The Call of Duty
Commentary
There are those who chafe at the word duty. It seems so arbitrary, so oppressive, so binding. We would rather talk of freedom. After all, what can a thing mean if it is done only from a sense of duty? Don't things done out of sheer freedom count for more? Aren't such things of greater value? Wouldn't God, and others, be more appreciative of those things we do out of a free heart more than those we do because it is expected of us?
Surely all parents know, and God must know, what joy there is in doing something out of a free and willing heart. But, all parents also know, and so does God, that, willing or not, it is important for each of us to do what is expected of us.
I remember a discussion, held in an Ethics class once, which had to do with the validity of the law since it was better that people act out of a sense of the right. At the end of the discussion, the professor conceded that, while action out of a sense of the right may be wonderful and preferred, law did perform the function of maintaining the peace until people decided to act rightly on their own.
Duty is something like that. Sure, it is better that people are moral, kind, helpful, law-abiding, etc., because they do it out of a sense of freedom and gratitude. But, all of us are not there yet, so, in the meantime, it is important to speak of duty. Those who do a thing out of duty may even chafe about it, but, nevertheless, they do it and, perhaps, will discover its value and seek to do it for the right reason.
One of the problems we have in the church is we are always talking about the ideal and judging things against that ideal. Such is not this world. It is important we begin where people are and move them from that spot onward and upward. Better not to stand high up on the mountain of ideals and shout down at them for their failures.
In Matthew 21 is the story of two brothers and their obedience to their father. One was apparently willing to obey and did not. The other was apparently unwilling and did. The accolade goes to the one who did his duty.
OUTLINE I
An Ancient Altar Call
Amos 5:6-7, 10-15
Introduction:One ought to begin by doing some work on the life and times of Amos and Hosea, his contemporary. These prophets of the mid-eighth century B.C. are the men who added an ethical note to the religion of Israel. Moreover, that ethical note had to do with the life of the individual. Previously, it had been the nation which was called before God or the ruler, who was held responsible. Now the ethical dimension is given new meaning, as the individual is called before God and seen to be a part of the problem.
Times have been good for Israel. All one has to do is read the text to see that affluence, on the part of some, is the order of the day. But poverty is the plight of others. The middle class, the backbone of the society is gone. Amos is convinced that, when the test comes, they will not be able to survive. An outsider, he can see the problem better than most. His call remains relevant because the situation is often the same.
A. The Accusation: Justice is under assault -- the poor are abused, bribery is the order of the day, and those who live in high style couldn't care less for others less fortunate. You can check the rest of the writing for an extended list of the charges. What is so chilling are the words in verse 12 of today's selection. For I Know ... Such words ought to strike terror in the hearts of the hearers. God Knows. God sees. God comes to take the part of those who are exploited and misused. Turn to Luke 1:46ff and read the Magnificat again. There you will find the prophetic message spelled out in hymnic form. God is a God who takes the part of those who cannot take their own part. That word ought to be sobering for those in our world who walk on others. Alas, they seem not to hear, or to imagine it is not true.
B. The Choice: God's anger is not capricious and without grace. The people have a choice. They can continue to live as they are living and suffer the consequences, or they can change their wrap and the consequences can be changed. Of course, here we have a clear example of how judgment works. The picture seems to say that God is looking down from heaven, and makes a decision to unleash his wrath on those who misbehave and will not change. The picture is okay, but the truth is this is the way life is. It is the way God made life. Therefore, the judgment is his doing, of course. Since he made things to work this way, then it is his will when the consequences come.
Conclusion: Turn wherever you choose in the Bible, and you will find that the God we worship is the God of the second chance. Always there is time to turn, time to change, time to return to doing his will. Then, it may be, that grace will be the outcome. At least, there is hope in the prophetic word.
OUTLINE II
Responsibility for One Another
Luke 17:1-10
Introduction: One of the problems with lectionary lessons is they are often chosen out of context and lead us in directions away from general themes in the literature. This time, however, it seems we are dealing with a grab bag of sayings of Jesus, as they are gathered together by Luke, and each little paragraph seems to stand by itself. Wonderful for the preacher who speaks on isolated texts. Terrible for those who seek a broader context. So, let it stand alone and listen to what it says about our responsibility to one another.
A. The Bad Example: We can mislead others. We can cause others to sin. What a terrible thing that is. To be a sinner is bad enough. To cause others to sin is seen as worse. Did you ever notice that those who do things they ought not are always recommending it to others? It makes them feel better about it if others join in. Perhaps, that is the worst part -- doing what we know is bad and trying to find a way to make it look good. Somewhere there is a word which calls that blasphemy.
