Proper 17
Preaching
Lectionary Preaching Workbook
Series III, Cycle A
Exodus 19:1-9
Romans 12:1-13
Matthew 16:21-28
The church year theological clue
Had the plan of the Joint Liturgical Group in Great Britain, which set an agenda for reforming the church year, been followed in the American churches, the Advent prayers might have come at a very propitious time in the life of the churches, the beginning of September. The Joint Liturgical Group had suggested extending the Sundays before Christmas back far enough that the holy history of the faith might be read annually. While there is something to be said for such a plan, something would also be lost; the eschatological mood of Pentecost would be down-played, at best. As the life of the parishes is "stirred up" in September, it is well to keep before the people the movement toward Christ the King Sunday and the last things. The life of and in the Spirit prepares us for that, as well as for contemporary living.
The Prayer of the Day - The suffering of Christ is noted - and thanks is given to God that his Son "chose the path of suffering for the sake of the world." As it has been composed for the new lectionary, it points to, and reflects what is in, the Gospel for the Day, in which Jesus informs his disciples of the fate that will befall him in Jerusalem. It also spells out our response to his command to "take up our cross and follow him": "Humble us by his example, point us to the path of obedience, and give us strength to follow his commands; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord."
The Psalm for the Day - Psalm 26 (E, L) - It is rather evident that this is the plea of a person who has been falsely accused of some evil deed. This person seeks vindication from God, who alone is able to judge the thoughts, sayings, and actions of human beings. It is so idealistic - some have called it self-righteous - that it really only could be offered up to God by one man, Jesus Christ, the sinless one. The psalm speaks for him: "I have walked faithfully with you.... I have hated the company of evildoers.... I will wash my hands in innocence, O Lord." The psalmist goes on to say: "Lord, I love the house in which you dwell and the place where your glory abides." He also speaks against false accusations, as were made by Christ: "Do not sweep me away with sinners, nor my life with those who thirst for blood, whose hands are full of evil plots, and their right hand full of bribes." Only Jesus could really declare, "As for me, I will live with integrity; redeem me, O Lord, and have pity on me. My foot stands on level ground; in the full assembly I will bless the Lord."
The Psalm Prayer
Lord Jesus, Lamb without stain, image of the Father's glory: Give us the strength to avoid sin and be faithful to you always. Lead us to the place where God dwells in his glory, that we may praise him with joy among his saints now and forever.
Psalm 63:2-6, 8-9 (R) - The thirst for God, as the psalmist perceives it, is as intense as the physical thirst of those who are passing through "a barren and dry land where there is no water." (like Rephidim ?). God is able to - and does - quench the thirst of those whose souls are tortured by their longing to know God. The psalmist knows that God can be found, and one's spiritual thirst can be assuaged, by those who throw themselves upon the mercy of God, because God is constantly seeking out his own people to claim them and bless them. The cries of the faithful are heard by God; they can say, in true faith: "My soul clings to you; your right hand holds me fast." The Roman Ordo also appoints this psalm for the Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Series C.
Psalm 114 (C) - The psalm takes up the story of the first reading, recounting how God solved the troubles of the Israelites when they put him to the test during the Exodus: "When Israel came out of Egypt, ... Judah became God's sanctuary and Israel his dominion." The recitation of God's actions at the Red Sea and in the mountains and hills picks up the story of what happened at Rephidim in the last two verses:
Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob, who turned the hard rock into a pool of water and flint-stone and into a flowing spring.
The psalm makes an excellent response to the first reading, Exodus 19.
The readings:
Jeremiah 20:7-9 (R)
These are the words of a true prophet, a man who has been completely captured by the Word of God, not by an inflamed imagination or personally induced inspiration. True to form, the prophet of the Lord has become a butt for those opposed to what he says in the name of God, as the prophet himself remarks, "I am a daily laughing stock, everybody's butt." (Jerusalem Bible) The prophets, who base their pronouncements upon the Word of the Lord, usually become the object of scorn and derision and, if hated enough, may even be put to death, as Jesus remarked, "Jerusalem ... killing the prophets...." In the New Testament, the martyrs took their places alongside the prophets, testifying to God the truth of his Word by laying down their lives in the name of Jesus Christ.
