First Sunday In Advent
Preaching
Lectionary Preaching Workbook
Series VI, Cycle C
Object:
COMMENTARY ON THE LESSONS
Lesson 1: Jeremiah 33:14-16 (C, RC)
Our exegesis will suggest that this passage is a quotation from Jeremiah 23:5-6 and, in all probability, is a later addition to the prophetic book. For preaching purposes, however, the politics will probably not be important, though we might note that this promise of a continuation of the Levitical priesthood and the Davidic line of Kings was a means of reassuring the people, probably returned from exile, that God would continue to be faithful to them. It was a promise that "Jerusalem will dwell securely."
This passage raises some troubling problems. We have the advantage of hindsight and are aware of the tragic history of the Jewish people. Whether there will ever be real peace in Israel those of us still alive will probably never know. As of the present moment, the promise in the text has not really come to pass. The inherited animosities among the Jews, the Palestinians, and the Muslims are hard for most Christians to fathom. My generation fought the Japanese and the Germans, and millions of people died in the process. Much savagery and heartless cruelty marked the events of the 1930s and 1940s. But now, we look upon those people as our friends. The concept of hatred which never forgives is foreign to the Christian outlook. I mean no judgment of the people in that part of the world. I have never walked where they walk. But if God is truly active in the peace process, that activity is hard to discern and, in any event, must be taking place through the efforts of the many charitably minded people trying to bring it about.
Of course the situation in Northern Ireland is somewhat similar. Then there's the tragic ethnic violence in Africa, the human rights violations in China and Yugoslavia -- where will it ever end? The one clear and obvious conclusion is, it seems to me, that any hopes for peace, not only for the Jews and the Palestinians, but for all humanity, is for each of us to search our own hearts and to pray for a spirit of forbearance and forgiveness toward those who are different from us, those whose needs are at times in conflict with our own needs. The power of Christian love offers our only hope. There are to be no miracles it would seem.
Lesson 1: Zechariah 14:4-9 (E)
This passage with elements of apocalypticism, predicts the invasion of the heathen hordes, which will be overthrown by God. God will divide Jerusalem, standing astride the chasm between the east and west of the Mount of Olives. Judaism will triumph finally, and the very climate will be transformed and there shall no longer be night. The preaching possibilities here mainly lie in the promise that no matter what dangerous and damaging forces beset those who trust in God, God will overcome them and into the darkness of one's life He will bring eternal light.
Lesson 2: 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13 (C, E); 1 Thessalonians 3:12-- 4:2 (RC)
Paul assures his friends of his prayer that "the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, just as we abound in love for you." Now that Christmas beckons, it seems appropriate that we consider just what kind of love Paul was talking about. He has heard the report from Timothy which commended the people of Thessalonica for their faith and love. You and I know that much of what passes for "love" in our culture is heavily laden with sexual attraction, self interest, and materialism. It's too bad we don't have several words for love as the Greeks did. These days when we love basketball, and hot dogs, and nice restaurants, as well as our children and our spouses and our friends, it would be well for us to be reminded and to remind our congregation of the elements in "love" as Paul (and Jesus) used the word.
Obviously, sacrifice is a prime element in love. So is exertion. And risk. Remember the Jewish story about the man who was unfairly accused and therefore was called before the king for judgment? He said he had three friends, and he would ask them to vouch for his integrity before the king. The first friend begged off on the grounds that if, by chance, the man was deemed guilty, he himself might thereby be found guilty by association. The second friend did agree to accompany the man for his court appearance. But when the man thanked his "friend" and explained that he just knew this testimony would clear him, that "friend" explained that yes, he would go with him to the king's court. But he must stop at the gate lest he too be thought guilty of some misdeed. In despair, and with little hope, the man then approached the third of his friends. That man said, yes, of course, he would go and bear witness before the King. "I know you to be a good and honorable man," he said, "and I shall tell that to the king." The story ends with the judgment that "the man had not three friends, but one friend."
