God Has Wronged Me Job’s response to Bildad’s second speech alternates between recrimination against his friends’ lack of compassion and lament over the divine attack he is experiencing. The friends attack and torment Job because they are convinced he is at fault (19:4, 28). Job continues to claim his innocence and to call the friends to compassion and mutual support (19:21–22). He concludes with a warning that if the friends continue to align themselves with God’s unwarranted attack on Job, they might ...
In the words of H. Gunkel, the pioneer of form-critical study of the Psalms, Psalm 13 is “the model of a ‘lament of the individual’ . . . , in which the individual components of the genre step forth most clearly” (Einleitung in die Psalmen [Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1933], p. 46). It exhibits a compact, tightly woven structure. 13:1–2 The opening lament names all the parties involved in the distress: Yahweh, the speaker, and the speaker’s opponents. The psalm gives worshipers occasion to lament ...
I have been ordered by Dr. Freddie Gage to speak on the topic of bitterness and forgiveness. Now like most preachers, I don't like to be told what to preach, but in Freddie's case I gladly acquiesce because I knew if I didn't, Freddie would get bitter and never forgive me. Now some people might think it strange to speak on a topic of bitterness to a bunch of Baptists. But bitterness is certainly no stranger to Baptist churches. I heard about a Baptist businessman that was taking a business trip on an ...
I met him in a restaurant. We were both leaving, so we both stopped on the sidewalk outside for a visit. What began as a casual exchange flowed into the sharing of deep feeling. A question about his family triggered a brief convulsion of distress and pain. He was estranged from his son. He’s done everything he could, so he thought, to bring about reconciliation, but there was still the tension, the strain, the cold, formal relating without genuine warmth. The fellow told me he dreamed about his son, and ...
A story is told of a well-to-do man of a former generation who on his brisk early morning walk would daily meet a workingman on his way to the factory. One day as they passed each other, the wealthy man added to his usual nod-of-the-head greeting these words of complaint, "I have no choice but to make this walk early each morning to get a stomach for my meat." The workingman responded, "And I must walk this early each morning to get meat for my stomach!" The reality is that neither man was truly satisfied ...
Job’s Frustration with His Friends Big Idea: Job’s adversity shapes how he views God, his friends, and himself. Understanding the Text After Eliphaz’s first speech in Job 4–5, Job responds in chapters 6 and 7. In chapter 6, Job indirectly refers in a few places to what Eliphaz has said, but he does not actually refute him point by point. Job’s speech, rather, is an emotional outburst in which he defends himself and attacks his friends. Job is clearly frustrated with his painful situation (6:1–13) and with ...
Today’s readings give us a chance to talk about freedom quietly a week before advertisers and politicians can fill the airwaves with patriotic rhetoric designed to sell us everything from washers to “wisdom” from Washington. We call the Fourth of July “Independence Day” and have good reason to celebrate. We say this is the day we gained our freedom from British rule. But are the words “freedom” and “independence” really synonyms? I would maintain that, though we did gain our independence from England in ...
Mk 14:1 - 15:47 · Isa 50:4-9 · Phil 2:5-11 · Ps 31:9-16
Sermon Aid
Russell F. Anderson
THIS WEEK'S TEXT Revised Common: Isaiah 50:4-9a · Philippians 2:5-11 · Mark 14:1--15:47 or Mark 15:1-39 (40-47) Roman Catholic: Isaiah 50:4-7 · Philippians 2:6-11 · Mark 14:1--15:47 Episcopal: Isaiah 45:21-25 or Isaiah 52:13--53:12 · Philippians 2:5-11 · Mark (14:32-72) or 15:1-39 (40-47) COMMENTARY Lesson 1: Isaiah 50:4-9a The third servant song. The Lord gives his servant the task of comforting his beaten people. His efforts meet with rejection and abuse but his faith in Yahweh remains unwavering. Lesson ...
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 ...
The four elements of black preaching might also be called the four corners of the art. As stated earlier, our aim is to shed light on the uniqueness of black preaching as a celebrated art form. While traditional categories are helpful in grasping the structure of black sermons and their functional value, the way sermons move and empower black audiences and reach their desired objectives is more important. Thus the description of black preaching as a four-cornered universe is designed to identify the ...
A cartoon in the New Yorker magazine said it all. In the middle of the floor is a dried up, withered, Christmas tree. The calendar on the wall reads December 26. Dad is sitting in his chair with an ice pack on his head. Mom is in a bathrobe and her hair in rollers. The floor is a virtual mountain of torn wrappings, boxes, and bows. Junior is reaching in his stocking to be sure that there is no more candy. In the background we see a table with a thoroughly picked turkey still sitting there. The caption on ...
"Now then," Joshua continued, "honor the Lord and serve him sincerely and faithfully. Get rid of the gods which your ancestors used to worship in Mesopotamia and in Egypt, and serve only the Lord. If you are not willing to serve him, decide today whom you will serve, the gods your ancestors worshiped in Mesopotamia or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are now living. As for my family and me, we will serve the Lord." A family moved to a new city where the father's company had transferred him. This ...
