Ascension of the Lord - A
R. Craig Mccreary
This past summer I was treated to viewing one of those baseball donnybrooks in
which managers and players are freely tossed out of the game. It came on a play that you
would not think should be the cause of such consternation: a home run over the
centerfield wall. It seems things were a bit complicated in this minor league park. In
order for it to be a home run, the ball had to clear a yellow line where the flat level of an
outdoor restaurant met the wall of the ballpark. This was all made a lot more difficult by
the fact that one umpire called it a home run only to have the head umpire call it all back.
It also struck me as interesting that the dispute broke out even though the umpires and
managers met at the beginning to go over the ground rules of the game and of the
grounds...
Mark Ellingsen
All the lessons and the Festival of Ascension testify to the heavenly power and cosmic presence of Christ and what these realities mean for everyday life.
Acts 1:1-11
The First Lesson is drawn from the very beginning of the second half of a two-part history of the church traditionally attributed to Luke, a physician and Gentile associate of Paul (Colossians 4:14; II Timothy 4:11; Philemon 24). We note again that there is some dispute about the date of composition, whether it was composed before Paul’s martyrdom (in 65-67 AD) or much later, after the destruction of the Jerusalem temple in 70 AD. In any case, the author’s stress on the universal mission of the church (1:8) and so an effort to validate Paul’s ministry reflects in this lesson. This...
Acts 1:1-11
The First Lesson is drawn from the very beginning of the second half of a two-part history of the church traditionally attributed to Luke, a physician and Gentile associate of Paul (Colossians 4:14; II Timothy 4:11; Philemon 24). We note again that there is some dispute about the date of composition, whether it was composed before Paul’s martyrdom (in 65-67 AD) or much later, after the destruction of the Jerusalem temple in 70 AD. In any case, the author’s stress on the universal mission of the church (1:8) and so an effort to validate Paul’s ministry reflects in this lesson. This...
Wayne Brouwer
There is something wonderfully paradoxical about the Christian church. Its origin as a unique social phenomenon clearly dates from the Pentecost events described in Acts 2. Yet, at the same time, Jesus’ disciples, who were at the center of the church from its very beginning, would say that this “new” community of faith was simply part of a centuries-old already existing people of God, stretching back all the way to Abraham and his family. The connection between the old and the new is rooted in several theological axioms.
David Coffin
Nobody thought this day would happen. The longtime department supervisor was retiring. This person had been with the organization as long as many people could remember. The organization had gone through many changes. Trends in business had grown more competitive and less friendly. The cyber age had eliminated many jobs and created few job openings. There had been various rounds of turmoil as upper management had numerous periods of "housecleaning." But this supervisor's department had been the "constant" in the universe for many workers' daily lives. Many thought it would be a "cold day in Hades" before this supervisor retired. Others thought that the company would close down first. Neither happened. The supervisor simply needed to go to the next chapter of his/her life. They needed to...
Wayne Brouwer
Schuyler Rhodes
During the 1978 British firefighters strike, the army was enlisted to cover emergency services. Among the many major crises it helped to avert, there were also hundreds of smaller calls, including one from an elderly woman whose cat seemed stuck high in the tree in front of her home.
The burly squad that came in response seemed comically overpowering as the big soldiers maneuvered ladders and ropes to rescue poor kitty. Neighbors gathered to watch the spectacle, and the woman called out encouragement from the front steps. At last, however, the shy and anxiously spitting cat was brought back to earth and restored to its quavering owner.
The woman knew her rules of hospitality and would not allow the men in khakis to depart before she blessed them with a cup of tea...
The burly squad that came in response seemed comically overpowering as the big soldiers maneuvered ladders and ropes to rescue poor kitty. Neighbors gathered to watch the spectacle, and the woman called out encouragement from the front steps. At last, however, the shy and anxiously spitting cat was brought back to earth and restored to its quavering owner.
The woman knew her rules of hospitality and would not allow the men in khakis to depart before she blessed them with a cup of tea...
