Proper 17
Preaching
Lectionary Preaching Workbook
Series IV
According to tradition the Song of Solomon was written by
Solomon in the 10th century B.C. The book consists of love lyrics
depicting the beauty and power of love between male and female.
Some consider it an allegory of love between Christ and the
church. This passage claims that springtime is the time for love
with the appearance of flowers, birds and fruit. The lover calls
his beloved to come with him to experience love.
Lesson 2: James 1:17-27 (C, RC)
In James' emphasis upon practical religion of good works, the
grace of God is emphasized: "Of his own will he brought us forth
by the word of truth." (v. 18) "The implanted word which is able
to save your souls." (v. 21) The "implanted word" must be Jesus,
for it enables salvation. We are to be doers of the Word and not
only hearers. This doing constitutes pure religion by meeting the
needs of our neighbors and keeping clean from the world.
Gospel: Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23 (C, E, L, RC)
In this pericope Jesus comes into conflict with the scribes
and Pharisees over the law and the tradition. To keep from
breaking the law, the scribes announced detailed laws and
interpretations. The body of these scribal pronouncements was
known as the "oral law" or the tradition of the elders. Later the
oral law was put into writing and is known as the Talmud. Jesus
distinguishes between the law of God and the traditions of men.
Jesus is asked why he does not require his disciples to observe
the tradition by washing their hands before eating. Jesus points
to the heart as a source of good living. It is not a matter of
dirty hands but a dirty heart. Vices come from a filthy heart and
they make a person unclean. On the other hand, a good heart will
produce good deeds.
Psalm Of The Day
Psalm 45:1-2, 6-9 (C) -- "You are the most handsome of men."
(v. 2)
Psalm 15 (E); Psalm 15 (L)
Prayer Of The Day
"O God, we thank you for your Son who chose the path of
suffering for the sake of the world. Humble us by his example,
point us to the path of obedience, and give us strength to follow
his commands."
Hymn Of The Day
"To You, Omniscient Lord Of All"
THEOLOGICAL REFLECTIONS
Gospel: Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23 (C, E, L, RC)
1. Defile (vv. 2, 5, 15, 23). Repeatedly the word is used. It
indicates the importance of appearing clean before a holy God.
"Who shall ascend to the hill of the Lord? He who has
236
clean heads ..." It is the same as saying that a person cannot
appear before God with sin. The problem was that the religious
leaders of Jesus' day were interested primarily in external and
ceremonial cleanliness, and Jesus was concerned with internal
cleanliness which dealt not with the body but with the heart.
2. Tradition (vv. 3, 4, 5, 8). According to tradition (the
teaching of the religious leaders of the past) a person could
become clean and thus acceptable to God if he went through a
ceremonial washing. This was an escape from a spiritual
cleansing, a true repentance. Tradition was the word of people;
commandment was the Word of God. Tradition became the enemy of
God's law and will.
3. Outside (v. 15). This is a revolutionary position taken by
Jesus. He simply says nothing outside a peson can defile him. In
one stroke Jesus demolishes the idea that there are unclean
foods. He eradicates the claims of asceticism. This is based on
the truth that God, the Creator, made all things good. The
problem of persons is not on the outside but on the inside. Not
what goes in but what comes out defiles a person.
4. Heart (v. 21). The heart is the source and center of a
human being. It is the mainspring of a watch, the source of the
fountain. The heart is the spring from which the water flows. To
change one for the better is to change one's heart. By nature the
heart is evil. For this reason a person needs to be born again
with a new heart that loves God. Out of a good heart comes a
godly life.
Lesson 1: Song of Solomon 2:8-13 (C)
1. Comes (v. 8). Love brings lovers together. The lover cannot
wait to be with his beloved. Like a young stag, he leaps over the
hills to be with his beloved.
2. Gazing (v. 9). The lover cannot wait to see his beloved. He
looks through the lattice and through windows to feast his eyes
on his beloved who is dressing to meet him. Love for the beloved
cannot wait to see the person he loves.
3. Winter is gone (v. 11). Spring has come. The cold winter is
at an end. All of nature responds with blooming. It is the time
for love. Spring means warmth and a time for the expression of
love.
Lesson 2: James 1:17-27 (C, RC)
1. My (v. 1). The speaker refers to "my son," "my words," and
"my commandments." Who is the "my?" He is a teacher, and in
Hebrew custom, the teacher in the family was the father. Hence he
refers to "my son." Of course, "son" is meant generically as male
and female. Not only males need wisdom!
2. Cry (v. 3). Wisdom does not come easily. The person wanting
it must have an intense desire for it. He must want it
desperately to the point one could say one could not live without
it. To get wisdom we must "cry out," "seek" and "search" for it.
