The Holy Spirit
Preaching
Lectionary Preaching Workbook
Series V, Cycle A
BRIEF COMMENTARY ON THE LESSONS
Lesson 1: Isaiah 49:1--7 (C, E); Isaiah 49:3, 5--6 (RC); Isaiah 49:1--6 (L)
The prophet of second Isaiah shares his strong sense of being called by the Lord; he was set aside for his prophetic/servant role while he was still in his mother's womb. He was called to relay some painful truths and feels as if his efforts have met with futility, but then the Spirit of God gives him hope and strength for his mission of restoring the wounded and scattered sheep of the defeated flock of Israel. The Spirit gently chides him for his constricted view of his mission and announces that his task is not merely to restore his fallen people to what they were but to challenge them with a glorious calling to be a light for all the nations on earth, that all nations might acknowledge the Lordship of God. At a time of great darkness, God renews and magnifies his call to his people.
Lesson 2: 1 Corinthians 1:1--9 (C, E, L); 1 Corinthians 1:1--3 (RC)
The Apostle Paul begins his epistle to the Romans by setting forth his apostolic credentials - not his human gifts but his call by God. He then addresses the church as those who are likewise set apart by God and called to be saints. The One who called them is faithful and would preserve them in faith until the day when the Lord Jesus appeared in kingdom power, supplying them richly with all the spiritual gifts they would need in the interim. All Christians have a call to be God's saints and some have a further call to be apostles, teachers and the like, but it is God who supplies the spirit and strength to fulfill that call.
Gospel: John 1:29--42 (C); John 1:29--34 (RC); John 1:29--41 (E, L)
The gospel continues the ''call'' theme found in the first two lessons. Here we have a man with a potent sense of call, John the Baptist, who points to Jesus as being the Messiah.Through this act he fulfills his calling, which is to point to the One chosen by God to purify the people. Two of John's disciples heard their teacher point to Jesus and say, ''Here is the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.'' These two follow Jesus to the place of his lodging and spend the rest of the day with the Master. Jesus must have communicated a strong sense of being called as the Messiah, for the next day Andrew, one of the two disciples, finds his brother, Peter, and excitedly announces, ''We have found the Messiah.'' Andrew witnessed as one who has been called by Christ. Not only does he make a verbal witness but brings his brother to Jesus. When the Lord lays his eyes on Peter, he calls him by a new name, Cephas, the Rock. All of these men have one thing in common: They are not fulfilling their own inward desires by responding to a call from outside themselves to be and to act as the Lord's servants.
Psalm Of The Day
Psalm 27:1, 4--9 (C); Psalm 27:1--6 (L); Psalm 139:1--7 (E) - ''The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life: of whom shall I be afraid?''
Prayer Of The Day
Gracious God, in Holy Baptism you have called us into the fellowship of saints and have equipped us for the work of ministry. Keep us faithful to our calling to be your servant people that we might be found blameless when the Lord Christ consummates his glorious kingdom. In the name of Jesus. Amen.
THEOLOGICAL REFLECTION ON THE LESSONS
Lesson 1: Isaiah 49:1--7
Reach out and touch someone. Is there anyone who has not heard this advertisement? It has been employed in some of the most gripping advertisements on television. The ads touch us because they present realistic situations, usually joyous ones, where people are sharing their real selves with those they care about. We all need to touch and be touched. What the slogan is really saying is: Go ahead and call someone. When God called the prophet Isaiah to be his servant, he was sending him to reach out and touch those who were dear to the heart of God. He wanted to communicate his love for them, to lift them up from their beds of tears, and gather them together. In turn, the Lord called his chosen ones to reach out to those in spiritual darkness, namely the Gentiles, that they too might walk in the light of the Lord. God calls us in baptism to reach out and touch someone with the good news of Christ's love. What are we waiting for?
''I have labored in vain,'' complained the weary and depressed prophet. How typically human during a time of darkness to look back on our lives and behold only futility and failure. This would be quite a realistic appraisal if we were to view our lives atomistically, in isolation from God and others. Then the prophet remembers, ''Surely my cause is with the Lord.'' If my cause is also the Lord's cause, surely he will vindicate me, the prophet reasoned.
