A Proper Spirit
Commentary
During Pentecost we spend a lot of time talking about God's Spirit, the gift of the Spirit, the gifts of the Spirit, the presence of the Spirit, the power of the Spirit, etc.
What we spend too little time talking about is our own spirit and how we ought to conduct our lives.
One common theme in our Scriptures for this Sunday is the spirit of concern -- a woman concerned for the wandering prophet, Martha concerned about supper, and Paul concerned about the new converts at Colossae.
Another spirit dealt with is the spirit of expectation. In what spirit do we live our Christian lives? Are we like the disciples -- always wondering who will get what place and what reward? Do we grow a bit surly like Martha when our work goes unappreciated?
Still another spirit dealt with is that of rejoicing even when our caring is costly. Most of us would rather rejoice in a good old-fashioned church service. To rejoice when we are going through a difficult time because of our faith calls for more than many of us can muster.
Check out these selections again and, remembering we spend most of our time talking about God's Spirit and coveting the gift of his Spirit for ourselves, there is another dimension of the spirit about which we ought to be concerned. That dimension is our own spirit, that which is under our control, which shows others what we are and whose we are.
Pentecost is a good time for talking about our own spirit.
OUTLINE I
Focus on the Power of God
2 Kings 4:8-17
Introduction: One of the problems some have with the Old Testament is sometimes the stories seem so far-fetched or filled with superstition and magic we are afraid to touch them. That fear can be set aside if we are willing to let the literature belong to its own time rather than our own. Too often we go to the Bible with current-day measuring sticks and expectations and come away wondering how we can use it. If we are to use today's selection we will have to keep our eye on the single purpose of the writer of this collection of stories about Elijah and Elisha. That purpose is to show the power of the Spirit of God as manifested in the lives and actions of these men.
A. A Beginning: Tell the story and don't try to cover up or explain away the problems there. At its simplest, this is the story of a prophet who finds hospitality in a well-to-do home (such hospitality was expected for these prophets), who rewards that hospitality by the gift of a son and the restoration of the son's life when he has died. There is a good description of CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) in verses 32-34.
To be barren among such women was life's greatest disappointment. Unfortunately, the problem always seemed to be with the woman. Don't carry modern understandings to this story. What matters is Elisha has the gift (charisma) of God which enables him to bring such power into being. Avoid all those temptations to psychologize and imagine that this woman suddenly became fertile because she became generous. Stay with the basic theme.
B. Commentary: There will be among your hearers those who will insist on some evidence of the special providence of God in life if they are to believe in him. Like many for whom this story was told, they cannot see him in the ordinary places of life. They want special signs. Be careful to remind them of the New Testament attitude toward such longings. When they came to Jesus seeking a sign, in order to know he really was a prophet, he was careful to tell them they would not receive one -- only the sign of Jonah -- himself, the proclamation of the Word. That is what we have and we must be careful not to go to the Old Testament looking for stories leading us in other directions. When they do, we are to measure them by what we know from Jesus.
Conclusion: Good deeds ought to be done for their own sake, not in expectation of some reward. Perhaps we have stumbled on the best interpretation of all. There is no evidence here that the woman in the story expected anything. Better to keep an eye on the old lady rather than the prophet or the miracle.
OUTLINE II
First Things First
Luke 10:38-42
Introduction: Sometimes one wonders why the New Testament writers bothered to keep some stories and pass them along. This is one of those cases. One has to do considerable digging to come up with a good strong meaning for this story. It does not deserve the attention which the story just before it deserves. But have a whack at it. A surprise may be waiting.
Martha: What would the world do without Marthas? After all, they make it possible for Marys to sit around and talk. Jesus' words seem a bit unappreciative for this gal who has been bending over a hot stove to prepare the meal. You'd think he would have been more generous in his comments. Or, did he know more about Martha than we imagine? Perhaps he was appreciative but a bit put off by the fact that her attitude seemed to be one which said, "Hey, look at all I am doing for you so you two can talk. Shouldn't you be a bit more grateful and help?" Martha expected to be appreciated. Isn't it aggravating when you run into it? Somebody does you a favor and then stands there waiting for you to fall all over yourself being grateful.
