The grand national preach-off
Commentary
Object:
Nowadays it is hard for any television viewer to avoid the reality show genre where "real
people" are forced into a variety of contests against each other in order to win the grand
prize. I think it would be interesting to add this approach to a group of preachers to see
what would happen. Who would be kicked off the island first? Who would be cut from
the team? Who does not come back to compete next week? Cutthroat competition among
preachers, temptations for clergy to cheat, the heartbreak of defeat as we find out who is
the biggest loser: I think there just might be an audience for this. Certainly it seems no
wackier than some of the reality shows that have made it onto the broadcast
schedules.
Of course, you are outraged at the idea. It seems no more appropriate than having a show called "The World's Greatest Surgeon." Just how would they determine that? By the surgeon's speed, the number of patients the surgeon has, or the smallest incisions? The idea is absurd and definitely in poor taste.
While I never cease to be surprised at what does get on television there is something that tells me that this just might make it. There is a sense in which I do find myself egged on by the challenge of dealing with certain difficult texts. Part of me finds myself wondering if I am up to the challenge of finding the good news in a variety of biblical texts that are on the face of it outside my theological parameters. I find the hot breath of a congregation that will not accept the old theological answers breathing down my back. I do feel myself going under as I face certain texts. I would have no trouble naming my clerical reality show "Survivor."
I look at the texts that are assigned to this Sunday and I feel the hair on the back of my neck beginning to stand on end. In the category of "Texts That Should Never Be Preached On Children's Sunday" we have the story of Abraham and the sacrifice of his only son, Isaac. Tune in as a child in tears waylays the pastor in the hall with the question of what kind of God would pull a stunt like that. Actually, this could make for great television as we wait for the pastor's response after the commercial break. Furthermore, what does the story mean when it says Abraham's only child? Isn't there another family with a son? Watch as some child points this out to the pastor and as the child says it is the same in his family -- daddy likes his new family better. This story is filled with the kind of potential pitfalls that could get any pastor kicked off the island.
The Romans text comes in the category of "Texts That Are Most Likely To Lead You Down A Politically Incorrect Road." In an age that has been devoted to liberating people from all kinds of entrapments, we have Paul speaking of religion as slavery to righteousness. His words evoke images of mindless religion unable to objectively interact with reality. Certainly, the image will have limited appeal in many parts of the world. Don't we want the end to all forms of slavery and liberations for all? Watch as the preacher steps lightly through this potential minefield.
The gospel text has to fall in the category of "Texts That Most Congregations Are Likely to Be Unfamiliar With." It seems that the preacher may be on the conveyor belt of death as they seek to convey the context of this text. It seems to lay down a heavy weight and high expectations for the disciples. "Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me." Are we to be on our best behavior in order that others may know God? Is their knowing God contingent on our behavior? If this is what is being said it certainly feels heavy, as we all know how far we fall from perfection. Paul himself wrote to the Romans that all have fallen short of the glory of God. The church seems to be in need of assistance more than it is capable of being of assistance to a thirsty world. Rather than inspiring others to give a cup of cold water in its name the church often seems to be drowning. Most congregations will find themselves giving a double take on this text.
While these texts may not be the most likely to warm hearts and are filled with danger, the second letter to Timothy notes "All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:16- 17).
Genesis 22:1-14
We are outraged at the premise of this story. We would never be in the position of sacrificing a beloved child to a bloodthirsty god. We seethe with rage as Abraham places his child and his future in the hands of God. The observant reader will be equally offended at the notion that Isaac is the only son whom Abraham loved. We are appalled at the reality that Sarah is nowhere to be seen or heard in all of this. One wonders if Abraham would have been so ready to take this journey if he had consulted with the boy's mother.
We want to take out hammer and chisel and sandpaper and smooth this story down somehow so that it will go down more easily in our understanding. However, try as we might, the story just will not conform to our sense of outrage. Perhaps the way to go here is not to lessen the tension but increase it further if that is possible. I am reminded that Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier only when he decided to push forward through the vibrations that precede the breaking of the sound barrier.
