But That’s Not Fair
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For September 20, 2020:
But That’s Not Fair
by Dean Feldmeyer
Matthew 20:1-16
Have you seen the commercial by Bath Fitter that features a little boy sitting in his bathrobe on the side of the tub? He complains to the camera that Bath Fitter remodeled his family’s bathroom in a single day and he didn’t get to miss a single bath. His friend, Jimmy’s family had their bathroom remodeled, he explains, and “it took forever!” Jimmy didn’t have to take a bath for a month. The commercial concludes as he throws up his hands in exasperation and shouts, “It’s just not fair!”
Fairness is a hard concept to nail down, isn’t it? A decision is usually considered fair if it is evenhanded or egalitarian. For most of us, fairness means that people deserve equal rights and opportunities and are treated equally. But how do generosity and grace fit into that understanding of fairness?
Does fairness allow for generosity? In this parable, some of the workers aren’t so sure.
In the News
From March to June, 2020, 40 million Americans filed for unemployment during the pandemic, but billionaires saw their net worth increase by half a trillion dollars.
According to Business Insider: “Amazon founder Jeff Bezos saw his wealth rise by an estimated $48 billion. The founder of the video-conferencing platform Zoom grew his nest egg by over $2.5 billion, and former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer's net worth increased by $15.7 billion. We might write that off as good luck and the fact that these companies are providing necessary services during tough times but that’s not always the case. Casino magnate Sheldon Adelson saw his wealth increase by $5 billion and Elon Musk saw an increase of $17.2 billion,” $700 million of which he received after laying off and furloughing Tesla employees and lowering the pay of others by 10%.
“Overall, when you add up the numbers, billionaires in the United States have increased their total net worth $637 billion during the Covid-19 pandemic so far.” Business analysists tell us that this is possible because 1) the government gives more assistance to big companies, 2) some big companies grabbed money meant for small businesses, 3) having this extra cash made it possible for the wealthy to invest and cash in when the stock market rebounded, and 4) wealth-friendly tax laws and loopholes keep the wealthy on the top of the heap.
How does fairness, which we Americans prize so vociferously, come to play in all of this?
The El Dorado fire in the San Bernardino mountains of California was started by an incendiary device that was being used at a gender reveal party. As of September 10 it has burned about 14,000 acres and at least four homes. According to authorities, this is the second such fire to be started by one of these devices and no one has, as of yet, been charged or held accountable.
One might wonder what notion of fairness the owners of the burned homes might wish to apply to this situation.
Then there are those who insist that we cannot possibly forgive college loans or offer free meals to those who can’t afford them because that would be unfair to those who paid their college loans and worked hard to earn the meals they eat, an argument which begs the question: Does fairness preclude charity?
And that is precisely the question that is raised by the parable in today’s gospel lesson.
In the Scripture
The story is a familiar one so we need only hit the high points.
An employer goes, in the early morning, to the center of town where day laborers gather and wait for employers to come to hire workers. He hires those who have gathered and sends them into his vineyard to work promising that, at the end of the day, he’ll pay them the customary daily wage.
(This part of the story indicates that the man is a righteous employer. The Torah requires that workers must be paid enough to feed their families and they must be paid at the end of each day as many of them live from hand to mouth on a daily basis. This employer lives by these rules.)
At about 9:00 a.m. he goes back to the center of town and there are some more men who are looking for work and he hires them with the promise that at the end of the day he would pay them “whatever is right.”
This scene repeats at noon and at 3:00 p.m., and again at 5:00 p.m.
At the end of the day, about 6:00 p.m., the owner of the vineyard tells his foreman to pay everyone, starting with the ones who arrived at 5:00. When they come to be paid, he pays them the usual daily wage. And he does the same with the ones who came at 3:00 and the ones who came at 12:00. Those who came to work at 9:00 a.m. see this and are thinking that because he’s being so generous to the late-comers, he’ll be even more so with them.
Only, when it’s their turn to be paid he simply pays them the amount for which they had agreed to work, the average day’s wage. They look at the coins in their hands with no small amount of disbelief and consternation and they all yell, in chorus: That’s not fair!
The owner of the vineyard doesn’t see the problem. Did they not agree to work all day for a day’s wage? And did they not receive exactly that? Then what have they got to be upset about? Or are they just envious?
The answer, of course, is “YES!” They are envious. It’s not fair that the guys who worked an hour should get paid the same as those who worked all day. Besides, it’s not good business. You do this often enough and no one will show up to work until five o’clock in the evening and your grapes will be rotting on the vine.
The vineyard owner is not convinced. As far as he is concerned, generosity supersedes fairness. Jesus concludes the parable with that same axiom he’s spoken several other times: “the last will be first and the first will be last.”
In the Sermon
If you take that first/last business literally, all it does is create a stampede to the rear. If the last will be first, then everyone will be competing to be “laster” than everyone else so they can be first, which will make them last, which will make them first, which will… You see the problem?
The kingdom takes our notions of first and last and explodes them. There simply is no first and last in the kingdom. The question, as they say, is moot.
And there’s no fair and unfair. The idea of fair and unfair puts everyone on constant guard against one another, in eternal competition making sure no one gets even a single sou more or less than anyone else.
The measure of kingdom living has not to do with first or last or fair or unfair. It has to do with love and grace — kindness and generosity. This is the posture that the vineyard owner takes toward his employees and it is the attitude that Jesus commends to the employees for each other.
Did the one who came late to work get the same as me, the one who came early? Good! Now he will be able to feed his family for another night as I will be able to feed mine.
Finally, a word about “life isn’t fair.”
Several years ago, I saw a news story about the wealthy elderly in Florida cashing in on Medicare. These were people whose annual income was in the high six figures and could easily afford even the costliest medical procedures but they were, instead, asking the government to pay for all of their medical care, instead. They were, they said, old and entitled.
The reporter was questioning some of those affluent seniors about this practice and pointed out that it was possible that they might, in fact, be spending money that younger people who are working, today, are putting into welfare and would not be available for them when they reached retirement age. Wouldn’t it be fair, he asked, if those who didn’t need Medicare should pay for their own medical care so that there would still be Medicare for those coming behind them?
One lady laughed and winked at her interviewer, shrugged her shoulders and said, coyly, “Life isn’t fair.”
She was correct, of course. Life is often, if not usually, unfair. That is a hard and painful lesson that we all, sooner or later, learn. But should we use that as an excuse to be unfair ourselves? Does the frequent unfairness of life, in general, give us permission to be greedy and uncaring toward our fellow human beings?
Or is it not truer, for those of us who follow Jesus Christ, that the phrase “life isn’t fair” is not so much and excuse for us to be unfair as it is a clarion call for us to be more fair. Yes, life is often cruel, so we must resolve to be kind. Yes, life is often painful, so we must resolve to ease the pain of others. Yes, life is often unfair, so we must resolve, as Christian men and women, to be the fairest of people.
And in this there is only one exception and that is when charity and love demand that we abandon fairness in favor of generosity, that we abandon equality in favor of kindness, that we abandon impartiality in favor of justice.
SECOND THOUGHTS
What’s For Dinner?
by Mary Austin
Anyone who cooks for roommates and family members faces the inevitable question — “what’s for dinner?” Popular magazines are filled with articles labeled “weeknight cooking,” meaning something quick, and then “weekend cooking,” which is more involved. Over the years my family and I have tried meal kit delivery and making meals ahead at a prep place. Without those services (admittedly a huge luxury) we tend to eat the same six dinners over and over.
