First Sunday In Lent
Preaching
Lectionary Preaching Workbook
Series VI, Cycle B
COMMENTARY ON THE LESSONS
Lesson 1: Genesis 9:8-17 (C, E); Genesis 9:8-15 (RC)
God has made a covenant between himself and the earth. All living creatures shall be of worth in GodÍs eyes. ñAll creatures great and small.'' So Noah learns that God put the rainbow in the sky as a sign of this promise. So Wordsworth would write: ñMy heart leaps up when I behold a rainbow in the sky. So was it when my life began; so is it now....''
I once read a poem which told of Jesus walking down a narrow lane and passing the carcass of a dead dog. Others passed by on the far side, offended by the sight. But Jesus stood and studied the poor animal for a moment, then remarked, ñWhat beautiful teeth he has.'' Jesus saw beauty even in the ugliness of life, saw worth in the least of these creatures. How much more yet he loves us.
One thinks of the value of simple things in GodÍs eyes. A sunrise, a budding flower, a babyÍs laughter, a loverÍs sigh. Beauty all around us, if only we could see. Wordsworth wrote:
There was a time when meadow, grove, and stream,
The earth and every common sight did seem
Appareled in celestial light,
The glory and the freshness of a dream.
Oh, to have eyes with which to see the true beauty of the earth. But life is too much with us. We lose that simple openness to such beauty. Even Wordsworth went on to catch the sadness of our plight:
It is not now, as it hath been of yore „
Turn wheresoeÍer I may,
By night or day,
The things which I have seen I now can see no more.
Secondly, in this passage we are assured that God will always be with us in times of trouble. The word is ñhope.'' ThereÍs a legend that the Devil was called in by God, who had decided that old fellow had too much power. God, according to the legend, told the Devil he must give up all his evil powers save one. ñThen,'' said the Devil, ñI will keep the power to discourage. There is no surer way to destroy than first to make oneÍs victim lose heart.''
Third, we see in this passage that God is not only present with us but is also actively involved in our lives. But we must be open to this. Most wonderful of all, yet most obscured from sight to those who have not the ability to perceive, is the divine presence with us wherever we go.
Lesson 2: 1 Peter 3:18-22 (C, RC, E)
For me, the heart of this passage is PeterÍs assurance that Jesus ñdied for sins once and for all, a good man on behalf of sinners, in order to lead you to God.'' The bit about Jesus in his spiritual form preaching to ñthe imprisoned spirits'' is curious and, let me be honest, doesnÍt fit very well into my theology. How Peter would know about this raises questions which probably would not interest most congregations.
Baptism is the central theme of this passage as Peter insists on its importance for the Christian. Writing for a people who are new to the idea of baptism, he assures them that this has little to do with literal dirt. Rather, reflecting on the waters from which Noah and his family were spared, Peter explains that it is a spiritual cleansing which takes place in baptism.
If preaching on the baptism emphasis, one might note that Peter affirms that baptism (1) cleanses the spirit, (2) pledges a good conscience, and (3) is efficacious because Christ has been resurrected.
For me, the issue of baptism, while important, seems less important in todayÍs world than an understanding of the reason for ChristÍs death. It was to cleanse you and me of our sins in a way which we could never have accomplished for ourselves. I personally subscribe to the ñmoral influence'' theory of the atonement, rather than the substitutionary idea. It is of this that I would preach this coming Sunday if using this text.
Gospel: Mark 1:9-15 (C); Mark 1:12-15 (RC); Mark 1:9-13 (E)
Here we have Satan and angels and Jesus being tempted. We also have a dove descending and a voice from heaven. I have to assume thereÍs a lot of poetic imagery going on here. If I had to reinterpret this passage to a congregation based on what we know and most of us believe, I would be inclined to say that Jesus came from Galilee and was baptized in the Jordan River by John, at which time some of the people experienced a sense of GodÍs presence with inward power. Reported later, one could almost believe one had literally heard a heavenly voice, though no doubt it was a powerful emotional experience. And following this, Jesus went away for a time to process all of this. As he did so, it became clear to him that he had access to a great deal of political power resulting from the experience at the Jordan. Maybe he could use that power to influence people to turn to God in a new way. Or, of course, if he aspired to high office on his own that might be possible too. But no! Jesus was firm in his sense of mission and would honor it. The power of the Holy Spirit had worked in him with such tangible presence that it was almost as though some literal, physical being from on high had helped. Whatever negative forces had been at work were now overcome.
