SENT INTO THE WORLD The Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany (Proper C) January 31, 2016 Lessons Jeremiah 1:4-10 Psalm 71:1-6 1 st Corinthians 13:1-13 St. Luke 4:21-30 Pastor David J. Risendal www.onelittleword.org drisendal@stplc.org facebook Dave Risendal Twitter: drisendal Saint Peter Lutheran Church 9300 East Belleview Avenue Greenwood Village, CO 80111 303/770-9300 www.stplc.org facebook.com/stplc Prayer of the Day Almighty and ever-living God, increase in us the gifts of faith, hope, and love; and that we may obtain what you promise, make us love what you command, through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. here in our hometown Jesus, stirring us to serve sent into God s world Sermon Grace to you and peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. 1 The study of preaching is called homiletics. You might be surprised at how much attention is paid to this topic. Not only are there required classes for those who are preparing to become pastors; there are books, web sites, magazine articles, videos, workshops, advanced theological degrees all dealing with the question of what a preacher ought to be trying to accomplish when preaching a sermon during a service of worship. Lately, a widely embraced way to understand the task is that the preacher should attempt to help the congregation experience the text. In other words, if it is a moving and beautiful text, the congregation should be moved by the beauty of the sermon. If it is a 1 Romans 1:7, 1 st Corinthians 1:3, 2 nd Corinthians 1:2, Galatians 1:3, Ephesians 1:2, Philippians 1:2, Colossians 1:2, 1 st Thessalonians 1:1, 2 nd Thessalonians 1:2, Philemon 3; New Revised Standard Version Bible ( 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America).
The Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany Proper C (January 31, 2016) 2 challenging text, the congregation should feel challenged by the sermon. If it is a comforting text, the congregation should receive comfort from the sermon. If it is a text that stretches our understanding, the congregation should feel stretched by the sermon. I like this way of thinking about preaching, and on my best Sundays I hope some of that happens when I am speaking. But this is problematic on a day like today, isn t it? Today the text is about a preacher whose sermon makes his congregation so angry that they drive him out of town and try to put him to death by throwing him off a cliff. So how do I help you experience this? I guess if you aren t filled with rage toward me by the end of this sermon, I haven t done my job very well. (I don t want to presume that I m as good of a preacher as Jesus but just in case, I checked my life insurance policies yesterday. They re all up-to-date.) Today s Gospel lesson presents a strange turn of events, doesn t it? You d think that if a hometown boy became an accomplished preacher, and then made his way back home to share his gifts with his family, friends and neighbors, they d be delighted. In fact, that s how it seemed last week. When we read the first half of this story we remembered that he was received very warmly. And, indeed, the first two verses of this week s Gospel state that after the first few sentences of his sermon, All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They said, Is not this Joseph s son? That doesn t last very long, though. As soon as Jesus clarifies what he means they become upset. They realize the miracles they have heard about the ones he performed in Capernaum he will not be performing in his own hometown. Jesus reminds them that two of the greatest prophets in the Hebrew Bible, Elijah and Elisha, shared their powers not with Israelites, but with foreigners. He seems to be saying that his ministry will be like that of Elijah and Elisha, but of course this is small comfort to his hometown neighbors. We are left to conclude that they feel snubbed because he won t be helping them, and that they feel offended because he will be sharing his powers and God s gifts with people they have been trying to keep at arm s length for years. That s where the shift in focus takes place in this morning s story: it is a shift from an internal focus to an external focus; a shift from taking care of our own to making a difference in the lives of others. As long as it is our poor, and our blind, and our oppressed, the people of Nazareth are ready to speak well of him. Those sound like gracious words indeed. But when Jesus begins to talk about crossing these borders that faithful people just don t cross, they become enraged. When Jesus begins talking about reaching out to people that his own ancestors have always rejected, they become enraged. When Jesus begins talking about a mission that looks past the needs at home, and addresses the needs of people elsewhere, they become enraged. It is easy to look down our noses at them, isn t it? It is easy to chuckle at how shortsighted they must have been. It is easy to scoff at them for not noticing how the prophets of the Old Testament tried to turn God s people towards love and compassion instead of seclusion and suspicion. It is easy to criticize them for being so out of sync with Jesus. But the truth is: we face this same temptation, and perhaps fall to it more often than we realize. We, like the people from Jesus hometown, are also tempted to think of ourselves and our families as the center of the universe. ( Charity begins at home, goes the famous, but decidedly unbiblical, proverb.) If there is one sin that is committed repeatedly, often without any notice at all, it is the sin of taking care of ourselves instead of taking care of the people that God commands us to reach. We imagine that God calls us to make a difference in the world around us only after our own wants and needs are satisfied, when, in fact, the exact opposite is true.
The Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany Proper C (January 31, 2016) 3 We see this in the form of congregations spending all of their energy teaching their own children and inspiring their own adults and maintaining their own buildings and doing the things that benefit themselves alone, and having no energy left over to make a difference in the world around them. We see this in the form of families making sure that their own children experience the very best of everything, but not taking the initiative to see that other people s children have the same advantages. We see this in the form of individuals who chase after money or thrills or fame or power, but live unaware of the pain and suffering that surrounds them. Today s prophetic message from Jesus cautions us against having the same reaction that the people in Nazareth have. It cautions us against being so focused on ourselves and what we hope to gain, that we have no ability to focus on others, and how Christ might reach them through us. Today I m thinking about my good friend, Leroy Rehrer. After a long and faithful ministry, Leroy is retiring on February 9. He is one of my best friends, and honestly, one of our church s best pastors. I ve been blessed by him over and over during the thirty-two years that we ve known each other, and I know many people in his congregation would say the same. Lee used to have this crazy sermon he would drag out from time to time. He would dress up as Billy Joe from Queen Creek an old Arizona frontiersman and come flying into the worship center, hooting and hollering and commanding his pretend horse to slow down. Then he would go on to describe the difference between a settler church and a pioneer church. I invited him to preach at my church in Phoenix when we dedicated our first building. People loved it, and there were smiles and laughter throughout his entire sermon. What caught me that day, and what has stuck with me ever since, was his question for us. He asked us: when we got around to putting a doormat in front of the entrance to our building, would it say Welcome or would it say Please Wipe Your Feet? That is what Jesus is asking us today as well. What is the purpose of our congregation? Does it exist to serve our needs, and please our sensibilities, so that everyone who wants to join us should wipe their feet before they make their way inside, lest they adversely affect us? Or is does it exist so that you and I have a means by which we can reach out to the entire world and welcome them into the grace of God that has called us here this morning? We are not here in this place just to take care of our needs, our families, our wants, our desires We are also here because we worship a God who loves us enough to die for us, and who has invited us to live in such a way that we give our lives for the world; welcoming them in the same way that we have been welcomed in: just as we are. We are here to be strengthened for a life of doing exactly that. This is the essence of Christian discipleship, and this is the life today s text commends to us. So how will we, as a congregation, allow God to move through us to touch the needs of this world that surround us? How will we, as families, make place in our lives for others? How will we, as individuals, commit ourselves to serving our neighbor as Christ serves us? God is stirring us, today, to reach out to the world. God is stretching us, today, just as Jesus sought to stretch the people of his time. Let s respond with faith and with courage and with joy. David J. Risendal, Pastor
The Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany Proper C (January 31, 2016) 4 Gospel Lesson; English Text 2 4:21 Then he [Jesus] began to say to them, Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing. 22 All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They said, Is not this Joseph s son? 23 He said to them, Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, Doctor, cure yourself! And you will say, Do here also in your hometown the things that we have heard you did at Capernaum. 24 And he said, Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet s hometown. 25 But the truth is, there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a severe famine over all the land; 26 yet Elijah was sent to none of them except to a widow at Zarephath in Sidon. 27 There were also many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian. 28 When they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with rage. 29 They got up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they might hurl him off the cliff. 30 But he passed through the midst of them and went on his way. 3 Gospel Lesson; Greek Text: 4:21 ἤρξατο δὲ λέγειν πρὸς αὐτοὺς ὅτι σήµερον πεπλήρωται ἡ γραφὴ αὕτη ἐν τοι ς ὠσὶν ὑµω ν. 22 Καὶ πάντες ἐµαρτύρουν αὐτῳ καὶ ἐθαύµαζον ἐπὶ τοι ς λόγοις τη ς χάριτος τοι ς ἐκπορευοµένοις ἐκ του στόµατος αὐτου καὶ ἔλεγον οὐχὶ υἱός ἐστιν Ἰωσὴφ οὑ τος; 23 καὶ εἰ πεν πρὸς αὐτούς πάντως ἐρει τε µοι τὴν παραβολὴν ταύτην ἰατρέ, θεράπευσον σεαυτόν ὅσα ἠκούσαµεν γενόµενα εἰς τὴν Καφαρναοὺµ ποίησον καὶ ὡ δε ἐν τῃ πατρίδι σου. 24 εἰ πεν δέ ἀµὴν λέγω ὑµι ν ὅτι οὐδεὶς προφήτης δεκτός ἐστιν ἐν τῃ πατρίδι αὐτου. 25 ἐπʼ ἀληθείας δὲ λέγω ὑµι ν, πολλαὶ χη ραι ἠ σαν ἐν ται ς ἡµέραις Ἠλίου ἐν τῳ Ἰσραήλ, ὅτε ἐκλείσθη ὁ οὐρανὸς ἐπὶ ἔτη τρία καὶ µη νας ἕξ, ὡς ἐγένετο λιµὸς µέγας ἐπὶ πα σαν τὴν γη ν, 26 καὶ πρὸς οὐδεµίαν αὐτω ν ἐπέµφθη Ἠλίας εἰ µὴ εἰς Σάρεπτα τη ς Σιδωνίας πρὸς γυναι κα χήραν. 27 καὶ πολλοὶ λεπροὶ ἠ σαν ἐν τῳ Ἰσραὴλ ἐπὶ Ἐλισαίου του προφήτου, καὶ οὐδεὶς αὐτω ν ἐκαθαρίσθη εἰ µὴ Ναιµὰν ὁ Σύρος. 28 καὶ ἐπλήσθησαν πάντες θυµου ἐν τῃ συναγωγῃ ἀκούοντες ταυ τα 29 καὶ ἀναστάντες ἐξέβαλον αὐτὸν ἔξω τη ς πόλεως καὶ ἤγαγον αὐτὸν ἕως ὀφρύος του ὄρους ἐφʼ οὑ ἡ πόλις ᾠκοδόµητο αὐτω ν ὥστε κατακρηµνίσαι αὐτόν 30 αὐτὸς δὲ διελθὼν διὰ µέσου αὐτω ν ἐπορεύετο. 4 First Lesson; English Text: 1.4 Now the word of the Lord came to me saying, 5 Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations. 6 Then I said, Ah, Lord God! Truly I do not know how to speak, for I am only a boy. 7 But the Lord said to me, Do not say, I am only a boy ; for you shall go to all to whom I send you, and you shall speak whatever I command you. 8 Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, says the Lord. 9 Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth; and the Lord said to me, Now I have put my words in your mouth. 10 See, today I appoint you over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to pull down, 2 3 4 A list of Bible lessons for the coming weeks is available at www.elca.org/lectionary. St. Luke 4:21-30, New Revised Standard Version Bible, op. cit. St. Luke 4:21-30, The Greek New Testament, Aland, Kurt, Black, Matthew, Martini, Carlo M., Metzger, Bruce M., and Wikgren, Allen, ( 1983, Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft Stuttgart).
The Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany Proper C (January 31, 2016) 5 to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant. 5 Second Lesson; English Text: 13.1 If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. 4 Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. 7 It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end. 9 For we know only in part, and we prophesy only in part; 10 but when the complete comes, the partial will come to an end. 11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became an adult, I put an end to childish ways. 12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known. 13 And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love. 6 Second Lesson; Greek Text: 13:1 Ἐὰν ταῖς γλώσσαις τῶν ἀνθρώπων λαλῶ καὶ τῶν ἀγγέλων, ἀγάπην δὲ µὴ ἔχω, γέγονα χαλκὸς ἠχῶν ἢ κύµβαλον ἀλαλάζον. 2 καὶ ἐὰν ἔχω προφητείαν καὶ εἰδῶ τὰ µυστήρια πάντα καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν γνῶσιν καὶ ἐὰν ἔχω πᾶσαν τὴν πίστιν ὥστε ὄρη µεθιστάναι, ἀγάπην δὲ µὴ ἔχω, οὐθέν εἰµι. 3 κὰν ψωµίσω πάντα τὰ ὑπάρχοντα µου καὶ ἐὰν παραδῶ τὸ σῶµα µου ἵνα καυχήσωµαι, ἀγάπην δὲ µὴ ἔχω, οὐδὲν ὠφελοῦµαι. 4 Ἡ ἀγάπη µακροθυµεῖ, χρηστεύεται ἡ ἀγάπη, οὐ ζηλοῖ, [ἡ ἀγάπη] οὐ περπερεύεται, οὐ φυσιοῦται, 5 οὐκ ἀσχηµονεῖ, οὐ ζητεῖ τὰ ἑαυτῆς, οὐ παροξύνεται, οὐ λογίζεται τὸ κακόν, 6 οὐ χαίρει ἐπὶ τῇ ἀδικίᾳ, συγχαίρει δὲ τῇ ἀληθείᾳ 7 πάντα στέγει, πάντα πιστεύει, πάντα ἐλπίζει, πάντα ὑποµένει. 8 Ἡ ἀγάπη οὐδέποτε πίπτει εἴτε δὲ προφητεῖαι, καταργηθήσονται εἴτε γλῶσσαι, παύσονται εἴτε γνῶσις, καταργηθήσεται. 9 ἐκ µέρους γὰρ γινώσκοµεν καὶ ἐκ µέρους προφητεύοµεν 10 ὅταν δὲ ἔλθῃ τὸ τέλειον, τὸ ἐκ µέρους καταργηθήσεται. 11 ὅτε ἤµην νήπιος, ἐλάλουν ὡς νήπιος, ἐφρόνουν ὡς νήπιος, ἐλογιζόµην ὡς νήπιος ὅτε γέγονα ἀνήρ, κατήργηκα τὰ τοῦ νηπίου. 12 βλέποµεν γὰρ ἄρτι δἰ ἐσόπτρου ἐν αἰνίγµατι, τότε δὲ πρόσωπον πρὸς πρόσωπον ἄρτι γινώσκω ἐκ µέρους, τότε δὲ ἐπιγνώσοµαι καθὼς καὶ ἐπεγνώσθην. 13 Νυνὶ δὲ µένει πίστις, ἐλπίς, ἀγάπη, τὰ τρία ταῦτα µείζων δὲ τούτων ἡ ἀγάπη. 7 5 6 7 Jeremiah 1:4-10, New Revised Standard Version Bible, op. cit. 1 st Corinthians 13:1-13, New Revised Standard Version Bible, op. cit. 1 st Corinthians 13:1-13, The Greek New Testament, op. cit.