed so strongly in the importance of worship and how attendance at church could mold one’s morality and challenge an individual to Christian service, that they attended worship twice on Sunday. This was not an exercise in doing what was expected in their Congregationalist community; but, it was doing what they believed could instill within them the greatest spiritual enlightenment.
Application: David understood the meaning and importance of worship.
* * * * * * * * *
From team member Chris Keating:
2 Samuel 6:1-5, 12b-19:
Get out your ephod & dance!
Despite Michal’s misgivings, David’s joyful dance celebrating the arrival of the Ark of God in Jerusalem is an invitation to worship, and may have also served as a call to health. Research shows that dance has healing properties, and may indeed be the fastest way of helping yourself feel happier. One researcher supporter her investigations with evidence from Greece, where breast cancer patients were offered a chance to participate in dance therapy. Those who took to the dance floor showed a significant decrease in in depressive symptoms when compared to a control group. Fitness expert Matt Roots noted that “Modern living often leaves us feeling disconnected from our bodies, because we spend so much time sitting down and hooked up to technology. Dancing makes you feel good because it makes you feel so alive.”
Illustration: David’s joyful dance before the ark reveals more than his political strength. Dancing reduces stress levels, improves mood and overall fitness.
* * *
Amos 7:7-15
Out of whack
A plumb bob’s design and function have not changed much since the days of Amos. It’s an ancient tool borrowing its English name from the latin, plumbum (I doubt there is a single preacher who has middle school-aged children who will dare to say the word “plumbum” in a sermon). A plumb line determines if a line or a wall is truly vertical and straight.
I learned this principle of construction while leading a high school work trip to Mexico decades ago. As a young associate pastor, I was at that dangerous stage where my confidence level was larger than my skill set. After arriving in Mexico, the pastor of the local Presbyterian church told us our task was to build a second story to the church. Apparently, his confidence also exceeded our skills because there were no plans, no materials, only a few tools, and about twenty kids, many of whom had never picked up a hammer before. Believe me, had Jesus returned we would have put his carpentry skills to use.
It’s an understatement to say that the week did not go as planned. Four days later, we managed to get one wall framed. One of the adult sponsors -- the only one who did know how to use a plumb line -- used the tool to show me just how far the wall was leaning over the base of the roof. Actually, the plumb line wasn’t necessary -- just about anyone could have seen that the wall was not straight. I think the technical term my friend used was “It’s out of whack.”
Fortunately, there were no building inspectors, and we ran out of money before we could finish building the rest of the wobbly structure. Amos, however, knows that God has seen just how “out of whack” Israel’s behavior has become.
Illustration: Just as a plumb bob measures the faithfulness and integrity of a structure, so does God through Amos measure Israel’s faithfulness and righteousness. Injustice, oppression and lack of concern for the poor are indicators that our world is “out of whack.”
* * *
Celebrity Apprentice SCOTUS
On Monday, President Donald Trump announced that he would nominate Judge Brett Kavanaugh, who once worked for the independent council which investigated President Bill Clinton, to fill the Justice Anthony Kennedy’s seat on the United States Supreme Court. Trump announced Kavanaugh’s nomination during Monday’s prime time television hour, a choice that seemed to heighten drama by mimicking the hype surrounding Trump’s “Apprentice” reality show. As the Senate moves forward to consider Kavanaugh’s nomination, supporters and opponents alike will be pecking away at the judge’s credentials and numerous written opinions.
Illustration: Judge Kavanaugh’s opinions will be tested to see if they are aligned more with the principles of justice or the politics of injustice -- much like God’s measuring of Israel’s faithlessness. In addition, Amos claims to be an “outsider,” while by contrast the Senate will need to consider whether Kavanaugh is too much of an “insider” from the Washington establishment to be free from political entanglements.
* * *
Psalm 24
Earth Care
A straw argument: Starbucks announced that it has developed a lid which will replace the need for its customers to use a straw for sipping beverages. The coffee chain will eliminate plastic straws by 2020 in order to reduce waste and protect the environment. According to U.S. News & World Report:
“The strawless lid will become the standard for all cold drinks except the Frappuccino, which will continue to be served with a straw, but ones made from paper or PLA compostable plastic manufactured from fermented plant starch or another sustainable material. Customers who need or prefer a straw with their cold beverages may request one made from alternative materials.”
Illustration: Caring for the Earth involves steps both large and small. Starbucks’ announced that it uses billions of straws each year, and by providing straws made of alternative materials the company is stepping up its sustainability efforts. “The Earth is the Lord’s,” the psalmist declares, yet too often human beings treat the planet as though it is for our use alone.
WORSHIP
by George Reed
Call to Worship:
Leader: The earth is the God's and all that is in it; all who live in it.
People: God has founded it on the seas and established it on the rivers.
Leader: Who shall ascend the hill of our God? And who shall stand in the holy place?
People: Those who have clean hands and pure hearts, who are not false, and do not swear deceitfully.
Leader: They will receive blessing from our God.
People: The will receive vindication from the God of their salvation.
OR
Leader: Let us worship the God of all Creation!
People: We sing our praises to God who made us all!
Leader: Out of the dust of the earth God has made life.
People: Even from the dust of death, God brings life.
Leader: God is the eternal one who triumphs through love.
People: With God we will seek the healing of all.
