A personal belief is that Isaiah offers EXCELLENT poetry! Lots of people agree, I find. Take Chapter 35. Now, there is a picture of salvation.
A sermon that walks through the chapter could be entitled "The Abundant Life", for Jesus said that's what He came to bring. In the present. In the right-now.
I've become convinced that the "pie in the sky" gospel is actually a means of totally negativizing the Gospel. To say it is only in the eternal future is actually more of a detriment to the Gospel than to say there is no eternal future.
I. Open the chapter with a picture essay of what happens when water hits the dry ground of a barren area. Study desert archaeology to see what abundance was there when the desert bloomed in ancient times of wetlands. Portray the effect of nurture on the human spirit.
II. Review verses 4-7 as a picture of redemption, not focused on the cause of that redemption so much as the visible effects.
III. Review verse 8. No one gets de-railed on the Holy Way, but even fools will find their way. And that's good, for lots of us are rather foolish. (Thus, saved by grace,not by merit, not a bad theme, is it?)
IV. Verses 9 and 10............... the theme, and again, and again.
If our theology says that Jesus came to bring anything less, then we need to review the course material, and study a bit under Professor Isaiah.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Advent 2, Work In Progress
Shifting gears. Ever do that? the song, "In The Bleak Midwinter", inspired a "bending" of the lectionary this week.
I.. Bio of Christina Rossetti. Beautiful model for the Madonna by her brother, a then-popular artist in London. Suffered in ill health, writer of beautiful poetry, including "Love Came Down at Christmas" and the title piece for this sermon.
II. Matthew 1:1-17, the missionary and the genealogies, God reaching people through their former beliefs in sacred ancestry. My criteria? No. God's way of reaching THEIR hearts? Yes.
III. Grace unexpected and more than expected in Jesus.
IV. For a communion Sunday - holy grace through common things.
Blessings on your day for the second of Advent.
I.. Bio of Christina Rossetti. Beautiful model for the Madonna by her brother, a then-popular artist in London. Suffered in ill health, writer of beautiful poetry, including "Love Came Down at Christmas" and the title piece for this sermon.
II. Matthew 1:1-17, the missionary and the genealogies, God reaching people through their former beliefs in sacred ancestry. My criteria? No. God's way of reaching THEIR hearts? Yes.
III. Grace unexpected and more than expected in Jesus.
IV. For a communion Sunday - holy grace through common things.
Blessings on your day for the second of Advent.
Monday, November 29, 2010
Advent 2 - His Loved Children
Working toward Christmas, drifting away from the Lectionary, but still doing the adventure of approaching the birth.
For this week, an old story from missions. A translator-missionary produced a new Bible for a small tribe in then-un-explored Africa. Matthew's Gospel was first. A fine evangelist, he had brought tribal leadership into the church, and then had to leave the area for about a year.
On his return, he arrived on a Sunday just in time for worship. Entering the chapel as the service began, he heard the congregation reciting the opening 17 verses of Matthew. Now, this was a surprise!
He asked later, and one of the elders told him: "You know our old ways. Our religion has been the worship of the ancestors. A highly honored man could name seven generations before him! But, this man Jesus, he is greatest of all - here are listed 42 generations of HIS ancestors. So, we honor him EVERY Sunday with the recital of this great, great honor."
God has not left himself without witnesses among ANY of His children. While that list may not move my heart, God knows it moves the hearts of children He loves and reaches toward.
And that is the wonder and mystery of Christmas, that God DID love the whole world, and still reaches out to the whole world.
God, give us rejoicing in Your mysteries, even where we don't understand. Amen.
For this week, an old story from missions. A translator-missionary produced a new Bible for a small tribe in then-un-explored Africa. Matthew's Gospel was first. A fine evangelist, he had brought tribal leadership into the church, and then had to leave the area for about a year.
On his return, he arrived on a Sunday just in time for worship. Entering the chapel as the service began, he heard the congregation reciting the opening 17 verses of Matthew. Now, this was a surprise!
