Podcast appearances and mentions of Peter W Marty

Peter W. Marty preaches, during his final Sunday at St. Paul, on the essentials of Christian living. Resume virtues are the skills and achievements that may end up on a resume, centering on your credentials. In contrast, eulogy virtues involve your character, your depth, and the nature of your relationships. How do we grow our eulogy virtues? Desire, grace, faith, and gratitude. Desires shape the contours of our lives. A desire for God is the beginning of faith. Grace is the abundant love of God. Faith begins where certainty ends. There is nothing that beats gratitude for a joy-filled life.   Preaching text: Philippians 3: 8-12  A Splendid Torch by George Bernard Shaw This is the true joy in life, the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; the being a force of nature instead of a feverish, selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy.  I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community, and as long as I live it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can.  I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work the more I live. I rejoice in life for its own sake. Life is no "brief candle" for me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for the moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations.

Peter W. Marty preaches on prayer. It can be hard to figure out what to pray. Many of us are focused on receiving some answers. That's why we pray. We should eliminate the word ‘answers' when we talk about prayer or prayer outcomes. Prayer is about conversation with God; conversations are not about answers but about engaging a relationship and sharing company with someone. Once we realize this about prayer, our relationship with God becomes much deeper.  Preaching text: Romans 8: 22-27 

The Caution in Practice (v. 1) Virtue signalling Vanity satisfied Victory lost The Caricature of the Proud (v. 2) Blowing their own horn Blowing Gods reward The Character Preferred (vv. 3-4) Secretive giving for Gods glory Satisfaction given in Gods glory More to Consider Virtue signaling is off-limits for the follower of Christ. If people happen to see you giving money to the poor, so be it; but the motivation should never be so that people will notice you. God looks on the heart, not the outward man (1 Samuel 16:7). As one commentator writes, The secrecy of our charity is one good evidence of its sincerity (William Burkitt, Commentary on the New Testament, entry for Matthew 6:1). What about Matthew 5:16? Jesus said, Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. Is this a command to engage in virtue signaling? No, this is not a reference to boasting or announcing our good works (in the same sermon, Jesus warns against such ostentationsee Matthew 6). The Lords words in Matthew 5:16 are telling us that, in living an obedient life, others cannot help but notice (cf. 1 Peter 1:15). The glory is God the Fathers, not ours. Gotquestions.org Its one thing to want to be good, to lead a virtuous life, to stand behind moral values of consequence. Its altogether another to want other people to know just how good we are. Herein lies the danger of virtue signaling: its mostly talk. Signalers can trumpet their outrage or anger, or indicate support for fashionable causes, all without obligating themselves to any substantive action that might bring more hope and healing to the world. And this signaling relies on criticizing others, implicitly or explicitly, in order to boost ones own image by comparison. Peter W. Marty, christiancentury.org To sum up, our Christian giving is to be neither before men (waiting for the clapping to begin), nor even before ourselves (our left hand applauding our right hands generosity) but before God, who sees our secret heart and rewards us with the discovery that, as Jesus said, It is more blessed to give than to receive. John Stott

Peter W. Marty preaches on boundaries. We shape our lives around social distinctions and cultural affinities that we're often barely even aware of. We segment ourselves and measure our happiness by being around people who are roughly like us. In God, there is no partiality. God does not make distinctions between faces. Ask yourselves: am I learning to live as Jesus would in my place? Live in such a way that you are always prepared to be interrupted by the Lord's spirit. Preaching text: Acts 10: 34-36, 44-48 

Peter W. Marty preaches on love. Perfect love casts out fear. What is perfect love? We probably accumulate more failures in the love department than in other areas of our lives. We make a lot of mistakes. We practice love very undependably and imperfectly. What does perfect love look like and can we ever know it? God is love and there is no way to know this God without loving other people. We can talk about God but we cannot know God or enjoy God without love. If the opposite of love is not hatred, then what is it?   Preaching text: 1 John 4: 7-12, 18-21 

Peter W. Marty preaches on food. Where would we be without food? It doesn't matter what you eat, every meal is sacramental. If the disciples were looking for God to be some kind of wispy spiritual being or a metaphor or a ghost, what they get instead is the Lord of Heaven and Earth in the flesh, capable of being hurt and of spilling tears. We must guard against simply intellectualizing our faith. Our bodies are central to faith and nothing speaks to life quite like eating.  Preaching text: Luke 24: 36b-48 

