Acceptable Worship
Stories
Object:
Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us give thanks, by which we offer to God an acceptable worship with reverence and awe...
Hebrews 12:28
There once was a monastery whose abbot had a cat that he loved very much. Every evening he would bring the cat with him to worship. The cat would wander around the chapel rubbing up against the legs of the brothers as they sang hymns and prayed prayers. It was really quite distracting to the efforts to worship God. So at each evening worship service, the abbot began to tie the cat to one of the pillars in the chapel. Eventually the abbot died, but the cat remained at the monastery. Out of respect for their beloved brother, the monks continued to bring the cat to worship and tie it to one of the pillars. Eventually the cat died and the brothers went and found another cat, brought it to worship each evening and tied it to a pillar. Centuries later, whole books were written by the monastery's scholarly brothers on the liturgical significance of tying up a cat during worship.
Shining Moments
Witnesses to the Light
by Kay Boone Stewart
When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, "Woman, you are set free from your ailment."
Luke 13:12
Two years ago I was diagnosed with a virulent form of breast cancer. It began with an "iffy" diagnosis and quickly accelerated into something they call the "ugly tumor."
A team of doctors was conscripted, a surgery was scheduled, and a large and faithful prayer team emerged. At this point we still thought it was merely ductile carcinoma in situ: a pre-cancer, my doctor called it.
On the scheduled morning, I found myself staring at the ceiling of the operating room where a highly skilled woman surgeon, who was also a Christian, arrived to operate. I felt very calm, knowing that God was in control. We chatted, making small talk and joking. Soon I was under the anesthetic.
Half a continent away, my sister Lynne and her daughter Vanessa sat down together to pray for me. They prayed, in their time zone, at a time concurrent with ours. They had only prayed a short while when a vision started coming to my sister. It was different from anything she had ever witnessed while in prayer. She could see me on the operating table with the medical staff around me, working over me. Then she observed that the entire room was crammed with beings of light. They were gathered around, watching, and occasionally one would put hands to the task along with the doctor, reaching into the surgical opening and arranging things.
"It went very smoothly," the doctor told me afterward. "I feel certain we got it all."
When I got home, my sister called and told me about the vision. I was stunned.
"They really roll out the angelic host for ductile carcinoma in situ," I joked, feeling very blessed indeed to have had so much help. "Imagine what they'd send for a real emergency!"
The next week I went in for my post-op appointment with the oncologist. He showed me into his office and closed the door.
"I have some bad news," he told me. "The lab report came back and the tumor removed was one we don't like to see. We call it the 'ugly one.' It likes to hide in tissue, is invasive, and frequently comes back."
Another surgery was scheduled. My surgeon cleaned up more ductile carcinoma and took a look around for more of the "bad guy."
"I was very surprised," she told me afterward. "We had to remove three lymph nodes under your arm. It had traveled."
Now I was upset. This meant chemotherapy and radiation. Originally I had been slated for only radiation.
But through it all, I never doubted that I would survive. My trust was in my Savior. And my mind kept returning to the scene in the hospital operating room during that first surgery. What a special blessing it had been to know the help God sends when we are in peril. I'm sure the same "team" or one like it assembled the second time. But why were there so many?
Perhaps I'll never know. But many, many people prayed for me -- even people I didn't know. Could it be that each person praying for me was represented there by a being of light?
Kay Boone Stewart is a novelist (Trilogy, Chariots of Dawn), poet (Sunrise Over Galilee, The Color Red), nonfiction writer (Here's Help), artist (Kay Cards), music composer, harpist, vocalist, storyteller, and Presbyterian church member/deacon. She can be reached at P.O. Box 727, Brentwood, California 94513.
Good Stories
Fruits of Suffering
Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of the unjust and cruel. For you, O Lord, are my hope, my trust...
Psalm 71:4-5a
In the middle of a swamp just outside the village of Ravensbruck, the Nazis established a concentration camp exclusively for women. By the end of World War II, 50,000 women had died there. When the camp was liberated a piece of wrapping paper was found near the body of a dead child. Scrawled on the piece of paper was this message:
O God, remember not only the men and women of good will, but also those of ill will. But do not remember only the suffering they have inflicted on us. Remember the fruits we brought thanks to this suffering: Our comradeship, our loyalty, our humility: the courage, the generosity, the greatness of heart that has grown out of all this. And when they come to judgment, let all the fruits that we have borne be their forgiveness.
