Second Sunday in Advent
Preaching
Lectionary Preaching Workbook
Series III, Cycle C
The Church Year Theological Clue
Luke, the Gospel for the Year, wants the entire story of Jesus, as he knows it, to be told, not only to Theophilus, but to the larger audience who will read his gospel. This Sunday's theological task is to retell the story of John the Baptist's ministry, so as to show John's role in the advent of Jesus in his baptism and the beginning of his ministry here on earth. John might be called the "connector," because he "connected" the prophecies of the Old Testament to the coming of Christ as the Promised One, the Messiah. He did that by preaching a "baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins," adding that soon all people "shall see the salvation of God." The Second Sunday in Advent attunes the church to realized eschatology, as far as John's basic work is concerned. But the preaching pastor will realize that Isaiah's prophecy, "and all flesh shall see the salvation of God," has not yet been accomplished; the good news must still be preached all over the earth, but it remains that it will only be with Jesus' second coming that God's salvation will be perceived by everyone in Jesus Christ. The future eschatology of the First Sunday in Advent provides the backdrop for the homiletical exercise demanded the readings for this day, particularly the Gospel for the Day.
The Prayer Of The Day
Again, it is one of the prayers for this day from The Book of Common Prayer that speaks specifically and distinctly to the theological concerns and gospel message of this Sunday. It actually expands the purview of John the Baptist as a prophet to include all of those prophets who preceded him and, through their similar preaching, participated in the preparation for the coming of Christ as Messiah. It reads: "Merciful God, who sent your messengers the prophets to preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation: Give us grace to heed their warnings and forsake our sins, that we may greet with joy the coming of Jesus Christ our Redeemer; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, One God, now and for ever. Amen."
The Psalm Of The Day
Psalm 126 (RC, E, L) - As one of the Psalms of Ascent, sung by the Jewish pilgrims as they went up to Jerusalem for Passover, this, too, is an exercise in realized eschatology, but only from the Hebrew point of view. Neither the Exodus from Egypt nor the return from the Exile in Babylon is mentioned specifically, but either or both could have been in the mind of the Psalmist when the psalm was written. It speaks of the uniqueness of the Jewish faith; that other nations will perceive that "the Lord has done great things for them," and the response of the faithful, "The Lord has done great things for us, and we are glad indeed." That could be where the Christians come in, rejoicing and thanking God for the prophets of old and, specifically, for the part that John the Baptist played out in the drama of Jesus' incarnation and ministry here on the earth.
Psalm prayer (126) - "Lord Jesus, our life and our resurrection, the tears you sowed in the sorrow of your Passion brought the earth to flower on Easter morning. Renew the wonders of your power in the church, so that, after the sorrow of our exile, we may come home to you in gladness and praise you now and forever."
The Readings
Baruch 5:1-9 (RC, E) - This selection from the Apocrypha, which is not accepted as a canon by the Protestants because it is not an integral part of the Hebrew Bible and is classified as non-canonical, was written by Jeremiah's assistant/secretary, Baruch, purportedly in conjunction with the Babylonian exile. The book is drawn upon twice in the Roman Catholic selections for the Christian year (the other occasion is in the sixth reading of the Easter Vigil). Scholarly opinion has it composed much later than the exile, possibly in conjunction with the diaspora, but it was chosen as the first reading for the Second Sunday in Advent for its announcement of the Advent theme, the coming of salvation through John the Baptist and in the life and death of Jesus Christ. Baruch orders the Jews: "Arise, Jerusalem, stand on the heights and turn your eyes to the east" (from which salvation, symbolically, comes to all people). That there are exegetical and hermeneutical problems in attempting to preach on this text is self-evident, but it does function quite well as an Advent lection.