Peter W. Marty preaches on Easter Sunday. Take a moment to see how Easter can change your life or how you look at life. We get to take the spirit of Jesus Christ and make some change in this world. The resurrection isn't simply about getting us to Heaven. It's more about getting a little bit of Heaven into us; making us better people.  Preaching text: Mark 16:1-8 

Peter W. Marty preaches on enthusiasm and self-sacrifice. Sacrifice is something you give, not something that is given up. This is not a burden, it's a privilege and a positive act. Once you decide to give of yourself, everything else falls into place so you can give. And you must have enthusiasm for something else which you believe is more significant than what you were giving.    Preaching text: Philippians 2: 5-11 

Peter W. Marty preaches on abundant life. What does it mean to take up your cross? If we're not afraid to let go of the myth that nothing bad will happen to us, or that God will spare us from anything but safety and comfort, then we might be surprised to discover the really good life we have. We can try to save our lives, to preserve things and we can be cautious, but if we live this way, it is certainly not abundant life.  Preaching text: Mark 8: 31-36

Peter W. Marty preaches on strength and vulnerability. When I am weak, that is precisely in the Lord when I am strong. This inversion of strength and weakness, power and vulnerability is difficult to wrap our heads around. How is it that when I am weak, I am strong? If you search your life, you will find a place where you were so depleted and uncertain of hope that from that powerless vantage point, humility came upon you and you began to see life in a whole new light.  Preaching text: Isaiah 40: 27-31 

Peter W. Marty preaches on relationships. We seem to live in a world where we no longer need each other much anymore need our neighbors for the meaning in our lives, the happiness in our lives, and the quality of our lives. Do we celebrate and honor these relationships just as we celebrate and honor achievements in our own lives? This is hard work and we should be investing in it.  Preaching text: Mark 1: 14-20

Peter W. Marty preaches on the chaos and goodness in life. So many of the words in scripture are like three-dimensional words you can climb inside of because they speak of a truth that we cannot live without. Goodness itself is intrinsic to creation. There's something else besides goodness that rests at the heart of creation: chaos. God brings structure to the chaos.  Preaching text: Genesis 1: 1-5 

Peter W. Marty preaches on the winding path of life. Most of the roads we navigate in life are not perfectly straight. Not everything works the way we wish it would, the way we think it will, the way God hopes it will. We have our issues, our disappointments, our detours but the crooked shall be made straight. Advent is a time to divest the hope we have in ourselves and try to transfer that hope to something we have in God.  Preaching text: Isaiah 40: 1-8

Peter W. Marty preaches on gratitude. If we're feeling the least bit down by the realities out of our control what we want to try and see, know, believe, and trust is that our Lord Jesus sees our plight and is not indifferent to weariness. Living an overwhelmed and exhausted life is not sustainable.  Preaching text: Matthew 9: 35-38

Peter W. Marty preaches on truth. There is a difference between telling the truth and living the truth. Living the truth is about being a certain kind of person. How do we discover this truthful living? To live the truth is to want to know and to desire the love of Jesus, such that we can be free from all kinds of other anxieties. To live the truth is what will help us tell the truth. Preaching text: John 8: 31-36 

Peter W. Marty preaches on the ways God shows up in our lives. Why is it we cannot see God visibly, tangibly, immediately? If God is so omnipresent, why doesn't God show up with some skin on sometime? God seems everywhere present but nowhere obvious. Perhaps we need to pay more attention to God showing up in other people. God does show up with skin and it just so happens to be through the lives of other people. Preaching text: Exodus 33: 12-23 

Peter W. Marty preaches on God's divine patience. God's compassionate purpose is to heal hurt, save lost and lonely people, and build a kingdom of peace. We prize the faith that is ours because of the spirit of patience we receive from a compassionate God. A God that puts up with a world full of wrongness and hardened hearts, always giving people a chance to give up their self-righteous ways and come home. What if God gives us the grace to imitate divine patience?   Preaching text: Jonah 3:10-4:11

Peter W. Marty preaches on tenacity. When people display a dogged persistence in the fight for something that is good, we should pay attention. The church must look for and expect to find faith existing outside of our boundaries, norms, and expectations. We need to have a faith that is humble and strong enough to stand up to our own minds when that mind is too small or too narrow. We are not meant to remain as we are; it is a gift to evolve, discover, grow, and change.  Preaching Text: Matthew 15: 21-28