Wouldn't you think that if a person was feeling as if he were a failure that the Lord might relent and say: ''That's all right. I'll remove some of your burden and make it easier for you.'' But that's not what happened to Isaiah. The Lord gave him and his people an even greater task, ''to be as a light to the nations.'' In fact, the task seems impossible. Maybe that's how God makes great people and faithful people, challenging them with a great task. The task may be too great for us alone but our God is able.
Lesson 2: 1 Corinthians 1:1--9
''Called to be ....'' Most of the time when we were called on, it is to do something, but when God calls us, it is being that he is concerned about. The Lord's primary concern is who and what we are. As Christians, we are all called to be saints, to live holy lives. We realize such sanctity not by striving to be perfect, that would be self--defeating, but by offering each moment of our lives to the Lord. Perhaps this would be a fitting prayer for a saint to offer to the Lord: ''I'm not much, Lord, but I'm yours. Take me and use me as you will. In Jesus' name. Amen.''
Gospel: John 1:29--42
A scapegoat or a lamb of God? When John the Baptist spied Jesus coming his way, he turned to his disciples and announced: ''Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!'' John was intensely interested in holiness. His baptism was a call to be free from the contagion of sin. John was something of an eccentric in his day but his message was widely received, nonetheless. Today, he would be regarded as a raving maniac whose message was hopelessly anachronistic. You see, John regarded sin with the utmost seriousness. He pointed to Jesus as the sacrificial
lamb who would atone for the sins of the world. When people mess up today they blame it on their parents, their upbringing, society or some other convenient scapegoat. Have you noticed, people don't sin any more? They make mistakes, they slip up, they become temporarily insane or ill, but they don't sin. And when they can't figure out who to blame they throw up their hands and intone, ''It just happened.'' I didn't intend to cheat on my wife; it just happened. I don't know how or why I shot him; it just happened. Who knows, maybe aliens from outer space are taking possession of our bodies when things just happen. One woman killed her husband and you know what her defense was? Her menstrual period. Who needs a Lamb of God to take away my sin, when I don't really sin or when others are to blame?
Come and see. When John pointed to Jesus as the Lamb of God, two of his disciples followed him and when Jesus saw them he asked, ''What are you looking for?'' They didn't know quite what to say and so they blurted, ''Rabbi, where are you staying?'' ''Come and see,'' he responded. That was Jesus' first call. A rather low key approach. ''Come and see'' is an invitation to examine the life of Christ. It is a request that these men might come to know him, to enter into relationship with him. Christ didn't try to sell himself; he merely invited them to come and discover for themselves. They apparently liked what they saw, at least Andrew did, because the next day he found his brother, Peter, and brought him to Jesus.
Andrew could be dubbed the ordinary apostle. He didn't have any spectacular gifts and he wasn't a great leader like his brother, but what he had, he used. His greatest gift was to invite folks to come and see this Jesus. He must have been kind of a self--effacing man who evinced the attitude voiced by the Baptist, ''He must increase but I must decrease.'' Andrew realized that he didn't have the burden of changing people; all he had to do was bring them to Jesus. That is our calling too, to enthusiastically invite people to ''come and see'' who this Jesus might be.
PREACHING APPROACHES WITH ILLUSTRATIONS
Lesson 1: Isaiah 49:1--7
Sermon Title: Faith And Futility
Sermon Angle: The prophet laments: ''I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity ...'' (v. 4). Then, in practically the same breath, he adds, ''Yet surely my cause is with the Lord, and my reward with my God.'' It's quite obvious that faith and futility are not mutually exclusive. Some of the greatest saints, called to the most difficult tasks have, at times, felt like they had been abandoned by God and that their labors were in vain. This is quite natural because those who exercise the greatest faith usually meet the most opposition. Also, faith views the world from a different perspective than does futility. If we look backward at our lives from a strictly rational, sense--experience perspective, it may truly appear that we have failed miserably. The outcome may be a drastic departure from what we had hoped. Faith, on the other hand, comprehends that life is far deeper than what we see. Our perception is finite and largely subjective. Faith acknowledges that our lives are in God's hands and that ultimately ''all things will work together for good to those who love God'' (Romans 8:28).
