Is Christ the King?

Rev. Harriette Cross First United Methodist Church of Wilmington Christ the King Sunday November 21, 2021 Year B Opening Song Welcome – Christ the King Sunday Invocation/Opening Prayer We come this day, rejoicing, in the presence of the King of Kings, Jesus Christ. At his birth the angels proclaimed his name to be Emmanuel, God with us. Today in this place, in this time of worship, may we truly feel the power and presence of Jesus Christ in our lives. May our hearts and spirits be warmed and challenged to proclaim with our lives, "Christ is Lord!". AMEN. Stewardship Moment Moment for Stewardship (adapted from John 18) Living in the United States, many eagerly proclaim our independence. We are not officially designated into higher and lower class (or caste). We drink in the stories of those who started with little or nothing, used their ingenuity, luck, and being in the “right place at the right time”, to make it to the top: Army recruit who became a General, ragamuffin who now owns the profitable company, Hollywood waitstaff now in top demand as an actor. Yet today, we’re hearing about Jesus as Ruler. This one? Is this the same one born to parents not yet married, beginning life in a cave (or stable), turned refugee and then growing up to wander the countryside as a preacher/teacher/healer, with a curious band of disciples. A RULER? Perhaps it’s just this identity which calls us to Jesus. This Jesus is the one we want to rule in our hearts, link us to the Creator, and challenge us to take our place as followers. Jesus is the one who teaches his followers to be stewards of God’s many gifts; care-takers of what doesn’t actually belong to us. We’re faced with Jesus’ challenges to “love your neighbor”, “feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit those in prison”. Today, we have opportunity to bear witness to our own identity not as independent operators, but as followers of Jesus. One way to do that is to share abundantly with others. You may offer your gifts to support this congregation, to strengthen our connection to ____________, to provide care for _____________. It’s your move. What will you do with this one opportunity to claim Jesus as Lord in your life? Prayer of Thanksgiving Bountiful God, As we move toward Thanksgiving, many of us eagerly anticipating time with family and friends, we take this moment to offer our thanks to you for all you have provided. Please receive our gifts today, knowing they come in return, as signs and symbols of our daily lives. Help us use these gifts to share Good News with those who struggle. AMEN Scripture 2 Samuel 23:1-7 Common English Bible David’s last words 23 These are David’s last words: This is the declaration of Jesse’s son David, the declaration of a man raised high, a man anointed by the God of Jacob, a man favored by the strong one of Israel.[a] 2 The LORD’s spirit speaks through me; his word is on my tongue. 3 Israel’s God has spoken, Israel’s rock said to me: “Whoever rules rightly over people, whoever rules in the fear of God, 4 is like the light of sunrise on a morning with no clouds, like the bright gleam after the rain that brings grass from the ground.” 5 Yes, my house is this way with God![b] He has made an eternal covenant with me, laid out and secure in every detail. Yes, he provides every one of my victories and brings my every desire to pass. 6 But despicable people are like thorns, all of them good for nothing, because they can’t be carried by hand. 7 No one can touch them, except with iron bar or the shaft of a spear. They must be burned up with fire right on the spot! Sermon – Is Christ the King? I want to start out today by sharing some famous last words of people. The world has always delighted in recording the last words of famous people. O’Henry died saying, "Turn up the lights, I don’t want to go home in the dark." Ballerina Anna Pavlova died crying out, "Get my swan costume ready." Legend has it that an expiring Oscar Wilde complained, "Either that wallpaper goes, or I do." Rock musician Terry Kath, playing Russian roulette with a loaded pistol, remarked, "Don’t worry, it isn’t loaded." My grandmother told me that, in her day, when folks usually died at home, the family often gathered around the deathbed to hear a loved one’s final words. Today you may remember the last words spoken to you by someone you loved. In this chapter we hear the last words of one of our great fathers of faith. David’s strong booming voice rings down the ages as he rang down the curtain on one of the greatest lives ever lived. Joseph Heller in his satirical new novel about David, begins his fiction with David saying, "I have the best story in the Bible." • After Steve’s death, The New York Times published a eulogy delivered by Mona Simpson, Steve’s sister. In her eulogy, Mona described Steve Jobs’ last words on his deathbed as, “OH WOW. OH WOW. OH WOW.” Four years later, in 2015, an essay that purported to be Steve Jobs’ last speech began circulating. Jesus last words were recorded to be Make Disciples of all nations, I will be with you until the end of the age. Our sermon today are known as the last words of David. In reality, David lived a lot longer that these words. There is one more chapter in the book of Samuel. And David’s actual last words are recorded much later, when he crowns his son Solomon as king and tells him to make sure that he kills all of the rest of his brothers in order to stay on the throne. But these words in 2 Samuel 23 have a much more important message for us today. Our narrative today, 2 Samuel 23:1-7, is often called "the last words of David." Whether he or some later writer composed these words doesn’t really matter. They sum up some of what he brought to the world and they point the way forward. They give a glimpse for the people of Israel of what leadership and the kingdom can achieve. This legacy suggests the perpetuity of the house (dynasty) of David. They are words of assurance that God will dwell with his people. These are truly "famous last words." In them there are at least three themes: (1) David’s words were good words because the Spirit of the Lord spoke through him (2 Samuel 23:2); (2) a glimpse of perfect leadership (2 Samuel 23:3-4); and (3) an everlasting relationship/covenant (2 Samuel 23:5). 