Third Sunday Of Advent
Preaching
Lectionary Preaching Workbook
Series VII, Cycle B
This passage, according to Luke, Jesus quoted in his hometown church in Nazareth. It points to one convinced of his call by God to bring the good news -- the prophet senses that his call is one of release and hope for his people. Here is a view of the exile -- a period of slavery -- and then the day of delivery dawns. Not vengeance but, rather, rescue and deliverance. Verse 8 is a great thing to know about God. God loves justice and hates wrongdoing. Verse 10 follows with a promise of rejoicing in such a God. The whole passage is permeated with divine and delicious hope.
New Testament Lesson
1 Thessalonians 5:16-24
Do's And Don'ts
William Barclay writes that verses 16-18 list three marks of a genuine church: 1) A happy church, 2) a praying church, and 3) a thankful church. The passage is a simple list of good advice to Christians.
1. The don'ts are:
a) don't despise the preacher's words
b) don't dampen the spirit's manifestation
2. The do's are:
a) rejoice always
b) pray without ceasing
c) give thanks in all things
d) test everything
e) hold fast to what is good
f) abstain from all evil
3. As we try to do the above God will sanctify us and we will be held blameless at Jesus' coming.
The Gospel
John 1:6-8 and 19-28
It's John The Baptist Again!
The writer of John seems to assume that the Jews knew John the Baptist. He also assumes that John was the forerunner of Jesus' public ministry. To many Jews, he was the pre-eminent prophet like Elijah or Moses. John denies all pretensions of authority. Still he is a voice from God (v. 6). He is the first witness and believer in Jesus. Verse 27 indicates John did not think of himself as even worthy of being a slave of Jesus. The point is made again, as in last Sunday's Gospel, that John always pointed to Jesus and never to himself. Jesus was the light. John witnessed to that light but was not the light (v. 8).
Because the Jews believed that Elijah was to be the forerunner of the Messiah, they asked John if he is Elijah. And then if he is a prophet. His answer to who he was is "a voice" and he quotes Isaiah 40:3.
Preaching Possibilities
This Sunday is a second opportunity to preach about John the Baptist. If you did not do so last Sunday, you could use the suggested outline of sermon moves from last week's writing. If you did, you might use the Old Testament Reading and address the social injustices in your community. It might be called Isaiah's Church. You could play with naming a congregation St. Isaiah's Methodist (or whatever) church and talk about what he would demand of a congregation named after him.
1. Where members are convinced of their call from God,
2. Where the Good News is proclaimed and celebrated,
3. Where God rescues others rather than judging and condemning them,
4. Where the injustices in the community are exposed for what they really are, and
5. Where the divine hope is evident and lifts us all up rather than beating us down.
Or we could use both the Isaiah and 1 Thessalonians passage and talk about what a "St. Isaiah and Paul Advent Church" would look like.
I'll go with 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24 for a more topical approach, which I'll call Paul's Advent.
Possible Outline Of Sermon Moves
Consider using my homiletical formula based on audience response to a sermon.
A. Build a fire -- When I write an e-mail or a letter, the last few lines are usually those things I want to say and are rather distilled words. So with Saint Paul.
B. Build a bridge -- We all are here in church and have our own ideas of what church and church people ought be like. Paul had his ideas also when he wrote to this little congregation in Thessalonica, which he had begun during his second missionary journey. He had to leave after only a few weeks because of the Jews' opposition. So he wrote them this letter of encouragement and sound advice. We'll want to take it seriously here also.
C. The point is this: we can apply Paul's advice on how to be a sanctified congregation, too.
D. The Thessalonian congregation were told two things they should not do:
1. Don't despise the preacher's words, and
2. Don't dampen the spirit's activity.
E. Read verses 19 and 20.
And they were told these things they ought to be as a congregation:
1. A happy congregation
2. A praying congregation, and
3. A thankful congregation.
F. Talk about each of these and their implications for your congregation. Read verses 16-18.
G. Example: Choose from the stories listed below.
H. So What? Now propose some new steps for the congregation to consider for improvement, such as establishing a prayer group or a social ministry committee.
I. Frame: Then return to the opening few sentences and the fact we all have different ideas about being a church. Perhaps Paul's is our best guidance. Close with the reading of verses 16-24 and then have a member of the church's governing board pray for each of the above points to be true here.
Prayer Of The Day
Help us to be a happy church, Jesus, and to pray often and rejoice often. And help us refrain from disregarding our preacher's inspired words and from dampening your spirit's influence in this, your congregation of faithful believers. In Christ's name. Amen.
Possible Metaphors And Stories
On Riverside Drive in Des Moines, there is a board suspended over the street just nine feet high. A little farther on is a railroad bridge nine feet above the road. So the board checks your clearance before you get to the bridge. The scripture and the church give us a clearance test for our Christian journey.
The Reverend James DeLange told at Sierra Pacific Synod the story of two office employees who for ten years kept turning off and on a fan in a ventilating shaft. They just couldn't agree. Then a remodeling project revealed the fan wasn't hooked up to the electricity all along. We may battle for years over things in the church and not be hooked up to the Christ as well.
Some jet engines on airlines have metal umbrellas on the back which the pilot can use like brakes. It changes the forward thrust to a reverse thrust with the same blast of air. God's ruach (or spirit wind) can be reversed to ugliness and hatefulness and dissension in a congregation as well.
For Advent and John the Baptist, see last week.
