Proper 8
Preaching
Lectionary Preaching Workbook
Series III
The Easter event continues to be the heart of the Sunday worship, when God's people celebrate Sunday as the "Little Easter." Sunday always has this peculiar perspective, which makes the Sunday service more than a "worship experience" and preaching more than an ordinary "proclamation of the Word of God." Sunday continues to celebrate God's extraordinary actions in Jesus Christ, spelling out salvation for those who recognize themselves to be repentent sinners. They have been given a new lease on life by Jesus Christ, and that the new life in Christ conditions every intention and activity of those who have been reconciled to God through Jesus Christ. "Filled" and inspired by the Word and the Holy Spirit, true believers celebrate their eternal destiny with the risen Lord, who has promised to - and will - come again. The Gospel for the Day, and the other readings, speak within that context, "Come, Lord Jesus! Come, quickly!"
The Prayer of the Day
The Lutheran Book of Worship has retained the classic collect for this Sunday, recognizing its beauty and its appropriateness for today's worship:
O God, you have prepared for those who love you joys beyond understanding. Pour into our hearts such love for you that, loving you above all things, we may obtain your promises, which exceed all that we desire; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
The Psalm of the Day
Psalm 30 (L); 30:1, 3-5, 10-12b (R) - Halfway through Year B of the three-year cycle/series of the lectionary, the dependence of the Lutheran lectionary on the Roman Catholic Ordo is especially evident in the choice of a responsory psalm. (Divergence from the Ordo's selections is also noticeable in the first readings of the several lectionaries. Most reject selections from the Apocrypha for Sunday Worship.) Psalm 30 is a psalm that was probably used in thanksgiving for the restoration of the temple about a century and a half before the birth of Christ. It is a song of a victory orchestrated by God himself, and it is adapted to Christian worship to celebrate God's victory in Jesus' resurrection from the dead:
You have turned my wailing into dancing; you have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with joy. Therefore my heart sings to you without ceasing; O Lord, my God, I will give you thanks forever.
Psalm 112 (E) - This psalm highlights the response of people who fear the Lord and strive to live righteously, in obedience to the Lord's commands. Such people (and their children) will be blessed by God - "the generation of the upright will be blessed." Their "heart is right" because "they put their trust in the Lord," and, says the psalmist, because their actions are "righteous." They "will hold up their head with honor." As for the wicked, the unrighteous, who look at the godly and righteous people with scorn and jealousy, "they will gnash their teeth and pine away; the desires of the wicked will perish."
The Psalm Prayer (LBW)
God our Father, glorious in giving life and even more glorious in restoring it: In his last night on earth your Son knew anguish and deep sorrow. Do not turn away from us, or we shall fall back into dust; but rather turn our mourning into joy by raising us up with your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
The readings:
Wisdom 1:13-15; 2:23-24 (R)
It is easy to perceive why some liturgical commissions rejected this reading (although most of the Apocryphal readings included in the Ordo were also first readings in the trial lectionary of the Lutheran Churches). The selection seems to indicate that God never intended human beings, who were made in his image, to know physical death. People were created, according to the Book of Wisdom, immortal, rather than mortal. But death is a biological fact. Some writers believe that the author of Wisdom was talking about spiritual death, which Paul speaks of in Romans 5. Sin, as a kind of death, separates people from God. Christ conquered sin and "death through sin" in his obedience and death on the cross, but he had to die - physically - as every mortal, and be raised up on the third day. Were human beings immortal, the resurrection would have been unnecessary; Jesus would have merely passed from one dimension of existence to another - or, from another point of view, he would not have been able to die. His enemies could not have killed him. We would all still be bound by our sins - and death.
Deuteronomy 15:7-11 (E)
This reading recognizes that before the Lord (and quite often in uncontrollable situations) all people are poor and in need of love and charity. Its selection was influenced by the predicament of Jairus in the Gospel for the Day. A man who was, or should have been, spiritually wealthy, he had to humble himself and call upon Jesus Christ for help when his daughter was sick and dying. The reading, therefore, outlines what might be termed "the Christian response" to the needs of people. Those who are servants of Christ should give freely of themselves and their resources to revive and support the poor of the land. The world will always have people who are in need, and it is the business of those who claim to be Christian to help them any way that they are able. So, the reading concludes: "You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in the land." That is living in obedience to and in "imitation" of Christ.
