A call to repentance and renewal
Preaching
Lectionary Preaching Workbook
Series V, Cycle B
Theme For The Day: A call to repentance and renewal. The people are called to return to the Lord with acts of worship, giving and devotion that spring from the heart.
BRIEF COMMENTARY ON THE LESSONS
Lesson 1: Joel 2:1--2, 12--17 (C, E); Joel 2:12--18 (RC)
We know little about the writer of this book and there are no historical markers by which to judge the period in which it was composed. Many scholars believe that Joel lived in the Persian period (559--331 B.C.). We do know that he had a keen interest in the temple and can surmise that he hails from priestly origins. An invasion of locusts causes a call to repentance. The prophet sees this devouring army as the arm of God's judgment. God is trying to arrest his people's attention. Yet the Lord is merciful and kind (v. 13) and stands ready to bless his people when they return to him.
Lesson 2: 2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10 (C, E); 2 Corinthians 5:20-6:2 (RC)
This lection is part of Paul's defense of his apostleship. As an ambassador of the gospel, Paul appeals to the Corinthians to be reconciled with God by accepting his forgiveness offered in Christ. The sinless Christ took on himself the burden of our sin (v. 21) in order to reconcile us with God. He urgently appeals for the Corinthians to accept God's gracious offer now. "Now is the acceptable time, now is the day of salvation" (v. 2).
Gospel: Matthew 6:1--6, 16--21 (C, E); Matthew 6:1--6, 16--18 (RC)
Jesus abhors the kind of piety expressed in blowing one's own horn (v. 2). To aim for the praise and admiration of humans is unworthy of a disciple of Christ. True religion springs from a heart that sincerely loves the Lord. Prayer and giving flow from the same spring, from a heart that loves God. Almsgiving must not be identified only with money. Alms consisted of any kind deed arising from a heart filled with mercy and compassion. The Septuagint translates certain Hebrew words for both righteousness and kindness as alms. Frequently the helping words to do are united with the word alms; this shows almsgiving as an action that arises from the believer's heart.
Psalm Of The Day
Psalm 51:1--17 (C) - "Have mercy on me, O God...."
Psalm 103 or 103:8--14 (E) - "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and do not forget his benefits - who forgives all your iniquity and heals all your diseases..."(vv. 2--3).
Psalm 50 (RC)
Prayer Of The Day
Merciful and gracious God, our sins have turned that which is living into dust and ashes. Accept the ashes of our heartfelt repentance and breathe new life into our animated human dust, that we might stand eternally in your most holy presence. In the Name of him who died and rose again, Jesus, our Lord. Amen.
THEOLOGICAL REFLECTION ON THE LESSONS
Lesson 1: Joel 2:1--2, 12--17
It ain't over 'til it's over. I believe that was one of Yogi Berra's colorful witticisms. The prophet Joel said just about the same thing: " 'Even now,' declares the Lord, 'return to me...' " (v. 12). It wasn't too late to return to the Lord. There was time for amendment of life; there was opportunity to turn over a new leaf. Satan's mightiest weapon comes encapsulated in these words: "It's too late." "It ain't over 'til it's over."
Rend and return (v. 13). Pious Jews might tear (rend) their garments to show contrition or sorrow. Joel calls the people to rend their hearts (be broken--hearted) and return to the Lord, their God. There can be no returning without rending. A person cannot return to the Lord until he recognizes that he has turned away and feels in his gut the pain that his sin has caused our gracious God.
A time for trumpets? Verse 15 orders the sounding of the horn, the shofar or ram's horn. The purpose? To gather the people in solemn assembly. In contrast Jesus, in the Gospel Lesson, warns against sounding our individual horns prior to a religious act. To call attention to ourselves and our righteousness is always wrong, but gathering the community for repentance and renewal is what Lent is all about. Young and old, people and priests must respond to God's trumpet call.
Lesson 2: 2 Corinthians 5:20-6:10
Beggars for Christ (v. 20). The apostle begs and pleads with the Corinthians to become God's friends through Christ. Being reconciled to God is not a matter of indifference. God's heart aches for his separated children. Does our heart also ache for all those estranged from the Lord?