Hymns and Songs:
How Great Thou Art
UMH: 77:
PH: 467
AAHH: 148
NNBH: 43
NCH: 35
CH: 33
LBW: 532
ELA: 856
W&P 51
AMEC: 68
Renew: 250
This Is My Father’s World
UMH: 144
H82: 651
PH: 293
AAHH: 149
NNBH: 141
CH: 59
LBW: 554
ELA: 824
W&P: 21
AMEC: 47
All Things Bright and Beautiful
UMH: 147
H82: 405
PH: 267
NCH: 31
CH: 61
W&P: 30
AMEC: 434
Many and Great, O God
UMH: 148
H82: 385
PH: 271
NCH: 3
CH: 58
ELA: 837
W&P: 26
Lift High the Cross
UMH: 159
H82: 473
PH: 371
AAHH: 242
NCH: 198
CH: 108
LBW: 377
ELA: 660
W&P: 287
Renew: 297
Christ Is Alive
UMH: 318
H82: 182
PH: 108
LBW: 363
ELA: 389
W&P: 312
Renew: 300
Morning Has Broken
UMH: 145
H82: 8
PH: 469
CH: 53
ELA: 556
W&P: 35
STLT: 38
All Creatures of Our God and King
UMH: 62
H82: 400
PH: 455
AAHH: 147
NNBH: 33
NCH: 17
CH: 22
LBW: 527
ELA: 835
W&P: 23
AMEC: 50
STLT: 203
Renew: 47
Holy Ground
CCB: 5
Sing unto the Lord a New Song
CCB: 16
Renew: 99
Music Resources Key:
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982
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 created all that is and was and ever shall be:
Grant us the wisdom to accept the good gift of creation
and to be good stewards of our wonderful world;
through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We praise you, O God, because you are the creator of all. Your creation is so vast and glorious that we cannot comprehend it. As we give you thanks for this wonderful gift help us to understand our role as stewards of your works. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
Leader: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins and especially our failure to care for your creation.
People: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We have failed to be faithful stewards of your creation. We have taken more than we need from its resources. We have fouled its waters, its air, and its land. We have destroyed plant and animal species without considering the consequences or that it belongs to you. Forgive our presumption and arrogance. Help us to humbly accept our position as stewards and not owners of creation. Allow us to assist in creation’s redemption along with the redemption of all your children. Amen.
Leader: God created so that all could participate in and enjoy the creation. God always welcomes us to take our rightful place as stewards of creation. Receive God’s grace and forgiveness and strive to be God’s faithful stewards.
Prayers of the People
Praise and glory are yours, O God, because you are the creator of all the wonders and mysteries of creation. All creation is full of your presence and your essence.
(The following paragraph may be used if a separate prayer of confession has not been used.)
We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We have failed to be faithful stewards of your creation. We have taken more than we need from its resources. We have fouled its waters, its air, and its land. We have destroyed plant and animal species without considering the consequences or that it belongs to you. Forgive our presumption and arrogance. Help us to humbly accept our position as stewards and not owners of creation. Allow us to assist in creation’s redemption along with the redemption of all your children.
We thank you for your generous love that blesses us with the works of your hand. In love and care you have created each part of our universe and we thank you for your gift.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for your earth and all who live upon it. We pray not only for the healing of our planet but for the healing of those who have been sickened or injured by the damage we have done to nature.
(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 Our Father is not used at this point in the service)
All this we ask in the Name of the Blessed and Holy Trinity. Amen.
Children’s Sermon Starter
Talk to the children about a time when you damaged something that wasn’t yours. Talk about how that made you feel. Ask them if they have had similar experiences. Then talk about the earth as belonging to God and how we need to be careful with it and treat it with love because it belongs to God.
CHILDREN'S SERMON
Inheriting Something Great
by Bethany Peerbolte
Ephesians 1:1-14
Ephesians informs us that we have been given a gift so big and so awesome we should be sharing it with others. Sharing does not mean we get a smaller piece. In fact our inheritance only increases when we let other people enjoy what we have been given.
Say Something Like:
In our Bible verses today it says we are going to receive an inheritance. Inheritance is a big word, and we hear it most often in movies about royalty. A king’s child or close friend gets an inheritance from the king because the king wants them to have it. They don’t get it because they earned it. The King doesn’t owe the person who gets the inheritance, the king just gives it because he wants to give them a gift. Sometimes it is money, sometimes it is valuable items, like jewelry or a big castle.
How many of you have seen the Harry Potter movies? Close your eyes and picture what Hogwarts looks like in the movies. It kind of looks like a castle right, (you can open your eyes) that’s because the movies were filmed in castles. One of the castles the movies were filmed in still belongs to a royal family. They live there and take care of the castle as their home. The castle has been given from a parent to their child for many many years. Recently the castle was given to a new family member and the new owner wanted to let other people come in and see how beautiful the castle was. They knew even though the inheritance was for them, there were lots of other people who would enjoy the castle. They fixed up the gardens and agreed to let the Harry Potter movies be filmed there so more people could enjoy what they had inherited. It didn’t lessen the gift they got, they still owned all of the castle, but the number of people who felt joy from the inheritance increased. Who is thankful they decided to show their inheritance to us?
The verses today from Ephesians say that God has already decided to give us an inheritance. It’s kind of hard to explain our inheritance. It isn’t money or a castle, more like a huge ball of love and joy and forgiveness. Sounds like a great gift, right? To show and remind us we have this gift God sent the Holy Spirit to be with us and help us share our inheritance with other people. When you have a really great gift like love you want to show it to other people. And the cool part is when we show our inheritance to others they can be a part of it too. If you have been given a big ball of love and joy and forgiveness by God how will you share that with someone this week?
Let’s pray: God we thank you for our inheritance. Help us share this gift with others, and to enjoy it fully. Remind us through the Holy Spirit that we are part of your family, and that you love us no matter what. Send us people who need to feel your love and give us the courage to be the ones to show it. Amen.
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The Immediate Word, July 15, 2018, issue.
Copyright 2018 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.
- Tenants On The Earth by Dean Feldmeyer -- Since the earth we live on doesn’t belong to us, we really need to clean up our messes and leave it better than we found it.
- Second Thoughts: On the Baptizer by Tom Willadsen -- There really isn’t any good news in this gospel lesson.
- Worship resources by George Reed that focus on John the Baptizer preparing us for the cross and God’s victory as well as the environment.
- Sermon illustrations by Ron Love, Mary Austin and Chris Keating.
- Inheriting Something Great -- Children's sermon by Bethany Peerbolte -- Ephesians informs us that we have been given a gift so big and so awesome we should be sharing it with others.
Tenants On The Earth
by Dean Feldmeyer
Psalm 24
You make it, you own it.
That’s the rule.
It’s so simple, so elementary, so primordial that no one ever had to utter it or write it down for it to be true. It’s just common sense. And it’s pretty much universally recognized, right?
Well, maybe.
In 1963 Peter “Pete” Roberts was a teenager working as a clerk at the local Sears store. In his free time at home, he invented a quick release ratchet wrench that allowed the user to change sockets with one hand. He applied for and received a patent in 1965.
