Proper 9 / Pentecost 6 / Ordinary Time 14
Preaching
Lectionary Preaching Workbook
Series IX, Cycle B
Object:
Theme of the Day
God and His people get in the trenches.
Collect of the Day
After noting that the God of the covenant has called us to proclaim the coming kingdom, petitions are offered that the faithful be given the courage of the apostles to witness faithfully to God's love and peace. Primary themes of the prayer are Baptism, Justification, Sanctification, and Social Ethics.
Psalm of the Day
Psalm 48
* A song celebrating the beauty and security of Jerusalem's Mount Zion. A Korahite Psalm.
* The Lord is praised as the God of Jerusalem (vv. 1-4).
* The text's claim that the city's Mount Zion is the joy of all the earth (v. 2) is interpreted by John Calvin as a way of distinguishing the church (which is represented by Mount Zion) from the world (Calvin's Commentaries, Vol. V/1, p. 217).
* When in the last days Gentile kings unite to attack the city, they will be routed (vv. 4-8).
* This insight regarding the steadfast love of God causes rejoicing in the ceremonies of the temple (vv. 9-11).
* A call for a procession about the city walls concludes the Psalm. God is said to be our guide forever (vv. 12-14).
or Psalm 123
* A prayer for deliverance from enemies; a group lament. A Song of Ascent (a Pilgrim Psalm [or a plea by an oppressed class in Israel]).
* An act of submission to God's will. The group will look to the Lord until He has mercy (vv. 1-2).
* The actual prayer follows: God is petitioned for mercy in view of all the contempt and scorn experienced by the people from the contempt of the proud (vv. 3-4).
Sermon Text and Title
"Power From Below Bestowed By God"
2 Samuel 5:1-5, 9-10
1. Theological Aim of the Sermon and Strategy
To examine how David was actually made king and apply insights of the account to how best to execute leadership today both in church and in the broader community. In pointing out how David foreshadows the Messiah, we also look to Jesus' leadership style for cues for our own leadership -- ministry as priesthood of all believers is taught and espoused, along with our total dependence on God (Providence and Justification by Grace).
2. Exegesis (see Introduction to Selected Books of the Bible)
* David is anointed king over all of Israel and makes Jerusalem the capital.
* With the death of the last of Saul's heirs (4:1-12), the tribes of Israel came to Hebron (about twenty miles southwest of Jerusalem) to make David (already king of Judah [2:1-11]) king of the whole nation of Israel. They note his military victories and the Lord's will. The Lord has designated him as their shepherd, they claim (vv. 1-2).
* David makes a covenant with the people before the elders anoint him (v. 3). This seems to have been a covenant not like the one between God and Israel, which is an agreement between parties of unequal status, but in this case one among equals (see Gerhard von Rad, Old Testament Theology, Vol. 1, pp. 129-130).
* He was thirty years old at the time and reportedly reigned forty years (a biblical expression for a long time). Seven of these years are reported as his reign in Hebron only over Judah and the remaining 33 in Jerusalem over Judah and Israel (the Northern Kingdom) (vv. 4-5).
* Several intervening verses (vv. 6-8) describe David's conquest of Jerusalem, defeating resident Canaanites (the Jebusites). (See 1 Chronicles 11:4-9.)
* David's interest in the city seemed to be a function of its neutral position between Judah and Israel, and so was an ideal capital for the united Hebrew nation.
* It is reported that he occupies the whole city and calls the stronghold the City of David (v. 9). It is reported that because Yahweh was with him he became greater and greater (v. 10).
3. Theological Insights (see Charts of the Major Theological Options)
* The story of David offers insights into Christology (Jesus as Good Shepherd [John 10:14; Hebrews 13:20]) and also insights about Social Ethics (how to gain and exercise political power) as well as ministry (priesthood of all believers leadership style), Providence (God's leading), and Justification by Grace (our total dependence on God).
* John Calvin understood David as a type of Christ, pointing to Him (Institutes, p. 885).
* The great preacher of the early church John Chrysostom contended that "he best knows himself, who accounts himself to be nothing." David is numbered among these saints (Ante-Nicene Fathers, First Series, Vol. 10, p. 175).
* John Wesley also provided sound advice in this spirit for leaders:
Deeply conscious, therefore, should every member of this society be of his own foolishness, helplessness, continually hanging with his whole soul, upon Him who alone hath wisdom and strength, with an unspeakable conviction that "the help which is done upon earth, God doeth it Himself"; and that it is He alone who "worketh in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure."
(The Works of John Wesley, Vol. 6, p. 161)
* Regarding the priesthood of all believers, Martin Luther claimed that all jobs are equally sacred, insofar as they provide occasions for us to crucify our sin and pride to serve God (Luther's Works, Vol. 35, pp. 40-41, 100-101; Ibid., Vol. 14, p. 15).
* Also consider entries in this section for First Lesson, Pentecost 2.
4. Socio-Economic, Political, Psychological, and Scientific Insights
* The cornerstone of modern management practice is a reliance on flexible teams to deal with short-term tasks (Richard Sennett, The Corrosion of Character).
5. Gimmick
* At last David was king! And a great leader he became. We can learn some lessons about leadership from him and from the way he began his term.
6. Possible Sermon Moves and/or Stories/Examples
* Tell the story of David's ascension (using first bullet point of Exegesis). And we think America and its churches are divided today. It is nothing like in the land of Israel in the last decade of the eleventh century BC, as the tribe of Judah and the other Jewish tribes were so badly divided that Judah had already chosen David to serve without the permission of the rest of the tribes (2:1-11). And then war broke about between the tribes of Israel still loyal to Saul's younger children and Judah with David as her king (2:12ff).
