01/25/2015 ~ Third Sunday after the Epiphany ~ Third Sunday in Ordinary Time ~ Jonah 3:1-5, 10; Psalm 62:5-12; 1 Corinthians 7:29-31; Mark 1:14-20 ~ Annual Budget Meeting.
An Apocalypse? [1]
“Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, ‘This is the time of fulfillment. The dominion of God, the realm of God has come near, is at hand; change your hearts and minds; believe in this good news.’” — Mark 1:14-15.
Paul Brandeis Raushenbush, a pastor in the American Baptist tradition, in a real sense, descended from American royalty. He is the great-grandson of Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis, one of the most influential progressive figures to serve on the court, and also the great-grandson of famous Baptist cleric Walter Rauschenbusch. [2]
Some of us might know the name of Justice Brandeis. But fame is fleeting, so it’s probable only scholars of American religious history know Walter Rauschenbusch. Why should we be familiar that name?
Walter, a professor at Rochester Seminary in the early 1900s, was in the forefront of the Social Gospel movement which applied Christian ethics to real problems. These problems included economic inequity, poverty, crime, racism, unclean environment, poor schools and the danger of war. Now, that sounds like today’s issues, does it not?
The Social Gospel movement sought to make real the words “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Much of what this movement espoused from the minimum wage to Social Security became law with Roosevelt’s New Deal.
A chip off the old blocks, Paul Brandeis Raushenbush recently posed several questions to American Christians about living a life of faith today. These are the questions. (Slight pause.)
Does our faith encourage an active, prophetic stance towards creating justice in this world. Or does it explicitly or implicitly encourage a complacency towards inequity by saying faith is more spiritual than social and things will work out in the afterlife?
Does our faith affirm the dignity and worth of all people, rejecting any claims of superiority, explicit or implicit, based on identities including race, religion, sexuality, gender, class, nationality? Does our faith encourage critical examination of Scripture? Is it open to continued revelation of eternal truths that come with new knowledge?
Does our faith promote non-violence and believe war is to be used only as a last resort or not at all? Does our faith confront and reject any teachings that might cause anyone to act with violence or incite rage or hatred towards others?
Does our faith further interfaith cooperation, empower our ability to feel compassion for the suffering of those different from us and see the wider, interconnected responsibility of the human family instead of caring only about those in our immediate group? [3] — the Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush. (Slight pause.)
These words are from the work know as Mark: “Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, ‘This is the time of fulfillment. The dominion of God, the realm of God has come near, is at hand; change your hearts and minds; believe in this good news.’” (Slight pause.)
This passage is not meant to say the end of the world, an Apocalypse, is at hand. The message is much more simple than that. In the words of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. the proclamation made here is this (quote:) “We are now faced with the fact that tomorrow is today. We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now.”
A straightforward message is in front of us. The realm has drawn near. We need to seek the will of God right now. We need to engage in the will of God right now. (Slight pause.)
So, what does that have to do with a budget? Everything. We are blessed with gifts beyond the wildest imagination of most congregations. And we do need to be aware of how those gifts are used.
I would invite anyone to be engaged with and help the missions committees do their work. Why? Together, as a congregation, as one, we need to see how we use these gifts and work on, offer help about, how these gifts are used. Again why? These are our gifts entrusted to us and meant to be used.
Again why? We need to be disciples. One more why— as disciples, we need to be aware, as was Jesus, of the fierce urgency of now. Amen.
United Church of Christ, First Congregational, Norwich, New York
01/25/2015
ENDPIECE— It is the practice of the Pastor to speak after the Closing Hymn, but before the Congregational Response and Benediction. This is an précis of what was said: “In the Anthem the choir used this odd phrase: ‘Here I raise my Ebenezer, hither by Thy help I’ve come;...’ What does that mean? 1 Samuel 7:12 says (quote:) ‘Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen and named it Ebenezer, saying, ‘Thus far God has helped us.’ Mizpah and Shen are places and Samuel places a stone, a monument, there as a remembrance of God. The Hebrew word Ebenezer means ‘stone of help.’ So, for me these words mean we need to recognize and remember we are all in this together and we do not get anywhere without the help of God. Or as the theologian Marcus Borg who died last Wednesday said, ‘Imagine that Christianity is about loving God. Imagine that it’s not about ‘what’s in it for me,’ whether that be a blessed afterlife or prosperity in this life.’”
BENEDICTION: Through God’s grace, by being attentive to God’s will, our deeds and our words will change our world for we will discover ways to proclaim release from the bondage or narrowness. Let us seek the God of Joy whose wisdom is our God. Let us go in peace to love and serve God. Amen.
[1] It does need to be noted that since this service of worship incorporated the Annual Budget Meeting these comments were more brief than a usual sermon might be.
[2] Note: the names of Paul and his grandfather are spelled differently.
[3] This is slightly edited for context.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/paul-raushenbush/martin-luther-king-faith_b_4623051.html?utm_hp_ref=religion
Sunday, January 25, 2015
SERMON ~ 01/18/2015 ~ “Follow Me”
01/18/2015 ~ Second Sunday after the Epiphany ~ Second Sunday in Ordinary Time ~ 1 Samuel 3:1-10, (11-20); Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18; 1 Corinthians 6:12-20; John 1:43-51 ~ On the Secular Calendar, the Weeks of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday.
Follow Me
“The next day, after Jesus had decided to go to Galilee, Jesus met Philip and said this: ‘Follow me.’” — John 1:43.
With the recent attack, the violence in Paris, many have connected religion to violence. Pope Francis, at an interfaith meeting attended by Buddhist, Hindu, Islamic and Christian leaders in Sri Lanka, addressed this idea that religion and violence are, in fact, connected.
(Quote:) “For the sake of peace, religious beliefs must never be allowed to be abused in the cause of violence and war. We must be clear and unequivocal in challenging our communities to live fully the tenets of peace and coexistence found in each religion and to denounce acts of violence when they are committed.” [1]
That’s a wonderful statement. And certainly one with which it’s easy to agree. But violence does exist and is, in fact, often attributed to, even connected with religion.