Amen. Amen. Amen.
(From Heartsong Books, http://heartsongbooks.com/inspire.html)
Scrap Pile
...Be Our Guest
by John Sumwalt
Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. And just then there appeared a woman with a spirit that had crippled her for eighteen years.
Luke 13:10-11a
"Come, Lord Jesus, be our guest... (cup ear) let this food to us be blessed."
Some of you, as I did, said this prayer at mealtimes as a child. Some of you say it now with your own children or with your grandchildren. "Come, Lord Jesus, be our guest, let this food to us be blessed."
"Be our guest."
This simple prayer has many profound implications. It is really what we pray each Sunday when we come here to worship. Come, Jesus -- be our guest.
We remember his promise that wherever two or three are gathered in his name, there he will be also. And we remember well what he said about feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, welcoming the stranger, clothing the naked, caring for the sick, and visiting those who are in prison. "Just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me."
Every time a stranger comes among us, we look for the face of Jesus -- we try to remember we are in the presence of God.
"Come, Lord Jesus, be our guest."
What would it be like if Jesus came here as our guest? Would we recognize him? Would he be welcome? Would his presence change us?
Jesus was the guest teacher in a certain synagogue, Luke tells us in our text today. In the words of Eugene Peterson, from The Message:
He was teaching in one of the meeting places on the Sabbath. There was a woman present, so twisted and bent over with arthritis that she couldn't even look up. She had been afflicted with this for eighteen years. When Jesus saw her, he called her over. "Woman, you're free!" He laid hands on her and suddenly she was standing straight and tall, giving glory to God.
Theo Amenda read this story in chapel at a retreat I attended recently. She invited us to bend over, like the woman who had been bent for 18 years, and then to raise up as Jesus pronounced her free. What would it be like to rise up after 18 years?
This woman invited Jesus to be her guest in a big way. She opened herself completely to his presence and power. How grateful she must have been, not only for the physical release -- the freedom from pain and discomfort -- but also for the social release and affirmation.
Have you ever tried to talk to someone bent over? Not many people will look you in the eye. Mostly you get overlooked, ignored, treated as if you are not there. Jesus restores her social standing. And when he calls her a daughter of Abraham -- women as a rule had no social standing except as daughters and wives and property, and no man would talk to a woman in public -- Jesus touches her and affirms her.
Then the leader of the synagogue speaks up. He is upset because Jesus has healed someone on the Sabbath. He aims his remarks at the people, looking past Jesus. "There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be cured, not on the Sabbath" (Luke 13:14).
I don't know about you, but I'm with the president of the synagogue. I understand him. I've been there. People come in here all the time and want to heal on the Sabbath without checking with me. They want to start new things, do things in different ways. I'm the one who has to hear all the complaints. I'm the one who cleans up all the messes. You have to have rules! You have to have some order in a place like this!
And Jesus says to me, "John Sumwalt, you hypocrite, you fraud!"
Christine Pohl, in an August 2001 Christian Century article, wrote:
"It wasn't wrong for the leader to want to protect the Sabbath day and worship from the intrusions of regular work. But in the context of this miracle, the leader appears silly and shriveled; being indignant at mercy and goodness looks ridiculous. What is missing is a delight in God's mercy, in Jesus' power, in the Sabbath, in a restored sister. In attempting to protect what was holy, the leader misses a transforming encounter with Jesus, the Holy One. And in trying to protect the holy, he sees the broken woman as an intrusion.
"Do we become indignant when God's moves catch us by surprise? Are we in danger of confusing our interests with God's? Do we see a needy person as one more interruption or as a child of God longing for freedom, restoration, or healing?"
We must be careful that we mean what we say when we pray: "Come, Lord Jesus, be our guest."
Excerpts from a sermon preached at Wauwatosa Avenue United Methodist Church in Milwaukee on August 26, 2001.