We must notice that Paul believed that it would be through Christ that love could abound. It doesn't just happen. We are all too bowed down by our own needs and desires to do a very good job of loving. But with the empowerment which Christ's spirit infuses into us, then we are set free from our own self-centeredness -- not completely, as we should realize -- but enough to make the difference. Dr. Barclay quoted one man as saying, "An atheist is someone with no invisible means of support." Paul also promised that an adjunct to real love is what he called holiness. To be holy, of course, is probably not in the cards for most of us, not if one accepts the definition as one who is pure and godly. It is, however, a worthy goal. I was raised by a father who frequently counseled my brother and me: "The higher you aim the higher you shoot." Love, then, as Paul used the word, implied also a desire to be morally pure. If I love the people in my life, it will, if it is true love, cause me to make every effort to live as morally blameless a life as I can.
Gospel: Luke 21:25-36 (C); Luke 21:25-28, 34-36 (RC); Luke 21:25-31 (E)
This is a powerful passage when you apply it to the contemporary human situation. Let's assume this was not an effort by Jesus to describe the literal end of the world. Let's assume it was Jewish hyperbole, glorious poetic imagery. Let me use a homey example. Imagine yourself seated on the balcony of an apartment on the fifth floor. Across the way is another building. Repairs are being made on the balcony of the fifth floor room across from you, and the railing has been temporarily removed. You see a man stepping out onto that balcony, his head still turned back toward the room, still speaking to someone therein. You realize he has not seen that there is no railing. Would you call across to him like this: "Excuse me, sir, may I have just a moment of your time? There's something I think would interest you?" Of course not. By that time, the man could be dead. You'd shout, "Stop! Go back! You're in danger!" See my point? Jesus sometimes perceived that we need a harsh, quick word of warning. But it didn't come from anger or impatience. It came from loving concern for the welfare of his hearers.
In other words, this was a clarion call to sinful humanity to be aware -- there will be consequences. But the power here lies in the promise. Jesus is quoted by Luke as having said, "Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near" (v. 28). For me, there's the sermon. We can argue until the cows come home about the Second Coming and it will get us no place. We are not to know. But this passage assures us that when disasters beset us, there's a redemptive power at work for those who know Jesus, who accept him as Lord. We all have to die. We all have to suffer disasters of one sort or another. We all have to brace ourselves for the exigencies of life. But inherent in all of this, through the power of God, is redemptive promise. Saint Paul said it well, "Suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts."
SERMON SUGGESTIONS
Title: "God And The Promise Of Peace"
Text: Jeremiah 33:14-16
Theme: Perhaps you may have the privilege of preaching to someone who literally plays a role in the peace process at the national or international level. Most of us, however, address congregations of hard working people who will have no opportunity to impact directly the efforts toward peace in other lands. But we all can contribute either to peace or to unrest and misery, depending on our day to day attitudes and actions. "Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me," we sing. But what about the specifics? What will I have to do if I am to be an agent of God's desire that there should be peace on earth?
1. I can start with the people I live with and work with. I can start with some healthy-minded self-criticism for instance. Have I said or done something in the past 24 hours that brought pain or unhappiness to my spouse? My child? My friend? If so, I must apologize. But more importantly, I must acknowledge my hurtful attitude and begin the work of change.
2. Change is virtually impossible for most of us by a mere effort of the will. I just read that ninety-some percent of all people who lose weight gain it back. One of my dearest friends has emphysema -- and smokes a pack a day. He wants to quit. He knows he's killing himself. But he can't quit. So how do we change? One of two ways. One is through trauma. A lost job, a broken friendship, a failed marriage, an onset of remorse, a serious health problem; these are some of the forces which cause us to change. But there's another, better way: prayer. If God wants peace, and you and I wish to be agents of that peace, prayer will open up the means by which God can help us to change.
By the way, there's a fascinating book still around, by a distinguished psychiatrist. His title is The Shrinking Of America. Get it? "Shrink"-ing? He maintains that we can never really change, that counseling which is intended to change a person is doomed from the start. The value in counseling lies in helping us to accept and live with ourselves as we are. To some extent, I agree. That may sound cynical. But I know a lot of people and I can't think of anyone whom I see to have changed, except by the evolutionary process of growth, unless it be by the forces mentioned. Or by prayer.
