Eighth Sunday After The Epiphany
Preaching
Lectionary Preaching Workbook
Cycle A, THIRD EDITION
THE LESSONS
Lesson 1: Isaiah 49:8--16a (C); Isaiah 49:14--15 (RC); Isaiah 49:8--18 (E)
Rejoice, for God comforts his people with deliverance. At this time the Jews are hostages in Babylon. Through Isaiah they receive a promise that they will be released to go home to Jerusalem to rebuild their nation and to re--establish their homes. What joy this good news brought them can be understood in the light of the return of the American hostages in Iraq. In the case of the Babylonian captivity, it was not the captors that released the hostages, but the merciful action of Yahweh.
Lesson 2: 1 Corinthians 4:1--5 (C, RC); 1 Corinthians 4:1--5 (6--7) 8--13 (E)
Leaders of the church are stewards and servants of Christ. From the beginning of this letter, Paul has been discussing the division in the Corinthian church over partisanship in leadership. Now he comes to explain the nature and function of these leaders and criticism of them. The apostles are stewards of God's mysteries and servants of Christ. They are accountable to God and to no one else. Apostles are of value and importance because of their association with the gospel. Members are not to criticize their leaders. Paul does not even criticize himself, for he does not know of anything he has done wrong. Only God is to judge, for he alone knows the heart.
Gospel: Matthew 6:24--34 (C, RC, E)
There is no need to be anxious about material needs, for God will provide them to those who trust him. In the last paragraph of the sixth chapter of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus discusses materialism as a god. It is not possible, he teaches, to hold to this god and God. If we would serve God wholly, the material side of life God would provide. With faith in God's provision of our daily needs, we would have no anxiety about tomorrow and its needs.
Psalm Of The Day
Psalm 131 (C) - "O Israel, hope in the Lord" (v. 3).
Psalm 62 (RC, E) - "My soul in silence waits" (v. 1).
Prayer Of The Day
"Almighty and everlasting God, ruler of heaven and earth: Hear our prayer and give us your peace now and forever."
Hymn Of The Day
"Jesus, Priceless Treasure"
THEOLOGICAL REFLECTIONS
Gospel: Matthew 6:24--34 (C, RC, E)
1. Masters (v. 24). It is not only a matter of trying to serve two masters, which in any and every case is unsatisfactory, but it is a matter of which master one serves. Is the master God or mammon (money, material possessions)? Which of the two is served makes a world of difference. To serve the master of money is to worry about the material things of life. To serve God is to be free from worry because God provides the physical necessities of life.
2. Anxious (vv. 25, 27, 28, 31, 34a, 34b). In this short passage the word "anxious" is used six times. It is the key word of the passage. To be anxious is to worry. Jesus teaches his disciples not to worry about the basic needs of life: food, drink, and clothing, nor about the future (v. 34). Not to worry is not an invitation to idleness and sloth. To have one's basic needs met, one must cooperate with God by planning for the future, working hard, and being thrifty. These things are done by a Christian without the worry of getting enough of the basic needs for today and of having security for tomorrow.
3. Faith (v. 30). When we worry about physical needs, we display a lack of faith in God. In this passage we can see the three aspects of faith: (1) Faith as knowledge - know that God is good, that he knows we have these needs, that he is able to provide. (2) Faith as trust - the answer to worry is faith as trust in God. Trust his promise to provide. Trust his benevolence. (3) Faith as action - faith does not sit down and let God do it all. By faith we work with God in fulfilling our needs, yet without anxiety. We do our part in providing for our needs in the confidence they will be met.
4. First (v. 33). A life without worry is the result of having one's priorities in proper order. In verse 24, God is to come first over mammon, and he only is to be served. Next, life is more important than food, drink, and clothing (v. 25). Trust should have priority over worry (v. 33). Today is of greater concern than tomorrow (v. 34).
Lesson 1: Isaiah 49:8--16a (C); Isaiah 49:14--15 (RC); Isaiah 49:8--18 (E)
1. Sing for joy (v. 13). A Christian should be the happiest person in the world. A Christian is one who is ever singing for joy so great that the joy is not limited to people. Both heaven and earth as well as nature ("mountains") sing also. Why all this joy? It is not based upon the human situation, but upon the character and work of God - a God of compassion (v. 13), a God of remembrance (v. 15), and a God of deliverance (v. 17). For a Christian, life should be one of continual celebration of God's goodness and mercy.
