Category: SSCSJ
Paragraphs from SSCSJ
Brief paragraphs from Sacred Steps: Children’s Sermon Journal for Oct. 7. Visit www.sscsj.org to learn more about how you can subscribe to this service.
World Communion Sunday
No matter how your tradition “allows” young children to participate in the Lord’s Supper (Eucharist), World Communion Sunday is an opportunity to talk with the children about why your congregation celebrates (observes) communion as well as what you, the adult leader, find meaningful about receiving communion. Consider talking with the children about, “Why I take communion?” Is it a meal of remembrance, a commandment, the actual body and blood of Jesus, the consumption of antibiotics that fight sin, or an activity only for baptized persons? Think about the language you will use. How will children hear “broken body, shed blood, and sacrifice?” Reflect on the language that is used at the table and the symbolism of forgiveness. Does your congregation exclude children, even those baptized as infants, from this central act of worship until a specific age?
Psalm 8
Psalm 8 is a bold statement about the inherent worth and value of human beings. It proclaims that Gods care about us amid all the marvelous things God has to consider. Even more, it declares that human beings are indeed created in the image of God and given special responsibility to care for the rest of God’s creation. Psalm 8 is a celebration of the goodness present in every human being, and it serves as a wonderful counterweight for the Christian Tradition’s focus on “original sin”, an idea not found in the First Testament.
Genesis 2:18-24
Yes, this selection from Gen 2 does seem to describe what we may think of as marriage; however, we should not read into the ancient text what are modern ideas and customs. First, it is important to remember that in Hebrew there are no words for “husband” and “wife”; there are only words for man (‘ish) and woman (‘ishah). In addition, Hebrew does not have a word for “marriage”. The closest construction is when a man “takes” a woman for himself, using the same verb as what might be used to describe taking someone’s cattle. In fact, in the 1st Testament the idea of “marriage” was much more about men obtaining property and not about the romantic notions we have today of falling in love and joining our life with someone else. In Ancient Israel, women were considered the “property” of men. A girl is the property of her father (and brothers) until she is married. Then, she becomes the property of her husband. We see a clear example of this mindset in texts that deal with adultery; a man could have sex with any woman who was not betrothed or married to another man (i.e., another man’s property), regardless of his own marital status. A woman could not have sex with anyone other than her husband, or she committed adultery. In essence, adultery was about a man “trespassing” on another man’s “land”.
While the tendency is to read Jesus’ views on marriage and divorce as less harsh on women than those of the FT, especially by his seeming to not allow “divorce”, the real truth is that there were plenty of reasons a woman might want a divorce or need one (e.g., abusive husband, to have permission to remarry, etc.). In the commandments of the FT, there were accommodations set-up to keep women from being left as either a helpless widow or a perpetual wife, even though her husband had abandoned her. The statement made in Gen 2:24 is more about establishing a way for the first man and the first woman to reproduce, so the story of life can continue, than it is a statement about modern marriage or divorce. In all honesty, people living in the 21st century should not turn to the bible (neither the FT nor the NT) for examples of “family values”, especially not about marriage, because what we find there will be examples of behaviors and customs that will (and should) offend our sense of morality.
Hebrews 1:1-4; 2:5-12
The opening words of Hebrews set a similar Christo-centric view of the world and God’s activity, as the opening of the Gospel of John, and like John, Hebrews has a tone of a theological treatise or “reader” for people who are already believers in Christ. It stresses elements of early Christianity’s explanation of Jesus’ life and mission on behalf of God. For some Christians, Hebrews provides a foundation for a “supersessionist” reading of all the biblical witness. It is important to note that this idea, like that of the Trinity or Trinitarianism, is based in ancient Christian tradition’s worldview and interpretation of the bible, even though these are not consistent images or ideas in the whole biblical witness. There is a fine line between midrash and eisegesis.
This text is an opportunity to explore the idea that “salvation is perfect (perfected) through sufferings.” Is that your experience? You probably have heard or used the phrase, “The Lord does not give us more than we can handle or take.” Or “What does not kill us makes us stronger.” Is that how you interpret your suffering or the suffering of others? Another place to linger is v.9b, “now crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.” Is death a punishment, an enemy, or a natural part of creation? When you read the creation stories in Genesis, nowhere does it claim that humans were immortal creatures nor that death is a punishment for becoming aware of good and evil.
Mark 10:2-16
Like New Testament scholars, those who claim Christian faith must ask: Do I read portions of the text that show me the Jesus I like, one who is congenial to me and my way of life or belief in God? The first portion of the gospel text is one of those that makes modern believers squirm. It is often said that, when two people divorce and there are children in the marriage, it is the children that suffer and struggle most. Even in our “child-centric” society, children are the most vulnerable because no person has to apply for a license or take a test to become a parent, unless you are adopting a child or serving as a foster parent. The Lectionary pairs a familiar hard saying of Jesus about divorce, authentic or not, alongside another familiar saying about children and citizenship in the “kingdom of God.” The choice for a children’s sermon is obvious, but that does not give us permission to ignore the words about divorce. When you take the saying about citizenship in the kindom seriously, it too becomes a hard teaching to embrace as a practice, or a way of life, or a way of ordering culture. This is why it is often dealt with as a belief.