3. Prayer can enrich my life and make me an agent of peace on earth. But prayer must be of the right kind. Not prayer for things, or success, or an easier life. Prayer which earnestly asks for insight about myself, for healing of my faults, for good spirit as I meet others in my home and the market place. I'm convinced God loves to answer prayers like that, and it's in the partnership of my being willing to change, and God empowering me in my effort, that I can overcome my competitive, aggressive, self-centered tendencies and begin to be a blessing to the people in my life. And lo and behold, when I do this, I become a happier person.
Title: "Herein Is Love"
Text: 1 Thessalonians 11:13
Theme: Paul Tillich wrote, "Either love is something other than emotion, or the Great Commandment is meaningless." We know, of course, that Tillich was, in fact, something of a romantic, so I feel sure he would have agreed that there are elements in love which are emotionally fulfilling. But he meant that love begins with a set of beliefs which prompt us to exert ourselves in the best interests of others, regardless of our feelings.
1. Love begins with an effort of the will. This necessarily involves inner struggle with oneself. We are all driven by needs for recognition, for acceptance, for understanding. These needs constantly place us in competition with the people around us. In spite of our good intentions, we repeatedly find ourselves doing and saying things which, far from emulating love, reveal our little rationalizations and hypocrisies. I hate to, but I'll admit to these things. And I see it in others, just as you do. Except, there are people who seem to have overcome the damaging effect of these needs, but I submit they have done so with an effort of the will. They are winners in the inward struggle to love. I doubt, though, that anyone truly wins this battle without some power from outside us. That's where Jesus comes in.
2. Love requires effort. It isn't sufficient to feel kindly toward all humanity. Some of my older readers may remember a poem popular many years ago with this line: "I just want to sit by the side of the road, and be a friend to Man." That's a nice sentiment, but it's not Christian love. Christian love sends us out, leads us to exert ourselves for other people. It can be expensive, even painful at times. Usually, it's the little things like one of my friends who never bats an eye if you ask him to take you to the airport at 5 a.m. Or the woman I know who makes it a point to do something kind and beneficial to someone else each day. She's not perfect, but she's moving that way (I'm fortunate to be married to her).
3. Love is willing to suffer the consequences of Christian love. It may be exorbitant. A little boy was caught in the fast current of White River. She saw her son disappear into the current. Without any hesitation, she plunged into the water after her son. She couldn't swim either. She did the only thing she knew to do, she died alongside her little boy. Melodramatic? I suppose. But love is prepared to pay a price. Fortunately, for most of us it takes more subtle forms, like keeping your mouth shut when you want to yell at your spouse, or smiling at the driver who cut you off (when a little part of you hopes he runs off the road).
Title: "Raise Your Heads"
Text: Luke 21:28
Theme: Why do bad things happen to good people? That question has been, from the beginning of time -- certainly from the beginning of humankind's sense of a divine being -- the most perplexing of all human conundrums. The main character J. B. phrased the matter succinctly in MacLeish's powerful play about the book of Job: "If God is God, He is not good; if God is good He is not God ..." Indeed. What do we say to the person who pleads that a God of the kind of power to be found in the Old Testament, and the kind of love to be found in the New Testament, would never create a world with cancer, and air crashes, and birth defects, and terrorists, and abusive parents? Given that there are no totally satisfying answers to this question, still, we clergy are called to give what answers we can. We who daily spend time with life's sufferers, not to mention that we clergy are those sufferers all too often, must struggle to find the New Testament's healing word to all of this. And there is one answer.