The story is based on the notion that God decided to test Abraham. "After these things, God tested Abraham." He said to him, "Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am." We are to find out something about Abraham after he is put through the rigors of all this. Yet, we already know something about Abraham from the previous chapter. In the fulfillment of God's plan he is quite ready to cast aside Hagar and Ishmael. Are there no lengths to which Abraham will go? It all seems to be in the context of a domestic dispute that developed to no one's surprise between Abraham and Sarah regarding the other women and the other family. Their God takes care of things by reassuring all that Ishmael will also become a great nation.
So Abraham rose early in the morning, and took bread and a skin of water, and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, along with the child, and sent her away. And she departed, and wandered about in the wilderness of Beer-sheba. When the water in the skin was gone, she cast the child under one of the bushes. Then she went and sat down opposite him a good way off, about the distance of a bowshot; for she said, "Do not let me look on the death of the child." And as she sat opposite him, she lifted up her voice and wept. And God heard the voice of the boy; and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven, and said to her, "What troubles you, Hagar? Do not be afraid; for God has heard the voice of the boy where he is. Come, lift up the boy and hold him fast with your hand, for I will make a great nation of him."
-- Genesis 21:14-18
God intervenes to save Ishmael and his mother in the midst of confusion and hurt feelings. We already know something of God's saving propensities.
What remains is the certain context in which God directly demands a life. In this context we find God is the one who is doing the learning. "He said, 'Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.' " Not just confusion of the moment or personal wounds but there is something about Abraham and perhaps us all that is ready to sacrifice children to our various plans, philosophies, and insecurities. The average age of soldiers worldwide has been reported to be fourteen, the average American child spends upward of ten hours a day watching television and being turned from being a child into a consumer. Child labor remains a key part of many economies. Too many religious institutions have been slow to respond to cases of child abuse in their midst because they sought to protect the name of the institution.
Here we find God learning that God must be explicit, no child sacrifice in the name of God or any lesser gods, for humans have a way of being all too ready to sacrifice the weakest and most vulnerable among them. We may seethe at this story but God has learned God's lesson here.
Romans 6:12-23
We are not overly fond of being characterized as slaves of anything, let alone slaves of sin. We do rather imagine that we are smart enough, likable enough, and well-intended enough that we will avoid the worst consequences of the reality of sin. Yet, the letter to the Hebrews picks up the theme that sin is something that can gain the upper hand in our lives, "Let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us ..." (Hebrews 12:1). Sin is experienced not merely as temptation that we yield to when choices are clear but also something that easily gains control over our lives.
I once heard a speech given by a well-respected individual to an audience of predominately black women that was filled with sexist references as well as the negative use of the term "black." Sin was clinging closely not because he had willed it but because he had simply not followed Paul's advice, "No longer present your members to sin as instruments of wickedness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and present your members to God as instruments of righteousness." Those who have been brought from death to life in Christ have an obligation to present themselves to God as instruments of righteousness. We have been brought from death in order to bring life to others and should pursue what it takes to be instruments of such a God. In this case, it would require knowing the context of those to whom he was speaking and what his choice of words might mean.
We have two choices -- we shall either be driven by sin or by obedience to God. This does not go down well with a people who like to think that they do the driving and that they can steer a course that will get them where they need to be. I think of the tragedy of many of our presidents who could not present themselves as those who have been brought from death to life. Rather, they found themselves in cover ups and denial that deeply wounded their presidencies. Do not let sin have dominance over you. Certainly, sin gets the upper hand when we are too isolated and alone. "I am speaking in human terms because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to greater and greater iniquity, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness for sanctification."