**********************************************
New Book
The third book in the vision series, Shining Moments: Visions of the Holy in Ordinary Lives (edited by John Sumwalt), will be released this month by CSS Publishing Company. Among the 60 contributing authors of these Chicken Soup for the Soul-like vignettes are Ralph Milton, Sandra Herrmann, Pamela J. Tinnin, Richard H. Gentzler Jr., David Michael Smith, Jodie Felton, Nancy Nichols, William Lee Rand, Gail Ingle, and Rosmarie Trapp, whose family story was told in the classic movie The Sound of Music.
Other Books by John & Jo Sumwalt
Sharing Visions: Divine Revelations, Angels, and Holy Coincidences
Vision Stories: True Accounts of Visions, Angels, and Healing Miracles
Life Stories: A Study in Christian Decision Making
Lectionary Stories: Forty Tellable Tales for Cycle C
Lectionary Stories: Forty Tellable Tales for Cycle A
Lectionary Stories: Forty Tellable Tales for Cycle B
Lectionary Tales for the Pulpit: 62 Stories for Cycle B
You can order any of our books on the CSS website (http://www.csspub.com); they are also available from www.amazon.com and at many Christian bookstores. Or simply e-mail your order to orders@csspub.com or phone 1-800-241-4056. (If you live outside the U.S., phone 419-227-1818.)
**************
Looking for just the right story for this Sunday's sermon or Sunday School class? There is a large selection of stories on the StoryShare website (http://www.csspub.com/story.lasso). Click on "samples" to see two of our weekly editions.
New subscribers receive a year of StoryShare plus full access to the StoryShare archives for just $19.95. Subscribing online is convenient using our secure server -- or you can all CSS toll-free at (800) 537-1030 Monday - Friday from 8:30 AM - 5:30 PM (Eastern Time) or send an e-mail to orders@csspub.com, and our customer service team will be happy to assist you.
We invite you to forward this offer to all of your friends who are looking for good stories.
**************
StoryShare, August 22, 2004, issue.
Copyright 2004 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to the StoryShare service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons, in worship and classroom settings, in brief devotions, in radio spots, and as newsletter fillers. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to permissions@csspub.com or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., P.O. Box 4503, Lima, Ohio 45802-4503.
Hebrews 12:28
There once was a monastery whose abbot had a cat that he loved very much. Every evening he would bring the cat with him to worship. The cat would wander around the chapel rubbing up against the legs of the brothers as they sang hymns and prayed prayers. It was really quite distracting to the efforts to worship God. So at each evening worship service, the abbot began to tie the cat to one of the pillars in the chapel. Eventually the abbot died, but the cat remained at the monastery. Out of respect for their beloved brother, the monks continued to bring the cat to worship and tie it to one of the pillars. Eventually the cat died and the brothers went and found another cat, brought it to worship each evening and tied it to a pillar. Centuries later, whole books were written by the monastery's scholarly brothers on the liturgical significance of tying up a cat during worship.
Shining Moments
Witnesses to the Light
by Kay Boone Stewart
When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, "Woman, you are set free from your ailment."
Luke 13:12
Two years ago I was diagnosed with a virulent form of breast cancer. It began with an "iffy" diagnosis and quickly accelerated into something they call the "ugly tumor."
A team of doctors was conscripted, a surgery was scheduled, and a large and faithful prayer team emerged. At this point we still thought it was merely ductile carcinoma in situ: a pre-cancer, my doctor called it.
On the scheduled morning, I found myself staring at the ceiling of the operating room where a highly skilled woman surgeon, who was also a Christian, arrived to operate. I felt very calm, knowing that God was in control. We chatted, making small talk and joking. Soon I was under the anesthetic.
Half a continent away, my sister Lynne and her daughter Vanessa sat down together to pray for me. They prayed, in their time zone, at a time concurrent with ours. They had only prayed a short while when a vision started coming to my sister. It was different from anything she had ever witnessed while in prayer. She could see me on the operating table with the medical staff around me, working over me. Then she observed that the entire room was crammed with beings of light. They were gathered around, watching, and occasionally one would put hands to the task along with the doctor, reaching into the surgical opening and arranging things.
"It went very smoothly," the doctor told me afterward. "I feel certain we got it all."
