All Saints Sunday
Preaching
Lectionary Preaching Workbook
Series VI, Cycle B
COMMENTARY ON THE LESSONS
Lesson 1: Isaiah 25:6-9 (C)
Shades of the New Testament. This is a forecast of paradise, a time when ñ(The Lord) will swallow up death forever.'' It is the promise for which we all wait: ñThen the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces....'' As I write, the terrible tsunami wave has killed some 6,000 people in Papua Island, nearly all of them children; a report states that one out of four residents of some African nations are HIV-positive; ethnic violence and extermination is happening in many places on the earth, while children starve. More than fifty Mexican nationals, trying to find a new home in America, died in the heat of no-manÍs land between Mexico and freedom in this country. Meanwhile, violence and crime reign in thousands of American neighborhoods. And yesterday, a little two-year-old girl died from e. coli contracted in a swimming pool in her neighborhood. Wipe away all tears, indeed.
Isaiah wrote this lavish promise thousands of years ago and its fulfillment seems, if anything, more remote today than at the time of Isaiah. Whatever may have been in his mind, he at least spells out the hope of every human heart, that one day this will all end and, in one way or another, we shall all enjoy ña feast of rich food (and) well-aged wines.'' And even if it happened today by some miracle, what about all those hopeful people who missed out? No, this must be a promise of something beyond this life. Whether Isaiah knew of the promise Jesus would bring, we do. There will be more than this life and then, then the feast.
Lesson 1: Revelation 7:2-4, 9-14 (RC)
Lesson 1: Sirach 44:1-10, 13-14 (E)
Lesson 2: Revelation 21:1-6a (C)
This passage echoes IsaiahÍs words, the promise of a new world, a holy city, set on a hill. Marvelous imagery here, turning our thoughts to the culmination of history as we know it. In preaching, I would acknowledge the hope that is intended for us all, but inasmuch as this hasnÍt literally taken place in the nearly 2,000 years since these words were written, and inasmuch as the New Testament generally promises an afterlife, I myself consider that this describes the hope we all have for life after death.
In preaching on this passage, I would combine the Revelation passage and the Isaiah passage. I would explore the promises we find in the Bible which promise that life.
Lesson 2:1 John 3:1-3 (RC)
Lesson 2: Revelation 7:2-4, 9-17 (E)
Gospel: John 11:32-44 (C)
This probably didnÍt happen literally. None of the other Gospel writers mention it, nor do Paul or Peter. Clearly, had something this dramatic taken place, it would have been reported. IÍm content with BarclayÍs conclusion that we canÍt know what really happened, only that it must have been something wonderful. He tells of Robert McAfee BrownÍs report of a group of Marines being shipped back from Japan for discharge after World War II. Brown was a chaplain and a group of Marines came to him and asked that he lead them in a Bible study. They read John, and after they had discussed this story, one young Marine came to him privately and said, ñI can explain this story.'' He then told how he had gone directly into the Marines out of college, and he had done some things of which he was dreadfully ashamed. He said he could barely live with himself, and was unable to face his parents and friends. His whole life seemed ruined. ñI was dead,'' the young man said. Then he read this passage. Suddenly, he realized that through the power of Jesus Christ he too could come out to new life. ThereÍs the sermon.
Gospel: Matthew 5:1-12 (RC, E)
SERMON SUGGESTIONS
Title: ñHeavenly Days''
Text: Isaiah 25:6-9, Revelation 21:1-6a
Theme: Because I believe in survival after death, I can preach that message. First, let me use an analogy. My stepdaughter just graduated from high school. She had a wonderful four years there. She was on the cross country team, won the sportsmanship trophy on the swim team, had numerous wonderful friends, and was very active in her Presbyterian church. The other day she began to cry. Her mother asked what was wrong, and Sarah said she was sad because her happy days were over. In a few weeks it will be off to college. I smiled „ secretly „ because I know something she is yet to learn. The best is yet to be. Sarah will, God willing, go on to college and family and all the wonders of a lifetime, only looking back less and less often on those golden days.
ThatÍs my analogy to this life. We hate to leave it, leave friends and loved ones, leave the things we have worked so hard to acquire. And if Jesus told the truth, we will one day look back from a lovely new world and remember with a smile the things we left behind.
1. The Bible promises life after death.
2. That life will probably be one of continued growth and discovery.
3. It may be for everyone, but those who have learned to give and receive love in this life will have an immediate advantage.
4. Someone has said that only when a person is not afraid to die is he not afraid to live. In other words, for the present, this is to be accepted by faith.
