Sermon: “From Corporate Officer to Incarnational Leader"

John 15:12-15 (Message)

This is my command: Love one another the way I loved you. This is the very best way to love. Put your life on the line for your friends. You are my friends when you do the things I command you. I’m no longer calling you servants because servants don’t understand what their master is thinking and planning. No, I’ve named you friends because I’ve let you in on everything I’ve heard from the Father.

Sermon:  “From Corporate Officer to Incarnational Leader"

(#8 in a series on the book Weird Church)

I am in the middle of a sermon series on the book, Weird Church, which talks about shifts that the church needs to make in terms of ministry, in order to better shine the Light of God’s Love in the world.  I want to acknowledge that some of the stuff in this book is hard to read because it calls us to stretch beyond our usual comfort zone.  Some of you have read the book, and I’m guessing you might feel the same.  I found the chapter on which today’s sermon is based--chapter 7-- particularly difficult to get through, because it talks about how church, in general, has a bad reputation these days, and really, who wants to hear that?

Part of me wanted to say, “Yeah, yeah, we know that some people don’t like church.  Let’s not go over that ground again.  Let’s move on.  Quickly.”  But it occurred to me that all change requires an accurate assessment and true recognition of our weaknesses as well as our strengths, before we can recover and thrive.    

It’s like when my left arm hurt a few years ago and I diagnosed myself; I  thought my main problem was weak triceps muscles.  Unfortunately, the exercises I had found on the internet to strengthen triceps were making my arm hurt worse.  When I finally talked to my doctor, it turns out that my main problem was my left shoulder, not my left triceps muscle.  Who knew?  I needed a whole different set of exercises to address the real issue.  My point:  until I looked at what wasn’t working, consulted with an experienced expert and got accurate advice on how to move forward, I couldn’t recover.

So, I am asking you to bear with me as we look at some of the things that aren’t working with the church at large, not to be down on ourselves but so that we can hear the advice of these experienced authors who are currently helping many churches move forward into the future in a healthy way. 

This book points out in Chapter 7 that in the eyes of the culture at large, the church has a bad reputation.  Not only are church people stereotyped as judgmental, boring, and hypocritical, the church, as an institution (Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox), over many centuries has colluded with governments to oppress nations and peoples.  I will share just a few concrete, historical examples:

·        In the 1500 and 1600’s, Christian priests were actually loaded onto sailing ships along with soldiers who went out to conquer nations in the name of various European countries.    

·        After that, for more than 2 centuries, the church, as a whole, sanctioned slavery.  In the words of this book, the church sanctioned a “human trafficking economy, chasing down people like large game in Africa to ship them abroad as free labor.”

·        Final example:  From the 20th century through to the present, the church has missed many opportunities to speak out against the unethical behavior of large, multinational corporations that put profit above people and exploit their workers, while executives rake in millions of dollars. 

Even if we argue that church has stopped doing the first two things--and many churches, thanks be to God, do speak out about the third, this book points out that church systems may still be more intertwined in these ills than we recognize.  For instance, most church organizational structures still mirror the corporate business structures that arose in the last century.  And just as we can and should critique the behavior of corporations out in the world when that behavior causes damage, so too we can and should critique--and change-- our own corporate structures when they actively cause damage or are so outmoded they sap our energy and no longer function in ways that help us live out our purpose. 

The authors propose that change to our church corporate structures needs to begin with  a change in our thinking about the function of pastoral leadership.  The title of Chapter 7 is “From Corporate Officers to Incarnational Leaders.”  We--pastors and people--need to stop focusing so much on the business of running the church and focus more on living out, embodying, the love of God that we see in Jesus.  To quote from page 74:

“[We need to make] The shift from church leadership as a business enterprise to a spiritual enterprise [that is] bathed in prayer, and deep, deep listening as a group of friends seek to discover what is possible with God.  Once the God stuff becomes clear, you can find the help to write a reasonable busines plan in a day.”

Which brings us to today’s Scripture Reading, where Jesus calls the disciples his “friends” and spells out what that means.  His words are rather challenging.  Particularly when he tells his followers to “Put your life on the line for your friends.”  Probably most of us hearing these words jump to the conclusion that Jesus is speaking literally, telling his followers that some of them may face literal death, as Jesus did, when he challenged authority and stood up for the marginalized in society.  And that was true for many people in the early church and some martyrs today.  However, if we read this passage only from that perspective, we may gloss over it, think it doesn’t apply to us, because, in our society, most of us will not be called upon to literally give our lives for the people that we love. 

(Though, as I prepared this sermon, it occurred to me the literal meaning of these words--physically putting yourself in harm’s way for the sake of others, is something that police officers and military personnel do every day, and perhaps we do not tell them often that we are grateful for their service.)

But “Put your life on the line,” as the Message paraphrase reads-- or “lay down one’s life for one’s friends” as the New Revised Standard version of the Bible says--can also be taken less literally.  I believe it can also mean, as Jesus says elsewhere in the Bible, that there are times when we need to choose to put others first.  There are times when we need to set aside our own understandings, privileges and preferences so that we can listen to and learn from others.  This passage calls us to the mutual give and take of friendship, where one person chooses to put their own preferences on hold for a time, so that someone else can get their needs met--and then the other person does the same in turn. 

It’s like when you are trying to negotiate activities at a large, family vacation.  Aunt Agatha doesn’t get to dictate the plan for everyone for the entire week.  Rather, everyone shares what they would like to do, and they make compromises.  Sometimes they go play mini-golf instead of visiting the museum that Agatha would have preferred.  You know what I’m saying.  (I am guessing that almost every family has someone like the proverbial Agatha.  And sometimes more than one!) 

And I know that was a superficial example.  The mutual give and take of friendship goes much deeper than that.  In this passage Jesus calls the disciples “friends” and says that he wants them to understand what he has been thinking and planning.  In other words, he invites them into relationship with him, and relationships, as we all know, involve listening to and learning from each other.  Asking questions and putting our own thoughts-- or rebuttals-- aside long enough to truly understand what the other is thinking and feeling. 

I watched a very powerful documentary film this week called the “Wisdom of Trauma,” featuring the work of medical doctor, Gabor Mate, a holocaust survivor who asks and answers the question, “Can our deepest pain be a doorway to healing?”  The film acknowledges the brokenness, disconnections, and polarization in our world and examines ways we can heal through deep, compassionate listening to one another. 

I highly recommend this documentary--and associated talks--which are available over the internet.  (Again, it’s called, the Wisdom of Trauma.)  One of the things Dr. Mate says in the film is that when people around us say or do things that hurt us or others, rather getting defensive--or just screaming in our heads, “What’s wrong with them!?”  we need to reframe the issue in our minds.  We need to have a compassionate mindset, asking instead, in our heads, “I wonder what happened to them?  What traumatic event has shaped their lives, leading them to behave like this?”  And then, from that place of compassion, we can begin to respond in a way that fosters friendship with those around us. 

As we interact in the world in these divided times, as we have conversations with friends and family members and church members about important things-- like if and when it’s appropriate to ask each other to wear masks (something that I know we are all talking about)-- let us remember that Jesus calls us to engage as friends.  Jesus calls us to practice setting aside our own understandings, privileges and preferences to listen to each other.  To collaborate.  To pray.  To learn and grow together.  As we embody and prioritize this kind of friendship in our lives and in our church, God will bless us and help us change our world for the better.  May it be so. 

Our next hymn is #530.    “I’ve Got Peace Like a River,”

May this  hymn help ground us in the Peace, joy, and love of God,

which provide the foundation for our friendships--and any change

we may make in the world. 

Let us pray:

Loving God, you call us to be kind, compassionate friends to one another and to all people.  And it is not always easy to do.  In fact, we can’t do it by our own strength alone.  We need your Spirit, your strength, your power to put our own understandings, privileges and preferences aside for long enough to listen to those around us.  Help us to do this in the church in all our interactions, whether we are just chatting with each other during fellowship time or engaging as leaders or members of a ministry team.  Change our mindsets to be like the mindset of Jesus, who despite having the power to dictate change, chose instead to collaborate with those around him and listen to those whose voices and cries of pain were largely ignored. 

And now, O God, hear our prayers for our communities, our nation and our world, as we figure out how to work together to protect each other from the Delta Variant of the virus.  Help us to see each other with eyes of compassion, not blame, and help us to find a way forward that strengthens our relationships.

[LOOK AT PHONE]

- Moment of silence…lifting up in prayer those we hold in our hearts.. others in this room and in our livestream…  [PAUSE]

- O God, bless the sick… those who are struggling… those who are grieving…caregivers… Give them strength and healing….  In Jesus name, Amen

PLEASE JOIN ME IN 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

Rev. Dr. Marlayna Schmidt

Franklin Federated Church

Franklin, MA

Information for this Sunday’s OUTDOOR Worship August 8th, 10 am

(found on church website Franklinfederated.org and FaceBook page and in-person!)

“I’ve named you friends because I’ve let you in on everything I’ve heard from the Father.” (John 15:15)

Service will still be live-streamed for all who cannot attend in person.

ORDER OF WORSHIP (40 minutes)
- Opening Song “The Bond of Love"
- Welcome
- Announcements
- Call to Worship
- Hymn: #585 “What a Friend We Have in Jesus”
- Scripture Reading: John 15:12-15
- Sermon: “From Corporate Officer to Incarnational Leader” (#8 in a series on the book Weird Church)
- Hymn: #530 “I’ve Got Peace Like a River"
- Pastoral prayer
- Lord’s Prayer
- Benediction
- Closing Song

We hope you can join us!