That year he took his new invention to his bosses at Sears who, after consulting with each other, told him it was a bad idea, mediocre at best and probably wouldn’t sell. They offered him $10,000 for the rights to the design.
The following year Sears sold about 26 million of the wrenches making a profit of about $44 million.
In 1969 Roberts sued Sears claiming that they intentionally misled him and lied about the value of the patent and he won the case. He was awarded $1 million. But Sears appealed the case all the way to the United States Supreme Court and lost. They were then ordered to pay Roberts $5 million.
So, they appealed again on different grounds. And they kept appealing for a total of 20 years. Finally, in 1989, having exhausted every appeal they could think of, they settled the case for a reported $8.9 million.
It took a long time and a lot of money but, in the end, the axiom was held as true: You make it, you own it.
In the 24th Psalm, David holds that God made the earth and everything that is in it.
The problem is that we humans tend to play the part of Sears in this cosmic courtroom drama. We try to convince God and ourselves that God’s creation isn’t really all that valuable and we have the right to do with it as we please.
It’s a policy we might want to reconsider.
You don’t want God suing you and taking you to court. God always wins.
In The News
Last week, Scott Pruitt, President Trump’s pick to run the Environmental Protection Agency, resigned amidst multiple accusations about ethics violations, wasteful spending, and misuse of government resources, human and otherwise.
But more important than all of that is the impact he had on the agency itself.
According to employees and insiders within the agency, “Pruitt’s actions at the EPA have left behind a demoralized agency where staff fret that their ability to protect public health has been diminished.”
According to The Guardian, he was, “a staunch ally of oil and gas companies,” who “stacked EPA advisory boards with industry representatives and sought to set aside whole troves of research that link pollution to various illnesses.”
He sought to delay or destroy dozens of clean air and water rules, and entered dozens of legal battles with states and environmental groups. His success in court was marginal, at best, but his zeal won him the admiration of the president.
He convinced Trump that the US should withdraw from the Paris climate agreement and put vehicle emissions standards on hold.
Under Pruitt, every vestige of action, research, or even mention of climate change was scrapped. All climate change-related content was erased from the EPA website and he repeatedly derided the accepted science of climate change.
Pruitt proposed looser safety rules for chemical plants and acquiesced to Dow Chemical in halting a planned ban on chlorpyrifos, an insecticide linked to developmental problems in children.
Funding for toxic clean-ups was winnowed away; money for the remediation of lead poisoning was slashed.
Eventually Congress had seen enough and even his original supporters began to turn away as his administration became more and more dismissive of genuine environmental concerns and what work he did do was being overshadowed by scandals.
Many, however, believe that the congressional response to Pruitt was too little, too late.
“The way the EPA evaluates science has been altered, leaving behind a process that is far friendlier to industry. Experienced staff either left in droves -- about 700 departed in Pruitt’s first year -- or found themselves forced to the sidelines.1
While we have been distracted by EPA politics, observable evidence of global climate change has continued to accumulate: reduction of the permanent ice cover at the north and south poles, shrinking glaciers, the northward movement of new animal and insect species, the loss of permafrost, and radical changes in the breeding habit of seals and walruses. The number of severe weather events is increasing. The location of sunrise and sunset in the north and south appear to have changed due to changed air density, and northern aboriginal populations report long term changes in hunting and weather
Finally, consider how plastic is choking our oceans to death.
About 8 million metric tons of plastic are thrown into the ocean annually. Of those, 236,000 tons are microplastics -- tiny pieces of broken-down plastic smaller than your little fingernail. There are five massive patches of plastic in the oceans around the world. These huge concentrations of plastic debris cover large swaths of the ocean; the one between California and Hawaii is the size of the state of Texas.
Every minute, one garbage truck of plastic is dumped into our oceans. The amount of plastic in the ocean is set to increase tenfold by 2020. By 2050 there will be more plastic in the oceans than there are fish (by weight). Plastic is found in the ocean as far as 11km (6.8 Miles) deep, meaning synthetic fibers have contaminated even the most remote places on Earth.
Many marine organisms can’t distinguish common plastic items from food. Animals who eat plastic often starve because they can’t digest the plastic and it fills their stomachs, preventing them from eating real food. Sea turtles caught by fisheries operating within and around the Great Pacific Garbage Patch can have up to 74% (by dry weight) of their diets composed of ocean plastics.
And if all that isn’t enough to make us change our plastic habits, consider this: Many fish humans consume, including brown trout, cisco, and perch, have at one time or another, ingested plastic microfibers.2
In The Scripture
If we become active in saving the earth because we feel sorry for sea turtles, that’s good.
If we participate in saving the earth because trash and garbage is ugly and we want our world to be pretty, that, too is good.
If we recycle and participate in clean-up projects because we want the earth to be clean and beautiful and healthy for our children and grandchildren, that’s great.
But there is one more reason to take care of this planet that is especially important to those of us who worship in the Judeo/Christian tradition and that reason is found in the first two verses of the Psalm 24: “The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it; for he has founded it on the seasand established it on the rivers.”
Psalm 24, according to most biblical scholars, is a processional hymn and may be the very hymn that was sung as the Ark of the Covenant was first brought into the newly built and consecrated Jerusalem Temple.
It begins with the verses quoted above, a proclamation of God’s sovereignty and power. The earth is God’s. That is, everything that is belongs to God. Why? Because God made it and the rule we talked about in the introduction applies here: You made it, you own it. It’s yours.
And then the poet, presumably David, reminds us of how God made it. God took the unbridled chaos that is represented in the oceans and the rivers and brought forth the earth from it. God spoke it into existence out of chaos.
There is more than a little evidence which suggests that the psalm originally proceeded from verse 3 to verses 7-10 and then 4-6 and was read antiphonally. Here’s one suggestion:
1st VOICE: The Earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it, the world and all those who live in it;
for he has founded it on the seas and established it on the rivers.
CHORUS: Lift up your heads, O gates! That the King of glory may come in.
2nd VOICE: Who is the King of glory?
1st VOICE: The Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord, mighty in battle.
CHORUS: Lift up your heads, O gates! And be lifted up O ancient doors! That the King of glory may come in.
1st VOICE: Who is the King of glory?
2nd VOICE: The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory!