* Heads-up for what David does as leader to heal these wounds, which were far deeper than wounds caused by our cultural wars here in America 31 centuries later.
* The tribes of the northern part of Israel saw that the remaining heirs of Saul could in no way rule effectively. So they came to David in Hebron where he was residing (near Jerusalem), convinced that he should become their king (vv. 1-3). (Note there seem to be two different oral traditions active in 2 Samuel at this point, one claiming all the tribes came to him [v. 1] and the other stating that it was just the elders [v. 3a].)
* What David did next is significant for us and our leaders. The Bible says he entered into a covenant with the people (v. 5b)! He did not merely take charge unilaterally.
* Explain covenant in this context. See the third bullet point of Exegesis. It was a mutual agreement with each side having obligations to the other. David was for sharing power! Think, the great king of the Old Testament believed in sharing power. It was clearly a leadership style that not only worked, for our lesson teaches that God approved it, stating that the Lord was with David in all this, making him greater and greater (v. 10). This is a leadership style for us to seek, to exercise. When church leaders operate this way we say they are respecting the priesthood of all believers (1 Peter 2:9; Revelation 20:6). And if we take John Calvin's point seriously that David is a pointer in the Old Testament to what Christ would be like (see the second bullet point in Theological Insights), then we have a biblical testimony to the fact that God wants us using this model of shared leadership, getting in the trenches with the people.
* David and the idea of the priesthood of all believers embody a lesson about power taught by business ethics specialist Joseph Badaracco: "… the way to get power is by actually sharing."
* Of course, such sharing of power is the way to do business these days (at least the appearance of it) (see Socio-Economic, Political, Psychological, and Scientific Insights). But what differs in David's approach from today's rhetoric about team management style is that David and the people pledged fidelity to each other for the long haul. Keep that in mind when you take up a leadership position in the congregation or in the community.
* David did something else that was wise, commendable, and in line with his shared power commitments. He established Jerusalem as his capital (v. 8). See the next-to-last bullet point of Exegesis for the significance of this decision. David was looking for something that could keep everyone happy, was willing to subordinate his own preferences for the good of the people. That's good leadership.
* When you lead in this way, sharing power and being sensitive to your constituents, you're not too full of yourself. You get yourself out of the way. The great preacher and bishop of the first centuries John Chrysostom understood David to operate this way. Use the third bullet point in Theological Insights.
* When you don't think so much of yourself, there is more room for God in your life. Realizing your helplessness, you begin to be the sort of leader who gives the people and God all the credit, not yourself. Use the quote by John Wesley in Theological Insights.
* Unfortunately, not all of today's leaders operate David's way, the way Wesley urges we do. Martin Luther offered a critique of rulers in his day that still seems timely:
There are in our day, too, people in our communities of excellent standing, high and mighty princes who rule well… they revel in themselves, parade and prance around proudly, idolizing their own persons. Such idolatry, presumption, pride, and haughtiness negates all good qualities.
(Complete Sermons, Vol. 6, pp. 381-382)
* The nation, this community, the church does not need any more leaders with that kind of "it's all about me" attitude. Keep that in mind when you vote, and when you find yourself leading. This get-in-the trenches leadership style sees all good coming from God, by God, but sometimes through the people.
* Dwight Eisenhower knew something about leadership. He made a remark that clearly explains his own advocacy of something like this leadership style: "Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it."
* You don't share power when you try to force the neighbor to do what you want with threats. You need to operate calmly, with persuasive exercise of power. This is the advice of nineteenth-century English politician Edward Buliver-Lytton: "Power is so characteristically calm, that calmness in itself has the aspect of strength."
* There's a quiet strength, a confidence, in leaders who don't have their egos on the line but have turned things over to God to work good.
7. Wrap-Up
The church, the community, needs leaders like David, who also like the king's heir Jesus get in the trenches with the people, see the power coming below through them, not from themselves and their superior wisdom. Those are the sort of candidates we need to elect, the way we need to function. When leaders get themselves out of the way, there is more room to hear God's voice. Note again the reference to how the Lord's presence with David reportedly makes him greater and greater (v. 10). Great leadership happens when we lead in such a way that the people served have power and God gets all the credit for the good that happens. He's always there with us in the trenches!
Sermon Text and Title
"Strength in Weakness"
2 Corinthians 12:2-10
1. Theological Aim of the Sermon and Strategy
A word of hope and comfort is offered for those who feel weak and powerless, stressing that grace overcomes our inadequacies (Sin). Both Justification by Grace and Sanctification are examined.
2. Exegesis (see Introduction to Selected Books of the Bible)
* A stronger defense by Paul of his ministry. He boasts by way of making the case for his paradoxical strength in weakness.
* Paul seems to refer to his Damascus Road experience, being caught up to heaven (the highest ecstasy) (vv. 2-4).
* Paul wants to boast about these revelations but take no credit for them, boasting only about his own weaknesses (vv. 5-7a).
* Paul refers to his thorn in the flesh (what it was is not clear). He concludes that it was given to him to keep him from being too elated and to have him boast of his weaknesses so the power of Christ may dwell in him (vv. 7b-9).
* This enables Paul to be content with weaknesses, insults, and persecutions. For when he is weak, he is strong (v. 10).
3. Theological Insights (see Charts of the Major Theological Options)
* An analysis of the Christian life (Sanctification) as totally dependent on the grace of God, testifying to Justification by Grace understood as Intimate Union. The former theme seems to reflect Martin Luther's concept of brave sinning.
