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Object Lessons for Adults

Adult Object Lesson: Baptism, the Ripple Effect

JesusBaptism Looking for the ‘LIKE’

Matthew 3:13-17 • Acts 10:34-43 • Psalm 29 • Isaiah 42:1-9

Facebook_like_thumbThis week’s lessons all focus on the baptism of Jesus by his cousin John. Baptism comes with its own “object”—water. But lets augment this to explore baptism from a modern perspective.

 

Today’s object is a computer mouse.

 

The lifestyle of Jesus’ time predates the computer era. People had to leave home to interact with one another.

 

Jesus, the Son of God, goes out into the countryside without GPS to find John. He wants—no, he needs—to be baptized by John.

 

It wasn’t hard. John was attracting a crowd. Many were seeking baptism.

 

But why Jesus? Baptism washes away sin. Jesus is already the sinless Son of God.

 

Even John realizes that he is beneath what Jesus is asking of him.

 

Baptism is more than the forgiveness of sin. It is a sign of God’s approval. We are welcomed into God’s family. Being part of a family comes with some expectations. Parents are to provide. Children are to grow and explore their talents. We all owe something to others.

 

We often view baptism as a private matter for the participation or mere gratification of immediate family. But baptism, if we can return to the water imagery for a moment, has a ripple effect. A little splash reaches out into ever-widening circles. That’s why, in the Lutheran tradition, baptisms are witnessed by the whole congregation.

 

The focus of the today’s readings is less on the washing away of sin but on the approval of God. The forgiveness of sin is important to us as individuals, but the approval of God empowers us within the family of God—and beyond.

 

Seeking approval is a life-long endeavor, exemplified today by the LIKE button. Our computers can connect or isolate us. But our craving for acceptance and belonging is so great that we’ve invented a system of approval.

Here you can wield that mouse button. If you use projection you can show a page asking for the like. You won’t have trouble finding one! You might even rig a photo array of congregational events or members for you to LIKE as you talk. You might print a like button on your bulletin and ask people to press it throughout your talk when they feel inclined.

 

Individuals, companies, even church organizations beg us to LIKE them. We call it social proof.

 

This same need prompts Jesus to seek out John the Baptist. Jesus wants to get off to a good start in his ministry. He was looking for a form of social proof.

 

And he got it. God was sitting in heaven with his palm on the mouse. He flicked his finger and sent a LIKE down on his Son.

And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”

Jesus left the banks of the river empowered. His Father likes Him. He will do great things.

 

Modern people hope that the LIKE button will trigger success and more good things. It gives them something to talk about, something to build on.

  • The lesson from Isaiah boldly presents a list of the great things that can be expected with God’s endorsement.
  • Psalm 29 tells us just how powerful a LIKE from God can be.
  • Peter’s message as recorded in Acts tells just how powerful the ripple network of LIKES can become.

 

Baptism is a one-time sacrament because that’s all it takes. God will love you forever. A little splash of water/love will ripple through the universe.

 

The next time you press a like button, remember your baptism and the one who first “liked” you.

 

The image below can be used to project during your message.

Water DropJesus Baptism: photo credit: CharlesFred via photopin cc

Ripple Effect: photo credit: Sergiu Bacioiu via photopin cc

06 Jan 2014

Adult Object Lesson: John 1

medium_4197768871Also Psalm 147:1-20; Jeremiah 31:7-14; Ephesians 3:1-14

The Crèche Without A Fence

The twelfth day of Christmas falls on a Sunday this year. This Sunday, January 5th, is the second Sunday of the Christmas season. It is also the last Sunday of the Christmas season.

Time to move on?

Today’s object is a crèche scene.

A typical crèche scene includes the Holy Family, a few animals, shepherds and interloping wise men. They arrive a bit later in the Christmas story, but they add color!

