Proper 21 / Pentecost 18 / Ordinary Time 26
Preaching
Lectionary Preaching Workbook
Series IX, Cycle B
Object:
Theme of the Day
Baptizing worldly wisdom.
Collect of the Day
After acknowledging that our generous God gave us His Son so that we might have peace with Him, petitions are raised to receive a share of His Spirit to empower us. Justification (by Grace), Sanctification, and the Holy Spirit are emphasized.
Psalm of the Day
Psalm 124
* A Song of Ascent (Pilgrim Psalm), though traditionally credited to David, offers thanksgiving for a national deliverance. John Calvin claimed that the Psalm can be understood as God's deliverance of the church (Calvin's Commentaries, Vol. VI/2, p. 85).
* Israel is said to have survived only because God was on its side (vv. 1-5).
* The Lord is to be blessed, for the creator is the help of the people (vv. 6-8).
or Psalm 19:7-14
See Lent 3, especially regarding all the insights pertaining to verses 7ff.
Sermon Text and Title
"Wise in the Ways of the World"
Esther 7:1-6, 9-10; 9:20-22
1. Theological Aim of the Sermon and Strategy
To advocate for a wise Christian Social Ethic (church and state in paradox), drawing on the best insights of human wisdom and the natural law to achieve God's aims as best as we can discern them in our finite ways.
2. Exegesis
* The story providing the basis for the Jewish festival Purim (a formerly Gentile festival that became for the Jews a celebration of escape from a Persian anti-Semitic pogrom) put in final form during the earliest period of Hellenization (in the second century BC). The book may well be based on earlier factual or deliverance tales. The Persian queen Esther, originally a Jewish captive in Persia (1:5-7), plays a major role in the liberation.
* Because the book never mentions the Lord, its canonical status has been contested.
* Main Sections: (1) King Ahasuerus divorces his queen Vashti; Esther becomes queen (1:1--2:23); (2) The king's chief minister Haman plots a persecution of the Jews (3:1-14); (3) Esther's cousin and guardian Mordecai mounts a rescue plan (4:1-17); (4) Esther mounts a deliverance plan (5:1-14); (5) Mordecai is honored and Haman meets his downfall (6:1--7:10); (6) Esther succeeds in preventing persecution of the Jews (8:1-17); (7) The Jews' vengeance on their adversaries and the festival day (9:1-19); and (8) A supplement concerning the establishment of Purim (9:20--10:3).
* Central Themes: (1) The concept of providence; (2) The efficacy of fasting and prayer; and (3) The Jewish presence in the biblical canon in Christianity cannot be spiritualized away.
* The account of Haman's fall and the end of his pogrom of persecution of the Jews. Esther wins the king's favor (7:20). She asks for the end of the persecution of her people, naming Haman as culprit (7:3-6).
* Haman is then hanged (7:9-10). We miss an account of his pleading with Esther for mercy (lying on her couch [7:8]).
* Final verses record the official institution of Purim (9:20-22). Mordecai is no longer the highest official of the Persian government. Gifts to the poor are to be given on the festival (9:23).
3. Theological Insights (see Charts of the Major Theological Options)
* The text pertains to Esther's political maneuvers to liberate the Hebrews. Her use of the ways of the world to accomplish God's will in the political sphere is an important Social Ethical Insight (church and state in paradox, with Christians appealing to the natural law for guidance).
* A first-century theological document, 1 Clement asserts that Esther's faith and humility of spirit moved God to deliver the people for whose sake she encountered peril (Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 1, p. 20).
* Martin Luther advises that the wise ruler (and so today the wise citizen) must be wise in the ways of politics, but realize that these worldly means can still serve God's will (Luther's Works, Vol. 45, pp. 119ff). A similar perspective was expressed by Reinhold Niebuhr in Moral Man and Immoral Society, pp. 257-277. Luther appeals to the natural law, not distinct Christian teachings, for discerning just government policies: "To be sure, God made the secular government subordinate and subject to reason… For this reason nothing is taught in the gospel about how it is to be maintained and regulated except that the gospel bids people honor it and not oppose it" (Luther's Works, Vol. 13, p. 198).
4. Socio-Economic, Political, Psychological, and Scientific Insights
* A 2010 Washington Post/CNN poll found two thirds of Americans angry at the federal government.
* A 2009 Gallup poll indicated that only 1 in 2 Americans trusted the clergy.
5. Gimmick
We need God-fearing folks in politics, in business. We need to consider God's way in politics and business. Yeah? That's not the book of Esther's way.
6. Possible Sermon Moves and/or Stories/Examples
* Tell the story of the text (in dramatic mode) as outlined in Exegesis, beginning with the fifth bullet point. Note that God's name is never mentioned in this text or in the book of Esther as a whole.
* A great story but for Christians who don't celebrate Purim, how do you get a sermon and spiritual direction for our lives out of this lesson, out of the book of Esther as a whole? What do you do with a biblical lesson with no religious themes, with a book that says nothing about God?
* Welcome to the ways of the world. We live much of our Monday through Friday lives in that sort of environment, in what is called a secular realm. Where is God in that realm? What good is it to be a Christian? How can we live in the secular world as people of faith?
