Off the cutting room floor
Commentary
The late English theologian, Peter Taylor Forsythe, was, in the earlier decades of this century, a significant voice within the independent churches of England as well as the wider church. He has been referred to as the Karl Barth of Congregationalism. This quotation, which has stayed in my memory, comes from one of his books still worth reading, Positive Preaching And The Modern Mind. In the larger context of these words, he was calling upon the church at large to remember the crucial significance to her mission of the everyday ordinary parish clergy and the need to equip, encourage and sustain them in their task.
The quote came to mind while brooding over today's epistle reading and wondering why verses 9-15 of 2 Timothy 4 were omitted. As the reading stands, the focus is on the star, Paul, and he was indeed a leading light. But Paul was not a soloist and time and again in his letters he acknowledged his debt to the lamps, both those who were his co-workers and the men and women of the rank and file who served the gospel in the little churches he left behind. It was through those little congregations that the gospel was seeping into history.
Some grist for the preacher's mill is in these omitted verses along with verse 19 which the lectionary framers did not cut. Speaking of lists of names, I have never run across Romans 16:1-16 in a lectionary. All those whom Paul mentions in his letters were part of the supporting case. The play could not go on without them and it could not go on today without all the parish ministers and faithful laity on the local scene. In the names that Paul mentions, we have the opportunity to suggest to the folk in the pews models to whom they can relate.
Interestingly enough, going off on this tangent would be compatible to today's Old Testament reading which conveys a vision of the whole community alive to the Spirit of God. This is also Reformation Sunday. Was not Luther's emphasis on the priesthood of the believer a way of calling everyone on stage and recognizing their roles? This little true story indicates that many listened to Luther. The first martyrs in the reformation were two Augustinian monks who were burned at the stake in Brussels. The reformation was brutally suppressed in Belgium. In 1814 when Belgium became an independent nation and an edict of toleration was enacted, three small Protestant congregations surfaced near the city of Chimay. They had covertly existed for three centuries under lay leadership. At any rate, here is an opportune way to move out in a creative and imaginative direction.
If you choose to use the epistle reading as it stands, it can, in liaison with the gospel reading, lead to more traditional themes for this day. On the other hand, the timeless yet ever timely story of the Pharisee and the Publican can do quite well all by itself.
Sermon Seeds In The Lessons
Joel 2:23-32
The previous reading from Joel listed in the lectionary was for Ash Wednesday of this year (Joel 2:23-32). You might check the March/April issue of Emphasis. In this column for that day I shared some of the discomfort I have with the doctrine of retribution as it surfaces in the book. Verses 30-32 in this reading further raise my discomfort level. This sort of talk about a God who piles up corpses frightens me, yet there are some today who apparently feel quite comfortable with this way of thinking.
Listen to these words: "I do believe Christians will be protected in the midst of tribulation. After all, the Israelites were protected when the plagues fell on Egypt. God knows how to make a distinction between his people and those who are not his people. He allowed sorrow and suffering to reign upon the ungodly in Egypt while he caused the children of Israel to prosper." (Robertson, Pat. Answers To 200 Of Life's Most Probing Questions. p. 156) We have to put such theology under scrutiny, for flawed theology can lead to suicidal politics.
Sir George Adam Smith was an esteemed scholar of the prophets of Israel. Commenting on this passage, he made an interesting observation about the way the return of prosperity precedes the outpouring of the spirit. (See his commentary, The Book Of The Twelve Prophets, Volume 2, Chapter 29. "Prosperity and the Spirit.") While the gist of his argument reflects a cultural outlook we might question, it is worth thinking about the way dire poverty and the sheer daily struggle for survival can crush the life of the spirit. When you are denied access to bread, how does that affect your capacity to dream dreams of the good life?
2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-22 [9-15]
Verses 6-8
The descriptive phrase, "poured out as a libation," leaps out at us. What a way to think about one's life! And who would not covet being able to say at life's end, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." Yet there is something a bit troubling about the concluding words, "Henceforth there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness." It sounds as if the crown is something earned. If I recall correctly, in John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress, Mr. Halfhearted finally comes limping into the heavenly city. Somehow these words do not quite sound like Paul, though he did have a healthy ego.
The Omitted Verses, 9-15
Paul names some of his co-workers. Here is an opportunity to focus on those living in the shade of Paul. Check out, for example, the New Testament references to Titus. His symbol, by the way, is two pillars. That suggests strength and solidity. The church must have remembered him that way. What can be said about him? (What will our symbol be?) A. He was a Gentile who had been with Paul since the earliest days of the missionary activity (Galatians 2:1, 3). B. He was a constant source of strength and encouragement to Paul (2 Corinthians 2:13, 7:6, 8:23). C. He could tackle tough jobs and seems to have been a capable organizer and strong administrator (2 Corinthians 8:6; 2 Timothy 4:10; Titus 1:4).
