Advent 4
Preaching
Preaching Luke's Gospel
A Narrative Approach
The narrative possibilities of today's text are almost endless. We must first of all come to terms with the fact that the first Lukan story in Cycle C begins in 1:39ff. This creates instant problems. In the first place, this means that Luke's preface (vv. 1-4) „ which sets forth the purpose for the entire Gospel and for the Book of Acts which follows „ is omitted from the lectionary cycle. Somewhere in the Luke year it is important that we deal with this preface. It might best be considered on Advent 1 when the Luke year begins.
The second narrative problem is that today's assigned text begins in the middle of Luke's carefully crafted story in Luke 1 that tells parallel annunciation stories of Zechariah and Mary. Luke intends that we catch the fullness of his meaning by hearing these stories together! What Luke has joined together no lectionary sys-tem should rend asunder! In fact, Luke 1 is so rich with images that in order to set forth the foundation for the entire Gospel we occasionally ought to use the first chapter of Luke for the entire season of Advent. There is more than enough material to accom-plish this and we would then have set our preaching for the Lukan year on a very solid foundation.
The assigned text itself can be dealt with both as the climax of the parallel annunciation stories which precede it and as the introduction of the themes of Luke's Gospel which follow it. Let's deal first with the parallel annunciation stories. There is not space here to permit us to set forth the many parallelisms of these stories. The story begins with one of the powerful in Israel, a priest named Zechariah. He and his wife were righteous people but they had no child; Elizabeth was barren. The barrenness of important women is a constant biblical theme. By lot it fell to Zechariah to enter the temple and burn the incense. This was the chance of a lifetime! Zechariah entered the temple in fear and trembling and was met by an angel who said to him, "Do not be afraid." Gabriel then announced that Elizabeth was to have a son and the son was to be named John. Gabriel proceeded to sing a song of great praise to the son to be born to Zechariah and Elizabeth. Among other things this son, John, would be filled with the Holy Spirit and prepare the people for the coming of the Lord. So far, so good.
But Zechariah wasn't buying! "How will I know that this is so?" he demands of the angel. Answer: "I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God and have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news" (1:19). We have a test of faith here. Zechariah has heard the word of the angel and has not believed it. He wants proof. He wants to know. Unfaith always wants to know. But the angel of God is not about knowing. The angel calls for faith and punishes Zechariah for his lack of faith. "Because you did not believe my words ... you will become mute ..." (v. 20). And it was so. Zechariah stands before us as a model of a person of unfaith.
Mary, on the other hand, stands before us as the model of faith! The contrast between Zechariah and Mary is stark. He is a priest of the highest order in Israel. Yet he does not believe. She is a common peasant woman. But she believes! She is all that Zech-ariah is not. The angel Gabriel comes to her six months after his visit with Zechariah. "Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you." Thus spoke Gabriel. And Mary was afraid. "Do not be afraid," the angel said. That's exactly what Gabriel said to Zech-ariah. "Do not be afraid." This must be the first thing you learn to say in Angel School.
A second annunciation. Mary is to have a son. He will be the Son of the Most High. He will inherit the throne of his father, David. Luke introduces here a twofold understanding of Jesus' nature. He is the Son of God (vv. 32, 35), and he is the Son of David (vv. 32-33). These themes are played out throughout Luke's Gospel. We will deal with these themes in relation to later Lukan texts.
A third theme that is important to Luke's Gospel is touched upon here for the second time. Jesus is somehow to be born by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Note the connection of John and the Holy Spirit in 1:15.) This theme of the Holy Spirit is of vital importance to Luke.
And Mary believed the words of promise. Gabriel had scolded Zechariah because he did not believe the words of promise. Zech-ariah is the model of unfaith. Mary models faith. "Here am I," she says, "the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word" (1:38). Faith has everything to do with hearing the promised word of God and trusting that word. That's a simple yet profound understanding of faith!
The important point to grasp here is that Luke tells us these two annunciation stories which in their fulness communicate the realities of faith and unbelief. Today's Gospel reading appoints only Mary's story for us to hear. To hear Mary's story, however, without hearing also Zechariah's story, is to miss a wonderful homiletical opportunity! These stories belong together.
We come now to the second great problem with the assignment of this Gospel text. You will have noticed that verses 45-55 are optional. The Magnificat is optional! Mary's song which sings the themes of Luke's Gospel is optional. This cannot be. The Magnificat simply cannot be an option. It could be said that the entire Gospel of Luke is a commentary on this song! We must somehow solve this lectionary problem. Luke 1 simply demands more attention from us than one Sunday can afford.
