Proper 18
Preaching
Lectionary Preaching Workbook
Series III, Cycle A
The church year theological clue
The eschatological framework of the church year remains in place, but it does little or nothing to reveal any theological clue for worship and preaching or any specific theme for this Sunday. The church year does exert biblical and homiletical influence, however, in continuing to set aside September 21 as St. Matthew's Day. Those who have been preaching on the Gospel of St. Matthew may wish to take advantage of the opportunity to connect the man and his message in a sermon.
It might be even more helpful, if one were to preach about the gospel writers just before one began preaching on the Gospels they have written; in such a case, the festival of St. Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist, would have been celebrated a year ago, and St. Mark and St. John should be preached this year. St. Mark's Day poses a "time problem" inasmuch as it occurs on April 25th; too much of a time lapse would occur before the beginning of Series B Gospels on the First Sunday of Advent, December 2, 1989. St. John's Day, which occurs on December 27 might shape the sermon on the First Sunday after Christmas. St. Luke's Day falls on October 18, which makes the timing quite propitious for preaching about his Gospel shortly before Series C begins in 1990. At any rate, these four festivals for the four evangelists join the minor festivals of the saints and martyrs in sounding "kergymatic accent marks" during the church year. (See Bass, The Renewal of Liturgical Preaching, p. 144.)
The Prayer of the Day (LBW) - As the Prayer of the Day, this collect reveals little or no connection with the prayer generally associated with this Sunday in the past. The older prayer was offered on behalf of the church; this one suggests, of course, that the church is also praying for itself, beginning, "Almighty and eternal God, you know our problems and our weaknesses better than we ourselves...," and concluding, "In your love and by your power help us in our confusion and, in spite of our weakness, make us firm in faith; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord." The old collect spoke more specifically of cleansing and defending the church, because "it cannot continue in safety without thy succor....," and asked God to "preserve it evermore by thy help and goodness...." It could have been assigned to Reformation Day; the new prayer better accommodates this Sunday's readings.
The Psalm for the Day - Psalm 119:33-40 (E, L); or, 119:33-48 (E) - This extremely long psalm is used on several Sundays of the church year; it fits into the themes of many Sundays. The section selected for the Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost accommodates the theme in the first reading and the Prayer of the Day quite well, praying, "Teach me, O Lord, the way of your statutes, and I shall keep it to the end. Give me understanding and I shall keep your law; I shall keep it with all my heart." It is the prayer of an individual that is meant, in worship, to refer to and include all the people of the church in its response to the first reading and the movement toward the second reading: "Behold, I long for your commandments; in your righteousness preserve my life."
The Psalm Prayer (LBW)
Lord, you are just and your commandments are eternal. Teach us to love you with all our hearts and to love our neighbor as ourselves, for the sake of Jesus our Lord.
Psalm 95:1-2, 6-9 (R) - The "liturgically familiar" will recognize these six verses as belonging to the Venite that has been sung at Morning Prayer, or Matins. The first part of the psalm forms an inventory; the second part is an injunction to the people to "bow down and bend the knee, and kneel before the Lord our Maker" - not simply in thanksgiving but in repentance. Within the last half of the psalm is an exhortation to the people: "Harden not your hearts, as your forebears did in the wilderness at Meribah, and on that day at Massah, when they tempted me." At the very conclusion, Yahweh says, "So I swore in my wrath, 'they (who had tested him and disobeyed his commandments) shall not enter into my rest.' " Most liturgical churches do not include the last four and a half verses in the Venite, which may be why the Roman Ordo omits verses 3-5 and assigns verses 6-9 as the major part of the responsory psalm.
Psalm 115:1-11 (C) - The people of Israel could have joined in singing this song when Moses came down from Mt. Sinai after his meeting with God: "Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory; because of your love and because of your faithfulness." Indeed, the Lord God has shown himself to be patient and kind, merciful and just, in his dealings with his people, particularly when they tested him again and again in the wilderness of Sin, Rephidim, and Sinai. As they stood at the bottom of the mountain covered with smoke and fire, felt the ground shaking, heard the thunder by which God answered Moses, and, finally, the trumpet, they could say with assurance, "Our God is in heaven; whatever he wills to do he does." And this is a fitting responsory to the part of the Exodus story told in Exodus 19:16-24.