1st VOICE: Who shall ascend to the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place?
2nd VOICE: Those who have clean hands and pure hearts, who do not lift up their souls to what is false, and do not swear deceitfully.
1st VOICE: They will receive blessing from the Lord
2nd VOICE: And vindication from the God of their salvation.
CHORUS: Such is the company of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob.
Whether the psalm is “the” processional hymn that was sung at the beginning of the first Temple worship or it is “a” processional hymn that can be sung at the beginning of any worship, it is worth noting that when the people of God enter into the place of worship they sing a song that reminds them of the appropriate relationship they seek to have with YHWH.
God is the maker and owner of all that is.
We live here at God’s pleasure.
We would do well to remember that and to humble oursleves as we enter into God’s presence (which, it could be argued, is always and everywhere). How do we appropriately humble ourselves? Why, by cleansing our hearts of malice and prejudice and hate, by cleansing our actions of violence and theft, by casting away those objects of worship that are not God, and by keeping our promises and living by our word.
Only then will we be able to receive the full blessing that is to be had in being reconciled to God and each other.
In The Sermon
In 2016 Andrew Cooper and Alexander Schulze graduated from college and decided to fulfill a lifelong dream. They would go to Bali, Indonesia, and surf what are purported to be the finest most awesome waves in the world.
But when they got there and ran with their surfboards out onto the beach they were shocked and appalled to find the beach littered with trash, mostly plastic trash. No, not littered, covered. They could not take a step without stepping on a piece of single use, consumer wrapping that had found its way into the ocean.
They asked a nearby lifeguard why no one was cleaning up the mess.
His answer: “Oh, we did clean it up. We clean it up every morning. This is what has accumulated in just the past couple of hours.”
Day after day they saw the same drama being acted out. Lifeguards and beach overs spending hours cleaning the beach of debris only to have it covered again with trash in just a few hours.
It was heartbreaking.
Devastated by the amount of plastic in the ocean, they set out to find out why no one was doing anything about it. One afternoon they came across an old fishing village where fishermen were literally pushing their boat through piles of plastic that had washed up on shore. The two surfers realized that the proliferation of plastic threatened both the ocean environment and the fishermen's livelihood. Could the fishermen use their nets, they wondered, to pull the plastic from the ocean? This idea stuck with the 2 surfers and they knew it was time to hit the drawing board. After realizing that the demand for seafood was driving the fishermen to focus on fish instead of plastic, they knew they had to create something that could fund the desired cleanup efforts.
Being Americans, they decided to form a corporation they called 4Ocean. They would pay the fishermen to use their nets to fish not for fish but for plastic. They would fund this effort by recycling the plastic and glass they collected into bracelets that would be sold with all the money being returned to the effort to clean up the ocean.
This is how the 4Ocean Bracelet was born.
The $20 bracelets are made from recycled materials, and every bracelet purchased pays for the removal of approximately 1 pound of trash from the ocean and coastlines. In less than two years, 4Ocean has sold just over a million bracelets and removed more than 863,000 pounds of trash from the ocean and coastlines.
Today, 4Ocean operates out of 28 countries and employs over 150 people worldwide. Their work now includes not just cleaning the oceans but also working in the areas of:
RECYCLING AWARENESS
“Recycling is still an after-thought in many places around the world. So, part of our mission is to spread this awareness globally.”
CREATING GLOBAL ECONOMIES
“By giving ocean trash a value, we are changing the way people think about the problem and creating new economies in the process.”
EARTH PRESERVATION
“We only have this one planet to live on. Preserving its beauty, function and form for the next generations is the ultimate end goal.”
OCEAN SUSTAINABILITY
“Healthy oceans are critical for life on this planet. They provide the food we eat, the oxygen we breathe and their continued health depends on us.”
While we cannot all start companies to clean the ocean, there is much that each of us can do. We can purchase 4Ocean bracelets from their web site: https://4ocean.com
We can limit the plastics we use and make sure that our plastics are recycled.
We can pick up our litter and the litter that others leave.
We can use waterproof sunscreen.
When we are at the beach we can stay on the path to protect beach life and we can make sure our dog is on a leash and we clean up after him.
And we can report it to the proper authorities when we see someone hurting beach or marine life, whether it’s plants or animals.
There are lots of things we can do. Just google that question and you’ll find hundreds of opportunities from the cheap and simple to the complex and expensive. From small chores and gestures to huge adventures.
Whatever we choose to do to take care of the earth and the sea, we do it because God made it and it belongs, lock, stock and barrel, to its maker. God in that amazing love and grace that comes only from the divine, has invited us to live on it and take care of it. God has assigned us to be guardian tenants.
We get to use it. We get to enjoy it. We get to take care of it. We even get to participate in the earth’s ongoing evolution.
But it does not belong to us. It belongs to the one who made it.
In the conclusion to his commentary on Psalm 24, J. Clinton McCann, Jr. puts it this way: “’The earth is the Lord’s.’ For those who see the world first and foremost as the sphere of God’s reign, every human activity and ethical decision -- personal, political, ecological, and otherwise, will be grounded in and result from unreserved trust in God and the desire to embody God’s loving, life-giving purposes for ‘the world, and all who live in it.’”3
1 Most of the above taken from this article in the Guardian
2 https://www.earthday.org/2018/04/05/fact-sheet-plastics-in-the-ocean/
3 New Interpreter’s Bible. Volume 4, p. 775.
On the Baptizer
by Tom Willadsen
Mark 6:14-29
Today’s lesson from Mark’s gospel is kind of an interlude. Way back in the first chapter, before Jesus was on the scene, there was John the Baptizer (A quick note on this terminology: Because there are Christians who are part of Baptist denominations, the phrase “John the Baptist” sounds like an analogue to Tom the Presbyterian and Daryl the Lutheran. Years ago in seminary I found the use of baptizer to avoid this potential confusion) leading a sort of popular movement, a very popular movement -- people were streaming in from the Judean countryside and some were making the trip all the way from Jerusalem to the Jordan to make a renewed commitment to righteousness and liberation.
He was an extremist: he wore burlap, and ate honey and insects. And, oh why not, here’s a joke you can use: What three things did Winnie the Pooh have in common with John the Baptizer?
