Ninth Sunday After Pentecost
Preaching
Lectionary Preaching Workbook
Series III, Cycle C
The Church Year Theological Clue
Depending on the lectionary followed and the calendar year used in this cycle, this Sun-day could very well fall near August 6. Liturgical "old-timers" in some churches will remember that August 6 is, or was, the date for celebrating the Transfiguration of Our Lord. The Book of Common Prayer continues a practice formerly followed by Lutheran books of worship: Namely, that the Transfiguration is observed on the Last Sunday after the Epiphany by the use of the readings for the Transfiguration, while August 6th remains the feast of the Transfiguration. August 6th is the date on which the Roman Catholic calendar places the actual celebration of the Transfiguration, although one of the gospel accounts of the Transfiguration is read annually on the Second Sunday in Lent. The Lutheran Book Of Worship has deleted August 6th as the festival date for the Transfiguration of Our Lord; the only celebration of it now is on the Last Sunday after the Epiphany, which becomes, for Lutherans, the Transfiguration of Our Lord. The proximity of August 6/the Transfiguration to the Ninth Sunday after Pentecost is simply that it reinforces the basic kerygma of Sunday, reminding the church that it celebrates the resurrection of our Lord because he really died on the cross and, we believe, actually rose on the third day. The preacher, if preaching on the second reading, as well as the gospel, might want to weave in the story of Jesus' transfiguration on the mountain from Luke's perspective that Moses and Elijah were talking with Jesus about his "departure," his "exodus," his death, at Jerusalem. This will inform the Old Testament reading with the kerygma, enrich the second reading, and prevent the gospel from becoming an hortatory sermon with little or no gospel in it.
The Prayer Of The Day
It is rather obvious that The Lutheran Book Of Worship lectionary was introduced with year/cycle C of the three-year lectionary. Two prayers were prepared for the Ninth Sunday after Pentecost, and the second is definitely related to, and inspired by, the Gospel for the Day, the story of Mary and Martha (Luke 10:38-42): "O God, you see how busy we are with many things. Turn us to listen to your teachings and lead us to choose the one thing which will not be taken from us, Jesus Christ our Lord."
The Psalm For The Day
Psalm 15 (E, L); 15:2-5 (RC) - This psalm has been called an "entry" psalm, sung by the pilgrims as they drew near to the temple. In sharp contrast to Psalm 14, which spells out in graphic detail the character of people who are not acceptable to God, this psalm magnifies the type of pilgrim whom God receives as his own. Such a person lives a "blameless life," is honest and forthright, acts properly toward friends and neighbors, rejects wicked people and honors those who fear God, has sworn to do no wrong - and keeps his word - is sincere in his concern for the needy and generous to the poor. People who live this sort of life will always be acceptable to God; they can depend on him and his mercy. Here's where the Christian comes in, asking the same question that was on the lips of the pilgrims, "Lord, who may dwell in your tabernacle? Who may abide in your holy hill?" The answer: "Those who are washed in the blood of the Lamb," who love and obey the Lord, will be welcomed into the kingdom when the Lord returns to this world.
Psalm prayer (15 - LBW) - This prayer gives the impression that the writer was responding more to John 14:1-12 in the ORDO and the Lutheran lectionary selections for the Fifth Sun-day of Easter than from Psalm 15: "Lord Jesus, you first choose to live among us, and in returning to your Father you made an eternal home for us. Help us walk blamelessly in your ways and bring us at last to your holy mountain, where you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and forever."
The Readings
Genesis 18:1-10a (RC); 18:1-10a (10b-14) (E, L) - At least one of the trial lectionaries assigned Proverbs 8:22-35 to the Ninth Sunday after Pentecost; later, the Genesis 18 story of God's appearance to Abraham, when he was almost 100 years old, promising the birth of a son to Sarah, replaced the reading from Proverbs. The pericope from Proverbs did have some relevance to the Luke 10 story of Mary and Martha, especially verse 33f:
And now, my sons, listen to me;
happy are those who keep my ways.
Hear instruction and be wise,
and do not neglect it.
Happy is the man who listens to me,
watching daily at my gates,
waiting beside my doors.
For he who finds me finds life
and obtains favor from the Lord.
Were I concerned about the harmony of the first reading and the Gospel for the Day, I might substitute this pericope for the Genesis 18 reading.