Lamentations 3:22-33 (L)
The dominant theme in this reading comes at the very beginning of it: "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness." The writer had a clear understanding of a God who is kind and loving, who intends only good for the creatures he has created. It is almost as though the writer perceived what would happen with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. He said what Christians say with assurance: "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every day." For him, as the poet declared, "Every day is a new beginning, every day is a world made new...." Life is good, because the good God is eternally concerned for this people, for their welfare and their needs in life. God is not a god of retribution, who visits iniquity and grief upon human beings; rather, he is a god of mercy and compassion - and these, as is God himself, are from everlasting to everlasting.
2 Samuel 6:1-15 (C)
In this story, there is a rather remote connection to the Gospel for the Day, in which Jesus raised up Jairus' daughter from the dead. David was afraid of the ark of God, the Ark of the Covenant, because God struck down Uzzah, who seems to have innocently touched the ark as it was being transported to "the city of David" when the oxen pulling the cart stumbled. Instead of taking the ark into the city, David, out of this fear, had it placed in the house of Obededom the Gittite, where it stayed for three months. But Obededom and his household were blessed, not destroyed or harmed in any way, and when that news reached David, he went and retrieved the ark and took it to "the city of David" with "rejoicing." The necessary sacrifice of an ox and a "fatling" was followed by a vigorous dance by David before the Lord God. It was, indeed, a time for thanksgiving and rejoicing, because he knew that the ark affirmed that God is good and merciful, always blessing his own. Jesus' raising of Jairus' daughter affirms this as well.
2 Corinthians 8:1-9, 13-14 (L); 8:1-9, 13-15 (E); 8:7-15 (C); 8:7, 9, 13-15 (R)
The second reading "floats" by itself, as it usually does during Pentecost when (unlike the first half of the year when all three lessons are coordinated) only the first and third readings are intended to harmonize with one another. In this continuing "overflow" of the readings from the Corinthian correspondence assigned to Epiphany, Paul speaks of the collection he is promoting among the churches for the Jerusalem congregation, which is in desperate need. Paul lays down a kind of theology of stewardship in this chapter (the problem over the false teachers has been resolved), and instructs the people in what might be called "grace giving." The highest motivation for Christian giving is thanksgiving for the gifts that God has given to his people. "Grace giving," as Paul perceives it, begins with a recognition of God's graciousness and is followed by a response in which the faithful first give themselves to the Lord - and then proceed to give what they have (and are) to others in the name of their Lord, Jesus Christ.
Mark 5:21-24b, 35-43 (L); 5:22-24, 35b-43 (E); 5:21-43 (C, R)
Just how the two incidents in the Gospel were combined into one pericope is a matter of disagreement among biblical scholars. Some believe that the two stories (Matthew and Luke have the same two stories in their Gospels and they are arranged in the same manner.) were already together jn the material Mark used in the composition of his Gospel; others believe that he put them together for theological reasons, of course. The selection of the verses assigned to the Gospel for the Day reflects this disagreement. The story of the woman who touched Jesus' robe and was healed of a chronic blood disease is omitted from this pericope. The healing of Jairus' daughter stands by itself in this reading for Cycle/Series B. (The "trial" lectionary of the Inter-Lutheran Commission on Worship listed Mark 5:24b-34 as an alternate Gospel reading.) That Jesus healed the twelve-year-old girl cannot be doubted, were she actually dead or in a coma. The apparent delay, which might be explained by the conversation that took place after the woman touched Jesus' robe when he was on his way to Jairus' is puzzling, but not as much as the deliberate delay in responding to the desperate plea for help made by Mary and Martha when their brother Lazarus lay dying. In both cases, he arrived after the sick person died and, in both instances, he was able to raise up the dead person. In Mark 43, Jesus commands those who saw the miracle - the girl's parents and Peter, James, and John - to keep the miracle secret. The "eschatological secret" is suggested here. He will overcome death himself when his time arrives.
