Proper 10 (C, E)
Preaching
Lectionary Preaching Workbook
Series VI, Cycle B
COMMENTARY ON THE LESSONS
Lesson 1: 2 Samuel 6:1-5, 12b-19 (C)
IsnÍt that a wonderful phrase? ñDavid danced before the Lord with all his might.'' What a marvelous picture, one manÍs sheer joy at the presence of God, and in the service of God. Setting aside the ancient idea of God being localized in the ark, we have the picture of the best possible attitude toward God and toward all the values and promises which that implies.
Lesson 1: Amos 7:12-15 (RC); Amos 7:7-15 (E)
Lesson 2: Ephesians 1:3-14 (C, RC); Ephesians 1:1-14 (E)
There are many elements here. Paul promises that we will all have ñcomplete freedom'' if we are in Christ. Paul defines ñfreedom'' as being forgiven (verse 7). He sees God as having had a secret plan to be carried out through Jesus Christ, the essence of that plan being to bring all people together finally, everything in heaven and on earth, with Christ as the head.
I have read that if a movie were made of the history of the world, that history compressed into 24 hours, mankind would appear only in the last five seconds. In other words, we are barely part of history at all. If we assume that history will go on and on, one must wonder what humanity will be like in centuries ahead. When we consider that life expectancy was mid-twenties in JesusÍ time, and around forty during the Civil War, and is now nearly eighty „ when we think about the wonder drugs and the other means to protect, prolong, and save life, we have to think great things lie ahead. Also, when we think what archaeologists have been able to tell us about ancient humanityÍs ethics, then the savage conduct of both whites and Indians during the earlier years of AmericaÍs development, and now the things we see happening in other countries, as well as some of our major cities, we see that the process of spiritual development is exceedingly slow. And yet, there are signs that such evolution is taking place. Good people are making themselves influential too. Perhaps it lies millions of years away, yet perhaps we are the forerunners, the very beginning form of humanity as it will one day be. I donÍt like to think of myself as a half step removed from the caveman, but that may very well be the case.
This is all a little deep, yet Paul also speaks of two worlds. When Paul speaks of bringing ñeverything in heaven and on earth'' together, his meaning is not clear. Could it be that Plato was right? Is it possible that a better world exists beyond our sight? Could it be that the fulfillment of GodÍs eternally long-range plan for this earth has already been accomplished in that other world? Could it be that when we die we are allowed to enter into that other world, where continued growth and understanding and spiritual vitality are greatly increased, and we discover the end result of GodÍs plan? Could it possibly be that one day the two worlds would indeed be joined in some fashion currently beyond our capacity to guess?
Leslie Weatherhead (and, IÍm sure, many others) has suggested that this world is a schoolroom, as it were. That we are here to learn and develop so that we are prepared for life in that other world. My stepdaughter is finishing final exams for her last year of high school even as I write. The anxiety, the seemingly endless hours of study and research are exhausting. She probably has moments when she wishes she could be spared all of this. But you and I know how glad sheÍll be later on when she goes on to college having learned the discipline of study. So with us. The hours of backbreaking labor, the anguishing walks in preparation for preaching (or whatever oneÍs vocation), the pains of illness and injury, the grief of parting and loss of loved ones, the rejections which leave us embarrassed or angry, the failures, the regrets for wrongs committed and chances missed, the sadness for what might have been „ could all of this be a preparation for something more wonderful than our imaginations could conceive? Do you remember the day you walked across the platform to receive your degree, how suddenly right and necessary all those hours of late-night study were? Magnify that a thousand times. What if we are, in microcosm, each the working out of that secret plan of God, and what if we are to be residents of that other world but only after we have learned and grown? What if God often leaves us in our pain for a time because he sees that as we see preparing to graduate from high school or training for an athletic event? Yes, these tiny little brains of ours are barely adequate for the problems we face in our little lives. How presumptuous that we would insist that we know the secret. Better to trust in the one who does, and live as he shows us we should.
