Second Sunday In Advent
Preaching
Lectionary Preaching Workbook
Series VI, Cycle A
COMMENTARY ON THE LESSONS
Lesson 1: Isaiah 11:1-10 (C, RC, E)
During the era of Davidic succession of the Hebrew kings, it was customary to attribute divine characteristics to those people being anointed to that exalted position. In this passage, we find an idyllic description of an ideal reign, possibly that of Hezekiah. Hopes such as these were routinely disappointed and, when the last Davidic king was to die in exile, more realistic expectations would become the order of the day.
The prediction of one who will lead the people of Judah into their paradise is not a reference to Jesus, much as many a Christian wishes it were the case. While to some extent it can be said the arrival of the Messiah would be seen as the fulfillment of these hopes, Isaiah was clearly predicting someone much more immediately. Even a cockeyed optimist can see that, far from the peaceful scenes depicted here, tragedy and suffering were to be daily fare for these people and those to follow in their train of history, to the present moment.
Preaching values are here, nonetheless. Isaiah's description of the qualities one hopes for in a king are the same ones we could desire for ourselves, our leaders, and the people next door. Verse 3, "His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord," offers possibilities. Or these words: "He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide by what his ears hear." Or, again, as in an earlier passage, we must applaud the persistent optimism of a man who has seen little but suffering for his people, who knows their downtrodden history, yet holds forth high hopes for tomorrow. Men like Isaiah are often beaten, but are never defeated.
Lesson 2: Romans 15:4-13 (C, E); Romans 15:4-9 (RC)
Paul was a remarkable man. In his early career, he actually took part in organized oppression of Christians. He may have been responsible for tortures and deaths. Among many Jews -- the most conservative -- he was undoubtedly popular because of his anti-Christian, anti-Gentile biases. Now a convert, here's Paul urging everyone to embrace this new faith, urging them to accept Gentiles as equals. That was a lot to ask of a community who had suffered much from such people yet had remained unwavering in their ethnic solidarity, a fact which a student of Bible history can only admire. What Paul was doing here is about like an ex-member of the Klan preaching racial equality in a redneck bar, or a black preacher in a big city ghetto urging everyone to feel love for all white people. His authority was the Jewish law, referring to the Old Testament books of Psalms, Isaiah, and Deuteronomy. (He used the Greek versions, which do not translate exactly the same as found in our Bibles.) That took exalted courage.
One must also admire Paul's strength of character in the fact that he himself had undergone a dramatic change of attitudes. As a preacher, I've seen people rejoice in their newfound faith, yet not really change some of their bigoted views. For Paul to change as he did, and to risk himself in standing forth for what must have been an unpopular message among many -- it wasn't too many years earlier that Jesus was executed and people were being imprisoned for such ideas -- is exemplary Christ-likeness. What a splendid preaching possibility, to bring him before us as a role model of what this faith is about.
The final line of this passage is the passage's strongest, concluding with: "abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." The qualities Paul promises through the Spirit are joy, peace, hope, and power. Those are qualities we all possess to some extent. But to discover them in a higher degree, especially in times of need, one must turn to the Holy Spirit as Paul did.
Gospel: Matthew 3:1-12 (C, RC, E)
We're accustomed to hearing highly charismatic people these days. On television, sometimes in person, a fiery personality can usually attract a large crowd, often composed of people with a variety of needs. Whereas there seems to have been a gentleness about Jesus, John the Baptist was obviously a stem-winder. One supposes that some listeners came out of curiosity, some from boredom, but many with a spiritual hunger. Many were, indeed, led to confession and renewal. Thomas Gray's words come to mind: "From his lips the truth prevailed with double sway; and fools who came to scoff, remained to pray."
John saw himself as a herald, a forerunner whose mission in life was to announce to the world that the long awaited Messiah would soon be arriving. He was probably a totally dedicated man, possibly not someone you'd want to have dinner with (even if he liked filets and lobster, rather than locusts and honey).
