Proper 26
Preaching
Lectionary Preaching Workbook
Series VI, Cycle A
COMMENTARY ON THE LESSONS
Lesson 1: Joshua 3:7-17 (C)
Joshua perceives God as ordering him to cross a river in a repetition of Moses' crossing of the Red Sea. This is, in great part, to give evidence to the Israelites that God is still traveling with them, overseeing their migration with mighty power. Sure enough, according to this report, the twelve tribes are required to select twelve men each to accompany the Ark of the Covenant into the water, and as they do, behold, the running waters are stopped, and the priests find themselves standing on dry ground. This story has a non-politically correct aspect if anyone's interested. God is perceived as promising to drive all the current residents of the new land out. That doesn't sound like the God of the New Testament, who would have worked to enable the people to live together in peace. However, judging from headlines of our day, people of that region are not capable of living in peace. Resentments and bitterness run too deep for that. To this day, the violence which lay ahead for Joshua and his people is still the order of the day in the Middle East. To be frank, as I look at the world around me, I wonder if any of us are capable of living in peace with people who are not like us, holding our values, dressing and talking and worshiping as we do. If this passage raises any profound questions, it is that one.
Lesson 1: Malachi 1:14--2:2, 8-10 (RC)
This implies the same question as that in Joshua: if we all worship the same God, why can we not live in harmony and peace? Instead, the priests are leading the people astray.
Lesson 1: Micah 3:5-12 (E)
This writer, whoever he may have been, sounds a bit self-righteous in this passage, accusing all the other prophets of betrayal of their calling, promising dire consequences for their misconduct, then pronouncing his own innocence: "But as for me, I am filled with power, with the Spirit of the Lord ..." I suppose to be a true prophet you have to be a little bit self-righteous. I know a couple clergy who think of themselves as prophets, and they are impossibly self-righteous. Maybe I am too for saying that. It's kind of a catch-22 really. The more we condemn what we see to be immoral and unchristian conduct, the more we had better be sure we ourselves are doing everything right. In fact, that might be a good starting point for a sermon at a time in American history when everyone seems to be angry at the way someone or other is treating them.
Lesson 2: 1 Thessalonians 2:9-13 (C); 1 Thessalonians 2:7-9, 13 (RC); 1 Thessalonians 2:9-13, 17-20 (E)
Here we have Paul sounding a little bit self-righteous too (see commentary on Micah). I have a sneaking suspicion someone else wrote this for Paul, as we know often happened. In truth, Paul probably did act in the finest Christian way when with the Thessalonians. Times, of course, have changed, and maybe it was appropriate to give oneself public credit in those days, though I doubt that (unless, of course, you're running for public office). I'd guess my theory is right, that Paul was content to let his actions speak for him, and admirers among his entourage have added this little bit of self-credit. What is important here is Paul's urging that the people keep themselves in good order by leading lives "worthy" of God, and his expression of gratitude to God for the fact that they are doing this.
Gospel: Matthew 23:1-12 (C, RC, E)
Jesus is incensed at the do-nothing Pharisees who, in today's parlance, talk the talk but don't walk the walk. I hear businesspeople complain about the people they sometimes have to work with, or even work for, who constantly vie for credit and recognition without actually earning it. We clergy are not innocent either, wearing our robes and other regalia, sometimes assuming titles as a way of impressing other people. It's a practical truth as well as a religious truth that when we try to look important, something always backfires, if only in the fact that we either look ridiculous, or we make others jealous or inclined to oppose us. On the other hand, if we can manage to be modest about any achievements working to make others feel valued and important rather than the reverse, we find others not only like us better, but often work to support us in our endeavors. Jesus was certainly right: "All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted."
SERMON SUGGESTIONS
Title: "Let It Begin With Me"
Text: Joshua 3:7-17
Theme: One could pick up on the faith these people (some of them) had that God would see them through their times of trouble. Since everyone sooner or later faces times of trouble I think that a valid theme. However, as indicated, I would try to deal with the issue of their hatred of the current residents of the land they were about to conquer. I realize this is a story written long after the fact, and that a warlike atmosphere prevailed in that land. Still, as we read this at face value, they had never even met those people, yet they stood ready to invade violently. Actually, there were two migratory processes, one slow and over a lengthy period of time, one military in nature. But let's raise the larger question: is there anything at all that we can do to foster peace in the land, rather than ethnic hatred?
1. Start at home. I'm not presumptuous enough to claim a solution to racial prejudice, but I do know it has to start with me, with my attitudes and my conduct. That includes how I speak about others at the country club (I'm not really a member of one) and elsewhere.
