Christ The King
Preaching
Lectionary Preaching Workbook
Series VI, Cycle A
COMMENTARY ON THE LESSONS
Lesson 1: Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24 (C); Ezekiel 34:11-12, 15-17 (RC); Ezekiel 34:11-17 (E)
In his oracle, Ezekiel speaks the word of God's promise that those in exile to Babylon and elsewhere will be gathered once more into a reestablished kingdom. Like sheep which have wandered far away, the people will be found and saved by the shepherd God. This is a promise of hope, though the sheep which are fat will be punished. This is a reference to those who have, in one way or another, profiteered at the expense of the others. Actually, life appears not to have been all that bad in the exile to Babylon. Only the brightest and most talented Jews were taken there, and the people remaining had begun to migrate to Egypt for what they envisioned to be a better life. Ezekiel here holds forth the dream that all will be together again once more and the evil ones among them will be punished.
Lesson 2: Ephesians 1:15-23 (C)
Jesus is beyond all earthly powers as head of the Church, that body of believers in whom God is at work. Paul here implies the power of intercessory prayer as he prays for his people to receive the power of God. Here we see a bit of the genius of the New Testament which depicts God as trusting us by working through us, unlike the Old Testament which depicts God as always in control, always running things.
Lesson 2: 1 Corinthians 15:20-26, 28 (RC); 1 Corinthians 15:20-28 (E)
Life after death, the unfailing promise God has given to all through Christ. Whereas Adam caused death -- a figurative statement if we assume "Adam" is in fact a personification of every person -- Christ will defeat death. Because Paul usually wrote in a highly poetical style, one is well-advised in preaching to today's congregation to reinterpret in language of the common man and woman. In those terms, Paul has said that we will survive death, that God has seen to that, and the sure sign of that promise is the man Christ who has already survived death and is now head of the Church.
Gospel: Matthew 25:31-46 (C, RC, E)
This parable, lengthy as it is, makes one point crystal clear: we will be judged by the ways in which we helped other people in need. The examples Jesus used were the simple ones of everyday life. A hungry man; someone who has done wrong and is in prison; one who thirsts Furthermore, we are to do these acts of kindness without regard to any reward for us. The utter surprise on the part of those who did these things in the parable was evidence that it had not occurred to them that they were doing anything special. Dr. Barclay made the point that few things make parents happier than for someone to do a kindness for their child Likewise, a kindness to a needy person pleased Jesus every bit as much as if it had been done to him directly.
SERMON SUGGESTIONS
Title: "Some Day"
Text: Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24
Theme: Here we see a somewhat softer side of God, or at least something different from the sheer power of God. It is a caring, loyal shepherd we see here. God genuinely cares about all his people, wherever they are. Furthermore, he cares about any mistreatment they have suffered and pledges to address any injustices in due time. The image of lost sheep requires a bit of imagination on the part of most of us but must have seemed very real and immediate to the people of that time. Most of them had lived on farms, or at least had been very close to the farm culture. They all knew how frustrating it could be to realize some sheep had strayed away, how quickly a good shepherd would head out in a search. The analogy must have been reassuring to a people far from home. Unfortunate indeed is the person who cannot look back with fondness on the place of childhood and growing up. Many people cannot, of course. Ours is a much more mobile culture than was true in Ezekiel's time, but nearly all of us have nostalgic memories of some place we call home, and of dear ones now gone. What a joyous thought that someday, somewhere, it could be ours again.
1. God pursues us. My first class in seminary was presented with the question: what is the distinction between "religion" and "Christianity"? The answer: Religion refers to Man's (and, of course, woman's) search for God. Christianity is God's search for Man.
2. God wants us home because he loves us. We have nothing to fear. Granted, the Old Testament is a bit more hard-nosed about wrongdoing promising punishment or even destruction for the wrongdoer, whereas the New Testament places a lot more emphasis on forgiveness. But we who regret the wrongs we have done, who try to live as we believe God would have us live, need never fear going "home."
3. There are sufferings to bear in the present. But they will be more than offset one day. Injustices will be redressed, sins forgiven those who repent, and that which seemed lost will be restored. Also, God will use those negatives in our lives in positive ways.