* Esther gives us some clues. Here we find a woman of faith wise in the ways of the world. Esther knew how to play politics, both in the public realm and in the family. How else could this Jewish orphan, captured in Persia with her adopted father and cousin, become the queen of Syria and even play a major role in a court scheme to spare her Hebrew people from persecution? This is a young lady with a guardian who had some good street-smarts: She didn't tell King Ahasuerus that she was Jewish when she was getting looked over as a potential queen (2:10, 20). Then by use of her female wiles she pleases the king (5:1-4), entertains him at a great Jewish banquet, and is able to sweet-talk the enemy of the Jews, Haman, into trouble leading to his demise (7:2ff). No two ways about it, Esther knew her way around.
* Esther was wise in the ways of the world, not just to her own benefit, but for the sake of good! She had used her wiles to save the Jewish people, for the good of the people.
* Was this an irreligious behavior on Esther's part, to use her brains and charm to preserve the people? The very fact that God has seen to it to include the book of Esther in the Bible seems to be our answer. It seems to tell us that it's okay to use the things of this world to further the aims of God. In essence, the book of Esther is a green light for Christians to quit being so pious that we forget to be smart about learning what will work to promote the kingdom of God's aims. This even seems to be Jesus' style. Read Matthew 10:16, where our Lord would have his followers be as wise as serpents and yet as innocent as doves.
* In the African-American community there is a proverb that goes like this: "That man's so holy that he's of no earthly use!" The story of Esther is a spur to not letting our holiness get in the way of being some earthly use. Being a Jew didn't get in Esther's ways of using her feminine wiles and smarts to promote the glory of God.
* This is not a sellout to secularism. Faithful people like us believe that God is in control of the world, even if it seems through natural ways. God is not absent from the political processes, from the gyrations of the global economy. But the Esther story reminds us that we are not going to achieve justice and good outcomes in those realms, not going to do God's will, if all we do is pray. It will take some smart wheeling and dealing in these spheres.
* If God is in control, then economics, politics, banking, education, you name it, are governed by certain principles that God laid down to work His good. In theology and in law and politics, we call these principles for measuring what is good and just the "natural law." This is a biblical context; read Romans 2:14-15. When you do what is written on your heart, proceed according to reason, you are doing God's will. That's what the idea of the natural law teaches.
* Martin Luther's quotation in Theological Insights might be used. Much in the same spirit as Luther, Thomas Jefferson once wrote: "I can never fear that things will go wrong where common sense has fair play."
* But sometimes even good and rational ideas don't work unless you play the game well, accumulate and execute power. For example, government entities need to be tough and even ruthless in order to undermine the rich and powerful. Reflecting the wisdom of our own American political system and its separation of church and state, seventeenth-century French intellectual Blaise Pascal wrote: "Justice and power must be brought together, so that whatever is just may be power and whatever is powerful may be just." If we had a little of this realism about government, maybe we wouldn't be so cynical about it (see the poll data in Possible Sermon Moves and/or Stories/Examples) and get in the trenches to make it work better.
* To do God's will, sometimes you have to play the game by the world's rules. Note Luther's and Reinhold Niebuhr's points in the third bullet point of Theological Insights.
7. Wrap-Up
Esther's story is a wake-up call to us Christians (even to clergy and the way the church is run). Wake up to the ways of the world. (Examples could be given.) If we want to do the Lord's will, learn how to play the game. But when we learn the world's wisdom and use it wisely for the sake of God's glory, we must not think that we are doing it alone -- for God is right there in the middle of things governing His world and maybe even using us to do His will. Baptize the world's wisdom to the glory of God!
Sermon Text and Title
"Confession Is Good for Your Health!"
James 5:13-20
1. Theological Aim of the Sermon and Strategy
To teach the benefits of a Christian life devoted to a confession of sin and of God in prayer and praise (Sanctification).
2. Exegesis (see Introduction to Selected Books of the Bible)
* Reflections on prayer and healing.
* Both those suffering and those cheerful are charged to pray or sing songs of praise (v. 13).
* Elders are charged with anointing those who are sick. The prayer of faith will save them. Anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven (vv. 14-15). Reference to anointing the sick with oil (v. 14) is the biblical roots for the Sacrament of Extreme Unction (last rites).
* Confession of sins to each other, prayer for each other is exhorted, in order for healing to transpire. The power and effectiveness of prayer of the righteous is noted (v. 16).
* Elijah's prayers are cited as inspiration (vv. 17-18; cf. 1 Kings 17:1; 18:1).
* Urges that efforts be made to bring back those who wander away (vv. 19-20).
3. Theological Insights (see Charts of the Major Theological Options)
* A life of confession (of sin and of faith in God through prayer) can lead to health and happiness. This is text that pertains to Sanctification and the benefits of Christian living.
