What restless hearts need
Commentary
David thinks that he has covered his tracks. Uriah, after attempts fail to get him to be intimate with his wife and hide David's act of adultery, is killed in battle. Now David thinks his conscience can be clean. Now he can be the hero, taking the widow Bathsheba into his home and pretending that he is the stepfather of his own child. But David, whom God has called and blessed and guided and protected, should have known better. After everything seems to be in order we read that "the thing David had done displeased the Lord." The Hound of Heaven will not let him go: Nigh and nigh draws the chase, With unperturbed pace,Deliberate speed, majestic instancy, And past those noised FeetA Voice comes yet more fleet -- "Lo! naught contents thee, who content'st not Me."
Nathan now fills another role. He is God's messenger, and in the way he makes his case he serves as a touchstone for all prophets. He is tactful. He does not bowl David over with hell, fire, and damnation -- though that is what David will feel by the time Nathan is done. Nathan gets his attention with a well-told story. But he is forthright and candid. When it comes time to make his point he pulls no punches: "You are the man."
Nathan also makes it clear that the ultimate sin is not adultery, serious as that is. First the question: "Why have you despised the word of the Lord?" And then the unapologetic word, "You have utterly scorned the Lord." I remind you of a point I made earlier, that there is good reason why the first commandment is first. All sin, whether it be murder, adultery, stealing, coveting, or what have you, is serious in itself. But because of what God has done for us, all sin is first and always a sin against the Lord. It is a sign of a broken relationship.
Ephesians 4:1-16
Like most New Testament Letters, Ephesians is divided between the first three chapters which focus on right belief and the last three chapters which deal with right behavior. Having laid the groundwork for unity, the attention now goes to how that is to be lived out among the believers in the churches in Ephesus. Now the unity Paul has written about must be the hallmark of their lives in the believing community.
The text begins with a call for humility. This is a thoroughly revolutionary concept since there is no word in common Greek that quite expresses what Paul has in mind. Humility was not regarded as a virtue. Only those who cowered and cringed and deserved to be despised were thought of as humble. But Paul knew there could never be unity in the church unless believers were ready to see themselves as they were and then to accept others as they were. The same is true of the word translated "gentleness" in the NRSV. It means literally to be "God-molded," "God-controlled," "God-tempered." Add patience and love to these qualities and there is some hope that peace will come to the church, that Jew and Gentile will be reconciled.
In the series of "ones" -- "body, Spirit, hope, Lord, faith, baptism, God and Father" -- it is interesting to note that Paul does not suggest that these are something to work for. This is accomplished fact. There already is oneness. The task of the church is to find it and live it.
Within unity is diversity. Like the varied pieces of a picture puzzle, God has endowed each member of the church with peculiar gifts to bring about unity. The accent is on the phrase "to each." No member of the body should think that he or she is a useless appendage. Each has a part to play, and a useful part at that.
It is also necessary to recognize that some have gifts to lead and to enhance the ministry of others. When the text singles out "apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers," we are reminded that the church is not unlike other realms of life. Though all are called, some are invested with authority so that there will be good order in the church. But those who lead must never forget that they have gifts for only one purpose: "to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ."
Of all the marks of a believer, none ranks higher than to "speak the truth in love." Truth can be harsh and sterile. Even gossip is usually based in some element of truth. But that is not what Paul has in mind. The truth that binds the church together in unity is spoken in love. Most of us can take some fairly strong medicine if we sense that it is given in love. That spirit is most likely to melt our stubborn hearts and lead us to repentance.
John 6:24-35
Having been fed by Jesus, the people now want to know more about who he is and what it means to eat living bread. They ask the question that always comes first to mind when we want to please God or explore some new aspect of our relationship with God: "What must we do?" Instead, Jesus wants to talk about belief. And in the process he wants them to understand who he is. If they were to have a sign, it would no longer be faith. Jesus uses their question to open a lengthy discourse about the Bread of Life.
Jesus' burden is to help them to differentiate between the sign, the thing given, and the meaning that it represents, between the "manna" from heaven and the God who gives the gift. It is interesting that the dialogue between Jesus and the people consists of a series of misunderstandings and replies to them. We are reminded of all those times when our sermons seem to fall on deaf ears or on ears that simply "don't get it." Any pastor who has the courage to collect sermon outlines from confirmation students knows all about this. But rather than despair at their lack of understanding or rail at their misinterpretation of what he has said, Jesus sets a good example for everyone who preaches and teaches. He patiently and carefully explains what he means.
Once again, we are drawn to make a connection between the words of Jesus and the eucharistic practice of the early church. Fuller raises the appropriate question: namely, is all this a reading back into the life of Jesus by the evangelist? Or is Christ already the Bread of Heaven in the incarnation? Fuller concludes that it would be wrong to draw a sharp line between the historical coming of Jesus in the flesh and the sacramental practice of the church. "All are part of one single act of revelation and redemption, with the historical coming of Christ decisive, and the preaching of the word and partaking of the sacrament complementary as re-presentations of the once-for-all revelatory and redemptive event." (Reginald Fuller, Preaching the New Lectionary, Collegeville: The Liturgical Press, 1974, p. 410.)
