Unity: The Spirit's Secret Sauce

 

This week is the 11th week after Pentecost in the Year of Mark, and our Second Reading continues in Ephesians, but now there is a change.  Ephesians 4:1-16 builds on the glorious announcements of God's work in chapters 1-3, and now invites us into a  life lived in these glorious gifts.  The preacher's task will be to invite the listeners into the lifestyle of unity that is raised up.

(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 central 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 particular method and on Law and Gospel preaching in general, see my brief guide, Afflicting the Comfortable, Comforting the Afflicted, available from wiptandstock.com or amazon.)

1.  How does the Word function in the text?  What the Word is doing here is inviting us into a life that is "worthy of the calling to which we have been called."  Certain characteristics (humility, patience, forbearance, etc.) are lifted up as examples of such a life, but a main concern is unity, unity of the Body of Christ, (vs. 3) and the "unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God." (vs. 13).

2.  How is the Word not functioning in the text? This is an unusual text in that neither the Law nor the Gospel are explicitly present.  One might consider the creed-like pronouncement in vs.5 that we have "one Lord, one faith, one baptism, etc." as a Gospel function, in that this is God's work.  One might also consider the warning in vs. 14 that "we must no longer be like children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine" as a Law function, lifting up our need for a Savior.  Nevertheless, as said above, the main function of the Word is the call to obedience, the call to a faithful life.

3.  With whom are you identifying in the text?  We are those addressed by this text.  We are those who have been given the gift of the Spirit and are being exhorted to do everything we can to live in unity with other believers, and enhance the unity of our faith and knowledge of Christ.

4.  What Law/Gospel couplet is suggested by this text?  Since this text is primarily a call to obedience, we will need to manufacture some couplets wholesale. Some ideas:  adrift/safe on shore; fraying/holding tight together; quarreling/at peace.

5.  Exegetical work:   Modern commentator, Ralph Martin, notes how this 4th chapter of Ephesians builds on the first 3 chapters.  "The foundation has been laid," he says.  "The writer now turns to a practical outworking of the ideal in everyday living." (Interpretation series, Ephesians, Colossians, and Philemon, p. 46). "Based on what has preceded it, 4:1-16 announces in five bold strokes what the author believes about the church as they confront the society around them"  (Ibid. p. 47.)  It is obvious that what the writer is exhorting his listeners to most urgently is unity.  Recognizing that unity is a gift of the Spirit, he nevertheless exhorts them to make "every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." (vs. 3).  It is clear that unity needs to be intentionally cultivated.  One might recall from the earlier chapters that both Gentiles and Jews were part of the audience of this letter, thus unity was a challenge.  Dick Dickson, the  17th century Scottish reformer, summarizes the writers exhortations to unity in this way:  "...seven special virtues that are necessarily required to preserve the unity of the church, that so concord might abound in all its members. (1) Humility, to which pride is the opposite. (2) Gentleness, to which cruelty is opposite. (3) Quietness of mind, or easiness to be pleased, to which is opposed rashness or a readiness to be angry. (4) Forbearance, to which revenge is opposed. (5) Charity... to which is opposed hatred of one's  neighbor... (6) Virtue... (7) Peace or external concord; and if these precede, both the spiritual and external unity of the church will be easily preserved, it being one and the same labor to keep it and these virtues." (Reformation Commentary on Scripture, NT, vol. X, p. 331).

Blessing on your proclamation!

Filled with the Fulness of God

 

Ephesians 3:14-21 is the conclusion of a long list of superlatives regarding the grace of God.  These first 3 chapters of Ephesians are chocked full of the celebration of God's expansive love.  Now, the writer concludes this section of the letter with a witness to the end result of all this abundance: we are filled with all the fulness of God!  On this 10th Sunday after Pentecost in the Year of Mark, it will be the preacher's privilege to celebrate this.

(The following questions are meant to help uncover the way the Word functions in the text. This is so important to determine since the way the Word functions in the text is the way the sermon must function.  This is particularly crucial to Law and Gospel preaching.  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 and amazon.)

