Fifth Sunday In Lent
Preaching
Lectionary Preaching Workbook
Series VI, Cycle C
Object:
COMMENTARY ON THE LESSONS
Lesson 1: Isaiah 43:16-21 (C, RC, E)
The prophet assures his people that God will exercise His power to guide them through their difficulties. A key verse is this: "I give water in the wilderness." The image that brings to mind is of someone facing a difficult time, some trial, for instance. And in the fear and anxiety of the "wilderness," God will be present to assure, to comfort, to promise that whatever trials may yet lie ahead, the fearful man or woman will be sustained. God cannot -- or does not -- remove our troubles. A lovely lady, active in her church, highly regarded for her public service, happy in her marriage, died the other day at the age of 52 in a community near my home. But her faith almost certainly enabled her to face her last hours unafraid.
Lesson 2: Philippians 3:4b-14 (C); Philippians 3:8-14 (RC, E)
Paul is a zealous Christian, valuing nothing in his worldly life, dedicated solely to a pursuit of the Christian life, almost gladly suffering, urgently desiring resurrection after death. He pledges to devote all his energies to this, completely setting aside any pride in his worthy pedigree. I find myself badly outclassed by Saint Paul. I fear I'm part of that generation of people, and of clergy, who have always been glad we went to the right seminary, received this or that recognition, served that particular church, know certain people. We aspire (there are, I'm sure, exceptions) to have nice parsonages or manses, or whatever your denomination calls a home. We scan our denominational journal to see how many members a friend's church received, where we stand on the salary scale, who was invited to speak at the conference. Most of us have a long way to go, and my experience is that similar concerns occupy people in all the other vocations of the earth. It's probably only when one becomes very old or very sick, that the sentiments Paul expresses here become ours. At best, we have here an exalted example of the very finest attitude to which we might look. It is almost certainly unreasonable to expect any listener to assume Paul's attitude when we clergy find it so difficult ourselves. Perhaps a bit of confession to our people is in order. And maybe the word is that in the midst of this self-interested life we live, we are to work at practicing the teachings of Jesus. Luther said we can't keep the crows from flying overhead, but we can keep them from making a nest in our hair. What I can do is (1) be honest about my condition, (2) pray for forgiveness and a better attitude, and (3) earnestly try to practice the works of love.
Gospel: John 12:1-8 (C)
Mary and Martha were obviously good friends of Jesus. On this occasion, following a friendly dinner which included Mary and Martha, Lazarus, and presumably, all or most of the disciples (since Judas was there we can assume the others were as well). Suddenly, impulsively, Mary dumped a pint of pure nard, a very expensive perfume, over Jesus' feet and wiped them with her hair. To our twenty-first century minds, that sounds very strange. For one thing, nard was highly valued and could have been sold for enough money to feed a great many hungry people. Judas made that point. What we all know who have studied our history lessons is that this action was a wildly exuberant act of love and respect. And Jesus understood that. He scolded Judas for his negative reaction, and he complimented Mary and expressed his gratitude.
We can probably guess that if Mary had asked Jesus first, he might have suggested Judas' preference. But three things immediately stand out about Jesus' response. First, he respected Mary. To have implied any fault in her would have deflated her completely, leaving her embarrassed. Second, Jesus felt gratitude for a kindness, and was verbally appreciative. Third, Jesus appreciated Mary's action and received her gift in the spirit in which it was offered.
Gospel: John 8:1-11 (RC)
This passage is suspect as not originally part of John's Gospel. Nonetheless, it offers insight into the importance of a forgiving spirit if one is to follow Jesus Christ.
Gospel: Luke 20:9-19 (E)
Jesus tells a parable with ominous implications. He seems to foretell his own fate, and warns of disastrous consequences for those who participate in his death.
SERMON SUGGESTIONS
Title: "Water In The Wilderness"
Text: Isaiah 43:16-21
Theme: Isaiah assured his people that just as God has always preceded them in their wilderness wanderings, so God will continue to do so.