Gospel: Mark 6:14-29 (C)
I suppose we could quote Shakespeare: ñThis was the unkindest cut of all.'' Frankly, IÍm not sure what I would do with this story. One point does stand out: evil is uncomfortable in the presence of goodness. Herod is famous for many bad things, but he probably would have continued protecting John had he not been bound by the ancient custom of always honoring a vow. Truthfully, this story seems a little bit contrived, though it may very well have happened just this way. In any event, poor John lost his head and that was the end of that.
William Barclay suggested that Herod was falling down drunk at the time. Given his family ethics „ he was, after all, in violation of Jewish law by marrying his brotherÍs wife „ he may have been more than a little attracted to Salome, who was apparently quite a dish. Furthermore, although he had a grudging respect for John the Baptist, he valued his reputation among those in attendance more. All those factors came into play: a manÍs shaky moral values, his addiction to booze, his overarching ambition (he would later be banished by the emperor for asking to be made king), his lack of restraint in sexual matters „ these things have gotten many a man and a few women in trouble. Maybe a sermon on the need to take a look at oneÍs current lifestyle before disaster strikes and people get hurt.
Gospel: Mark 6:7-13 (RC, E)
(See Proper 9)
SERMON SUGGESTIONS
Title: ñWelcome To The Dance''
Text: 2 Samuel 6:14a
Theme: What a marvelous picture comes to mind as we imagine David dancing before the Lord, the Ark of the Covenant, with all his might. What a glorious, happy day that must have been. What exuberance, what unrestrained joy. Yes! ñHappy day, happy day, when Jesus washed my sins away! He taught me how to watch and pray, and live rejoicing every day. Happy day, happy day, when Jesus washed my sins away.''
Does this not speak to us about our religious faith and practices? Now I must say that I do not like to sit in worship and hear a preacher shout and prance. What I do like to hear is a version of our faith which accentuates the positive. WeÍve heard a lot about sin and rightfully so, since thatÍs the basis of all the worldÍs troubles. But the burden can be put down. ThereÍs the foundation of a joyous Christianity.
1. God will forgive our sins.
2. God walks with us in the dark as well as in the light.
3. This is all leading somewhere. We need not fear.
4. We can dance before the Lord. That is, Jesus told us these things that his joy might be in us.
Title: ñOne In The Spirit''
Text: Ephesians 1:8b-10
Theme: Paul understood that GodÍs long-range plan is that all people dwell together as family, with Christ as head of the family. Given the state of the world at the moment, this possibility seems remote indeed. I write just after the people of India and Pakistan exploded nuclear weapons, and while the leader of Sinn Fein in Ireland frankly expresses doubt that the recent peace agreement will bring peace. Recently, a car bomb killed 28 innocent people, mainly women and children, in Omagh, Northern Ireland, an atrocity beyond the imagining of mentally normal human beings. Meanwhile, the Palestinians are rioting against the Israelis, and we have our own problems with violence and crime far worse than that of most other nations. And yet, and yet, as Christians we are to start where we are to do what we can in an effort to usher in a new day of peace and love among humanity.
1. It begins with how I treat the first person I meet at the start of the day. How I drive in traffic, for example. How I treat the waiter at lunch, and the colleague who forgot to give me an important message.
2. It requires me to start rethinking some of my prejudices. I get irritated with young people whose cars have these heavy bass speakers which rattle the neighborhood as they go by. Maybe I forget I was young once myself. I need to reexamine some prejudices about people of different cultures or how I feel toward homosexuals. On that last point, IÍm appalled at some of the hateful opinions I hear expressed by some people who call themselves Christians.
3. It means I must accept disapproval from some critics in the effort to see that people in my life are treated equally. Jesus taught me to love not only my neighbor, but also my enemy. He didnÍt mean I have to like everyone. ThatÍs something no one can do. But he wants me to understand that my enemy is dear to Jesus, just as dear as I am, and I am to work for that personÍs welfare if I am to work for JesusÍ welfare.
4. It means I should examine political issues and positions of candidates, and quit voting for people who clearly couldnÍt care less about this plan of GodÍs. Sometimes I get irritated with the Indianapolis Public School Board because of their positions. But I forget, many of the students in that system come from poverty-stricken homes where they receive no support at home, where civil manners are not taught. They need advocates in high places if anything is to change.