The Common lectionary and the long form of this Gospel in the Roman Catholic Ordo keep the two stories together, possibly to interpret Jesus' bloody death upon the cross as a cleansing from sin, thereby keeping the cross and the empty tomb together in the Gospel. Mark says that Jesus was aware, when the woman touched his robe, that power had gone out of himself and asked, "Who touched me?" But Mark attributes the healing to the woman's receptive faith, not simply as a "built-in" quality (a la Lloyd Douglas' The Robe) in Jesus' clothing, which could lead to all sorts of superstitious activities in the Christian community. (The preacher must ask himself/herself whether these stories were separated because one seems theologically difficult or whether they were separated for practical reasons. The "combination reading" is quite lengthy as the third scripture reading of the day, complicating the homiletical task of the parish preacher, especially in liturgical churches where sermon and sacrament are celebrated weekly.)
A Sermon on the Gospel, Mark 5:21-43 (R, C); 5:21-24b, 35-43 (L) 5:22-24, 35b-43 (E) - "Jesus' 'Secret' Miracle."
It didn't take long for Jesus to develop the reputation of being a healer, as well as an authoritative teacher. That's why Jairus, a synagogue official in Capernaum, went to Jesus and asked him to cure his daughter. Ignazios Silone, in his classic novel Bread and Wine, might have built one incident in the story on Jairus' approach to Jesus and his plaintive plea for his daughter. A pregnant woman (Teresa Scaraffa) who knew the reputationof Don Paolo Spada (an Italian priest) as a healer, went to his room and pled with him to work a healing miracle on her unborn child. She said, "Last night I dreamed that my child would be born blind. Only you can save him." Unlike Jesus, who responded immediately to Jairus' request, Don Paolo protested: "My dear woman," he addressed her, "I'm sorry, but there's nothing I can do." On one hand, Don Paolo didn't want to start any stories that might water down the Christian faith into something less than the full Gospel. He knew that a miracle - or even the report of a miracle - would spread like wildfire in the area and people would flock to him with all sorts of requests for healing. (He also didn't want to be bothered by a horde of people coming to him for healing.) Silone writes: "But Don Paolo knew quite well that if he were to pretend to recite some prayers or carry out an exorcism in just one case, the whole inn would be full of people waiting for their turn. He would not be able to refuse anyone. They would all say, 'You helped Teresa Scaraffa. Now help us.' " But Teresa wouldn't be put off: she began to weep and begged him to help her. Finally, to get rid of her, he made the sign of the cross twice over where Teresa thought the head of the baby was in her swollen stomach. Convinced that a miracle had occurred, she expressed her thanks by giving Don Paolo a chicken and left. The inevitable happened because she couldn't keep quiet about that miracle. (Adapted from the sermon, "The Beginning of a New Life" in Great Stories of the Faith, C.S.S., 1989)
1. Jesus had the power to heal, even to raise the dead - the very power of God Almighty
- and out of concern and compassion, he responded to pleas such as the request Jairus made of Jesus. Some pastors have begun healing services on the presupposition that the living Lord can work miracles of healing in the lives of believers today. Instant popularity may result from such a ministry. Jesus' reputation must have been greatly enhanced when word got around Galilee about his raising of Jairus' daughter from her deathbed.
2. One of the strange things about this incident is that Jesus apparently allowed himself to be "side-tracked" by the touch of a woman in the crowd. When he asked, "Who touched my garments?", he was drawn into a conversation (omitted from the short form of the pericope, but definitely a part of the story because it may explain why the girl died before Jesus got to Jairus' home) with the woman. He cleansed her - before he healed Jairus' daughter - which points to the "sequence of salvation." The cross and gaining forgiveness of sin, had to precede the action of justification and the resurrection of the Lord.