Jeremiah 15:15-21 (E, L)
Here is the word of a prophet who has suffered miserably at the hands of the people of God. He has been doing his best to serve the Lord and his Word, but all he has received is reproach from those he has come to lead back to God. So the prophet complains to God for himself and, no doubt, speaks on a different level for the community which finds itself at odds with God and suffering because it has not really attempted to be faithful to the Lord God. Oddly enough, the prophet, who seems to have lost faith in God, actually turns to the Lord God in his prayer and, in return, hears a word of blessing from the Lord God: "If you return, I will restore you, and you shall stand before me." He hears the promise of God's support in whatever trials and persecutions he may have to endure in life, which is what Christians have learned to expect from the Lord. Final deliverance is promised to the prophet, his community, and, in light of the gospel, to faithful Christians. Jeremiah might have been speaking for Jesus, too, in what he had to endure, and what God had promised him in the face of persecution, suffering, and death - resurrection on the third day: "I will deliver you out of the hand of the wicked, and redeem you from the grasp of the ruthless." This reading, therefore, lays a biblical foundation for the Gospel for the Day and Jesus' prediction of what will happen to him. It also points to Jesus' words on the cross, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
Exodus 19:1-9 (C)
Once more, the Israelites were on the move, this time from Rephidim to Sinai, after God had slaked their thirst with water from a rock split open by Moses' rod. For the first time, Moses met God on Sinai, and Yahweh addressed Moses and instructed him to remind the people of the things he had done for them in bringing them out of Egypt and leading them through the wilderness. If they keep the covenant with God, they will be his peculiar people, and also a kingdom of priests, who offer their sacrifices to him, not only in formal worship but in their daily lives. The Roman Ordo employs part of this reading, vv. 2-6a for the Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, or the Fourth Sunday after Pentecost, Series A; The Episcopal and Lutheran lectionaries appoint Jeremiah 19:2-8a for the same Sunday. Additional comments on this reading may be found in the commentary for the Fourth Sunday after Pentecost. Jeremiah 19:3-8a, plus verses 16-20b, is also one of the four first readings of the Vigil of Pentecost, series B; the Episcopal and Lutheran lectionaries also appoint Exodus 19:1-9 for the Vigil of Pentecost.
Romans 12:1-2; 12:1-8 (E, L), 12:1-13 (C)
Long before the new lectionaries began to appear, it occurred to me that, on many occasions, the second reading, or the Epistle for the Day, ought to be read after the Gospel for the Day, because it frequently had a "now hear this and do this" quality about it. The first two verses of the Roman lection from Chapter 12 of Romans, suggests such an approach:
I appeal to you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
The faithful are not to be "conformed to this world," but are to be "transformed by the renewal of (their) mind." They are to show in their lives "what is good and acceptable and perfect." For most Christians, this begins in the liturgy, but it also has to be done in the way one lives every day. The Episcopal and Lutheran lectionaries expand the reading so as to spell out the kind of humility which becomes those who belong to the body of Christ, recognizing that the members of the body have different functions, all of which are important to its welfare. Christians, too, have different gifts - prophecy, service, teaching, exhortation, contributing, giving aid, acts of mercy - which should be used in the name and service of Christ. The Common Lectionary expands the second reading to include those things Paul writes about in verses 9-13 - love for the good and loving respect for each other, untiring work for the Lord, spiritual earnestness, hope that generates a positive spirit, stead-fastness when trials come, continual prayer, sharing with the saints, and making hospitality a priority of their lives.
Matthew 16:21-26 (L); 16:21-27 (R, E); 16:21-28 (C)
This reading, a continuation of last Sunday's Gospel, in which Peter makes his great confession and Christ responds with praise and the announcement that the church will be built upon this "Rock" and that the keys to the kingdom will also be given to him (and the church), is treated separately because it includes Jesus' announcement of his impending death in Jerusatern, as well as Peter's objection and subsequent rebuke by Jesus. The "then" in the RSV connects the two sections of this story; the second part finds Jesus saying that his followers must take up their crosses and follow him, and that "whoever loses his life for my sake will find it," plus two related questions. Matthew reveals in his reading Jesus' concern for the church and his conception of its discipleship in the world. The Roman Ordo includes the eschatological prediction (v. 27) about the return of Christ, and the Common Lectionary adds (v. 28) Jesus' announcement that some will still be living when he comes again.
