Emphasis Preaching Journal

Genesis 17:1-7 15-16
I heard this joke and thought it was funny and perhaps had a point.

 "Where are you going mom?" asked the youngest of five children.

"I'm going to a surprise party, my dear," answered the mother.

"Are we all going, too?"

"No, dear. You weren't invited."

After a few moments' of deep thought, the child spoke again.

"Hey mom, then don't you think they'd be lots more surprised if you did take us all?"

That would be a surprise, all right, wouldn’t it? Surprises can be exciting and fun. In the text for today we find God acting in a surprising way. God has made a covenant with Abram. He informs the ninety-nine-year-old man that “you shall be the ancestor of a multitude of nations.” He’s also promised Sara, “I will bless her, and moreover I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall give rise to nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.” Two senior saints are told they will be the ancestor of many people; surprise!  Hard to believe? I think so, but God is good at surprises.
Bill T.


Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16
Can a small change in one’s name, say, from Abram and Sakai, to Abraham and Sarah, make a difference?
In 1958 the science fiction writer Isaac Asimov published a short story called “Spell my name with an S.” It’s about a Polish-American nuclear physicist who is frustrated with the direction of his career. He shamefacedly consults someone he thinks is a numerologist who tells him to change his name from Zabatinsky to Sabatinsky. As it turns out, this tiny change causes the government to grow suspicious of his foreign origins. Sabatinsky is moved from a classified job that he dislikes to an academic post, his dream job. At the end of the story we learn that the numerologist is actually a creature of pure energy and the equivalent of an adolescent extraterrestrial, who made a wager with a school pal that he could avert nuclear disaster on Earth by making a very tiny change like, say, changing one letter of one individual's name. It would be a great ending except that his pal is now betting he can undo the good they’ve accomplished with an equally minor change.
(This story can be found in the anthology “Nine Tomorrows” by Isaac Asimov.)
Frank R.


Genesis 17:1-7 15-16
Jake LaMotta was an iron-jawed boxer who became the world’s middleweight champion in 1949. LaMotta grew up in the slums of New York City, where he learned his brutal fighting technique on street corners and in reform school. LaMotta was recognized as one of the leading fighters of the 1940s and early 50s, when boxing was among the nation’s most popular sports. He was a compact 5-foot-8 who fought in a low crouch. He attacked his opponent’s body in a swarming and relentless style. LaMotta would launch blunt-force punches that seemed to rise from the canvas.

In 1970 he wrote a memoir that was titled “Raging Bull.” This was his acquired new name, along with Bronx Bull, because he fought with a stubborn fury. The name Raging Bull became popularized with a movie by the same title, staring Robert De Niro. De Niro received an Oscar for his portrayal of the Raging Bull.

In the memoir LaMotta wrote, “Besides being a slum kid with no great education in anything except how to fight and stay alive and steal, I also had this temper. Everybody has a temper, but mine was set on hair trigger.”

After watching the movie “Raging Bull,” he said to his wife Vikki, “Gee, they made me look bad. Was I that bad?” In answering that question Vikki said, “You were worse.”

Application: Our lesson discusses Abram getting a new name. What will our new name be, Raging Bull or Abraham?
Ron L.


Romans 4:13-25
The debate about faith and works has been going on as long as there have been people to interpret God’s ideas, as long as there have been prophets, as long as there have been theologians. “Faith without works is dead,” writes James. “We are justified by faith,” writes Paul. Salvation and righteousness rest on grace and grace cannot be earned.

As a local church pastor, I was often amazed by the people who accepted that grace was freely given in their minds, but not in their hearts and souls. Folks still thought that living in righteousness was required to enter the realm of God. How do you feel about it? Do you feel, not think, but feel, like you need to earn grace?

Rather, what if we thought of our striving to live a righteous life, to follow God’s teaching and commandments, or our walking in the footsteps of Jesus as acts of gratitude for the grace we have been freely given? How would that change our lives? How would that change our relationship with God? How would it change our relationships with one another?
Bonnie B.


Romans 4:13-25
What if our inheritance only came through our parent’s will. Would our faith in them and their generosity have anything to do with our receiving it? Would obeying them make all the difference?

God’s will is written in the Bible and we inherit his blessings through faith. Is that because we are only God’s children through faith? Only children can inherit from their parents. That is something we have to believe. Through our baptism we have become God’s children, but it is our faith in our heavenly Father that saves us. We don’t earn it by obeying all his laws.

Even though I was 70 years old when I went to the mission field in Nepal, I still believed in God’s call at that age. Some of our children and our family had doubts about my going so far away, but I did not waver and as a result I had the greatest experience of my life, which I wrote about in my book, “In the Shadow of Everest,” which I wrote when I was 80. That text about Abraham was one thing that helped my faith.

My parents had faith when they prayed that I would become a pastor. I had done everything from being a salesman, a teacher, a photographer, a TV producer, and a writer, but Mom still believed that the Lord would fulfill her prayer. It took 30 years! They both died in an auto accident the day after I was ordained. I still pray for my own children and some of my prayers have been answered. It took a long time for some. They will still be in my will even if they did not always believe.

Most of my seminary students in Nepal had converted to our faith when they were in their 20s. It separated them from their families who were still Hindu. After much prayer their families were converted. My boys did not weaken in their faith! In this case the son converted the father.

