Lesson 1: Acts 17:22-31 (C, E)
Paul has made his way to Athens and engaged some of Greece's educated thinkers and philosophers in debate. Wisely, Paul refers to their various deities with what must have sounded to the others like respect. Quickly, though, he informs them that there is really only one God and that God is not to be found in statues, no matter how fine and richly embossed they may be. They must forget their many "unknown gods." The true God has created this world and will ultimately judge the people of this world. That judgment will be rendered through Jesus, whom God raised from death following his execution. Paul makes this explanation at the Ar-e-op'a-gus, and it is here that the most respected thinkers among the elite are to be found. Paul carefully explains that former ignorance of God's true identity and nature is forgivable, but not anymore. Through Christ a new light has shone into a darkened world, and henceforth, everyone will be held accountable for his beliefs and actions. The time is now for each to repent and turn to the one true God.
Not everyone was convinced. But it would appear that Paul's presentation was persuasive. Some wanted to hear more. When Paul spoke of life after death, he thereby challenged the reasoning of the Stoics that man would simply be absorbed, and that of the Epicureans that it would all end eventually. They wish to hear more.
Lesson 1: Acts 8:5-8, 14-17 (RC)
We have here an interesting report of Philip's ministry in Samaria. He is credited with several acts of healing. There may be a bit of poetic imagery here as we hear of unclean spirits leaving people who were "possessed," and of many paralyzed people and otherwise lame people being cured. Because of these "signs" a great many people were convinced. One noteworthy fact is the very willingness of the apostles to share their faith with the Samaritans. A long history of animosity lay between the two peoples, primarily because the Jews had scrupulously guarded the purity of their race by rejecting any who married outside Judaism, whereas the Samaritans had long since lost that ethnic purity. This fact alone, this willingness to ignore past differences, makes this passage significant.
Lesson 2: 1 Peter 3:13-22 (C); 1 Peter 3:15-18 (RC); 1 Peter 3:8-18 (E)
When reading a passage like this it's important for people to remember the harsh fate which often awaited outspoken Christians in Peter's day. We all know the origin of the sign of the fish, how a Christian might draw such a sign in the sand, then quickly remove it, thereby informing other Christians that a brother or sister is in the group. I suspect such risks still exist among some people in Africa, or in the Middle East. For most of us, however, it is a sign of good character and social acceptability to be known as a Christian. So, in this passage in which Peter is urging faithfulness to the religious and the moral demands of the faith, there is the presumption of suffering in one of its many forms for the Christian. But for most of us, the contemporary counterpart is inconvenience. That is, if we are completely faithful to our calling, we will be truthful in all transactions, we will go out of our way to help people facing difficulty, we will overlook small offenses and forgive major injuries.
There's another element which occasionally will surface in daily life today. It may take the form of friendly debate, sometimes descending into arguments, about this church or that church, this manner of interpreting the Bible or that manner. I have a friend, a member of a study group of which we are both members, whose son is a highly opinionated Christian with non-negotiable ideas about the Bible. Lacking any formal education in biblical theology, the young man relies on literal interpretations and constantly criticizes his father for Dad's differing opinions. It threatens the family's harmony, and they are wonderful people. In a situation such as this, much can be gained by taking to heart Peter's advice: "Always be ready to make your defense ... yet do it with gentleness and reverence."
Gospel: John 14:15-21 (C, RC)
John here emphasizes the relationship between closeness to God and faithfulness to Jesus' commandments. This presents an opportunity for the preacher to clarify the age-old question of whether God rewards goodness and punishes wrongdoing. This passage, in which Jesus says that if we love him, we will keep his commandments and thus be recipients of God's ultimate gift to us: another Helper, the Holy Spirit, leaves that impression, at least by implication. However, the ever present theme throughout the New Testament which calls for repentance, then promises forgiveness, keeps us clearly aware that the Holy Spirit is working in our lives even when we are disobeying those commandments.
I myself have come to see my life as a constantly growing experience, in which almost all my learning takes place by my mistakes. I'm the classic example of the adage that children rarely learn by their parents' mistakes. While I accept full responsibility for my mistakes, I also note that God seems to have created almost all of us with the same inclination. This leads me to see the role of the "Helper" to be one of encouraging me to do better, of disturbing my conscience when I don't, and allowing me a feeling of worth and value when I do.