5. It means I should pray to be led in all of this, since itÍs hard to resent or be jealous of or fail to care about people if you pray for them. Prayer may change some unfortunate situations. It also changes the person who prays.
Title: ñBreaking Free''
Text: Mark 6:24-29
Theme: Herod was a man who fought with demons within. His ambivalence surely came from the conflict between respect for decency and law, and the impulse to be a basically self-centered man. In introducing the text, I would paraphrase the background leading up to the text. It appears that Herod wanted to do what was right, but he was weak. My guess is he was drunk, enamored of a pretty young girl, wanting to show off to his friends who were present, and therefore betrayed those values which he harbored somewhere deep within his heart.
ThereÍs a word here for people who are currently in the grip of some addiction or overwhelming temptation. Not in HerodÍs case, since he was never set free. But Jesus could have set him free, would have set him free had he been given the chance.
1. God loves a person, even when that person is struggling with opposing values.
2. God is ready to supply inner resources in addition to those of the individual. There is power in prayer, and there is power in the support of people who care.
3. Charlie Brown said, ñThe wages of sin is aaaarrrggghhh.'' If one does not get help, destruction is the inevitable consequence. But help is available, and once a person accepts Christ and lets God in, the tide of battle will change. We have heard many people in public life admit to their addiction and turn their lives around. In every case, they attribute their success to the power of God.
ADDITIONAL ILLUSTRATIONS
Bishop Berggrav, hero of Norway who resisted the Nazis during World War II, was asked how he managed to face the almost certainty of death for his heroism. In reply, he told the story of a peasant and his little boy who went on a visit to a distant village. On the road they had to cross a fast-rushing river on a narrow, rickety bridge. It was dark when they returned toward home, and the little boy was afraid to cross the bridge. His father, seeing his sonÍs fear, picked him up in his arms and carried him along the road. The little fellow fell asleep on his fatherÍs shoulder, and only awakened the next morning in his room with sunlight streaming through the windows. Bishop Berggrav said he let God carry him through those dark days.
____________
A powerful statement of this is to be found in the movie Priest, which depicts two priests serving together in a parish in Ireland. The older man has violated the vow of celibacy, the younger priest is gay, and he develops a relationship with a young man in the parish. So both priests have broken vows and are tormented, each in his own way, with the consequences. The two have widely different ideas of the role of a priest, the young man preoccupied with sin and judgment, the older man with concern for the suffering people in the parish. But a bond of respect and father and son love grows between them as each struggles with his private torments. In one unforgettable scene, the young priest, prevented from saving a teenaged girl from a predatory, molesting father by his vow of confidentiality, cries out his anguish in the direction of a crucifix on the wall of his room. He desperately condemns Jesus for doing nothing while letting a child suffer terribly because of a vow which in this situation makes no sense at all. But then the camera focuses in on the face of the crucified Jesus, the torment mirrored there of one who feels every moment of pain suffered both by the priest and by the young girl. Both priests depict the rest of the world in microcosm: a combination of betrayal and hypocrisy on one hand, yet courage and high-minded faithfulness and sacrifice on the other. Let none of us cast the first stone. All of us are caught up in this human condition, assaulted by temptation, sometimes standing tall amid the inner and outer storms that beset us, at other times compromising, failing, giving in. A careful reading of the New Testament reveals that this is certainly true of its main characters except Jesus. Surely ñsalvation'' refers to access given us to forgiveness and new strength and hope for tomorrow.
ThereÍs much more to this deeply moving film. The point here is to use it as a way of pointing to the fact that Jesus shares our every pain and torment, then to reflect that Jesus promises eventual redemption from our individual struggles. In part, to be saved is to be set free from our own grief and guilt and hypocrisy, to be welcomed home in peace.
____________
Psalm Of The Day
Psalm 24 (C) „ ñThe earth is the LordÍs and all that is in it.''
Psalm 122 (RC) „ ñI was glad when they said to me....''
Psalm 85 (E) „ ñLord, you were favorable to your land.''
Prayer Of The Day
Set us free, O Lord, from prejudice and the imprisonment of addiction. Grant us faith by which to step forth in the newness of life which you have promised. Bring us out of our darkness into your marvelous light. In ChristÍs name. Amen.