Further, to be clear and at least in terms of facts, we Christians should not absolve ourselves from the violence connected with religion in our history. To use a pair of obvious examples, we have embraced vestiges of violence in numerous ways from the Crusades all the way to the present in the still active Klu Klux Klan.
Incredibly, this statement is on the web site of the Klan (quote:) “Bringing a Message of Hope and Deliverance to White Christian America!”— White Christian America!— huh? (Slight pause.) What I am trying to suggest is that not only making the connection between religion and violence is an easy but shallow exercise but also absolving the connection between religion and violence as if it did not exist or did not matter is an equally easy but shallow exercise.
Scholar of religion Karen Armstrong in her work Fields of Blood lays out a history of religion and its connection with violence beginning in Sumer, a division of ancient Babylon and follows that history all the way into the 21st Century. She suggests when people in the West dismiss violence as a byproduct of religion we are being lazy and self-serving.
Blaming religion allows members of Western civilization, especially we in the Greco-Roman culture and heritage, to ignore the essential role violence played in the formation of our own societies. And indeed, our societies have played a pivotal role in seeding violence elsewhere.
“A lot of violence of our world,” Armstrong says— and this is a quote— “is violence of the state. But without this violence we wouldn’t have civilization. Agrarian civilization depended on massive structural violence. In every single pre-modern state, a small aristocracy expropriated serfs, peasants and kept them at subsistence level.” [2]
Put another way— and I have made this point before from the pulpit— in New Testament times ninety percent of the population lived in what you and I would call slavery. The economic system in place at that time then can only be called one of domination.
What made that economic system work was enslavement, oppression. And that, my friends, is violence not connected to any religious tradition. It is violence perpetrated for economic reasons and stands aside from how religion works in the mix.
Armstrong goes on to say (quote:), “...historians tell us without this iniquitous system we probably wouldn’t have progressed beyond subsistence level. Therefore, we are all implicated in this violence....”
“So when people say religion has been the cause of all the major wars in history this is a massive oversimplification. Violence is at the heart of our lives, in some form or another” — Karen Armstrong, scholar of religions. (Slight pause.)
I need to strongly note neither Armstrong nor I are condoning violence nor are we absolving religion in its participation with violence. We are, however, both pointing to something very few are willing to voice— violence is an integral part of human history. This is often, conveniently and in a self-serving way, ignored. (Slight pause.)
We find these words in the work known as the Gospel according to the School of John: “The next day, after Jesus had decided to go to Galilee, Jesus met Philip and said this: ‘Follow me.’” (Slight pause.)
Right after the Boston Marathon bombings I shared from this pulpit the concept that it is a futile, self-serving exercise to segregate violence into categories such as religious violence, terrorism, etc., etc., etc. Violence is violence is violence is violence.
Further, as Armstrong suggests, to exonerate ourselves from the existence of violence as if we had no role is at best massive oversimplification. But let me bring the interactions of humanity with violence from the societal level, all of these big ideas which we might be willing to dismiss those ideas as individuals, let me bring those big ideas down to a very personal level. (Slight pause.)
We all pepper our speech with metaphors. At one point I often used the phrase “rule of thumb”— a metaphor indicating a guideline.
When I found out what that phrase really means I stopped using it. What does it mean? At least since the mid-sixteen hundreds British Common Law said a husband can beat his wife with a switch no larger than the circumference of his thumb. (Slight pause.)
In short, every time I used the phrase “rule of thumb” I was unknowingly participating in, if not an act of violence, certainly a verbalization which supported violence.
And my knowledge or lack thereof did not mean I failed to participate. I said it. And violence is violence is violence is violence, even verbal violence. (Slight pause.)
Now, this weekend, as you know, we celebrate the holiday which honors the memory and work of Dr. King. We, having elected our first African-American President, sometimes lay claim to a post-racial era, devoid of racial discrimination, preference, prejudice. Is that true?
Clearly one of the pivotal episodes in striving to acquire the vote for all people in the 1960s was the March to Selma. In order to get to Selma demonstrators had to walk over the Edmund Pettus Bridge, the place at which those who marched were attacked.
For a moment, lets ignore that obvious violent act and ignore even the clear violence which denied people the right to vote. Let me reiterate, denying people the right to vote is violence. So, like using the metaphor “rule of thumb,” which I unknowingly did, here’s a piece of violence in that story no one even notices that story of marching on the Edmund Pettus Bridge.
Who was Edmund Pettus? Pettus was elected to the United State Senate twice in the early 1900s. So, of course, you might name a bridge after him, right? Pettus had been a Confederate General— well, he got elected to the Senate, you know.
Edmund Pettus was also one of the founders of and the first Grand Dragon of the Alabama branch of the Klu Klux Klan. And still today that bridge to Selma bears the name Edmund Pettus.
If you are an African-American how do you think that would make you feel that the bridge still bears the name Pettus today? Even if you have the vote and have voted, do you think the very name of the bridge would help you feel like we live in a post-racial society, devoid of racial discrimination, preference, prejudice? (Pause.)
So, what does all this have to do with following Jesus? Jesus, you see, does not just invite us to follow. Jesus invites us to follow knowing we live in a broken world, a world filled with shattered relationships, a world wracked with violence of all kinds.
Rumor to the contrary, Christianity is not about believing a set of rules or a group of beliefs. Christianity is not about believing the right things and allowing only right thinking people in. Christianity is about learning how to be a follower of Jesus and then transforming that education into action.
In the words of theologian Kevin Vanhoozer the church exists not to guard or preserve dogma, cognitive beliefs. The Christian faith is known, shared, validated, embodied in performance. Christian life is an effort to be seriously joyful, as we strive to live blessedly with others, before God, in Christ, through the Spirit. [3] (Slight pause.)
To say the world is broken is an understatement. And just like Samuel, we need to learn to listen to the voice of God, listen for the voice of God. And the voice of God, as illuminated in Jesus, clearly says, “follow me.”
So, if we follow, perhaps we can change our own lives in small, personal ways— like changing the way we speak, the words we use. And, if we follow, surely we can reach out to one another in the love to which God invites us: covenant love, unconditional love. Amen.