Gospel: John 15:1-8 (E)
The above theme is reiterated here in different words. If we love Jesus, we will obey his teachings, remain in a close relationship with him. Here he uses the analogy of a vine from which a gardener completely removes any branch which bears no fruit, and trims back those which do. Jesus warns that "you can do nothing without me." Here again, Jesus seems to say that we remain in God's love if -- if -- we obey his commandments. This is, of course, an overstatement inasmuch as we elsewhere find convincing witness to the fact that God patiently guides us into a life of obedience and does not turn from us as we fail.
SERMON SUGGESTIONS
Title: "Faith And The Only God"
Text: Acts 17:22-31
Theme: Paul has chided the Athenians for being "very religious," which may have sounded like a compliment to the hearers, but for Paul it was satire. Unknown gods abounded then as now, although today, we don't personify them with literal statues. Paul simply affirmed that there is only one God, and that worship directed to any but that one God is wasted, may even become destructive.
1. We do the same thing. We find the creation of small gods an irresistible mistake. Paul Tillich said it well in his Dynamics of Faith. Writing of our "ultimate concern with 'success' and with social standing and economic power," he wrote, "It is the god of many people in the highly competitive Western culture and it does what every ultimate concern must do; it demands unconditional surrender to its laws even if the price is the sacrifice of genuine human relations, personal conviction, and creative eros."
2. God is "not far from each one of us." That assurance is not spatial or geographical, but spiritual. We are created with an instinctive if usually submerged awareness of this need. Saint Augustine's words said it best: "Thou hast made us for thyself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in thee." Dr. Tillich used these words: "Man is driven toward faith by an awareness of the infinite to which he belongs, but which he does not own like a possession. This is in abstract terms what concretely appears as the 'restlessness of the heart' within the flux of life." Every one of us is vulnerable to the work of the Spirit who pursues us.
3. We are ultimately to be judged according to our response. Peter Marshall said it quite effectively once while preaching about Elijah's contest on Mount Carmel. The people were trying to have their cake and eat it, as it were. They wanted to persist in their worship of idols, yet they wanted to be included in the promises of the One God. Marshall concluded his sermon by adding a few words to those of Elijah. "How long will you go limping along with two different opinions?" he shouted. "If the Lord be God then follow him, but if ba'al be god, then follow him and go to hell."
Title: "Living As Jesus Taught"
Text: 1 Peter 3:13-22
Theme: In the midst of a world in which Christian values are much touted and rarely honored, the reader of Peter's words is urged to actually conform his or her life to those values. In Peter's day, a time in which Christians were a small minority with little social or political acceptance, obedience incurred physical risk as well as economic risk. Somewhat comparable circumstances have prevailed in the Germany of the thirties and early forties, during which time Christian clergy sometimes paid with their lives as did others who advocated Christian values, and they prevailed in Russia more recently, a nation in which an espoused Christian could rarely get a decent job. But in America as we enter a new millennium, to be an announced Christian is generally thought to be to one's credit. Unfortunately, though, much business is done in ways that would be impossible if the values of the faith were truly honored by all. As I write these words, I glance at my own morning newspaper and see an article discussing the fact that the former chairman of our state senate's Ways and Means Committee is under indictment for several crimes. Recently, the former leader of our state senate was convicted of taking bribes from the Indiana Railroad Association. Commenting on this growing problem in local government, Lois Mock, program manager for white collar crime at the National Institute of Justice, said perpetrators are getting smarter as envelopes stuffed with cash take a back seat to bogus business deals. "That is true about a lot of higher-level white collar crime," she says. "It's getting more sophisticated all the time."
1. We are to display our faith with gentleness and reverence, said Peter. I was impressed years ago by one minister who rightly pointed out that a Christian should also be winsome. Likable. Kind. There are people who are morally admirable, but whose nose-in-the-air goodness reminds one of Mark Twain's description of one man: "good in the worst sense of the word." Yet Jesus did say we were not to hide our lamp under a bushel. That is, we are to exemplify the values of our faith in a way that can serve as an example to other people.
2. We are to expect that a price will be exacted for our integrity. I feel sure that many of the legislators in my state senate (and in yours) are thoroughly honest men and women. They pass up opportunities to make a little extra because they consider it wrong. No one will single them out for applause or recognition. There are Christian insurance men and women who tell the exact truth in a selling situation, then sometimes lose out to one who exaggerates. We all know other specific examples.
3. God knows. The person who goes through life quietly living by the words of Jesus may not receive some earthly rewards he or she might otherwise have had. But recall what Peter said: "But even if you should suffer for doing what is right, how happy you are." An overriding theme of this Sunday's Bible passages is the assurance that God empowers and enables us in life so long as we are trying to live as Jesus taught.
