Epiphany 5 | Ordinary Time 5 - A
The prophets were not much interested in liturgical reform. They might have yawned if presented a new book of worship. Few arguments in the church are as intense as those about guidelines for worship. Mention "alternative worship" in some congregations and they get nettled; mention "the alternative to alternative worship" in those that have chosen "alternative" forms and they get riled. Not that the worship of the Lord was irrelevant. Prophets, speaking for the Lord, regularly called for "solemn assemblies." But they saw these assemblies in larger perspective.
Nowhere is this perspective seen more clearly than in Isaiah 58, where the Lord speaks through the prophet about goings-on in Israel, a place much like "Christian America." Things do not go well, so the citizens...
Wayne Brouwer
Bernarr Macfadden, who once had a wide following in North America, said that everybody should fast now and then, if only for the good health that it brings. Today's lectionary reading from Isaiah's prophecy might seem to concur.
We do not seem to know what true fasting is, however. Comedian Dick Gregory, for instance, used to stage hunger strikes in protest of the Vietnam War. The mayor of Cork, Ireland, died of a hunger strike against English rule in the 1920s, giving rise to much larger protests. History repeated itself in the 1980s, when Irish political prisoners in Maze Prison, near Belfast, carried on widely publicized hunger strikes. Several died in their protests against England.
Again, during the days of the Cold War when tension tightened in the old Soviet...
We do not seem to know what true fasting is, however. Comedian Dick Gregory, for instance, used to stage hunger strikes in protest of the Vietnam War. The mayor of Cork, Ireland, died of a hunger strike against English rule in the 1920s, giving rise to much larger protests. History repeated itself in the 1980s, when Irish political prisoners in Maze Prison, near Belfast, carried on widely publicized hunger strikes. Several died in their protests against England.
Again, during the days of the Cold War when tension tightened in the old Soviet...
Sandra Herrmann
Immanuel. God with Us. We have celebrated his birth. We have listened to the shepherds tell of angels singing praises and directing them to a baby who has a manger for a cradle. We have been told that this baby is God in Flesh -- the incarnation. He has been persecuted already, driven out of his home country by the king who should have worshiped him but tried to kill him instead. His earthly father packed them all up in the dark of night and took him far away, to Egypt, the land out of which the nation of Israel escaped.
That baby became a man who announced that God had not forgotten these people who had hoped for the messiah for centuries. Throughout Epiphany, the glory of Christ has been made known -- first to Jesus himself, then to his cousin John. God’s Spirit is being...
That baby became a man who announced that God had not forgotten these people who had hoped for the messiah for centuries. Throughout Epiphany, the glory of Christ has been made known -- first to Jesus himself, then to his cousin John. God’s Spirit is being...
Wayne Brouwer
Fred Craddock told of a vacation encounter in the Smoky Mountains of eastern Tennessee that moved him deeply. He and his wife took supper one evening in a place called the Black Bear Inn. One side of the building was all glass, open to a magnificent mountain view. Glad to be alone, the Craddocks were a bit annoyed when an elderly man ambled over and struck up a nosey conversation: “Are you on vacation?” “Where are you from?” “What do you do?”
When he discovered that Fred taught in a seminary, the man suddenly had a preacher story to tell. “I was born back here in these mountains,” he said. “My mother was not married, and her shame fell upon me. The children at school called me horrible names. During recess I would go hide in the weeds until the bell rang,” he told Fred. “At...
When he discovered that Fred taught in a seminary, the man suddenly had a preacher story to tell. “I was born back here in these mountains,” he said. “My mother was not married, and her shame fell upon me. The children at school called me horrible names. During recess I would go hide in the weeds until the bell rang,” he told Fred. “At...
David Kalas
We have an idiom in our day that was born in the church but has worked its way into the broader culture. The idiomatic phrase is “preaching to the choir.” Within the church context, of course, the choir represented the faithful ones, the people who were always there. To preach to the choir, therefore, was to say things to people who didn’t really need to hear it. These are the people who were already convinced, who were already doing and being what they needed to do and to be.
If one of my children is mouthy, it might seem unjust for me to lecture the other ones about the importance of speaking respectfully. If one employee is chronically late, it would seem like a misplaced emphasis for the boss to try to impress on all the rest of the employees the importance of punctuality...
If one of my children is mouthy, it might seem unjust for me to lecture the other ones about the importance of speaking respectfully. If one employee is chronically late, it would seem like a misplaced emphasis for the boss to try to impress on all the rest of the employees the importance of punctuality...
Wayne Brouwer
Schuyler Rhodes
Some years ago Europa Times carried a story in which Mussa Zoabi of Israel claimed to be the oldest person alive at 160. Guinness Book of World Records would not print his name, however, simply because his age could not be verified. Mr. Zoabi was older than most records-keeping systems. Whatever his true age, Mussa Zoabi believed he knew the secret of longevity. He said, "Every day I drink a cup of melted butter or olive oil."
Doesn't that sound like a great diet? Diets are quite the rage. Everybody has a special diet. One says his diet can cure cancer. Another promises to reduce your weight and then to keep those extra pounds off.
Doesn't that sound like a great diet? Diets are quite the rage. Everybody has a special diet. One says his diet can cure cancer. Another promises to reduce your weight and then to keep those extra pounds off.
One of the difficulties that confronts us who drive our vehicles is forgetting to turn off the lights and returning to the car after some hours only to discover a dead battery. I have found that the problem occurs most often when I have been driving during a storm in daytime and had to turn on headlights in order to be seen by other drivers. By the time I get to my destination the rain has often ceased, and the sun is shining brightly. The problem happens, too, when we drive into a brightly lighted parking lot at night.
Two of our three lessons focus our attention on light. They are so obvious about the light that they might raise for us the problem about how to know if our lights are on.
Isaiah 58:1-9a (9b-12)
Two of our three lessons focus our attention on light. They are so obvious about the light that they might raise for us the problem about how to know if our lights are on.
Isaiah 58:1-9a (9b-12)
Lectionary Commentary and Sermon Illustrations
Emphasis Preaching Journal provides in-depth lectionary-based commentary on lectionary texts, plus thousands of sermon illustrations to help you create riveting sermons.For over 45 years, Emphasis has provided subscribers with scripturally sound, lectionary-based commentaries and sermon illustrations that connect with the people in the pews.
For each week, Emphasis writers delve into the heart of the lectionary readings, providing you with several fresh, solid ideas -- based squarely on the lectionary texts -- for creating sermons that speak powerfully to your audience. They look for overall themes that hold the readings together. Then, they zero in on the themes and the specific scripture links, suggesting directions for the sermon and worship service. Since a single idea each week may not provide what you are looking for at that particular time, writers suggest several, giving you the opportunity to select the one that matches your specific needs.
