"Religious, not spiritual | Top 10 UM beliefs | Homelessness & housing" Ministry Matters in Nashville, Tennessee, United States - Preach. Teach. Worship. Reach. Lead. for Tuesday, 7 June 2016
"Hey world: I'm religious, NOT spiritual" by Talbot DavisBigstock CebotariN
Few sayings strike more fear into or evoke more apologies out of 21st century evangelicals than the ubiquitous:
I’m spiritual, not religious.
We hear it from skeptical family members, from tweed-jacketed professors, from latte-slurping millennials, and we fall all over ourselves to agree, to affirm and to identify. In fact, on more than one occasion, when people respond to the news of what I do for a living with the spiritual not religious dictum, I have answered back with a bright-eyed, “that’s great! Same with me!”
Because is not Jesus the end of religion? Isn’t religion for people who are afraid of going to hell while spirituality is for people who have been there? Don’t we want to walk by the Spirit? When people tell us they are spiritual-not-religious, doesn’t that mean we need to change our churches to fill that gap and meet that need? Doesn’t the whole S-N-R parlance suggest that our family members, professors and millennials yearn for the liberating truth of Spirit-fueled faith rather than the shackles of man-made religion? It seems this modern phraseology and modern urges are prime territory for Acts 17, understand the culture, more U2 songs in church please!, relational evangelism.
In fact, let’s say it all together now, with feeling: I’M SPIRITUAL, NOT RELIGIOUS.
Except now I know that the spiritual-not-religious line is a canard at best, a load of bull at worst. Think of what someone — whether connected to church or not — is really saying when they claim that they are spiritual-not-religious:
- I’m in this alone. I have a connection with God/Divinity that is unique to me.
- I will not be bound by rules that I find inconvenient or unappealing.
- My knowledge of sacred text will be limited to: “Don’t judge me!” (That IS in the bible, isn’t it?)
- I am unwilling to submit myself to the idea that there is a community of people who have wisdom, strength and hope that I need to make life work.
- I don’t have to hang around with hypocrites.
- Newer is better and younger is smarter.
- Best of all, I can make God into my image and thus never have to wrestle with the implications of what it means that I am made in his.
- My highest responsibility is to be true to me.
Do you know where the word religion comes from? From the same root word as ligament (look close, you’ll see it). And what do ligaments do? Ligaments are connective tissue linking bone to bone. Ligaments purposely link one part of the body with another part of the body. Ligaments are the ultimate antidote to body isolation; they instead call out: “You can’t do this thing alone! We’re in it together.”
And that’s what religion offers that mere spirituality never can.
When I say without apology that I am religious, I am saying:
- I’m connected to a community without which I would make a mess of my life. That community is a gift to me and gifted by me, and I am accountable to it.
- I’m connected to history. I didn’t invent this Jesus story. Who would ever dream something like that up? No, I inherited his story. I am accountable not only to the story itself but to all those generations who passed it on until it landed in my lap, miraculously so, in January of 1979.
- I’m connected to all those hypocrites in my community and in my history. Thank God. Because there’s always room for one more.
- My community and my history mediate my direct connection with God. He breaks through on occasion in moments of splendid solitude, but I hear his word best in our patterned routines of gathering, praising, lamenting, loving and serving.
- My highest responsibility is to be true to my calling as a follower of the One who acted decisively in history. Being true to that calling may or may not result in personal satisfaction.
- I recognize that my religion consists of habits and practices that are not always convenient or even interesting … but they are always necessary.
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"Top 10 United Methodist beliefs" Ministry Matters Radio
Shane Raynor and author Don Adams discuss what's distinctive about Methodist theology, including John Wesley's view of Scripture and his understanding of grace, repentance and justification. Don is the author of Top 10 United Methodist Beliefs from Abingdon Press. Bigstock / igor stevanovic
Shane Raynor and author Don Adams discuss what's distinctive about Methodist theology, including John Wesley's view of Scripture and his understanding of grace, repentance and justification. Because of time constraints, Shane and Don will tackle sanctification and Christian perfection in a future episode. Don is the author of Top 10 United Methodist Beliefs from Abingdon Press.
"Homelessness and housing" by Rebekah Jordan GienappBigstock/lisafxA broader understanding
When you hear the phrase homeless person, who do you picture in your mind’s eye? I tend to think first of an older man, staying in shelters or sleeping on the streets, who has been without stable housing for a long time. Perhaps he also struggles with either mental illness or addiction.
The National Coalition for the Homeless (NCH) would categorize the person I’m thinking of as “chronically homeless.” The coalition points out that while we tend to think of people who’ve become entrenched in the shelter system first when we consider homelessness, people who are chronically homeless are a much smaller percentage of those who are homeless than people who are transitionally homeless.
People who are transitionally homeless generally use the shelter system for one short period. They’re likely to be younger and have become homeless because of a catastrophic event. The NCH explains that over time, “transitionally homeless individuals will account for the majority of persons experiencing homelessness given their higher rate of turnover.”
When we consider housing for persons who are homeless, it’s also important to remember individuals and families who may have a place to stay tonight but who don’t have stable housing for the future. For example, a high school student who was kicked out of her home after telling her parents that she is lesbian may be able to stay with a friend for a few days. However, if she doesn’t know where she can stay next week, she’s still homeless.
What’s the best way to ensure housing for groups of people who have such different needs? The National Alliance to End Homelessness suggests that while placing people who are homeless in shelters often seems like the least costly route to take, research has shown that the cost of homelessness is high for communities. That’s because people who are homeless tend to need the most costly health-care services, such as emergency room visits. Data also shows that people who are without housing tend to spend more time in jail, often for violating laws related to loitering, sleeping in cars, or panhandling.
Permanent supportive housing
Recognizing that the shelter system has unintentionally come to serve as long-term housing for many people who are chronically homeless, growing numbers of service providers are advocating for what’s called permanent supportive housing. This model assists people who have serious health issues such as mental illness or HIV/AIDS by combining housing with supportive medical services.
Moore Place, an apartment complex in Charlotte, North Carolina, is one such example of permanent supportive housing. 55-year-old Michael Byrd, who lives at Moore Place and is disabled, says that the year before he moved in, he visited the emergency room 24 times for various illnesses. “When I was living on the streets, my worst night was trying to sleep bundled up in an abandoned car when it was below freezing. It scared me,” Moore said. During his first year of living in his apartment at Moore Place, he only visited the emergency room five times. His life is now stable enough that he’s dreaming of picking up his childhood hobby of fishing.
A study by the University of North Carolina at Charlotte of Moore Place’s costs found that its work saved $1.8 million in its first year through major reductions in emergency room visits as well as a 78-percent drop in arrests among residents.
In Austin, Texas, the Community First! Village is combining microhomes to house homeless individuals with on-site behavioral and medical services. Residents share common spaces like bathrooms and kitchens, which founder Alan Graham describes as a way to cultivate community among those who live there. Those who live at Community First! Village pay a rent of $225–$360, which most cover either through government benefits or by working in the village.
Housing assistance
Jennifer Carter of Midvale, Utah, knows the challenge of raising children while living in a homeless shelter. According to an NPR article from last December, she had to quit her job answering phones when her work hours were changed to evenings and her childcare costs became unaffordable. She was soon evicted from her apartment. While living at the shelter keeps them off the streets, it’s been hard on Carter’s children. The shelter is so loud that they don’t get much sleep. Soon, however, Carter hopes to be able to move into an apartment through a program called Rapid Re-Housing.
Rapid Re-Housing aims to get families out of shelters and back into permanent housing quickly so that the negative consequences of homelessness can be minimized. Typically, these programs provide families with enough funds for the security deposit and short-term assistance with rent.
While many housing advocates believe that Rapid Re-Housing is a more effective approach than transitional apartments, they also caution that rising housing prices throughout the country could threaten its effectiveness. “A better solution would be to have more longer-term rental subsidies,” says Nan Roman, president of the National Alliance to End Homelessness. “But we don’t have them. So rapid rehousing is better than leaving people in the shelter.”
The Housing Choice Voucher program (formerly known as Section 8 vouchers) assists very low-income families with renting private apartments and has been shown to be effective in preventing a return to homelessness. According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, one study showed that among families who left homeless shelters with a voucher, 80 percent were still in stable housing three years later. Of the families who left shelters without a voucher, only 18 percent were in stable housing after three years. Because of a lack of funding, only one in four Americans who are eligible for the voucher program receives assistance.
God’s radical hospitalityLaura Stivers, ethics professor and author of Disrupting Homelessness: Alternative Christian Approaches, says that the problem of homelessness isn’t simply about finding a place for people to sleep at night. Instead, she suggests, it’s “a reflection on our collective identity as a people and a society. Jesus challenged those who tried to limit the seats at the banquet table and offer crumbs rather than abundant loaves.”When we consider how the church can respond to homelessness, perhaps most important is this vision: It’s not normal for some of our brothers and sisters to have no place to call home. God’s radical hospitality, in which God’s people are called to share their bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into their houses (Isaiah 58:7), calls into question our culture’s complacency over homelessness.
Stivers urges people of faith to be part of building a social movement that addresses the root causes of homelessness: poverty and inequality. “So many of our Christian responses,” she says, “while hospitable in intent, do not challenge institutional inequality and oppression.” Where congregations do take on charitable assistance to people who are homeless, Stivers says that people of faith must begin by learning what life is like for people who are homeless so that we can treat them with dignity and respect as we minister with them.
Through our advocacy for more just policies, through our compassionate listening, and through sharing God’s abundance, people of faith can disrupt the cycle of homelessness. Homelessness is a solvable problem, and the church must be part of finding its solutions.[Be sure to check out FaithLink, a weekly downloadable discussion guide for classes and small groups.]
"The absent church"
By Logan RobertsonBigstock/Bike TouristI work at a place called Network Coffeehouse. On the surface we're a spot for homeless folks to get a free cup of coffee, some tea or a shower. But more importantly, we're there for the work of being there. We show up to build long-lasting, redemptive relationships and communicate human dignity, something people experiencing homelessness are not often afforded.
Last week, I spoke to a man who had been released from DOC (Department of Corrections—aka prison) the week before. He was released with all his earthly possessions in a backpack, a list of services around Denver and a voucher for clothes. After he was released, he hooked up with a woman who quickly disappeared with everything he owned.
My impression was that he knew no one, had no real connections in Denver and wasn't sure what he would do next except check in with his parole officer.
Two things occurred to me while speaking to him.
First, the irony of his experience. For many people living in homelessness, the major factor contributing to their condition is an inability to connect with and attach to other people. Ironic, then, that this man had trusted someone who immediately contributed to making his condition worse.
Second, except for his short time at Network the night we spoke, the Church was absent from his life. He didn't indicate how long he spent under the tutelage of the state, and I didn't ask. But I wonder, if he had had a relationship with a church while he was behind bars, would he have found himself in the predicament he did a week ago? Perhaps he still would have found himself on the street. But with a community to turn to, maybe a lost backpack would not have been such a concern.
To visit the prisoner, the stranger and the poor is called righteousness by Jesus. According to the author of Matthew, to fail to visit these is to invite eternal fire (Matthew 25:31-46). And yet, the church is largely absent from the people and places Jesus calls it to be.
Of course, some efforts to visit the poor do exist. Network Coffeehouse is one. United Methodist Committee on Relief works worldwide to ease the suffering of people experiencing disaster. Denver itself is host to several efforts by churches to feed the hungry and clothe those in need. But these groups serve to highlight the absence of individual Christians and organized ecclesial bodies in the public sphere, witnessing, encountering and bearing up under suffering.
Where the Church is clearly called by Jesus Christ to be, there instead exists a sucking vacuum. Into this conspicuous absence the most vulnerable people in our society are pulled. There, they are preyed on by demonic forces: drug dealers and cartels pushing meth, crack, and heroine; sex traffickers enslaving adults and children alike; pay day loan organizations and their capricious usury; day labor centers doling out work without appropriate wages; jails that increasingly charge fees for the most basic amenities. And then there's my friend at Network who simply needs a pair of pants. Standing against this force we have burned-out case managers, parole officers, a few people compelled by religion to serve their neighbor and the odd person here or there who cannot help but find themselves among the poor and suffering. It is not enough.
The bulk of the Church, the living body of Christ, Jesus' hands and feet supposedly animated by the Spirit of God? A barely audible whisper at best. Unaccounted for, unseen, and unheard. Absent.
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"Harambe and the kingdom of God"
By Nance HixonBigstock/dariand
Last week the world couldn't stop talking about the death of Harambe the gorilla.
As you probably know, Harambe was a 17-year old western lowland gorilla (a critically endangered species) living in the Cincinnati Zoo, until a week and a half ago when a young boy fell into the gorilla enclosure, was seized and dragged around by Harambe, and the gorilla was shot to rescue the boy.
It seemed like the news coverage would never end. Maybe there wasn't much else happening last week; maybe it's because the story touched on both people's deep love of animals and deep concern for children; or maybe it just provided a convenient fault line for more partisan bickering (one side disgusted, saying, 'how could this have happened?', the other disgusted, saying, 'why are you so upset about this?'). Whatever the reason, the news just wouldn't quit.
Now, I love animals. I love zoos. But I especially love primates. On those rare occasions that I get to see a gorilla or a chimp or an orangutan, my heart soars. I'm lost in wonder like a small child. The fact that the western lowland gorilla's scientific name is Gorilla gorilla gorilla lights up my world. I just freaking love them.
And so when the news first broke that a gorilla in Cincinnati was shot, I didn't even want to know what it was about. My wife didn't mention it to me when she heard, because she knows how I feel about monkeys (I know, I know — a gorilla is an ape, not a monkey).
That being said, I'm also someone who tends to listen to the experts (especially in fields about which I know next to nothing). So when Jack Hanna came out and said that he agreed with the decision to shoot Harambe "1,000%", that about settled it for me. Jack Hanna loves animals too, and Jack Hanna knows his stuff, so I believe him. I know some people will disagree, and of course it's all hypothetical, but I'm going to accept that it was necessary to ensure the boy's safety.
