Kings, Commoners and Foreigners
Commentary
Today's selections could not have been better chosen for their ability to reveal something of the breadth and depth of the love of God. He cares for kings. He cares for foreigners. He hears the prayers of all.
Here is the opportunity to contrast the contentions of the universalists, those who declare him as Lord of all, and the exclusivists, those who maintain that he cares only for a chosen people. Turn to Isaiah 42, for instance, and check out verses 1-7.
Check out Psalm 103 which focuses our attention on the magnanimity of this God.
Reread Esther and listen to the shrill voices on both sides of the aisle who read each other out of God's care and concern.
Check out Jonah and be sure to focus attention on the last verses which drill home the point of the book.
Consider again Ruth and watch the writer gradually move toward the climax that comes at the end of the book.
You can find many harsh voices condemning outsiders here and there in the Psalms.
The Jewish people remembered that their rabbis taught that Gentiles were only fit for fueling the fires of hell.
Most of us imagine that these exclusivistic messages have nothing to say to us and that we are open and universalistic in our thinking and our acting. Let me ask just a few questions. Then see where you stand. What if your denomination proposes a woman, a black, or a Hispanic, as your minister? How do you feel when you see the unrest and hear of the impatience of Mexicans, Haitians, and Puerto Ricans who want free access to our shore and our jobs? What is your response when someone is attributing our national employment and profit problems to the energetic exploitation of the Japanese? How do you respond to the sharp accusations against us by those in Iran who see us as the Great Satan?
Well, you can add your own list. We may not be as unlike many in those days after all.
OUTLINE I
A Royal Thanksgiving
Psalm 21:1-7
Introduction: It is clear that this Psalm is one of the many royal Psalms. In all likelihood it was composed by some poet for some special day in the reign of some king, perhaps even a coronation. The poem is easy to divide into two parts provided you are willing to take seriously the suggestion that verses 8-12 are probably added at some later time. Then the poem can be divided as follows.
A. A list of God's blessings. Verses 1-6. Why not just go through the poem as it is and make commentary. This poem can be great for July 4th or for an inauguration Sunday or on any national occasion when the sentiments listed here are relevant. Verse 13 can be added here also, or left for part B.
B. The response of the king. Verses 7, 13. Here is the declaration of the king's trust in such a God. He attributes his strength as coming from God. Verse 13 adds a doxology, an ascription of praise that is proper to this poem no matter what form you prefer.
Conclusion: Though Israel was clearly a theocracy and thus does not exactly match the circumstances of a nation such as ours, there is adequate room and format here for the kind of exegesis which can be quite relevant in our pluralistic age. Your comments can be meaningful for those who sense the presence of God in the life of our nation.
OUTLINE II
Prophetic Power
2 Kings 5:1-15ab
Introduction: Tell the story. I never tire of recommending that and especially in such cases as this delightful wonder story from the Old Testament. These prophets were men of power and reputation. Surely such men are not to be taken lightly. You may wish to review the entire story of Elisha and even go further and include Elijah, another of those powerful figures who strides onto the stage at a time when there were as yet no kings to keep order. Options for use are as follows:
A. Tell the story and stick with a one point sermon that makes it clear that Elisha is not powerful in his own right but only as God clothes him with his power.
B. Another option is to turn to Luke's story of Jesus' coming back home to Nazareth and being asked to read and comment on the prophetic reading for the day. Jesus uses stories about both Elijah and Elisha to attach the narrowminded exclusiveness of the people in his home town. He nearly loses his life for doing it.
C. Add something. There are two delightful stories that follow. One has to do with Naaman asking for two mule-loads of soil to take home with him so that he could stand on it when he prays to the God who has befriended him. Comment on the territorial nature of the concept of God in those days. Or, you might dwell on the story of Naaman's servant who tries to profit from Naaman's good fortune.
Conclusion: Don't get lost in the story and forget the single message that is here. That message declares the love of God for all persons in all nations. It stands firmly on the side of the universalist declarations of the Old Testament and New.
OUTLINE III
A Profile of the God to Whom We Pray
Luke 11:1-13
Introduction: Take time to compare the context of how the Lord's Prayer is given to the disciples here in Luke with how it is given in the Gospel of Matthew. Note also the different form. Matthew's purpose was to furnish his church with a ritual form of the Prayer.
A. Focus on the Prayer. You may wish to preach a single sermon on the Prayer itself and let it go at that. However, I think that Luke had good reason to add verses 5-13.
B. Verses 5-13. Here we have the story of the impatient neighbor who persists in asking for bread until it is given. We also have the story of a father and how he relates to his son. In both cases one needs to listen for the lesson Jesus intends. He does not mean that we have to bang on heaven's door insistently and impatiently until we get what we want. Nor does he mean to say that father does not care for what he gives to his son. What is at issue is the nature of God and these two stories reveal him by what he does. He is not one who has to be begged and pushed to care about us. He is one who will give much more than any father on earth. The key words are "how much more."