01/18/2015
United Church of Christ, First Congregational, Norwich, New York
ENDPIECE— It is the practice of the Pastor to speak after the Closing Hymn, but before the Congregational Response and Benediction. This is an précis of what was said: “Let me add this: yes, we live in a broken, violent world. If we follow Christ, we cannot let any fear of that world overtake us. When that happens, when fear overtakes us, our natural reaction tends to be fight or flee. Either one of those represents, in an of itself, an act of violence. Following Christ means living with the violence around us while embracing non-violence, as Dr. King did.”
BENEDICTION: We do not always know where the voice of God will lead us. But when we hear the call we need to follow. May the voice of God be open and clear. May our sense of God’s purpose be keen and true. May we be aware of God’s promise to be with us in our journey. And may the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, and the presence of the Spirit of Christ which is real and available, keep our hearts and minds in the knowledge, love and companionship of the Holy Spirit, this day and forever more. Amen.
[1]
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/dont-use-religion-as-a-weapon-of-war-pope-francis-insists-62176/
[2]
http://www.salon.com/2014/11/23/karen_armstrong_sam_harris_anti_islam_talk_fills_me_with_despair/
[3] Faith Speaking Understanding: Performing the Drama of Doctrine; Westminster John Knox Press, 2014.
[4] This litany was used at the time of the Prayers of the People.
A Litany Honoring the Observance Of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday
LITURGIST:
“By the waters of Babylon, there we sat down and wept when we remembered Zion.... For there our captors required of us songs, and our tormentors, mirth, saying, ‘Sing us one of the songs of Zion.’” — (Psalm 137:1, 3)
PASTOR:
“I have stood in a meeting with hundreds of youngsters and joined in while they sang “Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Round.” It is not just a song; it is a resolve.... These songs bind us together, give us courage together, help us march together.” (The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. — Why We Can’t Wait)
ALL:
For the power of songs and songs of power, we give you thanks, O God.
LITURGIST:
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of God; for God makes the sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust.” — (Matthew 5:43–44 [ILV])
PASTOR:
“Let us therefore not think of our movement as one that seeks to integrate into all the existing values of American society. Let us be those creative dissenters who will call our beloved country to a higher destiny, to a new plateau of compassion, to a more noble expression of humanness.” — (The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Where Do We Go from Here?)
ALL:
For your realm, which stands beyond and against all nations, and your justice, which judges all people, we give you thanks, O God.
LITURGIST:
“Cain said to his brother Abel, ‘Let us go out to the field.’ And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel, and killed him. Then God said to Cain, ‘Where is your brother Abel?’ He said, ‘I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?’ And God said, ‘What have you done? Listen; your brother’s blood is crying out to me from the ground!’” — (Genesis 4:8–10)
PASTOR:
“The person who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as the one who helps perpetrate it. The person who accepts evil without protesting against it, is really cooperating with it.” — (The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., adapted from the speech, Stride toward Freedom.)
ALL:
For the continuing witness of the life and ministry of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to us, we give you thanks, O God.
(The following is adapted from Dr. King’s I Have a Dream Speech.)
PASTOR:
“Even though we must face difficulties today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed— for we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men and women are created equal.”
“I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, sons and daughters of former slaves and sons and daughters of former slave-owners will be able to sit down together at table together.”
“I have a dream my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”
“I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places shall be made plain, and the crooked places shall be made straight and the glory of the Lord will be revealed and all flesh shall see it together.”
“This will be the day when all of God’s children will be able to sing with new meaning— ‘my country, ’tis of thee; sweet land of liberty; of the I sing;... from every mountainside, let freedom ring.’”
“When we allow freedom to ring from every town and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children— black... and white... Jew and Gentile, Catholic and Protestant— will be able to join hands and to sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual”:
ALL:
“Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!” Amen!
Follow Me
“The next day, after Jesus had decided to go to Galilee, Jesus met Philip and said this: ‘Follow me.’” — John 1:43.
With the recent attack, the violence in Paris, many have connected religion to violence. Pope Francis, at an interfaith meeting attended by Buddhist, Hindu, Islamic and Christian leaders in Sri Lanka, addressed this idea that religion and violence are, in fact, connected.
(Quote:) “For the sake of peace, religious beliefs must never be allowed to be abused in the cause of violence and war. We must be clear and unequivocal in challenging our communities to live fully the tenets of peace and coexistence found in each religion and to denounce acts of violence when they are committed.” [1]
That’s a wonderful statement. And certainly one with which it’s easy to agree. But violence does exist and is, in fact, often attributed to, even connected with religion.
Further, to be clear and at least in terms of facts, we Christians should not absolve ourselves from the violence connected with religion in our history. To use a pair of obvious examples, we have embraced vestiges of violence in numerous ways from the Crusades all the way to the present in the still active Klu Klux Klan.
Incredibly, this statement is on the web site of the Klan (quote:) “Bringing a Message of Hope and Deliverance to White Christian America!”— White Christian America!— huh? (Slight pause.) What I am trying to suggest is that not only making the connection between religion and violence is an easy but shallow exercise but also absolving the connection between religion and violence as if it did not exist or did not matter is an equally easy but shallow exercise.
Scholar of religion Karen Armstrong in her work Fields of Blood lays out a history of religion and its connection with violence beginning in Sumer, a division of ancient Babylon and follows that history all the way into the 21st Century. She suggests when people in the West dismiss violence as a byproduct of religion we are being lazy and self-serving.
Blaming religion allows members of Western civilization, especially we in the Greco-Roman culture and heritage, to ignore the essential role violence played in the formation of our own societies. And indeed, our societies have played a pivotal role in seeding violence elsewhere.
“A lot of violence of our world,” Armstrong says— and this is a quote— “is violence of the state. But without this violence we wouldn’t have civilization. Agrarian civilization depended on massive structural violence. In every single pre-modern state, a small aristocracy expropriated serfs, peasants and kept them at subsistence level.” [2]
Put another way— and I have made this point before from the pulpit— in New Testament times ninety percent of the population lived in what you and I would call slavery. The economic system in place at that time then can only be called one of domination.