B. The Good Gift: If we see others on the wrong track, it is our duty to seek to redirect them if we can. We can lead them to repentance. The assumption here is that the sin was against us. Isn't that interesting? We are not directed to drive them to God for forgiveness. We are directed to give the gift of forgiveness ourselves. And, we are reminded that we are not to stop giving it.
C. The Right Attitude: There is a sense in which, when some of us have done all the right things, we are ready to swell up with pride. Here is a warning that, when we have acted rightly, we have only done our duty. Then, why should we expect to receive a pat on the head for doing what we ought?
Conclusion: So, be good examples, give good gifts, and then forget it. That is the message we ought to be sharing with all those who come to church each Sunday looking for some affirmation, some holy strokes, some special word of commendation. Refer back to the theme article for more.
OUTLINE III
Fighting Off Reluctance
2 Timothy 1:1-14
Introduction: You can spend as much time as you wish on the argument as to who is the author of the Timothy correspondence. A good case can be made for Paul as the author. Check out Barclay's commentary for this. On the other hand, there are those terrible problems of church organization. Surely, these offices did not exist as early as Paul. In my opinion, the argument isn't worth your time; I would avoid it and just talk about the writer or author and let it go at that. What is written here does not require the historical context for understanding, anyway. What interests me is that twice in this selection the writer mentions the topic of shame. Timothy is not to be ashamed of his testimony and the writer is not ashamed. Surely, there must have been some context that made such an observation necessary.
A. The Snobs: Whether you consider Paul's day or the mid-second century A.D. you can bet that religious and intellectual snobbery was always on the agenda. Whether it was the philosophers spinning their speculations, or the gnostics with their myths and legends, or the pushers of the mysteries looking-down-their-noses at others. You can go on and on with it until our day. There are always those who, for one reason or another, have decided they have the last word, the final revelation, and those of us who do not agree with them are down the ladder a bit. They try to put us down, to shame us.
B. The Unashamed: The word is clear. Don't let them do that to you. You know who you are and what you have received. Don't hang your head or make apologies. Speak up and have your say. It is a word of advice we need in every age. Those who know the things written here have heard the voice of certainty and do not need to be backward about what they have to say.
Conclusion: End by offering a word of support and strengthening to those in your congregation who worry about such things. Remind them, as does the writer here, that they carry a great responsibility. They are those called, like Timothy, to guard the truth. That is nothing to be ashamed of.
Surely all parents know, and God must know, what joy there is in doing something out of a free and willing heart. But, all parents also know, and so does God, that, willing or not, it is important for each of us to do what is expected of us.
I remember a discussion, held in an Ethics class once, which had to do with the validity of the law since it was better that people act out of a sense of the right. At the end of the discussion, the professor conceded that, while action out of a sense of the right may be wonderful and preferred, law did perform the function of maintaining the peace until people decided to act rightly on their own.
Duty is something like that. Sure, it is better that people are moral, kind, helpful, law-abiding, etc., because they do it out of a sense of freedom and gratitude. But, all of us are not there yet, so, in the meantime, it is important to speak of duty. Those who do a thing out of duty may even chafe about it, but, nevertheless, they do it and, perhaps, will discover its value and seek to do it for the right reason.
One of the problems we have in the church is we are always talking about the ideal and judging things against that ideal. Such is not this world. It is important we begin where people are and move them from that spot onward and upward. Better not to stand high up on the mountain of ideals and shout down at them for their failures.
In Matthew 21 is the story of two brothers and their obedience to their father. One was apparently willing to obey and did not. The other was apparently unwilling and did. The accolade goes to the one who did his duty.
OUTLINE I
An Ancient Altar Call
Amos 5:6-7, 10-15
Introduction:One ought to begin by doing some work on the life and times of Amos and Hosea, his contemporary. These prophets of the mid-eighth century B.C. are the men who added an ethical note to the religion of Israel. Moreover, that ethical note had to do with the life of the individual. Previously, it had been the nation which was called before God or the ruler, who was held responsible. Now the ethical dimension is given new meaning, as the individual is called before God and seen to be a part of the problem.
Times have been good for Israel. All one has to do is read the text to see that affluence, on the part of some, is the order of the day. But poverty is the plight of others. The middle class, the backbone of the society is gone. Amos is convinced that, when the test comes, they will not be able to survive. An outsider, he can see the problem better than most. His call remains relevant because the situation is often the same.
