You Can't Handle the Truth...at least not alone.

Jeremiah 31:31-34

Psalm 46

Romans 3:19-28

John 8:31-36

Narrative: 1 Kings 3: 4-9, (10-15), 16-28

NOTE:

This post looks at the specific texts for Reformation Sunday and Narrative 8. If you’d like a more in-depth look at the concept of preaching on Reformation Sunday, check out my re-posted blog-post from last year: HERE.

First Lesson: Jeremiah 31:31-34

Challenges:

When Jeremiah speaks of the days that are surely coming, it might be tempting for us Lutheran types to say he’s talking about the Reformation.  This can be very dangerous indeed. It’s not like Martin Luther and his friends got everything right: they got many things very wrong indeed.  The Reformation is best understood as a movement that pointed to something greater than itself.  We’re still waiting for the days when the law will be completely written on our hearts.

Opportunities:

This could be a great chance to deal with the phrases, “put your heart into it,” or “his/her heart wasn’t in it.” What does this look like? How is it different from “going through the motions?”  Can you describe a time when you had your heart in something as opposed to a time you didn’t?  What did that look like and why did it happen the way it did?

Good News:

This passage is a statement of hope in what God will eventually do.  I hope for the same thing and I see glimpses of it in my own life and the lives others here and now.  These glimpses and this vision of hope in the future give me meaning and strength.

Second Lesson: Romans 3:19-28

Challenges:

So, when Paul talks about “deeds prescribed by the Law,” what exactly is he talking about here?  Circumcision? Dietary regulations? Or doing “good deeds?” Or all of them together? How much time do you have to describe the Jewish Law and how do you talk about it in a way that doesn’t encourage Anti-Semitism? As many of others have said this is a complicated and “thick” passage that needs a tremendous amount of “fleshing out” to get. How can you do that in a sermon?

Paul is using language that was important to his day, especially words like “righteousness” and “sacrifice.” When we hear “righteousness” today, it’s so easy to think “self-righteousness” and the word sacrifice means something very different to us that it did to a devout Jew before the Temple was destroyed.  It just doesn’t bear the same amount of weight today that it did for Paul: how could it?  How can this passage be read in worship so that people have an idea of what’s going on?

Opportunities:

You could look closely at some of these words and what they mean. Righteousness = being right-related.  Atonement: “at-one-ment.” That sort of thing.

You could talk about what sacrifices were meant to do in the ancient world: make things right between God and humanity.  Back then the idea usually was that God (or other gods) brought things to the table and humans brought other things. Humans brought the sacrifice (a ram, grain, doves, whatever) and God brought the forgiveness. How about the fact that through Jesus God brings BOTH the sacrifice AND the forgiveness. How amazing it that?

Good News:

There is something freeing in the statement, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Living in a statement like this is akin to taking a deep breath and realizing that we don’t have to expend all sorts of energy puffing ourselves up, play-acting and making ourselves look good.  Boasting is excluded, which is really good, because it can be really tiring.  Frankly, it can be a relief. And guess what? It gets even better!  We’ve been made righteous (right-related) because of Jesus.  Not only do we get to take an eternal break from trying to look-good merely for appearance sake, we get to be related to God in a solid and amazing way through Jesus Christ. We get to have life in his name. (okay, that’s John, but I think it still works here).  That’s good news.

Gospel: John 8:31-36

Challenges:

When “the Jews” of this passage claim that they have never been slaves to anyone, this must be a glaring statement in Jesus’ context. Of course they were slaves in Egypt! The Book of Deuteronomy reminds them of this fact about every third verse!  When you preach, you might have the temptation to show this glaring error and show how “dumb” Jesus’ opponents were (how could they forget after all?!?!?). Of course, chances are most of your people will probably forget this fact as well. If you go into great detail about how Jesus’ opponents are idiots, they’ll probably start feeling like idiots too.  Don’t go there, nothing good comes from that. 

If your sermon makes anyone look like an idiot or use anyone as a bad example it should be you.