We are God's goodness (v. 21). Paul presents an interesting dichotomy. The sinless Christ became the incarnation of sin on the cross so that through faith in Christ we might become the incarnation of God's righteousness. Both sinfulness and righteousness are not merely that which we do but that which we are.
The time is NOW! We humans have a tendency toward procrastination. Why do today what we can put off until tomorrow? Paul pleads: "See, now is the acceptable time, see, now is the day of salvation." In Luke 9:59--61, Jesus invites two men to follow him. Their reply? Later. One said: "Lord, first let me go and bury my father." Another man seemed ready to follow but added: "...but let me first go and say farewell to those at my home." Jesus wouldn't allow for hesitancy. "No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is worthy of the kingdom of God" (v. 62). The opportunities which God extends at the present time must be seized or forever lost.
Reconciliation. When William Tyndale was translating the Bible, he was looking for an English word to translate the Greek katallage as well as the Latin word reconciliation. He came up with the word atonement (at--one--ment), which he used in Romans 5:11. The King James Version followed Tyndale's lead but later translations reverted to reconciliation, probably to avoid confusion with the various theories of the atonement. The concept of reconciliation for the Old Testament and the New start from opposite points. The Jews believed that all unintentional sins were absolved when a person took part in the rites associated with the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur). This ritual centered around the prayers and sacrifices of the High Priest (Leviticus 16:1--31; 23:26--32). All other sins could be absolved only through prayer and repentance. Later on the Rabbis taught that good works could bring atonement. One problem consisted in knowing how many good works were sufficient to confer atonement. The other difficulty stems from the fact that this line of thinking makes God the object and humans the subject of atonement. Christianity teaches that God is the subject of atonement and humans are the object. God has taken the initiative in overcoming the estrangement brought on by our sins. "God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself" (2 Corinthians 5:19).
Gospel: Matthew 6:1--6, 16--21
Hypocrites. Three times Jesus warns not to do as the hypocrites. Originally the Greek word hypocrisis was not negative. A person known by this name would answer questions, recite poetry and act, as in a play. In the New Testament and especially in the thinking of Jesus, hypocrisis is completely negative. It means to pretend to be one thing, while being something quite contrary. It has the connotation of staging a show that has the intent of fooling the audience into thinking that this was real life and not an act. For Jesus the chief exemplars of hypocrisy were the scribes and Pharisees, many of whom loved to make a public display of their religiosity.
Don't toot your own horn (v. 2). When the king would make a public appearance, the fanfares would majestically sound. When the President of the United States makes a special public appearance, the band plays "Here Comes The Chief." The tooting of the horn serves to draw attention to important people. However, those who would like to think that they are VIP's draw attention to themselves by tooting their own horn, so to speak. A child of God does not need to draw attention to himself or his virtue; what can be greater than being a child of the King?
Who's your audience? Jesus warns against the danger of performing religion in order to be noticed by other people. Do we go to church to look religious? Do we pray long and eloquent prayers to reap the praise of others? The only proper audience for our religious devotions is the Lord. What God thinks of our performance is all that matters.
Reflex religion. Jesus teaches that the outward expression of faith must become second nature. "But when you give alms, don't let your left hand know what your right hand is doing" (v. 3). I'm not talking about the lamentable practice of doing acts of worship and devotion with your mind in overdrive. Rather, I'm making a point that God's goodness and grace should become so much a part of who we are that expressions of faith and charity spring naturally, like a reflex.
SERMON APPROACHES WITH ILLUSTRATIONS
Lesson 1: Joel 2: 1--2, 12--17
Sermon Title: Make A U--turn
Sermon Angle: Normally, U--turns are proscribed by law but God calls his people, through his prophet Joel, to do a U--turn. God orders his people to turn their lives away from their rebellion and back to his merciful presence. When he pleads for them to return to him with all their heart (v. 12), it's the same as asking them to do a U--turn. Only a complete turnaround, involving will, intellect and actions, will do.