Outline:
1. Ask if they have ever felt that their lives didn't count for much. Talk about despair, hopelessness, depression and the like.
2. Point out that Isaiah felt this way and explain why.
3. Emphasize that it is not unnatural to feel this way. Give examples.
4. Show that futility can only be counteracted through faith in God.
5. Urge them to live out of their faith rather than their futility.
Lesson 2: 1 Corinthians 1:1--9
Sermon Title: Called To Be
Sermon Angle: Paul addresses the church at Corinth as those ''called to be ....'' Obviously, I have left out the object in this phrase but as Shakespeare so eloquently turned the
phrase, ''To be or not to be, that is the question.'' All existence falls into two categories: being and doing. Our society judges us by what we do; we are measured by our accomplishments. The Bible indicates that doing flows from being. Who and what we are is primary. In the Beatitudes, Jesus teaches, ''Blessed are the poor in spirit; blessed are the meek,'' and so forth. Those who are acknowledged by the Lord have met the criteria of being which flows from their being in the Lord. But what is it we are called to be? Saints. Those who are holy or, we could say, wholly the Lord's.
Outline:
1. Ask the question, If you were standing before the Pearly Gates and Saint Peter were to ask you why you should be allowed to enter, what would you reply? Would the reasons cited have more to do with what you have done or who you are?
2. As Christians, we are called to be, not to do (vv. 1--2). We are saved by grace through faith.
3. Do we take time to discover who we are in God and to live out this identity?
4. If we live as God's saints, we will be blameless as we stand before the throne of God (v. 8).
Gospel: John 1:29--42
Sermon Title: A Scapegoat Or A Sacrificial Lamb?
Sermon Angle: Increasingly people are refusing to accept responsibility for their actions. It's more convenient and less painful, it seems, to blame somebody else - that other racial group, women, men, parents, and the like - than take responsibility onto oneself. The Jews placed their sins symbolically on a scapegoat and drove him out into the wilderness. This may have helped them cope with guilt but it didn't get to the crux of the problem of sin. God did that in the person of his Son. John the Baptist pointed to Jesus and said, ''There is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.'' Jesus took our sins to the cross where he crucified them. He enables us not only to evade the guilt of our sins for a time, he frees us from their power so that we have victory.
Outline:
1. Explain the concept of the scapegoat.
2. Give examples of how people today attempt to evade responsibility for their actions by casting the blame on others.
3. Jesus took on himself the guilt of our sin as the Lamb of God.
- Now we can face our sins honestly.
- Now we have the power, through faith, to defeat sin.
Those of us who are white cannot fathom the pain of racial prejudice that blacks and other minorities face in our society. This has been brought to our attention by the riot that followed the first Rodney King trial in Los Angeles. In that riot a white truck driver was pulled out of his truck and brutally beaten by some young black men. One of them took a brick and threw it with force at the head of the hapless driver by the name of John Denny. The man who threw the brick and Denny were both invited to appear on the Phil Donahue show. Denny is a Christian and does not blame or hate those who attacked him. He even seems to excuse their actions on account of the conditions they live in. To forgive them is wonderful, but should he also release them from the responsibility for their actions? The man who threw the brick, Mr. Washington, says that he is sorry for the harm he has caused Denny but also stated that he does not entirely regret participating in the riot. The audience in the studio was agitated with Washington because they felt he wasn't really sorry for what he had done, that he was not really ready to confess that he had done wrong. I think that the audience intuitively understood that Mr. Washington could not rise above his past sins until he owned them and confessed them. This is not a racial issue; it is a spiritual matter. What it boils down to is this: We don't need a scapegoat; we need to lay our sins on the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.
Sermon Title: The Inviting Christ
Sermon Angle: When Andrew and the other disciple of John the Baptist tailed Jesus, he turned to them and asked, ''What are you looking for?'' They inquired as to where he was living. Jesus responded with an invitation: ''Come and see.'' Our Christ is inviting, urging us to come home to him, that we might get to know him through his self--revelation. No hard sell, just a gracious invitation. Now Christ lives amongst his people. But how inviting are those who have charge of his house, the church? People still inquire, ''Where does Christ live?'' Can we in good conscience invite them to come to our houses or our churches, saying, ''Come and see?''