1.  How does the Word function in the text?  This text is a prayer and a testimony.  It testifies to the amazing love and grace of God in Christ. As such, it is the Word functioning as Gospel, announcing what God is doing out of love for the world.

2.  How is the Word not functioning in the text?  There is no word of Law here, no announcement of our need for a Savior, no call to repentance.

3.  With whom are you identifying in the text?  We are the audience for this text, struggling to comprehend the love of Christ, thankful that God's love is so beyond our imagination.

4.  What, if any, call to obedience is there in this text?  This text is a celebration of God's activity in the world, not a call to emulate that.  The call to respond to God's amazing grace is not present here.

5.  What Law/Gospel couplet is suggested by this text?  Without any Law component here, we will have to construct some couplets.  Some ideas:  weak/strengthened; ignorant/comprehending; rooted in fear/rooted in love.

6.  Exegetical work:  Note the requests of two prayers:  Verses 16-17:  "I pray...that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith."  Verses 18-19:  "I pray that you may have the power to comprehend... the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fulness of God."  This final ina clause gives the reason for this prayer:  that we might be filled with all the fulness of God.  Kittel says it this way:  "Eph. 3:19 could be taken in the same way:  So that you may be that which is wholly filled by the manifold work of God."  (Theological Dictionary of the NT, vol. VI, p. 304).

7.  Consider the insights of the pioneers of the New Homiletic?  Eugene Lowry noted that a sermon must have tension and release, equilibrium and disequilibrium.  In this sermon it might be important to lift up what's at stake when we fail to believe in a God of abundance (disequilibrium), and then how Christ frees us to have faith in this abundant grace of God.  (equilibrium.).

Blessings on your proclamation!

Breaking Down Walls

 

There is perhaps no more relevant passage to our own time than Ephesians 2:11-22, the Second Reading appointed for the 9th Sunday after Pentecost in the Year of Mark.  In this passage, the writer proclaims the amazing news that we who were "far off" have been brought "near" in Christ, and our reconciliation with God extends even to our reconciliation with all of humanity.  It will be the preacher's great joy to proclaim this wonderful news.

(The following questions have been developed to highlight the way the Word functions in the text, a fundamental concern of Law and Gospel preachers.  The main reason for this concern is that the manner in which the Word functions in the text is the way the sermon must function as it is preached. For more on this method, 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 opening verses are a statement of our condition apart from Christ, thus functioning as Law.  Quickly, however, the writer turns to our condition in Christ (vs. 13 "but now in Christ...), thus functioning as Gospel.  For the remainder of the passage the Word functions as Gospel, announcing to us all the amazing things Christ has done on behalf of the world God so loves.

2.  How is the Word not functioning in the text?  As stated above, the Law is present briefly, but as a whole there is no call to repentance here, no statement about our need for a Savior, other than to note our condition apart from Christ.  If we want to see an example of the Word functioning as Law we need look no further than the First Reading, Jeremiah 23:1-6, where the prophet begins with these words: " Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter..."

3.  With whom are you identifying in the text?  We are those who are receiving this good news and acknowledging that apart from Christ we experience alienation from God and one another.

4.  What, if any call to obedience is there in this text?  There are only two imperative verbs in this passage, and they are both the same word:  remember.  The writer exhorts readers to remember their state apart from Christ, perhaps in order to be mindful, or thankful, or humble, or any number of postures that are appropriate for us who have received what we have in Christ.  This word comes to us as well.

5.  What Law/Gospel couplet is suggested by this text?  This passage gives us some ready made couplets for our use:  aliens/fellow citizens; strangers/members of God's household; afar/near.