I realize now that that’s nothing compared to the Israelites, who eat the same thing for dinner every night. For years. Breakfast is the same every day, too. For years. They have their fill of bread and meat each day, after God hears their panic about having enough to eat. Each day, they receive exactly enough for that day; on the day before the Sabbath, they can collect enough for two days so they can rest on the sabbath.
Each day they have to trust God again. Twice a day they meet up with the goodness of the God who listens to them and who provides for them. The work of gathering the food is also a meeting place with the divine.
In this pandemic time, many of us are cooking at home more often. One trend spotter says, “Cooking is correlated with time spent at home, and working at home is likely to permanently increase post-Covid.” This, of course, applies more to higher wage workers. Lower wage employees still have to go to work in nursing homes, restaurants and in customer service, among other places, leaving less time to prepare food for their own families. Lots of home cooks are investing in new kitchen equipment, and searching online for comfort food recipes. Our search for food each day holds a deeper meaning. It brings more connection with the other people in the household, or with our own creativity and perhaps a feeling of resourcefulness, as people learn to cook for themselves for the first time. Meals for us, too, can be a meeting with God, as we stop the rush of the day, and give thanks for the resources we have.
At the other end of the economic spectrum, new data released by the United Nations says that the effects of Covid will “push 47 million more women and girls into extreme poverty by 2021, reversing decades of progress to lift this demographic above the poverty line, according to new data released by the UN. The new analysis by the UN Women and the UN Development Programme (UNDP) said the Covid-19 crisis will dramatically increase the poverty rate for women and widen the gap between men and women who live in poverty… Central and Southern Asia and sub-Saharan Africa (where 87% of the world's extreme poor live) will see the largest increases in extreme poverty, with an additional 54 million and 24 million people, respectively, living below the international poverty line as a result of the pandemic.”
In the United States, the face of hunger is not what we expect. Rural areas and the suburbs are filled with people like the Israelites, who are waiting to know where the next meal is coming from. “In the suburbs America’s hungry don’t look the part…They drive cars, which are a necessity, not a luxury, here. Cheap clothes and toys can be found at yard sales and thrift shops, making a middle-class appearance affordable. Consumer electronics can be bought on installment plans, so the hungry rarely lack phones or televisions. Of all the suburbs in the country, northwest Houston is one of the best places to see how people live on what might be called a minimum-wage diet: It has one of the highest percentages of households receiving SNAP assistance where at least one family member holds down a job. The Jefferson sisters, Meme and Kai, live here in a four-bedroom, two-car-garage, two-bath home with Kai’s boyfriend, Frank, and an extended family that includes their invalid mother, their five sons, a daughter-in-law, and five grandchildren. The house has a rickety desktop computer in the living room and a television in most rooms, but only two actual beds; nearly everyone sleeps on mattresses or piles of blankets spread out on the floor. Though all three adults work full-time, their income is not enough to keep the family consistently fed without assistance. The root problem is the lack of jobs that pay wages a family can live on, so food assistance has become the government’s — and society’s — way to supplement low wages. The Jeffersons receive $125 in food stamps each month, and a charity brings in meals for their bedridden matriarch. Like most of the new American hungry, the Jeffersons face not a total absence of food but the gnawing fear that the next meal can’t be counted on.” Cooking healthy food at is more of a luxury than we realize.
The people of Israel are all united in their hunger, and they all receive the same provisions — each as much as they need. Apparently, they even compare, and assess what the other households have taken. It turns out to be just the right amount for each need. Here in the America, we are not united. Some of us have too much food, and plenty of money to spend on it. Others of us are on the edge, uncertain about the next meal.
The people of Israel are what we would call today “food insecure,” without the resources to provide meals for more than one day. They can count on God’s providence, and trust that God’s goodness will return again and again. Our neighbors, near and far, are not so fortunate. Many of them are wondering where the next meal is coming from — without the assurance that it will be there. Meals can be a sign of God’s providence, or they can be a reminder of hardship. A full basket of manna points toward God’s gracious giving. An empty cupboard gives the feeling of being forgotten by the world. May all of God’s people know the fullness of manna for breakfast and quails for dinner, along with the certainty of God’s presence. What’s for dinner? Hopefully, enough for everyone.
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Tom Willadsen:
Exodus 16:2-15
In the Wilderness
The action in today’s reading takes place “in the wilderness.” The Hebrew במדבר is the Hebrew name for The Book of Numbers.
* * *
Exodus 16:2-15
“Bread” of Heaven
The Lord told Moses, “I am going to rain bread from heaven for you,” in verse 4. The Hebrew word for “bread” is לכם “l-ch-m” transliterated into English. The word for “bread” is used more generally to mean “food.” When we pray “Give us this day our daily bread,” we are, presumably, praying for a more balanced diet than one based on “bread alone.”
When Jesus was tempted by the devil in the wilderness (there they are again!), Jesus replied, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone.’” Here citing Deuteronomy 8:3.
The word לכם right in the middle of Bethlehem is בתלכם , which literally means "House of Bread."
* * *
Exodus 16:2-15
What the Midrash says about manna?
“It was one of the miracles that manna tasted different to everyone. Whatever a man liked he found in manna.”
“Only those who eat manna (that is, who have enough to eat) can truly study Torah.”
“Manna was one of the ten wonders that God created when he fashioned the world. He brought it into being on the eve of the first Sabbath, at twilight.”
* * *
Jonah 3:10
God changed His mind
Seriously, it says it right there in black and white in the NRSV. God changed his mind.
* * *
Jonah 3:10-4:11
…and also many animals?
The book of Jonah is the only book in the Bible that ends with a question. An old rabbinic story goes that the people came to their teacher and said, “Master, why is it that you always answer our questions with questions?”
The rabbi thought for a few minutes, then replied, “What’s wrong with questions?”
* * *
Matthew 20:1-16
The Freedom of the Lord
The scandal of this story, indeed the scandal of the gospel, is that God chooses to be merciful. God (the vineyard owner) chooses to be generous “with what belongs to me.”
In the last chapter of Jonah, God makes Jonah angry enough to want to die because God chooses to spare Nineveh because the Ninevites Hail Mary shot at repentance worked. “Who knows? God may relent and change his mind…” says Nineveh’s king.
Jonah sits on a hill overlooking Nineveh and pouts because God’s mercy cheated him out of an awesome fireworks show. I hate when that happens!
* * * * * *
From team member Chris Keating:
Exodus 16:2-15
Whine makers
Like kids strapped in car seats for a fourteen hour trip, Israel is restless, bored, and whiny. The excitement of crossing the Red Sea has faded and suddenly they have time to focus on their bellies. Or, rather, their empty bellies.
A few weeks ago, a podcaster named James Altucher penned a few of his complaints about the status of New York City as it recovers from the pandemic. “When I first moved to New York City,” Altucher said, “it was a dream come true. Every corner was like a theater production happening right in front of me.”
According to Altucher, those days are gone and will never return. “Now it's completely dead.” The city that never sleeps has shut its eyes, he opined, and is not likely to open them ever again.
Not so fast, countered comedian and New Yorker Jerry Seinfeld. Writing in the New York Times, Seinfeld pushed back on Altucher’s claims with downtown moxie the size of a piece of Brooklyn pizza.