Lesson 1: Isaiah 49:1--7 (C, E); Isaiah 49:3, 5--6 (RC); Isaiah 49:1--6 (L)
The prophet of second Isaiah shares his strong sense of being called by the Lord; he was set aside for his prophetic/servant role while he was still in his mother's womb. He was called to relay some painful truths and feels as if his efforts have met with futility, but then the Spirit of God gives him hope and strength for his mission of restoring the wounded and scattered sheep of the defeated flock of Israel. The Spirit gently chides him for his constricted view of his mission and announces that his task is not merely to restore his fallen people to what they were but to challenge them with a glorious calling to be a light for all the nations on earth, that all nations might acknowledge the Lordship of God. At a time of great darkness, God renews and magnifies his call to his people.
Lesson 2: 1 Corinthians 1:1--9 (C, E, L); 1 Corinthians 1:1--3 (RC)
The Apostle Paul begins his epistle to the Romans by setting forth his apostolic credentials - not his human gifts but his call by God. He then addresses the church as those who are likewise set apart by God and called to be saints. The One who called them is faithful and would preserve them in faith until the day when the Lord Jesus appeared in kingdom power, supplying them richly with all the spiritual gifts they would need in the interim. All Christians have a call to be God's saints and some have a further call to be apostles, teachers and the like, but it is God who supplies the spirit and strength to fulfill that call.
Gospel: John 1:29--42 (C); John 1:29--34 (RC); John 1:29--41 (E, L)
The gospel continues the ''call'' theme found in the first two lessons. Here we have a man with a potent sense of call, John the Baptist, who points to Jesus as being the Messiah.Through this act he fulfills his calling, which is to point to the One chosen by God to purify the people. Two of John's disciples heard their teacher point to Jesus and say, ''Here is the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.'' These two follow Jesus to the place of his lodging and spend the rest of the day with the Master. Jesus must have communicated a strong sense of being called as the Messiah, for the next day Andrew, one of the two disciples, finds his brother, Peter, and excitedly announces, ''We have found the Messiah.'' Andrew witnessed as one who has been called by Christ. Not only does he make a verbal witness but brings his brother to Jesus. When the Lord lays his eyes on Peter, he calls him by a new name, Cephas, the Rock. All of these men have one thing in common: They are not fulfilling their own inward desires by responding to a call from outside themselves to be and to act as the Lord's servants.
Psalm Of The Day
Psalm 27:1, 4--9 (C); Psalm 27:1--6 (L); Psalm 139:1--7 (E) - ''The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life: of whom shall I be afraid?''
Prayer Of The Day
Gracious God, in Holy Baptism you have called us into the fellowship of saints and have equipped us for the work of ministry. Keep us faithful to our calling to be your servant people that we might be found blameless when the Lord Christ consummates his glorious kingdom. In the name of Jesus. Amen.
THEOLOGICAL REFLECTION ON THE LESSONS
Lesson 1: Isaiah 49:1--7
Reach out and touch someone. Is there anyone who has not heard this advertisement? It has been employed in some of the most gripping advertisements on television. The ads touch us because they present realistic situations, usually joyous ones, where people are sharing their real selves with those they care about. We all need to touch and be touched. What the slogan is really saying is: Go ahead and call someone. When God called the prophet Isaiah to be his servant, he was sending him to reach out and touch those who were dear to the heart of God. He wanted to communicate his love for them, to lift them up from their beds of tears, and gather them together. In turn, the Lord called his chosen ones to reach out to those in spiritual darkness, namely the Gentiles, that they too might walk in the light of the Lord. God calls us in baptism to reach out and touch someone with the good news of Christ's love. What are we waiting for?
''I have labored in vain,'' complained the weary and depressed prophet. How typically human during a time of darkness to look back on our lives and behold only futility and failure. This would be quite a realistic appraisal if we were to view our lives atomistically, in isolation from God and others. Then the prophet remembers, ''Surely my cause is with the Lord.'' If my cause is also the Lord's cause, surely he will vindicate me, the prophet reasoned.