What made that economic system work was enslavement, oppression. And that, my friends, is violence not connected to any religious tradition. It is violence perpetrated for economic reasons and stands aside from how religion works in the mix.
Armstrong goes on to say (quote:), “...historians tell us without this iniquitous system we probably wouldn’t have progressed beyond subsistence level. Therefore, we are all implicated in this violence....”
“So when people say religion has been the cause of all the major wars in history this is a massive oversimplification. Violence is at the heart of our lives, in some form or another” — Karen Armstrong, scholar of religions. (Slight pause.)
I need to strongly note neither Armstrong nor I are condoning violence nor are we absolving religion in its participation with violence. We are, however, both pointing to something very few are willing to voice— violence is an integral part of human history. This is often, conveniently and in a self-serving way, ignored. (Slight pause.)
We find these words in the work known as the Gospel according to the School of John: “The next day, after Jesus had decided to go to Galilee, Jesus met Philip and said this: ‘Follow me.’” (Slight pause.)
Right after the Boston Marathon bombings I shared from this pulpit the concept that it is a futile, self-serving exercise to segregate violence into categories such as religious violence, terrorism, etc., etc., etc. Violence is violence is violence is violence.
Further, as Armstrong suggests, to exonerate ourselves from the existence of violence as if we had no role is at best massive oversimplification. But let me bring the interactions of humanity with violence from the societal level, all of these big ideas which we might be willing to dismiss those ideas as individuals, let me bring those big ideas down to a very personal level. (Slight pause.)
We all pepper our speech with metaphors. At one point I often used the phrase “rule of thumb”— a metaphor indicating a guideline.
When I found out what that phrase really means I stopped using it. What does it mean? At least since the mid-sixteen hundreds British Common Law said a husband can beat his wife with a switch no larger than the circumference of his thumb. (Slight pause.)
In short, every time I used the phrase “rule of thumb” I was unknowingly participating in, if not an act of violence, certainly a verbalization which supported violence.
And my knowledge or lack thereof did not mean I failed to participate. I said it. And violence is violence is violence is violence, even verbal violence. (Slight pause.)
Now, this weekend, as you know, we celebrate the holiday which honors the memory and work of Dr. King. We, having elected our first African-American President, sometimes lay claim to a post-racial era, devoid of racial discrimination, preference, prejudice. Is that true?
Clearly one of the pivotal episodes in striving to acquire the vote for all people in the 1960s was the March to Selma. In order to get to Selma demonstrators had to walk over the Edmund Pettus Bridge, the place at which those who marched were attacked.
For a moment, lets ignore that obvious violent act and ignore even the clear violence which denied people the right to vote. Let me reiterate, denying people the right to vote is violence. So, like using the metaphor “rule of thumb,” which I unknowingly did, here’s a piece of violence in that story no one even notices that story of marching on the Edmund Pettus Bridge.
Who was Edmund Pettus? Pettus was elected to the United State Senate twice in the early 1900s. So, of course, you might name a bridge after him, right? Pettus had been a Confederate General— well, he got elected to the Senate, you know.
Edmund Pettus was also one of the founders of and the first Grand Dragon of the Alabama branch of the Klu Klux Klan. And still today that bridge to Selma bears the name Edmund Pettus.
If you are an African-American how do you think that would make you feel that the bridge still bears the name Pettus today? Even if you have the vote and have voted, do you think the very name of the bridge would help you feel like we live in a post-racial society, devoid of racial discrimination, preference, prejudice? (Pause.)
So, what does all this have to do with following Jesus? Jesus, you see, does not just invite us to follow. Jesus invites us to follow knowing we live in a broken world, a world filled with shattered relationships, a world wracked with violence of all kinds.
Rumor to the contrary, Christianity is not about believing a set of rules or a group of beliefs. Christianity is not about believing the right things and allowing only right thinking people in. Christianity is about learning how to be a follower of Jesus and then transforming that education into action.
In the words of theologian Kevin Vanhoozer the church exists not to guard or preserve dogma, cognitive beliefs. The Christian faith is known, shared, validated, embodied in performance. Christian life is an effort to be seriously joyful, as we strive to live blessedly with others, before God, in Christ, through the Spirit. [3] (Slight pause.)
To say the world is broken is an understatement. And just like Samuel, we need to learn to listen to the voice of God, listen for the voice of God. And the voice of God, as illuminated in Jesus, clearly says, “follow me.”
So, if we follow, perhaps we can change our own lives in small, personal ways— like changing the way we speak, the words we use. And, if we follow, surely we can reach out to one another in the love to which God invites us: covenant love, unconditional love. Amen.
01/18/2015
United Church of Christ, First Congregational, Norwich, New York
ENDPIECE— It is the practice of the Pastor to speak after the Closing Hymn, but before the Congregational Response and Benediction. This is an précis of what was said: “Let me add this: yes, we live in a broken, violent world. If we follow Christ, we cannot let any fear of that world overtake us. When that happens, when fear overtakes us, our natural reaction tends to be fight or flee. Either one of those represents, in an of itself, an act of violence. Following Christ means living with the violence around us while embracing non-violence, as Dr. King did.”
BENEDICTION: We do not always know where the voice of God will lead us. But when we hear the call we need to follow. May the voice of God be open and clear. May our sense of God’s purpose be keen and true. May we be aware of God’s promise to be with us in our journey. And may the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, and the presence of the Spirit of Christ which is real and available, keep our hearts and minds in the knowledge, love and companionship of the Holy Spirit, this day and forever more. Amen.
[1]
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/dont-use-religion-as-a-weapon-of-war-pope-francis-insists-62176/
[2]
http://www.salon.com/2014/11/23/karen_armstrong_sam_harris_anti_islam_talk_fills_me_with_despair/
[3] Faith Speaking Understanding: Performing the Drama of Doctrine; Westminster John Knox Press, 2014.
[4] This litany was used at the time of the Prayers of the People.