1. God assures us of his presence in times of trial. Everyone will face trials of various kinds during our lives. The "wilderness" is an apt image to describe how we sometimes feel during unhappy times. Whether it be anxiety about a physical symptom, disappointment in a love relationship, struggles at work, marriage problems, whatever it may be, God is always with us, ready to share the experience with us.
2. God cannot remove our troubles. Reinhold Niebuhr, writing in a somewhat pedantic style by today's standards, wrote this: "Stoic indifference toward the varying vicissitudes of mortal existence is preferable to lobbying, with whining entreaties, in the courts of the Almighty, hoping for special favors which are not granted to ordinary mortals or to godless men." Or, as we might say today, face your troubles like a man or woman with courage and determination. Therein lies the creation of character.
3. God reinforces our own qualities of character. To say that another way, if I am determined to be courageous in some worthy endeavor, God will arm me with the courage I need. If I am faithful to God's rules of life as much as in me lies, so God will see to it that while I may be overcome for a time, I will never be defeated. I may lose now but I will not be lost. My pain may, for a time, be great, but beyond pain will always be comfort. I may die in the course of life's undertakings, but I will never cease to live.
Title: "The Upward Call"
Text: Philippians 3:4-14
Theme: My main focus would be on verse 12. "I press on to make it my own," Paul said, "not that I have already attained this." His total devotion exceeds that of most of us, certainly my own. I cannot claim that my home, or my savings, or my family, or my automobile are of little consequence in my life. Frankly, although I'm grateful for a Paul whose zeal preserved the holy Word for me, I don't even think it healthy for the average person to be this committed. I know one or two individuals who are so "into" religion it's all they want to talk about. Bluntly said, I find them boring. I prefer friends with a wide range of interests. I can't imagine socializing with people who don't give a hoot about sports, or politics, or the stock market, or recent movies, or good books , or at least something which can afford mutual interest. However, Paul has here commended pressing on to make the benefits of the faith one's own.
1. Healthy interests and involvement in life are worthy and important. Paul doesn't say that here, but the thrust of the Gospel confirms this to me. Paul was the epitome of total commitment. That was necessary for him to achieve his life's work. A much broader if less admirable range of interests is necessary for me to attain my life's goals as is, I would think, true for most people.
2. Time for God, however, should come first. I err if I allow these interests to prevent me from including worship and a healthy amount of introspection by which to be aware of any excesses or wrongful attitudes or conduct on my part.
3. High moral standards premised on love are the means by which I am to "press on," including a sharing of concern, resources, and time, with those in need.
Title: "The Attitude Of Gratitude"
Text: John 12:1-8
Theme: In this extraordinary encounter between Mary, Jesus' social friend, and Jesus, we see exemplified the qualities which make for everyday pleasure in human relationships. Of course we also see the nature of Jesus in his attitude toward Mary, one which commends itself to us as well.
1. Jesus was respectful. What an essential quality in all our relationships. Just as Jesus was respectful of Mary, we might all think about that. It takes the form of resisting prejudice, self-importance, and disregard for the feelings of others. In fact, what Mary did was wasteful. It was probably impulsive as well. As that applies to us, we see many people who do things which may appear impractical or thoughtless. The point is not whether those things are right or wrong. Sometimes we have to tell someone we think he did wrong or are wrong. Mere honesty sometimes requires that. But we can do it without disrespecting the other person. People respond to that. If someone disagrees with me yet leaves me feeling he respects my opinions despite disagreement, our relationship remains intact. This is something most of us have to learn the hard way.
2. Jesus was grateful. There are few sentiments which do more for human closeness than the attitude of gratitude. That's what Thanksgiving is all about. And when gratitude is expressed verbally it has a wonderful effect on all concerned. Oh, I know we're not supposed to do good works to win expressions of gratitude. But we're human. We are pleased to be able to help a friend or do something expensive either in money, or time, or effort, for someone we care about. But a little expression of gratitude -- a word of thanks sincerely felt -- is better reward for most of us than compensation (I'm not talking about employment, or agreed upon compensation). I think our society would be a lot better off if people were quick to say a simple "thank you" when receiving someone's help.