Malachi 3:1-4 (L, C) - While the Roman Catholic and the Episcopal lectionaries agree on the choice of the first reading and the Gospel for the Day, differing only on the verses selected for the second lection, the Common and Lutheran lectionaries agree totally on all three readings; chapters and verses are exactly the same. Prepared for another era and a completely different situation, this particular part of Malachi is most appropriate for the advent of John the Baptist: "Behold, I send my messenger to prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts." Malachi goes on to declare that "he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, till they present right offerings to the Lord." The people who selected this text must have wanted the messenger/repentance motif to dominate, and one wonders why they omitted at least the first part of verse 5: "Then I will draw near to you for judgment ..." and he proceeds to talk about those who will belong to the Lord and will be listed in a "book of remembrance." Malachi calls for distinguishing between "the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve God."
Philippians 1:1-11 (E); 1:3-11 (L, C); 1:4-6, 8-11 (RC) - Some scholars have suggested that Paul wrote three letters to the church at Philippi while he was in prison, possibly in Ephesus; this was the occasion for writing to the Philippians, giving thanks to God for their participation in the proclamation of the gospel and to inform them about the recovery of their envoy to Paul, Epaphroditus, from a serious, even life-threatening, illness (2:27). It is obvious that he considers this congregation to be growing toward maturity in the faith, but he is eager that they should be completely mature, believing and holding on to the hope that Jesus Christ will soon return, as he promised, and complete the work that he began before his death and resurrection. Once again, the text speaks directly to contemporary congregations, pointing out what Christian maturity really is: Namely, according to Paul, expectant faith in the second coming of the Lord to the earth.
Luke 3:1-6 (RC, E, L, C) - As in the case of Jesus, Luke moves from the story of John the Baptist's birth and announced destiny as the one who will "prepare the way of the Lord," to the 30-, or 31-year-old man, who comes out of the desert and begins to preach and actually prepare the way for Jesus' advent (Luke does have one incident between Jesus' birth stories and the beginning of his ministry, of course - the incident in the temple, when he was 12 years old). In both cases, most of what happened between infancy and the beginning of the third decade of their lives has been lost. How did John happen to be out in the desert? Was he a member, as some suggest, of the Essene community? We will probably never know anything definite about those missing 30 years, but the important thing is that John began to fulfill the prophecies connected to him; he came out of the desert preaching that the kingdom was near, calling people to a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, and thereby preparing the way for the Lord, Jesus Christ. Luke actually believed that John the Baptist was the messenger of whom Isaiah spoke (40:3-5) and sees him as the last of the Old Testament prophets. The new era comes with the advent of Jesus Christ; John really prepares the ground for the salvation which Jesus brings in him and his cross. Luke sees John the Baptist as one who really believes that in Jesus "all flesh shall see the salvation of God."
Sermon Suggestions, Synopses, Sketches, Stories
Luke 3:1-6 (RC, E, L, C) - "John Came Preaching and Baptizing." - One of the first books I read in the field of preaching was titled Jesus Came Preaching; it was written by a famous Scottish preacher, James Black. The title has always stuck with me, although I must admit that I don't remember much about the contents and the book has long since disappeared from my library. In the case of John the Baptist, two things stand out, John came preaching, and he baptized the people who responded to his proclamation of the good news. The law and the gospel both find places in the preaching/baptizing ministry of John. But that's not the whole story of John the Baptist.
1. Luke begins his version of the gospel with the story of John the Baptist, a story of mystery and miracle. He tells how Zechariah, a priest who ministered in his turn in the temple, received a visit from God through the angel Gabriel. Zechariah was told that God had answered his prayers that he and his wife, Elizabeth, would have a son - a very special son, filled with the Holy Spirit at his birth, and destined to be a mighty prophet like Elijah. His role would be to "make ready for the Lord a people prepared."
When Zechariah protested that he and Elizabeth were too old to conceive and bear a child, Zechariah was silenced by Gabriel and told that he would not be able to speak until the child was born. And that's how it was when he came out of the temple; Luke says that the people perceived that Zechariah had seen a vision in the temple, a vision that had been so powerful that it had left him speechless. And he didn't speak for the whole nine months, not even when Mary visited them and was greeted by Elizabeth with that wonderful song, "The Magnificat," about her role as mother of the Lord.
