Worship Alternatives - Thematic ART Index
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Worship Items also contain art! Watch for '+ART' in the Index of each section.
To find your choice, go to Art file 1 or 2 and scroll down, or key the item number into your "find" function (usually control-F). The Art pieces are in numerical order. The items in brackets [ ] below are currently missing. Sorry.
This collection is a continuation of Spirit of Simplicity: Quotes & Art.
Table of Contents
Thematic ART Index
Art 1 = 931 - 2815
Art 2 = 2827 - 4373
THEMES (below)
Advent/Christmas/Epiphany
Advent/Christmas/Epiphany Art 1 = 931 - 2815
Worship/Community Art 1 = 931 - 2815
Lent/Easter Art 1 = 931 - 2815
Pentecost/Ordinary Time Art 1 = 931 - 2815
Other Topics/Seasons ©Creative Commons
Worship Alternatives collection compiled, edited and prepared by Katie Cook from Seed of Hope and Gerald Iversen. Archives Index |
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Worship/Community
Lent/Easter
Pentecost/Ordinary Time
Other Topics/Seasons
931-Advent1
932-Advent2
933-Advent3
934-Advent4
935-Annunciation
936-Care Of Creation
937-Cut Credit Card
938-All Visit Manger
939-Donating Toys
940-Earth Ornaments
941-Family at Advent Wreath
942-Flight to Egypt1
943-Flight to Egypt2
944-Flight to Egypt3
945-Homeless Nativity
946-Joseph & Mary
947-Magi block print
948-Magi on camels
949-Magi & camels
950-Magi
951-WhoseBirthday2005
952-Santa Credit Card1
953-Santa Credit Card2
954-Dove Credit Card
955-Manger Credit Card
956-Advent1-color
957-Advent2-color
958-Advent3-color
959-Advent4-color
960-Advent1
961-Advent2
962-Advent3
963-Advent4
964-FearNotAngel1-color
965-FearNotAngel2-color
966-ChristmasEve
967-Nativity Ornament
1436-Christmas
2890-Jesus' Birth (Wisdom 18:14-15)
2911-Jesus' Birth (Luke 2:10-11)
2940-Advent
2967-3 Wise Ones
2970-Jesus' Baptism
2971-Jesus' Baptism
3026-3 Wise Ones
3210-Annunciation
3674-Advent
3675-Advent
3676-Advent
3692-Emmanuel (Matthew 1:23)
3724-Christmas
3725-Escape to Egypt
3785-God's Spirit
3814-God's chosen
Art 2 = 2827 - 4373
1008-Community
1017-Peace
1061-Eucharist
1066-Eucharist
1264-Prayer
1299-Never Let Go, Youth Worship
1321-Prayer
1366-Jesus' Presence
1386-Lord of Lords
1456-1460-Thanksgiving for People
1528-Beatitudes
1624-1625-water
1642-Eucharist
1652-Eucharist
2249-Eucharist
2272-Eucharist
2553-Confirmation Sunday
2599-Bread
2600-Knowledge
2601-Love
2654-Preaching
2668-2674-Renewal
2815-Contemporary Worship Music
2827-Praise
2830-Youth Choir
3141-Eucharist, St. Thomas Aquinas
3270-Eucharist
3319-3323-Holy Healing Service
3418-Multi-Cultural Last Supper
3490-Baptisms
3491-Weddings
3492-Deaths
3553-Prayer
3565-Prayer
3633-3637-Service
3633-Giving
3634-Brass Choir
3635-Choir
3636-Acolytes
3637-Lector
3657-Funeral
3831-Eucharist
4000-Eucharist
4073-Bread of Life
4255-Aaronic Blessing (Numbers 6:24-27)
Art 2 = 2827 - 4373
1295-Jesus, Leon Bloy
1685-Easter
1777-Holy Trinity
2053-God's Love
2104-2108-Service
2154-Prayer
2191-Thanksgiving
2290-Lent/Hunger Cloth
2292-Followers
2350-2355-Holy Week
2374-Last Supper
2376-Night on Mt. of Olives
2381-Cross, Claudia Pessoa
2427-Eucharist
2428-Children
2450-Prayer
2452-Resurrection
2468-Ascension
2469-Ascension
2470-Ascension
2721-Cross
2727-Cross
2796-Black Christ
3719-Crucifixion
3147-Crucifixion
3151-Resurrection, Orthodox Liturgy
3154-Resurrection
3155-Resurrection
3199-Palm Sunday/kids
3209-Passover meal
3816-Ash Wednesday, Ecclesiastes 3:1,4
3817-Ash Wednesday
3818-Ash Wednesday
3819-Church Year
3820-Ash Wednesday
3829-Transfiguration
3852-Fasting
3853-Deserts of Life
3854-Lent
3855-Lent
3856-Lent
3891-Sermon
3915-Palm Sunday
3917-Palm Sunday
3918-Palm Sunday
3919-3924-Holy Week
3925-Behold, the Man
3926-Holy Journey
3927-3941-Stations of the Cross
3944-Love
3949-Crucifixion, Soren Kierkegaard
3950-Behold the man
3953-Resurrection
3954-Resurrection, Chrysostom
3955-Baptism, Easter Vigil
3957-Resurrection
3959-On The Way to Emmaus
4013-Empty Hands at Easter
4204-Cross
4206-Resurrection
4311-Cross
Art 2 = 2827 - 4373
3243-Pentecost
3244-Pentecost
3245-Witness
3246-Holy Spirit
3247-3255-Pentecost
3251-Holy Spirit
3252-Holy Spirit
3253-Holy Spirit
3254-Pentecost
3255-Pentecost
3260-Holy Trinity
3261-Holy Trinity, Athanasian Creed
3262-unholy trinity
3263-Holy Trinity
3660-Holy Spirit
4054-Pentecost
4055-Pentecost
4058-Holy Spirit
4059-4064-Gifts of the Spirit
Art 2 = 2827 - 4373
3266-3269-Christ
3396-Transfiguration
3650-All Saints
3651-All Saints
[3654-Voiceless]
3655-Live in Us
3883-Christ
3972-False Shepherd
3973-3974-Good Shepherd
3992-3999-Symbols
4002-Prodigal Son
4018-Prayer
4020-Open the door - Bernard of Clairvaux
4026-Venezuela
4032-Good News
4035-"I am the Way"
4044-Word of God (Romans 10:8) Bernard of Clairvaux
4047-Ascension
4052-World
4069-Faith
4076-God's Acceptance
4084-Jesus' Love
4097-Faith at Death
4103-Prophets
4128-Confessions and Forgiveness
4131-Confession
4141-Eucharist
4143-First Communion
4147-Devotions at Work
4148-God's Presence
4149-Prayer of the Sick
4150-Prayer Time, Nat'l Day of Prayer
4185-God's Word
4202-Doubt
4209-All Welcome
4224-Cross
4248-Prayer
4250-Witness
4251-Witness
4258-Blessing, Baptism
4295-Future
4305-Forgiveness
4306-Forgiveness
4317-Envy and Selflessness
4326-Outsiders
4334-Loneliness
4335-Next to the Last Supper
4344-Love
4350-Followers of Christ
4370-The Great Judgement
4371-Possessions
4373-Jesus' Presence (Matthew 18:20)
Tabs
2=Advent/Christmas
3=Lent/Easter
4=Pentecost/Ordinary Time
5=Other
END of Thematic ART Index
SPARE
Other/Hunger (Non-Seasonal)
PRAYERS, HYMNS, etc.