3. Jesus was appreciative. He responded to Mary's intentions as well as to her actions. There was Judas' problem. He not only acted disrespectfully toward Mary, he didn't appreciate her lofty and loving motives. But Jesus saw what was in her heart, and that was the true gift. So with us. Take marriage for example. Sometimes we do stupid things, but for loving reasons. My wife went out and bought me a very expensive pair of shoes the other day. They frankly cost twice what I have ever paid for a pair of shoes, and I didn't need new shoes anyway. But she thought they'd look great on me, so she paid for them with some money she had set aside. In a small way, it was exactly what Mary did for Jesus. Secretly, I'd like to return those shoes so we could pay some other bills. But I appreciate what she did for me, I accept the gift because I accept the love and affection which came with it.
ADDITIONAL ILLUSTRATIONS
"During the daytime, she had so little fear of dying; but recently, in the hours of darkness, Fear had been stalking her bedroom, reporting to her its terrifying tales, and bullying her into confessing (Oh God!) that no, she didn't want to die. In her dream that night, when finally she drifted off into a fitful sleep, she beheld an image of the Pale Horse; and knew that the one who rode thereon was Death ..."
-- Colin Dexter, in an Inspector Morse mystery, regarding a fearful woman
____________
"The boast of heraldry, the pomp of
pow'r,
And all that beauty, all that wealth
e'er gave,
Await alike the inevitable hour:
The paths of glory lead but to the
grave."
-- Thomas Gray
____________
Nothing so needs reforming as other people's habits.
-- Mark Twain
____________
"God sees in secret and knows the distress and counts the tears and forgets nothing."
-- Soren Kierkegaard
"With God all things are possible every instant. This is the health of faith which resolves contradictions."
-- Soren Kierkegaard
____________
One old man in Alaska was asked what his Christian faith meant to him. He replied: "You remember when the waves were so high, a while ago? Some of the natives did not go to bed that night. They were afraid. I went to bed. I went to sleep. I know Christ."
____________
Bruce Larson reported a sobering experience a few years ago. A friend of his in London had opened his ancestral home as a way station for Christians so they could live there when they needed some place to go. Back then it was called a commune. One day Larson visited the man to see how things were going. Then Larson reported the man's comments like this:
"His first comment was a shocker. He said he has come to question the integrity of a good many theologically conservative Christians. With literally dozens, possibly hundreds of people coming through his home over the years, he had concluded that often the more orthodox and pious members of the community were the least willing to carry the burdens of others, and to live up to their commitments financially, socially, or morally. He says, 'The people who have spoken most of Jesus have been those who have received the most from this house and the people in it and have put the least in.' "
-- In The Whole Christian
____________
When I was in seminary my only daughter, aged five, showed signs of illness. She was tired, listless, too draggy to be fussy. We took her to a doctor who was recommended by a friend, since school was in Evanston, and my student charge was more than 100 miles away. However, our appointment was the very day seminary was letting out for the Christmas holidays. Immediately after our visit with the doctor, we were heading home. The doctor checked Amy over, made several hmmm sounds, then ordered a blood test at a nearby lab. He then said, "When you get back from your Christmas break, come see me." I was terrified. Visions of something like leukemia ran through my mind. The thought of waiting nearly two weeks to know was awful. But the doctor saw my state. I didn't ask for anything. I stoically stood to leave. But that kind man said to us: "Sit back down. I'm going to call the lab and we're going to find out what this is right now."
I took my child to the lab where they drew a blood sample. I then impatiently paced the floor for about an hour. The doctor then called us in, smiled, said: "Your daughter is fine. She has a low-grade infection and should be well in another few days." Every parent will understand how grateful I was to that doctor. I could have kissed him. Because of his regard for his profession, and for his patient, I was spared a miserable two weeks. And I was -- and after many years am -- very grateful.
____________
Psalm Of The Day
Psalm 126 -- "When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion."
Prayer Of The Day
Free us from the bonds of selfishness if you can, O Lord. Spark within us the sensitivity to others which makes us see their pain, their fear, their restlessness. Grant us open hearts and minds that we might be a source of encouragement and hope to the people in our lives. In Jesus' loving name we pray. Amen.