The gospel lesson today is John’s account of the Christmas story. John likes to get to the point. Forget the earthly drama. Get to the God part of the story. Shepherds, sheep, donkeys, angels, Mary and Joseph—that’s for other evangelists to tell.

John is in a hurry.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people.

The birth of Jesus with all the details are less important to John. He had personal ties to the Holy Family, but he just refused to get distracted. Jesus was always with God from the beginning.

John makes it clear from the start, that when Jesus came into the world, he came for all people. The rest of the book of John builds on this. It is a favorite book of missionaries. It is also the focus of modern Messianic Jews.

While you talk about the Christmas story as told by John you can be putting away the figures of a crèche scene. As you wrap each figure in tissue and place it in a box, you might address how each one is missing in the John account.

There is one thing missing in both the typical crèche scene AND the book of John.

A fence.

The stable with its typical cast is too confining for John. John has no need to corral the characters of the Christmas Story. In John’s view, focusing on all of this is missing the point.

John’s focus is on relationship.

His life is the light of all people.

Tie in the other lectionary readings.

You might switch the Psalm reading and the Old Testament reading today for the dramatic build. First was God’s relationship with the “chosen” and then his continued relationship through history.

Psalm 147 talks about God’s love for the chosen people.

Jeremiah talks about the return of the scattered people of Israel. God will bless them.

In Ephesians. Paul makes it clear that all people are part of the redemption story. They, too, will be blessed.

John will quickly leave the birth of Christ and introduce us to the cast of characters that proves that Christ came for all people—the wedding guests in Cana, the woman at the well, the priestly Nicodemus, the blind man, and even dead Lazarus and his family. The book of John will cover a lot of bases.

As you put away the manger, mention that crèche scenes never include a fence. Jesus was born into a free-range farmyard.

photo credit: Alkelda via photopin cc

01 Jan 2014

Adult Object Lesson: Matthew 2: 13-23

medium_10061727925Where is God when bad things are happening?

Your objects today are toy cars.

It is the first Sunday after Christmas. The hoopla is over. We Lutherans had our one night of Christmas music. We’ll sing a few more carols this morning but our heart for Christmas wore out a couple of days ago. Most churches will have their poorest attendance of the year. We’ll feel a bit awkward singing the tunes the radio stations have mothballed already.

Few Christians hear the tough part of the Christmas story. An angry king didn’t like that his plan for the Holy Family was foiled. He let his pride get the best of him.

Wasn’t the first time the powerful lost their way. Won’t be the last.

The people Herod tried to use for his own purposes caught on to his true intent. They refused to cooperate. Embarrassed, the king went after every baby boy. Scorch the earth. Kill the innocent. Feel better about failing.

Hundreds of mothers wept at the slaughter.

God’s behavior is puzzling. He knew what was going to happen. He had the power to stop it. Everyone could have just gone on with their lives content to leave the tough stuff to God.

God let things play out. He warned Joseph and Mary to get out while the getting is good.

Mary and Joseph wrapped their toddler in blankets and headed to Egypt in fear of their lives.

Where was God? Why was He so hands off?

This is the problem Christianity tackles this morning while many Christians sleep in.  It’s a tough problem.

Many Christians worship the God of benevolence. The parking lot god. The rabbit’s foot god.

Here is where the toy cars come in. Illustrate the following story as you tell it. (It’s word for word from a Bible study I attended.)

“I was late for my appointment. I was worried that I wouldn’t find a parking spot and I would be hopelessly late. I prayed to Jesus. ‘Find me a parking spot.’ Just as I neared my destination, a car pulled out and left an open space right in front of me. And there was time left on the meter! God heard my prayer. God is good!”

Most people face far more difficult life problems at some point if not every day. The God of the parking lot seems to be too busy to hear their prayers.

If God can find us a parking spot, why can’t He stop a car crash? (Use your cars to illustrate this!)

  • Why did God send a hurricane or tsunami?
  • Why can’t God just heal my child?
  • If God made me with special talents, why can’t I find a job?
  • Why does God allow terrorists to prosper at the cost of innocent lives?
  • Why is anyone poor?