The Genesis story is one of the "annunciation" events in the Old Testament, which shows God going into action to give aid to his people, and support their faith in him. In New Testament terms, and in conjunction with the birth of Jesus Christ, it makes a kerygmatic statement about God's intervention in human history to save his people for himself. It shows that God can do just about anything that he wants to and whenever he wants to in the world that he has created. And so, Abraham and Sarah, in their old age, are given a son, Isaac, whom God had promised to them. The longer reading deals with Sarah's reaction to Abraham's message that they would have a son; she actually laughed at the news, because she didn't think that even God could work a miracle like that.
2 Kings 4:8-17 (C) - This is the tale, finally, of two miracles performed for a woman of Shunem, who had been kind to Elisha, first feeding him and then, with her husband, building a spare room on the roof of their home so that the prophet might have a place to stop over. The first miracle was in the birth of a son to the woman; the second, in a section of the story that was not told, was the resuscitation of the woman's dead son. God has the power to raise the dead, not merely as resuscitation, as in the case of Lazarus, but in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, which has been promised to all who have been baptized in Jesus Christ. This reading complements the second reading, Romans 6:2b-11, which speaks of the "newness to life," which believers receive in the sacrament of baptism.
Colossians 1:21-28 (L); 1:21-29 (E, C); 1:24-28 (RC) - If this really is the work of some-one other than Paul, as one of the "disputed" letters attributed to Paul but not written by him, it certainly has a Pauline tone to it. This sounds like what he would have said to the Colossians - even if were not the author of this letter - reminding them of what God has done for them, rehearsing the gospel with them again, and spelling out his sufferings as a kind of affirmation of the gospel. Suffering is the lot of the disciples and apostles of the Lord, and Paul was not immune to suffering for Jesus Christ. Paul suffered for the sake of the church, Jesus' body, as he calls it here. He also expounds on his call to ministry, which laid upon him the responsibility to proclaim the gospel to them and "all people" "warning every man ..." and here's a connection with the Gospel for the Day, "teaching every man in all wisdom that we may present every man mature in Christ." (Here is one of the arguments for non-Pauline authorship, because Paul did not believe that people could become fully "mature in Christ" in this life.)
Luke 10:38-42 (RC, E, L, C) - Lazarus is not in the story told in the Luke 10 gospel; only the brief exchange between Jesus and Martha is reported. The very tone of Jesus' words, "Martha, Martha," seems to indicate that his rebuke of Martha, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me," was a kindly, but necessary one for her. Mary's priority was to listen to Jesus and learn what he had to say; Martha wanted to serve him and have things the best as they could possibly be. It is necessary to hear the Word, Jesus Christ, before he can claim our devotion and direct our service in the world. Mary had chosen to listen and to hear the Word of the Lord; she had chosen what Jesus called "the good portion, which shall not be taken from her." Of course, there is another side to this story; there are those who are called to study and pray and give all of their lives to acts of devotion to the Lord, and there are those who are called to go out and serve him in the "real" world. Both are valid, and both are informed and nurtured by hearing the word, studying it, and growing in the grace of God.
Sermon Suggestions, Synopses, Sketches, Stories
Luke 10:38-42 (RC, E, L, C) - "The Good Part." - It happened many years ago on the day that our new church building was being dedicated. Several women came into the building for the first time; they entered the large and inviting narthex of the church, looked around, and then, without glancing into the nave of the new and beautiful building, one of them said, "Let's go and look at the kitchen." You see, they are members of a group of women in the church who catered luncheons after funerals, receptions for weddings, anniversaries, and hosted various special events. At first, I wanted to rename their group and call it the "Martha, Martha kitchen auxiliary," and I almost had to bite my tongue to keep from blurting out, "Martha, Martha."
1. Martha was put in her place by Jesus and she must have known it. It had to hurt. She thought that the most important thing she could do was to be a good hostess and make the food and drink and the accompanying amenities as nice as they could be. After all, he deserved the best that could be done for him. But Jesus said, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is needful ... (and) Mary has chosen (it)." She had to feel that Jesus had put her down, perhaps unceremoniously. She didn't have the good part, that's for sure. She got the "dirty end of the stick."
2. Mary had chosen the essential "portion." She had put first things first and that is why Jesus is really praising her. She knew the importance of hearing what Jesus had to say about the kingdom of God, about his mission for the Lord. She knew that he offered the very Word of God to the people and she knew that she needed to hear that Word, if she were to find favor in the eyes of God. So she sat at Jesus' feet and listened, taking in every word that came out of his mouth.