2. Forgotten (v. 14). The Israelites in Babylon felt God had forgotten them in their captivity. To feel forgotten is to experience despair. What does it mean to be forgotten? The one who forgets does not love nor care about you to remember you. If you are forgotten, you are no longer important. Is this true of God? God responds in terms of a nursing mother - could she forget her baby? Even if this happened, God loves his people so much that he could never forget his beloved.
3. Graven (v. 16). God has engraved the name of his people on the palms of his hands. In this anthropomorphic metaphor, God is saying that he owns and cherishes his people. They belong to him forever. It is not a simple writing on his hands but engraved - cut into the palms that the name may be indelible and everlasting. God knows, owns, and cares for his people.
Lesson 2: 1 Corinthians 4:1--5 (C, RC); 1 Corinthians 4:1--5 (6--7) 8--13
1. Us (v. 1). Paul refers to himself and other Christian leaders such as Peter and Apollos. He advises the church in Corinth how it should regard them. This leads to a theology of the ministry. Ordained clergy are people of God doing God's work and who are responsible to God. They are "servants of Christ," not primarily servants of the people. They are slaves of the Master Jesus, who gives them their orders. Moreover, as slaves, they are stewards or trustees of the mysteries of God - the truth of God's redeeming grace. Because of this direct relationship to God, God and not the people are to judge ministers of the gospel.
2. Judge (vv. 3, 4, 5). To judge is to evaluate, to criticize. The people of the Corinthian church were judging the merits and abilities of Christian leaders, resulting in cliques. Paul would remove this party spirit by having the people understand the ministers in their divine calling and by dropping the practice of judging. Only God is in a position to judge a minister and only he has the knowledge and wisdom to judge.
PREACHING POSSIBILITIES
Gospel: Matthew 6:24--34 (C, RC, E)
1. Is Living Without Worrying Possible? 6:24--34
Need: The world needs a sermon on how to stop worrying and start living. Who does not worry? It is a universal and perennial problem. Jesus faced it in his day and gave the answer. His disciples were to be different from the Gentiles (pagans) by being free from worry. The secret of not worrying is found in one's relationship to God. Is God your one and only Master? If he is, do you trust him? If the answers are affirmative, life without worrying begins.
Outline: How to live without worry.
a. The bases for worry (Why the world worries).
1. Basic physical needs - v. 25.
2. Future - v. 34.
b. The cure for worry - (Why Christians do not worry).
1. Let God be the Master - v. 24.
2. Know that God cares - v. 32.
3. Trust God to provide - v. 33.
2. The Master In Charge. 6:24
Need: In this sermon we face the question and the problem of who is in charge of our lives. Most people today are aware of credit cards. Do we charge the Master or does the Master charge us? Who is the "Master" - the bank, the craving for material things, or the person with the card? Who is in charge here - here in your life? In this sermon we want to look at some of the possibilities.
Outline: Some options we face.
a. No master - no dominating force or interest in life. The result is confusion, drifting, meaninglessness.
b. Two masters - in this text Jesus says this is an impossibility. Yet, we try to obey two gods.
c. One master - a master demands and deserves undivided loyalty.
d. The right master - if there can be only one, there needs to be the true master. For a Christian, the one, true master is Jesus Christ.
3. Get Your Priorities Straight. 6:24--34
Need: The modern world is in trouble because it has its priorities in the wrong order. We have confused values. The cheap is made expensive. The temporal is considered permanent. We pay millions of dollars per year to sports stars and television personalities, while at the same time, nurses, teachers, and clergy are paid a comparative pittance. In this pericope, Jesus teaches what our priorities should be. When we have first things first, we shall be free of anxiety.
Outline: What should come first in your life?
a. God before mammon - v. 24.
b. Life before food - v. 25.
c. Righteousness before wickedness - v. 33.
d. Today before tomorrow - v. 34.
Lesson 1: Isaiah 49:8--16a (C); Isaiah 49:14--15 (RC); Isaiah 49:8--18 (E)
1. What Is There To Celebrate? 49:13--18
Need: In recent years the popular word in our churches is "Celebration." We want to worship to celebrate. The average worshiper has difficulty finding the reason for celebration. Was it someone's birthday or anniversary? Did someone have a victory that called for a celebration? Sometimes we are told we are to celebrate our humanity - this sinful, weak, faulty humanity. For some, God is dead. Celebrate that? In this text, we find the true reasons for celebration a cause for gladness, a reason for singing.
Outline: Reasons to celebrate.
a. The compassion of God - v. 13.
b. The remembrance of God - v. 15.
c. The deliverance of God - vv. 17--18.