It is not unusual to question God’s choices in allowing difficult circumstances to develop and continue to grow. This question is the root of doubt.

When we are feeling desperate for intervention, we can remember the lives of the Holy Family.

We find Mary and Joseph in a similar state this morning. God warned them to get out! Flee! Bad things are coming.

  • Why didn’t God strike down the wicked king? After all, He is God!
  • Why didn’t God warn the mothers of ALL the baby boys destined to be slaughtered?
  • Why was everything so hard?

The answers are wrapped up in our own expectations of what God should be.

If I were God, I would . . . .

It may be that God has plans for His creation that we do not understand.

It may be that God trusts His children enough to follow directions.

Who knows the mind of God?

What we know is that Mary and Joseph followed God’s advice. For sure, it was hard. But in the end, the family returned. Even that wasn’t easy. But the family was reestablished in Galilee long before we hear the next story about the boy Jesus.

Surely, they prayed just as we pray. Surely they asked the same questions we ask when life is tough.

Things worked out just in time. God’s time. God’s way. It isn’t what most people want to hear. Most people never hear this morning’s story.

They’ll be home remembering the newborn baby asleep in the hay.

He is a baby that will have to grow up. Fast.

photo credit: RiveraNotario via photopin cc

25 Dec 2013

Adult Object Lesson: Advent A-4 Isaiah 7:10-16

Advent artThree Weeks and Counting: Still Broken

Isaiah 7:10-16  •  Psalm 80:1-7

This is the fourth object lesson based primarily on the Isaiah readings for Advent Lectionary Year A.

For the last three weeks we have been pondering the great event that is about to be remembered by the world once again. In just two days the Saviour will come at last.

Have things been getting steadily better for us during these four weeks? Not necessarily.

On this last Sunday before Christmas Eve, we read from Isaiah and Psalm 80 and we hear about our brokenness.

Both the psalmist and Isaiah reference an exasperated God—a weary God.

“All right, you guys. If you are just too stubborn or helpless to get the messages of the last three weeks or last few decades, listen up. Listen and listen good. I am sending a baby. And by the time this baby starts eating solid food, things are going to change around here.”

For all the prophesying that had been taking place in Israel and for all the preaching that has been taking place here, we arrive at the threshold of Christmas as broken children of God.

Your object today is something that is broken. It could be a broken record, a broken piece of pottery or a broken toy. Set out to do some mending as you talk about today’s lesson. Try some tape or duct tape, move on to white paste or school glue. Express your frustration as you work at mending things. Then pull out the Krazy Glue.

Speaking of crazy fixes — here’s how God intends to fix our brokenness. He is going to send a baby. He will be born of woman, just like any other baby, but He will be a sign that things are about to change.

As you come to Isaiah’s unlikely solution for the problems his audience faced, walk over to your congregation’s crèche scene. If you don’t have one, have at hand just the manger and the baby or even just the baby. Put all the glues away. You might have a child hold the baby Jesus while you put away the glues and broken object.

Then focus all attention on the baby.

Point out the brokenness that we all face—and with which the baby will contend from the time he can eat solid food!

You don’t have to say much more at this point. Just read verse 13-14 from Isaiah Chapter 7.

Is it too little for you to weary mortals, that you weary my God also?
Therefore, the Lord God will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel.

Remind them that the people hearing this message from the lips of Isaiah would have known the meaning of Immanuel.

God is coming to be with us.

Invite them to return on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day to find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.

You might lead the congregation in an a capella rendition of “Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence.” It captures both the hope and desperation of the Advent season.

Let all mortal flesh keep silence,
and with fear and trembling stand;
ponder nothing earthly-minded,
for with blessing in his hand,
Christ our God to earth descendeth,
our full homage to demand.