Matthew, and perhaps John himself, thought of John as the fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy (see Isaiah 40:3). Be that as it may, the retrospect of history informs us that John was never to know for sure whether Jesus was the one he was to foretell.
The main emphasis of John's ministry was a call to repent. The word appears three times in this brief passage and as preachers, we might reflect on the meaning of that word "repent" (or "repentance"). Confession is part of it, as John indicated. But we all have been sorry for things we've said or done, only to repeat our conduct before long. While historically this passage is important because of its seeming connection with Judea's unwavering expectation of a Messiah (recall, though, that in biblical usage, a prophet was not someone who foretold the future but was, rather, a spokesman for God, not always correct in his predictions), the relevant emphasis in this passage today is the need for moral self- examination and change. "Repent" comes close to being a comic word in contemporary culture, and yet in repentance and renewal lies America's hope.
SERMON SUGGESTIONS
Title: "Judgment With Mercy"
Text: Isaiah 11:3-4
Theme: A few years ago, a young minister arranged an unforgettable lesson for some of his people. He announced that a special speaker would address the congregation the following Sunday, and the topic would be "acceptance without judgment." It was the beginning of the era of long hair and grubby clothing which led many adults to disapprove strongly of the young generation. When the congregation arrived that Sunday, a rather disheveled young man with shaggy hair and an unkempt beard joined the crowd entering the service. He was totally ignored, even by the youngest members of the congregation, some with obvious sniffs of disapproval. The visitor took his place with other worshipers. But after the pastor had given a rather elaborate introduction of his morning speaker, a clergyman with a distinguished record, the long-haired man rose and strode to the platform and his point was eloquently made. It's easy to make judgments of other people based on appearances. To some extent, of course, that's unavoidable. Society does, after all, have a right to set standards of grooming and dress. For someone blatantly to defy such codes can be an act of disrespect. Each local community has a mutually understood set of limits in these matters. At weddings, for example, people under thirty in our community feel it is acceptable to attend wearing casual attire. Few restaurants, except very expensive ones, require jackets and ties for men. By and large, customs in these regards have been greatly relaxed in recent years. But there are still limits. When they're disregarded the tendency is to make moral judgments of the offenders, often including estimates of their intelligence, their family background, and other matters.
Isaiah spoke an important word then: "He shall not judge by what his eyes see." God sees the inner person, and the Christian is urged to try to do the same. Isaiah specifically mentioned the poor, the meek, and the wicked, and to make quick judgments about these three groups is wrong.
I once interviewed several welfare mothers on a television show. Though I tried to remain unbiased, my middle-class values kicked in and I was prepared to encounter some lazy freeloaders. I was dead wrong. These were caring mothers, people simply unable to earn enough money to maintain a family, pay for child care, afford transportation. Each of them had pride and self-respect. I came away privately embarrassed at my own insensitivity. I hadn't realized the problems they faced.
The meek? Jesus used the word as approbation, but it can also refer to those too timid to compete in the economic world. Some people are born with limitations which prevent successful life endeavors. Jesus would have compassion for such people. Some of our quick judgments are wrong.
As for the wicked? I think Isaiah's point here was that the withholding of easy judgments doesn't mean a free pass. "He shall kill the wicked," Isaiah said. There's an issue in itself: Capital punishment?
Title: "Something Good Tomorrow"
Text: Romans 15:13
Theme: What do we mean by hope? I define it as the belief that something good is about to happen. Recent studies indicate a widespread problem with depression in America today. There is, of course, clinical depression which requires professional attention. But situational depression is widespread as well. Add to this the epidemic incidence of drug and alcohol abuse, the growing suicide rate, the disruption of family life, the economic threats of downsizing, relocation of manufacturing centers to low income countries, the trend toward cutting employment and using "self-employed people" to replace them -- we could go on. The point is that despite our nation's wonderful standard of living, many people are living in fear these days, and that includes many a successful business and professional person. If the preaching clergy are to be relevant to a troubled people, we must hold before our people a basis for hope. Paul's words are exactly what we need to hear: "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope...."