The readings:
Ezekiel 33:7-9 (R, L); 33:(1-6) 7-11 (E)
The Episcopal Lectionary includes the optional reading of the first six verses of this chapter, simply because they offer a parable about the role of the prophet in Israel, and verses 7-9 set out concretely the responsibilities and consequences that one who understands the role of the prophet must face up to. It pictures the prophet as a watchman, who must be on the lookout for the "sword" - the enemy - and warn the people when the enemy is coming. The people will die if the watchman fails to do his duty; he will also be held responsible for their death. If he warns the people but they do not heed his warning and die, it will be their own fault; he will be absolved, because he has done what he is supposed to do. The reading seems more suited to a clergy conference than it does for a Sunday morning service. In short, prophets and preachers must, above all else, be faithful in their calling. The eternal destiny of human souls - their own included - depends on it.
Exodus 19:16-24 (C)
Moses had already made two trips up Mt. Sinai. In the first meeting he had with Yahweh he received instructions for his message to the people. He is to gather them together and remind them of all that God has done for them in bringing them out of Egypt and through the wilderness. If they obey his commands, they will be his people. After Moses went down and told the people of his encounter, they promised, "All that Yahweh has said, we will do." Moses had to go up Sinai a second time with that message and Gold told him to go down and assemble the people so that they could hear him speak in the thunder when he addressed Moses on the mountain. They prepared themselves, washed their clothes, abstained from sexual relations, and on the third day they were ready and gathered at the foot of the mountain. From there, they saw the mountain covered with smoke, felt the thunder as God gave additional instructions to Moses. He was to go down and get Aaron and bring him - only him - up the mountain. Anyone else who crossed the boundaries prescribed by God and marked by Moses, and set foot on the mountain would die. With that, Moses went down and talked to the people once more.
Romans 13:1-10 (L, C); 13:8-10 (R)
The Lutheran and Common lectionaries, which spell out the civic responsibilities of Christians, are joined by the Roman Lectionary at verse 8. The theme of the reading changes, at that point, from emphasis upon obedience to the law of the land to the attitudes and actions of people who claim to be Christians. Paul declares that all of the commandments of God - against adultery, murder, stealing, and coveting - are summed up in a single commandment: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." (Leviticus 19:18) He says, "Love is the one thing that cannot hurt your neighbor; that is why it is the explanation of every one of the commandments."
Romans 12:9-21 (E)
In this pericope, Paul continues to outline the ethical behavior of believers as they respond to the grace of God that they have received in Christ Jesus. Now he is talking about genuine love, about spiritual integrity, and about allowing love to dominate one's relations with all sorts of people, enemies as well as friends. He insists that Christians must not seek revenge on those who offend or hurt them, but should in all things allow love to shine through in their relationships with others. He ends this section with:
If your enemy is hungry, you should give him food, and if he is thirsty, let him drink. Thus you heap red-hot coals on his head. Resist evil and conquer it with good. (Jerusalem Bible)
Matthew 18:15-20
Since the seventeenth chapter of St. Matthew contains his account of the transfiguration story plus a second announcement by Jesus of his impending passion and death, one has some idea of why the gospel selections skip from 16:26 to 18:15. But the main reason is simply that this material belongs with the content of chapter 16, which becomes very clear when one reads, "Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." The focus upon Peter has now been shifted to the church, which shall not only develop a procedure for settling disputes among the faithful, but must also exercise its responsibility for the Office of the Keys. God is surely with his church when the people worship, but he is also present when they gather for any reason in his holy name. Individual members of the church and countless congregations might have been spared much pain and anguish, if they had taken this Gospel more seriously than they did. This Gospel shows the love of God in operation.
Sermon suggestions:
Matthew 18:15-20 - "The Right Way."
As I write this, three prominent citizens - a judge, a car dealer, and an attorney - of a town in our state are being accused of being drug dealers and, as a result, have been severely castigated by the citizens of the town and the area. The difficulty is that they have not been accused by the police, nor openly by any group of individuals; their assumed guilt has been thrust upon them by some person, or persons, by way of gossip and rumor. No one seems to know who has started the vicious gossip, but friends, acquaintances, and various public officials have begun to step forward and defend them, condemning, at the same time, the efforts of the persons who are making the apparently unfounded charges against the trio. One of the rumors has it that drugs are hidden in new cars when they are delivered, handed over to the attorney, who passes them on, while the judge covers up the entire operation when anyone gets caught by the law-enforcement agencies. The awful thing about the accusations is that they seem to be totally unfounded, but there will have to be some kind of a legal investigation before the gossip and rumors will be silenced and the three men justified before their community.
