Children's time:
When I was a little girl, I had a very kind mother. She took care of me and my sisters. She helped us buy clothes, she cooked our meals, and she cleaned our house. I had some friends who didn't have mothers like that. One friend had a mother who had a lot of problems. One was she drank too much alcohol. It was so sad. My friend was afraid to live with her mom. So my friend came to live in my family. We were glad to have her. We had our share of problems, but they weren't too many, and no one was mean to her. One of the ways the Bible talks about God is a mother. Here's a book called Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown. A long time ago, a pastor read this to me, and told me that the Mother Bunny is like God. So now, I'm reading it to you.
Our first reading is Psalm 68, found on page 529. We'll read verse 1-10, then turn to the next page and skip to verse 32-35.
Just after the psalm, we'll respond by singing “Our God is An Awesome God.” We'll stay seated for that. Listen for the word of God as it is found in Psalm 68: 1-10, 32-35.
1 To the leader. Of David. A Psalm. A Song.
Let God rise up, let his enemies be scattered; let those who hate him flee before him.
2 As smoke is driven away, so drive them away; as wax melts before the fire, let the wicked perish before God.
3 But let the righteous be joyful; let them exult before God; let them be jubilant with joy.
4 Sing to God, sing praises to his name; lift up a song to him who rides upon the clouds-- his name is the LORD-- be exultant before him.
5 Father of orphans and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation.
6 God gives the desolate a home to live in; he leads out the prisoners to prosperity, but the rebellious live in a parched land.
7 O God, when you went out before your people, when you marched through the wilderness, Selah
8 the earth quaked, the heavens poured down rain at the presence of God, the God of Sinai, at the presence of God, the God of Israel.
9 Rain in abundance, O God, you showered abroad; you restored your heritage when it languished;
10 your flock found a dwelling in it; in your goodness, O God, you provided for the needy.
32 Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth; sing praises to the Lord, Selah
33 O rider in the heavens, the ancient heavens; listen, he sends out his voice, his mighty voice.
34 Ascribe power to God, whose majesty is over Israel; and whose power is in the skies.
35 Awesome is God in his sanctuary, the God of Israel; he gives power and strength to his people. Blessed be God!
“Our God Is an Awesome God”
Candy has our moment for mission.
Our epistle reading starts on page 232. We continue with the first Letter of Peter, written to the early church in the first century. In a society where the emperor is worshiped, Christians are a suspect group. Good Roman citizens were expected to take part in pagan rituals. Christians labeled those rituals drunkenness, idolatry, and fornication. Christian converts gave up that life. Now, in Peter's time, they sometimes faced death simply for admitting they were Christians. 1 Peter responds to their dilemma “How can we understand the suffering of faithful people?” and “How do we behave well when others are behaving badly?” I'll be reading from my translation of chapter 4. Candy will read chapter 5 from the pew Bible. Listen for the word of God as it is found in 1 Peter 4:12-19.
12 Beloved ones, do not be surprised at the burning that is taking place among you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.
13 But insofar as you are participating in the sufferings of Christ, rejoice, so that in the revealing of his glory, you might shout with joy.
14 If you are disgraced for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because of the glory which is from God's spirit resting on you.
15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evil-doer, or as a racketeer 2.
16 Yet if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, keep on praising God in this name. 17 For the time begins for judgment of the household of God; if it begins for us, then what will be the end for the disbelievers of the gospel of God?
18 For if the righteous one will be saved barely, what will happen to the impious and the sinner? 19 Therefore, let the ones suffering by living by the will of God keep on entrusting yourselves to a faithful Creator by doing good.
5:1 Now as an elder myself and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as one who shares in the glory to be revealed, I exhort the elders among you
2 to tend the flock of God that is in your charge, exercising the oversight, not under compulsion but willingly, as God would have you do it— not for sordid gain but eagerly.
3 Do not lord it over those in your charge, but be examples to the flock.
4 And when the chief shepherd appears, you will win the crown of glory that never fades away.
5 In the same way, you who are younger must accept the authority of the elders. And all of you must clothe yourselves with humility in your dealings with one another, for "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble."
6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you in due time.
7 Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you.
8 Discipline yourselves, keep alert. Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour.
9 Resist him, steadfast in your faith, for you know that your brothers and sisters in all the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering.
