Proper 11 (C, E)
Preaching
Lectionary Preaching Workbook
Series VI, Cycle B
COMMENTARY ON THE LESSONS
Lesson 1: 2 Samuel 7:1-14a (C)
David, having established his place as a brilliant military commander, now envisions a tight rein on the confederacy of tribes by building a majestic tabernacle as a location for the Ark, which to the people symbolized the intimate presence of God. However, conservatism still dominated the thinking of the people, and Nathan asked David not to build such a place. For the time being, David agreed, accepting NathanÍs statement that it was GodÍs will, and that God would see to it that David and his people were the dominant power in that part of the world. David, possessor of an impressive home, would have a ñhouse'' built by God, which referred to the ñhouse of David,'' a period of lengthy administration by David and his chosen successors.
The interesting point here is the belief that God wanted a humble, stripped-down status among the people. Divine power was understood, of course, but God was a God of the little people, of the downtrodden, of the Israelites so recently released from bondage. He did not want pomp and circumstance.
A sermon might very well make this same point, that the true Church is not the magnificence of cathedrals and expensive buildings. The true Church is people, ordinary people, folks like you and me and the people we serve. It is a faith for those who are hurting and sad, as well as for those whose lives are running smoothly.
Lesson 1: Jeremiah 23:1-6 (RC)
Lesson 1: Isaiah 57:14b-21 (E)
Lesson 2: Ephesians 2:11-22 (C, E); Ephesians 2:13-18 (RC)
Paul emphatically affirms the inclusion of Gentiles and, hence, the whole world in the plan of God with Jesus as head. He has broken down the wall of hostility, both between God and humanity, and between Jew and Gentile. We are now all equals in the promise of GodÍs Spirit and grace.
One could deal with prejudice in a sermon. How can anti-semitism possibly exist within a Christian community? Yet part of the problem lies in the fact that we just donÍt know each other. I recently was asked to speak to a group of high schoolers at a Jewish temple. They were fine, bright young students, and my job was to tell them a little about Christianity. I was dumbfounded to discover that none of these young people had any idea that there are various denominations within our faith. Most had either encountered Christianity by seeing some television evangelist rant and rave, or from discussions with their own age group among their classmates. When I explained that there is Catholicism and Protestantism, and that we are dear friends but with some very different beliefs, they were surprised. When I further explained that there is mainstream Protestantism with a fairly consistent set of beliefs, and Fundamentalism with a quite different set of beliefs, and that there are quite a variety of organizational forms among us, they were again surprised.
I also realized how little I know about the branches of Judaism. I honestly did not know the difference in belief between an Orthodox Jew and a Reformed Jew. My friends also had learned that there are Christians who claim that the Jews crucified Jesus, and so on and on. I cleared that up. But I came away thinking we in our churches could do more to foster understanding between our groups.
The same is true between Protestant and Catholic. I once spent a weekend retreat with some Protestant ministers and some Catholic priests. I discovered that some of my ideas about Catholic beliefs were wrong, and that not all priests believe the same things any more than we Protestant clergy do. Yes, thereÍs work to be done.
Another possible preaching direction here is to fasten on NathanÍs word that God doesnÍt desire grand and impressive form. God is a God of the street, and the field, and the workplace. God is here among us.
Gospel: Mark 6:30-34, 53-56 (C); Mark 6:30-34 (RC); Mark 6:30-44 (E)
Clearly, we see in this passage that Jesus understood the need for quiet time, for time away from lifeÍs stress if one is to retain the ability to function effectively. And just as clearly, in JesusÍ case that was difficult to come by. People wanted his ministry. I donÍt wish to complain, and would guess that nearly all of my readers would refuse to change places with other vocations. But hasnÍt this happened to you?
Just last evening I happened to be at a social occasion and fell into conversation with the wife of a brilliant young Presbyterian minister who, having done an extraordinary work in building a large congregation and having just now reached completion of a major building program, has gratefully accepted a four-month sabbatical for renewal and study. But, she said, after the first month heÍs over at the church every day. There are so many demands on his time and ministry that he finds it difficult to achieve that renewal. We both agreed that he needs to get physically away if he is to achieve his goal.
This is a word many people need to hear today. I have seen so many marriages founder because ambitious husbands and, sometimes, wives never have time for quiet thought, for prayer and reflection about their lives. I notice Bill Hybels wrote a book titled Too Busy Not To Pray. Good title. That says it, and our people „ at least some of them „ need to think about this (as do some of you overworked pastors).