King of kings, yet born of Mary,
as of old on earth he stood,
Lord of lords, in human vesture,
in the body and the blood;
he will give to all the faithful
his own self for heavenly food.

Rank on rank the host of heaven
spreads its vanguard on the way,
as the Light of light descendeth
from the realms of endless day,
that the powers of hell may vanish
as the darkness clears away.

At his feet the six-winged seraph,
cherubim, with sleepless eye,
veil their faces to the presence,
as with ceaseless voice they cry:
Alleluia, Alleluia,
Alleluia, Lord Most High!

Here are the other three Advent lessons based on Lectionary A’s Isaiah readings.

Advent 1

Advent 2

Advent 3

15 Dec 2013

Adult Object Lesson: Luke 22:33-43, Jer. 23:1-6, Psalm 46 and Col. 1:11-20

The power in starting over.

Today’s object is a song that most people in your congregation will know if they grew up or reared children anywhere between 1960 and the 1997. That should cover most of your congregation!

It is a song designed to be annoying and therefore it is great fun for children. It was featured on popular children’s shows. Ask your adults to remember the thrill of annoying their parents.

You can learn the song here.  9 minutes of it. I dare you to listen to the end.

You see, This Is the Song that Never Ends. It just goes on and on my friends. Some people started singing it not knowing what it was. And they’ll continue singing it forever just because. This is the Song that Never Ends . . . .

Which brings us to Christ the King Sunday.

This Sunday is the last Sunday of the Church year. It brings us as God’s people to a predictable end.
Jesus suffers and dies. Jesus the King of the Jews.

But is this really the end?

Let’s look at each of today’s lessons.

We start with Jeremiah’s admonition to religious leaders who create separation among the people who live under their authority. (Hmm!)

We move on to the poignant cry for help in Psalm 46 that ends with the quiet reassurance. “Be still and know that I am God.”

The letter to the Colossians promises strength at the same time that it warns of suffering.

And then we read the wrenching story of Jesus on the cross. His parting words are words of acceptance and love for those who are dying with him—and for those who are killing them.

Jesus leaves none of them without hope. God will be there for them. Promise.

Each passage is a story of strength found in starting over, trying again, figuring out where we went wrong, returning to the source of all our strength, and the assurance that God will be there to guide us.

It’s the end of the Church Year.

But come back next week. We’ll start all over again.

Assure your congregation that one of God’s promises is redemption. That means there is always a second chance—a chance to make things right with God and with one another.

Have fun with your congregation. Sing The Song that Never Ends. If you can manage, segue into a hymn that reinforces the theme of today’s message: We will find strength in God’s acceptance and redeeming love over and over again.

Just As I Am, Without One Plea would work.

Just as I am, without one plea,
but that thy blood was shed for me,
and that thou bidst me come to thee,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, and waiting not
to rid my soul of one dark blot,
to thee whose blood can cleanse each spot,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, though tossed about
with many a conflict, many a doubt,
fightings and fears within, without,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, poor, wretched, blind;
sight, riches, healing of the mind,
yea, all I need in thee to find,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, thou wilt receive,
wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve;
because thy promise I believe,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, thy love unknown
hath broken every barrier down;
now, to be thine, yea thine alone,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

So would the Hymn of Promise by Natalie Sleeth which is finding its way into hymnals.

Hymn Of Promise Hymn 

In the bulb there is a flower; in the seed, an apple tree;
In cocoons, a hidden promise: butterflies will soon be free!
In the cold and snow of winter there’s a spring that waits to be,
Unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see.

There’s a song in every silence, seeking word and melody;
There’s a dawn in every darkness, bringing hope to you and me.
From the past will come the future; what it holds, a mystery,
Unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see.

In our end is our beginning; in our time, infinity;
In our doubt there is believing; in our life, eternity,
In our death, a resurrection; at the last, a victory,
Unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see.

19 Nov 2013

Today’s Object Is A Vacuum Cleaner

elephantIn Search of a Better Vacuum Cleaner
In Search of a Better Church

Gotta love those vacuum cleaner commercials.