Peter W. Marty preaches on fear. When fear gets the best of us, it can so easily play tricks with our minds. The most important work of Jesus in the world is to calm our fears, to lower our anxieties about all things life and all things death. “Be not afraid.” Jesus hands over a lifeline time and time again.  Preaching text: Matthew 14: 22-33

Peter W. Marty preaches on weeds. There's no field in the world where you will find only grain and there is no flower garden that is only flowers. The same goes for people. We wrestle with the saint versus the sinner within us. We're perfectly incapable of separating the wheat from the weeds.  Preaching text: Matthew 13: 24-30

Peter W. Marty preaches on baptism and death. We will not take baptism seriously in our lives if we do not comprehend that death is a core image in baptism. There should be a funeral in our own lives every single day. Every day, we should be laying to rest something that is not befitting of God. What do you need to lay to rest today? We all have pieces of our lives we need to let go of every day.  Preaching text: Romans 6: 1b-11

Peter W. Marty preaches on building a life worth living. Shaping particular habits, developing moral commitments, and practicing certain disciplines will give shape to your character. And from that character, everything else in your life springs. It's the virtue that grounds you. To build a Christian life well, one must have a deep commitment to the most vulnerable people, commit ourselves to the well-being of the common good, and treat every person we meet as full brothers and sisters.  Preaching text: Matthew 7: 24-28

Peter W. Marty preaches on worship. There is no such thing as a life without worship. Everyone worships something and most of us worship many somethings. What do you love? We tend to worship what we love. What pulls in our confidence? What captures our affections? That's what we worship and we end up bestowing upon them a power they were never meant to have.  Preaching text: Acts 17: 16-28

Peter W. Marty preaches on Easter Sunday. There are so many people who are afraid of so many things right now. That fear can paralyze lives and cripple the capacity to function well with faith. The greatest achievement of Easter is a freedom from fear. We're not living in that freedom nearly enough. Having faith does not mean that you don't have any fears but faith helps instill the courage to walk through these fears.   Preaching text: Matthew 28: 1-10 

Peter W. Marty preaches on the constancy of God. Think not of the Christian faith as just a set of rules and laws or noble and inspirational ideas. Instead, Christianity is the Lord Jesus Christ present with us and in us. As God communicates to Moses, I will be right there with you. God is to be trusted, not tested.  Preaching text: Exodus 17: 1-7 

Peter W. Marty preaches on hateful speech. To be a free person in Jesus Christ, we must let go of hate-filled words. The way we assemble and connect words makes a big difference - we can harm and disfigure or we can bless and dignify the world and other people just by the words we use. It is our words that will save us or condemn us. Preaching text: Matthew 5: 21-26 

On the first podcast of 2023, Peter W. Marty preaches on goodness. Good always outweighs evil. Good always has more beauty, more merit, and more presence; you just have to notice it. This year, try your best to notice all the goodness you can. Along the walks that you make, every place you go, try to create and share some goodness and some kindness too.  Preaching text: Matthew 2: 13-23 

Peter W. Marty preaches on this special Christmas edition of the St. Paul audio podcast. The world is full of brokenness but in Jesus Christ, God makes gentle the life of the world. God whispers in our ear, through Jesus Christ, that we have to make this world a better place. We can allow our hearts to be our own little manger for God to live in, for God to dwell in, for God to make a home in. Featuring new music by William Campbell and a beautiful contemplative “Silent Night.” Preaching text: Luke 2: 1-14 

Peter W. Marty preaches. Sometimes we find ourselves in a place we didn't expect, a situation we didn't plan. Listen closely while you pray. It may not be the life you imagined but God will be born into it. This may be what Christmas is about – the irrational, unexplainable appearance of love in the midst of the world's toughest realities and some of our own unplanned circumstances. To do what Joseph did – to bet on our dearest dreams, to give our hearts away to precious hopes, to let go of reasonableness and constraint and respond with love to a world that needs us.    Preaching text: Matthew 1: 18-25Candle In the Dark: Words & Music by William Campbell © 2020 William Campbell Music. Used with permission. 

