July 12th Sermon: “Eyes with which to See the World”

Genesis 21:14-20 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

14 So Abraham rose early in the morning, and took bread and a skin of water, and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, along with the child, and sent her away. And she departed, and wandered about in the wilderness of Beer-sheba.

15 When the water in the skin was gone, she cast the child under one of the bushes. 16 Then she went and sat down opposite him a good way off, about the distance of a bowshot; for she said, “Do not let me look on the death of the child.” And as she sat opposite him, she lifted up her voice and wept. 17 And God heard the voice of the boy; and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven, and said to her, “What troubles you, Hagar? Do not be afraid; for God has heard the voice of the boy where he is. 18 Come, lift up the boy and hold him fast with your hand, for I will make a great nation of him.” 19 Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. She went, and filled the skin with water, and gave the boy a drink.

20 God was with the boy, and he grew up; he lived in the wilderness, and became an expert with the bow.

Sermon:  “Eyes with which to See the World”

 “Hagar lifted up her voice and wept.”  So says verse 16 of today’s scripture reading.  Hagar had A LOT to weep about.  As you heard in the introduction to today’s Scripture reading, Hagar was a maid servant and also the concubine of the Patriarch Abraham.  You may know the story of how she was given to Abraham to bear him children, given to Abraham by his wife Sarah, who at the time was thought to be barren.  Hagar had no choice in the matter.  She was a foreign woman--Egyptian--owned by Abraham’s family.  She was in the position that all enslaved peoples are in--she either did what she was told, or she would be punished, in  her case, “cast out.”  And cast out meant losing everything:  food, shelter, clothing, relationships--and any hope for the future.  Being cast out meant facing almost inevitable death. 

So, in Hagar’s case, she did what she was told--she bore a child for Abraham--but she was cast out anyway.  In our Scripture reading for today, we see that she was sent into the wilderness with only 3 things:  her son, some bread, and a container of water.  And when the water ran out, she left her child in the shade and sat down near him, expecting that, after having lost everything else, she would also lose what mattered most to her:  the life of her dear son, Ishmael.

Biblical Scholar “Phyllis Trible speaks eloquently about Hagar’s becoming many things to many people…: ‘Most especially, all sorts of rejected women find their stories in her.  She is the faithful maid exploited, the black woman used by the male and abused by the female of the ruling class, the surrogate mother, the resident alien without legal recourse… the divorced mother with child, the [homeless] bag lady carrying bread and water… the self-effacing female whose own identity shrinks in service to others.’”  (Phyllis Trible quoted by Terrance E. Fretheim in New Interpreter’s Bible Commentary, Vol. I, p. 490)

No matter how Hagar is seen--it is clear that she is a woman who is grieving multiple losses--and fearing the worst loss of all--the impending death of her child.  She expresses all the grief she is feeling by lifting up her voice and weeping.

Do we ever do that--or feel like doing it--lifting up our voice and weeping in grief?   I attended a UCC zoom webinar for pastors a couple of months ago, led by a therapist Rev. Dr. Claire W. Bamberg, who reminded us that the whole world is in a state of grief because of the Covid 19 pandemic.  And then she began to name some of the losses that people are going through.  It’s a list I’ve been adding to as the Pandemic goes along.  I’m sure we each have our own lists that include some, perhaps all of the following:

·        Loss of loved ones.

·        Loss of livelihood, job, business

·        Loss of human interaction in the way we have always known it:

o   Not being able to hug each other. 

o   Not being able to shake hands. 

o   Not being able to even be in the same room with more than a few people at a time. 

o   Not being able to physically attend school

·        All of which leads to an enormous loss:  NOT being able to participate fully in the rituals that mark the milestones in our lives, that give our lives meaning:  weddings, baptisms, funerals, graduations, family reunions, anniversary celebrations.

That’s a TON of loss!!  And I didn’t even name everything on my list. 

The leader of the seminar reminded us that the human reactions to all of this loss are well described by psychologist Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross in her famous 5 stages of the grief process:

·         Denial,

·        Anger,

·        Depression,

·        Bargaining,

·        And eventually Acceptance. 

So, all that to say, who--going through all this--wouldn’t want to lift up their voice and weep--or yell or complain or fall apart?  And the hard part of the grief we are going through now, in this pandemic, is that we don’t yet know when we will have a vaccine, and without that “end” in sight, the grief is ongoing, and we keep cycling through the first 4 stages--and it’s really hard to get to the acceptance phase. 

So, what do we do about it?  How do we handle all of the emotions that come with grief and loss that seem unending? 

Back to our Scripture story.  When Hagar lifted up her voice and wept, God heard hear.  I know that technically, in verse 17, the Scripture says that God “heard the  voice of the boy,” but my understanding of why the Scripture phrases it like this is to remind the readers of the meaning of Hagar’s son’s name:  Ishmael which is literally translated, “God hears.”  And verse 17 says, “God heard the voice of the boy where he is.” God has not forgotten Hagar or her son.  Even in the midst of the wilderness, in the midst of enormous grief and loss upon loss, God is there.  God tells her not to be afraid.  Interestingly enough, the name Hagar means “one who fears,” “the one who flees.”   (Biblestudytools.com; abarim-publications.com)  But in the middle of her fear, after she is forced to flee, God is still with her and provides for her needs.  Verse 19.  “God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water.” 

Rabbi Harold Kushner, in his book “Who needs God” comments on this passage by saying:

“ God did not make a miracle happen for Hagar as we usually understand that term.  He did not create any life-giving resources that were not there before.  He opened her eyes so that she saw the well that she had not previously noticed, and all of a sudden the same world which had looked so hopelessly cruel to her a moment before was now seen as a livable and life-sustaining place.  The well had been there all along.  The world was never really as bleak and barren a place as it had seemed to her.  But until God opened her eyes and led her to see the water, she looked at life and saw only futility and suffering.”  (p. 29)

The same is true for us.  When grief narrows our focus and all we can see in the world are the things that make us lift up our voice and weep, we need to bring those things before God.  We need to let ourselves lift up our voice and weep.  We need to cry and wail and name the pain we are feeling, we need to lament.  And, then, we need to keep praying.  Praying that God will open our eyes--not to overlook the pain--but to see that there is so much more than only pain.  God is present with us in the midst of it, and God can lift our gaze and bring healing and even joy into our lives despite our circumstances.

Rabbi Kushner puts it this way:  “it is more than a matter of whether we look at a glass and see it as half full or half empty.  It is whether faith and experience have taught us to look at a glass that is nearly empty, like Hagar’s water bottle, and believe that there are resources in the world capable of refilling it.” (p. 30)

So, as we prepare to celebrate communion together today, let us ask God to open our eyes and hearts to believe that God has provided resources in the world--abundant resources to give us hope even in the midst of grief.   And, as we go through our week, let us feel our grief, and lift that pain up to God.  AND let us consciously look for the places in our lives where God has provided wells overflowing with love and grace.  They are there; we just need eyes of faith to see them. Can we make it our spiritual work this week to name one source of such grace each day?

Let me close with a prayer/poem by Rev. Arianne Braithwaite Lehn, entitled “When I ache with hurt.”  Let us pray…

Spirit who groans with

sighs too deep for words,

I lean into and rest in those sighs.

I find in your pleas and

Petitions a home for

My ache,

My dismay,

And so much anger.