Lesson 1: 2 Samuel 6:1-5, 12b-19 (C)
IsnÍt that a wonderful phrase? ñDavid danced before the Lord with all his might.'' What a marvelous picture, one manÍs sheer joy at the presence of God, and in the service of God. Setting aside the ancient idea of God being localized in the ark, we have the picture of the best possible attitude toward God and toward all the values and promises which that implies.
Lesson 1: Amos 7:12-15 (RC); Amos 7:7-15 (E)
Lesson 2: Ephesians 1:3-14 (C, RC); Ephesians 1:1-14 (E)
There are many elements here. Paul promises that we will all have ñcomplete freedom'' if we are in Christ. Paul defines ñfreedom'' as being forgiven (verse 7). He sees God as having had a secret plan to be carried out through Jesus Christ, the essence of that plan being to bring all people together finally, everything in heaven and on earth, with Christ as the head.
I have read that if a movie were made of the history of the world, that history compressed into 24 hours, mankind would appear only in the last five seconds. In other words, we are barely part of history at all. If we assume that history will go on and on, one must wonder what humanity will be like in centuries ahead. When we consider that life expectancy was mid-twenties in JesusÍ time, and around forty during the Civil War, and is now nearly eighty „ when we think about the wonder drugs and the other means to protect, prolong, and save life, we have to think great things lie ahead. Also, when we think what archaeologists have been able to tell us about ancient humanityÍs ethics, then the savage conduct of both whites and Indians during the earlier years of AmericaÍs development, and now the things we see happening in other countries, as well as some of our major cities, we see that the process of spiritual development is exceedingly slow. And yet, there are signs that such evolution is taking place. Good people are making themselves influential too. Perhaps it lies millions of years away, yet perhaps we are the forerunners, the very beginning form of humanity as it will one day be. I donÍt like to think of myself as a half step removed from the caveman, but that may very well be the case.
This is all a little deep, yet Paul also speaks of two worlds. When Paul speaks of bringing ñeverything in heaven and on earth'' together, his meaning is not clear. Could it be that Plato was right? Is it possible that a better world exists beyond our sight? Could it be that the fulfillment of GodÍs eternally long-range plan for this earth has already been accomplished in that other world? Could it be that when we die we are allowed to enter into that other world, where continued growth and understanding and spiritual vitality are greatly increased, and we discover the end result of GodÍs plan? Could it possibly be that one day the two worlds would indeed be joined in some fashion currently beyond our capacity to guess?
Leslie Weatherhead (and, IÍm sure, many others) has suggested that this world is a schoolroom, as it were. That we are here to learn and develop so that we are prepared for life in that other world. My stepdaughter is finishing final exams for her last year of high school even as I write. The anxiety, the seemingly endless hours of study and research are exhausting. She probably has moments when she wishes she could be spared all of this. But you and I know how glad sheÍll be later on when she goes on to college having learned the discipline of study. So with us. The hours of backbreaking labor, the anguishing walks in preparation for preaching (or whatever oneÍs vocation), the pains of illness and injury, the grief of parting and loss of loved ones, the rejections which leave us embarrassed or angry, the failures, the regrets for wrongs committed and chances missed, the sadness for what might have been „ could all of this be a preparation for something more wonderful than our imaginations could conceive? Do you remember the day you walked across the platform to receive your degree, how suddenly right and necessary all those hours of late-night study were? Magnify that a thousand times. What if we are, in microcosm, each the working out of that secret plan of God, and what if we are to be residents of that other world but only after we have learned and grown? What if God often leaves us in our pain for a time because he sees that as we see preparing to graduate from high school or training for an athletic event? Yes, these tiny little brains of ours are barely adequate for the problems we face in our little lives. How presumptuous that we would insist that we know the secret. Better to trust in the one who does, and live as he shows us we should.
Gospel: Mark 6:14-29 (C)
I suppose we could quote Shakespeare: ñThis was the unkindest cut of all.'' Frankly, IÍm not sure what I would do with this story. One point does stand out: evil is uncomfortable in the presence of goodness. Herod is famous for many bad things, but he probably would have continued protecting John had he not been bound by the ancient custom of always honoring a vow. Truthfully, this story seems a little bit contrived, though it may very well have happened just this way. In any event, poor John lost his head and that was the end of that.
