Source of life,
you feed us with the spiritual milk of your love
and deliver us from darkness to light.
Encompass us in the circle of your protection,
that, secure in your sustaining power,
we may find the wisdom and strength
to challenge the evils of our time. Amen.
I'm beginning the second of two weeks of vacation, and keenly aware with how fast this summer is passing. And in the U.S., this Sunday will be the last Sunday before Labor Day, the time when summer ends, the 'program year' kicks off, and fall schedules resume. As summer draws to a close, where will your sermon be heading?
If you've been following the story of David and Solomon in Kings, this week finds Solomon bringing the ark of the covenant into the house he has built for God where, after addressing the congregation, he offers up a powerful prayer to God. The alternative Old Testament reading features Joshua calling the people once again to return to the worship of Yahweh, declaring "as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD."
This week's gospel from John FINALLY marks the last of five weeks dealing with the bread of life. As Jesus concludes his discourse on being the that bread, many struggle with his words and turn away, but Simon Peter, speaking for the twelve, affirms his identity, declaring, "We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God."
So what direction will you be taking this week, preachers? Join in the discussion and share your thoughts, your inspirations, and your questions.
Art, prayer, and readings found here.
We'll enjoy our "lunch and lections" meeting today at noon, I expect it will be awesome as ever, but at the moment I am just cherishing the chance to preach, "where are we supposed to go? No, I mean, really?"
ReplyDeleteCrimson Rambler, I too am preaching on the gospel. It resonates so much with my own life and the lives of many of our parishioners. And maybe it's just because I'm a new pastor and I love the gospel of John, but this will be number 5 in the series of preaching on the Bread of Life discourse.
ReplyDeleteI am meditating on the role buildings play in the life of faith, taking Solomon and the temple as the starting point. Click here to read my early thoughts. Mind you as I just got back from holidays yesterday I am also feeling like I have yet to get traction and get going.
ReplyDeleteGoing for the bread again here. I don't think I've preached on bread for five Sundays, but this will definitely be three in a row! Working Title: The Tough Truth about That Bread
ReplyDeleteAll this talk about bread when I am gluten free and preaching on bread for the third week in a row! So far, I haven't felt the need to bring that dietary restriction into the sermon, but I'm wondering if I will do that this week.
I'm considering making a loaf of GF bread to bring for the children's conversation. Our kids are young-ish, mostly 5-8 years old. Would they understand that what we eat becomes part of our bodies? Would they understand that what we hear and see and do also becomes us? What would you do with a loaf of GF bread and kids and this lesson?
It's my first Sunday in the pulpit in this pastoral charge - so I'm not entirely sure where to go. I like some of the ideas on Sermon Brainwave - talking about belief, and how we live out our beliefs. This, especially in light of the UCCan's General Council meeting this past week and a bit where some controversial motions were passed. I don't think this pastoral charge has much connection to what has gone on, so it might be good to update them on that. Is that too much for a first Sunday? It's also harvest time here, and the farmers are extremely busy, maybe a lighter topic is needed? hm... still pondering.
ReplyDeleteI received very good advice about the first sermon/first Sunday -- that the one question the congregation will want answered is, "is this new minister going to LIKE US?" So whatever you can say -- and repetition helps -- that will reassure them on that point will be a good investment of time and breath. Just sayin!
DeleteI'm - dare I say it - totally ignoring the gospel. Going to focus on Solomon's struggle with God being both "in the box" and "impossible to fit in the box" plus an exploration of the Armor of God imagery in Ephesians. I'm hoping to play with the concept of containment systems and the ways God subverts our attempts to package and control God's power.
ReplyDeleteCan't remember where I read it, now, but apparently the "Armor of God" passage was a subversive reference, a parody of the uniforms worn by the Roman guards who kept Paul under house arrest. I love to imagine him writing this letter under their noses, poking fun at his captors and essentially saying God could trump all their military triumphalism. Anybody have a source for this?
and who could resist...