Sermon suggestions:
Matthew 16:21-26, 27, 28 - "Death and Life."
1. Born to die. That is the fate of every person, of course, but Jesus was born to die a special death in order to reconcile God and his people, thereby accomplishing the salvation of all who believe and are baptized. Peter, like most of us, couldn't understand why Jesus had to die and tried to dissuade him from allowing this to happen.
2. Dying to live. Jesus had to die in perfect obedience to God, not simply to fulfill the scriptures, but to reveal the power and love of God in his resurrection. He had to die as a human being so as to be raised up to new life at the right hand of God and, thereby, complete the mystery. He also had to put down Peter - rebuke him severely - if he were to do God's will.
3. Living with death. That's the fate of each disciple, who, Jesus said, is "to take up his (her) cross and follow me." The cross makes its mark upon the manner in which we live in the world as we attempt to follow Jesus; it calls for total surrender of one's life to Christ and ready sacrifice - even literally - of one's life for the Lord. The sacrifice of one's ambitions, dreams, and intentions, along with one's time, talents, and possessions, on behalf of the Lord - a living sacrifice - may be more difficult than actually dying as a martyr for Christ; such sacrifice is a kind of slow and often agonizing death in which we find life.
Jeremiah 20: 7-9 (R) - "Divine Seduction."
1. That's what Jeremiah experienced; God had seduced him into being his spokesperson, his prophet. It was his making, not his downfall.
2. Ridicule and rejection, not shame, were his lot. He found himself an outcast from the people he meant to warn and save.
3. God's Word - a fire in the heart. He couldn't help himself, despite derision and persecution; he had to go on prophesying in the name of Yahweh, even if it cost him his life. In this, he preceded Jesus, whom God called with, "You are my Son, in whom I am well pleased," and who suffered and died not simply for the sake of Israel, but to save the whole wide world.
Jeremiah 15:15-21 (E, L) - "The Prophet's Complaint."
1. The complaint of a faithful prophet. Jeremiah believed that God had let him down and abandoned him to those who rejected the Word of the Lord.
2. Faithful even in his complaint. When he might just as well have cursed God or turned away from him, the prophet prayed to God in faith, much as Jesus seemed to be doing when he said, on the cross, "My God, my God, why...?"
3. The promise of a faithful God. Yahweh said to the people, and to us, as well as to Jeremiah, "If you return, I will restore you, and you shall stand before me...." What more can anyone ask of God?
Exodus 19:1-9 - "Preparation for a Summit Meeting."
(See the sermon suggestions for this text in the material for the Fourth Sunday after Pentecost. A variation is suggested below.)
1. On the way again - from Rephidim to Sinai. The Israelites always seemed to be going from wilderness to wilderness, from one bad situation to another that was worse. What a strange way to prepare for a summit meeting with God. Unfortunately, life tends to be like that for many people.
2. God speaks again - he was still with them. The people of Israel felt only the absence, rather than the presence, of God when they were in trouble. Like them, we doubt God's concern and even his ability to come to our aid, and we test him. God assured Moses -and us, in Jesus - that he will attend the summit; he is always present.
3. God trusts again - That's what sacred history, before and after Jesus' ministry, continues to tell us. His presence in his Word makes a positive summit meeting possible - at Sinai, for Israel - and at Golgotha, for us.
Romans 12:1-2 (R); 12:1-8 (E, L); 12:1-13 (C) - "The Christian 's Offering."
1. The Christian life-style - sacrifice. Paul understood what Jesus was talking about when he said, "Take up your cross and follow me." For him, the Christian life was a living sacrifice.
2. Transformed by the Word, not conformed to the world. That's how the Christian life-style is shaped and is validated by Christ. The Christian life is cruciform in all of its dimensions.
3. Fruits of faith and humility - service. The secret of the Christian life-style lies in faith and genuine humility, wherein one finds the strength and persistence to use one's gifts - whatever they may be - in the service of God and his people. The Christian's offering to God is himself/herself.
