Do Not Be Afraid... Ever – 24 December 2017 – Fourth Sunday in Advent

Although Nathan's prophecy to David and Gabriel's announcement to Mary may lead us to expect a messiah bringing peace by ruling in splendor from "the throne of David his father," today's readings suggest that God's mysterious ways often overturn human expectations.

David is deterred from building a glorious house for God (temple). Instead, the Lord will build a house for him (dynasty). God's fulfillment of the "mystery hidden for many ages" is first revealed to Mary. . . in the out-of-the-way region of Galilee. As she obediently submits to the Lord's impossible plan for the messiah's birth, we may already anticipate that her child's rule is not going to conform to the standards of earthly power and prestige.

Luke 1:26-38

In a tone of wonder and joy, Luke's annunciation story describes the beginning of the fulfillment of the long-awaited time of salvation. . . .  

The scene is filled with improbabilities. The site is Nazareth in Galilee; there has been no Davidic court in Jerusalem for almost 600 years. The recipient is a virgin, "deeply troubled" by the angel's greeting who later must ask, "How can this be since I do not know man?" The child will be conceived by the power of the Most High, and the confirming sign that Mary's baby is indeed to be called Son of God is that her kinswoman Elizabeth has conceived a son in her old age.

In language reminiscent of the annunciation of Isaac's birth to Abraham and Sarah (Genesis 18), Gabriel ends by affirming that, "nothing is impossible with God." In con- trast to the incredulous Zechariah and their laughing ancestor Sarah, Mary acquiesces to the mysterious divine plan: "I am the maidservant of the Lord. Let it be done to me as you say."

2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16

The scriptures remind us that our God is a god of surprise. The reading from Second Samuel describes Israel as a people firmly rooted in the promised land. This people has developed such a sophisticated urban life that it wants to establish a dwelling place for God, an act that in effect represents an attempt to domesticate God.

But Nathan receives a night-time revelation from God, an appeal to remember God's nomadic, sojourning, tent-dwelling presence for Israel. Nathan is reminded that God's power enabled Israel's enemies to be thwarted and that God desires no temple where the divine will exist under the domination of human designs. The Davidic covenant is not to be placed in a particular space but is to be rooted in a person, David, and his posterity. God speaks surprise. God takes a posture of presence with David and his posterity.

Romans 16:25-27

This concluding doxology gives praise to God who strengthens the Christian community in the gospel, now revealed to gentiles through Paul's preaching. . .  

Its emphasis on the hidden mystery of God's plan, which completes the message of the prophets and is now revealed to all the nations, is central to the theme of today's readings. The plan for salvation, now open to gentiles, is manifested not according to human timetables but "at the command of the eternal God."

These reflections were written by a number of different scholars who contributed to this volume of Homily Service without attribution according to specific sections.

Homily Service 36, no. 1 (2002): 35-42.

Danger and Fear Meet Salvation – 13 August 2017 – 10th Sunday after Pentecost/ Lectionary 19

Matthew 14:22-33

 Still seeking solitude (cf. 14:13), Jesus went up the mountain alone to pray; the narrator repeats that he was still there alone when evening came. Two forces came down the mountain toward the disciples in the boat: first the wind, and they battled it fiercely. . . But when they saw a man walking through that storm toward them, they were convinced they were really in trouble. . .  They cried out in fear, but Jesus identified himself and said, “do not be afraid.”

. . . Peter was at once doubtful and confident: “If it is you,” he said. . .  Jesus did not chastise him for the test, but invited him to come, and so Peter did…until a strong blast of the wind slapped him in the face and brought him back. Perfect fear drives out faith, but not entirely: Peter cried out for salvation and Jesus' hand found him.

For the second time Jesus questioned a disciple's “little faith,” this time asking, “why did you doubt?” Once again the wind stopped, but this time the disciples do not ask who it might be, rather they worshipped the “Son of God.” –– Paul E. Koptak

1 Kings 19:9-18

Alone on the mountain and afraid of political and religious forces that are out to get him, Elijah waits for the Lord to come. He looks in all the wrong places for God’s presence: wind, earthquake, and fire. But the Lord was not in the powerful and destructive energies that visit Earth regularly. Instead, the Lord was in the silence which Elijah could “hear” and it caused him to recoil by covering his face.

Prof. Robert E. Bornemann, who taught Old Testament at the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Philadelphia held that the literal translation of the Hebrew for “sound of sheer silence” is “the sound of silence pulverized.” That is, God’s presence came to Elijah in less than silence, in crushed silence, in sound––even sound!––that was broken.

In the broken “voices” of this world, we find the presence of God. And from out of that brokenness, the voice of the Lord spoke to Elijah with assurance that his people would remain and survive.