3. Two sisters should have shared the responsibility of entertaining and feeding Jesus, but one is caring and concerned for the welfare of the Lord, and the other seems to care little about what he would eat and drink in their home. The truth is that the Christian ought to be a combination of Mary and Martha - getting priorities set, as Mary did, by giving priority to worship and listening to the Word; that's essential if people are going to grow in faith and love. After one has established a pattern of worship and devotion, then is one ready to "serve the Lord with gladness," not simply in church, but wherever one goes and whatever one does every day of his life.
4. That's why I am glad that I never rebuked the women who hurried off to see the kitchen in the new church building. I had almost said, "Martha, Martha, you are concerned about the wrong things." But as I thought over what had happened, I was glad I had said nothing, even in jest, because we were entertaining a large group of pastors the very next week, and I came to the conclusion that they just wanted to make certain that everything was ready for that occasion. And as I thought over the incident in more depth, I realized that these women were in church almost every Sunday, and it would have been grossly unfair to call or brand them as "Marthas." And the fair thing would be to call their helping society - if it were to be renamed - the "Mary-Martha Auxiliary." These people eagerly and openly listened to the word of the Lord, and then they went out of church and served him in the world they lived in, as well as in the kitchen of the church. Could it not be that Martha was not all in the wrong, nor that Mary was not all in the right, despite Jesus' rebuke to Martha and his accolade for Mary? I think the Lord would be very happy with us if we were "Mary-Martha" kinds of people.
Genesis 18:1-10a (RC); 18:1-10a (10b-14) (E, L) - "Preface To An Another Annunciation."
1. That's really what God's visit to Abraham (and Sarah) was; a preface to the visit of an angel to a young girl named Mary. God would do for the whole human race the same sort of thing he did for Sarah and Abraham - give them a Son, a Savior.
2. It almost didn't happen - the birth of Isaac, that is, because Sarah doubted that such a thing could happen. "She laughed to herself" and that almost put off God. She didn't think God could do that sort of thing - insert himself in human affairs and cause an old woman to bear a son. "Is anything too hard for God?" Like many who doubt the Mary-Jesus story, Sarah was not at all hopeful that God could work that kind of a miracle.
3. God was able to make good on his promise to these two old people, both of whom were beyond the normal child-bearing age. That was the purpose of his visitation in the guise of three men, to whom Abraham offered the hospitality of his home; they were there to make a promise on behalf of God - angels, perhaps, and maybe Gabriel was one of them? But God followed up a promise with power and Sarah gave birth to Isaac, the child of a promise by God.
4. This much we base our faith upon; that God inserted himself into human history on more than one occasion, capping off all of his "visitations" with the promise and the birth of Jesus Christ our Lord. And, believe this, Jesus made a promise that God would send him back at the right time, so we can pray, "Come, Lord Jesus! Come, quickly!"
2 Kings 4:8-17 (C) - "On The Reception Of Prophets And Pastors." - This pericope really needs to be connected to verse 41 of Matthew 10: "He who receives a prophet because he is a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward...." The past few years, a veil of distrust has hung over the clergy like a shroud and many lay people have lost, in addition to their respect for pastors, their faith. A sermon on "the reception of prophets and pastors" might be of spiritual help to the people in many congregations who are struggling with the issue of "fallen" clergy.
1. A story of hospitality. The Shunamite woman recognized a true man of God when she saw him. He spoke the Word of God to people of his time. He was worthy of her hospitality.
2. Believable prophets. They are committed to the Word they preach, and they live by the Word which has been given them by God. Their faith is Bible-based, not the result of mystical - or fanciful - experiences.
3. Surprise guest. Jesus himself comes to those who receive the prophets and preachers and believe the Word they deliver to people. Theirs indeed is a "prophet's reward" - the blessed assurance that they belong to God forever.
Colossians 1:21-28 (L); 1:21-29 (E, C); 1:24-28 (RC) - "A Radical Reconciliation."
1. As Gentiles, the Colossians were estranged from the God of Israel; Jesus changed that position radically by a very radical action - on a cross. That action was not for them alone, but for all people.
2.Jesus' death reconciled the people of Colossae, who heard and believed the Word of God, with the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. We are beneficiaries, too, of that gracious action of God.
3. The good news of our reconciliation in the cross has been proclaimed to us at great cost; people, men and women and children, have died in order to preserve the faith and pass it on to others.
4.Our business, as Christians, is to give thanks and, as Paul tells the Colossians, hold on to the faith, steadfast in hope, and diligent in proclaiming the good news to the world.