3. Even stranger is Mark's report of Jesus' order once the girl was raised from the dead:
"And he strictly charged them that no one should know this...." Isn't it impossible to suppress news of that kind? Consider what occurred when Jesus rose from the grave; that news spread quickly and resulted in the beginning of the Christian church. Jesus knew that it wasn't time to reveal the "eschatological secret" about his mysterious mission here on earth. What happened in that child's bedroom foreshadowed what would happen to him - only, in his case, it would be resurrection, not resuscitation.
4. The real secret is out now. He came not simply to offer miracles of healing and deliverance to people who would still have to die, but to deal a death blow to death itself by dying on a cross and being raised up to new life. That's what the Gospel is all about - and that's the true mission of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.
A Sermon on the Ffrst Lesson, Wisdom 1:13-15; 2:23-24 (R) - "What Death Really Means."
1. The Jew who wrote the Book of Wisdom really believed that God created human beings to live, not to die. He literally believed that death came in the Garden through the sin of Adam and Eve. He was convinced that God intended people to live forever, but "it was the Devil's envy that brought death into the world."
2. Those who sin and ally themselves with Satan - "His partners," says the writer - will discover that sin cuts people off from God. It makes them realize that biological death is the most obvious sign of being separated and alienated from God the Father. Sin and death together remind us how helpless we are to close the gap that our disobedience and disregard for God have opened up.
3. But the writer of Wisdom had no antidote for sin and no solution to death; that was left to God's action to deal directly with death in Jesus Christ, his Son. He went into action in Jesus' birth and life, and in his death and resurrection. That makes human destiny what God intended from the beginning. Through Jesus, death is destroyed and life eternal is a reality.
Deuteronomy 15:7-11 (E) - "Easy Touch."
1. The "soft" heart - that is, a heart that is softened by the love of God - makes people an "easy touch" for the poor and underprivileged of the world. Isn't it interesting that in a part of the world where one constantly encounters beggars, the people of God are told to give to the poor? That's the business of Jews and Christians.
2. The trick of the hard-hearted is to rationalize, one way or another, the plight of the poor and, thereby, excuse oneself from being their benefactor. Isn't this the device of some of the wealthy, who also find ways to avoid the taxes that the poor must pay? The hard-hearted, who withhold monetary and other types of assistance from the poor are really selfish people. Self-centered people often become hard-hearted, destroying themselves in the process.
3. God loves what the writer calls the people with an "open heart" - a heart that can be penetrated by the plight of others and finds room for them and their problems. That is the person - open and responsive - who lives responsibly with regard to other people. God blesses such people; you may depend upon that.
Lamentations 3:22-33 (L) - "Amazing Love."
1. God's love is amazing because it never ceases; God puts no limits upon it.
2. God's love is available to those who "wait for him, to the soul that seeks him."
3. God's love is abundant. There's enough for all, enough to go around because the cross of Christ is for all.
4. God's love is affordable. It is his free gift in Jesus Christ, but it involves total allegiance to the Lord.
2 Samuel 6:1-15 (C) - "The Cart and the Ark."
1. The cart was new; the Ark was old - as old as the covenant God made with Moses and the people of Israel during the Exodus.
2. The Ark was sacred; the cart was secular. Touching the Ark when the cart tipped cost Uzzah his life. In a way, figuratively or literally, he was crushed by the cart.
3. The cart and the Ark were stopped outside the city of David because David thought the Ark was a curse, rather than a blessing from God.
4. The cart and the Ark arrived, at last, at their final destination, when David learned that the Ark - the covenant with God was a blessing not a curse.
A Sermon on the Second Lesson, 2 Corinthians 8:1-9, 13-14 (L); 8:7, 9, 13-15 (R); 8:7-15 (C) - "Grace Giving."
1. Christians give by grace, not by law, nor out of compassion alone for the plight of the poor. Christian giving is a thankful response to God's grace in Jesus Christ.
2. "Grace giving" knows no limitations; it is giving according to the gratitude we have in our hearts for the mercy and grace of God. As Paul points out, "grace giving" is "beyond our means." "You can't afford to give that much" is not a Christian reaction to God's grace; nor "I can't afford to give that much" is not a Christian response to God's grace; rather, "I can't afford not to give what I do."
