What Happened?

Biblical Text: Mark 9:30-37

For me I feel like this sermon is slightly different. Sermons are this cycle of meditation from text to life to text to life. Most of mine start with the text. Back at the start of the week I translate everything. Try and discern what the text is talking about in some platonic way. This is always a little false because the bible, the sacred text, isn’t some hermetically sealed away thing. The text itself springs from some lived reality. But I try and answer the general drift. And then I start asking question of how does this intersect with life right now. It is in that intersection that dogmatic or theological questions can help shed light and be asked fruitfully. How is the law felt here? How does the gospel come to us? And eventually I have to move to preaching it. My general outline, which can be mixed around, but I tend to think the standard works best for preaching flow is the ancient four-fold meaning: Literal Text (which bounds things), Christological (what does the text say about Christ and how does it intersect with us), Moral (How then shall we live), and Eschatological (Where are we heading, or what is the promise we are living into). I usually craft an introduction last. Hopefully an artful open door into the meditation that follows.

But this sermon started with a conversation. The introduction is not a conclusion, but an honest inquiry. Hence it is a bit longer. And what follows is an attempt to give an honest answer. And that answer implies both moral and eschatological charges to those who would believe. The question was simply: What Happened? Longer: Why did the American church seem to break between the boomer and the X generations and continue to break continuity? That is tied into fears both in the current about viability and in the future about my kids and the faith. This sermon is an attempt to answer.

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Revelation and Challenge

Biblical Text: 1 John 3:1-3 (Psalm 136)
Full Sermon Draft

Today was All Saints (observed) on the church calendar. In Lutheran circles All Saints is not a celebration of some spiritual elite but the celebration of the church in all its dimensions – the church militant, the church at rest, and the longed for church triumphant. Given special notice are those who have entered rest in the past year of the congregation’s life. Because of this juxtaposition of those of us still struggling and those at rest, as well as its position toward the end of the church year, it opens itself to a meditation on our now and not yet existence. Now we are children of God; not yet do we fully know what that means. That is John’s writing. We see the Love of God, but every time we see it, it is met with challenge. Satan challenges it, the world refuses to see it, and even our own weary flesh can challenge what has been revealed to us. God loves us. When Christ appears, we will be like him in glory, in that resurrection body. We know this because we’ve seen it, or have accepted the witness of the apostles. That is what we know by faith and by hope. And because we hope, we live into that not-yet reality now. “We purify ourselves as he is pure.” No, we will not always be successful. But blessed are those who hunger for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.

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Proclamation and Reaction

Biblical Text: Luke 4:31-44
Full Sermon Draft

The text for the day shows people who are captured and oppressed by that unholy trinity of the devil, the world and our flesh. Simon’s mother-in-law running a high fever (flesh), the demon possessed man (devil) and the crowds (world) all are healed. They all have the release proclaimed to them. The all recognize the authority of the Word of Jesus. But they all have different reactions. They are all freed. The devil, the world and the flesh are all rebuked, but only one of the reactions is appropriate.

After three Sunday’s looking at how we see God through the sacraments, the theme this Sunday was the proclaimed word. And while we can say we see God in the Word (especially THE WORD, Jesus Christ), that seeing function is more answered by the sacraments. God has instituted and promised to be present in Water, Bread, Wine and absolution. Those are something physical that we can “see”. The proclaimed word is more about answering that second order question, how do we know we’ve seen? We know we’ve seen because someone has told us and we believe that testimony. Our belief influences what we see. We can see the sacraments because we believe, because the Holy Spirit has created eyes of faith. But the orthodox faith doesn’t just push something called fideism, or faith in faith. Out faith does not rest on an emotional desire or something we gin up in ourselves. Saving faith rests on the Word. The proclaimed word brings forth a reaction. Preachers don’t (or shouldn’t) proclaim themselves or feelings or vague movements. Preachers proclaim the Word. And THE WORD is Jesus Christ. How do we know we know? Christ told us. It all rests on him. Who do you say he is? What is your reaction to the proclamation?

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