The words are probably the most plain, the most authoritarian, the most all-inclusive of the great "I am" statements made by Jesus Christ. In Chapter 14 of the Gospel According to St. John, verse 6: "I am the way, the truth, and the life." In unmistakable, explicit words, our Lord is saying that the human being cannot have life without him. I suppose that our culture can be divided into two types of persons - those who say in whatever comfortable and luxurious situations they find themselves in: "This is ...
The Plague is personalized in Albert Camus’ play State of Siege. It comes into a town in the form of a man who is accompanied by his secretary. The Secretary carries a notebook in which she often makes entries. She is always smiling, but at a stroke of her pencil, a person can be struck with plague and die. Few have the courage to challenge this threatening team. But a young medical student by the name of Diego does. At one point in the play, he says to The Secretary, "But of course only masses count with ...
Throughout the Christian era, men and women have looked with alarm at the turbulent conditions of their day and found in them signs of the End and of the Second Coming of Christ. In every instance they have been either disappointed or elated, depending on their state of spiritual preparedness. Many Christians today are convinced that they are living in the Last Days and that the End is just over the horizon. Christ is about to return. Perhaps. Perhaps not. Christians disagree on the imminence and the ...
"A prophet is not without honor," said Jesus "save in his own country." No wonder! Prophets speak to a people on the part of God. What nation on earth has ever lived up to God's standards? Not us. Not Israel. Not any nation that has ever existed on earth. We need to remember that as we prepare to celebrate our grand national holiday. Our nation has been wonderfully blessed. It seems somewhat impertinent for me to say, "I'm proud to be an American." It was an accident of birth. I had nothing to do with it. ...
Someone once made a collection of the thoughts of children about romance. They call it: "Kids say the darndest things . . . about love": What do most people do on a date? "On the first date, they just tell each other lies, and that usually gets them interested enough to go for the second date." (Mike, age 10) When is it okay to kiss someone? "You should never kiss a girl unless you have enough bucks to buy her a big ring and her own VCR, ˜cause she'll want to have videos of the wedding." (Jim, age 10) ...
Dr. Halford Luccock, a famous pastor in New York, was asked by a friend of his who was a New York policeman what the "D.D." printed after his name meant. He informed the officer that it meant "Doctor of Divinity." The policeman replied: "Do you know that `D.D.' is the most common charge written on the police blotter? It means `Drunk and Disorderly.'" Dr. Luccock assured his friend that was only a coincidence. But on his way home, he began to think about it. After all, weren't the saints at Pentecost ...
"You must be brave to come down in a one hundredmile per hour gale like this in a parachute," the farmer said to the young soldier. "I didn't come down like this in a chute," said the soldier. "I went up in a tent." A one hundred mile per hour gale hit the disciples of Jesus on that first Pentecost. They didn't come down in a parachute. They went up in a tent. The events of that day were dramatic. The disciples were together to celebrate the Jewish Harvest Festival known as Pentecost. Suddenly, there was a ...
I want to call you to prayer in a focused sort of way this morning. And we need to remember as we pray, because of who we are as Christians, that word of the prophet Micah, listen to him - he shall judge between many peoples. And how shall decide for strong nations far off, and they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nations shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. That’s a dream of the kingdom, a kingdom that the Lord promises ...
It’s an exciting thing to be part of the church of Jesus Christ. We’ve got a good thing here, and we need to let the rest of the world know just how exciting it is. There’s an old story about a young high school football star who was being recruited by a coach from a major college. The coach had never seen the young man play, so he asked him some direct questions. “Son,” he said, “I understand that you do the passing for your team. Are you a pretty good passer?” “Am I a good passer?” the boy answered. “Why ...
The Rev. Brian Bill tells about a friend of his named Ray who is originally from the South, but is now living in Chicago. Being a southerner, Ray says that one of the most challenging things about living in the Windy City is that it’s difficult to find a restaurant that serves grits. Rev. Bill asked Ray once what a “grit” is? Ray informed Rev. Bill that there’s no such thing as a “grit.” They don’t come by themselves. They come in a community of other grits. You can’t just order one grit. Rev. Bill says ...
Haman’s Promotion and Plot against the Jews: Esther 1–2 describes the splendors of the Persian court as well as its dangers. One queen was banished and her replacement installed. An assassination attempt by two officials was uncovered and executions followed. Chapter 3 begins with echoes of these earlier chapters. Like the king, Haman is a person with great honor (and wealth, 5:11). He also has a very sensitive ego. Mordecai, like Vashti, refuses to comply with a simple command to perform a gesture of ...
The Increase of Wickedness on Earth: This passage explains why God had to judge the inhabited earth with a deluge (6:9–8:22). It has two distinct sections: a description of the rapid increase in population, when the sons of God married daughters of men (vv. 1–4), and God’s response to human violence (vv. 5–8). The first section reports the population explosion, presumably spurred by the extraordinary marriages between the sons of God and the daughters of men. During that era superheroes are said to have ...
The second meeting with Jerusalem is fraught with far more problems for Paul, as he attempts to indicate his degree of independence from that power base of the early church (2:1–5). If we are correct in assuming that this section represents the same visit as that detailed in Acts 15 (which then causes us to understand “after fourteen years” [Gal. 2:1] as referring to a time period subsequent to the “three years” of 1:18), then Paul has the task of explaining why he went to Jerusalem at all if he did not ...