Link to Scripture: John 15:12-15

DETAILS:

• Please bring your own “beach” chair and sunscreen.

• Please park on the street (as the parking lot will be our seating area.)

• People with mobility issues may be dropped off at the entrance to the parking lot.

• Service will be held in the sanctuary if it rains.

We will be having an “in-person” fellowship time outside immediately after worship.

NOTE: The worship service will not include a live-stream prayer time. If you have prayer requests you want included in a “pastoral prayer” spoken by Rev. Marlayna, please email her with your requests by Saturday night to revschmidt@comcast.net.

(Weather permitting, we will hold another outdoor service on Sunday, August 22nd)

Hymns for Sunday, August 8th

Click on the links below to view hymns

#585  What a Friend We Have in Jesus
#530  I've Got Peace Like a River

Are we there yet?

Serendipity again! (And thanks to Geico for popularizing this lovely word!) A conversation at Book Group on Tuesday led to a phone call with Rev. Marlayna on Thursday, and that contributed to the conversation at the Deacons’ retreat on Saturday. Sunday I was planning this peephole when I looked at the day’s scripture, and the pieces for this peephole fell into place.

In his most memorable speeches, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said: “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice,” closely paraphrasing words spoken by minister and noted Transcendentalist Theodore Parker a century before. The Hebrew Scriptures and Jesus’ own message focused on our ability and our responsibility to participate in that arc toward justice. Sunday’s responsive Call to Worship contained words of the Apostle Paul to the emerging church in Rome: “Do not be conformed to the world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God – what is good and acceptable, and perfect.” Paul was an apocalyptic who believed the world was going to send soon, so keeping apart from the world to be perfect would have made sense to him, However, reading Jesus’ words, as brought to us in the synoptic gospels (Mark, Matthew, and Luke,) I think Jesus would have told his followers to conform the world to the vision of God’s Kingdom on earth.

In reality, history is never a smooth arc. Jesus’ disciples included many women, most notably Mary Magdalene, and Paul praised several influential women in his letters. About the time that early church organizers were trying to silence women, Pliny the Elder wrote to the Emperor Trajan that two deaconesses – early church leaders who at the same time were slaves – had revealed under torture that Christians gathered in defiance of Roman law to sing, pray, eat together, and care for the sick. Some civil disobedience! Through the ages, Christian slaughtered Jews, Muslims, indigenous peoples, and even other Christians to enforce their preferred brand of orthodoxy. It used to be that women could not own property and only property owners could vote. My mother could not teach school after her marriage, and I could not teach when pregnant. Many of these practices have been rectified, so I see lots of progress, but the arc toward justice still has a long way to go.

We are not there yet.

Lyn Pickhover, Would-be Perfecter

Sermon: From Broadcast Control to Social Collaboration (#7 in Weird Church series.)

Call to Worship (based on Romans 12:1-2, NRSV)

ONE: The Apostle Paul writes: 

“I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God,

ALL: to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God,

ONE: which is your spiritual worship. 

ALL: Do not be conformed to this world,

ONE: but be transformed by the renewing of your minds,

ALL: so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.”      

We gather together, here and now, inviting God to renew us during this service of praise. 

Scripture Reading:  Romans 12:1-2 (from The Message paraphrase)

Place Your Life Before God

1-2 So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for God. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what God wants from you, and quickly respond to it.  Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

Sermon:  From Broadcast Control to Social Collaboration (#7 in Weird Church series.)

Years ago while doing research for a sermon about transitions, I learned a new word:  “tropophobia.”  Which is the fear of change.  At the time I was doing this research, I remember thinking to myself, “Who knew fear of change was a thing?”  I was surprised to learn that it was a condition, a disorder recognized by psychologists.  And I learned that some people had such extreme cases of tropophobia that they experienced severe anxiety, panic attacks even, if they had to do something new.  I remember feeling sad for people who experienced this level of anxiety around change, because, for the most part, I had always enjoyed change--I experienced it as fun and exciting, something that made life interesting.  And it made me sad that there were people who missed out on the joy that change could bring. 

But that was years ago.  The older I get, the more I understand tropophobia.  Not that I’ve experienced severe anxiety, but these days, I would have to say that change is less fun and more stressful.  Part of it is a physiological thing, I’m sure.  My brain is older and doesn’t operate as well as it used to.  I mean, I groan every time my smart phone goes through an update.  Rather than thinking, “Great!  I wonder what improvements this update will bring?”  I think sarcastically instead, “Great.  I wonder how many Youtube videos I’m gonna have to watch before I can figure out this update?”  I’m not even kidding.  Last time I upgraded my phone, I had to watch a Youtube video simply to learn how to turn it off!!  (I know, I sound like a 100-year-old curmudgeon complaining about newfangled devices.)

But I don’t think my growing annoyance with change is just my aging brain.  Some of it, I think, is related to the losses we all experienced in the Covid 19 pandemic.  And when I say all of us, I mean all of us experienced loss to one degree or another.  Some people experienced horrible losses--the death of loved ones, damage to their own health, financial burdens.  And recovery from that level of loss is slow and difficult and painful.  For others, the losses were more mundane, but over time such losses add up.  All loss take an emotional toll, as Dr. Elizabeth Kubler-Ross outlined in her stages of grief:  denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance.  And going through these stages, experiencing these emotions is exhausting, isn’t it?! 

And then add to that all of the new things we’ve all had to learn during the pandemic--new routines, new technologies, new protocols--it’s no wonder that our energy levels for everything--particularly for change--are flagging right now. 

And then we come to this scripture from Romans 12, verses 1&2, that reads, “…fix your attention on God.  You’ll be changed from the inside out.”  Pre-pandemic, this was one of my favorite scriptures.  But now I read it and my first reaction is, “Changed from the inside out?  I don’t want any more change in my life, thank you very much.  It sounds like way more work than I have energy for.  God, can’t you just let me coast for a while?” 

As you know, I’m doing a sermon series on this book, Weird Church, and the premise of the book is that the world around us is changing, so the church needs to make changes as well in order to connect with the people around us.  The first several chapters of the book deal with shifts that the church needs to make in terms of ministry so that we can continue our mission of sharing the Love of God in the world. 

The chapter I’m preaching on today--Chapter 6--is entitled “From Broadcast Control to Social Collaboration.”  It talks about how the church, for most of our lifetimes, has followed the same model of communication as the culture around us.  For most of the 20th century, the church operated under the “broadcast” paradigm.  Professionally trained pastors preached sermons to congregations who received them, similar to newscasters sharing information over TV or radio with audiences who took in what they were saying and trusted what the expert told them.  The book even used the example of CBS news anchor Walter Cronkite, who, from the 1960’s through the 1980’s, always ended his broadcast with the line, “And that’s the way it is.”  How many of us remember that?  The authors of this book suggest that when Cronkite said that, “…all the people sitting in their living rooms nodded, ‘Amen.’”  (Weird Church, p. 63)

But our culture has moved on from there.  The broadcast model of communication (one expert sharing one message with one audience at one time) is no longer the primary model of communication in our culture--or even in the world at large.  With the advent of the internet and other media like FaceBook, Twitter, Instagram--and other platforms I’m sure I’ve never even heard of, information is now shared on multiple platforms from multiple sources.  And the Covid pandemic sped up the pace of this trend.

There are, of course, plusses and minuses to any kind of communication the culture or the church chooses to use, but the point this chapter makes is that if the church chooses not to follow the communication trends that the culture is making, we miss the opportunity to share our message of God’s transforming love with the people around us.  Further, we miss the opportunity of learning from the people around us and growing in love and understanding through discussion and collaboration with them.  This chapter encourages the church to engage in multiple communication platforms because that is the way of the future. 

They mention livestreaming worship services--which is something we are already doing!  Yay, church!  But they also say that another thing the church of the future needs to do is engage in more conversation and collaboration.  The cool thing about the media platforms I mentioned earlier is that they all encourage such engagement.  For example, sermons won’t be the main means of spiritual education in the future; dialogue and conversations about Bible passages and themes will also take place more and more.  And when people put their heads and hearts together about such things, they can move on from there to take action.    

In the words of this book:

Imagine networks of people who learn from and empower each other.  Imagine small groups of people getting together to dream about God’s preferred future for them and their neighborhoods and then daring to make that a reality.  Imagine an open-source movement where people are allowed to contribute as much or as little as they like.  Imagine a potluck of sorts where everyone is fed spiritually and physically no matter what they bring to the table… Instead of broadcasting our truth, maybe we could just set a table of grace.  (Weird Church, p. 67)

It’s a wonderful, inspiring vision, isn’t it?  It would mean some change on our part, but the change doesn’t have to be onerous or something we force ourselves to do because we know it’s good for us or because some book tells us we have to do it if we want to survive in the future.

This Scripture from Romans 12 reminds us that it is God who brings about the changes in us and the church, not us.  “Fix your attention on God,” says the Apostle Paul.  “Place your life before God as an offering.”  Then relax.  Okay, so Paul doesn’t actually say, “then relax.”  But he implies it.  As I said earlier, part of what makes change so hard is all of the emotional and physical energy we expend in bringing it about. 

But that’s not what this passage is saying.  This passage is telling us to give up our control over the change.  This passage is encouraging us to say to God, “I’m willing to change, for the sake of sharing your love with the world, but you’ll have to lead me.  I’m feeling tired and spent, but if you, God, give me the energy and direct me, I’ll follow you.”