#150
A Truthful Prayer Before Meals
I am sorry God for my intentional and unintentional participation in the current world market that has brought this food produced often through environmentally dangerous and negative farming practices, packaged in resource and environmentally unfriendly containers and harvested in many cases by underpaid, abused migrant and alien labor to my table-a table at which I often consume food in unnecessary amounts and even waste it.
As penance and in hopes of redeeming myself for participation in this daily tragedy which contributes to the unequal distribution of the bounty you do supply, I will strive, with the help of your grace, to use the energy created by this food in my body to serve someone other than myself and, whenever possible, those in greatest need.
God, please continue through the Holy Spirit, to work with me on my conversion and awareness so that tomorrow I may buy less and eat less. If I accomplish this, my prayer of thanksgiving can truly be one of simple thanks rather than a confession of my indulgence and the over importance given to me as a first-world consumer so obviously demonstrated by the over abundance of out-of-season, imported, transported and over packaged food on my table.
May God forgive me for what I am about to do.
(submitted by John Sentovich from a friend)
#151
Consumer's Prayer
Dear God, please don't let me lose my aspirations and my soul in pursuit of the American Dream. Don't let me sell myself and my ideals to the Moral Majority.
Please don't let me wake up one day with three kids in a mostly white neighborhood in Suburbia, USA, driving a minivan to and from parent-teacher meetings and soccer games, and realize that my life has been summed up in the offspring I've borne for my accountant husband. Don't let me become enamored of celebrities and their fickle fame and their knobby collarbones and their 48-hour Guaranteed Weight Loss Drinks. Don't let me wake up one day and realize that I've become a warmongering, mindlessly obedient, commercial whore who doesn't think about CFC emissions, or oil spills, or sweatshops, or munitions factories, or the rainforest being destroyed for domesticated animals and the paper hat we throw away. Please don't let me become completely desensitized. Forgive us our sins and grant us the wisdom to see the truth. And Lord, please remember not to let me wake up one day and realize that I hate myself.
Makenzi Henton, Mandeville, Louisiana: Adbusters, Nov/Dec 2003, issue #50 (no page numbers given). Used by permission.
#152
Is This the Blood of Christ?
I wanted to let you know that Adbusters has inspired a series of conversations in a small alternative worship community in North West London, culminating in a fervor for action. We sit in a circle and pass around a glass of Coca Cola, each sipping some as we read these words:
"Is this the blood of Christ, or the blood of bottlers mysteriously disappeared in Coca Cola's Colombian plants in union battles? Or is it the blood of malnourished babies, after Zambian mothers are convinced by glossy advertising that Coca Cola is the best thing to feed their children? Or perhaps the blood of malnourished teenagers in Rio, who became vitamin deficient after drinking too much Coke?
"Maybe it symbolizes our blood, with our insides rotted away by the 13 lumps of sugar in a 330 ml can, and an acidity strong enough to dissolve teeth and bones. 'Coca Cola, The Real Thing."'
We pass a glass of water around the group, each taking some as we read these words:
"Water is the real thirst quencher, source of life and well being. 'I am the water of life,' a man said, over 2000 years ago, but was his water prepackaged, patented, privatized and paid for? This purity, this necessity for survival is out of reach of 200 million people. This number will double in the next 20 years ....
"This water, then, also has the taste of blood, yet this is perhaps, the real thing, reminding us that we need to commit to the substantial, the necessities of life in a struggle for the 'real thing' to become reality."
James Trafford, London Bible College
from Adbusters May/June 2003, No.47 (no page numbers given). Used by permission.
#153
Hymn: Bigger Barns
(The Parable of the Rich Fool in Luke 12:13-21)
Sung to ABERYSTWYTH 7.7.7.7 D ("Jesus, Lover of My Soul")
"Bigger barns are what I need!" So a rich man said one day.
"From my worries I'll be free when my wealth is stored away."
"Fool!" God said, "Today you'll die! Will your wealth mean anything?
All life's blessings really lie in my life that wealth can't bring."
"Bigger barns are what we need for our money, gadgets, more!"
Lord, we're tempted to believe having wealth, we'll be secure!
Somewhere children cry for food or to have a doctor's care.
Can our bigger barns be good when poor neighbors know despair?
God of love, we long to know what will make us truly blest.
Jesus taught us long ago wealth won't give us peace or rest.
You are our security! Safe in you, we serve, O Lord.
May we find we're rich indeed when we're sharing with the poor.
(Inspired by the August 5th, 2001, lectionary's gospel text.)
Tune: Joseph Parry, 1879.
Text: Copyright (c) 2001 by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette. All rights reserved.
#154
Hymn: The Earth Is the Lord's
Sung to ST. DENIO 11.11.11.11 ("Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise")
"The Earth is the Lord's and the fulness thereof."
Creation reminds us, O God, of your love.
By grace we are learning, as year leads to year,
We're called to be stewards, your caretakers here.
Your rainforests nurture the world that we share.
Your wetlands give animals shelter and care.
Your coral reefs cradle the life of the sea.
You've shown us, in love, what your good world can be.
Too often, O God, we abuse your good earth.
We fail to remember its beauty and worth.
We take from creation much more than we need,
We threaten your world through indifference and greed.
May we be good stewards of all that you give,
Protecting creation wherever we live.
May we be a church that renews and restores
And lovingly cares for this earth that is yours.
Tune: Welsh Folk Hymn, Adapted in Caniadau y Cyssegr, 1839
Text: Copyright (c) 2001 by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette. All rights reserved.
305 South Broadway, Pitman, NJ 08071 Phone: (856)-589-8444
Email: Bruce.Gillette@ecunet.org
You are welcome to share the hymn(s) with neighboring pastors or other online friends, but please include the copyright and contact information.
Please drop us an email note to our personal user box for permission to use the hymn since Carolyn does like to know who are using her hymns. Thank you.