Many of us are suspicious of Paul's language when he sets the choice before us that we become slaves of either sin or of obedience that leads to righteousness. The choices seem rather limited but they harken back to the choices presented in the Hebrew testament, "Now if you are unwilling to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served in the region beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord" (Joshua 24:15). The choice is not final but always available to us. It is neither inescapable nor without consequence.
The consequence is clear for Paul, "But now that you have been freed from sin and enslaved to God, the advantage you get is sanctification. The end is eternal life" (Romans 6:22). No doubt, many of us read sanctification and fear sanctimoniousness. Certainly, there are those whose understanding of sanctity is the privilege of being part of an elite group whose primary task is to define who is in and who is out. On the other hand, holiness that leads to being instruments of God helps us understand that we are all together in the business of living and have something to offer each other on the journey.
The winning preacher in this category is the one that can help the listener recognize in Paul's words the choices set before us all. The winning preacher helps us see the consequences of how we understand the choice that we make as a result of being chosen.
Matthew 10:40-42
The text asks us to look at ourselves as followers of Christ in a different light than we normally do. It is a good reminder of what basis the reception churches and clergy have into the lives of those who do come. If we are welcomed into the lives of people it is because they see, by who we are and what we do, an opportunity to welcome into their life a depth of meaning and possibility that is larger than any of us or all of us put together. This may put mainline churches that suffer from an epidemic of biblical illiteracy at a distinct disadvantage. It puts at a disadvantage those who were raised in the context where it was assumed that everyone knew enough about Jesus to have a significant relationship with him.
It is increasingly evident that those who go out of their way to welcome the church into their lives are not doing so because they need a way to raise their children, nor are they are looking for ammunition to fight the culture wars. They do not want a committee assignment, another demand to be self-sacrificing when they are not sure what self- fulfillment is, nor do they want to have more business contacts. It isn't that they have nothing else to do on a Sunday morning, are fulfilling their families' expectations, nor are they acting out of denominational loyalty.
This places a heavy weight on those in the church remembering just who they are: as Paul has it, "So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God" (2 Corinthians 5:20). We are, then, to be more than another business contact, a fellow warrior in the culture wars, a fellow committee member, or another harbinger of the latest version of how to raise your children, run the country, or improve your love life. These may not be the things that people, by and large, are welcoming into their lives when they welcome church into their lives.
I suspect that whoever welcomes us into their lives is seeking to know if there is a center of the universe that centers on them and helps them walk in newness of life. Jesus' words do not imply that we are the only hands God has, but it certainly does affirm that we have access to people's lives that should remind us who we represent. Matthew seems to lift up two offices that the followers of Jesus hold. We can be welcomed as either prophet or the righteous. My sense is that we are very shaky as to either. Depending on your reading of verse 42 of the text, whether you see the "little ones" as the disciples set the bar fairly high. If all that is offered is a cup of water to one of Jesus' followers because they are a follower of Jesus, those who make the offer shall receive a reward.
I suspect that we are often offered hospitality more out of politeness than because we are a follower of Jesus. In this context, the prized preacher is the one that gets his listeners to follow Jesus so that they will be welcomed and offered some serious hospitality.
Application
Each of these texts offers quite a challenge to the preacher. It is perhaps wise to admit to a congregation that seminary has not supplied all the answers but gets one started on a lifelong struggle with scripture in ways that strengthen those that pursue the journey. Secondly, if the reader's objective is to have an easy tension-free read then they may have missed the mark. "Being strong in the Lord" has to do with maintaining and holding on to both poles of the tension as we work out our salvation in "fear and trembling." Scripture will challenge our cultural sense of God that does have a way of creeping into our lives, and confront us with what it means to be a follower of Jesus. Finally, these texts ask of the preacher to revisit old language and concepts such as obedience, sin, and sacrifice. My hunch is that if we have not revisited them in a while we may not be in good training for the grand national preach-off.
I sense that when I leave any of these elements out, my preaching is ineffective and weak and I cannot make up the difference by overemphasizing one at the expense of the other.