The voice at the mouth of the cave gives Elijah the command to appoint new leaders with the assurance that he is not alone: a remnant of seven thousand remain and will survive judgment (1 Kgs 19:13–18). –– Paul E. Koptak

Romans 10:5-15

Paul draws from Hebrew scripture to support his claim that “Christ is the end of the law [telos can mean the termination or the goal. . . ] so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes” (v 10:4).

Each half of that claim is taken in turn; the “righteousness of faith” marks the telos of the law in the righteous life of Christ, and so it is offered to all. Paul quotes Moses from Leviticus 18:5, “the person who does these things will live by them,” thought by many to refer to Christ, the fulfillment of the “righteousness that comes from the law.” He then draws from Deuteronomy 30:11–14 to show that the “righteousness that comes by faith” neither brings Christ down from heaven nor up from the grave. Those works belong to God. . .  

In a mirror repetition of verse 9, Paul adds that one believes with the heart and is justified. . . and one confesses with the mouth and is saved (v 10). The righteousness of faith is for everyone, Paul says three times: he quotes Isaiah 28:16 in verse 11, affirms one Lord of Jew and Greek in verse 12, and quotes Joel 2:32 in verse 13.

. . . Isaiah thought messengers of good news ran on beautiful feet (Isa 52:7), even though he knew that not everyone would believe. So the church finds its great commission in evangelism and worship: “O give thanks to the Lord, call on his name, make known his deeds among the peoples” (Ps. 105:1). –– Paul E. Koptak

Paul E. Koptak is professor of communication and biblical interpretation at North Park University Theological Seminary, Chicago, Illinois.

Homily Service 41, no. 3 (2008): 145-154.

The Sword and Baptismal Transformation – 25 June 2017 – Third Sunday after Pentecost/ Lectionary 17

Christians are called to testify to what we know to be true, but we like to shrink from responsibilities that bring discomfort. The truth can confront lies that may be swirling around families, churches, and nations intended to keep the boat from rocking. 

I knew a pastor once who said she welcomed conflict because it brought light and clarity. Amen to that! A sigh runs through the crowd when the elephant has been named or the divergent perspectives on an issue are aired. And we can welcome the consequences of truth revealed when we are standing on sure ground: the place God gives us as in baptism, the identity as children of God.

The sword cuts through nonsense as well as falsehood. Baptism mends the brokenness.

Matthew 10:24-39

Jesus sends out the Twelve to announce and enact the good news that the kingdom of heaven is near. His instructions concerning the mission of the Twelve launch the “Mission Discourse.”

. . . Having just told the disciples that they will be persecuted “because of my name” (v 22), Jesus tells them that the student should not expect to receive better treatment than the teacher nor the slave better than the master did. Three times the disciples are urged not to “be afraid.” At worst, their treatment can mean death. But a worse fate awaits those who deny the message: the destruction of both body and soul in Gehenna (the New Testament image of hell as the burning garbage pit in the Valley of Hinnom south of Jerusalem).

In spite of being the prince of peace, Jesus has not come to bring peace but a sword of division. Even families will turn against one another because of him. This is not his intention, but it is the consequence of hostile resistance to the Gospel. Matthew's Gospel is written after persecution of Christians has begun. Following Jesus touches off conflict between people who were once as close as families. We see this happening in the world today when people convert to Christianity. – Frank C. Senn

Jeremiah 20:7-13

Jeremiah's fifth personal lament. . . was chosen to correlate with the Gospel reading, which speaks of the persecution that the Twelve will experience on their mission. Because Jeremiah preached God's word of doom in Judah, which clung to God's promise in the Davidic covenant (though without a corresponding obedience), he was ridiculed and abused. Here he complains to God that God has “enticed” and “overpowered” him (literally “seduced” and “raped”), forcing him to deliver a message he personally did not like. He was made a “laughingstock” because he had to shout out, “Violence and destruction!” He prays that a violent God will pay back his violent enemies with violence. Like psalms of lament, this lament of Jeremiah ends with praise of God for delivering his prophet from his enemies.

To be a bearer of God's word means to suffer rejection. This is tricky. It has been said that the offense of God's word should not be confused with the possible offensiveness of the preacher. Yet, as the example of Jeremiah shows, the message cannot always be separated from the messenger. The offense of the message makes the messenger offensive. – Frank C. Senn

Romans 6:1b-11

Writing to a church he did not found, Paul could not have assumed what the Roman church understood about baptism. The congregation was both gentile and Jewish. Gentile believers might have believed that baptism effected a mystical union with the deity along the lines of a mystery religion. Jewish believers might have regarded baptism as a turning point in one's life. Paul has deftly combined both views: baptism joins one to Christ and marks a turning point in one's life. – Frank C. Senn

Frank C. Senn, an ELCA pastor who served Immanuel Lutheran Church in Evanston, Illinois, from 1990-2013, has also taught liturgy courses at a number of seminaries and divinity schools and published thirteen books mostly on the history of the liturgy.

Homily Service 41, no. 3 (2008): 63-74.