How did Elizabeth know the details of what happened? How did she know that God was responsible for this remarkable, near-miraculous conception? How did she know about Mary, that Mary would give birth to a son, and that her son would prepare the way for this one? Gabriel didn't tell her; according to Luke the Holy Spirit was responsible for what she comprehended about Mary and the birth of Jesus. Oh, we know how Mary knew about Elizabeth; Gabriel told her when he visited her and revealed her role in the plan of God for the redemption of the world. But there's always something of a mystery connected to the miracle of John's birth, and that mystery will never be resolved. Luke simply gives us John the Baptist, who was to precede Jesus by preaching and baptizing the believers. (I might begin this part of the sermon with the Malachi 3:1 verse.)
2. The mystery surrounding John deepens when he suddenly emerges from a life in the wilderness and begins to preach powerfully in his role as a prophet. Time spent in the desert would not necessarily prepare him for his ministry as a prophet. The lay-philosopher, Eric Hoffer, wrote about his "wilderness-back to nature" of experiences: "All through adult life I had a feeling of revulsion when told how nature aids and guides us, how like a stern mother she nudges and pushes man to fulfill her wise designs." He reacts to his experiences this way: As a migratory worker from the age of 18 I knew nature as ill-disposed and inhospitable. Direct contact with nature almost always meant scratches, bites, torn clothes, and grime that ate its way into every pore of my body. (The Temper Of Our Time, Harper and Row, p. 79f.) Hoffer ultimately found a reason to become a philosopher by living in the sort of wilderness he encountered in nature. What of John the Baptist? Undoubtedly, his parents had told him the story of his birth and the story about Mary and Jesus and this had sent him apart from other people, not to fight nature, but to ponder what it was that he was to do in life. For Hoffer, his contacts with nature engaged him in a battle with the forces that have always threatened human beings, but for John, his "nature" experiences thrust him into an engagement with himself, to work out his destiny and to discover the message that he would preach.
3. This much we know: John came out of the wilderness preaching powerfully; he was positive about his prophetic mission and clear about his message that called people to repent because they were sinners and be baptized for the forgiveness of their sins. (Again, Malachi 3:3-4 describes John's ministry.) And, when he began his ministry, he knew that his task was the beginning of the proclamation of good news that had to be preached to the ends of the earth, that "all flesh shall see the salvation of God."
4. That's how the miracle tries to unravel the mystery in the birth and destiny of John. Those who heard him preach were moved to repentance, that's more of the story, for as Malachi asked, "But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears?"
Baruch 5:1-9 (RC, E) - "Salvation - East To West."
1. Salvation, for a nation or for all people, always comes from the east - that is, from God.
2. It is God's intention to show his salvation to the entire world, not simply to reveal to all people how he took care of his people by bringing them back from their exile.
3. He displays his love for all people in his promise of a Messiah, his Son, who will bring salvation to all the world.
4. Rejoice and be glad! Look to the east! Salvation for all people has come in Jesus Christ.
Malachi 3:1-4 - I would not preach a sermon on this text; rather, as suggested above, I would combine it with the Gospel for the Day from Luke 3.
Philippians 1:1-11 (E); 1:3-11 (L, C); 1:4-6, 8-11 (RC) - "Partnership In The Gospel Of Jesus."
1. Every congregation and every person who believes that Jesus Christ is Lord and savior are called to be partners with Paul in the ministry of the Gospel in the world.
2. That's why it is important for Christians to be mature in their faith which, for Paul, means believing in the "unbelievable" parts of the gospel, the resurrection and final return of Christ in power and glory.
3. Therefore, we join in Paul's prayer for the Christian growth and maturity for the people of the Philippian church and enlarge it to include all congregations and all people who be-lieve that Jesus is the Lord.