They both ate honey;
They had the same middle name; and
They both got their heads stuck.
So there was John, a long way from Jerusalem, preparing the way of the Lord, citing prophets Malachi and Isaiah. But he was nothing. Someone, he said, would come after him, and he wouldn’t even be worthy to untie that one’s shoe. The social distance between the baptizer and the one whose way he was preparing was greater than the distance between master and slave. John’s baptism was just with water, this one coming later would baptize with the Holy Spirit.
John had gathered some followers, perhaps disciples similar to the ones who would soon follow Jesus. John preached that the kingdom of heaven was at hand and judgment was coming. John made a lot of enemies. He was critical of the Pharisees and Sadducees. He was arrested (Mark 1:14) and shortly after that Jesus began his ministry. There is no word in Mark 1 about why John had been arrested. It’s not as though he had been accused of a crime, he’d just gotten some powerful people upset. In the first chapter of Mark’s gospel, only John and the man with the unclean spirit (or perhaps the spirit itself, not the man per se) recognize Jesus as being special, the latter calling Jesus “the Holy One of God.” Only Jesus heard, “You are my son, the beloved; with you I am well pleased.”
Immediately before today’s gospel lesson, Jesus has noted that prophets are not honored in their hometowns. He had sent the disciples out in groups of two and they had had amazing success. “They cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.” (6:13) Was this the only time the disciples did something right?
As the lesson starts, the reader learns that Herod has gotten word about Jesus and his power to perform miracles. There was speculation in other quarters about who Jesus was, a prophet, maybe even Elijah, the prophet who it was believed would preceded the Messiah. Herod is convinced that John the Baptizer has come back to life. Who else could do such things? This belief is the background into which the story of Herod’s ordering the beheading of John the Baptizer is placed. It’s flashback. It tells the reader that Herod is not an especially moral or courageous leader. Vain. Impulsive. Concerned with appearances and status. Perhaps hen-pecked.
One can imagine that John the Baptizer is preparing the way for Jesus again in this lesson. This time preparing the reader for the Cross. There is nothing to indicate when Herod threw his party that led to the beheading of John. The act appears “off stage,” but is ghastly all the same. Herod had married Herodias, his brother’s ex-wife. John the Baptizer had been critical of the marriage. Herod kind of liked to listen to John, and feared John, knowing John was righteous, but his wife, his former sister-in-law, had a grudge against John. So at Herod’s fancy white tie affair Herod’s step-daughter, Herodias’s daughter, entertained the guests by dancing beautifully. (The girl’s name and age are not mentioned in scripture. Josephus named her Salome.) Herod was so pleased with her dancing, and probably so drunk at his own birthday party that he made a rash promise in front of all the muckety-mucks, he’d give the girl anything she asked, up to half his kingdom.
(Haven’t we all at one time or another been so enchanted by a stage performance that we’ve shouted, “Bravo! I will give you anything you ask for, up to half my stock portfolio?” No, of course not! Now go back to the article.)
The girl used a lifeline, asking her mother what she should ask for. Herodias wanted John’s head. Everyone had heard the promise; Herod couldn’t back out. John was conveniently already in prison, so there was no delay. The girl upped the ante a little, by requesting John’s head on a platter. She got it and took it to her mother.
The reading concludes with noting that John’s disciples got John’s body and laid it in a tomb. There is no word on whether John’s head was buried with the rest of the body.
Okay, reader, are you ready now? John, the leader of the wild renewal movement out in the desert, prepared the way for Jesus to start his career in ministry. With this morning’s interlude, John again prepares the way for Jesus, this time the way to violence and death, humiliation and abandonment. It’s not a happy story. There’s no good news to be found here, save the promise of redemption after the cross.
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Mary Austin:
Mark 6:14-29
Gift and Responsibility
In the Native American Potawatomi tradition, a gift and a responsibility are two sides of the same coin, says Robin Wall Kimmerer. There’s no gift without an attached responsibility. If Herodias had understood that, when she was allowed to ask Herod for a gift, she would have chosen differently. Her gift leads to circles of horror and sorrow, for her and Herod, along with John the Baptist and the people who love him.
Robin Wall Kimmerer writes, “The possession of a gift is coupled with a duty to use it for the benefit of all. A thrush is given the gift of song -- and so has a responsibility to greet the day with music. Salmon have the gift of travel, so they accept the duty of carrying food upriver. So when we ask ourselves, what is our responsibility to the Earth, we are also asking, “What is our gift?” For human beings, one of our most potent gifts is gratitude. “Gratitude may seem like weak tea given the desperate challenges that lie before us, but it is powerful medicine, much more than a simple thank you. Giving thanks implies recognition not only of the gift, but of the giver. When I eat an apple, my gratitude is directed to that wide-armed tree whose tart offspring are now in my mouth, whose life has become my own.”
She adds, “Indigenous story traditions are full of cautionary tales about the failure of gratitude. When people forget to honor the gift, the consequences are always material as well as spiritual. The spring dries up, the corn doesn’t grow, the animals do not return, and the legions of offended plants and animals and rivers rise up against the ones who neglected gratitude…”
The story of Herodias and her gift reminds us of the responsibility to ask wisely, and use our gifts for more than our own selfish pursuits.
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Mark 6:14-29
Fear
Herod is afraid, and in his terror of John the Baptist, he imprisons him. To save face, fearful of what his guests will think, he has John killed in a gruesome way. Fear is a kind of prison for Herod, too.
Christian Picciolini recalls that fear got him into the neo-Nazi movement when he was just 14. He meets a man who represents power and security. “For 14 years, I'd felt marginalized and bullied. I had low self-esteem. And frankly, I didn't know who I was, where I belonged, or what my purpose was. I was lost. And overnight, because this man had pulled me in, and I had grabbed onto that lifeline with every fiber of my being. I had gone from "Joanie Loves Chachi" to full-blown Nazi. Overnight.” He taught himself the beliefs of the movement, and was drawn deeper and deeper in. He adds, “And though I saw no evidence of it whatsoever, I didn't hesitate to blame every Jewish person in the world for what I thought was a white, European genocide being promoted by them through a multiculturalist agenda. I blamed people of color for the crime and violence and the drugs in the city, completely neglecting the fact that I was committing acts of violence on a daily basis, and that in many cases, it was white supremacists who were funneling drugs into the inner cities. And I blamed immigrants for taking jobs from white Americans, completely neglecting the fact that my parents were hardworking immigrants who struggled to survive, despite not getting help from anybody else.” Fear took him to a place where his vision of the world was twisted, much like Herod’s view of the world.
