Lesson 1: Acts 7:55-60 (C)
Stephen is the first Christian to be martyred for his bold witness that Jesus is the Christ. He preaches both law and gospel. It was the law that enraged his audience because he accused them, as well as their ancestors, of being responsible for the death of Jesus. As he was dying, he saw the beatific vision and prayed that God would forgive his slayers. Stephen demonstrated the gospel with his last breath.
Lesson 1: Acts 17:1-15 (E, L)
Paul and his message continues to stir up a certain element among the Jews. His life is threatened in Thessalonica, to the degree that his followers spirit him out of the city. Not finding Paul and his entourage, the foes of the Faith drag Jason and the other local followers of the Way to the authorities. The accusation they level against them is really quite accurate: those who have "turned the world upside down." In Beroea, the gospel is well received. At least, the members of the synagogue were willing to consider the claims of the apostle. However, like hornets whose nest has been disturbed, the enemies from Thessalonica stir up the troops in Beroea also.
Lesson 1: Acts 6:1-7 (RC)
See Easter 4, Lutheran
Lesson 2: 1 Peter 2:2-10 (C); 1 Peter 2:4-9 (RC); 1 Peter 2:1-10 (E); 1 Peter 2:4-10 (L)
Peter invites his readers to come to the living stone (Christ), rejected by men, but chosen and precious to God (v. 4). The believers are to be built into a spiritual edifice. Briefly, the image then shifts; they are to be a holy priesthood offering spiritual sacrifices. Peter comes back to the stone image, this time it is employed in reference to God, alluding to Isaiah 8:13-14, in which the Lord is the stumbling stone for Israel and Judah. God is the stumbling stone for those who disbelieve but the cornerstone for those who have faith. Peter applies to the church the prerogatives formerly accorded Israel -- "a chosen race, a royal priesthood, God's own people ..." To what end? "In order to declare the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light" (v. 10).
Gospel: John 14:1-14 (C, E); John 14:1-12 (RC, L)
This is the commencement of Jesus' farewell discourse that extends through chapter 17. He is preparing his disciples for his departure (ascension). He informs them that he will return for them and, in the meantime, he is going to prepare a place for them. Thomas expresses the confusion of the group: "Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?" Jesus retorts: "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but by me" (vv. 5-6). Jesus goes on to point out that they have seen the Father in him. The Father is in him and he is in the Father. Those who believe in him will do even greater things than he has done.
Psalm Of The Day
Psalm 31:1-5, 15-16 (C) -- "Be a rock of refuge for me, a strong fortress to save me" (v. 3).
Psalm 33:1-11 (RC, L) -- "Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous ..." (v. 1).
Psalm 66:1-11 (E) -- "Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth ..." (v. 1).
Prayer Of The Day
O Lord, you are the Rock of our salvation, you are the foundation upon which we live, move and have our being. Forbid that we should craft our lives on the shifting sands of earthly gain and lead us safely to our eternal home with you. In the strong name of Jesus. Amen.
THEOLOGICAL REFLECTION ON THE LESSONS
Lesson 1: Acts 7:55-60
Refer to Easter 4, Theological Reflection On The Lessons, Proclaiming Law And Gospel.
Lesson 1: Acts 6:1-7
See Easter 4, Lutheran/Episcopal
Lesson 1: Acts 17:1-15
The Scandal of the cross and resurrection. Paul always went to the heart of the most thorny issue for those with whom he was sharing his newfound faith, the cross and resurrection. This mode of operation is evidenced in verse three. The sufferings of the Messiah and his resurrection were a scandal, a stumbling stone. They couldn't see why it was necessary. That is still our task today as we present the gospel to would-be believers. Not only is Christ's suffering a stumbling stone but also the present pain of God's people. What kind of a God would permit this, you ask?
Turning the world upside down. That was the accusation which the mob leveled at Paul and his associates. How true! They were turning the world upside down. Revolutionary stuff, this Christianity. Paul and the other apostles did not try to transform the political system or the institutions of society but their concept of God and humankind redefined both. Yet for many contemporary Christians, Christianity is the epitome of the status quo.