Paul mentions that he had sent Titus to Dalmatia. This is the Roman province of Illyricum that included what is today the nation of Albania. The church took root there. It was the Illyrian legion that invaded and occupied Britain. Constantine, who was a general of that legion and well disposed toward Christians, was born in Illyricum. He was proclaimed emperor by the legion and had much sympathy from Christians in the province and empire who supported him against his rival, Diocletian who had fiercely persecuted the church. This was some years after the mission of Titus, but it seems Paul's companion did a solid job of establishing the church there.
In the epistle to Titus, we also learn that he served in Crete, not the easiest place to establish a church. Read the description of Cretans in the epistle. Other names are mentioned. Demas, who deserted Paul for the bright lights. Tychichus, about whom we have scattered references in the New Testament (Acts 20:4; Ephesians 6:21; Colossians 4:7; Titus 3:12). Mark is mentioned and the rift between him and Paul seems to have been healed. Alexander the coppersmith is mentioned. He did harm to Paul. His descendants are still around. Other names are mentioned in verse 19. Verse 13 is of interest. Paul had left behind his cloak, books, and parchments. There is a sermon here both on the things important to us in our journey and on the things we leave behind. Think on these things.
Luke 18:9-14
The theme of justification surfaces in this parable in a way that is congenial to the teaching of Paul and, of course, to Reformation Sunday. It is easy for us to assume that Jesus directed this story at the Pharisees. Luke, however, makes it quite clear in this section of his gospel that Jesus is addressing the disciples (Luke 17:22, 18:9). He is speaking to the Pharisee in all of us, our human propensity to set ourselves over against others in censorious self-righteousness. The Publican could have also fallen into that trap. He could have justified himself thusly: "I may be what I am, but I am not like that phony hypocrite over there singing his own praises." The parable is a mirror into which we do well to gaze on a regular basis, not only individually but also as a society, for the rhetoric of superior virtue is very much woven into civil discourse in our nation.
There is also a contrast between feelings and reality that emerges in the parable. The Pharisee feels great. He is king of the mountain. The Publican is in agony. Beating the breast is a sign of his inner despair. The wording of his cry in Greek suggests a longing for an atonement. There is a two-pronged word for us in this comparison. We need to remember it when we feel smug and spiritually self-satisfied. We need to hear it also when we feel the awful silence of God when we are down in the pits. Feelings are not an accurate barometer of our condition before God. Jeremiah, whom we encountered in several recent lectionary readings, said it well: "The heart is devious above all else; it is perverse --who can understand it?" (Jeremiah 17:9).
You might want to consider adding Luke 18:15-17 to the reading, for the calling of the children is directly related by Luke to the closing line of the parable. The children, understood in terms of the world around Jesus at that time, had no claim to attention, no track record about which they could boast either before earth or heaven. To receive the kingdom as a child is to become such a little one, to come before God with empty hands. This is the synoptic equivalent of the words of Jesus to Nicodemus in John 3:1-10. Being born anew into the kingdom has nothing to do with being vested with some sort of superior virtue.
The quote came to mind while brooding over today's epistle reading and wondering why verses 9-15 of 2 Timothy 4 were omitted. As the reading stands, the focus is on the star, Paul, and he was indeed a leading light. But Paul was not a soloist and time and again in his letters he acknowledged his debt to the lamps, both those who were his co-workers and the men and women of the rank and file who served the gospel in the little churches he left behind. It was through those little congregations that the gospel was seeping into history.
Some grist for the preacher's mill is in these omitted verses along with verse 19 which the lectionary framers did not cut. Speaking of lists of names, I have never run across Romans 16:1-16 in a lectionary. All those whom Paul mentions in his letters were part of the supporting case. The play could not go on without them and it could not go on today without all the parish ministers and faithful laity on the local scene. In the names that Paul mentions, we have the opportunity to suggest to the folk in the pews models to whom they can relate.
Interestingly enough, going off on this tangent would be compatible to today's Old Testament reading which conveys a vision of the whole community alive to the Spirit of God. This is also Reformation Sunday. Was not Luther's emphasis on the priesthood of the believer a way of calling everyone on stage and recognizing their roles? This little true story indicates that many listened to Luther. The first martyrs in the reformation were two Augustinian monks who were burned at the stake in Brussels. The reformation was brutally suppressed in Belgium. In 1814 when Belgium became an independent nation and an edict of toleration was enacted, three small Protestant congregations surfaced near the city of Chimay. They had covertly existed for three centuries under lay leadership. At any rate, here is an opportune way to move out in a creative and imaginative direction.
If you choose to use the epistle reading as it stands, it can, in liaison with the gospel reading, lead to more traditional themes for this day. On the other hand, the timeless yet ever timely story of the Pharisee and the Publican can do quite well all by itself.
Sermon Seeds In The Lessons
Joel 2:23-32
The previous reading from Joel listed in the lectionary was for Ash Wednesday of this year (Joel 2:23-32). You might check the March/April issue of Emphasis. In this column for that day I shared some of the discomfort I have with the doctrine of retribution as it surfaces in the book. Verses 30-32 in this reading further raise my discomfort level. This sort of talk about a God who piles up corpses frightens me, yet there are some today who apparently feel quite comfortable with this way of thinking.