* John Calvin notes the importance of praising God for reasons we have to be cheerful:
But such is the perverseness of men, that they cannot rejoice without forgetting God and that when afflicted they are disheartened and driven to despair. We ought, then, to keep due bounds, so that the joy which usually makes us to forget God may induce us to set forth the goodness of God…
(Calvin's Commentaries, Vol. XXII/2, pp. 354-355)
* Calvin also sees in this text a relationship between health and the forgiveness of sins:
The prophets are full of this doctrine, that men are relieved from their evils when they are loosed from the guilt of their iniquities. Let us then know that it is the only fit remedy for our diseases and other calamities, when we carefully examine ourselves, being solicitous to be reconciled to God, and to obtain the pardon of our sins.
(Ibid., p. 357)
* To the comment about the prayer of the righteous being effective (v. 16), the Reformer of Geneva also notes: "… not that our prayers are founded on our own worthiness, but because the heart must be cleansed by faith before we can present ourselves before God" (Ibid., p. 359).
4. Socio-Economic, Political, Psychological, and Scientific Insights
* Neurological research has found that religious people engaged in spiritual activities stimulate the exercise of the brain's left prefrontal cortex (Andrew Newberg et al, Why God Won't Go Away).
* Such brain dynamics seem to be good for our health. Those with an active left prefrontal cortex are not only happier, but also have lower levels of cortisol (a hormone that depresses immune function [Stefan Klein, The Science of Happiness, esp. pp. 202-204, 236]).
* The text also affords opportunity to evaluate the outcomes of the 2010 Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act, many of whose provisions will now be in effect.
5. Gimmick
"Confession is good for the soul," the old Scottish proverb goes. It's also good for your health and happiness too.
6. Possible Sermon Moves and/or Stories/Examples
* Review the text's message: Cite the atmosphere for worship depicted in the second through the fourth bullet points of Exegesis, highlighting the references to healing.
* Depending on the preacher's tradition, the worship ethos this lesson describes will receive different evaluations. Pentecostal/Holiness (some Baptist) preachers may praise and celebrate how their congregations seem to closely parallel the worship style of first-century Christians addressed by James. Those of other traditions may instead contrast their congregations worship ethos to that described in the lesson. Then the question becomes whether we still have links to these early Christians. Suggest that we do.
* For all audiences, suggest that healing still transpires in Christian circles, but in miraculous ways that we may not have previously noted. * Focus on the text's reference to confession of sins and praying for one another (v. 16). This simple act of faith and God's response to it, more than some mysterious incantation or ritual, is when healing happens.
* Cite the remarks by John Calvin in the third bullet point of Theological Insights. Note that Calvin was more scientifically accurate than he imagined.
* Confession is an interesting concept. It is not just about confession of sins. If we stopped with sin, it would be a downer. But confession of sin leads to the word of grace and forgiveness, to God's confession of grace and our confession of faith. That point is made clearly in our lesson. Read verse 15b. Repeat it.
* Elaborate on the first two bullet points of Socio-Economic, Political, Psychological, and Scientific Insights. It should be added why we are happy in spiritual exercises. Refer to dopamine that is secreted in this mental activity. See the second bullet point of Socio-Economic, Political, Psychological, and Scientific Insights for the First Lesson, Advent 1, or the only bullet point for that section for the First Lesson, Pentecost 14.
* You may not get instant healing with religious exercises like confession. But they do help you maintain health. And so it's true after all: Confess your sins to one another so that you may be healed (v. 16).
* The fact that spiritual exercises lead to happiness in view of our lesson's references to singing songs of praise when we're cheerful (v. 13) is interesting, isn't it? Modern science is bearing out many core insights of our faith. Faith and science are not so much at war as we've been led to believe.
* Down in the dumps? Fearful about aging or that nagging chronic physical problem? Don't expect instant healing. But in prayer, praise, and confession you might find that the worldly wisdoms of psychology or medicine get a little solid long-term support. Yes, confession is good for the soul (and your long-term mental and physical health).
7. Wrap-Up
No two ways about it, though, healing and happiness are just side effects of walking with God and a life of prayer and praise. They're just side effects of the thing about lives of confession and praise. That is the companionship that happens in these exercises, for in the midst of these exercises we are not alone but get to walk with God who baptizes (makes holy) every aspect of our lives.
Sermon Text and Title
"Maintain Your Saltiness for the Sake of Us All"
Mark 9:38-50
1. Theological Aim of the Sermon and Strategy
To condemn sin, explaining that the threats in the lesson do condemn us as God's law, but do not have the final word, for the grace of God is for all. Justification by Grace with the atonement as actuality for all, and the portrayal of the Christian life (Sanctification) as a life devoted to disinfecting the world's sin in dialogue with and alongside all that is good about everyday life (including non-Christians of good will) are proclaimed.
2. Exegesis (see Introduction to Selected Books of the Bible)
* Teachings by Jesus in preparation of the passion.
* The lesson begins with reflections on an unknown exorcist who has been casting out demons in Jesus' name (v. 38). Invoking Jewish names was common among magicians of the era. Jesus urges he not be stopped, saying whoever does such deeds in His name will not be able to speak evil of Him (v. 39). Whoever is not against Jesus and His followers is for them, He asserts (v. 40).
* Warnings of hell follow. One who puts a stumbling block before Jesus' followers will greatly suffer (v. 42). If hands, feet, or an eye causes stumbling, Jesus suggests they be cut off or torn off (vv. 43-47).