3. "Grace giving" supercedes tithing because it does not stop with a ten percent limit on giving. It is really giving above and beyond the tithe. It can be very costly, indeed, because it calls for commitment of all of one's resources - time and talent, as well as treasure - to the work of the Lord.
4. "Grace giving" is an old model - but also a new model because it is the only model of giving that is truly Christian. Christians give themselves and all they have to God because they know what he has given to them.
The Prayer of the Day
The Lutheran Book of Worship has retained the classic collect for this Sunday, recognizing its beauty and its appropriateness for today's worship:
O God, you have prepared for those who love you joys beyond understanding. Pour into our hearts such love for you that, loving you above all things, we may obtain your promises, which exceed all that we desire; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
The Psalm of the Day
Psalm 30 (L); 30:1, 3-5, 10-12b (R) - Halfway through Year B of the three-year cycle/series of the lectionary, the dependence of the Lutheran lectionary on the Roman Catholic Ordo is especially evident in the choice of a responsory psalm. (Divergence from the Ordo's selections is also noticeable in the first readings of the several lectionaries. Most reject selections from the Apocrypha for Sunday Worship.) Psalm 30 is a psalm that was probably used in thanksgiving for the restoration of the temple about a century and a half before the birth of Christ. It is a song of a victory orchestrated by God himself, and it is adapted to Christian worship to celebrate God's victory in Jesus' resurrection from the dead:
You have turned my wailing into dancing; you have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with joy. Therefore my heart sings to you without ceasing; O Lord, my God, I will give you thanks forever.
Psalm 112 (E) - This psalm highlights the response of people who fear the Lord and strive to live righteously, in obedience to the Lord's commands. Such people (and their children) will be blessed by God - "the generation of the upright will be blessed." Their "heart is right" because "they put their trust in the Lord," and, says the psalmist, because their actions are "righteous." They "will hold up their head with honor." As for the wicked, the unrighteous, who look at the godly and righteous people with scorn and jealousy, "they will gnash their teeth and pine away; the desires of the wicked will perish."
The Psalm Prayer (LBW)
God our Father, glorious in giving life and even more glorious in restoring it: In his last night on earth your Son knew anguish and deep sorrow. Do not turn away from us, or we shall fall back into dust; but rather turn our mourning into joy by raising us up with your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
The readings:
Wisdom 1:13-15; 2:23-24 (R)
It is easy to perceive why some liturgical commissions rejected this reading (although most of the Apocryphal readings included in the Ordo were also first readings in the trial lectionary of the Lutheran Churches). The selection seems to indicate that God never intended human beings, who were made in his image, to know physical death. People were created, according to the Book of Wisdom, immortal, rather than mortal. But death is a biological fact. Some writers believe that the author of Wisdom was talking about spiritual death, which Paul speaks of in Romans 5. Sin, as a kind of death, separates people from God. Christ conquered sin and "death through sin" in his obedience and death on the cross, but he had to die - physically - as every mortal, and be raised up on the third day. Were human beings immortal, the resurrection would have been unnecessary; Jesus would have merely passed from one dimension of existence to another - or, from another point of view, he would not have been able to die. His enemies could not have killed him. We would all still be bound by our sins - and death.
Deuteronomy 15:7-11 (E)
This reading recognizes that before the Lord (and quite often in uncontrollable situations) all people are poor and in need of love and charity. Its selection was influenced by the predicament of Jairus in the Gospel for the Day. A man who was, or should have been, spiritually wealthy, he had to humble himself and call upon Jesus Christ for help when his daughter was sick and dying. The reading, therefore, outlines what might be termed "the Christian response" to the needs of people. Those who are servants of Christ should give freely of themselves and their resources to revive and support the poor of the land. The world will always have people who are in need, and it is the business of those who claim to be Christian to help them any way that they are able. So, the reading concludes: "You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in the land." That is living in obedience to and in "imitation" of Christ.