One of the key themes in the Magnificat is the theme of reversal. Luke 1:46-50 speaks of the reversal of the fortunes of Mary. Luke 1:51-53 speaks of the reversal of the fortunes of Israel. These reversals will bring all kinds of upheaval! The world will get turned upside down! This is a radical message in a radical Gospel. Luther thought that these verses ought to be the Magna Charta of every ruler. Mary sets forth what a model Christian ruler would be like.
Before we look at just a couple of lines from the Magnificat we need to note another important narrative connection with respect to Mary's song. The connection is to Hannah's prayer as we have it recorded in 1 Samuel 2:1-8. Please check out Hannah's prayer and note the similarities. Mary's song is clearly modeled on Hannah's prayer. Hannah's prayer sets the stage for the coming of
David. Mary's song sets the stage for the coming of Jesus. There is a narrative sermon possibility in weaving the Hannah and Mary stories together!
There are two lines from the Magnficat which so wonderfully summarize key Lukan themes. The first is, "God has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly ..." (1:52). This theme is played out in other stories in Luke's Gospel. See, for example, Luke 7:36-50; 13:22-30; 14:11-24; 16:19-31; 18:9-14 and 24. Luke 24 is, of course, the Easter story. Easter is the final demonstration of the God who lifts the lowly and puts down the powerful from their thrones!
A second theme from the Magnificat which pulses throughout Luke's Gospel is, "... God has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty" (1:53). The motif of poverty and riches dominates Luke's Gospel as no other. The following stories play out this theme: Luke 6:17-31; 12:13-24; 16:19-31; 18:18-30; 19:1-10 and Acts 2:43-47; 3:1-10; 5:1-10.
These two verses from the Magnificat, 1:52 and 53, suggest a myriad of possibilities for narrative preaching. We will comment on these other passages as we come to them in the lectionary cycle. We cannot add them to this week's possibilities for narrative preaching!
Homiletical Directions
As we have seen, there are numerous possibilities for stitching Lukan stories together with Luke 1:39-45 (46-55). Mary's story definitely belongs together with the story of Zechariah. When the Magnificat is included we have the possibility of stitching together Mary's Song and Hannah's Prayer. Or we can stitch a theme or themes from the Magnificat together with stories in Luke's Gospel which pick up one of these themes.
On this Sunday prior to Christmas we might want to give consideration to Mary as the model of advent waiting. Mary had heard, as we have heard, the promise of the coming Son. Mary's "advent" is spent in quiet expectation that God will fulfill God's Son-promise. And what a Son this will be! He will be Son of God and Son of David. Is this the One we await?
What kind of Son must this mean? The Magnificat itself gives us themes of the coming Son who will put down the mighty, lift the lowly, fill the hungry with good things and send the rich away empty. Is this the One we await? This might be an unnerving picture for our polite Christmas celebrations which have become thoroughly enculturated. This Son clearly intends to turn cultural expectations on their heads. This is a dangerous Son, indeed, for all of us in our routine preparation for a nice little Christmas!
The first choice suggested here for preaching is a narrative sermon that tells the parallel annunciation stories. Story One would tell the story of Zechariah the priest from the point of view of his lack of faith. Story Two would tell the Mary story from the point of view of her faithfulness. "Let it be with me according to your word." That's the expression of Mary's faith. Mary's faith can serve as the very definition of faith for today's faithful ones.
Having told these two stories so that they properly stand in contrast with each other, we are immediately tempted to leap to judgment. "Don't be like Zechariah!" we would like to shout out. "Be like Mary." It is always tempting to preach the Law in such fashion.
But it really doesn't work that way in these stories. In the first place, we are all quite obviously more like Zechariah than we are like Mary. In the second place, we have not as yet heeded the whole story of Zechariah. Yes, he became mute. But his inability to speak was limited in scope. Once the child was born, Zechariah got it! His tongue was set loose and he blessed God (1:64). When the bystanders wondered what this child might be (1:66), old Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and his tongue burst loose in wondrous song. We call his song the Benedictus (1:67-79). If you have a musical version of the Benedictus this is the day to sing it!
Zechariah, too, comes to faith in God's promise! His faith timetable is just a little slower than Mary's! Remind you of anyone? The proclamation for this sermon might go like this. God is the speaker. God says: "I am a God who makes promises. I am a God who keeps promises. I made a promise to Zechariah. Zechariah, like many of you, was slow to believe. But I kept my promise! I made a promise to Mary. She got it immediately and trusted the word of promise. I kept my promise to Mary, as well. In Jesus Christ, the Son to be born, I make a promise to you. Some of you will get it right away. Some of you might ponder the matter for some time. But never fear. I am a God who makes promises. I am a God who keeps promises. I will keep my Christ-promise to you." Amen.