Peter W. Marty preaches on justice. The biblical concept of justice, wherever God is involved, is about making things right for people and making things right in society. Justice is not about fair play, it's about righteous play. It's not about giving people what they deserve, but what they need. God's justice is helping all people live a dignified life.Preaching text: Isaiah 11: 1-6

Peter W. Marty preaches on the gifts of discernment. We each have our own unique gift of discernment that makes each of us who we are. We need more than heads full of knowledge, we need hearts full of wisdom. To better discern what is permanent and what is transient in this life and for this, we need wisdom of the heart.

Peter W. Marty preaches on the gift of forgiveness. Receiving the gift of forgiveness should prompt us to develop the kind of mindset of forgiveness. It should inspire in us a posture of generous pardon, to recognize how readily God reaches out beyond our deeds and how God looks beyond consequences to give us a second chance and from which we are to become new people. If we take seriously the Lord's mercy upon us - this Lord who abundantly pardons - we have to ask ‘what are we going to do or be because of that?' 

Peter W. Marty preaches on Exodus. After coming down from the mountaintop, Moses' face was luminescent, radiant with everything that constituted the fullness of God. God is known in the face, through light and brightness. You have the power to make someone else's day or to bring them joy, to show empathy and love through the light in your face.  Hallelujah (Your Love Is Amazing)Words & Music by Brenton Brown & Brian Doerksen, © 2000 Vineyard Songs. Used with permission. CCLI License # 2900188

Peter W. Marty preaches on Ephesians. We are the adopted children of God and God as our adoptive parent. “Do not think the point of life is just to set goals, think instead the point of life is to be faithful to the commitments that have already been built into your life.”O Come, All Ye FaithfulText: attr. John Francis Wade; tr. Frederick Oakeley, sts. 1, 3-4; tr. unknown, st. 2. Music: attr. John Francis Wade. Stanza 3 and 4 arranged by David Willcocks  © 1961, Oxford University Press. Used by permission under OneLicense #A-710534. Go Tell It on the MountainVerse Text: African American Spiritual; Refrain: John W. Work, Jr.; Music: Go Tell It, African American Spiritual

Peter W. Marty preaches on this special Christmas edition of the St. Paul podcast. The Christmas story tells us that the things that count are human and deeply personal. Jesus offers a new way of being human, with power found in vulnerability, humility, and service to others. May the Christmas story remind you of that tiny child who is determined to teach us the difference between the love of power and the power of love. With Christmas favorites like Joy to the World and Silent Night as well as Oh Holy Night with lyric soprano Claire Kuttler.

Peter W. Marty preaches on Isaiah chapter 12. Salvation is the name for Christian hope. Hope is what allows us to overcome despair, for some to wage a realistic war against the depression that bedraggles you or the anxiety that bedevils you. “Surely God is my salvation. I will trust and I will not be afraid.”Come, Thou Long Expected JesusWords: Charles Wesley. Melody: "Hyfrydol." Arranged by Bill Campbell

Peter W. Marty preaches on the first Sunday of Advent. Be on your guard so you aren't avoiding or wasting your true purpose. Stand tall, keep your head up, stay engaged with all of the messy activities of life. The proper response in anxious times of disaster, Jesus says, is to keep your head high, stand up, and go about living, to keep loving God and your neighbor as much as yourself. Christian people see and rejoice in endless hope.  Creator of the Stars of NightConditor Alme Siderum, Latin Hymn, 9th Century, Arranged by Bill Campbell, 2020

Peter W. Marty preaches about grace. Consider your life during the sermon, what good luck and breaks have you had in your life? The good fortune and chance blessings that are part of your experience? While there may be bad luck and misfortune in your life, there are ample blessings that come your way. When we focus on the positive aspects of our lives, we tend to underestimate the role of luck and blessings, the unmerited blessings that come into our lives. Gratitude is one of the finest feelings in life. “By the grace of God, I am what I am.”Now Thank We All Our GodText: Martin Rinkhart; tr. Catherine Winkworth. Music: Johann Crüger. Arr. © 2006 Augsburg Fortress. Used by permission under OneLicense #A-710534. All rights reserved.Woke Up This MorningText and Music: African American Spiritual

