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September 1,
2002 LECTIONARY
READINGS Jeremiah 15:15-21 "Kingdom Talk" How many of you know the formula for figuring out the date of Easter? ¹ The usual expression of the rule is that Easter Day is the first Sunday after the full moon after the vernal equinox. Now this doesn't help us figure out when spring break might come for our children so that we can plan vacation times does it? Easter Sunday was on March 31 this year and will fall on April 20 in 2003.² Christmas, on the other hand is a piece of cake! Remember one number and you've got it. With slight variations depending on which Sunday is closest to December 25, we know that the season of Advent will basically run through December. For churches in the liturgical tradition, the church year has always been an important part of the rhythm of the congregation and even for the most non-liturgical churches, Christmas and Easter are two key celebrations of faith. In recent years many Christian communions are moving toward the observance of the seasons of the church year and a use of the common lectionary. Although there are some differences in the cycle of readings in various denominations, on any given Sunday there are literally hundreds of millions of people hearing the same biblical readings. The seasons of the church year have been a great way to shape our educational ministry. It all starts with Christmas and the birth of Jesus. Every year every child hears the story of the birth of the Messiah and the choirs of angels that announced his birth. Quickly the story moves through the life and ministry of Jesus and very soon, it seems, the season of Lent comes round. There is the dark story of Jesus' crucifixion followed by the glorious announcement of the angel, "He is not here, he is risen!" Now the church moves into the season of Easter, and then Pentecost when we celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit to the infant church. Forty days later Christ ascends to the right hand of God and the church is fully launched into its mission to bring the good news to all people. Then there is this long period of time in the church year that some call Ordinary Time³ and others call the season after Pentecost. It is as though everything slows down and with the exception of All Saints Day, the next major event in the life of the church is the beginning of the cycle once again as Advent comes around. Ordinary Time, or the season after Pentecost would seem to be a time when nothing is happening. The gifts of God have all been given. Christ is given to us for our salvation, the gift of new life is affirmed in the resurrection and the Holy Spirit has been given to the church. Some Christian communions divide the long 23 to 28 week period in two. There is the season after Pentecost and then the season of Kingdomtide (Dominiontide for some). Pentecost focuses on the evangelical mission of the church in bringing the gospel to all people, while Kingdomtide looks to the reign of God in all the world and the reign of Christ in the church. All of this is to say that this time in the life of the church is anything but a time when nothing is happening. We have just entered what is called the season of Kingdomtide for many Christians. This is a time to focus on all that we as the church can become because of all that God has given to us! If it seems to be a time when "nothing is happening," the appearance belies the truth. This is to be a time when everything is happening. During communion in countless congregations the mystery of the faith is proclaimed in words similar to these:
What could be more exciting than the time between the resurrection and the coming again of Christ? We have been given everything we need to - in the words of the letter to the Ephesians - "... grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ..." [4:15] What kind of people are we to be in light of everything God has done for us? That is the central question of Kingdomtide. In other words, it is time for kingdom talk. *** Perhaps one of the reasons for the apparent "quiet" of the time between Pentecost and Advent is that our culture is much more given to receiving than giving. We are, perhaps, more attentive with all that God gives to us than we are with all that God expects of us. The fact of the matter is that in the lectionary cycle of readings, there is incredible excitement. Jesus' ministry encounters increasing opposition and the broken religious system of the day increasingly comes under the critical eye of God. It is entirely appropriate to say that as Jesus continues his journey toward Jerusalem and a conflict that will result in