Alternative Application
Genesis 22:1-14. In pursuit of getting God, Abraham, and the preacher off the hook, some understandings of this passage focus on the fact that there are two voices for God in this passage. One is the direct communication; the other is the angel of the Lord found in verse 11. In this understanding, Abraham has not heard the true voice of God until verse 11.
It is listening to the false voices claiming to be the true voice of God that kills our children and that kills the voice of the child within us. Children are sacrificed when the voice of unfettered capitalism is given a free reign -- whether it is the child in an Asian sweatshop or the child who sees himself or herself as a consumer by the age of three.
In this understanding the task is to sift through the various voices that we hear and wait to hear the true voice of God. In this case, it is not God who learns but Abraham and the rest of us.
Preaching The Psalm
Psalm 13
Certainty is rarely to be trusted. When it comes to human community, to politics, to cooking, and yes, to religion, certainty is best kept at a distance. A healthy respect for ambiguity is often helpful in these and other areas of life.
In human community it's best to lean into flexibility, making allowances, offering forgiveness, and creating space for people to grow and change.
In politics, certainty is often the enemy of truth and justice. A mind made up and unchangeable is not the mind of a good leader. It is, rather, the closed and concretized nature of an ideologue. Situations and people change. Leaders should reflect that.
In cooking, improvisation breeds invention, and invention results in wonderful gourmet delights. Recipes were not meant to be followed like some map to a destination. No, recipes were meant to be accompanied by loving creativity and experimentation. How else would the hundreds if not thousands of new cookbooks published each year be possible?
And religion? Certainty in this arena can be lethal, especially if that certainty is foisted off on others. It's all right to be certain about one's own beliefs and faith. It's all right, as this psalm clearly illustrates, to place your complete trust in the God of Israel. But if we are unable to allow for that same certainty in others who may see the holy in a different light, trouble is likely to emerge.
Personally, this writer likes certainty. It makes things easy. The clarity it gives provides purpose and direction. This is all good and wonderful. Yet it can go horribly wrong if that clarity and purpose drives over the clarity and purpose of someone else, knocking it flat in the process.
So let us sing with this psalmist! Let us join in our shared trust in God's steadfast love. And as we do this, let us leave room for grace, for flexibility, and for just a little ambiguity in our lives and in our faith.
Of course, you are outraged at the idea. It seems no more appropriate than having a show called "The World's Greatest Surgeon." Just how would they determine that? By the surgeon's speed, the number of patients the surgeon has, or the smallest incisions? The idea is absurd and definitely in poor taste.
While I never cease to be surprised at what does get on television there is something that tells me that this just might make it. There is a sense in which I do find myself egged on by the challenge of dealing with certain difficult texts. Part of me finds myself wondering if I am up to the challenge of finding the good news in a variety of biblical texts that are on the face of it outside my theological parameters. I find the hot breath of a congregation that will not accept the old theological answers breathing down my back. I do feel myself going under as I face certain texts. I would have no trouble naming my clerical reality show "Survivor."
I look at the texts that are assigned to this Sunday and I feel the hair on the back of my neck beginning to stand on end. In the category of "Texts That Should Never Be Preached On Children's Sunday" we have the story of Abraham and the sacrifice of his only son, Isaac. Tune in as a child in tears waylays the pastor in the hall with the question of what kind of God would pull a stunt like that. Actually, this could make for great television as we wait for the pastor's response after the commercial break. Furthermore, what does the story mean when it says Abraham's only child? Isn't there another family with a son? Watch as some child points this out to the pastor and as the child says it is the same in his family -- daddy likes his new family better. This story is filled with the kind of potential pitfalls that could get any pastor kicked off the island.
The Romans text comes in the category of "Texts That Are Most Likely To Lead You Down A Politically Incorrect Road." In an age that has been devoted to liberating people from all kinds of entrapments, we have Paul speaking of religion as slavery to righteousness. His words evoke images of mindless religion unable to objectively interact with reality. Certainly, the image will have limited appeal in many parts of the world. Don't we want the end to all forms of slavery and liberations for all? Watch as the preacher steps lightly through this potential minefield.