Peter W. Marty preaches from the book of Romans from the Apostle Paul. In Christ Jesus, we get to trust that all will be right in the center of life, even when all feels wrong. It's all right. Behind this phrase are the murmurings of grace. All people sin and fall short of the glory of God, no exceptions, but through the righteousness of God, God brings us a gift through Jesus Christ. Everything is going to be all right in the life of Christ. A Mighty FortressText: Martin Luther, 1483–1546; tr. Lutheran Book of Worship. Music: Martin Luther, 1483–1546. Text © 1978 Lutheran Book of Worship, admin. Augsburg Fortress. Used by permission under OneLicense #A-710534. All rights reserved.Your Will Be Done / MayenziweArr. © 1990 Iona Community, admin. GIA Publications, Inc., 7404 S. Mason Ave., Chicago, IL 60638. www.giamusic.com. 800.442.3358. All rights reserved. Used by permission under OneLicense #A-710534

Peter W. Marty preaches from the book of Mark Chapter 10 and shares about establishing habits and practices that shape who we are, including our faith. When faith becomes second nature, it is truly beautiful. You have to train and work your spiritual muscles. Learn the fundamentals of trust, know them, practice them, then let them wail! Amazing GraceText: John Newton. Music: New Britain

Peter W. Marty preaches on St. Mark's Gospel Chapter 10. We can have huge resources but can be missing something vitally in us. What about the things we cannot buy? You cannot buy more time, you can't buy your way out of shame or loneliness. The richest things in life have nothing to do with money. All My Hope on God Is FoundedText: Joachim Neander, 1650-1680; para. Robert Bridges, 1844-1930, alt. Music: Herbert Howells, 1892-1983.  Music © 1968 Novello & Co., Limited, London, United Kingdom. All rights reserved. International Copyright Secured. Used by permission under OneLicense #A-710534. Your Grace Is EnoughWords and Music by Matt Maher © 2003 Thankyou Music | SpiritandSong.com. Used with permission. CCLI License # 2900188

The mouth figures prominently in scripture as the organ with which we sing, praise, and bless God. In this episode, Peter W. Marty looks at our individual capacity to speak such kind and blessed words on the one hand, and such cruel or mistaken words on the other -- and how difficult it is to take back our words. James 3:1-5a, 9-11.Give Me Your EyesWords & Music by Jason Ingram and Brandon Heath © 2007 All Essential Music | Peertunes | Ltd. Windsor Way Music | Sitka 6 Music. Used with permission. CCLI License #2900188

Pastor Peter W. Marty preaches on the importance of commandments and their interpretation - especially to a religious and moral life. Living out God's commandments in thoughtful ways is basic to walking and talking with God. Deuteronomy 4:1-9Everlasting GodWords & Music by Brenton Brown & Ken Riley, © 2005 Thankyou Music. Used With Permission. CCLI License #2900188

Pastor Peter W. Marty preaches on character and personality. You are not your reputation, your possessions, or your skill set but are in fact your character. Walking in God's ways means what we do in the name of God in regards to our character.  Words & Music by Neil Robins © 2009 Sojourn Community Church. Used with permission. CCLI License #2900188.

During the Season after Pentecost, Pastor Peter W. Marty preaches on hunger and the anxieties surrounding scarcity with a reading from 2 Kings 4:42-44. “Wherever there is plenty of God in your life, there is plenty of everything else. And wherever this is a shortage of God in your life, you can expect other things to be missing as well.”River of MercyWords and Music by Paul Frantsen © 1998 Cross the Sky Music Used with permission. CCLI License #2900188Sent Forth By God's BlessingText: Omer Westendorf; Music: Welsh Folk Tune.Text © 1964 World Library Publications. Used by permission under OneLicense #A-710534.

Aunque la palabra “fe” parece estar bien definida, su significado y connotaciones han cambiado a lo largo de la historia del cristianismo. En la Edad Media, por ejemplo, la palabra “fe” describía la afirmación intelectual de doctrinas religiosas. La Reforma Protestante cambió el sentido de esa palabra a “confianza” personal. Ejercitar la fe pudiera, a veces, resultar en ansiedad o incluso pánico. Un reciente artículo de Peter W. Marty, pastor luterano y editor de la revista The Christian Century, nos invita a considerar la fe como un regalo para relajarse. De hecho, la palabra griega Πίστις (pistis), habitualmente traducida como “fe”, significa en realidad “confianza”. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

During the Season after Pentecost, Pastor Peter W. Marty preaches on weathering storms and approaching each other just as we are. God leads us into storms and also through the still waters of life. Pastor Hayden's children's message describes what items make us feel safe, protected, and peaceful during a storm and throughout the storms in our lives.