I hate it, though. It breaks my heart.
All of this makes me think my Old Testament professor, Stephen Chapman, was right when we were reading about Behemoth and Leviathan in Job (see especially 41:1-9), and he said that "They're not for you... and that may be what's wrong with a zoo."Maybe some wild animals weren't made for our pleasure but for God's and for their own (like in Psalm 104:25-26).
But there's another Old Testament passage that I haven't been able to get out of my head since I heard the news from Cincinnati. It's from Isaiah chapter 11:
The wolf shall live with the lamb,
the leopard shall lie down with the kid,
the calf and the lion and the fatling together,
and a little child shall lead them.
The cow and the bear shall graze,
their young shall lie down together;
and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp,
and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder's den.
They will not hurt or destroy
on all my holy mountain;
for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea. (11:6-9)
This is a picture of the hope in store for God's people and all of our fellow-creatures too. According to Isaiah (also see 65:17-25), the salvation that God is bringing to the world is going to touch humans and animals alike. It's going to bring peace to the whole world: peace between the animals (wolves and lambs don't usually live together), and peace between humans and animals. And the prophet specifically describes the harmony between animals and children. "A little child shall lead them..." (11:6) In this vision, children are safe playing over an asp's hole, sticking their hands in adders' dens, safe around the wolves, the leopards, the lions, the bears.
And, presumably, the apes.
That's why I told the congregation this past Sunday, while preaching on the pictures of eternity in Revelation 21 and Isaiah 65, that in the new heavens and new earth, no one's ever gonna have to shoot a gorilla to protect a child. All of God's creatures will have a place, and there will be peace.
I love Edward Hicks's Peaceable Kingdom paintings based on this passage. (There's a snippet of another one in the banner at the top of my blog.) For me it helps to see Isaiah's prophecy, to see the children there with the beasts.
The kid's petting that jaguar.Here, in this world, that's not possible.
In this world we need enclosures, with tranquilizers and guns at the ready, just in case.
That's because we live in a broken world.
But in the world to come, God's going to set things right.
There, there's going to be peace.
There, in the new heavens and new earth (Revelations 21:1, Isa 65:17), this picture will come to life.
In the meantime, we're called to seek first the kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33), and we pray "thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth..." As Christians, working to see glimpses of God's kingdom here on earth is our mission, and visions of the kingdom like that in Isaiah 11 should inform that mission.
In The Bible and Ecology, during a discussion of the animals in Isaiah 11, Richard Bauckham (if you ask me, one of finest biblical scholars alive today) points out that "Biblical prophecy is not merely predictive but calls its readers to appropriate action now in light of the future it outlines."* In other words, because we pray "thy kingdom come," when we hear a description of that Kingdom, we need to get to work to see that picture come to life, "on earth." After we read Isaiah 11, we have to ask ourselves, "what can I do today that will help bring some of this peace to God's world?"
Maybe that means volunteering with your local humane society. Maybe it means getting some of your groceries from a dairy where you know animals are treated well and have a high quality of life — check your local farmers' market. Or maybe it means supporting gorilla conservation efforts (you can read about some of that work and how to give here).
We're probably not used to thinking about it this way, but when you do that, you're seeking the Kingdom of God.
Even if you're not an 'animal person', or primates don't rock your world, we should all mourn the loss of Harambe, because his death reminds us that we're still stuck living in the middle of the mess, still waiting for redemption and freedom (see Romans 8:18-25).
But in the meantime ... in the meantime, let's seek the kingdom. Let's seek the peace and hope that God desires for the world — for us, and for our fellow-creatures.[* Bauckham, The Bible and Ecology: Rediscovering the Community of Creation, 125]
"Southern Baptist leader: Donald Trump a ‘lost’ soul who must repent"
By David Gibson / Religion News ServiceRepublican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks at campaign event in the Anaheim Stadium in Anaheim California on May 26, 2016. Photo: Bigstock/mikeledray
(RNS) Southern Baptist leader Russell Moore has not been shy about mixing it up with Donald Trump, and now Moore is at it again, telling an interviewer that the presumptive Republican presidential nominee is a "lost person" who needs to find Jesus.
"My primary prayer for Donald Trump is that he would first of all repent of sin and come to faith in Jesus Christ," Moore told David Brody of the Christian Broadcasting Network in a video posted Friday (June 3). "That’s my prayer for any lost person."
Moore, who as head of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention is the denomination's chief policy spokesman, has been one of the most stalwart evangelical critics of Trump.
Moore has for months blasted what he sees as Trump's boorish behavior and character flaws, and last month he ramped it up with pointed comments in an op-ed in The New York Times and an appearance on Face the Nation.
Trump’s campaign was “reality television moral sewage,” he told Face the Nation, and in the Times he criticized Trump's followers — many of whom are Moore's fellow evangelicals — for using racist “threats and intimidation” tactics.
Trump, who is hardly shy about attacking his critics, struck back on Twitter — where Moore is also no shrinking violet — and the social media war was on.
Speaking to CBN's Brody, Moore said he would also pray that a conversion for Trump — who says he is a Christian — would translate into a change in his public policies in terms of "the principles of justice" and the "American constitutional framework."
Moore added that would also mean a change "not only in terms of the way in which he (Trump) is changing the moral character of people, including the people that are supporting him and getting on the bandwagon, having had to excuse things that they’ve never had to excuse before."
That appeared to be a reference to the many Republican leaders — like former candidate Marco Rubio and, most recently, House Speaker Paul Ryan — who were once staunchly anti-Trump but have since embraced the likely nominee, often awkwardly given the public record of their earlier opposition.
Trump, who enjoyed strong support from white evangelicals during the primaries, has also been winning over many conservative Christians leaders, to the chagrin of Moore and other #NeverTrump diehards.
Trump will continue that lobbying effort this month when he addresses a major conference of social conservatives in Washington on Friday (June 10).
Then on June 21, some 500 conservative Christian leaders will meet with Trump in New York City for a "guided discussion" to solidify their support for him or win over any skeptics.
Moore has said he could not support either Trump or Hillary Clinton, the likely Democratic nominee; in the interview he said Clinton also needed to change, though he said she "has a different set of problems and issues" than Trump.
Signaling a potential new phase in the political role of conservative evangelicals, Moore said his primary focus "is 2017, and preparing the church to be a church which is going to have to be a sign of contradiction regardless of whether Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump is in the White House."
"Top 5 elements of a good wedding ceremony"
By Talbot DavisBigstock/nrubocMaybe it’s because my own 32nd anniversary is coming up on Thursday.
Maybe it’s because I have a spate of weddings over the next few months.
Maybe it’s because that spate includes that of my own son and his fiancée.
But I’ve been thinking about what makes a good wedding ceremony recently.
What separates the holy from the hokey? The transcendent from the trite? What makes it worthy of worship rather than suitable for the WE network?
There are many answers (including, well, it helps if the wedding party DOESN’T show up drunk) but here are five:
1. A couple that has spent more time and energy preparing for the marriage than they have planning the wedding. Enough said.
2. An opportunity for the community to participate. When the pastor asks the father of the bride, “Who gives this woman to be married?” it’s a sacred question. But in these days of complicated family dynamics, I have often found it better — and ultimately more meaningful — to turn to the congregation and ask, “Who gives their blessing to this couple.” The resounding “We do!” grants a collective, communal affirmation every couple needs.
3. A marriage charge that is specific, customized, and not based on 1 Corinthians 13. I have a brief marriage charge in every wedding at which I preside. And I am always astounded at the number of people who approach me afterward and say they have never heard something like that. Apparently, a good many clergy read through a ritual and offer no scripturally-based marriage counsel. A wedding is a marvelous time for people to overhear the gospel if you combine subtlety and truth.
4. Vows that are grounded in God and not in the couple. One of my seminary professors told us not to allow couples to write their own vows. So I don’t. Instead, I let the couple know they are reciting vows in union with couples who have gone before them for hundreds of years.
5. A mixture of mirth and majesty. With an anxious couple, overwhelmed parents, and empowered wedding planners, things can get heated and heavy. That’s why a wedding ceremony that has moments of wit and a feeling of casual grace goes a long way to helping people enjoy a wedding rather than merely endure it.[Talbot Davis is pastor of Good Shepherd United Methodist Church in Charlotte, North Carolina and the author of Solve, Head Scratchers: When the Words of Jesus Don't Make Sense, The Storm Before the Calm and The Shadow of a Doubt, all from Abingdon Press.]
"Dealing with hunger in America"
By Paul BonnerBisgtock/soupstockThere’s a lot more hunger outside your door than you may realize. During 2014 an estimated one in seven Americans faced inadequate or inconsistent access to food at some point. That figure has held pretty steady since the 2008 financial crisis, according to a Feeding America report recently released. The problem is not necessarily about having enough food. Instead, people are hungry because the food isn’t accessible to them or the food is not nearly nutritious enough.
According to Feeding America CEO Diana Aviv: “There’s plenty of food in America. This is more about a transportation problem, a distribution problem, a political will problem. It’s not about lack of availability.” And, of course, the problem varies quite significantly around the country. One Virginia county has a 4.3 percent food insecurity rate, while Jefferson county, Mississippi, measures 37.5 percent — the highest in the country. Overall, in the U.S., states and counties in the South tend to have the highest rate of food insecurity.
Feeding America is attempting to streamline all the functions of food banks and pantries — donation, collection, stocking, access and distribution — into an organized system so that individuals are better able to receive the food they need when they need it. But the lines at food banks continue to get longer and more people keep showing up for help. Food insecurity is not necessarily a problem we can solve by simply adding more food pantries.
How can we help?
As followers of Christ, we must ask some difficult questions to discover our role in serving our hungry neighbors:
- How can we help people afford adequate food?
- How can we provide nutritious food closer to needy populations at an affordable price?
- What kind of education is needed to ensure we are making smart, long-term decisions?
- And most importantly, how can God guide us in these discussions, decisions and ministries?
Focal scriptures: Exodus 16:1-3; Luke 6:20-26; Matthew 5:1-11; John 12:1-8
Exodus 16:1 They traveled on from Eilim, and the whole community of the people of Isra’el arrived at the Seen Desert, between Eilim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after leaving the land of Egypt. 2 There in the desert the whole community of the people of Isra’el grumbled against Moshe and Aharon. 3 The people of Isra’el said to them, “We wish Adonai had used his own hand to kill us off in Egypt! There we used to sit around the pots with the meat boiling, and we had as much food as we wanted. But you have taken us out into this desert to let this whole assembly starve to death!”
Luke 6:20 He looked at his talmidim and said:
“How blessed are you poor!
for the Kingdom of God is yours.
21 “How blessed are you who are hungry!
for you will be filled.
“How blessed are you who are crying now!
for you will laugh.
22 “How blessed you are whenever people hate you and ostracize you and insult you and denounce you as a criminal on account of the Son of Man. 23 Be glad when that happens; yes, dance for joy! because in heaven your reward is great. For that is just how their fathers treated the prophets.
24 “But woe to you who are rich,
for you have already had all the comfort you will get!
25 “Woe to you who are full now,
for you will go hungry!
“Woe to you who are laughing now,
for you will mourn and cry!
26 “Woe to you when people speak well of you, for that is just how their fathers treated the false prophets!
Matthew 5:1 Seeing the crowds, Yeshua walked up the hill. After he sat down, his talmidim came to him, 2 and he began to speak. This is what he taught them:
3 “How blessed are the poor in spirit!
for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
4 “How blessed are those who mourn!
for they will be comforted.
5 “How blessed are the meek!
for they will inherit the Land![Matthew 5:5 Psalm 37:11]
6 “How blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness!
for they will be filled.
7 “How blessed are those who show mercy!
for they will be shown mercy.
8 “How blessed are the pure in heart!
for they will see God.
9 “How blessed are those who make peace!
for they will be called sons of God.
10 “How blessed are those who are persecuted
because they pursue righteousness!
for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
11 “How blessed you are when people insult you and persecute you and tell all kinds of vicious lies about you because you follow me!
John 12:1 Six days before Pesach, Yeshua came to Beit-Anyah, where El‘azar lived, the man Yeshua had raised from the dead; 2 so they gave a dinner there in his honor. Marta served the meal, and El‘azar was among those at the table with him. 3 Miryam took a whole pint of pure oil of spikenard, which is very expensive, poured it on Yeshua’s feet and wiped his feet with her hair, so that the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. 4 But one of the talmidim, Y’hudah from K’riot, the one who was about to betray him, said, 5 “This perfume is worth a year’s wages! Why wasn’t it sold and the money given to the poor?” 6 Now he said this not out of concern for the poor, but because he was a thief — he was in charge of the common purse and used to steal from it. 7 Yeshua said, “Leave her alone! She kept this for the day of my burial. 8 You always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.”
- For a complete lesson on this topic visit LinC.
"Uncontainable love"
By Cláudio CarvalhaesCláudio CarvalhaesCláudio Carvalhaes, Associate Professor of Homiletics and Worship at McCormick Theological Seminary, preaches a sermon called "Uncontainable Love" from Luke 7:36-8:3.
This sermon is from A Sermon for Every Sunday, a series of lectionary-based video sermons designed for use in worship, Bible study, small groups, Sunday school classes or for individual use.
This Sunday, June 12, 2016Fourth Sunday after Pentecost: 1 Kings 21:1-21a; Psalm 5:1-8; Galatians 2:15-21; Luke 7:36–8:3
Fourth Sunday after Pentecost
Sunday, 12 June 2016
1 Kings 21:1 A while later, an incident occurred involving Navot the Yizre‘eli. He owned a vineyard in Yizre‘el, right next to the palace of Ach’av king of Shomron. 2 Ach’av spoke to Navot and said, “Give me your vineyard, so that I can have it as my vegetable garden, because it’s close to my palace. In exchange I will give you a better vineyard; or, if you prefer, I will give you its monetary value.” 3 But Navot said to Ach’av, “Adonai forbid that I should give you my ancestral heritage!” 4 Ach’av went home resentful and depressed at what Navot the Yizre‘eli had said to him, since he had said, “I won’t give you my ancestral heritage.” He lay down on his bed, turned his face away and refused to eat. 5 Izevel his wife went and said to him, “Why are you so depressed that you refuse to eat?” 6 He answered her, “Because I spoke to Navot the Yizre‘eli and said to him, “Sell me your vineyard for money; or else, if you prefer, I will give you another vineyard for it”; but he answered, “I won’t give you my vineyard.” 7 “Are you the king of Isra’el or not?” asked his wife Izevel. “Get up, eat some food, and cheer up! I will give you the vineyard of Navot the Yizre‘eli.”
