Seventh Sunday After The Epiphany
Preaching
Lectionary Preaching Workbook
Series VII, Cycle A
Object:
Seasonal Theme
The dawning on many who Jesus was and the dawning of a new light into the dark world as promised.
Theme For The Day
Living the holy life. The way we disciples ought live out our lives in the real world.
Old Testament Lesson
Leviticus 19:1-2, 9-18
The Holy Life
This passage addresses the question of how can we be holy. The answer mixes ethical and ritual commands. It says at harvest time leave some for the poor. Refrain from stealing or cheating. Be careful about swearing and pay your employees well. The list goes on with a number of tips for living the holy life all having to do with our outward behavior: keep your promises, don't make fun of the physically challenged, be fair, don't privilege the rich or the poor, don't gossip, give testimony in court, don't hold grudges, and don't take revenge.
It's an interesting list of do's and do not's which help us live the holy life and thus helps us imitate being more holy. The idea is to start acting outwardly the way we want to be inwardly. Above it all is verse 18 which says to love all people as much as you love yourself. This law of love must be expressed in deeds. Or perhaps we do the deeds and love develops.
New Testament Lesson
1 Corinthians 3:10-11, 16-23
Belonging To Christ
The almost scolding and lecturing of Paul to this divided congregation continues as he tries to persuade them that their allegiance should be to Christ and not to one or the other servant leaders of the congregations. Paul was a foundation builder. There was so much evangelization to do that he could just build the foundation and move on. That foundation was Christ. In verses 16-22, Paul argues that the people are God's temple and division tears it apart. Love departs from it and the church is fragmented. He says the root cause of the dissention in this church is the worship of intellectual worldly wisdom. He condemns this by quoting two passages from the Old Testament: Job 5:13 and Psalm 94:11. He says this worship of wisdom must criticize and is exclusive and looks down on others. In verse 18b he says we must be humble enough to learn.
The prose then takes off and Paul says they don't belong to him, he belongs to them! They belong to Christ and thus to God. This is a beautiful way to look at congregational leadership and ministry. This will preach especially to congregations who are divided over leadership personalities.
The Gospel
Matthew 5:38-48
The Christian Lifestyle
The disciples learn about revenge and love from Jesus. It will be modeled over and over for them in Jesus' public ministry. This passage really explains the Christian lifestyle or ethic to them. He begins by quoting the oldest law known as Lex Talionis from the code of Hammurabi. This very much influenced the Old Testament (Exodus 21, 23, and 25; Leviticus 24:19, 20; Deuteronomy 19:21). It's what today we would call "tit for tat." But we must remember it was first seen as a limiting law. If a person takes out your eye, you may not take out more than one of his eyes. There are more ideas of ethics in the Old Testament in such passages as Leviticus 19:18, Proverbs 25:21; Proverbs 24:29; Lamentations 3:30. There is to be found here mercy as well. What Jesus did in this passage is to move the disciples beyond limited vengeance to a new ideal of non-retaliation and non-resentment.
We have three examples of Jesus giving us a new way to live:
1. Turn the other cheek instead of hitting back (v. 39b).
2. Give them more than they ask when sued (v. 40).
3. Go an extra mile when required to do just one mile (v. 41).
Christian love is explained to the disciples. We are admonished to love our enemies and pray for them as God loves them. This is a different kind of love than we have for our family or dear friends. Agape is the word used here. It means an invincible good will. No matter how they treat us we will not permit any bitterness in our heart for them. Notice we are also to pray for them. When we do, it becomes very hard to hate a person for whom we are praying.
What a passage! Jesus tells us how to live out the disciples' lives in the real world. Go further than, love anyway, and live like God in heaven.
Preaching Possibilities
Any one of these three readings can stand on its own and provide productive and inspirational preaching.
A. If we took the Old Testament Lesson by itself, we could focus on living the holy life and the guidance of the ten traveling rules of the Jews. Verse 18b could be the opening and closing of the sermon as we look at what it means in that culture, and now in our culture, to love others as much as we love ourselves. The impact of a sermon like this will depend on our ability to take these old rules for the practice of the religious life and put them in contemporary times and language.
B. The New Testament Lesson in 1 Corinthians can be a focus on congregational life, what causes strife, and how to overcome it. Because we Americans often claim, "It's my life and I can do as I please," we can base our sermon on verse 23 which tells us we belong to Christ (there is where our loyalty should be placed). Christ bought us with a high price. We are his and not our own. Now let's talk about what that means as to behavior. Here might be an opportunity to speak "heart to heart" with your congregation about the joys and disappointments of being their preacher and leader almost as Paul did to then Corinthians.
C. Still from the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:38-48), we could focus on Christian (agape) love lived out as disciples of Jesus. Going the extra mile (more than reasonably expected) could be fruitful. The extra is not getting even, giving to others, and loving our enemies. It's radical stuff few Christians take seriously in their daily existence. Notice the possibilities in verses 45-48 to talk about how one lives one's life like God relating to good and bad people alike.