his death, all hell breaks loose! When Peter confessed that Jesus was God's Messiah, Jesus told him that he would build his church on this great confession and that, "... the gates of hell will not prevail against it!" [Matt. 16:18] This does not mean that the gates won't rattle! Jesus warned his disciples that if the world hated him, it would hate his followers. He said that if he carried a cross, they would carry a cross. God actually promised the prophets that they would feel the wrath of a people who wanted nothing to do with the reign of God in their lives. Kingdomtide - or the season of the building and growing of the Kingdom of God and the reign of Christ is not peaceful time at all. It is productive time... it is time to grow and stretch in every way... it is urgent time... but it is not slow, dull peaceful time. In the true sense of "Ordinary Time" we count the time until Christ reigns or comes again, but there is nothing ordinary in the "ordinary" sense of the word. We stand in line with all Christians of every age as though holding hands in a line that stretches back to the apostles and reaches forward to the time when Christ is "Lord indeed!" In order to become everything God wants us to be in this "meantime" - we will need to pay close attention to the means God has given to us to mature in our faith - to "grow up in Christ." Our readings point us to [1] The Word of God, [2] The Character of Christ and [3] The Cross of Christ. *** Jeremiah - The Word of God Jeremiah's words express a complaint to God. He is saying, "Look - I took your Word to heart, I was faithful in bringing that word to the people and all I get in return is grief. I am rejected, persecuted and you don't seem to have come through for me!" Wow - Jeremiah is pretty bold, don't you think? Yet, it is his focus on God's word that holds the key. God promises that if Jeremiah is faithful with God's word, then God's purposes will prevail. There will be trial and anguish in the "meantime" but finally God promises, "I will deliver you out of the hand of the wicked, and redeem you from the grasp of the ruthless." [15:21] Like Jeremiah, we too live in between the times when God has been revealed and God's people will be fully redeemed. Along with Jeremiah, we are by faith redeemed in principle and by hope waiting for redemption in practice. Romans - The Character of Christ The epistle reading points us to those characteristics we are to nourish and grow in our living in a hostile world. Christian people and the Body of Christ are called to be salt and light in a corrupt and dark world. The qualities we are to embrace are the qualities that Jesus lived out in the presence of his disciples. We have been given the gift of the Holy Spirit so that we can become the...
Jesus said, "Blessed are the peacemakers..." [Matthew 5:9] Paul brings that home again with his injunction. "If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all." [12:18] It is in our relationships with others that God's presence in our lives is most able to reach out. Matthew - The Cross of Christ The words of the gospel reading come right on the heels of Peter's confession of Christ as Messiah. Jesus affirms his statement and indeed says the whole building of his church will be based on this rock. Then comes a terrible moment for Peter. He goes so far as to rebuke Jesus privately for saying that he (Jesus) has to go to Jerusalem to suffer and die. "God forbid it Lord!" Entirely understandable. How in the world can Messiah come to die? Peter could not see this space we call Kingdomtide when the kingdom has to struggle and grow in a hostile world. The reign of God is not about Jeremiah, or Paul, or Peter - or even Jesus' clinging to his earthly life for that matter! Jesus would wear the mocker's crown of thorns before he would wear the crown of the kingdom's victory. The followers of Christ must tread that same journey and follow those same footsteps. The highway to the kingdom of God runs through a broken and dying world. We find our very life as we lose our lives for Christ's sake. We seek not the gain of the world but the gain of God's glory. You can identify the genuine followers of Christ because they are those who, "...deny themselves and take up their cross..." and follow Christ. *** Kingdom talk is the teaching of the church and the holy scriptures that is food that leads to maturity in faith. It is our hope as we live in between the times, joyfully looking to the gifts God has given us in the earliest days of the church, and hopefully looking to the future when, "...every knee shall bow... and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father!" [Phil. 2:10-11] Amen.