2 Samuel 23:3 says whoever rules rightly over people, whoever rules in the fear of God, is like the light of sunshine on a morning without clouds, like the bright gleam after the rain. When we live a life of righteousness we are the light of sunshine for a cloudy world. When we follow the model of leadership of David we are the bright gleam. David words are wonderful, he was known for us poetry, for his leadership, for the promise that God made to him that he would always have a descendent on the throne for his kingdom. Unfortunately the biblical history shows that not to be true. David’s grandson only two generations later was the king to lose half of the kingdom when Judah and Israel split. And 500 years later the whole kingdom disappeared all together. And yet the book of Matthew is determined to prove that Jesus comes from David’s lineage. So David’s promise can continue and be taught to a whole new generation. A grandmother wanted her granddaughter to attend Sunday school. So she arranged to pick her up and take her. She took her to her class and introduced her to her teacher. Following the class the grandmother picked her up and drove her home. The grandmother was anxious to hear about her granddaughter's experience. She noticed that her granddaughter was in a rather pensive mood as she silently stared out of the car window. Finally, the grandmother could not stand the suspense any longer and asked her granddaughter, "Well, what did you think of Sunday school?" Thoughtfully, she replied, "Grandma, what's so great about Jesus?" The Wizard of Id comic strip characterizes a feisty little fellow as the despotic ruler of the Land of Id. In one strip, the king opens his mail and reads aloud, "This is to notify you that you have been chosen to be presiding king at the kings' conference this year." The king begins to jump up and down, excitedly proclaiming, "Hallelujah! I'm the king of kings! I'm the king of kings!" In the next frame a fiery bolt of lightning descends from on high. In the final frame, a charred and frizzled little king hears a mighty voice booming from the dark cloud above, "In your dreams, buster!"1 It is Jesus who has the title of King of Kings What Kind of a Kingdom has Jesus? What kind of a Kingdom has Jesus? No castle nor palace has he. No congress nor parliament sitting, deciding what laws there will be. Perhaps he has need of but two laws: Love God and your neighbor as well. To obey them is all that is needed, as all of the saintly can tell. He has neither army nor navy, no air force to guard the frontiers to keep out the strangers unwanted and maintain the enemy’s fears. Immigration he seems to encourage, of some quite disreputable, like fishermen, publicans, sinners. To such he is hospitable. It seems there’s no revenue service or taxes we must calculate. He surely cannot run a kingdom on what we put into the plate! No 1040 form comes in April to fill out before the fifteenth, with penalties charged for nonpayment, beginning upon the sixteenth. No currency’s here with his picture, no coinage engraved with his name. And where are the posters and slogans proclaiming his power and fame? And I see no trappings of kingship, no robes made of velvet and fur, no crown made of gold set with diamonds, to befit our supreme arbiter. Jesus said that his kingdom was really not what Pilate had thought it had been. It was not of this world. And its glory was not of the kind to be seen. For those of us here in his kingdom, there is one other thing we have known: of the kingdoms around in his lifetime, it’s the only one left with a throne. Andrew Daughters, The Kingdom of Jesus, CSS Publishing. Today Jesus kingdom lies in the heart of the church and those who choose to follow him. His kingdom is not about approval ratings but it is in what we do in the world. It is about power and control. The way that we use power and control in our lives. Is it for our personal gain, or for the wellbeing of all people. When we follow Jesus we are all called to be leaders and to live according to the qualities of the king. David’s promise applies to us all. There is a story of a little boy who was in a hospital in England in the days of King George V. George V was king of Great Britain from 1910 until his death in 1936. This was when marriage was used as a political tool among the royal houses of Europe. So George was a grandson of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert and the first cousin of both Tsar Nicholas II of Russia and Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany. And yet George was far less pretentious than many of history’s monarchs. The patients in this particular hospital where the little boy in our story was being treated were told that the king was going to pay them a visit that day. So everybody put on their best clothes as they were lying in their bed, waiting for the king to come. This little boy was eager to see the king. All day long there were a number of visitors, because it was