Paragraphs from SSCSJ – Sept 30
Psalm 124
Ps 124 might be too easily translated for a 21st century faith community. If read with a tone of triumphalism, it could feed into a sense of “God is on our side” (and nobody else’s side). A surface-level reading of the psalm makes it sound like the shallow ramblings of victorious athletes, militaries, and Christians: “I want to thank God for giving our team that last minute touchdown”; “God fights on our side, and we will defeat the ‘axis of evil’”(1); or “Onward Christian Soldiers marching as to war”(2).
This does not mean that, with appropriate care, Ps 124 cannot be used by the faithful today. It can be a way of naming God’s care for all of creation and all of God’s children. The psalm can remind us of our utter reliance on God and prevent any sense of “deserving” the things we have or the blessings we experience. In addition, studying this psalm with an age-appropriate audience provides the opportunity to name the ways we claim God’s favoritism and to show how we, too, are tempted to stake an exclusive claim on God.
Numbers 11:1-30
This story, about shared leadership and the empowering Spirit of God, does offer a word to the church in the 21st century. It makes the claim that one person (perhaps the minister of a congregation) should not have to bear the burden of the responsibility for a community alone. The elders (or whatever group is equivalent in other denominations) of a congregation are called to be spiritual leaders who support the clergy and share in the care of the membership. God does not call anyone to do it all by herself/himself. This passage reminds us that the Spirit of God moves wherever and whenever It wills. We cannot control who is called by God. This is not to say that just anyone should be allowed to prophesy whatever they want in the name of God; there are ways by which we are to evaluate prophetic words (see Deut 18:22). However, those who wish to put restrictions about who is “worthy” to serve in ministry (or other leadership roles), based on personal prejudices, could learn a bit from Moses’ response to Eldad and Medad. In general, we might ask ourselves where (or if) we see God’s Spirit at work in individuals’ lives, in our own lives, and in our faith communities? Is the Spirit trying to motivate us to prophesy about God’s love and justice, but we are trying to silence that voice?
James 5:13-20
The opening verses (vv 13-16) echo the “blessed” sayings of Jesus from the Sermon on the Mount (Matt 5:3-12; or “Sermon on the Plain” in Luke 6:20-22). Prayer is portrayed as a central part of what a community of faith does together and individually. Two phrases draw the eye and our attention: “The prayer of faith . . .” and “The prayer of the righteous . . .” The prayer of faith is not explained. It is not a specific incantation,(3) and it is not necessarily connected to the “elders” of a community, though many read the text as referring back to the elders as the “faithful” and thus their prayers desirable, perhaps even coveted. The prayer of the righteous is not connected to any one person. The author offers Elijah as an example of what faith and righteousness look like. Faith and righteousness are long-term commitments. Look at Elijah as an example of life-long practice, loyalty, and belief. Look to Jesus of Nazareth as an example of the life-long practice of faith in the good news of God and as striving to be righteous before God. Who is an example of faith and righteousness for you? What does this person do that exudes “faith” or “righteousness”?(4)
Mark 9:38-50
“Stumbling blocks” and “little ones” could provide several weeks of reflection for your congregation, for your youth group, for an adult Sunday school class, and for the children on the sacred steps. Rather than talk about the “stumbling blocks” you observe, take a risk and ask the children, as well as the adults, in the week to come to identify “stumbling blocks” to their being a follower of Jesus. Notice that the question is not about belief, but is about practicing the ways of Jesus, beyond the walls of your worship space as well as participating in congregational life. You may need to use a different word, perhaps obstacles, for the idea of “stumbling block”. What other image fits better in a modern context? Keep a list for your study. In what ways does the Church participate in creating these stumbling blocks? In what ways are you offering a cup of water? First, you may need to invite your congregation to identify the “little ones”(5) or define “little ones” for your context.
Notes
1. This phrase, coined by George W. Bush, is the epitome of such nationalistic triumphalism.
2. Onward Christian Soldiers”, lyrics by Sabine Baring-Gould and music by Arthur S. Sullivan. Although Baring-Gould wrote this song in the 19th century to be used by children as they participated in a festival processional, it has been adulterated by those who sing it as an anthem for Christian triumphalism.
3. Sometimes the “words of institution” and prayers for the elements at the communion table take on an “incantation” or “magic words” quality that is one reason why I’m not a Roman Catholic. It always strikes me as odd that mainline Protestants borrow liturgies from “high liturgical” traditions that have a communal incantation as a part of the Eucharistic meal.
4. Diana Butler Bass’ current book, Christianity After Religion: The End of Church and the Birth of a New Spiritual Awakening (2012) provides some good insight into historic shifts in culture and religion that would be helpful reading or a good study for a Sunday school class.
5. Who are the “little ones?” Set aside children for a moment, and the “unchurched”, who often come to mind. In the 21st century, I think of the “de-churched” in our culture as “little ones” more than the “unchurched.” De-churched are those persons that may have grown-up in the Church, but they had an experience of Church, or of Christianity, that made them give-up on organized Christianity. An immediate example would be the many affected by the sex abuse within the Roman Catholic Church. How many may claim Christianity, but have left the Roman Catholic church and now apply that systemic abuse to all of Christendom? How does your congregation recognize the de-churched persons in your community? Are they serving in other non-profits, driving nails at the Habitat House, or serving at the local food bank?