He asked later, and one of the elders told him: "You know our old ways. Our religion has been the worship of the ancestors. A highly honored man could name seven generations before him! But, this man Jesus, he is greatest of all - here are listed 42 generations of HIS ancestors. So, we honor him EVERY Sunday with the recital of this great, great honor."
God has not left himself without witnesses among ANY of His children. While that list may not move my heart, God knows it moves the hearts of children He loves and reaches toward.
And that is the wonder and mystery of Christmas, that God DID love the whole world, and still reaches out to the whole world.
God, give us rejoicing in Your mysteries, even where we don't understand. Amen.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Raise the Mark
Set the sights high, cause like the old wise men always said: "Aim at nothing and you'll hit it every time!"
My favorite "box" stores are already into Christmas decorations. Get your ribbons, bows, wrapping paper, one puffy Santa, a couple of plastic reindeer, and you got Christmas ready! Nope!
I become more and more convinced that if others want to talk about Santa, I guess they will, and I won't. Not much point in challenging, anyway. The only real Santa problem, for me, is that if we tell children for the first 7 years of their life that Santa is real, and then say: "O.K., never mind, Santa is only a symbol of a generous heart. It's JESUS who is real." Now, are we preparing them to believe us about Jesus?
But, for me, I like the grand announcements:
http://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/texts.php?id=1
The blessing worth celebrating: Psalm 122.
Not make-believe, or symbolic, but the wonder of God grappling with human nature, doing battle with death, and turning the chaos into blessing. You can reference Genesis 1, and the grand poetry of the end of Revelation, and then spin it back to the miracle in the manger.
What a season for those of us called and privileged to proclaim! And, you know, that means EVERY Christian, one way or another.
My favorite "box" stores are already into Christmas decorations. Get your ribbons, bows, wrapping paper, one puffy Santa, a couple of plastic reindeer, and you got Christmas ready! Nope!
I become more and more convinced that if others want to talk about Santa, I guess they will, and I won't. Not much point in challenging, anyway. The only real Santa problem, for me, is that if we tell children for the first 7 years of their life that Santa is real, and then say: "O.K., never mind, Santa is only a symbol of a generous heart. It's JESUS who is real." Now, are we preparing them to believe us about Jesus?
But, for me, I like the grand announcements:
http://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/texts.php?id=1
The blessing worth celebrating: Psalm 122.
Not make-believe, or symbolic, but the wonder of God grappling with human nature, doing battle with death, and turning the chaos into blessing. You can reference Genesis 1, and the grand poetry of the end of Revelation, and then spin it back to the miracle in the manger.
What a season for those of us called and privileged to proclaim! And, you know, that means EVERY Christian, one way or another.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Bridging into the New Year (Advent)
From the Vanderbilt RCL listings: http://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/texts.php?id=290 gives one of my favorite listings: The Song of Zechariah. Paving the way. Opening the Door. Bringing it all into focus.
God's long-intended, long-awaited plan to come himself as shepherd and leader, God incarnate, born humble, the whole grand story, starts on this Sunday, as the readings point so clearly forward, that Advent begins next week.
Today in Disciple, we discusses the "page-turning" moments of God's covenant building. Sarah's son, Hannah's son, Elizabeth's son, and Mary's Son. Times when God writes history HIS way.
Sarah and Hannah barren, Elizabeth too old, and Mary unmarried, virgin, and too young................ and God turns histories biggest corners for His covenant people.
Superb reflection time for pastors, too, in the reading from Jeremiah 23, as God condemns the pastors who destroy and scatter, and promises to re-gather HIMSELF and then appoint shepherds who will function in the model of the Good Shepherd.
A good week for reflection, that can lead to a fine moment of preaching the Word on Sunday.
God's long-intended, long-awaited plan to come himself as shepherd and leader, God incarnate, born humble, the whole grand story, starts on this Sunday, as the readings point so clearly forward, that Advent begins next week.
Today in Disciple, we discusses the "page-turning" moments of God's covenant building. Sarah's son, Hannah's son, Elizabeth's son, and Mary's Son. Times when God writes history HIS way.
