EVERYBODY'S CHURCH WEBSITE
  • Home
  • Info
    • Need Help?
    • Mission
    • Welcoming
    • Inclusion
    • Community
    • Why I Go to Everybody's Church
    • Become a Member
    • Our Vision >
      • Jesus Christ >
        • Celebrating
      • Reaching
      • Serving
      • Connecting
      • Growing
    • map and directions
    • Our Staff
    • Staff Contact Information
    • Job Openings
    • Funeral Information
    • Church Leadership
    • What to Expect FAQs
    • COVID Masking Policy
    • Building Use Fees
    • Baptism
    • Communion
    • In the Presence of the Holy
    • Presbyterian Church USA
    • Our Stained Glass Windows
    • The Presbytery of Detroit
    • Community Resources
    • Contact
  • Worship
    • church at home, livestream
    • Recent Sermons
    • Bulletins
    • Worship Schedule
    • Rejoicing Spirits Worship
    • Worship Videos >
      • Trombone Choir
      • Choir Videos
      • Handbell Choir Videos
    • Music Ministries >
      • Children's Choir
  • Serve
    • Mission Opportunities
    • Yucatan Peninsula Mission (YPM) Trip
    • Deacons
    • Volunteer Opportunities at FPC
    • Learn about Foster Care
    • Mission Funding
    • Our Efforts to Serve the Least
    • Alcott School Ministry
    • International Missions >
      • Kenya Mission Trip Story
      • Faith Kasoni - Kenya
      • Chang-Lopez
    • Local Missions >
      • Faith Communities Coalition on Foster Care
    • In Our Church >
      • Deacons
      • Memorial Service Help
    • Stephen Ministry
    • Faith Communities Coalition on Foster Care
    • Mission Videos
  • Learn
    • Matthew 25 >
      • Matthew 25 Events >
        • Listen - Matthew 25
        • Learn - Matthew 25
        • Lean In - Matthew 25
    • Children's and Family Ministries >
      • Resources re: Racism
      • Five Part Story
      • Worship Wonder
      • CrossWalks
      • Faith at Home Resources
      • Sacraments
      • Build a Bible For Kids
      • Milestones for Children
      • Inclusion Videos
    • Spiritual Practices
    • Education Videos >
      • Five Women Five Journeys
      • Health and Wellness
      • Theologian in Residence
      • Teacher Training Videos
      • Sacraments Videos
      • Bus Training Video
      • Children's Ministry
    • Adult Faith Formation >
      • Church History 101 >
        • The Jesus Community
        • The Church Expands
        • Constantine to the Reformation
        • The Reformation
        • The Church in America
      • Revelation Bible Study
      • Christian Faith Foundation
      • The Gospel of John >
        • Introduction
        • The Book of Signs >
          • John 1:1-18
      • Genesis Bible Study >
        • Genesis Chapters 1-11
        • Genesis Chapters 12-25
        • Genesis Chapters 26-36
        • Genesis Chapters 37-50
      • Exodus Bible Study >
        • Exodus 1-15
        • Exodus 16-23
      • John Calvin For Everyone
      • What is a Presbyterian Video Series
      • Two Year Bible Trek
      • Immigration Information
      • Faith Formation Groups
      • Fellowship and Ministry Groups
      • Classes and Events
    • Hand in Hand Early Learning Center
    • Belhar Confession
    • All Abilities Inclusion Ministry
    • Disability Inclusion Resources
  • Events
    • Senior Adventures
    • Concerts at First
    • Lunch and Learn
    • SAIL event
    • Calendar
  • News
    • Annual Report 2022
    • Annual Report 2021
    • Email Sign-up
    • First Things
  • Connect
    • Inclusive Communities Network
    • SAIL Solutions for Adult Independent Living
    • Faith Formation Groups
  • App/Members' Portal
  • Give
    • Contribute to FPC
    • Stewardship
    • 2023 Pledge Form
    • 2021 Financial Review
    • Community Rewards Programs >
      • Kroger Sign up/Re-register
      • Link to AmazonSmile
    • Deacons
    • First Foundation >
      • Donating
      • Grant Requests
      • Serving the World
      • History