When I got home, my sister called and told me about the vision. I was stunned.
"They really roll out the angelic host for ductile carcinoma in situ," I joked, feeling very blessed indeed to have had so much help. "Imagine what they'd send for a real emergency!"
The next week I went in for my post-op appointment with the oncologist. He showed me into his office and closed the door.
"I have some bad news," he told me. "The lab report came back and the tumor removed was one we don't like to see. We call it the 'ugly one.' It likes to hide in tissue, is invasive, and frequently comes back."
Another surgery was scheduled. My surgeon cleaned up more ductile carcinoma and took a look around for more of the "bad guy."
"I was very surprised," she told me afterward. "We had to remove three lymph nodes under your arm. It had traveled."
Now I was upset. This meant chemotherapy and radiation. Originally I had been slated for only radiation.
But through it all, I never doubted that I would survive. My trust was in my Savior. And my mind kept returning to the scene in the hospital operating room during that first surgery. What a special blessing it had been to know the help God sends when we are in peril. I'm sure the same "team" or one like it assembled the second time. But why were there so many?
Perhaps I'll never know. But many, many people prayed for me -- even people I didn't know. Could it be that each person praying for me was represented there by a being of light?
Kay Boone Stewart is a novelist (Trilogy, Chariots of Dawn), poet (Sunrise Over Galilee, The Color Red), nonfiction writer (Here's Help), artist (Kay Cards), music composer, harpist, vocalist, storyteller, and Presbyterian church member/deacon. She can be reached at P.O. Box 727, Brentwood, California 94513.
Good Stories
Fruits of Suffering
Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of the unjust and cruel. For you, O Lord, are my hope, my trust...
Psalm 71:4-5a
In the middle of a swamp just outside the village of Ravensbruck, the Nazis established a concentration camp exclusively for women. By the end of World War II, 50,000 women had died there. When the camp was liberated a piece of wrapping paper was found near the body of a dead child. Scrawled on the piece of paper was this message:
O God, remember not only the men and women of good will, but also those of ill will. But do not remember only the suffering they have inflicted on us. Remember the fruits we brought thanks to this suffering: Our comradeship, our loyalty, our humility: the courage, the generosity, the greatness of heart that has grown out of all this. And when they come to judgment, let all the fruits that we have borne be their forgiveness.
Amen. Amen. Amen.
(From Heartsong Books, http://heartsongbooks.com/inspire.html)
Scrap Pile
...Be Our Guest
by John Sumwalt
Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. And just then there appeared a woman with a spirit that had crippled her for eighteen years.
Luke 13:10-11a
"Come, Lord Jesus, be our guest... (cup ear) let this food to us be blessed."
Some of you, as I did, said this prayer at mealtimes as a child. Some of you say it now with your own children or with your grandchildren. "Come, Lord Jesus, be our guest, let this food to us be blessed."
"Be our guest."
This simple prayer has many profound implications. It is really what we pray each Sunday when we come here to worship. Come, Jesus -- be our guest.
We remember his promise that wherever two or three are gathered in his name, there he will be also. And we remember well what he said about feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, welcoming the stranger, clothing the naked, caring for the sick, and visiting those who are in prison. "Just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me."
Every time a stranger comes among us, we look for the face of Jesus -- we try to remember we are in the presence of God.
"Come, Lord Jesus, be our guest."
What would it be like if Jesus came here as our guest? Would we recognize him? Would he be welcome? Would his presence change us?
Jesus was the guest teacher in a certain synagogue, Luke tells us in our text today. In the words of Eugene Peterson, from The Message:
He was teaching in one of the meeting places on the Sabbath. There was a woman present, so twisted and bent over with arthritis that she couldn't even look up. She had been afflicted with this for eighteen years. When Jesus saw her, he called her over. "Woman, you're free!" He laid hands on her and suddenly she was standing straight and tall, giving glory to God.
Theo Amenda read this story in chapel at a retreat I attended recently. She invited us to bend over, like the woman who had been bent for 18 years, and then to raise up as Jesus pronounced her free. What would it be like to rise up after 18 years?
This woman invited Jesus to be her guest in a big way. She opened herself completely to his presence and power. How grateful she must have been, not only for the physical release -- the freedom from pain and discomfort -- but also for the social release and affirmation.