SERMON SUGGESTIONS
Title: ñFriends Of Jesus''
Text: 2 Samuel 7:1-14a
Theme: This passage is Old Testament but it points to Jesus who chose a group of men who soon became his friends, and that was the very beginning of what we know as the Church. That is what the Church is in its most genuine form: friends of Jesus. It is based on the Bible, and its motive force is love „ love for God, and love for people. Beyond this, little is required.
True, the Church is composed of a variety of people, not all of whom know Jesus very well. Most of them know of Jesus, and the work of the Church is to introduce them directly.
Years ago, my wife and I had two friends who were single. One was a fine young man with a good sense of humor and a bright future. The other was an exceptionally attractive woman also with a good sense of humor. For more than a year we would see one or another of these two at parties or other social gatherings. They had never met, but we would tell each about the other and suggest they have a date. We were met with polite yawns. All their friends, it seems, were trying to get them married and they would take care of that themselves, thank you very much. Then one day we invited just the two of them to dinner. Bottom line? They were married a few months later. My point is that only when they actually met each other did they fall in love. Likewise, hearing about the Christ will probably not suffice for a relationship. Meeting him begins the love relationship.
1. The Church is the place where Christ comes to meet us.
2. The Church is for everyone. To turn any single person from a church is to turn Jesus away as well.
3. Jesus makes no distinction among people. Each of us is dear to him. Like a mother with a house full of children, each individual and unique, and Mom knows each, loves each, and treats each according to his or her individuality.
4. Church buildings and the like are merely a convenient place to meet. If we can afford a fine building, thatÍs great. But never let it become status symbol or grand means of impressing ourselves or others. Only if that building results in leading people to Christ, and motivating us to go out from that church to spread the gospel word, and ministering to those most in need is it really the Church.
Title: ñGetting To Know You''
Text: Ephesians 2:11-22
Theme: On the one hand I am not an advocate of One Church or One Religion. I like the variety of the present system. I enjoy the interchange of ideas with other traditions.
But we must love one another. ThatÍs the gospel command. And to do that, we must learn to know each other. I start with this: no one, no clergy, no bishop, no professor of theology „ no one can claim to know the exact answers to the religious questions people ask. Only the self-righteous dare claim to know it all, and they look ridiculous to the rest of us. God understands that these tiny little minds of ours arenÍt going to understand fully ultimate truths. A true Christian respects and honors the differing beliefs of other people who are sincere and trying to do what they believe to be right. The only dependable truths are that God loves us, came to us in Jesus, wants us to love each other, and through the presence and the word of Jesus leads us safely home. Beyond all that, each of us is trying earnestly to find our way.
Let the preacher assist her members in learning more about the other religions, not with the intent to criticize, but with the intent to understand and to love. God wants all of us to be together, not in some formal organization, but in love. Let that be our aim.
Title: ñFinding Yourself''
Text: Mark 6:30-34
Theme: A Methodist bishop, asked to address a large group of men who were on a retreat, opened with this comment: ñItÍs a great inspiration to see so many men who have come apart.'' I donÍt know whether he meant that to be humorous or not, but it was. Yet the truth is: we all need to come apart from the busy world in which we live in order to get to know ourselves. Someone spoke of ñthe curse of the unexamined life.'' Many people today are suffering terribly, and needlessly, because they simply have not made an opening in their lives where Jesus can enter.
One of the dear people in my life, feeling a lot of stress, what with children, full-time professional responsibilities, a home to maintain, and a demanding husband, was really getting tired and unhappy. One day she attended a spiritual awakening service and from that learned of her need for this time alone. She began devoting thirty minutes each morning to prayer, Bible reading, reading a brief inspirational passage, then writing in what she calls her ñGratitude Journal.'' She enters there each day something about which she is grateful in her life. Two years have passed, and her life is transformed. She tells people how happy she is now, and how much more able she is to meet the many demands of her busy life.
1. God calls us to come away from our routine for time with him.
2. When we open our minds to him, the dear Christ enters in.
3. To be practical, mental health experts tell us that it is important for us to find a regular time for this, to meditate, to pray, to, as it were, vegetate. From that comes renewed vision and grace.
ADDITIONAL ILLUSTRATIONS
ñThe parish priest
Of austerity,
Climbed up in a high church steeple
To be nearer God,
So that he might hand
His word down to his people.
When the sun was high,
The good man sat unheeding
Sublunary things.
