Proper 5
Preaching
Lectionary Preaching Workbook
Series III
Sunday provides the theological clue within the cycle and season of Pentecost. It is, remains, and always will be the "Little Easter," calling for a celebration of Jesus' death and resurrection and hoping for eternal life, which he has won for and promised to those who believe that he is the Lord. Sunday is the ogdoad, the "eighth" day or the day of new creation, which gives evidence that God is as good as his promise to "make all things new." That's what he is about when his people gather together in the name of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He is renewing - continually - his church, so that it will be faithful to the risen Lord and will do his work of witnessing and serving the Gospel in the world while awaiting his return. Christians are not permitted the luxury of sitting around and waiting for that great day to come; they are to be busy with the business of Jesus Christ. The Gospel of Mark - fortified by the Holy Spirit - is the primary agent in this eschatological process.
The Prayer of the Day
The Episcopal Church has modernized a traditional collect from the Book of Common Prayer this way:
O God, from whom all good proceeds: Grant that by your inspiration we may think those things that are right, and by your merciful guiding may do them; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen
The Psalm of the Day
Psalm 61:1-5, 8 - This is a lament that collects the cries of all penitent people (not simply the cries of a king) for restoration. "Listen to my prayer," the psalmist pleads, and "set me upon the rock that is higher than I." Christians might very well pray this psalm any Sunday, remembering that Jesus Christ is that Rock, the Rock of our salvation. Remembering that, they may join the psalmist when he declares (verse 8): "So will I always sing the praise of your name, and day by day I will fulfill my vows."
Psalm 130 (E) - It is intriguing that this psalm, known down through the centuries as de profundis, a penitential psalm, is most often used in conjunction with funerals because it relates sin and death to each other. The psalmist is writing from the depths of his despair for his son; he knows just how helpless his situation is without God's mercy and forgiveness. But he also knows that God is merciful and kind, and forgives those who honestly fear him. He knows that God is his only hope, and, thus, he is able to "wait" for the Lord's mercy and loving kindness. He knows - and believes - God's gracious intention to "redeem Israel from all their sins." This psalm responds quite appropriately to the "sin" story in Genesis 3.
The Psalm Prayer (LBW) - Psalm 61
Lord Jesus, love and truth of the Father, you came to earth to relieve the pain of our exile; you took our weakness as your own. When our hearts grow faint, uphold us until we stand with you before God and praise your name forever.
The LBW prayer for Psalm 130 is as follows:
God of might and compassion, you sent your Word into the world as a watchman to announce the dawn of salvation. Do not leave us in the depths of our sins, but listen to your church pleading for the fullness of your redeeming grace; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
The readings:
Genesis 3:9-15 (R, L); 3:(1-7) 8-21 (E)
The familiar story of the Fall, in which Adam and Eve both rejected the command of God and did the bidding of the Serpent, is also used by the Roman Catholic Church on December 8, the Immaculate Conception of Mary. This dogma is a late-comer and is not accepted by Episcopalians, Lutherans, or virtually any of the Protestant churches. It stands in sharp contrast to the story of Eve, who according to this story rejected God and did what she really wanted to do, while Mary obeyed God, did his bidding, and became mother of the sinless Son of God. On this Sunday, the story suggests that all human beings have rejected the will of God, considering themselves able to know - better than God does - what is good for them. People who do what they want to do, rather than what God has told them to do, have sinned, which puts them at enmity with God, their creator. All - save Jesus Christ - have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. There are no exceptions - not even the Mother of our Lord.
1 Samuel 16:14-23 (C)
With this pericope, which picks up the story of Samuel's anointing of David as "replacement king" for Saul who had lost favor with God, the Common lectionary concludes its selections of readings from 1 Samuel. From here, it jumps into 2 Samuel for eleven weeks of semi-continuous readings from that book. (The longest lectionary "run" of the Common lectionary is in year A, when there are thirteen semi-continuous readings from Exodus. Year C, after two readings from 1 Kings and six from 2 Kings, turns to the prophets, Jeremiah and Ezekiel, and then to the minor prophets for its pericope selections.) In this reading, Saul's servants advise him that he should obtain a man who is skilled in playing the lyre; such a person would bring relief to Saul when he is under the influence of the evil spirit. One of the servants told him about David, and Saul sent word to Jesse, David's father, commanding him to send David to him. Jesse did just that, and David "found favor" in Saul's eyes, and became his armor-bearer, as well as his court musician. David's lyre had the power to "refresh" Saul and restore him to some measure of sanity whenever he had one of his evil "spells." Saul had no idea that Samuel had anointed David to become king in his place.
