Mary Teaches Us To Praise

 Mary's Song of Praise or Magnificat, as it is often known, is the psalm appointed for the 4th Sunday of Advent in the Year of Luke.  The text is Luke 1:46b-55.  Luther says that in this hymn of praise Mary teaches us how to love and praise God.  It will be the preacher's joy to do this.

(The following questions have been developed to highlight the way the Word functions in the text, a primary concern of Law and Gospel preachers. This is a primary concern since the way the Word functions is the way the sermon must function, at least in part. For more on this method and on Law and Gospel preaching in general, see my brief guide, Afflicting the Comfortable, Comforting the Afflicted, available from wipfandstock.com or amazon.)

1.  How does the Word function in the text?  The Word here is pure Gospel, an announcement of what God has done.  Not only does Mary announce the mercy shown to her, but God's mercy shown to all generations.

2.  How is the Word not functioning in the text?  There is no word here exposing our need of Christ, nor is there any call to repentance.  That being said, the "proud in their hearts," the powerful, and the rich all are put on notice.  In short, the Law is absent for Mary and those like her, but for those whom God has judged, the Law is very much present.

3.  With whom are you identifying in the text?  This is an important question. If we identify with Mary and those who have experienced God's favor, we are rejoicing.  If we identify with the rich and powerful, we are called to repentance.

4.  What, if any, call to obedience is there in this text?  There is no call to obedience in this text, no word inviting us to a certain response to God's grace.  Mary, however, is a perfect example of how to live in response to God's grace:  give praise.

5.  What Law/Gospel couplet is suggested by this text?  Taking the couplets present in the text we can imagine several:  lowly/raised up; hungry/filled; forgotten/remembered.

6.  Exegetical work:  Fred Craddock observes the use of the aorist verb tense in verses 51-55.  He says the following:  "...it is most striking that the lines that clearly refer to God's extraordinary justice and mercy in the future, in the end time (the eschaton) contain past tense verbs, not future verbs.  Why?  This particular use of the past tense (aorist) of the Greek language here expresses what is timelessly true: past, present, and future without differentiation."  (Interpretation series, Luke, p.30).  Levine and Witherington concur in their commentary:  "Mary is...prophesying:  the verbs in the hymn are in the aorist or past tense:  in Mary's imagination, God has already performed these social reversals. For Mary, the victory is already won." (New Cambridge Bible Commentary, The Gospel of Luke, p.42).  Luther, in his extended commentary on the Magnificat, also recognizes the timelessness of Mary's announcement:  "She found the promise fulfilled in herself; hence she says: 'It is now fulfilled; He has brought help and kept His word, solely in remembrance of His mercy.' Here we have the foundation of the Gospel and see why all its teaching and preaching drive men to faith in Christ and into Abraham's bosom."  (Luther's Works, vol. 21, "The Sermon on the Mount and The Magnificat," p.353).

7.  Consider the insights of the pioneers of the New Homiletic?  Eugene Lowry reminded us that the movement of the sermon is often best achieved by moving listeners from disequilibrium to equilibrium.  It might be worth considering how it is that we rarely are caught up in the joy of Mary.  Are we the proud, the powerful, and the rich, and so, unable to identify with the lowly, unable to give praise and thanks to God?

Blessings on your proclamation!

Praising the Visitation of the Most High

 

Luke 1:68-79 is the psalm appointed for the 2nd Sunday in Advent in the Year of Luke. This follows a pattern during the Advent season of taking a psalm from Scripture other than the psalter.  This is a text easily overlooked, since Mary's song, just before it, is so often lifted up. This song of Zechariah, the aged priest and father, contains just as much good news as Mary's song.  It will be the preacher's joyful task to proclaim this good news.

(The following questions are not meant to be exhaustive, but have been developed to lift up the function of the Word in the text, a fundamental concern of Law and Gospel preachers.  These questions are best used in conjunction with other fine sets of questions available to exegetes.  For more on this method and on Law and Gospel preaching in general, see my brief guide, Afflicting the Comfortable, Comforting the Afflicted, available from wipfandstock.com or amazon.)

1.  How does the Word function in the text?  The Word functions as pure gospel here. The actor is God who is redeeming, keeping promises, and visiting God's people.

2.  How is the Word not functioning in the text?  The Word barely functions as Law here.  The mention, at the end of the passage, of those "who sit in darkness and the shadow of death," is the only mention of our need for a Savior.