Through an odd series of events, he ended up installing computers in his old high school, one he had been kicked out of. He saw Mr. Holmes, the security guard he had fought with, and was terrified that his past would come out. At the end of the day, he followed Mr. Holmes out to the parking lot, “and I tapped him on the shoulder. And when he turned around and he recognized me, he took a step back because he was afraid. And I didn't know what to say. Finally, the words came out of my mouth, and all I could think to say was, "I'm sorry." And he embraced me, and he forgave me. And he encouraged me to forgive myself. He recognized that it wasn't the story of some broken go-nowhere kid who was going to just join a gang and go to prison. He knew that this was the story of every young person who was vulnerable, who was searching for identity, community and purpose, and then hit a wall and was unable to find it and went down a dark path. And he made me promise one thing, that I would tell my story to whoever would listen. That was 18 years ago, and I've been doing it ever since.”
When he stopped basing his life around his fears, and instead chose to work for reconciliation, his whole world changed.
* * *
Mark 6:14-29
Importance
On her blog, Rev. Deirdre Whitfield tells the story of a man who gets impatient waiting at the doctor’s office. Certain of his own importance, he storms up to the receptionist. “Unwilling to wait any longer, he decided to barge in and demanded to be seen by the doctor. “Don’t you know who I am?” shouted the individual. The secretary calmly asked the waiting patients; “I have a someone here who doesn’t know who he is. Can anybody please assist him in finding out?” We often find ourselves in social systems like a hospital, and quickly become one of many in need of attention.”
Herod has a similar problem, as he’s caught up in his own importance. Mark’s gospel tells us that Herod is upset with John the Baptist, and yet also likes to listen to him. John the Baptist causes Herod to wonder who he is. We can imagine that Herod has never met anyone quite like John.
Whitfield adds, “In God’s vision we’re all important. We forget that God shows no impartiality, and fall victim to self-importance, selfishness, jealousy, and begrudgement, believing that no one is paying attention to us. But rest assured, God is paying attention! Do you know who you are?”
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From team member Ron Love:
Prophecy
Elizabeth Vargas for two decades hosted ABC World News Tonight and 20/20. She has left ABC to host the new program A&E Investigates. Vargas said, “I love doing breaking news, but I’ve been doing that for 25 years.” She went on to say regarding her new program, “The storytelling we’re doing now involves that in-depth, long-term digging.”
Application: When we read about David and John the Baptist, we must fully understand their stories to fully appreciate their stories.
* * *
Prophecy
Elizabeth Vargas for two decades hosted ABC World News Tonight and 20/20. She has left ABC to host the new program A&E Investigates. With her new assignment Vargas reflected on her life for an interview with People magazine. Though on television Vargas seemed totally composed to us, the viewer, as we were unaware of her battle with alcoholism. In her memoir Between Breaths, she was open and forward about her addiction. Regarding her confession recorded in the book, Vargas said it “was one of the hardest and most rewarding things I’ve done. I was painfully honest about my struggles with anxiety and how I self-medicated with alcohol. I felt very alone when I was in the grip of the disease.”
Application: To be a prophet we must be “painfully honest.”
* * *
Hope
Meghan McCain, 33, is the cohost for The View, and the daughter of Sen. John McCain of Arizona. Senator McCain, 81, has been diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer with the median survival rate of just 15 months. Meghan has admired her father’s resilience and she has learned from that to “not sweat the small stuff.” Regarding what her father’s fortitude has done for her, Meghan said, “There are wired silver linings to this experience.”
Application: In our lectionary readings we learn that in tragedy there is hope. Paul even discussed the meaning of hope.
* * *
Discipleship
Ryan Phillippe, 43, is best know to us for his acting role in the televising program Shooter. What we didn’t know as a young man he watched his grandfather battle with alcoholism from what he experienced as a soldier in World War II, and his uncle battle with PTSD from his experience in Vietnam. It is for this reason Phillippe has become involved in Hidden Heroes, which is an organization founded by former Senator Elizabeth Dole. Hidden Heroes provides support and resources for family members who are taking care of veterans who return from war with various injuries and issues. Phillippe said, “I dedicate my time because these are people who are willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom.”
Application: In our lectionary readings we learn of individuals who were totally committed to serving the Lord.
* * *
Hope
Wilma Melville, of California, arrived in Oklahoma City with her search dog Murphy shortly after the 1995 bombing. She was alarmed to learn that there were only 15 certified search-dog teams in the nation. This led the retired gym teacher to begin her program National Search Dog Foundation. Melville and her volunteer staff take dogs from pounds and shelters and train them to be search dogs. Since the program began in 1996 they have trained and deployed nearly 200 canines. Melville said, “Since 1996 our dogs have been deployed around the world to hurricanes, earthquakes and floods. If anything good came out of the Oklahoma City bombing it was this.”
Application: In our lectionary readings we learn that in tragedy there is hope. Paul even discussed the meaning of hope.
* * *
Joy
Blake Shelton is a country music star who has recently opened several restaurants in Nashville. He may be best known to us as the winningest coach on The Voice. He has six wins for the last fourteen seasons. He is also in love with former Voice coach Gwen Stefani and her three children. Shelton said, “I’m happy. Sometimes happiness can seem like fleeting moments, but this one has been staying in the same lane for a long time. It’s amazing.” He went on to say, “I would just like to ride this wave till I die.”
Application: There is joy in life, and with that joy, like David, we dance.
* * *
Worship
It has been 40 years since the release of the movie Grease in 1978. It was the film adaptation of the high school musical by the same name. In the past four decades the movie has earned almost $400 million worldwide. Perhaps it is best known for solidifying stardom for John Travolta and Oliva Newton-John. Regarding the film Newton-John said, “We did something life-changing making this film. [At the premier] you got the feeling that something was happening.”
Application: David was able to dance for he understood the energy and life-changing aspects of worship.