Conclusion: Here you are offered an opportunity to comment on the nature of true prayer and the nature of the God to whom we pray. You may wish to add stories of your own to make these points and seek to make the selection more relevant to your hearers.
Here is the opportunity to contrast the contentions of the universalists, those who declare him as Lord of all, and the exclusivists, those who maintain that he cares only for a chosen people. Turn to Isaiah 42, for instance, and check out verses 1-7.
Check out Psalm 103 which focuses our attention on the magnanimity of this God.
Reread Esther and listen to the shrill voices on both sides of the aisle who read each other out of God's care and concern.
Check out Jonah and be sure to focus attention on the last verses which drill home the point of the book.
Consider again Ruth and watch the writer gradually move toward the climax that comes at the end of the book.
You can find many harsh voices condemning outsiders here and there in the Psalms.
The Jewish people remembered that their rabbis taught that Gentiles were only fit for fueling the fires of hell.
Most of us imagine that these exclusivistic messages have nothing to say to us and that we are open and universalistic in our thinking and our acting. Let me ask just a few questions. Then see where you stand. What if your denomination proposes a woman, a black, or a Hispanic, as your minister? How do you feel when you see the unrest and hear of the impatience of Mexicans, Haitians, and Puerto Ricans who want free access to our shore and our jobs? What is your response when someone is attributing our national employment and profit problems to the energetic exploitation of the Japanese? How do you respond to the sharp accusations against us by those in Iran who see us as the Great Satan?
Well, you can add your own list. We may not be as unlike many in those days after all.
OUTLINE I
A Royal Thanksgiving
Psalm 21:1-7
Introduction: It is clear that this Psalm is one of the many royal Psalms. In all likelihood it was composed by some poet for some special day in the reign of some king, perhaps even a coronation. The poem is easy to divide into two parts provided you are willing to take seriously the suggestion that verses 8-12 are probably added at some later time. Then the poem can be divided as follows.
A. A list of God's blessings. Verses 1-6. Why not just go through the poem as it is and make commentary. This poem can be great for July 4th or for an inauguration Sunday or on any national occasion when the sentiments listed here are relevant. Verse 13 can be added here also, or left for part B.
B. The response of the king. Verses 7, 13. Here is the declaration of the king's trust in such a God. He attributes his strength as coming from God. Verse 13 adds a doxology, an ascription of praise that is proper to this poem no matter what form you prefer.
Conclusion: Though Israel was clearly a theocracy and thus does not exactly match the circumstances of a nation such as ours, there is adequate room and format here for the kind of exegesis which can be quite relevant in our pluralistic age. Your comments can be meaningful for those who sense the presence of God in the life of our nation.
OUTLINE II
Prophetic Power
2 Kings 5:1-15ab
Introduction: Tell the story. I never tire of recommending that and especially in such cases as this delightful wonder story from the Old Testament. These prophets were men of power and reputation. Surely such men are not to be taken lightly. You may wish to review the entire story of Elisha and even go further and include Elijah, another of those powerful figures who strides onto the stage at a time when there were as yet no kings to keep order. Options for use are as follows:
A. Tell the story and stick with a one point sermon that makes it clear that Elisha is not powerful in his own right but only as God clothes him with his power.
B. Another option is to turn to Luke's story of Jesus' coming back home to Nazareth and being asked to read and comment on the prophetic reading for the day. Jesus uses stories about both Elijah and Elisha to attach the narrowminded exclusiveness of the people in his home town. He nearly loses his life for doing it.
C. Add something. There are two delightful stories that follow. One has to do with Naaman asking for two mule-loads of soil to take home with him so that he could stand on it when he prays to the God who has befriended him. Comment on the territorial nature of the concept of God in those days. Or, you might dwell on the story of Naaman's servant who tries to profit from Naaman's good fortune.
Conclusion: Don't get lost in the story and forget the single message that is here. That message declares the love of God for all persons in all nations. It stands firmly on the side of the universalist declarations of the Old Testament and New.
OUTLINE III
A Profile of the God to Whom We Pray
Luke 11:1-13
Introduction: Take time to compare the context of how the Lord's Prayer is given to the disciples here in Luke with how it is given in the Gospel of Matthew. Note also the different form. Matthew's purpose was to furnish his church with a ritual form of the Prayer.
A. Focus on the Prayer. You may wish to preach a single sermon on the Prayer itself and let it go at that. However, I think that Luke had good reason to add verses 5-13.
B. Verses 5-13. Here we have the story of the impatient neighbor who persists in asking for bread until it is given. We also have the story of a father and how he relates to his son. In both cases one needs to listen for the lesson Jesus intends. He does not mean that we have to bang on heaven's door insistently and impatiently until we get what we want. Nor does he mean to say that father does not care for what he gives to his son. What is at issue is the nature of God and these two stories reveal him by what he does. He is not one who has to be begged and pushed to care about us. He is one who will give much more than any father on earth. The key words are "how much more."
Conclusion: Here you are offered an opportunity to comment on the nature of true prayer and the nature of the God to whom we pray. You may wish to add stories of your own to make these points and seek to make the selection more relevant to your hearers.