* About the strength in weakness taught by this passage, Martin Luther wrote:
"What do you think of my love for you?" says the Lord. "My strength cannot reign except in your weakness. You must be weak. You must suffer, sigh, groan, and be weak and wretched for your own good, in order that by enduring the fighting you may conquer… If you are not weak, My strength will have nothing to do."
(Luther's Works, Vol. 8, p. 11)
He who can give his heart that firm persuasion that he has a well-disposed and propitious God will find it easy to despise every assault of Satan and the indignation and fury of the whole world.
(Ibid., p. 73)
* In one of his sermons John Wesley made a similar point: "Accordingly, He chooses the weak to confound the mighty; the foolish to confound the wise; for this plain reason, that He may secure the glory to Himself…" (The Works of John Wesley, Vol. 5, pp. 483-484).
* Paul's comments in verse 7 suggest Luther's concept of brave sinning. About the matter Luther wrote:
Therefore see to it… that you be not a false but a real sinner; not only in words but in reality and from the heart acknowledge yourself worthy before God of His wrath and eternal punishment, and bring before Him in truth these words, "me a poor sinner"; but in the same flight lay hold of the other words: "Be Thou merciful to me…."
(Complete Sermons, Vol. 2/2, p. 367)
4. Socio-Economic, Political, Psychological, and Scientific Insights
* Forgetting our own agendas, in favor of God's bigger projects, seems to create salubrious brain dynamics. See this section for the Second Lessons, Advent 4 and Epiphany 6.
5. Gimmick
Ever been down in the dumps? Felt like you couldn't continue, on an endless treadmill? Ever felt like life was empty, like you'd messed up, like you were all alone, like the career was getting nowhere, like you had no hope? Then this sermon is for you.
6. Possible Sermon Moves and/or Stories/Examples
* Saint Paul was continuing to try to defend his ministry from critics in Corinth. Paradoxically, he does it by putting himself down. Read verses 5-6, 9-10.
* He says that he will only boast about his weaknesses, for whenever he is weak, he is strong. Then the power of Christ is in him. What does this mean? Should we get weak in order to enhance our faith?
* Let's start with the comfort of these words. When we feel those moments of weakness, those feelings of hopelessness and burnout, there is no need to feel guilty. Invite the congregation again to think about ways and times in which they have felt this way. The good news is that none of this is bad for your relationship with God. He can still use you as low as you go, in your weakness. In fact, all of us are weak. It's just that (to the detriment of our faith) some of us try to cover up the weakness we feel.
* And when we feel weak, then strength can be gleaned from the fact that God is in the trenches, has gotten into the depths with us. Paul makes that point in verse 9 when he refers to Christ being in us in our weakness. See the second quotation by Martin Luther in Theological Insights; also see the last bullet point of Theological Insights for Second Lesson, Epiphany 2.
* The quotation by Wesley in Theological Insights might be employed to affirm the value of those who feel weak and devalued.
* Paul says that in his weakness Christ is more present to him, in him (v. 9). Use the first quote by Luther and/or the one by Wesley in Theological Insights. God's glory is seen even more clearly in the midst of our weakness.
* In that sense, these Christian writers all agree with a comment made by Ralph Waldo Emerson: "Our strength grows out of weakness." In weakness, the strength and power of God shines all the brighter.
* Does this leave those of us who don't feel weak right now out of the loop, missing the boat? In fact, all of us are weak, in the sense that we are all sinners. In our lesson, Paul did not want anyone to see him as this great preacher, without flaws (vv. 5-8).
* Note Martin Luther's concept of brave sinning in the last bullet point of Theological Insights. We get closer to God, he is more real in our lives, when we confess our sin and full dependence on God.
* This God-centered way of living leads to a joyful sense of well-being. (See Socio-Economic, Political, Psychological, and Scientific Insights.) By renouncing the sin of our own agendas, focusing on the biggest of all agendas (God's), Christians like us come to experience amphetamine-like brain dope (called dopamine) that feels awfully good and pleasurable.
7. Wrap-Up
It feels so good to be wrapped up in God. Paul really was right: When we are weak, we are strong (v. 10) and filled with a lot of good brain dope. When God sinks low to be with us in our despair and depression, it sure feels good. Wish some good lows to the parishioners this week, for the forgiving, loving God of the trenches will be there with them.
Sermon Text and Title
"And He Could Do No Mighty Work There! Evil Isn't God's Fault"
Mark 6:1-13
1. Theological Aim of the Sermon and Strategy
To proclaim the idea of God as band leader (Panentheism) as a way of addressing the problem of evil in the world (Providence).
2. Exegesis (see Introduction to Selected Books of the Bible)
* Jesus is rejected in His hometown, after sparking some astonishment in the synagogue by His teaching (vv. 1-2). He is demeaned for merely being a carpenter, the son of Mary and his brothers and sisters known in town (v. 3). (No reference is made to Joseph.)
* Jesus responds, claiming a prophet is without honor in his hometown (v. 4).
* Only in Mark is it reported that Jesus could do not deeds of power, except cure a few who were who were sick through the laying on of hands (v. 5). He is reportedly amazed at their unbelief (v. 6). Apparently God can be thwarted, but not entirely, by our lack of faith. He is concealed in the commonplace things of life. (Many more details are given in the Lukan account [4:16-30], and it is not as clearly stated that Jesus' power was limited by unfaith.)
* The instruction of the twelve disciples and their commissioning (vv. 7-12). Jesus urges them to shed extra belongings (including money) (vv. 8-9), presumably so they depend solely on God.