Lesson 2: 1 Peter 2:1-10
Christ the living stone, the foundation stone, the cornerstone. We often think of rocks as being dead, inanimate matter, containing the skeletons of the past. Thus, the metaphor of Christ as the "living stone" seems strange. Modern science informs us that rock and other so-called inanimate matter are really a microcosm of whirling subatomic particles. What Peter may be alluding to is that stones become living when they are shaped and formed into an edifice, where living takes place. Christ is that living rock, the cornerstone of the church, the foundation of our lives. As the foundation stone, he is the platform upon which our lives are constructed. Because of the strength and permanence of that foundation, we can rest assured. The cornerstone served the function of knitting the walls together. As a cornerstone, Christ knits together our lives and gives our existence shape and form.
Stumbling stone or precious stone. Peter takes off on Isaiah 8:13-14 and shows how the one stone can differ radically, depending on the attitude of the person. For the nonbeliever, Christ is a stumbling stone of offense. For those who are being saved, Christ is a precious stone. When a builder constructs an edifice out of stone, he may reject a certain stone. In his crucifixion, Christ was rejected but through his resurrection God made him the chief cornerstone (v. 7).
Gospel: John 14:1-14
A place prepared. We normally think that we must get ready for Christ's coming. This passage speaks of Christ preparing a place for us. What does that mean? Is Christ building tract houses in the heavenly realm? Hardly. It has been suggested that he builds our eternal home with the materials that we send him. Actually, does it really make a lot of sense to describe heaven as a place? Isn't heaven and hell determined by our relationship with the Lord? Heaven is any place where the Lord is and Hell is any place where God does not dwell. "I go and prepare a place for you." What the Lord is really saying here is that we shouldn't be afraid of death. If we know him, we will always be with him. He is the Lord, but also our gracious host, who opens his arms of welcome to us at the end of our life's journey.
Many rooms. Could this possibly mean that heaven will be an inclusive, rather than exclusive, state of being? Many people think of the heavenly home as hemmed in by all sorts of zoning regulations. Only those who believe as I do will enter the gates of glory, they think. It makes sense that the One who ate with sinners and tax collectors, will welcome many whom we have deemed wanting. What the Lord seeks above all is a repentant and trusting heart.
The way to the Father. Yet the way to God is very specific. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father but by me" (v. 6). There is no other way to come to God except the way of forgiveness and trust, revealed by Christ, our Lord.
Greater works than Christ? Jesus said, "He who believes in me will also do the works that I do, and greater works than these will he do, because I go to the Father" (v. 12). Jesus did marvelous things but only reached a comparative few during his lifetime. The church has reached, healed, fed and saved hundreds of millions. It was and is possible not through human might or power but by Christ's Spirit.
PREACHING APPROACHES WITH ILLUSTRATIONS
Lesson 1: Acts 7:55-60
Sermon Title: Shout It Out
Sermon Angle: These verses report two different loud shouts. First of all, the angry shouts of a mob enraged by Stephen's accusations (v. 57). Their shouts, accompanied by the covering of their ears, was intended to drown out the preaching of Stephen. The loud shout came from the mouth of Stephen. He shouted out with a loud voice: "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." The first is a shout for blood, but the latter is a shout for peace. The one shout issues in the death of body and soul, but the other results in life eternal. The one shout incurs guilt and the other secures release from guilt. It is a natural thing to cry for the blood of our foes. It is a supernatural event when we cry out for God's mercy for our foes.
With this sermon title, you can play on a slogan of a nationally advertised cleaning product. The product is designed to unlock stains from clothing. Would-be consumers are invited to Shout It Out! When the world is affronted, it cries out for blood, for revenge. It is a loud, discordant shout, that can boil the blood of those who hear it. Christians need to follow the example of Stephen and shout out even more loudly the glad news of God's forgiveness. Only the Spirit of Christ in us can shout out the stain of human hatred and sin.