10 And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, support, strengthen, and establish you.
11 To him be the power forever and ever. Amen.
12 Through Silvanus , whom I consider a faithful brother, I have written this short letter to encourage you and to testify that this is the true grace of God. Stand fast in it.
13 Your sister church in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you greetings; and so does my son Mark.
14 Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace to all of you who are in Christ.
Let us listen to the choir. Peter says that suffering can be a test that strengthens our faith. Suffering lets us participate in Jesus' story, and not just his suffering, but his glory, too. When suffering does come, it allows us to live according to God's will, in trust and in doing good. 3
That doesn't mean we should seek out suffering in order to be like Christ. It especially does not mean we should endure abuse. Peter's advice is to resist behaving badly; even when people behave badly around you. Respond according to God's will, without losing heart or retaliating. Don't give them any reason to think of Christians as criminals.
That word our pew Bibles translates as ‘mischief maker' is actually much stronger than that. As near as I can tell, it's a compound word that breaks down into ‘overseer of other people's things,' or ‘meddler of other people's things.' In this context, it is definitely something worse than mischief-maker; the behavior isn't vandalism or practical jokes or embarrassing stunts. I think ‘racketeer' covers it, but it could also be ‘ concealer of stolen goods,' ‘spy,' ‘informer,' ‘revolutionist.'
When I read the text of 1 Peter, certain parts jumped out of their first century context to mine. Last week I spent four hours in a car with five other mothers. We shared parenting difficulties with one another, and some parenting solutions, which I found beneficial. And since today is Mother's Day, I am sharing with you my response to this text.
And so, when I read this text, it seemed to me to be all about parenting. I know Peter was writing to the brothers and sisters in the church, and the church is considered the household, or family of God. He was writing to adults about how to survive the Romans and thrive as a community of faith. I know that. It still seemed to be about parenting.
I wanted to share my responses with you, but I also have to protect my family's privacy. So I want to make sure all of you understand I'm drawing on my experience of being a mother, as well as all other mothers who have ever talked to me about parenting.
Beloved ones, do not be surprised at the burning that is taking place among you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.
Mothers, don't be surprised that parenting is painful; this happens to all parents. No one rears children unscathed.
But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evil-doer, or as a racketeer.
There's no need to think murderous thoughts or fantasize taking away every toy and every privilege, to make your children be really sorry, or mess with their stuff. Don't try to buy their behavior.
Therefore, let the ones suffering by living by the will of God keep on entrusting yourselves to a faithful Creator by doing good.
When a child yells “It's not fair” resist the temptation to reason with him or her. It will not work. Simply say “I know.”
For the time begins for judgment of the household of God;
Let the children experience failure while the price is affordable. They will learn.
if it begins for us, then what will be the end for the disbelievers of the gospel of God?
When they accuse you of not loving them, say “Nice try.” If they think your love for them is measured by your indulging their every whim, what will be the result?
Therefore, let the ones suffering by living by the will of God keep on entrusting yourselves to a faithful Creator by doing good.
Therefore let the ones suffering by letting children make their own mistakes keep on. Be available for consulting, but don't interfere.
Now as an elder myself … I exhort the elders among you
Now as a parent myself and a witness to other parents' trials, I exhort you, parents,
to tend the flock of God that is in your charge …. as God would have you do it-- not for sordid gain but eagerly.
take care of your children and do what you need to; don't expect them to meet your needs or fulfill your own dreams.
Do not lord it over those in your charge, but be examples to the flock.
Don't boss them around, tell them how you're going to live your life, then do it. Say things like “I can't drive the car when there's screaming.” Pull over, and get out.
In the same way, you who are younger must accept the authority of the elders.
You parents can't make them respect you; once you show respect for yourself, they will show respect for you. Treat yourself the way you expect to be treated; don't put off your needs to meet their wants. It will not kill them to go hungry if they forget their lunch.
And all of you must clothe yourselves with humility in your dealings with one another,
If you want your children to take responsibilities for their mistakes, take responsibility for your mistakes. Admit your ignorance. Say “I don't know how to take care of this situation. I just don't know the appropriate discipline for your behavior. I'll have to think about it for awhile. I'll let you know.” It won't damage them to worry about their punishment.
Cast all your anxiety on God, because he cares for you.
Don't make your children carry your fears. Cast all your anxiety on God instead. God knows how to deal with your anxieties.