2. Learn something of other people from different walks of life. I have related that I once interviewed two welfare mothers on television and was amazed to learn how bright, how sincere, how determined they were. My preconceived ideas were wrong. Our city recently had an interfaith worship service attended by around 10,000 people from twenty different churches. Some were white suburban, some inner-city white some suburban black, some inner-city black, some Hispanic. People who worked on the many organizing committees reported wonderful new experiences with people from differing cultural styles.
3. Do a little self-criticism. That's Jesus' point, is it not, the assumption that my ways are better than those of anyone else? Maybe that's not true. Maybe there needs to be room for many different cultures and lifestyles. That doesn't mean we condone old cars on cement blocks, but it does mean I try to understand why those things happen and what my role in the problem may be.
Title: "A Worthy Life"
Text: 1 Thessalonians 2:9-13
Theme: That's a tall order for most of us, living lives "worthy of God." I'm afraid I can't make any such claims. This reminds me of the man who won the medal for humility but had it taken away from him because he wore it. An overall reading of the New Testament seems to me to commend modesty and a certain self-deprecation. One rule I learned at the beginning and tried never to break was this: when preaching, never make yourself the hero of a story. There's a strange equation which holds that the more a preacher pokes a little friendly fun at herself or himself, the more the congregation loves that preacher (assuming it's genuine). The preacher, on the other hand, who makes either of the two fatal mistakes in preaching -- boasting or complaining -- eventually loses the regard of the people to whom that person is called to preach. That's why I find it difficult to believe that Paul took the effusive credit for himself as reported here. I think his friends may have legitimately given him that credit. Having said all this, I would raise the question: what are the qualities of a worthy life? There are more than I probably know, but certain ones seem to me to be relevant these days:
1. Be law-abiding. I think we'll find that almost all of our parishioners are fed up to here these days with the tendency of so many people in the legal system to have more sympathy for lawbreakers than for their victims. We have all heard, and a large percentage of clergy believe, that we ought to cut a lot of slack for those people raised in unhappy, poverty-ridden, dysfunctional life situations. If by that we mean providing assistance of a material sort, and counseling, and sympathy, I agree. But they have no right to injure you and me or our property. A Christian obeys the laws, even those we don't like. If we feel strongly enough about a law we don't like, then change it by working in the system.
2. Be kind to the weak. I have a friend who has several little rules. They include: never pass a lemonade stand run by children without buying some (carry a dollar with you when you jog or cycle); never pass a street musician without giving him a dollar (if there are several of them as in large tourist cities, give to at least two); always give something to a person who is begging, even if he looks half drunk (you can't be sure); when the lady in front of you at the checkout counter is short a bit of paying for the groceries, give her the difference. Visit the sick. Mow a shut-in's lawn.
3. Have a work ethic. Remember, Paul worked at tent-making wherever he went. Jesus did carpentry. I once worked briefly with a clergyman who said he believed he should never work more than five days a week, nor more than eight hours per day. He now does other work and is a failure, though he has a graduate degree. Hard work is a mark of a responsible person.
4. Be honest. Of course a Christian must never take anything which is not rightfully his or hers. That includes another person's reputation or credit. (A good senior pastor makes sure all staff members get full credit for their achievements.)
5. Be generous. Give money, time, credit, love to those we meet. This builds character of the kind Jesus commends. I have always felt that each of us is in process, like a statue being molded and shaped chip by chip. Living by rules such as these builds the kind of character I want to see in my children, my neighbors, my friends, and myself. And also in the person who preaches to me on Sundays.
Title: "They Will Know Us By Our Love"
Text: Matthew 23:1-12
Theme: Ouch. That bit about the priests with their grand attire pinches a bit for some of us clergy who wear such things. I guess that's why, until recently, it was the custom for clergy who wear robes to wear black. The only color was perhaps a stole in the current liturgical color (there were only four). Nowadays we see a rich variety of colors, including innovations in liturgical colors (I never heard of blue in seminary). I'll defend this a little bit as a sign of the times in which the church should refrain from being doleful and try to convey joy and cheerfulness. The real point today has to do with the way we think of ourselves and the way we treat others. But it does commend to all Christians an attitude of modesty. If you deserve praise for a job well done, let it come from others.
1. Actions speak louder than words. I know this is a cliche. Someone once said, though, that trite sayings are a distillation of the world's wisdom.
2. They will know us by our love. We sing this and it's undeniably true. Emerson once said (I'll paraphrase), "What you are speaks so loud that I cannot hear what you say you are."
