Fifth Sunday After The Epiphany
Preaching
Lectionary Preaching Workbook
Series VI, Cycle A
COMMENTARY ON THE LESSONS
Lesson 1: Isaiah 58:1-9a (9b-12) (C), Isaiah 58:7-10 (RC)
Bernhard Anderson observed that "from beginning to end, the prophecy of Second Isaiah is an exultant proclamation of good news." Writing some time after 540 B.C., this prophet informed the people that after a long period of living in darkness, a new day is dawning. The people have returned from exile to Jerusalem and now face problems of the restoration. These particular chapters may be what scholars call Third Isaiah, dating even later than suggested. In any event, the prophet is calling his people back to a life of righteousness and service to the needy, in which case God will restore all that has been lost and broken.
Lesson 1: Habakkuk 3:2-6, 17-19 (E)
The earlier chapters of this book were written in outrage at the Babylonian lawlessness. The rise of nationalism among the author's people is leading them away from their devotion to the covenant with God. Some scholars are convinced that chapter three is a later addition. The evidence of the Dead Sea Scrolls supports this, as the scroll of Habakkuk found there did not contain this chapter. It is probably a psalm added at a later date in answer to the problems raised in the first chapter.
Lesson 2: 1 Corinthians 2:1-12 (13-16) (C); 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 (RC); 1 Corinthians 2:1-11 (E)
Paul wishes to make it clear to his Corinthian friends and readers that he presumes no excellence in himself. Only by virtue of the truth of his words given him by God's Spirit does he allow himself to expect belief on the part of the people. There will be many, included among them the rulers of the world, who will never know the incoming of the Spirit, and their lives are for this world only. Mortal wisdom is insufficient to enable understanding. However, there is a higher wisdom given by God's Spirit which enables those who are practicing the faith, who are mature in the faith, to understand. Those who try to understand by human wisdom will fail. But as a gift, we have been given the mind of Christ, as it were, for the purpose of understanding, and thus we may learn more of him.
Gospel: Matthew 5:13-20 (C, E); Matthew 5:13-16 (RC)
Jesus has used two figures of speech with which to instruct his disciples. They are to be the salt of the earth. Salt, which we take for granted, easily available at the grocery store for a tiny price, was an essential and not always easily available commodity in Jesus' time. Yet a small quantity of salt could create appetite and make food far more palatable. So, a small number of Christians could enliven a community and make it a happier, more livable community.
Also, they were to be a light to the world. The symbolism of light to Jesus' hearers was familiar. Again, we flip a switch and have all the light we need. To early man, light was not easily available. People could find their way in the darkness by seeing a light at their destination. So, again, one faithful Christian could lead the way for many. Furthermore, a Christian is not to take credit for his or her good works. Rather, God is to receive the credit. Thus, good works can glorify God.
Another implication is the fact that the quantity which salt composes in a meal is minuscule, yet it makes all the difference. So, a very small number of Christians in a community or a nation can also make a major difference. Like the Remnant, a very few of us can make important changes in our world.
SERMON SUGGESTIONS
Title: "How To Please God"
Text: Isaiah 58:1-9a
Theme: The people to whom God spoke through Third Isaiah had gotten it into their heads that religious ritual and practices should win God's favor and that God, pleased with their fasting, would answer their prayers. Instead, they could see no correlation at all between their religious practices and the activity of God in their individual and community lives. What gives? I go to church, I contribute to the building fund, I drag my whole family off to church dinners and what do I get? Nothing. What's going on?
Well, God cleared that up very quickly. God's favor is not won with religious practices. If those have any value, it's in empowering people to do what God really cares about: taking care of the sick, the hungry, the lonely, and the lost. God is waiting for the people to right injustices, to change the systems which produce such drastic inequities among the people. "Loose the bonds of injustice," he said. "Let the oppressed go free." "Then your light shall break forth like the dawn."
Christian people, no less than Isaiah's hearers, are to see that troubled people are cared for. Jesus would deliver essentially the same message as reported in the 25th chapter of Matthew. We are to care for the hungry, the thirsty, strangers, the naked, the sick, and those who are imprisoned. And by doing this for the poor, we also do it for Jesus.
