Sermon Workshop

November 26, 2007 at 9:50 am | In sermon | 14 Comments
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Let’s see if third time is a charm when it comes to my blog and sermon prep.

Here are all the texts for Sunday. (You’ll need to scroll down a bit to see the Sunday lectionary or you can just read on.)

At this early stage I’m considering focusing on the Romans text. I like the parallel “put on the armor of light” and “put on the Lord Jesus Christ.” What in the world does “putting on Christ” mean? How to people who have put on Christ look? And how to deal with the whole problem of Paul thinking Jesus would return in his lifetime?

Romans 13:11-14

Besides this, you know what time it is, how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers; the night is far gone, the day is near. Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; let us live honorably as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy. Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

I hope to bring the Isaiah passage in as well. The swords to plowshares imagery is about as cool as it gets. I’m struck by how often “nation” is used rathe than individual. The nations approach, the nations are judged, the nations become peaceful. What’s up with that?

Isaiah 2:1-5

The word that Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.

In days to come the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be raised above the hills; all the nations shall stream to it. Many peoples shall come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, and shall arbitrate for many peoples; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the LORD!

So the idea of me posting these passages is two-fold. First, it helps me to begin formulating sermon thoughts. Second, I’m a big believer that exegesis done in community is more rich than exegesis done all by my lonesome–that’s why preachers read books on the texts, after all.

So if you have a thought, just click the comment button below. You don’t have to be in seminary to comment. You don’t have to go to church or even believe in God. And don’t freak out if the comment doesn’t appear immediately as my blog is new the spam guard is still learning. I’ll de-spam things several times a day so, in due time, it will be there.

Oh, and Sunday is the first week of Advent.

14 Comments »

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  1. Hi Adam

    I was preaching on Mark 13: 1-13 at yesterday’s evening service, as this is where we’d got to in working through Mark’s gospel week by week. A good reading for the feast of Christ the King! Among other things, I picked up on verse 10: “Before the end comes, the gospel must be preached to all peoples”. My commentary noted that the word ‘peoples’ refered to Gentile peoples, not Jews in foriegn lands – a wonderfully inclusive text, and perhaps Mark’s version of the Great Commission. This parallels Isaiah’s mention of ‘nations’ which you could tie in helpfully – it is why Jesus got so worked up about the Court of the Gentiles being cluttered up by the moneychangers instead of letting the Temple be a house of prayer for all Nations.
    Mike

    Comment by Mike Goss — November 26, 2007 #

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  2. Adam,

    You’ve been on my “people to contact” list for awhile now (via Adam WC and Kenda CD) — we share some interests: I’ll be starting seminary @ Princeton this summer, and one of the things that drew me there was the possibility of spending part of the seminary experience in Scotland, Ireland, or Belgium studying Celtic Christianity and early monastic communities (and monastic beer-making). Would love to talk more with you about these things!

    But another interest we have in common is collaborative sermonizing.

    The whole image of “putting on Christ” is fascinating, the more I think about it. Kind of reminds me of the film Mission Impossible — I envision zipping on the skin of Christ, so that others see his face, not mine. Of course, that begs the question of whether or not “putting on Christ” is a surface level, “skin deep” kind of thing — something one does initially, while actually internalizing Christ (dying to one’s self?) is the long term process.

    I agree with your notice of the “nations” aspect in the Isaiah passage — a difficult sell in a time where we (especially Americans and westerners) have turned religion in to “it’s all about me.”

    I also like the implication in the part that reads, “He shall judge between the nations, and shall arbitrate for many peoples.” I wonder if “judge” here is not so much of the “courtroom” sort, but more of the “advocacy” sort, which goes better with “arbitrate” later in the verse. Advocacy and Arbitration are important (but often neglected) precursors to peace. If we are indeed God’s hands and voice, then maybe these should be our first (and only?) preoccupations when nations war with one another.

    Comment by Neal Locke — November 26, 2007 #

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  3. Adam,

    Mission Impossible is a popular series of movies starring a strangely behaving actor named Tom Cruise.

    Comment by Michael McLaughlin — November 27, 2007 #

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  4. You wonder if something got lost in the translation with “putting on Christ.” I’ve had the same reaction to the phrase “imitation of Christ.”

    Seems like we should really mean it more than those phrases, at least as rendered in English, seem to connote! But from the full passage you quote on putting on Christ, it is clear that genuine transformation is intended.

    Comment by Paul Martin — November 27, 2007 #

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  5. Thanks for your input thus far (except for Michael who, unfortunately doesn’t have a blog for me to write sarcastic comments.)

    Paul also uses, “putting on Christ” in Gal 3:26 which is also translated this way: “You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, 27for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

    I like the tie-in to baptism. I wonder how Advent, specifically, relates to baptism. Wish I had the Stookey book that’s on my shelf in Decatur! So, to Neal, perhaps putting on Christ is much more than surface level. Maybe it’s about understanding who we truly are underneath our surface-level Mission Impossible disguises.

    Comment by adamjcopeland — November 27, 2007 #

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  6. Question One:
    What is Paul responding to when he says “besides these…?” Perhaps looking at how all of this comes together might be helpful.
    Also, What in the world is a pruning hook? To be beat into a pruning hook means what? The plowshares means that food becomes more important than violence–maybe some table imagery? But, sorry for my ignorance, what is a pruning hook.
    Hope this helps–or at least confuses more.