3. Faithful in little, faithful in much. Jesus said that and I believe it. I once put two quarters in a newspaper dispenser for USA Today. As I was about to close the box, a friend stopped me, reached in and took a paper, then walked away. I put two more quarters in and was not at all surprised when, a couple years later, his wife divorced him and he moved away. No way would I ever trust him in anything.
4. Pride goeth before a fall. (Also a cliche, but true).
ADDITIONAL ILLUSTRATIONS
While in seminary, a friend of mine wrote a letter to an older minister, a superintendent, and addressed it to "The Rev. Harry Smith" (not his real name, of course). Back came a response addressed to "Mr. John Smith, B.S." and signed "Dr. Harry Smith, D.D." Talk about being important.
____________
One minister told of attending a major church function. As the guest preacher was speaking, a well-known participant who clearly felt himself to be of higher station than the preacher was to be seen cleaning his fingernails with the gold cross which hung from a gold chain about his neck.
____________
Jerry Kennedy told of the sea captain who for years started every day by opening a vault in his office and consulting a document which he kept concealed there, carefully concealing the combination from other officers. Finally, the captain died. The combination was located, the safe was opened, and inside was a paper with this notation: "Port side is the left side."
____________
It is said that President Franklin Roosevelt, known for his ever-present friendly smile, was privately worried that this made him so charming that people didn't really listen to what he said in a social situation. He decided to try an experiment. In a receiving line on a state occasion attended by many diplomats, he began to smile at each and remark, "Yesterday I murdered my grandmother." As he expected, several people smiled in return and, overwhelmed to meet the President of the United States, replied "How wonderful," or the equivalent. But just as the President was sure no one really heard, one true diplomat replied to the remark, "Yesterday I murdered my grandmother," by saying with a smile, "I'm sure she deserved it."
____________
Psalm Of The Day
Psalm 107:1-7, 33-37 (C) -- "O give thanks to the Lord for He is good."
Psalm 13 (RC) -- "I will sing to the Lord for He has dealt bountifully with me."
Psalm 43 (E) -- "Vindicate me, O God, and defend my cause."
Prayer Of The Day
Forgiving God, we confess that we have been puffed up, self-important, too insecure to allow others to see our flaws. We have been guilty of pretense, of the deprecation of others as a way of elevating ourselves. Forgive us for this, O God, and grant us strength to be human and honest. In Christ's name we pray.
Lesson 1: Joshua 3:7-17 (C)
Joshua perceives God as ordering him to cross a river in a repetition of Moses' crossing of the Red Sea. This is, in great part, to give evidence to the Israelites that God is still traveling with them, overseeing their migration with mighty power. Sure enough, according to this report, the twelve tribes are required to select twelve men each to accompany the Ark of the Covenant into the water, and as they do, behold, the running waters are stopped, and the priests find themselves standing on dry ground. This story has a non-politically correct aspect if anyone's interested. God is perceived as promising to drive all the current residents of the new land out. That doesn't sound like the God of the New Testament, who would have worked to enable the people to live together in peace. However, judging from headlines of our day, people of that region are not capable of living in peace. Resentments and bitterness run too deep for that. To this day, the violence which lay ahead for Joshua and his people is still the order of the day in the Middle East. To be frank, as I look at the world around me, I wonder if any of us are capable of living in peace with people who are not like us, holding our values, dressing and talking and worshiping as we do. If this passage raises any profound questions, it is that one.
Lesson 1: Malachi 1:14--2:2, 8-10 (RC)
This implies the same question as that in Joshua: if we all worship the same God, why can we not live in harmony and peace? Instead, the priests are leading the people astray.
Lesson 1: Micah 3:5-12 (E)
This writer, whoever he may have been, sounds a bit self-righteous in this passage, accusing all the other prophets of betrayal of their calling, promising dire consequences for their misconduct, then pronouncing his own innocence: "But as for me, I am filled with power, with the Spirit of the Lord ..." I suppose to be a true prophet you have to be a little bit self-righteous. I know a couple clergy who think of themselves as prophets, and they are impossibly self-righteous. Maybe I am too for saying that. It's kind of a catch-22 really. The more we condemn what we see to be immoral and unchristian conduct, the more we had better be sure we ourselves are doing everything right. In fact, that might be a good starting point for a sermon at a time in American history when everyone seems to be angry at the way someone or other is treating them.