Mary: The temptation is to make Mary into a wonderful girl who just wants to sit at the feet of Jesus. Remember, this is the Jesus who said, "Man shall not live by bread alone." So it is important to understand he did see bread as important -- Martha was consumed by that concern -- and he did see other things as important, too; Mary seems concerned about that.
Conclusion: I imagine one must understand that each of the women, in her own way, exhibited concern for something vital to life. But one of them was a bit surly about it. Perhaps that is the lesson. How many of us put on a good religious show -- work at the church, show up regularly, are first with the most. And everybody is appreciative -- until we expect them to be.
OUTLINE III
A Concern for Backsliders
Colossians 1:21-29
Introduction: It is clear from a reading of the Colossian letter the readers are people who have not yet understood the full meaning of their salvation and Paul, who, by the way, did not establish their community of faith, is concerned that they do understand.
Paul no doubt understands the mind with which he is dealing. He knows how easy it is for those new to the faith to embrace a part of it and assume that is all there is to it. This would be easy in light of their background. And he knows many of them will start well but soon be back at their old ways. Paul is the consummate pastor. He encourages, explains, and nourishes their faith so that:
They May Be Blameless: Paul is concerned that when they stand before the bar of judgment they are not found wanting. Any good pastor would wish that. And surely he would not want their failure to be because he had failed them.
That They Continue in the Faith: This would be no easy task for these newcomers. Not only was the new faith hard to understand, there would be family and friends who would not understand, not give support, maybe even poke fun. Since there would be pressure to backslide from some, Paul is moving in to provide some support from the other side. If they are not to shift to and fro in their faith commitment they will need all the help they can get.
The Pastoral Heart: Who can find a better statement of pastoral concern than in verses 24-29? Here is one who is willing to be spent in order that those who follow will measure up and not be found wanting, be strong and not fail. The pastoral heart always knows these are possibilities.
Conclusion: This passage furnishes a good check list for all of us -- pastors and fellow church members alike. If, indeed, we are the body of Christ and, as such, are members one of another, then it is our concern to strengthen, support, and aid one another. Sometimes we are quick to criticize, to complain, to harp, and point the finger. What is needed is not the pointed finger but the helping hand and the pastoral heart.
What we spend too little time talking about is our own spirit and how we ought to conduct our lives.
One common theme in our Scriptures for this Sunday is the spirit of concern -- a woman concerned for the wandering prophet, Martha concerned about supper, and Paul concerned about the new converts at Colossae.
Another spirit dealt with is the spirit of expectation. In what spirit do we live our Christian lives? Are we like the disciples -- always wondering who will get what place and what reward? Do we grow a bit surly like Martha when our work goes unappreciated?
Still another spirit dealt with is that of rejoicing even when our caring is costly. Most of us would rather rejoice in a good old-fashioned church service. To rejoice when we are going through a difficult time because of our faith calls for more than many of us can muster.
Check out these selections again and, remembering we spend most of our time talking about God's Spirit and coveting the gift of his Spirit for ourselves, there is another dimension of the spirit about which we ought to be concerned. That dimension is our own spirit, that which is under our control, which shows others what we are and whose we are.
Pentecost is a good time for talking about our own spirit.
OUTLINE I
Focus on the Power of God
2 Kings 4:8-17
Introduction: One of the problems some have with the Old Testament is sometimes the stories seem so far-fetched or filled with superstition and magic we are afraid to touch them. That fear can be set aside if we are willing to let the literature belong to its own time rather than our own. Too often we go to the Bible with current-day measuring sticks and expectations and come away wondering how we can use it. If we are to use today's selection we will have to keep our eye on the single purpose of the writer of this collection of stories about Elijah and Elisha. That purpose is to show the power of the Spirit of God as manifested in the lives and actions of these men.
A. A Beginning: Tell the story and don't try to cover up or explain away the problems there. At its simplest, this is the story of a prophet who finds hospitality in a well-to-do home (such hospitality was expected for these prophets), who rewards that hospitality by the gift of a son and the restoration of the son's life when he has died. There is a good description of CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) in verses 32-34.
