Genesis 24:1-67, Romans 8:1-17, Romans 7:7-25, Zechariah 9:9-13, Matthew 11:25-30, Matthew 11:1-19
Sermon Aid
Russell F. Anderson
Theme: Freedom from oppression. In the First Lesson (Zechariah 9:9-12), it is freedom from political oppression. In the Second Lesson, it is freedom from our sinful human nature and in the Gospel, we are offered freedom from the oppression of the law and of man-made religious regulations. COMMENTARY Lesson 1: Genesis 24:34-38, 42-49, 58-67 (C) In his old age, Abraham sends his trusted servant back from the land of his origin to secure a wife for his son, Isaac, from his own people. He discovers Rebekah, ...
Mk 4:12-16, 22-26 · Heb 9:11-15 · Ex 24:3-8 · Ps 126
Sermon Aid
Russell F. Anderson
COMMENTARY Lesson 1: Exodus 24:3-8 After Moses and the elders commune with the Lord on the mountain, Moses builds an altar at the foot of the mountain with twelve pillars of stone, representing the twelve tribes. He assembles the people for a covenant ceremony. The people agreed to obey the Lord's commands as delivered by Moses. In witness to the covenant between God and the people, Moses ordered that many beasts be sacrificed. He took half the blood and dashed it against the altar, representing God's ...
COMMENTARY Old Testament: Isaiah 60:1-6, 9 The light of God's glory has been shed on the chosen nation and all the people who live in darkness will be drawn to the light, together with Israel's scattered citizens. Their neighboring realms will pour their wealth into Israel gold and frankincense. Epistle: Ephesians 3:1-12 The mystery of the gospel, withheld from former generations, has now been revealed in Christ to all people, including the Gentiles. All believers are members of the Household of Faith and ...
Mark 2:23-3:6, 1 Samuel 3:1--4:1, 2 Corinthians 4:1-18
Sermon Aid
Russell F. Anderson
Theme: The Lord sends his spokesmen to speak words of judgment against religious authorities. In the 1 Samuel text from the Revised Common Lectionary God speaks out against the corruption under Eli. In the Gospel Jesus challenges the common understanding of the Sabbath, which leads to Jesus' condemnation of the powers that be. COMMENTARY Old Testament: 1 Samuel 3:1-20 This pericope continues the story of Samuel from 2:26. The text begins with a statement about the spiritual poverty of Israelites under the ...
COMMENTARY Old Testament: Jeremiah 31:7-14 This passage derives from the "book of consolation" portion of Jeremiah, compiled by Baruch, and covers the 622 B.C. to 609 B.C. period. God promises to redeem the remnant from captivity. They will return with tears of joy welling in their eyes. The earth will participate in the restoration by bountifully yielding her produce; it will be a well-watered garden (v. 12). All inhabitants will rejoice. Epistle: Ephesians 1:3-14, 15-18 A hymn of praise to God for ...
Discipline (v. 7) - Who is "the disciple whom Jesus loved?" In John's gospel, John never mentions his name, but describes himself as "the disciple whom Jesus loved." It was not that John only was loved by Jesus, but apparently there was an exceptional closeness to their relationship, akin to David and Jonathon. In this instance, John was the only disciple who recognized that it was Jesus standing on the beach. Love has the power of vision and insight into the nature of people. Love lets you see who a ...
Hebrews 11:1-40, Jeremiah 18:1--19:15, Genesis 15:1-18, Luke 12:35-48
Sermon Aid
George Bass
THEOLOGICAL CLUE The kerygmatic theology, which is built into the church year framework for the liturgy, is almost imperceptible by this Sunday, the middle of the Pentecost cycle/season. There are more evident signals coming to the church from the calendar year. Summer is nearly over. Labor Day sees the beginning of fall activities - the end of vacation time, back to school and college for students, rally day in Sunday church schools, resumption of rehearsals, and planning for stewardship programs in less ...
Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit; be like those who are waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that they may open the door for him as soon as he comes and knocks. Blessed are those slaves whom the master finds alert when he comes; truly I tell you, he will fasten his belt and have them sit down to eat, and he will come and serve them. If he comes during the middle of the night, or near dawn, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves. But know this: If the owner of ...
COMMENTARY Proverbs 8:22-31 Wisdom was with Yahweh when he created the earth. Before the earth was created, wisdom, a female figure, was created and observed Yahweh's bringing the world into shape: the earth, heavens, the boundaries of the sea, and the foundations of the earth. According to this passage, Yahweh did not create out of nothing, but ordered creation. The climax of creation is humanity in whom wisdom delighted and rejoiced. In the Old Testament wisdom is used to express God's self-disclosure in ...