2. Someone God Can't Forget. 49:14--16
Need: God can forget. The one thing - thanks be to God! He forgets our sins. He forgives and forgets them. "I will remember their sin no more" (Jeremiah 31:34). One thing God can never forget is his people. If we have the feeling that God has forgotten us, it is our feeling and not reality. At times there is a sense of God's absence. When misfortune hits, we feel forsaken. Where is God when we need him? Out of this condition, the text speaks to us a world of comfort.
Outline: Let us consider together -
a. The dreadfulness of being forgotten by God - v. 14.
1. To be forgotten is to be forsaken.
2. Can you forget one you love? - v. 16.
b. The impossibility of God' forgetting.
1. Can you forget your own child, creation? - v. 15.
2. Can you forget one you love? - v. 16.
3. Can you forget one who died to deliver? - vv. 17--18.
Lesson 2: 1 Corinthians 4:1--5 (C, RC); 1 Corinthians 4:15 (6--7) 8--13 (E)
1. What To Think About Your Minister. 4:1--5
Need: What people think about the clergy ranges from one extreme to the other. Should women be ministers? Is a minister just one of the congregation or is he above the laity? Some adore their ministers and others have no use for them. What people think of their pastor can lead to practical problems in the church. As in Corinth, there can be cliques centered in various leaders: Paul, Apollos, Peter. This sermon is an opportunity to explain, as Paul does in the text, what ministers are all about in order to avoid church divisions.
Outline: How to regard your minister.
a. He is a servant and steward of Christ - v. 1.
b. He wants to be faithful, not successful - v. 2.
c. He is not intimidated by public opinion - v. 3.
d. He is subject to God's judgment - v. 5.
2. Thrice Judged! 4:3--5
Need: No one can live without being criticized. Every person is constantly being judged. This fact led to a problem in the Corinthian church - people were evaluating their leaders and this resulted in various parties, each preferring one leader over another. Paul makes a case for having only one judge - God. Since religious leaders are called by God, work for God, they should be judged only by God. In this passage, we can see three judges.
Outline: Each of us faces these judges.
a. Self - I should not judge myself because I do not know myself, understand myself, nor can I be objective enough to judge myself - vv. 3b, 4.
b. Others - Others should not judge me because they do not know all the circumstances nor my motives - v. 3a.
c. God - When Christ returns, he will judge each person. Only God has the wisdom, love, and right to judge me - vv. 4b--5.
Lesson 1: Isaiah 49:8--16a (C); Isaiah 49:14--15 (RC); Isaiah 49:8--18 (E)
Rejoice, for God comforts his people with deliverance. At this time the Jews are hostages in Babylon. Through Isaiah they receive a promise that they will be released to go home to Jerusalem to rebuild their nation and to re--establish their homes. What joy this good news brought them can be understood in the light of the return of the American hostages in Iraq. In the case of the Babylonian captivity, it was not the captors that released the hostages, but the merciful action of Yahweh.
Lesson 2: 1 Corinthians 4:1--5 (C, RC); 1 Corinthians 4:1--5 (6--7) 8--13 (E)
Leaders of the church are stewards and servants of Christ. From the beginning of this letter, Paul has been discussing the division in the Corinthian church over partisanship in leadership. Now he comes to explain the nature and function of these leaders and criticism of them. The apostles are stewards of God's mysteries and servants of Christ. They are accountable to God and to no one else. Apostles are of value and importance because of their association with the gospel. Members are not to criticize their leaders. Paul does not even criticize himself, for he does not know of anything he has done wrong. Only God is to judge, for he alone knows the heart.
Gospel: Matthew 6:24--34 (C, RC, E)
There is no need to be anxious about material needs, for God will provide them to those who trust him. In the last paragraph of the sixth chapter of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus discusses materialism as a god. It is not possible, he teaches, to hold to this god and God. If we would serve God wholly, the material side of life God would provide. With faith in God's provision of our daily needs, we would have no anxiety about tomorrow and its needs.
Psalm Of The Day
Psalm 131 (C) - "O Israel, hope in the Lord" (v. 3).
Psalm 62 (RC, E) - "My soul in silence waits" (v. 1).
Prayer Of The Day
"Almighty and everlasting God, ruler of heaven and earth: Hear our prayer and give us your peace now and forever."
Hymn Of The Day
"Jesus, Priceless Treasure"
THEOLOGICAL REFLECTIONS
Gospel: Matthew 6:24--34 (C, RC, E)
1. Masters (v. 24). It is not only a matter of trying to serve two masters, which in any and every case is unsatisfactory, but it is a matter of which master one serves. Is the master God or mammon (money, material possessions)? Which of the two is served makes a world of difference. To serve the master of money is to worry about the material things of life. To serve God is to be free from worry because God provides the physical necessities of life.