I hold your hand as you

Help me sift through

Each layer of betrayal,

My feelings of being deceived,

My temptation to turn against--

To blame, to ignore, to lose sight

Of the “you” within others,

However deeply buried.

You’ve told me you cannot heal

What I don’t give space to grieve and feel.

And, so, I trust that no

Feeling is final and forever.

That there is room and

Respect and honor

for tears and incredulity

And deep, deep sadness.

So, holy spirit, would you meld

My sighs and groans into your own,

Bringing me into a love

for you above all else?

Would you make firm the weak knees

And quench the parched voice,

That I might serve your communion,

Overflowing with peace and  healing?

Would you stretch my fingertips

To the wounds of the breaking,

Tenderly showing them

How wide your arms are?

And, would you ignite in me

Bravery to live the gospel

with new passion and intensity?

I give you thanks for your embrace

Of all I can pray and all I cannot.

And that this can be enough.

In the love and grace

Of my wounded healer…

Amen.  (from Ash and Starlight:  Prayers for the Chaos and Grace of Daily Life p. 94)

                                    Rev. Dr. Marlayna Schmidt

                                    Franklin Federated Church

                                    Franklin, MA

                                    July 12, 2020

Deacons

Deacons in our tradition are charged with tending to “the spiritual life of the church.” Today I googled “Deacon” and came across this definition by Martin B. Copenhaver , pastor of the Village Church UCC in Wellesley, quoted here because I could not say it better. He wrote that a deacon complained about washing dishes after communion and delivering food to the homebound. “How could they tend to important spiritual matters when they were occupied with such mundane tasks? ‘I feel like a glorified butler,’ one of the Deacons complained. So we looked together at the book of Acts, where the word ‘deacon’ first appears, and discovered that the apostles commissioned the first deacons so there would be someone to take food to the widows (it was a time when to be a widow was synonymous with being poor.) The word ‘deacon’ means, literally, waiter or servant. So those who are deacons are, indeed, butlers, charged with the mundane task of delivering food. They are also glorified because that simple act of taking food to the widows is an important expression of love. . . . In God’s realm, everything is turned upside down, and many of our assumptions begin to shake loose. To lead is to be a servant, as Jesus was a servant, and the greatest honor is not when we are given a gold watch, but rather when we are given a dish towel.” from Lyn Pickhover, Servant

An Appeal: Serving on FFC Diaconate

1 Timothy 3: 8 - 13  "... ;they must hold fast to the mystery of faith with a clear conscience...for those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and great boldness in the faith that is in Christ Jesus." (v. 9, 13; NRSV)

     There's a need for a person or three to step forward and serve on 'our' board of Deacons! There's a change in the air in our churches, our communities, our minds, our hearts, do you not perceive it? There's such a strong attraction to the inexplicable connected to our faith, that yours truly can feel guilty (at times) for not promoting that faith. There's a movement afoot to re-imagine the role of our Deacons at Franklin Federated Church, kindly consider helping create that. There's always the gnawing that accompanies one's motives, especially as they relate to spiritual-things like: 'gain a good standing for themselves' (v. 13), i.e., am I doing thus-and-so because it's the right thing or for some personal advantage? I really try to not get stuck on over-thinking this one, so I pray for the former and let God change my heart if really the latter.

     There's quite a strict list of Deacon qualifications, if you care to read the entire passage, but adherence would eliminate me and there's still a Pastor to support in a manner our predecessors believed appropriate. Then there's, ministering to the spiritual needs / interests of the Church community and ensuring that no one is overlooked. There's my Ghandi t-shirt encouraging to: "be the change you want to see in the world" and it's applicability to Deacons aiding the [re-] visioning we'll take-on to map out our next few years, as a body of Christians. There's behind the scenes worship services to be bolstered by Deacons. I have not, but there's a possibility you the reader have 'been-there-done-that', so rather than being a re-tread, you might return the grace you were shown and breathe into this necessary ministry, perspectives that reflect your gifts, growth and experience. There's intangible "receipt in the giving" to paraphrase St. Francis. There's communion to be served, decisions to be made to impact this Church family, and people and needs to be prayed for; your Deacon-workers are few; please think about serving. It's an amazing thing, this faith in Christ Jesus! 

     Finally, there's the God of our understanding blessing & keeping you, Kevin & your Deacons

July 12th Worship

WE WILL BE CELEBRATING COMMUNION THIS SUNDAY.  PLEASE HAVE A GLASS OF JUICE AND PIECE OF BREAD WITH YOU WHEN YOU WORSHIP.

 
ORDER OF WORSHIP (30-40 minutes):
- Prelude
- Welcome
- Announcements
- Call to Worship
- Hymn “Come to the Table of Grace"
- Scripture Reading: Genesis 21:14-20 (Story of Hagar in the wilderness)
- Sermon “Eyes with which To See the World”
- Communion of the Lord’s Supper
- Hymn #86 “Great Is Thy Faithfulness"
- Benediction

PRAYER SERVICE (20-30 minutes)
You are invited to type prayer requests into the chat function of the Livestream.  
 LORD’S PRAYER
 POSTLUDE
 You can access the Livestream the same way you have been doing:  on the church’s website and  FaceBook page.  Note:  You will be able to see the words to hymns, call to worship and the Lord's Prayer on your screen during worship.  Or, you can access the words and music with the links below.

If you don't have internet/access to a computer you can call and listen to the audio only!
The call information is: 
   +1 929 205 6099 US (New York)
   Meeting ID: 875 7770 7402
   Password: 682072

If you call in you will be automatically muted so that the sound doesn't affect the LiveStream. 

Hymns for Sunday, July 12th

 

Click on the hymn to view and/or download the music.

Come to the Table of Grace
#86  Great Is Thy Faithfulness

Matthew 6:5-14

Matthew 6:5-14  "Our Father in heaven, may your name always be kept holy. May your kingdom come and what you want be done, here on earth as it is in heaven. Give us the food we need for each day. Forgive us our sins, just as we have forgiven those who sinned against us. And do not cause us to be tempted, but save us from the Evil One." (v. 9-13; NCV)

     The "Lord's Prayer" or the "Our Father" as it was referred to during my formative years and presented by Rev. Marlayna is an appropriate subject anytime, let alone Father's Day. I can identify with those whose earthly male parent wasn't as "present", as they/I might have preferred, ergo relating to a supreme being [God] is likely difficult at best! In time, I came to reconcile that my father did the best he could with the tools he was given, particularly after understanding the role-model he was shown. That said, t'was the grace of God that my awareness of my rearing, acceptance of the how and why that father-son relationship barely survived, which prompted me to be better with my opportunity with the next generation; though, the now six 30-somethings (+ their significant others) are seemingly discerning that currently. 

     I admit, that I do battle with the above phrase: "do not cause us to be tempted". For me, therein is an implication that my sage, initiator God: tempts me - I don't think so. Personal experience reveals or has orchestrated that my worst enemy lies within or getting out of my own way many times might prove to be a brilliant strategy. The NRSV of the Bible tames the idea a bit saying: "do not bring us to the time of trial", but still hints that the father [God] incites attractive or alluring wrong-doing; still difficult for this writer to swallow. The Message, which actually uses the words: 'remix' and 'contemporary' in its Biblical title states: "keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil", at this juncture of the prayer, speaking right to where I'm at. Oh God, grant me the wisdom to know the difference, between what's mine and what I'd best relinquish, because it's likely that   

my perception isn't perfectly clear when it comes to someone I encounter, giving me an opportunity to speak and act like Jesus. May IT be so.....