The gospel text has to fall in the category of "Texts That Most Congregations Are Likely to Be Unfamiliar With." It seems that the preacher may be on the conveyor belt of death as they seek to convey the context of this text. It seems to lay down a heavy weight and high expectations for the disciples. "Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me." Are we to be on our best behavior in order that others may know God? Is their knowing God contingent on our behavior? If this is what is being said it certainly feels heavy, as we all know how far we fall from perfection. Paul himself wrote to the Romans that all have fallen short of the glory of God. The church seems to be in need of assistance more than it is capable of being of assistance to a thirsty world. Rather than inspiring others to give a cup of cold water in its name the church often seems to be drowning. Most congregations will find themselves giving a double take on this text.
While these texts may not be the most likely to warm hearts and are filled with danger, the second letter to Timothy notes "All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:16- 17).
Genesis 22:1-14
We are outraged at the premise of this story. We would never be in the position of sacrificing a beloved child to a bloodthirsty god. We seethe with rage as Abraham places his child and his future in the hands of God. The observant reader will be equally offended at the notion that Isaac is the only son whom Abraham loved. We are appalled at the reality that Sarah is nowhere to be seen or heard in all of this. One wonders if Abraham would have been so ready to take this journey if he had consulted with the boy's mother.
We want to take out hammer and chisel and sandpaper and smooth this story down somehow so that it will go down more easily in our understanding. However, try as we might, the story just will not conform to our sense of outrage. Perhaps the way to go here is not to lessen the tension but increase it further if that is possible. I am reminded that Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier only when he decided to push forward through the vibrations that precede the breaking of the sound barrier.
The story is based on the notion that God decided to test Abraham. "After these things, God tested Abraham." He said to him, "Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am." We are to find out something about Abraham after he is put through the rigors of all this. Yet, we already know something about Abraham from the previous chapter. In the fulfillment of God's plan he is quite ready to cast aside Hagar and Ishmael. Are there no lengths to which Abraham will go? It all seems to be in the context of a domestic dispute that developed to no one's surprise between Abraham and Sarah regarding the other women and the other family. Their God takes care of things by reassuring all that Ishmael will also become a great nation.
So Abraham rose early in the morning, and took bread and a skin of water, and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, along with the child, and sent her away. And she departed, and wandered about in the wilderness of Beer-sheba. When the water in the skin was gone, she cast the child under one of the bushes. Then she went and sat down opposite him a good way off, about the distance of a bowshot; for she said, "Do not let me look on the death of the child." And as she sat opposite him, she lifted up her voice and wept. And God heard the voice of the boy; and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven, and said to her, "What troubles you, Hagar? Do not be afraid; for God has heard the voice of the boy where he is. Come, lift up the boy and hold him fast with your hand, for I will make a great nation of him."
-- Genesis 21:14-18
God intervenes to save Ishmael and his mother in the midst of confusion and hurt feelings. We already know something of God's saving propensities.
What remains is the certain context in which God directly demands a life. In this context we find God is the one who is doing the learning. "He said, 'Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.' " Not just confusion of the moment or personal wounds but there is something about Abraham and perhaps us all that is ready to sacrifice children to our various plans, philosophies, and insecurities. The average age of soldiers worldwide has been reported to be fourteen, the average American child spends upward of ten hours a day watching television and being turned from being a child into a consumer. Child labor remains a key part of many economies. Too many religious institutions have been slow to respond to cases of child abuse in their midst because they sought to protect the name of the institution.
Here we find God learning that God must be explicit, no child sacrifice in the name of God or any lesser gods, for humans have a way of being all too ready to sacrifice the weakest and most vulnerable among them. We may seethe at this story but God has learned God's lesson here.