3.  With whom are you identifying in the text?  We are those overhearing Zechariah's blessing, as well as his announcement to his new son, the infant John.  We are the ones overhearing the good news of God's promised visitation of God's people.

4.  What, if any, call to obedience is there in this text?  The Word functioning as an invitation to live in response to the Gospel is not here.  By inference, we might assume that John's call to proclaim the good news is our call as well.

5.  What Law/Gospel couplet is suggested by this text?  Drawing on the vocabulary near the end of the passage, we might offer these couplets:  sitting in darkness/embraced by the light; walking in the shadow of death/living in the freedom of the Gospel.

6.  Exegetical work:  It is clear that the reformers viewed the enemies from whom we are saved (vs.71) as spiritual enemies, not physical ones.  An example of this is Johannes Brenz who said: "For Christ did not conquer the Egyptians or the Babylonians or even the Romans, ...but he overcame those enemies and delivered his people from all those things of which Paul speaks. The chief of these enemies is Satan, while the second is sin, into which Satan cast Adam by suggestion, and finally death and hell." (Reformation Commentary on Scripture, NT, vol. III, p. 41).  Amy-Jill Levine also turns in this direction:  "...here [in vs. 77] the job description changes; the salvation is determined by 'forgiveness of sins.'  The liberation is thus not (explicitly) from persecution or poverty, but from sin."  (New Cambridge Bible Commentary, The Gospel of Luke, p.47).  One important note from translating the text is the presence of the word "visited" in both verse 68 and 78.  In the NRSV vs. 68 is translated "looked favorably on" but the word, episkeptomai, can just as well be translated "visited."  Similarly in vs. 78, the same word is used, but this time it is translated in the NRSV as "will break upon us."  It might be helpful to ponder what a visitation by the Merciful Most High God might mean.

7.  Consider the insights of the pioneers of the New Homiletic?  Eugene Lowry insisted that a certain amount of tension or, as he said it, "disequilibrium," be part of any sermon.  How will this be done in this sermon of good news?

Blessings on your proclamation!

A Book of Comfort, A Promise of Affliction

 

Daniel 12:1-3 is the First Reading appointed for the 25th Sunday after Pentecost in the Year of Mark.  It is paired well with the "little apocalypse" from Mark 13, which is the appointed Gospel reading.  Scholars have long regarded the book of Daniel as a book of comfort and this brief passage is no exception.  It will be the preacher's task to bring this comfort to the listeners.

(The following questions have been developed to bring to light the function of the Word in the text. This is a fundamental concern of Law and Gospel preachers since the way the Word functions is the way the sermon must function, at least in part.  For more on this method and on Law and Gospel preaching in general, see my brief guide, Afflicting the Comfortable, Comforting the Afflicted, available from wipfandstock.com or amazon.)

1.  How does the Word function in the text?  In this brief passage we see the Word functioning as both Law and Gospel.  As Law, when we hear the promise that "a time of anguish" like none ever experienced will come upon the earth, and some of those who sleep will awake "to shame and everlasting contempt," and "evil shall increase."  All these are evidence that we need a Savior.  The Word functions as Gospel in an equally robust manner by promising that, amidst the strife, God's people will be delivered, they will awake to everlasting life, and those who are righteous will shine "like the stars forever and ever."

2.  With whom are you identifying in the text?  As baptized people of God we can confidently identify with those who are "found written in the book."  We might also consider identifying with those who are called to repentance, not presuming that our identify suspends our fallen nature.

3.  What, if any, call to obedience is there in this text?  The invitation to live in a certain manner in response to God's grace is not present in this text. 

4.  What Law/Gospel couplet is suggested by this text?  The language in the passage suggests the following couplets: shame and contempt/life eternal; darkness/brilliant light.

5.  Exegetical work:  The Lutheran Study Bible offers this summary of the book of Daniel, which may be especially relevant to this text from the final chapter:  "The message is clear: evil will not have the last word.  Usually seen here in the form of arrogant kings and kingdoms, evil is both upended in the stories and foreseen in the visions...in the short term the people of God live in a chaotic  and even violent world." (p. 1422).  John Calvin, in his commentary concurs:  "The church should be subject to most numerous and grievous calamities until the advent of Christ, but yet it should feel God's propitious disposition, insuring its own safety under his aid and protection."  (Reformation Commentary on Scripture, OT, vol. XII, p. 409).  Phillip Melanchthon summarizes the passage by stating four consolations he sees present in the text:  1) "... the church will not be completely destroyed but shall endure amid trials." 2) "... the future members of the church... are surrounded by the pure doctrine of the gospel [no matter where they are scattered]."  3) ... when the church endures persecution it is protected by the Son of God."  4) "... hardship will not continue forever."  (Ibid., pp. 409-410).