8 So she wrote letters in Ach’av’s name, sealed them with his seal and sent the letters to the leaders and notables of the city where Navot lived. 9 In the letters she wrote, “Proclaim a fast, and give Navot the seat of honor among the people. 10 Have two good-for-nothing men sit opposite him, and have them accuse him publicly of cursing God and the king. Then take him outside and stone him to death.”
11 The leaders and notables of the city he lived in did as Izevel had written in the letters she sent to them. 12 They proclaimed a fast and gave Navot the seat of honor among the people. 13 The two good-for-nothing men came in and sat opposite him, and these scoundrels publicly accused Navot, saying, “Navot cursed God and the king.” So they took him outside the city and stoned him to death, 14 then sent a message to Izevel, “Navot has been stoned to death.”
15 When Izevel heard that Navot had been stoned to death, she said to Ach’av, “Get up, and take possession of the vineyard that Navot the Yizre‘eli refused to sell you, because Navot is no longer alive; he is dead.” 16 When Ach’av heard that Navot was dead, he set out to go down to the vineyard of Navot the Yizre‘eli, to take possession of it.
17 But the word of Adonai came to Eliyahu from Tishbe: 18 “Get up, go down to meet Ach’av king of Isra’el, who lives in Shomron. Right now he is in the vineyard of Navot; he has gone down there to take possession of it. 19 This is what you are to say to him: ‘Here is what Adonai says: “You have committed murder, and now you are stealing the victim’s property!” ’ Also say to him, ‘Here is what Adonai says: “In the very place where dogs licked up the blood of Navot, dogs will lick up your blood — yours!” ’”
20 Ach’av said to Eliyahu, “My enemy! You’ve found me!” He answered, “Yes, I have found you; because you have given yourself over to do what is evil from Adonai’s perspective. 21 ‘Here,’ [says Adonai,] ‘I am bringing disaster on you! I will sweep you away completely; I will cut off from Ach’av every male, whether a slave or free in Isra’el.
8 So she wrote letters in Ach’av’s name, sealed them with his seal and sent the letters to the leaders and notables of the city where Navot lived. 9 In the letters she wrote, “Proclaim a fast, and give Navot the seat of honor among the people. 10 Have two good-for-nothing men sit opposite him, and have them accuse him publicly of cursing God and the king. Then take him outside and stone him to death.”
11 The leaders and notables of the city he lived in did as Izevel had written in the letters she sent to them. 12 They proclaimed a fast and gave Navot the seat of honor among the people. 13 The two good-for-nothing men came in and sat opposite him, and these scoundrels publicly accused Navot, saying, “Navot cursed God and the king.” So they took him outside the city and stoned him to death, 14 then sent a message to Izevel, “Navot has been stoned to death.”
15 When Izevel heard that Navot had been stoned to death, she said to Ach’av, “Get up, and take possession of the vineyard that Navot the Yizre‘eli refused to sell you, because Navot is no longer alive; he is dead.” 16 When Ach’av heard that Navot was dead, he set out to go down to the vineyard of Navot the Yizre‘eli, to take possession of it.
17 But the word of Adonai came to Eliyahu from Tishbe: 18 “Get up, go down to meet Ach’av king of Isra’el, who lives in Shomron. Right now he is in the vineyard of Navot; he has gone down there to take possession of it. 19 This is what you are to say to him: ‘Here is what Adonai says: “You have committed murder, and now you are stealing the victim’s property!” ’ Also say to him, ‘Here is what Adonai says: “In the very place where dogs licked up the blood of Navot, dogs will lick up your blood — yours!” ’”
20 Ach’av said to Eliyahu, “My enemy! You’ve found me!” He answered, “Yes, I have found you; because you have given yourself over to do what is evil from Adonai’s perspective. 21 ‘Here,’ [says Adonai,] ‘I am bringing disaster on you! I will sweep you away completely; I will cut off from Ach’av every male, whether a slave or free in Isra’el.
Psalm 5:1 (0) For the leader. On wind instruments. A psalm of David:
2 (1) Give ear to my words, Adonai,
consider my inmost thoughts.
3 (2) Listen to my cry for help,
my king and my God, for I pray to you.
4 (3) Adonai, in the morning you will hear my voice;
in the morning I lay my needs before you
and wait expectantly.
5 (4) For you are not a God
who takes pleasure in wickedness;
evil cannot remain with you.
6 (5) Those who brag cannot stand before your eyes,
you hate all who do evil,
7 (6) you destroy those who tell lies,
Adonai detests men of blood and deceivers.
8 (7) But I can enter your house
because of your great grace and love;
I will bow down toward your holy temple
in reverence for you.
2 (1) Give ear to my words, Adonai,
consider my inmost thoughts.
3 (2) Listen to my cry for help,
my king and my God, for I pray to you.
4 (3) Adonai, in the morning you will hear my voice;
in the morning I lay my needs before you
and wait expectantly.
5 (4) For you are not a God
who takes pleasure in wickedness;
evil cannot remain with you.
6 (5) Those who brag cannot stand before your eyes,
you hate all who do evil,
7 (6) you destroy those who tell lies,
Adonai detests men of blood and deceivers.
8 (7) But I can enter your house
because of your great grace and love;
I will bow down toward your holy temple
in reverence for you.
Galatians 2:15 We are Jews by birth, not so-called ‘Goyishe sinners’; 16 even so, we have come to realize that a person is not declared righteous by God on the ground of his legalistic observance of Torah commands, but through the Messiah Yeshua’s trusting faithfulness. Therefore, we too have put our trust in Messiah Yeshua and become faithful to him, in order that we might be declared righteous on the ground of the Messiah’s trusting faithfulness and not on the ground of our legalistic observance of Torah commands. For on the ground of legalistic observance of Torah commands, no one will be declared righteous.[Galatians 2:16 Psalm 143:2]
17 But if, in seeking to be declared righteous by God through our union with the Messiah, we ourselves are indeed found to be sinners, then is the Messiah an aider and abettor of sin? Heaven forbid! 18 Indeed, if I build up again the legalistic bondage which I destroyed, I really do make myself a transgressor. 19 For it was through letting the Torah speak for itself that I died to its traditional legalistic misinterpretation, so that I might live in direct relationship with God. 20 When the Messiah was executed on the stake as a criminal, I was too; so that my proud ego no longer lives. But the Messiah lives in me, and the life I now live in my body I live by the same trusting faithfulness that the Son of God had, who loved me and gave himself up for me. 21 I do not reject God’s gracious gift; for if the way in which one attains righteousness is through legalism, then the Messiah’s death was pointless.
17 But if, in seeking to be declared righteous by God through our union with the Messiah, we ourselves are indeed found to be sinners, then is the Messiah an aider and abettor of sin? Heaven forbid! 18 Indeed, if I build up again the legalistic bondage which I destroyed, I really do make myself a transgressor. 19 For it was through letting the Torah speak for itself that I died to its traditional legalistic misinterpretation, so that I might live in direct relationship with God. 20 When the Messiah was executed on the stake as a criminal, I was too; so that my proud ego no longer lives. But the Messiah lives in me, and the life I now live in my body I live by the same trusting faithfulness that the Son of God had, who loved me and gave himself up for me. 21 I do not reject God’s gracious gift; for if the way in which one attains righteousness is through legalism, then the Messiah’s death was pointless.
Luke 7:36 One of the P’rushim invited Yeshua to eat with him, and he went into the home of the Parush and took his place at the table. 37 A woman who lived in that town, a sinner, who was aware that he was eating in the home of the Parush, brought an alabaster box of very expensive perfume, 38 stood behind Yeshua at his feet and wept until her tears began to wet his feet. Then she wiped his feet with her own hair, kissed his feet and poured the perfume on them.
39 When the Parush who had invited him saw what was going on, he said to himself, “If this man were really a prophet, he would have known who is touching him and what sort of woman she is, that she is a sinner.” 40 Yeshua answered, “Shim‘on, I have something to say to you.” “Say it, Rabbi,” he replied. 41 “A certain creditor had two debtors; the one owed ten times as much as the other. 42 When they were unable to pay him back, he canceled both their debts. Now which of them will love him more?” 43 Shim‘on answered, “I suppose the one for whom he canceled the larger debt.” “Your judgment is right,” Yeshua said to him.
44 Then, turning to the woman, he said to Shim‘on, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house — you didn’t give me water for my feet, but this woman has washed my feet with her tears and dried them with her hair! 45 You didn’t give me a kiss; but from the time I arrived, this woman has not stopped kissing my feet! 46 You didn’t put oil on my head, but this woman poured perfume on my feet! 47 Because of this, I tell you that her sins — which are many! — have been forgiven, because she loved much. But someone who has been forgiven only a little loves only a little.” 48 Then he said to her, “Your sins have been forgiven.” 49 At this, those eating with him began saying among themselves, “Who is this fellow that presumes to forgive sins?” 50 But he said to the woman, “Your trust has saved you; go in peace.”
8:1 After this, Yeshua traveled about from town to town and village to village, proclaiming the Good News of the Kingdom of God. With him were the Twelve, 2 and a number of women who had been healed from evil spirits and illnesses — Miryam (called Magdalit), from whom seven demons had gone out; 3 Yochanah the wife of Herod’s finance minister Kuza; Shoshanah; and many other women who drew on their own wealth to help him.
John Wesley's Notes-Commentary for 1 Kings 21:1-2139 When the Parush who had invited him saw what was going on, he said to himself, “If this man were really a prophet, he would have known who is touching him and what sort of woman she is, that she is a sinner.” 40 Yeshua answered, “Shim‘on, I have something to say to you.” “Say it, Rabbi,” he replied. 41 “A certain creditor had two debtors; the one owed ten times as much as the other. 42 When they were unable to pay him back, he canceled both their debts. Now which of them will love him more?” 43 Shim‘on answered, “I suppose the one for whom he canceled the larger debt.” “Your judgment is right,” Yeshua said to him.
44 Then, turning to the woman, he said to Shim‘on, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house — you didn’t give me water for my feet, but this woman has washed my feet with her tears and dried them with her hair! 45 You didn’t give me a kiss; but from the time I arrived, this woman has not stopped kissing my feet! 46 You didn’t put oil on my head, but this woman poured perfume on my feet! 47 Because of this, I tell you that her sins — which are many! — have been forgiven, because she loved much. But someone who has been forgiven only a little loves only a little.” 48 Then he said to her, “Your sins have been forgiven.” 49 At this, those eating with him began saying among themselves, “Who is this fellow that presumes to forgive sins?” 50 But he said to the woman, “Your trust has saved you; go in peace.”
8:1 After this, Yeshua traveled about from town to town and village to village, proclaiming the Good News of the Kingdom of God. With him were the Twelve, 2 and a number of women who had been healed from evil spirits and illnesses — Miryam (called Magdalit), from whom seven demons had gone out; 3 Yochanah the wife of Herod’s finance minister Kuza; Shoshanah; and many other women who drew on their own wealth to help him.
Verse 3
[3] And Naboth said to Ahab, The LORD forbid it me, that I should give the inheritance of my fathers unto thee.
The Lord forbid — For God had expressly, and for divers weighty reasons forbidden the alienation of lands from the tribes and families to which they were allotted. And although these might have been alienated 'till the jubilee, yet he durst not sell it to the king for that time; because he supposed, if once it came into the king's hand, neither he, nor his posterity, could ever recover it; and so he should both offend God, and wrong his posterity.
Verse 7
[7] And Jezebel his wife said unto him, Dost thou now govern the kingdom of Israel? arise, and eat bread, and let thine heart be merry: I will give thee the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.
Dost thou govern — Art thou fit to be king, that hast not courage to use thy power.
Verse 9
[9] And she wrote in the letters, saying, Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people:
A fast — To remove all suspicion of evil design in Ahab, and to beget a good opinion of him amongst his people, as if he were grown zealous for God's honour, and careful of his people's welfare, and therefore desirous to enquire into all those sins which provoked God against them.
On high — On a scaffold, or high-place, where malefactors were usually placed, that they might be seen, and heard by all the people.
Verse 10
[10] And set two men, sons of Belial, before him, to bear witness against him, saying, Thou didst blaspheme God and the king. And then carry him out, and stone him, that he may die.
Blaspheme God and the king — Indeed his blaspheming God would only be the forfeiture of his life, not his estate. Therefore he is charged with treason also, that his estate may be confiscated, and so Ahab have his vineyard.
Verse 13
[13] And there came in two men, children of Belial, and sat before him: and the men of Belial witnessed against him, even against Naboth, in the presence of the people, saying, Naboth did blaspheme God and the king. Then they carried him forth out of the city, and stoned him with stones, that he died.
Stoned him — And it seems his sons too, either with him or after him. For God afterward says, ( 2 Kings 9:26) I have seen the blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons. Let us commit the keeping of our lives and comforts to God; for innocence itself will not always be our security.
Verse 19
[19] And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the LORD, Hast thou killed, and also taken possession? And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the LORD, In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick thy blood, even thine.
Saying — Thou hast murdered an innocent man; and instead of repenting for it, hast added another piece of injustice and violence to it, and art going confidently and chearfully to reap the fruit of thy wickedness.
Thy blood — The threatening was so directed at first; but afterwards, upon his humiliation, the punishment was transferred from him to his son, as is expressed, verse 29, yet upon Ahab's returning to sin, in the next chapter, he brings back the curse upon himself, and so it is no wonder if it be in some sort fulfilled in him also.