1. Jesus took human relationships quite seriously. He realized that all manner of disputes took place within the community of the faithful, and that accusations are best made in face-to-face meetings of the individuals involved rather than by gossip and rumors. He could have been speaking about his own experience when he said, "If your brother has anything against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone." This was Jesus' better way, including his additional agenda for settling such disputes. (In the Faculty Handbook of the institution in which I teach, there is a section on this subject - for faculty and administration, students, and staff - which follows Jesus' teaching almost exactly.)
2. Congregations have been given this "better way" by Jesus. And most would be healthier if they accepted Jesus' teaching about relationships within the congregation. In too many congregations, such disputes and disagreements are never settled; if they are severe enough, those involved often leave the congregation and move to, or even start, another church. The better way is God's way, because it is founded on love for one another, in the name of Christ.
3. To follow Jesus' dictum means that two things will happen in the church: Christians who really love one another will manifest their concern through open and direct communications with each other in times of disagreement or controversy; the congregation will also take seriously the whole business of discipline - "binding and loosing" people who have sinned - in the spirit of Christian love.
4. The presence of Christ makes possible resolution and reconciliation among Christians - "For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them." He generates the necessary love for one another to make resolution of problems and reconciliation happen between people who love him and one another.
In some congregations, a sermon on the latter part of the Gospel for the Day - church discipline - might have to be developed from a different point of view, depending on the congregation and pastoral exegesis. It could be that the most suitable sermon would be textual, and would be developed from the last verse.
Matthew 18:20 - "Christ and the Congregation."
1. In any Christian group, large or small, the presence of Christ is guaranteed: "Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them."
2. Christian business - worship or whatever, even the discussion of accusations and the arbitration of disputes - takes place in his presence. Awareness of that changes the tone and spirit of services and meetings of all kinds.
3. Jesus will make the occasion worthwhile and valid, when business and worship are conducted in his name. His promised presence assures us of that.
Ezekiel 33:7-9 (R, L); 33:(1-6) 7-11 (E) "The Watchman and The Warning."
1. The prophet is God's watchman in the world. He - and the parish preacher, too - speaks God's Word at his behest. As parish prophet, the pastor preaches the Law to sinful human beings.
2. The watchman's own salvation is always at stake. God holds preachers responsible for what they say and for what they do not say to people. Preachers who ignore the Law in their sermons place their own lives in jeopardy.
3. The warning is gospel-oriented. Preachers, along with prophets, need to reveal God's heart: "I take pleasure, not in the death of a wicked man, but in the turning back of a wicked man who changes his ways to win life." It is God, who says through his preachers and prophets, "Come back, come back from your evil ways. Why are you so anxious to die, House of Israel?" (Jerusalem Bible)
Exodus 19:16-24 - "The Staging of a Spectacular."
1. God promised a spectacular at Mt. Sinai. He gave Moses instructions on how it was to be set up for his people. (Our Lord did much the same thing when he faced suffering, death, and resurrection.)
2. Three to get ready. The spectacular would occur on the third day; they had three days to get ready, and that was enough. (It was not so with the disciples and friends of Jesus when he was crucified, despite the fact that he had told them he would rise on the third day.)
3. The mountain moved. That's what it seemed like, at least. Covered with fire and smoke, lightning and thunder punctuating the shroud of clouds, a trumpet sounding, and an earthquake, the mountain "moved" - they knew that God was there, speaking to Moses in their presence. (What of the garden tomb, the earthquake that moved the stone, and the presence of angels in the empty tomb - and the risen Lord?)
4. The people kept their distance. Only Moses and Aaron could ascend Mt. Sinai; people and priests had to remain at the bottom of the mountain, if they were to live. That was enough. (Only a few saw the risen Lord; the rest of us find life "at a distance" from Christ. But that is enough, because he is intimately close in the bread and the wine.)
Romans 13:1-10 (L, C); 13:8-10 (R) - "Duty and Love."
1. Christian duty, according to Paul, is obeying the law of the land. He believed rulers were God-given, and should be respected, obeyed, and even honored. His theology cost him his head.
2. Civil disobedience is a necessary "evil." That's how Paul might look at it. The "living sacrifice" of Christians, even in their death martyrs, might be more powerful than disobedience and open defiance of the law. The church was built on the blood of the martyrs, as well as the blood of Christ.
3. Love for God and people should determine how one does one's Christian duty. The bottom line, according to Paul, is "Love is the fulfilling of the law."