The spokesmen are usually just that—men. I can’t speak for the whole world, but in my little corner, it’s the woman who mans the vacuum.

This woman has a long, mostly “hate affair” with vacuum cleaners. I wanted one desperately when I was five years old. It seemed to be my calling.

I got a pretty pink one for Christmas. My toy vacuum cleaner actually worked just like those silent ones used in restaurants. But as I came of age, I came to realize that real vacuum cleaners are fraught with design flaws—maybe because they are designed by men. The fancier they got, the more problems.

One brand makes sure you know that their namesake patented the technology. He’ll benefit from every sale for a few decades. His vacuums cost twice what other vacuums cost.

Designer engineers may test the suction technology, but do they use their vacuums every day? Do they know that the power of the suction isn’t everything? Do they lug them up and down stairs? Do they spend most of their vacuuming time knocking into furniture and wrestling with the power cord?

Come to think, what happened to the power cord?

Have you noticed the vacuum cleaners being pushed around by men in those TV commercials don’t have any power cords? Look! They swivel. They roll. What fun! They have no power cords. I want one of those!

Power cords create half the work.

Cords too long get in the way and get sucked into the machine. They wrap themselves around table legs and threaten to topple floor lamps. You try to get the cord off the floor and swing it across your shoulder. Now it is knocking things off tables.

Cords too short and they are a pain. Just when you think you’re nearly done, the power cord reaches its limit. You must stop and search for a new power source.

Canister vacuums are hard to find these days. Never a good idea. Push with one hand. Pull with the other. The original “pushmepullyou.”

I’m waiting for the day when a vacuum cleaner is designed by the people who actually use them. When that day comes, they will be wireless (just like power tools sold to men). They will not require the user to take them apart and clean the filters after each use. Whose idea is that, anyway? They will be low to the ground for reaching the dustiest place in the house. Do you guys know where that is? (Under the beds.) They will have settings that don’t require you to hoist the cleaner to the kitchen counter to read them. The hose will not fall out every three minutes. The attachments will be easy to use and won’t store where they add to the weight of using the cleaner.

And what does this have to do with church?

Church is an attractive concept that has gone awry in the hands of those with “patent” interests. Some day the church will be designed by the people who actually worship and volunteer their services. We’ll stop pretending power cords don’t exist in the perfect world we imagine. And then those power cords will be replaced with internal power sources that actually accomplish something!

Then, I’ll volunteer as spokesperson!

photo credit: duesentrieb via photopin cc

18 Nov 2013

Adult Object Lesson: Advent A-3 (Isaiah 35:1-10)

chia

Christmas Is Coming When You Hear the Ads!

Today’s object is a Chia pet—you know the Christmas commercials for the terracotta figures that when watered quickly sprout chia plants. They come in several models — everything from puppies that look like sheep to Ninja Turtles, Mickey Mouse and even President Obama. They are inexpensive novelty gifts.

Chia is an interesting plant. It is native to Mexico and grown commercially throughout South America.  It is rich in good things like protein, fiber, calcium, phosphorus, and manganese and low in bad things like fat and sodium. It may help control hunger and blood pressure.

But none of this has anything to do with why we hear the commercials at Christmas time and buy the planters for fun gifts.

It’s all about watching plants suddenly growing and blossoming from seemingly nowhere. Frequently all the good that can come from chia seeds is lost on us.

Make this point and then reread today’s Old Testament lesson.

 The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom; like the crocus it shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the LORD, the majesty of our God. Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees.

Chia plants are not such a far-fetched Advent gift after all!

photo credit: Pandiyan via photopin cc
16 Nov 2013

Adult Object Lesson: Luke 21:5-19, Malachi 4:1-2a, Psalm 98, 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13

medium_5079163335Wait A Minute or Two…or a Millennium or Two

Revere, Work and Rejoice

There is an inter-weaving element in each of this Sunday’s Lectionary Readings. What do we do while we wait?