Thy Will Be Done: Listening Like God

10/10/2021

 
The Rev. Dr. John Judson
October 10, 2021

Listen
Watch Service
Watch Sermon
Print Version


Exodus 2:23-25; James 1:19-25
​

      “Dad ... daad ... daaad! ... Dr. Judson!”  “What?”  Those words are one of the great stories of our family.  Our daughter Katie, aged five at the time, was trying to get my attention, but I was mesmerized by my newspaper (remember those?), and I was not listening to her.  That event always comes to my mind when I consider the difficulty of listening to others.  It may be that you have never noticed the same thing ... how difficult it is to listen ... to listen to family, friends, or strangers. But for many of us we have become aware of how hard it is to listen when we are constantly bombarded with sounds, images, commercials, noise, and of course, our electronic devices.  Our phones, computers, and iPads are constantly directing our attention to them and away from those to whom we ought to be listening. And the more ubiquitous those devices become, the more difficult it is to listen.  Yet, I have to say that regardless of how hard it is to listen in our modern, busy, and noisy world it is still easier than listening like God listens.

      It may be that few of us have ever taken the time to consider how God listens.  We simply believe that God listens.  But I want us to spend a few moments considering this idea ... and then I will later tell you why.  So how does God listen? The answer can be found in our Exodus story that we read this morning.  First, God listens to those who are in distress even when they do not cry out to God directly. What do I mean? If you look at the story, the Hebrews simply cry out. They don’t cry out specifically to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; yet God hears them.  God hears the cries of those in distress because of their bondage.  Second, God’s listening causes God to remember.  Granted this can seem like a strange idea, God remembering as if God forgets.  Yet, what it means is that the cries of the people caused God to remember God’s commitments to them; that God had promised to bless them and to bless the world through them.  Third, God’s listening caused God to act.  We know God acted on what God heard and on what God remembered because God would soon (in the story) begin the process of setting the people free.  Why is knowing how God listens important? Because if we listen to James, he tells us that we are supposed to listen like God.

      Listening like God forms the context for the part of James’ letter we read this morning. I say this because James begins with the command, “Let everyone be quick to listen.” In other words, the members of Jesus’ family are supposed to make “listening” their priority.  Listening is supposed to help define who they are and what they do.  Granted, over the centuries there have been a wide variety of ways in which this “listening” has been interpreted. Some have said it means listening to church leaders ... obviously put forward by church leaders.  Others have said it means listening to God’s word ... which would make sense, since the scriptures are central to the life of God’s people. Others have said listening means listening directly to God ... again a good possibility since prayer was at the heart of the community. But I would argue that when James challenges people to listen, that he means is listening to those in distress, the widow, the orphan, the poor, and the stranger, even when they do not cry out directly to us.  I say this first because James is a good Messianic Jew, who is rooted and grounded in the stories of Torah which center on God listening not only to God’s people but to those whom society forgets to care for.  I say this second, because of where James goes after calling people to listen ... he calls them to remember who they are to be ... the righteousness of God.

      Immediately following James’ command to listen he says that people are to be slow to speak or become angry because those two actions do not produce God’s righteousness. God’s righteousness in Jewish thought is not a codeword for personal moral perfection.  It is instead a codeword for imitating God ... for following in God’s way ... for reflecting the character, covenant faithfulness, and righteousness of God into the world. And if God’s righteousness is listening to those in distress; those whom society oppresses or forgets, then listening is the way to achieve that.  In the same thought, James says that we are to be slow to speak and slow to anger because they don’t lead us into God’s righteousness.  This is so because speaking more than listening and being angry close off our ability to listen; they put the one speaking or being angry at the center of attention, rather than those to whom God’s people are supposed to listen.  This then reflects God’s remembering ... that just as God’s listening causes God to remember God’s commitment to the Hebrew people, so too our listening is intended to cause us to remember our commitment to be God’s righteousness in the world; to be those who care passionately about those who are in distress.