visitor’s day. And along about 4 o’clock in the afternoon, a man came in with a number of other men with him. He spoke to some of the boys and girls. He even spoke to this young boy who was waiting so eagerly to see the king. He patted him on the head. He spoke very nicely to the boy and left. That night, as he was being made ready for bed, the little boy spoke to the nurse. “Nurse,” he complained, “the king didn’t come!” And she said, “Oh, the king did come. Don’t you remember that nice elderly man that came over to you and patted you on the head? And spoke so sweetly to you?” David W. Miller, Reign of Truth And he said, “Yes, I do.” She said, “Well, that was the king.” The boy protested, “But nurse, he didn’t have on his crown!” This is what most disappointed the people who came to see Jesus. He wore no crown… What makes people great? By the standards of our society, greatness appears to be based on four possible foundations: wealth, honors, fame, or power. The power may be physical, as in the agility and stamina of an athlete. The power may also be financial or political. In contrast to these sources of greatness, the author of the Second Book of Samuel traces greatness to God. In speaking about King David, the author wrote: "David son of Jesse was the man whom God made great, whom the God of Jacob chose to be king, and who was the composer of beautiful songs for Israel" (2 Samuel 23:1-2, TEV). The same God who inspired greatness in his servant David is the God who inspires greatness in you. "I am sure," wrote Saint Paul, "that God who began the good work within you will keep right on helping you grow in his grace until his task within you is finally finished on that day when Jesus Christ returns" (Philippians 1:6, LB). There are four qualities to this divinely inspired greatness: humility, helpfulness, hopefulness, heroism. First, a person is made great by being humble, Secondly, a person is made great by being helpfulThirdly, a person is made great by being hopeful, Fourthly, a person is made great by being heroic, David’s heroism inspired heroism in his soldiers. They seem to fulfill the statement of Thomas Carlyle, "We cannot look, however imperfectly, upon a great man without gaining something from him." The scriptures say, "These are the names of David’s heroes" (2 Samuel 23:8, NEB). and then lists more than thirty heroic soldiers. Heroes affect us in four ways. First, a hero captures our attention. One of those heroes was a man named Benaiah "who went down into a pit and killed a lion on a snowy day" (2 Samuel 23:20, NEB). Because we face problems that stalk us like lions, we admire Benaiah, whose action captures our attention. Secondly, a hero crystallizes our intention. The lion that Benaiah faced strayed up from the area near the Jordan River and was stranded in a snowstorm. The presence of that lion was not under Benaiah’s control. However, what Benaiah could control and what we can control is our reaction to the problems we face. That type of self-control is a personal goal worth developing. Benaiah’s example helps us to crystallize just such an intention. Thirdly, a hero cultivates our retention. Although it was a snowy day and the lion was in a pit, Benaiah did not run away; he held his ground before the lion. Benaiah’s courage in the face of unfavorable circumstances encourages our retention, our holding on when the going gets tough. As a Norwegian proverb says, "A hero is one who knows how to hold on one minute longer." Fourthly, a hero catalyzes our extension. Just as a certain substance can spark a chemical reaction, so a heroic figure causes us to enlarge our outlook and to expand our efforts toward our goals. The Last Word Have you ever been in a heated argument with someone and couldn't let the matter drop? You just had to continue making your point. Why? Because you had to have the last word. If you have ever been in a classroom discussion, you have discovered the importance of that class reaching some sort of resolution and conclusion to the discussion. Students will often look to the teacher to settle the matter. The teacher has the last word. If you ever watched Ted Koppel on the late night television show Nightline, you saw him struggle with trying to be fair in dealing with two or more opposing points of view. It is also obvious how important it is to have the last word on that show. The last one to speak always seems to have the most lasting impact. To have the last word is to be the final authority. To have the last word is to have the most power. To have the last word means that you are in control, that you are the boss. Ask any coach, teacher, manager, CEO, or parent and they will tell you that having the last word is what they are all about. However we might think that a king is an old-fashioned and irrelevant image for an authority figure for the late twentieth century (and that is probably accurate!), nevertheless, before we throw this day out of our liturgical calendar, we ought to get behind the historical cobwebs of a king and look instead at what the tradition of the church is really trying to communicate with this day of Christ the King. Perhaps "King" isn't a helpful way to talk about Jesus in this day and age, but if we think of a king as someone who has the last word, who is the final authority and power in life, then celebrating Christ as King might begin to make more sense. Steven E. Albertin, Against the Grain -- Words for a Politically Incorrect Church, CSS Publishing, Lima Christ the king Sunday is the last word of the Christian year. It is intended for us to remember that the last word in our faith is Jesus Christ is