6.  Consider the insights of the pioneers of the New Homiletic?  Helping listeners recognize their shared story in the text was a key concern of Charles Rice.  We might ask how this text relates to our shared story in this moment in history.

Blessings on your proclamation!

Good News to a Weary People

 

Revelation 21:1-6a is the Second Reading appointed for All Saints Sunday in the Year of Mark.  Coming in the penultimate chapter of St. John's Revelation, it lays out what the new heaven and earth are revealed to be.  Prior to this text we are assured that Death and Satan have been defeated once and for all, and now we can rejoice in the new reality God is bringing in.  It will be the preacher's joyful task to proclaim this.

(The following questions are not meant to be exhaustive, but are best used in conjunction with other fine sets of questions available to exegetes. These questions have been developed to help the reader understand how the Word functions in the text, a fundamental concern of Law and Gospel preachers. For more on this method and on Law and Gospel preaching in general, see my brief guide, Afflicting the Comfortable, Comforting the Afflicted, available from wipfandstock.com or amazon.)

1.  How does the Word function in the text? The Word functions almost exclusively as Gospel here, announcing promise after promise regarding God's new heaven and earth.

2.  How is the Word not functioning in the text?  There is no Law in this text, unless one counts the mention of grief, pain, and "the former things" as hints of Law.  

3.  With whom are you identifying in the text?  We are the ones being spoken to - the people of God. We are the ones being promised a new heaven and a new earth, the promise that God makes all things new.

4.  What, if any, call to obedience is there in this text?  The Word sometimes functions to invite us to live in a certain way in response to the Gospel.  No such invitation is here.

5.  What Law/Gospel couplet is suggested by this text?  We could use some classic couplets like defeat/victory or death/life here.  We might also imagine other couplets using the language in the text, such as grieving/comforted; former things/new things.

6.  Exegetical work:  A number of commentators suggest that the new Jerusalem is a metaphor for God's people. This seems to fit since immediately following the announcement of the descent of the new Jerusalem, the voice says, "See, the home of God is among mortals."  Apringius of Beja, a sixth century exegete, wrote in his commentary on Revelation, that "the heavenly Jerusalem is the multitude of saints who will come with the Lord."  (Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, NT, vol. XII, p. 355).  Luther, in his commentary on Genesis, includes this piece:  "Who can adequately marvel at or comprehend this, namely, that God dwells with men?  This indeed is that heavenly Jerusalem which comes down out of heaven from God and has the splendor of God, as stated in Rev. 21:2.  This is the definition of the church in its essence: 'The church is the place or the people where God dwells for the purpose of bringing us into the kingdom of heaven, for it is the gate of heaven.'" (LW, vol. 5, "Lectures on Genesis; Chapters 26-30).  Eugene Boring, in his commentary, makes an interesting observation:  "The advent of the heavenly city does not abolish all human efforts to build a decent earthly civilization but fulfills them.  God does not make 'all new things,' but 'all things new.'" (Interpretation series, Revelation, p.220).  

7.  Consider the insights of the pioneers of the New Homiletic?  Fred Craddock, the 'dean' of this homiletical school, always urged preachers to bring the experience of the text to the listener, not just the content of the text.  Preachers will have to consider the experience of the first listeners and then consider how that experience meets the contemporary context.

Blessings on your proclamation!

God as Matchmaker

 Genesis 2:18-24 is the First Reading for the 20th Sunday after Pentecost in the Year of Mark.  This text is appointed to match the Gospel reading from Mark10, the so-called "divorce text."  It is an unusual text in that it clearly shows God's concern for humankind, while embedding that concern in an ancient story.  It will be the preacher's task to show clearly God's concern for all persons.

(The following questions are part of a method intended to lift up the way the Word functions in a text, a fundamental concern of Law and Gospel preachers.  This is a chief concern since the way the Word functions is the way the sermon must function, at least in part.  For more on this method, and on Law and Gospel preaching in general, see my brief guide, Afflicting the Comfortable, Comforting the Afflicted, available from wipfandstock.com or amazon.)