Outline:
1. The Jews were called to turn their lives completely around (a U--turn).
- Paying lip service would not do.
- Ritual turning alone wasn't enough.
- God's grace and mercy encouraged such turning.
2. Our repentance is often only partial or superficial.
3. Only a complete U--turn will do.
4. Such a move is only possible through the power of Christ.
Sermon Title: It's Not Too Late
Sermon Angle: The situation was serious but there was still time. The nation of Israel faced a crisis; the anvil of judgment was raised above their heads but the action of the people might still avert its crushing force. It was not too late: "Yet, even now...return to me..." (v. 12). The saddest words are these: "It's too late." When it comes to our relationship to God, as long as there's life, there's hope. If we genuinely repent, our relationship with the Lord turns over a new leaf.
Outline:
1. The Israelites faced an imminent crisis.
2. Joel holds out hope for God's mercy (v. 12).
3. If the people turn back to God, God will turn away the hand of judgment.
4. Some of us may think it's too late for us or our nation (our sins are too serious).
5. It isn't too late to return to God with our whole being (with all our heart).
Sermon Title: A God Of Holy Passion
Sermon Angle: The phrase in verse 13 translated "slow to anger" is the Hebrew "aph." This word makes reference to the nose or nostril and, by association, the face. It is also used for rapid breathing, such as in making love or showing anger. The usage here suggests that God's anger and holy passion does not flare up easily or suddenly. Our God is not a God of unbridled passion, always ready to strike out, but of holy passion, characterized by tenderness and forgiveness.
Sermon Title: When God Sighs
Sermon Angle: The Hebrew word translated "repent" (vv. 13--14), referring to God, is nacham. One of the meanings of this word is "sigh" or "breathe strongly." How our sins must make God sigh! A person usually sighs when bored, grieved, angered or under pressure. A sigh serves as a pause that allows a person to get control of his emotions. Giving pause allows a person to alter or change his response in a more creative direction. God's sigh (repentance) breathes new life into our broken relationship with the Ground Of Our Being. What makes God sigh? Our sins. When we sigh (pause to reconsider and repent), God inspires us with his Spirit to turn our lives around.
Outline:
1. Explain the meaning of nacham (sigh, repent).
2. Our sins make God sigh rather than lash out in anger.
3. God takes a breath and considers how he might breathe new life into his relationship with his children.
4. If we sigh (truly repent) of our sins, the Spirit will breathe new life into our being.
__________
Walter Wangarin, Jr., relates a moving personal story involving his son, apparently an impulsive little boy who permitted his desires to dominate his conscience. One day his father happened into his room and observed the boy on the bed with a pile of comic books. The father was perplexed. "Where did you get all those comic books?" He said, "I took them out of the library." "You mean that you took from the library? You stole them from the library, isn't that right?" demanded the father. "Yes." So the father called the library and told them what his son had done and that they would come in shortly to return them.
Some time later, after they had returned from vacation, Walter opened the drawer in his son's dresser and found another pile of comics. The boy confessed that he had stolen them. The father took him and the books into the living room and burned the comics in the fireplace, reinforcing to his son that what he had done was a sin. He had broken God's commandments.
A year later the son committed the same sin. The father ruefully ordered the son into the next room, where he was going to be spanked. The boy did not shed a tear but the father, not wanting his son to see the tears in his own eyes, announced that he was leaving the room but would return in a few minutes. Out in the hallway, the father sobbed. Some years later, the family was driving home from the shopping center when the subject of the comic books came up. "What made you stop stealing?" asked the mother. "The spanking your father gave you?" "No," he responded, "it is because when he stepped out of the room I could hear him crying."
We may not be moved to repentance by our Father's punishments or threats, but knowing how our sins break our Father's heart and bring tears to his eyes, if I could be allowed these anthropomorphisms, might help change our course.