* Concludes with reference to salting His disciples with fire (v. 49). Salt is good but if it has lost its saltiness it is no good (v. 50). Only in Mark are these remarks associated with the previous warnings and condemnations.
3. Theological Insight (see Charts of the Major Theological Options)
* The text witnesses to the law of God condemning sin, to something like the idea of "anonymous Christians" (those who are not Christian, but nonetheless do God's will), and to the Christian task (Sanctification) by grace to contribute to the disinfecting of the world's sin.
* John Wesley interprets Jesus' reference to cutting off the hand (v. 43) as referring to ending discourse with those indispensable to us who slacken us in the ways of God. The reference here, he claims, is to people, not things (Commentary on the Bible, p. 429).
* The Second Vatican Council articulated the concept of "anonymous Christians":
Those who through no fault of their own, do not know the gospel of Christ or His church, but who nevertheless seek God with a sincere heart, and moved by grace try to do His will as they know it through the dictates of their conscience -- those too may achieve salvation… Whatever good or truth is found amongst them is considered by the church to be a preparation for the gospel.
(Documents of Vatican II, pp. 367-368)
* Methodius, a bishop of the early church, claimed that the salt to which Jesus refers (vv. 49-50) was understood by Jesus as a spiritual disinfectant for the soul (Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 6, p. 311).
5. Gimmick
The Bible is a difficult book. Read verses 42-47. We need some salt.
6. Possible Sermon Moves and/or Stories/Examples
* A God who would have us hung or have our hand cut off or our foot. What happened to that loving God we confess?
* John Wesley gives us some insight here. He claims that the law's first use is "to convince the world of sin" (The Works of John Wesley, Vol. 5, p. 442). The reformed Heidelberg Catechism teaches that we learn our sin from the law of God (The Book of Confessions, 4.003). What we have in Jesus' warnings is the law defined this way. The purpose of these threats is to help the disciples and us know what we deserve to suffer by strict principles of justice -- for we have sinned.
* Suggest congregants consider the times they have used their hands (perhaps in anger) to do bad things, or the times they have used their feet to do bad things (or not gotten on their feet to help someone, allegedly because they said they were too tired). By strict principles of justice, we deserve to lose hands and feet for such indiscretions.
* But then, thank God, side by side with biblical texts like these there are other texts that most Protestant traditions call the gospel, words of grace, blessing, and forgiveness (The Book of Confessions, 5.086; cf. The Works of John Wesley, Vol. 5, pp. 313-314). The gospel is evident in our lesson. For all His words of condemnation, Jesus doesn't give up on His disciples. He indicates that He will stick with them. Indeed, they will be "salted" (v. 49). John Wesley thinks that the salt is "divine grace, which purifies the soul… and preserves it from corruption" (Commentary on the Bible, p. 430). (Note Methodius' parallel interpretation of salt in the last bullet point of Theological Insights.) We see more grace earlier when Jesus even claimed that the unknown exorcists casting out demons in His name should not be restrained, should be seen as an ally even if not a follower. "Whoever is not against us is for us" (vv. 38-40).
* It is clear that the lesson is not just about condemnation or threats. That is just about helping us appreciate what we deserve. The good news is that because of grace, because of God's forgiving love, we have been given second chances. God will make us salty, even see salt in those who are not against His ministry.
* Back to the salt that salts us followers of Jesus. What is it and why does it matter for us Christians?
* We know salt is a preservative, often used that way in ancient cultures. This is why John Wesley's interpretation makes sense. But salt is also essential to life and good health. Body cells need it to live and work. It combats chronic fatigue. Lack of salt can lead to cancer or compromise the cardiac system.
* Why not think of Jesus' comments about the saltiness of the faithful in this way? Grace not only purifies Christians, not only is a spiritual disinfectant, it also provides the energy that keeps faith and life spiritually healthy. Jesus is right; for the health of our faith and life, we dare not lose our saltiness. Keep salty.
* But then we don't want to forget Jesus' comments about the exorcist, that anyone who is not against the ways of God and Christ is an ally. This point suggests that even non-Christians are our allies for trying to live out the faith. Introduce the concept of anonymous Christianity in the third bullet point of Theological Insights and the possibility that Jesus was affirming this idea. Ask the congregation what they think about this idea. Is it not correct on these grounds to believe that God's grace, the salt of spiritual energy and health, resides in all people of good will and that that is why non-Christians can take positions and be allies in projects that have a lot of compatibility with things Christians care about (service to the poor, peace, justice)? Indeed, the salt of spirituality may well be in the things of the world already, and we may only need to baptize it (call the world's attention to what it already has).
7. Wrap-Up
Jesus called his disciples (is still calling us) to keep the salt and be at peace with each other (v. 50). The grace of God makes us different, gives us the energy and health we need to do God's thing, seasons and preserves our faith. If God in His love has us maintain this saltiness through the work of the Holy Spirit, it will be to the benefit of all. Let us not forget to appreciate how others on earth, even those who do not bear the name "Christians," may help us keep our seasoning, help us keep our spiritual energy and health. How blessed we are to have a God who keeps us seasoned (to the benefit of all the earth)!