1.  How does the Word function in the text?  Since God's concern for humankind is clearly shown here, the Word in large part is functioning as Gospel.  God sees that it is not good for the man to be alone and so creates a companion. The man rejoices in God's provision for him.

2.  How is the Word not functioning in the text?  There is little hint of the Law here, little suggestion of our need for deliverance.  Nevertheless, God's statement that "it is not good that the man should be alone," is, by itself, an acknowledgement of our need for God's intervention.

3.  With whom are you identifying in the text?   The only one we can identify with here is the man.  He is the one being provided for by God.  He is the one rejoicing over God's provision.

4.  What, if any, call to obedience is there in this text?  There is no explicit command to obey here, but we might infer that a man "clinging to" (i.e. cherishing) his wife is a call to obedience.

5.  What Law/Gospel couplet is suggested by this text?  We might look simply to the action God takes here to formulate several couplets.  Some ideas:  alone/connected to another; without help/connected to other helpers.

6.  Exegetical work:  Nahum Sarna, in his commentary, notes that "curiously the extant literature of the ancient Near East has preserved no other account of the creation of primordial woman. The present narrative is therefore unique.... with the appearance of woman, creation is complete." (The JPS Torah Commentary, Genesis, p. 21).  Sarna also notes that the word translated "woman" (ishah), is derived from the word for "man" (ish), "which means [the man] acknowledges woman to be his equal.  (Ibid., p.23).  Johannes Brenz, a German reformer, also had something to say about equality:  "Our forbearers explained, not without insight, that woman was created not from a man's head or foot but from his side, to signify that woman should not lord it over the man or be a footstool for his feet, but be of equal right and dignity." (Reformation Commentary on Scripture, OT, vol. 1, p. 104).  Augustine also celebrated the wonder of this new creation:  "Therefore woman is as much the creation of God as man is.  If she was made from man, this was to show her oneness with him; and if she was made in the way she was, this was to prefigure the oneness of Christ and the church."  (Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, OT, vol. 1, p.70).  

Blessings on your proclamation!

Rejoice That Your Names Are Written in Heaven

 The minor festival of Michael and All Angels falls on the 19th Sunday of Pentecost this year, and as such we have a rare opportunity to observe this festival.  The texts naturally revolve around the subject of angelic beings and even include Revelation 12:7. one of only two texts (the other being Jude 9) where Michael is mentioned in scripture.  This might be a rare opportunity to talk about spiritual warfare, a topic that many mainline preachers are not familiar with.   The Gospel lesson appointed for the day is Luke 10: 17-20, the text we will look at below.

(The following questions are not meant to be exhaustive, but are best used in conjunction with other fine sets of questions available to exegetes. These questions have been developed to highlight the way the Word functions in the text, a fundamental concern of Law and Gospel preachers.  For more on this method and on Law and Gospel preaching in general, see my brief guide Afflicting the Comfortable, Comforting the Afflicted, available from wipfandstock.com or amazon.)

1.  How does the Word function in the text?  The Word functions almost exclusively as Gospel here, as we are assured of the power Christ has over the enemy.  We are also reminded that our names "are written in heaven."

2.   How is the Word not functioning in the text?  The Word does not function as Law in this text, except to the extent that we are reminded that we have real spiritual enemies.  Nevertheless, there is no call to repentance here.

3.  With whom are you identifying in the text?  It is usually wise to identify with those addressed by the Word, but here that is a challenge, since the seventy who hear these words are difficult for us to identify with.  We are not literally treading on scorpions and serpents, after all.  One place we can identify with the seventy is when we are reminded of our assured place in the kingdom.

4.  What, if any, call to obedience is there in this text?  The call to live life in a certain manner in response to the Gospel is not here.

5.  What Law/Gospel couplet is suggested by this text?  There is language in the text that lends itself to couplets if we use our imagination.  Some suggestions:  defeated/victorious; weakened/strengthened.