Leslie Weatherhead was right, I think, when he wrote that "the man who inquires into the problem of suffering may be compared with one who, from the sunny street, steps into the comparative gloom of a vast cathedral. After the blaze outside, all seems dark, yet, as he moves forward, he finds that it is not nearly so dark as he had first thought." I had lunch with a man who, in his later forties, was diagnosed with a virulent form of throat cancer. He was a man of fine character, but not a very avid Christian. Like so many people, he was struggling for success in his vocation, when suddenly he was laid low. There followed invasive surgery, chemo which robbed him of his energy, expensive trips to specialists in hope of finding some more satisfying treatment than he found at first. That was five years ago. He has been in remission since then, has found a deep and powerful faith in Christ, now teaches Bible class in his church, and was able to say something to me which inspired me greatly. He said this: "I had heard that people sometimes said, after a disaster such as mine, that it was a blessing in their lives. I always thought that was a lot of baloney. Now I can say just that. My life has been richer, I have been closer to my loved ones and friends, than ever before." You see, when the doctors couldn't heal him, he turned his life completely over to Jesus. Now he is declared well.
I fully understand that not everyone gets well. I fully understand that when bad things happen we are often scarred and handicapped permanently. I fully understand that sometimes people of devout faith die in pain. But I also know, and can witness to the fact, that when we turn our troubles over to God, He not only enables us to transcend those troubles, He invariably uses them to bless our lives. That is exactly what Jesus meant in saying: "Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near."
1. God created the world to be free. God did not coerce creation. Had He done so, goodness would have no meaning, there would be no way for us to appreciate beauty or kindness, and healing would be a meaningless word. If we are to live this life, not only for its own value, but as preparation for something else, then it was inevitable that God must allow these things to happen.
2. God promised to be with us in times of trial. My friend found that to be true. I wish to bear witness on the point. I admit that when things are going well for me, I often have a pretty flimsy prayer life. But when trouble has beset me, I have found that without fail, God has been there lending the strength and courage needed to face the problem. Some of you are familiar with Peter Marshall, the famed Presbyterian preacher whose remarkable ministry was depicted in the movie A Man Called Peter. He told of the time when everything was going wrong in his life. He sat on the basement steps of his manse and prayed to God something like this: "God, we haven't talked to each other much lately, have we?" But when it counted, God was there for him and for his ailing wife Catherine, who she believed healed her illness.
3. God uses our troubles to bless our lives. Paul said it well: "We know that in everything God works for good with those who love him, who are called according to his purpose ..."(Romans 8:28). Yes, indeed, when these things begin to take place ... raise your heads.
ADDITIONAL ILLUSTRATIONS
Linda McCoy told of little boy who said he wanted a grouchy bear for Christmas. When asked why he didn't want a happy bear instead, he said because a grouchy bear needs to be loved.
____________
Parent to teenager: "Jesus was born in a stable."
Teenager: "What's a stable?"
Parent: "Just picture your room without a stereo."
____________
"All problems concerning the relation of love to power and justice, individually as well as socially, become insoluble if love is basically understood as emotion."
-- Paul Tillich, in Love, Power, And Justice
____________
"Love manifests its greatest power there where it overcomes the greatest separation. And the greatest separation is self from self."
-- Paul Tillich, in Love, Power, And Justice
____________
In World War II, Kenneth Simmons was a lieutenant in the 8th Air Corps who was shot down over Germany and was captured by the Nazis. One terrible night, a large number of American prisoners of war were marched across Germany during bitter winter weather. Simmons, part of the group, was desperately ill with pneumonia and realized that he would be one of the many who would die that brutal night. In his book Kriegie, he tells what happened. In a journal he secretly maintained, Simmons told of the dreadful long march which ended very late when the men were allowed to sleep in a barn. He lay down in a hay stack. The next day he wrote this: "I feel much better. I am still weak, but my lungs have quit hurting. I woke up last night, and before I got back to bed I thought I was going to die. I had a feeling that I was at the end of the road. I must have prayed for at least an hour. I can't exactly explain it, but the pain gradually left me as I prayed and I went to sleep praying. This morning when I woke up I took one deep breath, and I knew my prayer had been answered. A man doesn't recover from pneumonia in my condition, sleeping in a pile of hay."
____________
Psalm Of The Day
Psalm 25:1-10 -- "To thee, O Lord, I lift up my soul."
Prayer Of The Day
Be with us, Lord, in the ordinary activities of our day. Keep us mindful of your presence, and of the unimaginable sacrifice which you made, and which begins on the Christmas toward which we now look. Thank you. In Christ's name, Amen.