The eschatological framework of the church year remains in place, but it does little or nothing to reveal any theological clue for worship and preaching or any specific theme for this Sunday. The church year does exert biblical and homiletical influence, however, in continuing to set aside September 21 as St. Matthew's Day. Those who have been preaching on the Gospel of St. Matthew may wish to take advantage of the opportunity to connect the man and his message in a sermon.
It might be even more helpful, if one were to preach about the gospel writers just before one began preaching on the Gospels they have written; in such a case, the festival of St. Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist, would have been celebrated a year ago, and St. Mark and St. John should be preached this year. St. Mark's Day poses a "time problem" inasmuch as it occurs on April 25th; too much of a time lapse would occur before the beginning of Series B Gospels on the First Sunday of Advent, December 2, 1989. St. John's Day, which occurs on December 27 might shape the sermon on the First Sunday after Christmas. St. Luke's Day falls on October 18, which makes the timing quite propitious for preaching about his Gospel shortly before Series C begins in 1990. At any rate, these four festivals for the four evangelists join the minor festivals of the saints and martyrs in sounding "kergymatic accent marks" during the church year. (See Bass, The Renewal of Liturgical Preaching, p. 144.)
The Prayer of the Day (LBW) - As the Prayer of the Day, this collect reveals little or no connection with the prayer generally associated with this Sunday in the past. The older prayer was offered on behalf of the church; this one suggests, of course, that the church is also praying for itself, beginning, "Almighty and eternal God, you know our problems and our weaknesses better than we ourselves...," and concluding, "In your love and by your power help us in our confusion and, in spite of our weakness, make us firm in faith; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord." The old collect spoke more specifically of cleansing and defending the church, because "it cannot continue in safety without thy succor....," and asked God to "preserve it evermore by thy help and goodness...." It could have been assigned to Reformation Day; the new prayer better accommodates this Sunday's readings.
The Psalm for the Day - Psalm 119:33-40 (E, L); or, 119:33-48 (E) - This extremely long psalm is used on several Sundays of the church year; it fits into the themes of many Sundays. The section selected for the Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost accommodates the theme in the first reading and the Prayer of the Day quite well, praying, "Teach me, O Lord, the way of your statutes, and I shall keep it to the end. Give me understanding and I shall keep your law; I shall keep it with all my heart." It is the prayer of an individual that is meant, in worship, to refer to and include all the people of the church in its response to the first reading and the movement toward the second reading: "Behold, I long for your commandments; in your righteousness preserve my life."
The Psalm Prayer (LBW)
Lord, you are just and your commandments are eternal. Teach us to love you with all our hearts and to love our neighbor as ourselves, for the sake of Jesus our Lord.
Psalm 95:1-2, 6-9 (R) - The "liturgically familiar" will recognize these six verses as belonging to the Venite that has been sung at Morning Prayer, or Matins. The first part of the psalm forms an inventory; the second part is an injunction to the people to "bow down and bend the knee, and kneel before the Lord our Maker" - not simply in thanksgiving but in repentance. Within the last half of the psalm is an exhortation to the people: "Harden not your hearts, as your forebears did in the wilderness at Meribah, and on that day at Massah, when they tempted me." At the very conclusion, Yahweh says, "So I swore in my wrath, 'they (who had tested him and disobeyed his commandments) shall not enter into my rest.' " Most liturgical churches do not include the last four and a half verses in the Venite, which may be why the Roman Ordo omits verses 3-5 and assigns verses 6-9 as the major part of the responsory psalm.
Psalm 115:1-11 (C) - The people of Israel could have joined in singing this song when Moses came down from Mt. Sinai after his meeting with God: "Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory; because of your love and because of your faithfulness." Indeed, the Lord God has shown himself to be patient and kind, merciful and just, in his dealings with his people, particularly when they tested him again and again in the wilderness of Sin, Rephidim, and Sinai. As they stood at the bottom of the mountain covered with smoke and fire, felt the ground shaking, heard the thunder by which God answered Moses, and, finally, the trumpet, they could say with assurance, "Our God is in heaven; whatever he wills to do he does." And this is a fitting responsory to the part of the Exodus story told in Exodus 19:16-24.