The second narrative problem is that today's assigned text begins in the middle of Luke's carefully crafted story in Luke 1 that tells parallel annunciation stories of Zechariah and Mary. Luke intends that we catch the fullness of his meaning by hearing these stories together! What Luke has joined together no lectionary sys-tem should rend asunder! In fact, Luke 1 is so rich with images that in order to set forth the foundation for the entire Gospel we occasionally ought to use the first chapter of Luke for the entire season of Advent. There is more than enough material to accom-plish this and we would then have set our preaching for the Lukan year on a very solid foundation.
The assigned text itself can be dealt with both as the climax of the parallel annunciation stories which precede it and as the introduction of the themes of Luke's Gospel which follow it. Let's deal first with the parallel annunciation stories. There is not space here to permit us to set forth the many parallelisms of these stories. The story begins with one of the powerful in Israel, a priest named Zechariah. He and his wife were righteous people but they had no child; Elizabeth was barren. The barrenness of important women is a constant biblical theme. By lot it fell to Zechariah to enter the temple and burn the incense. This was the chance of a lifetime! Zechariah entered the temple in fear and trembling and was met by an angel who said to him, "Do not be afraid." Gabriel then announced that Elizabeth was to have a son and the son was to be named John. Gabriel proceeded to sing a song of great praise to the son to be born to Zechariah and Elizabeth. Among other things this son, John, would be filled with the Holy Spirit and prepare the people for the coming of the Lord. So far, so good.
But Zechariah wasn't buying! "How will I know that this is so?" he demands of the angel. Answer: "I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God and have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news" (1:19). We have a test of faith here. Zechariah has heard the word of the angel and has not believed it. He wants proof. He wants to know. Unfaith always wants to know. But the angel of God is not about knowing. The angel calls for faith and punishes Zechariah for his lack of faith. "Because you did not believe my words ... you will become mute ..." (v. 20). And it was so. Zechariah stands before us as a model of a person of unfaith.
Mary, on the other hand, stands before us as the model of faith! The contrast between Zechariah and Mary is stark. He is a priest of the highest order in Israel. Yet he does not believe. She is a common peasant woman. But she believes! She is all that Zech-ariah is not. The angel Gabriel comes to her six months after his visit with Zechariah. "Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you." Thus spoke Gabriel. And Mary was afraid. "Do not be afraid," the angel said. That's exactly what Gabriel said to Zech-ariah. "Do not be afraid." This must be the first thing you learn to say in Angel School.
A second annunciation. Mary is to have a son. He will be the Son of the Most High. He will inherit the throne of his father, David. Luke introduces here a twofold understanding of Jesus' nature. He is the Son of God (vv. 32, 35), and he is the Son of David (vv. 32-33). These themes are played out throughout Luke's Gospel. We will deal with these themes in relation to later Lukan texts.
A third theme that is important to Luke's Gospel is touched upon here for the second time. Jesus is somehow to be born by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Note the connection of John and the Holy Spirit in 1:15.) This theme of the Holy Spirit is of vital importance to Luke.
And Mary believed the words of promise. Gabriel had scolded Zechariah because he did not believe the words of promise. Zech-ariah is the model of unfaith. Mary models faith. "Here am I," she says, "the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word" (1:38). Faith has everything to do with hearing the promised word of God and trusting that word. That's a simple yet profound understanding of faith!
The important point to grasp here is that Luke tells us these two annunciation stories which in their fulness communicate the realities of faith and unbelief. Today's Gospel reading appoints only Mary's story for us to hear. To hear Mary's story, however, without hearing also Zechariah's story, is to miss a wonderful homiletical opportunity! These stories belong together.
We come now to the second great problem with the assignment of this Gospel text. You will have noticed that verses 45-55 are optional. The Magnificat is optional! Mary's song which sings the themes of Luke's Gospel is optional. This cannot be. The Magnificat simply cannot be an option. It could be said that the entire Gospel of Luke is a commentary on this song! We must somehow solve this lectionary problem. Luke 1 simply demands more attention from us than one Sunday can afford.
One of the key themes in the Magnificat is the theme of reversal. Luke 1:46-50 speaks of the reversal of the fortunes of Mary. Luke 1:51-53 speaks of the reversal of the fortunes of Israel. These reversals will bring all kinds of upheaval! The world will get turned upside down! This is a radical message in a radical Gospel. Luther thought that these verses ought to be the Magna Charta of every ruler. Mary sets forth what a model Christian ruler would be like.