      Blessed be the tie that binds! Onward, your Deacons

July 5th Worship

This coming Sunday, July 5th, Rev. Marlayna is away.  Deacons Lyn Pickhover and Claire Chiboub will be leading worship along with Music Director, Julie Gorman.



ORDER OF WORSHIP (30-40 minutes):

- Welcome

- Prelude
- Announcements
- Call to Worship
- Hymn #517 “Love Divine, All Loves Excelling" 
- Scripture Reading: Matthew 22:34-40
- Sermon “Who We Are” 
- The Lord's Prayer
- Hymn #720 “O Beautiful, For Spacious Skies"
- Benediction

PRAYER SERVICE (20-30 minutes) You are invited to type prayer requests into the chat function of the Livestream.      

POSTLUDE

Hymns for Sunday, July 5th

 

Click on the hymn to view and/or download the music.

#517  Love Divine, All Loves Excelling
#720  O Beautiful for Spacious Skies

June 28th Sermon: “A cup of cool water”

Scripture:  Matthew 10:40-42 The Message (MSG)

INTRODUCTION

Today’s Scripture Reading is from the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 10, verses 40 through 42.  These verses are the concluding comments that Jesus makes to his disciples when he is teaching them about the work he has called them to do.  I will be reading from a paraphrase of the Bible called “The Message,” written by Rev. Dr. Eugene Peterson, who writes in the language of contemporary culture

40-42 “We are intimately linked in this harvest work. Anyone who accepts what you do, accepts me, the One who sent you. Anyone who accepts what I do accepts my Father, who sent me. Accepting a messenger of God is as good as being God’s messenger. Accepting someone’s help is as good as giving someone help. This is a large work I’ve called you into, but don’t be overwhelmed by it. It’s best to start small. Give a cool cup of water to someone who is thirsty, for instance. The smallest act of giving or receiving makes you a true apprentice. You won’t lose out on a thing.”

Sermon:  “A cup of cool water”

Do you ever watch, read, or listen to the daily news and feel overwhelmed?  That pretty much happens to me every day, and I’m fairly certain I’m not alone in that feeling.  I feel overwhelmed by the news because it is so clear that so much in our society is broken and needs to change in significant ways.  Our healthcare system, our education system, our criminal justice system, our economic system all have deep flaws that can cause great damage to the most vulnerable among us, yet, even when we are aware of these flaws, it is still so very difficult to change them.  How many of us have felt distressed, discouraged, thinking, “What can I, one little person, possibly do to change any of these systems, to make a positive difference in the world?” 

The disciples of Jesus’ day may have felt something similar.  In chapter 10 of Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus gives the disciples instructions on what he wants them to do in the world.  A few weeks ago we read from the beginning of this chapter where Jesus sends the disciples out and instructs them to “…proclaim the good news, ‘the kingdom of heaven has come near.’  Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, and cast out demons,” (Matthew 10:7-8) an overwhelming job description, that’s for sure.  Even if we take it metaphorically, understanding that Jesus is calling the disciples of his day--and ours-- to join him in the work of healing and liberation, that doesn’t mean the work is easy.  Far from it.

In fact, as chapter 10 of Matthew’s Gospel goes on, Jesus describes just how hard it is.  He tells them that they will be hated, persecuted, that family members will reject them, and that some of them will be arrested and dragged into court.  Jesus also implies that some of them will literally die.  All for trying to follow Jesus and make the world a better place, doing God’s work of love, healing and liberation. 

I wonder if the disciples of the first century--hearing this--and then later experiencing the persecutions that Jesus describes, ever felt like giving up.  Ever felt like, “This is just not working--the kingdom of heaven doesn’t feel near at all.  What can I, one little person, possibly do to bring about healing or liberation, to make a positive difference in the world that is so deeply flawed?  All of my effort adds up to a drop in the bucket, at best.” 

I’m fairly certain the disciples must have felt like that at times--I’ve felt like that, haven’t you?  (No pressure, but feel free to write “yes,” in the chat if you’ve ever felt discouraged, like your work for Jesus is barely a drop in the bucket.)  I was feeling discouraged like that this week after listening to the news.  I was praying and wondering how to find energy to keep joining Jesus in the work of healing and liberation, but I had a sermon to write, so I did some research and found a very encouraging quote.  Dr. David Lose--pastor of a Lutheran Church in Minneapolis-- said this when commenting on today’s reading:

Discipleship doesn’t have to be heroic. Like all the small acts of devotion, tenderness, and forgiveness that go largely unnoticed but tend the relationships that are most important to us, so also the life of faith is composed of a thousand small gestures. Except that, according to Jesus, there is no small gesture. Anything done in faith and love has cosmic significance for the ones involved and, indeed, for the world God loves so much. [REPEAT]   https://www.workingpreacher.org/craft.aspx?post=3265   (june 24, 2014)

And then Dr. Lose references Loren Eiseley’s story of “the star thrower.”  You’ve probably heard it.  Someone is walking down a beach at low tide, and sees thousands of starfish washed up on the sand, dying.   And then the person sees a man, picking up starfish one by one and throwing them back in the ocean, saving their lives.  But the thing is, even if the man worked all day, there is just one of him, and so he will only be able to save a small fraction of a percentage of the dying sea creatures.  Which is what the person says to him, cynically asking “Why are you bothering to do this?  You can’t hope to make any significant difference.”  To which the star thrower replies in the famous closing line of the story, “To the ones I throw back, it makes all the difference in the world.”

Back to Dr. Lose’s statement:   “According to Jesus, there is no small gesture. Anything done in faith and love has cosmic significance for the ones involved and, indeed, for the world God loves so much.” 

The Bible is very clear:  we are called to join Jesus in the work of healing and liberation, which includes--in the words of the sign out front, “Standing up, speaking up, showing up for justice”-- and working to change the systems that hurt the most vulnerable among us, who are God’s precious children.  We are also called to engage in what Dr. Lose refers to as “the small acts of devotion, tenderness, and forgiveness that go largely unnoticed but tend the relationships that are most important to us.”  In fact, when we engage in those small acts, we have no idea the difference we might make in someone’s life.  

I’ve been your interim pastor for less than a month.  (Well, two days short of a month), but I’ve already witnessed dozens of small gestures of love, care, devotion, tenderness and forgiveness that you have shown each other--and me.  Our scripture reading puts it this way:  Jesus says, “This is a large work I’ve called you into, but don’t be overwhelmed by it. It’s best to start small. Give a cool cup of water to someone who is thirsty…”

Now, I realize that we are in the midst of a pandemic, so literally giving a cup of cool water to someone who is thirsty may not be something we feel comfortable doing right now.  (And that’s understandable.)  So, we have to get creative in how we reach out in faith--and you are!

Here are a few examples:

-  I know many of you work hard--through phone calls and notes and emails--to stay in touch with each other during this time when in-person church is not happening.

-  Some connect groups are continuing to meet-- via zoom or email or in small, in person gatherings at a safe distance outside.

 - Your committees are still meeting via zoom and doing the work of the church.

- We continue to gather on Sundays for livestream worship and prayer, and dozens of you are involved in the email “prayer links,” lifting each other--and our neighbors--up before God in prayer.

- Your council has formed a task team who has just sent out a questionnaire asking people what they need from the church.  Please fill it out--it will help us minister to you--and help us all minister to our neighbors who may be looking for a loving, caring faith community to be part of.