* The twelve are commissioned to take up ministries two-by-two, with authority over unclean spirits, and they succeed in curing many (vv. 7, 13). They are to preach repentance (v. 12).
* Instructions are also given regarding the hospitality they should expect and the pointed disapproval they are to show (shaking dust off their feet) to those who reject them (vv. 10-11).
3. Theological Insights (see Charts of the Major Theological Options)
* The doctrine of Providence is at the forefront of this text, and a kind of Panentheism is implied. For this concept, see Alfred North Whitehead, Process and Reality, esp. pp. 36-37, 39. A mandate to evangelism and total dependence on God is also taught (vv. 7-12).
* Martin Luther when commenting on this text notes that "when Christ made His public appearance and began to preach, He presented an unimposing and lowly figure" (Luther's Works, Vol. 22, p. 47).
* Augustine construed a picture of God's relation with the world that would allow us to understand how it is that not all that happens is God's doing. In his thinking God is like a vast ocean into which the universe (like a sponge) has been cast. The sponge is saturated by the water but is not identical with the water (Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First Series, Vol. 1, pp. 104-105, 74).
* Another more modern model allowing for evil to transpire in the world without it being God's will has been suggested by the English theologian Arthur Peacocke. He would regard God's relation to the cosmos as that of a band leader or composer to a band (reported in Larry Witham, Where Darwin Meets the Bible, pp. 48, 288).
* In the same spirit, while commenting on this text John Calvin still tried to explain how God gets the upper hand on evil, just as Jesus did (v. 5). He wrote:
… for certainly unbelievers, as far as lies in their power, bound up the hands of God by their obstinacy; not that God is overcome, as if He were an inferior, but because they do not permit Him to display His power. What an amazing contest, that while we are endeavoring by every possible method to hinder the grace of God from coming to us, it rises victorious, and displays its efficacy in spite of all our exertions!
(Calvin's Commentaries, Vol. XVI, p. 216)
4. Socio-Economic, Political, Psychological, and Scientific Insights
* According to a 2006 Time poll, nearly 1 in 3 Americans (the largest group of believers in the nation to agree about what God is like) believe in a God who punishes creation by inflicting evil, a God who is sovereign and in control. See my discussion of America's Puritan paradigm in When Did Jesus Become Republican?, pp. 11-19, which indicates why it is unlikely that little has changed regarding these attitudes in the last five years.
5. Gimmick
Describe the long journey Jesus and the disciples had made, from Gerasa on the east shore of the Sea of Galilee around the other side of the lake (with at least one miracle reported in last week's gospel [5:21-43] along the way) to Jesus' hometown Capernaum (according to Mark). Arriving on the Sabbath after the long trip, the disciples and Jesus head toward the synagogue for worship. Continue telling the story in verses 1-3, noting that it was common in the first century in Judaism for certain laypersons learned in scripture to be called on to give instruction during worship. The crowd seemed struck by Jesus' teaching, but ultimately demeans Him for being the local boy He was. As a result, Mark reports, Jesus was unable to do any deeds of power there (save a few healings) (v. 5).
6. Possible Sermon Moves and/or Stories/Examples
* Jesus was prevented from doing deeds of power by the unfaith of his "home boys"! This may be a shock to many of us, since Americans have this picture of Jesus and God (from the pilgrims and Greek philosophy) as somebody who can get whatever He wants when He wants it.
* These reflections lead us back to the age-old question of whether we can blame God for all the evil and suffering in the world. There are biblical texts that like this one that suggest God is not directly responsible for evil, portraying Him as to some extent frustrated by evil and sin, stopping Him from what he really wants to do.
* This is the gospel message today. But also consider 1 Samuel 15:11, 35 (God regretting He made Saul king) and Ezekiel 2:1-5 (where God only hopes, but is not certain that the people would respond to the prophet's word). (Also see Genesis 6:6.)
* Jesus' inabilities to do mighty works in His hometown today make this point, challenging our American way of thinking about God.
* Ask the congregation what to make of the idea that unfaith and sin can stop God from getting what He wants (at least in the short run). Is this picture of God not a real comfort?
* This way of thinking need not compromise God's majesty. Note Augustine's image in the third bullet point in Theological Insights. God as an infinite ocean and the cosmos as a small sponge hurled into it accounts for God being impacted by our evil (just like the ocean is polluted somewhat if the sponge has some oil in it), yet at the same time recognizes that the polluting sponge can't undo the ocean's (can't undo God's) overall agenda of saturating and cleansing that sponge.
* In the same way, our sin and evil may impact God for a time, but in the end they do not have a chance. They will be flooded with God's essence and His love. That is the meaning of Easter.
* Cite the quotations by Calvin in Theological Insights. He reminds us that though unbelievers may disrupt God's aims, sin and evil cannot hinder God's grace in the long run.
* Also consider the fourth bullet point of Theological Insights, the band leader image. In the same spirit contemporary American humorist/author Garrison Keillor helps explain along these lines where evil comes from: "God writes a lot of comedy -- the trouble is He's stuck with so many bad actors who don't know how to play funny." Evil is caused by the poor musicians or the bad actors in the comedy written by God.
* Tell the congregation how the next time they encounter evil, they can say with confidence it is not God's will. And if they wonder why evil is still around, just remember that sometimes the sponge in the ocean pollutes the ocean, the band leader or comedy writer gets some bad performers.
7. Wrap-Up
Yes, there is suffering in the world. But that says nothing about how God feels toward us. And though He may not control everything that happens, in the end His love will prevail. No, evil and suffering in the world are not signs of a lack of love by God. In the long run His love will be to our good. How wonderful to have that certainty about God's love -- a God who in the man Jesus is in the trenches with us right now, fighting all the evil with us!