Lesson 1: Isaiah 43:16-21 (C, RC, E)
The prophet assures his people that God will exercise His power to guide them through their difficulties. A key verse is this: "I give water in the wilderness." The image that brings to mind is of someone facing a difficult time, some trial, for instance. And in the fear and anxiety of the "wilderness," God will be present to assure, to comfort, to promise that whatever trials may yet lie ahead, the fearful man or woman will be sustained. God cannot -- or does not -- remove our troubles. A lovely lady, active in her church, highly regarded for her public service, happy in her marriage, died the other day at the age of 52 in a community near my home. But her faith almost certainly enabled her to face her last hours unafraid.
Lesson 2: Philippians 3:4b-14 (C); Philippians 3:8-14 (RC, E)
Paul is a zealous Christian, valuing nothing in his worldly life, dedicated solely to a pursuit of the Christian life, almost gladly suffering, urgently desiring resurrection after death. He pledges to devote all his energies to this, completely setting aside any pride in his worthy pedigree. I find myself badly outclassed by Saint Paul. I fear I'm part of that generation of people, and of clergy, who have always been glad we went to the right seminary, received this or that recognition, served that particular church, know certain people. We aspire (there are, I'm sure, exceptions) to have nice parsonages or manses, or whatever your denomination calls a home. We scan our denominational journal to see how many members a friend's church received, where we stand on the salary scale, who was invited to speak at the conference. Most of us have a long way to go, and my experience is that similar concerns occupy people in all the other vocations of the earth. It's probably only when one becomes very old or very sick, that the sentiments Paul expresses here become ours. At best, we have here an exalted example of the very finest attitude to which we might look. It is almost certainly unreasonable to expect any listener to assume Paul's attitude when we clergy find it so difficult ourselves. Perhaps a bit of confession to our people is in order. And maybe the word is that in the midst of this self-interested life we live, we are to work at practicing the teachings of Jesus. Luther said we can't keep the crows from flying overhead, but we can keep them from making a nest in our hair. What I can do is (1) be honest about my condition, (2) pray for forgiveness and a better attitude, and (3) earnestly try to practice the works of love.
Gospel: John 12:1-8 (C)
Mary and Martha were obviously good friends of Jesus. On this occasion, following a friendly dinner which included Mary and Martha, Lazarus, and presumably, all or most of the disciples (since Judas was there we can assume the others were as well). Suddenly, impulsively, Mary dumped a pint of pure nard, a very expensive perfume, over Jesus' feet and wiped them with her hair. To our twenty-first century minds, that sounds very strange. For one thing, nard was highly valued and could have been sold for enough money to feed a great many hungry people. Judas made that point. What we all know who have studied our history lessons is that this action was a wildly exuberant act of love and respect. And Jesus understood that. He scolded Judas for his negative reaction, and he complimented Mary and expressed his gratitude.
We can probably guess that if Mary had asked Jesus first, he might have suggested Judas' preference. But three things immediately stand out about Jesus' response. First, he respected Mary. To have implied any fault in her would have deflated her completely, leaving her embarrassed. Second, Jesus felt gratitude for a kindness, and was verbally appreciative. Third, Jesus appreciated Mary's action and received her gift in the spirit in which it was offered.
Gospel: John 8:1-11 (RC)
This passage is suspect as not originally part of John's Gospel. Nonetheless, it offers insight into the importance of a forgiving spirit if one is to follow Jesus Christ.
Gospel: Luke 20:9-19 (E)
Jesus tells a parable with ominous implications. He seems to foretell his own fate, and warns of disastrous consequences for those who participate in his death.
SERMON SUGGESTIONS
Title: "Water In The Wilderness"
Text: Isaiah 43:16-21
Theme: Isaiah assured his people that just as God has always preceded them in their wilderness wanderings, so God will continue to do so.
1. God assures us of his presence in times of trial. Everyone will face trials of various kinds during our lives. The "wilderness" is an apt image to describe how we sometimes feel during unhappy times. Whether it be anxiety about a physical symptom, disappointment in a love relationship, struggles at work, marriage problems, whatever it may be, God is always with us, ready to share the experience with us.