2 Corinthians 4:13-18 (E, L); 4:13--5:1 (R, C)
The Lutheran lectionary originally (in its "trial use" version) included 2 Corinthians 5:1 as the last verse of this reading. For some reason, it was removed in the "permanent" lectionary, so that two of the four lectionaries include 5:1 and two do not. This reading picks up where last week's lection left off. After pointing out to his readers that his Gospel centers on the cross of Christ - and his own sufferings point to that cross - Paul moves on to the resurrection hope: God will raise up the faithful and "bring us into his presence" at the end of time. Cross and resurrection - and eternal life - all belong together in Paul's theology, adding up to the forgiveness of sins and the promise of "a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens." It is this Gospel, rather than a Gospel of miracles and wonders, which is the hope of human beings and their deliverance from the devil in and through the cross of Jesus Christ. Paul stakes his life on that Christology, certain that the Gospel is true.
Mark 3:20-35
After telling about Jesus' extremely successful ministry in Capernaum and at the Sea of Galilee, Mark briefly relates the story of the calling of the twelve disciples by Jesus. Once more, Jesus goes back to Capernaum, where he is almost crushed by people who seek miraculous cures, as well as by the curious who, no doubt, wanted to see Jesus work a miracle. The religious officials from Jerusalem had to do something to discredit Jesus, so they accused him of using the power of the devil to drive out the demons. Jesus pointed out that if that were so, Satan would destroy himself. The scribes went so far as to accuse Jesus of having an "unclean spirit," which prompted him to warn them about the sin against the Holy Ghost, the unforgivable sin. Those who flatly and consistently reject the attempts of the Holy Spirit to convince them that Jesus is Lord simply have no chance of entering the kingdom of heaven. The last part of the pericope tells how Jesus' mother and brothers came asking for him, and when Jesus heard this, he asked, "Who are my mother and my brothers?" Then he answered his own question, "Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does the will of God is my brother, and sister, and mother."
A Sermon on the Gospel, Mark 3:20-35 - "The Unforgivable Sin."
Nearly every time that a friend, acquaintance, or a relative commits suicide, someone connects that act to the "unforgivable sin." His funeral was the first suicide that I had been involved in. The young man had returned from World War II, spent several years in a Veterans' Hospital, and had hardly returned home when he took a gun and shot himself in the head. His father was dead, and his mother was beside herself with grief, as one would expect; he was her only son, and now she was alone in the world. But she wasn't concerned with her own predicament. She was concerned about her son's salvation, for she said, "My son has committed the unforgivable sin, hasn't he?" She wasn't positive about the commission of such a sin, but she was obviously worried about it. But when she was told, "No, suicide is not the unforgivable sin," she wasn't totally convinced. It took a number of pastoral calls and some counseling to persuade her differently and to help her comprehend one of the most misunderstood passages in the New Testament. Nearly every pastor has had an experience similar to this. One encounters this reaction almost every time someone takes his or her own life.
1. There are sins which are not forgiven, but there is no such thing as an unforgivable sin. God forgives all sin in Jesus Christ; that's why he died, so that all sin might be forgiven - and all sinners might be reconciled to God. But there are sinners who are not forgiven.
2. Sinners who are not forgiven are those that have not admitted or confessed their sinfulness. They are people who are indifferent or hostile toward God, who are under the influence of Satan. The sins of persons who are aligned with Satan and are against God cannot be forgiven. The unforgivable sin is an attitude, a condition of the soul in which one is allied with Satan instead of God.
3. The unforgiven sinner is a person who worships Satan as God by seeking all that this world has to offer without any regard for the will and purposes of God. The Adam/Eve/Serpent syndrome cuts such a person, or people, off from God and his mercy in Jesus Christ, for that is a sin against the Holy Spirit. Unrepentant sinners turn their backs on God.
4. Those who have been baptized - that is, sealed with the Holy Spirit and marked by the cross of Christ forever - have nothing to worry about. God loves his own people and he will - and does - forgive all their sins when they turn to him, honestly praying, "Lord, have mercy upon us."
A Sermon on the First Lesson, Genesis 3:9-15 (R, L); 3:(1-7) 8-21 (E) - "The Deceiver and the Deception."
Satan seems to have had a very easy time [with people] in the garden. It is a simple matter to deceive [men and women] when conditions are right. And everything was just perfect for Satan's temptation of [human beings] in the Garden of Eden. All conditions were favorable to him. [People] were in paradise. [Human beings] had everything necessary to the sustenance and enrichment of life; [they] needed nothing more. [They] were on intimate terms with [their] maker; [their] life was full. It must have been [for Satan] like "taking candy from a baby." All Satan had to do was suggest to [the woman and the man] that [they] were immortal and indestructible - as is God - and [they] would fall. It all went according to plan. [The man and the woman were] deceived.... and [they] succumbed to the temptation to try to become God.