Lesson 1: Jeremiah 33:14-16 (C, RC)
Our exegesis will suggest that this passage is a quotation from Jeremiah 23:5-6 and, in all probability, is a later addition to the prophetic book. For preaching purposes, however, the politics will probably not be important, though we might note that this promise of a continuation of the Levitical priesthood and the Davidic line of Kings was a means of reassuring the people, probably returned from exile, that God would continue to be faithful to them. It was a promise that "Jerusalem will dwell securely."
This passage raises some troubling problems. We have the advantage of hindsight and are aware of the tragic history of the Jewish people. Whether there will ever be real peace in Israel those of us still alive will probably never know. As of the present moment, the promise in the text has not really come to pass. The inherited animosities among the Jews, the Palestinians, and the Muslims are hard for most Christians to fathom. My generation fought the Japanese and the Germans, and millions of people died in the process. Much savagery and heartless cruelty marked the events of the 1930s and 1940s. But now, we look upon those people as our friends. The concept of hatred which never forgives is foreign to the Christian outlook. I mean no judgment of the people in that part of the world. I have never walked where they walk. But if God is truly active in the peace process, that activity is hard to discern and, in any event, must be taking place through the efforts of the many charitably minded people trying to bring it about.
Of course the situation in Northern Ireland is somewhat similar. Then there's the tragic ethnic violence in Africa, the human rights violations in China and Yugoslavia -- where will it ever end? The one clear and obvious conclusion is, it seems to me, that any hopes for peace, not only for the Jews and the Palestinians, but for all humanity, is for each of us to search our own hearts and to pray for a spirit of forbearance and forgiveness toward those who are different from us, those whose needs are at times in conflict with our own needs. The power of Christian love offers our only hope. There are to be no miracles it would seem.
Lesson 1: Zechariah 14:4-9 (E)
This passage with elements of apocalypticism, predicts the invasion of the heathen hordes, which will be overthrown by God. God will divide Jerusalem, standing astride the chasm between the east and west of the Mount of Olives. Judaism will triumph finally, and the very climate will be transformed and there shall no longer be night. The preaching possibilities here mainly lie in the promise that no matter what dangerous and damaging forces beset those who trust in God, God will overcome them and into the darkness of one's life He will bring eternal light.
Lesson 2: 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13 (C, E); 1 Thessalonians 3:12-- 4:2 (RC)
Paul assures his friends of his prayer that "the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, just as we abound in love for you." Now that Christmas beckons, it seems appropriate that we consider just what kind of love Paul was talking about. He has heard the report from Timothy which commended the people of Thessalonica for their faith and love. You and I know that much of what passes for "love" in our culture is heavily laden with sexual attraction, self interest, and materialism. It's too bad we don't have several words for love as the Greeks did. These days when we love basketball, and hot dogs, and nice restaurants, as well as our children and our spouses and our friends, it would be well for us to be reminded and to remind our congregation of the elements in "love" as Paul (and Jesus) used the word.
Obviously, sacrifice is a prime element in love. So is exertion. And risk. Remember the Jewish story about the man who was unfairly accused and therefore was called before the king for judgment? He said he had three friends, and he would ask them to vouch for his integrity before the king. The first friend begged off on the grounds that if, by chance, the man was deemed guilty, he himself might thereby be found guilty by association. The second friend did agree to accompany the man for his court appearance. But when the man thanked his "friend" and explained that he just knew this testimony would clear him, that "friend" explained that yes, he would go with him to the king's court. But he must stop at the gate lest he too be thought guilty of some misdeed. In despair, and with little hope, the man then approached the third of his friends. That man said, yes, of course, he would go and bear witness before the King. "I know you to be a good and honorable man," he said, "and I shall tell that to the king." The story ends with the judgment that "the man had not three friends, but one friend."