Carolyn Winfrey Gillette is the co-pastor of the First Presbyterian Church in Pitman, NJ and author of "Gifts of Love: New Hymns for Today's Worship" (Geneva Press, 2000). A complete list of Carolyn's hymns, including links to a dozen of the hymn texts posted online, can be found at http://www.firstpresby.org/hymnlist.htm
Bruce & Carolyn Winfrey Gillette, Co-Pastors
First Presbyterian Church, 305 S Broadway, Pitman NJ 08071
Office Phone: (856)-589-1050 Home Phone: (856)-589-8444
Email: Bruce.Gillette@ecunet.org
Church Fax: (856)-589-1051
Church website: www.firstpresby.org
#155
Beattitudes for Christian Peacemakers
by Kathy Kern (for the final worship at Christian Peacemaker Teams Retreat). From Christian Peacemaker Teams "Signs of the Times," fall, 2000.
Blessed are those who recognize their spiritual inadequacies -- for they will cut their co-workers some slack, and be respectful of the faith traditions of others.
Blessed are those who mourn -- for they will be able to enter into the lives of the oppressed and exploited.
Blessed are the meek -- for they will make room for their co-workers to express new ideas, move in new directions, make mistakes.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness -- for they will be able to put the jealousies, quarrels and irritations aside to focus on challenging the violence of the domination system.
Blessed are the merciful -- for they will give their co-workers a second chance after dumb mistakes and hurtful words and behaviors. And maybe, just maybe, they will receive mercy.
Blessed are the pure of heart -- wherever they may be.
Blessed are the peacemakers -- for sometimes, to the grace of God and the prayers of the faithful, they actually managed to make peace.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake; who are interrupted, slighted and denigrated by their co-workers; who are called "squalor on the face of the earth," Capitalists and "Nazis;" who are spit on, attacked and slandered by agents of the status quo; who developed a variety of interesting tropical diseases; who are reviled for coming from a life of privilege; who bear scars from a life of deprivation; who are laughed at for saying stupid things; who are willing to continue working for peace after they have been humiliated; who choose to witness and participate in the pain caused by atrocities, massacres and systemic violence.
Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for you are a part of the cloud of witnesses who will bless the peacemakers coming after you; for you are the salt of the Earth; you are the light of the world; and yours is the kingdom of heaven.
#156
I Was Hungry . . .
I was hungry and you blamed the Communists,
I was hungry and you landed on the moon,
I was hungry and you told me to wait,
I was hungry and you set up a commission,
I was hungry and you said, "so were my ancestors,"
I was hungry and you said, "we don't hire over 35,"
I was hungry and you said, "God helps those . . ."
I was hungry and you told me I shouldn't be,
I was hungry and you told me machines do that work now,
I was hungry and you had neutron bombs and Trident submarine bills to pay,
I was hungry and you said, "the poor are always with us."
Lord, when did we see you hungry?
(submitted by Karl Lehman, from Voluntary Simplicity Study Action Guide. Paraphrased from "Justice and Service," Issue nos. 3 & 4; 1973.)
QUOTES
#157
Simple Gifts
'Tis a gift to be simple,
'Tis a gift to be free,
'Tis a gift to come round
where we want to be,
And when we find ourselves
in the place just right
We will be in the valley of
love and delight.
Old Shaker Hymn (from To Celebrate)
"The superfluities of the rich are the necessaries of the poor. Those who retain what is superfluous possess the goods of others." St. Augustine
"O God,
To those who have hunger
Give bread;
And to us who have bread
Give hunger for justice."
"Celebration is a forgetting . . . of ego, of problems, of difficulties, in order to remember the commone base that makes another's sufferings mine and in order to imagine a relief of that suffering. There can be no compassion without celebration and there will be no authentic celebration that does not result in increased compassionate energies." Matthew Fox
"Any 'Christians' who take for themselves any more than the plain necessaries of life, live in an open habitual denial of the Lord. They have gained riches and hell-fire." John Wesley
"All celebration is like a great 'Alleluia' and song of thanksgiving, in which we remember before God all those who cannot celebrate." Jean Vanier
(submitted by Karl Lehman)
#158
Notes on Church Music
based on Voluntary Simplicity
1. Avoid choir robes. The theory of "uniformity of appearance reflects uniformity of purpose" is bunk. Wear clothes from the developing world or modest Western clothing, possibly to reflect the liturgical season. Robes, like men's ties, are symbolic of domination.
2. Choirs, sing in the language of the congregation, so that the words are understandable. Or provide a translation in the bulletin and call attention to it. Avoid polyphonic settings unless words are in the bulletin or are very repetitive, like Amen or Alleluia. Otherwise the nonsense syllables that result convert choral music into instrumental music.
3. Instrumental music should be primarily hymn tune based, allowing people to participate, even when not singing, by following the tune (and words) in their head or reading them if hymnal numbers are given.
Gerald Iversen, 4/99
"Solidarity is more than a feeling of compassion or the desire to give to charity. Solidarity is essentially the will to treat every person as a beloved family member."
"Doing Justice" from "Ministry and Liturgy," March, 2001. Also in "Solidarity: Owning the Troubles and Joys of Others," p. 13.
#353
A Prayer for the World
by Lee McKenna DuCharme
Oh Holy One, Spirit God,
You, who satisfies the hungry heart
You, who provides words to poets:
Oh God of the Exiles
We are your people;
we feel that this is no longer our home
we're not sure at all that we like life
on the edge…
We know too well the threat of the cross;
we have glimpsed the danger of the resurrection;
we have taken tentative steps on Jubilee's road to costly liberation.
And…we're not sure we like it.
How can we sing the Lord's song?
The happy tunes of a gospel of certitude
and privilege
have long been dissonance to our ears.
Yet still we feel the urge to hang our harps
on trees:
Jubilee is hard saying!
Who can hear it?
Who can accept it in this culture of Seinfeld
and SUVs
and self-cleaning appliances
and not feel offence?
But yet, we know, deep in ourselves,
that you do hold the words of life.
We see your church in foetal position,
desperate to protect what it used to be
its running after order
in a disordered world,
its race for Easter without Good Friday…
And your poets yearn.
Widows and orphans die in the streets…
canaries in coalmines;
The IMF and the World Bank and the WTO organise our debts
oblivious to Jubilee.
We stand in the 49th year:
The people of Kosovo and of East Timor cry
for their return
to the lands of their ancestors
The people of Aceh and West Papua dream of life
out from under the hand of oppression
The children of Sierra Leone learn the craft
of war and dismemberment,
their childhood the stolen property of overlords
Boatloads of Chinese labourers, indentured,
sold into slavery in their search
for the Golden Mountain,
sweating out their lives so that we can enjoy cheaply
the benefits of the "free" market
The people of Sudan and Nagalim die
in their hundreds of thousands,
silent to our ears
Ugandans, Zambians and Malawians
bury entire generations of AIDS victims
never dreaming of life-extending drugs
Women, children and men…
God! How can you can stand it!?
wander homeless in the streets
of the cities
of the richest countries
in the world.
We lie shackled to Empire that invites us
into denial, despair, amnesia
and when that happens,
your people become
shoppers.