Wouldn't you think that if a person was feeling as if he were a failure that the Lord might relent and say: ''That's all right. I'll remove some of your burden and make it easier for you.'' But that's not what happened to Isaiah. The Lord gave him and his people an even greater task, ''to be as a light to the nations.'' In fact, the task seems impossible. Maybe that's how God makes great people and faithful people, challenging them with a great task. The task may be too great for us alone but our God is able.
Lesson 2: 1 Corinthians 1:1--9
''Called to be ....'' Most of the time when we were called on, it is to do something, but when God calls us, it is being that he is concerned about. The Lord's primary concern is who and what we are. As Christians, we are all called to be saints, to live holy lives. We realize such sanctity not by striving to be perfect, that would be self--defeating, but by offering each moment of our lives to the Lord. Perhaps this would be a fitting prayer for a saint to offer to the Lord: ''I'm not much, Lord, but I'm yours. Take me and use me as you will. In Jesus' name. Amen.''
Gospel: John 1:29--42
A scapegoat or a lamb of God? When John the Baptist spied Jesus coming his way, he turned to his disciples and announced: ''Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!'' John was intensely interested in holiness. His baptism was a call to be free from the contagion of sin. John was something of an eccentric in his day but his message was widely received, nonetheless. Today, he would be regarded as a raving maniac whose message was hopelessly anachronistic. You see, John regarded sin with the utmost seriousness. He pointed to Jesus as the sacrificial
lamb who would atone for the sins of the world. When people mess up today they blame it on their parents, their upbringing, society or some other convenient scapegoat. Have you noticed, people don't sin any more? They make mistakes, they slip up, they become temporarily insane or ill, but they don't sin. And when they can't figure out who to blame they throw up their hands and intone, ''It just happened.'' I didn't intend to cheat on my wife; it just happened. I don't know how or why I shot him; it just happened. Who knows, maybe aliens from outer space are taking possession of our bodies when things just happen. One woman killed her husband and you know what her defense was? Her menstrual period. Who needs a Lamb of God to take away my sin, when I don't really sin or when others are to blame?
Come and see. When John pointed to Jesus as the Lamb of God, two of his disciples followed him and when Jesus saw them he asked, ''What are you looking for?'' They didn't know quite what to say and so they blurted, ''Rabbi, where are you staying?'' ''Come and see,'' he responded. That was Jesus' first call. A rather low key approach. ''Come and see'' is an invitation to examine the life of Christ. It is a request that these men might come to know him, to enter into relationship with him. Christ didn't try to sell himself; he merely invited them to come and discover for themselves. They apparently liked what they saw, at least Andrew did, because the next day he found his brother, Peter, and brought him to Jesus.
Andrew could be dubbed the ordinary apostle. He didn't have any spectacular gifts and he wasn't a great leader like his brother, but what he had, he used. His greatest gift was to invite folks to come and see this Jesus. He must have been kind of a self--effacing man who evinced the attitude voiced by the Baptist, ''He must increase but I must decrease.'' Andrew realized that he didn't have the burden of changing people; all he had to do was bring them to Jesus. That is our calling too, to enthusiastically invite people to ''come and see'' who this Jesus might be.
PREACHING APPROACHES WITH ILLUSTRATIONS
Lesson 1: Isaiah 49:1--7
Sermon Title: Faith And Futility
Sermon Angle: The prophet laments: ''I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity ...'' (v. 4). Then, in practically the same breath, he adds, ''Yet surely my cause is with the Lord, and my reward with my God.'' It's quite obvious that faith and futility are not mutually exclusive. Some of the greatest saints, called to the most difficult tasks have, at times, felt like they had been abandoned by God and that their labors were in vain. This is quite natural because those who exercise the greatest faith usually meet the most opposition. Also, faith views the world from a different perspective than does futility. If we look backward at our lives from a strictly rational, sense--experience perspective, it may truly appear that we have failed miserably. The outcome may be a drastic departure from what we had hoped. Faith, on the other hand, comprehends that life is far deeper than what we see. Our perception is finite and largely subjective. Faith acknowledges that our lives are in God's hands and that ultimately ''all things will work together for good to those who love God'' (Romans 8:28).
Outline:
1. Ask if they have ever felt that their lives didn't count for much. Talk about despair, hopelessness, depression and the like.