A Litany Honoring the Observance Of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday
LITURGIST:
“By the waters of Babylon, there we sat down and wept when we remembered Zion.... For there our captors required of us songs, and our tormentors, mirth, saying, ‘Sing us one of the songs of Zion.’” — (Psalm 137:1, 3)
PASTOR:
“I have stood in a meeting with hundreds of youngsters and joined in while they sang “Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Round.” It is not just a song; it is a resolve.... These songs bind us together, give us courage together, help us march together.” (The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. — Why We Can’t Wait)
ALL:
For the power of songs and songs of power, we give you thanks, O God.
LITURGIST:
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of God; for God makes the sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust.” — (Matthew 5:43–44 [ILV])
PASTOR:
“Let us therefore not think of our movement as one that seeks to integrate into all the existing values of American society. Let us be those creative dissenters who will call our beloved country to a higher destiny, to a new plateau of compassion, to a more noble expression of humanness.” — (The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Where Do We Go from Here?)
ALL:
For your realm, which stands beyond and against all nations, and your justice, which judges all people, we give you thanks, O God.
LITURGIST:
“Cain said to his brother Abel, ‘Let us go out to the field.’ And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel, and killed him. Then God said to Cain, ‘Where is your brother Abel?’ He said, ‘I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?’ And God said, ‘What have you done? Listen; your brother’s blood is crying out to me from the ground!’” — (Genesis 4:8–10)
PASTOR:
“The person who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as the one who helps perpetrate it. The person who accepts evil without protesting against it, is really cooperating with it.” — (The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., adapted from the speech, Stride toward Freedom.)
ALL:
For the continuing witness of the life and ministry of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to us, we give you thanks, O God.
(The following is adapted from Dr. King’s I Have a Dream Speech.)
PASTOR:
“Even though we must face difficulties today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed— for we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men and women are created equal.”
“I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, sons and daughters of former slaves and sons and daughters of former slave-owners will be able to sit down together at table together.”
“I have a dream my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”
“I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places shall be made plain, and the crooked places shall be made straight and the glory of the Lord will be revealed and all flesh shall see it together.”
“This will be the day when all of God’s children will be able to sing with new meaning— ‘my country, ’tis of thee; sweet land of liberty; of the I sing;... from every mountainside, let freedom ring.’”
“When we allow freedom to ring from every town and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children— black... and white... Jew and Gentile, Catholic and Protestant— will be able to join hands and to sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual”:
ALL:
“Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!” Amen!
Thursday, January 8, 2015
SERMON ~ 01/04/2015 ~ “Your People”
01/04/2015 ~ Second Sunday after Christmas Day ~ Jeremiah 31:7-14 or Sirach 24:1-12; Psalm 147:12-20 or Wisdom of Solomon 10:15-21; Ephesians 1:3-14; John 1:(1-9), 10-18 ~ Un-decorate the Church and a Soup Coffee Hour ~ A Blessing of the Stuffed Animals; Communion Sunday.
Your People
“Thus says Yahweh, God: / Sing aloud with gladness, joy for Jacob, / and raise shouts for the chief of nations; / proclaim, make your praise heard, and say, / ‘Save, O God, your people, / the remnant of Israel.’” — Jeremiah 30:7.
So, who here this morning, who here today, is a morning person? I see that’s about less than half. I don’t find that surprising.
My late mother was not a morning person. It would annoy her no end that when I was about 13 or 14, I would arrive at the breakfast table and do shtick, tell jokes. I think she eventually took that annoying habit as a foretelling of my destiny, since I did wind up working as a writer in professional theater projects.
Whatever success I had in that profession my mother did not think of me as successful until the day I told her I had met the actor Cyril Ritchard. By the time I met him, he was quite elderly. And for those of you who do not know the name Cyril Ritchard, he was Captain Hook to Mary Martin’s Peter Pan.
Therefore, he was Captain Hook for my Mother’s generation. And, being Captain Hook for my Mother’s generation, my mother took the fact that I had even met this actor as a sure sign of my success.
Now, you may or may not you think of Cyril Ritchard as noteworthy as did my mother. And yes, over time, because of bring in professional theater I rubbed elbows with both the infamous and famous. Among the famous was the composer Stephen Sondheim. Twice I was privileged to be a member of master classes he taught on writing musicals.
Hence, when the movie version of Stephen Sondheim’s musical Into the Woods (certainly one of my favorites) opened last week as a movie, Bonnie and I went to see it. And did we like the film?
Well, when some friends said they wanted to see it after we have already seen it, we joined them and saw it again. Please note: I am not recommending anyone here see it. You may hate musicals!
However, if you unfamiliar with this work, it takes several fairy tales— The Baker and His Wife, Rapunzel, Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk and Little Red Riding Hood— and weaves all the stories together. Each of the main characters clearly has a wish they want fulfilled.
In order to get that wish to become a reality they need go off, into the woods, in pursuit of fulfilling that wish. Hence, the title: Into the Woods.
As might be obvious based on this description, the woods are not woods. They are merely a metaphor for real life. Indeed, we must all go into the woods. We must all face real life— real life with its joys, its dangers, its pain, its triumphs.
And in real life sometimes we get what we need. Sometimes we get what we want. Sometimes what we want and what we, therefore, get is not exactly what we really needed. Sometimes we get what we want but it turns out to be we did not need it. And, you know, that sounds like real life.
And Sondheim’s show reflects that. Or, as Stephen’s lyric implies, we set off each day on a new journey in life, the good, the bad, the indifferent. (Quote:) “Into the woods, / It’s time to go, / I hate to leave, / I have to, though. / Into the woods— / It’s time, and so / I must begin my journey.”
“Into the woods / And down the dell, / The path is straight, / I know it well. / Into the woods, / And who can tell / What’s waiting on the journey?”
“Into the woods, / It’s time to go, / It may be all / In vain, you know. / Into the woods— / But even so, / I have to take the journey.”
“The way is clear, / The light is good, / I have no fear, / Nor no one should. / The woods are just trees, / The trees are just wood. / No need to be afraid there— / There’s something in the glade there...”