Empire's mantra tells us to
GO ALONG
if we want to
GET ALONG;
Our churches sit dormant under the narcotic
of liturgies
designed to accommodate the people to Empire,
producing custodians of the dominant power,
making them feel good enough to carry on,
but not guilty enough to do anything dangerous.
In the face of the demands of Jubilee,
we sometimes find ourselves
acting and believing that there is no one greater than Nebuchadnezzar.
O God of the Exiles,
give words to your poets
For poets make no concessions to Babylon;
They write poetry that undermines
the prose of Empire;
They dance;
Poets speak the ordinary things of faith
that the Empire considers outrageous.
Give strength to your people who believe—
that we are saved for the world, not from it;
that peace, like war, is waged;
that discipleship means being redemptively involved in the world's pain
at some cost to ourselves;
that, if not outrageous,
poetry has no power to give life;
that the principalities and powers are not
in charge of this world.
Give words to your poets
these repairers of breaches
and restorers of streets to live in
your poets
who know that, while words of release
are dangerous,
they emancipate.
They give life.
Because of Christ
in whose name we pray. Amen
—Lee McKenna duCharme is an international organizer for peace and justice, and an interim pastor in Toronto, Ontario. This prayer was first delivered at Oakhurst Baptist Church, Decatur, Georgia in October 1999.
(from Baptist Peacemaker, Volume 20 Number 1, Spring 2001)
#354
Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread
—an interpretive service by the Baptist Peace Fellowship youth
Editor's note: The following is taken from the final worship service at the 2000 summer conference of the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America (BPFNA) in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. It was planned, written, and led by the youth. Special thanks go to youth leader Stephanie Wyatt for gathering these writings and sending them to Baptist Peacemaker.
Call to Worship
by Jon Buttry
Reader 1: O God, we come together from different places—from the ends of the earth and from across the street.
Reader 2: We gather here for one common dream which we all share in the depths of our hearts and minds: peace.
Reader 3: When we unite, we set aside our differences and respect each other simply because we are all people, we are all individuals, and we are all in this together.
Reader 4: Upon gathering, the seeds of our ideas are fertilized with other's contributions. With our determination to carry out God's will, these ideas evolve and shape the world of tomorrow.
Theme Interpetation
by Trisha Byers
First Offstage Voice: Give us this Day Our Daily Bread.
Second Offstage Voice: You are an ambassador on the veranda of the U.S. embassy in some foreign country. A waiter is about to request your order. You look out on the street filled with tattered children scheming for money, food. The waiter's child is one of them.
Response
I look at these children begging and I feel so helpless, being the Ambassador of a very wealthy and powerful country and not being able to go out of this building and help these kids.
How can a country like ours be completely covered in wealth and still want more power and money, while in other countries people's daily life is begging?
We have so much food and money, if we would stop being so greedy and think about other countries—especially Third World countries—we could stop hunger in so many places.
The only way our country will ever give help to another country is if they give us good trade for it, and if a country doesn't have good trade the U.S. just shoos them away like flies.
I think we should all stop thinking about ourselves and how much we suffer, and consider that what we do have is so much more than other countries, and take time to sacrifice some of it to those countries.
Give Us Our Daily Bread
a short drama
by Anna Betton and Sarah Burkett
Ask a player to dress like a homeless woman and stand to one side of the stage, while the two speakers, Anna and Sarah, stand on the other side. Anna and Sarah are dressed like ordinary teenagers.
Scene I
Anna: Hey Sarah, look at that old rag over there. She thinks she actually has food in those bags of hers, HA, that's funny!
Sarah: Anna, you are confusing me. I thought God taught us to take in everyone as if they were part of us. To reach out our hearts, and to help those in need.
Anna: God? Who cares about him? I mean, do you have any proof that he is really there?
Sarah: God is in my heart, and yours, and God tells us that we should lift our hearts to that woman as well as anyone who needs a friend.
Anna: Sarah! I think I am beginning to understand. So where should I go from here?
Sarah: Well Anna, I think we should start right over there with that woman. We should work to fill her bags with the fruits of the spirit and bring her into God's life, and fill her with God's love!
Anna: Great! LET'S GO TO HER!
Anna and Sarah go to the homeless woman and offer food to her.
Scene II
Anna: I am so glad that you made me realize how important God's love is. I have felt more secure knowing that God is there for me. Thanks Sarah!
Sarah: No problem, I just wish that EVERY ONE could realize the work of our Creator's love.
Anna: Well it is a shame that EVERYONE does not believe, but we should do everything we can to spread God's quilt of love.
Both (Sarah & Anna): AMEN
What's Up With the Line at Mickey D's?
a drama by the BPFNA youth
Scene: Two young, beautiful teenage women walking along the sidewalk, pausing alongside a McDonald's Restaurant
First Teen: I'm hungry!
Second Teen: I don't want any greasy fries. Besides, look at that line.
First Teen: What's happening to the world today?
Second Teen: Fast food has led to the decline of family meals and promoted cultural assimilation. Now everybody eats the same things, day after day.
First Teen: Wow! I hadn't really thought of it quite like this before, but you're right. Families don't even take the time to pray! They are too consumed with themselves and their time to worry about things like that.
Second Teen: Yeah, they are so rushed they don't take time to interact with each other, let alone God.
First Teen: Let's go; I'm not so hungry anymore.
Communion Introduction
by Jon Buttry and David Broadway
Imagine two scenes: one is heaven, one is hell. In both scenes you can see a great banquet table covered with all the food one could possibly want. (You can elaborate if you want: fried chicken, crab cakes, hamburgers—fill in your favorite foods.)
In both scenes there are people on each side of the table facing one another. In both scenes the people have extremely long arms. In fact their arms are so long they cannot reach their mouths with the food placed before them.
In hell, the people are angrily trying to reach their mouths with the food. They are each jockeying for the best position to try to get the food into their own mouths, disregarding their sisters and brothers. Thus, they are starving in the midst of a great feast.
In heaven, the people are joyous. The long arms are not a problem because they are feeding one another. They are celebrating the feast fully because they are sharing.
Today we would like to simulate this scene of heaven by serving each other communion. If you will please prepare to stand in lines facing one another, we will participate in the Lord's supper by serving it to our neighbors.
May it truly be on earth as it is in heaven.
Let the Feast begin.
This service is from the award-winning department called "Peace Soup" in Baptist Peacemaker. "Peace Soup" is affectionately named after a youth newspaper created during the 1999 "peace camp." (from Baptist Peacemaker, Volume 20 Number 3, Fall 2000)
#355
I met Jesus one time in Chicago
I met Jesus one time in Chicago
and he threatened to kill me. Well, I mean—he told me how he could. He kind of walked up to me and was mumbling and sort of struck up a conversation. It was really one-sided because he was homeless and I was twelve. He had been in Korea during the war and hadn't taken a bath in three weeks—or since May, he said, and he couldn't remember which.
