Sermon for Children’s Sabbath,

                 October 11, 2009

                     Rev. Sharon James Fazel

   “More than one answer may be the only answer” –

     A Script for Pastor & Youth.

[This “sermon” is scripted entirely from the resource Children’s Sabbath Guide, Vol. 18,  published by the Children’s Defense Fund. The statistical information is from the bulletin inserts provided in this guide. The various parts of the script are quoted directly from commentary by Shannon Daley-Harris, regarding the featured scripture, pp. 88-89, National Observance of Children’s Sabbaths® Manual, Volume 18, ©2009, Children’s Defense Fund. It was used only once for worship on Children’s Sabbath, with attribution vocally and in print, but was not distributed in print. Please do not reproduce these pages.]

PASTOR:

The book of Job begins with the question posed by the Satan: Is Job faithful because of his good fortune? Will he lose faith when he loses those blessings? At its heart lies the question of suffering. Job speaks for all of us when he asks why people suffer. The Children’s Sabbath asks more particularly, why do children suffer, what does it mean for our faith, and how are we to respond in this world in which children suffer?

YOUTH 1:

Every second a public school student is suspended.

YOUTH 2:

Every 11 seconds a high school student drops out.

YOUTH 3:

Every 19 seconds a child is arrested.

YOUTH 4:

Every 20 seconds a public school student is punished physically, in school.

PASTOR:

Throughout the book of Job, we hear different approaches, as those involved seek answers -- from the three friends’ conventional wisdom and theology, to Job’s challenging God to a debate in the style of a trial.

Finally, in our passages, God begins to provide a response.

YOUTH 1:

Every 21 seconds a baby is born to an unmarried mother.

YOUTH 2:

Every 33 seconds a baby is born into poverty.

YOUTH 3:

Every 35 seconds a child is confirmed as abused or neglected.

YOUTH 4:

Every 39 seconds a baby is born without health insurance.

PASTOR:

At the end of the book of Job, however, we are not left with certainty that the divine speech – God’s answer -- is the definitive -- the final and complete -- answer. Nor are we left with a clear understanding of what’s  the “right” answer to the question of suffering.

YOUTH 1:

Every minute a baby is born to a teen mother.

YOUTH 2:

Every 4 minutes a child is arrested for a drug offense.

YOUTH 3:

Every 7 minutes a child is arrested for a violent crime.

YOUTH 4:

Every 3 hours a child or teen is killed by a firearm; every 5 hours a child or teen completes suicide.

PASTOR:

Job gives voice to all of us who wonder about suffering in our world, all who wonder why, in the well-worn words, “bad things happen to good people.”

 When children suffer, especially, we are driven to ask with Job, why, why, why? How can this be? Where is God in all of this suffering?

YOUTH 1:

God is where God has always been.

YOUTH 2:

God is with us.

YOUTH 3:

God’s heart…

YOUTH 4:

…is the first to break.

PASTOR:

The whole of the biblical witness is that God will go to any lengths to save us. And to be God’s followers is to go to any lengths to save those who suffer, especially those who do not have any capacity to save themselves.

At the end of the book of Job, as Job’s family and friends gather to share a meal, offer true comfort, and provide him money and gifts, we find that God works through us as the community to provide support and help restore the fortunes of those who have suffered.

And God often works through those we least expect, as well.

YOUTH 1:

Can we see God acting through the hurting children who call to us?

YOUTH 2:

Can we see God acting through the poor?

YOUTH 3:

Can we see God acting through the Black or Latino children who are most likely to live in poverty, go without needed health care, and wind locked up in jail or in prison at some point in their lives?

YOUTH 4:

If the life of Jesus has shown us anything at all,

YOUTH 1:

It is that God is most likely to be present to us…

YOUTH 2:

In the most unexpected of persons…

PASTOR:

And call us to a ministry born not of power…

ALL YOUTH :

But of love.

Pastor:

For all people, regardless of color or ethnicity, gender or gender identity, nationality or faith background, able-bodied-ness or disability – And so it is.

Let us pray…

PASTOR:

O God, help us to recover our hope for our children’s sake.

Help us to recover our courage for our children’s sake.

Help us to recover our discipline for our children’s sake.

Help us to recover our ability to work together for our children’s sake.

Help us to recover our values for our children’s sake.

Help us to recover our faith in You for our children’s sake.   (Marian W. Edelman)

Silent prayer

Lord’s Prayer

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