Lesson 1: Acts 17:1-15
Sermon Title: When Upside Down Is Right Side Up
Sermon Angle: Paul met very stiff opposition in Thessalonica among the Jews. It got so hot that he was sent huffing out of the city. When they stormed Jason's house, where Paul had apparently been staying, they dragged some of the local believers to the authorities. To the magistrate, they characterized the Christian missionaries as "these men who have turned the world upside down" (v. 6). How true! The truth has a way of becoming upsetting, especially when it challenges our most cherished notions. But sometimes the world needs to be turned upside down, so that it can become right side up. The gospel of Christ turned the world upside down with its notion of human dignity and the equality of all individuals as they stand before God. In our day, when lawlessness is being flaunted and human freedom abused, we need to turn the world upside down. When normalessness is all the rage, we need to point to the Way, which is Christ. Yes, we need to turn the world upside down so that God and his ways are right side up.
Lesson 1: Acts 6:1-7
See Easter 4, Lutheran/Episcopal -- Preaching Approaches
Lesson 2: 1 Peter 2:1-10
Sermon Title: The Rock Proclaims The Cornerstone
Sermon Angle: The one whom Christ dubbed "The Rock" refers to Christ as a stone: a precious cornerstone (v. 6). The cornerstone helped to knit the walls together and give them strength and substance. The church is a living edifice, composed of individual believers who are the living stones. It is Christ who knits our lives and our church together, not as a dead monument but as a vital and breathing structure. However, what is the cornerstone for us becomes a stumbling stone for those who will not believe the gospel.
Outline:
1. Stone is a symbol of that which endures
-- Christ is the foundation stone of our faith
-- Christ is the cornerstone of the church
-- Christ is the stumbling stone of offense to nonbelievers but precious to those who have faith
2. Come to Christ, the living stone and be
-- an integral part of the living church
-- offer spiritual sacrifices to God -- obedience, prayer, praise ...
Michaelangelo would search the quarry near Florence, Italy, for just the right piece of marble for his works of art. A particular sculpture would call for a particular piece of rock. One day, a friend observed Michaelangelo methodically examining a particular block of stone. "What are you doing?" he asked. The master quickly replied; "I am seeking to release the angel within the stone." For Michaelangelo, that stone was truly alive.
The church is strongest when all of her members (the living stones) work together, as one Body, for worship and witness. Charles Colson in his book, The Body, tells of the struggle of some Polish workers to build a church near their factory in Nowa Huta (New Town). At first, the officials acceded to this demand but later recanted their approval. The struggle commenced. The workers erected a wooden cross on the site of the church and held a mass there every evening. The officials tried to disperse them with water canons. That didn't work, so they destroyed the cross at night. In the morning the workers would erect a new cross. Through their struggle to build the church building, which went on for years, the workers came to realize the true
nature of the church. The church is not a place but the people of God, celebrating the presence of Christ in their midst. Eventually, the struggles of those Christian workers bore fruit. Karol Wojtyla, now the Pope, officiated at the dedication of a place of worship on that field of conflict. The workers were indeed living stones, knit together by Christ, the Cornerstone, and their common faith.
Gospel: John 14:1-14
Sermon Title: Room At The Top
Sermon Angle: Jesus said: "In my Father's house are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?" We live in a day when the competition for the most prestigious and well paying positions is fierce. There is less room at the top than there was a decade ago. Many highly educated and skilled people have to take jobs for which they are overqualified. Jesus assures his disciples that no matter how tough life becomes, there is always room at the top, in the heavenly dwelling place, for those who love him.
Sermon Title: Show Me The Way To Go Home
Sermon Angle: The above phrase is contained in a drinking song: "Show me the way to go home. I'm tired and I want to go to bed. I had a drink about an hour ago and it went straight to my head." This silly song has a serious side to it. Many people are lost. They don't remember the way to go home. In an attempt to override their anxiety, they have drunk deeply of this world's pleasures, which has further muddled their sense of direction. Someone needs to show them the way to go home. Jesus offers himself as the way, the truth and the life (v. 6).
Outline:
1. We all need to be at home with others and God
2. Sin has disturbed our homing instinct
3. Jesus offers himself as the Way, the Truth and the Life
4. Come home to God through him