He could kill a man thirteen different ways with his bare hands and wanted to know if I wanted to see. I held still because he told me to and because I was scared. He was soon taken away by the Compassion Ministries people.
I never saw him again that week, until the last day at the soup kitchen. He was sitting alone, but not mumbling. I was still shaken from our conversation—you don't expect to be accosted by a schizophrenic at age twelve, especially when you're white and from a small private school in Central Texas. But I saw him and it was Jesus.
I went and refilled his drink. I filled the glass of my friend Jesus. I sort of sat down and he looked up at me with a mix of clouded recognition and shame. I said, "Hi." And he didn't say much but finally whispered, "I'm sorry." He said, "I'm sorry but I was drunk and when I drink I relive my life. I'm sorry. I hate it, and I'm sorry. Sorry."
I refilled his glass…and it hit me. Hard. Right then. I wasn't sitting across from Jesus; he wasn't testing my compassion—that was a longer while ago. I realized that it was me, with Jesus inside. I was sitting across the table from a smelly homeless man and I was giving a drink as Jesus, with Jesus, and to Jesus.
I never found out his name.
—This art and reflection are by Van Darden, who was 15 and a sophomore at Vanguard Preparatory School in Waco, Texas. This reflection, along with the art was published on the "Peace Soup" page, an award-winning regular department in Baptist Peacemaker which features writings, photographs, and drawings by youth. (from Baptist Peacemaker, Volume 21 Number 1, Spring 2001.)
#356
Peace Prayer
God of Peace,
If we have assisted in transforming the world that You created from a perfect garden to a place where children make bombs to kill other children, forgive us. Please show us how to make peace.
If we have been accomplices in changing a world that you designed as a sanctuary for your many different children into a place where governments kill those who are different, forgive us. Please show us how to make peace.
We know that our actions bring sorrow to you again and again. You look down upon the war zones of our inner cities. This world is not what you created it to be.
You look down upon the city of Jerusalem and the mountainsides of Central America. This world is not what you created it to be.
You look down upon our communities, our churches, our families. This world is not what you created it to be.
By now, you must think that we are turning your whole creation into a skull-shaped world. We are warriors, searching for peace. Turn us around, O Lord.
Make us instruments of your peace, this day. Amen.
—written by Allen Reasons, who, at this writing, was pastor of a church in Houston, Texas. The art on this page is used courtesy of the BlancoCruz Franciscans.
(from the cover of Baptist Peacemaker, Volume 21 Number 1, Spring 2001)
#357
Pooh, Age Eleven
by Elizabeth Daniel
Pooh told me yesterday
that his life will end in suicide.
he said this as his laughing eyes
surveyed mine.
his carefully shaved head
relaxed in relief I had never seen in him.
he jerked unconsciously,
and looked off into the distance
that ended abruptly across the room.
and I saw
recognition twitching in his nose,
as he
stared at the brown walls
surrounding the space.
an easy irreverence hung in the air,
like a storm that would never come
but was always imminent.
its angry thunder
restlessly transformed itself
into the foggy laughter
of children.
and the eleven-year-old Pooh
lost his ancient
expression
and returned
to himself.
I watched
as he smiled and walked away.
—Elizabeth Daniel, at this writing, was a senior at Vanguard Preparatory School in Waco, Texas. As a high school student, she volunteered at an after-school program for at-risk youth near an urban development project. Pooh is one of the friends she made there.
The art on this page is by Rebecca Ward, an art student at the University of Texas in Austin.
(from the "Peace Soup" page in Baptist Peacemaker, Volume 21 Number 2, Summer 2001)
#358
Dance with Us
—Martha Barr
Sometimes, when we scan the room
-- and ourselves -- for You
we see You... seeing us!
Sometimes, when we hold each other
we feel You enfolding us.
Sometimes, when we sing
we hear Your voice.
Sometimes, when we preach
we hear Your Word.
Sometimes, when we cry
we taste Your tears.
Please, God...always dance with us.
Amen.
—Martha Barr wrote this prayer as a benediction during the 2001 summer conference of the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America. The art on this page is by Rebecca Ward, and depicts Jessica Sehested, a liturgical dancer for many BPFNA summer conferences.
(from the cover of Baptist Peacemaker, Volume 21 Number 3, Fall 2001)
#360
When I Thought Like a Child
by Elizabeth Daniel
teach me how to drink
the stars' bright mystery
show me how to see
just beyond the edges of my life
paint pictures
with rainbows on my earlobes
Dance
in the darkness of the night
wear clouds for shoes in the winter
reach
just past the horizon line
Dream, Child, dream
dream dreams beyond imagining
but never forget
to fly
when you can no longer walk
—Elizabeth Daniel, at this writing, was a senior at Vanguard Preparatory School in Waco, Texas. She is now a student at the University of Chicago.
The art on this page is by Rebecca Ward, an art student at the University of Texas in Austin.
(from the "Peace Soup" page in Baptist Peacemaker, Volume 22 Number 1, Winter 2002)
#361
The Voice in the Temple
by Katie Cook
This is the year that King Uzziah died.
There is brokenness and death all around us.
There is violence and injustice and hunger.
We have hatred in our hearts,
And we dwell in the midst of a people with hateful hearts.
We fear that our dreams and hopes are dying.
We believed that we were supposed to dream along with God,
But we wonder sometimes if it's worth all the pain.
We see evidence that the work is not in vain,
And we cling in the midst of our fatigue to those glimpses of truth,
We cherish those rumors of glory.
This is the year that King Uzziah died,
And we have come to the temple to weep.
We wait now to hear that word that will keep us going.
We wait to taste of the holiness of God,
The vision, high and lifted up.
We wait to hear that voice that we love so much.
Somewhere in the middle of our weeping we hear a question:
"Who will go out into a world such as this,
Where people suffer and die
And infant hopes are dashed against the rocks?"
And we search our hearts.
Are we ready for this task?
Are we worthy to go where God sends us?
Can we do this?
We feel too young. We feel too old.
We tend to stammer. We tend to fall down.
We each feel unfit in different ways.
But we have heard a voice, a beloved voice,
In the temple, where we went to weep.
This is the year that King Uzziah died,
And we have heard a voice in the temple.
May God give us grace,
May God give us courage,
May God keep us on the journey,
For we must go and tell the people what the voice has told us.
Katie Cook is the editor of Hunger News & Hope and Sacred Seasons, both Seeds of Hope publications, and of Baptist Peacemaker, a publication of the
Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America.
(from Baptist Peacemaker, Volume 22, Number 4, Winter 2002.)
#362
Beatitudes for the Weary Christian
by Katie Cook
Joyful are those who know they are helpless,
For they rely on God,
And God's eternal Commonwealth is theirs.
Joyful are those who know sorrow and pain,
For peace and quiet joy will be theirs;
Gentle certainty will be theirs;
And strength will come to them in
abundance.
Joyful are those who do not tread on others,
Those whose words and deeds are gentle,
For they will be one with the new earth.