William Barclay suggested that Herod was falling down drunk at the time. Given his family ethics „ he was, after all, in violation of Jewish law by marrying his brotherÍs wife „ he may have been more than a little attracted to Salome, who was apparently quite a dish. Furthermore, although he had a grudging respect for John the Baptist, he valued his reputation among those in attendance more. All those factors came into play: a manÍs shaky moral values, his addiction to booze, his overarching ambition (he would later be banished by the emperor for asking to be made king), his lack of restraint in sexual matters „ these things have gotten many a man and a few women in trouble. Maybe a sermon on the need to take a look at oneÍs current lifestyle before disaster strikes and people get hurt.
Gospel: Mark 6:7-13 (RC, E)
(See Proper 9)
SERMON SUGGESTIONS
Title: ñWelcome To The Dance''
Text: 2 Samuel 6:14a
Theme: What a marvelous picture comes to mind as we imagine David dancing before the Lord, the Ark of the Covenant, with all his might. What a glorious, happy day that must have been. What exuberance, what unrestrained joy. Yes! ñHappy day, happy day, when Jesus washed my sins away! He taught me how to watch and pray, and live rejoicing every day. Happy day, happy day, when Jesus washed my sins away.''
Does this not speak to us about our religious faith and practices? Now I must say that I do not like to sit in worship and hear a preacher shout and prance. What I do like to hear is a version of our faith which accentuates the positive. WeÍve heard a lot about sin and rightfully so, since thatÍs the basis of all the worldÍs troubles. But the burden can be put down. ThereÍs the foundation of a joyous Christianity.
1. God will forgive our sins.
2. God walks with us in the dark as well as in the light.
3. This is all leading somewhere. We need not fear.
4. We can dance before the Lord. That is, Jesus told us these things that his joy might be in us.
Title: ñOne In The Spirit''
Text: Ephesians 1:8b-10
Theme: Paul understood that GodÍs long-range plan is that all people dwell together as family, with Christ as head of the family. Given the state of the world at the moment, this possibility seems remote indeed. I write just after the people of India and Pakistan exploded nuclear weapons, and while the leader of Sinn Fein in Ireland frankly expresses doubt that the recent peace agreement will bring peace. Recently, a car bomb killed 28 innocent people, mainly women and children, in Omagh, Northern Ireland, an atrocity beyond the imagining of mentally normal human beings. Meanwhile, the Palestinians are rioting against the Israelis, and we have our own problems with violence and crime far worse than that of most other nations. And yet, and yet, as Christians we are to start where we are to do what we can in an effort to usher in a new day of peace and love among humanity.
1. It begins with how I treat the first person I meet at the start of the day. How I drive in traffic, for example. How I treat the waiter at lunch, and the colleague who forgot to give me an important message.
2. It requires me to start rethinking some of my prejudices. I get irritated with young people whose cars have these heavy bass speakers which rattle the neighborhood as they go by. Maybe I forget I was young once myself. I need to reexamine some prejudices about people of different cultures or how I feel toward homosexuals. On that last point, IÍm appalled at some of the hateful opinions I hear expressed by some people who call themselves Christians.
3. It means I must accept disapproval from some critics in the effort to see that people in my life are treated equally. Jesus taught me to love not only my neighbor, but also my enemy. He didnÍt mean I have to like everyone. ThatÍs something no one can do. But he wants me to understand that my enemy is dear to Jesus, just as dear as I am, and I am to work for that personÍs welfare if I am to work for JesusÍ welfare.
4. It means I should examine political issues and positions of candidates, and quit voting for people who clearly couldnÍt care less about this plan of GodÍs. Sometimes I get irritated with the Indianapolis Public School Board because of their positions. But I forget, many of the students in that system come from poverty-stricken homes where they receive no support at home, where civil manners are not taught. They need advocates in high places if anything is to change.