God and His people get in the trenches.
Collect of the Day
After noting that the God of the covenant has called us to proclaim the coming kingdom, petitions are offered that the faithful be given the courage of the apostles to witness faithfully to God's love and peace. Primary themes of the prayer are Baptism, Justification, Sanctification, and Social Ethics.
Psalm of the Day
Psalm 48
* A song celebrating the beauty and security of Jerusalem's Mount Zion. A Korahite Psalm.
* The Lord is praised as the God of Jerusalem (vv. 1-4).
* The text's claim that the city's Mount Zion is the joy of all the earth (v. 2) is interpreted by John Calvin as a way of distinguishing the church (which is represented by Mount Zion) from the world (Calvin's Commentaries, Vol. V/1, p. 217).
* When in the last days Gentile kings unite to attack the city, they will be routed (vv. 4-8).
* This insight regarding the steadfast love of God causes rejoicing in the ceremonies of the temple (vv. 9-11).
* A call for a procession about the city walls concludes the Psalm. God is said to be our guide forever (vv. 12-14).
or Psalm 123
* A prayer for deliverance from enemies; a group lament. A Song of Ascent (a Pilgrim Psalm [or a plea by an oppressed class in Israel]).
* An act of submission to God's will. The group will look to the Lord until He has mercy (vv. 1-2).
* The actual prayer follows: God is petitioned for mercy in view of all the contempt and scorn experienced by the people from the contempt of the proud (vv. 3-4).
Sermon Text and Title
"Power From Below Bestowed By God"
2 Samuel 5:1-5, 9-10
1. Theological Aim of the Sermon and Strategy
To examine how David was actually made king and apply insights of the account to how best to execute leadership today both in church and in the broader community. In pointing out how David foreshadows the Messiah, we also look to Jesus' leadership style for cues for our own leadership -- ministry as priesthood of all believers is taught and espoused, along with our total dependence on God (Providence and Justification by Grace).
2. Exegesis (see Introduction to Selected Books of the Bible)
* David is anointed king over all of Israel and makes Jerusalem the capital.
* With the death of the last of Saul's heirs (4:1-12), the tribes of Israel came to Hebron (about twenty miles southwest of Jerusalem) to make David (already king of Judah [2:1-11]) king of the whole nation of Israel. They note his military victories and the Lord's will. The Lord has designated him as their shepherd, they claim (vv. 1-2).
* David makes a covenant with the people before the elders anoint him (v. 3). This seems to have been a covenant not like the one between God and Israel, which is an agreement between parties of unequal status, but in this case one among equals (see Gerhard von Rad, Old Testament Theology, Vol. 1, pp. 129-130).
* He was thirty years old at the time and reportedly reigned forty years (a biblical expression for a long time). Seven of these years are reported as his reign in Hebron only over Judah and the remaining 33 in Jerusalem over Judah and Israel (the Northern Kingdom) (vv. 4-5).
* Several intervening verses (vv. 6-8) describe David's conquest of Jerusalem, defeating resident Canaanites (the Jebusites). (See 1 Chronicles 11:4-9.)
* David's interest in the city seemed to be a function of its neutral position between Judah and Israel, and so was an ideal capital for the united Hebrew nation.
* It is reported that he occupies the whole city and calls the stronghold the City of David (v. 9). It is reported that because Yahweh was with him he became greater and greater (v. 10).
3. Theological Insights (see Charts of the Major Theological Options)
* The story of David offers insights into Christology (Jesus as Good Shepherd [John 10:14; Hebrews 13:20]) and also insights about Social Ethics (how to gain and exercise political power) as well as ministry (priesthood of all believers leadership style), Providence (God's leading), and Justification by Grace (our total dependence on God).
* John Calvin understood David as a type of Christ, pointing to Him (Institutes, p. 885).
* The great preacher of the early church John Chrysostom contended that "he best knows himself, who accounts himself to be nothing." David is numbered among these saints (Ante-Nicene Fathers, First Series, Vol. 10, p. 175).
* John Wesley also provided sound advice in this spirit for leaders:
Deeply conscious, therefore, should every member of this society be of his own foolishness, helplessness, continually hanging with his whole soul, upon Him who alone hath wisdom and strength, with an unspeakable conviction that "the help which is done upon earth, God doeth it Himself"; and that it is He alone who "worketh in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure."
(The Works of John Wesley, Vol. 6, p. 161)
* Regarding the priesthood of all believers, Martin Luther claimed that all jobs are equally sacred, insofar as they provide occasions for us to crucify our sin and pride to serve God (Luther's Works, Vol. 35, pp. 40-41, 100-101; Ibid., Vol. 14, p. 15).
* Also consider entries in this section for First Lesson, Pentecost 2.
4. Socio-Economic, Political, Psychological, and Scientific Insights
* The cornerstone of modern management practice is a reliance on flexible teams to deal with short-term tasks (Richard Sennett, The Corrosion of Character).
5. Gimmick
* At last David was king! And a great leader he became. We can learn some lessons about leadership from him and from the way he began his term.
6. Possible Sermon Moves and/or Stories/Examples
* Tell the story of David's ascension (using first bullet point of Exegesis). And we think America and its churches are divided today. It is nothing like in the land of Israel in the last decade of the eleventh century BC, as the tribe of Judah and the other Jewish tribes were so badly divided that Judah had already chosen David to serve without the permission of the rest of the tribes (2:1-11). And then war broke about between the tribes of Israel still loyal to Saul's younger children and Judah with David as her king (2:12ff).