4. God made us partners in the work of the gospel of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Luke, the Gospel for the Year, wants the entire story of Jesus, as he knows it, to be told, not only to Theophilus, but to the larger audience who will read his gospel. This Sunday's theological task is to retell the story of John the Baptist's ministry, so as to show John's role in the advent of Jesus in his baptism and the beginning of his ministry here on earth. John might be called the "connector," because he "connected" the prophecies of the Old Testament to the coming of Christ as the Promised One, the Messiah. He did that by preaching a "baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins," adding that soon all people "shall see the salvation of God." The Second Sunday in Advent attunes the church to realized eschatology, as far as John's basic work is concerned. But the preaching pastor will realize that Isaiah's prophecy, "and all flesh shall see the salvation of God," has not yet been accomplished; the good news must still be preached all over the earth, but it remains that it will only be with Jesus' second coming that God's salvation will be perceived by everyone in Jesus Christ. The future eschatology of the First Sunday in Advent provides the backdrop for the homiletical exercise demanded the readings for this day, particularly the Gospel for the Day.
The Prayer Of The Day
Again, it is one of the prayers for this day from The Book of Common Prayer that speaks specifically and distinctly to the theological concerns and gospel message of this Sunday. It actually expands the purview of John the Baptist as a prophet to include all of those prophets who preceded him and, through their similar preaching, participated in the preparation for the coming of Christ as Messiah. It reads: "Merciful God, who sent your messengers the prophets to preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation: Give us grace to heed their warnings and forsake our sins, that we may greet with joy the coming of Jesus Christ our Redeemer; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, One God, now and for ever. Amen."
The Psalm Of The Day
Psalm 126 (RC, E, L) - As one of the Psalms of Ascent, sung by the Jewish pilgrims as they went up to Jerusalem for Passover, this, too, is an exercise in realized eschatology, but only from the Hebrew point of view. Neither the Exodus from Egypt nor the return from the Exile in Babylon is mentioned specifically, but either or both could have been in the mind of the Psalmist when the psalm was written. It speaks of the uniqueness of the Jewish faith; that other nations will perceive that "the Lord has done great things for them," and the response of the faithful, "The Lord has done great things for us, and we are glad indeed." That could be where the Christians come in, rejoicing and thanking God for the prophets of old and, specifically, for the part that John the Baptist played out in the drama of Jesus' incarnation and ministry here on the earth.
Psalm prayer (126) - "Lord Jesus, our life and our resurrection, the tears you sowed in the sorrow of your Passion brought the earth to flower on Easter morning. Renew the wonders of your power in the church, so that, after the sorrow of our exile, we may come home to you in gladness and praise you now and forever."
The Readings
Baruch 5:1-9 (RC, E) - This selection from the Apocrypha, which is not accepted as a canon by the Protestants because it is not an integral part of the Hebrew Bible and is classified as non-canonical, was written by Jeremiah's assistant/secretary, Baruch, purportedly in conjunction with the Babylonian exile. The book is drawn upon twice in the Roman Catholic selections for the Christian year (the other occasion is in the sixth reading of the Easter Vigil). Scholarly opinion has it composed much later than the exile, possibly in conjunction with the diaspora, but it was chosen as the first reading for the Second Sunday in Advent for its announcement of the Advent theme, the coming of salvation through John the Baptist and in the life and death of Jesus Christ. Baruch orders the Jews: "Arise, Jerusalem, stand on the heights and turn your eyes to the east" (from which salvation, symbolically, comes to all people). That there are exegetical and hermeneutical problems in attempting to preach on this text is self-evident, but it does function quite well as an Advent lection.