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Redemption
It has been 40 years since the release of the movie Grease in 1978. It was the film adaptation of the high school musical by the same name. In the past four decades the movie has earned almost $400 million worldwide. Perhaps it is best known for solidifying stardom for John Travolta and Oliva Newton-John. Newton-John could not comprehend the reaction that the movie received, as it was so powerful and overwhelming. It made her wonder, “What have I been doing wrong all these years?” As a result of her success in Grease, she said, “My next album was Totally Hot, and it gave me the opportunity to…what do you call it in Hollywood? Reinvent myself? Grease opened up a whole other world.”
Application: Redemption allows us to reinvent ourselves.
* * *
Prophecy
Early politicians required feedback from the public to determine what the people considered important. Since there were no telephones, TV's or radios, the politicians sent their assistants to local taverns, pubs, and bars. They were told to 'go sip some ale and listen to people's conversations and political concerns.' Many assistants were dispatched at different times. “You go sip here” and “You go sip there.” The two words “go sip” were eventually combined when referring to the local opinion and, thus we have the term “gossip.”
Application: We need to be able to distinguish between a true prophet and an individual who is only gossiping.
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Worship
President John Adams described himself as “a church-going animal.” He and his wife Abigail, believed so strongly in the importance of worship and how attendance at church could mold one’s morality and challenge an individual to Christian service, that they attended worship twice on Sunday. This was not an exercise in doing what was expected in their Congregationalist community; but, it was doing what they believed could instill within them the greatest spiritual enlightenment.
Application: David understood the meaning and importance of worship.
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From team member Chris Keating:
2 Samuel 6:1-5, 12b-19:
Get out your ephod & dance!
Despite Michal’s misgivings, David’s joyful dance celebrating the arrival of the Ark of God in Jerusalem is an invitation to worship, and may have also served as a call to health. Research shows that dance has healing properties, and may indeed be the fastest way of helping yourself feel happier. One researcher supporter her investigations with evidence from Greece, where breast cancer patients were offered a chance to participate in dance therapy. Those who took to the dance floor showed a significant decrease in in depressive symptoms when compared to a control group. Fitness expert Matt Roots noted that “Modern living often leaves us feeling disconnected from our bodies, because we spend so much time sitting down and hooked up to technology. Dancing makes you feel good because it makes you feel so alive.”
Illustration: David’s joyful dance before the ark reveals more than his political strength. Dancing reduces stress levels, improves mood and overall fitness.
* * *
Amos 7:7-15
Out of whack
A plumb bob’s design and function have not changed much since the days of Amos. It’s an ancient tool borrowing its English name from the latin, plumbum (I doubt there is a single preacher who has middle school-aged children who will dare to say the word “plumbum” in a sermon). A plumb line determines if a line or a wall is truly vertical and straight.
I learned this principle of construction while leading a high school work trip to Mexico decades ago. As a young associate pastor, I was at that dangerous stage where my confidence level was larger than my skill set. After arriving in Mexico, the pastor of the local Presbyterian church told us our task was to build a second story to the church. Apparently, his confidence also exceeded our skills because there were no plans, no materials, only a few tools, and about twenty kids, many of whom had never picked up a hammer before. Believe me, had Jesus returned we would have put his carpentry skills to use.
It’s an understatement to say that the week did not go as planned. Four days later, we managed to get one wall framed. One of the adult sponsors -- the only one who did know how to use a plumb line -- used the tool to show me just how far the wall was leaning over the base of the roof. Actually, the plumb line wasn’t necessary -- just about anyone could have seen that the wall was not straight. I think the technical term my friend used was “It’s out of whack.”
Fortunately, there were no building inspectors, and we ran out of money before we could finish building the rest of the wobbly structure. Amos, however, knows that God has seen just how “out of whack” Israel’s behavior has become.
Illustration: Just as a plumb bob measures the faithfulness and integrity of a structure, so does God through Amos measure Israel’s faithfulness and righteousness. Injustice, oppression and lack of concern for the poor are indicators that our world is “out of whack.”
* * *
Celebrity Apprentice SCOTUS
On Monday, President Donald Trump announced that he would nominate Judge Brett Kavanaugh, who once worked for the independent council which investigated President Bill Clinton, to fill the Justice Anthony Kennedy’s seat on the United States Supreme Court. Trump announced Kavanaugh’s nomination during Monday’s prime time television hour, a choice that seemed to heighten drama by mimicking the hype surrounding Trump’s “Apprentice” reality show. As the Senate moves forward to consider Kavanaugh’s nomination, supporters and opponents alike will be pecking away at the judge’s credentials and numerous written opinions.
Illustration: Judge Kavanaugh’s opinions will be tested to see if they are aligned more with the principles of justice or the politics of injustice -- much like God’s measuring of Israel’s faithlessness. In addition, Amos claims to be an “outsider,” while by contrast the Senate will need to consider whether Kavanaugh is too much of an “insider” from the Washington establishment to be free from political entanglements.
* * *
Psalm 24
Earth Care
A straw argument: Starbucks announced that it has developed a lid which will replace the need for its customers to use a straw for sipping beverages. The coffee chain will eliminate plastic straws by 2020 in order to reduce waste and protect the environment. According to U.S. News & World Report:
“The strawless lid will become the standard for all cold drinks except the Frappuccino, which will continue to be served with a straw, but ones made from paper or PLA compostable plastic manufactured from fermented plant starch or another sustainable material. Customers who need or prefer a straw with their cold beverages may request one made from alternative materials.”
Illustration: Caring for the Earth involves steps both large and small. Starbucks’ announced that it uses billions of straws each year, and by providing straws made of alternative materials the company is stepping up its sustainability efforts. “The Earth is the Lord’s,” the psalmist declares, yet too often human beings treat the planet as though it is for our use alone.
WORSHIP
by George Reed
Call to Worship:
Leader: The earth is the God's and all that is in it; all who live in it.
People: God has founded it on the seas and established it on the rivers.
Leader: Who shall ascend the hill of our God? And who shall stand in the holy place?
People: Those who have clean hands and pure hearts, who are not false, and do not swear deceitfully.
Leader: They will receive blessing from our God.
People: The will receive vindication from the God of their salvation.
OR
Leader: Let us worship the God of all Creation!
People: We sing our praises to God who made us all!