Verse 20
[20] And Ahab said to Elijah, Hast thou found me, O mine enemy? And he answered, I have found thee: because thou hast sold thyself to work evil in the sight of the LORD.
Hast thou found — Dost thou pursue me from place to place? Wilt thou never let me rest? Art thou come after me hither with thy unwelcome messages? Thou art always disturbing, threatening, and opposing me.
I have — The hand of God hath found and overtaken thee.
Sold thyself — Thou hast wholly resigned up thyself to be the bondslave of the devil, as a man that sells himself to another is totally in his master's power.
To work evil, … — Impudently and contemptuously. Those who give themselves up to sin will certainly be found out, sooner or later, to their unspeakable amazement.
Psalm 5:1-8
Verse 1
[1] Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my meditation.
Meditation — My prayer accompanied with deep thoughts and fervent affections of soul.
Verse 3
[3] My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.
Morning — Every morning. As soon as I wake, I am still with thee, as he saith, Psalms 139:18. The first thing that I do is to pray to thee.
Verse 4
[4] For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: neither shall evil dwell with thee.
Surely — Thou dost not approve of, nor delight in them, or in their prayers.
Dwelt — Have any fellowship with thee.
Verse 7
[7] But as for me, I will come into thy house in the multitude of thy mercy: and in thy fear will I worship toward thy holy temple.
Come — With holy boldness and confidence.
Mercy — Trusting only in thy great mercy.
Fear — With an holy dread and reverence of thy majesty.
Towards — Looking towards it, when I cannot come to it.
Verse 8
[8] Lead me, O LORD, in thy righteousness because of mine enemies; make thy way straight before my face.
Righteousness — In thy righteous laws.
Because — That I may give them no occasion of slandering me, or religion for my sake.
The way — The way wherein thou wouldst have to one walk.
Plain — That I may clearly discern it, and readily walk in it.
Verse 1
[1] Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my meditation.
Meditation — My prayer accompanied with deep thoughts and fervent affections of soul.
Verse 3
[3] My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.
Morning — Every morning. As soon as I wake, I am still with thee, as he saith, Psalms 139:18. The first thing that I do is to pray to thee.
Verse 4
[4] For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: neither shall evil dwell with thee.
Surely — Thou dost not approve of, nor delight in them, or in their prayers.
Dwelt — Have any fellowship with thee.
Verse 7
[7] But as for me, I will come into thy house in the multitude of thy mercy: and in thy fear will I worship toward thy holy temple.
Come — With holy boldness and confidence.
Mercy — Trusting only in thy great mercy.
Fear — With an holy dread and reverence of thy majesty.
Towards — Looking towards it, when I cannot come to it.
Verse 8
[8] Lead me, O LORD, in thy righteousness because of mine enemies; make thy way straight before my face.
Righteousness — In thy righteous laws.
Because — That I may give them no occasion of slandering me, or religion for my sake.
The way — The way wherein thou wouldst have to one walk.
Plain — That I may clearly discern it, and readily walk in it.
Galatians 2:15-21
Verse 15
[15] We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles,
We — St. Paul, to spare St. Peter, drops the first person singular, and speaks in the plural number. Galatians 2:18, he speaks in the first person singular again by a figure; and without a figure, Galatians 2:19, etc.
Who are Jews by nature — By birth, not proselytes only.
And not sinners of the gentiles — That is, not sinful Gentiles; not such gross, enormous, abandoned sinners, as the heathens generally were.
Verse 16
[16] Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law — Not even of the moral, much less the ceremonial, law.
But by the faith of Jesus Christ — That is, by faith in him. The name Jesus was first known by the gentiles; the name Christ by the Jews. And they are not always placed promiscuously; but generally in a more solemn way of speaking, the Apostle says, Christ Jesus; in a more familiar, Jesus Christ.
Even we — And how much more must the Gentiles, who have still less pretence to depend on their own works! Have believed - Knowing there is no other way.
Because — Considering the demands of the law, and the fate of human nature, it is evident, that by the works of the law - By such an obedience as it requires.
Shall no flesh living — No human creature, Jew or Gentile, be justified. Hitherto St. Paul had been considering that single question, "Are Christians obliged to observe the ceremonial law? But he here insensibly goes farther, and, by citing this scripture, shows that what he spoke directly of the ceremonial, included also the moral, law. For David undoubtedly did so, when he said, Psalms 143:2, the place here referred to, "In thy sight shall no man living be justified;" which the Apostle likewise explains, Romans 3:19,20, in such a manner as can agree to none but the moral law.
Verse 17
[17] But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid.
But if while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves are still found sinners - If we continue in sin, will it therefore follow, that Christ is the minister or countenancer of sin?
Verse 18
[18] For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor.
By no means.
For if I build again — By my sinful practice.
The things which I destroyed — By my preaching, I only make myself - Or show myself, not Christ, to be a transgressor; the whole blame lies on me, not him or his gospel. As if he had said, The objection were just, if the gospel promised justification to men continuing in sin. But it does not. Therefore if any who profess the gospel do not live according to it, they are sinners, it is certain, but not justified, and so the gospel is clear.
Verse 19
[19] For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God.
For I through the law — Applied by the Spirit to my heart, and deeply convincing me of my utter sinfulness and helplessness.
Am dead to the law — To all hope of justification from it.
That I may live to God — Not continue in sin. For this very end am I, in this sense, freed from the law, that I may be freed from sin.
Verse 20
[20] I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
The Apostle goes on to describe how he is freed from sin; how far he is from continuing therein.
I am crucified with Christ — Made conformable to his death; "the body of sin is destroyed." Romans 6:6.
And I — As to my corrupt nature.
Live no longer — Being dead to sin.
But Christ liveth in me — Is a fountain of life in my inmost soul, from which all my tempers, words, and actions flow.
And the life that I now live in the flesh — Even in this mortal body, I live by faith in the Son of God - I derive every moment from that supernatural principle; from a divine evidence and conviction, that "he loved me, and delivered up himself for me."
Verse 21
[21] I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.
Meantime I do not make void - In seeking to be justified by my own works.
The grace of God — The free love of God in Christ Jesus. But they do, who seek justification by the law.
For if righteousness is by the law — If men might be justified by their obedience to the law, moral or ceremonial.
Then Christ died in vain — Without any necessity for it, since men might have been saved without his death; might by their own obedience have been both discharged from condemnation, and entitled to eternal life.
Verse 15
[15] We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles,
We — St. Paul, to spare St. Peter, drops the first person singular, and speaks in the plural number. Galatians 2:18, he speaks in the first person singular again by a figure; and without a figure, Galatians 2:19, etc.
Who are Jews by nature — By birth, not proselytes only.
And not sinners of the gentiles — That is, not sinful Gentiles; not such gross, enormous, abandoned sinners, as the heathens generally were.
Verse 16
[16] Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law — Not even of the moral, much less the ceremonial, law.
But by the faith of Jesus Christ — That is, by faith in him. The name Jesus was first known by the gentiles; the name Christ by the Jews. And they are not always placed promiscuously; but generally in a more solemn way of speaking, the Apostle says, Christ Jesus; in a more familiar, Jesus Christ.
Even we — And how much more must the Gentiles, who have still less pretence to depend on their own works! Have believed - Knowing there is no other way.
Because — Considering the demands of the law, and the fate of human nature, it is evident, that by the works of the law - By such an obedience as it requires.
Shall no flesh living — No human creature, Jew or Gentile, be justified. Hitherto St. Paul had been considering that single question, "Are Christians obliged to observe the ceremonial law? But he here insensibly goes farther, and, by citing this scripture, shows that what he spoke directly of the ceremonial, included also the moral, law. For David undoubtedly did so, when he said, Psalms 143:2, the place here referred to, "In thy sight shall no man living be justified;" which the Apostle likewise explains, Romans 3:19,20, in such a manner as can agree to none but the moral law.
Verse 17
[17] But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid.
But if while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves are still found sinners - If we continue in sin, will it therefore follow, that Christ is the minister or countenancer of sin?
Verse 18
[18] For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor.
By no means.
For if I build again — By my sinful practice.
The things which I destroyed — By my preaching, I only make myself - Or show myself, not Christ, to be a transgressor; the whole blame lies on me, not him or his gospel. As if he had said, The objection were just, if the gospel promised justification to men continuing in sin. But it does not. Therefore if any who profess the gospel do not live according to it, they are sinners, it is certain, but not justified, and so the gospel is clear.
Verse 19
[19] For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God.
For I through the law — Applied by the Spirit to my heart, and deeply convincing me of my utter sinfulness and helplessness.
Am dead to the law — To all hope of justification from it.
That I may live to God — Not continue in sin. For this very end am I, in this sense, freed from the law, that I may be freed from sin.
Verse 20
[20] I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
The Apostle goes on to describe how he is freed from sin; how far he is from continuing therein.
I am crucified with Christ — Made conformable to his death; "the body of sin is destroyed." Romans 6:6.
And I — As to my corrupt nature.
Live no longer — Being dead to sin.
But Christ liveth in me — Is a fountain of life in my inmost soul, from which all my tempers, words, and actions flow.
And the life that I now live in the flesh — Even in this mortal body, I live by faith in the Son of God - I derive every moment from that supernatural principle; from a divine evidence and conviction, that "he loved me, and delivered up himself for me."
Verse 21
[21] I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.
Meantime I do not make void - In seeking to be justified by my own works.
The grace of God — The free love of God in Christ Jesus. But they do, who seek justification by the law.
For if righteousness is by the law — If men might be justified by their obedience to the law, moral or ceremonial.
Then Christ died in vain — Without any necessity for it, since men might have been saved without his death; might by their own obedience have been both discharged from condemnation, and entitled to eternal life.
Luke 7:36–8:3
Verse 36
[36] And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him. And he went into the Pharisee's house, and sat down to meat.
And one of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him — Let the candour with which our Lord accepted this invitation, and his gentleness and prudence at this ensnaring entertainment, teach us to mingle the wisdom of the serpent, with the innocence and sweetness of the dove. Let us neither absolutely refuse all favours, nor resent all neglects, from those whose friendship is at best very doubtful, and their intimacy by no means safe.
Verse 37
[37] And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster box of ointment,
A woman — Not the same with Mary of Bethany, who anointed him six days before his last passover.
Verse 40
[40] And Jesus answering said unto him, Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And he saith, Master, say on.
And Jesus said, Simon, I have somewhat to say to thee — So tender and courteous am address does our Lord use even to a proud, censorious Pharisee!
Verse 43
[43] Simon answered and said, I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged.
Which of them will love him most? — Neither of them will love him at all, before he has forgiven them. An insolvent debtor, till he is forgiven, does not love, but fly his creditor.
Verse 44
[44] And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head.
Thou gavest me no water — It was customary with the Jews to show respect and kindness to their welcome guests, by saluting them with a kiss, by washing their feet, and anointing their heads with oil, or some fine ointment.
Verse 47
[47] Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.
Those many sins of hers are forgiven; therefore she loveth much — The fruit of her having had much forgiven. It should carefully be observed here, that her love is mentioned as the effect and evidence, not the cause of her pardon. She knew that much had been forgiven her, and therefore she loved much.
Verse 50
[50] And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.
Thy faith hath saved thee — Not thy love. Love is salvation.
Verse 36
[36] And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him. And he went into the Pharisee's house, and sat down to meat.
And one of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him — Let the candour with which our Lord accepted this invitation, and his gentleness and prudence at this ensnaring entertainment, teach us to mingle the wisdom of the serpent, with the innocence and sweetness of the dove. Let us neither absolutely refuse all favours, nor resent all neglects, from those whose friendship is at best very doubtful, and their intimacy by no means safe.
Verse 37
[37] And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster box of ointment,
A woman — Not the same with Mary of Bethany, who anointed him six days before his last passover.
Verse 40
[40] And Jesus answering said unto him, Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And he saith, Master, say on.
And Jesus said, Simon, I have somewhat to say to thee — So tender and courteous am address does our Lord use even to a proud, censorious Pharisee!
Verse 43
[43] Simon answered and said, I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged.
Which of them will love him most? — Neither of them will love him at all, before he has forgiven them. An insolvent debtor, till he is forgiven, does not love, but fly his creditor.
Verse 44
[44] And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head.
Thou gavest me no water — It was customary with the Jews to show respect and kindness to their welcome guests, by saluting them with a kiss, by washing their feet, and anointing their heads with oil, or some fine ointment.
Verse 47
[47] Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.
Those many sins of hers are forgiven; therefore she loveth much — The fruit of her having had much forgiven. It should carefully be observed here, that her love is mentioned as the effect and evidence, not the cause of her pardon. She knew that much had been forgiven her, and therefore she loved much.
Verse 50
[50] And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.
Thy faith hath saved thee — Not thy love. Love is salvation.
1 Kings 21:1-21a
Today’s story is one that, at least at first reading, makes us shake our heads. How could Ahab and Jezebel be so evil? What could possibly make them think that killing someone for a small piece of land (or even a large one) is ever a moral thing to do? Our hearts cry out at such evil, extreme actions. We cannot imagine what led Ahab to this place, and certainly we cannot imagine ever doing such a thing. The vast resources, power, and influence of a king can easily open the door to unabated greed. Although most of us do not have those resources, many of us experience the pressure to succeed, to acquire, and to accumulate. Greed is not limited to the wealthy.
On the surface, Ahab’s initial actions are not overtly greedy. After all, he did not start this process by killing Naboth or even stealing his land. He offered a good deal—money or an even better vineyard. We may, at this point in the story, be siding with Ahab. Why not take such a generous offer? However, if we understand the Israelite attachment to land, we know that this offer was indeed greedy. Land was not only a source of financial security but also a connection to family. It was so important for land to remain with the family to whom God had given it that God established the jubilee year. Every fifty years, land that had somehow passed from a family’s hands was restored to that family. Although we are not certain that the Israelites ever put the jubilee year into practice, its purpose is clear: land and the gifts of God are inviolate even if it is the king who wants the land. That is why Naboth invoked God’s name in his response to Ahab: “The LORD forbid that I should give you my ancestral inheritance” (1 Kings 21:3). Naboth regarded the land as a gift from God. Family honor and devotion to God led him to refuse a better vineyard or a large price. What a contrast to Ahab’s greed!