Here's the clear sermonic call of this passage. Religious observances are not what please God. Ministry to the needy among us pleases God, and religious observances have value only if they lead us to do that.
Title: "We're Never Alone Doing What's Right"
Text: 1 Corinthians 2:1-16
Theme: Once again we encounter the theme of vulnerability on the part of a Christian. We all know Paul's history, how he was an adventurer living a wild and heroic existence, how before that he was an enemy of Christianity, seeking to bring Christians to what he then would have seen as justice. It's a remarkable change this man has gone through, to be as reserved and unprepossessing as we find him here. Obviously, the authentic faith teaches us and enables us to be that kind of person. It takes courage and self-possession. Again to quote Reinhold Niebuhr, "It doesn't take much of a man to be a Christian but it takes all of him."
In a sermon, we might begin by encouraging us to cultivate patience with others who have not as yet embraced the full faith. There's an old Jewish story about the time a man named Abraham went to spend the evening with his friend Nathan. They spent the evening debating religion, Abraham a devout believer, Nathan a cynic. Finally, Abe couldn't stand Nathan's failure to accept God any longer. He took off his sandal and hit Nathan over the head, a sure sign of rejection. He then strode self-righteously off into the darkness. But God stopped Abraham in his tracks. "Abraham," he said. "I've been patient with your friend Nathan for fifty years. Couldn't you at least be patient with him for one night?"
Not our words so much as our deeds will show others what the faith is about. Of course there's a place for verbal witnessing, but that tends easily to become preachy and self-righteous. I, for one, am most impressed when I see someone stand up for Christian values.
Roger Kahn told a story from Jackie Robinson's early days as a baseball professional, as that heroic man was the first to break the color line. In the beginning he was taunted and vilified by the crowds, by opposing players, and even by some of his own teammates. One day during a close ball game, the taunting was raging from the crowd. Pee Wee Reese, playing at shortstop, walked over to first base. He put his arm over Robinson's shoulders and the two of them quietly stood and faced the crowd of inexcusable rednecks, until they finally stopped. It's hard to realize it now, but both those men were showing incredible courage in those moments. Such actions tell a lot more about a person than mere words.
Paul said we have received "not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit that is from God." So we are empowered in doing these things. No matter how alone a person may feel in standing up for what is right, one is never alone. That empowering Spirit will never let us down, will always be there to enable us when we believe we're right.
Title: "Living Together"
Text: Matthew 5:13-20
Theme: Actually, there's a problem here. Jesus said that unless your righteousness exceeds that of the Pharisees, you won't enter the Kingdom of Heaven. However, there are two kinds of righteousness. One is legalism, for which the Pharisees were well-known. The other is obedience to the spirit of a law, which requires a sense of mercy coupled with justice. There is a place for laws, as Jesus makes clear. I don't know how fast to drive unless someone tells me the legal speed limit. But the very legalism which guided the Pharisees resulted in the death of Jesus.
The preacher can use both the first portion of this text which calls us to be salt and light with the second portion which urges a kind of righteousness that transcends mere laws. If the Kingdom of Heaven as used here refers to a state of inward harmony, rather than some future world beyond death, then Jesus would seem to be saying that the inwardly fulfilled person is the one who obeys the spirit of the world's laws, the purpose of which is to bring about a law-abiding, harmonious world in which all can live together in love. Elsewhere Jesus has summarized the purpose of law by requiring that we obey the twofold commandment: love God, and love each other.
This does not mean we need not obey specific laws. They have their place. They establish the limits within which good people are to live. It's just that we are called to go beyond those laws, to confine ourselves to that higher law, the Law of Love.