Compare notes with those who write liturgical materials or background study resources for the church year and ask how they felt about Ascension texts.
Dylan Thomas wrote a poem about love poets who ply their craft but are ignored by lovers. We who write commentary for specific days may ply our craft and know we will be ignored by most preachers. Why? Because in modern, industrialized, calendar-upset cultures, days like Ascension do not get much observed. Some festivals like Easter and, to a lesser extent observed, Pentecost are always on Sunday, so they do not get missed. Others, like Christmas, are so big in the secular world that the Christian church has to keep observing them.
Seventh Sunday of Easter - A
Wayne Brouwer
Now and again, one of my students will come into class and I'll greet her or him, but get
no response. Sometimes I'll even walk up to the student when she sits down, and make
my presence obvious. Then she will look up startled, pull back her hood, and yank the
buds out of her ears or turn down her iPod so that she re-engages the world in which I
exist. When her recorded music was shouted in her ears, she became deaf to this world
and alive to another.
In a sense, that is what each of today's lectionary passages wants to have happen in the Christian's life. Only when we are uniquely and overwhelmingly connected to the music of eternity, and live in the reality of God's glory, can we keep our purpose and identity true (Acts 1), avoid the wiles of the devil (1 Peter 4...
In a sense, that is what each of today's lectionary passages wants to have happen in the Christian's life. Only when we are uniquely and overwhelmingly connected to the music of eternity, and live in the reality of God's glory, can we keep our purpose and identity true (Acts 1), avoid the wiles of the devil (1 Peter 4...
David Coffin
It is early morning as a pastor opens up one of the small churches served in a multi congregational parish. This particular church has a critical mass worship attendance of ten people. Holidays may draw in fifty if the relatives of the members come to visit with their children and grandchildren.
As the pastor turns on the lights, the ceiling fan, flips the altar candles on, there is a huge picture above the traditional white Gothic Norwegian altar of Jesus ascending into heaven into the sky as the disciples all stretch their hands up toward him. The hope is that the ascended Jesus will one day return. For this pastor on this morning, that day will probably not be today.
Since losing the organist to illness, the pastor turns on and programs the music box for the...
As the pastor turns on the lights, the ceiling fan, flips the altar candles on, there is a huge picture above the traditional white Gothic Norwegian altar of Jesus ascending into heaven into the sky as the disciples all stretch their hands up toward him. The hope is that the ascended Jesus will one day return. For this pastor on this morning, that day will probably not be today.
Since losing the organist to illness, the pastor turns on and programs the music box for the...
David Coffin
It is about one year after the big 150th anniversary at First Church. Pastor Amy arrived just in time for the celebration event. It is evening as she arrives early for the church council meeting in R.R. Cucklemeier Hall. She still sees coffee cups, a t-shirt hanging up in the glass display, as well as limited edition dinner plates with a “150th Anniversary of First Church” logo on them. A year ago when she was called to be the pastor, she never promised to bring back the good old days of R.R. Cucklemeier, only that she and the congregation would work and struggle together to discover a new future. However, certain newly elected church leaders who had taken a year off church had these implicit expectations. Pastor Amy was keenly aware that the town’s large manufacturing company had long...
Schuyler Rhodes
Constantine Caesar was advancing his legions through the northern Italian mountains toward Rome. Despite his recent military victories in Europe, this was not some triumphal parade preparing to celebrate in the imperial capital. Indeed, his most recent victory had come against Pompeianus, the chief general defending Maxentius Augustus in Rome. Constantine was embroiled in a brutal civil war against Maxentius, and as he advanced against the heavily fortified city of Rome itself the ultimate outcome was anything but certain. Early one afternoon, Constantine saw a vision of a cross in the sky, accompanied by an inscription that read "Hoc signo victor eris" ("by this sign you will conquer").
The early church historian Eusebius, who was personally acquainted with...
The early church historian Eusebius, who was personally acquainted with...
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.