6.  Exegetical work:  When one looks at the commentaries on this text down through the ages, one soon realizes that  this tradition of the banishing of Satan from heaven has a number of interpretations.  Fifth century theologian, Cyril of Alexandria, surmises that the coming of the Christ is the time when Satan fell from heaven.  "...before the coming of the Savior [Satan] possessed the world.  All was subject to him...Since the only-begotten Word of God came down from heaven, he has fallen like lightning." (Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, NT, vol. III, p. 175).  Francois Lambert, the French reformer, imagined that Satan fell from heaven during the time that the seventy were sent out.  "[Jesus said], 'I was watching Satan.'  That is, 'he fell from the sky just like lightning during the amazing assault and I perceived then the destruction of every strength and cunning of Satan, so he will be able to do nothing to those who believe in me." (Reformation Commentary on Scripture, NT, vol. III, p. 220).  Luther also commented on this text, saying, "It is uncertain on what day the fall of the angels occurred, whether on the second or on the third [day of Creation]... We do not know whether the heavens at that time were finished or still crude and unfinished." (Luther's Works, vol. 1, "Lectures on Genesis," p. 150).  In his sermons on  the Gospel of John, Luther again tackles this text, now highlighting the penultimate verse in the text:  "'...and nothing shall hurt you.'  For I have placed in your mouth the Word which is My Word, and have given you the Baptism which is My Baptism; and through these I want to demonstrate my mighty power.  Now since we have such a treasure, we have everything and are lords over all lords.  On earth we are beggars, as Christ himself was; but before God we are bountifully blessed with all good things." (LW, vol. 24, "Sermons on the Gospel of John, Chapter 14-16, p. 84).

Blessings on your proclamation!

Watch Your Tongue

 

James 3:1-12 is the third in a series of texts from this book appointed during the Year of Mark. This passage is appointed for the 17th Week of Pentecost.  As is true of the whole book of James, this passage comes from the wisdom literature, most commonly found in the Hebrew Scriptures, but sprinkled throughout the New Testament.  It will be the preacher's task to proclaim this wisdom.

(The following questions are not meant to be exhaustive, but are best used in conjunction with other fine sets of questions with other concerns. These questions have been developed to help the exegete discover the function of the Word in the text, a fundamental concern of Law and Gospel preachers. For more on this method and on Law and Gospel preaching in general, see my brief guide, Afflicting the Comfortable, Comforting the Afflicted, available from wipfandstock.com  or amazon.)

1.  How does the Word function in the text? This passage is devoted almost solely to the dangers of the tongue (i.e. wicked speech).  The way this is done is by lifting up the power of the tongue to control and destroy.  Near the end of the passage, the writer seems to despair at the thought that the same tongue is used to bless and curse.  This is the Word functioning as Law, alerting us to our need for the Spirit, whose gifts are love, patience, kindness, and self-control, among others.

2.  How is the Word not functioning in the text?  There is no Gospel word here, no word that proclaims God's embrace, or God's work in Christ.

3.  With whom are you identifying in the text?  We, as readers, are being spoken to here. We identify with the audience to whom this was written.  We need to "watch our tongues" as well.

4.  What, if any, call to obedience is there in this text?  In some ways, this whole passage, a call to tame the tongue, is an implicit call to obedience.  That is to say, our response to Christ's love, is that we speak only in love.  That is, of course, a fine thought, but that is not the way the Word functions in this text.

5.  What Law/Gospel couplet is suggested by this text?  We can take some of the vocabulary from this text and create several couplets that might be helpful.  Some ideas:  astray/guided on right paths; stained/cleansed; cursed/blessed.

6.  Exegetical work:  It is helpful to note that the term in verse 2 translated "perfect" is telios, a common Greek word, often translated complete, or mature.  In this case, it means a person who is morally mature, not one who is without sin.  The writer is pointing out that the person who can control their tongue is morally mature.  In verse 8 we read that "no one can tame the tongue." This points to our need for the Spirit in controlling our tongue.  Pheme Perkins, in her fine commentary on this passage, says this:  "The wisdom traditions that James employs insist that wisdom is God's gift, not a human achievement.  By underlining the power that the tongue has over human beings, James also reminds readers that any success they have in disciplining speech will also be a gift from God."  (Interpretations Series, First and Second Peter, James, and Jude, p.120).  In Augustine's well-known work, On Nature and Grace, he argues with Pelagius about this passage, insisting that James "was determined to show what a great evil a man's tongue can be, so great that it cannot be tamed by anyone, even though that is not true of wild beasts.  He said this not in order that we should tolerate evil but in order that we should ask for divine grace to tame our tongue." (Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, NT, vol. XI, p. 40).

7.  Consider the insights of the pioneers of the New Homiletic?  David Buttrick advised the preacher to be alert to the number of moves one made in a sermon.  Were there too many or too few?  In this text it will be important to find a number of appropriate moves since the text itself is so focused.

Blessings on your proclamation!