Ahab seemingly accepted Naboth’s rejection of his offer, but we see that his true reaction was that of a young child. He sulked and pouted, even refusing to eat. Jezebel, on seeing her husband’s reaction, resolved to obtain the vineyard at any cost. She sent a message to the town leaders in Ahab’s name, asking them to call for a fast day and place Naboth at the head of the table. They then arranged for two people to declare Naboth guilty of harsh words against God and the king. Upon hearing these words, the townspeople dragged Naboth outside and stoned him to death.
Ahab gladly went along with Jezebel, allowing her to put whatever plan she had into action. She manipulated God’s Word by using what God had proclaimed as just (death for blasphemers) for an unjust purpose. Not only did Ahab and Jezebel’s greed condemn them, it corrupted those around them. Naboth’s accusers and murderers were led into terrible sins, all because of Ahab’s need to have that vineyard.
Once Naboth was stoned to death after being falsely accused of being unfaithful to God (exactly the opposite of what his actions had shown), Ahab lost no time in claiming what he wanted. However, the story does not end there. As the apostle Paul would write centuries later, we reap what we sow (Galatians 6:7). Elijah is sent by God to tell Ahab that because of his greed and evil action, he would be destroyed. “You have sold yourself to do what is evil in the sight of the LORD” (21:20)—this was the indictment Elijah spoke.
“You have sold yourself ” is a damaging accusation, one that resonates with us. Our society spends much time and energy on “finding ourselves” or “being true to ourselves.” Despite this, how many times we sell ourselves! In our teenage years (or even as adults), we may desire popularity enough to sell our true personalities or true friendships in order to have it. Sometimes we “purchase” love, no matter the cost to our values. We pursue money and professional success, not heeding consequences. We may be shocked by Ahab’s actions, but we too have been guilty of “selling ourselves.”
We may even have been following in Ahab’s and Jezebel’s footsteps along the way. Have your actions ever led others onto a sinful path? Do your children or other people who model themselves after you see a life lived for others or one focused on personal gain? Have you ever used God’s Word to get what you need, disregarding its true intent?
Like Ahab, we reap what we sow. Our greed and our desire for more lead us down terrible paths. What do you “need” that leads you into sin? Greed is not always for material things. Anything, whether it is an emotional or material desire, that becomes the center of our focus can drive us away from God. We are called to be faithful stewards of all God has given us, and we are also called to be willing to give those things up for God when called to do so. Jesus Christ already bought your soul on Calvary’s cross; do not sell it so cheaply for things that can bring only temporary satisfaction.read more
Today’s story is one that, at least at first reading, makes us shake our heads. How could Ahab and Jezebel be so evil? What could possibly make them think that killing someone for a small piece of land (or even a large one) is ever a moral thing to do? Our hearts cry out at such evil, extreme actions. We cannot imagine what led Ahab to this place, and certainly we cannot imagine ever doing such a thing. The vast resources, power, and influence of a king can easily open the door to unabated greed. Although most of us do not have those resources, many of us experience the pressure to succeed, to acquire, and to accumulate. Greed is not limited to the wealthy.
On the surface, Ahab’s initial actions are not overtly greedy. After all, he did not start this process by killing Naboth or even stealing his land. He offered a good deal—money or an even better vineyard. We may, at this point in the story, be siding with Ahab. Why not take such a generous offer? However, if we understand the Israelite attachment to land, we know that this offer was indeed greedy. Land was not only a source of financial security but also a connection to family. It was so important for land to remain with the family to whom God had given it that God established the jubilee year. Every fifty years, land that had somehow passed from a family’s hands was restored to that family. Although we are not certain that the Israelites ever put the jubilee year into practice, its purpose is clear: land and the gifts of God are inviolate even if it is the king who wants the land. That is why Naboth invoked God’s name in his response to Ahab: “The LORD forbid that I should give you my ancestral inheritance” (1 Kings 21:3). Naboth regarded the land as a gift from God. Family honor and devotion to God led him to refuse a better vineyard or a large price. What a contrast to Ahab’s greed!
Ahab seemingly accepted Naboth’s rejection of his offer, but we see that his true reaction was that of a young child. He sulked and pouted, even refusing to eat. Jezebel, on seeing her husband’s reaction, resolved to obtain the vineyard at any cost. She sent a message to the town leaders in Ahab’s name, asking them to call for a fast day and place Naboth at the head of the table. They then arranged for two people to declare Naboth guilty of harsh words against God and the king. Upon hearing these words, the townspeople dragged Naboth outside and stoned him to death.
Ahab gladly went along with Jezebel, allowing her to put whatever plan she had into action. She manipulated God’s Word by using what God had proclaimed as just (death for blasphemers) for an unjust purpose. Not only did Ahab and Jezebel’s greed condemn them, it corrupted those around them. Naboth’s accusers and murderers were led into terrible sins, all because of Ahab’s need to have that vineyard.
Once Naboth was stoned to death after being falsely accused of being unfaithful to God (exactly the opposite of what his actions had shown), Ahab lost no time in claiming what he wanted. However, the story does not end there. As the apostle Paul would write centuries later, we reap what we sow (Galatians 6:7). Elijah is sent by God to tell Ahab that because of his greed and evil action, he would be destroyed. “You have sold yourself to do what is evil in the sight of the LORD” (21:20)—this was the indictment Elijah spoke.
“You have sold yourself ” is a damaging accusation, one that resonates with us. Our society spends much time and energy on “finding ourselves” or “being true to ourselves.” Despite this, how many times we sell ourselves! In our teenage years (or even as adults), we may desire popularity enough to sell our true personalities or true friendships in order to have it. Sometimes we “purchase” love, no matter the cost to our values. We pursue money and professional success, not heeding consequences. We may be shocked by Ahab’s actions, but we too have been guilty of “selling ourselves.”
We may even have been following in Ahab’s and Jezebel’s footsteps along the way. Have your actions ever led others onto a sinful path? Do your children or other people who model themselves after you see a life lived for others or one focused on personal gain? Have you ever used God’s Word to get what you need, disregarding its true intent?
Like Ahab, we reap what we sow. Our greed and our desire for more lead us down terrible paths. What do you “need” that leads you into sin? Greed is not always for material things. Anything, whether it is an emotional or material desire, that becomes the center of our focus can drive us away from God. We are called to be faithful stewards of all God has given us, and we are also called to be willing to give those things up for God when called to do so. Jesus Christ already bought your soul on Calvary’s cross; do not sell it so cheaply for things that can bring only temporary satisfaction.read more
UNCONTAINABLE LOVE by Cláudio Carvalhaes
Cláudio CarvalhaesCláudio Carvalhaes, Associate Professor of Homiletics and Worship at McCormick Theological Seminary, preaches a sermon called "Uncontainable Love" from Luke 7:36-8:3.
This sermon is from A Sermon for Every Sunday, a series of lectionary-based video sermons designed for use in worship, Bible study, small groups, Sunday school classes or for individual use.read more
Fourth Sunday after Pentecost
COLOR: Green
SCRIPTURE READINGS: 1 Kings 21:1-21a; Psalm 5:1-8; Galatians 2:15-21; Luke 7:36–8:3
THEME IDEAS
Judgment and forgiveness focus our readings. We have people acting badly; people in distress; people who commit sins of omission; people who are deeply faithful; people who follow and support Jesus—all surrounded by the theme of judgment and forgiveness, but a judgment and forgiveness that belong to God, not to human beings. We find our true selves, our true lives, in being faithful to God and to Jesus’ teachings and life. We find hope and forgiveness in a life that does not count the cost.
INVITATION AND GATHERING
Call to Worship (Psalm 5)
People of God, raise your voices in praise to God.
God takes delight in our presence here.
Come and enter God’s house.
We come trusting in the steadfast love of God.
Let us worship the God of love and righteousness.
Opening Prayer (Psalm 5, 1 Kings 21, Luke 7, Galatians 2)
O God,
in this time of worship,
hear our prayers.
Hear us now,
as we stand in the midst
of so much wrongdoing in our world.
Help us hear your voice
amid the cacophony of sounds
that surround and distract us.
Help us focus on what is truly important—
living faithful lives,
and being of service to you
and to all your people.
May this time apart
strengthen us to resist evil
and to embrace justice
in your steadfast love.
May this time with you
focus our awareness
that Christ lives in each one of us. Amen.
PROCLAMATION AND RESPONSE
Prayer of Confession (1 Kings 21, Galatians 2, Luke 7)
O God,
our world seems in such a mess:
greed triumphs over generosity;
death appears stronger than life;
people judge one another harshly;
sin abounds and grace recedes far away.
Forgive us, O God,
when we succumb to the forces
of sin, greed, judgment, and death;
when we act as if you are not here with us;
when we fail to do the things we should:
welcome all people with love and joy,
live in an attitude of abundance,
find ways to support your work in the world.
Like the woman with the alabaster jar,
may we lay all that we are
and all that we have at your feet,
trusting in your forgiving, steadfast love.
Words of Assurance (Luke 7)
Sisters and brothers,
Jesus said to the woman with the alabaster jar,
“Your sins are forgiven.”
Hear his words for yourselves,
and take them into your heart and soul.
Passing the Peace of Christ (Galatians 2)
Sisters and brothers, look closely at the people sitting next to you. See Christ in them. Reach out your hands to greet them with signs of love and peace from the Christ that lives in you.
Response to the Word (1 Kings 21, Psalm 5, Galatians 2, Luke 7)
To words that challenge the world’s values,
to words that bring the comfort of God’s presence,
to words that speak of grace and forgiveness,
we open our hearts.
Let these words take root in our hearts,
that we may grow in faith.
THANKSGIVING AND COMMUNION
Invitation to Offering (Galatians 2, Luke 7)
Like the woman with the alabaster jar, let us bring all that we are, and all that we have, to support God’s work in this church, this community, and this world. Offer these gifts in joy and gratitude and love, for all that God has given us—especially God’s best gift of love, Jesus, who lives within us.
Offering Prayer (Psalm 5)
O God,
through the abundance of your steadfast love,
we are able to come into your house
with gratitude and praise.
Accept our gifts—
our money, our time, our very selves.
May they help forge your beloved community
here on earth.
SENDING FORTH
Benediction (1 Kings 21, Galatians 2, Luke 7)
Go forth into the world as people reborn.
Live generosity, not greed.
Celebrate life, not death.
Revel in the abundant grace
that flows over and through us,
and bring that love and grace
to a world deeply in need.
Go in peace. Amen.
CONTEMPORARY OPTIONS
Contemporary Gathering Words (Psalm 5, Luke 7)
Listen. Can you hear God’s voice
over the noise that surrounds us?
It is a voice of love, of forgiveness,
of grace, of justice, and of peace.
Come and listen, and let your soul and body
be refreshed and strengthened
for the ministry to which God calls us.
Praise Sentences (Psalm 5)
In the morning God hears my voice.
In that I rejoice.
I praise God for the abundance
of God’s steadfast love.
I will worship God with all my being.
WORSHIP ELEMENTS: JUNE 5, 2016
May 5th, 2016
By Hans Holznagel
Third Sunday after Pentecost
COLOR: Green
SCRIPTURE READINGS: 1 Kings 17:8-24; Psalm 146; Galatians 1:11-24; Luke 7:11-17
THEME IDEAS
In all her well-known social and economic vulnerability in the ancient Middle East, few biblical characters embody the poor and oppressed more fully than the widow. In today’s stories, it is clear that the widows of the world are precisely whom God cares about. Elijah is sent by the Lord to a widow (I Kings 17); Jesus is moved by a widow’s plight (Luke 7). Both of these prophets of God become agents of miracles, showing holy love for those who have no refuge in society (Psalm 146).
INVITATION AND GATHERING
Call to Worship (Psalm 146)
Praise the Lord.
Let all who draw breath praise the Lord.
Happy are those whose help is from God—
the One who made heaven and earth,
the One who created the seas and all that is in them.
Happy are those whose hope is in God—
the One who keeps faith forever,
the One who feeds the hungry
and defends the oppressed.
God will reign forever, for all generations.
Praise the Lord!
Let all who draw breath praise the Lord.
Opening Prayer (Psalm 146)
O God, who lifts us up,
sets us free, and watches over us,
visit us this day.
Lift our spirits,
and free our minds.
Open our eyes and hearts
to your words, your will,
and the miracle of your holy presence,
that we may encounter you
in the meeting of friends
and in kindness to strangers.
Lift us up, and set us free, O God.
Watch over us, we pray. Amen.
PROCLAMATION AND RESPONSE
Prayer of Confession (Psalm 146, 1 Kings 17)
Merciful God,
you know how we love miracles.
We love your healing, life-giving presence.
We confess that poverty and oppression
are less appealing topics.
Yet, we find you among the poor,
the downtrodden, the widow, the orphan.
In their midst we find you,
your prophets, and your miracles.
Dwell with us,
as we make the struggles of the oppressed
our own struggles.
Join us at your table,
as we join the effort to feed and clothe
those who live in want.
Grant us your compassion, we pray,
that we may truly be your people. Amen.
Words of Assurance (Psalm 146, Luke 7)
Hear the good news:
Those who seek will find help and hope in God.
In Jesus we are raised to newness of life.
Thanks be to God.
Passing the Peace of Christ (Luke 7)
As Jesus drew crowds in Galilee, so he draws us here today. We are not alone. Let us greet one another with signs of God’s peace.
The peace of Christ be with you.
And also with you.
Response to the Word (1 Kings 17)
Feed us, O God,
from stores that never empty.
Anoint us, O God,
with oils that never fail. Amen.
THANKSGIVING AND COMMUNION
Invitation to the Offering (1 Kings 17)
A widow in great need shared what she had, and miracles of bread and renewed life ensued. Whatever our means, whatever our needs, we each have something to share. In gratitude to God, let us offer our tithes and gifts to the One who is faithful.