Romans 12:1-13
Matthew 16:21-28
The church year theological clue
Had the plan of the Joint Liturgical Group in Great Britain, which set an agenda for reforming the church year, been followed in the American churches, the Advent prayers might have come at a very propitious time in the life of the churches, the beginning of September. The Joint Liturgical Group had suggested extending the Sundays before Christmas back far enough that the holy history of the faith might be read annually. While there is something to be said for such a plan, something would also be lost; the eschatological mood of Pentecost would be down-played, at best. As the life of the parishes is "stirred up" in September, it is well to keep before the people the movement toward Christ the King Sunday and the last things. The life of and in the Spirit prepares us for that, as well as for contemporary living.
The Prayer of the Day - The suffering of Christ is noted - and thanks is given to God that his Son "chose the path of suffering for the sake of the world." As it has been composed for the new lectionary, it points to, and reflects what is in, the Gospel for the Day, in which Jesus informs his disciples of the fate that will befall him in Jerusalem. It also spells out our response to his command to "take up our cross and follow him": "Humble us by his example, point us to the path of obedience, and give us strength to follow his commands; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord."
The Psalm for the Day - Psalm 26 (E, L) - It is rather evident that this is the plea of a person who has been falsely accused of some evil deed. This person seeks vindication from God, who alone is able to judge the thoughts, sayings, and actions of human beings. It is so idealistic - some have called it self-righteous - that it really only could be offered up to God by one man, Jesus Christ, the sinless one. The psalm speaks for him: "I have walked faithfully with you.... I have hated the company of evildoers.... I will wash my hands in innocence, O Lord." The psalmist goes on to say: "Lord, I love the house in which you dwell and the place where your glory abides." He also speaks against false accusations, as were made by Christ: "Do not sweep me away with sinners, nor my life with those who thirst for blood, whose hands are full of evil plots, and their right hand full of bribes." Only Jesus could really declare, "As for me, I will live with integrity; redeem me, O Lord, and have pity on me. My foot stands on level ground; in the full assembly I will bless the Lord."
The Psalm Prayer
Lord Jesus, Lamb without stain, image of the Father's glory: Give us the strength to avoid sin and be faithful to you always. Lead us to the place where God dwells in his glory, that we may praise him with joy among his saints now and forever.
Psalm 63:2-6, 8-9 (R) - The thirst for God, as the psalmist perceives it, is as intense as the physical thirst of those who are passing through "a barren and dry land where there is no water." (like Rephidim ?). God is able to - and does - quench the thirst of those whose souls are tortured by their longing to know God. The psalmist knows that God can be found, and one's spiritual thirst can be assuaged, by those who throw themselves upon the mercy of God, because God is constantly seeking out his own people to claim them and bless them. The cries of the faithful are heard by God; they can say, in true faith: "My soul clings to you; your right hand holds me fast." The Roman Ordo also appoints this psalm for the Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Series C.
Psalm 114 (C) - The psalm takes up the story of the first reading, recounting how God solved the troubles of the Israelites when they put him to the test during the Exodus: "When Israel came out of Egypt, ... Judah became God's sanctuary and Israel his dominion." The recitation of God's actions at the Red Sea and in the mountains and hills picks up the story of what happened at Rephidim in the last two verses:
Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob, who turned the hard rock into a pool of water and flint-stone and into a flowing spring.
The psalm makes an excellent response to the first reading, Exodus 19.
The readings:
Jeremiah 20:7-9 (R)
These are the words of a true prophet, a man who has been completely captured by the Word of God, not by an inflamed imagination or personally induced inspiration. True to form, the prophet of the Lord has become a butt for those opposed to what he says in the name of God, as the prophet himself remarks, "I am a daily laughing stock, everybody's butt." (Jerusalem Bible) The prophets, who base their pronouncements upon the Word of the Lord, usually become the object of scorn and derision and, if hated enough, may even be put to death, as Jesus remarked, "Jerusalem ... killing the prophets...." In the New Testament, the martyrs took their places alongside the prophets, testifying to God the truth of his Word by laying down their lives in the name of Jesus Christ.