The great Lawrence of Arabia told of the time he entertained two Arab chieftains in his home in London. As the two prepared to depart on their return journey to the desert, Lawrence, as Arab custom required, offered each of them a gift of their choice. The two put their heads together for a moment, then announced they had decided on the gifts they would like: a cold water faucet for each.
Those two men had failed to understand the obvious fact that the faucets would be useless without access to the source of the water. The analogy is clear: many of us want some response from God, but we frequently fail to understand just how we are to gain access to the "power of the Holy Spirit."
It's my observation, after many years serving a church, that Christian people easily adopt the values of our faith, its moral teachings, but find it difficult to gain from their faith a sense of God's intimate presence, a faith that when we place ourselves in God's hands, something good will happen. We clergy sometimes assume too much about our people, that they share our convictions about God's actions in our lives. I even wonder just how much we ourselves expect from faith and prayer. I had lunch with a well-known clergyman recently, and he emphatically made fun of the idea that God actually participates in the lives of individuals. I couldn't help reflect, that he doesn't seem to be a very happy person.
Maybe, as a new year approaches, we would do well to go back to the basics of our faith. How about a three-point sermon on the meaning of faith, hope, and love? Or, Paul's words here cry out to be translated into a practical sermon on the means by which the Holy Spirit can "fill you with all joy and peace...."
It's Advent, but this is what we all call "The Christmas Season." It has become axiomatic that we all get so busy with decorating, parties, shopping, even church activities, that the Holy Spirit has very little opportunity to visit with us. If hope is to be ours, we must allow time and energy for the prayer life which is, according to my experience, the means by which the Holy Spirit works in us. A sermon on prayer, then.
Title: "Repentance Means Saying You're Sorry"
Text: Matthew 3:1-3
Theme: One theme which consistently appears throughout the New Testament is the call to repentance. We find it here three times in the total passage for the day. Most of us have seen magazine cartoons about some disreputable, bearded gentleman carrying a sign bearing the word "repent," under which is to be found a comic punch line. The very word has lost a lot of currency in mainstream Christian America. And yet it is an important step on the road to a strong faith. There are three dimensions to repentance.
First, repentance begins with the honest recognition of our wrongful actions or words -- or omissions. This itself is not easy. A long ago movie, Love Story, had the nonsensical line, "Love means not having to say you're sorry." The opposite is true. Love means being able to say "I'm sorry."
There's a second stage to repentance: a determination not to repeat one's wrongful conduct. Frankly, I often find myself being sorry for something I have said, perhaps to my wife. I have even learned to say I'm sorry. And yet, how often I find myself doing the same thing a couple weeks later. My "sorry" is empty indeed, unless I'm willing to devote myself to the hard work of seeing to it that I refrain from doing or saying hurtful things.
There's a third stage to repentance: inward change. Otherwise, despite my best efforts, under certain kinds of stress, I may impulsively repeat my mistakes. My good intentions are sometimes not enough. Here's where God comes in. To repent truly, that is, to change genuinely, I require a power greater than my own, so prayer is a necessary part of true repentance.
ADDITIONAL ILLUSTRATIONS
Stephen Covey, in Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, told of riding a subway in New York when a man got on with several children. Everyone else on the train was quietly reading or looking out a window. But the newly arrived children began to roughhouse, making a lot of noise and creating an impossible situation for everyone else. Finally, Covey spoke to the man, suggesting he should do something about the children. Covey said he was irritated with the man, wondering how anyone could be so thoughtless. Then, the man apologized and explained that his wife, mother of the children, had just died, and they were returning from the hospital. He said he was so distraught he had failed to notice the disruption. Covey told of his changed attitude upon learning this. So we are not to make quick judgments.
____________
A close friend from seminary days was a college All-American athlete, well over six feet tall, weighing 250 pounds. He applied for admission to a Methodist seminary. The dean, a very intellectual man of rather frail constitution, refused admission. He told my friend he'd have to go somewhere else and prove himself academically. It was fairly obvious he didn't think a "jock" could succeed in his school. My friend proceeded to enroll in another seminary where he earned a straight "A" average for a semester, then transferred to our seminary where he received a scholarship as the outstanding first-year student. Judgments.