To be barren among such women was life's greatest disappointment. Unfortunately, the problem always seemed to be with the woman. Don't carry modern understandings to this story. What matters is Elisha has the gift (charisma) of God which enables him to bring such power into being. Avoid all those temptations to psychologize and imagine that this woman suddenly became fertile because she became generous. Stay with the basic theme.
B. Commentary: There will be among your hearers those who will insist on some evidence of the special providence of God in life if they are to believe in him. Like many for whom this story was told, they cannot see him in the ordinary places of life. They want special signs. Be careful to remind them of the New Testament attitude toward such longings. When they came to Jesus seeking a sign, in order to know he really was a prophet, he was careful to tell them they would not receive one -- only the sign of Jonah -- himself, the proclamation of the Word. That is what we have and we must be careful not to go to the Old Testament looking for stories leading us in other directions. When they do, we are to measure them by what we know from Jesus.
Conclusion: Good deeds ought to be done for their own sake, not in expectation of some reward. Perhaps we have stumbled on the best interpretation of all. There is no evidence here that the woman in the story expected anything. Better to keep an eye on the old lady rather than the prophet or the miracle.
OUTLINE II
First Things First
Luke 10:38-42
Introduction: Sometimes one wonders why the New Testament writers bothered to keep some stories and pass them along. This is one of those cases. One has to do considerable digging to come up with a good strong meaning for this story. It does not deserve the attention which the story just before it deserves. But have a whack at it. A surprise may be waiting.
Martha: What would the world do without Marthas? After all, they make it possible for Marys to sit around and talk. Jesus' words seem a bit unappreciative for this gal who has been bending over a hot stove to prepare the meal. You'd think he would have been more generous in his comments. Or, did he know more about Martha than we imagine? Perhaps he was appreciative but a bit put off by the fact that her attitude seemed to be one which said, "Hey, look at all I am doing for you so you two can talk. Shouldn't you be a bit more grateful and help?" Martha expected to be appreciated. Isn't it aggravating when you run into it? Somebody does you a favor and then stands there waiting for you to fall all over yourself being grateful.
Mary: The temptation is to make Mary into a wonderful girl who just wants to sit at the feet of Jesus. Remember, this is the Jesus who said, "Man shall not live by bread alone." So it is important to understand he did see bread as important -- Martha was consumed by that concern -- and he did see other things as important, too; Mary seems concerned about that.
Conclusion: I imagine one must understand that each of the women, in her own way, exhibited concern for something vital to life. But one of them was a bit surly about it. Perhaps that is the lesson. How many of us put on a good religious show -- work at the church, show up regularly, are first with the most. And everybody is appreciative -- until we expect them to be.
OUTLINE III
A Concern for Backsliders
Colossians 1:21-29
Introduction: It is clear from a reading of the Colossian letter the readers are people who have not yet understood the full meaning of their salvation and Paul, who, by the way, did not establish their community of faith, is concerned that they do understand.
Paul no doubt understands the mind with which he is dealing. He knows how easy it is for those new to the faith to embrace a part of it and assume that is all there is to it. This would be easy in light of their background. And he knows many of them will start well but soon be back at their old ways. Paul is the consummate pastor. He encourages, explains, and nourishes their faith so that:
They May Be Blameless: Paul is concerned that when they stand before the bar of judgment they are not found wanting. Any good pastor would wish that. And surely he would not want their failure to be because he had failed them.
That They Continue in the Faith: This would be no easy task for these newcomers. Not only was the new faith hard to understand, there would be family and friends who would not understand, not give support, maybe even poke fun. Since there would be pressure to backslide from some, Paul is moving in to provide some support from the other side. If they are not to shift to and fro in their faith commitment they will need all the help they can get.
The Pastoral Heart: Who can find a better statement of pastoral concern than in verses 24-29? Here is one who is willing to be spent in order that those who follow will measure up and not be found wanting, be strong and not fail. The pastoral heart always knows these are possibilities.
Conclusion: This passage furnishes a good check list for all of us -- pastors and fellow church members alike. If, indeed, we are the body of Christ and, as such, are members one of another, then it is our concern to strengthen, support, and aid one another. Sometimes we are quick to criticize, to complain, to harp, and point the finger. What is needed is not the pointed finger but the helping hand and the pastoral heart.