Depending on the lectionary followed and the calendar year used in this cycle, this Sun-day could very well fall near August 6. Liturgical "old-timers" in some churches will remember that August 6 is, or was, the date for celebrating the Transfiguration of Our Lord. The Book of Common Prayer continues a practice formerly followed by Lutheran books of worship: Namely, that the Transfiguration is observed on the Last Sunday after the Epiphany by the use of the readings for the Transfiguration, while August 6th remains the feast of the Transfiguration. August 6th is the date on which the Roman Catholic calendar places the actual celebration of the Transfiguration, although one of the gospel accounts of the Transfiguration is read annually on the Second Sunday in Lent. The Lutheran Book Of Worship has deleted August 6th as the festival date for the Transfiguration of Our Lord; the only celebration of it now is on the Last Sunday after the Epiphany, which becomes, for Lutherans, the Transfiguration of Our Lord. The proximity of August 6/the Transfiguration to the Ninth Sunday after Pentecost is simply that it reinforces the basic kerygma of Sunday, reminding the church that it celebrates the resurrection of our Lord because he really died on the cross and, we believe, actually rose on the third day. The preacher, if preaching on the second reading, as well as the gospel, might want to weave in the story of Jesus' transfiguration on the mountain from Luke's perspective that Moses and Elijah were talking with Jesus about his "departure," his "exodus," his death, at Jerusalem. This will inform the Old Testament reading with the kerygma, enrich the second reading, and prevent the gospel from becoming an hortatory sermon with little or no gospel in it.
The Prayer Of The Day
It is rather obvious that The Lutheran Book Of Worship lectionary was introduced with year/cycle C of the three-year lectionary. Two prayers were prepared for the Ninth Sunday after Pentecost, and the second is definitely related to, and inspired by, the Gospel for the Day, the story of Mary and Martha (Luke 10:38-42): "O God, you see how busy we are with many things. Turn us to listen to your teachings and lead us to choose the one thing which will not be taken from us, Jesus Christ our Lord."
The Psalm For The Day
Psalm 15 (E, L); 15:2-5 (RC) - This psalm has been called an "entry" psalm, sung by the pilgrims as they drew near to the temple. In sharp contrast to Psalm 14, which spells out in graphic detail the character of people who are not acceptable to God, this psalm magnifies the type of pilgrim whom God receives as his own. Such a person lives a "blameless life," is honest and forthright, acts properly toward friends and neighbors, rejects wicked people and honors those who fear God, has sworn to do no wrong - and keeps his word - is sincere in his concern for the needy and generous to the poor. People who live this sort of life will always be acceptable to God; they can depend on him and his mercy. Here's where the Christian comes in, asking the same question that was on the lips of the pilgrims, "Lord, who may dwell in your tabernacle? Who may abide in your holy hill?" The answer: "Those who are washed in the blood of the Lamb," who love and obey the Lord, will be welcomed into the kingdom when the Lord returns to this world.
Psalm prayer (15 - LBW) - This prayer gives the impression that the writer was responding more to John 14:1-12 in the ORDO and the Lutheran lectionary selections for the Fifth Sun-day of Easter than from Psalm 15: "Lord Jesus, you first choose to live among us, and in returning to your Father you made an eternal home for us. Help us walk blamelessly in your ways and bring us at last to your holy mountain, where you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and forever."
The Readings
Genesis 18:1-10a (RC); 18:1-10a (10b-14) (E, L) - At least one of the trial lectionaries assigned Proverbs 8:22-35 to the Ninth Sunday after Pentecost; later, the Genesis 18 story of God's appearance to Abraham, when he was almost 100 years old, promising the birth of a son to Sarah, replaced the reading from Proverbs. The pericope from Proverbs did have some relevance to the Luke 10 story of Mary and Martha, especially verse 33f:
And now, my sons, listen to me;
happy are those who keep my ways.
Hear instruction and be wise,
and do not neglect it.
Happy is the man who listens to me,
watching daily at my gates,
waiting beside my doors.
For he who finds me finds life
and obtains favor from the Lord.
Were I concerned about the harmony of the first reading and the Gospel for the Day, I might substitute this pericope for the Genesis 18 reading.