Title: "Wonderful Happiness"
Text: Ephesians 1:16-19
Theme: The capacity to know God, to experience the Spirit of God, is a gift, one which it pleases God to give to each of us. The Spirit makes a higher Power available to us, power which is not inherent in us, power which is to be found nowhere else. It brings to us "rich and wonderful blessings." Recall William Barclay's contention that the word "blessed" is better translated "happy." Rich and wonderful happiness, then, is the reward of the Spirit. Paul qualifies this, though, in that he says these things are for "those who believe."
1. God helps us live with ourselves. Eugene O'Neill wrote this:
None of us can heal the things that life has done to us. They're done before we can realize what's being done, and they then make you do things all your life until these things are constantly coming between you and what you'd like to be. And in that way you seem to lose yourself forever.
There's so much truth to that. Even Paul admitted he often did things he wished he hadn't done and failed to do other things he wished he'd done. I'm like that. There are qualities I'd dearly love to have, but I'll never have them. I always let my wife deal with the folks at the airline desk because she has a sweetness about her that I can't even pretend to have. She sometimes gets an upgrade on the plane, while the best I ever do is get a seat by the bulkhead. But the Spirit can help us live with "who we are." I can't be something I'm not. But the Spirit helps me -- and all of us -- love the person we have become as we try to become better.
2. God helps us live with other people. Someone recently gave a speech to some teenagers emphasizing that there are two kinds of people: "here I am" people and "there you are" people. His point was, as I understand it, that some people want to talk about themselves all the time, wanting affirmation, wanting credit, wanting flattery. People like this have a sad inability to give strokes to other people. I have often eaten lunch with a friend and we have been friends for 30 years. Never once has he given me a compliment of any kind. It's not that I really want one -- I still enjoy his company -- but I see him miss so much in human relationships. He's a "here I am." The other person, of course, does the opposite, and I feel that if we really have the Spirit we listen to others, hear them, affirm them.
3. God helps us live with God. The impulses to pray, to worship, to thank, to praise, are God-given, yet they keep us in contact with the source of that rich and wonderful happiness.
Title: "Kindness In Action"
Text: Matthew 25:31-46
Theme: This parable of the Last Judgment warns us that people will be judged by the way we treat each other, and especially the way we treat the weak and the poor. I still regret the day I passed a man who asked me for money so he could eat just as I was entering one of Chicago's finest restaurants. I was in a hurry and brushed by him. Ten minutes later, I regretted my selfishness and went out to see if he was still there. He was gone. My friends still kid me about that. I have eaten there twice since and hoped both times the man might still be there. Too late.
1. We are to be open to other people's needs. In addition to the ones Jesus mentioned, I think of others. The person who is lonely, perhaps after the death of a loved one or after a divorce. The person who thirsts for affirmation. The person who hungers for a meaningful job. There are many subtle forms of human need, and we are to be sensitive to that.
2. We are to be unselfish. That means there should be a sense of sacrifice in tending to others. I have a friend about whom it is known to all his friends that if you need a ride to the airport -- an hour round-trip -- he'll drop everything to take you. A little thing, of course. But it's so often the little human needs which add up to what Jesus was talking about. Just last week we had a terrible explosion here in Indianapolis. A gas main blew, destroying seven homes. Mercifully, it was mid-afternoon and few were at home. One elderly woman was killed. Two young men were heading off to a golf game when they saw frightened children running away from the firestorm which was consuming the neighborhood. They ran into the midst of the burning area to pound on doors and thereby warned several people who were remaining in their endangered homes because of fear and confusion. That was what Jesus was talking about.
3. We are to seek nothing in return. Those who perform acts of kindness must do so with no thought of reward. Remember Lloyd Douglas' wonderful story Magnificent Obsession, about the doctor who always helped people but his help had two conditions. The person he helped was never to tell anyone what he had done for them, and that person was honor-bound to look for a chance to do something helpful for someone else.
ADDITIONAL ILLUSTRATIONS
William Barclay reminds us of the life of Francis of Assisi, who was high-born, wealthy, a man with a prosperous life -- and an unhappy one. One day as he was riding his horse, he passed a leper lying alongside the road. The poor man was covered with sores and was obviously in great misery. Moved by a surge of empathy, Francis dismounted and threw his arms around the man. Lo, as he did so, he looked into the man's face and saw there the face of Christ.