“Manhattan is an island off the coast of America,” wrote Seinfeld. “Are we part of the United States? Kind of. And this is one of the toughest times we’ve had in quite a while. But one thing I know for sure: The last thing we need in the thick of so many challenges is some putz on LinkedIn wailing and whimpering, ‘Everyone’s gone! I want 2019 back!’ ”
* * *
Jonah 3:10-4:11
Changing our minds
If God’s mind can change, can our long-held opinions or beliefs be changed? Jonah converts an intransient city, which would ordinarily be a reason for rejoicing. But their conversion just sinks Jonah’s mood because he was convinced that, in the end, God’s goodness would prevail.
Rankled by God’s about change, Jonah decides it would be better to sit under a bush in the desert and die. But God goes about the work of helping Jonah’s mind change.
Contrary to conventional wisdom, French cognitive scientist Hugo Mercier believes human beings are constantly changing their minds. Mercier is the author of The Enigma of Reason, which is a reflection on how people’s opinions are changed.
“Whenever you read the newspaper,” Mercier told NPR’s “Here and Now” program, “You're going to learn a lot of information, you're going to some extent change your mind on many of the issues you read about. So there was, for instance, a recent article showing that op-eds are quite persuasive on the whole. When you read an op-ed people tend to change their minds in the direction of the of the op-ed's arguments.”
Mercier noted that some issues are harder to change than others. “To some extent, changing your mind can appear to be losing face,” he noted. “If you’re having an argument with one of your friends, or you see one of your friends put something that you dislike on social media, you might be more likely to convince them if instead of challenging them openly on Twitter or Facebook, you message them or you try to talk to them directly.” You know, like under a tree in the middle of nowhere.
* * *
Matthew 20:1-16
Trading rocks for grapes
In a famous experiment, biologist Frans de Waal studied the concept of fairness in primates. Specifically, de Waal placed two capuchin monkeys in side-by-side cages and rewarded them with cucumbers slices for performing the simple task of passing a stone to the researcher. Each monkey performed the task 25 times in exchange for 25 cucumber slices. Next the researchers repeated the experiment but rewarded the monkeys with grapes instead of cucumbers. Again, the monkeys performed the task 25 times without mistakes.
The only complication arose when one monkey was given a grape and then the second was given a cucumber. In de Waal’s words:
The one who is shortchanged (because cucumber is not as good) then starts to refuse and actually becomes agitated and may throw the cucumber out or may at least stop performing and sit in the corner and not [do] the test anymore — which is very strange because the food is normally good. And any [other] time you give a piece of cucumber to one of these monkeys, they will eat it, but under these circumstances they don't. So they get sort of pissed off at the whole situation. ... It's an inequity of response. It has to do with fairness.
De Waal discusses the experiment and the monkey’s reactions in a famous Ted Talk, which includes footage of the monkey’s comical — but predictable — reactions.
* * * * * *
From team member Ron Love:
Jonah 4:1
But this was very displeasing to Jonah, and he was angry.
On Friday, July 10, 2015, televangelist and host of The 700 Club, Pat Robertson, was interviewed. He agreed to the interview to promote his book, Islam: Religion of Peace or War? In the interview he stated that the best thing that Muslims could do is to continue to behead individuals. Robertson maintained that the more individuals who are beheaded by the Muslims, the better understanding we will have of how evil Islam is. Robertson said, “Maybe the best thing that ever happened for the world is for these crazies in ISIS to keep beheading people and doing some of these extreme things.” With the continued beheadings we would learn that Islam does not mean “peace,” but that it means “submission.”
* * *
Philippians 1:27
Only, live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ…
Donald Trump throughout his presidency has been known to continually use extremely humiliating and derogatory words, both in his tweets and his speeches, to describe his opponents. In an outdoor rally held on March 13, 2016 in Boca Raton, Florida, he shared why he does this. At the conclusion of his speech, which was delivered in his campaign for the 2016 Presidential election, Trump said, “You know, you have to brand people a certain way when they’re your opponents.”
Mr. Trump concluded his discourse. (It should be noted that this was an educational presentation as he was speaking to a number of students from Trump University.) “But you’ve got to brand people.” Trump then described that by branding his opponents he has narrowed the field of candidates. He continued, “So we started off with 17 people who were up on this stage, and what the hell did I know about this stuff? I’ve never done this before, right? So, we start off with 17 people, now we’re down to four. Bush was favored, then Walker was favored, then another one was favored, they’re all favored.” He finished with a flourish, as the crowd roared, “Now, Trump is favored.”
During this speech Trump shared some of his branding techniques.
“Lyin’ Ted,” he said, before spelling it out, letter by letter, for the crowd: “L-Y-I-N-apostrophe.” Trump went on to say, “We can’t say it the right way. We’ve got to go — Lyin’! Lyin’ Ted!”
He then turned his attention to Marco Rubio, whom he calls “Little Marco.” Mr. Trump spelled out his preferred nickname: “L-I-D-D-L-E. Liddle, Liddle, Liddle Marco.”
Trump also included Jeb Bush in his diatribe. “Like Jeb Bush — we call him low energy, low energy. And I don’t care talking badly about him. He spent $29 million in negatives on me, $29 million. Can you believe it? Of other people’s money. Of his lobbyist and his special interest money.”
* * *
Exodus 16:15
What is it?
We are presently celebrating a year of “Jubilee of the Earth,” to mark the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. On Tuesday, September 1, 2020, Pope Francis delivered a sermon for the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, which is recognized on September 1st of each year. The central theme of his sermon was that “we are running out of time,” to correct the global devastating effects of climate change. He also said that we have a new understanding of how serious this is because, “The pandemic has brought us to a crossroads.” A crossroads, because in the words of the Pope, “We must use this decisive moment to end our superfluous and destructive goals and activities, and to cultivate values, connections and activities that are life giving.”
Pope Francis put the care of the environment into a spiritual perspective when he said, “We need constantly to remember that everything is interconnected. We have broken the bonds of our relationship with the Creator, with our fellow human beings, and with the rest of creation. We need to heal the damaged relationships that are essential to supporting us and the entire fabric of life. Today we hear the voice of creation admonishing us to return to our rightful place in the natural created order — to remember that we are part of this interconnected web of life, not its masters.”
* * *
Philippians 1:27
Only, live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ…
Whenever discussing politics, a writer must be cautious as to not be too biased. Though things are said and done during a campaign that should cause on to think — to ponder — it is permissible to reject the message; it is not permissible to disregard it absent of contemplation.
The Lincoln Project is a number of Republicans who are now campaigning against the reelection of Donald Trump in 2020. In their campaign they have produced a number of advertisements. One advertisement discusses how Jared Kushner, the president's son-in-law and senior advisor, is an evil man. The reader is free to agree or disagree with this. What should be reflected on is how the advertisement defines evil, and how it hides among us. The ad is directed at how the administrations was going to provide Covid-19 protection for states, but the plan was scrapped when it was realized that the states that would benefit the most had Democrats as governors. The meeting took place in a secret room with selected administration officials. The plan was created, outlined, and presented by Kushner. A transcript of the political ad, shown on August 24, 2020, by the Lincoln Project reads:
Evil is real. We ignore it when it seems educated, polite, superficially charming, even sophisticated. We trivialize it, ignore it, and when we do, it grows. It was deliberate, cold, political, premeditated. Some people say Trump and Kushner were incompetent when it came to Covid. But let's call it what it is: evil.