During the Season after Pentecost, Peter W. Marty preaches on how we unintentionally see the world through our own experiences which can sometimes lead to selfishness. Paul says we can see the world through our own perspective or we can see the world through the perspective of Jesus Christ so we can experience a more beautiful existence. Andy and Haley join for the Children's Message to make old things new.Raspberries     William Campbell©2011 William Campbell Music. Used with permissionMusic: Your Grace Is EnoughWords and Music by Matt Maher © 2003 Thankyou Music | SpiritandSong.com. Used with permission. CCLI License # 2900188

Season after Pentecost, Pastor Peter W. Marty preaches on Moses and the ten commandments. We reflect on the word Sabbath and the importance of rest. Pastor Hayden Kvamme shares a message with the kids on seeing things through other people’s eyes.Give Me Your EyesWords & Music by Jason Ingram and Brandon Heath © 2007 All Essential Music | Peertunes | Ltd. Windsor Way Music | Sitka 6 Music. Used with permission. CCLI License #2900188

On the sixth Sunday of Easter, Peter W. Marty preaches on the Scripture of John regarding love and friendship. A very special goodbye to our wonderful Destiny Ellingsworth. The children and youth choirs sing.Good Christian Friends, Rejoice and Sing!     Paul Manz© 1974, 1990, and 2011 Birnamwood Publications. Used by permission under OneLicense #A-710534. All rights reservedEverybody Praise Him!            Jeff Reeves© 2019 Hal Leonard LLC. Used by permission under OneLicense #A-710534. All rights reservedTake, Oh Take Me As I AmText & Music by John Bell. © 1995 WGRG the Iona Community (Scotland), admin. GIA Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission under OneLicense #A-710534.You Are Mine  David Haas© 1991 GIA Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission under OneLicense #A-710534.Good Christian Friends, Rejoice and Sing!Text: Cyril A. Alington, 1872–1955, alt., Music: Melchior Vulpius, 1570–1615Text © 1952, ren. 1980 Hymns Ancient & Modern (admin. Hope Publishing Company, Carol Stream, IL 60188). All rights reserved. Used by permission under OneLicense #A-710534.The Lord Bless You and Keep You      John Rutterwords and music © 1981 Hinshaw Music, Inc. Used by permission under OneLicense #A-710534. All rights reserved.All Creatures Worship God Most High Words: St. Francis of Assisi, 1225; tr. composite; Music: Geistliche Kirchengesänge, 1623; arr. Bill Campbell