When we say that to God, that’s when amazing things happen, isn’t it?  God helps us to let go of the things that sap our energy, and God fills us with strength and energy in doing things with others that make our hearts sing.  May it be so!

Let us pray.

Loving God, this has been an exhausting year and a half, and all of us are still feeling the effects of the pandemic, which is not over yet.  Bless those who suffered great loss in the past year and a half.  Comfort them as they grieve.  Help them to rebuild their lives.  Bless all of us as we feel the lingering emotions of grief, and help us to rest in you.  Help us each and all to set our lives before you as an offering, and change us in the ways we need to change.  Give us joy as we collaborate with each other and strengthen us for ministry. 

And, God, Hear now our prayers for our community and our world…

-

-

-

[LOOK AT PHONE]

- Moment of silence…lifting up in prayer those we hold in our hearts.. others in this room and in our livestream…  [PAUSE]

- O God, bless the sick… those who are struggling… those who are grieving…caregivers… Give them strength and healing….  In Jesus name, Amen

PLEASE JOIN ME IN 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

Rev. Dr. Marlayna Schmidt

Franklin Federated Church

Franklin, MA

Information for this Sunday’s Worship, August 1st

(found on church website Franklinfederated.org and FaceBook page and in-person!)

“Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out...” (Romans 12:2, The Message)

ORDER OF WORSHIP (40 minutes)
- Prelude
- Welcome
- Announcements
- Call to Worship
- Hymn: #284 “Gather Us In"
- Scripture Reading: Romans 12:1-2
- Sermon: “From Broadcast Control to Social Collaboration” (#7 in a series on the book Weird Church)
- Hymn: “Pass It On”
- Pastoral prayer
- Lord’s Prayer
- Hymn: #422 “Let Us Talents and Tongues Employ"
- Benediction
- Postlude

(Note: Offering will be taken during the postlude)

LINK TO SCRIPTURE: Romans 12:1-2

Hymns for Sunday, August 1st

Click on the links below to view hymns
#284  Gather Us In
#422  Let Us Talents and Tongues Employ

Sermon: “From Head Trip to Heart-Warmed” (#6 in Weird Church series)

Scripture Reading:  Philippians 2:1-11 (from The Message paraphrase)

1-4 If you’ve gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care—then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don’t push your way to the front; don’t sweet-talk your way to the top.. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.

5-8 Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion.

9-11 Because of that obedience, God lifted him high and honored him far beyond anyone or anything, ever, so that all created beings in heaven and on earth—even those long ago dead and buried—will bow in worship before this Jesus Christ, and call out in praise that he is the Master of all, to the glorious honor of God the Father.

Sermon:  “From Head Trip to Heart-Warmed” (#6 in Weird Church series)

John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist Church back in the 1700’s, had a couple of life-changing, spiritual experiences.  The first occurred on a sailing ship headed to America.  During a powerful storm, so powerful that most people on board thought they were going to die, the only people who seemed at peace were a group of Moravian Christians (Moravians were a Protestant denomination that originated in an area that is now part of the Czech Republic).  While everyone else on the boat--including John Wesley, who at the time was an Anglican missionary--were at the mercy of their own panic, the Moravians were calmly gathered in faithful prayer.  John Welsey saw them and realized that he wanted what they had:  an experience of God’s loving presence that grounded him even in the midst of crisis, rather than a faith that was based only on intellectual beliefs. 

The good news is that John Wesley and everyone on board the ship survived the storm, and Wesley began a friendship with the Moravians.  He worshipped with them and studied with them, and when he returned to London, he found a Moravian mentor.  Long story short, one night at a study group with the Moravians, Wesley felt his heart, in his words, “strangely warmed.”  The authors of Weird Church describe Wesley’s experience as follows: 

“…he experienced a different kind of faith…a sure trust and confidence that even he was a beloved child of God--a personal experience of God’s grace!”  (p. 55)

The authors of Weird Church contend that most people today--particularly the “spiritual but not religious” crowd--are looking for what John Wesley experienced back in the 1700’s:  “heartwarming experiences of the Holy.”  (p. 48)  Further, “They are interested in … practices that will help them to grow in the ways of love as well as make a positive difference in the world.”  I am guessing that most of us feel the same way.  This is what we want, too, isn’t it?!  In the words of Franklin Federated Church’s Purpose Statement-- which is both descriptive and aspirational, we are  “A Community of Abundant Welcome to All, Growing together in Christ and Serving with Love.”  We want a faith that consists of a combination of intellectual belief and spiritual experience that leads to actions that make a positive difference in our world.

The challenge is that the Western institutional church as a whole, both Catholic and Protestant, has focused MUCH more on intellectual belief than we have on heartwarming experiences of the Holy.  And the intellectual belief that traditional Western Christianity has focused on most is the belief that God sent Christ as a sacrifice for our sins.  As you may know, this is called “the doctrine of substitutionary atonement,” and it grew out of a primitive, tribal theology dating back thousands of years.  Basically, this doctrine sees God as a punitive king whose anger at humanity’s disobedience can be satisfied only by a perfect blood sacrifice, which is where Jesus comes in.

More and more people these days are rejecting that view of God and the shame that comes with it.  And most of them are leaving the church!  This book invites those of us who are still part of the institutional church to think about the theology we are proclaiming--in our sermons, our liturgies, our hymns.  Is it a theology that focuses heavily on Jesus’ blood sacrifice?  If so, is this a theology we still believe in and want to proclaim?  Have we thought much about it?  [There is a wonderful, easy-to-understand book that looks at the various Christian theories of atonement (which is becoming “one” with God--"At-one-ment”), including the one I just described, and explains how each has arisen, along with the implications of each.  It’s worth reading if you want to do more research on this topic. It’s called Making Sense of the Cross by Dr. David Lose.] 

Interestingly enough, Weird Church points out that while the Western institutional church (Catholics and Protestants) focused on morality, sin, and sacrifice, the Eastern institutional church (Orthodox Christians) focused instead on “divinity and death.”  Page 56 of Weird Church described the focus of Eastern theology like this:

“Jesus shared in our suffering and death so that we can share in his divinity through the resurrection.  In essence, our journey to God is dying to this life and waking up to God in us…  In the Christianity of the East, Jesus was Ma-hy-ana, the Life-Giver, the Enlightened One.  The focus was on the Way of Jesus, which was a path that we can follow to become enlightened as well.” (p. 56)

Today’s Scripture reading from Philippians chapter 2 emphasizes that understanding.  Christ, in this passage, is seen as an example of self-giving love, which is different than self-sacrifice.  Verse 5 in the Message paraphrase says, “Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status…he didn’t claim special privileges.” 

So, if that’s the ways Christ behaved, then his followers should follow suit.  Verse 4 puts it this way, “Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.” 

Let me talk about the main difference I can see that this makes. 

If we proclaim a self-giving theology rather than self-sacrifice, we are not inviting people to feel shame or saying that the self is bad and steeped in sin.  We are instead saying that there are times when everyone needs to set their ego aside in order to help someone else.  It is mutual caring for one another so that we can all enjoy the good gifts of God, not some people making huge sacrifices so that others can live a privileged existence. 

This self-giving way of living can make a significant, positive difference in our world, especially right now where it feels very “dog-eat-dog” out in the world.  Over and over, we hear stories in the news where one person or one group or one political party promotes only their own agenda, seeking to exploit any advantage they can, to the detriment of the other.  There is not nearly enough focus on listening, learning, compromising, caring for and meeting the needs of all concerned, not just the winner. 

If we truly followed this Scripture and the self-giving example of Jesus painted here, we would set our egos aside for long enough to hear what others want and need.  And, when a whole group of people do that in a church, it can make a powerful, positive impact in our community and world. 

This summer, can we--can I--focus on following the self-giving example of Christ, praying for ways we can “forget ourselves long enough to lend a helping hand?”  And in the words of Kathy’s song earlier, can we:

- celebrate each life.

- let hate go.

- let love grow. 

May it be so! 

Would you please join me in singing, “Pass it on,” a song written in 1969, that celebrates the heart-warming experience of God’s Love…

Let us pray.

Loving God, you call us to follow the example of Christ, to set our egos aside and give of ourselves to help others grow and flourish.  You call us each and all to heart-warming experiences of the Holy.  You call us to discover the gifts and talents that make our hearts sing, and to joyfully pour ourselves out using those gifts and talents to make our world a better place.  Help us to do just that.  And give us the added gift of discernment, so that we know the difference between self-sacrifice, which leads to resentment and burnout, and self-giving, which leads to building up both others and ourselves. 

And, God, Hear now our prayers for our community and our world…

- For people all over the world who are contracting the virulent COVID Delta variant.  Bless particularly those who are on respirators struggling for their lives-- and those need to be admitted to the hospital but cannot be because there is no room for them.  We pray that more resources can be found. 

We pray for health care workers the world over who continually pour themselves out to help others--keep them safe, keep them strong, give them the rest they need. 

- Bless also people who have are eligible for the vaccine but have not yet chosen to get it.  May their decisions be based on factual information and not mis-information.  May they do what is best for BOTH themselves and their community. 

And may those who are intentionally spreading misinformation about this health crisis recognize the error of their ways and stop doing so.

[LOOK AT PHONE]

- Moment of silence…lifting up in prayer those we hold in our hearts.. others in this room and in our livestream…  [PAUSE]

- O God, bless the sick… those who are struggling… those who are grieving…caregivers… Give them strength and healing….  In Jesus name, Amen

PLEASE JOIN ME IN 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

Rev. Dr. Marlayna Schmidt

Franklin Federated Church

Franklin, MA

Information for Sunday July 25th

Information for this Sunday’s
OUTDOOR Worship
July 25th, 10 am 

(found on church website Franklinfederated.org and FaceBook page and in-person!)

"Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead.” (Philippians 2:4)

ORDER OF WORSHIP (40 minutes)
- Opening Hymn: “I’m So Glad, Jesus Lifted Me"
- Welcome
- Announcements
- Call to Worship
- Solo: “Live Your Truth” written and sung by Kathy Danielson
- Scripture Reading: Philippians 2:1-11
- Sermon: “From Head Trip to Heart Warmed” (#6 in a series on the book Weird Church)
- Hymn: “Pass It On”
- Pastoral prayer
- Lord’s Prayer
- Benediction
- Closing Song: “Send Me Out”

LINK TO SCRIPTURE: 0(0%)Philippians 2:1-110(0%)

DETAILS:

• Please bring your own “beach” chair and sunscreen.

• Please park on the street (as the parking lot will be our seating area.)

• People with mobility issues may be dropped off at the entrance to the parking lot.

• Service will be held in the sanctuary if it rains.

We will be having an “in-person” fellowship time outside immediately after worship.

NOTE: The worship service will not include a live-stream prayer time. If you have prayer requests you want included in a “pastoral prayer” spoken by Rev. Marlayna, please email her with your requests by Saturday night to revschmidt@comcast.net.

Upcoming dates for future outdoor services: August 8th, August 22nd

Sermon: “From Insider to All”

Scripture:  Joel 2:28-29

God’s Spirit Poured Out

28 [a] Then afterward
    I will pour out my spirit on all flesh;
your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
    your old men shall dream dreams,
    and your young men shall see visions.
29 Even on the male and female slaves,
    in those days, I will pour out my spirit.

 Sermon:  “From Insider to All”

When I was a kid, growing up in Revere, Massachusetts in the 60’s and  70’s, everyone in my neighborhood was a member of a religious congregation--either of the Catholic Church down the street or the Synagogue in Chelsea or, in my case, a Baptist Church in Boston.  And we rarely set foot in each other’s houses of worship.  In fact, one of my Catholic friends told me that her grandmother had told her that she’d go to hell if she went into my church.  I was disturbed by this comment and told my mother about it, and to my surprise, she laughed.  And my mother said to me, “I was told that, as a Baptist, I would go to hell if I set foot in a Catholic Church!  It’s not true,” she said.  And then she continued with words to this effect:  “None of us is going to hell.  God is with us all.”  I was much relieved.

The Prophet Joel, writing to the ancient Hebrew people sometime between the 9th and 5th centuries B.C.E. said something similar to what my mother told me.  In today’s Scripture Joel tells us that God says, “I will pour out my spirit on all flesh.”   Emphasis on the “all.”  And in case the people didn’t get it, Joel spells it out a bit further for them:  God has chosen to gift God’s Spirit on all people, even on those whom society granted no power.   Old people (you know, those whom our society calls “geezers”); young people (folks we may call “naïve idealists”); daughters (the gender whom Joel’s society actively discriminated against); slaves (people whom the ancient world barely recognized as people.)  God has chosen to pour out God’s Spirit on all of them, particularly on those whom society deemed as unworthy. 

Interestingly enough, however, from the context of the whole Book of Joel, it’s clear that “all flesh” to the Prophet Joel meant “all of ancient Israel”--NOT including Israel’s enemies.  For Joel, the coming of the Day of the Lord when the Spirit will be poured referred to a time in history not yet arrived when “God will do away with all enemies and usher in a final Kingdom of Goodness and Peace” for Israel.  (NIB, Vol. VII, p. 327)  The outpouring of God’s Spirit was good news for everyone in ancient Israel, not just the privileged in Israeli society, those with power and ability  to control their own destiny.  Yet, according to Joel’s understanding, the outpouring of God’s Spirit did not extend beyond ethnic, racial and national boundaries.  So, the coming of the Day of the Lord was thought to be very bad news for everyone else other than the ancient Israelites.

Not so in the days of the early church.  In the late first century, when the Apostle Luke (or someone from his community) was writing the Book of Acts (in the New Testament) he quotes this passage from Joel, and Luke’s understanding of the people on whom God’s Spirit was poured out, people whom God deemed as worthy, has expanded exponentially.  As we see from the stories included in Acts, Luke and the other early church leaders understood that when this passage said “all” it meant that God was pouring out God’s Spirit on Jews and Gentiles, people from all ethnicities, races, nations, and genders who repented of their sins and were baptized into the name of Jesus--both the privileged and those whom various societies deemed as unworthy and granted no power.  And Joel’s prophecy was not seen as something that would happen at some point in the future, it was seen as something that had already started happening, beginning with the resurrection of Christ and his giving of the Spirit--and continuing on into the future.  (NIB, Vol. VII, p. 327.) 

Over the centuries of Christian history, this passage from Joel has been interpreted many times.  And usually it was understood to mean that God’s Spirit was poured out only on a particular denomination of Christians, and which particular denomination depended on your viewpoint.  If you were Roman Catholic, you believed that God’s Spirit was poured out only on Catholics.  After the year 1054, when the Eastern Orthodox officially split with the Roman Catholic Church, if you were Eastern Orthodox, you believed God’s Spirit was poured out only on other members of the Eastern Orthodox brand of Christianity.  And after the Protestant Reformation, which began in the 16th century, when various other brands of Christianity began to arise, most people believed the Spirit “belonged” only to their own brand--be that Lutheran or Congregationalist or Baptist or Methodist or Presbyterian or whatever, and not the others. 

In the 1800 and 1900’s, thankfully, that understanding began to change.  In the early 1800’s, the Unitarians split with the Congregationalists and emphasized One God and the universal “salvation” of all of God’s followers.  Later, within Christianity, there was also an ecumenical movement, and people of our parents’ generation began to see the similarities in the various brands of Christianity and began to understand that God’s Spirit was not poured out exclusively on any one brand. 

And now, nearly 2000 years after the church began, we are reinterpreting this passage yet again, and more and more people are beginning to believe that God’s Spirit isn’t being poured out only on people who call themselves Christians--or even on people who are particularly religious.  More and more people--particularly those whom this book, Weird Church, describe as belonging to the green, yellow and turquoise value systems--are calling themselves “spiritual but not religious”--and it is the author’s understanding that God’s Spirit is being “poured out” on them as well.  (For an explanation of the various value systems described in this book, please refer to the spiral dynamics handout sheet, which is also accessible through the Thursday e-blast, which you can also find on the church website in the email section.)  In the words of this book, “The doors have been blown off [churches and religious institutions] and the sheep come and go as they will.”  (Weird Church, p. 45)

Which is a wild concept, isn’t it?  In some ways, it is incredibly exciting.  God’s Spirit is available to all, and new connections can form between people who in previous generations have not had much to do with each other.  But, in other ways, it is rather unsettling.  The “spiritual but not religious” folks are not joining religious institutions because they see no need to do so, which means that religious institutions are not taking in many new members, which also means that the institutions as we have known them are not sustainable.  We have to get creative if we want to sustain our religious institutions.

And we will talk more about ways we can get creative like that in later sermons in this series on the book Weird Church. 

But right now I want to make something very clear.  Jesus did not call his followers to sustain religious institutions.  He called his followers to be receptive to God’s Spirit.  To listen to God’s voice.  To be filled with God’s Love.  To dream dreams.  To catch a glimpse of God’s Vision for the world, which is a world in which those on the margins of society have as much “say” in how people are treated as those in positions of power and privilege. 

The chapter in Weird Church that talks about this Scripture is entitled “from Insider to All” and it describes a ministry shift that the church needs to make in the twenty first century.  We need to shift our focus from those who are “insiders” in our institutions to those who are not members.  And not for the purpose of making them members.  (Of course, some of them may become members, and that’s fine, wonderful, even, but seeking members should not be our purpose.)  Our focus on non-members should be for the purpose of listening to them, learning from them, hearing God’s voice in them, and growing with them in love and service.

How many times have people told us, “I’m spiritual but not religious”?  I’ve had 2 people say that to me in the past month.  I bet you have as well.  Some of our neighbors, our friends, even our own children and grandchildren have uttered those words.  What do they mean by them?  Have you asked them?  Have you listened to their answers?  I’m not sure I’ve listened closely enough.

As part of our recent Vision Process here at Franklin Federated Church, you articulated your Purpose as being “A Community of Abundant Welcome to All, Growing Together in Christ, and Serving with Love.”  One way we could grow in Christ would be by intentionally having conversations with people who are not members of FFC and listening for God’s Spirit speaking through them.  What do they have to tell us?  What values are they living out that Jesus preached?  Have they found ways to love and serve their neighbors that we haven’t thought of?  Could we partner with them in those ways? 

If I could give you--and me--some “homework” this summer, it would be to continue to engage in conversations with people who are not members of our church.  Next time you are walking around the farmer’s market or are at a cookout with your family, pray for an opportunity to engage in conversation with someone who identifies as spiritual but not religious.  Think of questions you might want to ask them ahead of time, and remember to listen to their answers.  Remember that God’s Spirit has been poured out on them, and pray that they will share something with you that you need hear. 

And remember, our goal in engaging people in conversation is to build connections and learn from them.  May God be with us in our welcoming, learning and growing this summer. 

Let us pray.