ReplyDelete'does this armour make my butt look big?' :D
Always happy to provide some depth... lol!
HAH! Brilliant.
DeleteI have a good one on the Ephesians text, but since the key point (the whole armor of God as Under Armour) relates to a relationship I've put behind me, I'll probably look elsewhere. (But it does have a great illustration about a nurse-manager who used the text as her mantra, so it may be of use and thus I have linked to it.)
ReplyDeleteAlso I believe I pledged publicly never to preach Ephesians again. My current thoughts are two: (1)Maybe something on Psalm 84, or (2)choose one from the files, because this is a busy week and I am tired and attendance is low. What I can't bear to do is preach John. I'll be off-lectionary in October for a stewardship series, so I'm now thinking maybe I'll look ahead and see what we'll miss in Mark. I bet I have an old favorite text, if not sermon.
Thanks, Martha-- the exploration of Paul's experience under Roman surveillance is really helpful. Between that and a few passages from Walter Wink's "Engaging the Powers," I think I may have what I need!
DeleteThe Ephesians passage lends itself very well to children's talk -- oven mitts, soccer shin pads, safety goggles, bicycle helmets...children know a lot about PROTECTIVE CLOTHING, I find.
ReplyDeleteNot preaching this week (last Sunday of vacation) but if I were I might do something about the armor of God--what does it take for us to confront the powers of evil in the world? And if I were going to preach on the gospel I might go with how some found J's message so challenging they turned away while Simon Peter finally made an affirmation of faith: what is it that pulls us in either direction? Or something like that.
ReplyDeleteThe last in my series on the Bread of Life (my folks are well and truly sick of it by now, I fear), but I am also tying it to the "put on the armor of God." Thinking at this point that I will link them through the question of how the followers are expected to deal with a difficult teaching...well, you just put on your big girl panties, or UnderArmour, or whatever, and go live it...and learn more in the living than in the procrastinating and arguing the finer theological points...
ReplyDeleteI LOVE IT, I LOVE IT, I LOVE IT
DeleteI SOOOO wish you could preach this to our diocesan leadership right now. Thank you for putting the connection together for me.
Delete...and I'm also riffing on metaphors, using "Metaforo!" from Roberto Benigni's great movie "Life is Beautiful." May not get to the "put on your armor" if I get deep into the weeds of Schopenhauer and metaphor...
ReplyDelete...I've decided to wrestle with Jesus' question to his disciples as they were overwhelmed with the "ick factor" of his bread metaphor: "Does this offend you?"
ReplyDeleteWe sometimes get so into the warm fuzzies of the Gospel ("Jesus loves ME, this I know!") that we forget about the hard call of the gospel...
I was debating, "Ephesians or John?" (having stolen the 1 Kings text to use last week).
ReplyDeleteI was really taken with the link from yesterday's Textweek post - http://www.progressiveinvolvement.com/progressive_involvement/2012/08/lectionary-blogging-john-6-58-69.html
Something about vs 66: "Because of this many of his disciples turned back and no longer went about with him. (in my NRSV) vs "Then, out of this, many of his disciples went back into the things of the past and no longer were going about with him." (as translated at the link". "Went back into the things of the past" is much more evocative than the simple "turned back." It's sticking with me.
There's some difficult conversation we need to have in my setting around extending ourselves for the sake of the Gospel. Will it help any to preach it on the last Sunday of the summer when most of the people I want to challenge with this will be on vacation!?
But, a bulletin needs to go to musicians and office volunteer by tomorrow morning. Decisions must be made!
I'm thinking quite a bit about the Ephesians "armor of God" as "amor" of God. Did some blogging about it as I tease it out...for me the armor of the community (this is where I'll tie in the John) is where the amor of God can be best felt. (If you click my name it should be the most recent blog post).
ReplyDeleteBack from the beach where the only 'net I had was on my phone. I'm going with Solomon's inclusivity calling it "When A Gentile Prays."
ReplyDelete