"A New Season” Isaiah 2:1-5 The word that Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. 2In 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. 3Many 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. 4He 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. 5O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord! Today I feel a need to offer a confession. My confession is centered around my use of my smartphone. It all started innocently, when I switched to using my smartphone as my alarm clock when my bedside alarm clock went on the fritz. My morning routine changed as a result. The alarm goes off. I silence it. Since it is now in my hand, I google the UCC daily devotion and spend a minute or two reading it. Feeling good that I began the day on a positive spiritual note, I then hit my news app. and for the next 10-20 minutes or more I spend reading the morning news. I had not thought about this change in my routine until I read an editorial in The Christian Century written by the editor, Peter W. Marty 1. He wrote the following, “Ever since I started using my smartphone as a morning alarm clock, my wake-up habits have shifted. Instead of engaging in prayer to open my day – once a regular feature of my rising…I check the news. When I lean over the edge of the bed to shut off the alarm, I notice my screen displaying news alerts that arrived overnight. Of course I click on them, wondering what I might have heroically saved in the world had I stayed up all night…I’m consumed by the news.” Then he asks the question, “Do we actually consume the news, or does the news consume us? Either way, it’s hardly a noble activity.” He goes on to quote Alain de Botton, a British-based philosopher and author of The News: A User’s Manual. Marty writes that, “de Botton believes that in contemporary culture, news has largely replaced religion as “our central source of guidance and out touchstone of authority.” The news – not scripture, tradition, or inspired ritual – informs how we handle suffering and make moral choices….It makes us more shallow than we may want to admit.” If he is correct, I am challenged by this thought. The last thing that I want to become is more shallow. My fear is that he may very well be correct. The ten or twenty minutes that I spent scanning the news feeds was time not spent in prayer or reading a devotional. And I must admit there is little in the news that is edifying or life altering, whereas time spent in prayer or reading spiritual writings is almost always edifying and life altering. Martin Luther King, one time quoted Theodore Parker, a Unitarian Minister from the early part of the 1800’s. In a sermon calling for the abolition of slavery Parker said, “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” I would like to think that as a moral person I am participating in this arc of the universe. My morning rituals certainly do not appear to be bending me in that direction. So today on this first Sunday of Advent, the first Sunday of a new Christian year, if you are like me, spending precious time of your day responding to all of the chirps and vibrations coming from your smartphones, time that takes you and me away from participating in the bending of the arc of the universe, let us take this time to stop and reflect on who we have become. One thing that I suspect has happened to us as we spend more time being consumed by the news, is that we are less hopeful about the future. The more we read and watch armed conflicts, whether they be in Syria or Afghanistan, or the more we hear of another black youth or police officer killed here in the United States, the less likely we are able to connect with the vision that Isaiah was casting, that of a world where 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. Sadly a vision that cannot be imagined is a vision that will never come into being. My fear is that we are a generation that is losing its imagination. For instance, when I was an early teen, the Vietnam was came to an end. Our country went for almost the next 15 years without involvement in war. By the time I was 30 years old, I had lived half of my life in peace time. Compare that time to my oldest son who was born in 1990. He is now 26 with no memory of a time when we have not been at war. His whole generation has not experienced a time of peace. We now have a generation for the first time in memory that cannot imagine what peace can be like for they have no experience of it. What cannot be imagined is not likely to become a reality. Isaiah’s prophetic words call us to reclaim our imagination. The prophet’s words are so graceful, so haunting, so expressive of our deepest yearnings that they have been etched into a wall called the “Isaiah Wall.” This wall stands in the park opposite the United Nations. It serves as a public reminder to the leaders of the nations of this world of the vision of the “Beloved Community,” a community where peace reigns and where there is justice for all people. There are many in this world that have lost the ability to imagine such a world that Isaiah envisions. In a reflection on peace and justice, Mary Hinkle Shore suggests, "even skeptics have to admit that justice, safety, and widespread prosperity have a better chance of resulting in peace than injustice, danger, and disparity of wealth" (New Proclamation Year A 2007-2008). So as we enter this season of Advent, a season that gives us four weeks to prepare to receive God’s gift to us, a gift that changed the world, a gift that lived Isaiah’s vision into being. It is a gift that challenges us to take the vision of a peace and justice filled world and to live it into being. So let us prepare by setting aside those things that distract us from participating in that great arc as it moves toward justice. Let us become like the 100 year old woman who on the occasion of her birthday, when she was being interviewed by a reporter and asked, Do you have children?” She responded, “Not yet!” Or let us be like a little farm girl on her 12th birthday, who got up before dawn and ran out to the barn. She had asked her parents for a pony and was hoping that it would be there. She flung open the barn door, but in the dim light, could see no pony, only mounds of horse manure. Being an optimist she declared, “With all of this manure around, there must be a pony in there somewhere.” Young or old, let us use this time that is given to us to and let us “walk in the light” of which Isaiah speaks. Do not allow the distractions of this world, whether they be the constant news alerts pinging on our phones, or facebook posts, or cute cat videos, cause us to lose our way. Let us keep our eye on that vision that Isaiah cast and for which Jesus lived and died. Let us find ways, whether as individuals or as a community of faith to continue to bend the arc toward justice and toward peace. Let us make that commitment as we enter this season of Advent, a season whose purpose is for us to prepare our lives for Christ to find a home. The arc awaits our bending… 1Peter W. Marty, “Consumed by the News,” The Christian Century, November 23, 2016, p. 3.

Tending the Flock is a podcast of the Sunday morning worship service at Laguna Presbyterian Church. Rev. Dr. Jerry Tankersley is preaching on 1 Peter 5:1-6. We continue our sermon series in 1 Peter. It is the 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time. We are reading from the NRSV. Pastor Tankersley referenced the following article in Christian Century by Peter W. Marty. You can read this article by clicking on the link below. Peter W. Marty, and#8220;The Secret of Authorityand#8221; in Christian Century, June 15, 2016.