Easter feels like ages ago but int the church year we've only just ended the Easter season; now we move into the long stretch of "ordinary time" aka the season of Pentecost. Our lectionary this week returns to the Gospel of Mark (good news for those of us who may love John but are weary of preaching his gospel nonetheless); it's not an easy passage but it is rich with possiblilities. We have Satan, and a house divided against itself; we have the "unforgiveable sin," blaspheming the Holy Spirit (just how does that work anyway?) and we have a bit on Jesus' family vaules--not what you might expect.
If you choose to go the OT route,there are options as well. We begin a series of readings from Samuel this week that will extend into the summer, and if Satan in the gospel isn't enough, we also have the story of God confronting Adam and Eve after they succumbed to the serpent's temptation. Are your preaching juices tempted by this?
Paul is not left out either; we have a passage from the second letter to the Corinthians: "what we can see is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal."
So where is the Spirit leading you this week, preachers? Join the discussion, share your ideas and questions. And if you happen to be new here, welcome! This is a great place of support and friendship!
(Posting late and on the road!)
(Readings and art found here)
Goodness, everyone must be gone on vacation! I am first up? I am not preaching this week but if I were, I think I might want to take on Paul. I think I would want to take on the whole concept of BELIEF and it being about what we can't see, but I would want to talk about 'beloving' which is the origin of the word and how the word has become a word to trust in things that are not based in fact. "I believe that Creation was done in 6 days."
ReplyDeleteI'm not energized for the long haul of Ordinary Time, but as our summer people return, I think I'm going to talk about who we choose as our peer group, when we have a choice. I'm planning an OT series for July, so give me Samuel, Lord, but not just yet.
ReplyDeleteI'm riffing off the concept of Trinity as the way we talk about God being relational - my sermon theme for the summer will focus on the gospel and what that says about how God related to us and how we are invited into relationship.
ReplyDeleteThis week, I'm focusing on the section of the gospel where Jesus' family comes looking for him and talking about the God who creates family/community.
I love the image of God looking for Adam and Eve in the garden - I want to try to use that image of God seeking relationship with us in my sermon - I referenced it last week and it would be a nice segue.
From now to the middle of July (when I start 5 Sundays of vacation time) I am going with stories from the Saul-David cycle. [Basically following the Lectionary but with expansions and adding in the story of Abigail and Nabal in 1 Samuel 25].
ReplyDeleteThis week the sermon title is Give Us a King!?! My Early thoughts are here
I'll be with Samuel for a while. I'll talk about the desire for a king as an incarnational impulse. How the people were centuries away from their faith stories about the God of miracles and wanted a tangible presence of God in their midst - the traditional ANE understanding of monarchy. And transition to how Jesus' manifestation of incarnation was not as expected, neither to his family nor the crowds. But focus on the need for divine presence. That one is largely done. I'm sketching out next week's. Trying to stay one ahead and revise Fri-Sat.
ReplyDeleteI am intrigued by the piece of the Samuel reading where God points out that people are rejecting GOD not Samuel. If I were preaching to the preachers, I would point out that this is important for US to remember when it seems that WE are being rejected. :-)
ReplyDelete