Lk 12:13-21 · Col 3:1-11 · Ecc 1:2; 2:18-26 · 2 Ki 13:14-20a
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John R. Brokhoff
THE LESSONS 2 Kings 13:14-20a A sick and dying Elisha promises victory over Syria to Joash, king of Israel. This, the last appearance of Elisha, concludes the series of Lessons on Elijah and his successor, Elisha. The scene is Elisha on his death-bed. Joash, king of Israel, comes to him for guidance. He and the country are in deep trouble. Syria is oppressing Israel. With the symbol of a bow and arrow, Elisha promises victory over Syria as Joash shoots an arrow from Elisha's window toward the East. Again, ...
THE LESSONS Zephaniah 3:1-9 The day of judgment will come to the nations because of their sins. Zephaniah served as a prophet during the reign of Josiah (637-607 BC) before he instituted his reforms. When Zephaniah surveyed the moral and religious conditions of his day, he proclaimed the word of the Lord that the Day of the Lord, the day of judgment, was coming. He called for absolute monotheism, social righteousness, and the fear of the Lord. In our pericope, Jerusalem is described as a city of crime and ...
Jn 1:1-18 · Eph 1:3-6, 15-18 · Isa 61:10--62:3 · Jer 31:7-14
Sermon Aid
John R. Brokhoff
COMMENTARY Jeremiah 31:7-14 Yahweh promises to rebuild the nation of Israel. God's word is one of hope through restoration of the exiles to their homeland. Previously Jeremiah had the unpleasant task of giving God's word as a message of doom, destruction, and exile. Now, God has him give a message for the period after the Babylonian captivity. Through Jeremiah God has a word of hope by promising the gathering and returning the exiles to Zion. Isaiah 61:10--62:3 Israel rejoices that God has clothed him with ...
COMMENTARY Exodus 3:1-15 (C), Exodus 3:1-8b, 10-15 (L). Exodus 3:1-8, 13-15 (RC) Moses is called to deliver God's people from bondage in Egypt. While tending his father-in-law's sheep, Moses is called by Yahweh to return to Egypt to lead out his oppressed people. First Yahweh must get Moses' attention by having a bush burn without burning up. Because God is present, Moses is ordered to remove his sandals, for he is on holy ground. Wherever God exists, the place becomes sacred. Yahweh tells Moses that he is ...
Revelation 7:1-8, Isaiah 26:1-21, 1 John 2:28--3:10, Revelation 21:1-27, Matthew 5:1-12, Psalm 24:1-10, Psalm 149:1-9, Psalm 34:1-22
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THEOLOGICAL CLUE All Saints' Day is one of those days in the church year calendar that many congregations ignore, simply because they don't know what to do with it. It began and developed naturally out of the annual commemoration of the deaths of individual martyrs, beginning with the apostles. Saints' days found their way into the worship of the church before the church year took much shape; many saints' days were in place by A.D. 200, preceding most elements of the church year, except Easter and the ...
Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a lonely place apart. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. As he went ashore he saw a great throng; and he had compassion on them, and healed their sick. When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, "This is a lonely place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves." Jesus said, "They need not go away, you give them something to eat." They ...
God’s chosen nation - through which he would send the world’s Redeemer - had been brought to a pinnacle of earthly glory by King David. When his son, Solomon, assumed the throne, he consolidated David’s gains and led Israel to a power and a prominence, a prosperity and a prestige, unequalled in the world of his day. The Queen of Sheba, who had been told of the wealth of Solomon’s court, could not believe it. She was not convinced. She came to see for herself. Her verdict: "The half has never yet been told ...
Potato chips, cheese curls, and candy may be some of your favorites, but for twenty-four mule deer in the Grand Canyon National Park, these indulgences proved deadly. Park rangers were forced to shoot more than two dozen mule deer who became hooked on junk food left by visitors. It was death by Cheetos and suicide by Snicker bar! Why eat twigs or chew bark if a Twinkie is nearby? Once deer taste the sugar and salt of snack foods, they develop an addiction and will go to any lengths to eat only junk food. ...
Matthew 5:17-20, Matthew 5:13-16, 1 Corinthians 2:6-16, 1 Corinthians 1:18--2:5, Isaiah 58:1-14
Sermon Aid
John R. Brokhoff
COMMENTARY Old Testament: Isaiah 58:1-9a (9b-12) A comparison of proper and improper fasting. The passage, written by Trito-Isaiah in the sixth century B.C., deals with the returned exiles in Jerusalem where conditions were deplorable. In those days fasting was used to express great sorrow or supplication. This encourages many fasts, but God seemingly did nothing! Why not? What kind of fasting is acceptable to God? One type of fasting produces no divine results: ceremonial fasting without regard for human ...