Have you ever tried to talk to someone bent over? Not many people will look you in the eye. Mostly you get overlooked, ignored, treated as if you are not there. Jesus restores her social standing. And when he calls her a daughter of Abraham -- women as a rule had no social standing except as daughters and wives and property, and no man would talk to a woman in public -- Jesus touches her and affirms her.
Then the leader of the synagogue speaks up. He is upset because Jesus has healed someone on the Sabbath. He aims his remarks at the people, looking past Jesus. "There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be cured, not on the Sabbath" (Luke 13:14).
I don't know about you, but I'm with the president of the synagogue. I understand him. I've been there. People come in here all the time and want to heal on the Sabbath without checking with me. They want to start new things, do things in different ways. I'm the one who has to hear all the complaints. I'm the one who cleans up all the messes. You have to have rules! You have to have some order in a place like this!
And Jesus says to me, "John Sumwalt, you hypocrite, you fraud!"
Christine Pohl, in an August 2001 Christian Century article, wrote:
"It wasn't wrong for the leader to want to protect the Sabbath day and worship from the intrusions of regular work. But in the context of this miracle, the leader appears silly and shriveled; being indignant at mercy and goodness looks ridiculous. What is missing is a delight in God's mercy, in Jesus' power, in the Sabbath, in a restored sister. In attempting to protect what was holy, the leader misses a transforming encounter with Jesus, the Holy One. And in trying to protect the holy, he sees the broken woman as an intrusion.
"Do we become indignant when God's moves catch us by surprise? Are we in danger of confusing our interests with God's? Do we see a needy person as one more interruption or as a child of God longing for freedom, restoration, or healing?"
We must be careful that we mean what we say when we pray: "Come, Lord Jesus, be our guest."
Excerpts from a sermon preached at Wauwatosa Avenue United Methodist Church in Milwaukee on August 26, 2001.
**********************************************
New Book
The third book in the vision series, Shining Moments: Visions of the Holy in Ordinary Lives (edited by John Sumwalt), will be released this month by CSS Publishing Company. Among the 60 contributing authors of these Chicken Soup for the Soul-like vignettes are Ralph Milton, Sandra Herrmann, Pamela J. Tinnin, Richard H. Gentzler Jr., David Michael Smith, Jodie Felton, Nancy Nichols, William Lee Rand, Gail Ingle, and Rosmarie Trapp, whose family story was told in the classic movie The Sound of Music.
Other Books by John & Jo Sumwalt
Sharing Visions: Divine Revelations, Angels, and Holy Coincidences
Vision Stories: True Accounts of Visions, Angels, and Healing Miracles
Life Stories: A Study in Christian Decision Making
Lectionary Stories: Forty Tellable Tales for Cycle C
Lectionary Stories: Forty Tellable Tales for Cycle A
Lectionary Stories: Forty Tellable Tales for Cycle B
Lectionary Tales for the Pulpit: 62 Stories for Cycle B
You can order any of our books on the CSS website (http://www.csspub.com); they are also available from www.amazon.com and at many Christian bookstores. Or simply e-mail your order to orders@csspub.com or phone 1-800-241-4056. (If you live outside the U.S., phone 419-227-1818.)
**************
Looking for just the right story for this Sunday's sermon or Sunday School class? There is a large selection of stories on the StoryShare website (http://www.csspub.com/story.lasso). Click on "samples" to see two of our weekly editions.
New subscribers receive a year of StoryShare plus full access to the StoryShare archives for just $19.95. Subscribing online is convenient using our secure server -- or you can all CSS toll-free at (800) 537-1030 Monday - Friday from 8:30 AM - 5:30 PM (Eastern Time) or send an e-mail to orders@csspub.com, and our customer service team will be happy to assist you.
We invite you to forward this offer to all of your friends who are looking for good stories.
**************
StoryShare, August 22, 2004, issue.
Copyright 2004 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to the StoryShare service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons, in worship and classroom settings, in brief devotions, in radio spots, and as newsletter fillers. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to permissions@csspub.com or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., P.O. Box 4503, Lima, Ohio 45802-4503.