Chim Pitch, one of my seminary students from Cambodia, wrote these exact words in describing his church and ministry: "We all help the poor, giving them sleeping net so that when they can escape from biting by mosquito, they can escape from many diseases ... As we break bread and drinking wine is in remember of Christ who died for us and as we are in His body. Therefore, let us love one another because we share in this same bread and drink in the same cup of wine."
New Testament Lesson
1 Thessalonians 5:16-24
Do's And Don'ts
William Barclay writes that verses 16-18 list three marks of a genuine church: 1) A happy church, 2) a praying church, and 3) a thankful church. The passage is a simple list of good advice to Christians.
1. The don'ts are:
a) don't despise the preacher's words
b) don't dampen the spirit's manifestation
2. The do's are:
a) rejoice always
b) pray without ceasing
c) give thanks in all things
d) test everything
e) hold fast to what is good
f) abstain from all evil
3. As we try to do the above God will sanctify us and we will be held blameless at Jesus' coming.
The Gospel
John 1:6-8 and 19-28
It's John The Baptist Again!
The writer of John seems to assume that the Jews knew John the Baptist. He also assumes that John was the forerunner of Jesus' public ministry. To many Jews, he was the pre-eminent prophet like Elijah or Moses. John denies all pretensions of authority. Still he is a voice from God (v. 6). He is the first witness and believer in Jesus. Verse 27 indicates John did not think of himself as even worthy of being a slave of Jesus. The point is made again, as in last Sunday's Gospel, that John always pointed to Jesus and never to himself. Jesus was the light. John witnessed to that light but was not the light (v. 8).
Because the Jews believed that Elijah was to be the forerunner of the Messiah, they asked John if he is Elijah. And then if he is a prophet. His answer to who he was is "a voice" and he quotes Isaiah 40:3.
Preaching Possibilities
This Sunday is a second opportunity to preach about John the Baptist. If you did not do so last Sunday, you could use the suggested outline of sermon moves from last week's writing. If you did, you might use the Old Testament Reading and address the social injustices in your community. It might be called Isaiah's Church. You could play with naming a congregation St. Isaiah's Methodist (or whatever) church and talk about what he would demand of a congregation named after him.
1. Where members are convinced of their call from God,
2. Where the Good News is proclaimed and celebrated,
3. Where God rescues others rather than judging and condemning them,
4. Where the injustices in the community are exposed for what they really are, and
5. Where the divine hope is evident and lifts us all up rather than beating us down.
Or we could use both the Isaiah and 1 Thessalonians passage and talk about what a "St. Isaiah and Paul Advent Church" would look like.
I'll go with 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24 for a more topical approach, which I'll call Paul's Advent.
Possible Outline Of Sermon Moves
Consider using my homiletical formula based on audience response to a sermon.
A. Build a fire -- When I write an e-mail or a letter, the last few lines are usually those things I want to say and are rather distilled words. So with Saint Paul.
B. Build a bridge -- We all are here in church and have our own ideas of what church and church people ought be like. Paul had his ideas also when he wrote to this little congregation in Thessalonica, which he had begun during his second missionary journey. He had to leave after only a few weeks because of the Jews' opposition. So he wrote them this letter of encouragement and sound advice. We'll want to take it seriously here also.
C. The point is this: we can apply Paul's advice on how to be a sanctified congregation, too.
D. The Thessalonian congregation were told two things they should not do:
1. Don't despise the preacher's words, and
2. Don't dampen the spirit's activity.
E. Read verses 19 and 20.
And they were told these things they ought to be as a congregation:
1. A happy congregation
2. A praying congregation, and
3. A thankful congregation.
F. Talk about each of these and their implications for your congregation. Read verses 16-18.
G. Example: Choose from the stories listed below.
H. So What? Now propose some new steps for the congregation to consider for improvement, such as establishing a prayer group or a social ministry committee.
I. Frame: Then return to the opening few sentences and the fact we all have different ideas about being a church. Perhaps Paul's is our best guidance. Close with the reading of verses 16-24 and then have a member of the church's governing board pray for each of the above points to be true here.
Prayer Of The Day
Help us to be a happy church, Jesus, and to pray often and rejoice often. And help us refrain from disregarding our preacher's inspired words and from dampening your spirit's influence in this, your congregation of faithful believers. In Christ's name. Amen.
Possible Metaphors And Stories
On Riverside Drive in Des Moines, there is a board suspended over the street just nine feet high. A little farther on is a railroad bridge nine feet above the road. So the board checks your clearance before you get to the bridge. The scripture and the church give us a clearance test for our Christian journey.
The Reverend James DeLange told at Sierra Pacific Synod the story of two office employees who for ten years kept turning off and on a fan in a ventilating shaft. They just couldn't agree. Then a remodeling project revealed the fan wasn't hooked up to the electricity all along. We may battle for years over things in the church and not be hooked up to the Christ as well.
Some jet engines on airlines have metal umbrellas on the back which the pilot can use like brakes. It changes the forward thrust to a reverse thrust with the same blast of air. God's ruach (or spirit wind) can be reversed to ugliness and hatefulness and dissension in a congregation as well.
For Advent and John the Baptist, see last week.
Chim Pitch, one of my seminary students from Cambodia, wrote these exact words in describing his church and ministry: "We all help the poor, giving them sleeping net so that when they can escape from biting by mosquito, they can escape from many diseases ... As we break bread and drinking wine is in remember of Christ who died for us and as we are in His body. Therefore, let us love one another because we share in this same bread and drink in the same cup of wine."