I realize that some of us read this more literally than I do. But I have come to the conclusion that nothing is lost by using reason in reading these reports. We also know that each Gospel reports events according to prevailing beliefs, and those changed from time to time. It is the underlying truth which we are to preach: that Jesus Christ was the unique means by which God invaded the human scene once and for all, that this made forgiveness of sins available to all who repent, and that a powerful Spirit is accessible to those who receive Christ as Lord and Savior. The details are not important if one accepts the basic premise.
SERMON SUGGESTIONS
Title: ñRainbow In The Sky''
Text: Genesis 9:8-17
Theme: God put the rainbow in the sky as a symbol of his commitment to the earth and all living things. It calls to mind our obligations thereto, and also conveys the promise of GodÍs constant presence and activity within the world. He makes this promise to Noah and all his descendants, symbolic of a covenant with all the people of the earth.
1. God is caring about and visible in the simple things of life.
2. God is present at all times, near in moments of worry and trouble.
3. GodÍs part in the covenant is a pledge to be active in our lives.
Title: ñPaid In Full''
Text: 1 Peter 3:18-22
Theme: Baptism is a rite of cleansing, efficacious because of JesusÍ sacrifice and resurrection. However, the rite would be little more than a magic act, the value of which would pretty much lie in the mind of the convert, were it not that God acts directly in us through the work of the Holy Spirit. There are different traditions of baptism, immersion, pouring, symbolic. As a Methodist I subscribe to the latter though IÍm perfectly comfortable with all forms (except using a rose, which always seemed a little glitzy to me). Having enjoyed the good friendship of some Baptist preachers through the years, and a couple of Disciples of Christ clergy as well, I find that for me it doesnÍt matter how one is baptized. What matters is the internal transaction between me and the Spirit. IÍm sure there are people marooned with a Bible but no clergy, and the Bible is sufficient to lead the way.
As for this sermon, let those who wish to place the emphasis on baptism do so. I would place the emphasis on the fact that because Jesus died, he took upon himself my sinful nature, and through him and his death and resurrection, I can find my way out of the destruction of sin and into his marvelous light.
1. Jesus was the embodiment of love. Paul has best defined love in his unparalleled 1 Corinthians 13, and he is in fact describing Jesus.
2. In the death of Jesus, I see at work those same attitudes, prejudices, hatreds, which work in all of us, including me. And I see what harm they do.
3. I donÍt want to be that kind of person. It breaks my heart, and I determine not to be that kind of person.
4. The effect of all of this is to change me deep within. This in turn opens me to the work of the Holy Spirit, who can do for me what I canÍt quite do for myself: change me. And, thus, save me.
Title: ñJust As You Are''
Text: Mark 1:9-15
Theme: Essentially, this message is very nearly the same as that in the epistle sermon above. Since this is Lent, we want to place some emphasis on the sacrificial aspect of JesusÍ life, though always reminding ourselves of its joyous outcome for us. There is wonderful imagery in this Bible passage „ the dove, the voice, the affirmation that God has chosen to approach the likes of you and me through the life of a man who „ ñO blessed thought! O words with heavenly comfort fraught'' „ loves us as we are. Here is perhaps the emphasis for this Sunday: just as I am. There are people who find it difficult to believe that even God could love them, people with serious self-esteem problems, people who have done something terribly wrong and are overwhelmed with remorse, people who privately fear that if God really knew what they had done, he would make them an exception to this promise.
1. Jesus died for ñyou.''
2. ñYour'' guilt can be removed; ñyou'' can be made clean once more.