ADDITIONAL ILLUSTRATIONS
John Shaughnessy, writing in The Indianapolis Star in March of 1997, told of Alda Kaiser, aged 53, who was a police officer for 27 years. She was scheduled to receive an award at a special banquet for her excellent work in catching a serial rapist through her detective work. But she sent word that she would not be able to attend the ceremony. Instead, she was going to the hospital where she was taking care of AIDS patients while finishing her work at Indiana University School of Nursing. She was so moved by the plight of sick and injured people she encountered through her police work that she finished her training, gave up her job as a detective, and is now a nurse. She told of one little four-year-old boy who couldn't spell "butterfly." His mother's boyfriend pushed his head under water in the bathtub, then made him try again. When the little fellow failed again, the boyfriend held him under until he suffered brain damage and later died. Kaiser's voice broke as she told this story. She was so moved by such human need that she decided to become a nurse.
____________
Ann Landers printed a letter from a woman who said she recently attempted suicide. Feeling that her whole life was a mess, she was unconscious for three days because of her failed effort to die. Later she said, "The very first people to arrive at my home after the 911 call were three wonderful firemen from engine 1441, along with a wonderful officer from the Dublin, California police."
After these men saved the woman's life, she wrote: "The three firemen took time out of their busy schedules to come to my house with a Christmas card and a plant. I have never been so amazed in my life. These complete strangers cared enough to go out of their way to show kindness."
We can't all be police or nurses or firemen. But the point is, in our work, whatever it may be, to feel and show compassion, and to go out of our way to express it is what our Christian faith is really all about.
____________
Bishop Gerald Kennedy once told of an old farmer, a salt-of-the-earth kind of man, who came to town to buy supplies. He went into a little restaurant to have lunch before heading home and, as was his custom, he bowed his head and said a private prayer. Some smart-aleck kids sitting nearby laughed at this and called, "Hey, old man, does everybody do that out your way?" The farmer looked at them briefly, smiled, and said "No, son. The pigs don't."
____________
Psalm Of The Day
Psalm 112:1-10 (C) -- Deals with the virtues and rewards of the righteous.
Psalm 27 (E) -- An innocent man trusts God.
Prayer Of The Day
The sun shines, our spirits rise, the world seems good. We declare our gratitude for all that life has brought, far beyond anything deserved. Yet we know there are many whose lives are in disarray. For them we pray, O God, and ask that we might recognize one such person so that in some way within our powers, we might bring mercy and good spirit into the life of someone else before this day is over. Amen.
Lesson 1: Isaiah 58:1-9a (9b-12) (C), Isaiah 58:7-10 (RC)
Bernhard Anderson observed that "from beginning to end, the prophecy of Second Isaiah is an exultant proclamation of good news." Writing some time after 540 B.C., this prophet informed the people that after a long period of living in darkness, a new day is dawning. The people have returned from exile to Jerusalem and now face problems of the restoration. These particular chapters may be what scholars call Third Isaiah, dating even later than suggested. In any event, the prophet is calling his people back to a life of righteousness and service to the needy, in which case God will restore all that has been lost and broken.
Lesson 1: Habakkuk 3:2-6, 17-19 (E)
The earlier chapters of this book were written in outrage at the Babylonian lawlessness. The rise of nationalism among the author's people is leading them away from their devotion to the covenant with God. Some scholars are convinced that chapter three is a later addition. The evidence of the Dead Sea Scrolls supports this, as the scroll of Habakkuk found there did not contain this chapter. It is probably a psalm added at a later date in answer to the problems raised in the first chapter.
Lesson 2: 1 Corinthians 2:1-12 (13-16) (C); 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 (RC); 1 Corinthians 2:1-11 (E)
Paul wishes to make it clear to his Corinthian friends and readers that he presumes no excellence in himself. Only by virtue of the truth of his words given him by God's Spirit does he allow himself to expect belief on the part of the people. There will be many, included among them the rulers of the world, who will never know the incoming of the Spirit, and their lives are for this world only. Mortal wisdom is insufficient to enable understanding. However, there is a higher wisdom given by God's Spirit which enables those who are practicing the faith, who are mature in the faith, to understand. Those who try to understand by human wisdom will fail. But as a gift, we have been given the mind of Christ, as it were, for the purpose of understanding, and thus we may learn more of him.