We must notice that Paul believed that it would be through Christ that love could abound. It doesn't just happen. We are all too bowed down by our own needs and desires to do a very good job of loving. But with the empowerment which Christ's spirit infuses into us, then we are set free from our own self-centeredness -- not completely, as we should realize -- but enough to make the difference. Dr. Barclay quoted one man as saying, "An atheist is someone with no invisible means of support." Paul also promised that an adjunct to real love is what he called holiness. To be holy, of course, is probably not in the cards for most of us, not if one accepts the definition as one who is pure and godly. It is, however, a worthy goal. I was raised by a father who frequently counseled my brother and me: "The higher you aim the higher you shoot." Love, then, as Paul used the word, implied also a desire to be morally pure. If I love the people in my life, it will, if it is true love, cause me to make every effort to live as morally blameless a life as I can.
Gospel: Luke 21:25-36 (C); Luke 21:25-28, 34-36 (RC); Luke 21:25-31 (E)
This is a powerful passage when you apply it to the contemporary human situation. Let's assume this was not an effort by Jesus to describe the literal end of the world. Let's assume it was Jewish hyperbole, glorious poetic imagery. Let me use a homey example. Imagine yourself seated on the balcony of an apartment on the fifth floor. Across the way is another building. Repairs are being made on the balcony of the fifth floor room across from you, and the railing has been temporarily removed. You see a man stepping out onto that balcony, his head still turned back toward the room, still speaking to someone therein. You realize he has not seen that there is no railing. Would you call across to him like this: "Excuse me, sir, may I have just a moment of your time? There's something I think would interest you?" Of course not. By that time, the man could be dead. You'd shout, "Stop! Go back! You're in danger!" See my point? Jesus sometimes perceived that we need a harsh, quick word of warning. But it didn't come from anger or impatience. It came from loving concern for the welfare of his hearers.
In other words, this was a clarion call to sinful humanity to be aware -- there will be consequences. But the power here lies in the promise. Jesus is quoted by Luke as having said, "Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near" (v. 28). For me, there's the sermon. We can argue until the cows come home about the Second Coming and it will get us no place. We are not to know. But this passage assures us that when disasters beset us, there's a redemptive power at work for those who know Jesus, who accept him as Lord. We all have to die. We all have to suffer disasters of one sort or another. We all have to brace ourselves for the exigencies of life. But inherent in all of this, through the power of God, is redemptive promise. Saint Paul said it well, "Suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts."
SERMON SUGGESTIONS
Title: "God And The Promise Of Peace"
Text: Jeremiah 33:14-16
Theme: Perhaps you may have the privilege of preaching to someone who literally plays a role in the peace process at the national or international level. Most of us, however, address congregations of hard working people who will have no opportunity to impact directly the efforts toward peace in other lands. But we all can contribute either to peace or to unrest and misery, depending on our day to day attitudes and actions. "Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me," we sing. But what about the specifics? What will I have to do if I am to be an agent of God's desire that there should be peace on earth?
1. I can start with the people I live with and work with. I can start with some healthy-minded self-criticism for instance. Have I said or done something in the past 24 hours that brought pain or unhappiness to my spouse? My child? My friend? If so, I must apologize. But more importantly, I must acknowledge my hurtful attitude and begin the work of change.
2. Change is virtually impossible for most of us by a mere effort of the will. I just read that ninety-some percent of all people who lose weight gain it back. One of my dearest friends has emphysema -- and smokes a pack a day. He wants to quit. He knows he's killing himself. But he can't quit. So how do we change? One of two ways. One is through trauma. A lost job, a broken friendship, a failed marriage, an onset of remorse, a serious health problem; these are some of the forces which cause us to change. But there's another, better way: prayer. If God wants peace, and you and I wish to be agents of that peace, prayer will open up the means by which God can help us to change.
By the way, there's a fascinating book still around, by a distinguished psychiatrist. His title is The Shrinking Of America. Get it? "Shrink"-ing? He maintains that we can never really change, that counseling which is intended to change a person is doomed from the start. The value in counseling lies in helping us to accept and live with ourselves as we are. To some extent, I agree. That may sound cynical. But I know a lot of people and I can't think of anyone whom I see to have changed, except by the evolutionary process of growth, unless it be by the forces mentioned. Or by prayer.