* * *
Exodus 16:7
…because he has heard your complaining
Lou Holtz, the renowned coach of Notre Dame, concluded his autobiography with this message: “God answers prayers.” As a youth he was an altar boy for his church. Each day he would pray that God would make him bigger and quicker and faster so he could be a star football player. Remaining slim and small, each morning he wondered why his prayer went unanswered. When Holtz’s life was directed into coaching, he realized that God had answered his prayer. The Lord directed his life in a way that allowed him to have even a greater impact upon the sport and society. Holtz wrote that God “has more than amply answered all those prayers that I didn’t think he had.” Holtz thought his only contribution could come from physical strength; the Lord intended it to be from wisdom.
* * * * * *
WORSHIP
by George Reed
Call to Worship:
Leader: O give thanks to God, call on God’s name.
People: Make known God’s deeds among the peoples.
Leader: Glory in God’s holy name.
People: Let the hearts of those who seek God rejoice.
Leader: Seek God and God’s strength.
People: Seek God’s presence continually. Praise God!
OR
Leader: The God of grace and glory greets us this day.
People: We rejoice in God’s love for all creation.
Leader: The grace of God fills all of creation.
People: We give thanks for all of God’s gracious works.
Leader: The grace of God is meant to be shared.
People: We will share God’s love with all God’s people.
Hymns and Songs:
Amazing Grace
UMH: 378
H82: 671
PH: 280
AAHH: 271/272
NNBH: 161/163
NCH: 547/548
CH: 546
LBW: 448
ELW: 779
W&P: 422
AMEC: 226
STLT: 205/206
Renew: 189
God of Grace and God of Glory
UMH: 577
H82: 594/595
PH: 420
NCH: 436
CH: 464
LBW: 415
ELW: 705
W&P: 569
AMEC: 62
STLT: 115
Renew: 301
Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee
UMH: 89
H82: 376
PH: 464
AAHH: 120
NNBH: 40
NCH: 4
CH: 2
LBW: 551
ELW: 836
W&P: 59
AMEC: 75
STLT: 29
Now Thank We All Our God
UMH: 102
H82: 396/397
PH: 555
NNBH: 330
NCH: 419
CH: 715
LBW: 533/534
ELW: 839/840
W&P: 14
AMEC: 573
STLT: 32
There’s a Wideness in God’s Mercy
UMH: 121
H82: 469/470
PH: 298
NCH: 23
CH: 73
LBW: 290
ELW: 587/588
W&P: 61
AMEC: 78
STLT: 213
The King of Love My Shepherd Is
UMH: 138
H82: 645/646
PH: 171
NCH: 248
LBW: 456
ELW: 502
Renew: 106
I Love to Tell the Story
UMH: 156
AAHH: 513
NNBH: 424
NCH: 522
CH: 480
LBW: 390
ELW: 661
W&P: 560
AMEC: 217
Christ, Whose Glory Fills the Skies
UMH: 173
H82: 6/7
PH: 462/463
LBW: 265
ELW: 553
W&P: 91
Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing
UMH: 400
H82: 686
PH: 356
AAHH: 175
NNBH: 166
NCH: 459
CH: 16
LBW: 499
ELW: 807
W&P: 68
AMEC: 77
STLT: 126
Blest Be the Tie That Binds
UMH: 557
PH: 438
AAHH: 341
NNBH: 298
NCH: 393
CH: 433
LBW: 370
ELW: 656
W&P: 393
AMEC: 522
Shalom to You
CCB: 98
Behold, What Manner of Love
CCB: 44
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
ELW: 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 is grace:
Grant us the courage to reflect the generosity of your grace
in our dealings with all your children
so that they may know your great love for them;
through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We praise you, O God, because you are grace and love. You offer yourself completely to all your children. Help us to offer ourselves to them, as well, so that they may truly know of your great love for them. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
Leader: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins and especially our failure to reflect the grace of God.
People: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. You have given us love and grace abundantly and yet we are so selfish and stingy with our care and love. We choose who we think merits our love and we withhold it from so many. Give us hearts of love that reflect your love for all your children so that we may truly be disciples of your Christ. Amen.
Prayers of the People
Praise and glory are yours, O God of love and grace. The whole creation reflects your love and care.
(The following paragraph may be used if a separate prayer of confession has not been used.)
We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. You have given us love and grace abundantly and yet we are so selfish and stingy with our care and love. We choose who we think merits our love and we withhold it from so many. Give us hearts of love that reflect your love for all your children so that we may truly be disciples of your Christ.
We give you thanks for all the ways you have shown your love for us. We thank you for the air we breathe and the food we eat and the water we drink. We thank you for the beauty of the sky and earth and the plants and animals around us. We thank you for the love and care that others share with us.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for all your children this day. We pray especially for those who find it difficult to feel love and grace in their lives. We pray for those who suffer in poverty and want. We pray for those whose lives are filled with violence and hatred. We pray for those who are lonely and sad. We pray for those who are trying to reach out care for others in need.
(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
Have a basket of goodies (treats, candies, toys, etc.) and tell the children you brought these to share with them but you decided maybe you would just keep them for yourself. That wouldn’t be nice, would it? God has given us so much love that we can share with everyone and so since we are God’s children we should be like God and share love, too. Sometimes that means sharing a smile, a kind word, or something. So to remind us all of God’s love that is always given to us, you are going to share what is in your basket with the children. Or better yet, have enough that you can give several baskets to the children so they can then share with the whole congregation.
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CHILDREN'S SERMON
Striving Together
by Bethany Peerbolte
Philippians 1:21-30
Paul writes to the church in Philippi to encourage them as they are facing a slew of haters. People are opposing them and challenging their beliefs, something with which Paul is familiar. He gives advice on how to best address the struggle. He encourages them to conduct themselves in a way that will honor Christ in every environment. This commitment will help them be confidant that even in the hard situations they did all they could to represent God and the community in the best way. This commitment assures the community will present a unified representation of God’s kingdom.
Say something like:
The people in the Bible we are learning about today had a problem. They knew they were taught to love others and love God, but the other people in their community were being kind of mean to them. Have you ever had someone be mean to you? (give time for kids to raise their hands). That does not feel good does it? It hurts our feelings when people are mean to us. The people in the Bible did not feel good about being made fun of either.
When someone was mean, the one being mistreated would yell back and want to fight the mean person. When one person wanted to respond like this it made it hard for other Christians. They worried if one of them fought back they would all have to fight. Many of them did not want to fight, they wanted to continue loving, and ignore the people who did not like them. They did not know how to respond. What do you think they should do… let me see hands for who thinks they should show love (give them time). I agree! I think showing love is always a good response. Paul thinks so too.
He writes a letter to the church and says they should act in a way that Christ would like all the time. Christ taught them to love and that should be how they respond. Loving someone can be smiling at them, or asking them questions about their life. It can also be telling them “you hurt my feelings” or “please stop.” Those are loving because it helps people know how their action make us feel. Hopefully once they know they will change and say they're sorry.
Sometimes, though, someone might not care how they make us feel and will keep being mean. To love those people we need to walk away. When someone is mean and does not want to change it means they need time to think alone.
Paul says we need to show love all the time. That is a hard thing to do. We are probably going to forget sometimes but God knows we are learning every day and forgives us when we make mistakes.
Let’s pray for God to help us show love this week.
God, you love so easily, but for us it is hard sometimes. Show us in our hearts how to love like you do. In Jesus name, Amen.
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The Immediate Word, September 20, 2020 issue.
Copyright 2020 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.
- But That’s Not Fair by Dean Feldmeyer — Sometimes the gospel is offensive. Like when it takes our notion of fairness and turns it on its head.