Lesson 2: 2 Corinthians 5:20-6:10
Sermon Title: God's Beggars
Sermon Angle: Paul begs the Corinthians to become reconciled with God. The task of presenting the gospel is not a matter of indifference but of highest importance. How many of us really care for neighbors who are separated from God? If the Lord remains there for us when we need him, we don't worry too much about the neighbor's spiritual state. We're so geared into the concept of the church as a spiritual supermarket, where we can shop for the latest religious goodies, that we forget that the church is really a mission outpost for making God's plan for reconciling creation known to all nations. We are beggars, since everything we have and are comes from the Lord. Our task is to beg others to accept the reconciliation that comes through Christ.
Outline:
1. Paul sees his task as being a beggar for Christ (v. 20b).
2. Paul was passionate for the church's task of reconciliation through Christ.
3. We are all beggars, since salvation is a free gift.
4. We are commissioned to share Christ's reconciliation (one beggar offering another beggar the Bread of Life).
Gospel: Matthew 6:1--6, 16--21
Sermon Title: Three Exercises You Can Do In Private
Sermon Angle: If you choose to employ the suggested theme for a Lenten series "Forty Days To Spiritual Fitness," this sermon could launch it. There are all kinds of fitness programs and exercise regimens. There is "Easy Glider," the stair stepper and "Soloflex Gold," to name but a few. However, the program that wins the prize for originality is the video "Buns Of Steel." Let me suggest three simple exercises which can strengthen, invigorate and firm up the Body of Christ. Jesus used them and taught them. They are giving to the poor and needy, prayer and fasting. Like most exercises, there is a wrong way and a right way to perform these exercises. They must not be done for show or the benefit of other people. Rather, these exercises must be directed toward God alone. Like physical exercise, these exercises must be practiced daily to have a significant strengthening effect on our spirit.
Outline:
1. Ask how many have tried or are engaging in a exercise program.
2. Discuss the physical fitness craze.
3. Why do we exercise?
- To appear good to others?
- To heighten our self--esteem?
- Christian stewardship of our bodies?
4. Christians should give as much attention to spiritual fitness.
5. Jesus talks of three exercises to firm up a flabby soul - giving to the needy, prayer and fasting. Find a quiet spot and exercise regularly.
BRIEF COMMENTARY ON THE LESSONS
Lesson 1: Joel 2:1--2, 12--17 (C, E); Joel 2:12--18 (RC)
We know little about the writer of this book and there are no historical markers by which to judge the period in which it was composed. Many scholars believe that Joel lived in the Persian period (559--331 B.C.). We do know that he had a keen interest in the temple and can surmise that he hails from priestly origins. An invasion of locusts causes a call to repentance. The prophet sees this devouring army as the arm of God's judgment. God is trying to arrest his people's attention. Yet the Lord is merciful and kind (v. 13) and stands ready to bless his people when they return to him.
Lesson 2: 2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10 (C, E); 2 Corinthians 5:20-6:2 (RC)
This lection is part of Paul's defense of his apostleship. As an ambassador of the gospel, Paul appeals to the Corinthians to be reconciled with God by accepting his forgiveness offered in Christ. The sinless Christ took on himself the burden of our sin (v. 21) in order to reconcile us with God. He urgently appeals for the Corinthians to accept God's gracious offer now. "Now is the acceptable time, now is the day of salvation" (v. 2).
Gospel: Matthew 6:1--6, 16--21 (C, E); Matthew 6:1--6, 16--18 (RC)
Jesus abhors the kind of piety expressed in blowing one's own horn (v. 2). To aim for the praise and admiration of humans is unworthy of a disciple of Christ. True religion springs from a heart that sincerely loves the Lord. Prayer and giving flow from the same spring, from a heart that loves God. Almsgiving must not be identified only with money. Alms consisted of any kind deed arising from a heart filled with mercy and compassion. The Septuagint translates certain Hebrew words for both righteousness and kindness as alms. Frequently the helping words to do are united with the word alms; this shows almsgiving as an action that arises from the believer's heart.
Psalm Of The Day
Psalm 51:1--17 (C) - "Have mercy on me, O God...."