2. Anxious (vv. 25, 27, 28, 31, 34a, 34b). In this short passage the word "anxious" is used six times. It is the key word of the passage. To be anxious is to worry. Jesus teaches his disciples not to worry about the basic needs of life: food, drink, and clothing, nor about the future (v. 34). Not to worry is not an invitation to idleness and sloth. To have one's basic needs met, one must cooperate with God by planning for the future, working hard, and being thrifty. These things are done by a Christian without the worry of getting enough of the basic needs for today and of having security for tomorrow.
3. Faith (v. 30). When we worry about physical needs, we display a lack of faith in God. In this passage we can see the three aspects of faith: (1) Faith as knowledge - know that God is good, that he knows we have these needs, that he is able to provide. (2) Faith as trust - the answer to worry is faith as trust in God. Trust his promise to provide. Trust his benevolence. (3) Faith as action - faith does not sit down and let God do it all. By faith we work with God in fulfilling our needs, yet without anxiety. We do our part in providing for our needs in the confidence they will be met.
4. First (v. 33). A life without worry is the result of having one's priorities in proper order. In verse 24, God is to come first over mammon, and he only is to be served. Next, life is more important than food, drink, and clothing (v. 25). Trust should have priority over worry (v. 33). Today is of greater concern than tomorrow (v. 34).
Lesson 1: Isaiah 49:8--16a (C); Isaiah 49:14--15 (RC); Isaiah 49:8--18 (E)
1. Sing for joy (v. 13). A Christian should be the happiest person in the world. A Christian is one who is ever singing for joy so great that the joy is not limited to people. Both heaven and earth as well as nature ("mountains") sing also. Why all this joy? It is not based upon the human situation, but upon the character and work of God - a God of compassion (v. 13), a God of remembrance (v. 15), and a God of deliverance (v. 17). For a Christian, life should be one of continual celebration of God's goodness and mercy.
2. Forgotten (v. 14). The Israelites in Babylon felt God had forgotten them in their captivity. To feel forgotten is to experience despair. What does it mean to be forgotten? The one who forgets does not love nor care about you to remember you. If you are forgotten, you are no longer important. Is this true of God? God responds in terms of a nursing mother - could she forget her baby? Even if this happened, God loves his people so much that he could never forget his beloved.
3. Graven (v. 16). God has engraved the name of his people on the palms of his hands. In this anthropomorphic metaphor, God is saying that he owns and cherishes his people. They belong to him forever. It is not a simple writing on his hands but engraved - cut into the palms that the name may be indelible and everlasting. God knows, owns, and cares for his people.
Lesson 2: 1 Corinthians 4:1--5 (C, RC); 1 Corinthians 4:1--5 (6--7) 8--13
1. Us (v. 1). Paul refers to himself and other Christian leaders such as Peter and Apollos. He advises the church in Corinth how it should regard them. This leads to a theology of the ministry. Ordained clergy are people of God doing God's work and who are responsible to God. They are "servants of Christ," not primarily servants of the people. They are slaves of the Master Jesus, who gives them their orders. Moreover, as slaves, they are stewards or trustees of the mysteries of God - the truth of God's redeeming grace. Because of this direct relationship to God, God and not the people are to judge ministers of the gospel.
2. Judge (vv. 3, 4, 5). To judge is to evaluate, to criticize. The people of the Corinthian church were judging the merits and abilities of Christian leaders, resulting in cliques. Paul would remove this party spirit by having the people understand the ministers in their divine calling and by dropping the practice of judging. Only God is in a position to judge a minister and only he has the knowledge and wisdom to judge.
PREACHING POSSIBILITIES
Gospel: Matthew 6:24--34 (C, RC, E)
1. Is Living Without Worrying Possible? 6:24--34
Need: The world needs a sermon on how to stop worrying and start living. Who does not worry? It is a universal and perennial problem. Jesus faced it in his day and gave the answer. His disciples were to be different from the Gentiles (pagans) by being free from worry. The secret of not worrying is found in one's relationship to God. Is God your one and only Master? If he is, do you trust him? If the answers are affirmative, life without worrying begins.
Outline: How to live without worry.
a. The bases for worry (Why the world worries).
1. Basic physical needs - v. 25.
2. Future - v. 34.
b. The cure for worry - (Why Christians do not worry).