This desire calls for the total person to want wisdom: "ear,"
"hear" and "voice." Why want wisdom? Because God is wisdom. To
have wisdom is to have God.
3. Gives (v. 6). It is one thing to want to be wise but
another to get it. Wisdom is not the same as education or
knowledge. The most highly educated and the best informed people
may be foolish in the use of their knowledge. "The fear of the
Lord is the beginning of wisdom." Since God is wisdom, to have
wisdom is to get God in your life. As a result you will have
insight and understanding. In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul writes that
wisdom is one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
PREACHING POSSIBILITIES
Gospel: Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23 (C, E, L, RC)
1. Dirty hands or dirty heart? 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23
Need: Some folks are obsessed with dirt. They are super-clean.
They are ever dusting, cleaning, scrubbing and vacuuming. At the
same time they can be dirty inside their hearts --
237
dirty thoughts, motives, interests. This is the problem in
today's Gospel Lesson. The religious leaders were concerned with
washing hands, pots and pans, but neglected to wash their hearts.
Jesus points out that dirtiness is not from without but from
within the heart. A dirty heart causes a person to perform dirty
acts which are listed in verses 21-22.
Outline: Which is worse to have?
a. Dirty hands? -- vv. 1-8.
b. Dirty hearts -- vv. 14-15, 21-23.
2. Using religion to escape religion. 7:1-8
Need: It is a paradox to use religion to avoid the demands of
religion. The Jews built a religion of traditions and used the
traditions to escape the demands of true religion. Jesus called
this hypocrisy. (v. 6) Tradition becomes a substitute for real
religion. Customs and ceremonies lose their significance and
meaning. We do things without knowing why we do them. Traditions
are like barnacles that gradually grow on a ship and impede the
progress of the boat. One issue of the 16th century reformation
was Bible vs. tradition, the voice of God vs. the voice of the
church. The reformers repudiated those traditions that were
contrary to the Word.
Outline: Which is your religion?
a. A religion of man's traditions -- v. 8b.
b. A religion of God's Word -- v. 8a.
3. Having heart trouble? 7:21-23
Need: We face a universal problem: how to make individuals
good, to do good and to live righteously? What is the answer to
crime -- education, more laws, better prisons, capital
punishment, higher income for the poor? Today an emphasis is
placed on behavior modification through drugs, rewards,
punishment, etc. In this text Jesus puts his finger on the cause
of evil behavior: a dirty heart. A good life calls for a good
heart. If this is so, the world is suffering from heart trouble.
Outline: What to do about heart trouble --
a. Know that the heart is the source of behavior -- v. 21.
b. Realize that Christ alone can make a good heart.
Lesson 1: Song of Solomon 2:8-13 (C)
1. When one is in love. 2:8-13
Need: When does one know he or she is in love? Is it only
"puppy love" that will soon disappear like a mist? How does this
love apply to Jesus and our neighbor?
Outline: Tests of true love --
a. Can't wait to be together -- vv. 8-9.
b. Can't wait to see each other -- v. 9.
c. Can't wait to be alone -- v. 10.
2. The springtime of love. 2:10-13
Need: When is a good time to love? Many weddings occur in May
or June. The cold winter is over. All of nature comes back to
life. Birds build nests. Animals mate. Springtime is love-time.
For the Christians, every season, month, day is a good time to
love.
Outline: Now is the time to love --
a. Hear your lover's call -- v. 10.
b. Sense the time to love -- vv. 11-13.
c. Go with your lover -- v. 13.
Lesson 2: James 1:17-27 (C, RC)
1. How to be Christian without being religious! 1:26-27
Need: The trouble with the church is that too many are
religious without being Christian. It needs to be the other way:
Christian without being religious. What is meant by "religious?"
It is what Jesus calls "religion in vain." It is when one thinks
one is religious
238
and lives contrary to it. To be "religious" means having the form
and not the force, hearing and not doing the Word, lip service
and not life service.
Outline: We face two possibilities --
a. Being religious without being Christian -- v. 26.
b. Being Christian without being religious -- v. 27.
1. Social concerns.
2. Personal piety.
2. Now that's my kind of God! 1:17-21
Need: Each person has his own God. Our lives fare according to
the God we hold. Some have a God who punishes. Others have a God
whose will is tragedy. There is the God who is far and distant:
unapproachable. Then there is a God so intimate that he is
covered with the dust of familiarity. Let us look at James' God
in the text.
Outline: Now this is my kind of God --
a. The giver of only good -- v. 17.
b. One who is forever constant -- v. 17.
c. One who saves by his Word -- vv. 18-21.