Adapted from the sermon, "The Danger of Being Human," in The Garden and the Graveyard, Augsburg, now out of print.)
1. That's the way it has always been. Human beings are easy prey for Satan. They always use their freedom improperly, choosing the things of Satan instead of revering and obeying God.
2. Today nobody believes in Satan - at least, not many people think there is such a thing as a personal devil. But oddly enough, people continue to do his bidding, possibly because many modern people do not believe there is any such thing as sin.
3. On a deeper level, one has to wonder how many modern people - even those who belong to, and attend, the church - really believe that there is a God, or that they have any need of God today. Modern people seem to be about to cast off God, as well as the Devil - and ignore obedience as well as sin - at the same time.
4. But Jesus is Lord and God is God. The cross and empty tomb tell us that. The ascended Christ "will reign forever and ever" - even until that day when he shall appear again, and when "every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Then and only then, will Satan and sin be eliminated, and forgiven sinners will live with God forever, instead of destroying themselves by obeying Satan.
1 Samuel 16:14-23 (C) - "The Unsuspecting King."
1. Samuel was the recipient of some good advice: his servants and counselors told him that the music of a lyre would soothe his soul and restore equilibrium to his life.
2. Saul's situation became complicated when one of his servants told him about David, the son of Jesse and a skilled lyre player. So Samuel, uninformed about David's anointing by Saul - and unsuspicious of his royal replacement - sent for David.
3. Oddly enough, David brought comfort and restoration to the sometimes-mad king, and David captured the king's heart. Saul grew to love and trust him, never suspecting how his fate was being shaped by God.
4. The bottom line in this story is simply that God still loved Saul, even though he had disappointed him - and he brought him comfort and joy before he replaced him with his anointed one, David. God loves his own people forever, even when they have sinned against him. The cross tells us that.
A Sermon on the Second Lesson, 2 Corinthians 4:13-18 (E, L); 4:13--5:1 (R, C) - "Christ - the Hope of the World."
1. God's promise - He who raised Jesus Christ from the dead will raise up all believers at the end of time and take them into his presence.
2. Humanity's hope - God is really able to do what he has promised. The resurrection is reality, not a product of the imagination or wishful thinking.
3. Christian thanksgiving - The promise and the hope is in the sacrifice of Christ and his resurrection on the third day.
4. Worship, work and witness - These are the lot of those who truly believe that Jesus Christ is the hope of the world.
The Prayer of the Day
The Episcopal Church has modernized a traditional collect from the Book of Common Prayer this way:
O God, from whom all good proceeds: Grant that by your inspiration we may think those things that are right, and by your merciful guiding may do them; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen
The Psalm of the Day
Psalm 61:1-5, 8 - This is a lament that collects the cries of all penitent people (not simply the cries of a king) for restoration. "Listen to my prayer," the psalmist pleads, and "set me upon the rock that is higher than I." Christians might very well pray this psalm any Sunday, remembering that Jesus Christ is that Rock, the Rock of our salvation. Remembering that, they may join the psalmist when he declares (verse 8): "So will I always sing the praise of your name, and day by day I will fulfill my vows."
Psalm 130 (E) - It is intriguing that this psalm, known down through the centuries as de profundis, a penitential psalm, is most often used in conjunction with funerals because it relates sin and death to each other. The psalmist is writing from the depths of his despair for his son; he knows just how helpless his situation is without God's mercy and forgiveness. But he also knows that God is merciful and kind, and forgives those who honestly fear him. He knows that God is his only hope, and, thus, he is able to "wait" for the Lord's mercy and loving kindness. He knows - and believes - God's gracious intention to "redeem Israel from all their sins." This psalm responds quite appropriately to the "sin" story in Genesis 3.
The Psalm Prayer (LBW) - Psalm 61
Lord Jesus, love and truth of the Father, you came to earth to relieve the pain of our exile; you took our weakness as your own. When our hearts grow faint, uphold us until we stand with you before God and praise your name forever.