Before we look at just a couple of lines from the Magnificat we need to note another important narrative connection with respect to Mary's song. The connection is to Hannah's prayer as we have it recorded in 1 Samuel 2:1-8. Please check out Hannah's prayer and note the similarities. Mary's song is clearly modeled on Hannah's prayer. Hannah's prayer sets the stage for the coming of
David. Mary's song sets the stage for the coming of Jesus. There is a narrative sermon possibility in weaving the Hannah and Mary stories together!
There are two lines from the Magnficat which so wonderfully summarize key Lukan themes. The first is, "God has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly ..." (1:52). This theme is played out in other stories in Luke's Gospel. See, for example, Luke 7:36-50; 13:22-30; 14:11-24; 16:19-31; 18:9-14 and 24. Luke 24 is, of course, the Easter story. Easter is the final demonstration of the God who lifts the lowly and puts down the powerful from their thrones!
A second theme from the Magnificat which pulses throughout Luke's Gospel is, "... God has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty" (1:53). The motif of poverty and riches dominates Luke's Gospel as no other. The following stories play out this theme: Luke 6:17-31; 12:13-24; 16:19-31; 18:18-30; 19:1-10 and Acts 2:43-47; 3:1-10; 5:1-10.
These two verses from the Magnificat, 1:52 and 53, suggest a myriad of possibilities for narrative preaching. We will comment on these other passages as we come to them in the lectionary cycle. We cannot add them to this week's possibilities for narrative preaching!
Homiletical Directions
As we have seen, there are numerous possibilities for stitching Lukan stories together with Luke 1:39-45 (46-55). Mary's story definitely belongs together with the story of Zechariah. When the Magnificat is included we have the possibility of stitching together Mary's Song and Hannah's Prayer. Or we can stitch a theme or themes from the Magnificat together with stories in Luke's Gospel which pick up one of these themes.
On this Sunday prior to Christmas we might want to give consideration to Mary as the model of advent waiting. Mary had heard, as we have heard, the promise of the coming Son. Mary's "advent" is spent in quiet expectation that God will fulfill God's Son-promise. And what a Son this will be! He will be Son of God and Son of David. Is this the One we await?
What kind of Son must this mean? The Magnificat itself gives us themes of the coming Son who will put down the mighty, lift the lowly, fill the hungry with good things and send the rich away empty. Is this the One we await? This might be an unnerving picture for our polite Christmas celebrations which have become thoroughly enculturated. This Son clearly intends to turn cultural expectations on their heads. This is a dangerous Son, indeed, for all of us in our routine preparation for a nice little Christmas!
The first choice suggested here for preaching is a narrative sermon that tells the parallel annunciation stories. Story One would tell the story of Zechariah the priest from the point of view of his lack of faith. Story Two would tell the Mary story from the point of view of her faithfulness. "Let it be with me according to your word." That's the expression of Mary's faith. Mary's faith can serve as the very definition of faith for today's faithful ones.
Having told these two stories so that they properly stand in contrast with each other, we are immediately tempted to leap to judgment. "Don't be like Zechariah!" we would like to shout out. "Be like Mary." It is always tempting to preach the Law in such fashion.
But it really doesn't work that way in these stories. In the first place, we are all quite obviously more like Zechariah than we are like Mary. In the second place, we have not as yet heeded the whole story of Zechariah. Yes, he became mute. But his inability to speak was limited in scope. Once the child was born, Zechariah got it! His tongue was set loose and he blessed God (1:64). When the bystanders wondered what this child might be (1:66), old Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and his tongue burst loose in wondrous song. We call his song the Benedictus (1:67-79). If you have a musical version of the Benedictus this is the day to sing it!
Zechariah, too, comes to faith in God's promise! His faith timetable is just a little slower than Mary's! Remind you of anyone? The proclamation for this sermon might go like this. God is the speaker. God says: "I am a God who makes promises. I am a God who keeps promises. I made a promise to Zechariah. Zechariah, like many of you, was slow to believe. But I kept my promise! I made a promise to Mary. She got it immediately and trusted the word of promise. I kept my promise to Mary, as well. In Jesus Christ, the Son to be born, I make a promise to you. Some of you will get it right away. Some of you might ponder the matter for some time. But never fear. I am a God who makes promises. I am a God who keeps promises. I will keep my Christ-promise to you." Amen.
