Third Sunday In Lent
Preaching
Lectionary Preaching Workbook
Series VII Cycle C
Seasonal Theme
Jesus and his disciples move toward Jerusalem and the cross.
Theme For The Day
The patience of our God in dealing with our lack of good works.
Old Testament Lesson
Isaiah 55:1-9
Invitation To Abundant Life
Similar to Proverbs 9:1-6, we have here a call to a banquet to attain life. Yahweh is the speaker in this poem. Food and drink indicate that the relationship between Yahweh and the people is good. The danger is not to accept the food and seek elsewhere for food which does not satisfy. That is a mistake. Verses 6 and 7 are the prophet's words encouraging them to seek Yahweh and abandon sin. Seeking Yahweh in this passage is to ask for forgiveness and to quit a way of life which is without God.
We are also invited in this passage to share in the world mission of the Messiah. Verse 7 is a call for repentance. The negative is to forsake and the positive is to return to the Lord. These are great words which will preach: "everlasting covenant," "witness," "forsake," "return to the Lord," "mercy," "abundantly," "pardon," and "steadfast." Still, perhaps the most compelling word in this reading is "... come." We have an hospitable invitation to come.
New Testament Lesson
1 Corinthians 10:1-13
Warnings From History
God will judge the Corinthians like God did Israel years before, after caring for them so well in the exodus. Like Moses was the deliverer of the Israelites, so Jesus was the deliverer of the Corinthians. Paul pleads with them not to repeat the dreadful mistakes of the past. Four things are forbidden: 1) idolatry, 2) sexual misconduct, 3) testing God, and 4) grumbling. He warns these self-contented Christians that they also face the temptation to compromise and sin. They are not exempt.
The Gospel
Luke 13:1-9
Repent Or Parish And No Figs
Two incidents are used to refute the Jewish idea that a disaster has caused the sins in those who are hurt. First is the butchering by Roman soldiers of some pilgrims while giving their sacrifice in the Temple. The second, some people were crushed to death by the falling of the tower of Siloam (v. 4). Instead, Paul says that as a whole the Jewish nation was sinful and all would suffer unless they repented.
The nation was like a fig tree which didn't bear fruit. It was only fit to destroy. But God is ready to grant more time for repentance. The fig tree represents Israel as also in Hosea 9:10. According to the New Bible Commentary, "Fruit could not be taken from a tree the first three years (Leviticus 19:23) hence this tree was presumably six years old."
Preaching Possibilities
We could use all three readings today under the theme of "An Invitation." The Old Testament is an invitation to an abundant life with enough. The New Testament is an invitation to learn from history and repent, and the Gospel is an invitation to bear fruit and accept God's patient mercy.
The Isaiah lesson can stand alone as beautiful descriptive poetry about our invitation to come to a loving God. And it is about the invitation we are to extend on God's behalf to others. It's lovely stuff which instructs us how God wants to relate to us.
Verse 13 of 1 Corinthians 10 lends itself to an evangelical sermon dealing with "When life is hard" or "When we are tested," we have these assurances. Many of them are going through testing, like us. God will not let the struggle be more than what we can endure. And with the struggle, God will provide a way through. Word after word it is jam-packed with assurances for our many hearers who need to hear them. And perhaps what we need to hear as well.
A Possible Outline Of Sermon Moves
Title: A Parable About God's Patience
Text: Luke 13:6-9
A. Begin with a plant you have nurtured which never did produce (or bloom) and how you got impatient with it and cut it down, and so on. A rose in the back yard or a fruit tree, etc., will do.
B. Move to the parable for today. Tell how fig trees were planted and no fruit harvested for three years -- but this one at year 6 had still not produced.
C. Move to the plea of the gardener (who can represent Jesus) to give it another chance. A little more time. Explain how Jesus from the cross makes that plea for us also.
D. Move to the cultivation of the tree and how we can be enriched to produce fruit, too.
1. There is cultivation by Christian education.
2. There is cultivation by other Christian's encouragement.
3. There is cultivation by the Holy Spirit.
E. Apply this to the corporate ministry of your congregation.
1. We must cultivate (make a climate) which helps each one of us produce fruit. That fruit might be companionship for others, social justice in the community, witness to others, tithes of our income, loving the unlovely, and so on.
2. We must cultivate the vineyard to protect and nurture the young, newer plants (children).
3. We must harvest the fruit-producing love and prune out the hate and bigotry and self-centeredness of each other.
4. And we must be patient with each other as God is, and has been, patient with us.
F. Frame your sermon now by returning to your story of impatience with something you tried to grow with which you began the sermon.
Prayer For The Day
Help us to be patient, O God, as you have been patient with us. And let the fruit of all-inclusive love, good works, ministry to others, compassion, stewardship, witness, and meaningful prayer always be in this, your vineyard called (your congregation's name). Our prayer today is in the name of Jesus the gardener who has saved us. Amen.
Possible Metaphors And Sermon Stories
In the recent Special Olympics held in Hong Kong, twelve physically challenged young people started the race. One fell after just a few yards and began to cry because of hurting his knee. The other racers stopped, turned around, and went to him. One offered to "kiss it to make it better" and the others helped him up. Then they all walked the rest of the race hand in hand. The crowd gave them a four-minute standing ovation.
My daughter, Bethany Allison, gave me a shirt to wear in Hong Kong where I was teaching. She had embroidered it with two Chinese characters. Paul Lau, upon seeing it at a distance, thought it said, "God is angry." But another student read it more carefully, "God forgives." Now we have it right!
C. R. Findley, speaking of patience, quoted the famous preacher Henry Ward Beecher, who told of a woman who prayed for patience, and God sent her a poor cook.
In my favorite Shakespeare play, Othello, we have the words: "How poor are they that have not patience! What wound did ever heal but by degrees?"