“Into the woods / Without regret, / The choice is made, / The task is set. / Into the woods, / But not forget— / Ting why I’m on the journey. / Into the woods / to get my wish, / I don’t care how, / The time is now. / Into the woods, Then out of the woods, / And home before dark!” (Slight pause.)
These words are from the Scroll of the Prophet Jeremiah: “Thus says Yahweh, God: / Sing aloud with gladness, joy for Jacob, / and raise shouts for the chief of nations; / proclaim, make your praise heard, and say, / ‘Save, O God, your people, / the remnant of Israel.’” (Slight pause.)
The 30th Chapter of Jeremiah, taken as a whole, presents us with a picture of real life. I say it’s a picture of real life because it presents a pictures of a time of exile. This is time which encompasses danger and pain, as real life often does.
But it also and even therefore presents pictures of joy and triumph. Jeremiah seems to inherently understand that no matter what real life brings God is to be praised because God is with us. God, it says, is with the people.
And, if God is with the people it certainly begs the question: who are the people of God? For Israel the answer was the members of the tribe. But that answers begs a second question: who really belongs to the tribe of God? (Slight pause.) My answer is simple: everyone— all of humanity, whole human race, belongs to the tribe of God.
And that is yet another reason I say The 30th Chapter of Jeremiah— and at your own leisure you should read the 30th Chapter of Jeremiah— that is yet another reason I say The 30th Chapter of Jeremiah taken as a whole presents us with a picture of real life. You see, if we simply break ourselves down into tribes, if we deteriorate into tribalism, then we’ve missed at least part of the point of the covenant God makes with humanity: to love neighbor.
And the part of the covenant which says love neighbor can also be said this way: we are all in this together. So, if we do not understand that the life of each of us is to be treasured, then we do not understand covenant.
If we do not understand that when we consider only ourselves, then we do not understand covenant. If we do not understand radical individualism does not satisfy the covenant of God that says we are called to be in relationship with others, then we do not understand covenant.
If we do not understand that together we need to work for the common good, then we do not understand covenant. So, this is the call of covenant: we are not alone. We need one another. We, together, need to be a community of faith, a community of God.
Will there be people in that community with whom we do not agree, with whom we do not get along? Yes. But we are, all of us, one people— the people of God. (Slight pause.)
Coming back to Into the Woods, we, each of us, goes into the woods daily to face the ups and downs of life. In a real sense we face giants. In that musical Jack of Jack and the Beanstalk says (quote:) “There are Giants in the sky! / There are big, tall, terrible, awesome, scary, wonderful / Giants in the sky!” And yes, we must face them every day. And yes, that’s not easy.
On the other hand, in a lyric toward the end Cinderella says this to Red Riding Hood whose mother has died (quote:) “Mother cannot guide you. / Now you’re on your own. / Only me beside you. / Still, you’re not alone. / No one is alone.”
“Truly. / No one is alone. / Sometimes people leave you. / Halfway through the wood. / Others may deceive you. / You decide what’s good. / You decide alone. / But no one is alone.” (Slight pause.)
In a couple of minutes we shall bless stuffed animals. [1] Why? We frail humans sometimes attach ourselves to things. But we humans also sometimes need reminders that we are not alone.
And being frail, sometimes we substitute not people but things to remind us we are not alone. I believe there’s nothing wrong with that, as long as we are aware the solace we seek from something inanimate is a substitution for a reality— a reality we might think slightly beyond our reach. And if that reality is beyond our reach then, we naturally, try to make substitutions.
In fact, sometimes we even make substitutions for God— possessions! Power! Rules! Rules!— we have all kinds of idols, all kinds of substitutions for God. But, you see, God calls us not to seek idols but to seek community and to be in community. And in community everything— everything is possible.
How? We are not alone. In community we are surrounded by the people of God. And in community God is with us. And in community everything is possible because God is with us. Amen.
01/04/0215
United Church of Christ, First Congregational, Norwich, New York
BENEDICTION: Hear now this blessing from the words of the Prophet Isaiah in the 60th chapter (Isaiah 60:19-20a): The sun shall no longer be / your light by day, / nor for brightness shall the moon / give you light by night; /for Yahweh, God, will be your everlasting light, / and your glory. Amen.
[1] This is that ceremony.
A BLESSING OF THE STUFFED ANIMALS
PASTOR:
So, why bless stuffed animals? I take this as a given: We appreciate tenderness, trust and vulnerability. And it’s likely we even are at times tender and trusting and vulnerable. And the world can be filled with lions and tigers and bears which are real. Therefore sometimes our hearts need healing. Strange as it seems, there are times a stuffed animal does the trick. Indeed, at another church which blessed the stuffed animals in the Fall, one of the congregants, an elderly gentleman whose wife needed full time care, brought to church for a blessing like this a teddy bear which had been given to his wife and kept her company in the facility in which she now lived. That bear was representative of the vow made to his wife of 58 years (quote): “in sickness and in health.” All of which is to say stuffed animals can be as real as love and hope in that they sometimes represent the best of our spiritual lives. And so, yes, there is a reason to bless inanimate things. Anyone who wants to bring their stuffed animal to the table, please do so and stay here with me and hold your animal. And anyone else who wants to come forward, please do so and do bring your bulletins. (Pause.) Won’t you join with us in the prayers and the hymn lyrics found in the bulletin.
ONE:
God, you have done so many things! The earth is full of your creations!
PASTOR:
Please join with us in the hymn All Things Bright and Beautiful.
HYMN
All Things Bright and Beautiful, Refrain and v. 1
Refrain:
All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful:
Our dear God made them all.
Each little flow’r that opens,
Each little bird that sings,
God made their glowing colors,
God made their tiny wings.
MANY:
The animals of God’s creation, both real and stuffed, are placed in our care.
ONE:
All these share in our human existence and have a part in our human lives.
READING
Teddy Bears by J. L. Allen
READIER 1:
This poem is Teddy Bears by J. L. Allen.
Teddy Bears are perfect pets.
They never shed and never sweat.
They don’t talk back and hardly eat.
Won’t jump in bed with dirty feet.
They never argue, never fight.
Whatever’s said, you’re always right.