Baptizing worldly wisdom.
Collect of the Day
After acknowledging that our generous God gave us His Son so that we might have peace with Him, petitions are raised to receive a share of His Spirit to empower us. Justification (by Grace), Sanctification, and the Holy Spirit are emphasized.
Psalm of the Day
Psalm 124
* A Song of Ascent (Pilgrim Psalm), though traditionally credited to David, offers thanksgiving for a national deliverance. John Calvin claimed that the Psalm can be understood as God's deliverance of the church (Calvin's Commentaries, Vol. VI/2, p. 85).
* Israel is said to have survived only because God was on its side (vv. 1-5).
* The Lord is to be blessed, for the creator is the help of the people (vv. 6-8).
or Psalm 19:7-14
See Lent 3, especially regarding all the insights pertaining to verses 7ff.
Sermon Text and Title
"Wise in the Ways of the World"
Esther 7:1-6, 9-10; 9:20-22
1. Theological Aim of the Sermon and Strategy
To advocate for a wise Christian Social Ethic (church and state in paradox), drawing on the best insights of human wisdom and the natural law to achieve God's aims as best as we can discern them in our finite ways.
2. Exegesis
* The story providing the basis for the Jewish festival Purim (a formerly Gentile festival that became for the Jews a celebration of escape from a Persian anti-Semitic pogrom) put in final form during the earliest period of Hellenization (in the second century BC). The book may well be based on earlier factual or deliverance tales. The Persian queen Esther, originally a Jewish captive in Persia (1:5-7), plays a major role in the liberation.
* Because the book never mentions the Lord, its canonical status has been contested.
* Main Sections: (1) King Ahasuerus divorces his queen Vashti; Esther becomes queen (1:1--2:23); (2) The king's chief minister Haman plots a persecution of the Jews (3:1-14); (3) Esther's cousin and guardian Mordecai mounts a rescue plan (4:1-17); (4) Esther mounts a deliverance plan (5:1-14); (5) Mordecai is honored and Haman meets his downfall (6:1--7:10); (6) Esther succeeds in preventing persecution of the Jews (8:1-17); (7) The Jews' vengeance on their adversaries and the festival day (9:1-19); and (8) A supplement concerning the establishment of Purim (9:20--10:3).
* Central Themes: (1) The concept of providence; (2) The efficacy of fasting and prayer; and (3) The Jewish presence in the biblical canon in Christianity cannot be spiritualized away.
* The account of Haman's fall and the end of his pogrom of persecution of the Jews. Esther wins the king's favor (7:20). She asks for the end of the persecution of her people, naming Haman as culprit (7:3-6).
* Haman is then hanged (7:9-10). We miss an account of his pleading with Esther for mercy (lying on her couch [7:8]).
* Final verses record the official institution of Purim (9:20-22). Mordecai is no longer the highest official of the Persian government. Gifts to the poor are to be given on the festival (9:23).
3. Theological Insights (see Charts of the Major Theological Options)
* The text pertains to Esther's political maneuvers to liberate the Hebrews. Her use of the ways of the world to accomplish God's will in the political sphere is an important Social Ethical Insight (church and state in paradox, with Christians appealing to the natural law for guidance).
* A first-century theological document, 1 Clement asserts that Esther's faith and humility of spirit moved God to deliver the people for whose sake she encountered peril (Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 1, p. 20).
* Martin Luther advises that the wise ruler (and so today the wise citizen) must be wise in the ways of politics, but realize that these worldly means can still serve God's will (Luther's Works, Vol. 45, pp. 119ff). A similar perspective was expressed by Reinhold Niebuhr in Moral Man and Immoral Society, pp. 257-277. Luther appeals to the natural law, not distinct Christian teachings, for discerning just government policies: "To be sure, God made the secular government subordinate and subject to reason… For this reason nothing is taught in the gospel about how it is to be maintained and regulated except that the gospel bids people honor it and not oppose it" (Luther's Works, Vol. 13, p. 198).
4. Socio-Economic, Political, Psychological, and Scientific Insights
* A 2010 Washington Post/CNN poll found two thirds of Americans angry at the federal government.
* A 2009 Gallup poll indicated that only 1 in 2 Americans trusted the clergy.
5. Gimmick
We need God-fearing folks in politics, in business. We need to consider God's way in politics and business. Yeah? That's not the book of Esther's way.
6. Possible Sermon Moves and/or Stories/Examples
* Tell the story of the text (in dramatic mode) as outlined in Exegesis, beginning with the fifth bullet point. Note that God's name is never mentioned in this text or in the book of Esther as a whole.
* A great story but for Christians who don't celebrate Purim, how do you get a sermon and spiritual direction for our lives out of this lesson, out of the book of Esther as a whole? What do you do with a biblical lesson with no religious themes, with a book that says nothing about God?
* Welcome to the ways of the world. We live much of our Monday through Friday lives in that sort of environment, in what is called a secular realm. Where is God in that realm? What good is it to be a Christian? How can we live in the secular world as people of faith?