Joyful are those whose hearts break,
and whose spirits groan, for justice
in this world,
For they will see the great realm of peace
and justice,
And their quest will be accomplished,
And their dream will come true.
Joyful are those who respond to others
in need,
Who do not remember past wrongs,
For God will forget their wrongs
And respond to their needs.
Joyful are those whose hearts and minds
thirst for one thing,
And that is to walk in God's way
And to live in God's truth,
No matter how high the toll;
For they will bask in God's love.
Joyful are those who work for peace,
For they are God's children;
God is their Father, who provides for them,
And their Mother, who nurtures them.
Joyful are you who meet with hatred
because of your stand for justice,
Your reward will not be the punishment
of those who abuse you;
Instead, you will long for their redemption;
Instead, your reward will be to see
the Reign of God in its completeness;
Your reward will be to see God's justice
ruling all humanity and all creation,
And there will be no end to that era of justice.
Joyful are you who endure harsh things
because of the teachings of Christ;
You will know the endless government
of justice and peace,
The endless dominion of love and truth.
Be comforted in this,
for all who have so
spoken the truth
have been so abused.
All of you can be full of joy,
Because you have hope—
The hope of God's Commonwealth—
Where tears are wiped away,
Where pain is erased.
You will be in harmony with creation
You will see the everlasting domain
of justice, mercy, peace, and truth,
You will be in the presence of God.
You will look upon God's face, and not faint.
God's eyes will smile upon you;
You will sit in God's lap,
And feel God's embrace.
You will sit by the fire with God,
And you will rest.
—Katie Cook is the editor for Seeds of Hope Publishers and also for Baptist Peacemaker, a publication of the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America. This meditation is from the cover of Baptist Peacemaker, Volume 23 Number 2, Summer 2003.
art courtesy of CrisArt: Página cristiana
#363
A Prayer for Shalom
by Heidi Baxter
God of Our Ancestors –
Abraham and Sarah,
Isaac and Rebekah,
Jacob and Leah and Rachel,
Bring us shalom. Let us not forget those who hurt by turning plowshares into swords and pruning hooks into spears. Let us not forget those who are trampled and left hungry. Help us remember those we overlook and tend to push aside. Help us be aware of when we ignore others' needs….Bring us shalom.
Bring us shalom. Show us how to honor those with whom we disagree. Teach us what it means to live in true community. Increase our awareness of the subtleties of discrimination. Make us attentive to how hurtful our words can be. Help us remember that apathy is just as harmful as inaction….Bring us shalom.
Bring us shalom. Help us remember the women and children who faithfully followed your call: Rahab, the child king Josiah, Michal, Jephthah's daughter, the young shepherd David, Jael, the young boy Samuel, and Sisera's mother…waiting for her fallen son to return….Bring us shalom.
Create in us shalom. Let us live in Christ who welcomes us all, not just the good-looking, popular, or wealthy. May we learn that in Christ we transcend swords and spears, plowshares and pruning hooks. Bring us to abide in you; not just with you. Create with us shalom. Health, wholeness, salvation, justice, peace – shalom and amen.
—Heidi Baxter, at this writing, was a senior at Central Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, Kansas with plans to graduate the next spring with a Master of Divinity degree.
#364
Call to Worship
by Rachel Hunter
FIRST VOICE: Out of past and present pain and suffering,
PEOPLE: We come to worship God.
SECOND VOICE: Who is with all those who suffer oppression.
FIRST VOICE: With all that this experience evokes in us,
PEOPLE: We come to worship God.
SECOND VOICE: Whose spirit groans within us in prayers too deep for words.
FIRST VOICE: From all our journeys of time and space and spirit,
PEOPLE: We come to worship God,
SECOND VOICE: Who has led us into our present and who beckons us into our future.
FIRST VOICE: To speak and hear the truth, and to commit ourselves to seek justice,
PEOPLE: We come to worship God.
SECOND VOICE: Whose truth sets us free, and who calls for justice to flow down like water.
PEOPLE: We come to worship God. Amen.
Rachel Hunter is a poet, a playwright, and a specialist in theatrical effects. At this writing she was living in New York City. She now teaches at The Meeting School in Rindge, New Hampshire.
This litany was the call to worship for the Saturday morning communion service during the 2003 summer conference (aka "peace camp") of the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America, and was printed in "Peace Soup," the youth page of Baptist Peacemaker, Volume 23, Number 3, Fall 2003. Art is by Sharon Rollins.
#366
Pastoral Prayer for Peacemakers
by Richard Moore
In a world that offers reasons to despair,
In a time of confusion and fear,
We turn our hearts to you,
O God, our Strength and our Redeemer.
In our world, power seems distant and remote
and the interests of the weak are often overlooked.
Certainly, it seems, one person—or one small church—
can't make a difference,
Can't right all the wrongs we see around us.
And yet, you have called us —
Called us out into the world
to give an accounting of our faith;
Called us into the streets
to proclaim your mercies
and announce your kingdom;
Called us into relationships
to heal what is broken
and restore hope to the hopeless;
Called us to speak your Gospel
and live your Good News,
to bring justice to a world that needs to believe;
Called us your friends, the beloved of God.
Empower us, then, O God,
to do the things that make for peace.
Let our witness make faith seem stronger than pipe bombs
And peace more compelling than tanks and suicide bombers.
We follow the war-maker out of fear,
Figuring which end of a gun barrel we'd rather be on.
But we are drawn to the peacemakers
Because of the vision they bring,
The world they make vivid before our eyes,
The healing we feel when that world is made real.
You are our peacemaker, O Jesus.
You are our vision.
Make us worthy of it.
And let us share in the privilege
Of joining hand to hand,
voice to voice, heart to heart,
In the forming of your kingdom.
Let your love prevail.
And let it begin in us.
This is our prayer.
Amen.
—Richard Moore is youth minister for University Baptist Church in Austin, Texas.
(from the cover of Baptist Peacemaker, Volume 22 Number 2, Summer 2002)
#367
My Rite of Communion
by David Sparenberg
May 12, 2004
I participate
in the beauty of the Earth.
And without violation.
I partake
of the wonderment
of this awakening day.
I drink in the wine
of morning breeze, sweetened
by the flowers of May.
I break and eat the
bread of Spring, seasoned
from life's garden.
This is my rite
of communion.
In this way,
I say no to war.
And to the evil death
in the minds of
deceptive men, who have
turned to a god who is
no god: an idol loveless.
And exacting judgment.
In this way,
my heart declares my
love of justice.
And my soul stands firm
in the prophecy of peace.
I turn out
to the dawn awareness.
And to my God who
creates out of love.
And who instills love even
in the eyes of those
suffering most. And who
tremble for their children's safety.
This is my rite
of communion.
In this way,
I say yes to yes.
And no to war.