Psalm 103 or 103:8--14 (E) - "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and do not forget his benefits - who forgives all your iniquity and heals all your diseases..."(vv. 2--3).
Psalm 50 (RC)
Prayer Of The Day
Merciful and gracious God, our sins have turned that which is living into dust and ashes. Accept the ashes of our heartfelt repentance and breathe new life into our animated human dust, that we might stand eternally in your most holy presence. In the Name of him who died and rose again, Jesus, our Lord. Amen.
THEOLOGICAL REFLECTION ON THE LESSONS
Lesson 1: Joel 2:1--2, 12--17
It ain't over 'til it's over. I believe that was one of Yogi Berra's colorful witticisms. The prophet Joel said just about the same thing: " 'Even now,' declares the Lord, 'return to me...' " (v. 12). It wasn't too late to return to the Lord. There was time for amendment of life; there was opportunity to turn over a new leaf. Satan's mightiest weapon comes encapsulated in these words: "It's too late." "It ain't over 'til it's over."
Rend and return (v. 13). Pious Jews might tear (rend) their garments to show contrition or sorrow. Joel calls the people to rend their hearts (be broken--hearted) and return to the Lord, their God. There can be no returning without rending. A person cannot return to the Lord until he recognizes that he has turned away and feels in his gut the pain that his sin has caused our gracious God.
A time for trumpets? Verse 15 orders the sounding of the horn, the shofar or ram's horn. The purpose? To gather the people in solemn assembly. In contrast Jesus, in the Gospel Lesson, warns against sounding our individual horns prior to a religious act. To call attention to ourselves and our righteousness is always wrong, but gathering the community for repentance and renewal is what Lent is all about. Young and old, people and priests must respond to God's trumpet call.
Lesson 2: 2 Corinthians 5:20-6:10
Beggars for Christ (v. 20). The apostle begs and pleads with the Corinthians to become God's friends through Christ. Being reconciled to God is not a matter of indifference. God's heart aches for his separated children. Does our heart also ache for all those estranged from the Lord?
We are God's goodness (v. 21). Paul presents an interesting dichotomy. The sinless Christ became the incarnation of sin on the cross so that through faith in Christ we might become the incarnation of God's righteousness. Both sinfulness and righteousness are not merely that which we do but that which we are.
The time is NOW! We humans have a tendency toward procrastination. Why do today what we can put off until tomorrow? Paul pleads: "See, now is the acceptable time, see, now is the day of salvation." In Luke 9:59--61, Jesus invites two men to follow him. Their reply? Later. One said: "Lord, first let me go and bury my father." Another man seemed ready to follow but added: "...but let me first go and say farewell to those at my home." Jesus wouldn't allow for hesitancy. "No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is worthy of the kingdom of God" (v. 62). The opportunities which God extends at the present time must be seized or forever lost.
Reconciliation. When William Tyndale was translating the Bible, he was looking for an English word to translate the Greek katallage as well as the Latin word reconciliation. He came up with the word atonement (at--one--ment), which he used in Romans 5:11. The King James Version followed Tyndale's lead but later translations reverted to reconciliation, probably to avoid confusion with the various theories of the atonement. The concept of reconciliation for the Old Testament and the New start from opposite points. The Jews believed that all unintentional sins were absolved when a person took part in the rites associated with the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur). This ritual centered around the prayers and sacrifices of the High Priest (Leviticus 16:1--31; 23:26--32). All other sins could be absolved only through prayer and repentance. Later on the Rabbis taught that good works could bring atonement. One problem consisted in knowing how many good works were sufficient to confer atonement. The other difficulty stems from the fact that this line of thinking makes God the object and humans the subject of atonement. Christianity teaches that God is the subject of atonement and humans are the object. God has taken the initiative in overcoming the estrangement brought on by our sins. "God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself" (2 Corinthians 5:19).