      Finally, this listening and remembering, or listening producing righteousness, moves us to the final stage of listening, and that is action.  James puts it this way, “But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves.”  For James, listening as God listens is supposed to lead not only to a remembering of our commitments to those on the margins, but to action that serves them; that attempts to offer them a piece of the social, economic, and religious pie.  It is intended to bring shalom to all persons and not simply to those who are at the top of the economic heap.  At this point though, James offers what to many seems like a strange idea ... that not being a doer is like looking into a mirror and forgetting rather than remembering.  One way to think about this is to remember the last time you looked up how to do something on the internet. Then you waited a while before you tried to do it.  And if you are like me, you have forgotten much of what you were supposed to do.  On the other hand, if I were to do something immediately after seeing the instructions, I remember it much better the next time.  In other words, doing something aids remembering how to do it.  What James is trying to help us do is set up a positive feedback loop.  We listen to the needs of those in distress, which leads to remembering our commitments to God , which leads to action, which leads to better listening, better remembering, more action and so on.

      If we want to see how this works, all we need to do is look at our Matthew 25 initiative. We began by listening to the distress of our siblings of color. Then we remembered our commitments to be a community of love and justice. Then we began to act ... to be doers and not just hearers.  I wish I could say that the voices of our siblings of color are the only ones crying out in distress.  But I can’t because all around us are voices crying out: the voices of our LGBTQIA+ siblings, and especially those in the Trans community, the voices of those dealing with depression and mental illness, the voices of those who are being evicted from their homes and apartments, those who are homeless and hungry.  The voices are all around us.  The question then becomes, will we listen, remember and act?

      My challenge to us for this day then is this, to ask ourselves, am I listening like God, listening to those in this world who are crying out in distress, then remembering who I am and then acting to make a difference in their lives?​ 

Comments are closed.

    Subscribe by Email

    Enter your email address:

    Delivered by FeedBurner

    Categories

    All
    Alive In A Global Uprising
    Alive In God's Creation
    Alive In The Spirit Of God
    Alive In The Story Of Jesus
    Alleluia People
    An Abundance Attitude
    Being God's People
    Being Human
    Claiming Our Identity
    Discipleship Defined
    Do You Hear What I Hear
    Encouragement Along The Way
    Giving From The Heart
    God's Imperfect Family
    Growing Our Faith
    Living In Ordinary Time
    Luke Looks At Money
    Matthew 25
    Mourning Mystery Mission
    New Beginnings
    On The Job Training
    Own Your Hope
    Pentecost
    People Get Ready
    Praying Like Jesus
    Rooted And Grounded In Love
    The Children Of God
    The Five Part Story
    The Force Is Awakening
    The Heart Of The Matter
    The Lord Is Our Shepherd
    The Mighty Acts Of God
    The Perfect Season
    The Vocabulary Of Faith
    The Voice Our Choice
    The Voice - Our Choice
    We Make The Road By Walking
    Youth Sunday

    Archives

    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014

    RSS Feed

First Presbyterian Church
Phone:  248-644-2040
Fax:       248-644-8047
Email:    contact@everybodyschurch.org
Address: 1669 W. Maple, Birmingham, MI 48009
Hand in Hand Early Learning Center
Phone:   248-644-2040 ext. 124
Faith Communities Coalition on Foster Care
FAR Therapeutic Arts and Recreation 
Phone:   248-646-3347
Presbytery of Detroit