Title: ñNew Life The Dead Receive''
Text: John 11:32-44
Theme: My emphasis here would be on revival of the spirit, of the emotional being. While I believe in life after death, I donÍt for a moment think it could happen quite as this story suggests, nor do I think this really happened. No other biblical writer alludes to such a recovery and surely they would have known about something like this. However, as referred to in the commentary above, I do believe that the spirit of Christ can revive us in that way. Although there are other reports of the ñdead'' being revived by Jesus, those took place almost immediately and allow the suggestion that the so-called dead were not yet dead. Dr. Barclay reveals the rather macabre fact that excavation from the time reveals that more than a few people were buried alive because it was thought they were dead.
1. When Christ enters in, we can find newness of life.
2. This happens in several ways but requires a positive decision on our part to accept Christ.
3. Prayer plays a major role in this process.
4. Such revival always does two things: it restores the gift of joy, and it summons us to service of others.
ADDITIONAL ILLUSTRATIONS
Gypsy Smith, a nineteenth century evangelist, told of the time he came home early, when a young man, so he could spend some time with his toddler son. As part of their play, he put the little fellow on the kitchen table, then asked him to run and his daddy would catch him. He said the boy ran, but stopped at the edge of the table. He looked down and it seemed an awful drop to him. They tried again with the same result. Finally, Smith told his son to run and jump as far as he could and he would promise to catch the boy. He said this time the little fellow ran and jumped as hard as he could, but with his eyes tightly closed. Smith said that of course he caught his son and they both laughed. But he thought to himself, thatÍs what I must do if IÍm to have faith. And so he did.
____________
A broken-hearted teenager wrote the following verse after the death of her father.
When my father died
I cried and cried
Until I was weak
After awhile
I couldnÍt cry anymore.
The tears wouldnÍt come.
Instead, a strange hope
Began to grow inside of me.
It was as if I were waking
From a very long sleep
And everything around me
Had changed.
My father was still living
In the casket.
He seemed to be waiting for me
To stop feeling sorry for myself
And to discover
What had happened to him.
Slowly,
As I looked at him,
My father was my father again.
All the crooked laughter lines
Around his eyes
Were as real as ever.
I realized then
That my father was living through death
The way a child first discovers life.
He was enjoying
The birth pangs of a new life.
His first life
Had been accepted
And sealed with death.
He was passing through the world of death
Where Christ was at work
Creating men for new tasks,
For new exciting worlds,
For new celebrations.
At that moment,
God said ñyes!''
ñYes!''
Yes to death, and yes to life.
The difference between life and death
Seemed to vanish.
My father was alive in death,
And alive in me,
And said ñyes'' to me
That day.
____________
Eugene OÍNeill wrote a play speculating about the Lazarus story in our lesson. Titled Lazarus Laughed, the play opens as Lazarus steps from the tomb. The looks of grief are only just being replaced by looks of wonder, then joy, as the people gathered around Lazarus realize he has returned. They call out to him: ñWhat happened?'' They ask him what it was like to be dead, to experience death for four days. The father of Lazarus pushes to the center of the stage and proposes a toast. ñTo my son, Lazarus, who a blessed miracle has brought back from death.''
And Lazarus, speaking in a voice of moving confidence, a smile playing about his mouth, says, ñNo! There is no death.'' The people, their glasses already moving to their lips, pause, ask as one: ñThere is no death?''
And Lazarus laughs.
He says with bursting joy, ñThere is only life! I heard the heart of Jesus laughing in my heart; it said ïthere is Eternal Life in No, and there is the same Eternal Life in Yes! Death is the fear between.Í And my heart, reborn to love of life, cried ïYes!Í and I laughed in the laughter of God.Í ''
And Lazarus laughs; he laughs, and laughs, and laughs until tears are flowing down his face. Soon, the infectious laughter passes through the gathering. Soon, everyone is rocking with laughter, with boisterous, raucous, joyous laughter. The stage fairly thunders with the sound. Then Lazarus cries:
ñLaugh! Laugh with me! Death is dead! Fear no more! There is only life! There is only laughter.''
____________
Psalm Of The Day
Psalm 24 (C) „ ñThe earth is the LordÍs and all that is in it.''
Psalm 23 (RC) „ ñThe Lord is my shepherd.''
Psalm 149 (E) „ ñPraise the Lord!''
Prayer Of The Day
Be with them, O Lord, those whom we have loved and love, who have come to be with you in that better world. Keep them in love, we pray, until we are with them again, all bound together by a love which you have revealed, but we are not yet ready to receive. In ChristÍs name we pray. Amen.