____________
Leslie Weatherhead told of a man who frequently came home intoxicated, screaming at his wife and children, sometimes slapping his little daughter. However, when sober, Weatherhead said the man was a genuinely loving father. One day his daughter became quite ill. The father, sober, deeply worried about his child, leaned over her little bed to kiss her. The child, seeing her father, screamed for her mother, crying "Don't let him hit me." The father was so shocked, so suddenly confronted with the effect of his drinking, he went to Alcoholics Anonymous. This is the last step in repentance, to undergo an inward transformation.
____________
Jerry Kramer was a player on the old Green Bay Packers when Vince Lombardi was coach. One of the stories he tells about his life was of the day his father died. They had been very close. As he talked with his dad toward the end, his father assured Jerry that he needn't worry. He was not afraid to die; he knew he would be all right in whatever lay ahead. Kramer admitted his own fears about dying. In his book he said the difference between him and his father was one thing: "He had faith in God and I didn't."
____________
A recent article appearing in The Providence Journal-Bulletin began with this line: "Americans are feeling betrayed." The writer, Brian C. Jones, describing the current state of affairs in the workplace, observed: "Companies no longer are loyal to their workers, they believe. The boss makes sure that profits continue at all costs and that his pay goes up. As for his fellow employees, well, there is always the door." These observations were based on a recent national poll conducted by Brown University. This is included here not to denigrate American businesses,
but to recognize a widespread morale problem among working people.
____________
Psalm Of The Day
Psalm 72 (C, E) -- This is a petition to God for wisdom and compassion to be given the newly anointed King. It's a request for the king to be empowered to bring about social justice, especially caring for the sick, the poor, and the needy. It seeks peace for the community and long life for the king, that the king's soul will never die.
Prayer Of The Day
Open our minds, we pray, to the needs of those around us. As we find joy in this season, enable us to bring joy to others. Forgive our selfishness and open our minds, also, to the presence of your saving Spirit, in the name of Christ, our Lord, we pray.
Lesson 1: Isaiah 11:1-10 (C, RC, E)
During the era of Davidic succession of the Hebrew kings, it was customary to attribute divine characteristics to those people being anointed to that exalted position. In this passage, we find an idyllic description of an ideal reign, possibly that of Hezekiah. Hopes such as these were routinely disappointed and, when the last Davidic king was to die in exile, more realistic expectations would become the order of the day.
The prediction of one who will lead the people of Judah into their paradise is not a reference to Jesus, much as many a Christian wishes it were the case. While to some extent it can be said the arrival of the Messiah would be seen as the fulfillment of these hopes, Isaiah was clearly predicting someone much more immediately. Even a cockeyed optimist can see that, far from the peaceful scenes depicted here, tragedy and suffering were to be daily fare for these people and those to follow in their train of history, to the present moment.
Preaching values are here, nonetheless. Isaiah's description of the qualities one hopes for in a king are the same ones we could desire for ourselves, our leaders, and the people next door. Verse 3, "His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord," offers possibilities. Or these words: "He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide by what his ears hear." Or, again, as in an earlier passage, we must applaud the persistent optimism of a man who has seen little but suffering for his people, who knows their downtrodden history, yet holds forth high hopes for tomorrow. Men like Isaiah are often beaten, but are never defeated.
Lesson 2: Romans 15:4-13 (C, E); Romans 15:4-9 (RC)
Paul was a remarkable man. In his early career, he actually took part in organized oppression of Christians. He may have been responsible for tortures and deaths. Among many Jews -- the most conservative -- he was undoubtedly popular because of his anti-Christian, anti-Gentile biases. Now a convert, here's Paul urging everyone to embrace this new faith, urging them to accept Gentiles as equals. That was a lot to ask of a community who had suffered much from such people yet had remained unwavering in their ethnic solidarity, a fact which a student of Bible history can only admire. What Paul was doing here is about like an ex-member of the Klan preaching racial equality in a redneck bar, or a black preacher in a big city ghetto urging everyone to feel love for all white people. His authority was the Jewish law, referring to the Old Testament books of Psalms, Isaiah, and Deuteronomy. (He used the Greek versions, which do not translate exactly the same as found in our Bibles.) That took exalted courage.