Leader: Out of the dust of the earth God has made life.
People: Even from the dust of death, God brings life.
Leader: God is the eternal one who triumphs through love.
People: With God we will seek the healing of all.
Hymns and Songs:
How Great Thou Art
UMH: 77:
PH: 467
AAHH: 148
NNBH: 43
NCH: 35
CH: 33
LBW: 532
ELA: 856
W&P 51
AMEC: 68
Renew: 250
This Is My Father’s World
UMH: 144
H82: 651
PH: 293
AAHH: 149
NNBH: 141
CH: 59
LBW: 554
ELA: 824
W&P: 21
AMEC: 47
All Things Bright and Beautiful
UMH: 147
H82: 405
PH: 267
NCH: 31
CH: 61
W&P: 30
AMEC: 434
Many and Great, O God
UMH: 148
H82: 385
PH: 271
NCH: 3
CH: 58
ELA: 837
W&P: 26
Lift High the Cross
UMH: 159
H82: 473
PH: 371
AAHH: 242
NCH: 198
CH: 108
LBW: 377
ELA: 660
W&P: 287
Renew: 297
Christ Is Alive
UMH: 318
H82: 182
PH: 108
LBW: 363
ELA: 389
W&P: 312
Renew: 300
Morning Has Broken
UMH: 145
H82: 8
PH: 469
CH: 53
ELA: 556
W&P: 35
STLT: 38
All Creatures of Our God and King
UMH: 62
H82: 400
PH: 455
AAHH: 147
NNBH: 33
NCH: 17
CH: 22
LBW: 527
ELA: 835
W&P: 23
AMEC: 50
STLT: 203
Renew: 47
Holy Ground
CCB: 5
Sing unto the Lord a New Song
CCB: 16
Renew: 99
Music Resources Key:
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982
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 created all that is and was and ever shall be:
Grant us the wisdom to accept the good gift of creation
and to be good stewards of our wonderful world;
through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We praise you, O God, because you are the creator of all. Your creation is so vast and glorious that we cannot comprehend it. As we give you thanks for this wonderful gift help us to understand our role as stewards of your works. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
Leader: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins and especially our failure to care for your creation.
People: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We have failed to be faithful stewards of your creation. We have taken more than we need from its resources. We have fouled its waters, its air, and its land. We have destroyed plant and animal species without considering the consequences or that it belongs to you. Forgive our presumption and arrogance. Help us to humbly accept our position as stewards and not owners of creation. Allow us to assist in creation’s redemption along with the redemption of all your children. Amen.
Leader: God created so that all could participate in and enjoy the creation. God always welcomes us to take our rightful place as stewards of creation. Receive God’s grace and forgiveness and strive to be God’s faithful stewards.
Prayers of the People
Praise and glory are yours, O God, because you are the creator of all the wonders and mysteries of creation. All creation is full of your presence and your essence.
(The following paragraph may be used if a separate prayer of confession has not been used.)
We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We have failed to be faithful stewards of your creation. We have taken more than we need from its resources. We have fouled its waters, its air, and its land. We have destroyed plant and animal species without considering the consequences or that it belongs to you. Forgive our presumption and arrogance. Help us to humbly accept our position as stewards and not owners of creation. Allow us to assist in creation’s redemption along with the redemption of all your children.
We thank you for your generous love that blesses us with the works of your hand. In love and care you have created each part of our universe and we thank you for your gift.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for your earth and all who live upon it. We pray not only for the healing of our planet but for the healing of those who have been sickened or injured by the damage we have done to nature.
(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 Our Father is not used at this point in the service)
All this we ask in the Name of the Blessed and Holy Trinity. Amen.
Children’s Sermon Starter
Talk to the children about a time when you damaged something that wasn’t yours. Talk about how that made you feel. Ask them if they have had similar experiences. Then talk about the earth as belonging to God and how we need to be careful with it and treat it with love because it belongs to God.
CHILDREN'S SERMON
Inheriting Something Great
by Bethany Peerbolte
Ephesians 1:1-14
Ephesians informs us that we have been given a gift so big and so awesome we should be sharing it with others. Sharing does not mean we get a smaller piece. In fact our inheritance only increases when we let other people enjoy what we have been given.
Say Something Like:
In our Bible verses today it says we are going to receive an inheritance. Inheritance is a big word, and we hear it most often in movies about royalty. A king’s child or close friend gets an inheritance from the king because the king wants them to have it. They don’t get it because they earned it. The King doesn’t owe the person who gets the inheritance, the king just gives it because he wants to give them a gift. Sometimes it is money, sometimes it is valuable items, like jewelry or a big castle.
How many of you have seen the Harry Potter movies? Close your eyes and picture what Hogwarts looks like in the movies. It kind of looks like a castle right, (you can open your eyes) that’s because the movies were filmed in castles. One of the castles the movies were filmed in still belongs to a royal family. They live there and take care of the castle as their home. The castle has been given from a parent to their child for many many years. Recently the castle was given to a new family member and the new owner wanted to let other people come in and see how beautiful the castle was. They knew even though the inheritance was for them, there were lots of other people who would enjoy the castle. They fixed up the gardens and agreed to let the Harry Potter movies be filmed there so more people could enjoy what they had inherited. It didn’t lessen the gift they got, they still owned all of the castle, but the number of people who felt joy from the inheritance increased. Who is thankful they decided to show their inheritance to us?
The verses today from Ephesians say that God has already decided to give us an inheritance. It’s kind of hard to explain our inheritance. It isn’t money or a castle, more like a huge ball of love and joy and forgiveness. Sounds like a great gift, right? To show and remind us we have this gift God sent the Holy Spirit to be with us and help us share our inheritance with other people. When you have a really great gift like love you want to show it to other people. And the cool part is when we show our inheritance to others they can be a part of it too. If you have been given a big ball of love and joy and forgiveness by God how will you share that with someone this week?
Let’s pray: God we thank you for our inheritance. Help us share this gift with others, and to enjoy it fully. Remind us through the Holy Spirit that we are part of your family, and that you love us no matter what. Send us people who need to feel your love and give us the courage to be the ones to show it. Amen.
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The Immediate Word, July 15, 2018, issue.
Copyright 2018 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.