- Second Thoughts: What’s For Dinner? by Mary Austin.
- Sermon illustrations by Tom Willadsen, Chris Keating, Ron Love.
- Worship resources by George Reed that focus on grace versus our version of fairness.
- Children’s sermon: Striving Together by Bethany Peerbolte.
But That’s Not Fairby Dean Feldmeyer
Matthew 20:1-16
Have you seen the commercial by Bath Fitter that features a little boy sitting in his bathrobe on the side of the tub? He complains to the camera that Bath Fitter remodeled his family’s bathroom in a single day and he didn’t get to miss a single bath. His friend, Jimmy’s family had their bathroom remodeled, he explains, and “it took forever!” Jimmy didn’t have to take a bath for a month. The commercial concludes as he throws up his hands in exasperation and shouts, “It’s just not fair!”
Fairness is a hard concept to nail down, isn’t it? A decision is usually considered fair if it is evenhanded or egalitarian. For most of us, fairness means that people deserve equal rights and opportunities and are treated equally. But how do generosity and grace fit into that understanding of fairness?
Does fairness allow for generosity? In this parable, some of the workers aren’t so sure.
In the News
From March to June, 2020, 40 million Americans filed for unemployment during the pandemic, but billionaires saw their net worth increase by half a trillion dollars.
According to Business Insider: “Amazon founder Jeff Bezos saw his wealth rise by an estimated $48 billion. The founder of the video-conferencing platform Zoom grew his nest egg by over $2.5 billion, and former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer's net worth increased by $15.7 billion. We might write that off as good luck and the fact that these companies are providing necessary services during tough times but that’s not always the case. Casino magnate Sheldon Adelson saw his wealth increase by $5 billion and Elon Musk saw an increase of $17.2 billion,” $700 million of which he received after laying off and furloughing Tesla employees and lowering the pay of others by 10%.
“Overall, when you add up the numbers, billionaires in the United States have increased their total net worth $637 billion during the Covid-19 pandemic so far.” Business analysists tell us that this is possible because 1) the government gives more assistance to big companies, 2) some big companies grabbed money meant for small businesses, 3) having this extra cash made it possible for the wealthy to invest and cash in when the stock market rebounded, and 4) wealth-friendly tax laws and loopholes keep the wealthy on the top of the heap.
How does fairness, which we Americans prize so vociferously, come to play in all of this?
The El Dorado fire in the San Bernardino mountains of California was started by an incendiary device that was being used at a gender reveal party. As of September 10 it has burned about 14,000 acres and at least four homes. According to authorities, this is the second such fire to be started by one of these devices and no one has, as of yet, been charged or held accountable.
One might wonder what notion of fairness the owners of the burned homes might wish to apply to this situation.
Then there are those who insist that we cannot possibly forgive college loans or offer free meals to those who can’t afford them because that would be unfair to those who paid their college loans and worked hard to earn the meals they eat, an argument which begs the question: Does fairness preclude charity?
And that is precisely the question that is raised by the parable in today’s gospel lesson.
In the Scripture
The story is a familiar one so we need only hit the high points.
An employer goes, in the early morning, to the center of town where day laborers gather and wait for employers to come to hire workers. He hires those who have gathered and sends them into his vineyard to work promising that, at the end of the day, he’ll pay them the customary daily wage.
(This part of the story indicates that the man is a righteous employer. The Torah requires that workers must be paid enough to feed their families and they must be paid at the end of each day as many of them live from hand to mouth on a daily basis. This employer lives by these rules.)
At about 9:00 a.m. he goes back to the center of town and there are some more men who are looking for work and he hires them with the promise that at the end of the day he would pay them “whatever is right.”
This scene repeats at noon and at 3:00 p.m., and again at 5:00 p.m.
At the end of the day, about 6:00 p.m., the owner of the vineyard tells his foreman to pay everyone, starting with the ones who arrived at 5:00. When they come to be paid, he pays them the usual daily wage. And he does the same with the ones who came at 3:00 and the ones who came at 12:00. Those who came to work at 9:00 a.m. see this and are thinking that because he’s being so generous to the late-comers, he’ll be even more so with them.
Only, when it’s their turn to be paid he simply pays them the amount for which they had agreed to work, the average day’s wage. They look at the coins in their hands with no small amount of disbelief and consternation and they all yell, in chorus: That’s not fair!
The owner of the vineyard doesn’t see the problem. Did they not agree to work all day for a day’s wage? And did they not receive exactly that? Then what have they got to be upset about? Or are they just envious?
The answer, of course, is “YES!” They are envious. It’s not fair that the guys who worked an hour should get paid the same as those who worked all day. Besides, it’s not good business. You do this often enough and no one will show up to work until five o’clock in the evening and your grapes will be rotting on the vine.
The vineyard owner is not convinced. As far as he is concerned, generosity supersedes fairness. Jesus concludes the parable with that same axiom he’s spoken several other times: “the last will be first and the first will be last.”
In the Sermon
If you take that first/last business literally, all it does is create a stampede to the rear. If the last will be first, then everyone will be competing to be “laster” than everyone else so they can be first, which will make them last, which will make them first, which will… You see the problem?
The kingdom takes our notions of first and last and explodes them. There simply is no first and last in the kingdom. The question, as they say, is moot.
And there’s no fair and unfair. The idea of fair and unfair puts everyone on constant guard against one another, in eternal competition making sure no one gets even a single sou more or less than anyone else.
The measure of kingdom living has not to do with first or last or fair or unfair. It has to do with love and grace — kindness and generosity. This is the posture that the vineyard owner takes toward his employees and it is the attitude that Jesus commends to the employees for each other.
Did the one who came late to work get the same as me, the one who came early? Good! Now he will be able to feed his family for another night as I will be able to feed mine.
Finally, a word about “life isn’t fair.”
Several years ago, I saw a news story about the wealthy elderly in Florida cashing in on Medicare. These were people whose annual income was in the high six figures and could easily afford even the costliest medical procedures but they were, instead, asking the government to pay for all of their medical care, instead. They were, they said, old and entitled.
The reporter was questioning some of those affluent seniors about this practice and pointed out that it was possible that they might, in fact, be spending money that younger people who are working, today, are putting into welfare and would not be available for them when they reached retirement age. Wouldn’t it be fair, he asked, if those who didn’t need Medicare should pay for their own medical care so that there would still be Medicare for those coming behind them?
One lady laughed and winked at her interviewer, shrugged her shoulders and said, coyly, “Life isn’t fair.”
She was correct, of course. Life is often, if not usually, unfair. That is a hard and painful lesson that we all, sooner or later, learn. But should we use that as an excuse to be unfair ourselves? Does the frequent unfairness of life, in general, give us permission to be greedy and uncaring toward our fellow human beings?
Or is it not truer, for those of us who follow Jesus Christ, that the phrase “life isn’t fair” is not so much and excuse for us to be unfair as it is a clarion call for us to be more fair. Yes, life is often cruel, so we must resolve to be kind. Yes, life is often painful, so we must resolve to ease the pain of others. Yes, life is often unfair, so we must resolve, as Christian men and women, to be the fairest of people.
And in this there is only one exception and that is when charity and love demand that we abandon fairness in favor of generosity, that we abandon equality in favor of kindness, that we abandon impartiality in favor of justice.