COMMENTARY Old Testament: Exodus 24:12-18 God appears to Moses on Mount Sinai. Old Testament: Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14 The vision of the one who has been living forever. Epistle: 2 Peter 1:16-21 The disciples witnessed Jesus' transfiguration. Epistle: Philippians 3:7-14 To know Christ is to have life. Gospel: Matthew 17:1-9 God is transfigured before three disciples. THEOLOGICAL REFLECTIONS Gospel: Matthew 17:1-9 1. The uniqueness of Jesus. In essence the Transfiguration is a sacred "peep show." Before the ...
Genesis 2:4-25, Genesis 3:1-24, Romans 5:12-21, Matthew 4:1-11
Sermon Aid
John R. Brokhoff
COMMENTARY Lesson 1: Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7 (C); Genesis 2:7-9; 3:1-7 (RC); Genesis 2:4b-9, 15-17, 25-3:7 (E) The account of humanity's fall into sin. Today's Lesson is taken from the second Genesis account of creation by the Yahwist (J) school of authors. The first part of the pericope gives the setting for the Fall: creation of Adam from dust and spirit, the garden with the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. In preparation for the Fall we need to know that Adam and Eve were ...
COMMENTARY Lesson 1: Genesis 22:1-14 (C) God orders Abraham to sacrifice Isaac. Yahweh puts Abraham to the toughest test of his life. His son, Isaac, was to be sacrificed as proof of Abraham's love and loyalty to God. At the moment Abraham is about to plunge the knife into Isaac, God stops him and provides a substitute sacrifice of a ram. Lesson 1: 2 Kings 4:8-11, 14-16 (RC) Opening our lives to God's messengers. Lesson 1: Isaiah 2:10-17 (E) Pride will be destroyed and God will be exalted. Lesson 2: Romans ...
Psalm 15:1-5, Micah 6:1-8, 1 Corinthians 1:18--2:5, Matthew 5:1-12
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Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe
OLD TESTAMENT TEXTS The Testament texts are a call for us to act in accordance with the reality that we know is true. Micah 6:1-8 makes this point through a legal confrontation between God and Israel, while Psalm 37:1-11 presents a series of wisdom sayings that are meant to bring the reality of God more clearly into focus by encouraging us to adopt the moral way of life. Micah 6:1-8 - "Controversy in the Congregation" Setting. Micah 6:1-8 uses the imagery of dispute as the setting for the prophetic oracle ...
Matthew 10:1-42, Romans 6:15-23, Psalm 13:1-6, Genesis 22:1-19
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Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe
OLD TESTAMENT TEXTS The Old Testament texts for this Sunday are about divine testing. Genesis 22:1-14 is the story of how God tested Abraham in commanding the sacrifice of Isaac, while Psalm 13 is a lament that provides liturgical language for how we approach God during times of testing. Genesis 22:1-14 - "To Fear God Is to See God" Setting. The story of Genesis 22 is sinister. God's command for Abraham to sacrifice Isaac in the opening verse is outrageous, and, even though the narrative progresses to a ...
Psalm 45:1-17, Romans 7:7-25, Matthew 11:25-30, Matthew 11:1-19, Genesis 24:1-67
Sermon Aid
Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe
OLD TESTAMENT TEXTS Genesis 24 is the story of how the servant of Abraham searches for a wife for Isaac in Mesopotamia and finds Rebekah. Psalm 45:10-17 is the second half of a Marriage Song that focuses on the bride. Genesis 24:34-38, 42-49, 58-67 - "A Story with Many Heroes" Setting. In many ways the testing of Abraham in Genesis 22 (the lectionary lesson for last week) concludes the Abrahamic cycle of stories in Genesis even though his death is not recorded until Genesis 25. The story of Abraham began ...
Exodus 3:1-22, Matthew 16:21-28, Romans 12:9-21, Psalm 105:1-45
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Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe
OLD TESTAMENT TEXTS Exodus 3:1-15 is the call of Moses, which ends with the revelation of the divine name, while Psalm 105:1-6, 23-26, 45b adds an alternative section (vv. 23-26) to the historical hymn of praise that was also the psalm for Proper Fourteen. The replacement section recounts Israel's oppression in Egypt and the calling of Moses and Aaron to save them. Exodus 3:1-15 - "Deciphering God's Call" Setting. Exodus 3:1-15 is best characterized as a call narrative. The call narrative is an established ...