Romans 6:12-23
We are not overly fond of being characterized as slaves of anything, let alone slaves of sin. We do rather imagine that we are smart enough, likable enough, and well-intended enough that we will avoid the worst consequences of the reality of sin. Yet, the letter to the Hebrews picks up the theme that sin is something that can gain the upper hand in our lives, "Let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us ..." (Hebrews 12:1). Sin is experienced not merely as temptation that we yield to when choices are clear but also something that easily gains control over our lives.
I once heard a speech given by a well-respected individual to an audience of predominately black women that was filled with sexist references as well as the negative use of the term "black." Sin was clinging closely not because he had willed it but because he had simply not followed Paul's advice, "No longer present your members to sin as instruments of wickedness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and present your members to God as instruments of righteousness." Those who have been brought from death to life in Christ have an obligation to present themselves to God as instruments of righteousness. We have been brought from death in order to bring life to others and should pursue what it takes to be instruments of such a God. In this case, it would require knowing the context of those to whom he was speaking and what his choice of words might mean.
We have two choices -- we shall either be driven by sin or by obedience to God. This does not go down well with a people who like to think that they do the driving and that they can steer a course that will get them where they need to be. I think of the tragedy of many of our presidents who could not present themselves as those who have been brought from death to life. Rather, they found themselves in cover ups and denial that deeply wounded their presidencies. Do not let sin have dominance over you. Certainly, sin gets the upper hand when we are too isolated and alone. "I am speaking in human terms because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to greater and greater iniquity, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness for sanctification."
Many of us are suspicious of Paul's language when he sets the choice before us that we become slaves of either sin or of obedience that leads to righteousness. The choices seem rather limited but they harken back to the choices presented in the Hebrew testament, "Now if you are unwilling to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served in the region beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord" (Joshua 24:15). The choice is not final but always available to us. It is neither inescapable nor without consequence.
The consequence is clear for Paul, "But now that you have been freed from sin and enslaved to God, the advantage you get is sanctification. The end is eternal life" (Romans 6:22). No doubt, many of us read sanctification and fear sanctimoniousness. Certainly, there are those whose understanding of sanctity is the privilege of being part of an elite group whose primary task is to define who is in and who is out. On the other hand, holiness that leads to being instruments of God helps us understand that we are all together in the business of living and have something to offer each other on the journey.
The winning preacher in this category is the one that can help the listener recognize in Paul's words the choices set before us all. The winning preacher helps us see the consequences of how we understand the choice that we make as a result of being chosen.
Matthew 10:40-42
The text asks us to look at ourselves as followers of Christ in a different light than we normally do. It is a good reminder of what basis the reception churches and clergy have into the lives of those who do come. If we are welcomed into the lives of people it is because they see, by who we are and what we do, an opportunity to welcome into their life a depth of meaning and possibility that is larger than any of us or all of us put together. This may put mainline churches that suffer from an epidemic of biblical illiteracy at a distinct disadvantage. It puts at a disadvantage those who were raised in the context where it was assumed that everyone knew enough about Jesus to have a significant relationship with him.
It is increasingly evident that those who go out of their way to welcome the church into their lives are not doing so because they need a way to raise their children, nor are they are looking for ammunition to fight the culture wars. They do not want a committee assignment, another demand to be self-sacrificing when they are not sure what self- fulfillment is, nor do they want to have more business contacts. It isn't that they have nothing else to do on a Sunday morning, are fulfilling their families' expectations, nor are they acting out of denominational loyalty.
This places a heavy weight on those in the church remembering just who they are: as Paul has it, "So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God" (2 Corinthians 5:20). We are, then, to be more than another business contact, a fellow warrior in the culture wars, a fellow committee member, or another harbinger of the latest version of how to raise your children, run the country, or improve your love life. These may not be the things that people, by and large, are welcoming into their lives when they welcome church into their lives.