2. God cannot remove our troubles. Reinhold Niebuhr, writing in a somewhat pedantic style by today's standards, wrote this: "Stoic indifference toward the varying vicissitudes of mortal existence is preferable to lobbying, with whining entreaties, in the courts of the Almighty, hoping for special favors which are not granted to ordinary mortals or to godless men." Or, as we might say today, face your troubles like a man or woman with courage and determination. Therein lies the creation of character.
3. God reinforces our own qualities of character. To say that another way, if I am determined to be courageous in some worthy endeavor, God will arm me with the courage I need. If I am faithful to God's rules of life as much as in me lies, so God will see to it that while I may be overcome for a time, I will never be defeated. I may lose now but I will not be lost. My pain may, for a time, be great, but beyond pain will always be comfort. I may die in the course of life's undertakings, but I will never cease to live.
Title: "The Upward Call"
Text: Philippians 3:4-14
Theme: My main focus would be on verse 12. "I press on to make it my own," Paul said, "not that I have already attained this." His total devotion exceeds that of most of us, certainly my own. I cannot claim that my home, or my savings, or my family, or my automobile are of little consequence in my life. Frankly, although I'm grateful for a Paul whose zeal preserved the holy Word for me, I don't even think it healthy for the average person to be this committed. I know one or two individuals who are so "into" religion it's all they want to talk about. Bluntly said, I find them boring. I prefer friends with a wide range of interests. I can't imagine socializing with people who don't give a hoot about sports, or politics, or the stock market, or recent movies, or good books , or at least something which can afford mutual interest. However, Paul has here commended pressing on to make the benefits of the faith one's own.
1. Healthy interests and involvement in life are worthy and important. Paul doesn't say that here, but the thrust of the Gospel confirms this to me. Paul was the epitome of total commitment. That was necessary for him to achieve his life's work. A much broader if less admirable range of interests is necessary for me to attain my life's goals as is, I would think, true for most people.
2. Time for God, however, should come first. I err if I allow these interests to prevent me from including worship and a healthy amount of introspection by which to be aware of any excesses or wrongful attitudes or conduct on my part.
3. High moral standards premised on love are the means by which I am to "press on," including a sharing of concern, resources, and time, with those in need.
Title: "The Attitude Of Gratitude"
Text: John 12:1-8
Theme: In this extraordinary encounter between Mary, Jesus' social friend, and Jesus, we see exemplified the qualities which make for everyday pleasure in human relationships. Of course we also see the nature of Jesus in his attitude toward Mary, one which commends itself to us as well.
1. Jesus was respectful. What an essential quality in all our relationships. Just as Jesus was respectful of Mary, we might all think about that. It takes the form of resisting prejudice, self-importance, and disregard for the feelings of others. In fact, what Mary did was wasteful. It was probably impulsive as well. As that applies to us, we see many people who do things which may appear impractical or thoughtless. The point is not whether those things are right or wrong. Sometimes we have to tell someone we think he did wrong or are wrong. Mere honesty sometimes requires that. But we can do it without disrespecting the other person. People respond to that. If someone disagrees with me yet leaves me feeling he respects my opinions despite disagreement, our relationship remains intact. This is something most of us have to learn the hard way.
2. Jesus was grateful. There are few sentiments which do more for human closeness than the attitude of gratitude. That's what Thanksgiving is all about. And when gratitude is expressed verbally it has a wonderful effect on all concerned. Oh, I know we're not supposed to do good works to win expressions of gratitude. But we're human. We are pleased to be able to help a friend or do something expensive either in money, or time, or effort, for someone we care about. But a little expression of gratitude -- a word of thanks sincerely felt -- is better reward for most of us than compensation (I'm not talking about employment, or agreed upon compensation). I think our society would be a lot better off if people were quick to say a simple "thank you" when receiving someone's help.