As we engage in these small acts of love and care, we continue, in the words of the rainbow banner that is now hanging outside of our building, to “be the church.”  (if you haven’t yet seen the banner, please drive by and take a look at it.  Or look for a picture of it that will be posted on the website later this week.  It lists many positive ways we can do God’s work in the world.)  And, unlike the star thrower, who was working by himself, we have each other, and when we work together, Jesus’ love is present among us in ways we cannot explain, and that Love can indeed change the world for the better.  Thanks be to God!  

Rev. Dr. Marlayna Schmidt

Franklin Federated Church

Franklin, MA 

June 28, 2020

Gentiles

The New Testament makes many references to “Gentiles.” Let's stop a moment and examine that what that word meant to the early followers of Jesus. One of the few Hebrew words I learned to read was “goy,” plural “goyim,” which referred to anyone not a Jew. Greek Bibles used the word "ethnikoi" which meant exactly what it sounds like: ethnic groups that were not Jewish. The Latin equivalent was "gentile," from the word "gens" which my Latin teacher taught me to translate as: “tribe” or “nation.” (As in the hymn “We’ve a Story to tell to the Nations.”) Gentiles were specifically not Jews, and when Jesus’ followers divided their world into “us” and “them,” we, as Gentiles, would have been “them.” Eventually, there were more Gentiles than Jews in the movement, and “the Jews” became the reviled “other.” May we think in terms of “us” rather than “us” and “them.”

Matthew 9:35 - 10:23

Matt. 9:35 - 10:23 "Don't begin by going to some far-off place to convert unbelievers...Go to the lost, confused people right here in the neighborhood...When you knock on a door be courteous... gentle... If they don't welcome you, quietly withdraw...and be on your way." (v. 5,6,12-14; MSG).

     Now, what exactly is your or my platform? Not sure about you, but my existence feels pretty simple; it might even qualify as insignificant. I am attending an appropriate 'socially distant' gathering today, but 'relationally distant' will by no means be an intention of the group; in fact the opposite! There's a part of me that is very comfortable behind a mask. If it propels me toward greater relational vulnerability, in both the sharing and empathy-listening domains, my covering may have done a good thing. I found myself unabashedly singing & whistling a hymn in Market Basket in late March and enjoying it, knowing no one could see more than my eyes, mask, cap and latex gloves. I'm also reminded of AA times, where revealing all was very easy, due to a new and anonymous group or setting; after all nobody knew me there.

    Wherein lies my 'sphere of influence'? With whom do I have the intestinal fortitude to apportion my reason for hope (other than spouse, BFF, small group or significant other)? The Matthew text encourages: to become what I believe, that the right words will be there, to live generously and not be attached to any others' rejection. I believe that any potential rejection, is one of those times when the feeling doesn't match the reality, i.e., the risk is worth it and the neighborhood implicitly needs your/my infusion [of hope]. Personally, I know that my life returned from the shadows awhile back and that my strength and hope are not from the mountains, but from God who made heaven, earth and those mountains. Hopefully I enter today's encounters with that at the front of my mind and the tip of my tongue.

     His Peace that passes your & my understanding, your Deacons

Sermon: "God, Our Father"

Matthew 6:5-14 (The Message, a Bible Paraphrase by Rev. Dr. Eugene Peterson)

INTRODUCTION [read by liturgist]:  Our Scripture reading for this morning is from the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 6, verses 5-14.  I will be reading from a paraphrase of the Bible written by Rev. Dr. Eugene Peterson, who writes in the language of contemporary culture.  As we listen, Rev. Marlayna invites us to focus on how Jesus instructs us to speak to God. 

JESUS SAID:  

5 “And when you come before God, don’t turn that into a theatrical production either. All these people making a regular show out of their prayers, hoping for stardom! Do you think God sits in a box seat?

6 “Here’s what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won’t be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace.

7-13 “The world is full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer-ignorant. They’re full of formulas and programs and advice, peddling techniques for getting what you want from God. Don’t fall for that nonsense. This is your Father you are dealing with, and he knows better than you what you need. With a God like this loving you, you can pray very simply. Like this:

Our Father in heaven,
Reveal who you are.
Set the world right;
Do what’s best—
    as above, so below.
Keep us alive with three square meals.
Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others.
Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil.
You’re in charge!
You can do anything you want!
You’re ablaze in beauty!
    Yes. Yes. Yes.

14 “In prayer there is a connection between what God does and what you do. You can’t get forgiveness from God, for instance, without also forgiving others.

Here ends the reading.  May God bless our hearing and acting on these words.

“God, Our Father”

There are a lot of little children in the neighborhood where I live, and I find it fun to watch the new dads interacting with their babies and toddlers.  I especially like to watch the faces of these new fathers when their child starts calling them “Daddy”—actually, it’s more like “DaDa”-- for the first time.  The faces of these new fathers just light up from the inside like someone turned on a floodlight inside of them—and they can’t stop beaming when they hear this little word formed on the lips of their child.  It’s great!  I’m not sure exactly why it’s so thrilling to hear that one little word, but if I were to hazard a guess, if I were to put myself in the place of a new father, I’ve got to think that it has something to do with feeling like, “Wow, this little being, this little miracle, has called me by a name which they will call no one else.  This little child just acknowledged that they are connected to me in a deeply intimate way—that I am “DaDa”-- the one who loves them, provides for them, takes care of them, protects them and guides them.  We have a bond like no other.” 

As I thought about this phenomenon—of the attachment between father and child—of the thrill that the father feels when he hears his child speak a term of endearment, I couldn’t help but wonder if God feels the same thrill when we use a similar term in our prayers…

When Jesus taught the disciples to pray, he began the prayer with the term, “Our Father.”  Now, this is not an unusual way to start a prayer.  In the first century A.D., both Jewish and Greek prayers commonly addressed God as “Father.”  (New Interpreter’s Bible, Vol. VIII, p. 203.)  The twist that Jesus puts on the term is that he doesn’t use the formal term for “father” used in most prayers.  Rather, Jesus uses the Aramaic term “Abba.”  (Aramaic, as you may know, was the common language of the Jewish people that was spoken in the home, among families.)  The Aramaic term “Abba” is more accurately translated, “Daddy” or “Papa”—or even “DaDa;” it is a term of endearment and “connotes intimate, personal relationship.”  (NIB, Vol. VIII, p. 203.) 

Often when we are taught the Lord’s prayer, we think of it as a model on which our prayers should be based.  And, that it is.  But the more I read and pray and study the Lord’s Prayer, the more I am convinced that Jesus was not as concerned with teaching us what to pray—that is, what words to say, as he was with teaching us how to relate to the God to whom we’re praying.  It’s as if Jesus is saying to us, “The actual words you say to God aren’t what’s most important—the most important thing is to recognize your relationship with God.” 

As I’ve pondered what it means to be in relationship with a God we are told to call “Daddy,” it occurs to me that the relationship means different things to us as we mature in life and faith.

When we’re are a kid, our earthly Daddy is the one who loves us, provides for us, takes care of us, protects us and guides us—at least, that’s whom most Daddies try to be, and hopefully have some success at being.  And, when we’re a kid, that’s also the role God plays for us:  God loves us, provides for us, takes care of us, protects us, guides us—and also forgives us when we mess up.

