Psalm 15
1 Corinthians 1:18-31
Matthew 5:1-12
First Lesson: Micah 6:1-8
Challenges:
Challenges? What challenges? This passage is awesome. The only challenge is having enough time to do this passage justice! Well...there's more to it than that, I guess. Micah references stories and people from the Old Testament that many (if not most) in your congregation will not be familiar with at all. Moses will be a relatively familiar guy and the mention of Egypt and slavery might ring a bell, but Balak of Moab and Balaam son of Beor will probably draw blank looks.
Challenges? What challenges? This passage is awesome. The only challenge is having enough time to do this passage justice! Well...there's more to it than that, I guess. Micah references stories and people from the Old Testament that many (if not most) in your congregation will not be familiar with at all. Moses will be a relatively familiar guy and the mention of Egypt and slavery might ring a bell, but Balak of Moab and Balaam son of Beor will probably draw blank looks.
Opportunities:
Micah 6:8 is the perfect verse to have people memorize. You could have it printed on little slips of paper, placed in bulletins for everyone to take home with them. You could also talk about how this verse is the prophetic message is the prophetic message in a nutshell: religious ritual and observance is nothing compared to just and righteous (right-related) living.
The Good News:
When looking at this passage through Lutheran eyes, it'd be easy to see this as all "law" or command of God that we cannot keep. Well, true, I'm never going to be able to do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with God in the way I should, not going to happen. BUT, since Christ has freed me from sin, death and myself I can see this passage as an INVITATION to a new, full, meaningful and abundant life.
Psalm: Psalm 15
Challenges:
Opportunities:
I'll admit, I'm a bit stumped on opportunities here. You could always take a few of these attributes and give examples of them in life today. This will make it much more real.
The Good News:
The notes in my study bible say of verse 5: "the closing promise cannot be understood to affirm that the righteous will be unopposed, but rather that they will have a secure foundation facing anything.
The notes in my study bible say of verse 5: "the closing promise cannot be understood to affirm that the righteous will be unopposed, but rather that they will have a secure foundation facing anything.
Second Lesson: 1 Corinthians 1:18-31
Challenges:
This is an amazing passage, but it's important not to go overboard. Yes, Paul says "not many of you were wise...not many were powerful...not many by noble birth..." But that doesn't mean that ALL Christians were the poor and destitute. Historian and sociologist Rodney Stark points out that there quite a few wealthy Christians in the first century. He says that this isn't contradicted by Paul: Paul says "not MANY of you..." he DOESN't say "NONE of you."
Think of Acts 16 and Lydia, the purple cloth merchant: there were rich Christians. It doesn't meant that we should go along with a gospel of prosperity (BY NO MEANS!). It just means that the early church (like everything else in this world) was much more complex than many of us originally thought. In a way this is rather amazing: it means that people of different backgrounds came together, which was especially amazing in the ancient world.
Opportunities:
Great imagery here: stumbling blocks, signs, foolishness, wisdom. Really amazing. Verse 25 is especially good in giving an almost spatial relationship to God and humanity. If you're going to preach on this passage: make it a vivid sermon!
The Good News:
We have a source of life through Christ Jesus. We are connected to the One whose foolishness is wiser than our wisdom. Boom!
Gospel: Matthew 5:1-12
Challenges:
These words are very familiar to many, even if they don't think about them too often. Any time we preach on a familiar passage our job is harder rather than easier because people often have their minds made up about what something means (at least I often do). It will take some effort to get people to look at and listen to this with fresh eyes and ears.
Opportunities:
There's some excellent stuff out there on the Beatitudes. Check out Brian Stoffregen's thoughts, David Lose's thoughts and Amy Oden's thoughts. If you have a comedically-minded congregation, they might enjoy it if you quote Monty Python's "Life of Brian," where people in the crowd say "What was that? I think he said, "Blessed are the cheesemakers!" "Well, it is obviously not supposed to be a literal translation, but rather makers of all dairy-products." Some might laugh, while some will look at you blankly.
I'm going to try to do a separate blog-post on the Sermon on the Mount, because it's so central and important. Just let me say here, there are a couple of different ways to look at these Beatitudes: is this a list of things that will give you a good life or a list of the unlikely people who God is coming to save.
I go with the later and was really changed by Mark Allan Powell's idea that the first four beatitudes: 1) poor in spirit 2) those who mourn 3) the meek 4) those who hunger and thirst for righteousness are the people who need help and that the next four: 1) merciful 2) pure in heart 3) peacemakers 4) persecuted for righteousness sake are the ones who help them and for that action are persecuted too. The final beatitude has to do specifically with Jesus' followers.
There is going to be a great reversal and it will come for those who have been oppressed and those are helping them.
AND...if you are looking for an excellent example of "the peacemakers" look at this online article about Orthodox priests in the Ukraine who are standing between protestors and riot police in an attempt to curb violence in that country: ORTHODOX PRIESTS
The Good News:
These are not the types of people who you would expect to be blessed and, frankly, if there is no God there is no blessing for these people, because experience has shown us that no one else is blessing them! Again, back to Monty Python, when someone hears that the meek are blessed, she says "Oh that's nice...they've had a hell of a time!" Yes, true! They have and God is doing something about it. What is God doing? The answer is one word: Jesus.
These are not the types of people who you would expect to be blessed and, frankly, if there is no God there is no blessing for these people, because experience has shown us that no one else is blessing them! Again, back to Monty Python, when someone hears that the meek are blessed, she says "Oh that's nice...they've had a hell of a time!" Yes, true! They have and God is doing something about it. What is God doing? The answer is one word: Jesus.
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