So if you need some love to share,
Get yourself a Teddy Bear!
HYMN
All Things Bright and Beautiful, Refrain and v. 2
Refrain:
All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful:
Our dear God made them all.
The purple-headed mountains,
The river running by,
The sunset and the morning
That brightens up the sky.
READING
From Winnie-The-Pooh, by A.A. Milne.
READIER 2:
This is from Winnie-The-Pooh, by A. A. Milne.
“Piglet sidled up to Pooh from behind.
Piglet whispered, ‘Pooh?’
Said Pooh, ‘Yes, Piglet?’
‘Oh, Nothing’ said Piglet, taking Pooh’s hand. ‘I just wanted to be sure of you.’
MANY:
God, who gives life and breath to us, and often uses the service of animals both live and stuffed to give us comfort, we ask that you bless these, our friends.
HYMN
All Things Bright and Beautiful, Refrain, v. 3 and Refrain.
Refrain:
All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful:
Our dear God made them all.
The teddy on the sofa,
The kitty in the bin,
The doggie’s paws, so nice and soft,
They sometimes feel like kin.
Refrain:
All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful:
Our dear God made them all.
MANY:
Sometimes the world is a scary place, but we are not alone. God is with us and surrounds us with love!
ONE:
May God, the Creator of all that is, God the Redeemer of all Creation, and God the life giving Spirit, bless you all, and bless these our friends now and forever. And the people said:
MANY:
Amen!
Your People
“Thus says Yahweh, God: / Sing aloud with gladness, joy for Jacob, / and raise shouts for the chief of nations; / proclaim, make your praise heard, and say, / ‘Save, O God, your people, / the remnant of Israel.’” — Jeremiah 30:7.
So, who here this morning, who here today, is a morning person? I see that’s about less than half. I don’t find that surprising.
My late mother was not a morning person. It would annoy her no end that when I was about 13 or 14, I would arrive at the breakfast table and do shtick, tell jokes. I think she eventually took that annoying habit as a foretelling of my destiny, since I did wind up working as a writer in professional theater projects.
Whatever success I had in that profession my mother did not think of me as successful until the day I told her I had met the actor Cyril Ritchard. By the time I met him, he was quite elderly. And for those of you who do not know the name Cyril Ritchard, he was Captain Hook to Mary Martin’s Peter Pan.
Therefore, he was Captain Hook for my Mother’s generation. And, being Captain Hook for my Mother’s generation, my mother took the fact that I had even met this actor as a sure sign of my success.
Now, you may or may not you think of Cyril Ritchard as noteworthy as did my mother. And yes, over time, because of bring in professional theater I rubbed elbows with both the infamous and famous. Among the famous was the composer Stephen Sondheim. Twice I was privileged to be a member of master classes he taught on writing musicals.
Hence, when the movie version of Stephen Sondheim’s musical Into the Woods (certainly one of my favorites) opened last week as a movie, Bonnie and I went to see it. And did we like the film?
Well, when some friends said they wanted to see it after we have already seen it, we joined them and saw it again. Please note: I am not recommending anyone here see it. You may hate musicals!
However, if you unfamiliar with this work, it takes several fairy tales— The Baker and His Wife, Rapunzel, Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk and Little Red Riding Hood— and weaves all the stories together. Each of the main characters clearly has a wish they want fulfilled.
In order to get that wish to become a reality they need go off, into the woods, in pursuit of fulfilling that wish. Hence, the title: Into the Woods.
As might be obvious based on this description, the woods are not woods. They are merely a metaphor for real life. Indeed, we must all go into the woods. We must all face real life— real life with its joys, its dangers, its pain, its triumphs.
And in real life sometimes we get what we need. Sometimes we get what we want. Sometimes what we want and what we, therefore, get is not exactly what we really needed. Sometimes we get what we want but it turns out to be we did not need it. And, you know, that sounds like real life.
And Sondheim’s show reflects that. Or, as Stephen’s lyric implies, we set off each day on a new journey in life, the good, the bad, the indifferent. (Quote:) “Into the woods, / It’s time to go, / I hate to leave, / I have to, though. / Into the woods— / It’s time, and so / I must begin my journey.”
“Into the woods / And down the dell, / The path is straight, / I know it well. / Into the woods, / And who can tell / What’s waiting on the journey?”
“Into the woods, / It’s time to go, / It may be all / In vain, you know. / Into the woods— / But even so, / I have to take the journey.”
“The way is clear, / The light is good, / I have no fear, / Nor no one should. / The woods are just trees, / The trees are just wood. / No need to be afraid there— / There’s something in the glade there...”
“Into the woods / Without regret, / The choice is made, / The task is set. / Into the woods, / But not forget— / Ting why I’m on the journey. / Into the woods / to get my wish, / I don’t care how, / The time is now. / Into the woods, Then out of the woods, / And home before dark!” (Slight pause.)
These words are from the Scroll of the Prophet Jeremiah: “Thus says Yahweh, God: / Sing aloud with gladness, joy for Jacob, / and raise shouts for the chief of nations; / proclaim, make your praise heard, and say, / ‘Save, O God, your people, / the remnant of Israel.’” (Slight pause.)
The 30th Chapter of Jeremiah, taken as a whole, presents us with a picture of real life. I say it’s a picture of real life because it presents a pictures of a time of exile. This is time which encompasses danger and pain, as real life often does.
But it also and even therefore presents pictures of joy and triumph. Jeremiah seems to inherently understand that no matter what real life brings God is to be praised because God is with us. God, it says, is with the people.
And, if God is with the people it certainly begs the question: who are the people of God? For Israel the answer was the members of the tribe. But that answers begs a second question: who really belongs to the tribe of God? (Slight pause.) My answer is simple: everyone— all of humanity, whole human race, belongs to the tribe of God.
And that is yet another reason I say The 30th Chapter of Jeremiah— and at your own leisure you should read the 30th Chapter of Jeremiah— that is yet another reason I say The 30th Chapter of Jeremiah taken as a whole presents us with a picture of real life. You see, if we simply break ourselves down into tribes, if we deteriorate into tribalism, then we’ve missed at least part of the point of the covenant God makes with humanity: to love neighbor.