____________
We are also reminded of Martin of Tours who, wearing a worn Roman army coat against the bitter cold, saw a beggar shivering in the night air. He removed his coat, cut it in half, and gave the beggar one half. That night, as Martin slept, he had a dream. In it Jesus, accompanied by some friends, appeared to Martin, and he was wearing half of a worn, bedraggled army coat. One of Jesus' friends asked him where he got such a thing and Jesus replied, "My friend Martin gave it to me."
____________
"I fled Him, down the nights and down the days;
I fled Him, down the arches of the years;
I fled Him, down the labyrinthine ways
Of my own mind; and in the mist of tears
I hid from Him, and under running laughter.
Still with unhurrying chase,
And unperturbed pace,
Deliberate speed, majestic instancy,
Came on the following Feet,
And a voice above their beat --
'Naught shelters thee, who wilt not shelter Me.'
I stand amid the dust o' the mounded years --
My mangled youth lies dead beneath the heap.
My days have crackled and gone up in smoke.
Ever and anon a trumpet sounds
From the hid battlements of Eternity.
'All which I took from thee I did but take,
Not for thy harm,
But just that thou might'st seek it in My arms.
All which thy child's mistake,
Fancies as lost, I have stored for thee at home.' "
-- Francis Thompson's The Hound of Heaven
____________
Leo Buscaglia told of standing in a card store filled with Valentine's Day cards. A man rushed in, hurriedly searched through the cards, and muttered, "Darn it." Leo asked him what was wrong. He said, "This is all a rip-off." However, when asked why, then, he even bothered, he said, "My wife will kill me if I don't show up with a card." Just as the fellow left, a young girl came in looking for a card. She too looked unhappy. She told Buscaglia that her boss had sent her out for a card for his wife. Then she said, "If a guy had someone else buy a card for me, I'd kill him." Buscaglia then went on to observe that here were people looking for cards and already, he said, two murders were planned. He concluded by saying "That's why I go around saying 'choose love,' and 'choose life.' "
____________
Psalm Of The Day
Psalm 100 (C) -- "Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth."
Psalm 23 (RC) -- "The Lord is my shepherd."
Psalm 95:1-7a (E) -- "O come, let us sing to the Lord."
Prayer Of The Day
Dear God, fill us with compassion, empower us with the ability to care, enlighten us to the human need around us, show us how to help, forgive us our failures, give us the courage to risk ourselves for others, and grant us the character to do these things to your glory. In Christ's name we pray. Amen.
Lesson 1: Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24 (C); Ezekiel 34:11-12, 15-17 (RC); Ezekiel 34:11-17 (E)
In his oracle, Ezekiel speaks the word of God's promise that those in exile to Babylon and elsewhere will be gathered once more into a reestablished kingdom. Like sheep which have wandered far away, the people will be found and saved by the shepherd God. This is a promise of hope, though the sheep which are fat will be punished. This is a reference to those who have, in one way or another, profiteered at the expense of the others. Actually, life appears not to have been all that bad in the exile to Babylon. Only the brightest and most talented Jews were taken there, and the people remaining had begun to migrate to Egypt for what they envisioned to be a better life. Ezekiel here holds forth the dream that all will be together again once more and the evil ones among them will be punished.
Lesson 2: Ephesians 1:15-23 (C)
Jesus is beyond all earthly powers as head of the Church, that body of believers in whom God is at work. Paul here implies the power of intercessory prayer as he prays for his people to receive the power of God. Here we see a bit of the genius of the New Testament which depicts God as trusting us by working through us, unlike the Old Testament which depicts God as always in control, always running things.
Lesson 2: 1 Corinthians 15:20-26, 28 (RC); 1 Corinthians 15:20-28 (E)
Life after death, the unfailing promise God has given to all through Christ. Whereas Adam caused death -- a figurative statement if we assume "Adam" is in fact a personification of every person -- Christ will defeat death. Because Paul usually wrote in a highly poetical style, one is well-advised in preaching to today's congregation to reinterpret in language of the common man and woman. In those terms, Paul has said that we will survive death, that God has seen to that, and the sure sign of that promise is the man Christ who has already survived death and is now head of the Church.
Gospel: Matthew 25:31-46 (C, RC, E)
This parable, lengthy as it is, makes one point crystal clear: we will be judged by the ways in which we helped other people in need. The examples Jesus used were the simple ones of everyday life. A hungry man; someone who has done wrong and is in prison; one who thirsts Furthermore, we are to do these acts of kindness without regard to any reward for us. The utter surprise on the part of those who did these things in the parable was evidence that it had not occurred to them that they were doing anything special. Dr. Barclay made the point that few things make parents happier than for someone to do a kindness for their child Likewise, a kindness to a needy person pleased Jesus every bit as much as if it had been done to him directly.