From transcendency
Was he forever reading,
And now and again
When he heard the creak
Of the weather-vane a-turning,
He closed his eyes
And said, ïof a truth
From God I now am learning.Í
And in sermon script
He daily wrote
What he thought was sent from heaven,
And he dropped this down
On his peopleÍs heads
Two times one day in seven.
In his age, God said,
ïCome down and die!Í
And he cried out from the steeple,
ïWhere art thou, Lord?Í
And the Lord replied,
ïDown here among my people.Í ''
„ Brewer Mattocks
____________
One busy „ overly busy, he now says „ businessman once decided he would ride a bicycle one Saturday. It seems he decided he should get some exercise. He didnÍt do all that well as a cyclist, getting tired after ten or so miles. But something else happened. Serendipity. Tired, he leaned his bicycle against a fence, climbed over and strolled through a field. A bit tired, he sat on a log. He now tells of that next hour. He watched small animals run across his view. He focused his vision on the sky as he hadnÍt done since childhood, watching the slow-moving formation of passing clouds. He actually saw the grass, the trees, the log itself. He was reluctant to leave as, he said, he felt a slow wonderful release of tension within. This is a friend of mine. He told me he realized then that somehow he must make room for this in his life on a regular basis. Oh, and at that time he never went to church. Now he goes to church. It has become important to him.
____________
Dwight Eisenhower, one-time president of this country and master strategist of World War II, told of the time he was a second-year student at West Point. One day, a young plebe bumped into him. Because harassment of plebes was a formal tradition, Eisenhower said he shouted angrily at the man, and using the most insulting epithet he could think of, he said to the plebe, ñYou look like a barber.'' Standing at respectful attention, the man replied, ñSir, I am a barber.'' Ike then said he learned the man had put himself through high school and earned the money for his higher education by working as a barber. Ike said he was ashamed to realize he had just demeaned a man for his worthy vocation. He vowed that never again would he say anything designed to undermine another personÍs belief in himself. He never did.
____________
Psalm Of The Day
Psalm 89:20-37 (C) „ ñI will sing of your steadfast love....''
Psalm 22:22-30 (RC, E) „ ñI will tell of your name to my brothers and sisters.''
Prayer Of The Day
Almighty and eternal God, thou who does bow down to walk with people like me, draw near, I pray, hold me in divine embrace, infuse in me your Spirit that I may not disappoint you, that I may become someday that person you created me to be and have never ceased to encourage me to be. I pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Lesson 1: 2 Samuel 7:1-14a (C)
David, having established his place as a brilliant military commander, now envisions a tight rein on the confederacy of tribes by building a majestic tabernacle as a location for the Ark, which to the people symbolized the intimate presence of God. However, conservatism still dominated the thinking of the people, and Nathan asked David not to build such a place. For the time being, David agreed, accepting NathanÍs statement that it was GodÍs will, and that God would see to it that David and his people were the dominant power in that part of the world. David, possessor of an impressive home, would have a ñhouse'' built by God, which referred to the ñhouse of David,'' a period of lengthy administration by David and his chosen successors.
The interesting point here is the belief that God wanted a humble, stripped-down status among the people. Divine power was understood, of course, but God was a God of the little people, of the downtrodden, of the Israelites so recently released from bondage. He did not want pomp and circumstance.
A sermon might very well make this same point, that the true Church is not the magnificence of cathedrals and expensive buildings. The true Church is people, ordinary people, folks like you and me and the people we serve. It is a faith for those who are hurting and sad, as well as for those whose lives are running smoothly.
Lesson 1: Jeremiah 23:1-6 (RC)
Lesson 1: Isaiah 57:14b-21 (E)
Lesson 2: Ephesians 2:11-22 (C, E); Ephesians 2:13-18 (RC)
Paul emphatically affirms the inclusion of Gentiles and, hence, the whole world in the plan of God with Jesus as head. He has broken down the wall of hostility, both between God and humanity, and between Jew and Gentile. We are now all equals in the promise of GodÍs Spirit and grace.
One could deal with prejudice in a sermon. How can anti-semitism possibly exist within a Christian community? Yet part of the problem lies in the fact that we just donÍt know each other. I recently was asked to speak to a group of high schoolers at a Jewish temple. They were fine, bright young students, and my job was to tell them a little about Christianity. I was dumbfounded to discover that none of these young people had any idea that there are various denominations within our faith. Most had either encountered Christianity by seeing some television evangelist rant and rave, or from discussions with their own age group among their classmates. When I explained that there is Catholicism and Protestantism, and that we are dear friends but with some very different beliefs, they were surprised. When I further explained that there is mainstream Protestantism with a fairly consistent set of beliefs, and Fundamentalism with a quite different set of beliefs, and that there are quite a variety of organizational forms among us, they were again surprised.