Sarah and Hannah barren, Elizabeth too old, and Mary unmarried, virgin, and too young................ and God turns histories biggest corners for His covenant people.
Superb reflection time for pastors, too, in the reading from Jeremiah 23, as God condemns the pastors who destroy and scatter, and promises to re-gather HIMSELF and then appoint shepherds who will function in the model of the Good Shepherd.
A good week for reflection, that can lead to a fine moment of preaching the Word on Sunday.
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Hard to Start
Such a personal long time of working in the pressure of the week, all my working life, I confess this year's planning is a different sort of thing. November, the "loose end" of the Christian year, feels different this year.
We delayed All-Saints to November 7, so that suggested a blend of All-Saints and Veterans Day, which worked well. The text was the closing song from Habakkuk.
A theme coming in from the world around, for this year, is the whole theme of LIFE. What I hear around me is that "knowing Jesus personally" guarantees eternal life. What I keep encountering in Scripture is that faith-as-trust-and-obey-Jesus guarantees abundance of life right now. Last year's Revelation study, focused on the letters to the churches, opened some fresh doors for me on that one.
The Wesley hymns work well with that, never denying the eternal destiny for which the abundant life is a foretaste, but emphasizing that life in the right-now is the major theme.
I find that all wrapped in the word "incarnate" - the Word became Flesh and dwelled in the here and now, to change the here and now. There is a lot more present than future in all the narrative, and specially as the incarnation redefines what life ought to be, what God intended it to be, all mixed up with neighbors and the world around us.
Soon, we'll be moving into Advent. Blessings on the way!
We delayed All-Saints to November 7, so that suggested a blend of All-Saints and Veterans Day, which worked well. The text was the closing song from Habakkuk.
A theme coming in from the world around, for this year, is the whole theme of LIFE. What I hear around me is that "knowing Jesus personally" guarantees eternal life. What I keep encountering in Scripture is that faith-as-trust-and-obey-Jesus guarantees abundance of life right now. Last year's Revelation study, focused on the letters to the churches, opened some fresh doors for me on that one.
The Wesley hymns work well with that, never denying the eternal destiny for which the abundant life is a foretaste, but emphasizing that life in the right-now is the major theme.
I find that all wrapped in the word "incarnate" - the Word became Flesh and dwelled in the here and now, to change the here and now. There is a lot more present than future in all the narrative, and specially as the incarnation redefines what life ought to be, what God intended it to be, all mixed up with neighbors and the world around us.
Soon, we'll be moving into Advent. Blessings on the way!
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Working Toward Advent
This Sunday, doing All-Saints (late is better than early, I suppose) and preaching from Habakkuk.
I. Write the vision clearly.
II. Patiently watch, even in the most difficult times.
III. The Astounding Affirmation. Even when it ALL falls apart, the economics and the politics, the heritage and even the feelings of self-control lost with a foreign invasion - - even with ALL of that, no herd, no flock, no fruit, I will still trust in the Lord and CONTINUE to be steadfast and patient.
IV. This is a preparation for the Table on this first Sunday, recognizing that it is from the Lord that our spirits are fed. Even if everything else was just perfect, the hunger within can only be satisfied by the means of grace.
In study, it's time to begin outlining Advent now. Seasonal themes will carry November until the end and Advent.
Tomorrow, I really must move on! Ever been there?
I. Write the vision clearly.
II. Patiently watch, even in the most difficult times.
III. The Astounding Affirmation. Even when it ALL falls apart, the economics and the politics, the heritage and even the feelings of self-control lost with a foreign invasion - - even with ALL of that, no herd, no flock, no fruit, I will still trust in the Lord and CONTINUE to be steadfast and patient.
IV. This is a preparation for the Table on this first Sunday, recognizing that it is from the Lord that our spirits are fed. Even if everything else was just perfect, the hunger within can only be satisfied by the means of grace.
In study, it's time to begin outlining Advent now. Seasonal themes will carry November until the end and Advent.
Tomorrow, I really must move on! Ever been there?
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