SERMON SUGGESTIONS
Title: "Some Day"
Text: Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24
Theme: Here we see a somewhat softer side of God, or at least something different from the sheer power of God. It is a caring, loyal shepherd we see here. God genuinely cares about all his people, wherever they are. Furthermore, he cares about any mistreatment they have suffered and pledges to address any injustices in due time. The image of lost sheep requires a bit of imagination on the part of most of us but must have seemed very real and immediate to the people of that time. Most of them had lived on farms, or at least had been very close to the farm culture. They all knew how frustrating it could be to realize some sheep had strayed away, how quickly a good shepherd would head out in a search. The analogy must have been reassuring to a people far from home. Unfortunate indeed is the person who cannot look back with fondness on the place of childhood and growing up. Many people cannot, of course. Ours is a much more mobile culture than was true in Ezekiel's time, but nearly all of us have nostalgic memories of some place we call home, and of dear ones now gone. What a joyous thought that someday, somewhere, it could be ours again.
1. God pursues us. My first class in seminary was presented with the question: what is the distinction between "religion" and "Christianity"? The answer: Religion refers to Man's (and, of course, woman's) search for God. Christianity is God's search for Man.
2. God wants us home because he loves us. We have nothing to fear. Granted, the Old Testament is a bit more hard-nosed about wrongdoing promising punishment or even destruction for the wrongdoer, whereas the New Testament places a lot more emphasis on forgiveness. But we who regret the wrongs we have done, who try to live as we believe God would have us live, need never fear going "home."
3. There are sufferings to bear in the present. But they will be more than offset one day. Injustices will be redressed, sins forgiven those who repent, and that which seemed lost will be restored. Also, God will use those negatives in our lives in positive ways.
Title: "Wonderful Happiness"
Text: Ephesians 1:16-19
Theme: The capacity to know God, to experience the Spirit of God, is a gift, one which it pleases God to give to each of us. The Spirit makes a higher Power available to us, power which is not inherent in us, power which is to be found nowhere else. It brings to us "rich and wonderful blessings." Recall William Barclay's contention that the word "blessed" is better translated "happy." Rich and wonderful happiness, then, is the reward of the Spirit. Paul qualifies this, though, in that he says these things are for "those who believe."
1. God helps us live with ourselves. Eugene O'Neill wrote this:
None of us can heal the things that life has done to us. They're done before we can realize what's being done, and they then make you do things all your life until these things are constantly coming between you and what you'd like to be. And in that way you seem to lose yourself forever.
There's so much truth to that. Even Paul admitted he often did things he wished he hadn't done and failed to do other things he wished he'd done. I'm like that. There are qualities I'd dearly love to have, but I'll never have them. I always let my wife deal with the folks at the airline desk because she has a sweetness about her that I can't even pretend to have. She sometimes gets an upgrade on the plane, while the best I ever do is get a seat by the bulkhead. But the Spirit can help us live with "who we are." I can't be something I'm not. But the Spirit helps me -- and all of us -- love the person we have become as we try to become better.
2. God helps us live with other people. Someone recently gave a speech to some teenagers emphasizing that there are two kinds of people: "here I am" people and "there you are" people. His point was, as I understand it, that some people want to talk about themselves all the time, wanting affirmation, wanting credit, wanting flattery. People like this have a sad inability to give strokes to other people. I have often eaten lunch with a friend and we have been friends for 30 years. Never once has he given me a compliment of any kind. It's not that I really want one -- I still enjoy his company -- but I see him miss so much in human relationships. He's a "here I am." The other person, of course, does the opposite, and I feel that if we really have the Spirit we listen to others, hear them, affirm them.
3. God helps us live with God. The impulses to pray, to worship, to thank, to praise, are God-given, yet they keep us in contact with the source of that rich and wonderful happiness.
Title: "Kindness In Action"
Text: Matthew 25:31-46
Theme: This parable of the Last Judgment warns us that people will be judged by the way we treat each other, and especially the way we treat the weak and the poor. I still regret the day I passed a man who asked me for money so he could eat just as I was entering one of Chicago's finest restaurants. I was in a hurry and brushed by him. Ten minutes later, I regretted my selfishness and went out to see if he was still there. He was gone. My friends still kid me about that. I have eaten there twice since and hoped both times the man might still be there. Too late.