Lesson 2: 1 Thessalonians 2:9-13 (C); 1 Thessalonians 2:7-9, 13 (RC); 1 Thessalonians 2:9-13, 17-20 (E)
Here we have Paul sounding a little bit self-righteous too (see commentary on Micah). I have a sneaking suspicion someone else wrote this for Paul, as we know often happened. In truth, Paul probably did act in the finest Christian way when with the Thessalonians. Times, of course, have changed, and maybe it was appropriate to give oneself public credit in those days, though I doubt that (unless, of course, you're running for public office). I'd guess my theory is right, that Paul was content to let his actions speak for him, and admirers among his entourage have added this little bit of self-credit. What is important here is Paul's urging that the people keep themselves in good order by leading lives "worthy" of God, and his expression of gratitude to God for the fact that they are doing this.
Gospel: Matthew 23:1-12 (C, RC, E)
Jesus is incensed at the do-nothing Pharisees who, in today's parlance, talk the talk but don't walk the walk. I hear businesspeople complain about the people they sometimes have to work with, or even work for, who constantly vie for credit and recognition without actually earning it. We clergy are not innocent either, wearing our robes and other regalia, sometimes assuming titles as a way of impressing other people. It's a practical truth as well as a religious truth that when we try to look important, something always backfires, if only in the fact that we either look ridiculous, or we make others jealous or inclined to oppose us. On the other hand, if we can manage to be modest about any achievements working to make others feel valued and important rather than the reverse, we find others not only like us better, but often work to support us in our endeavors. Jesus was certainly right: "All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted."
SERMON SUGGESTIONS
Title: "Let It Begin With Me"
Text: Joshua 3:7-17
Theme: One could pick up on the faith these people (some of them) had that God would see them through their times of trouble. Since everyone sooner or later faces times of trouble I think that a valid theme. However, as indicated, I would try to deal with the issue of their hatred of the current residents of the land they were about to conquer. I realize this is a story written long after the fact, and that a warlike atmosphere prevailed in that land. Still, as we read this at face value, they had never even met those people, yet they stood ready to invade violently. Actually, there were two migratory processes, one slow and over a lengthy period of time, one military in nature. But let's raise the larger question: is there anything at all that we can do to foster peace in the land, rather than ethnic hatred?
1. Start at home. I'm not presumptuous enough to claim a solution to racial prejudice, but I do know it has to start with me, with my attitudes and my conduct. That includes how I speak about others at the country club (I'm not really a member of one) and elsewhere.
2. Learn something of other people from different walks of life. I have related that I once interviewed two welfare mothers on television and was amazed to learn how bright, how sincere, how determined they were. My preconceived ideas were wrong. Our city recently had an interfaith worship service attended by around 10,000 people from twenty different churches. Some were white suburban, some inner-city white some suburban black, some inner-city black, some Hispanic. People who worked on the many organizing committees reported wonderful new experiences with people from differing cultural styles.
3. Do a little self-criticism. That's Jesus' point, is it not, the assumption that my ways are better than those of anyone else? Maybe that's not true. Maybe there needs to be room for many different cultures and lifestyles. That doesn't mean we condone old cars on cement blocks, but it does mean I try to understand why those things happen and what my role in the problem may be.
Title: "A Worthy Life"
Text: 1 Thessalonians 2:9-13
Theme: That's a tall order for most of us, living lives "worthy of God." I'm afraid I can't make any such claims. This reminds me of the man who won the medal for humility but had it taken away from him because he wore it. An overall reading of the New Testament seems to me to commend modesty and a certain self-deprecation. One rule I learned at the beginning and tried never to break was this: when preaching, never make yourself the hero of a story. There's a strange equation which holds that the more a preacher pokes a little friendly fun at herself or himself, the more the congregation loves that preacher (assuming it's genuine). The preacher, on the other hand, who makes either of the two fatal mistakes in preaching -- boasting or complaining -- eventually loses the regard of the people to whom that person is called to preach. That's why I find it difficult to believe that Paul took the effusive credit for himself as reported here. I think his friends may have legitimately given him that credit. Having said all this, I would raise the question: what are the qualities of a worthy life? There are more than I probably know, but certain ones seem to me to be relevant these days:
1. Be law-abiding. I think we'll find that almost all of our parishioners are fed up to here these days with the tendency of so many people in the legal system to have more sympathy for lawbreakers than for their victims. We have all heard, and a large percentage of clergy believe, that we ought to cut a lot of slack for those people raised in unhappy, poverty-ridden, dysfunctional life situations. If by that we mean providing assistance of a material sort, and counseling, and sympathy, I agree. But they have no right to injure you and me or our property. A Christian obeys the laws, even those we don't like. If we feel strongly enough about a law we don't like, then change it by working in the system.