Lesson 1: Isaiah 25:6-9 (C)
Shades of the New Testament. This is a forecast of paradise, a time when ñ(The Lord) will swallow up death forever.'' It is the promise for which we all wait: ñThen the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces....'' As I write, the terrible tsunami wave has killed some 6,000 people in Papua Island, nearly all of them children; a report states that one out of four residents of some African nations are HIV-positive; ethnic violence and extermination is happening in many places on the earth, while children starve. More than fifty Mexican nationals, trying to find a new home in America, died in the heat of no-manÍs land between Mexico and freedom in this country. Meanwhile, violence and crime reign in thousands of American neighborhoods. And yesterday, a little two-year-old girl died from e. coli contracted in a swimming pool in her neighborhood. Wipe away all tears, indeed.
Isaiah wrote this lavish promise thousands of years ago and its fulfillment seems, if anything, more remote today than at the time of Isaiah. Whatever may have been in his mind, he at least spells out the hope of every human heart, that one day this will all end and, in one way or another, we shall all enjoy ña feast of rich food (and) well-aged wines.'' And even if it happened today by some miracle, what about all those hopeful people who missed out? No, this must be a promise of something beyond this life. Whether Isaiah knew of the promise Jesus would bring, we do. There will be more than this life and then, then the feast.
Lesson 1: Revelation 7:2-4, 9-14 (RC)
Lesson 1: Sirach 44:1-10, 13-14 (E)
Lesson 2: Revelation 21:1-6a (C)
This passage echoes IsaiahÍs words, the promise of a new world, a holy city, set on a hill. Marvelous imagery here, turning our thoughts to the culmination of history as we know it. In preaching, I would acknowledge the hope that is intended for us all, but inasmuch as this hasnÍt literally taken place in the nearly 2,000 years since these words were written, and inasmuch as the New Testament generally promises an afterlife, I myself consider that this describes the hope we all have for life after death.
In preaching on this passage, I would combine the Revelation passage and the Isaiah passage. I would explore the promises we find in the Bible which promise that life.
Lesson 2:1 John 3:1-3 (RC)
Lesson 2: Revelation 7:2-4, 9-17 (E)
Gospel: John 11:32-44 (C)
This probably didnÍt happen literally. None of the other Gospel writers mention it, nor do Paul or Peter. Clearly, had something this dramatic taken place, it would have been reported. IÍm content with BarclayÍs conclusion that we canÍt know what really happened, only that it must have been something wonderful. He tells of Robert McAfee BrownÍs report of a group of Marines being shipped back from Japan for discharge after World War II. Brown was a chaplain and a group of Marines came to him and asked that he lead them in a Bible study. They read John, and after they had discussed this story, one young Marine came to him privately and said, ñI can explain this story.'' He then told how he had gone directly into the Marines out of college, and he had done some things of which he was dreadfully ashamed. He said he could barely live with himself, and was unable to face his parents and friends. His whole life seemed ruined. ñI was dead,'' the young man said. Then he read this passage. Suddenly, he realized that through the power of Jesus Christ he too could come out to new life. ThereÍs the sermon.
Gospel: Matthew 5:1-12 (RC, E)
SERMON SUGGESTIONS
Title: ñHeavenly Days''
Text: Isaiah 25:6-9, Revelation 21:1-6a
Theme: Because I believe in survival after death, I can preach that message. First, let me use an analogy. My stepdaughter just graduated from high school. She had a wonderful four years there. She was on the cross country team, won the sportsmanship trophy on the swim team, had numerous wonderful friends, and was very active in her Presbyterian church. The other day she began to cry. Her mother asked what was wrong, and Sarah said she was sad because her happy days were over. In a few weeks it will be off to college. I smiled „ secretly „ because I know something she is yet to learn. The best is yet to be. Sarah will, God willing, go on to college and family and all the wonders of a lifetime, only looking back less and less often on those golden days.
ThatÍs my analogy to this life. We hate to leave it, leave friends and loved ones, leave the things we have worked so hard to acquire. And if Jesus told the truth, we will one day look back from a lovely new world and remember with a smile the things we left behind.
1. The Bible promises life after death.
2. That life will probably be one of continued growth and discovery.
3. It may be for everyone, but those who have learned to give and receive love in this life will have an immediate advantage.
4. Someone has said that only when a person is not afraid to die is he not afraid to live. In other words, for the present, this is to be accepted by faith.