Opportunities:

I’m not sure what you will want to do with this list piece of trivia, but verse 32 of this passage (“you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.”) is etched in stone at CIA Headquarters in Langley Virginia.  I’m pretty positive that the truth and the freedom that Jesus is talking about here is quite different from the CIA’s mission.  Perhaps there could be a chance to compare and contrast these two different versions of the “truth.”

While we’re at it, why not look at comedian Stephen Colbert’s coined word: “truthiness.” This is his way of satirizing the “gut feelings” and “things that just feel right” that many politicians, pundits and loud-mouths like to substitute for facts.  He used it on the pilot episode of his tremendously successful show The Colbert Report, and described it as: "We're not talking about truth, we're talking about something that seems like truth – the truth we want to exist"

Colbert is a genius and he’s really satirizing something that stands in stark contrast to the type of truth that Jesus is speaking of. 

Since we’re on a pop-culture kick, you could always quote Tom Cruise and Jack Nicholson from the 1990s courtroom classic A Few Good Men: “I want the truth!” “You can’t handle the truth!”

Good News:

Jack Nicholson is probably right: we can’t handle the truth, at least not on our own.  We can’t make ourselves free either: it’s going to take the Son to do that.  The good news is that the Son has freed us from sin and death and the devil and all manner of terrible things. You could write a whole list of things that Jesus has freed us from and at the top (or at least in the top 3) you can put “ourselves.” I certainly need saving from myself and thanks be to God, that’s what happens.

Narrative: 1 Kings 3:4-9, (10-15), 16-28

Challenges:

I grew up hearing stories about Solomon in Sunday School, and reading about him my Children’s Bible…then again, I’m pretty much a geek, so it makes sense. As I work my way through the Narrative Lectionary with my congregation, I have to remind myself every week that not everyone knows these stories as well as I do. Last week there were people genuinely surprised by the story of David and Bathsheba. One guy only half-jokingly said, “Wow, I don’t know if this is the best story if we have any visitors!” Let me say, most of the people who expressed shock at this story have been church-goers THEIR ENTIRE LIVES. The David and Bathsheba story does come up in the lectionary, which means they had to have heard it at least once (probably more), over the years. And yet they were surprised. So, when it comes to talking about Solomon, I need to remember that not everyone knows who he is.

Opportunities:

Of course, the challenge I just mentioned above is also an opportunity. If people don’t know about Solomon, how exciting is that that you get to make an introduction?!?! Dude, isn’t that amazing!?!?! The glass is half-full! What do you want to say about him?

Okay, like I mentioned above, I’m a geek of many sorts (History, Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, etc.) and because I am a geek, I know quite few anecdotes from the ancient world. Hearing God’s conversation with Solomon here makes me think of Paris’s interaction with Athena, Hera and Aphrodite in story of the Trojan War.  Paris is just minding his own business when these three deities “recruit” him as the sole judge in their beauty pageant. They all promise him gifts if he picks them.  Hera offers him power, Athena offers him knowledge and Aphrodite offers him the most beautiful woman in the world. Guess which one Paris chooses? Yep, the beautiful woman. This leads to his “stealing” of Helena which ultimately caused the Trojan War. 

I like to contrast Paris’ decision with Solomon’s desire for knowledge in order to rule the people of Israel well.  Once again, we see someone be blessed in order to be a blessing.  Solomon is given ability and talent in order use those gifts for good.  Paris’ decision was much more selfish and it didn’t turn out well for him (or the entire city of Troy for that matter).

In addition to this, perhaps you could talk about the various things you might want to ask for. One of my favorite rhetorical devices is to start out silly (life-time supply of Skittles anyone?) and then move gradually to things very, VERY serious. (Cure for Cancer, Ebola, etc.).  This can get people thinking and really get them into the story and the situation of Solomon.

Good News:

Once again, we have an example of God caring. God cares how a king rules his people. God cares about what happens.  God is a God of justice. That’s no small thing.