* Heads-up for what David does as leader to heal these wounds, which were far deeper than wounds caused by our cultural wars here in America 31 centuries later.
* The tribes of the northern part of Israel saw that the remaining heirs of Saul could in no way rule effectively. So they came to David in Hebron where he was residing (near Jerusalem), convinced that he should become their king (vv. 1-3). (Note there seem to be two different oral traditions active in 2 Samuel at this point, one claiming all the tribes came to him [v. 1] and the other stating that it was just the elders [v. 3a].)
* What David did next is significant for us and our leaders. The Bible says he entered into a covenant with the people (v. 5b)! He did not merely take charge unilaterally.
* Explain covenant in this context. See the third bullet point of Exegesis. It was a mutual agreement with each side having obligations to the other. David was for sharing power! Think, the great king of the Old Testament believed in sharing power. It was clearly a leadership style that not only worked, for our lesson teaches that God approved it, stating that the Lord was with David in all this, making him greater and greater (v. 10). This is a leadership style for us to seek, to exercise. When church leaders operate this way we say they are respecting the priesthood of all believers (1 Peter 2:9; Revelation 20:6). And if we take John Calvin's point seriously that David is a pointer in the Old Testament to what Christ would be like (see the second bullet point in Theological Insights), then we have a biblical testimony to the fact that God wants us using this model of shared leadership, getting in the trenches with the people.
* David and the idea of the priesthood of all believers embody a lesson about power taught by business ethics specialist Joseph Badaracco: "… the way to get power is by actually sharing."
* Of course, such sharing of power is the way to do business these days (at least the appearance of it) (see Socio-Economic, Political, Psychological, and Scientific Insights). But what differs in David's approach from today's rhetoric about team management style is that David and the people pledged fidelity to each other for the long haul. Keep that in mind when you take up a leadership position in the congregation or in the community.
* David did something else that was wise, commendable, and in line with his shared power commitments. He established Jerusalem as his capital (v. 8). See the next-to-last bullet point of Exegesis for the significance of this decision. David was looking for something that could keep everyone happy, was willing to subordinate his own preferences for the good of the people. That's good leadership.
* When you lead in this way, sharing power and being sensitive to your constituents, you're not too full of yourself. You get yourself out of the way. The great preacher and bishop of the first centuries John Chrysostom understood David to operate this way. Use the third bullet point in Theological Insights.
* When you don't think so much of yourself, there is more room for God in your life. Realizing your helplessness, you begin to be the sort of leader who gives the people and God all the credit, not yourself. Use the quote by John Wesley in Theological Insights.
* Unfortunately, not all of today's leaders operate David's way, the way Wesley urges we do. Martin Luther offered a critique of rulers in his day that still seems timely:
There are in our day, too, people in our communities of excellent standing, high and mighty princes who rule well… they revel in themselves, parade and prance around proudly, idolizing their own persons. Such idolatry, presumption, pride, and haughtiness negates all good qualities.
(Complete Sermons, Vol. 6, pp. 381-382)
* The nation, this community, the church does not need any more leaders with that kind of "it's all about me" attitude. Keep that in mind when you vote, and when you find yourself leading. This get-in-the trenches leadership style sees all good coming from God, by God, but sometimes through the people.
* Dwight Eisenhower knew something about leadership. He made a remark that clearly explains his own advocacy of something like this leadership style: "Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it."
* You don't share power when you try to force the neighbor to do what you want with threats. You need to operate calmly, with persuasive exercise of power. This is the advice of nineteenth-century English politician Edward Buliver-Lytton: "Power is so characteristically calm, that calmness in itself has the aspect of strength."
* There's a quiet strength, a confidence, in leaders who don't have their egos on the line but have turned things over to God to work good.
7. Wrap-Up
The church, the community, needs leaders like David, who also like the king's heir Jesus get in the trenches with the people, see the power coming below through them, not from themselves and their superior wisdom. Those are the sort of candidates we need to elect, the way we need to function. When leaders get themselves out of the way, there is more room to hear God's voice. Note again the reference to how the Lord's presence with David reportedly makes him greater and greater (v. 10). Great leadership happens when we lead in such a way that the people served have power and God gets all the credit for the good that happens. He's always there with us in the trenches!
Sermon Text and Title
"Strength in Weakness"
2 Corinthians 12:2-10
1. Theological Aim of the Sermon and Strategy
A word of hope and comfort is offered for those who feel weak and powerless, stressing that grace overcomes our inadequacies (Sin). Both Justification by Grace and Sanctification are examined.
2. Exegesis (see Introduction to Selected Books of the Bible)
* A stronger defense by Paul of his ministry. He boasts by way of making the case for his paradoxical strength in weakness.
* Paul seems to refer to his Damascus Road experience, being caught up to heaven (the highest ecstasy) (vv. 2-4).
* Paul wants to boast about these revelations but take no credit for them, boasting only about his own weaknesses (vv. 5-7a).
* Paul refers to his thorn in the flesh (what it was is not clear). He concludes that it was given to him to keep him from being too elated and to have him boast of his weaknesses so the power of Christ may dwell in him (vv. 7b-9).
* This enables Paul to be content with weaknesses, insults, and persecutions. For when he is weak, he is strong (v. 10).
3. Theological Insights (see Charts of the Major Theological Options)
* An analysis of the Christian life (Sanctification) as totally dependent on the grace of God, testifying to Justification by Grace understood as Intimate Union. The former theme seems to reflect Martin Luther's concept of brave sinning.