1. Let God be the Master - v. 24.
2. Know that God cares - v. 32.
3. Trust God to provide - v. 33.
2. The Master In Charge. 6:24
Need: In this sermon we face the question and the problem of who is in charge of our lives. Most people today are aware of credit cards. Do we charge the Master or does the Master charge us? Who is the "Master" - the bank, the craving for material things, or the person with the card? Who is in charge here - here in your life? In this sermon we want to look at some of the possibilities.
Outline: Some options we face.
a. No master - no dominating force or interest in life. The result is confusion, drifting, meaninglessness.
b. Two masters - in this text Jesus says this is an impossibility. Yet, we try to obey two gods.
c. One master - a master demands and deserves undivided loyalty.
d. The right master - if there can be only one, there needs to be the true master. For a Christian, the one, true master is Jesus Christ.
3. Get Your Priorities Straight. 6:24--34
Need: The modern world is in trouble because it has its priorities in the wrong order. We have confused values. The cheap is made expensive. The temporal is considered permanent. We pay millions of dollars per year to sports stars and television personalities, while at the same time, nurses, teachers, and clergy are paid a comparative pittance. In this pericope, Jesus teaches what our priorities should be. When we have first things first, we shall be free of anxiety.
Outline: What should come first in your life?
a. God before mammon - v. 24.
b. Life before food - v. 25.
c. Righteousness before wickedness - v. 33.
d. Today before tomorrow - v. 34.
Lesson 1: Isaiah 49:8--16a (C); Isaiah 49:14--15 (RC); Isaiah 49:8--18 (E)
1. What Is There To Celebrate? 49:13--18
Need: In recent years the popular word in our churches is "Celebration." We want to worship to celebrate. The average worshiper has difficulty finding the reason for celebration. Was it someone's birthday or anniversary? Did someone have a victory that called for a celebration? Sometimes we are told we are to celebrate our humanity - this sinful, weak, faulty humanity. For some, God is dead. Celebrate that? In this text, we find the true reasons for celebration a cause for gladness, a reason for singing.
Outline: Reasons to celebrate.
a. The compassion of God - v. 13.
b. The remembrance of God - v. 15.
c. The deliverance of God - vv. 17--18.
2. Someone God Can't Forget. 49:14--16
Need: God can forget. The one thing - thanks be to God! He forgets our sins. He forgives and forgets them. "I will remember their sin no more" (Jeremiah 31:34). One thing God can never forget is his people. If we have the feeling that God has forgotten us, it is our feeling and not reality. At times there is a sense of God's absence. When misfortune hits, we feel forsaken. Where is God when we need him? Out of this condition, the text speaks to us a world of comfort.
Outline: Let us consider together -
a. The dreadfulness of being forgotten by God - v. 14.
1. To be forgotten is to be forsaken.
2. Can you forget one you love? - v. 16.
b. The impossibility of God' forgetting.
1. Can you forget your own child, creation? - v. 15.
2. Can you forget one you love? - v. 16.
3. Can you forget one who died to deliver? - vv. 17--18.
Lesson 2: 1 Corinthians 4:1--5 (C, RC); 1 Corinthians 4:15 (6--7) 8--13 (E)
1. What To Think About Your Minister. 4:1--5
Need: What people think about the clergy ranges from one extreme to the other. Should women be ministers? Is a minister just one of the congregation or is he above the laity? Some adore their ministers and others have no use for them. What people think of their pastor can lead to practical problems in the church. As in Corinth, there can be cliques centered in various leaders: Paul, Apollos, Peter. This sermon is an opportunity to explain, as Paul does in the text, what ministers are all about in order to avoid church divisions.
Outline: How to regard your minister.
a. He is a servant and steward of Christ - v. 1.
b. He wants to be faithful, not successful - v. 2.
c. He is not intimidated by public opinion - v. 3.
d. He is subject to God's judgment - v. 5.
2. Thrice Judged! 4:3--5
Need: No one can live without being criticized. Every person is constantly being judged. This fact led to a problem in the Corinthian church - people were evaluating their leaders and this resulted in various parties, each preferring one leader over another. Paul makes a case for having only one judge - God. Since religious leaders are called by God, work for God, they should be judged only by God. In this passage, we can see three judges.
Outline: Each of us faces these judges.
a. Self - I should not judge myself because I do not know myself, understand myself, nor can I be objective enough to judge myself - vv. 3b, 4.
b. Others - Others should not judge me because they do not know all the circumstances nor my motives - v. 3a.
c. God - When Christ returns, he will judge each person. Only God has the wisdom, love, and right to judge me - vv. 4b--5.