Title: ñNew Life The Dead Receive''
Text: John 11:32-44
Theme: My emphasis here would be on revival of the spirit, of the emotional being. While I believe in life after death, I donÍt for a moment think it could happen quite as this story suggests, nor do I think this really happened. No other biblical writer alludes to such a recovery and surely they would have known about something like this. However, as referred to in the commentary above, I do believe that the spirit of Christ can revive us in that way. Although there are other reports of the ñdead'' being revived by Jesus, those took place almost immediately and allow the suggestion that the so-called dead were not yet dead. Dr. Barclay reveals the rather macabre fact that excavation from the time reveals that more than a few people were buried alive because it was thought they were dead.
1. When Christ enters in, we can find newness of life.
2. This happens in several ways but requires a positive decision on our part to accept Christ.
3. Prayer plays a major role in this process.
4. Such revival always does two things: it restores the gift of joy, and it summons us to service of others.
ADDITIONAL ILLUSTRATIONS
Gypsy Smith, a nineteenth century evangelist, told of the time he came home early, when a young man, so he could spend some time with his toddler son. As part of their play, he put the little fellow on the kitchen table, then asked him to run and his daddy would catch him. He said the boy ran, but stopped at the edge of the table. He looked down and it seemed an awful drop to him. They tried again with the same result. Finally, Smith told his son to run and jump as far as he could and he would promise to catch the boy. He said this time the little fellow ran and jumped as hard as he could, but with his eyes tightly closed. Smith said that of course he caught his son and they both laughed. But he thought to himself, thatÍs what I must do if IÍm to have faith. And so he did.
____________
A broken-hearted teenager wrote the following verse after the death of her father.
When my father died
I cried and cried
Until I was weak
After awhile
I couldnÍt cry anymore.
The tears wouldnÍt come.
Instead, a strange hope
Began to grow inside of me.
It was as if I were waking
From a very long sleep
And everything around me
Had changed.
My father was still living
In the casket.
He seemed to be waiting for me
To stop feeling sorry for myself
And to discover
What had happened to him.
Slowly,
As I looked at him,
My father was my father again.
All the crooked laughter lines
Around his eyes
Were as real as ever.
I realized then
That my father was living through death
The way a child first discovers life.
He was enjoying
The birth pangs of a new life.
His first life
Had been accepted
And sealed with death.
He was passing through the world of death
Where Christ was at work
Creating men for new tasks,
For new exciting worlds,
For new celebrations.
At that moment,
God said ñyes!''
ñYes!''
Yes to death, and yes to life.
The difference between life and death
Seemed to vanish.
My father was alive in death,
And alive in me,
And said ñyes'' to me
That day.
____________
Eugene OÍNeill wrote a play speculating about the Lazarus story in our lesson. Titled Lazarus Laughed, the play opens as Lazarus steps from the tomb. The looks of grief are only just being replaced by looks of wonder, then joy, as the people gathered around Lazarus realize he has returned. They call out to him: ñWhat happened?'' They ask him what it was like to be dead, to experience death for four days. The father of Lazarus pushes to the center of the stage and proposes a toast. ñTo my son, Lazarus, who a blessed miracle has brought back from death.''
And Lazarus, speaking in a voice of moving confidence, a smile playing about his mouth, says, ñNo! There is no death.'' The people, their glasses already moving to their lips, pause, ask as one: ñThere is no death?''
And Lazarus laughs.
He says with bursting joy, ñThere is only life! I heard the heart of Jesus laughing in my heart; it said ïthere is Eternal Life in No, and there is the same Eternal Life in Yes! Death is the fear between.Í And my heart, reborn to love of life, cried ïYes!Í and I laughed in the laughter of God.Í ''
And Lazarus laughs; he laughs, and laughs, and laughs until tears are flowing down his face. Soon, the infectious laughter passes through the gathering. Soon, everyone is rocking with laughter, with boisterous, raucous, joyous laughter. The stage fairly thunders with the sound. Then Lazarus cries:
ñLaugh! Laugh with me! Death is dead! Fear no more! There is only life! There is only laughter.''
____________
Psalm Of The Day
Psalm 24 (C) „ ñThe earth is the LordÍs and all that is in it.''
Psalm 23 (RC) „ ñThe Lord is my shepherd.''
Psalm 149 (E) „ ñPraise the Lord!''
Prayer Of The Day
Be with them, O Lord, those whom we have loved and love, who have come to be with you in that better world. Keep them in love, we pray, until we are with them again, all bound together by a love which you have revealed, but we are not yet ready to receive. In ChristÍs name we pray. Amen.