As we grow up and become more independent, our relationship with our earthly Daddy begins to change.  We come to realize that our earthly father is a human being in his own right--separate from us but still connected.  So, then our relationship with our human father becomes, hopefully, more of two-way street in which we learn to give as well as receive, offer love as well as accept it.  In a word, as we mature, our relationship with our human father becomes more mutual. 

Our relationship with God, our heavenly father, changes over time in a similar way.  As we mature in faith, we come to realize that God isn’t just the anthropomorphic old man with a beard sitting on a throne in heaven looking out for us.  We come to realize that God is a being in his/her own right-- not limited by our understanding.  We realize that God is Spirit and Truth and Love.  God can be called “Mother” as well as “Father.”  We come to realize that our relationship with God is also a two-way street in which we learn to give as well as receive, offer love as well as accept it.  In a word, as we mature, our relationship with God our heavenly father becomes more mutual.  

I saw a comic strip once, years ago, where two people are sitting on a park bench, and one person is complaining about God, saying things like, “I can’t understand how God can allow war and injustice and poverty to continue to plague our world.  If God is really ‘Love,’ then why doesn’t God do something about all this?!”  In the next frame of the comic strip—it had three frames-- both people were just sitting on the bench in silence, pondering the question, “How can God allow all of these terrible things; why doesn’t God do something?”  And, then, in the final frame, the other person finally speaks, saying, “I bet God is asking you the same question.  [why don’t you do something.]”  (Which reminds me of a line from the prayer I quoted last week, attributed to St. Teresa of Avila:  Christ has…No hands, no feet on earth but yours..)

In other words, we are called as Christians not just to be loved, provided for, taken care of, protected, guided, and forgiven—but also we are called to offer love, provision, care, protection, guidance and forgiveness to our fellow human beings—because by doing so, that is the way we love God.   

This concept is not new to us.  It’s basic Christian ethics.  In another context, in a verse we can all quote by heart, Jesus sums it up it this way:  “Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 19:19) And, he sums it up in yet another way when he says elsewhere, “Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.”  (Matthew 7:12)

These verses express the way God expects God’s children to behave. 

And this behavior--loving our neighbors-- is fairly easy to do, isn’t it? J --until it’s not. 

Loving our neighbor is easy…

Until a family member, friend or colleague repeatedly leaves us to do more than our share. 

Until we venture out to the grocery store, careful to wear our mask -- out of respect for others we might be breathing on-- only to have some stranger barrel past us in the aisle, going the wrong way, with their mask down, not respecting us enough to even consider what we might need. 

Until we come to understand that the laws and systems of our beloved country contain within them bias against black and brown people. 

When we find ourselves in situations--or systems-- when the two-way street of mutual love, provision, care, protection, guidance and forgiveness breaks down--it is frustrating and annoying at first--and then, if/when it goes on for days, weeks, years…centuries!, it becomes heart-breaking, infuriating and finally intolerable.  So what do we do about it? What does God want us to do?  The first thing is to keep praying to the God whom Jesus calls “Daddy,” and remember God loves all of his children equally.  Keep praying that God will--in the words of today’s scripture--“reveal who [God] is and set the world right.”  And then we need to remember we are God’s hands and feet.  We need to act.  We need to keep modeling the respect that we want others to show us.  And we need to keep asking for the fair treatment that our Scriptures call for--for everyone--especially for the oppressed and those on the margins of society--and we need to keep explaining why it’s important.  AND when others tell us that we are the ones who are not behaving fairly--then we need to respectfully listen to these our brothers and sisters and ask them--and God--to show us how we might need to change.   

On this Father’s Day,

·        let us re-commit ourselves to following the God whom Jesus calls “Daddy,”

·        let us re-commit ourselves to seeing all of our fellow human beings as God’s precious children, and

·        let us continue to do the sometimes very hard work of treating everyone the way we would like to be treated.  Amen. 

Rev. Dr. Marlayna Schmidt

Franklin Federated Church

June 21, 2020

Marlayna wrote the first version of this sermon for Father’s Day, 2008.  She continued editing it, and preached it again in 2016, 2018, and 2020. 

June 21st Worship

Hymns for Sunday, June 21st

 

Click on the hymn to view and/or download the music.

Lord, I want to be Christian

For the Healing of the Nations

Matthew 28: 16 - 20

Matthew 28: 16 - 20      "Then the 11 disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshipped him, but some doubted. then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."  (NIV) 

     Therein is what in Christendom is referred to as the 'Great Commission', whereby Jesus is encouraging followers to teach the ways of God. I don't know about you, but my assessment of any overt evangelistic-nature on my part leans toward such being non-existent. It does however feel like I was let off the hook to some degree by our new Interim, Rev. Marlayna. Her mentioning the forming of groups to study and come to an understanding of God's intention +/or thinking from the Bible, rather than proselytizing aligns better with my style . My tendency is, so toward primarily sharing my faith within a Church community, that I can get uncomfortable with someone else sharing their faith in my company. Is that co-dependent or what?  When I'm well connected with this God of our understanding, I'm likely rooting for acceptance or even conversion, but stress when I've surmised that a recipient is not ready or will openly reject that which I hold so dearly.

     The truth is, I want folks to come become seekers (of God's way) out of their desire rather than their desperation, although I know the latter seems more likely and either is okay. I oft attribute to St. Thos. Aquinas, the idea that we are to, "Speak the love, grace and mercy of God always, and when necessary, use words." Perhaps it's easy to confide to this natural world and to doubt that perhaps the way of Jesus cannot prevail, but haven't we [culturally] been as an 'other enlightened-society', now reaping sheaves of that old behavior, currently. We can change, and it's likely we will do so together! My prayer is that when asked, why I act so differently, I will "be ready to speak up and tell anyone who asks why you're living the way you are, and always with the utmost courtesy." (1 Pet. 3:13-14; MSG)

Sermon: “We are Called to Work with Jesus”

The Harvest Is Great, the Laborers Few

35 Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and curing every disease and every sickness. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38 therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

The Twelve Apostles

10 Then Jesus[a] summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness. 2 These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon, also known as Peter, and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; 3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus;[b] 4 Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed him.

The Mission of the Twelve

5 These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, 6 but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7 As you go, proclaim the good news, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’[c] 8 Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers,[d] cast out demons. You received without payment; give without payment. 

“We are Called to Work with Jesus”

Today’s Scripture reading may sound more than a little off-putting to 21st Century ears.  Not only do some of the main images used in the text--shepherds and sheep, laborers in a harvest field--  belong to an ancient, agrarian society, but also some of the assumptions made--that disease is caused by “unclean spirits,” for instance-- belong to a pre-scientific era.  And then there is there is Jesus’ commission to the disciples in Matthew 10, verses 7 and 8:  Go out and “proclaim the good news, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons.”  If that is a disciple’s job description--I mean, if Jesus intended his followers to take all that is mentioned here literally, then I dare say most--if not all-- of us would NOT be comfortable calling ourselves disciples.  I know I wouldn’t. 

And that brings up a question that we run into every time we  open the Bible--how do we interpret these ancient texts: how do we figure out how much of the text is timeless, spiritual truth that should still apply to our current lives in our current world--AND/OR how much belongs to a time and society different from ours and should be disregarded as no longer relevant?  Answering that question could be a sermon series in itself, but now suffice it to say that it  involves prayer, research, reason, common sense and humbly opening ourselves up to the guidance of the Holy Spirit of God whom we believe still speaks through ancient texts to our current world.  So, I invite you to join me in prayer right now:  “O God, may your Holy Spirit still speak to us through the words of this ancient text.  Guide us in interpretation that we might discern the difference between what is literal and what is metaphor--so that we might become better agents of your compassion in our world today.  May the words of my mouth, and the meditations of all of our hearts, be pleasing in your sight, O God, our rock and our redeemer.   Amen.”