Lord and King of our lives. We leave one Christian year and enter into another. We are ending year b – next week we begin year C – we follow the book of Luke. We prepare our hearts for Christ to come into our hearts in a whole new way. Thanksgiving ends and we start the first Sunday of advent. We did not look at psalm 132 – but it is a praise written by King David. In it, As God settles down and chooses to live among his people in a temple – the words of the psalm welcome God home to a heart fit for a king. As we prepare our hearts this year for the coming of the king – may we too live in the promises of God – may we remember that christ is indeed King of our hearts and everything that we do. Amen. Litany P: I am an independent person. I need no one. I am my own person. No one owns me! L: Come , bow down before your Lord, your King. P: Excuse me! I have no king. I don't need a king. L: The Lord Jesus Christ, he is the King of Kings. P: Where is his kingdom? L: In your heart and spirit. P: You've got to be kidding!? L: No, the Lord seeks to reign in your heart, to establish his kingdom in your life. P: Nobody's setting up shop in my head! L: It's difficult to understand. The Lord Jesus Christ is seeking you out, as friend, and witness. P: Witness to what? L: To God's absolute love for you and for all creation. P: All I see is war and violence; viciousness and hatred. L: Open your eyes. There is more to see than that. You yourself have been a blessing to someone recently. P: Me? I don't think so. What do you mean? L: You recently offered your help to a person in need, didn't you? P: Well, yes. But..... L: You supported people who were in ministries of caring and compassion. P: Well, of course. That's what you should do. L: Why? P: Because they needed help and even though I couldn't provide it directly, I could help cover the expenses of those who could be right at hand. L: Why did you do it? P: Because it was needed. Someone has to help, right? L: It's nice that you are part of that "someone". Christ's love is reigning in you. P: I never thought of it that way. L: Whenever you have reached out to others in love and compassion, you have reached out to Christ. You have become part of the Kingdom team. P: But I don't feel controlled, ruled over. L: You're not. Christ is working with you to bring about God's kingdom. P: So, I'm actually doing what God wants? How about that! L: Keep on working. There is much to be done, and God is with you through it all. AMEN. Lord’s Prayer Song All Hail the Power of Jesus Name UMH 155 Announcements Closing Prayer for Facebook Jesus Christ, our Sovereign and Savior, you pour out your power for the powerless and your salvation for the lost. Remember us in your new creation, so that we may live in peace with you in the presence of the Holy One, to whom be all honor and glory, through you, in the Holy Spirit, now and forever. Luke 23:33-43 / Year C Community Time Benediction (Revelation 1, John 18) God calls us into the world to embody a realm that is not of this world. Go forth now in the name of the one who is, and was, and is to come. May God’s grace and peace be with you. Amen. Children’s Sermon One of the things I enjoyed most in school was a special day called "Hat Day." All of the students and teachers wore a hat to school on that day. You would see all kinds of hats -- big hats, small hats, cloth hats, and straw hats. Some were very funny. You know, you can tell a lot about a person by the kind of hat he wears. Sometimes, you can even tell what a person does for a living by the kind of hat he or she wears. I have a bag full of hats to show you. As I take a hat out of my bag, raise your hand if you think you know who would wear that kind of hat. Who knows who would wear a hat like this? (Fire Fighter's Hat) Right! A fire fighter. That was easy, wasn't it? How about this one? (Hard Hat) Oh, you are right again. Someone who works in construction would wear a hat like this. It is sometimes called a hard hat. People who build buildings, highways, bridges, and things like that. Have you ever seen anyone wearing a hat like this? (Cowboy Hat) Who would wear a hat like this? Yahoo! You got that right, it is worn by a cowboy or cowgirl. Now, this next one is a little different. Let's see if you can get this one. (Crown) I wonder who would wear something like this? Can you guess? I can't fool you, a crown is worn by a king or queen, isn't it? Today's lesson is about a King who was born many years ago. This king was different from most. What made this king different? Well, for one thing, he didn't live in a palace. He didn't wear a beautiful robe or a jeweled crown. He had no servants to wait on him -- and and no soldiers to fight his battles. He didn't even have a country over which to rule and there were no coins engraved with his face or his name. I imagine that most of you have probably guessed who this king is. The King is Jesus. He is not just any king, he is the King of Kings. His kingdom is not on earth, his kingdom is in heaven. That is why many people never chose to make him their king. When Jesus was on earth, the people were looking for a king who would set up a kingdom on earth. A kingdom where they would share the wealth and power. Jesus did finally wear a crown, but it wasn't a crown of gold with jewels, it was a crown of thorns. A cross became his throne and above his head was a sign that read, "This is the King of the Jews." Roman soldiers stood beneath his cross and mocked him. "If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!" they cried. Crucified 0n each side of Jesus were two criminals. One of them mocked him saying, "If