Lamentations 3:22-33 (L)
The dominant theme in this reading comes at the very beginning of it: "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness." The writer had a clear understanding of a God who is kind and loving, who intends only good for the creatures he has created. It is almost as though the writer perceived what would happen with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. He said what Christians say with assurance: "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every day." For him, as the poet declared, "Every day is a new beginning, every day is a world made new...." Life is good, because the good God is eternally concerned for this people, for their welfare and their needs in life. God is not a god of retribution, who visits iniquity and grief upon human beings; rather, he is a god of mercy and compassion - and these, as is God himself, are from everlasting to everlasting.
2 Samuel 6:1-15 (C)
In this story, there is a rather remote connection to the Gospel for the Day, in which Jesus raised up Jairus' daughter from the dead. David was afraid of the ark of God, the Ark of the Covenant, because God struck down Uzzah, who seems to have innocently touched the ark as it was being transported to "the city of David" when the oxen pulling the cart stumbled. Instead of taking the ark into the city, David, out of this fear, had it placed in the house of Obededom the Gittite, where it stayed for three months. But Obededom and his household were blessed, not destroyed or harmed in any way, and when that news reached David, he went and retrieved the ark and took it to "the city of David" with "rejoicing." The necessary sacrifice of an ox and a "fatling" was followed by a vigorous dance by David before the Lord God. It was, indeed, a time for thanksgiving and rejoicing, because he knew that the ark affirmed that God is good and merciful, always blessing his own. Jesus' raising of Jairus' daughter affirms this as well.
2 Corinthians 8:1-9, 13-14 (L); 8:1-9, 13-15 (E); 8:7-15 (C); 8:7, 9, 13-15 (R)
The second reading "floats" by itself, as it usually does during Pentecost when (unlike the first half of the year when all three lessons are coordinated) only the first and third readings are intended to harmonize with one another. In this continuing "overflow" of the readings from the Corinthian correspondence assigned to Epiphany, Paul speaks of the collection he is promoting among the churches for the Jerusalem congregation, which is in desperate need. Paul lays down a kind of theology of stewardship in this chapter (the problem over the false teachers has been resolved), and instructs the people in what might be called "grace giving." The highest motivation for Christian giving is thanksgiving for the gifts that God has given to his people. "Grace giving," as Paul perceives it, begins with a recognition of God's graciousness and is followed by a response in which the faithful first give themselves to the Lord - and then proceed to give what they have (and are) to others in the name of their Lord, Jesus Christ.
Mark 5:21-24b, 35-43 (L); 5:22-24, 35b-43 (E); 5:21-43 (C, R)
Just how the two incidents in the Gospel were combined into one pericope is a matter of disagreement among biblical scholars. Some believe that the two stories (Matthew and Luke have the same two stories in their Gospels and they are arranged in the same manner.) were already together jn the material Mark used in the composition of his Gospel; others believe that he put them together for theological reasons, of course. The selection of the verses assigned to the Gospel for the Day reflects this disagreement. The story of the woman who touched Jesus' robe and was healed of a chronic blood disease is omitted from this pericope. The healing of Jairus' daughter stands by itself in this reading for Cycle/Series B. (The "trial" lectionary of the Inter-Lutheran Commission on Worship listed Mark 5:24b-34 as an alternate Gospel reading.) That Jesus healed the twelve-year-old girl cannot be doubted, were she actually dead or in a coma. The apparent delay, which might be explained by the conversation that took place after the woman touched Jesus' robe when he was on his way to Jairus' is puzzling, but not as much as the deliberate delay in responding to the desperate plea for help made by Mary and Martha when their brother Lazarus lay dying. In both cases, he arrived after the sick person died and, in both instances, he was able to raise up the dead person. In Mark 43, Jesus commands those who saw the miracle - the girl's parents and Peter, James, and John - to keep the miracle secret. The "eschatological secret" is suggested here. He will overcome death himself when his time arrives.