SECOND THOUGHTSWhat’s For Dinner?
by Mary Austin
Anyone who cooks for roommates and family members faces the inevitable question — “what’s for dinner?” Popular magazines are filled with articles labeled “weeknight cooking,” meaning something quick, and then “weekend cooking,” which is more involved. Over the years my family and I have tried meal kit delivery and making meals ahead at a prep place. Without those services (admittedly a huge luxury) we tend to eat the same six dinners over and over.
I realize now that that’s nothing compared to the Israelites, who eat the same thing for dinner every night. For years. Breakfast is the same every day, too. For years. They have their fill of bread and meat each day, after God hears their panic about having enough to eat. Each day, they receive exactly enough for that day; on the day before the Sabbath, they can collect enough for two days so they can rest on the sabbath.
Each day they have to trust God again. Twice a day they meet up with the goodness of the God who listens to them and who provides for them. The work of gathering the food is also a meeting place with the divine.
In this pandemic time, many of us are cooking at home more often. One trend spotter says, “Cooking is correlated with time spent at home, and working at home is likely to permanently increase post-Covid.” This, of course, applies more to higher wage workers. Lower wage employees still have to go to work in nursing homes, restaurants and in customer service, among other places, leaving less time to prepare food for their own families. Lots of home cooks are investing in new kitchen equipment, and searching online for comfort food recipes. Our search for food each day holds a deeper meaning. It brings more connection with the other people in the household, or with our own creativity and perhaps a feeling of resourcefulness, as people learn to cook for themselves for the first time. Meals for us, too, can be a meeting with God, as we stop the rush of the day, and give thanks for the resources we have.
At the other end of the economic spectrum, new data released by the United Nations says that the effects of Covid will “push 47 million more women and girls into extreme poverty by 2021, reversing decades of progress to lift this demographic above the poverty line, according to new data released by the UN. The new analysis by the UN Women and the UN Development Programme (UNDP) said the Covid-19 crisis will dramatically increase the poverty rate for women and widen the gap between men and women who live in poverty… Central and Southern Asia and sub-Saharan Africa (where 87% of the world's extreme poor live) will see the largest increases in extreme poverty, with an additional 54 million and 24 million people, respectively, living below the international poverty line as a result of the pandemic.”
In the United States, the face of hunger is not what we expect. Rural areas and the suburbs are filled with people like the Israelites, who are waiting to know where the next meal is coming from. “In the suburbs America’s hungry don’t look the part…They drive cars, which are a necessity, not a luxury, here. Cheap clothes and toys can be found at yard sales and thrift shops, making a middle-class appearance affordable. Consumer electronics can be bought on installment plans, so the hungry rarely lack phones or televisions. Of all the suburbs in the country, northwest Houston is one of the best places to see how people live on what might be called a minimum-wage diet: It has one of the highest percentages of households receiving SNAP assistance where at least one family member holds down a job. The Jefferson sisters, Meme and Kai, live here in a four-bedroom, two-car-garage, two-bath home with Kai’s boyfriend, Frank, and an extended family that includes their invalid mother, their five sons, a daughter-in-law, and five grandchildren. The house has a rickety desktop computer in the living room and a television in most rooms, but only two actual beds; nearly everyone sleeps on mattresses or piles of blankets spread out on the floor. Though all three adults work full-time, their income is not enough to keep the family consistently fed without assistance. The root problem is the lack of jobs that pay wages a family can live on, so food assistance has become the government’s — and society’s — way to supplement low wages. The Jeffersons receive $125 in food stamps each month, and a charity brings in meals for their bedridden matriarch. Like most of the new American hungry, the Jeffersons face not a total absence of food but the gnawing fear that the next meal can’t be counted on.” Cooking healthy food at is more of a luxury than we realize.
The people of Israel are all united in their hunger, and they all receive the same provisions — each as much as they need. Apparently, they even compare, and assess what the other households have taken. It turns out to be just the right amount for each need. Here in the America, we are not united. Some of us have too much food, and plenty of money to spend on it. Others of us are on the edge, uncertain about the next meal.
The people of Israel are what we would call today “food insecure,” without the resources to provide meals for more than one day. They can count on God’s providence, and trust that God’s goodness will return again and again. Our neighbors, near and far, are not so fortunate. Many of them are wondering where the next meal is coming from — without the assurance that it will be there. Meals can be a sign of God’s providence, or they can be a reminder of hardship. A full basket of manna points toward God’s gracious giving. An empty cupboard gives the feeling of being forgotten by the world. May all of God’s people know the fullness of manna for breakfast and quails for dinner, along with the certainty of God’s presence. What’s for dinner? Hopefully, enough for everyone.
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Tom Willadsen:Exodus 16:2-15
In the Wilderness
The action in today’s reading takes place “in the wilderness.” The Hebrew במדבר is the Hebrew name for The Book of Numbers.
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Exodus 16:2-15
“Bread” of Heaven
The Lord told Moses, “I am going to rain bread from heaven for you,” in verse 4. The Hebrew word for “bread” is לכם “l-ch-m” transliterated into English. The word for “bread” is used more generally to mean “food.” When we pray “Give us this day our daily bread,” we are, presumably, praying for a more balanced diet than one based on “bread alone.”
When Jesus was tempted by the devil in the wilderness (there they are again!), Jesus replied, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone.’” Here citing Deuteronomy 8:3.
The word לכם right in the middle of Bethlehem is בתלכם , which literally means "House of Bread."
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Exodus 16:2-15
What the Midrash says about manna?
“It was one of the miracles that manna tasted different to everyone. Whatever a man liked he found in manna.”
“Only those who eat manna (that is, who have enough to eat) can truly study Torah.”
“Manna was one of the ten wonders that God created when he fashioned the world. He brought it into being on the eve of the first Sabbath, at twilight.”
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Jonah 3:10
God changed His mind
Seriously, it says it right there in black and white in the NRSV. God changed his mind.
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Jonah 3:10-4:11
…and also many animals?
The book of Jonah is the only book in the Bible that ends with a question. An old rabbinic story goes that the people came to their teacher and said, “Master, why is it that you always answer our questions with questions?”
The rabbi thought for a few minutes, then replied, “What’s wrong with questions?”
* * *
Matthew 20:1-16
The Freedom of the Lord
The scandal of this story, indeed the scandal of the gospel, is that God chooses to be merciful. God (the vineyard owner) chooses to be generous “with what belongs to me.”
In the last chapter of Jonah, God makes Jonah angry enough to want to die because God chooses to spare Nineveh because the Ninevites Hail Mary shot at repentance worked. “Who knows? God may relent and change his mind…” says Nineveh’s king.
Jonah sits on a hill overlooking Nineveh and pouts because God’s mercy cheated him out of an awesome fireworks show. I hate when that happens!
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From team member Chris Keating:Exodus 16:2-15
Whine makers
Like kids strapped in car seats for a fourteen hour trip, Israel is restless, bored, and whiny. The excitement of crossing the Red Sea has faded and suddenly they have time to focus on their bellies. Or, rather, their empty bellies.
A few weeks ago, a podcaster named James Altucher penned a few of his complaints about the status of New York City as it recovers from the pandemic. “When I first moved to New York City,” Altucher said, “it was a dream come true. Every corner was like a theater production happening right in front of me.”
According to Altucher, those days are gone and will never return. “Now it's completely dead.” The city that never sleeps has shut its eyes, he opined, and is not likely to open them ever again.
Not so fast, countered comedian and New Yorker Jerry Seinfeld. Writing in the New York Times, Seinfeld pushed back on Altucher’s claims with downtown moxie the size of a piece of Brooklyn pizza.