The Genesis story is one of the "annunciation" events in the Old Testament, which shows God going into action to give aid to his people, and support their faith in him. In New Testament terms, and in conjunction with the birth of Jesus Christ, it makes a kerygmatic statement about God's intervention in human history to save his people for himself. It shows that God can do just about anything that he wants to and whenever he wants to in the world that he has created. And so, Abraham and Sarah, in their old age, are given a son, Isaac, whom God had promised to them. The longer reading deals with Sarah's reaction to Abraham's message that they would have a son; she actually laughed at the news, because she didn't think that even God could work a miracle like that.
2 Kings 4:8-17 (C) - This is the tale, finally, of two miracles performed for a woman of Shunem, who had been kind to Elisha, first feeding him and then, with her husband, building a spare room on the roof of their home so that the prophet might have a place to stop over. The first miracle was in the birth of a son to the woman; the second, in a section of the story that was not told, was the resuscitation of the woman's dead son. God has the power to raise the dead, not merely as resuscitation, as in the case of Lazarus, but in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, which has been promised to all who have been baptized in Jesus Christ. This reading complements the second reading, Romans 6:2b-11, which speaks of the "newness to life," which believers receive in the sacrament of baptism.
Colossians 1:21-28 (L); 1:21-29 (E, C); 1:24-28 (RC) - If this really is the work of some-one other than Paul, as one of the "disputed" letters attributed to Paul but not written by him, it certainly has a Pauline tone to it. This sounds like what he would have said to the Colossians - even if were not the author of this letter - reminding them of what God has done for them, rehearsing the gospel with them again, and spelling out his sufferings as a kind of affirmation of the gospel. Suffering is the lot of the disciples and apostles of the Lord, and Paul was not immune to suffering for Jesus Christ. Paul suffered for the sake of the church, Jesus' body, as he calls it here. He also expounds on his call to ministry, which laid upon him the responsibility to proclaim the gospel to them and "all people" "warning every man ..." and here's a connection with the Gospel for the Day, "teaching every man in all wisdom that we may present every man mature in Christ." (Here is one of the arguments for non-Pauline authorship, because Paul did not believe that people could become fully "mature in Christ" in this life.)
Luke 10:38-42 (RC, E, L, C) - Lazarus is not in the story told in the Luke 10 gospel; only the brief exchange between Jesus and Martha is reported. The very tone of Jesus' words, "Martha, Martha," seems to indicate that his rebuke of Martha, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me," was a kindly, but necessary one for her. Mary's priority was to listen to Jesus and learn what he had to say; Martha wanted to serve him and have things the best as they could possibly be. It is necessary to hear the Word, Jesus Christ, before he can claim our devotion and direct our service in the world. Mary had chosen to listen and to hear the Word of the Lord; she had chosen what Jesus called "the good portion, which shall not be taken from her." Of course, there is another side to this story; there are those who are called to study and pray and give all of their lives to acts of devotion to the Lord, and there are those who are called to go out and serve him in the "real" world. Both are valid, and both are informed and nurtured by hearing the word, studying it, and growing in the grace of God.
Sermon Suggestions, Synopses, Sketches, Stories
Luke 10:38-42 (RC, E, L, C) - "The Good Part." - It happened many years ago on the day that our new church building was being dedicated. Several women came into the building for the first time; they entered the large and inviting narthex of the church, looked around, and then, without glancing into the nave of the new and beautiful building, one of them said, "Let's go and look at the kitchen." You see, they are members of a group of women in the church who catered luncheons after funerals, receptions for weddings, anniversaries, and hosted various special events. At first, I wanted to rename their group and call it the "Martha, Martha kitchen auxiliary," and I almost had to bite my tongue to keep from blurting out, "Martha, Martha."
1. Martha was put in her place by Jesus and she must have known it. It had to hurt. She thought that the most important thing she could do was to be a good hostess and make the food and drink and the accompanying amenities as nice as they could be. After all, he deserved the best that could be done for him. But Jesus said, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is needful ... (and) Mary has chosen (it)." She had to feel that Jesus had put her down, perhaps unceremoniously. She didn't have the good part, that's for sure. She got the "dirty end of the stick."
2. Mary had chosen the essential "portion." She had put first things first and that is why Jesus is really praising her. She knew the importance of hearing what Jesus had to say about the kingdom of God, about his mission for the Lord. She knew that he offered the very Word of God to the people and she knew that she needed to hear that Word, if she were to find favor in the eyes of God. So she sat at Jesus' feet and listened, taking in every word that came out of his mouth.