The readings:
Ezekiel 33:7-9 (R, L); 33:(1-6) 7-11 (E)
The Episcopal Lectionary includes the optional reading of the first six verses of this chapter, simply because they offer a parable about the role of the prophet in Israel, and verses 7-9 set out concretely the responsibilities and consequences that one who understands the role of the prophet must face up to. It pictures the prophet as a watchman, who must be on the lookout for the "sword" - the enemy - and warn the people when the enemy is coming. The people will die if the watchman fails to do his duty; he will also be held responsible for their death. If he warns the people but they do not heed his warning and die, it will be their own fault; he will be absolved, because he has done what he is supposed to do. The reading seems more suited to a clergy conference than it does for a Sunday morning service. In short, prophets and preachers must, above all else, be faithful in their calling. The eternal destiny of human souls - their own included - depends on it.
Exodus 19:16-24 (C)
Moses had already made two trips up Mt. Sinai. In the first meeting he had with Yahweh he received instructions for his message to the people. He is to gather them together and remind them of all that God has done for them in bringing them out of Egypt and through the wilderness. If they obey his commands, they will be his people. After Moses went down and told the people of his encounter, they promised, "All that Yahweh has said, we will do." Moses had to go up Sinai a second time with that message and Gold told him to go down and assemble the people so that they could hear him speak in the thunder when he addressed Moses on the mountain. They prepared themselves, washed their clothes, abstained from sexual relations, and on the third day they were ready and gathered at the foot of the mountain. From there, they saw the mountain covered with smoke, felt the thunder as God gave additional instructions to Moses. He was to go down and get Aaron and bring him - only him - up the mountain. Anyone else who crossed the boundaries prescribed by God and marked by Moses, and set foot on the mountain would die. With that, Moses went down and talked to the people once more.
Romans 13:1-10 (L, C); 13:8-10 (R)
The Lutheran and Common lectionaries, which spell out the civic responsibilities of Christians, are joined by the Roman Lectionary at verse 8. The theme of the reading changes, at that point, from emphasis upon obedience to the law of the land to the attitudes and actions of people who claim to be Christians. Paul declares that all of the commandments of God - against adultery, murder, stealing, and coveting - are summed up in a single commandment: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." (Leviticus 19:18) He says, "Love is the one thing that cannot hurt your neighbor; that is why it is the explanation of every one of the commandments."
Romans 12:9-21 (E)
In this pericope, Paul continues to outline the ethical behavior of believers as they respond to the grace of God that they have received in Christ Jesus. Now he is talking about genuine love, about spiritual integrity, and about allowing love to dominate one's relations with all sorts of people, enemies as well as friends. He insists that Christians must not seek revenge on those who offend or hurt them, but should in all things allow love to shine through in their relationships with others. He ends this section with:
If your enemy is hungry, you should give him food, and if he is thirsty, let him drink. Thus you heap red-hot coals on his head. Resist evil and conquer it with good. (Jerusalem Bible)
Matthew 18:15-20
Since the seventeenth chapter of St. Matthew contains his account of the transfiguration story plus a second announcement by Jesus of his impending passion and death, one has some idea of why the gospel selections skip from 16:26 to 18:15. But the main reason is simply that this material belongs with the content of chapter 16, which becomes very clear when one reads, "Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." The focus upon Peter has now been shifted to the church, which shall not only develop a procedure for settling disputes among the faithful, but must also exercise its responsibility for the Office of the Keys. God is surely with his church when the people worship, but he is also present when they gather for any reason in his holy name. Individual members of the church and countless congregations might have been spared much pain and anguish, if they had taken this Gospel more seriously than they did. This Gospel shows the love of God in operation.
Sermon suggestions:
Matthew 18:15-20 - "The Right Way."
As I write this, three prominent citizens - a judge, a car dealer, and an attorney - of a town in our state are being accused of being drug dealers and, as a result, have been severely castigated by the citizens of the town and the area. The difficulty is that they have not been accused by the police, nor openly by any group of individuals; their assumed guilt has been thrust upon them by some person, or persons, by way of gossip and rumor. No one seems to know who has started the vicious gossip, but friends, acquaintances, and various public officials have begun to step forward and defend them, condemning, at the same time, the efforts of the persons who are making the apparently unfounded charges against the trio. One of the rumors has it that drugs are hidden in new cars when they are delivered, handed over to the attorney, who passes them on, while the judge covers up the entire operation when anyone gets caught by the law-enforcement agencies. The awful thing about the accusations is that they seem to be totally unfounded, but there will have to be some kind of a legal investigation before the gossip and rumors will be silenced and the three men justified before their community.