2. Be kind to the weak. I have a friend who has several little rules. They include: never pass a lemonade stand run by children without buying some (carry a dollar with you when you jog or cycle); never pass a street musician without giving him a dollar (if there are several of them as in large tourist cities, give to at least two); always give something to a person who is begging, even if he looks half drunk (you can't be sure); when the lady in front of you at the checkout counter is short a bit of paying for the groceries, give her the difference. Visit the sick. Mow a shut-in's lawn.
3. Have a work ethic. Remember, Paul worked at tent-making wherever he went. Jesus did carpentry. I once worked briefly with a clergyman who said he believed he should never work more than five days a week, nor more than eight hours per day. He now does other work and is a failure, though he has a graduate degree. Hard work is a mark of a responsible person.
4. Be honest. Of course a Christian must never take anything which is not rightfully his or hers. That includes another person's reputation or credit. (A good senior pastor makes sure all staff members get full credit for their achievements.)
5. Be generous. Give money, time, credit, love to those we meet. This builds character of the kind Jesus commends. I have always felt that each of us is in process, like a statue being molded and shaped chip by chip. Living by rules such as these builds the kind of character I want to see in my children, my neighbors, my friends, and myself. And also in the person who preaches to me on Sundays.
Title: "They Will Know Us By Our Love"
Text: Matthew 23:1-12
Theme: Ouch. That bit about the priests with their grand attire pinches a bit for some of us clergy who wear such things. I guess that's why, until recently, it was the custom for clergy who wear robes to wear black. The only color was perhaps a stole in the current liturgical color (there were only four). Nowadays we see a rich variety of colors, including innovations in liturgical colors (I never heard of blue in seminary). I'll defend this a little bit as a sign of the times in which the church should refrain from being doleful and try to convey joy and cheerfulness. The real point today has to do with the way we think of ourselves and the way we treat others. But it does commend to all Christians an attitude of modesty. If you deserve praise for a job well done, let it come from others.
1. Actions speak louder than words. I know this is a cliche. Someone once said, though, that trite sayings are a distillation of the world's wisdom.
2. They will know us by our love. We sing this and it's undeniably true. Emerson once said (I'll paraphrase), "What you are speaks so loud that I cannot hear what you say you are."
3. Faithful in little, faithful in much. Jesus said that and I believe it. I once put two quarters in a newspaper dispenser for USA Today. As I was about to close the box, a friend stopped me, reached in and took a paper, then walked away. I put two more quarters in and was not at all surprised when, a couple years later, his wife divorced him and he moved away. No way would I ever trust him in anything.
4. Pride goeth before a fall. (Also a cliche, but true).
ADDITIONAL ILLUSTRATIONS
While in seminary, a friend of mine wrote a letter to an older minister, a superintendent, and addressed it to "The Rev. Harry Smith" (not his real name, of course). Back came a response addressed to "Mr. John Smith, B.S." and signed "Dr. Harry Smith, D.D." Talk about being important.
____________
One minister told of attending a major church function. As the guest preacher was speaking, a well-known participant who clearly felt himself to be of higher station than the preacher was to be seen cleaning his fingernails with the gold cross which hung from a gold chain about his neck.
____________
Jerry Kennedy told of the sea captain who for years started every day by opening a vault in his office and consulting a document which he kept concealed there, carefully concealing the combination from other officers. Finally, the captain died. The combination was located, the safe was opened, and inside was a paper with this notation: "Port side is the left side."
____________
It is said that President Franklin Roosevelt, known for his ever-present friendly smile, was privately worried that this made him so charming that people didn't really listen to what he said in a social situation. He decided to try an experiment. In a receiving line on a state occasion attended by many diplomats, he began to smile at each and remark, "Yesterday I murdered my grandmother." As he expected, several people smiled in return and, overwhelmed to meet the President of the United States, replied "How wonderful," or the equivalent. But just as the President was sure no one really heard, one true diplomat replied to the remark, "Yesterday I murdered my grandmother," by saying with a smile, "I'm sure she deserved it."
____________
Psalm Of The Day
Psalm 107:1-7, 33-37 (C) -- "O give thanks to the Lord for He is good."
Psalm 13 (RC) -- "I will sing to the Lord for He has dealt bountifully with me."
Psalm 43 (E) -- "Vindicate me, O God, and defend my cause."
Prayer Of The Day
Forgiving God, we confess that we have been puffed up, self-important, too insecure to allow others to see our flaws. We have been guilty of pretense, of the deprecation of others as a way of elevating ourselves. Forgive us for this, O God, and grant us strength to be human and honest. In Christ's name we pray.