I also realized how little I know about the branches of Judaism. I honestly did not know the difference in belief between an Orthodox Jew and a Reformed Jew. My friends also had learned that there are Christians who claim that the Jews crucified Jesus, and so on and on. I cleared that up. But I came away thinking we in our churches could do more to foster understanding between our groups.
The same is true between Protestant and Catholic. I once spent a weekend retreat with some Protestant ministers and some Catholic priests. I discovered that some of my ideas about Catholic beliefs were wrong, and that not all priests believe the same things any more than we Protestant clergy do. Yes, thereÍs work to be done.
Another possible preaching direction here is to fasten on NathanÍs word that God doesnÍt desire grand and impressive form. God is a God of the street, and the field, and the workplace. God is here among us.
Gospel: Mark 6:30-34, 53-56 (C); Mark 6:30-34 (RC); Mark 6:30-44 (E)
Clearly, we see in this passage that Jesus understood the need for quiet time, for time away from lifeÍs stress if one is to retain the ability to function effectively. And just as clearly, in JesusÍ case that was difficult to come by. People wanted his ministry. I donÍt wish to complain, and would guess that nearly all of my readers would refuse to change places with other vocations. But hasnÍt this happened to you?
Just last evening I happened to be at a social occasion and fell into conversation with the wife of a brilliant young Presbyterian minister who, having done an extraordinary work in building a large congregation and having just now reached completion of a major building program, has gratefully accepted a four-month sabbatical for renewal and study. But, she said, after the first month heÍs over at the church every day. There are so many demands on his time and ministry that he finds it difficult to achieve that renewal. We both agreed that he needs to get physically away if he is to achieve his goal.
This is a word many people need to hear today. I have seen so many marriages founder because ambitious husbands and, sometimes, wives never have time for quiet thought, for prayer and reflection about their lives. I notice Bill Hybels wrote a book titled Too Busy Not To Pray. Good title. That says it, and our people „ at least some of them „ need to think about this (as do some of you overworked pastors).
SERMON SUGGESTIONS
Title: ñFriends Of Jesus''
Text: 2 Samuel 7:1-14a
Theme: This passage is Old Testament but it points to Jesus who chose a group of men who soon became his friends, and that was the very beginning of what we know as the Church. That is what the Church is in its most genuine form: friends of Jesus. It is based on the Bible, and its motive force is love „ love for God, and love for people. Beyond this, little is required.
True, the Church is composed of a variety of people, not all of whom know Jesus very well. Most of them know of Jesus, and the work of the Church is to introduce them directly.
Years ago, my wife and I had two friends who were single. One was a fine young man with a good sense of humor and a bright future. The other was an exceptionally attractive woman also with a good sense of humor. For more than a year we would see one or another of these two at parties or other social gatherings. They had never met, but we would tell each about the other and suggest they have a date. We were met with polite yawns. All their friends, it seems, were trying to get them married and they would take care of that themselves, thank you very much. Then one day we invited just the two of them to dinner. Bottom line? They were married a few months later. My point is that only when they actually met each other did they fall in love. Likewise, hearing about the Christ will probably not suffice for a relationship. Meeting him begins the love relationship.
1. The Church is the place where Christ comes to meet us.
2. The Church is for everyone. To turn any single person from a church is to turn Jesus away as well.
3. Jesus makes no distinction among people. Each of us is dear to him. Like a mother with a house full of children, each individual and unique, and Mom knows each, loves each, and treats each according to his or her individuality.
4. Church buildings and the like are merely a convenient place to meet. If we can afford a fine building, thatÍs great. But never let it become status symbol or grand means of impressing ourselves or others. Only if that building results in leading people to Christ, and motivating us to go out from that church to spread the gospel word, and ministering to those most in need is it really the Church.
Title: ñGetting To Know You''
Text: Ephesians 2:11-22
Theme: On the one hand I am not an advocate of One Church or One Religion. I like the variety of the present system. I enjoy the interchange of ideas with other traditions.
But we must love one another. ThatÍs the gospel command. And to do that, we must learn to know each other. I start with this: no one, no clergy, no bishop, no professor of theology „ no one can claim to know the exact answers to the religious questions people ask. Only the self-righteous dare claim to know it all, and they look ridiculous to the rest of us. God understands that these tiny little minds of ours arenÍt going to understand fully ultimate truths. A true Christian respects and honors the differing beliefs of other people who are sincere and trying to do what they believe to be right. The only dependable truths are that God loves us, came to us in Jesus, wants us to love each other, and through the presence and the word of Jesus leads us safely home. Beyond all that, each of us is trying earnestly to find our way.