“Manhattan is an island off the coast of America,” wrote Seinfeld. “Are we part of the United States? Kind of. And this is one of the toughest times we’ve had in quite a while. But one thing I know for sure: The last thing we need in the thick of so many challenges is some putz on LinkedIn wailing and whimpering, ‘Everyone’s gone! I want 2019 back!’ ”
* * *
Jonah 3:10-4:11
Changing our minds
If God’s mind can change, can our long-held opinions or beliefs be changed? Jonah converts an intransient city, which would ordinarily be a reason for rejoicing. But their conversion just sinks Jonah’s mood because he was convinced that, in the end, God’s goodness would prevail.
Rankled by God’s about change, Jonah decides it would be better to sit under a bush in the desert and die. But God goes about the work of helping Jonah’s mind change.
Contrary to conventional wisdom, French cognitive scientist Hugo Mercier believes human beings are constantly changing their minds. Mercier is the author of The Enigma of Reason, which is a reflection on how people’s opinions are changed.
“Whenever you read the newspaper,” Mercier told NPR’s “Here and Now” program, “You're going to learn a lot of information, you're going to some extent change your mind on many of the issues you read about. So there was, for instance, a recent article showing that op-eds are quite persuasive on the whole. When you read an op-ed people tend to change their minds in the direction of the of the op-ed's arguments.”
Mercier noted that some issues are harder to change than others. “To some extent, changing your mind can appear to be losing face,” he noted. “If you’re having an argument with one of your friends, or you see one of your friends put something that you dislike on social media, you might be more likely to convince them if instead of challenging them openly on Twitter or Facebook, you message them or you try to talk to them directly.” You know, like under a tree in the middle of nowhere.
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Matthew 20:1-16
Trading rocks for grapes
In a famous experiment, biologist Frans de Waal studied the concept of fairness in primates. Specifically, de Waal placed two capuchin monkeys in side-by-side cages and rewarded them with cucumbers slices for performing the simple task of passing a stone to the researcher. Each monkey performed the task 25 times in exchange for 25 cucumber slices. Next the researchers repeated the experiment but rewarded the monkeys with grapes instead of cucumbers. Again, the monkeys performed the task 25 times without mistakes.
The only complication arose when one monkey was given a grape and then the second was given a cucumber. In de Waal’s words:
The one who is shortchanged (because cucumber is not as good) then starts to refuse and actually becomes agitated and may throw the cucumber out or may at least stop performing and sit in the corner and not [do] the test anymore — which is very strange because the food is normally good. And any [other] time you give a piece of cucumber to one of these monkeys, they will eat it, but under these circumstances they don't. So they get sort of pissed off at the whole situation. ... It's an inequity of response. It has to do with fairness.
De Waal discusses the experiment and the monkey’s reactions in a famous Ted Talk, which includes footage of the monkey’s comical — but predictable — reactions.
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From team member Ron Love:Jonah 4:1
But this was very displeasing to Jonah, and he was angry.
On Friday, July 10, 2015, televangelist and host of The 700 Club, Pat Robertson, was interviewed. He agreed to the interview to promote his book, Islam: Religion of Peace or War? In the interview he stated that the best thing that Muslims could do is to continue to behead individuals. Robertson maintained that the more individuals who are beheaded by the Muslims, the better understanding we will have of how evil Islam is. Robertson said, “Maybe the best thing that ever happened for the world is for these crazies in ISIS to keep beheading people and doing some of these extreme things.” With the continued beheadings we would learn that Islam does not mean “peace,” but that it means “submission.”
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Philippians 1:27
Only, live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ…
Donald Trump throughout his presidency has been known to continually use extremely humiliating and derogatory words, both in his tweets and his speeches, to describe his opponents. In an outdoor rally held on March 13, 2016 in Boca Raton, Florida, he shared why he does this. At the conclusion of his speech, which was delivered in his campaign for the 2016 Presidential election, Trump said, “You know, you have to brand people a certain way when they’re your opponents.”
Mr. Trump concluded his discourse. (It should be noted that this was an educational presentation as he was speaking to a number of students from Trump University.) “But you’ve got to brand people.” Trump then described that by branding his opponents he has narrowed the field of candidates. He continued, “So we started off with 17 people who were up on this stage, and what the hell did I know about this stuff? I’ve never done this before, right? So, we start off with 17 people, now we’re down to four. Bush was favored, then Walker was favored, then another one was favored, they’re all favored.” He finished with a flourish, as the crowd roared, “Now, Trump is favored.”
During this speech Trump shared some of his branding techniques.
“Lyin’ Ted,” he said, before spelling it out, letter by letter, for the crowd: “L-Y-I-N-apostrophe.” Trump went on to say, “We can’t say it the right way. We’ve got to go — Lyin’! Lyin’ Ted!”
He then turned his attention to Marco Rubio, whom he calls “Little Marco.” Mr. Trump spelled out his preferred nickname: “L-I-D-D-L-E. Liddle, Liddle, Liddle Marco.”
Trump also included Jeb Bush in his diatribe. “Like Jeb Bush — we call him low energy, low energy. And I don’t care talking badly about him. He spent $29 million in negatives on me, $29 million. Can you believe it? Of other people’s money. Of his lobbyist and his special interest money.”
* * *
Exodus 16:15
What is it?
We are presently celebrating a year of “Jubilee of the Earth,” to mark the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. On Tuesday, September 1, 2020, Pope Francis delivered a sermon for the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, which is recognized on September 1st of each year. The central theme of his sermon was that “we are running out of time,” to correct the global devastating effects of climate change. He also said that we have a new understanding of how serious this is because, “The pandemic has brought us to a crossroads.” A crossroads, because in the words of the Pope, “We must use this decisive moment to end our superfluous and destructive goals and activities, and to cultivate values, connections and activities that are life giving.”
Pope Francis put the care of the environment into a spiritual perspective when he said, “We need constantly to remember that everything is interconnected. We have broken the bonds of our relationship with the Creator, with our fellow human beings, and with the rest of creation. We need to heal the damaged relationships that are essential to supporting us and the entire fabric of life. Today we hear the voice of creation admonishing us to return to our rightful place in the natural created order — to remember that we are part of this interconnected web of life, not its masters.”
* * *
Philippians 1:27
Only, live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ…
Whenever discussing politics, a writer must be cautious as to not be too biased. Though things are said and done during a campaign that should cause on to think — to ponder — it is permissible to reject the message; it is not permissible to disregard it absent of contemplation.
The Lincoln Project is a number of Republicans who are now campaigning against the reelection of Donald Trump in 2020. In their campaign they have produced a number of advertisements. One advertisement discusses how Jared Kushner, the president's son-in-law and senior advisor, is an evil man. The reader is free to agree or disagree with this. What should be reflected on is how the advertisement defines evil, and how it hides among us. The ad is directed at how the administrations was going to provide Covid-19 protection for states, but the plan was scrapped when it was realized that the states that would benefit the most had Democrats as governors. The meeting took place in a secret room with selected administration officials. The plan was created, outlined, and presented by Kushner. A transcript of the political ad, shown on August 24, 2020, by the Lincoln Project reads:
Evil is real. We ignore it when it seems educated, polite, superficially charming, even sophisticated. We trivialize it, ignore it, and when we do, it grows. It was deliberate, cold, political, premeditated. Some people say Trump and Kushner were incompetent when it came to Covid. But let's call it what it is: evil.