Waiting is a big part of life. Ask any expectant mother. Ask any traveler. Ask any schoolchild, patient, or road-raged driver.

The need to wait is a given. While it is an annoyance to modern thinking, waiting was once woven into our culture. All the stories from long ago were told around the hearth while people waited for the sun to rise or winter to end.

The object today can be a timer or alarm clock. As you begin your talk set your timer for however long you think your lesson will be. Add a minute or two.

You’ll be talking while you wait for the alarm to sound.

The Jews listening to Jesus were waiting for the Messiah. Today we are waiting for his return.

Talk about the ominous nature of Jesus’ message. Their beloved temple would be destroyed. When? They wanted to know.

Malachi has a similar message of gloom. But he leaves them with a promise. Those who revere the Lord will know righteousness. They will leap like calves from the stall as other are reduced to stubble. Revere the Lord while you wait.

Paul and the apostles address waiting Thessalonians to keep busy. Work. The end may be near but we still have to work. Work while you wait.

Psalm 98 gives another tip for those who wait upon decisions that lie in the hands of God alone.

Rejoice.

By the time you’ve made these points you should still have a minute or two left before your timer or alarm goes off. What should your congregation do while they wait?

Ask them to sing a joyful hymn—of their choice. Or ask them to tell a story. Let them practice using their waiting time for good.

Any questions? Ask them to wait ’til the end of the service. :-)

photo credit: eflon via photopin cc

12 Nov 2013

Adult Object Lesson: Advent Year A-2

monkeysOld and New Testaments
(Old and New Measuring Sticks)

The Old Testament Lesson for the Second Sunday in Advent is Isaiah 11:1-10.

Isaiah 11:1-10
A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. The spirit of the LORD shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. His delight shall be in the fear of the LORD. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide by what his ears hear; but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist, and faithfulness the belt around his loins. The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze, their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den. They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea. On that day the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him, and his dwelling shall be glorious.

yardstickIn discussing today’s lesson you might hold a yardstick. You can wield that yardstick like a king’s scepter while you talk.

Isaiah is speaking to people accustomed to monarchies. If the Jews lacked a king, there were plenty kings nearby who could exert power over them. The idea of a benign king was attractive to them, especially when unfriendly kings were always nearby. The desire for a king was how Saul and David came to power. They were hand-chosen by God. Their genetic credentials were a little “iffy.” But you work with what you have!

David was descended from a rich owner of sheep. He was the grandson of Ruth, whose biblical story has her gleaning in the fields. The house of Jesse is a different type of royalty! That’s only the beginning of how things are about to change!

Isaiah again invokes vivid imagery to deliver his message.

The nursing child plays over the nest of the poisonous snake.
Toddlers reach into the adder’s den.

Wow!

It doesn’t make sense to today’s parents who rush to cover all electric outlets in the house before their newborns start crawling.

That’s the point of Isaiah’s message today. What is about to happen is NOT going to make sense.

I’ll believe it when I see it.

What’s coming will make our old ways of viewing the world useless.

Isaiah gets right to the point. The new ruler that is coming from the stump or rod of Jesse will not judge by what he sees or hears.

Wait a minute! Isn’t that what every juror is asked to do? Weigh the evidence that we can see and hear?

No. This new ruler will judge by a different measure.

He will judge with righteousness and faithfulness.

Here you can refer to popular imagery of the three monkeys. Have three members strike the pose!

Hear no evil. See no evil. Speak no evil.

Isaiah knows that we can be tricked by what we hear and what we see. We often believe liars and side with them even when all reason tells us “something’s wrong here.” People with evil intent are often masters of deception.

Our visual perceptions can be easily manipulated, as well. I know. I’ve made a living retouching photos!