Gospel: Matthew 6:1--6, 16--21
Hypocrites. Three times Jesus warns not to do as the hypocrites. Originally the Greek word hypocrisis was not negative. A person known by this name would answer questions, recite poetry and act, as in a play. In the New Testament and especially in the thinking of Jesus, hypocrisis is completely negative. It means to pretend to be one thing, while being something quite contrary. It has the connotation of staging a show that has the intent of fooling the audience into thinking that this was real life and not an act. For Jesus the chief exemplars of hypocrisy were the scribes and Pharisees, many of whom loved to make a public display of their religiosity.
Don't toot your own horn (v. 2). When the king would make a public appearance, the fanfares would majestically sound. When the President of the United States makes a special public appearance, the band plays "Here Comes The Chief." The tooting of the horn serves to draw attention to important people. However, those who would like to think that they are VIP's draw attention to themselves by tooting their own horn, so to speak. A child of God does not need to draw attention to himself or his virtue; what can be greater than being a child of the King?
Who's your audience? Jesus warns against the danger of performing religion in order to be noticed by other people. Do we go to church to look religious? Do we pray long and eloquent prayers to reap the praise of others? The only proper audience for our religious devotions is the Lord. What God thinks of our performance is all that matters.
Reflex religion. Jesus teaches that the outward expression of faith must become second nature. "But when you give alms, don't let your left hand know what your right hand is doing" (v. 3). I'm not talking about the lamentable practice of doing acts of worship and devotion with your mind in overdrive. Rather, I'm making a point that God's goodness and grace should become so much a part of who we are that expressions of faith and charity spring naturally, like a reflex.
SERMON APPROACHES WITH ILLUSTRATIONS
Lesson 1: Joel 2: 1--2, 12--17
Sermon Title: Make A U--turn
Sermon Angle: Normally, U--turns are proscribed by law but God calls his people, through his prophet Joel, to do a U--turn. God orders his people to turn their lives away from their rebellion and back to his merciful presence. When he pleads for them to return to him with all their heart (v. 12), it's the same as asking them to do a U--turn. Only a complete turnaround, involving will, intellect and actions, will do.
Outline:
1. The Jews were called to turn their lives completely around (a U--turn).
- Paying lip service would not do.
- Ritual turning alone wasn't enough.
- God's grace and mercy encouraged such turning.
2. Our repentance is often only partial or superficial.
3. Only a complete U--turn will do.
4. Such a move is only possible through the power of Christ.
Sermon Title: It's Not Too Late
Sermon Angle: The situation was serious but there was still time. The nation of Israel faced a crisis; the anvil of judgment was raised above their heads but the action of the people might still avert its crushing force. It was not too late: "Yet, even now...return to me..." (v. 12). The saddest words are these: "It's too late." When it comes to our relationship to God, as long as there's life, there's hope. If we genuinely repent, our relationship with the Lord turns over a new leaf.
Outline:
1. The Israelites faced an imminent crisis.
2. Joel holds out hope for God's mercy (v. 12).
3. If the people turn back to God, God will turn away the hand of judgment.
4. Some of us may think it's too late for us or our nation (our sins are too serious).
5. It isn't too late to return to God with our whole being (with all our heart).
Sermon Title: A God Of Holy Passion
Sermon Angle: The phrase in verse 13 translated "slow to anger" is the Hebrew "aph." This word makes reference to the nose or nostril and, by association, the face. It is also used for rapid breathing, such as in making love or showing anger. The usage here suggests that God's anger and holy passion does not flare up easily or suddenly. Our God is not a God of unbridled passion, always ready to strike out, but of holy passion, characterized by tenderness and forgiveness.
Sermon Title: When God Sighs
Sermon Angle: The Hebrew word translated "repent" (vv. 13--14), referring to God, is nacham. One of the meanings of this word is "sigh" or "breathe strongly." How our sins must make God sigh! A person usually sighs when bored, grieved, angered or under pressure. A sigh serves as a pause that allows a person to get control of his emotions. Giving pause allows a person to alter or change his response in a more creative direction. God's sigh (repentance) breathes new life into our broken relationship with the Ground Of Our Being. What makes God sigh? Our sins. When we sigh (pause to reconsider and repent), God inspires us with his Spirit to turn our lives around.