6.  Exegetical work:  It is important to note that the first word in this passage is Dio (So then/ Therefore...).  In other words, the exhortation to remember our state apart from Christ and our new state in Christ comes as we reflect on what has been announced previously in chapter 2:  "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is a gift of God - not the result of works, so that no one may boast.  For we are what he has made us..." The writer notes that we were "dead through trespasses and sins" (2:1), but God rescued us from this state. All this is background to our text.  The 4th century bishop, John Chrysostom, marvels at the description in this passage of Christ's work.  He says, "[Christ] did not pass the task of reconciliation  on to another.  He made himself the means of combining one with the other." And later he says, "[Christ's] death, he says, killed the enmity, wounded and destroyed it. (Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, NT, vol. VIII, p. 140).  The modern scholar, Ralph Martin, also marvels at the richness of this passage, noting how the reconciliation announced here has more than one dimension:  "It is this two-fold imagery of a double reconciliation - to God and to our fellow human beings - that is the unique contribution of Ephesians." (Interpretation series, Ephesians, Colossians, and Philemon, p.34).

7.   How does the Crossings Community model work with this text?  Kris Wright does a nice job of distinguishing Law and Gospel in the 2014 analysis, using the terms around "walls."  The long and short of it is we make walls and God tears them down.  To see the details, go to crossings.org/text-study and search for the analysis under its reference.

Blessings on your proclamation!

TThe Prophet and the Priest

 Amos 7:7-15 is the First Reading appointed for the Eighth Sunday after Pentecost in the Year of Mark.  As such it is paired with Mark's unusually detailed account of the beheading of John the Baptist at the hands of King Herod. The message clearly is, "Taking up Prophecy is a Dangerous Business!"  The Amos text, however, does not speak of any peril to Amos, but rather his rejection by the priest Amaziah.  The preacher of this text will be challenged to hear this rejection as our own.

(The following questions have been developed to underscore the function of the Word in the text.  This is a primary concern of Law and Gospel preachers since the way the Word functions in the text is the way the sermon must function.  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?  If the Word, functioning as Law, always seeks to raise up our need for a Savior, then this text is all about Law.  The opening vision is a vision of judgement as the Lord declares that "passing by" (i.e. overlooking) the sins of Israel will no longer be the case. In the short dialogue between Amaziah and Amos we see Amaziah, the priest, rejecting God's call to repentance.  Finally, in the last section, Amos simply states his call.

2.  How is the Word not functioning in the text?  The Word as Gospel, proclaiming God's grace, is certainly not present here. One will need to look in the Second Reading from Ephesians for a word of grace.

3.  With whom are you identifying in the text?  It is tempting to identify with the hero of our story, Amos, but that will probably not serve us well, since the only word addressed to Amos is his call.  Most of this passage is addressed to the nation of Israel and its leaders.  That is whom we must identify with.

4.  What, if any, call to obedience is there in this text?  The call to obedience is the Word functioning to invite us to live in a certain way in response to the Gospel.  We might consider Amos' call such a call, but the Word clearly does not function primarily in this way.

5.  What Law/Gospel couplet is suggested by this text?  Without any Gospel word in this text, we must be quite inventive when it comes to couplets.  Some ideas:  judged/saved; dying/living; desolate/abundant.

6. Exegetical work:  The opening vision of the plumb line might be lost if one does not understand the end of verse 8.  In this ending phrase God says, "I will never again pass them by."  The word translated "pass by" is a common word often translated "forgive" or "overlook."  In other words, God's mercy is coming to an end.  God has measured the righteousness of Israel with the divine plumb line and found the nation crooked. This is in contrast to the first two visions of chapter 7 where God relents from punishing after Amos' plea.  These first two visions show clearly Amos' love for the nation.  The words of Amaziah are also important, and show clearly his heart as well.  First of all, he tells the king that Amos has "conspired" against him, an attempt to show Amos as a national threat.  He also claims that "the land is not able to bear his words," once again trying to portray Amos as a threat to national security.  Most damning of all are the ways that Amaziah describes God's house:  "...it is the king's sanctuary, and it is the temple of the kingdom."  Amaziah, a priest, is describing God's house as belonging to the king and the temple as belonging to the empire.  Clearly, the national piety is in deep trouble.

7.  Consider the insight of the pioneers of the New Homiletic?  Charles Rice emphasized the preacher's task of helping listeners recognize their shared story in this text.  Are there places that listeners could do this here?  That is a worthy question to ponder.

Blessings on your proclamation!