I suspect that whoever welcomes us into their lives is seeking to know if there is a center of the universe that centers on them and helps them walk in newness of life. Jesus' words do not imply that we are the only hands God has, but it certainly does affirm that we have access to people's lives that should remind us who we represent. Matthew seems to lift up two offices that the followers of Jesus hold. We can be welcomed as either prophet or the righteous. My sense is that we are very shaky as to either. Depending on your reading of verse 42 of the text, whether you see the "little ones" as the disciples set the bar fairly high. If all that is offered is a cup of water to one of Jesus' followers because they are a follower of Jesus, those who make the offer shall receive a reward.
I suspect that we are often offered hospitality more out of politeness than because we are a follower of Jesus. In this context, the prized preacher is the one that gets his listeners to follow Jesus so that they will be welcomed and offered some serious hospitality.
Application
Each of these texts offers quite a challenge to the preacher. It is perhaps wise to admit to a congregation that seminary has not supplied all the answers but gets one started on a lifelong struggle with scripture in ways that strengthen those that pursue the journey. Secondly, if the reader's objective is to have an easy tension-free read then they may have missed the mark. "Being strong in the Lord" has to do with maintaining and holding on to both poles of the tension as we work out our salvation in "fear and trembling." Scripture will challenge our cultural sense of God that does have a way of creeping into our lives, and confront us with what it means to be a follower of Jesus. Finally, these texts ask of the preacher to revisit old language and concepts such as obedience, sin, and sacrifice. My hunch is that if we have not revisited them in a while we may not be in good training for the grand national preach-off.
I sense that when I leave any of these elements out, my preaching is ineffective and weak and I cannot make up the difference by overemphasizing one at the expense of the other.
Alternative Application
Genesis 22:1-14. In pursuit of getting God, Abraham, and the preacher off the hook, some understandings of this passage focus on the fact that there are two voices for God in this passage. One is the direct communication; the other is the angel of the Lord found in verse 11. In this understanding, Abraham has not heard the true voice of God until verse 11.
It is listening to the false voices claiming to be the true voice of God that kills our children and that kills the voice of the child within us. Children are sacrificed when the voice of unfettered capitalism is given a free reign -- whether it is the child in an Asian sweatshop or the child who sees himself or herself as a consumer by the age of three.
In this understanding the task is to sift through the various voices that we hear and wait to hear the true voice of God. In this case, it is not God who learns but Abraham and the rest of us.
Preaching The Psalm
Psalm 13
Certainty is rarely to be trusted. When it comes to human community, to politics, to cooking, and yes, to religion, certainty is best kept at a distance. A healthy respect for ambiguity is often helpful in these and other areas of life.
In human community it's best to lean into flexibility, making allowances, offering forgiveness, and creating space for people to grow and change.
In politics, certainty is often the enemy of truth and justice. A mind made up and unchangeable is not the mind of a good leader. It is, rather, the closed and concretized nature of an ideologue. Situations and people change. Leaders should reflect that.
In cooking, improvisation breeds invention, and invention results in wonderful gourmet delights. Recipes were not meant to be followed like some map to a destination. No, recipes were meant to be accompanied by loving creativity and experimentation. How else would the hundreds if not thousands of new cookbooks published each year be possible?
And religion? Certainty in this arena can be lethal, especially if that certainty is foisted off on others. It's all right to be certain about one's own beliefs and faith. It's all right, as this psalm clearly illustrates, to place your complete trust in the God of Israel. But if we are unable to allow for that same certainty in others who may see the holy in a different light, trouble is likely to emerge.
Personally, this writer likes certainty. It makes things easy. The clarity it gives provides purpose and direction. This is all good and wonderful. Yet it can go horribly wrong if that clarity and purpose drives over the clarity and purpose of someone else, knocking it flat in the process.
So let us sing with this psalmist! Let us join in our shared trust in God's steadfast love. And as we do this, let us leave room for grace, for flexibility, and for just a little ambiguity in our lives and in our faith.