Jeremiah 15:15-21 (E, L)
Here is the word of a prophet who has suffered miserably at the hands of the people of God. He has been doing his best to serve the Lord and his Word, but all he has received is reproach from those he has come to lead back to God. So the prophet complains to God for himself and, no doubt, speaks on a different level for the community which finds itself at odds with God and suffering because it has not really attempted to be faithful to the Lord God. Oddly enough, the prophet, who seems to have lost faith in God, actually turns to the Lord God in his prayer and, in return, hears a word of blessing from the Lord God: "If you return, I will restore you, and you shall stand before me." He hears the promise of God's support in whatever trials and persecutions he may have to endure in life, which is what Christians have learned to expect from the Lord. Final deliverance is promised to the prophet, his community, and, in light of the gospel, to faithful Christians. Jeremiah might have been speaking for Jesus, too, in what he had to endure, and what God had promised him in the face of persecution, suffering, and death - resurrection on the third day: "I will deliver you out of the hand of the wicked, and redeem you from the grasp of the ruthless." This reading, therefore, lays a biblical foundation for the Gospel for the Day and Jesus' prediction of what will happen to him. It also points to Jesus' words on the cross, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
Exodus 19:1-9 (C)
Once more, the Israelites were on the move, this time from Rephidim to Sinai, after God had slaked their thirst with water from a rock split open by Moses' rod. For the first time, Moses met God on Sinai, and Yahweh addressed Moses and instructed him to remind the people of the things he had done for them in bringing them out of Egypt and leading them through the wilderness. If they keep the covenant with God, they will be his peculiar people, and also a kingdom of priests, who offer their sacrifices to him, not only in formal worship but in their daily lives. The Roman Ordo employs part of this reading, vv. 2-6a for the Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, or the Fourth Sunday after Pentecost, Series A; The Episcopal and Lutheran lectionaries appoint Jeremiah 19:2-8a for the same Sunday. Additional comments on this reading may be found in the commentary for the Fourth Sunday after Pentecost. Jeremiah 19:3-8a, plus verses 16-20b, is also one of the four first readings of the Vigil of Pentecost, series B; the Episcopal and Lutheran lectionaries also appoint Exodus 19:1-9 for the Vigil of Pentecost.
Romans 12:1-2; 12:1-8 (E, L), 12:1-13 (C)
Long before the new lectionaries began to appear, it occurred to me that, on many occasions, the second reading, or the Epistle for the Day, ought to be read after the Gospel for the Day, because it frequently had a "now hear this and do this" quality about it. The first two verses of the Roman lection from Chapter 12 of Romans, suggests such an approach:
I appeal to you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
The faithful are not to be "conformed to this world," but are to be "transformed by the renewal of (their) mind." They are to show in their lives "what is good and acceptable and perfect." For most Christians, this begins in the liturgy, but it also has to be done in the way one lives every day. The Episcopal and Lutheran lectionaries expand the reading so as to spell out the kind of humility which becomes those who belong to the body of Christ, recognizing that the members of the body have different functions, all of which are important to its welfare. Christians, too, have different gifts - prophecy, service, teaching, exhortation, contributing, giving aid, acts of mercy - which should be used in the name and service of Christ. The Common Lectionary expands the second reading to include those things Paul writes about in verses 9-13 - love for the good and loving respect for each other, untiring work for the Lord, spiritual earnestness, hope that generates a positive spirit, stead-fastness when trials come, continual prayer, sharing with the saints, and making hospitality a priority of their lives.
Matthew 16:21-26 (L); 16:21-27 (R, E); 16:21-28 (C)
This reading, a continuation of last Sunday's Gospel, in which Peter makes his great confession and Christ responds with praise and the announcement that the church will be built upon this "Rock" and that the keys to the kingdom will also be given to him (and the church), is treated separately because it includes Jesus' announcement of his impending death in Jerusatern, as well as Peter's objection and subsequent rebuke by Jesus. The "then" in the RSV connects the two sections of this story; the second part finds Jesus saying that his followers must take up their crosses and follow him, and that "whoever loses his life for my sake will find it," plus two related questions. Matthew reveals in his reading Jesus' concern for the church and his conception of its discipleship in the world. The Roman Ordo includes the eschatological prediction (v. 27) about the return of Christ, and the Common Lectionary adds (v. 28) Jesus' announcement that some will still be living when he comes again.