The Common lectionary and the long form of this Gospel in the Roman Catholic Ordo keep the two stories together, possibly to interpret Jesus' bloody death upon the cross as a cleansing from sin, thereby keeping the cross and the empty tomb together in the Gospel. Mark says that Jesus was aware, when the woman touched his robe, that power had gone out of himself and asked, "Who touched me?" But Mark attributes the healing to the woman's receptive faith, not simply as a "built-in" quality (a la Lloyd Douglas' The Robe) in Jesus' clothing, which could lead to all sorts of superstitious activities in the Christian community. (The preacher must ask himself/herself whether these stories were separated because one seems theologically difficult or whether they were separated for practical reasons. The "combination reading" is quite lengthy as the third scripture reading of the day, complicating the homiletical task of the parish preacher, especially in liturgical churches where sermon and sacrament are celebrated weekly.)
A Sermon on the Gospel, Mark 5:21-43 (R, C); 5:21-24b, 35-43 (L) 5:22-24, 35b-43 (E) - "Jesus' 'Secret' Miracle."
It didn't take long for Jesus to develop the reputation of being a healer, as well as an authoritative teacher. That's why Jairus, a synagogue official in Capernaum, went to Jesus and asked him to cure his daughter. Ignazios Silone, in his classic novel Bread and Wine, might have built one incident in the story on Jairus' approach to Jesus and his plaintive plea for his daughter. A pregnant woman (Teresa Scaraffa) who knew the reputationof Don Paolo Spada (an Italian priest) as a healer, went to his room and pled with him to work a healing miracle on her unborn child. She said, "Last night I dreamed that my child would be born blind. Only you can save him." Unlike Jesus, who responded immediately to Jairus' request, Don Paolo protested: "My dear woman," he addressed her, "I'm sorry, but there's nothing I can do." On one hand, Don Paolo didn't want to start any stories that might water down the Christian faith into something less than the full Gospel. He knew that a miracle - or even the report of a miracle - would spread like wildfire in the area and people would flock to him with all sorts of requests for healing. (He also didn't want to be bothered by a horde of people coming to him for healing.) Silone writes: "But Don Paolo knew quite well that if he were to pretend to recite some prayers or carry out an exorcism in just one case, the whole inn would be full of people waiting for their turn. He would not be able to refuse anyone. They would all say, 'You helped Teresa Scaraffa. Now help us.' " But Teresa wouldn't be put off: she began to weep and begged him to help her. Finally, to get rid of her, he made the sign of the cross twice over where Teresa thought the head of the baby was in her swollen stomach. Convinced that a miracle had occurred, she expressed her thanks by giving Don Paolo a chicken and left. The inevitable happened because she couldn't keep quiet about that miracle. (Adapted from the sermon, "The Beginning of a New Life" in Great Stories of the Faith, C.S.S., 1989)
1. Jesus had the power to heal, even to raise the dead - the very power of God Almighty
- and out of concern and compassion, he responded to pleas such as the request Jairus made of Jesus. Some pastors have begun healing services on the presupposition that the living Lord can work miracles of healing in the lives of believers today. Instant popularity may result from such a ministry. Jesus' reputation must have been greatly enhanced when word got around Galilee about his raising of Jairus' daughter from her deathbed.
2. One of the strange things about this incident is that Jesus apparently allowed himself to be "side-tracked" by the touch of a woman in the crowd. When he asked, "Who touched my garments?", he was drawn into a conversation (omitted from the short form of the pericope, but definitely a part of the story because it may explain why the girl died before Jesus got to Jairus' home) with the woman. He cleansed her - before he healed Jairus' daughter - which points to the "sequence of salvation." The cross and gaining forgiveness of sin, had to precede the action of justification and the resurrection of the Lord.
3. Even stranger is Mark's report of Jesus' order once the girl was raised from the dead:
"And he strictly charged them that no one should know this...." Isn't it impossible to suppress news of that kind? Consider what occurred when Jesus rose from the grave; that news spread quickly and resulted in the beginning of the Christian church. Jesus knew that it wasn't time to reveal the "eschatological secret" about his mysterious mission here on earth. What happened in that child's bedroom foreshadowed what would happen to him - only, in his case, it would be resurrection, not resuscitation.