Let the preacher assist her members in learning more about the other religions, not with the intent to criticize, but with the intent to understand and to love. God wants all of us to be together, not in some formal organization, but in love. Let that be our aim.
Title: ñFinding Yourself''
Text: Mark 6:30-34
Theme: A Methodist bishop, asked to address a large group of men who were on a retreat, opened with this comment: ñItÍs a great inspiration to see so many men who have come apart.'' I donÍt know whether he meant that to be humorous or not, but it was. Yet the truth is: we all need to come apart from the busy world in which we live in order to get to know ourselves. Someone spoke of ñthe curse of the unexamined life.'' Many people today are suffering terribly, and needlessly, because they simply have not made an opening in their lives where Jesus can enter.
One of the dear people in my life, feeling a lot of stress, what with children, full-time professional responsibilities, a home to maintain, and a demanding husband, was really getting tired and unhappy. One day she attended a spiritual awakening service and from that learned of her need for this time alone. She began devoting thirty minutes each morning to prayer, Bible reading, reading a brief inspirational passage, then writing in what she calls her ñGratitude Journal.'' She enters there each day something about which she is grateful in her life. Two years have passed, and her life is transformed. She tells people how happy she is now, and how much more able she is to meet the many demands of her busy life.
1. God calls us to come away from our routine for time with him.
2. When we open our minds to him, the dear Christ enters in.
3. To be practical, mental health experts tell us that it is important for us to find a regular time for this, to meditate, to pray, to, as it were, vegetate. From that comes renewed vision and grace.
ADDITIONAL ILLUSTRATIONS
ñThe parish priest
Of austerity,
Climbed up in a high church steeple
To be nearer God,
So that he might hand
His word down to his people.
When the sun was high,
The good man sat unheeding
Sublunary things.
From transcendency
Was he forever reading,
And now and again
When he heard the creak
Of the weather-vane a-turning,
He closed his eyes
And said, ïof a truth
From God I now am learning.Í
And in sermon script
He daily wrote
What he thought was sent from heaven,
And he dropped this down
On his peopleÍs heads
Two times one day in seven.
In his age, God said,
ïCome down and die!Í
And he cried out from the steeple,
ïWhere art thou, Lord?Í
And the Lord replied,
ïDown here among my people.Í ''
„ Brewer Mattocks
____________
One busy „ overly busy, he now says „ businessman once decided he would ride a bicycle one Saturday. It seems he decided he should get some exercise. He didnÍt do all that well as a cyclist, getting tired after ten or so miles. But something else happened. Serendipity. Tired, he leaned his bicycle against a fence, climbed over and strolled through a field. A bit tired, he sat on a log. He now tells of that next hour. He watched small animals run across his view. He focused his vision on the sky as he hadnÍt done since childhood, watching the slow-moving formation of passing clouds. He actually saw the grass, the trees, the log itself. He was reluctant to leave as, he said, he felt a slow wonderful release of tension within. This is a friend of mine. He told me he realized then that somehow he must make room for this in his life on a regular basis. Oh, and at that time he never went to church. Now he goes to church. It has become important to him.
____________
Dwight Eisenhower, one-time president of this country and master strategist of World War II, told of the time he was a second-year student at West Point. One day, a young plebe bumped into him. Because harassment of plebes was a formal tradition, Eisenhower said he shouted angrily at the man, and using the most insulting epithet he could think of, he said to the plebe, ñYou look like a barber.'' Standing at respectful attention, the man replied, ñSir, I am a barber.'' Ike then said he learned the man had put himself through high school and earned the money for his higher education by working as a barber. Ike said he was ashamed to realize he had just demeaned a man for his worthy vocation. He vowed that never again would he say anything designed to undermine another personÍs belief in himself. He never did.
____________
Psalm Of The Day
Psalm 89:20-37 (C) „ ñI will sing of your steadfast love....''
Psalm 22:22-30 (RC, E) „ ñI will tell of your name to my brothers and sisters.''
Prayer Of The Day
Almighty and eternal God, thou who does bow down to walk with people like me, draw near, I pray, hold me in divine embrace, infuse in me your Spirit that I may not disappoint you, that I may become someday that person you created me to be and have never ceased to encourage me to be. I pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