And the part of the covenant which says love neighbor can also be said this way: we are all in this together. So, if we do not understand that the life of each of us is to be treasured, then we do not understand covenant.
If we do not understand that when we consider only ourselves, then we do not understand covenant. If we do not understand radical individualism does not satisfy the covenant of God that says we are called to be in relationship with others, then we do not understand covenant.
If we do not understand that together we need to work for the common good, then we do not understand covenant. So, this is the call of covenant: we are not alone. We need one another. We, together, need to be a community of faith, a community of God.
Will there be people in that community with whom we do not agree, with whom we do not get along? Yes. But we are, all of us, one people— the people of God. (Slight pause.)
Coming back to Into the Woods, we, each of us, goes into the woods daily to face the ups and downs of life. In a real sense we face giants. In that musical Jack of Jack and the Beanstalk says (quote:) “There are Giants in the sky! / There are big, tall, terrible, awesome, scary, wonderful / Giants in the sky!” And yes, we must face them every day. And yes, that’s not easy.
On the other hand, in a lyric toward the end Cinderella says this to Red Riding Hood whose mother has died (quote:) “Mother cannot guide you. / Now you’re on your own. / Only me beside you. / Still, you’re not alone. / No one is alone.”
“Truly. / No one is alone. / Sometimes people leave you. / Halfway through the wood. / Others may deceive you. / You decide what’s good. / You decide alone. / But no one is alone.” (Slight pause.)
In a couple of minutes we shall bless stuffed animals. [1] Why? We frail humans sometimes attach ourselves to things. But we humans also sometimes need reminders that we are not alone.
And being frail, sometimes we substitute not people but things to remind us we are not alone. I believe there’s nothing wrong with that, as long as we are aware the solace we seek from something inanimate is a substitution for a reality— a reality we might think slightly beyond our reach. And if that reality is beyond our reach then, we naturally, try to make substitutions.
In fact, sometimes we even make substitutions for God— possessions! Power! Rules! Rules!— we have all kinds of idols, all kinds of substitutions for God. But, you see, God calls us not to seek idols but to seek community and to be in community. And in community everything— everything is possible.
How? We are not alone. In community we are surrounded by the people of God. And in community God is with us. And in community everything is possible because God is with us. Amen.
01/04/0215
United Church of Christ, First Congregational, Norwich, New York
BENEDICTION: Hear now this blessing from the words of the Prophet Isaiah in the 60th chapter (Isaiah 60:19-20a): The sun shall no longer be / your light by day, / nor for brightness shall the moon / give you light by night; /for Yahweh, God, will be your everlasting light, / and your glory. Amen.
[1] This is that ceremony.
A BLESSING OF THE STUFFED ANIMALS
PASTOR:
So, why bless stuffed animals? I take this as a given: We appreciate tenderness, trust and vulnerability. And it’s likely we even are at times tender and trusting and vulnerable. And the world can be filled with lions and tigers and bears which are real. Therefore sometimes our hearts need healing. Strange as it seems, there are times a stuffed animal does the trick. Indeed, at another church which blessed the stuffed animals in the Fall, one of the congregants, an elderly gentleman whose wife needed full time care, brought to church for a blessing like this a teddy bear which had been given to his wife and kept her company in the facility in which she now lived. That bear was representative of the vow made to his wife of 58 years (quote): “in sickness and in health.” All of which is to say stuffed animals can be as real as love and hope in that they sometimes represent the best of our spiritual lives. And so, yes, there is a reason to bless inanimate things. Anyone who wants to bring their stuffed animal to the table, please do so and stay here with me and hold your animal. And anyone else who wants to come forward, please do so and do bring your bulletins. (Pause.) Won’t you join with us in the prayers and the hymn lyrics found in the bulletin.
ONE:
God, you have done so many things! The earth is full of your creations!
PASTOR:
Please join with us in the hymn All Things Bright and Beautiful.
HYMN
All Things Bright and Beautiful, Refrain and v. 1
Refrain:
All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful:
Our dear God made them all.
Each little flow’r that opens,
Each little bird that sings,
God made their glowing colors,
God made their tiny wings.
MANY:
The animals of God’s creation, both real and stuffed, are placed in our care.
ONE:
All these share in our human existence and have a part in our human lives.
READING
Teddy Bears by J. L. Allen
READIER 1:
This poem is Teddy Bears by J. L. Allen.
Teddy Bears are perfect pets.
They never shed and never sweat.
They don’t talk back and hardly eat.
Won’t jump in bed with dirty feet.
They never argue, never fight.
Whatever’s said, you’re always right.
So if you need some love to share,
Get yourself a Teddy Bear!
HYMN
All Things Bright and Beautiful, Refrain and v. 2
Refrain:
All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful:
Our dear God made them all.
The purple-headed mountains,
The river running by,
The sunset and the morning
That brightens up the sky.
READING
From Winnie-The-Pooh, by A.A. Milne.
READIER 2:
This is from Winnie-The-Pooh, by A. A. Milne.
“Piglet sidled up to Pooh from behind.
Piglet whispered, ‘Pooh?’
Said Pooh, ‘Yes, Piglet?’
‘Oh, Nothing’ said Piglet, taking Pooh’s hand. ‘I just wanted to be sure of you.’
MANY:
God, who gives life and breath to us, and often uses the service of animals both live and stuffed to give us comfort, we ask that you bless these, our friends.
HYMN
All Things Bright and Beautiful, Refrain, v. 3 and Refrain.
Refrain:
All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful:
Our dear God made them all.
The teddy on the sofa,
The kitty in the bin,
The doggie’s paws, so nice and soft,
They sometimes feel like kin.
Refrain:
All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful:
Our dear God made them all.
MANY:
Sometimes the world is a scary place, but we are not alone. God is with us and surrounds us with love!
ONE:
May God, the Creator of all that is, God the Redeemer of all Creation, and God the life giving Spirit, bless you all, and bless these our friends now and forever. And the people said:
MANY:
Amen!
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