Gospel: Matthew 5:13-20 (C, E); Matthew 5:13-16 (RC)
Jesus has used two figures of speech with which to instruct his disciples. They are to be the salt of the earth. Salt, which we take for granted, easily available at the grocery store for a tiny price, was an essential and not always easily available commodity in Jesus' time. Yet a small quantity of salt could create appetite and make food far more palatable. So, a small number of Christians could enliven a community and make it a happier, more livable community.
Also, they were to be a light to the world. The symbolism of light to Jesus' hearers was familiar. Again, we flip a switch and have all the light we need. To early man, light was not easily available. People could find their way in the darkness by seeing a light at their destination. So, again, one faithful Christian could lead the way for many. Furthermore, a Christian is not to take credit for his or her good works. Rather, God is to receive the credit. Thus, good works can glorify God.
Another implication is the fact that the quantity which salt composes in a meal is minuscule, yet it makes all the difference. So, a very small number of Christians in a community or a nation can also make a major difference. Like the Remnant, a very few of us can make important changes in our world.
SERMON SUGGESTIONS
Title: "How To Please God"
Text: Isaiah 58:1-9a
Theme: The people to whom God spoke through Third Isaiah had gotten it into their heads that religious ritual and practices should win God's favor and that God, pleased with their fasting, would answer their prayers. Instead, they could see no correlation at all between their religious practices and the activity of God in their individual and community lives. What gives? I go to church, I contribute to the building fund, I drag my whole family off to church dinners and what do I get? Nothing. What's going on?
Well, God cleared that up very quickly. God's favor is not won with religious practices. If those have any value, it's in empowering people to do what God really cares about: taking care of the sick, the hungry, the lonely, and the lost. God is waiting for the people to right injustices, to change the systems which produce such drastic inequities among the people. "Loose the bonds of injustice," he said. "Let the oppressed go free." "Then your light shall break forth like the dawn."
Christian people, no less than Isaiah's hearers, are to see that troubled people are cared for. Jesus would deliver essentially the same message as reported in the 25th chapter of Matthew. We are to care for the hungry, the thirsty, strangers, the naked, the sick, and those who are imprisoned. And by doing this for the poor, we also do it for Jesus.
Here's the clear sermonic call of this passage. Religious observances are not what please God. Ministry to the needy among us pleases God, and religious observances have value only if they lead us to do that.
Title: "We're Never Alone Doing What's Right"
Text: 1 Corinthians 2:1-16
Theme: Once again we encounter the theme of vulnerability on the part of a Christian. We all know Paul's history, how he was an adventurer living a wild and heroic existence, how before that he was an enemy of Christianity, seeking to bring Christians to what he then would have seen as justice. It's a remarkable change this man has gone through, to be as reserved and unprepossessing as we find him here. Obviously, the authentic faith teaches us and enables us to be that kind of person. It takes courage and self-possession. Again to quote Reinhold Niebuhr, "It doesn't take much of a man to be a Christian but it takes all of him."
In a sermon, we might begin by encouraging us to cultivate patience with others who have not as yet embraced the full faith. There's an old Jewish story about the time a man named Abraham went to spend the evening with his friend Nathan. They spent the evening debating religion, Abraham a devout believer, Nathan a cynic. Finally, Abe couldn't stand Nathan's failure to accept God any longer. He took off his sandal and hit Nathan over the head, a sure sign of rejection. He then strode self-righteously off into the darkness. But God stopped Abraham in his tracks. "Abraham," he said. "I've been patient with your friend Nathan for fifty years. Couldn't you at least be patient with him for one night?"
Not our words so much as our deeds will show others what the faith is about. Of course there's a place for verbal witnessing, but that tends easily to become preachy and self-righteous. I, for one, am most impressed when I see someone stand up for Christian values.
Roger Kahn told a story from Jackie Robinson's early days as a baseball professional, as that heroic man was the first to break the color line. In the beginning he was taunted and vilified by the crowds, by opposing players, and even by some of his own teammates. One day during a close ball game, the taunting was raging from the crowd. Pee Wee Reese, playing at shortstop, walked over to first base. He put his arm over Robinson's shoulders and the two of them quietly stood and faced the crowd of inexcusable rednecks, until they finally stopped. It's hard to realize it now, but both those men were showing incredible courage in those moments. Such actions tell a lot more about a person than mere words.