239
Solomon in the 10th century B.C. The book consists of love lyrics
depicting the beauty and power of love between male and female.
Some consider it an allegory of love between Christ and the
church. This passage claims that springtime is the time for love
with the appearance of flowers, birds and fruit. The lover calls
his beloved to come with him to experience love.
Lesson 2: James 1:17-27 (C, RC)
In James' emphasis upon practical religion of good works, the
grace of God is emphasized: "Of his own will he brought us forth
by the word of truth." (v. 18) "The implanted word which is able
to save your souls." (v. 21) The "implanted word" must be Jesus,
for it enables salvation. We are to be doers of the Word and not
only hearers. This doing constitutes pure religion by meeting the
needs of our neighbors and keeping clean from the world.
Gospel: Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23 (C, E, L, RC)
In this pericope Jesus comes into conflict with the scribes
and Pharisees over the law and the tradition. To keep from
breaking the law, the scribes announced detailed laws and
interpretations. The body of these scribal pronouncements was
known as the "oral law" or the tradition of the elders. Later the
oral law was put into writing and is known as the Talmud. Jesus
distinguishes between the law of God and the traditions of men.
Jesus is asked why he does not require his disciples to observe
the tradition by washing their hands before eating. Jesus points
to the heart as a source of good living. It is not a matter of
dirty hands but a dirty heart. Vices come from a filthy heart and
they make a person unclean. On the other hand, a good heart will
produce good deeds.
Psalm Of The Day
Psalm 45:1-2, 6-9 (C) -- "You are the most handsome of men."
(v. 2)
Psalm 15 (E); Psalm 15 (L)
Prayer Of The Day
"O God, we thank you for your Son who chose the path of
suffering for the sake of the world. Humble us by his example,
point us to the path of obedience, and give us strength to follow
his commands."
Hymn Of The Day
"To You, Omniscient Lord Of All"
THEOLOGICAL REFLECTIONS
Gospel: Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23 (C, E, L, RC)
1. Defile (vv. 2, 5, 15, 23). Repeatedly the word is used. It
indicates the importance of appearing clean before a holy God.
"Who shall ascend to the hill of the Lord? He who has
236
clean heads ..." It is the same as saying that a person cannot
appear before God with sin. The problem was that the religious
leaders of Jesus' day were interested primarily in external and
ceremonial cleanliness, and Jesus was concerned with internal
cleanliness which dealt not with the body but with the heart.
2. Tradition (vv. 3, 4, 5, 8). According to tradition (the
teaching of the religious leaders of the past) a person could
become clean and thus acceptable to God if he went through a
ceremonial washing. This was an escape from a spiritual
cleansing, a true repentance. Tradition was the word of people;
commandment was the Word of God. Tradition became the enemy of
God's law and will.
3. Outside (v. 15). This is a revolutionary position taken by
Jesus. He simply says nothing outside a peson can defile him. In
one stroke Jesus demolishes the idea that there are unclean
foods. He eradicates the claims of asceticism. This is based on
the truth that God, the Creator, made all things good. The
problem of persons is not on the outside but on the inside. Not
what goes in but what comes out defiles a person.
4. Heart (v. 21). The heart is the source and center of a
human being. It is the mainspring of a watch, the source of the
fountain. The heart is the spring from which the water flows. To
change one for the better is to change one's heart. By nature the
heart is evil. For this reason a person needs to be born again
with a new heart that loves God. Out of a good heart comes a
godly life.
Lesson 1: Song of Solomon 2:8-13 (C)
1. Comes (v. 8). Love brings lovers together. The lover cannot
wait to be with his beloved. Like a young stag, he leaps over the
hills to be with his beloved.
2. Gazing (v. 9). The lover cannot wait to see his beloved. He
looks through the lattice and through windows to feast his eyes
on his beloved who is dressing to meet him. Love for the beloved
cannot wait to see the person he loves.
3. Winter is gone (v. 11). Spring has come. The cold winter is
at an end. All of nature responds with blooming. It is the time
for love. Spring means warmth and a time for the expression of
love.
Lesson 2: James 1:17-27 (C, RC)
1. My (v. 1). The speaker refers to "my son," "my words," and
"my commandments." Who is the "my?" He is a teacher, and in
Hebrew custom, the teacher in the family was the father. Hence he
refers to "my son." Of course, "son" is meant generically as male
and female. Not only males need wisdom!
2. Cry (v. 3). Wisdom does not come easily. The person wanting
it must have an intense desire for it. He must want it
desperately to the point one could say one could not live without
it. To get wisdom we must "cry out," "seek" and "search" for it.