* About the strength in weakness taught by this passage, Martin Luther wrote:
"What do you think of my love for you?" says the Lord. "My strength cannot reign except in your weakness. You must be weak. You must suffer, sigh, groan, and be weak and wretched for your own good, in order that by enduring the fighting you may conquer… If you are not weak, My strength will have nothing to do."
(Luther's Works, Vol. 8, p. 11)
He who can give his heart that firm persuasion that he has a well-disposed and propitious God will find it easy to despise every assault of Satan and the indignation and fury of the whole world.
(Ibid., p. 73)
* In one of his sermons John Wesley made a similar point: "Accordingly, He chooses the weak to confound the mighty; the foolish to confound the wise; for this plain reason, that He may secure the glory to Himself…" (The Works of John Wesley, Vol. 5, pp. 483-484).
* Paul's comments in verse 7 suggest Luther's concept of brave sinning. About the matter Luther wrote:
Therefore see to it… that you be not a false but a real sinner; not only in words but in reality and from the heart acknowledge yourself worthy before God of His wrath and eternal punishment, and bring before Him in truth these words, "me a poor sinner"; but in the same flight lay hold of the other words: "Be Thou merciful to me…."
(Complete Sermons, Vol. 2/2, p. 367)
4. Socio-Economic, Political, Psychological, and Scientific Insights
* Forgetting our own agendas, in favor of God's bigger projects, seems to create salubrious brain dynamics. See this section for the Second Lessons, Advent 4 and Epiphany 6.
5. Gimmick
Ever been down in the dumps? Felt like you couldn't continue, on an endless treadmill? Ever felt like life was empty, like you'd messed up, like you were all alone, like the career was getting nowhere, like you had no hope? Then this sermon is for you.
6. Possible Sermon Moves and/or Stories/Examples
* Saint Paul was continuing to try to defend his ministry from critics in Corinth. Paradoxically, he does it by putting himself down. Read verses 5-6, 9-10.
* He says that he will only boast about his weaknesses, for whenever he is weak, he is strong. Then the power of Christ is in him. What does this mean? Should we get weak in order to enhance our faith?
* Let's start with the comfort of these words. When we feel those moments of weakness, those feelings of hopelessness and burnout, there is no need to feel guilty. Invite the congregation again to think about ways and times in which they have felt this way. The good news is that none of this is bad for your relationship with God. He can still use you as low as you go, in your weakness. In fact, all of us are weak. It's just that (to the detriment of our faith) some of us try to cover up the weakness we feel.
* And when we feel weak, then strength can be gleaned from the fact that God is in the trenches, has gotten into the depths with us. Paul makes that point in verse 9 when he refers to Christ being in us in our weakness. See the second quotation by Martin Luther in Theological Insights; also see the last bullet point of Theological Insights for Second Lesson, Epiphany 2.
* The quotation by Wesley in Theological Insights might be employed to affirm the value of those who feel weak and devalued.
* Paul says that in his weakness Christ is more present to him, in him (v. 9). Use the first quote by Luther and/or the one by Wesley in Theological Insights. God's glory is seen even more clearly in the midst of our weakness.
* In that sense, these Christian writers all agree with a comment made by Ralph Waldo Emerson: "Our strength grows out of weakness." In weakness, the strength and power of God shines all the brighter.
* Does this leave those of us who don't feel weak right now out of the loop, missing the boat? In fact, all of us are weak, in the sense that we are all sinners. In our lesson, Paul did not want anyone to see him as this great preacher, without flaws (vv. 5-8).
* Note Martin Luther's concept of brave sinning in the last bullet point of Theological Insights. We get closer to God, he is more real in our lives, when we confess our sin and full dependence on God.
* This God-centered way of living leads to a joyful sense of well-being. (See Socio-Economic, Political, Psychological, and Scientific Insights.) By renouncing the sin of our own agendas, focusing on the biggest of all agendas (God's), Christians like us come to experience amphetamine-like brain dope (called dopamine) that feels awfully good and pleasurable.
7. Wrap-Up
It feels so good to be wrapped up in God. Paul really was right: When we are weak, we are strong (v. 10) and filled with a lot of good brain dope. When God sinks low to be with us in our despair and depression, it sure feels good. Wish some good lows to the parishioners this week, for the forgiving, loving God of the trenches will be there with them.
Sermon Text and Title
"And He Could Do No Mighty Work There! Evil Isn't God's Fault"
Mark 6:1-13
1. Theological Aim of the Sermon and Strategy
To proclaim the idea of God as band leader (Panentheism) as a way of addressing the problem of evil in the world (Providence).
2. Exegesis (see Introduction to Selected Books of the Bible)
* Jesus is rejected in His hometown, after sparking some astonishment in the synagogue by His teaching (vv. 1-2). He is demeaned for merely being a carpenter, the son of Mary and his brothers and sisters known in town (v. 3). (No reference is made to Joseph.)
* Jesus responds, claiming a prophet is without honor in his hometown (v. 4).
* Only in Mark is it reported that Jesus could do not deeds of power, except cure a few who were who were sick through the laying on of hands (v. 5). He is reportedly amazed at their unbelief (v. 6). Apparently God can be thwarted, but not entirely, by our lack of faith. He is concealed in the commonplace things of life. (Many more details are given in the Lukan account [4:16-30], and it is not as clearly stated that Jesus' power was limited by unfaith.)
* The instruction of the twelve disciples and their commissioning (vv. 7-12). Jesus urges them to shed extra belongings (including money) (vv. 8-9), presumably so they depend solely on God.
* The twelve are commissioned to take up ministries two-by-two, with authority over unclean spirits, and they succeed in curing many (vv. 7, 13). They are to preach repentance (v. 12).