Sermon suggestions:
Matthew 16:21-26, 27, 28 - "Death and Life."
1. Born to die. That is the fate of every person, of course, but Jesus was born to die a special death in order to reconcile God and his people, thereby accomplishing the salvation of all who believe and are baptized. Peter, like most of us, couldn't understand why Jesus had to die and tried to dissuade him from allowing this to happen.
2. Dying to live. Jesus had to die in perfect obedience to God, not simply to fulfill the scriptures, but to reveal the power and love of God in his resurrection. He had to die as a human being so as to be raised up to new life at the right hand of God and, thereby, complete the mystery. He also had to put down Peter - rebuke him severely - if he were to do God's will.
3. Living with death. That's the fate of each disciple, who, Jesus said, is "to take up his (her) cross and follow me." The cross makes its mark upon the manner in which we live in the world as we attempt to follow Jesus; it calls for total surrender of one's life to Christ and ready sacrifice - even literally - of one's life for the Lord. The sacrifice of one's ambitions, dreams, and intentions, along with one's time, talents, and possessions, on behalf of the Lord - a living sacrifice - may be more difficult than actually dying as a martyr for Christ; such sacrifice is a kind of slow and often agonizing death in which we find life.
Jeremiah 20: 7-9 (R) - "Divine Seduction."
1. That's what Jeremiah experienced; God had seduced him into being his spokesperson, his prophet. It was his making, not his downfall.
2. Ridicule and rejection, not shame, were his lot. He found himself an outcast from the people he meant to warn and save.
3. God's Word - a fire in the heart. He couldn't help himself, despite derision and persecution; he had to go on prophesying in the name of Yahweh, even if it cost him his life. In this, he preceded Jesus, whom God called with, "You are my Son, in whom I am well pleased," and who suffered and died not simply for the sake of Israel, but to save the whole wide world.
Jeremiah 15:15-21 (E, L) - "The Prophet's Complaint."
1. The complaint of a faithful prophet. Jeremiah believed that God had let him down and abandoned him to those who rejected the Word of the Lord.
2. Faithful even in his complaint. When he might just as well have cursed God or turned away from him, the prophet prayed to God in faith, much as Jesus seemed to be doing when he said, on the cross, "My God, my God, why...?"
3. The promise of a faithful God. Yahweh said to the people, and to us, as well as to Jeremiah, "If you return, I will restore you, and you shall stand before me...." What more can anyone ask of God?
Exodus 19:1-9 - "Preparation for a Summit Meeting."
(See the sermon suggestions for this text in the material for the Fourth Sunday after Pentecost. A variation is suggested below.)
1. On the way again - from Rephidim to Sinai. The Israelites always seemed to be going from wilderness to wilderness, from one bad situation to another that was worse. What a strange way to prepare for a summit meeting with God. Unfortunately, life tends to be like that for many people.
2. God speaks again - he was still with them. The people of Israel felt only the absence, rather than the presence, of God when they were in trouble. Like them, we doubt God's concern and even his ability to come to our aid, and we test him. God assured Moses -and us, in Jesus - that he will attend the summit; he is always present.
3. God trusts again - That's what sacred history, before and after Jesus' ministry, continues to tell us. His presence in his Word makes a positive summit meeting possible - at Sinai, for Israel - and at Golgotha, for us.
Romans 12:1-2 (R); 12:1-8 (E, L); 12:1-13 (C) - "The Christian 's Offering."
1. The Christian life-style - sacrifice. Paul understood what Jesus was talking about when he said, "Take up your cross and follow me." For him, the Christian life was a living sacrifice.
2. Transformed by the Word, not conformed to the world. That's how the Christian life-style is shaped and is validated by Christ. The Christian life is cruciform in all of its dimensions.
3. Fruits of faith and humility - service. The secret of the Christian life-style lies in faith and genuine humility, wherein one finds the strength and persistence to use one's gifts - whatever they may be - in the service of God and his people. The Christian's offering to God is himself/herself.