Malachi 3:1-4 (L, C) - While the Roman Catholic and the Episcopal lectionaries agree on the choice of the first reading and the Gospel for the Day, differing only on the verses selected for the second lection, the Common and Lutheran lectionaries agree totally on all three readings; chapters and verses are exactly the same. Prepared for another era and a completely different situation, this particular part of Malachi is most appropriate for the advent of John the Baptist: "Behold, I send my messenger to prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts." Malachi goes on to declare that "he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, till they present right offerings to the Lord." The people who selected this text must have wanted the messenger/repentance motif to dominate, and one wonders why they omitted at least the first part of verse 5: "Then I will draw near to you for judgment ..." and he proceeds to talk about those who will belong to the Lord and will be listed in a "book of remembrance." Malachi calls for distinguishing between "the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve God."
Philippians 1:1-11 (E); 1:3-11 (L, C); 1:4-6, 8-11 (RC) - Some scholars have suggested that Paul wrote three letters to the church at Philippi while he was in prison, possibly in Ephesus; this was the occasion for writing to the Philippians, giving thanks to God for their participation in the proclamation of the gospel and to inform them about the recovery of their envoy to Paul, Epaphroditus, from a serious, even life-threatening, illness (2:27). It is obvious that he considers this congregation to be growing toward maturity in the faith, but he is eager that they should be completely mature, believing and holding on to the hope that Jesus Christ will soon return, as he promised, and complete the work that he began before his death and resurrection. Once again, the text speaks directly to contemporary congregations, pointing out what Christian maturity really is: Namely, according to Paul, expectant faith in the second coming of the Lord to the earth.
Luke 3:1-6 (RC, E, L, C) - As in the case of Jesus, Luke moves from the story of John the Baptist's birth and announced destiny as the one who will "prepare the way of the Lord," to the 30-, or 31-year-old man, who comes out of the desert and begins to preach and actually prepare the way for Jesus' advent (Luke does have one incident between Jesus' birth stories and the beginning of his ministry, of course - the incident in the temple, when he was 12 years old). In both cases, most of what happened between infancy and the beginning of the third decade of their lives has been lost. How did John happen to be out in the desert? Was he a member, as some suggest, of the Essene community? We will probably never know anything definite about those missing 30 years, but the important thing is that John began to fulfill the prophecies connected to him; he came out of the desert preaching that the kingdom was near, calling people to a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, and thereby preparing the way for the Lord, Jesus Christ. Luke actually believed that John the Baptist was the messenger of whom Isaiah spoke (40:3-5) and sees him as the last of the Old Testament prophets. The new era comes with the advent of Jesus Christ; John really prepares the ground for the salvation which Jesus brings in him and his cross. Luke sees John the Baptist as one who really believes that in Jesus "all flesh shall see the salvation of God."
Sermon Suggestions, Synopses, Sketches, Stories
Luke 3:1-6 (RC, E, L, C) - "John Came Preaching and Baptizing." - One of the first books I read in the field of preaching was titled Jesus Came Preaching; it was written by a famous Scottish preacher, James Black. The title has always stuck with me, although I must admit that I don't remember much about the contents and the book has long since disappeared from my library. In the case of John the Baptist, two things stand out, John came preaching, and he baptized the people who responded to his proclamation of the good news. The law and the gospel both find places in the preaching/baptizing ministry of John. But that's not the whole story of John the Baptist.
1. Luke begins his version of the gospel with the story of John the Baptist, a story of mystery and miracle. He tells how Zechariah, a priest who ministered in his turn in the temple, received a visit from God through the angel Gabriel. Zechariah was told that God had answered his prayers that he and his wife, Elizabeth, would have a son - a very special son, filled with the Holy Spirit at his birth, and destined to be a mighty prophet like Elijah. His role would be to "make ready for the Lord a people prepared."
When Zechariah protested that he and Elizabeth were too old to conceive and bear a child, Zechariah was silenced by Gabriel and told that he would not be able to speak until the child was born. And that's how it was when he came out of the temple; Luke says that the people perceived that Zechariah had seen a vision in the temple, a vision that had been so powerful that it had left him speechless. And he didn't speak for the whole nine months, not even when Mary visited them and was greeted by Elizabeth with that wonderful song, "The Magnificat," about her role as mother of the Lord.