3. Two sisters should have shared the responsibility of entertaining and feeding Jesus, but one is caring and concerned for the welfare of the Lord, and the other seems to care little about what he would eat and drink in their home. The truth is that the Christian ought to be a combination of Mary and Martha - getting priorities set, as Mary did, by giving priority to worship and listening to the Word; that's essential if people are going to grow in faith and love. After one has established a pattern of worship and devotion, then is one ready to "serve the Lord with gladness," not simply in church, but wherever one goes and whatever one does every day of his life.
4. That's why I am glad that I never rebuked the women who hurried off to see the kitchen in the new church building. I had almost said, "Martha, Martha, you are concerned about the wrong things." But as I thought over what had happened, I was glad I had said nothing, even in jest, because we were entertaining a large group of pastors the very next week, and I came to the conclusion that they just wanted to make certain that everything was ready for that occasion. And as I thought over the incident in more depth, I realized that these women were in church almost every Sunday, and it would have been grossly unfair to call or brand them as "Marthas." And the fair thing would be to call their helping society - if it were to be renamed - the "Mary-Martha Auxiliary." These people eagerly and openly listened to the word of the Lord, and then they went out of church and served him in the world they lived in, as well as in the kitchen of the church. Could it not be that Martha was not all in the wrong, nor that Mary was not all in the right, despite Jesus' rebuke to Martha and his accolade for Mary? I think the Lord would be very happy with us if we were "Mary-Martha" kinds of people.
Genesis 18:1-10a (RC); 18:1-10a (10b-14) (E, L) - "Preface To An Another Annunciation."
1. That's really what God's visit to Abraham (and Sarah) was; a preface to the visit of an angel to a young girl named Mary. God would do for the whole human race the same sort of thing he did for Sarah and Abraham - give them a Son, a Savior.
2. It almost didn't happen - the birth of Isaac, that is, because Sarah doubted that such a thing could happen. "She laughed to herself" and that almost put off God. She didn't think God could do that sort of thing - insert himself in human affairs and cause an old woman to bear a son. "Is anything too hard for God?" Like many who doubt the Mary-Jesus story, Sarah was not at all hopeful that God could work that kind of a miracle.
3. God was able to make good on his promise to these two old people, both of whom were beyond the normal child-bearing age. That was the purpose of his visitation in the guise of three men, to whom Abraham offered the hospitality of his home; they were there to make a promise on behalf of God - angels, perhaps, and maybe Gabriel was one of them? But God followed up a promise with power and Sarah gave birth to Isaac, the child of a promise by God.
4. This much we base our faith upon; that God inserted himself into human history on more than one occasion, capping off all of his "visitations" with the promise and the birth of Jesus Christ our Lord. And, believe this, Jesus made a promise that God would send him back at the right time, so we can pray, "Come, Lord Jesus! Come, quickly!"
2 Kings 4:8-17 (C) - "On The Reception Of Prophets And Pastors." - This pericope really needs to be connected to verse 41 of Matthew 10: "He who receives a prophet because he is a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward...." The past few years, a veil of distrust has hung over the clergy like a shroud and many lay people have lost, in addition to their respect for pastors, their faith. A sermon on "the reception of prophets and pastors" might be of spiritual help to the people in many congregations who are struggling with the issue of "fallen" clergy.
1. A story of hospitality. The Shunamite woman recognized a true man of God when she saw him. He spoke the Word of God to people of his time. He was worthy of her hospitality.
2. Believable prophets. They are committed to the Word they preach, and they live by the Word which has been given them by God. Their faith is Bible-based, not the result of mystical - or fanciful - experiences.
3. Surprise guest. Jesus himself comes to those who receive the prophets and preachers and believe the Word they deliver to people. Theirs indeed is a "prophet's reward" - the blessed assurance that they belong to God forever.
Colossians 1:21-28 (L); 1:21-29 (E, C); 1:24-28 (RC) - "A Radical Reconciliation."
1. As Gentiles, the Colossians were estranged from the God of Israel; Jesus changed that position radically by a very radical action - on a cross. That action was not for them alone, but for all people.
2.Jesus' death reconciled the people of Colossae, who heard and believed the Word of God, with the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. We are beneficiaries, too, of that gracious action of God.
3. The good news of our reconciliation in the cross has been proclaimed to us at great cost; people, men and women and children, have died in order to preserve the faith and pass it on to others.
4.Our business, as Christians, is to give thanks and, as Paul tells the Colossians, hold on to the faith, steadfast in hope, and diligent in proclaiming the good news to the world.