* Esther gives us some clues. Here we find a woman of faith wise in the ways of the world. Esther knew how to play politics, both in the public realm and in the family. How else could this Jewish orphan, captured in Persia with her adopted father and cousin, become the queen of Syria and even play a major role in a court scheme to spare her Hebrew people from persecution? This is a young lady with a guardian who had some good street-smarts: She didn't tell King Ahasuerus that she was Jewish when she was getting looked over as a potential queen (2:10, 20). Then by use of her female wiles she pleases the king (5:1-4), entertains him at a great Jewish banquet, and is able to sweet-talk the enemy of the Jews, Haman, into trouble leading to his demise (7:2ff). No two ways about it, Esther knew her way around.
* Esther was wise in the ways of the world, not just to her own benefit, but for the sake of good! She had used her wiles to save the Jewish people, for the good of the people.
* Was this an irreligious behavior on Esther's part, to use her brains and charm to preserve the people? The very fact that God has seen to it to include the book of Esther in the Bible seems to be our answer. It seems to tell us that it's okay to use the things of this world to further the aims of God. In essence, the book of Esther is a green light for Christians to quit being so pious that we forget to be smart about learning what will work to promote the kingdom of God's aims. This even seems to be Jesus' style. Read Matthew 10:16, where our Lord would have his followers be as wise as serpents and yet as innocent as doves.
* In the African-American community there is a proverb that goes like this: "That man's so holy that he's of no earthly use!" The story of Esther is a spur to not letting our holiness get in the way of being some earthly use. Being a Jew didn't get in Esther's ways of using her feminine wiles and smarts to promote the glory of God.
* This is not a sellout to secularism. Faithful people like us believe that God is in control of the world, even if it seems through natural ways. God is not absent from the political processes, from the gyrations of the global economy. But the Esther story reminds us that we are not going to achieve justice and good outcomes in those realms, not going to do God's will, if all we do is pray. It will take some smart wheeling and dealing in these spheres.
* If God is in control, then economics, politics, banking, education, you name it, are governed by certain principles that God laid down to work His good. In theology and in law and politics, we call these principles for measuring what is good and just the "natural law." This is a biblical context; read Romans 2:14-15. When you do what is written on your heart, proceed according to reason, you are doing God's will. That's what the idea of the natural law teaches.
* Martin Luther's quotation in Theological Insights might be used. Much in the same spirit as Luther, Thomas Jefferson once wrote: "I can never fear that things will go wrong where common sense has fair play."
* But sometimes even good and rational ideas don't work unless you play the game well, accumulate and execute power. For example, government entities need to be tough and even ruthless in order to undermine the rich and powerful. Reflecting the wisdom of our own American political system and its separation of church and state, seventeenth-century French intellectual Blaise Pascal wrote: "Justice and power must be brought together, so that whatever is just may be power and whatever is powerful may be just." If we had a little of this realism about government, maybe we wouldn't be so cynical about it (see the poll data in Possible Sermon Moves and/or Stories/Examples) and get in the trenches to make it work better.
* To do God's will, sometimes you have to play the game by the world's rules. Note Luther's and Reinhold Niebuhr's points in the third bullet point of Theological Insights.
7. Wrap-Up
Esther's story is a wake-up call to us Christians (even to clergy and the way the church is run). Wake up to the ways of the world. (Examples could be given.) If we want to do the Lord's will, learn how to play the game. But when we learn the world's wisdom and use it wisely for the sake of God's glory, we must not think that we are doing it alone -- for God is right there in the middle of things governing His world and maybe even using us to do His will. Baptize the world's wisdom to the glory of God!
Sermon Text and Title
"Confession Is Good for Your Health!"
James 5:13-20
1. Theological Aim of the Sermon and Strategy
To teach the benefits of a Christian life devoted to a confession of sin and of God in prayer and praise (Sanctification).
2. Exegesis (see Introduction to Selected Books of the Bible)
* Reflections on prayer and healing.
* Both those suffering and those cheerful are charged to pray or sing songs of praise (v. 13).
* Elders are charged with anointing those who are sick. The prayer of faith will save them. Anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven (vv. 14-15). Reference to anointing the sick with oil (v. 14) is the biblical roots for the Sacrament of Extreme Unction (last rites).
* Confession of sins to each other, prayer for each other is exhorted, in order for healing to transpire. The power and effectiveness of prayer of the righteous is noted (v. 16).
* Elijah's prayers are cited as inspiration (vv. 17-18; cf. 1 Kings 17:1; 18:1).
* Urges that efforts be made to bring back those who wander away (vv. 19-20).
3. Theological Insights (see Charts of the Major Theological Options)
* A life of confession (of sin and of faith in God through prayer) can lead to health and happiness. This is text that pertains to Sanctification and the benefits of Christian living.
* John Calvin notes the importance of praising God for reasons we have to be cheerful:
But such is the perverseness of men, that they cannot rejoice without forgetting God and that when afflicted they are disheartened and driven to despair. We ought, then, to keep due bounds, so that the joy which usually makes us to forget God may induce us to set forth the goodness of God…
(Calvin's Commentaries, Vol. XXII/2, pp. 354-355)
* Calvin also sees in this text a relationship between health and the forgiveness of sins:
The prophets are full of this doctrine, that men are relieved from their evils when they are loosed from the guilt of their iniquities. Let us then know that it is the only fit remedy for our diseases and other calamities, when we carefully examine ourselves, being solicitous to be reconciled to God, and to obtain the pardon of our sins.