Suggestions For Preaching
What does the heart need more than anything else? Will the exercise of power bring an enduring sense of fulfillment? Will the satisfaction of sexual desire bring satisfaction to the spirit? Will bread and meat and wine quiet our hunger for peace and slake our thirst for contentment? No, never. Power only brings the desire for more of it. And with it comes threats to unseat us. Sexual satisfaction lasts only for a time. The desire for more returns and with it the temptation to search for an ever more ideal partner. We eat to the limits of our appetite, only to come back to the table a few hours later. Whether it be King David, or the crowds on the Galilean hillside, or the believers at Ephesus, all have the same need -- to find their satisfaction in God. Our hearts -- every heart is restless until it rests in God. That is the message for the day.
FIRST LESSON FOCUS
By James A. Nestingen
2 Samuel 11:26--12:13a
Hidden in the reaction to David's sin against Bathsheba, there is another temptation more subtle but just as destructive, the religious one. Thankfully, Nathan didn't yield, making him an exception to a just about certain rule.
Even in sins as seemingly transparent as David's, there are complications that keep them in human dimension. Israel emerged as a nation-state in a complicated balance of powers that made conflict more than simply a hormonal reflex. The kind of personality that does well in power often has trouble recognizing sexual limits, a fact of both ancient and modern life. That David acted as he did made him culpable. That he was acted upon by various factors and forces is equally sure.
Losing sight of the human dimension, the religious sin zeros in relentlessly on personal responsibility. Any attempt to understand or appreciate is attacked immediately as a cheap out. Others' sins are invested at compound interest, to be realized whenever there is an advantage, the religious self pursuing its sense of itself with an unyielding eagerness. The goal is neither God nor the neighbor but a desired image of the self in relation to both; the means, a flint-hard zeal that confuses the refusal of perceived compromise with fidelity.
It might be said that Nathan had good reason for resisting such a temptation. Court prophets were more like parish pastors than their more independent compatriots. In effect advisors, they served as members of the court who were consulted for their wisdom and insight into the future. Nathan's living depended on his access to the king's ear; Amos got his dinner dressing sycamore trees and so could say whatever the good Lord put on his lips. Nathan had to be careful.
But there is more here than calculations. Like a good pastor, Nathan had come to love the people he served, including the monarch. Recognizing the web of consequence closing around David and Bathsheba -- her pregnancy, Uriah's death, David's exposure with the soldiers involved -- Nathan knew he couldn't back off and simply let the sin go. Neither could he take the face of the one he worked for, triumphing in David's failing. Both Nathan's position and his love demanded something different.
Nathan did what the wisest pastors learn to do from years in God's word and the lives of their people. Instead of making accusations, he backed off and let the law do its work. When Nathan was finished, so was David: he could only confess. In the hands of the Spirit and with the leading of one of the great prophets of Scripture, David had been brought to a repentance and faith as real as the hard consequence.
Nathan now fills another role. He is God's messenger, and in the way he makes his case he serves as a touchstone for all prophets. He is tactful. He does not bowl David over with hell, fire, and damnation -- though that is what David will feel by the time Nathan is done. Nathan gets his attention with a well-told story. But he is forthright and candid. When it comes time to make his point he pulls no punches: "You are the man."
Nathan also makes it clear that the ultimate sin is not adultery, serious as that is. First the question: "Why have you despised the word of the Lord?" And then the unapologetic word, "You have utterly scorned the Lord." I remind you of a point I made earlier, that there is good reason why the first commandment is first. All sin, whether it be murder, adultery, stealing, coveting, or what have you, is serious in itself. But because of what God has done for us, all sin is first and always a sin against the Lord. It is a sign of a broken relationship.
Ephesians 4:1-16
Like most New Testament Letters, Ephesians is divided between the first three chapters which focus on right belief and the last three chapters which deal with right behavior. Having laid the groundwork for unity, the attention now goes to how that is to be lived out among the believers in the churches in Ephesus. Now the unity Paul has written about must be the hallmark of their lives in the believing community.
The text begins with a call for humility. This is a thoroughly revolutionary concept since there is no word in common Greek that quite expresses what Paul has in mind. Humility was not regarded as a virtue. Only those who cowered and cringed and deserved to be despised were thought of as humble. But Paul knew there could never be unity in the church unless believers were ready to see themselves as they were and then to accept others as they were. The same is true of the word translated "gentleness" in the NRSV. It means literally to be "God-molded," "God-controlled," "God-tempered." Add patience and love to these qualities and there is some hope that peace will come to the church, that Jew and Gentile will be reconciled.
In the series of "ones" -- "body, Spirit, hope, Lord, faith, baptism, God and Father" -- it is interesting to note that Paul does not suggest that these are something to work for. This is accomplished fact. There already is oneness. The task of the church is to find it and live it.
Within unity is diversity. Like the varied pieces of a picture puzzle, God has endowed each member of the church with peculiar gifts to bring about unity. The accent is on the phrase "to each." No member of the body should think that he or she is a useless appendage. Each has a part to play, and a useful part at that.