One must also admire Paul's strength of character in the fact that he himself had undergone a dramatic change of attitudes. As a preacher, I've seen people rejoice in their newfound faith, yet not really change some of their bigoted views. For Paul to change as he did, and to risk himself in standing forth for what must have been an unpopular message among many -- it wasn't too many years earlier that Jesus was executed and people were being imprisoned for such ideas -- is exemplary Christ-likeness. What a splendid preaching possibility, to bring him before us as a role model of what this faith is about.
The final line of this passage is the passage's strongest, concluding with: "abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." The qualities Paul promises through the Spirit are joy, peace, hope, and power. Those are qualities we all possess to some extent. But to discover them in a higher degree, especially in times of need, one must turn to the Holy Spirit as Paul did.
Gospel: Matthew 3:1-12 (C, RC, E)
We're accustomed to hearing highly charismatic people these days. On television, sometimes in person, a fiery personality can usually attract a large crowd, often composed of people with a variety of needs. Whereas there seems to have been a gentleness about Jesus, John the Baptist was obviously a stem-winder. One supposes that some listeners came out of curiosity, some from boredom, but many with a spiritual hunger. Many were, indeed, led to confession and renewal. Thomas Gray's words come to mind: "From his lips the truth prevailed with double sway; and fools who came to scoff, remained to pray."
John saw himself as a herald, a forerunner whose mission in life was to announce to the world that the long awaited Messiah would soon be arriving. He was probably a totally dedicated man, possibly not someone you'd want to have dinner with (even if he liked filets and lobster, rather than locusts and honey).
Matthew, and perhaps John himself, thought of John as the fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy (see Isaiah 40:3). Be that as it may, the retrospect of history informs us that John was never to know for sure whether Jesus was the one he was to foretell.
The main emphasis of John's ministry was a call to repent. The word appears three times in this brief passage and as preachers, we might reflect on the meaning of that word "repent" (or "repentance"). Confession is part of it, as John indicated. But we all have been sorry for things we've said or done, only to repeat our conduct before long. While historically this passage is important because of its seeming connection with Judea's unwavering expectation of a Messiah (recall, though, that in biblical usage, a prophet was not someone who foretold the future but was, rather, a spokesman for God, not always correct in his predictions), the relevant emphasis in this passage today is the need for moral self- examination and change. "Repent" comes close to being a comic word in contemporary culture, and yet in repentance and renewal lies America's hope.
SERMON SUGGESTIONS
Title: "Judgment With Mercy"
Text: Isaiah 11:3-4
Theme: A few years ago, a young minister arranged an unforgettable lesson for some of his people. He announced that a special speaker would address the congregation the following Sunday, and the topic would be "acceptance without judgment." It was the beginning of the era of long hair and grubby clothing which led many adults to disapprove strongly of the young generation. When the congregation arrived that Sunday, a rather disheveled young man with shaggy hair and an unkempt beard joined the crowd entering the service. He was totally ignored, even by the youngest members of the congregation, some with obvious sniffs of disapproval. The visitor took his place with other worshipers. But after the pastor had given a rather elaborate introduction of his morning speaker, a clergyman with a distinguished record, the long-haired man rose and strode to the platform and his point was eloquently made. It's easy to make judgments of other people based on appearances. To some extent, of course, that's unavoidable. Society does, after all, have a right to set standards of grooming and dress. For someone blatantly to defy such codes can be an act of disrespect. Each local community has a mutually understood set of limits in these matters. At weddings, for example, people under thirty in our community feel it is acceptable to attend wearing casual attire. Few restaurants, except very expensive ones, require jackets and ties for men. By and large, customs in these regards have been greatly relaxed in recent years. But there are still limits. When they're disregarded the tendency is to make moral judgments of the offenders, often including estimates of their intelligence, their family background, and other matters.