Offering Prayer (Luke 7, Psalm 146)
As crowds spread the word of Jesus’ power, O God,
so may we spread the word of your grace,
as we share these gifts and our very lives
with those in need.
May these offerings be instruments of your healing,
your justice, and your good news,
in this community and around the world.
In Christ’s name we pray. Amen.
SENDING FORTH
Benediction (1 Kings 17)
Elijah was sent to someone in need—
not only to serve,
but that he too might also be served.
Wherever God sends you, go to serve,
but allow others to serve you as well;
and may the peace of Christ go with you.
Go in peace.
CONTEMPORARY OPTIONS
Contemporary Gathering Words (1 Kings 17, Psalm 146, Luke 7)
Strangers meet.
Oil and grain turn to bread.
The sick are healed.
The weary are lifted up.
The prisoners are set free.
The everyday becomes a miracle.
This is God’s work.
We are its witnesses.
Let us worship God.
Praise Sentences (Psalm 146)
Praise God! Praise God, O my soul!
As long as I live, I will praise God!
Praise God! Praise God, O my soul!
God will reign forever, for all generations!
Praise God! Praise God, O my soul!
Happy are those whose help is in God!
Praise God! Praise God, O my soul!
Praise God!
From The Abingdon Worship Annual edited by Mary J. Scifres and B.J. Beu, Copyright © Abingdon Press. The Abingdon Worship Annual 2017 is now available.read more
COLOR: Green
SCRIPTURE READINGS: 1 Kings 21:1-21a; Psalm 5:1-8; Galatians 2:15-21; Luke 7:36–8:3
THEME IDEAS
Judgment and forgiveness focus our readings. We have people acting badly; people in distress; people who commit sins of omission; people who are deeply faithful; people who follow and support Jesus—all surrounded by the theme of judgment and forgiveness, but a judgment and forgiveness that belong to God, not to human beings. We find our true selves, our true lives, in being faithful to God and to Jesus’ teachings and life. We find hope and forgiveness in a life that does not count the cost.
INVITATION AND GATHERING
Call to Worship (Psalm 5)
People of God, raise your voices in praise to God.
God takes delight in our presence here.
Come and enter God’s house.
We come trusting in the steadfast love of God.
Let us worship the God of love and righteousness.
Opening Prayer (Psalm 5, 1 Kings 21, Luke 7, Galatians 2)
O God,
in this time of worship,
hear our prayers.
Hear us now,
as we stand in the midst
of so much wrongdoing in our world.
Help us hear your voice
amid the cacophony of sounds
that surround and distract us.
Help us focus on what is truly important—
living faithful lives,
and being of service to you
and to all your people.
May this time apart
strengthen us to resist evil
and to embrace justice
in your steadfast love.
May this time with you
focus our awareness
that Christ lives in each one of us. Amen.
PROCLAMATION AND RESPONSE
Prayer of Confession (1 Kings 21, Galatians 2, Luke 7)
O God,
our world seems in such a mess:
greed triumphs over generosity;
death appears stronger than life;
people judge one another harshly;
sin abounds and grace recedes far away.
Forgive us, O God,
when we succumb to the forces
of sin, greed, judgment, and death;
when we act as if you are not here with us;
when we fail to do the things we should:
welcome all people with love and joy,
live in an attitude of abundance,
find ways to support your work in the world.
Like the woman with the alabaster jar,
may we lay all that we are
and all that we have at your feet,
trusting in your forgiving, steadfast love.
Words of Assurance (Luke 7)
Sisters and brothers,
Jesus said to the woman with the alabaster jar,
“Your sins are forgiven.”
Hear his words for yourselves,
and take them into your heart and soul.
Passing the Peace of Christ (Galatians 2)
Sisters and brothers, look closely at the people sitting next to you. See Christ in them. Reach out your hands to greet them with signs of love and peace from the Christ that lives in you.
Response to the Word (1 Kings 21, Psalm 5, Galatians 2, Luke 7)
To words that challenge the world’s values,
to words that bring the comfort of God’s presence,
to words that speak of grace and forgiveness,
we open our hearts.
Let these words take root in our hearts,
that we may grow in faith.
THANKSGIVING AND COMMUNION
Invitation to Offering (Galatians 2, Luke 7)
Like the woman with the alabaster jar, let us bring all that we are, and all that we have, to support God’s work in this church, this community, and this world. Offer these gifts in joy and gratitude and love, for all that God has given us—especially God’s best gift of love, Jesus, who lives within us.
Offering Prayer (Psalm 5)
O God,
through the abundance of your steadfast love,
we are able to come into your house
with gratitude and praise.
Accept our gifts—
our money, our time, our very selves.
May they help forge your beloved community
here on earth.
SENDING FORTH
Benediction (1 Kings 21, Galatians 2, Luke 7)
Go forth into the world as people reborn.
Live generosity, not greed.
Celebrate life, not death.
Revel in the abundant grace
that flows over and through us,
and bring that love and grace
to a world deeply in need.
Go in peace. Amen.
CONTEMPORARY OPTIONS
Contemporary Gathering Words (Psalm 5, Luke 7)
Listen. Can you hear God’s voice
over the noise that surrounds us?
It is a voice of love, of forgiveness,
of grace, of justice, and of peace.
Come and listen, and let your soul and body
be refreshed and strengthened
for the ministry to which God calls us.
Praise Sentences (Psalm 5)
In the morning God hears my voice.
In that I rejoice.
I praise God for the abundance
of God’s steadfast love.
I will worship God with all my being.
WORSHIP ELEMENTS: JUNE 5, 2016
May 5th, 2016
By Hans Holznagel
Third Sunday after Pentecost
COLOR: Green
SCRIPTURE READINGS: 1 Kings 17:8-24; Psalm 146; Galatians 1:11-24; Luke 7:11-17
THEME IDEAS
In all her well-known social and economic vulnerability in the ancient Middle East, few biblical characters embody the poor and oppressed more fully than the widow. In today’s stories, it is clear that the widows of the world are precisely whom God cares about. Elijah is sent by the Lord to a widow (I Kings 17); Jesus is moved by a widow’s plight (Luke 7). Both of these prophets of God become agents of miracles, showing holy love for those who have no refuge in society (Psalm 146).
INVITATION AND GATHERING
Call to Worship (Psalm 146)
Praise the Lord.
Let all who draw breath praise the Lord.
Happy are those whose help is from God—
the One who made heaven and earth,
the One who created the seas and all that is in them.
Happy are those whose hope is in God—
the One who keeps faith forever,
the One who feeds the hungry
and defends the oppressed.
God will reign forever, for all generations.
Praise the Lord!
Let all who draw breath praise the Lord.
Opening Prayer (Psalm 146)
O God, who lifts us up,
sets us free, and watches over us,
visit us this day.
Lift our spirits,
and free our minds.
Open our eyes and hearts
to your words, your will,
and the miracle of your holy presence,
that we may encounter you
in the meeting of friends
and in kindness to strangers.
Lift us up, and set us free, O God.
Watch over us, we pray. Amen.
PROCLAMATION AND RESPONSE
Prayer of Confession (Psalm 146, 1 Kings 17)
Merciful God,
you know how we love miracles.
We love your healing, life-giving presence.
We confess that poverty and oppression
are less appealing topics.
Yet, we find you among the poor,
the downtrodden, the widow, the orphan.
In their midst we find you,
your prophets, and your miracles.
Dwell with us,
as we make the struggles of the oppressed
our own struggles.
Join us at your table,
as we join the effort to feed and clothe
those who live in want.
Grant us your compassion, we pray,
that we may truly be your people. Amen.
Words of Assurance (Psalm 146, Luke 7)
Hear the good news:
Those who seek will find help and hope in God.
In Jesus we are raised to newness of life.
Thanks be to God.
Passing the Peace of Christ (Luke 7)
As Jesus drew crowds in Galilee, so he draws us here today. We are not alone. Let us greet one another with signs of God’s peace.
The peace of Christ be with you.
And also with you.
Response to the Word (1 Kings 17)
Feed us, O God,
from stores that never empty.
Anoint us, O God,
with oils that never fail. Amen.
THANKSGIVING AND COMMUNION
Invitation to the Offering (1 Kings 17)
A widow in great need shared what she had, and miracles of bread and renewed life ensued. Whatever our means, whatever our needs, we each have something to share. In gratitude to God, let us offer our tithes and gifts to the One who is faithful.
Offering Prayer (Luke 7, Psalm 146)
As crowds spread the word of Jesus’ power, O God,
so may we spread the word of your grace,
as we share these gifts and our very lives
with those in need.
May these offerings be instruments of your healing,
your justice, and your good news,
in this community and around the world.
In Christ’s name we pray. Amen.
SENDING FORTH
Benediction (1 Kings 17)
Elijah was sent to someone in need—
not only to serve,
but that he too might also be served.
Wherever God sends you, go to serve,
but allow others to serve you as well;
and may the peace of Christ go with you.
Go in peace.
CONTEMPORARY OPTIONS
Contemporary Gathering Words (1 Kings 17, Psalm 146, Luke 7)
Strangers meet.
Oil and grain turn to bread.
The sick are healed.
The weary are lifted up.
The prisoners are set free.
The everyday becomes a miracle.
This is God’s work.
We are its witnesses.
Let us worship God.
Praise Sentences (Psalm 146)
Praise God! Praise God, O my soul!
As long as I live, I will praise God!
Praise God! Praise God, O my soul!
God will reign forever, for all generations!
Praise God! Praise God, O my soul!
Happy are those whose help is in God!
Praise God! Praise God, O my soul!
Praise God!
From The Abingdon Worship Annual edited by Mary J. Scifres and B.J. Beu, Copyright © Abingdon Press. The Abingdon Worship Annual 2017 is now available.read more
COLOR: Green
SCRIPTURE READINGS: 1 Kings 21:1-21a; Psalm 5:1-8; Galatians 2:15-21; Luke 7:36–8:3
CALLS TO WORSHIP
Call to Worship #1:
L: In the quiet of the morning, as we stir to greet the day...
P: God hears our sighs and gives strength to our spirits.
L: In the busyness of the day, as we work and strive...
P: God goes with us, giving us courage and confidence.
L: In the tiredness of the evening, as we begin to settle down...
P: God is present, refreshing and comforting our souls.
L: In the hush of night, as sleep overcomes our weariness...
P: There is God, watching over us with patient love.
L: Thanks be to God throughout all our days.
P: AMEN.
Call to Worship #2:
L: God’s love is extravagant!
P: God pours out God’s love as a cleansing lotion for our weary souls.
L: God’s love is healing!
P: God’s healing balm soothes and comforts us.
L: God’s love is generous!
P: God continually reaches out for us and helps us throughout all our lives.
L: Thanks be to God for such extravagant, healing, generous love.
P: AMEN.
Call to Worship #3:
[Using THE UNITED METHODIST HYMNAL, p. 367 “He Touched Me”, offer the following call to worship as directed]
L: We enter the house of the Lord as people upon whom God’s love has been lavished.
P: God, through Jesus Christ, has healed and restored us.
L: We enter this time of worship in gratitude for all God’s blessings.
P: God, through Jesus Christ, reaches out to comfort and bless us.
L: O how wondrous is God’s touch in our lives!
P: How magnificent are God’s blessings and love for us.
ALL: singing “He Touched Me”, UMH p. 367
Call to Worship #4:
L: Jesus said that we should love each other as he loves each of us.
P: God rejoices at our love and compassion for others.
L: Sometimes we let prejudice and fear get in our way.
P: But when we truly confess our sins, God will forgive us.
L: Let us worship God and rejoice in God’s love.
P: Let us praise God who forgives and restores us to life. AMEN.
PRAYERS, LITANY/READING, BENEDICTION
Opening Prayer:
Open our hearts today, Lord, to feel the power of your extravagant love for us. Help us to be free of our fears and prejudices so that we may see your love in action in the lives of others. Comfort and calm our spirits in readiness for us to become your disciples. For we ask this in Jesus’ Name. AMEN.
Prayer of Confession:
Gracious and Forgiving Lord, in these times when we feel pressured from all sides about how we feel about people who differ from us, we need your hand of love and patience. From every corner we are confronted with issues of terror and fear. We draw into ourselves, fearful that someone is out to get us, to hurt us, to make our lives miserable. Life is so much more complicated today than it was in previous years. You, too, Lord, were confronted by fear and alienation. You stood strong in the presence of prejudice and alienation, voicing support for those who lived lives of love and compassion. Forgive us when we so easily are offended and take sides, perceiving that we are personally being threatened. Help us to take the time to get to know others, to see you at work within their lives. Open our hearts to feel the healing power of your love. Strengthen us to truly be your disciples, proclaiming your transforming love through our words and our deeds. For we ask this in Jesus’ Name. AMEN.
Words of Assurance:
In this world of fear and hurt, God is with us, offering healing balm and comforting peace. We are loved by God, even though we are imperfect. We are loved eternally. Be at peace and rest in God’s complete love. AMEN.
Pastoral Prayer:
Patient God, how it must cause you sorrow when we erect walls of fear and condemnation when you would have us build bridges of peace. We want to hold onto things and push away people who differ from us. We want to grasp and grab for all that we can get, not understanding that it is we who have proclaimed this to be a place where all are welcome. In the midst of the turmoil and terror stands your church, built with love and hope for healing. Let us truly be the church you have called us to be. Help us to break down barriers that divide people and build bridges of extravagant love that others may know of your love for us. As we have brought before you this day the names and situations of our dear ones who need your healing touch, may we be reminded that healing needs to take place in our hearts also. Surround us with your care. Bring us to places of hope and compassion, offering to build rather than demolish, offering to listen rather than pronounce our own ideas. Remind us that you are the God of all the people, seeking hope and healing for each one. For it is in this extravagant love of yours that we have our very hope and lives. AMEN.
Litany/Reading:
L: In the midst of fear, we are called to be the church of hope.
P: Call us to be lovingly bold in our faith.
L: In the midst of sorrow, we are called to be the church of comfort.
P: Call us to be lovingly compassionate in our deeds.