4. The real secret is out now. He came not simply to offer miracles of healing and deliverance to people who would still have to die, but to deal a death blow to death itself by dying on a cross and being raised up to new life. That's what the Gospel is all about - and that's the true mission of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.
A Sermon on the Ffrst Lesson, Wisdom 1:13-15; 2:23-24 (R) - "What Death Really Means."
1. The Jew who wrote the Book of Wisdom really believed that God created human beings to live, not to die. He literally believed that death came in the Garden through the sin of Adam and Eve. He was convinced that God intended people to live forever, but "it was the Devil's envy that brought death into the world."
2. Those who sin and ally themselves with Satan - "His partners," says the writer - will discover that sin cuts people off from God. It makes them realize that biological death is the most obvious sign of being separated and alienated from God the Father. Sin and death together remind us how helpless we are to close the gap that our disobedience and disregard for God have opened up.
3. But the writer of Wisdom had no antidote for sin and no solution to death; that was left to God's action to deal directly with death in Jesus Christ, his Son. He went into action in Jesus' birth and life, and in his death and resurrection. That makes human destiny what God intended from the beginning. Through Jesus, death is destroyed and life eternal is a reality.
Deuteronomy 15:7-11 (E) - "Easy Touch."
1. The "soft" heart - that is, a heart that is softened by the love of God - makes people an "easy touch" for the poor and underprivileged of the world. Isn't it interesting that in a part of the world where one constantly encounters beggars, the people of God are told to give to the poor? That's the business of Jews and Christians.
2. The trick of the hard-hearted is to rationalize, one way or another, the plight of the poor and, thereby, excuse oneself from being their benefactor. Isn't this the device of some of the wealthy, who also find ways to avoid the taxes that the poor must pay? The hard-hearted, who withhold monetary and other types of assistance from the poor are really selfish people. Self-centered people often become hard-hearted, destroying themselves in the process.
3. God loves what the writer calls the people with an "open heart" - a heart that can be penetrated by the plight of others and finds room for them and their problems. That is the person - open and responsive - who lives responsibly with regard to other people. God blesses such people; you may depend upon that.
Lamentations 3:22-33 (L) - "Amazing Love."
1. God's love is amazing because it never ceases; God puts no limits upon it.
2. God's love is available to those who "wait for him, to the soul that seeks him."
3. God's love is abundant. There's enough for all, enough to go around because the cross of Christ is for all.
4. God's love is affordable. It is his free gift in Jesus Christ, but it involves total allegiance to the Lord.
2 Samuel 6:1-15 (C) - "The Cart and the Ark."
1. The cart was new; the Ark was old - as old as the covenant God made with Moses and the people of Israel during the Exodus.
2. The Ark was sacred; the cart was secular. Touching the Ark when the cart tipped cost Uzzah his life. In a way, figuratively or literally, he was crushed by the cart.
3. The cart and the Ark were stopped outside the city of David because David thought the Ark was a curse, rather than a blessing from God.
4. The cart and the Ark arrived, at last, at their final destination, when David learned that the Ark - the covenant with God was a blessing not a curse.
A Sermon on the Second Lesson, 2 Corinthians 8:1-9, 13-14 (L); 8:7, 9, 13-15 (R); 8:7-15 (C) - "Grace Giving."
1. Christians give by grace, not by law, nor out of compassion alone for the plight of the poor. Christian giving is a thankful response to God's grace in Jesus Christ.
2. "Grace giving" knows no limitations; it is giving according to the gratitude we have in our hearts for the mercy and grace of God. As Paul points out, "grace giving" is "beyond our means." "You can't afford to give that much" is not a Christian reaction to God's grace; nor "I can't afford to give that much" is not a Christian response to God's grace; rather, "I can't afford not to give what I do."
3. "Grace giving" supercedes tithing because it does not stop with a ten percent limit on giving. It is really giving above and beyond the tithe. It can be very costly, indeed, because it calls for commitment of all of one's resources - time and talent, as well as treasure - to the work of the Lord.
4. "Grace giving" is an old model - but also a new model because it is the only model of giving that is truly Christian. Christians give themselves and all they have to God because they know what he has given to them.