It is also necessary to recognize that some have gifts to lead and to enhance the ministry of others. When the text singles out "apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers," we are reminded that the church is not unlike other realms of life. Though all are called, some are invested with authority so that there will be good order in the church. But those who lead must never forget that they have gifts for only one purpose: "to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ."
Of all the marks of a believer, none ranks higher than to "speak the truth in love." Truth can be harsh and sterile. Even gossip is usually based in some element of truth. But that is not what Paul has in mind. The truth that binds the church together in unity is spoken in love. Most of us can take some fairly strong medicine if we sense that it is given in love. That spirit is most likely to melt our stubborn hearts and lead us to repentance.
John 6:24-35
Having been fed by Jesus, the people now want to know more about who he is and what it means to eat living bread. They ask the question that always comes first to mind when we want to please God or explore some new aspect of our relationship with God: "What must we do?" Instead, Jesus wants to talk about belief. And in the process he wants them to understand who he is. If they were to have a sign, it would no longer be faith. Jesus uses their question to open a lengthy discourse about the Bread of Life.
Jesus' burden is to help them to differentiate between the sign, the thing given, and the meaning that it represents, between the "manna" from heaven and the God who gives the gift. It is interesting that the dialogue between Jesus and the people consists of a series of misunderstandings and replies to them. We are reminded of all those times when our sermons seem to fall on deaf ears or on ears that simply "don't get it." Any pastor who has the courage to collect sermon outlines from confirmation students knows all about this. But rather than despair at their lack of understanding or rail at their misinterpretation of what he has said, Jesus sets a good example for everyone who preaches and teaches. He patiently and carefully explains what he means.
Once again, we are drawn to make a connection between the words of Jesus and the eucharistic practice of the early church. Fuller raises the appropriate question: namely, is all this a reading back into the life of Jesus by the evangelist? Or is Christ already the Bread of Heaven in the incarnation? Fuller concludes that it would be wrong to draw a sharp line between the historical coming of Jesus in the flesh and the sacramental practice of the church. "All are part of one single act of revelation and redemption, with the historical coming of Christ decisive, and the preaching of the word and partaking of the sacrament complementary as re-presentations of the once-for-all revelatory and redemptive event." (Reginald Fuller, Preaching the New Lectionary, Collegeville: The Liturgical Press, 1974, p. 410.)
Suggestions For Preaching
What does the heart need more than anything else? Will the exercise of power bring an enduring sense of fulfillment? Will the satisfaction of sexual desire bring satisfaction to the spirit? Will bread and meat and wine quiet our hunger for peace and slake our thirst for contentment? No, never. Power only brings the desire for more of it. And with it comes threats to unseat us. Sexual satisfaction lasts only for a time. The desire for more returns and with it the temptation to search for an ever more ideal partner. We eat to the limits of our appetite, only to come back to the table a few hours later. Whether it be King David, or the crowds on the Galilean hillside, or the believers at Ephesus, all have the same need -- to find their satisfaction in God. Our hearts -- every heart is restless until it rests in God. That is the message for the day.
FIRST LESSON FOCUS
By James A. Nestingen
2 Samuel 11:26--12:13a
Hidden in the reaction to David's sin against Bathsheba, there is another temptation more subtle but just as destructive, the religious one. Thankfully, Nathan didn't yield, making him an exception to a just about certain rule.
Even in sins as seemingly transparent as David's, there are complications that keep them in human dimension. Israel emerged as a nation-state in a complicated balance of powers that made conflict more than simply a hormonal reflex. The kind of personality that does well in power often has trouble recognizing sexual limits, a fact of both ancient and modern life. That David acted as he did made him culpable. That he was acted upon by various factors and forces is equally sure.
Losing sight of the human dimension, the religious sin zeros in relentlessly on personal responsibility. Any attempt to understand or appreciate is attacked immediately as a cheap out. Others' sins are invested at compound interest, to be realized whenever there is an advantage, the religious self pursuing its sense of itself with an unyielding eagerness. The goal is neither God nor the neighbor but a desired image of the self in relation to both; the means, a flint-hard zeal that confuses the refusal of perceived compromise with fidelity.
It might be said that Nathan had good reason for resisting such a temptation. Court prophets were more like parish pastors than their more independent compatriots. In effect advisors, they served as members of the court who were consulted for their wisdom and insight into the future. Nathan's living depended on his access to the king's ear; Amos got his dinner dressing sycamore trees and so could say whatever the good Lord put on his lips. Nathan had to be careful.
But there is more here than calculations. Like a good pastor, Nathan had come to love the people he served, including the monarch. Recognizing the web of consequence closing around David and Bathsheba -- her pregnancy, Uriah's death, David's exposure with the soldiers involved -- Nathan knew he couldn't back off and simply let the sin go. Neither could he take the face of the one he worked for, triumphing in David's failing. Both Nathan's position and his love demanded something different.
Nathan did what the wisest pastors learn to do from years in God's word and the lives of their people. Instead of making accusations, he backed off and let the law do its work. When Nathan was finished, so was David: he could only confess. In the hands of the Spirit and with the leading of one of the great prophets of Scripture, David had been brought to a repentance and faith as real as the hard consequence.