Loving God, we thank you for the words of the Prophet Joel and his expansive thinking that leads us to understand that your Spirit is poured out on all people, even those whom society grants no power.  Help us to form more connections with people around us.  Draw us into more conversations with people outside the four walls of our church, and help us to learn from them.  Lead us into the future that we might learn and grow and shine the light of your love in our community and beyond. 

And, God, Hear now our prayers for our community and our world…

- for people in Germany, France, and Belgium experiencing terrible floods.  We ask your blessing on the recovery effort.  May people receive the resources they need to survive and rebuild in ways that are safe.  Bless those who are grieving the loss of home and community and loved ones.  Give them comfort and strength …

- In the wake of a Federal Judge’s recent decision on DACA, we pray for Dreamers, who were brought here illegally as children.  Bless them as they face an uncertain future.  Keep them safe.  Help our congress to work together to come up with comprehensive immigration reform.

[LOOK AT PHONE]

- Moment of silence…lifting up in prayer those we hold in our hearts.. others in this room and in our livestream…  [PAUSE]

- O God, bless the sick… those who are struggling… those who are grieving…caregivers… Give them strength and healing….  In Jesus name, Amen

PLEASE JOIN ME IN 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

Rev. Dr. Marlayna Schmidt

Franklin Federated Church

Franklin, MA

GENESIS 1-31

I am back from birth week (4th of July kind of steps on my toes, so I take a week off), and quite a week it was! Mow the lawn? NOPE. Water the flowers? DON'T THINK SO. How about a swim? JUST STEP OUTSIDE---SIGH😶😶😶

Before we resume crying over the weather (more moisture-not needed), can we just try a little perspective? Not hot or dry enough for you? How about some north western America. Or perhaps we're not wet enough for you? How about some northwestern Europe. Okay boomers, let's stop complaining and start doing the right things, and youngsters, YES YOUTH, have a part in this planet mess. Don't just be a 'KAREN' (oldsters, if you have to ask about KAREN you won't get it). Don't forget YOUTH, it's more your planet than the BOOMERS. YES, I know it's all of our mess, and for right now there is no other planet to go to. (GENESIS 1-31...God saw all that he had made and it was very good)

~ Bob Miller, on behalf of your Deacons

Getting my Mind around a Different Idea

In a recent sermon, Rev. Jean Southard reminded us that the Bible says God created humankind in God’s image and we should live up to that image. At the time, I was grappling with an old idea that was new to me: What was God’s image in which we were created? Our New Revised Standard Version pew Bibles (recent English translations of Greek translations of ancient Hebrew scriptures with some help from St. Jerome’s Latin Vulgate translation) reads: “Then God said (apparently to a heavenly court): ‘Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness . . .’ So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” (Genesis 1:26-27). Then, having created the other living things in pairs, in the next chapter God separates Eve from Adam (“Of the earth”) by by splitting off a rib. (Gen. 2:21-22). “Wait!,” we say; “God created man and woman in God’s image and then God had to separate the two? What’s going on?” The traditional, patriarchal explanation is that God (think an old man with a flowing white beard in the sky) created a male human and then adjusted his mistake by making Eve from Adam’s rib – or maybe these are two creation stories that have been cobbled together.

Today many of us do not think of God in anthropomorphic, purely masculine terms; we pay attention to the Genesis 1's intimation that God’s image was also female. Is there any way to reconcile these two pictures which our antecedents combined into one story? I was intrigued – and initially dismayed – at the suggestion that the ancients thought of God “in the round” so to speak, with male features on one side and female features on the other, and the Adam side was split from the Eve side so they could see each other, function independently but side-by-side, and be in relationship with each other. At first this seemed like a really weird idea, but the more I thought about it, the more I liked it: God’s image encompassing everything, adjusted for life on this planet where many species function in pairs; that’s a view I can live with.

I take the Bible seriously, but not literally, so what matters to me is concepts, not scientific facts about which the ancients knew nothing. They did pretty well with a general idea of the developmental sequence the universe and our world, even if they didn’t understand the details of evolution. I’m willing to give them credit also for an imaginative, non-discriminatory vision of an unknowable God. My understanding of God just got a whole lot bigger!

Lyn Pickhover, Awe-struckl

Information for this Sunday’s Worship, July 18th

(found on church website Franklinfederated.org and FaceBook page and in-person!)

“[The Lord said:] 'Then afterward I will pour out my spirit on all flesh...'” (Joel 2:28)

Click here to RSVP

Sermon (#5 in a series on the book Weird Church): “From Insider to All!"

ORDER OF WORSHIP (40 minutes)

- Prelude
- Welcome
- Announcements
- Call to Worship
- Hymn #2 “Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee"
- Scripture Reading: Joel 2:28-29
- Sermon: “From Insider to All!"
- Pastoral prayer
- Lord’s Prayer
- Closing Hymn #21 “Let the Whole Creation Cry"
- Benediction
- Postlude

LINK TO SCRIPTURE: Joel 2:28-29

Hymns for Sunday, July 18th

Click on the links below to view hymns
#2  Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee
#21  Let the Whole Creation Cry

Full On Summer

WOW...its mid July...full on summer...post-graduations, post-holidays...perhaps it's time to tap the brakes, slow down, catch the scenery as we go by (or it goes by us). Can't say I'm in love with the drenching tropical weather BUT, the grass couldn't get much greener -- AND as long as we're talking plant life; the rain has kept the pollen count down (can I get an AMEN from the allergy sufferers)!

Post COVID-19, we are all afflicted, house bound, nervous, consumed with medical jargon, (do you really care what company made your vaccine????), etc, etc, etc. Time for a deep breath (and hold it), count to ten, and exhale.....NOW enjoy the beautiful flowers of summer (see & smell); roll the windows down in your car; put some extra butter on that corn-on-the-cob; get up early and listen to the birds at sunrise.

To him who in the love of nature holds communion with her visible forms , she speaks a various language. BRYANT

~ Bob Miller, on behalf of your Deacon

Information for this Sunday’s Worship ~ July 11th

  (found on church website Franklinfederated.org and FaceBook page and in-person!)
 

For July 11th, please EMAIL your prayer requests in advance to Jean Southard at jksouthard@aol.com by Saturday afternoon.  (We won’t be able to receive prayer requests in the livestream.)  

Click here to RSVP

- Prelude 
- Announcements
- Call to Worship
          One:  The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
          All:    And also with you.
          One:  This is the day the Lord has made.
          All:    Let us rejoice and be glad in it.

- Hymn : #100  When Morning Gilds the Skies
- Scripture Reading: John 3:1-17 
- Sermon:  Sorting It Out
- Hymn:  #72  To God Be the Glory (Verses 1 and 3)
- A Time of Prayer 
- 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.

- Hymn:  #434  God Be with You Till We Meet Again
- Benediction 
- Postlude

Hymns for Sunday, July 11th

Click on the links below to view hymns
#100  When Morning Gilds the Skies
#72  To God Be the Glory
#434  God Be with You Till We Meet Again

Sermon: “From the Illusion of a Christian Society to Christian Subversion"

Scripture:  Acts 4:7-20 - The Message

5-7 The next day a meeting was called in Jerusalem. The rulers, religious leaders, religion scholars, Annas the Chief Priest, Caiaphas, John, Alexander—everybody who was anybody was there. They stood Peter and John in the middle of the room and grilled them: “Who put you in charge here? What business do you have doing this?”

8-12 With that, Peter, full of the Holy Spirit, let loose: “Rulers and leaders of the people, if we have been brought to trial today for helping a sick man, put under investigation regarding this healing, I’ll be completely frank with you—we have nothing to hide. By the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, the One you killed on a cross, the One God raised from the dead, by means of his name this man stands before you healthy and whole. Jesus is ‘the stone you masons threw out, which is now the cornerstone.’ Salvation comes no other way; no other name has been or will be given to us by which we can be saved, only this one.”

13-14 They couldn’t take their eyes off them—Peter and John standing there so confident, so sure of themselves! Their fascination deepened when they realized these two were laymen with no training in Scripture or formal education. They recognized them as companions of Jesus, but with the man right before them, seeing him standing there so upright—so healed!—what could they say against that?

15-17 They sent them out of the room so they could work out a plan. They talked it over: “What can we do with these men? By now it’s known all over town that a miracle has occurred, and that they are behind it. There is no way we can refute that. But so that it doesn’t go any further, let’s silence them with threats so they won’t dare to use Jesus’ name ever again with anyone.”

18-20 They called them back and warned them that they were on no account ever again to speak or teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John spoke right back, “Whether it’s right in God’s eyes to listen to you rather than to God, you decide. As for us, there’s no question—we can’t keep quiet about what we’ve seen and heard.”

Sermon:  “From the Illusion of a Christian Society to Christian Subversion

Have you ever noticed how little kids can’t keep quiet when they have news to share?  Even when you tell them, “It’s a secret--don’t tell Mommy,” almost the first words out of their mouth when Mommy walks in the room are, “Daddy got you a present!”  Or, “Johnny broke the window!” Or “Uncle Tony doesn’t live with aunt Suzy any more!”  Watching children’s faces when they know a secret or have news to share, it’s almost like they physically struggling to keep the words inside--and to do so might make them burst.

I think that’s how it was with the Apostles, Peter and John, in today’s Scripture reading.  In Verse 20, Peter and John say, “As for us, there’s no question--we can’t keep quiet about what we’ve seen and heard.”  Like little kids with a secret, they simply can’t keep the words inside--they are bursting with news. 