Isaiah spoke an important word then: "He shall not judge by what his eyes see." God sees the inner person, and the Christian is urged to try to do the same. Isaiah specifically mentioned the poor, the meek, and the wicked, and to make quick judgments about these three groups is wrong.
I once interviewed several welfare mothers on a television show. Though I tried to remain unbiased, my middle-class values kicked in and I was prepared to encounter some lazy freeloaders. I was dead wrong. These were caring mothers, people simply unable to earn enough money to maintain a family, pay for child care, afford transportation. Each of them had pride and self-respect. I came away privately embarrassed at my own insensitivity. I hadn't realized the problems they faced.
The meek? Jesus used the word as approbation, but it can also refer to those too timid to compete in the economic world. Some people are born with limitations which prevent successful life endeavors. Jesus would have compassion for such people. Some of our quick judgments are wrong.
As for the wicked? I think Isaiah's point here was that the withholding of easy judgments doesn't mean a free pass. "He shall kill the wicked," Isaiah said. There's an issue in itself: Capital punishment?
Title: "Something Good Tomorrow"
Text: Romans 15:13
Theme: What do we mean by hope? I define it as the belief that something good is about to happen. Recent studies indicate a widespread problem with depression in America today. There is, of course, clinical depression which requires professional attention. But situational depression is widespread as well. Add to this the epidemic incidence of drug and alcohol abuse, the growing suicide rate, the disruption of family life, the economic threats of downsizing, relocation of manufacturing centers to low income countries, the trend toward cutting employment and using "self-employed people" to replace them -- we could go on. The point is that despite our nation's wonderful standard of living, many people are living in fear these days, and that includes many a successful business and professional person. If the preaching clergy are to be relevant to a troubled people, we must hold before our people a basis for hope. Paul's words are exactly what we need to hear: "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope...."
The great Lawrence of Arabia told of the time he entertained two Arab chieftains in his home in London. As the two prepared to depart on their return journey to the desert, Lawrence, as Arab custom required, offered each of them a gift of their choice. The two put their heads together for a moment, then announced they had decided on the gifts they would like: a cold water faucet for each.
Those two men had failed to understand the obvious fact that the faucets would be useless without access to the source of the water. The analogy is clear: many of us want some response from God, but we frequently fail to understand just how we are to gain access to the "power of the Holy Spirit."
It's my observation, after many years serving a church, that Christian people easily adopt the values of our faith, its moral teachings, but find it difficult to gain from their faith a sense of God's intimate presence, a faith that when we place ourselves in God's hands, something good will happen. We clergy sometimes assume too much about our people, that they share our convictions about God's actions in our lives. I even wonder just how much we ourselves expect from faith and prayer. I had lunch with a well-known clergyman recently, and he emphatically made fun of the idea that God actually participates in the lives of individuals. I couldn't help reflect, that he doesn't seem to be a very happy person.
Maybe, as a new year approaches, we would do well to go back to the basics of our faith. How about a three-point sermon on the meaning of faith, hope, and love? Or, Paul's words here cry out to be translated into a practical sermon on the means by which the Holy Spirit can "fill you with all joy and peace...."
It's Advent, but this is what we all call "The Christmas Season." It has become axiomatic that we all get so busy with decorating, parties, shopping, even church activities, that the Holy Spirit has very little opportunity to visit with us. If hope is to be ours, we must allow time and energy for the prayer life which is, according to my experience, the means by which the Holy Spirit works in us. A sermon on prayer, then.
Title: "Repentance Means Saying You're Sorry"
Text: Matthew 3:1-3
Theme: One theme which consistently appears throughout the New Testament is the call to repentance. We find it here three times in the total passage for the day. Most of us have seen magazine cartoons about some disreputable, bearded gentleman carrying a sign bearing the word "repent," under which is to be found a comic punch line. The very word has lost a lot of currency in mainstream Christian America. And yet it is an important step on the road to a strong faith. There are three dimensions to repentance.