Presbyterian Church USA
​
More Light Presbyterians
​
Skyline Camp and Conference Center
Phone: 248-644-2043 (Birmingham Office)
             810-798-8240 (Almont Campus)
Samaritan Counseling Center
Phone: 248-474-4701
  • Home
  • Info
    • Need Help?
    • Mission
    • Welcoming
    • Inclusion
    • Community
    • Why I Go to Everybody's Church
    • Become a Member
    • Our Vision >
      • Jesus Christ >
        • Celebrating
      • Reaching
      • Serving
      • Connecting
      • Growing
    • map and directions
    • Our Staff
    • Staff Contact Information
    • Job Openings
    • Funeral Information
    • Church Leadership
    • What to Expect FAQs
    • COVID Masking Policy
    • Building Use Fees
    • Baptism
    • Communion
    • In the Presence of the Holy
    • Presbyterian Church USA
    • Our Stained Glass Windows
    • The Presbytery of Detroit
    • Community Resources
    • Contact
  • Worship
    • church at home, livestream
    • Recent Sermons
    • Bulletins
    • Worship Schedule
    • Rejoicing Spirits Worship
    • Worship Videos >
      • Trombone Choir
      • Choir Videos
      • Handbell Choir Videos
    • Music Ministries >
      • Children's Choir
  • Serve
    • Mission Opportunities
    • Yucatan Peninsula Mission (YPM) Trip
    • Deacons
    • Volunteer Opportunities at FPC
    • Learn about Foster Care
    • Mission Funding
    • Our Efforts to Serve the Least
    • Alcott School Ministry
    • International Missions >
      • Kenya Mission Trip Story
      • Faith Kasoni - Kenya
      • Chang-Lopez
    • Local Missions >
      • Faith Communities Coalition on Foster Care
    • In Our Church >
      • Deacons
      • Memorial Service Help
    • Stephen Ministry
    • Faith Communities Coalition on Foster Care
    • Mission Videos
  • Learn
    • Matthew 25 >
      • Matthew 25 Events >
        • Listen - Matthew 25
        • Learn - Matthew 25
        • Lean In - Matthew 25
    • Children's and Family Ministries >
      • Resources re: Racism
      • Five Part Story
      • Worship Wonder
      • CrossWalks
      • Faith at Home Resources
      • Sacraments
      • Build a Bible For Kids
      • Milestones for Children
      • Inclusion Videos
    • Spiritual Practices
    • Education Videos >
      • Five Women Five Journeys
      • Health and Wellness
      • Theologian in Residence
      • Teacher Training Videos
      • Sacraments Videos
      • Bus Training Video
      • Children's Ministry
    • Adult Faith Formation >
      • Church History 101 >
        • The Jesus Community
        • The Church Expands
        • Constantine to the Reformation
        • The Reformation
        • The Church in America
      • Revelation Bible Study
      • Christian Faith Foundation
      • The Gospel of John >
        • Introduction
        • The Book of Signs >
          • John 1:1-18
      • Genesis Bible Study >
        • Genesis Chapters 1-11
        • Genesis Chapters 12-25
        • Genesis Chapters 26-36
        • Genesis Chapters 37-50
      • Exodus Bible Study >
        • Exodus 1-15
        • Exodus 16-23
      • John Calvin For Everyone
      • What is a Presbyterian Video Series
      • Two Year Bible Trek
      • Immigration Information
      • Faith Formation Groups
      • Fellowship and Ministry Groups
      • Classes and Events
    • Hand in Hand Early Learning Center
    • Belhar Confession
    • All Abilities Inclusion Ministry
    • Disability Inclusion Resources
  • Events
    • Senior Adventures
    • Concerts at First
    • Lunch and Learn
    • SAIL event
    • Calendar
  • News
    • Annual Report 2022
    • Annual Report 2021
    • Email Sign-up
    • First Things
  • Connect
    • Inclusive Communities Network
    • SAIL Solutions for Adult Independent Living
    • Faith Formation Groups
  • App/Members' Portal
  • Give
    • Contribute to FPC
    • Stewardship
    • 2023 Pledge Form
    • 2021 Financial Review
    • Community Rewards Programs >
      • Kroger Sign up/Re-register
      • Link to AmazonSmile
    • Deacons
    • First Foundation >
      • Donating
      • Grant Requests
      • Serving the World
      • History