3. Prayer can enrich my life and make me an agent of peace on earth. But prayer must be of the right kind. Not prayer for things, or success, or an easier life. Prayer which earnestly asks for insight about myself, for healing of my faults, for good spirit as I meet others in my home and the market place. I'm convinced God loves to answer prayers like that, and it's in the partnership of my being willing to change, and God empowering me in my effort, that I can overcome my competitive, aggressive, self-centered tendencies and begin to be a blessing to the people in my life. And lo and behold, when I do this, I become a happier person.
Title: "Herein Is Love"
Text: 1 Thessalonians 11:13
Theme: Paul Tillich wrote, "Either love is something other than emotion, or the Great Commandment is meaningless." We know, of course, that Tillich was, in fact, something of a romantic, so I feel sure he would have agreed that there are elements in love which are emotionally fulfilling. But he meant that love begins with a set of beliefs which prompt us to exert ourselves in the best interests of others, regardless of our feelings.
1. Love begins with an effort of the will. This necessarily involves inner struggle with oneself. We are all driven by needs for recognition, for acceptance, for understanding. These needs constantly place us in competition with the people around us. In spite of our good intentions, we repeatedly find ourselves doing and saying things which, far from emulating love, reveal our little rationalizations and hypocrisies. I hate to, but I'll admit to these things. And I see it in others, just as you do. Except, there are people who seem to have overcome the damaging effect of these needs, but I submit they have done so with an effort of the will. They are winners in the inward struggle to love. I doubt, though, that anyone truly wins this battle without some power from outside us. That's where Jesus comes in.
2. Love requires effort. It isn't sufficient to feel kindly toward all humanity. Some of my older readers may remember a poem popular many years ago with this line: "I just want to sit by the side of the road, and be a friend to Man." That's a nice sentiment, but it's not Christian love. Christian love sends us out, leads us to exert ourselves for other people. It can be expensive, even painful at times. Usually, it's the little things like one of my friends who never bats an eye if you ask him to take you to the airport at 5 a.m. Or the woman I know who makes it a point to do something kind and beneficial to someone else each day. She's not perfect, but she's moving that way (I'm fortunate to be married to her).
3. Love is willing to suffer the consequences of Christian love. It may be exorbitant. A little boy was caught in the fast current of White River. She saw her son disappear into the current. Without any hesitation, she plunged into the water after her son. She couldn't swim either. She did the only thing she knew to do, she died alongside her little boy. Melodramatic? I suppose. But love is prepared to pay a price. Fortunately, for most of us it takes more subtle forms, like keeping your mouth shut when you want to yell at your spouse, or smiling at the driver who cut you off (when a little part of you hopes he runs off the road).
Title: "Raise Your Heads"
Text: Luke 21:28
Theme: Why do bad things happen to good people? That question has been, from the beginning of time -- certainly from the beginning of humankind's sense of a divine being -- the most perplexing of all human conundrums. The main character J. B. phrased the matter succinctly in MacLeish's powerful play about the book of Job: "If God is God, He is not good; if God is good He is not God ..." Indeed. What do we say to the person who pleads that a God of the kind of power to be found in the Old Testament, and the kind of love to be found in the New Testament, would never create a world with cancer, and air crashes, and birth defects, and terrorists, and abusive parents? Given that there are no totally satisfying answers to this question, still, we clergy are called to give what answers we can. We who daily spend time with life's sufferers, not to mention that we clergy are those sufferers all too often, must struggle to find the New Testament's healing word to all of this. And there is one answer.