Possible Outline Of Sermon Moves
Let's use all three of the readings today.
1. Begin talking about the holy life and people who best represent it for you or for our children. Ask ahead or by phone what the answer would be to this question and share it with your listeners.
2. Then move to the Leviticus passage and list out what the writer says in the practice of a holy life. Leave gleanings, don't steal or lie or cheat, and so on (it's quite a list).
3. Now move to what Paul taught the Corinthian church about holy living: we are God's temple, we ought not rank wisdom as our salvation, everything belongs to God, and we belong to Christ. There is a stewardship here of being holy.
4. We can then move to what Jesus taught the disciples about holy living: don't seek revenge, go the extra mile, give people more than they ask for, treat bad people as well as good people, love the unlovely, and live like God in heaven.
5. Now talk about how Moses tried to live out this advice in Leviticus (one of his books), Paul in Corinthians (one of his congregations), and Jesus (one of his teachings). The first two were imperfect humans and tried but failed. Jesus was the incarnate light into the dark world where we live and went to the cross to work forgiveness for the likes of Moses, Paul, and you, and me.
Prayer Of The Day
Forgive us, God, for the many ways and times we just don't live the holy life as you taught us to live it. And inspire us to love one another. And what is a lot more difficult, to love the unlovely people in our daily lives. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
Possible Stories
Fred Rogers on a Mr. Rogers PBS special about the most important advice participants had received, quoted his own father: "The only thing evil cannot stand is forgiveness."
In an article in America West flight magazine about the life of famous ice skater Scott Hamilton who has won sixteen consecutive championships, including four U.S. and world titles, we read his words about being a champion: "A champion is someone who has faced their demons, slain their dragons, and come out better in the process. It has nothing to do with beating other people. It's about meeting your own expectations." Scott twice had to face dreadful cancer in his body.
From a made-for-TV movie about the life of Natalie Cole, daughter of the famous jazz musician Nat King Cole, I learned that Nat's father refused to buy him a piano. So Nat painted piano keys on a windowsill and practiced on them. This was revealed in Living for Life: the Natalie Cole Story. Practicing for our lives on the biblical advice of the commandments and teaching from the mountain will help us to live a more beautiful melody also.
Dr. James Karol prescribed sulfa each day after my surgery for prostate cancer. The sulfa was to ward off any infection before it got started. This is called prophylactic medicine. It prevents trouble before you are in trouble. How might we administer or prescribe spiritual prophylactic ministry? Prayer, regular worship, study of the scripture, and spiritual direction would be a start.
The dawning on many who Jesus was and the dawning of a new light into the dark world as promised.
Theme For The Day
Living the holy life. The way we disciples ought live out our lives in the real world.
Old Testament Lesson
Leviticus 19:1-2, 9-18
The Holy Life
This passage addresses the question of how can we be holy. The answer mixes ethical and ritual commands. It says at harvest time leave some for the poor. Refrain from stealing or cheating. Be careful about swearing and pay your employees well. The list goes on with a number of tips for living the holy life all having to do with our outward behavior: keep your promises, don't make fun of the physically challenged, be fair, don't privilege the rich or the poor, don't gossip, give testimony in court, don't hold grudges, and don't take revenge.
It's an interesting list of do's and do not's which help us live the holy life and thus helps us imitate being more holy. The idea is to start acting outwardly the way we want to be inwardly. Above it all is verse 18 which says to love all people as much as you love yourself. This law of love must be expressed in deeds. Or perhaps we do the deeds and love develops.
New Testament Lesson
1 Corinthians 3:10-11, 16-23
Belonging To Christ
The almost scolding and lecturing of Paul to this divided congregation continues as he tries to persuade them that their allegiance should be to Christ and not to one or the other servant leaders of the congregations. Paul was a foundation builder. There was so much evangelization to do that he could just build the foundation and move on. That foundation was Christ. In verses 16-22, Paul argues that the people are God's temple and division tears it apart. Love departs from it and the church is fragmented. He says the root cause of the dissention in this church is the worship of intellectual worldly wisdom. He condemns this by quoting two passages from the Old Testament: Job 5:13 and Psalm 94:11. He says this worship of wisdom must criticize and is exclusive and looks down on others. In verse 18b he says we must be humble enough to learn.
The prose then takes off and Paul says they don't belong to him, he belongs to them! They belong to Christ and thus to God. This is a beautiful way to look at congregational leadership and ministry. This will preach especially to congregations who are divided over leadership personalities.
The Gospel
Matthew 5:38-48
The Christian Lifestyle
The disciples learn about revenge and love from Jesus. It will be modeled over and over for them in Jesus' public ministry. This passage really explains the Christian lifestyle or ethic to them. He begins by quoting the oldest law known as Lex Talionis from the code of Hammurabi. This very much influenced the Old Testament (Exodus 21, 23, and 25; Leviticus 24:19, 20; Deuteronomy 19:21). It's what today we would call "tit for tat." But we must remember it was first seen as a limiting law. If a person takes out your eye, you may not take out more than one of his eyes. There are more ideas of ethics in the Old Testament in such passages as Leviticus 19:18, Proverbs 25:21; Proverbs 24:29; Lamentations 3:30. There is to be found here mercy as well. What Jesus did in this passage is to move the disciples beyond limited vengeance to a new ideal of non-retaliation and non-resentment.