you are the Messiah, prove it. Save yourself—and us, too, while you're at it!" But the other criminal said, "We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man has done nothing wrong." Then he turned to Jesus and said, "Remember me when you come into your Kingdom." Jesus replied, "Today you will be with me in paradise." Some people still refuse to recognize Jesus as King. But all around the world today the Word is spoken, "Jesus Christ is still the King of Kings." Jesus, today we crown you King and make you Lord of our life. Amen. Additional Illustrations History of Christ the King Sunday This is actually a pretty new festival in the church year. Its roots go back only to the late 1800's, when the world's great empires--British, American, Spanish, French, German, Russian, Japanese--were all at war or about to go to war somewhere. The man who was the pope of the Roman Catholic Church at the time wrote a letter in which he dedicated the world to Christ the King. In the letter, he reminded the empires that God is present with the whole human race, even with those who do not know God. After World War I, another pope designated the last Sunday in October as Christ the King Sunday, a day to remember that Christ received power and honor from God and was thereby made ruler of the universe. Eventually, Catholics moved Christ the King Sunday to the last Sunday of the church year, when they were already accustomed to reflecting on Christ's return at the end of time to rule over all creation, a theme which echoes throughout Revelation, the last book of the Bible. David W. Miller, Reign of Truth History of Christ the King Sunday This is actually a pretty new festival in the church year. Its roots go back only to the late 1800's, when the world's great empires--British, American, Spanish, French, German, Russian, Japanese--were all at war or about to go to war somewhere. The man who was the pope of the Roman Catholic Church at the time wrote a letter in which he dedicated the world to Christ the King. In the letter, he reminded the empires that God is present with the whole human race, even with those who do not know God. After World War I, another pope designated the last Sunday in October as Christ the King Sunday, a day to remember that Christ received power and honor from God and was thereby made ruler of the universe. Eventually, Catholics moved Christ the King Sunday to the last Sunday of the church year, when they were already accustomed to reflecting on Christ's return at the end of time to rule over all creation, a theme which echoes throughout Revelation, the last book of the Bible. Are you the king of the Jews? We are familiar with that question, which is asked of Jesus in the passion story. Everyone in those days knew what a king was! We are not talking here about best sport, or Miss Congeniality — we are talking kings! When Alexander the Great was the greatest king of the then-known world, he decided to conquer all of Asia Minor. Darius, the King of Persia, the only other ruler that could claim super-power status, sued for peace, saying to Alexander: "Let's you and me just divide up Asia together." To which Alexander replied, "Just as the earth can stand only one sun, so the world can have only one ruler!" Alexander promptly crushed Darius. If the church is to make a difference in the world, every one of its members must begin to act and think like leaders. Leadership is not for the few and the special, the exception rather than the expected. Whether this mysterious thing called "leadership" comes naturally or is an acquired talent, every Christian must come to terms with it. A biblical style of leadership and language of leadership must become endemic in the church Our narrative today, 2 Samuel 23:1-7, is often called "the last words of David." Whether he or some later writer composed these words doesn’t really matter. They sum up some of what he brought to the world and they point the way forward. They give a glimpse for the people of Israel of what leadership and the kingdom can achieve. This legacy suggests the perpetuity of the house (dynasty) of David. They are words of assurance that God will dwell with his people. These are truly "famous last words." In them there are at least three themes: (1) David’s words were good words because the Spirit of the Lord spoke through him (2 Samuel 23:2); (2) a glimpse of perfect leadership (2 Samuel 23:3-4); and (3) an everlasting relationship/covenant (2 Samuel 23:5). 1. Good words Language specialists claim that the five sweetest phrases in the English language are: "I love you." "Dinner is served." "All is forgiven." "Sleep ‘til noon." "Keep the change." And there are those who choose to add: "You’ve lost weight!" In a book titled Irrepressible Churchill, Kay Halle told the story of a little boy who lived near Chartwell, England. It was at Chartwell Manor that Winston Churchill lived after his retirement as prime minister in 1955. This little boy was taken to Chartwell by the woman who cared for him each day. She told the little boy that he was going to see "the greatest man in the whole, wide world." When this woman and the boy in her charge arrived at Chartwell Manor, they learned that Sir Winston had retired for his afternoon nap. While the woman was having tea, the little boy slipped away from the adults, climbed the stairs, and started to explore the house. He pushed open the door to one of the bedrooms and saw Winston Churchill curled up in bed, ready for one of his famous naps. The little boy crept to the bed and asked, "Are you the greatest man in the whole wide world?" Sir Winston fixed his eye on him for