So, let us boldly and humbly dive into this text.  Matthew chapter 10, Verse 8:  “Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons.”  What could this mean to us today?  One commentator I read this week-Greg Carey (professor of New Testament at Lancaster theological seminary) suggests that we take Jesus’ words here as a metaphor http://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=98)  Professor Carey writes: “Many ([perhaps] all?) people find themselves bound by behaviors, patterns, structures they cannot escape, often cursing themselves when they repeat the same behavior time and again.  [When we consider what Jesus’ words could mean in this context], let us imagine liberation, freedom from powers that constrain us and prevent us from living full human lives.”  [REPEAT]

In other words, Jesus calls us to join him in the work of “healing and liberation.”

I dare say that as our country continues to mourn the tragic killing of George Floyd by a man who should not have been allowed to continue to serve as a police officer due to all the complaints against him, and as more and more voices--black, brown, and white-- call out to end the racism that is built into the systems of our society, we are all becoming more aware of  the ways everyone is bound by “behaviors, patterns and structures that we cannot [seem to]  escape.”   And from these bonds--which harm all of us, but tragically harm black and brown people in ways many of us who are white have never come close to experiencing-- from these bonds we all need release. 

Jesus calls us to join him in the work of “healing and liberation.”

So, how do we do that?  How do we join Jesus in this work?  How do we even start to address all of the bonds that keep us from leading full lives?  Today’s Scripture gives us guidance.

Matthew chapter 9 Verse 36.  “when Jesus saw the crowds, he had compassion for them.  For they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”  The path to liberation must begin with compassion.  It must begin with God’s compassion for us--and then, our compassion for one another.  When Jesus saw the crowds, as the Son of God, he had to know that these same harassed people would later reject him and demand violence, calling for his crucifixion.  Yet, still he chose to respond with care, concern, understanding and steadfast love--not changing his message or reacting with violence himself, but rather seeking the healing and release of those who were snared in harmful structures and systems.

We are called to do the same.  And it is hard!!  The behaviors, patterns, structures, systems of society took centuries to build, and we cannot change or reform them overnight.  As we’ve seen in the civil rights work in our country, systemic change takes decades, not days.  And we cannot change them by our own strength alone.  Which means that our first step in carrying out Christ’s work of healing and liberation is prayer.  Prayer for wisdom, strength, patience and-- as one of this week’s UCC devotionals said--“endurance.” (Mary Luti, Still Speaking Devotional for June 11, 2020).   We need to open our minds and hearts to the Spirit of Jesus.  We start with prayer--and we need to keep coming back to it.  We need to keep asking for Christ’s compassion to change us, to soften our hearts toward our neighbors.

And after we pray, as we pray, we need to act.  That action may look different for each of us, depending on our unique gifts and callings.  I know you know all this, and you have already been praying and acting, but sometimes it is a pastor’s job to remind all of us what we already know.  To say, “Keep praying; keep doing the work of Jesus.  And if there is new work that Jesus is calling you--calling me, calling Franklin Federated church to engage in, let us hear and follow that call from God.

  Let me give you an example.  Several members of FFC had expressed to me last week a desire to do something to confront racism, so we gathered on a zoom call to talk about possible things church members could do.  One person on that call said boldly, “we need to change the way we think.”  Peggy Maxwell recommended a book to all of us that has been changing her thinking already.  You may have seen the title in last Thursday’s all church email.  It’s called ““White Fragility,” by Robin DiAngelo.  I downloaded it yesterday and I am looking forward to diving in.  Maybe, if enough people are interested, we could form a discussion group around it.  If you’re interested, let me know. 

Jesus calls us to join him in the work of healing and liberation.

As we begin this interim time together, let us all be open to Christ’s leadership as we join him in this transformative work.

I want to close with a prayer by Arianne Braithwaite Lehn that speaks to this work.  It is in her book Ash & Starlight:  prayers for the chaos & grace of daily life.  This poem is entitled

When I cry for the world

Merciful Jesus,

I cry for our world.

I cry over broken bodies

And broken homes

And broken hearts.

I cry over violence

and exclusion

and indifference.

I cry most of all over the children!

Through my body and breath,

I pray for your kin-dom…

For all to have nourishing food and nurturing homes,

Edifying work and safe, skilled schools,

Compassionate healthcare and dignified wages,

Soft beds to fall into at the day’s close…

For the children to be protected,

The elderly honored,

and both hugged every single day…

For reparative justice,

Cherished diversity,

And peaceful purity in what’s

breathed, eaten, and drunk.

I cry and I pray,

Confessing the many times

I’ve declared what I deserve

Rather than asking what I could give.

I cry and I pray,

Knowing I’m complicit in the pain

And essential to the healing.

I cry and I pray,

Trusting my tears mingle with your own,

Hoping this tearful river softens and shapes

The hardest canyons of injustice--

Or at least lays the groundwork.

I pray and I act,

Moving my body and resources

Toward your kin-dom vision,

Trusting my skills and gifts

Carry forward the new, just world you imagine

And are always bringing.

I remember this work is mine to do.

Christ has no body but yours,

No hands, no feet on earth but yours,

Yours are the eyes with which he looks

Compassion on this world,

Yours are the feet with which

He walks to do good,

Yours are the hands, with which

He blesses all the  world…”

O Jesus, have mercy

And help me. 

Amen.

Rev. Dr. Marlayna Schmidt

Franklin Federated Church, UCC

Franklin, MA

June 14, 2020

June 14th Worship

Hymns

 

Click on the hymn to view and/or download the music.

Here I Am, Lord
I'm Gonna Live So God Can Use Me

452 Here I Am, Lord

Words: Daniel L. Schutte 1981
Music: Daniel L. Schutte 1981, harm. James Snyder 1994

All rights reserved. Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #​A-73550. ​All rights reserved.

614 I’m Gonna Live So God Can Use Me

TEXT: African-American spiritual, MUSIC: African-American spiritual, Public Domain

Acts 2: 1 - 21

Acts 2: 1 - 21 " ...we are Parthians, Medes, Elamites, ..Mesopotamia, Judea, Pontus, Cappadocia, .. Asia, Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, .. Libya, ..Cyrene, .. Rome, Jews and converts to Judaism, Cretans, Arabs. And we all hear these people speaking in our own languages about the wonderful things God has done!" (v. 9 - 11; NLT).

     What should we do? - last week's Podcast presenter Marilyn Sutcliffe posed! Thousands had gathered; sound familiar? The Christian Church was birthed 2000+ years back and was the backdrop and inspiration of the story told in the above passages. I maintain that purposeful looking-back is primarily beneficial when it teaches us not to replicate behaviors that are hurtful to others or ourselves. On some level our culture will recover or repeat. Our nation's racism issues are deeply imbedded; the potential exists to do [it] as we always have or to change.
     Hope springs eternal however amid the virus, its looming nature and the anti-racism protests, with the birth of our youngest's first child! Will I not speak, both in her native tongue and with my life, into that developing mind and heart, of the wonderful things God has done? My prayer for now is that Jada May is not only physically nurtured by her Mom & Dad, but is spiritually and emotionally attached to Christ's vine through them.
      I miss an old Christian brother today, who passed away just before Easter in '19. I'm well aware that he's with me in Spirit, but it's our "Jesus-with-skin" interactions, that I miss. His presence continues to encourage me to critically consider people and issues within my sphere, to hash them out thinking Christianly, and then pray for them from that viewpoint.