3. Come before him; lay ñyour'' sin before him. Do not be afraid.
ADDITIONAL ILLUSTRATIONS
In his book Guilt and Grace, world-renowned psychotherapist Paul Tournier wrote this: ñBut the wonderful announcement of GodÍs free grace, which effaces guilt, runs up against the intuition which every man has, that a price must be paid. The reply which comes is the supreme message of the Bible, its supreme revelation; It is God Himself who pays, God Himself has paid the price once for all, and the most costly that could be paid „ His own death, in Jesus Christ, on the Cross. The obliteration of our guilt is free for us because God has paid the price.''
____________
Some time ago, I clipped a little item out of a magazine, something a young mother had written about an experience sheÍd recently had. It seems she went shopping with her two children and decided to take a shortcut home from the grocery. This required that they cross an open field across which ran a railroad track. Her little girl ran ahead and jumped on to the near rail. But her little foot slipped between two rails designed to divert the train when needed. Mother tried to pull the childÍs foot loose but it was wedged unmovably tight. Fearful that she might injure her daughter, she tried instead to untie the childÍs shoe, but in her nervousness only succeeded in pulling the ties into a knot. Her frantic effort to pull the knot loose only drew it tighter. While she was thus engaged, she was appalled to hear a train whistle in the distance. Frantically she yanked at her child, but she only wedged the foot more tightly than ever. The train was approaching, getting close now, and the woman wrote that there was a curve which would prevent the trainman from seeing them until the last moment. Now she was desperate. And then she did something many of us would probably not think to do in such an emergency. She bowed her head and began to pray for GodÍs help.
Suddenly, Mom remembered that she had, among her groceries, purchased a can of pressed meat. Frantically, she tore open the sack, pulled a long key loose from the side of the can, and rolled back the metal top. With that she was able to cut the strings of her daughterÍs shoes and slip the foot out of the shoe, and away from the rails. The train roared past shortly thereafter.
____________
Psalm Of The Day
Psalm 25:1-10 (C) „ ñMake me know your ways, O Lord.''
Psalm 24 (RC) „ ñThe earth is the LordÍs....''
Psalm 25 (E) „ ñTo you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.''
Prayer Of The Day
Eternal God, this day we have seen thee, seen the marks of thy presence in the faces of those whom we love, and in the warmth of friendships. Thank you. Amen.
Lesson 1: Genesis 9:8-17 (C, E); Genesis 9:8-15 (RC)
God has made a covenant between himself and the earth. All living creatures shall be of worth in GodÍs eyes. ñAll creatures great and small.'' So Noah learns that God put the rainbow in the sky as a sign of this promise. So Wordsworth would write: ñMy heart leaps up when I behold a rainbow in the sky. So was it when my life began; so is it now....''
I once read a poem which told of Jesus walking down a narrow lane and passing the carcass of a dead dog. Others passed by on the far side, offended by the sight. But Jesus stood and studied the poor animal for a moment, then remarked, ñWhat beautiful teeth he has.'' Jesus saw beauty even in the ugliness of life, saw worth in the least of these creatures. How much more yet he loves us.
One thinks of the value of simple things in GodÍs eyes. A sunrise, a budding flower, a babyÍs laughter, a loverÍs sigh. Beauty all around us, if only we could see. Wordsworth wrote:
There was a time when meadow, grove, and stream,
The earth and every common sight did seem
Appareled in celestial light,
The glory and the freshness of a dream.
Oh, to have eyes with which to see the true beauty of the earth. But life is too much with us. We lose that simple openness to such beauty. Even Wordsworth went on to catch the sadness of our plight:
It is not now, as it hath been of yore „
Turn wheresoeÍer I may,
By night or day,
The things which I have seen I now can see no more.
Secondly, in this passage we are assured that God will always be with us in times of trouble. The word is ñhope.'' ThereÍs a legend that the Devil was called in by God, who had decided that old fellow had too much power. God, according to the legend, told the Devil he must give up all his evil powers save one. ñThen,'' said the Devil, ñI will keep the power to discourage. There is no surer way to destroy than first to make oneÍs victim lose heart.''
Third, we see in this passage that God is not only present with us but is also actively involved in our lives. But we must be open to this. Most wonderful of all, yet most obscured from sight to those who have not the ability to perceive, is the divine presence with us wherever we go.
