It's the Little Things

Jeremiah 28:5-9

Psalm 89:1-4, 15-18

Romans 6:12-23

Matthew 10:40-42

First Lesson: Jeremiah 28:5-9

Challenges:

I really like the final two verses of this lesson: the point they make is a very good and important one. At the same time, I find myself thinking, "Whoa, there's absolutely no context here!" I mean, you could provide it, but if Jeremiah isn't at the center of your sermon, I don't know if I'd spend too much time talking about it.

Opportunities:

I have found that if there is a lesson or a concept or an idea that I can't get to in my sermon, a small side conversation during the service doesn't hurt anything. As a matter of fact, the congregation might get something out of a comment on the side about a lesson BECAUSE it is separate and not thrown into the sermon itself.  Who knows?  There is almost some wry humor here, as Jeremiah says "Yeah, well, if a prophet says that there will be peace...well...let's see it happen, and then we'll know that the prophesy came from God."  Capitalizing on that wry humor could be very helpful indeed.

The Good News: 

Well, frankly, right now I've got nothing.  I will offer a full refund of all payments to this blog for those who request it.

Psalm: Psalm 89:1-4, 15-18

Challenges:

What exactly does a "festal shout" sound like? Send me audio files of examples please.

Opportunities:

Having just read verse 1 of this psalm, I now have the praise song "I Will Sing of Your Love Forever" stuck in my head. How is this an opportunity?  I'm not sure, but if you know that praise song, you probably have it stuck in your head too.  You're welcome.

The Good News: 

Verses 15-18 pretty much spell it out for us.

Second Lesson: Romans 6:12-23

Challenges:

Romans is a very theologically "meaty" work.  There are some very "heady" words here.  I can just see some people getting to the end of hearing the Second Lesson thinking, "Wait, what just happened?" Romans is an EXCELLENT book for bible study. If you can pour over the text and really think about what is said, Paul's writings can come alive. This can happen in preaching too, but there is an added challenge. 

Also (and this is from my text study conversation today) which "members" is Paul talking about here? This, of course, could cause some excessive giggling or embarrassed expressions.  How to deal with that?

Opportunities:


As I read this text an image came to mind. Many years ago I was invited to take part in an "Ultimate Frisbee League."  I had limited experience with the game, but I thought it would be fun. As the season progressed, I made a very disturbing discovery. The team I had joined was "the nasty team:" they yelled at the refs and their opponents, they played dirty, and they weren't very friendly with each other.  About three games within the season one of the team captains was kicked out of the league.  And here I was wearing the team shirt and playing with them.  In some ways I felt like sin was excercising dominion over me, I felt like I was in bondage to sin in some ways. Eventually I left the league and it felt like a great weight had lifted from my shoulders.

The Good News: 

There is a real sense of meaning and purpose in what Paul is talking about here when talks about being 'slaves to righteousness.' There is a sense in which this passage is dripping with liberation from sin.  You see it in Galatians as well...for Paul "SIN" seems to be this big bad thing that we are captive to and we need to be liberated from. Who does this for us? Thanks be to God in Christ Jesus!

Gospel: Matthew 10:40-42

Challenges:

Two things: what the heck does it mean to "welcome a prophet in the name of a prophet"? A special thanks to my Text Study Colleague's for pointing out the very awkward translation there.  I prefer something like the Common English Bible which says "those who receive a prophet as a prophet will receive a prophet's reward." Now that makes more sense. Also, while this seems to be a deceptively simple text about "little things" done to help others, it can be quite complicated. Is the main thrust of these few verses really about how we as Christians should act, OR...is this really about how we should gauge the reaction of others to the message we share? You could have two completely different sermons there, depending on which perspective you take.

Opportunities:

The image of a "cup of cold water" is a very vivid, down-to-earth picture.  There are many real-life things from the first century that have had trouble making the cultural leap to the 21st century, but the cup of cold water isn't one of them. Everybody gets it. I imagine just about everyone has had the chance to have a drink of cold water on a hot day and have it refresh them.  What other "common-place" or "every-day" examples of actions that can be done in the name of a disciple can you think of? Giving up a seat on the bus?  A parking space?  Space under someone's umbrella in the rain?  A hot cup of coffee in the bitter cold?  Even a sympathetic smile that lifts someone's spirits? 

The Good News:

Sometimes I think it is easy to be discouraged when we look at some of the great paragons of church history. How could I ever match up with St. Francis, Mother Theresa...whoever?  Would I really even want to?  At the same time this Gospel lesson reminds us that small gestures, actions, displays of affection do make a difference...and not just in that sappy, Hallmark Card sort of way either.  They really do change things. I like to look at it this way: there are, say, 2 billion Christians in the world (give or take). If a sizeable portion of Christians today started doing more "small actions," there could be a momentous change.  Maybe you could estimate how much water is in the "cup" that Jesus is talking about. 6 ounces? 8?  Multiply that by a million...ten million...a billion. How many "ounces" is that? What kind of tank, pool, or Lake would that fill?  (I really don't like math so I'm not going to work it out...if you do, let me know).