First, repentance begins with the honest recognition of our wrongful actions or words -- or omissions. This itself is not easy. A long ago movie, Love Story, had the nonsensical line, "Love means not having to say you're sorry." The opposite is true. Love means being able to say "I'm sorry."
There's a second stage to repentance: a determination not to repeat one's wrongful conduct. Frankly, I often find myself being sorry for something I have said, perhaps to my wife. I have even learned to say I'm sorry. And yet, how often I find myself doing the same thing a couple weeks later. My "sorry" is empty indeed, unless I'm willing to devote myself to the hard work of seeing to it that I refrain from doing or saying hurtful things.
There's a third stage to repentance: inward change. Otherwise, despite my best efforts, under certain kinds of stress, I may impulsively repeat my mistakes. My good intentions are sometimes not enough. Here's where God comes in. To repent truly, that is, to change genuinely, I require a power greater than my own, so prayer is a necessary part of true repentance.
ADDITIONAL ILLUSTRATIONS
Stephen Covey, in Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, told of riding a subway in New York when a man got on with several children. Everyone else on the train was quietly reading or looking out a window. But the newly arrived children began to roughhouse, making a lot of noise and creating an impossible situation for everyone else. Finally, Covey spoke to the man, suggesting he should do something about the children. Covey said he was irritated with the man, wondering how anyone could be so thoughtless. Then, the man apologized and explained that his wife, mother of the children, had just died, and they were returning from the hospital. He said he was so distraught he had failed to notice the disruption. Covey told of his changed attitude upon learning this. So we are not to make quick judgments.
____________
A close friend from seminary days was a college All-American athlete, well over six feet tall, weighing 250 pounds. He applied for admission to a Methodist seminary. The dean, a very intellectual man of rather frail constitution, refused admission. He told my friend he'd have to go somewhere else and prove himself academically. It was fairly obvious he didn't think a "jock" could succeed in his school. My friend proceeded to enroll in another seminary where he earned a straight "A" average for a semester, then transferred to our seminary where he received a scholarship as the outstanding first-year student. Judgments.
____________
Leslie Weatherhead told of a man who frequently came home intoxicated, screaming at his wife and children, sometimes slapping his little daughter. However, when sober, Weatherhead said the man was a genuinely loving father. One day his daughter became quite ill. The father, sober, deeply worried about his child, leaned over her little bed to kiss her. The child, seeing her father, screamed for her mother, crying "Don't let him hit me." The father was so shocked, so suddenly confronted with the effect of his drinking, he went to Alcoholics Anonymous. This is the last step in repentance, to undergo an inward transformation.
____________
Jerry Kramer was a player on the old Green Bay Packers when Vince Lombardi was coach. One of the stories he tells about his life was of the day his father died. They had been very close. As he talked with his dad toward the end, his father assured Jerry that he needn't worry. He was not afraid to die; he knew he would be all right in whatever lay ahead. Kramer admitted his own fears about dying. In his book he said the difference between him and his father was one thing: "He had faith in God and I didn't."
____________
A recent article appearing in The Providence Journal-Bulletin began with this line: "Americans are feeling betrayed." The writer, Brian C. Jones, describing the current state of affairs in the workplace, observed: "Companies no longer are loyal to their workers, they believe. The boss makes sure that profits continue at all costs and that his pay goes up. As for his fellow employees, well, there is always the door." These observations were based on a recent national poll conducted by Brown University. This is included here not to denigrate American businesses,
but to recognize a widespread morale problem among working people.
____________
Psalm Of The Day
Psalm 72 (C, E) -- This is a petition to God for wisdom and compassion to be given the newly anointed King. It's a request for the king to be empowered to bring about social justice, especially caring for the sick, the poor, and the needy. It seeks peace for the community and long life for the king, that the king's soul will never die.
Prayer Of The Day
Open our minds, we pray, to the needs of those around us. As we find joy in this season, enable us to bring joy to others. Forgive our selfishness and open our minds, also, to the presence of your saving Spirit, in the name of Christ, our Lord, we pray.