a moment, then replied, "Of course, I’m the greatest man in the whole wide world. Now buzz off." once heard the story of a dilapidated little shop whose owner was about to go out of business. The floor was unswept, the windows unwashed, the goods in disorder, and the proprietor careless and untidy. One day the king came by, saw the wretched condition of the place, and said to the shopkeeper, "If you will do as I say, I will let you put over the door 'approved by the king.' " The proprietor gladly consented. Everything was changed; the floor was swept, the windows washed, the goods in order, and the keeper himself cleaned up. Soon customers began to come and money rang in the cash register because of the approval of the king. Hallelujah! Have you ever let the king take over your life? Have we ever said: "Into my heart, into my heart, come into my heart, Lord Jesus. Come in today. Come in to stay. Come into my heart, Lord Jesus." A grandmother wanted her granddaughter to attend Sunday school. So she arranged to pick her up and take her. She took her to her class and introduced her to her teacher. Following the class the grandmother picked her up and drove her home. The grandmother was anxious to hear about her granddaughter's experience. She noticed that her granddaughter was in a rather pensive mood as she silently stared out of the car window. Finally, the grandmother could not stand the suspense any longer and asked her granddaughter, "Well, what did you think of Sunday school?" Thoughtfully, she replied, "Grandma, what's so great about Jesus?" once heard the story of a dilapidated little shop whose owner was about to go out of business. The floor was unswept, the windows unwashed, the goods in disorder, and the proprietor careless and untidy. One day the king came by, saw the wretched condition of the place, and said to the shopkeeper, "If you will do as I say, I will let you put over the door 'approved by the king.' " The proprietor gladly consented. Everything was changed; the floor was swept, the windows washed, the goods in order, and the keeper himself cleaned up. Soon customers began to come and money rang in the cash register because of the approval of the king. Hallelujah! Have you ever let the king take over your life? Have we ever said: "Into my heart, into my heart, come into my heart, Lord Jesus. Come in today. Come in to stay. Come into my heart, Lord Jesus." once heard the story of a dilapidated little shop whose owner was about to go out of business. The floor was unswept, the windows unwashed, the goods in disorder, and the proprietor careless and untidy. One day the king came by, saw the wretched condition of the place, and said to the shopkeeper, "If you will do as I say, I will let you put over the door 'approved by the king.' " The proprietor gladly consented. Everything was changed; the floor was swept, the windows washed, the goods in order, and the keeper himself cleaned up. Soon customers began to come and money rang in the cash register because of the approval of the king. Hallelujah! Have you ever let the king take over your life? Have we ever said: "Into my heart, into my heart, come into my heart, Lord Jesus. Come in today. Come in to stay. Come into my heart, Lord Jesus."

Life Goes On

November 15, 2020 Judges 4:1-7 Life goes on 24th Sunday after Pentecost Year A Opening Song Welcome Call to Worship inspired by Psalm 123 O God, you have been our help in ages past. You’ve reminded us what was possible and pushed us beyond our fears. You’ve raised our eyes to higher groundand made our hearts soar with the hope of years to come. Be our guard while these troubles last and dare us to dream in this new day. Surprise us, O God, with good trouble in our worship this day. Stewardship Moment Offertory With great joy we receive our morning offering today. This is a vital reminder of the many ways in which we can serve God through the ministries and mission of this church. Let us joyfully receive this morning’s offering. Prayer of Dedication Lord of blessings and hope, we give to you these gifts as tokens of our lives. Use these gifts for healing and hope in your world. Use us as instruments of peace; for we ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen. Scripture Judges 4:1-7 Deborah, Barak, and Jael 4 After Ehud had died, the Israelites again did things that the LORD saw as evil. 2 So the LORD gave them over to King Jabin of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor. The commander of his army was Sisera, and he was stationed in Harosheth-ha-goiim. 3 The Israelites cried out to the LORD because Sisera[a] had nine hundred iron chariots and had oppressed the Israelites cruelly for twenty years. 4 Now Deborah, a prophet, the wife of Lappidoth,[b] was a leader of Israel at that time. 5 She would sit under Deborah’s palm tree between Ramah and Bethel in the Ephraim highlands, and the Israelites would come to her to settle disputes. 