Title: "On Doing What Is Right"
Text: John 14:15-21
Theme: The Bible does not teach that God rewards goodness in this life. Peter made this point when he remarked that suffering may be the consequence of living faithfully. The Bible does, however, teach that living a life in accord with Jesus' teachings does keep us in a good relationship with God. That good relationship with God in turn makes prayer effective and, although this idea can easily be exaggerated and misunderstood, God does then gently guide us in ways that are right for us.
1. If we keep the commandments, God makes a Helper available to us. Gerald Kennedy told of the bitterly cold morning when he awoke, about age ten or eleven, and faced the need to deliver his paper route. He said he dressed as warmly as he could, but was totally chilled by the time he got to the start of his route. Dawn was breaking in the east, and Kennedy was a miserable little boy. Then an old Ford automobile pulled up, its heater running at maximum. It was Gerald's father. He said, "Son, it's too cold for you to deliver your route alone. I'm going to help. Climb in." That became a powerful memory for Kennedy, who said from that experience came his understanding of the nature of God. He grew up and became the youngest bishop in the United Methodist Church.
2. If we ignore the commandments, whether by refusal to accept them, or by constant betrayal and evasion, we in effect decline the assistance of the Helping Spirit. Is there a single preacher among us who has not known that desperate moment when Sunday's sermon should now be ready and we are devoid of ideas, who has then turned the entire matter over to God and then discovered a new inflow of ideas for a sermon? Whatever one's vocational mission in life, the Helper is always there when we are genuinely trying our best to live by Jesus' commandments.
In sum, we are free to decide whether to abide by Jesus' commandments. If we choose not to, God will not overtly punish. God will simply be unable to penetrate our refusal to live as asked. We would then be on our own in life. When that's the case, the happiness and fullness of life which we seek will forever elude us.
ADDITIONAL ILLUSTRATIONS
The great Russian writer Leo Tolstoy told of the day he was so overcome with depression, he considered suicide. On this day he went off for a long walk, trying to find an answer to life, unable to attach real meaning to the things he was doing at that time. In his desperation, he went back to the house and, frankly as a last resort, began to pray. Tolstoy then wrote this: "So then, why look I further? The reason I can't help thinking of God is because God is here and the reason life takes on meaning when I think of God is because God gives life meaning. This is what I'm looking for. This is it. I will seek God and live."
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A depressed young man once went to see a psychiatrist. The young fellow complained that life was miserable, he had no sense of direction, few friends. The psychiatrist told the young man to go out and make three new friends during the following week, then come back and report. Several days later, the young man returned and reported that he had done as recommended. "Well," said the doctor, "now that you have new friends, how do you feel?" "Still terrible," said the patient. "And not only that, now I'm stuck with three new friends." Consider the unhappy outlook of so many people who haven't allowed God into their lives.
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An ancient Jewish legend tells of the time when Abraham worked in the shop of a man who made life-size religious statues. Abraham, distressed at the creation of idols, would argue with the old man, insisting that there is only one God. The old man, drawing on what he considered to be his superior wisdom, told Abraham he was wrong. Pointing to one just-completed stone figure, he said, "That god has just as much power to reward or destroy as does your one God." Then one day the old man was called away on a journey, leaving Abraham in charge. As soon as he was alone, Abraham took a sledgehammer and demolished every statue in the workshop, except for the one recently mentioned. When the old man returned, he was shocked to see all his work destroyed. He called Abraham in and began to denounce him. But Abraham interrupted, and explained. He said the one remaining god had done the destruction. The old man was stumped. If he argued that a stone idol could not have done the damage, he would thereby show agreement that an idol had no real power. If he accepted the explanation, Abraham would then have to be innocent.
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Psalm Of The Day
Psalm 66:8-20 (C) -- Speak of the glory of his praise.
Psalm 65:1-7, 16 20 (RC) -- Thanksgiving for the good earth of Palestine.
Psalm 148 (E) -- All nature sings the music of the spheres.
Prayer Of The Day
Eternal God, the idols we have made and worshipped, our yearning after success and recognition, we confess to you. Our secret jealousies, our hidden irritation at the foibles of others, we admit. Our private sense of superiority, our impatience with those who turn to us in their need, we place before you. Forgive us, we pray. Enlarge within us that love for others by which we may yet be found faithful at the end. In Christ's name, Amen.