We have three examples of Jesus giving us a new way to live:
1. Turn the other cheek instead of hitting back (v. 39b).
2. Give them more than they ask when sued (v. 40).
3. Go an extra mile when required to do just one mile (v. 41).
Christian love is explained to the disciples. We are admonished to love our enemies and pray for them as God loves them. This is a different kind of love than we have for our family or dear friends. Agape is the word used here. It means an invincible good will. No matter how they treat us we will not permit any bitterness in our heart for them. Notice we are also to pray for them. When we do, it becomes very hard to hate a person for whom we are praying.
What a passage! Jesus tells us how to live out the disciples' lives in the real world. Go further than, love anyway, and live like God in heaven.
Preaching Possibilities
Any one of these three readings can stand on its own and provide productive and inspirational preaching.
A. If we took the Old Testament Lesson by itself, we could focus on living the holy life and the guidance of the ten traveling rules of the Jews. Verse 18b could be the opening and closing of the sermon as we look at what it means in that culture, and now in our culture, to love others as much as we love ourselves. The impact of a sermon like this will depend on our ability to take these old rules for the practice of the religious life and put them in contemporary times and language.
B. The New Testament Lesson in 1 Corinthians can be a focus on congregational life, what causes strife, and how to overcome it. Because we Americans often claim, "It's my life and I can do as I please," we can base our sermon on verse 23 which tells us we belong to Christ (there is where our loyalty should be placed). Christ bought us with a high price. We are his and not our own. Now let's talk about what that means as to behavior. Here might be an opportunity to speak "heart to heart" with your congregation about the joys and disappointments of being their preacher and leader almost as Paul did to then Corinthians.
C. Still from the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:38-48), we could focus on Christian (agape) love lived out as disciples of Jesus. Going the extra mile (more than reasonably expected) could be fruitful. The extra is not getting even, giving to others, and loving our enemies. It's radical stuff few Christians take seriously in their daily existence. Notice the possibilities in verses 45-48 to talk about how one lives one's life like God relating to good and bad people alike.
Possible Outline Of Sermon Moves
Let's use all three of the readings today.
1. Begin talking about the holy life and people who best represent it for you or for our children. Ask ahead or by phone what the answer would be to this question and share it with your listeners.
2. Then move to the Leviticus passage and list out what the writer says in the practice of a holy life. Leave gleanings, don't steal or lie or cheat, and so on (it's quite a list).
3. Now move to what Paul taught the Corinthian church about holy living: we are God's temple, we ought not rank wisdom as our salvation, everything belongs to God, and we belong to Christ. There is a stewardship here of being holy.
4. We can then move to what Jesus taught the disciples about holy living: don't seek revenge, go the extra mile, give people more than they ask for, treat bad people as well as good people, love the unlovely, and live like God in heaven.
5. Now talk about how Moses tried to live out this advice in Leviticus (one of his books), Paul in Corinthians (one of his congregations), and Jesus (one of his teachings). The first two were imperfect humans and tried but failed. Jesus was the incarnate light into the dark world where we live and went to the cross to work forgiveness for the likes of Moses, Paul, and you, and me.
Prayer Of The Day
Forgive us, God, for the many ways and times we just don't live the holy life as you taught us to live it. And inspire us to love one another. And what is a lot more difficult, to love the unlovely people in our daily lives. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
Possible Stories
Fred Rogers on a Mr. Rogers PBS special about the most important advice participants had received, quoted his own father: "The only thing evil cannot stand is forgiveness."
In an article in America West flight magazine about the life of famous ice skater Scott Hamilton who has won sixteen consecutive championships, including four U.S. and world titles, we read his words about being a champion: "A champion is someone who has faced their demons, slain their dragons, and come out better in the process. It has nothing to do with beating other people. It's about meeting your own expectations." Scott twice had to face dreadful cancer in his body.
From a made-for-TV movie about the life of Natalie Cole, daughter of the famous jazz musician Nat King Cole, I learned that Nat's father refused to buy him a piano. So Nat painted piano keys on a windowsill and practiced on them. This was revealed in Living for Life: the Natalie Cole Story. Practicing for our lives on the biblical advice of the commandments and teaching from the mountain will help us to live a more beautiful melody also.
Dr. James Karol prescribed sulfa each day after my surgery for prostate cancer. The sulfa was to ward off any infection before it got started. This is called prophylactic medicine. It prevents trouble before you are in trouble. How might we administer or prescribe spiritual prophylactic ministry? Prayer, regular worship, study of the scripture, and spiritual direction would be a start.