Lesson 2: 1 Peter 3:18-22 (C, RC, E)
For me, the heart of this passage is PeterÍs assurance that Jesus ñdied for sins once and for all, a good man on behalf of sinners, in order to lead you to God.'' The bit about Jesus in his spiritual form preaching to ñthe imprisoned spirits'' is curious and, let me be honest, doesnÍt fit very well into my theology. How Peter would know about this raises questions which probably would not interest most congregations.
Baptism is the central theme of this passage as Peter insists on its importance for the Christian. Writing for a people who are new to the idea of baptism, he assures them that this has little to do with literal dirt. Rather, reflecting on the waters from which Noah and his family were spared, Peter explains that it is a spiritual cleansing which takes place in baptism.
If preaching on the baptism emphasis, one might note that Peter affirms that baptism (1) cleanses the spirit, (2) pledges a good conscience, and (3) is efficacious because Christ has been resurrected.
For me, the issue of baptism, while important, seems less important in todayÍs world than an understanding of the reason for ChristÍs death. It was to cleanse you and me of our sins in a way which we could never have accomplished for ourselves. I personally subscribe to the ñmoral influence'' theory of the atonement, rather than the substitutionary idea. It is of this that I would preach this coming Sunday if using this text.
Gospel: Mark 1:9-15 (C); Mark 1:12-15 (RC); Mark 1:9-13 (E)
Here we have Satan and angels and Jesus being tempted. We also have a dove descending and a voice from heaven. I have to assume thereÍs a lot of poetic imagery going on here. If I had to reinterpret this passage to a congregation based on what we know and most of us believe, I would be inclined to say that Jesus came from Galilee and was baptized in the Jordan River by John, at which time some of the people experienced a sense of GodÍs presence with inward power. Reported later, one could almost believe one had literally heard a heavenly voice, though no doubt it was a powerful emotional experience. And following this, Jesus went away for a time to process all of this. As he did so, it became clear to him that he had access to a great deal of political power resulting from the experience at the Jordan. Maybe he could use that power to influence people to turn to God in a new way. Or, of course, if he aspired to high office on his own that might be possible too. But no! Jesus was firm in his sense of mission and would honor it. The power of the Holy Spirit had worked in him with such tangible presence that it was almost as though some literal, physical being from on high had helped. Whatever negative forces had been at work were now overcome.
I realize that some of us read this more literally than I do. But I have come to the conclusion that nothing is lost by using reason in reading these reports. We also know that each Gospel reports events according to prevailing beliefs, and those changed from time to time. It is the underlying truth which we are to preach: that Jesus Christ was the unique means by which God invaded the human scene once and for all, that this made forgiveness of sins available to all who repent, and that a powerful Spirit is accessible to those who receive Christ as Lord and Savior. The details are not important if one accepts the basic premise.
SERMON SUGGESTIONS
Title: ñRainbow In The Sky''
Text: Genesis 9:8-17
Theme: God put the rainbow in the sky as a symbol of his commitment to the earth and all living things. It calls to mind our obligations thereto, and also conveys the promise of GodÍs constant presence and activity within the world. He makes this promise to Noah and all his descendants, symbolic of a covenant with all the people of the earth.
1. God is caring about and visible in the simple things of life.
2. God is present at all times, near in moments of worry and trouble.
3. GodÍs part in the covenant is a pledge to be active in our lives.
Title: ñPaid In Full''
Text: 1 Peter 3:18-22
Theme: Baptism is a rite of cleansing, efficacious because of JesusÍ sacrifice and resurrection. However, the rite would be little more than a magic act, the value of which would pretty much lie in the mind of the convert, were it not that God acts directly in us through the work of the Holy Spirit. There are different traditions of baptism, immersion, pouring, symbolic. As a Methodist I subscribe to the latter though IÍm perfectly comfortable with all forms (except using a rose, which always seemed a little glitzy to me). Having enjoyed the good friendship of some Baptist preachers through the years, and a couple of Disciples of Christ clergy as well, I find that for me it doesnÍt matter how one is baptized. What matters is the internal transaction between me and the Spirit. IÍm sure there are people marooned with a Bible but no clergy, and the Bible is sufficient to lead the way.