2. Point out that Isaiah felt this way and explain why.
3. Emphasize that it is not unnatural to feel this way. Give examples.
4. Show that futility can only be counteracted through faith in God.
5. Urge them to live out of their faith rather than their futility.
Lesson 2: 1 Corinthians 1:1--9
Sermon Title: Called To Be
Sermon Angle: Paul addresses the church at Corinth as those ''called to be ....'' Obviously, I have left out the object in this phrase but as Shakespeare so eloquently turned the
phrase, ''To be or not to be, that is the question.'' All existence falls into two categories: being and doing. Our society judges us by what we do; we are measured by our accomplishments. The Bible indicates that doing flows from being. Who and what we are is primary. In the Beatitudes, Jesus teaches, ''Blessed are the poor in spirit; blessed are the meek,'' and so forth. Those who are acknowledged by the Lord have met the criteria of being which flows from their being in the Lord. But what is it we are called to be? Saints. Those who are holy or, we could say, wholly the Lord's.
Outline:
1. Ask the question, If you were standing before the Pearly Gates and Saint Peter were to ask you why you should be allowed to enter, what would you reply? Would the reasons cited have more to do with what you have done or who you are?
2. As Christians, we are called to be, not to do (vv. 1--2). We are saved by grace through faith.
3. Do we take time to discover who we are in God and to live out this identity?
4. If we live as God's saints, we will be blameless as we stand before the throne of God (v. 8).
Gospel: John 1:29--42
Sermon Title: A Scapegoat Or A Sacrificial Lamb?
Sermon Angle: Increasingly people are refusing to accept responsibility for their actions. It's more convenient and less painful, it seems, to blame somebody else - that other racial group, women, men, parents, and the like - than take responsibility onto oneself. The Jews placed their sins symbolically on a scapegoat and drove him out into the wilderness. This may have helped them cope with guilt but it didn't get to the crux of the problem of sin. God did that in the person of his Son. John the Baptist pointed to Jesus and said, ''There is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.'' Jesus took our sins to the cross where he crucified them. He enables us not only to evade the guilt of our sins for a time, he frees us from their power so that we have victory.
Outline:
1. Explain the concept of the scapegoat.
2. Give examples of how people today attempt to evade responsibility for their actions by casting the blame on others.
3. Jesus took on himself the guilt of our sin as the Lamb of God.
- Now we can face our sins honestly.
- Now we have the power, through faith, to defeat sin.
Those of us who are white cannot fathom the pain of racial prejudice that blacks and other minorities face in our society. This has been brought to our attention by the riot that followed the first Rodney King trial in Los Angeles. In that riot a white truck driver was pulled out of his truck and brutally beaten by some young black men. One of them took a brick and threw it with force at the head of the hapless driver by the name of John Denny. The man who threw the brick and Denny were both invited to appear on the Phil Donahue show. Denny is a Christian and does not blame or hate those who attacked him. He even seems to excuse their actions on account of the conditions they live in. To forgive them is wonderful, but should he also release them from the responsibility for their actions? The man who threw the brick, Mr. Washington, says that he is sorry for the harm he has caused Denny but also stated that he does not entirely regret participating in the riot. The audience in the studio was agitated with Washington because they felt he wasn't really sorry for what he had done, that he was not really ready to confess that he had done wrong. I think that the audience intuitively understood that Mr. Washington could not rise above his past sins until he owned them and confessed them. This is not a racial issue; it is a spiritual matter. What it boils down to is this: We don't need a scapegoat; we need to lay our sins on the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.
Sermon Title: The Inviting Christ
Sermon Angle: When Andrew and the other disciple of John the Baptist tailed Jesus, he turned to them and asked, ''What are you looking for?'' They inquired as to where he was living. Jesus responded with an invitation: ''Come and see.'' Our Christ is inviting, urging us to come home to him, that we might get to know him through his self--revelation. No hard sell, just a gracious invitation. Now Christ lives amongst his people. But how inviting are those who have charge of his house, the church? People still inquire, ''Where does Christ live?'' Can we in good conscience invite them to come to our houses or our churches, saying, ''Come and see?''