Lord, teach us to pray, because - that is what we can do! We are with you, your Deacons 

Sermon: The Commissioning of the Disciples

Matthew 28:16-20 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

The Commissioning of the Disciples

16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Do you ever wonder what it might have been like to be one of Jesus’ 12 disciples?  To hear Jesus speak words of blessing directed at you; to see him stand up for the poor and the outcast and the oppressed; to witness him heal the sick and raise the dead, to taste--no, to eat to your heart’s content-- of bread and fish that he multiplies on the mountain; to be battling against a gale force wind in a boat that you fear is about to sink and then to feel the wind simply stop when Jesus climbs aboard--I imagine the disciples must have filled with awe over and over again.  And it seems to me that having this literally awesome first-hand experience of the Son of God day in and day out should have made faith easy for them, shouldn’t it?  And yet, it didn’t.

Even in our Scripture reading for this morning, which takes place after Jesus has been raised from the dead, faith is not easy.  In this passage in Matthew’s Gospel, the disciples are seeing Jesus  for the first time after the  resurrection--and yet, even as they come face to face with their resurrected redeemer, their faith  wavers.  We are told, in verse 17, that “when they saw him, they worshipped him, but some doubted.” 

I don’t know about you, but I confess that my first reaction when reading this scripture is a little bit judgmental.  How could any of them, at this point, still doubt Jesus?  And then i start going through the list of the disciples and wondering which one of them could have been the doubter.  Thomas, of course, is the obvious choice.  Poor guy.  To make one mistake--to shoot off  your mouth doubting the Lord-- and then have it recorded in the Gospel of John for everyone to read for 2000 years has got to stink.  But, I digress…  The commentators on this particular scripture passage are not talking about Thomas.  The phrase “but some doubted” can also be translated, “they doubted”-- meaning that “everyone doubted.”  Scholars tell us that the best interpretation of this verse is that the very same people who worshipped Jesus--all of the disciples--also doubted him.  (New Interpreter’s Bible Commentary, Vol. VIII, p. 502; Stanley Saunders and David Lose from textweek.com.)  Which is so human of them.

Let’s think for a minute--what causes doubt?  Speaking for myself, what causes me to doubt is when I see evidence that seems to contradict what I believe.  I imagine that the same was true for Jesus first disciples.  They believed all that Jesus taught them--that God is good, that God’s kingdom, God’s realm of love and light, justice and peace, healing and hope had come near-- and would prevail.  They believed that God would never give them more than they could handle.  And then things happened that seemed to contract those beliefs:  one of Jesus’ closest followers betrayed him; power-hungry religious leaders had him arrested; the justice system that tried him was corrupt; and his punishment was brutal--to be put to death on a cross.  It’s hard to believe in a kingdom of light and love, justice and peace, healing and hope in the face of betrayal and brutality.  I can understand why the disciples--all of them--succumbed to doubt. 

The Greek word for doubt used in our Scripture passage is “distazo.”  It means literally “being of two minds” about something.  (Stanley Saunders from textweek.com)  I think of it like this:  in one part of our mind, like the first disciples, we believe strongly that God’s kingdom will prevail, and we are willing to do all that we can to live according to Kingdom values.  But in the other, opposite part of our mind, like the disciples, we see how so much in this world is aligned against the values of God’s kingdom, and it breaks our hearts.   There is so much pain, violence, injustice.  Some of it just happens, as a consequence of living in the natural world.  Some of it is caused by people, intentionally or unintentionally.  Like the first disciples, we too have flawed systems with racism built into them.  Like the disciples, we too have power-hungry leaders whose actions spur violence against innocent people, especially against those with black and brown skin.  And then, because of all of these things, part of our mind starts to question:  maybe God’s Kingdom is not as strong as we’d hoped.  Maybe it won’t prevail after all.   We start to doubt. 

So what can we do about it?  How can we get rid of our doubt?  I don’t think we can.  And I don’t think Jesus calls us to stop doubting.  Jesus calls us to action, despite our doubts and fears.  Jesus calls us-- like he called the first disciples--to “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the  Father and of the  Son and  of the Holy Spirit, and teaching  them to obey everything that I have commanded you.” 

“Go,” says Jesus.  Go make disciples.  And in case you’re wondering if Jesus is talking about going door to door with Bibles and pamphlets, he’s not.   The word “disciple” means someone who is learning.  Learning in community how to live out the kingdom values that Jesus taught.  In other words, Jesus is saying, “Go and establish communities of people who learn together how to enact the vision of love and light, peace and justice, healing and hope that God calls us to.   Go do your part to learn how to work together to establish God’s kingdom on earth.  And make sure that it is a kingdom--a realm--made up of people from ALL nations.  People from all backgrounds.  All races.  All socio economic groups.  All sexual orientations.  All walks of life.  In other words, make sure that when you do your part to establish God’s kingdom of love and light, justice and peace, healing and hope, make sure that no one is excluded. 

Franklin Federated Church, you are in an interim time between settled pastors, and it is an interim time like no other.  Normally, in an interim time, there is a lot of change, but usually it’s just change in the local church, not in the whole society.  Our whole world is going through huge changes right now, starting with the corona pandemic, which has affected not only the physical health of 6.29 million people worldwide (statistics from Wikipedia on Jun), but has also wreaked havoc with the world economy.  In our country, it has also brought to light the racism and discrimination inherent in all our systems that makes it so much harder for black and brown people to thrive.  The changes we are going through as a world are scary--some of them are heart-breaking!-- but our faith reminds us that even in the midst of fear and violence and heartbreak, there is some good news.  Jesus tells his disciples, “Remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”  These scary changes that our world is going through--we do not have to go through alone.  Jesus is with us.  God is with us.  The One who loves us more than we could ever ask or imagine is with us and will not let us go. 

What that means practically is that as we work and worship together, learning how to establish God’s kingdom of love and light, peace and justice, healing and hope, God will give us strength to move through the changes and thrive.  As we move into this interim time, down the line in a few months, we will engage in a formal process to figure out more specifically what Vision God is calling Franklin Federated Church to embrace.  But, in the meantime, may we continue to look to Jesus, who will give us strength despite our doubts.

Let me close with a prayer written by Rev. Arianne Braithwaite Lehn, from her book called Ash and  Starlight: prayers for the chaos and grace of daily life

This prayer is entitled, “When I need to do something scary.”

O God,

I know I need to take

this courageous next step,

But the vulnerability paralyzes me.

The status quo is unsustainable,

Yet I grasp for its hollow promises of

safety and stability.

If I don’t do the thing I know I must,

My soul will shrivel.

But if I do?

Thick insecurities cloak me, God,

With questions I’m afraid to answer:

Who am I to think i can do this?

Who am I to speak up and out?

Who am I to say you’ve directed me

Out of the boat and onto these waves?

My fear of others thwarts me, God,

With sinister    scoffs and prickly judgment.

What if they don’t believe me?

What if they judge me?

What if they think I’m ridiculous,

or arrogant, or selfish?

What if I fail?

What if I’m a fool?

Fatalism is my forte.

You promise, God, you’re the Great I AM--

The One who will be with me

As I face this scary step,

And the next one after that.