¹ If you really want to get confused, read the article on the Date of Easter at the U.S. Naval Observatory web site. Here for instance is a formula for computing the date of Easter: (Could be fun to include it somewhere in your bulletin) Computing the Date of EasterThe rule is that Easter is the first Sunday after the first ecclesiastical full moon that occurs on or after March 21. The lunar cycles used by the ecclesiastical system are simple to program. The following algorithm will compute the date of Easter in the Gregorian calendar system. Please note the following: This is an integer calculation. All variables are integers and all remainders from division are dropped. The algorithm uses the year, y, to give the month, m, and day, d, of Easter. The symbol * means multiply. c = y / 100 n = y - 19 * ( y / 19 ) k = ( c - 17 ) / 25 i = c - c / 4 - ( c - k ) / 3 + 19 * n + 15 i = i - 30 * ( i / 30 ) i = i - ( i / 28 ) * ( 1 - ( i / 28 ) * ( 29 / ( i + 1 ) ) * ( ( 21 - n ) / 11 ) ) j = y + y / 4 + i + 2 - c + c / 4 j = j - 7 * ( j / 7 ) l = i - j m = 3 + ( l + 40 ) / 44 d = l + 28 - 31 * ( m / 4 ) For example, using the year 2010, y=2010, c=2010/100=20, n=2010-19x(2010/19)=15, etc. with Easter on April 4, 2010. There is a wonderful calculator for Easter dates and for all Sundays in the church year for any given year at the Diocese of Ely web site.³ Ordinary Time does not mean "common" or "humdrum" but comes from the word ordinal - meaning "counted." It is thus, "counted time" as in 1st Sunday after Pentecost, 2nd Sunday after.... etc. Connections in the Text The one thing that binds our these lectionary readings together is that serving the Lord is definitely not a quick trip to gain and glory! These texts can provide a strong "reality check" for the authenticity of our message about the Christian life. To be sure there is great gain -- peace, love and joy, that comes with commitment to Christ. BUT... there is more and these texts point out that there can be great pain as well as gain when we put God first. Jeremiah, who finds himself in great pain because he is serving God, goes so far as to suggest that God has deceived him. "Truly you are to me like a deceitful brook, like waters that fail." [Jer. 15:18] Jeremiah's pain is all the greater because he has served God faithfully. Matthew includes Jesus' call to those who would be his followers -- to take up a cross and turn away from life itself. Paul asks Christians to be patient in suffering, refrain from repaying evil with evil and to leave vengeance to God. Even the Psalmist cries out to God for vindication -- he has walked in integrity and his trust in the Lord has been unwavering -- now, he expects, God should come through for him. The lessons for today point to the reality of the fact that Christian living is not simply a walk in the park. Though there are green pastures and still waters -- there is also the selfless embracing of the cross and confrontation with a world that does not welcome the sovereignty of God in all things. From the perspective of the world, following Christ is a counter-cultural, absurd thing to do. This provides the theme for our full text sermon. Matthew 16:21-28 The confession of Peter, our current text and the transfiguration at the beginning of Matt. 17 represent the pivotal point of the ministry of Christ. Conflict will increase exponentially and the cross will loom larger with every passing day. The disciples need to know that following Christ will come at great cost. The understanding will dawn on them only gradually and indeed will not be complete until after the resurrection. Two important issues for disciples (followers) of Christ are "confession" and "cross bearing". Strength to follow completely ("bear the cross") is gained from "confessing" who Jesus is. This is not just another great leader. This is the "Christ of God." The second issue of "cross bearing" is not good news -- but it is God's news. The cross is not going to be an unfortunate end, but is rather God's design for redemption. Indeed, Peter finds out in a tough way, opposition to this plan comes out of the "enemy camp." The good news for followers of every age is that Jesus invites us to follow knowing full well that we will falter and fail along the way. When the cross becomes a bit heavy to bear, the grace of God will come along as a kind of Simon of Cyrene [Mt.27:32] to help us along. It is important to note a difference between the "self denial" Jesus calls his followers to and "self denigration" which is a misunderstanding and debasement of discipleship. One of the hallmarks of genuine discipleship is joy -- not austerity. Nowhere is there a more significant blending of the cost and joy of discipleship than in the Upper Room discourse in John 14-16. One of my favorite expressions on this issue is to note that if Jesus were to come and speak from our pulpits today, two of the things he would be most certain to say would be: "Lighten up!" and "Tighten up!" Just a note on verse 28. "...the Son of Man coming in his kingdom." M Eugene Boring [New Interpreter's Bible, Matthew, p.351] suggests, "The most likely explanation is that Matthew refers to the parousia, when he expected to take place soon... the chief problem with this apparently obvious meaning is that the parousia did not occur." Boring notes, however that there are several other views in church history. Several of the Early Church Fathers