Sometimes our church can pray with us for important things that we need. Our job is to believe and have faith in our Lord that he hears and will answer. I try to obey my Lord, and he appreciates my efforts, but it is my faith in his love for me that saves me.
Bob O.


Romans 4:13-25
The Center for Disease Control reported that in 2016 7.6 percent of Americans were treated for depression. In 2016 the suicide rate in America increased to a 20-year high, The New York Times reported. Many feel a bit like the mid-1990s song by Beck: “So from head to toe, I’m a loser baby. So why don’t you kill me?” Some of these dynamics are occasioned by the demands of life, the demands of what is expected of us by God and society. John Calvin nicely explained these dynamics:

For such is the viciousness of our nature, that the more we are taught what is right and just, the more openly is our iniquity discovered... (Calvin’s Commentaries, Vol.XIX/2, p.171)

Our Lesson reminds us that the Gospel sets us free from all this. Learning that we are reckoned righteous (acceptable) before God leads to happiness and provides and makes us bold in changing things. Martin Luther explained this so well:

Faith is a divine work in use which changes us and makes us to be born anew of
God... This knowledge of and confidence in God’s grace [that faith provides] makes
men glad and bold and happy in dealing with God and all creatures. (Luther’s Works,
Vol.35, pp.370-371)

Luther also notes how the grace of God gets us away from our feelings and hang-ups which make us depressed. God snatches us away from ourselves, so we no longer need to depend on ourselves or our feelings, but are defined by what is outside ourselves, God and his grace which give us hope against all hope (Luther’s Works, Vol.26, p.387). In prayer and meditation, the parts of the brain that are activated counteract our biological propensity to react to bad situations with unhappiness or fear (Andrew Newberg and Mark Waldman, How God Changes Your Brain, pp.53-54).
Mark E.


Mark 9:2-9
In the movie The Wizard of Oz Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion return to the wizard after melting the wicked witch and taking her broomstick. The wizard is supposed to reward them and send Dorothy home, but seems reluctant. There are lots of noises, smoke and flames. It’s a scary time. However, Dorothy’s dog, Toto, pulls back the curtain to reveal that the wizard is only just a man.

Sometimes, pulling back the curtain can be a disappointment. Not so, however, in our text. Peter, James and John get to see the curtain of Jesus’ human flesh pulled back. Jesus was transfigured. Moses and Elijah by him. His clothes became dazzling white. The three disciples were so struck by what they saw, they were terrified. Peter stammered something about building three dwellings, one for each of them. A cloud overshadowed them and a voice spoke from heaven. It was an incredible sight and one they were forbidden to share until after Jesus’ resurrection.

The wizard behind the curtain in Oz was not such a big deal. Catching a glimpse of the glory of Jesus, though, was something else.
Bill T.


Mark 8:31-38 or Mark 9:2-9
What exactly did Jesus mean when he scolded the apostle Peter, saying, “Get behind me, Satan!”? (Mark 8:33)

The obvious explanation is that when Peter corrects Jesus for saying that the way of the Messiah leads to betrayal, suffering, and death on a cross the Savior is chastising the apostle because this is the sort of temptation Jesus faced, as described in Matthew in Luke -- the temptation to take the easy way out, to take up divine kingship, to avoid hardship, to avoid the cross.

But let’s not forget that in the first two chapters of Job, and in the third chapter of Zechariah, we see a member of the Heavenly Court who is “the” Satan, the Adversary, who rightfully belongs there in heaven. This figure is more of a prosecuting attorney, and (pardon the expression) a devil’s advocate. It is this angel’s job to point out inconvenient truths. For instance, Job wouldn’t praise you so much, God, if his life wasn’t pretty much perfect the way it is. Unlike other members of the Heavenly Court, this figure is not meant to be a yes-man.

Seen in this light Peter is right to point out to Jesus there is an alternative path to Messiahship. That’s what may have provoked such a harsh reaction from Jesus. The easy way may have been a legitimate way in some sense, but it was not the will of God. In other words, what Peter suggested was not strictly wrong -- but it wasn’t at all right.
Frank R.


Mark 8:31-38
Y.A. Tittle is a Hall of Fame quarterback who became the master of the long pass during 17 rugged seasons in professional football. He developed this skill growing up in East Texas. There, as a teenager, he would stand in an open field and target distant bushes. After graduating from Louisiana State University, he played for the San Francisco 49ers and then the New York Giants. In the 1960s, Tittle led the Giants to three straight title games.
Tittle became a gridiron legend after the 1964 photograph taken by Morris Berman of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Tittle simply referred to this as “the bloody photograph.” The photo showed a 38-year-old Tittle on his knees and gazing toward the grass as blood trickled past his left eye and ear. His helmet is lying on the ground behind him. Though Tittle’s mouth was wide open, he later told reporters he was not breathing.
What led up to this legendary moment occurred in the final minutes of a game between the Giants and the Pittsburgh Steelers. The quarterback had just thrown an interception that the Steelers returned for a touchdown. In the process of the play, Tittle was thrown to the ground by John Baker, a 270-pound defensive tackle.

This play also ended Tittles career, as he retired at the end of the season. An x-ray showed that muscle had been torn from his rib cage. This, for Tittle, was the last for him in a string of injuries.

After this play, Tittle said in an interview years later, “It made me gun-shy. For the first time in my life I didn’t want to get hit, because I couldn’t get up.”

Application: Our lectionary reading discusses the importance of dedication.
Ron L.