L: In the midst of alienation, we are called to be the church of unity
P: Call us to be lovingly responsive to the needs of others.
L: In the midst of anger, we are called to be the church of peace.
P: Call us to be those who would build bridges of peace and communication.
L: Help us hear the cries of those in need.
P: Help us feel the sorrow of those who are lost and alone.
L: Help us reach out to each other in your love.
P: Help us to be the church of trust and witness to your will, O God. AMEN.
Benediction:
As God’s extravagant love has been poured out for you and on you, go now into God’s world offering healing hope and love to all, building bridges of peace wherever you go. AMEN.
ARTISTIC ELEMENTS
The traditional color for this Sunday is Green.
Author's Note: This Sunday I have been struck with the images of extravagant love and the need to build bridges of healing rather than barriers which cause alienation. So the worship setting will reflect this concept. The break in the wall represents the power of Jesus’ love to break through our barriers, and the jar/pitcher of ointment, spilled out over and under the bricks and rubble, represent the extravagant compassion of Christ.
Surface:
Place several risers, about 3” in height, on the worship center. One of the risers should be at the center back - on this riser you will place a cross. Place a riser in front of the worship center, somewhat to the right.
Fabric:
Although the traditional color for this day is green, I am suggesting that you cover the worship center with burlap, making sure that it covers the riser in front and puddles on the floor. A small piece of shiny pale blue fabric will be needed for the pitcher.
Candles:
Place a 4” pillar candle, color of your choice, on each of the other two risers on the worship center.
Flowers/Foliage:
Use “spiky” plants on the floor in front of the worship center, and one or two small plants on the worship center itself.
Rocks/Wood:
If it is possible, find old bricks and build a wall that goes across the worship center (the wall should be about 3-4 bricks high). At the center of the wall, remove the bricks so that they look as though they have been broken down - the Cross on the riser should appear behind this break in the wall. Other rough stones and bricks should be placed as though they are rubble on the worship center and on the riser in front of the worship center.
Other:
Place a terra cotta bowl or pitcher, resting over on its side, slightly in front of the broken opening of the wall, as though its contents have been poured out. You may use a piece of pale blue shiny fabric coming from the pitcher and spilling out over and under the bricks.read more
SCRIPTURE READINGS: 1 Kings 21:1-21a; Psalm 5:1-8; Galatians 2:15-21; Luke 7:36–8:3
CALLS TO WORSHIP
Call to Worship #1:
L: In the quiet of the morning, as we stir to greet the day...
P: God hears our sighs and gives strength to our spirits.
L: In the busyness of the day, as we work and strive...
P: God goes with us, giving us courage and confidence.
L: In the tiredness of the evening, as we begin to settle down...
P: God is present, refreshing and comforting our souls.
L: In the hush of night, as sleep overcomes our weariness...
P: There is God, watching over us with patient love.
L: Thanks be to God throughout all our days.
P: AMEN.
Call to Worship #2:
L: God’s love is extravagant!
P: God pours out God’s love as a cleansing lotion for our weary souls.
L: God’s love is healing!
P: God’s healing balm soothes and comforts us.
L: God’s love is generous!
P: God continually reaches out for us and helps us throughout all our lives.
L: Thanks be to God for such extravagant, healing, generous love.
P: AMEN.
Call to Worship #3:
[Using THE UNITED METHODIST HYMNAL, p. 367 “He Touched Me”, offer the following call to worship as directed]
L: We enter the house of the Lord as people upon whom God’s love has been lavished.
P: God, through Jesus Christ, has healed and restored us.
L: We enter this time of worship in gratitude for all God’s blessings.
P: God, through Jesus Christ, reaches out to comfort and bless us.
L: O how wondrous is God’s touch in our lives!
P: How magnificent are God’s blessings and love for us.
ALL: singing “He Touched Me”, UMH p. 367
Call to Worship #4:
L: Jesus said that we should love each other as he loves each of us.
P: God rejoices at our love and compassion for others.
L: Sometimes we let prejudice and fear get in our way.
P: But when we truly confess our sins, God will forgive us.
L: Let us worship God and rejoice in God’s love.
P: Let us praise God who forgives and restores us to life. AMEN.
PRAYERS, LITANY/READING, BENEDICTION
Opening Prayer:
Open our hearts today, Lord, to feel the power of your extravagant love for us. Help us to be free of our fears and prejudices so that we may see your love in action in the lives of others. Comfort and calm our spirits in readiness for us to become your disciples. For we ask this in Jesus’ Name. AMEN.
Prayer of Confession:
Gracious and Forgiving Lord, in these times when we feel pressured from all sides about how we feel about people who differ from us, we need your hand of love and patience. From every corner we are confronted with issues of terror and fear. We draw into ourselves, fearful that someone is out to get us, to hurt us, to make our lives miserable. Life is so much more complicated today than it was in previous years. You, too, Lord, were confronted by fear and alienation. You stood strong in the presence of prejudice and alienation, voicing support for those who lived lives of love and compassion. Forgive us when we so easily are offended and take sides, perceiving that we are personally being threatened. Help us to take the time to get to know others, to see you at work within their lives. Open our hearts to feel the healing power of your love. Strengthen us to truly be your disciples, proclaiming your transforming love through our words and our deeds. For we ask this in Jesus’ Name. AMEN.
Words of Assurance:
In this world of fear and hurt, God is with us, offering healing balm and comforting peace. We are loved by God, even though we are imperfect. We are loved eternally. Be at peace and rest in God’s complete love. AMEN.
Pastoral Prayer:
Patient God, how it must cause you sorrow when we erect walls of fear and condemnation when you would have us build bridges of peace. We want to hold onto things and push away people who differ from us. We want to grasp and grab for all that we can get, not understanding that it is we who have proclaimed this to be a place where all are welcome. In the midst of the turmoil and terror stands your church, built with love and hope for healing. Let us truly be the church you have called us to be. Help us to break down barriers that divide people and build bridges of extravagant love that others may know of your love for us. As we have brought before you this day the names and situations of our dear ones who need your healing touch, may we be reminded that healing needs to take place in our hearts also. Surround us with your care. Bring us to places of hope and compassion, offering to build rather than demolish, offering to listen rather than pronounce our own ideas. Remind us that you are the God of all the people, seeking hope and healing for each one. For it is in this extravagant love of yours that we have our very hope and lives. AMEN.
Litany/Reading:
L: In the midst of fear, we are called to be the church of hope.
P: Call us to be lovingly bold in our faith.
L: In the midst of sorrow, we are called to be the church of comfort.
P: Call us to be lovingly compassionate in our deeds.
L: In the midst of alienation, we are called to be the church of unity
P: Call us to be lovingly responsive to the needs of others.
L: In the midst of anger, we are called to be the church of peace.
P: Call us to be those who would build bridges of peace and communication.
L: Help us hear the cries of those in need.
P: Help us feel the sorrow of those who are lost and alone.
L: Help us reach out to each other in your love.
P: Help us to be the church of trust and witness to your will, O God. AMEN.
Benediction:
As God’s extravagant love has been poured out for you and on you, go now into God’s world offering healing hope and love to all, building bridges of peace wherever you go. AMEN.
ARTISTIC ELEMENTS
The traditional color for this Sunday is Green.
Author's Note: This Sunday I have been struck with the images of extravagant love and the need to build bridges of healing rather than barriers which cause alienation. So the worship setting will reflect this concept. The break in the wall represents the power of Jesus’ love to break through our barriers, and the jar/pitcher of ointment, spilled out over and under the bricks and rubble, represent the extravagant compassion of Christ.
Surface:
Place several risers, about 3” in height, on the worship center. One of the risers should be at the center back - on this riser you will place a cross. Place a riser in front of the worship center, somewhat to the right.
Fabric:
Although the traditional color for this day is green, I am suggesting that you cover the worship center with burlap, making sure that it covers the riser in front and puddles on the floor. A small piece of shiny pale blue fabric will be needed for the pitcher.
Candles:
Place a 4” pillar candle, color of your choice, on each of the other two risers on the worship center.
Flowers/Foliage:
Use “spiky” plants on the floor in front of the worship center, and one or two small plants on the worship center itself.
Rocks/Wood:
If it is possible, find old bricks and build a wall that goes across the worship center (the wall should be about 3-4 bricks high). At the center of the wall, remove the bricks so that they look as though they have been broken down - the Cross on the riser should appear behind this break in the wall. Other rough stones and bricks should be placed as though they are rubble on the worship center and on the riser in front of the worship center.
Other:
Place a terra cotta bowl or pitcher, resting over on its side, slightly in front of the broken opening of the wall, as though its contents have been poured out. You may use a piece of pale blue shiny fabric coming from the pitcher and spilling out over and under the bricks.read more
PULPIT RESOURCE
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Welcome to the new Pulpit Resource from Will Willimon. For over three decades Pulpit Resource helps preachers prepare to preach. Now in partnership with Abingdon Press, this homiletical weekly is available with fresh and timely accessibility to a new generation of preachers.
No sermon is a solo production. Every preacher relies on inherited models, mentors in the preacher’s past, commentaries on biblical texts by people who have given their lives to such study, comments received from members of the congregation, last week’s news headlines, and all the other things that make a sermon communal.
No Christian does anything on their own. We live through the witness of the saints; preachers of the past inspire us and judge us. Scripture itself is a product of the community of faith. A host of now-forgotten teachers taught us how to speak. Nobody is born a preacher.
Pulpit Resource is equivalent to sitting down with a trusted clergy friend over a cup of coffee and asking, “What will you preach next Sunday?” Whenever I’ve been asked by new preachers, “How can I develop as a preacher?” my usual response is, “Get in a group of preachers. Meet regularly. Learn how to give and how to receive help. Sort through the advice of others, and utilize helpful insights.”
That’s Pulpit Resource.
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THE BEGINNING OF FAITH
GALATIANS 2:15-21
The theological arguments that Paul writes in Galatians 2:15-21 are precipitated by a much more practical problem—racial division. Paul took Peter to task over the issue of Gentile believers' freedom from obedience to Jewish ceremonial law (v. 14). He reminds Peter and everyone else present for the dinner meeting that to withdraw from the table of fellowship because of eating with Gentiles was hypocritical, inconsistent, and prejudicial. The gospel Jesus proclaimed brought salvation for both Jews and Gentiles by way of the cross and union with God. Peter's actions could be detrimental to the church's future.
Paul took a courageous stand socially and an indispensable stand spiritually for the whole future of God's church. The consequences were important to that generation and for each successive generation until Jesus returns. Following the social stand comes the theological base.
I. The Law Had Its Place—Defining Sin
The law Peter was following in his withdrawal from the dinner fellowship was the "ceremonial" law of the Jews. It was a cultic statute commanded by God in Old Testament times. These ceremonial laws followed the lines of regulations governing the sanctuary, offerings, circumcision, food, feasts, and festivals. These ceremonial laws were topologies waiting for fulfillment that would come only in Jesus. Peter misinterpreted these ceremonial laws as God's moral law.
The moral law is eternal and absolutely reflected in God's character. Moral laws cannot be changed. People cannot fulfill those demands on a human level. The law functions as a tutorial process to show people their sinfulness, but also their salvation through Jesus, who came to fulfill the law, not to destroy it.
II. Faith Has Its Place—Defining Salvation
The law points to a need for salvation. Faith places that need squarely on the answer—Jesus, the only hope of redemption. Paul tells us that Jesus brings a new law, "the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1-2). Thus the ceremonial law is negated and faith unifies both Jew and Gentile by putting them on the same footing.
Paul believed that the Gentiles had a firm grip on faith as a steadfast, trustworthy reliance upon God through Jesus Christ just as the Jewish brothers did. Salvation is for every Jew and Gentile alike as they reach out voluntarily to Jesus for forgiveness of sin.
III. Grace Has Its Place—Defining Righteousness
Grace points to a righteousness that leads to holiness. Richard Taylor skillfully wrote: "It is not totally accurate to say that grace is the undeserved favor of God toward sinful man, especially if this be interpreted statically. God's grace is dynamic. It is God's love in action empowering those whom God regards with favor. Even so, it is clear that grace excludes every pretense of merit on the part of the recipient; any legal conception of religion is excluded. Grace is God's free, unmerited, and nonlegal way of dealing with sinful man" (Beacon Dictionary of Theology [Kansas City: Beacon Hill Press of Kansas City, 1983], p. 240).
Paul understood grace and dramatically conveyed that to Peter and the Jewish believers. (Derl G. Keefer)
A CLASSIC CASE OF CONTRASTING CHARACTERS
LUKE 7:36–8:3
The narrative in today's text demonstrates a classic case of "contrasts." The three main characters are Simon the Pharisee, a sinful woman (probably a prostitute), and Jesus. As I understand the story, Simon has invited Jesus to dine with him and some other guests. While there, an unnamed prostitute enters the house and begins to display deep gratitude to Jesus. She begins by crying tears of joy and wetting the feet of Jesus and then wiping them dry with her hair. She then kisses his feet and pours her expensive perfume on them. She responds this way because Jesus had earlier forgiven her of her sins (before the narration of this specific event). The reason for this understanding of the events is due to the fact that some have convincingly pointed out that if the woman was forgiven only after having done these things to Jesus, then it goes contrary to the entire point of the story Jesus told to Simon. The point of Jesus' story was to teach that when a person is forgiven much, they love much in return and when they are forgiven little, they love little in return. The woman was obviously forgiven much to show such love in return.
Within this narrative we find three stark contrasts. These take place between Simon and the other two characters and involve their contrasting views and attitudes toward sinners, sin and forgiveness, and Jesus.
I. The Contrast Between Simon and Jesus: Their Response to Sinners
Simon, being a good Pharisee, would have kept his distance from sinners, such as this woman, for fear of becoming unclean and for fear that their sin might rub off on him (the word Pharisee means, "separated one"). He also had an image to uphold and a good name to protect. His disdain and disgust for sinners like her would be apparent by his attitude toward them. His self-righteousness would render Simon unable to forgive.