1. We are to be open to other people's needs. In addition to the ones Jesus mentioned, I think of others. The person who is lonely, perhaps after the death of a loved one or after a divorce. The person who thirsts for affirmation. The person who hungers for a meaningful job. There are many subtle forms of human need, and we are to be sensitive to that.
2. We are to be unselfish. That means there should be a sense of sacrifice in tending to others. I have a friend about whom it is known to all his friends that if you need a ride to the airport -- an hour round-trip -- he'll drop everything to take you. A little thing, of course. But it's so often the little human needs which add up to what Jesus was talking about. Just last week we had a terrible explosion here in Indianapolis. A gas main blew, destroying seven homes. Mercifully, it was mid-afternoon and few were at home. One elderly woman was killed. Two young men were heading off to a golf game when they saw frightened children running away from the firestorm which was consuming the neighborhood. They ran into the midst of the burning area to pound on doors and thereby warned several people who were remaining in their endangered homes because of fear and confusion. That was what Jesus was talking about.
3. We are to seek nothing in return. Those who perform acts of kindness must do so with no thought of reward. Remember Lloyd Douglas' wonderful story Magnificent Obsession, about the doctor who always helped people but his help had two conditions. The person he helped was never to tell anyone what he had done for them, and that person was honor-bound to look for a chance to do something helpful for someone else.
ADDITIONAL ILLUSTRATIONS
William Barclay reminds us of the life of Francis of Assisi, who was high-born, wealthy, a man with a prosperous life -- and an unhappy one. One day as he was riding his horse, he passed a leper lying alongside the road. The poor man was covered with sores and was obviously in great misery. Moved by a surge of empathy, Francis dismounted and threw his arms around the man. Lo, as he did so, he looked into the man's face and saw there the face of Christ.
____________
We are also reminded of Martin of Tours who, wearing a worn Roman army coat against the bitter cold, saw a beggar shivering in the night air. He removed his coat, cut it in half, and gave the beggar one half. That night, as Martin slept, he had a dream. In it Jesus, accompanied by some friends, appeared to Martin, and he was wearing half of a worn, bedraggled army coat. One of Jesus' friends asked him where he got such a thing and Jesus replied, "My friend Martin gave it to me."
____________
"I fled Him, down the nights and down the days;
I fled Him, down the arches of the years;
I fled Him, down the labyrinthine ways
Of my own mind; and in the mist of tears
I hid from Him, and under running laughter.
Still with unhurrying chase,
And unperturbed pace,
Deliberate speed, majestic instancy,
Came on the following Feet,
And a voice above their beat --
'Naught shelters thee, who wilt not shelter Me.'
I stand amid the dust o' the mounded years --
My mangled youth lies dead beneath the heap.
My days have crackled and gone up in smoke.
Ever and anon a trumpet sounds
From the hid battlements of Eternity.
'All which I took from thee I did but take,
Not for thy harm,
But just that thou might'st seek it in My arms.
All which thy child's mistake,
Fancies as lost, I have stored for thee at home.' "
-- Francis Thompson's The Hound of Heaven
____________
Leo Buscaglia told of standing in a card store filled with Valentine's Day cards. A man rushed in, hurriedly searched through the cards, and muttered, "Darn it." Leo asked him what was wrong. He said, "This is all a rip-off." However, when asked why, then, he even bothered, he said, "My wife will kill me if I don't show up with a card." Just as the fellow left, a young girl came in looking for a card. She too looked unhappy. She told Buscaglia that her boss had sent her out for a card for his wife. Then she said, "If a guy had someone else buy a card for me, I'd kill him." Buscaglia then went on to observe that here were people looking for cards and already, he said, two murders were planned. He concluded by saying "That's why I go around saying 'choose love,' and 'choose life.' "
____________
Psalm Of The Day
Psalm 100 (C) -- "Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth."
Psalm 23 (RC) -- "The Lord is my shepherd."
Psalm 95:1-7a (E) -- "O come, let us sing to the Lord."
Prayer Of The Day
Dear God, fill us with compassion, empower us with the ability to care, enlighten us to the human need around us, show us how to help, forgive us our failures, give us the courage to risk ourselves for others, and grant us the character to do these things to your glory. In Christ's name we pray. Amen.