How did Elizabeth know the details of what happened? How did she know that God was responsible for this remarkable, near-miraculous conception? How did she know about Mary, that Mary would give birth to a son, and that her son would prepare the way for this one? Gabriel didn't tell her; according to Luke the Holy Spirit was responsible for what she comprehended about Mary and the birth of Jesus. Oh, we know how Mary knew about Elizabeth; Gabriel told her when he visited her and revealed her role in the plan of God for the redemption of the world. But there's always something of a mystery connected to the miracle of John's birth, and that mystery will never be resolved. Luke simply gives us John the Baptist, who was to precede Jesus by preaching and baptizing the believers. (I might begin this part of the sermon with the Malachi 3:1 verse.)
2. The mystery surrounding John deepens when he suddenly emerges from a life in the wilderness and begins to preach powerfully in his role as a prophet. Time spent in the desert would not necessarily prepare him for his ministry as a prophet. The lay-philosopher, Eric Hoffer, wrote about his "wilderness-back to nature" of experiences: "All through adult life I had a feeling of revulsion when told how nature aids and guides us, how like a stern mother she nudges and pushes man to fulfill her wise designs." He reacts to his experiences this way: As a migratory worker from the age of 18 I knew nature as ill-disposed and inhospitable. Direct contact with nature almost always meant scratches, bites, torn clothes, and grime that ate its way into every pore of my body. (The Temper Of Our Time, Harper and Row, p. 79f.) Hoffer ultimately found a reason to become a philosopher by living in the sort of wilderness he encountered in nature. What of John the Baptist? Undoubtedly, his parents had told him the story of his birth and the story about Mary and Jesus and this had sent him apart from other people, not to fight nature, but to ponder what it was that he was to do in life. For Hoffer, his contacts with nature engaged him in a battle with the forces that have always threatened human beings, but for John, his "nature" experiences thrust him into an engagement with himself, to work out his destiny and to discover the message that he would preach.
3. This much we know: John came out of the wilderness preaching powerfully; he was positive about his prophetic mission and clear about his message that called people to repent because they were sinners and be baptized for the forgiveness of their sins. (Again, Malachi 3:3-4 describes John's ministry.) And, when he began his ministry, he knew that his task was the beginning of the proclamation of good news that had to be preached to the ends of the earth, that "all flesh shall see the salvation of God."
4. That's how the miracle tries to unravel the mystery in the birth and destiny of John. Those who heard him preach were moved to repentance, that's more of the story, for as Malachi asked, "But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears?"
Baruch 5:1-9 (RC, E) - "Salvation - East To West."
1. Salvation, for a nation or for all people, always comes from the east - that is, from God.
2. It is God's intention to show his salvation to the entire world, not simply to reveal to all people how he took care of his people by bringing them back from their exile.
3. He displays his love for all people in his promise of a Messiah, his Son, who will bring salvation to all the world.
4. Rejoice and be glad! Look to the east! Salvation for all people has come in Jesus Christ.
Malachi 3:1-4 - I would not preach a sermon on this text; rather, as suggested above, I would combine it with the Gospel for the Day from Luke 3.
Philippians 1:1-11 (E); 1:3-11 (L, C); 1:4-6, 8-11 (RC) - "Partnership In The Gospel Of Jesus."
1. Every congregation and every person who believes that Jesus Christ is Lord and savior are called to be partners with Paul in the ministry of the Gospel in the world.
2. That's why it is important for Christians to be mature in their faith which, for Paul, means believing in the "unbelievable" parts of the gospel, the resurrection and final return of Christ in power and glory.
3. Therefore, we join in Paul's prayer for the Christian growth and maturity for the people of the Philippian church and enlarge it to include all congregations and all people who be-lieve that Jesus is the Lord.
4. God made us partners in the work of the gospel of Jesus Christ our Lord.