The LBW prayer for Psalm 130 is as follows:
God of might and compassion, you sent your Word into the world as a watchman to announce the dawn of salvation. Do not leave us in the depths of our sins, but listen to your church pleading for the fullness of your redeeming grace; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
The readings:
Genesis 3:9-15 (R, L); 3:(1-7) 8-21 (E)
The familiar story of the Fall, in which Adam and Eve both rejected the command of God and did the bidding of the Serpent, is also used by the Roman Catholic Church on December 8, the Immaculate Conception of Mary. This dogma is a late-comer and is not accepted by Episcopalians, Lutherans, or virtually any of the Protestant churches. It stands in sharp contrast to the story of Eve, who according to this story rejected God and did what she really wanted to do, while Mary obeyed God, did his bidding, and became mother of the sinless Son of God. On this Sunday, the story suggests that all human beings have rejected the will of God, considering themselves able to know - better than God does - what is good for them. People who do what they want to do, rather than what God has told them to do, have sinned, which puts them at enmity with God, their creator. All - save Jesus Christ - have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. There are no exceptions - not even the Mother of our Lord.
1 Samuel 16:14-23 (C)
With this pericope, which picks up the story of Samuel's anointing of David as "replacement king" for Saul who had lost favor with God, the Common lectionary concludes its selections of readings from 1 Samuel. From here, it jumps into 2 Samuel for eleven weeks of semi-continuous readings from that book. (The longest lectionary "run" of the Common lectionary is in year A, when there are thirteen semi-continuous readings from Exodus. Year C, after two readings from 1 Kings and six from 2 Kings, turns to the prophets, Jeremiah and Ezekiel, and then to the minor prophets for its pericope selections.) In this reading, Saul's servants advise him that he should obtain a man who is skilled in playing the lyre; such a person would bring relief to Saul when he is under the influence of the evil spirit. One of the servants told him about David, and Saul sent word to Jesse, David's father, commanding him to send David to him. Jesse did just that, and David "found favor" in Saul's eyes, and became his armor-bearer, as well as his court musician. David's lyre had the power to "refresh" Saul and restore him to some measure of sanity whenever he had one of his evil "spells." Saul had no idea that Samuel had anointed David to become king in his place.
2 Corinthians 4:13-18 (E, L); 4:13--5:1 (R, C)
The Lutheran lectionary originally (in its "trial use" version) included 2 Corinthians 5:1 as the last verse of this reading. For some reason, it was removed in the "permanent" lectionary, so that two of the four lectionaries include 5:1 and two do not. This reading picks up where last week's lection left off. After pointing out to his readers that his Gospel centers on the cross of Christ - and his own sufferings point to that cross - Paul moves on to the resurrection hope: God will raise up the faithful and "bring us into his presence" at the end of time. Cross and resurrection - and eternal life - all belong together in Paul's theology, adding up to the forgiveness of sins and the promise of "a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens." It is this Gospel, rather than a Gospel of miracles and wonders, which is the hope of human beings and their deliverance from the devil in and through the cross of Jesus Christ. Paul stakes his life on that Christology, certain that the Gospel is true.
Mark 3:20-35
After telling about Jesus' extremely successful ministry in Capernaum and at the Sea of Galilee, Mark briefly relates the story of the calling of the twelve disciples by Jesus. Once more, Jesus goes back to Capernaum, where he is almost crushed by people who seek miraculous cures, as well as by the curious who, no doubt, wanted to see Jesus work a miracle. The religious officials from Jerusalem had to do something to discredit Jesus, so they accused him of using the power of the devil to drive out the demons. Jesus pointed out that if that were so, Satan would destroy himself. The scribes went so far as to accuse Jesus of having an "unclean spirit," which prompted him to warn them about the sin against the Holy Ghost, the unforgivable sin. Those who flatly and consistently reject the attempts of the Holy Spirit to convince them that Jesus is Lord simply have no chance of entering the kingdom of heaven. The last part of the pericope tells how Jesus' mother and brothers came asking for him, and when Jesus heard this, he asked, "Who are my mother and my brothers?" Then he answered his own question, "Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does the will of God is my brother, and sister, and mother."
A Sermon on the Gospel, Mark 3:20-35 - "The Unforgivable Sin."
Nearly every time that a friend, acquaintance, or a relative commits suicide, someone connects that act to the "unforgivable sin." His funeral was the first suicide that I had been involved in. The young man had returned from World War II, spent several years in a Veterans' Hospital, and had hardly returned home when he took a gun and shot himself in the head. His father was dead, and his mother was beside herself with grief, as one would expect; he was her only son, and now she was alone in the world. But she wasn't concerned with her own predicament. She was concerned about her son's salvation, for she said, "My son has committed the unforgivable sin, hasn't he?" She wasn't positive about the commission of such a sin, but she was obviously worried about it. But when she was told, "No, suicide is not the unforgivable sin," she wasn't totally convinced. It took a number of pastoral calls and some counseling to persuade her differently and to help her comprehend one of the most misunderstood passages in the New Testament. Nearly every pastor has had an experience similar to this. One encounters this reaction almost every time someone takes his or her own life.