And their news is all about Jesus.  About how God raised him from the dead.  About the message of salvation that Jesus preached:  about healing and wholeness and eternal life for ALL people who open their hearts to God. 

This was particularly good news for people living under the oppression of the Roman Empire, a totalitarian government that cared only about the citizens at the top of the food chain.  Jesus preached that, in contrast, God cares about those at the bottom of the food chain.  God cares about those whom the civil and religious authorities considered throw-aways:

·        lepers

·        prisoners

·        widows

·        orphans

·        women and children in general

·        prostitutes

·        tax collectors

·        people who were sick or disabled

·        foreigners

Peter and John couldn’t keep quiet about this radical message of God’s kingdom, of God’s tender, loving care for those at the bottom of the social ladder who are struggling to survive.  They preached that God cares about the people at the bottom--and we human beings should care about them too.  And they got in trouble for preaching that.  And not just preaching it--living it! 

After healing a man in Jesus’ name, a disabled man who had been unable to walk for years, Peter and John were arrested and brought before the combined civil and religious authority called the Sanhedrin, which was “the highest court of justice and the supreme council in ancient Jerusalem.” (MacBook Pro dictionary.)  The Sanhedrin kept them in jail overnight and then ordered them to keep quiet--about this particular healing, about Jesus’ name, about the resurrection from the dead, about everything. 

Why?  Because the Sanhedrin understood what would happen if Peter and John kept preaching and people kept listening:  Rome would crack down on them because they dared to challenge the empire.  And Rome wouldn’t only crack down on Peter and John--Rome would crack down on the Sanhedrin as well, because they had allowed Peter and John to preach against Rome.  And members of the Sanhedrin then would lose their privileged positions--and perhaps even their lives. 

This is the kind of passage that makes me glad we are living in a democracy that values free speech.  Thank God we do not live in a totalitarian regime that cracks down on people who speak up for justice, who advocate for people at the bottom of the food chain.

But even in a democracy like ours, it’s not always easy to speak up for justice, to question the status quo.  One reason is because when we start speaking up, it can make people uncomfortable--both the speakers and the hearers.  Part of the discomfort is because it is often anger that motivates us to speak.  We see someone being treated unfairly, and we speak out with an angry tone or use inflammatory words because we can’t stand what is happening, particularly if it has been happening for years and we havne’t been able to change it.  But the way we speak, sadly, can add fuel to the fire--because no one likes getting yelled at. 

We see this dynamic often in political discussions, don’t we?  Sometimes political discussions sound more like 2 enemies yelling at each other, using words as weapons against each other rather than 2 fellow citizens trying to understand each other’s point of view.  We are in such a divided place in our country right now that even the word “political” sounds like an derogatory epithet.  For example, one of the golf courses near my house actually has a sign in the club house, “No political discussions here.  This is a place of enjoyment.”  When I first saw the sign, I thought it was a joke, but wasn’t. If you want to play the course or eat in the clubhouse, you aren’t allowed to talk politics because it’s too volatile a topic!  And it affects business.  Wow!

In an atmosphere like this, it is a whole lot easier to keep quiet and talk about mundane things.  But as Christians, that is not what Jesus calls us to do.  Jesus calls us to speak up for justice for people at the bottom of the social ladder.  The hard part is finding ways to do it without having anger poison the conversation or turn it into a divisive political discussion.  And hear me:  I’m not saying we shouldn’t be angry when we witness injustice.  Of course, seeing vulnerable people treated unfairly makes us angry, as well it should!  And the longer the unfair treatment continues, the more the anger builds.

But if we let our anger steer the discussion, we aren’t going to be effective agents for change--and we aren’t going to be effective ambassadors for Christ, whose main characteristic and power is healing Love.  So when we see people at the bottom of the social ladder--outsiders, minorities, foreigners--being treated unfairly, we--as insiders, members of the majority, natives--we need to speak up in love on their behalf.  Like Peter and John, we need to witness to what we see and hear.  Like Peter and John, we need to be clear about our understanding of our mission in Christ’s name--to bring healing and wholeness to all people, especially those who are suffering most at the bottom of the social hierarchy. 

And, when we speak, we need to speak with humility.  Because, truth be told, we are not always in the shoes of Peter and John.  Sometimes, we are in the shoes of the Sanhedrin.  It’s like that old Dire Straits song from the 90’s, “Sometimes you’re the windshield, sometimes you’re the bug.”  I know that song is about the relationships, so it doesn’t fit exactly--but my point is that we are not always in the position of “good guy” apostles, underdogs speaking up for justice.  Sometimes, we are insiders, in a position of privilege and power, and our power and privilege, unbeknownst to us, is hurting other people.  Like the Sanhedrin, sometimes we are the ones at the top--or near the top--of the food chain, passing judgements, in control of resources.  And when we are in that position, like the Sanhedrin, we need to stop and ask questions. 

The questions the Sanhedrin ask in this passage are actually good ones:  “Who put you in charge here?  What business do you have doing this?  What should we do with these men?”  If only they had truly listened to Peter and John’s answers to these questions, considered the truth in their statements, and considered how God might be calling them to join Peter and John in speaking up for justice for the outsider, they could have actually used their power and privilege to help bring healing and wholeness to the whole community. 

As you know, I am preaching a series of sermons on this book, Weird Church.  Each week I am talking about a shift in ministry that the church needs to make in order to survive and thrive in this century--and to keep sharing the message of God’s transforming love with the world.  This week’s shift is described by the authors as a shift “From the illusion of a Christian Society to Christian Subversion.”   It’s mouthful of a title, but by it they mean that Christianity isn’t about just about passing down the same moral values that our society as a whole promotes.  Christianity is about having a relationship with the Risen Christ--accepting his Love in our hearts--and following his teachings in our lives, even when his teachings go counter to our culture.  So, even when our society says, “Be quiet.  Stop talking politics, you are making us uncomfortable.”  We need to answer as Peter and John did, continuing to work toward healing and wholeness for those on the bottom of the food chain and lovingly saying, “Whether it’s right in God’s eyes to listen to you rather than to God, you decide. As for us, there’s no question—we can’t keep quiet about what we’ve seen and heard.”

Let us pray:

Loving God, we thank you that you call us to be the church and continue Jesus’ work of love in the world.  We thank you for the privilege of being called to speak out for justice and fairness, especially for people on the bottom of the social ladder--outsiders, minorities, foreigners.  Help us to speak up for them in ways that can be heard, with care and humility.  Save us from poisoning conversations with our own anger.  By your powerful Spirit, give us the strength and courage we need to engage honestly and thoughtfully with others, particularly those who have different perspectives from us, and give us all ears to hear and hearts to act in love. 

And, God, Hear now our prayers for our community and our world…

- for our Jewish brothers and sisters experiencing a rise in antisemitic behavior, even here in Franklin…

[LOOK AT PHONE]

- Moment of silence…lifting up in prayer those we hold in our hearts.. others in this room and in our livestream…  [PAUSE]

- O God, bless the sick… those who are struggling… those who are grieving…caregivers… Give them strength and healing….  In Jesus name, Amen

PLEASE JOIN ME IN 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

Rev. Dr. Marlayna Schmidt

Franklin Federated Church

Franklin, MA

. 

Proverbs 6-6.8

Deacon's Corner

Summertime and the living is EASY! Unless you are a farmer. Have you thanked a farmer recently? Franklin Farmers Market every Fri noon-6pm...all summer long. While you're there, you could stop at the front porch of FFC for a little chit chat, some kibbitzing, or maybe shoot the breeze (if there is a breeze). Maybe share some of the summer bounty...DON'T FORGET THE FRANKLIN FOOD PANTRY!

Proverbs 6-6.8 - Go to the ant, consider it's ways It has no 0verseer, yet it stores it's provisions in summer.

~ Bob Miller, on behalf of your Deacons

Information for this Sunday’s Worship June 27th

Information for this Sunday’s Worship
June 27th

(found on church website Franklinfederated.org and FaceBook page and in-person!)

Click here to RSVP

“As for us, there’s no question—we can’t keep quiet about what we’ve seen and heard.” (Acts 4:20)



Sermon (#4 in a series on the book Weird Church):
“From the Illusion of a Christian Society to Christian Subversion"

Prelude “Sing Praise to God who Reigns Above"
- Welcome
- Announcements
- Call to Worship
- Hymn #73 “There’s a Wideness in God’s Mercy"
- Scripture Reading: Acts 4:7-20
- Sermon: “From the Illusion of a Christian Society to Christian Subversion"
- Pastoral prayer
- Lord’s Prayer
- Closing Hymn #469 “I Am the Light of the World"
- Benediction
- Graduates Slide Show
- Postlude “Precious Name”

Handout

The Value Systems of Spiral Dynamics, a framework for understanding social/cultural evolution.

Links to Scripture

Acts 4:7-20

Hymns for Sunday, June 27th

Click on the links below to view hymns
#73  There's a Wideness in God's Mercy
#469  I Am the Light of the World!  

Sermon #2 in Weird Church Series: “From Fear to Freedom”

1 John 4:18

18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love.

Jeremiah 29:11

11 For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.

1 Peter 2:9

9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

Sermon #2 in Weird Church Series:  “From Fear to Freedom”

My husband Paul and I live in Beverly, Massachusetts, which is right next to Salem.  Over the years, we have known a number of people who have had jobs in the tourism industry, since Salem is a tourist destination primarily because of the history of the witch trials--and also because of the city’s openness to a variety of spiritual practices.  One of our acquaintances, let’s call him Fred--not his real name--was working on his PhD in English literature at Salem State University, and to make ends meet, Fred took a part-time job as a fortune teller, reading tarot cards for tourists.  He took this job not because he believed in any magic behind tarot, but because he understood symbolism and was good at making up entertaining, optimistic predictions to go along with the symbols on the cards.  The tourists who came to him for readings enjoyed his predictions, didn’t take what he said too seriously, and paid him for his services, money that he sorely needed as a full-time student.  A win/win all around. 