As for this sermon, let those who wish to place the emphasis on baptism do so. I would place the emphasis on the fact that because Jesus died, he took upon himself my sinful nature, and through him and his death and resurrection, I can find my way out of the destruction of sin and into his marvelous light.
1. Jesus was the embodiment of love. Paul has best defined love in his unparalleled 1 Corinthians 13, and he is in fact describing Jesus.
2. In the death of Jesus, I see at work those same attitudes, prejudices, hatreds, which work in all of us, including me. And I see what harm they do.
3. I donÍt want to be that kind of person. It breaks my heart, and I determine not to be that kind of person.
4. The effect of all of this is to change me deep within. This in turn opens me to the work of the Holy Spirit, who can do for me what I canÍt quite do for myself: change me. And, thus, save me.
Title: ñJust As You Are''
Text: Mark 1:9-15
Theme: Essentially, this message is very nearly the same as that in the epistle sermon above. Since this is Lent, we want to place some emphasis on the sacrificial aspect of JesusÍ life, though always reminding ourselves of its joyous outcome for us. There is wonderful imagery in this Bible passage „ the dove, the voice, the affirmation that God has chosen to approach the likes of you and me through the life of a man who „ ñO blessed thought! O words with heavenly comfort fraught'' „ loves us as we are. Here is perhaps the emphasis for this Sunday: just as I am. There are people who find it difficult to believe that even God could love them, people with serious self-esteem problems, people who have done something terribly wrong and are overwhelmed with remorse, people who privately fear that if God really knew what they had done, he would make them an exception to this promise.
1. Jesus died for ñyou.''
2. ñYour'' guilt can be removed; ñyou'' can be made clean once more.
3. Come before him; lay ñyour'' sin before him. Do not be afraid.
ADDITIONAL ILLUSTRATIONS
In his book Guilt and Grace, world-renowned psychotherapist Paul Tournier wrote this: ñBut the wonderful announcement of GodÍs free grace, which effaces guilt, runs up against the intuition which every man has, that a price must be paid. The reply which comes is the supreme message of the Bible, its supreme revelation; It is God Himself who pays, God Himself has paid the price once for all, and the most costly that could be paid „ His own death, in Jesus Christ, on the Cross. The obliteration of our guilt is free for us because God has paid the price.''
____________
Some time ago, I clipped a little item out of a magazine, something a young mother had written about an experience sheÍd recently had. It seems she went shopping with her two children and decided to take a shortcut home from the grocery. This required that they cross an open field across which ran a railroad track. Her little girl ran ahead and jumped on to the near rail. But her little foot slipped between two rails designed to divert the train when needed. Mother tried to pull the childÍs foot loose but it was wedged unmovably tight. Fearful that she might injure her daughter, she tried instead to untie the childÍs shoe, but in her nervousness only succeeded in pulling the ties into a knot. Her frantic effort to pull the knot loose only drew it tighter. While she was thus engaged, she was appalled to hear a train whistle in the distance. Frantically she yanked at her child, but she only wedged the foot more tightly than ever. The train was approaching, getting close now, and the woman wrote that there was a curve which would prevent the trainman from seeing them until the last moment. Now she was desperate. And then she did something many of us would probably not think to do in such an emergency. She bowed her head and began to pray for GodÍs help.
Suddenly, Mom remembered that she had, among her groceries, purchased a can of pressed meat. Frantically, she tore open the sack, pulled a long key loose from the side of the can, and rolled back the metal top. With that she was able to cut the strings of her daughterÍs shoes and slip the foot out of the shoe, and away from the rails. The train roared past shortly thereafter.
____________
Psalm Of The Day
Psalm 25:1-10 (C) „ ñMake me know your ways, O Lord.''
Psalm 24 (RC) „ ñThe earth is the LordÍs....''
Psalm 25 (E) „ ñTo you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.''
Prayer Of The Day
Eternal God, this day we have seen thee, seen the marks of thy presence in the faces of those whom we love, and in the warmth of friendships. Thank you. Amen.