Discipline yourselves, keep alert. Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour.
Discipline yourself by seeking counsel from other parents, counselors, books, and tapes. Don't get sucked into the bottomless pit of power struggles, where children defy you and disrespect you.
Resist him, steadfast in your faith, for you know that your brothers and sisters in all the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering.
Resist the quick fix of solving your children's problems for them, be steadfast in your commitment to love them. Know that your sons and daughters are searching for identity. Help them find their identity in healthy ways.
And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, support, strengthen, and establish you.
And after you have reared your children, they will grow up and have children of their own.
Recently I talked to some chaplains, some recovering addicts, and some parents about addictive behaviors. Recognizing addictive behavior is hard for me, so I reread a little pamphlet I have that calls those behaviors ‘time bomb tactics.' They reminded me a lot of children's behavior. The difference is, children are maturing and learning, and addicts generally aren't. They're stuck in their behavior until they see for themselves it's harmful. But Peter's advice might be useful to families and friends of addicts. Here are some of those ‘time bomb tactics:'
Shifts blame by attempting to confuse, puts others down to build self up, accuses others of misunderstanding, and puts others on the defense by embarrassing them.
Lies by being vague, says “I forgot”, omits key facts, and tells people what they want to hear. Avoids responsibility by accusing others and minimizing one's own behavior.
I've shared this list with enough people to know how helpful it is to have all these behaviors listed together. Our tendency is to want to help; when someone doesn't behave well, we tend to blame ourselves. But we can't fix the addiction or the alcoholism. We didn't cause it, but we can sure make the problem worse. One example I read talked about a wife who saw her husband pass out on their lawn, again. In the past, worried what the neighbors will think, she helped him inside, put him to bed, and in the morning, he had no memory of what happened.
This time, she left him there. In the morning, he comes in, and finds the children getting ready for school and the wife dressed, eating her breakfast. She greets him with “Coffee's ready,” and continues reading the newspaper. Without anyone shouting at him, he can't blame anyone else; he has nothing to fight against. He has to take responsibility for his own behavior. But getting people to take responsibility for their choices, when they're not used to it, is hard. It's hard for parents to teach that to children, and it's especially hard for the families of people with an addiction.
We all have little pockets of immaturity, and when we are healthy, rested, warm, and fed, we can work on those pockets.
I read an advice column about that last week. The letter writer wrote about the great conversations he and his girlfriend have when they agree. But when they disagree, it degenerates into a power struggle. They love each other, and share values and philosophies, but their arguing about irrelevant things is weighing him down. He wanted to know how they could disagree respectfully. The advice was to be “strong enough to be wrong.” If she says “retired space monkeys harvest the beans,” you could say, “Really? The farm I work on doesn't use space monkeys, but maybe it's the exception.” 4
There's a way to be honest and humble, even with people who are not. We can all work on becoming mature.
And that is Peter's message to the church. Grow into maturity in Christ. Be steadfast. Discipline yourselves. Live the will of God, even in adversity. Truth yourselves to a faithful creator by doing good and humbling yourselves. Amen.
1 In his Letters, Pliny the younger wrote: “his response to Emperor Pliny wrote: this is the line I have taken with all persons brought before me on the charge of being Christians. I have asked them in person if they are Christians, and if they admit it, I repeat the questions a second and a third time, with a warning of the punishment awaiting them. If they persist, I order them to be led away for execution; for, whatever the nature of their admission, I am convinced that their stubbornness and unshakeable obstinacy ought not to go unpunished. ( Hellenistic Commentary to the New Testament, p. 557-8)
2 The Danker Greek-English lexicon says, “a word whose meaning has not yet been determined with certainty.” (sixth edition, p. 47) It could be translated as busybody; as near as I can tell, the pieces of the word translate to ‘overseer of other people's things,' or ‘meddler of other people's things.' Other suggestions are ‘ concealer of stolen goods,' ‘spy,' ‘informer,' ‘revolutionist.'
3New Interpreter's Bible, vol. XII, p. 313.
4 This is a summary of a letter I read from the “Ask Carolyn” column by Carolyn Hax , Oregonian April 27, 2005, L2. I have been unable to secure permission to reproduce the exact letter on the web. The actual letter and advice is much better than my paraphrase. |
First Presbyterian Church