A. The Accusation: Justice is under assault -- the poor are abused, bribery is the order of the day, and those who live in high style couldn't care less for others less fortunate. You can check the rest of the writing for an extended list of the charges. What is so chilling are the words in verse 12 of today's selection. For I Know ... Such words ought to strike terror in the hearts of the hearers. God Knows. God sees. God comes to take the part of those who are exploited and misused. Turn to Luke 1:46ff and read the Magnificat again. There you will find the prophetic message spelled out in hymnic form. God is a God who takes the part of those who cannot take their own part. That word ought to be sobering for those in our world who walk on others. Alas, they seem not to hear, or to imagine it is not true.
B. The Choice: God's anger is not capricious and without grace. The people have a choice. They can continue to live as they are living and suffer the consequences, or they can change their wrap and the consequences can be changed. Of course, here we have a clear example of how judgment works. The picture seems to say that God is looking down from heaven, and makes a decision to unleash his wrath on those who misbehave and will not change. The picture is okay, but the truth is this is the way life is. It is the way God made life. Therefore, the judgment is his doing, of course. Since he made things to work this way, then it is his will when the consequences come.
Conclusion: Turn wherever you choose in the Bible, and you will find that the God we worship is the God of the second chance. Always there is time to turn, time to change, time to return to doing his will. Then, it may be, that grace will be the outcome. At least, there is hope in the prophetic word.
OUTLINE II
Responsibility for One Another
Luke 17:1-10
Introduction: One of the problems with lectionary lessons is they are often chosen out of context and lead us in directions away from general themes in the literature. This time, however, it seems we are dealing with a grab bag of sayings of Jesus, as they are gathered together by Luke, and each little paragraph seems to stand by itself. Wonderful for the preacher who speaks on isolated texts. Terrible for those who seek a broader context. So, let it stand alone and listen to what it says about our responsibility to one another.
A. The Bad Example: We can mislead others. We can cause others to sin. What a terrible thing that is. To be a sinner is bad enough. To cause others to sin is seen as worse. Did you ever notice that those who do things they ought not are always recommending it to others? It makes them feel better about it if others join in. Perhaps, that is the worst part -- doing what we know is bad and trying to find a way to make it look good. Somewhere there is a word which calls that blasphemy.
B. The Good Gift: If we see others on the wrong track, it is our duty to seek to redirect them if we can. We can lead them to repentance. The assumption here is that the sin was against us. Isn't that interesting? We are not directed to drive them to God for forgiveness. We are directed to give the gift of forgiveness ourselves. And, we are reminded that we are not to stop giving it.
C. The Right Attitude: There is a sense in which, when some of us have done all the right things, we are ready to swell up with pride. Here is a warning that, when we have acted rightly, we have only done our duty. Then, why should we expect to receive a pat on the head for doing what we ought?
Conclusion: So, be good examples, give good gifts, and then forget it. That is the message we ought to be sharing with all those who come to church each Sunday looking for some affirmation, some holy strokes, some special word of commendation. Refer back to the theme article for more.
OUTLINE III
Fighting Off Reluctance
2 Timothy 1:1-14
Introduction: You can spend as much time as you wish on the argument as to who is the author of the Timothy correspondence. A good case can be made for Paul as the author. Check out Barclay's commentary for this. On the other hand, there are those terrible problems of church organization. Surely, these offices did not exist as early as Paul. In my opinion, the argument isn't worth your time; I would avoid it and just talk about the writer or author and let it go at that. What is written here does not require the historical context for understanding, anyway. What interests me is that twice in this selection the writer mentions the topic of shame. Timothy is not to be ashamed of his testimony and the writer is not ashamed. Surely, there must have been some context that made such an observation necessary.
A. The Snobs: Whether you consider Paul's day or the mid-second century A.D. you can bet that religious and intellectual snobbery was always on the agenda. Whether it was the philosophers spinning their speculations, or the gnostics with their myths and legends, or the pushers of the mysteries looking-down-their-noses at others. You can go on and on with it until our day. There are always those who, for one reason or another, have decided they have the last word, the final revelation, and those of us who do not agree with them are down the ladder a bit. They try to put us down, to shame us.
B. The Unashamed: The word is clear. Don't let them do that to you. You know who you are and what you have received. Don't hang your head or make apologies. Speak up and have your say. It is a word of advice we need in every age. Those who know the things written here have heard the voice of certainty and do not need to be backward about what they have to say.
Conclusion: End by offering a word of support and strengthening to those in your congregation who worry about such things. Remind them, as does the writer here, that they carry a great responsibility. They are those called, like Timothy, to guard the truth. That is nothing to be ashamed of.