Leslie Weatherhead was right, I think, when he wrote that "the man who inquires into the problem of suffering may be compared with one who, from the sunny street, steps into the comparative gloom of a vast cathedral. After the blaze outside, all seems dark, yet, as he moves forward, he finds that it is not nearly so dark as he had first thought." I had lunch with a man who, in his later forties, was diagnosed with a virulent form of throat cancer. He was a man of fine character, but not a very avid Christian. Like so many people, he was struggling for success in his vocation, when suddenly he was laid low. There followed invasive surgery, chemo which robbed him of his energy, expensive trips to specialists in hope of finding some more satisfying treatment than he found at first. That was five years ago. He has been in remission since then, has found a deep and powerful faith in Christ, now teaches Bible class in his church, and was able to say something to me which inspired me greatly. He said this: "I had heard that people sometimes said, after a disaster such as mine, that it was a blessing in their lives. I always thought that was a lot of baloney. Now I can say just that. My life has been richer, I have been closer to my loved ones and friends, than ever before." You see, when the doctors couldn't heal him, he turned his life completely over to Jesus. Now he is declared well.
I fully understand that not everyone gets well. I fully understand that when bad things happen we are often scarred and handicapped permanently. I fully understand that sometimes people of devout faith die in pain. But I also know, and can witness to the fact, that when we turn our troubles over to God, He not only enables us to transcend those troubles, He invariably uses them to bless our lives. That is exactly what Jesus meant in saying: "Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near."
1. God created the world to be free. God did not coerce creation. Had He done so, goodness would have no meaning, there would be no way for us to appreciate beauty or kindness, and healing would be a meaningless word. If we are to live this life, not only for its own value, but as preparation for something else, then it was inevitable that God must allow these things to happen.
2. God promised to be with us in times of trial. My friend found that to be true. I wish to bear witness on the point. I admit that when things are going well for me, I often have a pretty flimsy prayer life. But when trouble has beset me, I have found that without fail, God has been there lending the strength and courage needed to face the problem. Some of you are familiar with Peter Marshall, the famed Presbyterian preacher whose remarkable ministry was depicted in the movie A Man Called Peter. He told of the time when everything was going wrong in his life. He sat on the basement steps of his manse and prayed to God something like this: "God, we haven't talked to each other much lately, have we?" But when it counted, God was there for him and for his ailing wife Catherine, who she believed healed her illness.
3. God uses our troubles to bless our lives. Paul said it well: "We know that in everything God works for good with those who love him, who are called according to his purpose ..."(Romans 8:28). Yes, indeed, when these things begin to take place ... raise your heads.
ADDITIONAL ILLUSTRATIONS
Linda McCoy told of little boy who said he wanted a grouchy bear for Christmas. When asked why he didn't want a happy bear instead, he said because a grouchy bear needs to be loved.
____________
Parent to teenager: "Jesus was born in a stable."
Teenager: "What's a stable?"
Parent: "Just picture your room without a stereo."
____________
"All problems concerning the relation of love to power and justice, individually as well as socially, become insoluble if love is basically understood as emotion."
-- Paul Tillich, in Love, Power, And Justice
____________
"Love manifests its greatest power there where it overcomes the greatest separation. And the greatest separation is self from self."
-- Paul Tillich, in Love, Power, And Justice
____________
In World War II, Kenneth Simmons was a lieutenant in the 8th Air Corps who was shot down over Germany and was captured by the Nazis. One terrible night, a large number of American prisoners of war were marched across Germany during bitter winter weather. Simmons, part of the group, was desperately ill with pneumonia and realized that he would be one of the many who would die that brutal night. In his book Kriegie, he tells what happened. In a journal he secretly maintained, Simmons told of the dreadful long march which ended very late when the men were allowed to sleep in a barn. He lay down in a hay stack. The next day he wrote this: "I feel much better. I am still weak, but my lungs have quit hurting. I woke up last night, and before I got back to bed I thought I was going to die. I had a feeling that I was at the end of the road. I must have prayed for at least an hour. I can't exactly explain it, but the pain gradually left me as I prayed and I went to sleep praying. This morning when I woke up I took one deep breath, and I knew my prayer had been answered. A man doesn't recover from pneumonia in my condition, sleeping in a pile of hay."
____________
Psalm Of The Day
Psalm 25:1-10 -- "To thee, O Lord, I lift up my soul."
Prayer Of The Day
Be with us, Lord, in the ordinary activities of our day. Keep us mindful of your presence, and of the unimaginable sacrifice which you made, and which begins on the Christmas toward which we now look. Thank you. In Christ's name, Amen.