You’ll patiently prod

As I relentlessly doubt.

You’re simply inviting me

To say yes to this first step.

Dissipate the power of

My “who am I’s” as I hear your voice,

My “what if they’s” as I see your face,

My “what if I’s” as I feel your hand.

Make my feet follow my breath, God--

exhaling what was needed before,

inhaling what’s asked of me now.

Keep me walking forward,

Courageous albeit shaky.

Give me trust and faithfulness

As my guardrails.

Here we go.

Amen.

Rev. Dr. Marlayna Schmidt

Franklin Federated Church, UCC

Franklin, MA

June 7, 2020

June 7th Churchcast

Franklin Federated Churchcast
June 7,2020 Worship Podcast
 
INTRODUCTION   
Good morning, and welcome to the June 7th Podcast from Franklin Federated Church, which is located on the Common, in Franklin, Massachusetts.  Our building is currently closed, and we hope see you there, when it is safe to reopen it for worship. 

Although our building is closed, our church community continues to be active virtually.  Please join us for a Facebook live prayer time on Sunday mornings at 10 am.  You can access the livestream through our website or Facebook page. 

If you are new to our community, we would love to get to know you.  Just click on the “contact us” link on our website, and leave a brief message, and we would be happy to be in touch. 

My name is Marlayna Schmidt, and I am the new interim pastor here.  This is my first Sunday, and I look forward to getting to know you all!  I hope that you can join us for a virtual coffee hour following our prayer time on Sunday.
 
Franklin Federated Church is an Open and Affirming Church, affiliated with The American Baptist Church in America and the United Church of Christ. No matter who you are, where you come from, or where you are in your life journey, you are always welcome here. 

LITANY OF WELCOME AND COMMITMENT

Moderator

We at the Franklin Federated Church are in a special time in our history, a time when God has called us to do a new thing, and provided us with a pastor to help us respond wisely and faithfully to this new call.

Congregration
Rev. Marlayna Schmidt we welcome you here to the ministry at Franklin Federated Church; a special ministry during this our time of transition and discernment. We are glad to have you walk with us and guide us through these times of uncertainty and opportunity.

Interim Minister

Brothers and sisters at Franklin Federated Church, it is my joy and honor to take up the ministry here with you that together we might do the work God has laid out for us, making the way ready for the one who will come as your settled pastor. To the extent that I am able, I promise to help you through the interim tasks, while preaching, teaching, and offering counsel among you, listening to your stories and your dreams, acknowledging your disappointments, honoring our gifts and celebrating God's presence amount us through it all.

Congregation
Rev. Marlayna, with you we take up this ministry of transition, promising to be partners in faithfulness.  With you we will ask some hard questions, discover new truths, and dream dreams for tomorrow, seeking to be the faithful people of God.

Interim Minister

My friends, then let us take up this work together, for the short time we have been given, that we might feel the mighty hand of God, the wisdom of the Holy Spirit, and the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ working with us and through us.

ALL
Today we make this covenant, to be honest and faithful, to share this ministry of transition, to give of ourselves, to do justice, to love kindness, to walk humbly together with our God and to love one another.
  
The Scripture for today is from the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 28, verses 16-20.   

THE MESSAGE

The prayer quoted in the Message is by Rev. Arianne Braithwaite Lehn, from her book Ash and  Starlight: prayers for the chaos and grace of daily life
 
Please join with me in praying the Lord’s Prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven
Hallowed be Thy Name
Thy kingdom come 
Thy will be done on earth
as it is in heaven 
Give us this day our daily bread
And forgive us our debts
As we forgive our debtors`
And lead us not into temptation
But deliver us from evil. 
For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.  AMEN

SONG “Together We Are Strong” An original song written for the 2020 UCC National Youth Event
 
SENDING BLESSING
 
 

Matt. 13: 1-13 and Luke 12: 13-21

Matt. 13: 1-13 and Luke 12: 13-21 were used this week; what struck this writer was: 

   "The disciples came up & asked, "Why do you tell stories?" Jesus replied, "You've been given insight into God's kingdom. You know how it works..... when someone has a heart for this, the insights and understandings flow freely. But if there's no readiness, any trace of receptivity soon disappears. That's why I tell stories (parables): to create readiness, to nudge people toward receptive insight."  (Matthew 13, v. 10-13  / MSG)

     I admired and was stimulated by our dear Peggy Maxwell's Sunday sermon relating the above biblical texts to our times. So many relevant points; I love it when one appreciates our Creator's creation so exuberantly. These are difficult times for so many across God's green earth and common platitudes don't cut bait, or keep the electricity on, or reinstate an employ, or feed the kids, or __?__, you fill-in the blank. The task for me remains, that despite my acute awareness of the threat of our way of life being threatened, the reality of my hope / faith is best, having coming to the fore. What is important to you at this time? As in the text, will the seed fall on gravel, or among the weeds, or in fertile soil? We still [all] get to fill-in our own attitudinal blank and choose our battles for the most part.

     In the Bible text above, Jesus intimates: there is a deeper human listening that can enable spiritual understanding. Now, all of us exposed to His words, life and truths have varying degrees of that understanding, as well as the potential to encourage those we encounter. That support could take the shape of helping someone through a seemingly simple physical issue or even a complex faith-deepening situation. What depth of stories are we sharing in our sphere of influence? At times insight comes easily, however my 'timid-Saint-in-waiting' is unwilling to be the bold participant that would serve in a better manner. I know, I know none of us gets all the gifts, and I am a human being rather than a 'human-doing', but it's my action that makes my faith complete. (James 2:22). Truth is, I just sleep better when I follow through after becoming openly receptive to any of those spiritual nudges.......

onward Christian soldiers & please Lord make us instruments of Your Peace, the Deacons

May 31st Worship Podcast

Franklin Federated Churchcast
May 31,2020 Worship Podcast
 
Introduction   Good morning, and welcome to the May 31st Podcast from Franklin Federated Church, which is located on the Common, in Franklin, Massachusetts.  Our building is currently closed, and we hope  see you there, when it is safe to reopen it for worship. 
 
Franklin Federated Church is an Open and Affirming Church, affiliated with The American Baptist Church in America and the United Churches of Christ. No matter who you are, where you come from, or where you are in your life journey, you are always welcome here. 
 
Today is Penetcost!   The birthday of the Christian Church.   

The following quotes are from the book: Having Our Say - The Delaney Sisters’ First 100 Years.
 
“What worries me is that I know Sadie’s going to get into Heaven, but I’m not sure about me.”  Bessie Delaney.
 
Life is short, and it’s up to you to make it sweet.  Sadie Delaney 
 
Please join with me in the Call to Worship.   It is from Romans 12:9-16     
 
Marks of the True Christian.   

ONE: Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; 

 ALL:  love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in  showing honor.

ONE:  Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord.

ALL: rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. 

ONE: Contribute to the needs of the needs of the saints; extend 
hospitality to strangers.

ALL:  Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.

ONE:  Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.

ALL: Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but  associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are.

The Scripture for today is from the book of ACTS Chapter 2 verses 1-21.   

THE MESSAGE
 
Please join with me in praying the Lord’s Prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven
Hallowed be Thy Name
Thy kingdom come 
Thy will be done on earth
as it is in heaven 
Give us this day our daily bread
And forgive us our debts
As we forgive our debtors`
And lead us not into temptation
But deliver us from evil. 
For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.  AMEN
 
SENDING BLESSING