Jesus, however, let sinners, like this woman, touch him and get near him. He didn't keep his distance. Instead, Jesus often sought them out. And if they came into his presence, he didn't run away. By being close, by listening, by being accessible, Jesus let sinners like this prostitute know that God cared and that they could be forgiven. He showed compassion and when they responded, Jesus forgave.
II. The Contrast Between Simon and the Woman: Their Response to Sin and Forgiveness
In response to sin, Simon can sure see it in others but not in his own life. He is an eagle-eyed sin hunter when it comes to spotting sin in the lives of other people, like the woman. But his eyes seem to fail him when he looks at his own life of sin. But not only is Simon blind to his own sin, but he also fails to see that Jesus is the source of forgiveness. The result was that Simon loved little, both God and others.
The woman, however, has seen her own sin most clearly. She is strongly aware of the sin in her own life and, therefore, not hunting for sin in the lives of others, including Simon. In the end, her awareness of sin leads her to seek God's forgiveness through Jesus. The result was that the woman loved much, both God and others.
III. The Contrast Between Simon and the Woman: Their Response to Jesus
Finally, both Simon and the woman responded differently to Jesus. Simon furnished no water, no towel, no kiss, and no oil to Jesus as he entered Simon's house. This behavior displayed, at best, indifference and at worst, disrespect. But the woman spontaneously offered her tears, her hair, her kisses, and her perfume in a touching display of love and gratitude.
Interesting, isn't it? For it appears that those who see their own sin, can also see Jesus as the source of forgiveness while those who see only the sin of others and are blind to their own sin are also blind to who Jesus really is and what he can do for them.
How many Christians are more like Simon than Jesus when it comes to relating and responding to sinners? How many Christians act more like Simon than the woman when it comes to responding to sin in their lives? And how many Christians, even after coming to Jesus, are still better at seeing the sin in others than in themselves? How does your life contrast with Simon and the woman? (Michael M. Jones)read more
GALATIANS 2:15-21
The theological arguments that Paul writes in Galatians 2:15-21 are precipitated by a much more practical problem—racial division. Paul took Peter to task over the issue of Gentile believers' freedom from obedience to Jewish ceremonial law (v. 14). He reminds Peter and everyone else present for the dinner meeting that to withdraw from the table of fellowship because of eating with Gentiles was hypocritical, inconsistent, and prejudicial. The gospel Jesus proclaimed brought salvation for both Jews and Gentiles by way of the cross and union with God. Peter's actions could be detrimental to the church's future.
Paul took a courageous stand socially and an indispensable stand spiritually for the whole future of God's church. The consequences were important to that generation and for each successive generation until Jesus returns. Following the social stand comes the theological base.
I. The Law Had Its Place—Defining Sin
The law Peter was following in his withdrawal from the dinner fellowship was the "ceremonial" law of the Jews. It was a cultic statute commanded by God in Old Testament times. These ceremonial laws followed the lines of regulations governing the sanctuary, offerings, circumcision, food, feasts, and festivals. These ceremonial laws were topologies waiting for fulfillment that would come only in Jesus. Peter misinterpreted these ceremonial laws as God's moral law.
The moral law is eternal and absolutely reflected in God's character. Moral laws cannot be changed. People cannot fulfill those demands on a human level. The law functions as a tutorial process to show people their sinfulness, but also their salvation through Jesus, who came to fulfill the law, not to destroy it.
II. Faith Has Its Place—Defining Salvation
The law points to a need for salvation. Faith places that need squarely on the answer—Jesus, the only hope of redemption. Paul tells us that Jesus brings a new law, "the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1-2). Thus the ceremonial law is negated and faith unifies both Jew and Gentile by putting them on the same footing.
Paul believed that the Gentiles had a firm grip on faith as a steadfast, trustworthy reliance upon God through Jesus Christ just as the Jewish brothers did. Salvation is for every Jew and Gentile alike as they reach out voluntarily to Jesus for forgiveness of sin.
III. Grace Has Its Place—Defining Righteousness
Grace points to a righteousness that leads to holiness. Richard Taylor skillfully wrote: "It is not totally accurate to say that grace is the undeserved favor of God toward sinful man, especially if this be interpreted statically. God's grace is dynamic. It is God's love in action empowering those whom God regards with favor. Even so, it is clear that grace excludes every pretense of merit on the part of the recipient; any legal conception of religion is excluded. Grace is God's free, unmerited, and nonlegal way of dealing with sinful man" (Beacon Dictionary of Theology [Kansas City: Beacon Hill Press of Kansas City, 1983], p. 240).
Paul understood grace and dramatically conveyed that to Peter and the Jewish believers. (Derl G. Keefer)
A CLASSIC CASE OF CONTRASTING CHARACTERS
LUKE 7:36–8:3
The narrative in today's text demonstrates a classic case of "contrasts." The three main characters are Simon the Pharisee, a sinful woman (probably a prostitute), and Jesus. As I understand the story, Simon has invited Jesus to dine with him and some other guests. While there, an unnamed prostitute enters the house and begins to display deep gratitude to Jesus. She begins by crying tears of joy and wetting the feet of Jesus and then wiping them dry with her hair. She then kisses his feet and pours her expensive perfume on them. She responds this way because Jesus had earlier forgiven her of her sins (before the narration of this specific event). The reason for this understanding of the events is due to the fact that some have convincingly pointed out that if the woman was forgiven only after having done these things to Jesus, then it goes contrary to the entire point of the story Jesus told to Simon. The point of Jesus' story was to teach that when a person is forgiven much, they love much in return and when they are forgiven little, they love little in return. The woman was obviously forgiven much to show such love in return.
Within this narrative we find three stark contrasts. These take place between Simon and the other two characters and involve their contrasting views and attitudes toward sinners, sin and forgiveness, and Jesus.
I. The Contrast Between Simon and Jesus: Their Response to Sinners
Simon, being a good Pharisee, would have kept his distance from sinners, such as this woman, for fear of becoming unclean and for fear that their sin might rub off on him (the word Pharisee means, "separated one"). He also had an image to uphold and a good name to protect. His disdain and disgust for sinners like her would be apparent by his attitude toward them. His self-righteousness would render Simon unable to forgive.
Jesus, however, let sinners, like this woman, touch him and get near him. He didn't keep his distance. Instead, Jesus often sought them out. And if they came into his presence, he didn't run away. By being close, by listening, by being accessible, Jesus let sinners like this prostitute know that God cared and that they could be forgiven. He showed compassion and when they responded, Jesus forgave.
II. The Contrast Between Simon and the Woman: Their Response to Sin and Forgiveness
In response to sin, Simon can sure see it in others but not in his own life. He is an eagle-eyed sin hunter when it comes to spotting sin in the lives of other people, like the woman. But his eyes seem to fail him when he looks at his own life of sin. But not only is Simon blind to his own sin, but he also fails to see that Jesus is the source of forgiveness. The result was that Simon loved little, both God and others.
The woman, however, has seen her own sin most clearly. She is strongly aware of the sin in her own life and, therefore, not hunting for sin in the lives of others, including Simon. In the end, her awareness of sin leads her to seek God's forgiveness through Jesus. The result was that the woman loved much, both God and others.
III. The Contrast Between Simon and the Woman: Their Response to Jesus
Finally, both Simon and the woman responded differently to Jesus. Simon furnished no water, no towel, no kiss, and no oil to Jesus as he entered Simon's house. This behavior displayed, at best, indifference and at worst, disrespect. But the woman spontaneously offered her tears, her hair, her kisses, and her perfume in a touching display of love and gratitude.
Interesting, isn't it? For it appears that those who see their own sin, can also see Jesus as the source of forgiveness while those who see only the sin of others and are blind to their own sin are also blind to who Jesus really is and what he can do for them.
How many Christians are more like Simon than Jesus when it comes to relating and responding to sinners? How many Christians act more like Simon than the woman when it comes to responding to sin in their lives? And how many Christians, even after coming to Jesus, are still better at seeing the sin in others than in themselves? How does your life contrast with Simon and the woman? (Michael M. Jones)read more
WORSHIP FOR KIDS: JUNE 12, 2016 by Carolyn C. Brown
From a Child's Point of View
Old Testament: I Kings 21:1-10 (11-14), 15-21a. This is the story of Ahab's murder of Naboth in order to get his vineyard. The message in the story is simple: God cares about us and pays attention to what we do. God will not allow Naboth's unjust death to go unnoticed, nor will God let Ahab continually get away with such terrible behavior. Younger children, who generally make moral decisions in order to avoid punishment or to claim rewards, respond especially quickly to this message. Older children may realize that not all evildoers are caught as Ahab was. Indeed, some seem to profit by their evil actions.
Gospel: Luke 7:36 –8:3. This is a story (7:41-42) within a story (7:36-50), followed by a tag-along story (8:1-3).
When the verses 41-50 are read alone, they provide a counterpoint to the story of Ahab. Although God cares about what we do, we do not need to earn God's love. Jesus loved the sinful woman as much as he loved the "good" Simon. The only difference was that the woman was very sorry about what she had done, so she was a lot more appreciative of God's love than Simon was.
The good news for the children who get in fights, are frequently punished, and are constantly told that they do not do what they should, is that God loves them in spite of their deeds. God is willing to forgive, even when parents, teachers, and friends are not.
It is also a call to "good" kids/people not to think they are any better than those who do not go to church as we do, or who are not as kind as we are, or who fail to meet our standards in any area. If God loves "bad" kids/people and accepts them, they should be good enough for us. In fact, Jesus tells us a sober secret: Sometimes people who have had to be forgiven many times are more loving than those who have always been good. It takes a while for children to grasp that secret, but it is a truth that especially those who are growing up as "good" kids need to encounter.
An entire service also could be constructed around the women who traveled with Jesus and his male disciples Luke 8:1-3). Worshipers of all ages can enjoy learning about those women and imagining how they got along.
Psalm: 5:1-8. This psalmist moves from the recognition of sin to the acceptance of both God's judgment and grace, to the petition for God's help in avoiding sin in the future. Children, however, do not follow this progression. Instead, they catch occasional phrases (especially in verses 4-6). To them, the psalm makes most sense as a prayer that might have been prayed by Ahab or the woman in Luke's story.
Epistle: Galatians 2:15-21. This passage will mean nothing to children when they hear it read. The sentences are too complex, and the vocabulary is both too abstract and too technical. But its message is very similar to Luke's message: God loves us. Jesus came to live among us and die for us to prove that God loves us. So we do not need to pile up good deeds or perfect-attendance awards to make God like us.
Watch Words
Avoid obsolete words about sin such as transgressions and abominations. Speak instead of sin and doing what is wrong. Remember that children are most likely to have heard the word righteous in reference to unattractive self-righteousness.
Rather than speaking of vindication or justification, talk of God's forgiving love and being friends with God.
Avoid Paul's use of the Law as a catch phrase for earning approval by keeping God's rules. Elementary children are at the stage of moral development in which rules and laws are seen as good ways to live, work, and play together. They make moral decisions in reference to rules and laws. Paul's image is confusing because it sounds like a put-down of all rules and laws, rather than a challenge to the Pharisee's use of God's Law.
Also tell younger children what a vineyard is.
Let the Children Sing
Child-accessible hymns about sin and forgiveness are hard to find. The vocabulary and images in the most familiar ones make little sense to children. It may be a good day to sing "Jesus Loves Me." (In deference to older children, who often resent the request for children to sing this song for adults, sing it together). Or sing "There's a Wideness in God's Mercy." Simple commitment hymns such as "Be Thou My Vision" or "Lord, I Want to Be a Christian" are good second choices.
The Liturgical Child
1. The story of Ahab has all the marks of a morality play. So take advantage of the children's summer schedules or a willing children's church-school class to produce a simple play. With only one good rehearsal, as few as seven children (Ahab, Jezebel, Naboth, at least one town leader, two false witnesses, and Elijah) can pantomime the story while the worship leader reads it. Simple costumes and props help. In rehearsal, help the children act with their whole bodies as well as with their faces.
2. Base a prayer of confession on the story of Ahab:
Lord, God, Ahab and Jezebel seem absolutely terrible until we look at ourselves. When we are honest, we admit that, like Ahab, we get jealous of what others have, then mope if we cannot have it for ourselves. Like Jezebel, we twist, and even break the rules in order to get what we want. We act as if we are somehow special and need not follow your commands. Like Ahab, we have done the wrong that others have suggested, hoping you would blame them and not us. Forgive us. Forgive us for the wrongs we do and for all the ways we deny and try to cover them up. Amen.
Assurance of Pardon: The Bible tells us that when Ahab confessed his terrible sins to God and asked for forgiveness, God forgave even him. Jesus has promised that God also will forgive us when we confess. There is nothing so sinful that it cannot be confessed to, and forgiven by, the God who loves us so much that Jesus came to live and die and rise among us.
3. Before reading Luke's story, place on the lectern a "flask of ointment" (maybe a decorative perfume bottle) and 11 cardboard coins. Explain that each coin is worth 50 denarii. Put one denarii by itself and count out the other 10 into a stack, pointing out that there are 50 denarii in one stack and 500 in the other. Urge the children to listen for each of these items in the story you will read from Luke. Point to the items as you come to them in the story.
For dramatic emphasis and clarity, present the story as a one-person play. As you read the narrative, face forward in the lectern. While reading the Pharisee's words, turn a little to one side; while reading Jesus' words, turn a little to the other side. Imagine that the woman is kneeling on the floor a little behind Jesus. Assume the roles of Jesus and Simon with your facial expression and hand movements as you read their parts.
Sermon Resources
1. Recall how Pinocchio's wooden nose grew every time he told a lie. He learned that one lie led to another and that he could not hide his sins. Compare the experiences of Ahab, Pinocchio, and ourselves in pretending that our sinful actions do not matter.
2. Words by Heart, by Ouida Sebestyen, is a powerful novel about an African American girl in post-Civil War Kansas, who learns to live by all the Bible verses she has memorized. She learns from her father to love and forgive a white family that causes his death. (Available in most public libraries.)read more
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Ministry Matters
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Ministry Matters
2222 Rosa L. Parks Boulevard
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