Outline:
1. Explain the meaning of nacham (sigh, repent).
2. Our sins make God sigh rather than lash out in anger.
3. God takes a breath and considers how he might breathe new life into his relationship with his children.
4. If we sigh (truly repent) of our sins, the Spirit will breathe new life into our being.
__________
Walter Wangarin, Jr., relates a moving personal story involving his son, apparently an impulsive little boy who permitted his desires to dominate his conscience. One day his father happened into his room and observed the boy on the bed with a pile of comic books. The father was perplexed. "Where did you get all those comic books?" He said, "I took them out of the library." "You mean that you took from the library? You stole them from the library, isn't that right?" demanded the father. "Yes." So the father called the library and told them what his son had done and that they would come in shortly to return them.
Some time later, after they had returned from vacation, Walter opened the drawer in his son's dresser and found another pile of comics. The boy confessed that he had stolen them. The father took him and the books into the living room and burned the comics in the fireplace, reinforcing to his son that what he had done was a sin. He had broken God's commandments.
A year later the son committed the same sin. The father ruefully ordered the son into the next room, where he was going to be spanked. The boy did not shed a tear but the father, not wanting his son to see the tears in his own eyes, announced that he was leaving the room but would return in a few minutes. Out in the hallway, the father sobbed. Some years later, the family was driving home from the shopping center when the subject of the comic books came up. "What made you stop stealing?" asked the mother. "The spanking your father gave you?" "No," he responded, "it is because when he stepped out of the room I could hear him crying."
We may not be moved to repentance by our Father's punishments or threats, but knowing how our sins break our Father's heart and bring tears to his eyes, if I could be allowed these anthropomorphisms, might help change our course.
Lesson 2: 2 Corinthians 5:20-6:10
Sermon Title: God's Beggars
Sermon Angle: Paul begs the Corinthians to become reconciled with God. The task of presenting the gospel is not a matter of indifference but of highest importance. How many of us really care for neighbors who are separated from God? If the Lord remains there for us when we need him, we don't worry too much about the neighbor's spiritual state. We're so geared into the concept of the church as a spiritual supermarket, where we can shop for the latest religious goodies, that we forget that the church is really a mission outpost for making God's plan for reconciling creation known to all nations. We are beggars, since everything we have and are comes from the Lord. Our task is to beg others to accept the reconciliation that comes through Christ.
Outline:
1. Paul sees his task as being a beggar for Christ (v. 20b).
2. Paul was passionate for the church's task of reconciliation through Christ.
3. We are all beggars, since salvation is a free gift.
4. We are commissioned to share Christ's reconciliation (one beggar offering another beggar the Bread of Life).
Gospel: Matthew 6:1--6, 16--21
Sermon Title: Three Exercises You Can Do In Private
Sermon Angle: If you choose to employ the suggested theme for a Lenten series "Forty Days To Spiritual Fitness," this sermon could launch it. There are all kinds of fitness programs and exercise regimens. There is "Easy Glider," the stair stepper and "Soloflex Gold," to name but a few. However, the program that wins the prize for originality is the video "Buns Of Steel." Let me suggest three simple exercises which can strengthen, invigorate and firm up the Body of Christ. Jesus used them and taught them. They are giving to the poor and needy, prayer and fasting. Like most exercises, there is a wrong way and a right way to perform these exercises. They must not be done for show or the benefit of other people. Rather, these exercises must be directed toward God alone. Like physical exercise, these exercises must be practiced daily to have a significant strengthening effect on our spirit.
Outline:
1. Ask how many have tried or are engaging in a exercise program.
2. Discuss the physical fitness craze.
3. Why do we exercise?
- To appear good to others?
- To heighten our self--esteem?
- Christian stewardship of our bodies?
4. Christians should give as much attention to spiritual fitness.
5. Jesus talks of three exercises to firm up a flabby soul - giving to the needy, prayer and fasting. Find a quiet spot and exercise regularly.