5. It means I should pray to be led in all of this, since itÍs hard to resent or be jealous of or fail to care about people if you pray for them. Prayer may change some unfortunate situations. It also changes the person who prays.
Title: ñBreaking Free''
Text: Mark 6:24-29
Theme: Herod was a man who fought with demons within. His ambivalence surely came from the conflict between respect for decency and law, and the impulse to be a basically self-centered man. In introducing the text, I would paraphrase the background leading up to the text. It appears that Herod wanted to do what was right, but he was weak. My guess is he was drunk, enamored of a pretty young girl, wanting to show off to his friends who were present, and therefore betrayed those values which he harbored somewhere deep within his heart.
ThereÍs a word here for people who are currently in the grip of some addiction or overwhelming temptation. Not in HerodÍs case, since he was never set free. But Jesus could have set him free, would have set him free had he been given the chance.
1. God loves a person, even when that person is struggling with opposing values.
2. God is ready to supply inner resources in addition to those of the individual. There is power in prayer, and there is power in the support of people who care.
3. Charlie Brown said, ñThe wages of sin is aaaarrrggghhh.'' If one does not get help, destruction is the inevitable consequence. But help is available, and once a person accepts Christ and lets God in, the tide of battle will change. We have heard many people in public life admit to their addiction and turn their lives around. In every case, they attribute their success to the power of God.
ADDITIONAL ILLUSTRATIONS
Bishop Berggrav, hero of Norway who resisted the Nazis during World War II, was asked how he managed to face the almost certainty of death for his heroism. In reply, he told the story of a peasant and his little boy who went on a visit to a distant village. On the road they had to cross a fast-rushing river on a narrow, rickety bridge. It was dark when they returned toward home, and the little boy was afraid to cross the bridge. His father, seeing his sonÍs fear, picked him up in his arms and carried him along the road. The little fellow fell asleep on his fatherÍs shoulder, and only awakened the next morning in his room with sunlight streaming through the windows. Bishop Berggrav said he let God carry him through those dark days.
____________
A powerful statement of this is to be found in the movie Priest, which depicts two priests serving together in a parish in Ireland. The older man has violated the vow of celibacy, the younger priest is gay, and he develops a relationship with a young man in the parish. So both priests have broken vows and are tormented, each in his own way, with the consequences. The two have widely different ideas of the role of a priest, the young man preoccupied with sin and judgment, the older man with concern for the suffering people in the parish. But a bond of respect and father and son love grows between them as each struggles with his private torments. In one unforgettable scene, the young priest, prevented from saving a teenaged girl from a predatory, molesting father by his vow of confidentiality, cries out his anguish in the direction of a crucifix on the wall of his room. He desperately condemns Jesus for doing nothing while letting a child suffer terribly because of a vow which in this situation makes no sense at all. But then the camera focuses in on the face of the crucified Jesus, the torment mirrored there of one who feels every moment of pain suffered both by the priest and by the young girl. Both priests depict the rest of the world in microcosm: a combination of betrayal and hypocrisy on one hand, yet courage and high-minded faithfulness and sacrifice on the other. Let none of us cast the first stone. All of us are caught up in this human condition, assaulted by temptation, sometimes standing tall amid the inner and outer storms that beset us, at other times compromising, failing, giving in. A careful reading of the New Testament reveals that this is certainly true of its main characters except Jesus. Surely ñsalvation'' refers to access given us to forgiveness and new strength and hope for tomorrow.
ThereÍs much more to this deeply moving film. The point here is to use it as a way of pointing to the fact that Jesus shares our every pain and torment, then to reflect that Jesus promises eventual redemption from our individual struggles. In part, to be saved is to be set free from our own grief and guilt and hypocrisy, to be welcomed home in peace.
____________
Psalm Of The Day
Psalm 24 (C) „ ñThe earth is the LordÍs and all that is in it.''
Psalm 122 (RC) „ ñI was glad when they said to me....''
Psalm 85 (E) „ ñLord, you were favorable to your land.''
Prayer Of The Day
Set us free, O Lord, from prejudice and the imprisonment of addiction. Grant us faith by which to step forth in the newness of life which you have promised. Bring us out of our darkness into your marvelous light. In ChristÍs name. Amen.