Until Fred got a repeat client.  A local woman started coming to him for readings every time she had a decision to make in her life and was fearful she would make the wrong decision, fearful her future would be bleak.  The woman believed in the magic of the cards and wanted direction from Fred--assurances that would quell her fears--assurances that her future would turn out well and be pain free.  She looked for Fred to advise her what job to take, which relationship to pursue, what house to buy. 

When Fred realized what she was doing, he could not with good conscience continue telling the woman’s fortune.  He told her something to the effect of, “Your trust in me and my fortune telling is misplaced--I need you to know that this is supposed to be entertainment--I am making everything up.”  Fred was more than a bit worried that having said this, the woman would complain to his boss and Fred would lose his job.  But that’s not what happened at all.  The woman, interestingly enough, did not believe Fred.  She said something to the effect of, “Maybe you think you are making things up, but the cards don’t lie.”  It turned out there was nothing Fred could say to make her change her mind--to make her take him less seriously.  So, despite his needing the revenue, Fred, led by his conscience, quit his job.

My point?  In some ways, we are all like this woman.  We all harbor some fear of the future, and we all want to control--to some extent, at least--what our futures look like.  We all crave assurances that one choice is better than another, and, if are honest, I think we all could admit that, at least sometimes, it would be nice to have someone point out exactly which choice we should make to get the outcome that we want.   Wouldn’t it be nice, in some ways, to be told how to live so that pain could be eliminated--or at least minimized--for us and our loved ones?  It is very human to want this kind of control. 

And as Christians, haven’t we at times looked to God or the Bible for similar assurances and clarity of direction in order to quell our fear of the future, minimize pain, and get the outcome that we want?  Please don’t get me wrong, it is very appropriate to bring our fears to God and to look to God for direction and assurance.  In fact, our Scriptures for today all give us assurance that God loves us and wants the best for us--a future with hope. 

But here is what our Scriptures don’t say.  They don’t say that pain will be eliminated.  They don’t say that if we pray hard enough, we can control our future or that every step along the way will be happy and comfortable.  They don’t say that if we have faith we can maintain the status quo and that nothing will ever change in our lives.

In fact, the middle Scripture, from Jeremiah 29:11 that talks about God giving the people of ancient Israel a “future with hope” was written to them in 597 BCE, when they were in exile in the foreign land of Babylon, having experienced the overwhelming pain of losing homes and livelihoods and loved-ones--even their own freedom.  (New Interpreter’s Bible Commentary, Vol. VI, p. 791)  The hope in their future is not to be found in specific assurances that they will be restored to the same level of wealth and comfort they experienced before.  The hope in their future is to be found in relationships.  God’s love has never left them, and they will find hope and peace not in a restoration of wealth, but in an investment in relationships with God and with each other in their faith community. 

And even beyond the faith community.  Earlier in this same chapter (Jeremiah 29:7), the prophet directs them to also invest in the people around them who are NOT part of their faith community.  Specifically, the people of ancient Israel--the displaced exiles-- are directed to do something that must have seemed radical to them, counterintuitive.  They are directed to seek the peace and well-being of the foreigners among whom they are living--including the leaders who conquered their country and took them captive! 

It is in focusing on relationships--not outcomes--that we can move from fear to freedom.  When we focus on allowing the gift of God’s Love to fill our lives--when we focus on loving our neighbors as ourselves, regardless of our circumstances, that is when our fear will be cast out.  Our first Scripture (from the first letter of John the Elder) tells us that “perfect love casts out fear.”  Another way to translate the Greek word for “perfect” is “mature.”  Mature love.  (NIB, Vol. XII, p. 431) This is love that has moved beyond the rudimentary understanding of love as “warm feelings” to a deeper understanding of love as that which seeks the welfare of the other.  This is the kind of love that God has for us; it is a gift that we accept from God, and it is a gift that we can offer others. 

When we love like this, in the words of our last Scripture, we move “out of darkness into God’s marvelous light.”  When we love like this, our fear is “cast out” and both the present and the future shine with possibilities. 

Now, I realize that I am preaching these words in a time when we are-- hopefully--coming to the end of the worst pandemic the world has experienced in 100 years.  A pandemic that has led to the loss of over 3 million lives world-wide, according to statistics provided by the World Health Organization (who.int).  And I know that a number of people here participating in this worship service have lost loved ones in this pandemic--which is painful beyond words.  If you have experienced that kind of loss, know that your church family stands with you in that pain, and continues to hold you in our hearts.

I also realize that on top of that pain that has affected some of us, there are, other pains as well that affect us all.  The pandemic has also led to--and/or exacerbated-- huge shake-ups in all of our world’s systems:  government systems, health systems, economic systems, communication systems, education systems, justice systems, just to name a few.  We are still feeling the effects of these shake-ups, some more than others, and although we are in recovery in many ways--thanks be to God!--we are not out of the woods yet.  All of our institutions have been affected by these shake-ups, including the institution of church. 

As you may know, I have just started preaching a sermon series on a book called “Weird Church”--which has an upside down church building on the cover as a symbol of all of the social and cultural shake-ups we’ve been experiencing.  And in this book, chapter 1, entitled “Fear to Freedom” (where I got the title for today’s sermon), it says that the world is changing and predicts that we will see “the end of the institutional church as we have known it by 2050.”  Or perhaps a lot sooner--because this prediction was based on cultural shifts happening in 2016, when the book was written, which have been made worse by the pandemic. 

Now, we could react to our fear of this impending loss by just collapsing in despair--OR by trying hard to hold on to the institutional church as we’ve always known it, praying hard for God’s intervention to keep things the same and spare us the pain of change. 

However, while it may well be our natural, human tendency to react this way--to try to control the future to get the outcome we want and spare ourselves pain--reacting this way is not what God calls us to.  It is not God’s way. 

God’s way is to focus on building loving relationships rather than spending energy keeping the status quo in our systems.  Or in the words of the authors Estock and Nixon, p. 12 of the book, “It is incumbent on us to dare to cast aside fear, let go of our need to control the outcome, and put our hope in God.” 

This will free us up to try new ways of doing things, new ways where the marvelous light of God’s love can shine both for us and for people around us, some of whom may have never experienced God’s Love before. 

Let me give you an example--from your own experience here at Franklin Federated Church.  Last summer we--you--dared to try the new experience of having an outdoor worship service in the church parking lot.  It took A LOT of planning and organization and hours and people and equipment.  But you did it!  And not only did you provide a way for church members to connect with each other face-to-face, you provided an opportunity for folks in the neighborhood--people who just happened to be walking by, to hear the inspirational music that Julie planned and members of the choir sang with her.  And on top of that, you figured out how to livestream worship so that the congregation could expand beyond a physical location.  (Since we started meeting again in person, an average of 15 people watch live every Sunday morning--and many more watch during the week.)  And, who knows what seeds may have been planted by those moments of spiritual encounter when people saw and heard the faith community that meets in this place? 

So, may this book Weird Church and our own experiences of trying new things continue to inspire us to let go of our fear and trust God.  Specifically, may we dare to let go of our fear of not being able to control the future--in terms of the church and other things too.  And may we trust in God--that when we allow ourselves the freedom to focus on relationships, God will provide amazing opportunities for the marvelous light of God’s Love to shine in ways that transform the world. 

Let us pray. 

In the words of Rev. Al Carmines, we pray:

God of change and glory, God of time and space,

when we fear the future, give to us your grace…

As the old ways disappear,

let your love cast out all fear.

God, Hear now our prayers for our community and our world…

[LOOK AT PHONE]

- Moment of silence…lifting up in prayer those we hold in our hearts.. others in this room and in our livestream…  [PAUSE]

- O God, bless the sick… those who are struggling… those who are grieving…caregivers… Give them strength and healing….  In Jesus name, Amen

PLEASE JOIN ME IN 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

Rev. Dr. Marlayna Schmidt

Franklin Federated Church

Franklin, MA

Sermon #3 in Weird Church Series: “From Settled Camp to Shalom on the Move”

Scripture Reading:  Luke 10:1-11

1After this the Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go. 2 He said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. 3 Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. 4 Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road. 5 Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house!’ 6 And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you. 7 Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the laborer deserves to be paid. Do not move about from house to house. 8 Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; 9 cure the sick who are there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ 10 But whenever you enter a town and they do not welcome you, go out into its streets and say, 11 ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off in protest against you. Yet know this: the kingdom of God has come near.’

Sermon #3 in Weird Church Series:  “From Settled Camp to Shalom on the Move”

Did anyone hear or read the story in the news this week about Michael Packard, the lobsterman who was swallowed by a whale?  (All I could think of was--this is the Bible Story of Jonah the prophet come to life!)  I read about Michael’s adventure in the Boston Globe.  And when I say a read about it, I mean I devoured the article and enjoyed it immensely.  In case you didn’t read or hear about it, let me summarize it in one sentence:  A lobsterman was scuba-diving off the coast of Provincetown, when a humpback whale swallows him whole, scuba-equipment and all, and then brings him up to the surface of the water, spits him out, and, long story short, the man survives the whole thing unscathed with just some torn ligaments in his left leg.  And one heck of a fish story. Amazing!   (Boston Globe story by David Abel, June 17, 2021.)