3. Jesus was appreciative. He responded to Mary's intentions as well as to her actions. There was Judas' problem. He not only acted disrespectfully toward Mary, he didn't appreciate her lofty and loving motives. But Jesus saw what was in her heart, and that was the true gift. So with us. Take marriage for example. Sometimes we do stupid things, but for loving reasons. My wife went out and bought me a very expensive pair of shoes the other day. They frankly cost twice what I have ever paid for a pair of shoes, and I didn't need new shoes anyway. But she thought they'd look great on me, so she paid for them with some money she had set aside. In a small way, it was exactly what Mary did for Jesus. Secretly, I'd like to return those shoes so we could pay some other bills. But I appreciate what she did for me, I accept the gift because I accept the love and affection which came with it.
ADDITIONAL ILLUSTRATIONS
"During the daytime, she had so little fear of dying; but recently, in the hours of darkness, Fear had been stalking her bedroom, reporting to her its terrifying tales, and bullying her into confessing (Oh God!) that no, she didn't want to die. In her dream that night, when finally she drifted off into a fitful sleep, she beheld an image of the Pale Horse; and knew that the one who rode thereon was Death ..."
-- Colin Dexter, in an Inspector Morse mystery, regarding a fearful woman
____________
"The boast of heraldry, the pomp of
pow'r,
And all that beauty, all that wealth
e'er gave,
Await alike the inevitable hour:
The paths of glory lead but to the
grave."
-- Thomas Gray
____________
Nothing so needs reforming as other people's habits.
-- Mark Twain
____________
"God sees in secret and knows the distress and counts the tears and forgets nothing."
-- Soren Kierkegaard
"With God all things are possible every instant. This is the health of faith which resolves contradictions."
-- Soren Kierkegaard
____________
One old man in Alaska was asked what his Christian faith meant to him. He replied: "You remember when the waves were so high, a while ago? Some of the natives did not go to bed that night. They were afraid. I went to bed. I went to sleep. I know Christ."
____________
Bruce Larson reported a sobering experience a few years ago. A friend of his in London had opened his ancestral home as a way station for Christians so they could live there when they needed some place to go. Back then it was called a commune. One day Larson visited the man to see how things were going. Then Larson reported the man's comments like this:
"His first comment was a shocker. He said he has come to question the integrity of a good many theologically conservative Christians. With literally dozens, possibly hundreds of people coming through his home over the years, he had concluded that often the more orthodox and pious members of the community were the least willing to carry the burdens of others, and to live up to their commitments financially, socially, or morally. He says, 'The people who have spoken most of Jesus have been those who have received the most from this house and the people in it and have put the least in.' "
-- In The Whole Christian
____________
When I was in seminary my only daughter, aged five, showed signs of illness. She was tired, listless, too draggy to be fussy. We took her to a doctor who was recommended by a friend, since school was in Evanston, and my student charge was more than 100 miles away. However, our appointment was the very day seminary was letting out for the Christmas holidays. Immediately after our visit with the doctor, we were heading home. The doctor checked Amy over, made several hmmm sounds, then ordered a blood test at a nearby lab. He then said, "When you get back from your Christmas break, come see me." I was terrified. Visions of something like leukemia ran through my mind. The thought of waiting nearly two weeks to know was awful. But the doctor saw my state. I didn't ask for anything. I stoically stood to leave. But that kind man said to us: "Sit back down. I'm going to call the lab and we're going to find out what this is right now."
I took my child to the lab where they drew a blood sample. I then impatiently paced the floor for about an hour. The doctor then called us in, smiled, said: "Your daughter is fine. She has a low-grade infection and should be well in another few days." Every parent will understand how grateful I was to that doctor. I could have kissed him. Because of his regard for his profession, and for his patient, I was spared a miserable two weeks. And I was -- and after many years am -- very grateful.
____________
Psalm Of The Day
Psalm 126 -- "When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion."
Prayer Of The Day
Free us from the bonds of selfishness if you can, O Lord. Spark within us the sensitivity to others which makes us see their pain, their fear, their restlessness. Grant us open hearts and minds that we might be a source of encouragement and hope to the people in our lives. In Jesus' loving name we pray. Amen.