1. There are sins which are not forgiven, but there is no such thing as an unforgivable sin. God forgives all sin in Jesus Christ; that's why he died, so that all sin might be forgiven - and all sinners might be reconciled to God. But there are sinners who are not forgiven.
2. Sinners who are not forgiven are those that have not admitted or confessed their sinfulness. They are people who are indifferent or hostile toward God, who are under the influence of Satan. The sins of persons who are aligned with Satan and are against God cannot be forgiven. The unforgivable sin is an attitude, a condition of the soul in which one is allied with Satan instead of God.
3. The unforgiven sinner is a person who worships Satan as God by seeking all that this world has to offer without any regard for the will and purposes of God. The Adam/Eve/Serpent syndrome cuts such a person, or people, off from God and his mercy in Jesus Christ, for that is a sin against the Holy Spirit. Unrepentant sinners turn their backs on God.
4. Those who have been baptized - that is, sealed with the Holy Spirit and marked by the cross of Christ forever - have nothing to worry about. God loves his own people and he will - and does - forgive all their sins when they turn to him, honestly praying, "Lord, have mercy upon us."
A Sermon on the First Lesson, Genesis 3:9-15 (R, L); 3:(1-7) 8-21 (E) - "The Deceiver and the Deception."
Satan seems to have had a very easy time [with people] in the garden. It is a simple matter to deceive [men and women] when conditions are right. And everything was just perfect for Satan's temptation of [human beings] in the Garden of Eden. All conditions were favorable to him. [People] were in paradise. [Human beings] had everything necessary to the sustenance and enrichment of life; [they] needed nothing more. [They] were on intimate terms with [their] maker; [their] life was full. It must have been [for Satan] like "taking candy from a baby." All Satan had to do was suggest to [the woman and the man] that [they] were immortal and indestructible - as is God - and [they] would fall. It all went according to plan. [The man and the woman were] deceived.... and [they] succumbed to the temptation to try to become God.
Adapted from the sermon, "The Danger of Being Human," in The Garden and the Graveyard, Augsburg, now out of print.)
1. That's the way it has always been. Human beings are easy prey for Satan. They always use their freedom improperly, choosing the things of Satan instead of revering and obeying God.
2. Today nobody believes in Satan - at least, not many people think there is such a thing as a personal devil. But oddly enough, people continue to do his bidding, possibly because many modern people do not believe there is any such thing as sin.
3. On a deeper level, one has to wonder how many modern people - even those who belong to, and attend, the church - really believe that there is a God, or that they have any need of God today. Modern people seem to be about to cast off God, as well as the Devil - and ignore obedience as well as sin - at the same time.
4. But Jesus is Lord and God is God. The cross and empty tomb tell us that. The ascended Christ "will reign forever and ever" - even until that day when he shall appear again, and when "every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Then and only then, will Satan and sin be eliminated, and forgiven sinners will live with God forever, instead of destroying themselves by obeying Satan.
1 Samuel 16:14-23 (C) - "The Unsuspecting King."
1. Samuel was the recipient of some good advice: his servants and counselors told him that the music of a lyre would soothe his soul and restore equilibrium to his life.
2. Saul's situation became complicated when one of his servants told him about David, the son of Jesse and a skilled lyre player. So Samuel, uninformed about David's anointing by Saul - and unsuspicious of his royal replacement - sent for David.
3. Oddly enough, David brought comfort and restoration to the sometimes-mad king, and David captured the king's heart. Saul grew to love and trust him, never suspecting how his fate was being shaped by God.
4. The bottom line in this story is simply that God still loved Saul, even though he had disappointed him - and he brought him comfort and joy before he replaced him with his anointed one, David. God loves his own people forever, even when they have sinned against him. The cross tells us that.
A Sermon on the Second Lesson, 2 Corinthians 4:13-18 (E, L); 4:13--5:1 (R, C) - "Christ - the Hope of the World."
1. God's promise - He who raised Jesus Christ from the dead will raise up all believers at the end of time and take them into his presence.
2. Humanity's hope - God is really able to do what he has promised. The resurrection is reality, not a product of the imagination or wishful thinking.
3. Christian thanksgiving - The promise and the hope is in the sacrifice of Christ and his resurrection on the third day.
4. Worship, work and witness - These are the lot of those who truly believe that Jesus Christ is the hope of the world.