(Ibid., p. 357)
* To the comment about the prayer of the righteous being effective (v. 16), the Reformer of Geneva also notes: "… not that our prayers are founded on our own worthiness, but because the heart must be cleansed by faith before we can present ourselves before God" (Ibid., p. 359).
4. Socio-Economic, Political, Psychological, and Scientific Insights
* Neurological research has found that religious people engaged in spiritual activities stimulate the exercise of the brain's left prefrontal cortex (Andrew Newberg et al, Why God Won't Go Away).
* Such brain dynamics seem to be good for our health. Those with an active left prefrontal cortex are not only happier, but also have lower levels of cortisol (a hormone that depresses immune function [Stefan Klein, The Science of Happiness, esp. pp. 202-204, 236]).
* The text also affords opportunity to evaluate the outcomes of the 2010 Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act, many of whose provisions will now be in effect.
5. Gimmick
"Confession is good for the soul," the old Scottish proverb goes. It's also good for your health and happiness too.
6. Possible Sermon Moves and/or Stories/Examples
* Review the text's message: Cite the atmosphere for worship depicted in the second through the fourth bullet points of Exegesis, highlighting the references to healing.
* Depending on the preacher's tradition, the worship ethos this lesson describes will receive different evaluations. Pentecostal/Holiness (some Baptist) preachers may praise and celebrate how their congregations seem to closely parallel the worship style of first-century Christians addressed by James. Those of other traditions may instead contrast their congregations worship ethos to that described in the lesson. Then the question becomes whether we still have links to these early Christians. Suggest that we do.
* For all audiences, suggest that healing still transpires in Christian circles, but in miraculous ways that we may not have previously noted. * Focus on the text's reference to confession of sins and praying for one another (v. 16). This simple act of faith and God's response to it, more than some mysterious incantation or ritual, is when healing happens.
* Cite the remarks by John Calvin in the third bullet point of Theological Insights. Note that Calvin was more scientifically accurate than he imagined.
* Confession is an interesting concept. It is not just about confession of sins. If we stopped with sin, it would be a downer. But confession of sin leads to the word of grace and forgiveness, to God's confession of grace and our confession of faith. That point is made clearly in our lesson. Read verse 15b. Repeat it.
* Elaborate on the first two bullet points of Socio-Economic, Political, Psychological, and Scientific Insights. It should be added why we are happy in spiritual exercises. Refer to dopamine that is secreted in this mental activity. See the second bullet point of Socio-Economic, Political, Psychological, and Scientific Insights for the First Lesson, Advent 1, or the only bullet point for that section for the First Lesson, Pentecost 14.
* You may not get instant healing with religious exercises like confession. But they do help you maintain health. And so it's true after all: Confess your sins to one another so that you may be healed (v. 16).
* The fact that spiritual exercises lead to happiness in view of our lesson's references to singing songs of praise when we're cheerful (v. 13) is interesting, isn't it? Modern science is bearing out many core insights of our faith. Faith and science are not so much at war as we've been led to believe.
* Down in the dumps? Fearful about aging or that nagging chronic physical problem? Don't expect instant healing. But in prayer, praise, and confession you might find that the worldly wisdoms of psychology or medicine get a little solid long-term support. Yes, confession is good for the soul (and your long-term mental and physical health).
7. Wrap-Up
No two ways about it, though, healing and happiness are just side effects of walking with God and a life of prayer and praise. They're just side effects of the thing about lives of confession and praise. That is the companionship that happens in these exercises, for in the midst of these exercises we are not alone but get to walk with God who baptizes (makes holy) every aspect of our lives.
Sermon Text and Title
"Maintain Your Saltiness for the Sake of Us All"
Mark 9:38-50
1. Theological Aim of the Sermon and Strategy
To condemn sin, explaining that the threats in the lesson do condemn us as God's law, but do not have the final word, for the grace of God is for all. Justification by Grace with the atonement as actuality for all, and the portrayal of the Christian life (Sanctification) as a life devoted to disinfecting the world's sin in dialogue with and alongside all that is good about everyday life (including non-Christians of good will) are proclaimed.
2. Exegesis (see Introduction to Selected Books of the Bible)
* Teachings by Jesus in preparation of the passion.
* The lesson begins with reflections on an unknown exorcist who has been casting out demons in Jesus' name (v. 38). Invoking Jewish names was common among magicians of the era. Jesus urges he not be stopped, saying whoever does such deeds in His name will not be able to speak evil of Him (v. 39). Whoever is not against Jesus and His followers is for them, He asserts (v. 40).
* Warnings of hell follow. One who puts a stumbling block before Jesus' followers will greatly suffer (v. 42). If hands, feet, or an eye causes stumbling, Jesus suggests they be cut off or torn off (vv. 43-47).