One of my favorite challenges was to turn a frown upside down. The client wanted to use the image of boy, but he looked downright glum. Cut. Paste, Rotate. Smooth the edges. Voilà!

Isaiah warns us that our system of justice is about to be turned upside down.

There will be a new rule on earth. A child will rule. The mighty (the lions and tigers and bears) will follow. It doesn’t make sense to us when we measure with old yardsticks.  But our new yardsticks—the yardsticks of righteousness and faithfulness—will give us a truer measure.

And it’s all coming soon! Stay tuned.

monkeys photo credit: Kurt Wagner via photopin cc
yardstick photo credit: robertstinnett via photopin cc
08 Nov 2013

Adult Object Lesson: Looking Ahead to Advent A-1

peanutSwords Into Plowshares

Anything Can Be a Weapon
Anything Can Be an Instrument of Peace

Advent is a great season for focusing on the Old Testament.
This year, Lectionary Year A, each Advent Sunday focuses on the prophet Isaiah.

This is the first of four object lessons based on the Isaiah Readings for Lectionary Year A.

Isaiah understood that adults understand object lessons!

The first lesson is the well-known “swords into plowshares” text.

Isaiah 2:1-5
The word that Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.  In days to come the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be raised above the hills; all the nations shall stream to it.  Many peoples shall come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.  He shall judge between the nations, and shall arbitrate for many peoples; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.  O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord!

Your object can be any or several simple garden tools: a hoe is good. It is used to whack weeds so that good plants can grow.

Or it can be a peanut butter sandwich! (Read on!)

My son went to Quaker school where any reference to weaponry was strongly discouraged. This was a challenge for teachers working with young boys who wanted to dress up as superheroes at Halloween.

What’s a superhero without a weapon?

My son had two kindergarten teachers: a zealous young gal in her first years of teaching and a seasoned teacher in her last year of teaching before retiring. While the young teacher fervently and repeatedly discouraged five-year-old boys from thinking about weapons, the older teacher sighed. “They are boys. They will make weapons out of a peanut butter sandwich!”

Boys, men, adults of any gender . . . . we all have ways of manufacturing weapons.

Talk about how the hoe is tool of peace. Its purpose is to rid the garden of nutrient-sapping weeds so that life-sustaining plants can grow. Still, even the garden hoe can be a weapon. I was chopping away at weeds one summer day when I realized I had chopped a garter snake in two!

The difference between a sword and a plowshare is often in how we look at the world. That’s Isaiah’s mission in today’s passage—to change our point of view.

Words can be weapons. “It takes a thousand ‘attaboys’ to erase one ‘You idiot!’” Doctor Phil regularly tells his audience. Yet the “You idiot” slips out so much more easily.

Money is a favorite weapon. “Do as I say or you will lose my support!” Children learn this early when their parents withhold allowance! Adults often weigh it every day at work and even in church!

You want support? You listen and you listen good!

Rules, meant to keep order, can be used to force will and submission. Words and rules are actually favorite “weapons” of the Church through the ages and even today. You want an upper hand, keep that constitution within reach! (American nuns, get in line or face sanctions!)

Love can be a weapon, too. We are approaching the celebration of love coming from heaven to our doorstep! Yet it, in our hands, it often becomes a weapon.

Just as almost anything can be a weapon, anything can be a plowshare.

The gun in the hands of a hunter can feed the family. The knife can divide fruits and vegetables so that more people can share in God’s bounty.

The challenge of this passage is not so much to address physical tools but to change our mindset— to begin to see our possessions and talents as instruments of peace rather than weapons of war.

A little baby is coming. He will be an instrument of peace even when we are tempted to use Him to fuel our warlike ways!

This Advent: Watch our words. Watch how we use our power and influence. Put love to work. Look at our possessions as tools to spread the goodness of God’s creation.

Turn all those peanut butter sandwich weapons back into sandwiches.

(Why didn’t Isaiah think of that!)

photo credit: boodoo via photopin cc

07 Nov 2013