* Instructions are also given regarding the hospitality they should expect and the pointed disapproval they are to show (shaking dust off their feet) to those who reject them (vv. 10-11).
3. Theological Insights (see Charts of the Major Theological Options)
* The doctrine of Providence is at the forefront of this text, and a kind of Panentheism is implied. For this concept, see Alfred North Whitehead, Process and Reality, esp. pp. 36-37, 39. A mandate to evangelism and total dependence on God is also taught (vv. 7-12).
* Martin Luther when commenting on this text notes that "when Christ made His public appearance and began to preach, He presented an unimposing and lowly figure" (Luther's Works, Vol. 22, p. 47).
* Augustine construed a picture of God's relation with the world that would allow us to understand how it is that not all that happens is God's doing. In his thinking God is like a vast ocean into which the universe (like a sponge) has been cast. The sponge is saturated by the water but is not identical with the water (Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First Series, Vol. 1, pp. 104-105, 74).
* Another more modern model allowing for evil to transpire in the world without it being God's will has been suggested by the English theologian Arthur Peacocke. He would regard God's relation to the cosmos as that of a band leader or composer to a band (reported in Larry Witham, Where Darwin Meets the Bible, pp. 48, 288).
* In the same spirit, while commenting on this text John Calvin still tried to explain how God gets the upper hand on evil, just as Jesus did (v. 5). He wrote:
… for certainly unbelievers, as far as lies in their power, bound up the hands of God by their obstinacy; not that God is overcome, as if He were an inferior, but because they do not permit Him to display His power. What an amazing contest, that while we are endeavoring by every possible method to hinder the grace of God from coming to us, it rises victorious, and displays its efficacy in spite of all our exertions!
(Calvin's Commentaries, Vol. XVI, p. 216)
4. Socio-Economic, Political, Psychological, and Scientific Insights
* According to a 2006 Time poll, nearly 1 in 3 Americans (the largest group of believers in the nation to agree about what God is like) believe in a God who punishes creation by inflicting evil, a God who is sovereign and in control. See my discussion of America's Puritan paradigm in When Did Jesus Become Republican?, pp. 11-19, which indicates why it is unlikely that little has changed regarding these attitudes in the last five years.
5. Gimmick
Describe the long journey Jesus and the disciples had made, from Gerasa on the east shore of the Sea of Galilee around the other side of the lake (with at least one miracle reported in last week's gospel [5:21-43] along the way) to Jesus' hometown Capernaum (according to Mark). Arriving on the Sabbath after the long trip, the disciples and Jesus head toward the synagogue for worship. Continue telling the story in verses 1-3, noting that it was common in the first century in Judaism for certain laypersons learned in scripture to be called on to give instruction during worship. The crowd seemed struck by Jesus' teaching, but ultimately demeans Him for being the local boy He was. As a result, Mark reports, Jesus was unable to do any deeds of power there (save a few healings) (v. 5).
6. Possible Sermon Moves and/or Stories/Examples
* Jesus was prevented from doing deeds of power by the unfaith of his "home boys"! This may be a shock to many of us, since Americans have this picture of Jesus and God (from the pilgrims and Greek philosophy) as somebody who can get whatever He wants when He wants it.
* These reflections lead us back to the age-old question of whether we can blame God for all the evil and suffering in the world. There are biblical texts that like this one that suggest God is not directly responsible for evil, portraying Him as to some extent frustrated by evil and sin, stopping Him from what he really wants to do.
* This is the gospel message today. But also consider 1 Samuel 15:11, 35 (God regretting He made Saul king) and Ezekiel 2:1-5 (where God only hopes, but is not certain that the people would respond to the prophet's word). (Also see Genesis 6:6.)
* Jesus' inabilities to do mighty works in His hometown today make this point, challenging our American way of thinking about God.
* Ask the congregation what to make of the idea that unfaith and sin can stop God from getting what He wants (at least in the short run). Is this picture of God not a real comfort?
* This way of thinking need not compromise God's majesty. Note Augustine's image in the third bullet point in Theological Insights. God as an infinite ocean and the cosmos as a small sponge hurled into it accounts for God being impacted by our evil (just like the ocean is polluted somewhat if the sponge has some oil in it), yet at the same time recognizes that the polluting sponge can't undo the ocean's (can't undo God's) overall agenda of saturating and cleansing that sponge.
* In the same way, our sin and evil may impact God for a time, but in the end they do not have a chance. They will be flooded with God's essence and His love. That is the meaning of Easter.
* Cite the quotations by Calvin in Theological Insights. He reminds us that though unbelievers may disrupt God's aims, sin and evil cannot hinder God's grace in the long run.
* Also consider the fourth bullet point of Theological Insights, the band leader image. In the same spirit contemporary American humorist/author Garrison Keillor helps explain along these lines where evil comes from: "God writes a lot of comedy -- the trouble is He's stuck with so many bad actors who don't know how to play funny." Evil is caused by the poor musicians or the bad actors in the comedy written by God.
* Tell the congregation how the next time they encounter evil, they can say with confidence it is not God's will. And if they wonder why evil is still around, just remember that sometimes the sponge in the ocean pollutes the ocean, the band leader or comedy writer gets some bad performers.
7. Wrap-Up
Yes, there is suffering in the world. But that says nothing about how God feels toward us. And though He may not control everything that happens, in the end His love will prevail. No, evil and suffering in the world are not signs of a lack of love by God. In the long run His love will be to our good. How wonderful to have that certainty about God's love -- a God who in the man Jesus is in the trenches with us right now, fighting all the evil with us!