Jesus and his disciples move toward Jerusalem and the cross.
Theme For The Day
The patience of our God in dealing with our lack of good works.
Old Testament Lesson
Isaiah 55:1-9
Invitation To Abundant Life
Similar to Proverbs 9:1-6, we have here a call to a banquet to attain life. Yahweh is the speaker in this poem. Food and drink indicate that the relationship between Yahweh and the people is good. The danger is not to accept the food and seek elsewhere for food which does not satisfy. That is a mistake. Verses 6 and 7 are the prophet's words encouraging them to seek Yahweh and abandon sin. Seeking Yahweh in this passage is to ask for forgiveness and to quit a way of life which is without God.
We are also invited in this passage to share in the world mission of the Messiah. Verse 7 is a call for repentance. The negative is to forsake and the positive is to return to the Lord. These are great words which will preach: "everlasting covenant," "witness," "forsake," "return to the Lord," "mercy," "abundantly," "pardon," and "steadfast." Still, perhaps the most compelling word in this reading is "... come." We have an hospitable invitation to come.
New Testament Lesson
1 Corinthians 10:1-13
Warnings From History
God will judge the Corinthians like God did Israel years before, after caring for them so well in the exodus. Like Moses was the deliverer of the Israelites, so Jesus was the deliverer of the Corinthians. Paul pleads with them not to repeat the dreadful mistakes of the past. Four things are forbidden: 1) idolatry, 2) sexual misconduct, 3) testing God, and 4) grumbling. He warns these self-contented Christians that they also face the temptation to compromise and sin. They are not exempt.
The Gospel
Luke 13:1-9
Repent Or Parish And No Figs
Two incidents are used to refute the Jewish idea that a disaster has caused the sins in those who are hurt. First is the butchering by Roman soldiers of some pilgrims while giving their sacrifice in the Temple. The second, some people were crushed to death by the falling of the tower of Siloam (v. 4). Instead, Paul says that as a whole the Jewish nation was sinful and all would suffer unless they repented.
The nation was like a fig tree which didn't bear fruit. It was only fit to destroy. But God is ready to grant more time for repentance. The fig tree represents Israel as also in Hosea 9:10. According to the New Bible Commentary, "Fruit could not be taken from a tree the first three years (Leviticus 19:23) hence this tree was presumably six years old."
Preaching Possibilities
We could use all three readings today under the theme of "An Invitation." The Old Testament is an invitation to an abundant life with enough. The New Testament is an invitation to learn from history and repent, and the Gospel is an invitation to bear fruit and accept God's patient mercy.
The Isaiah lesson can stand alone as beautiful descriptive poetry about our invitation to come to a loving God. And it is about the invitation we are to extend on God's behalf to others. It's lovely stuff which instructs us how God wants to relate to us.
Verse 13 of 1 Corinthians 10 lends itself to an evangelical sermon dealing with "When life is hard" or "When we are tested," we have these assurances. Many of them are going through testing, like us. God will not let the struggle be more than what we can endure. And with the struggle, God will provide a way through. Word after word it is jam-packed with assurances for our many hearers who need to hear them. And perhaps what we need to hear as well.
A Possible Outline Of Sermon Moves
Title: A Parable About God's Patience
Text: Luke 13:6-9
A. Begin with a plant you have nurtured which never did produce (or bloom) and how you got impatient with it and cut it down, and so on. A rose in the back yard or a fruit tree, etc., will do.
B. Move to the parable for today. Tell how fig trees were planted and no fruit harvested for three years -- but this one at year 6 had still not produced.
C. Move to the plea of the gardener (who can represent Jesus) to give it another chance. A little more time. Explain how Jesus from the cross makes that plea for us also.
D. Move to the cultivation of the tree and how we can be enriched to produce fruit, too.
1. There is cultivation by Christian education.
2. There is cultivation by other Christian's encouragement.
3. There is cultivation by the Holy Spirit.
E. Apply this to the corporate ministry of your congregation.
1. We must cultivate (make a climate) which helps each one of us produce fruit. That fruit might be companionship for others, social justice in the community, witness to others, tithes of our income, loving the unlovely, and so on.
2. We must cultivate the vineyard to protect and nurture the young, newer plants (children).
3. We must harvest the fruit-producing love and prune out the hate and bigotry and self-centeredness of each other.
4. And we must be patient with each other as God is, and has been, patient with us.
F. Frame your sermon now by returning to your story of impatience with something you tried to grow with which you began the sermon.
Prayer For The Day
Help us to be patient, O God, as you have been patient with us. And let the fruit of all-inclusive love, good works, ministry to others, compassion, stewardship, witness, and meaningful prayer always be in this, your vineyard called (your congregation's name). Our prayer today is in the name of Jesus the gardener who has saved us. Amen.
Possible Metaphors And Sermon Stories
In the recent Special Olympics held in Hong Kong, twelve physically challenged young people started the race. One fell after just a few yards and began to cry because of hurting his knee. The other racers stopped, turned around, and went to him. One offered to "kiss it to make it better" and the others helped him up. Then they all walked the rest of the race hand in hand. The crowd gave them a four-minute standing ovation.
My daughter, Bethany Allison, gave me a shirt to wear in Hong Kong where I was teaching. She had embroidered it with two Chinese characters. Paul Lau, upon seeing it at a distance, thought it said, "God is angry." But another student read it more carefully, "God forgives." Now we have it right!
C. R. Findley, speaking of patience, quoted the famous preacher Henry Ward Beecher, who told of a woman who prayed for patience, and God sent her a poor cook.
In my favorite Shakespeare play, Othello, we have the words: "How poor are they that have not patience! What wound did ever heal but by degrees?"
