I am leaning toward the Mark 10:46-52 passage, the healing of Bartimaeus, a blind beggar.
La guérison de l'aveugle-né by Corinne Vonaesch
Which way are you leaning? Perhaps you are preaching the
Jeremiah passage?
The painting of Jeremiah by Michaelangelo -->
Or are you preaching through Job?
<--- The painting of Job is by Chagall
What are you thinking? You are invited to post your leanings, thoughts, and questions in the comment section.
What great artwork this morning! Thanks for the beauty so early in the morning.
ReplyDeleteI'm not preaching this week - every time there is a 5th Sunday we lift up one of the quiet servants of the church. You know the ones, who wash the windows and change the lightbulbs and send out birthday cards and keep the sound system working and bring in clean socks for the homeless. There will be testimony to someone's work and little gifts for them. These people are all sermons without words. :-)
Rev Maria that sounds wonderful. I am doing the chilrens' message about how God knows us no matter what mask we wear (pre-Halloween!). I just have to pick a mask that isn't too scary. I'm leaning towards Spiderman...since its handy.
ReplyDeleteAbi -- love the art and love Rev. Maria's idea. Thanks for lifting me on a chilly morning.
ReplyDeleteThanks! We love our 5th Sunday celebrations. For how we do it, see jubilee
ReplyDeleteI'm not certain what our pastors are preaching on...it could be they go the Reformation Sunday route instead, they do like to diverge from the lectionary from time to time! I know they have me breaking out the trumpet for some good hymns this week!
ReplyDeleteIf I were choosing one I'd still be inclined to pick Job. There is something so beautifully human about that book. I know that I can relate to Job myself. When bad things happen it can be easy to flop to the ground and demand answers of God, but in the end, what do we know (not much!) and that God doesn't let us stay in bad times forever.
I like the idea of the 5th Sunday celebrations, but how do you avoid missing people? How big is your congregation? I'm afraid something like this could cause hurt feelings in my congregation.
ReplyDeleteI'm on deck for this Sunday ... really for all week since the pastor is on vacation and the secretary position is currently vacant.
ReplyDeleteI'm continuing in Acts, looking at chapter 17. I know the sermon will be about worship, but that may be all I know until I get a chance to breath and look at it later on this week. I'll definitely be seeing you on Saturday.
Dancing with God
I believe I'm using the Mark text. In clergy group this morning, we wondered if Bartimaeus was healed as soon as he threw off the cloak, which identified him as a beggar? If he can throw off a role everyone assumes is inescapable, can't we do that, too?
ReplyDeleteI'm preaching from Hebrews and tying it to Reformation Sunday and possibly part of a rant about wanting church to be more "exciting." During the Reformation, the thing that made people excited was that they could read the Bible and ask the hard faith questions on their own rather than rely on church hierarchy and requirements to tell them what to think. To ask such questions can still be exciting today, and we don't have to dress them up with a constant barrage of field trips to "fun" places or other needless flash and pomp.
ReplyDeleteHopefully it ends up more constructive and sermonesque than that (and avoids an anti-Catholic tone) when I'm done.:)
I'm supposed to preach a stewardship sermon on Sunday, and I'm using the Mark text...basically noting that Bartimaeus followed Jesus on the way after he was healed. I'm planning to reflect on his opportunity to be a part of something bigger than his line of vision. I've obviously got some work to do, but I think I can make it work!
ReplyDeleteI am not preaching this Sunday - not until December 17th, actually, since I am not the pastor but just a member of the preaching team.
ReplyDeleteBUT, I wondered if any of the rest of you all caught that little sentence at the end of Job where he gave his daughters an inheritance with his sons.
Seems quite significant to me, and very interesting.
Not preaching for the next two Sundays. Beloved girl child is being married on Saturday and I am in full tilt mother-of-the-bride mode. God is so good. I will have two full weeks and a little more out of the office and out of the pulpit - starting tomorrow. Of course, first I have to bury the member who joined the church so that she would have someone to bury her:)) Think of our family this Saturday - what a blessing to live amidst such joy!
ReplyDeleteI am leaving the lectionary this week to do a message dealing with the issue of domestic violence before October (DV prevention month) gets away from me...I am using the story of Dinah and the passage from Ephesians 5 (including "wives be subject to your husbands..." :|) through which to explore this topic.
ReplyDeletePeace to all, haagrb
Wow, such great discussion.
ReplyDeleteI too am doing the healing. I was struck by the disciples telling Bart to take heart... Isn't that some of our task today to tell people to take heart.
Songbird that might work, one of the commentaries said something about the cloak representing the old, and that he threw off the old and accepted the new.
Thanks for the comments about the artwork, I am a visual learner and it helps me to think and feel my way through the passages.
Luther Liz, you play trumpet? Play it girl!
And hipastorzwife2b you have given me my children's sermon, thanks.
I too like your idea of the 5th Sunday revmarie.
Emily be not afraid we will be with you too on Saturday.
Jeff, I am sure you will make it interesting and exciting.
Sue, I didn't read that, but if it said that it is very very important. I don't think that usually was the case in the OT.
pastornines, hope the wedding goes well, and just enjoy being the mother of the bride! Have fun.
haagbrd, hope the preaching on domestic violence goes well. I sure saw a lot of sources out there to use. When I did Ephesians chapter 5 what struck me was that Paul started with the premise that we all submit to Jesus first.
Thanks for all your thoughts on Lectionary leanings.
Great ideas...and great artwork!
ReplyDeleteWe are doing Reformation Sunday at our church in a big way...I can see (pardon the pun) using the Bartimaeus story as a metaphor for God's periodically coming down to help us overcome our various blindnesses as a community -- our spiritual complacency...our confusing the Gospel with the law and otherwise theologically "fusstigating," as a friend of mine says, and in doing so impeding the Good News...our injustices toward one another...our lack of caring for "the least of these."
Silent, we have years and years to get to everyone who serves the church slently, since we celebrate only 1 or two on 5th Sundays, which only come up 4 times a year. :-) The congregation looks forward to seeing who it will be this time and come to the Elders with suggestions for next time! No one feels missed, just that we didn't get to them yet - and trust me, we have a few who would NOT be silent if they felt left out! :-)
ReplyDeleterev maria, I think I am going to propose this to our worship committe.
ReplyDeletechilly fingers you said, "I'm planning to reflect on his opportunity to be a part of something bigger than his line of vision." I like your thinking.
lutheran chick, I like your pun, you made me laugh. I agree we have so much fustigating to work through and things that we are blind to, including me.
Reformation Sunday...yep...that'e the tradition at the new digs. It is not my usual fare, but we shall see.
ReplyDeleteBut I think that the Jeremiah passage may wirk for it.
Since my student stuck to Job last week, we spent Bible Study last night looking at both the Bartimaeus story and the preceding pericope. In both, Jesus asks, "What do you want me to do for you?"
ReplyDeleteWhen I asked the gathered folk,"What do you want God to do for you?" there was silence. I'm dwelling with that question and our resistance to asking it, and our thoughts about what getting it might mean. For James and John, the same cup that even Jesus prays might pass him by a few chapters later. For Bartimaeus, a healing of sight, then following Jesus straight to Jerusalem.
For us? Do we *really* want to go there?
Songbird, thank you! That's so helpful.
ReplyDeleteSongbird, I think that is a good question for all of us. How amazing that you met complete silence. BBT has a sermon called "The Courage to See" in her book Mixed Blessings on the Mark passage. It basically goes with your thought on "What do you want?", and that our blindness is something else.
ReplyDelete