Listen to these words: "I do believe Christians will be protected in the midst of tribulation. After all, the Israelites were protected when the plagues fell on Egypt. God knows how to make a distinction between his people and those who are not his people. He allowed sorrow and suffering to reign upon the ungodly in Egypt while he caused the children of Israel to prosper." (Robertson, Pat. Answers To 200 Of Life's Most Probing Questions. p. 156) We have to put such theology under scrutiny, for flawed theology can lead to suicidal politics.
Sir George Adam Smith was an esteemed scholar of the prophets of Israel. Commenting on this passage, he made an interesting observation about the way the return of prosperity precedes the outpouring of the spirit. (See his commentary, The Book Of The Twelve Prophets, Volume 2, Chapter 29. "Prosperity and the Spirit.") While the gist of his argument reflects a cultural outlook we might question, it is worth thinking about the way dire poverty and the sheer daily struggle for survival can crush the life of the spirit. When you are denied access to bread, how does that affect your capacity to dream dreams of the good life?
2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-22 [9-15]
Verses 6-8
The descriptive phrase, "poured out as a libation," leaps out at us. What a way to think about one's life! And who would not covet being able to say at life's end, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." Yet there is something a bit troubling about the concluding words, "Henceforth there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness." It sounds as if the crown is something earned. If I recall correctly, in John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress, Mr. Halfhearted finally comes limping into the heavenly city. Somehow these words do not quite sound like Paul, though he did have a healthy ego.
The Omitted Verses, 9-15
Paul names some of his co-workers. Here is an opportunity to focus on those living in the shade of Paul. Check out, for example, the New Testament references to Titus. His symbol, by the way, is two pillars. That suggests strength and solidity. The church must have remembered him that way. What can be said about him? (What will our symbol be?) A. He was a Gentile who had been with Paul since the earliest days of the missionary activity (Galatians 2:1, 3). B. He was a constant source of strength and encouragement to Paul (2 Corinthians 2:13, 7:6, 8:23). C. He could tackle tough jobs and seems to have been a capable organizer and strong administrator (2 Corinthians 8:6; 2 Timothy 4:10; Titus 1:4).
Paul mentions that he had sent Titus to Dalmatia. This is the Roman province of Illyricum that included what is today the nation of Albania. The church took root there. It was the Illyrian legion that invaded and occupied Britain. Constantine, who was a general of that legion and well disposed toward Christians, was born in Illyricum. He was proclaimed emperor by the legion and had much sympathy from Christians in the province and empire who supported him against his rival, Diocletian who had fiercely persecuted the church. This was some years after the mission of Titus, but it seems Paul's companion did a solid job of establishing the church there.
In the epistle to Titus, we also learn that he served in Crete, not the easiest place to establish a church. Read the description of Cretans in the epistle. Other names are mentioned. Demas, who deserted Paul for the bright lights. Tychichus, about whom we have scattered references in the New Testament (Acts 20:4; Ephesians 6:21; Colossians 4:7; Titus 3:12). Mark is mentioned and the rift between him and Paul seems to have been healed. Alexander the coppersmith is mentioned. He did harm to Paul. His descendants are still around. Other names are mentioned in verse 19. Verse 13 is of interest. Paul had left behind his cloak, books, and parchments. There is a sermon here both on the things important to us in our journey and on the things we leave behind. Think on these things.
Luke 18:9-14
The theme of justification surfaces in this parable in a way that is congenial to the teaching of Paul and, of course, to Reformation Sunday. It is easy for us to assume that Jesus directed this story at the Pharisees. Luke, however, makes it quite clear in this section of his gospel that Jesus is addressing the disciples (Luke 17:22, 18:9). He is speaking to the Pharisee in all of us, our human propensity to set ourselves over against others in censorious self-righteousness. The Publican could have also fallen into that trap. He could have justified himself thusly: "I may be what I am, but I am not like that phony hypocrite over there singing his own praises." The parable is a mirror into which we do well to gaze on a regular basis, not only individually but also as a society, for the rhetoric of superior virtue is very much woven into civil discourse in our nation.
There is also a contrast between feelings and reality that emerges in the parable. The Pharisee feels great. He is king of the mountain. The Publican is in agony. Beating the breast is a sign of his inner despair. The wording of his cry in Greek suggests a longing for an atonement. There is a two-pronged word for us in this comparison. We need to remember it when we feel smug and spiritually self-satisfied. We need to hear it also when we feel the awful silence of God when we are down in the pits. Feelings are not an accurate barometer of our condition before God. Jeremiah, whom we encountered in several recent lectionary readings, said it well: "The heart is devious above all else; it is perverse --who can understand it?" (Jeremiah 17:9).
You might want to consider adding Luke 18:15-17 to the reading, for the calling of the children is directly related by Luke to the closing line of the parable. The children, understood in terms of the world around Jesus at that time, had no claim to attention, no track record about which they could boast either before earth or heaven. To receive the kingdom as a child is to become such a little one, to come before God with empty hands. This is the synoptic equivalent of the words of Jesus to Nicodemus in John 3:1-10. Being born anew into the kingdom has nothing to do with being vested with some sort of superior virtue.
