Before this middle section of our worship, our congregation has something we call “Becoming As a Child”: Prayers of Joys and Spirit Sightings (ways and when we have sensed God’s presence). It is a beautiful time.

This day I did not invite anyone to sit with me and had this to say. If I was to title it, it would be “Politics in the Pulpit”

for a download 180617_0843 

 Scripture Job 2:1-6

Last week the sermon was on Job – the whole thing. Obviously a lot was skimmed over. One thing skimmed was about the satan and how this was not Satan. This week I focused on the satan/Satan. The sermon is a bit teachy. The sermon is gratuitous. So, sue me.

I need and want to acknowledge two books essential for my education on this.

 Elaine Pagels, The Origin of Satan: How Christians Demonized Jews, Pagan, and Heretics (New York, Random House, 1995)

T. J. Wray and Gregory Mobley, The Birth of Satan: Tracing the Devil’s Biblical Roots (Palgrave Macmillan, New York, 2005)

Sermon: “Flip Wilson Was Right”

For a download: 180617_0858

Prayer

Oh Father God, who is as far away as heaven and as near to us as our breath, Holy and Wonderful is your name to us. May you rule our hearts so that we live and follow your will and way as we travel earthly roads. We trust you will provide.

Stay with us God, as we move through this world. Be with us when life is grand – so we know who to praise and thank. Be beside us when life meets obstructions so we know we are not alone. Guide us when we would cut moral corners or think “it will be alright this time”. Lord, without you we are a noisy cymbal and a clanging gong. Bind us to our best self with your love and forgiveness.

Do not only protect us, Holy One. Free us to reach out to the unlovely and love them. The poor, tired, and huddled masses are often strangers who look, talk, and smell in ways we are not normal – to us. But we are not you. You are their maker and you hold them as normal. Your ways are not our ways, yet. So we must pray for your grace to help them, love them, travel with them on their way. Let that be our way of life. Free us to go that way. 

Amen