6 She sent word to Barak, Abinoam’s son, from Kedesh in Naphtali and said to him, “Hasn’t the LORD, Israel’s God, issued you a command? ‘Go and assemble at Mount Tabor, taking ten thousand men from the people of Naphtali and Zebulun with you. 7 I’ll lure Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s army, to assemble with his chariots and troops against you at the Kishon River, and then I’ll help you overpower him.’” Sermon Life Goes On One of the challenges of preaching from the lectionary, is that after 3 years, you have already preached all of your sermons on the scriptures. And you have to strive to be come up with a new message every year. I have always worked to be creative and to come up with new messages every Sunday, so that I don’t get caught in a sermon rut. So today is very interesting. I have honestly never preached a sermon on the book of Judges. So this is truly a first. As I said before, this is the only time in the three year lectionary that Judges even comes up. The title of my sermon is Life Goes On. For the last weeks we have been following the history of the Israelites out of Egypt into forming an identity as a people. We heard about Moses leadership, and eventual death. Last week we heard the story of his predecessor Joshua. At the end of his rule, Joshua makes one last appeal to a generation that he did not understand to stay united and to follow God. The first chapter of Judges beings by saying that Joshua died, and there was no obvious leader to rise up and to keep the Isrealites united and focused. So they move away, they come in contact with other cultures, they are not as connected as a family. Each person kinda goes their own way and does what they think is best. A new form of leadership emerges – it is more democratic. When there is a dispute or disagreement – they go to a judge. The Book of Judges is a story of 12 judges, 6 major judges and 6 minor judges. We have all heard the story of Samson and Delilah – Samson was the last judge. Our Scripture for today – is the story of the 4th judge – Deborah. I had never heard Deborah’s story until seminary. Deborah was a married woman. But she has a huge reputation of being a fair judge. People came from miles around, to sit under the Deborah tree with her, as she make judgements and settled disputes. Interestingly, history does not make a big deal about the fact that she is a woman. Her story stands out because oppressors have been making the people miserable for years. And Deborah has a strategy to defeat them and to free the people. Chapters 4 and 5 are her story. Her leadership is important because she recognizes the gifts of others, and empowers them to be true heros. She leads by example. Ronald Sisk remembers his first pastorate in rural Kentucky. The church possessed an old-fashioned belfry with a bell that could be rung by pulling on a rope. This fascinated him. In his mind, he envisioned ringing that bell every Sunday morning, calling the faithful to worship, and announcing faithful witness to the community at large. However, when he asked about the bell, he was told the sad tale that the bell had not been rung in years. "That bell keeps rusting, pastor," one of the men of the church explained, "the roof is high and steep and we can't get anybody to crawl up there and grease it." Ron admits that he was both "young and stupid." One Saturday morning, he climbed the roof, crab crawling his way to the belfry with a can of grease. His wife stood on the ground thirty feet below holding a safety rope. He got it greased and made it down safely. Several church members saw their new, young pastor on the roof of the church that day. By the next day, the new pastor's stunt was the talk of the congregation. Before church was over that morning, at least two members of the building and grounds committee made a point of telling their pastor, "You don't have to worry about that bell next time, pastor. That's our job." Ron proudly claimed, "We rang the bell every Sunday for the rest of my tenure with that congregation."2 Deborah’s story is the story of how every day people became heroes because they were willing to do what is necessary. Barak goes into battle to destroy the oppressor. He fights diligently, but does not kill the leader. Deborah tells him that he is not intended for that role – Jalil a young women finds the leader in her tent and drives a stake into him. When Barak says that he must destroy the leader, Jalil says it is already taken care of - all in a days work. Its gory – but Jael becomes the hero of the story – just by doing what was necessary in a time of need. The story of how the Hebrews developed is the story of their relationship of God and also a story of leadership. A charismatic leader brought them out of Egypt. When he is gone, they are told not to have a strong leader, because they are supposed to put God first as their leader. Eventually, they would choose a king to lead them, but that is down the road. The form of leadership evolves with the needs of the community. Those who step up for leadership are responding to those needs? What are the needs of our church, our community our world? What leadership will respond to those needs? Judges is actually a pretty long book. It is 21 chapters. Many of the stories are pretty gory and even upsetting with its level of violence. But it teaches some very important lessons about leadership and in many cases lack of leadership. There is one overarching lesson in the book of Judges. It seems that over and over again in all circumstances, the people get sidetracked and forget to put God first. God gets mad at them and punishes them by sending an oppressor. They cry out to God, a leader emerges to lead them to freedom. Lives get better and life goes on. Debbie’s story is an important example of that. I think one reason that the lectionary designers left this story out of the 3 year cycle is because it is pretty gory. This is all that we know about Deborah. But it teaches us some important lessons as we look at our lives, our times and our leadership. • In tough times, When we cry out – God sends a leader to get us through • Salvation comes from unexpected places. No one would have expected a woman to be the leader in such an important battle. Even in its goriness, this is a powerful story. Barak, the general is afraid to go into