—David Sparenberg—a playwright, poet, storyteller, stage director, Shakespearean actor and new novelist—lived in Seattle, Washington at this writing. This poem was printed in Baptist Peacemaker, Volume 24, No 2, Spring 2004. Art is by Rebecca Ward.
#368
Confession to an Untamed God
Bob Darden
#369
God of the Apple Crate
by John S. Ballenger
Raise us to your glorious throne, our God—
that we might walk paths of wonder
and revel in the courts of Zion—
that we might with bowed head and whispered Hosannas
enter your presence
there to raise awe-struck eyes to see—
to see the gaunt face of the man behind the
Hungry Will Work For Food sign just off of I-35;
to see the sad eyes of those who
sit waiting at the food bank
when we dash in to drop this off
or pick that up.
And we think if YOU are King—
if YOU are Messiah—
if YOU are God—
forgive us, God, for
we know not what we do.
God sits on an old apple crate and
there is no throne more glorious.
God wears a ratty old baseball
cap to which no crown can compare.
And God offers us this same
transforming power
to make of our lives a witness
to that which only our richest
language can begin
to reach for.
Raise us to
your glorious throne,
oh God.
Amen.
—John Ballenger is a specialist in worship and the arts. He lives, writes, and teaches in Atlanta.
#370
For Such a Time As This
For Such a Time As This
a litany by Jerene Broadway
Leader: Perhaps you were brought to the kingdom for such a time as this…
People: FOR EVERYTHING THERE IS A SEASON,
AND A TIME FOR EVERY PURPOSE UNDER HEAVEN
Leader: A time to be born and a time to die
A time to plant and a time to harvest what is planted
People: A TIME TO KILL AND A TIME TO HEAL
A TIME TO BREAK DOWN AND A TIME TO BUILD UP
Leader: A time to weep and a time to laugh
A time to mourn and a time to celebrate
People: FOR EVERYTHING THERE IS A SEASON,
AND A TIME FOR EVERY PURPOSE UNDER HEAVEN
Leader: A time to hold each other and a time to refrain from embracing
A time to seek what we long for and a time to lose what we love
People: A TIME TO KEEP AND A TIME TO THROW AWAY
A TIME TO TEAR UP AND A TIME TO MEND
Leader: A time to fast and a time to share a feast with the hungry
A time to hold silent vigil and a time to dance in a conga line
People: FOR EVERYTHING THERE IS A SEASON,
AND A TIME FOR EVERY PURPOSE UNDER HEAVEN
Leader: A time to raise our fists in anger and a time to let go of our anger
A time to take up the fight and a time to lay our weapons down
People: A TIME TO SOAR LIKE EAGLES
AND A TIME TO MUDDLE THROUGH
A TIME TO KEEP SILENT AND A TIME TO SPEAK UP
Leader: A time to love and a time to hate
A time for war and a time for peace
People: FOR EVERYTHING THERE IS A SEASON,
AND A TIME FOR EVERY PURPOSE UNDER HEAVEN
Leader: Perhaps our own ancestors—our own cloud of witnesses—have gathered
around us for such a time as this. If we are alert to moments of possibility,
we will see bushes burning
People: ARMIES CAST INTO THE SEA
SWORDS BEATEN INTO PLOWSHARES
CAPTIVES SET FREE
Leader: The paralyzed picking up their beds and running through the streets
Kings dancing before the Lord with all their might
A child leading the way
People: FOR EVERYTHING THERE IS A SEASON,
AND A TIME FOR EVERY PURPOSE UNDER HEAVEN
ALL: PERHAPS WE WERE BROUGHT TO THE KINGDOM
FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS…
—Jerene Broadway, a minister in San Francisco at this writing, wrote this litany for the 2001 summer conference (aka "peace camp) of the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America. This litany is from Baptist Peacemaker, Volume 21 Number 3, Fall 2002. Art is by Rebecca Ward.
#371
I Saw a White Buffalo
They have battered me with Bible verses.
I cower from the hatred in their voices.
I go into my own closet
and cling to…Bible verses.
In my youth they lashed out
in anger and judgment
against hair,
simple clothing,
rock and folk music,
friends with dark skin,
peace…
They are disgusted by God the Mother.
They are afraid to let me stand
behind a pulpit.
They say if you care for the poor
and the dispossessed
you are a communist,
and if you are a communist
you are not a Christian.
The vicious barbs assault me again
and again.
The years have gone by.
The issues are different and the same.
The strident voices continue.
I am weary.
I am afraid to speak, and yet I do speak
and then duck.
For decades I have winced
at the outcries.
I have tried to love,
tried to understand the outlook of
The Other.
I have come away wounded.
I feel burned around the edges.
I feel skepticism and bitterness
creeping into my consciousness.
And yet…
Off in the distance,
I hear Robert McNamara saying
the war was wrong, after all;
I hear George Wallace apologizing
in Selma;
and a high school senior
holds the plate
for me
to take communion.
Katie Cook
2001
The white buffalo is sacred to many of the tribal peoples who inhabited the Great Plains of North America before the Europeans came. The symbol is associated with White Buffalo Woman, who brought the sacred Pipe(which still exists) to the people. The appearance of a white buffalo is a hopeful sign, the herald of peace.
(from Baptist Peacemaker, Volume 21, Number 3, Fall 2001)
#372
Weeping and Hoping
a litany by Rachel C. Hunter
FIRST READER: For these things I weep; my eyes flow with tears; for a comforter is far from me, one to revive my courage; my children are desolate, for the enemy has prevailed.
(Lamentations 1:16)
SECOND READER: For a broken world racked with pain, anguish, deceit, jealousy, and greed;
For a world that appears void of compassion, full of those who are more concerned with self than the other;
PEOPLE: For these things I weep.
SECOND READER: For the U.S.'s and Canada's shots and bombs that have been fired in Afghanistan and elsewhere;
For the U.S.'s continued militaristic and economic tyranny, and for those countries that blindly succumb to negative pressures of greed and violence;
PEOPLE: My eyes flow with tears.
SECOND READER: For each nameless individual whose eyes grow dimmer each day, whose head droops lower as time passes;
And whose heart is broken by the oppression of homelessness, hunger, and the other demons of extreme poverty;
PEOPLE: For these things I weep.
SECOND READER: For judgments based on race, class, religion, gender, and sexual orientation;
For violence – personal, domestic, abroad, and every act that strips another person of their humanity;
PEOPLE: My eyes flow with tears.
SECOND READER: For the pollution of the air we breathe and the destruction of the land on which we walk;
For the poisoning of our waters;
PEOPLE: For these things I weep.
FIRST READER: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, God's mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. "The Lord is my portion," says my soul, "therefore I will hope in God." (Lamentations 3.22-24)
SECOND READER: For the eyes of our children, their energy, laughter, questions, and hugs;
PEOPLE: Therefore I will hope in God.
SECOND READER: For the work of peacemakers everywhere;
PEOPLE: Therefore I will hope in God.