Paul said we have received "not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit that is from God." So we are empowered in doing these things. No matter how alone a person may feel in standing up for what is right, one is never alone. That empowering Spirit will never let us down, will always be there to enable us when we believe we're right.
Title: "Living Together"
Text: Matthew 5:13-20
Theme: Actually, there's a problem here. Jesus said that unless your righteousness exceeds that of the Pharisees, you won't enter the Kingdom of Heaven. However, there are two kinds of righteousness. One is legalism, for which the Pharisees were well-known. The other is obedience to the spirit of a law, which requires a sense of mercy coupled with justice. There is a place for laws, as Jesus makes clear. I don't know how fast to drive unless someone tells me the legal speed limit. But the very legalism which guided the Pharisees resulted in the death of Jesus.
The preacher can use both the first portion of this text which calls us to be salt and light with the second portion which urges a kind of righteousness that transcends mere laws. If the Kingdom of Heaven as used here refers to a state of inward harmony, rather than some future world beyond death, then Jesus would seem to be saying that the inwardly fulfilled person is the one who obeys the spirit of the world's laws, the purpose of which is to bring about a law-abiding, harmonious world in which all can live together in love. Elsewhere Jesus has summarized the purpose of law by requiring that we obey the twofold commandment: love God, and love each other.
This does not mean we need not obey specific laws. They have their place. They establish the limits within which good people are to live. It's just that we are called to go beyond those laws, to confine ourselves to that higher law, the Law of Love.
ADDITIONAL ILLUSTRATIONS
John Shaughnessy, writing in The Indianapolis Star in March of 1997, told of Alda Kaiser, aged 53, who was a police officer for 27 years. She was scheduled to receive an award at a special banquet for her excellent work in catching a serial rapist through her detective work. But she sent word that she would not be able to attend the ceremony. Instead, she was going to the hospital where she was taking care of AIDS patients while finishing her work at Indiana University School of Nursing. She was so moved by the plight of sick and injured people she encountered through her police work that she finished her training, gave up her job as a detective, and is now a nurse. She told of one little four-year-old boy who couldn't spell "butterfly." His mother's boyfriend pushed his head under water in the bathtub, then made him try again. When the little fellow failed again, the boyfriend held him under until he suffered brain damage and later died. Kaiser's voice broke as she told this story. She was so moved by such human need that she decided to become a nurse.
____________
Ann Landers printed a letter from a woman who said she recently attempted suicide. Feeling that her whole life was a mess, she was unconscious for three days because of her failed effort to die. Later she said, "The very first people to arrive at my home after the 911 call were three wonderful firemen from engine 1441, along with a wonderful officer from the Dublin, California police."
After these men saved the woman's life, she wrote: "The three firemen took time out of their busy schedules to come to my house with a Christmas card and a plant. I have never been so amazed in my life. These complete strangers cared enough to go out of their way to show kindness."
We can't all be police or nurses or firemen. But the point is, in our work, whatever it may be, to feel and show compassion, and to go out of our way to express it is what our Christian faith is really all about.
____________
Bishop Gerald Kennedy once told of an old farmer, a salt-of-the-earth kind of man, who came to town to buy supplies. He went into a little restaurant to have lunch before heading home and, as was his custom, he bowed his head and said a private prayer. Some smart-aleck kids sitting nearby laughed at this and called, "Hey, old man, does everybody do that out your way?" The farmer looked at them briefly, smiled, and said "No, son. The pigs don't."
____________
Psalm Of The Day
Psalm 112:1-10 (C) -- Deals with the virtues and rewards of the righteous.
Psalm 27 (E) -- An innocent man trusts God.
Prayer Of The Day
The sun shines, our spirits rise, the world seems good. We declare our gratitude for all that life has brought, far beyond anything deserved. Yet we know there are many whose lives are in disarray. For them we pray, O God, and ask that we might recognize one such person so that in some way within our powers, we might bring mercy and good spirit into the life of someone else before this day is over. Amen.