As I was reading along, questions surfaced in my head, like they always do when I read anything.  My first question was, if the guy was a lobsterman, why didn’t he stay in the boat like all of the other lobstermen I’ve ever met?  What kind of lobsterman scuba-dives for his catch?  Isn’t that a little extreme?  But as I read the story, I got answers to my questions.  Michael Packard isn’t your run-of-the-mill lobsterman.  He’s a real character who loves the ocean and lives life to the full.  He sees his work as an opportunity for joy and adventure and interaction with nature.  It’s clear from what he told the Globe reporter, David Abel, that living any kind of conventional life--even the conventional life of a lobsterman who stays inside a boat, would severely dampen his spirit.  Michael Packard finds joy and fulfillment in getting out of the boat and into the sea to look for his catch, despite any dangers he might encounter there, like whales looking for their next meal--or great white sharks, which he’d run into a time or two!!    

When reading this story, my mind kept flashing back to today’s Scripture reading where Jesus sends out 70 of his followers into the towns of Samaria, the foreign land north of Judea.  Up until this point, most of his followers had been sticking close to Jesus--staying in the boat, if you will, and Jesus was the one doing the outreach.  But in this chapter Jesus changes tacks and sends his followers out instead.  Commentators speculate that this group of 70 may actually have been ALL of his followers--both men and women, including the 12 disciples.  If you’re wondering about the number “70”, scholars suggest that this alludes to a passage in Genesis chapter 10 where the number of nations in the world is listed as 70.  So Jesus sending out 70 of his followers symbolizes his command for the church to go out into the whole world--to all nations, no one excluded-- with the message of God’s love. 

And, thankfully, Jesus gives them some instructions.  He tells them to begin with prayer.  And he tells them it’s not always going to be easy.  Yes, some people will receive the message with joy and acceptance.  BUT, others will reject it.  Alluding to this mixed reaction, in verse 3 Jesus says, “…I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves.”  (Or, if he was speaking to us today, he might say, “like lobstermen into the sea with sharks.”)  Jesus was letting the followers of his day know that getting out with his message of love carries some risks, so they should be aware of those risks and do things to mitigate them, but they were not called to play it safe.  Similarly, Jesus’ followers today--we--are not called to play it safe and just stay inside our church buildings.  We are called to get out of our buildings and go out into the world, starting with the neighborhoods right around us.  And not just a few of us are called, not just those who are extroverts or those who want to be missionaries.  ALL of us are called to get out of our buildings and into the communities around us.

The Greek word for church used in the Bible is “ec-clee-sia,” and it means “a called-out people of God.”  Or, as this book describes it, the word ecclesia refers to “a community of believers called out of the mainstream to a weird enterprise…for the sake of sacrificial love...”  (Weird Church, p. 14)  One of this book’s main points is reminding us of what we sometimes forget--that the main definition of “church” is the people, not the building.  In fact, when the word ecclesia was first used in the Bible, there were no church buildings.  Churches--that is, ecclesia, communities-- met outside or in people’s houses for the first few centuries after Jesus’ death.  Churches only began to have designated buildings after Christianity became institutionalized as the State Religion of the Roman Empire following the conversion of the Emperor Constantine in the year 312.  That’s when temples that had previously housed Roman gods were given to communities of Jesus’ followers and began to be used as places of worship for Christians. 

But having buildings for churches to meet in--wonderful though it was in many ways, brought its own set of challenges.  Particularly in our day and age, church buildings are often old and in need of repair and were designed to meet the needs that congregations had a hundred years ago, not needs that the church has today.  Further, church buildings are often expensive to maintain--not just in terms of money but also in terms of time and energy.  (I’m not telling you anything you don’t already know.)

However, church buildings, if designed and built--or retrofit-- with a current community’s Vision in mind, can be great assets!  Buildings can serve as launching pads for ministry.  Church buildings can be places where the community of Christ can meet to re-charge their batteries through worship and prayer, education, support and planning for mission.  Church buildings can also be places open to the wider community where people can gather to engage in activities that are in line with a church’s Vision and values.  So church buildings aren’t bad in and of themselves, as long as the people of the church--the ecclesia-- recognize that the buildings are tools to be used to serve Christ’s mission of going out into the world. 

But let me get back to our Scripture reading.  Jesus sends out all of his followers 2 by 2 into the surrounding towns to interact with people who share God’s Peace:  to eat with them, heal their sick, and share the good news of God’s Kingdom of Love.  In other words, Jesus’ followers are directed to build relationships with those who are open to it, to take care of people’s physical needs, and proclaim the Gospel.  And he had to send them all out into the surrounding towns to do that, because that’s where the people were. 

Because, when it comes right down to it, building relationships with the people around us is what Jesus calls us to do.  That is what church should be all about.  Because it is is within the mutual give and take of relationships-- where people grow to trust each other enough to share their stories of hope and disappointment, pain and celebration-- it is in relationship that God’s Love comes near to us and transforms our lives.

You know what I’m talking about.  I know that many of you listening to me have found those kind of trusting relationships here at Franklin Federated Church.  You have found people with whom you can share your stories of hope and disappointment, pain and celebration--and with whom you can lift all of those up in prayer to God.  And that is wonderful!  Relationships like that are what make life worth living.  Relationships like that--real community--are what people are longing for and may not have found.  May not even know exist. 

So, we need to continue what we/you have been doing--using the church building as a launching pad for ministry.  Grounding ourselves in worship and prayer and THEN going out as Jesus calls us to.  Getting outside the church building.  Striking up conversations with people on sidewalks, out by the little library, on the common, at town events like the Farmers Market, in the grocery store.  Everywhere we go, we need to look for opportunities to get to know the people around us, people whom God loves.  And as we get to know people, as we listen to their stories of hope and disappointment, pain and celebration, and as we share our stories with them, we build the kind of community that Jesus calls us to, a community that is not bound by the 4 walls of any building but shines brightly out in the world. 

******

Let us pray

Loving God, we thank you that you call us to be the church, the ecclesia, the called-out people of God.  We recognize that it is both a wonderful privilege and a challenging opportunity for growth.  Renew us with your Spirit so that we have the strength and enthusiasm to live out this calling.  Gently nudge us out into the world to build relationships with people who are seeking the same things we are:  your peace, fellowship, healing, and good news.  Give us courage to strike up conversations with the people that we meet.  Increase our awareness and our ability to listen.  And grant us joy and grace as we share together our stories of hope and disappointment, pain and celebration. 

And, God, Hear now our prayers for our community and our world…

[LOOK AT PHONE]

- Moment of silence…lifting up in prayer those we hold in our hearts.. others in this room and in our livestream…  [PAUSE]

- O God, bless the sick… those who are struggling… those who are grieving…caregivers… Give them strength and healing….  In Jesus name we pray…

PLEASE JOIN ME IN 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

Rev. Dr. Marlayna Schmidt

Franklin Federated Church

Franklin, MA

Information for this Sunday’s Worship June 20th

Information for this Sunday’s Worship
June 20th

Watch Video

found on church website Franklinfederated.org and FaceBook page and in-person!)

Click here to RSVP

“Go on your way. See, I am sending you out…” (Luke 10:3)



Sermon (#3 in a series on the book Weird Church):
“From Settled Camp to Shalom on the Move"

ORDER OF WORSHIP (40 minutes)
- Prelude "O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing"
- Welcome
- Announcements
- Call to Worship
- Hymn #10 "Bring Many Names"
- Scripture Reading: Luke 10:1-11
- Sermon: “From Settled Camp to Shalom on the Move"
- Pastoral prayer
- Lord’s Prayer
- Closing Hymn #655 "Community of Christ"
- Benediction
- Postlude “Great Is Thy Faithfulness”
- Father’s Day Slide Show

Handout

The Value Systems of Spiral Dynamics, a framework for understanding social/cultural evolution.

Links to Scripture

Luke 10:1-11

Hymns for Sunday, June 20th

Click on the links below to view hymns
#10  Bring Many Names
#655  Community of Christ

Serendipity

     Sometimes disparate elements come together to form a whole! At Marianne Borg’s recent Second Saturday gathering, there was a discussion that God’s love for us is unconditional, not transactional. That is, God loves us without expecting anything in return, and we should carry the same love into the world. The next day, Rev. Marlayna talked of finding new ways of displaying God’s love out in the community as well as within the church walls.

     The Bible records many examples of God’s people trying to gain God’s favor by gifts, even bribes, from burnt offerings to slavish devotion to the Law and the Prophets, and sometimes even violence, in efforts to gain God’s favor. Jesus urged his followers to move away from this transactional model to one of love for everyone in imitation of God’s unconditional love. At the end of the Gospel of John, he makes clear to Peter that the way to show love for Jesus is to “Feed my sheep,” Today, most of us reject the image of God as an old man with a white beard up in the sky, but we sometimes revert to old transactional ways of praying and acting in time of distress: “I’ll do this, God, if only You will grant me what I want.” Even our prayers of thanksgiving sometimes verge on the transactional: “God granted our prayers because we prayed so hard.”

     Don’t get me wrong: I believe prayer works. However, I think it’s our unified efforts and energy, combined with trust in God’s care that make the difference in this world. Perhaps our prayer should be: “God, support our united efforts to make positive differences in this world and in people’s lives.” Can you think of ways we as a congregation can model God’s unconditional love?

Lyn Pickhover, Pray-er