SECOND READER: We have each other;
PEOPLE: Therefore I will hope in God.
SECOND READER: For all those who want to share the Earth's resources equitably, for those working for justice, for environmentalists, for artists, for workers, teachers, and ministers;
For sunsets and frogs and butterflies;
For great works for literature;
For the extreme power of changing tides;
For philosophers, theologians, and socialists;
For peaceable long-haired anarchist Jesus freaks;
For hippies, poets, and activists;
For those who shout, those who sing, and those who pray;
For bare feet, for silly moments, for shared moments, for moments of tolerance;
For love; for hugs and handshakes and kisses and backrubs;
For fire and passion; for a student who stands alone protesting against paradigms of patriarchy;
For a little child fearlessly pointing out the emperor's nudity;
For an elder dispatching wisdom of the ages;
For those who bravely work to bring us closer to the realm of God;
PEOPLE: Therefore I will hope in God.
FIRST READER: Amen.
Rachel Hunter is a poet, a playwright, and a specialist in theatrical effects. At this writing she was living in New York City. She now teaches at The Meeting School in Rindge, New Hampshire.
Note: "Weeping and Hoping" was originally written as a litany for the summer conference of the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America. It was printed as a poem on the cover of Baptist Peacemaker, Volume 22 Number 3, Fall 2002.
#373
Sacrifice
by Heather Oldham
You are a dying breed,
Oh Christian who is
Christ-like
God forbid I should follow
That narrow path—
I claim, "It's not meant for me,"
In hushed tones—
And yet (and yet)
I know the seeds you
plant,
Unearth,
and Harvest;
I taste the fruit of such virtue
But I
cannot
bear
its Weight.
You are a strong breed,
Oh traveler who has welcomed
The Journey,
set deep in faithful eyes
I, too, see the Hole of Holies in our father's side
But I will not reach out to
touch,
Repair,
and heal it.
I am a plentiful breed,
Member of Sunday's
faceless crowd
We plant our tame faith
Where it
cannot
grow
To overcome us.
We lock it in our Bibles, our pews, our heads
And yet consume such
Sacrament:
Drinking His blood with repentance,
Breaking his flesh for forgiveness,
We calmly leave the altar:
Our sacrifices,
Intact,
Driving home.
for John
August 31, 2002
—At this writing, Heather Oldham was a junior English and philosophy major at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. Art is by Rebecca Ward, a junior art major at the University of Texas at Austin. These poems and art are from the award-winning department called "Peace Soup" in Baptist Peacemaker. From Baptist Peacemaker, Volume 24 Number 1, Spring 2004)
#374
Funeral Sermon
Editor's note: Below are excerpts from words offered by Ken Sehested at Samuel Adam's interment on Saturday, August 14, 2004 in Louisville, Kentucky. Sam, eighteen, and his girlfriend, Jenny, were killed in an automobile accident.
Ann Lamott says there are only two kinds of prayers:
Thank you, thank you, thank you
and
Help me, help me, help me.
I think she's right.
If I close my eyes and concentrate I can still smell the salty ocean breeze of Sunset Beach where for several years running I helped Laura and Sam [Adams] and Free and Aaron [Williams] and Jessica and Alayna [Sehested] build sandcastles at the edge of the surf.
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
And can it already be nearly two years ago that Laura [Sam's sister] and Tyler invited us to their Rocky Mountain wedding banquet, where Nancy [Sehested] guided these young lovers through their matrimonial vows? And where Sam performed an original composition in their honor? And where a host of us pronounced a hearty "AMEN" to the promises of constancy and fidelity said that day–promises to be honored through all the thick and thin of life, through both the parties and the perils that mark every companionship.
On some special occasions you say both prayers:
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
and
Help me, help me, help me!
It was in his first letter to the early Christian community in Corinth that the Great Apostle spoke these memorable words:
"Oh death, where is thy victory? Oh death, where is thy sting?"
Grammatically these are questions; but rhetorically they are more like bold dares spoken forcefully, even defiantly in the face of death. If some preschooler were to accurately translate this dare it would come out something like:
Na-nana-nana-na, you can't get me! Such fierce resolve in the face of ultimate threat!
These glorious lines have been sources of comfort to most of us at one time or another. But not always. When the open grave contains the remains of a dearly-beloved, our confidence isn't nearly as sure. And death's stinging puncture on our hearts doesn't heal with the pronouncement of this or any other piety. The sting hurts . . . still hurts . . . and our souls shrivel in bitter disbelief.
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
At just about every burial occasion I've been to, it never fails. Some well-meaning dufuss will publicly or privately say something like: "Well, God has his purpose in this tragedy, even though we don't understand it."
Just in case any of you are unsure at this point, let me say this as bluntly as possible: God had no part in this tragedy. To suggest otherwise is not only cruel but a blasphemy. God is not a terrorist who, in order to get our attention, resorts to murdering the people we love.
Of this I am as sure as the day is long and the night is dark.
Of this I am sure: God's heart has been ripped as deeply as have those of both Jenny's and Sam's families and friends.
Of this I am sure: Every tear shed in recent weeks has stained the face of Heaven.
Of this I am sure: That God is more taken with the agony of the earth than with the ecstasy of heaven.
But after this, my assurances come to an end. There is nothing I can say to make sense of this tragedy or relieve its agony.
If I could have banished the sting by walking on my knees from Asheville to Louisville, I would have. The very earth itself howls in protest against having to swallow these brilliant children too soon. It is frightening to think that our very best sandcastles are not enough to protect our young ones.
Yet there is one exception to the end of all assurances. And it is this: God takes great delight in loving us.
It is this: That the terrors of breathly life will one day come to an end.
It is this: One day the only tears we will know will be those which come from convulsions of sidesplitting laughter.
It is this: One day the enmity between lion and lamb will cease; the poor will be raised from the dust; the boots of every trampling warrior will be tossed in the fire; the shamed will be ushered to a seat of honor; the meek will inherit the earth; and we shall all dance–arm and arm with Sam and Jenny–on the grave of death itself.
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Some day you will again be able to say thank you. The day will come when once again praise will issue from your lips; when doxology will erupt from your lungs; when hope will arise with the sun and restful sleep arrive with the moon. Once again your dry bones will live, your grief will be melted with mercy, the tide of tears will recede.
For now, it is enough to pray
help me, help me, help me.
"O Joy that seekest me through pain
I cannot close my heart to thee
I trace the rainbow through the rain
and feel the promise is not vain
that morn shall tearless be."
Ken Sehested is the founding director of the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America and is now working as an organizer/peacemaker in Ashville, North Carolina.
This sermon was printed in Baptist Peacemaker, Volume 24 Number 3, Fall 2004. The art, "Prague Angel," is by Sally Lynn Askins, a professor of theatre design at Baylor University.
(originally ©2005 Alternatives for Simple Living)
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