battle, so he asks Deborah to go with him. Deborah tells him to destroy the oppressive leader. Barak kills all of his followers, but not the leader. Deborah tells him that it will be a woman who kills the leader. Barak just happens to talk to the oppressors wife telling her that her husband must be killed. It’s the wife that tells him – already done – killed him last night. No one would have expected that – but that was the one who God chose to the work. • When we battle the oppressor we don’t go out alone • Author Ann Lemott notices that when God wants to bring change – God starts the work in hardship and hardtimes • As a leader, Deborah did not do all of the work herself – she was able to empower others to be leaders on their own. • Deborah’s strength as a leader came from her willingness to be herself, and to do what she could. It is said that heroes are not those who stand apart. Heroes are just ordinary people who were willing to address the needs in their lives. Heroes are not the outspoken, but the humble. • Sometimes we may never know that names and stories of the heroes that saved us, but God calls us to be a nameless part of history in order to empower nameless others. Fred Craddock enjoys sharing the story of a time he returned to the little church of his childhood.3 He had not visited there in years, and walking into the sanctuary, he was surprised to discover that they had purchased new stained-glass windows. Inscribed at the bottom of each was the name of the donor, but to his dismay, Craddock was not familiar with any of them. "You must have had a good many folks join this congregation since I was a boy," Fred remarked to a woman after the worship service, "because I don't recognize a single name." "Oh, those people aren't members here," she said. "This town hasn't grown a bit since you were a child, and for that matter neither has our church." "Then how did you get these beautiful windows?" "Well, it's kind of an interesting story," she said with a smile. "You see, they were made by an Italian company for a church in St. Louis. Unfortunately, when they arrived, none of them fit. The company apologized, of course, and said they would make new windows. But they were too expensive to ship back, and so the company told the church in St. Louis to sell them wherever they could. We bought the windows from them." "But don't you want to remove these names?" asked Fred. "Well, we thought about it," the woman explained. "We even discussed it at the board meeting. We're just a little church, you know. Not many of us here, never any new people. So we finally decided that it was important for us to remember all these folks we'll never meet, through whom the Lord is working in ways we'll never know." I think that we all have to ask ourselves how is God calling us to be leaders? What are the needs in our lives that God is calling us to respond to? What are the obvious things in our world that we could easily do. Life Goes on in our actions. Let us pray…. Prayer Gracious and generous God, you are always with us, offering guidance, healing and hope. We know that with things seem dark or are dazzlingly bright; when troubled times assail or peace reigns; there you are with us. Continue to guide and challenge our lives. Lead us in pathways of service and away from trails of fear and anxiety. Open our hearts to receive your healing transforming love that we might serve you more faithfully; for we ask these things in Jesus’ name. AMEN. Lord’s Prayer Song for Reflection A Charge to Keep I Have UMH 413 Announcements Next week is the last Sunday of the Christian year before Advent. Instead of looking at Christ the King Scriptures, we will look at Thanksgiving scriptures. Our service will be based on Deuteronomy 8:7-18. The song for reflection will be Now Thank we all our God – hymnal 102 if you want to get the words. Will not meet, will look at the situation. Please stay safe We will decorate the church on November 28th – concentrate on outside decorations Benediction Community Time Benediction Closing Prayer/Sending Forth Go forth into God’s world as children of the light, offering ministries of hope and healing to a hurting world. Go forth filled with God’s abundant love. Go forth in peace. AMEN. Children’s Time – Do you know anyone names Deborah? Additional Illustrations Swimmy is just like all the other fish swimming in the large minnow school, except that while they are all reddish-gold, he is pure black. The school of little fish swims along peacefully until any larger predator fish comes along. Then whoosh all the little fish, including Swimmy, scatter. Swimmy begins to observe his watery neighbors and in each case, it seems that the big intimidate, bully and consume the small. What could one tiny little misfit fish do about that? Suddenly Swimmy got a brilliant idea. It is a plan that both celebrates his own unique style his solid black coloring and depends on the cooperative teamwork of all his minnow schoolmates. Swimmy organizes the school of all his little friends so that they are swimming in the shape of a large fish. Swimmy himself, his dark body flashing, creates the "eye" of this illusionary giant fish. In the last scene of the book, we see a huge would-be predator take one look at this intimidating mammoth and then turn tail and run (Frederick's Fables [New York: Pantheon Books, 1985], 71-79). Sometimes it only takes one problem, one barrier, to prevent us from claiming and keeping the "Promised Land" the Lord has intended us to inhabit. African-American preacher Buster Soaries likes to say that whatever the problem in your life it is your own personal "Goliath."