This desire calls for the total person to want wisdom: "ear,"
"hear" and "voice." Why want wisdom? Because God is wisdom. To
have wisdom is to have God.
3. Gives (v. 6). It is one thing to want to be wise but
another to get it. Wisdom is not the same as education or
knowledge. The most highly educated and the best informed people
may be foolish in the use of their knowledge. "The fear of the
Lord is the beginning of wisdom." Since God is wisdom, to have
wisdom is to get God in your life. As a result you will have
insight and understanding. In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul writes that
wisdom is one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
PREACHING POSSIBILITIES
Gospel: Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23 (C, E, L, RC)
1. Dirty hands or dirty heart? 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23
Need: Some folks are obsessed with dirt. They are super-clean.
They are ever dusting, cleaning, scrubbing and vacuuming. At the
same time they can be dirty inside their hearts --
237
dirty thoughts, motives, interests. This is the problem in
today's Gospel Lesson. The religious leaders were concerned with
washing hands, pots and pans, but neglected to wash their hearts.
Jesus points out that dirtiness is not from without but from
within the heart. A dirty heart causes a person to perform dirty
acts which are listed in verses 21-22.
Outline: Which is worse to have?
a. Dirty hands? -- vv. 1-8.
b. Dirty hearts -- vv. 14-15, 21-23.
2. Using religion to escape religion. 7:1-8
Need: It is a paradox to use religion to avoid the demands of
religion. The Jews built a religion of traditions and used the
traditions to escape the demands of true religion. Jesus called
this hypocrisy. (v. 6) Tradition becomes a substitute for real
religion. Customs and ceremonies lose their significance and
meaning. We do things without knowing why we do them. Traditions
are like barnacles that gradually grow on a ship and impede the
progress of the boat. One issue of the 16th century reformation
was Bible vs. tradition, the voice of God vs. the voice of the
church. The reformers repudiated those traditions that were
contrary to the Word.
Outline: Which is your religion?
a. A religion of man's traditions -- v. 8b.
b. A religion of God's Word -- v. 8a.
3. Having heart trouble? 7:21-23
Need: We face a universal problem: how to make individuals
good, to do good and to live righteously? What is the answer to
crime -- education, more laws, better prisons, capital
punishment, higher income for the poor? Today an emphasis is
placed on behavior modification through drugs, rewards,
punishment, etc. In this text Jesus puts his finger on the cause
of evil behavior: a dirty heart. A good life calls for a good
heart. If this is so, the world is suffering from heart trouble.
Outline: What to do about heart trouble --
a. Know that the heart is the source of behavior -- v. 21.
b. Realize that Christ alone can make a good heart.
Lesson 1: Song of Solomon 2:8-13 (C)
1. When one is in love. 2:8-13
Need: When does one know he or she is in love? Is it only
"puppy love" that will soon disappear like a mist? How does this
love apply to Jesus and our neighbor?
Outline: Tests of true love --
a. Can't wait to be together -- vv. 8-9.
b. Can't wait to see each other -- v. 9.
c. Can't wait to be alone -- v. 10.
2. The springtime of love. 2:10-13
Need: When is a good time to love? Many weddings occur in May
or June. The cold winter is over. All of nature comes back to
life. Birds build nests. Animals mate. Springtime is love-time.
For the Christians, every season, month, day is a good time to
love.
Outline: Now is the time to love --
a. Hear your lover's call -- v. 10.
b. Sense the time to love -- vv. 11-13.
c. Go with your lover -- v. 13.
Lesson 2: James 1:17-27 (C, RC)
1. How to be Christian without being religious! 1:26-27
Need: The trouble with the church is that too many are
religious without being Christian. It needs to be the other way:
Christian without being religious. What is meant by "religious?"
It is what Jesus calls "religion in vain." It is when one thinks
one is religious
238
and lives contrary to it. To be "religious" means having the form
and not the force, hearing and not doing the Word, lip service
and not life service.
Outline: We face two possibilities --
a. Being religious without being Christian -- v. 26.
b. Being Christian without being religious -- v. 27.
1. Social concerns.
2. Personal piety.
2. Now that's my kind of God! 1:17-21
Need: Each person has his own God. Our lives fare according to
the God we hold. Some have a God who punishes. Others have a God
whose will is tragedy. There is the God who is far and distant:
unapproachable. Then there is a God so intimate that he is
covered with the dust of familiarity. Let us look at James' God
in the text.
Outline: Now this is my kind of God --
a. The giver of only good -- v. 17.
b. One who is forever constant -- v. 17.
c. One who saves by his Word -- vv. 18-21.
239