* Concludes with reference to salting His disciples with fire (v. 49). Salt is good but if it has lost its saltiness it is no good (v. 50). Only in Mark are these remarks associated with the previous warnings and condemnations.
3. Theological Insight (see Charts of the Major Theological Options)
* The text witnesses to the law of God condemning sin, to something like the idea of "anonymous Christians" (those who are not Christian, but nonetheless do God's will), and to the Christian task (Sanctification) by grace to contribute to the disinfecting of the world's sin.
* John Wesley interprets Jesus' reference to cutting off the hand (v. 43) as referring to ending discourse with those indispensable to us who slacken us in the ways of God. The reference here, he claims, is to people, not things (Commentary on the Bible, p. 429).
* The Second Vatican Council articulated the concept of "anonymous Christians":
Those who through no fault of their own, do not know the gospel of Christ or His church, but who nevertheless seek God with a sincere heart, and moved by grace try to do His will as they know it through the dictates of their conscience -- those too may achieve salvation… Whatever good or truth is found amongst them is considered by the church to be a preparation for the gospel.
(Documents of Vatican II, pp. 367-368)
* Methodius, a bishop of the early church, claimed that the salt to which Jesus refers (vv. 49-50) was understood by Jesus as a spiritual disinfectant for the soul (Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 6, p. 311).
5. Gimmick
The Bible is a difficult book. Read verses 42-47. We need some salt.
6. Possible Sermon Moves and/or Stories/Examples
* A God who would have us hung or have our hand cut off or our foot. What happened to that loving God we confess?
* John Wesley gives us some insight here. He claims that the law's first use is "to convince the world of sin" (The Works of John Wesley, Vol. 5, p. 442). The reformed Heidelberg Catechism teaches that we learn our sin from the law of God (The Book of Confessions, 4.003). What we have in Jesus' warnings is the law defined this way. The purpose of these threats is to help the disciples and us know what we deserve to suffer by strict principles of justice -- for we have sinned.
* Suggest congregants consider the times they have used their hands (perhaps in anger) to do bad things, or the times they have used their feet to do bad things (or not gotten on their feet to help someone, allegedly because they said they were too tired). By strict principles of justice, we deserve to lose hands and feet for such indiscretions.
* But then, thank God, side by side with biblical texts like these there are other texts that most Protestant traditions call the gospel, words of grace, blessing, and forgiveness (The Book of Confessions, 5.086; cf. The Works of John Wesley, Vol. 5, pp. 313-314). The gospel is evident in our lesson. For all His words of condemnation, Jesus doesn't give up on His disciples. He indicates that He will stick with them. Indeed, they will be "salted" (v. 49). John Wesley thinks that the salt is "divine grace, which purifies the soul… and preserves it from corruption" (Commentary on the Bible, p. 430). (Note Methodius' parallel interpretation of salt in the last bullet point of Theological Insights.) We see more grace earlier when Jesus even claimed that the unknown exorcists casting out demons in His name should not be restrained, should be seen as an ally even if not a follower. "Whoever is not against us is for us" (vv. 38-40).
* It is clear that the lesson is not just about condemnation or threats. That is just about helping us appreciate what we deserve. The good news is that because of grace, because of God's forgiving love, we have been given second chances. God will make us salty, even see salt in those who are not against His ministry.
* Back to the salt that salts us followers of Jesus. What is it and why does it matter for us Christians?
* We know salt is a preservative, often used that way in ancient cultures. This is why John Wesley's interpretation makes sense. But salt is also essential to life and good health. Body cells need it to live and work. It combats chronic fatigue. Lack of salt can lead to cancer or compromise the cardiac system.
* Why not think of Jesus' comments about the saltiness of the faithful in this way? Grace not only purifies Christians, not only is a spiritual disinfectant, it also provides the energy that keeps faith and life spiritually healthy. Jesus is right; for the health of our faith and life, we dare not lose our saltiness. Keep salty.
* But then we don't want to forget Jesus' comments about the exorcist, that anyone who is not against the ways of God and Christ is an ally. This point suggests that even non-Christians are our allies for trying to live out the faith. Introduce the concept of anonymous Christianity in the third bullet point of Theological Insights and the possibility that Jesus was affirming this idea. Ask the congregation what they think about this idea. Is it not correct on these grounds to believe that God's grace, the salt of spiritual energy and health, resides in all people of good will and that that is why non-Christians can take positions and be allies in projects that have a lot of compatibility with things Christians care about (service to the poor, peace, justice)? Indeed, the salt of spirituality may well be in the things of the world already, and we may only need to baptize it (call the world's attention to what it already has).
7. Wrap-Up
Jesus called his disciples (is still calling us) to keep the salt and be at peace with each other (v. 50). The grace of God makes us different, gives us the energy and health we need to do God's thing, seasons and preserves our faith. If God in His love has us maintain this saltiness through the work of the Holy Spirit, it will be to the benefit of all. Let us not forget to appreciate how others on earth, even those who do not bear the name "Christians," may help us keep our seasoning, help us keep our spiritual energy and health. How blessed we are to have a God who keeps us seasoned (to the benefit of all the earth)!