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Exodus 16:7
…because he has heard your complaining
Lou Holtz, the renowned coach of Notre Dame, concluded his autobiography with this message: “God answers prayers.” As a youth he was an altar boy for his church. Each day he would pray that God would make him bigger and quicker and faster so he could be a star football player. Remaining slim and small, each morning he wondered why his prayer went unanswered. When Holtz’s life was directed into coaching, he realized that God had answered his prayer. The Lord directed his life in a way that allowed him to have even a greater impact upon the sport and society. Holtz wrote that God “has more than amply answered all those prayers that I didn’t think he had.” Holtz thought his only contribution could come from physical strength; the Lord intended it to be from wisdom.
* * * * * *
WORSHIPby George Reed
Call to Worship:
Leader: O give thanks to God, call on God’s name.
People: Make known God’s deeds among the peoples.
Leader: Glory in God’s holy name.
People: Let the hearts of those who seek God rejoice.
Leader: Seek God and God’s strength.
People: Seek God’s presence continually. Praise God!
OR
Leader: The God of grace and glory greets us this day.
People: We rejoice in God’s love for all creation.
Leader: The grace of God fills all of creation.
People: We give thanks for all of God’s gracious works.
Leader: The grace of God is meant to be shared.
People: We will share God’s love with all God’s people.
Hymns and Songs:
Amazing Grace
UMH: 378
H82: 671
PH: 280
AAHH: 271/272
NNBH: 161/163
NCH: 547/548
CH: 546
LBW: 448
ELW: 779
W&P: 422
AMEC: 226
STLT: 205/206
Renew: 189
God of Grace and God of Glory
UMH: 577
H82: 594/595
PH: 420
NCH: 436
CH: 464
LBW: 415
ELW: 705
W&P: 569
AMEC: 62
STLT: 115
Renew: 301
Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee
UMH: 89
H82: 376
PH: 464
AAHH: 120
NNBH: 40
NCH: 4
CH: 2
LBW: 551
ELW: 836
W&P: 59
AMEC: 75
STLT: 29
Now Thank We All Our God
UMH: 102
H82: 396/397
PH: 555
NNBH: 330
NCH: 419
CH: 715
LBW: 533/534
ELW: 839/840
W&P: 14
AMEC: 573
STLT: 32
There’s a Wideness in God’s Mercy
UMH: 121
H82: 469/470
PH: 298
NCH: 23
CH: 73
LBW: 290
ELW: 587/588
W&P: 61
AMEC: 78
STLT: 213
The King of Love My Shepherd Is
UMH: 138
H82: 645/646
PH: 171
NCH: 248
LBW: 456
ELW: 502
Renew: 106
I Love to Tell the Story
UMH: 156
AAHH: 513
NNBH: 424
NCH: 522
CH: 480
LBW: 390
ELW: 661
W&P: 560
AMEC: 217
Christ, Whose Glory Fills the Skies
UMH: 173
H82: 6/7
PH: 462/463
LBW: 265
ELW: 553
W&P: 91
Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing
UMH: 400
H82: 686
PH: 356
AAHH: 175
NNBH: 166
NCH: 459
CH: 16
LBW: 499
ELW: 807
W&P: 68
AMEC: 77
STLT: 126
Blest Be the Tie That Binds
UMH: 557
PH: 438
AAHH: 341
NNBH: 298
NCH: 393
CH: 433
LBW: 370
ELW: 656
W&P: 393
AMEC: 522
Shalom to You
CCB: 98
Behold, What Manner of Love
CCB: 44
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
ELW: 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 is grace:
Grant us the courage to reflect the generosity of your grace
in our dealings with all your children
so that they may know your great love for them;
through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We praise you, O God, because you are grace and love. You offer yourself completely to all your children. Help us to offer ourselves to them, as well, so that they may truly know of your great love for them. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
Leader: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins and especially our failure to reflect the grace of God.
People: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. You have given us love and grace abundantly and yet we are so selfish and stingy with our care and love. We choose who we think merits our love and we withhold it from so many. Give us hearts of love that reflect your love for all your children so that we may truly be disciples of your Christ. Amen.
Prayers of the People
Praise and glory are yours, O God of love and grace. The whole creation reflects your love and care.
(The following paragraph may be used if a separate prayer of confession has not been used.)
We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. You have given us love and grace abundantly and yet we are so selfish and stingy with our care and love. We choose who we think merits our love and we withhold it from so many. Give us hearts of love that reflect your love for all your children so that we may truly be disciples of your Christ.
We give you thanks for all the ways you have shown your love for us. We thank you for the air we breathe and the food we eat and the water we drink. We thank you for the beauty of the sky and earth and the plants and animals around us. We thank you for the love and care that others share with us.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for all your children this day. We pray especially for those who find it difficult to feel love and grace in their lives. We pray for those who suffer in poverty and want. We pray for those whose lives are filled with violence and hatred. We pray for those who are lonely and sad. We pray for those who are trying to reach out care for others in need.
(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
Have a basket of goodies (treats, candies, toys, etc.) and tell the children you brought these to share with them but you decided maybe you would just keep them for yourself. That wouldn’t be nice, would it? God has given us so much love that we can share with everyone and so since we are God’s children we should be like God and share love, too. Sometimes that means sharing a smile, a kind word, or something. So to remind us all of God’s love that is always given to us, you are going to share what is in your basket with the children. Or better yet, have enough that you can give several baskets to the children so they can then share with the whole congregation.
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CHILDREN'S SERMONStriving Together
by Bethany Peerbolte
Philippians 1:21-30
Paul writes to the church in Philippi to encourage them as they are facing a slew of haters. People are opposing them and challenging their beliefs, something with which Paul is familiar. He gives advice on how to best address the struggle. He encourages them to conduct themselves in a way that will honor Christ in every environment. This commitment will help them be confidant that even in the hard situations they did all they could to represent God and the community in the best way. This commitment assures the community will present a unified representation of God’s kingdom.
Say something like:
The people in the Bible we are learning about today had a problem. They knew they were taught to love others and love God, but the other people in their community were being kind of mean to them. Have you ever had someone be mean to you? (give time for kids to raise their hands). That does not feel good does it? It hurts our feelings when people are mean to us. The people in the Bible did not feel good about being made fun of either.
When someone was mean, the one being mistreated would yell back and want to fight the mean person. When one person wanted to respond like this it made it hard for other Christians. They worried if one of them fought back they would all have to fight. Many of them did not want to fight, they wanted to continue loving, and ignore the people who did not like them. They did not know how to respond. What do you think they should do… let me see hands for who thinks they should show love (give them time). I agree! I think showing love is always a good response. Paul thinks so too.
He writes a letter to the church and says they should act in a way that Christ would like all the time. Christ taught them to love and that should be how they respond. Loving someone can be smiling at them, or asking them questions about their life. It can also be telling them “you hurt my feelings” or “please stop.” Those are loving because it helps people know how their action make us feel. Hopefully once they know they will change and say they're sorry.
Sometimes, though, someone might not care how they make us feel and will keep being mean. To love those people we need to walk away. When someone is mean and does not want to change it means they need time to think alone.
Paul says we need to show love all the time. That is a hard thing to do. We are probably going to forget sometimes but God knows we are learning every day and forgives us when we make mistakes.
Let’s pray for God to help us show love this week.
God, you love so easily, but for us it is hard sometimes. Show us in our hearts how to love like you do. In Jesus name, Amen.
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The Immediate Word, September 20, 2020 issue.
Copyright 2020 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.