    Comment by philrossbrown — November 27, 2007 #

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  7. Phil et al,
    Chapter 13 is instructions for right ways to live. Just before the lectionary passage is a reminder to follow the commandments. Paul instructs as to how to function in society, and how to act as a Christian in general.

    A pruning hook, from the Hebrew “mazmerah” is another device used for agriculture. These days, they tend to be on long poles but back in the day they probably had shorter handles and were used in the harvest.

    Comment by adamjcopeland — November 27, 2007 #

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  8. It occurs to me that a pruning hook, while not your typical weapon (except in scary psycho horror movies), does have a connotation of judgment. In other words, does the pruning hook remove your not so great parts from your person/soul or does it remove not so great persons/souls from the corporate body. Clearly, I like the first idea better than the latter.

    By baptism, I’m assuming you were picturing in your head the white robes that the newly baptized put on after their immersion in the buff. My grandfather was talking with the new female rabbi in Dothan, and she was explaining how when she converted to Judaism, she had to undergo a ritual washing very similar to our baptism, where she had to be completely naked and immersed but her feet couldn’t touch the floor of the pool–so it was only water touching her on all sides.

    My dad, when he didn’t really know what to say, used to say one of two things (both of which he picked up at the Naval Academy). The first was, “Go Navy, beat Army!” I know, truly profound. The other was, “Get Naked.” The thought of getting naked for Jesus makes me smile.

    When I think of armor, I think of something clunky, heavy, uncomfortable, and awkward. Something hard to move in. I wonder what armor would have looked and felt like in Paul’s time. Perhaps it was lighter and more supple than our medieval stereotypes. An armor of light seems less about protection and more about illumination. It also seems like something you can move in. My kind of armor.

    Is a pruning hook part of the armor of Christ?

    I also like in Isaiah the image of everyone going on a pilgrimmage to God’s Mountain. It makes me think of Mountain Day at Williams. It was on an undetermined Friday in the Fall, to be decided the night before by the President of the College (About that day and hour, no one knows, not even the Son…). At midnight on a Thursday night, the bells would go crazy, and everyone would know that classes were cancelled the next day. Friday, everyone would hike up the mountain, and there would be a big celebration with different groups performing, etc. In the Isaiah text, I picture everyone streaming in from everywhere, converging on the paths that lead up the mountain. So you have the people converging and going up the mountain, but you also have instruction and the Word coming out (from Jerusalem, from Zion). In come the people, out come instruction and the Word. Again, perhaps this is another instance when illumination replaces war. Not the armor of defense, the armor of illumination.

    Comment by Emily Martin — November 27, 2007 #

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  9. The pruning hook may well have been used mainly in viticulture (grape vines), as vines need constant pruning (hence Jesus’ allusions in John 15). As such it would have been a short-handled implement with a hooked blade suitable for striking off the thin branches of vines.
    However, this ‘judgement’ aspect would be less important in Isaiah than the principle of exchanging weapons of war for tools of peace, instruments of death for instruments of life (food production).

    Comment by Mike Goss — November 28, 2007 #

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  10. Thanks for asking these questions, Brant. I’m preaching from the Isaiah text and one from 1 John 1 that ties into our Advent theme this year at Northminster.

    I want to think more about the Coming of God to judge, then bring peace.

    Comment by Walk — November 28, 2007 #

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  11. Adam — I called you by your father’s name. Sorry!

    Comment by Walk — November 28, 2007 #

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  12. Part of the challenge, at least, in the USA, of Advent preaching is that the expection associated with the season is the expectation of getting presents under the tree.

    Advent expectation is different. Isaiah hopes/longs for peace. Paul expects Jesus’ imminent return, but urges the Romans not to let their standards down. No PHI PHI DELTA PHI or whatever fraterinity beer bashes.

    Perhaps worth asking: what do we expect?

    Comment by Brant — November 28, 2007 #

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  13. No worries, Walk. I’ve been called by much worse.

    Good question, Dad (Brant). And Advent really messes with our expectations even more because we eventually get something, we get Christ at the celebration we call Christmas. But, in this weird church year cycle, we still don’t know what to expect, as we’re still in that in-between time that Paul is dealing with–Cullmann’s “christ already but not yet.” But perhaps we should deal with that later and push Advent for the time being.

    As Bruggeman, says in the Covenant Network video, “God’s new things tend to blow our socks off.”

    Comment by adamjcopeland — November 28, 2007 #

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  14. THanks for this Adam, what a great way of us being able to look at something together. I have been a bit flustered thinking of how to apply this weeks lectionary to the season but when I ‘happend’ upon all of you, I got some new Ideas!
    BUt wanting to bring in ‘the Church moving from where we are into the Permanent realm of Eternity!’ Shall we discuss that? Open to suggestions. Maybe Jesus’ 1st comming ushered that time in or is it just in the 2nd comming? Are we in eternity now, but just in ‘timed’ bodies, should we now move for eternity? urrrrmmmm
    New Lay Preacher

    Comment by Shepherdess777 — November 29, 2007 #

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