including Augustine took this to refer to the transfiguration which immediately follows. Luther and Calvin understood the text to refer to the resurrection while others including Gregory the Great, see this as referring to Pentecost and the power of Christ at work in the church. Verses 27 and 28 do suggest parousia, yet Jesus himself notes later in Matthew that the timing of the parousia is known only to the Father (Mt. 24:36). The glory of Christ in the transfiguration, the power and judgment of God are present in the cross and resurrection and the power of the kingdom in present in Pentecost. Jesus is correct in terms of evidences of kingdom manifestation while the Father is nevertheless in charge of the "details" of eschatalogical fulfillment. Jeremiah 15:15-21 This text strikes me foremost as as the most powerful invitation to an absolutely vital and honest prayer life! Jeremiah, in one of the worst moments in his life, charges God with unfaithfulness. He is a faithful servant. He has embraced and given himself to proclamation of God's word. He has turned away from the shallow rewards of his contemporaries. Yet -- he is persecuted and rejected. His commitment to God, it seems, goes unrewarded. And he expresses his pain and anguish without holding back. He's reached his limit and now pours out a broken and disappointed heart. "You are like a deceitful brook, like waters that fail..." Wow! This is no small charge. Water is a central symbol in Israel's life. Without God's provision of water in the wilderness, there would be no Israel. A deceitful brook is the promise of a water supply that fails. It is like the well a weary traveler approaches with devastating thirst -- only to find the well has run dry. "This is what you are like God! That's Jeremiah's prayer here. Pretty strong stuff! I can recall some years ago having an experience something like this. It was the night before Father's day and I was trying to write a sermon which just would not come. (There was no Sermonhelp.Com then :-) The sermon would not come because my seventeen year old Son was missing. A runaway who had gotten himself addicted to drugs. I had not heard from him in three our four months. I simply had nothing in my heart for a Father's Day sermon. Just tears. At least a part of my heartbreak was that I thought I had served the Lord faithfully for twenty years and in desperation wondered, "And this is what I get?" Truth is stranger than fiction! That very Saturday night, I get this phone call from my son which included the words, "Dad, can I come home?" Was this God's gracious answer in the face of my complaining? Jeremiah also got an answer which included the words, "...I am with you to save you and deliver you...!" Relating to our overall theme, Jeremiah does pay the price for following the Lord. And it can lead to times of temporary failure. We crash. So did Peter the rock, and Moses the leader, and Abraham the father of a great nation. This brief passage in Jeremiah encourages us to be honest with God and to stop repressing our deepest disappointments or castigating ourselves for experiencing what every committed follower of the Lord has -- throughout biblical history and down to our own times -- disappointment, discouragement and even devastation. We need to get to know the God who accepts our failures as well as our faith. Romans 12:9-21 There is enough challenge in the first four words of our reading from Romans to build a complete sermon. Let love be genuine! There is almost a danger in the flood of "love talk" in the church. Every child learns to quote a portion of John 13:34 ["Love one another...] I John 4:20 gives a startling admonition. If we say we love God and hate someone in the fellowship of Christians -- we are a liar! Even more severe is the idea that hating a brother (someone in the fellowship) is equivalent to being a murderer. [I John 3:15] If you do pursue this topic... Suggest the question to your congregation. In light of these rather serious admonitions from the letter of John -- as you let your mind (better not look around) go over the membership of this congregation... " Is there a name or two that jump out in your mind? Someone you would really like God to give you an exemption of loving?" These verses on the character of the Christian's lifestyle are in some ways as difficult as Jesus injunction to take up the cross." What kind of persons are we to become? We are to be loving, gracious, humble, patient and persevering in prayer. And hardest of all? Do good to our enemies and leave the issue of recompense for wrong done to God. In other words, we so trust God for the final triumph of righteousness that we can patiently, prayerfully endure the temporary trial. We overcome evil with good and thereby cast our vote of confidence in the victory of God's kingdom. A Call To Worship (Adapted from Psalm 26) Leader: O Lord, we come to
declare that we place our trust in you, A Prayer of Dedication As we stand before you today O
Lord, we offer our hearts to be filled A Pastoral Prayer The words of scripture hit hard
today Lord. It is so very clear that we Self is so strong is us.
Denying ourselves in this world doesn't work very And yet, there are times when we
have a sense that something is missing O save us Lord, from all that
diminishes the call of Christ or lessens the claim Shape us and form us by the
loving power of your Holy Spirit, so that one hundred Amen. |