1. Jesus took human relationships quite seriously. He realized that all manner of disputes took place within the community of the faithful, and that accusations are best made in face-to-face meetings of the individuals involved rather than by gossip and rumors. He could have been speaking about his own experience when he said, "If your brother has anything against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone." This was Jesus' better way, including his additional agenda for settling such disputes. (In the Faculty Handbook of the institution in which I teach, there is a section on this subject - for faculty and administration, students, and staff - which follows Jesus' teaching almost exactly.)
2. Congregations have been given this "better way" by Jesus. And most would be healthier if they accepted Jesus' teaching about relationships within the congregation. In too many congregations, such disputes and disagreements are never settled; if they are severe enough, those involved often leave the congregation and move to, or even start, another church. The better way is God's way, because it is founded on love for one another, in the name of Christ.
3. To follow Jesus' dictum means that two things will happen in the church: Christians who really love one another will manifest their concern through open and direct communications with each other in times of disagreement or controversy; the congregation will also take seriously the whole business of discipline - "binding and loosing" people who have sinned - in the spirit of Christian love.
4. The presence of Christ makes possible resolution and reconciliation among Christians - "For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them." He generates the necessary love for one another to make resolution of problems and reconciliation happen between people who love him and one another.
In some congregations, a sermon on the latter part of the Gospel for the Day - church discipline - might have to be developed from a different point of view, depending on the congregation and pastoral exegesis. It could be that the most suitable sermon would be textual, and would be developed from the last verse.
Matthew 18:20 - "Christ and the Congregation."
1. In any Christian group, large or small, the presence of Christ is guaranteed: "Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them."
2. Christian business - worship or whatever, even the discussion of accusations and the arbitration of disputes - takes place in his presence. Awareness of that changes the tone and spirit of services and meetings of all kinds.
3. Jesus will make the occasion worthwhile and valid, when business and worship are conducted in his name. His promised presence assures us of that.
Ezekiel 33:7-9 (R, L); 33:(1-6) 7-11 (E) "The Watchman and The Warning."
1. The prophet is God's watchman in the world. He - and the parish preacher, too - speaks God's Word at his behest. As parish prophet, the pastor preaches the Law to sinful human beings.
2. The watchman's own salvation is always at stake. God holds preachers responsible for what they say and for what they do not say to people. Preachers who ignore the Law in their sermons place their own lives in jeopardy.
3. The warning is gospel-oriented. Preachers, along with prophets, need to reveal God's heart: "I take pleasure, not in the death of a wicked man, but in the turning back of a wicked man who changes his ways to win life." It is God, who says through his preachers and prophets, "Come back, come back from your evil ways. Why are you so anxious to die, House of Israel?" (Jerusalem Bible)
Exodus 19:16-24 - "The Staging of a Spectacular."
1. God promised a spectacular at Mt. Sinai. He gave Moses instructions on how it was to be set up for his people. (Our Lord did much the same thing when he faced suffering, death, and resurrection.)
2. Three to get ready. The spectacular would occur on the third day; they had three days to get ready, and that was enough. (It was not so with the disciples and friends of Jesus when he was crucified, despite the fact that he had told them he would rise on the third day.)
3. The mountain moved. That's what it seemed like, at least. Covered with fire and smoke, lightning and thunder punctuating the shroud of clouds, a trumpet sounding, and an earthquake, the mountain "moved" - they knew that God was there, speaking to Moses in their presence. (What of the garden tomb, the earthquake that moved the stone, and the presence of angels in the empty tomb - and the risen Lord?)
4. The people kept their distance. Only Moses and Aaron could ascend Mt. Sinai; people and priests had to remain at the bottom of the mountain, if they were to live. That was enough. (Only a few saw the risen Lord; the rest of us find life "at a distance" from Christ. But that is enough, because he is intimately close in the bread and the wine.)
Romans 13:1-10 (L, C); 13:8-10 (R) - "Duty and Love."
1. Christian duty, according to Paul, is obeying the law of the land. He believed rulers were God-given, and should be respected, obeyed, and even honored. His theology cost him his head.
2. Civil disobedience is a necessary "evil." That's how Paul might look at it. The "living sacrifice" of Christians, even in their death martyrs, might be more powerful than disobedience and open defiance of the law. The church was built on the blood of the martyrs, as well as the blood of Christ.
3. Love for God and people should determine how one does one's Christian duty. The bottom line, according to Paul, is "Love is the fulfilling of the law."
