Competitive Suffering

Biblical Text: Luke 13:1-9, Ezekiel 33:7-20

The Gospel Lesson for the day is one of the great teachings of Christianity even though it is not explicitly in the creeds. It is one of the teachings that you won’t really find in world religions and goes contrary to our natural intuition. And that is its teaching about suffering. Our intuition and most of world religion teaching about suffering would fall under the idea of karma – “you get what you deserve.” That might be a little crass, the more refined teachings might allow for some randomness or spread over time, or multiple lives, but the gap between crass and refined isn’t that great. Nothing compared to Jesus outright rejection that suffering tells us anything about the status of an individual soul. Suffering in Christian thought, the kind the spurs thought – that of the innocent – is only good for two things. First the recognition of the general sinfulness of the world, and second as a sign calling for repentance. The cross, the place of the suffering of the truly innocent, is the ultimate call to repentance. It is also the place where we see the guilt of the entire world paid for. The Christian cannot look at suffering and derive a moral status hierarchy. Because we all deserve that cross.

Jesus proceeds to talk about fruitfulness. The parable he tells is mostly about a truer theodicy. God who is after repentance, faith and fruitfulness is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. The soul is given plenty of time, support and chance by God. But if suffering cannot be used as an external sign of faithfulness and love. Fruitfulness can. The parable contemplates the soul planted in grace that bears no fruit. It just takes up ground. It is not works righteousness to encourage fruitfulness. The soul where repentance has taken root will produce the outward signs of faithfulness towards god and love for the neighbor. The sermon meditates on these two movements: suffering and fruitfulness.

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Hearing the Voice of the Shepherd

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Biblical Text: Acts 20:17-35

This Sunday is typically “Good Shepherd” Sunday. The Gospel text comes from John 10. The key verse of that being “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” The first reading assigned in from the end of Acts. And why it is paired up with the Gospel reading is because it is the answer to the natural question: How do the sheep hear the voice? This sermon meditates on the answer based on Paul’s “good-bye” message to the Ephesian Elders.

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If You Find Me Faithful, Come and Stay

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Biblical Text: Acts 16:6-15

The New Testament is about Jesus. Knowing Jesus as Paul would be the first to say is the only important thing. But Jesus is perfect. Jesus is a plumb line, a measuring rod. When you look at Jesus he is true man. The struggle around Jesus is all about how people react to this truth. Paul though is a character all about struggle. Because he is THE Apostle I think we miss just how great were Paul’s struggles. Not only against those opposed to the gospel, but also against himself. It pulses in his writings. And if we read carefully, Luke shows us as well. Paul is The Apostle because he shows us the living faith which includes a need for the gospel and a growth in Christ.

This sermon examines Paul’s struggles around the start of the 2nd missionary journey. Struggles with individuals, struggles with the Spirit, and struggles with self. Paul finds his way to faithfulness in his response to the vision to come and his actions. And he hears the invitation, “come and stay”. The sermon invites us to ponder for ourselves, what are our invitations to faithfulness.

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Be Opened – The Kingdom Inbreaking in Unexpected Ways

Biblical Text: Mark 7:31-37
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This sermon is based on a “level 2” reading of the Gospel of Mark. What I mean by level 2 is that to make the connections necessary you have to look at the locations, characters and actions of what is being told and assume that the writer picked this story specifically to carry meaning. The deaf and mute man was chosen because his disabilities and their healings are symbolic for what the Kingdom of God is doing on a larger level. The first part of the sermon hopefully establishes at least the plausibility of that level 2 reading. The second attempts to apply it to our situation.

Doctrinally this puts me in the realm of election and sanctification. The sermon is about the tension or specific actions that these doctrines call for.

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By what authority…?

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This is sermon is one of those all or nothing affairs. Its football season, so I’ll use a football analogy. Sometimes you are handing the ball to the running back on a dive play. Its going to get roughly 3 yards and move the chains. Most sermons move the chains. Teaching is moving the chains. Sometimes the dive play opens up and you get a 20 yard scamper. Sometimes in sermons you don’t just teach but can inspire as well. And then there are the go routes. You tell your fastest receiver to go. You hold the ball as long as you can without being sacked, and then you throw it as far down the field as you can hoping that speedy guy runs under it. It is all or nothing with a side possibility of a turnover.

Jesus took his chances. He was always asking ‘who do you say I am?’ It’s an all or nothing question. The specific topic is stewardship. Churches need tithes and offerings to operate. But stewardship is a secondary question. If you haven’t committed to an answer to the authority the church works under, then stewardship is just dues. So stewardship sermons ask that primary question. Who do you say the crucified one is?

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