The Day of the Lord – 19 November 2017 – 24th Sunday after Pentecost/ Lectionary 33

It is nearly the end of Year A when we turn, in Advent, to the Gospel of Mark. Typical of Matthew’s urgency about the good news, we hear today of the serious responsibilities of the faithful in stunning images of God’s ultimate power. But we hear especially that these scripture readings assess human life in honest terms, not neglecting the hardships of this world.

In truth, the heaven or hell into which the servants in this morning's parable were cast was self-chosen. As symbols of accountability, heaven and hell are of our own making, and they begin in this life. There is no reprieve from accountability. Heaven is the life that loving people of faith live. Hell is the life of suspicious, paranoid people who trust and love no one, not even God. Life for people so turned in on themselves is hell. –– James Gaughan

Matthew 25:14-30

This parable is probably a good opportunity to teach a bit about parables in general. The tendency for the casual reader is to compare the powerful figure in each parable with God. But clearly, the master cannot be equated with God. God is not a slave owner, a harsh man, or one who engages in shady dealings. The meaning of the parable must be sought elsewhere.

Pastor Richard Jeske, some years ago, taught workshops in which he challenged his hearers to interpret parables by finding the Gospel in them. He said that you would find the Gospel at the point in the story where you found yourself offended. That is, when the story began to go against the values of our society, values we have all internalized, and things are turned upside down, that is where you will find good news. . . .

Taking chances on behalf of the Gospel is the way Jesus' followers participate in the kingdom. –– Judith Simonson

Zephaniah 1:7, 12-18

Judah, while enjoying political independence, suffered under the influence of foreign religious practices including the worship of pagan deities. The people had really stopped believing that the God of Israel was involved any longer. (See 1:12. The people believed “The Lord will not do good, nor will he do harm.”) The prophet Zephaniah voices the contempt of YHWH towards the current state of affairs. The day of the Lord, a great day of wrath, is announced. –– Eric T. Myers

1 Thessalonians 5:1-11

Paul continues what he began in the previous six verses, that being the theme of the coming of the Lord. He assures them that the day of the Lord is coming but that no one knows when. No one knows when a thief will strike. If the victims knew, something could have been done to stop the crime. Similarly, no one knows exactly when the coming of the Lord will take place. To hammer the point home, Paul uses the image of a pregnant woman. No one knows exactly when the pains of labor will begin, but everyone knows the pains will begin suddenly and without warning. So too will the coming of the Lord occur. The people of Thessalonica can fully trust that the Lord will return and Paul now urges them to be ready: stand watch like a girded guard on watch during the night.

–– Eric T. Myers

Grace, the grace of forgiveness and the grace of love, is the gift we are to live and to share. It is the gift we are not to bury or hide. It is the gift that enables us never to be taken by surprise, when the final day of accounting comes. That is Paul's message to us this morning. –– James Gaughan

James Gaughan is a retired UMC pastor living in Minnesota. He originally was ordained as a Franciscan priest.

Eric T. Myers serves as pastor to the Frederick Presbyterian Church in Frederick, Maryland and is a former church musician and adjunct professor of worship at Wesley Theological Seminary.

Judith E. Simonson is an ordained minister in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

Homily Service 41, no. 4 (2008): 130-138.

A Feast of Rich Food – 15 October 2017 – 19th Sunday after Pentecost/ Lectionary 28

A line from Samuel Beckett’s “Waiting for Godot” (and attributed to Augustine) could be the epigraph for today’s readings: “Do not despair; one of the thieves was saved. Do not presume; one of the thieves was damned.” The ill-dressed man who was invited to the banquet and then tossed into the outer darkness should serve simultaneously to wake us up and to give us confidence. The called-out ones, the ekklesia, are invited to the banquet but we are to approach the table with awe and humility.

The sermon focus might be that faith comes through need rather than acclaim or accomplishment. What does such a focus look like in your community?

Matthew 22:1-14

Set within the growing conflict between Jesus and the religious authorities, this parable condemns Jesus’ enemies for failing to receive and honor him as the Son of God. . . Matthew used it to intensify his condemnation of Jesus’ adversaries.

The text is similar to Luke 14:15–25, but differences suggest that Matthew has shaped the story to address two settings at the same time. First, the parable recalls Jesus’ conflict with the representatives of the religious establishment. By rejecting him and his message, they have refused to participate in the feast of God’s reign. With barely veiled images, Jesus announces that God’s judgment will fall on them and the city of Jerusalem. Matthew also has in mind how missionaries from his community experienced persecution. . .

The imagery of the parable—a king giving a wedding banquet for his son—is suggestive of the messianic banquet. Matthew may in fact, on one level, intend that the story be seen as a picture of the end of history and the celebration of God’s triumph. However, elements within the story also tell of the life and mission of Jesus’ followers now. . .

The appearance of a guest without a wedding robe at the parable’s ending is unique to Matthew. The lack of a proper garment has been taken as a metaphor for many different things, among them a lack of love, righteousness, or good works. . .  The presence of the man without a wedding robe reminds believers that “God’s judgment comes upon all, including those within the ecclesia” (p. 208). –– Aaron J. Couch

Isaiah 25:1-9

Isaiah 24–27, known as the “Isaiah Apocalypse,” probably does not come from the hand of Isaiah of Jerusalem. Chapter 25 celebrates God’s goodness, first in a song of thanksgiving for God’s judgment against the proud and then in a vision of all people feasting for God’s triumph over death. The destruction of “the city” may be a reference to Babylon, or stand as a symbol for all human power and pride opposed to God. The feast for God’s victory evokes and overturns imagery from ancient Canaanite religion.

Texts from Ugarit depict Mot, the god of death (from the same root as Hebrew mawet, death), as swallowing all. Isaiah declares that death himself shall be swallowed up, finally and forever, by the LORD. At the unfolding of such glad news there will be no more tears. –– Aaron J. Couch

Philippians 4:1-9

Because Christ gives peace, Paul calls for God’s people to demonstrate that peace. Paul urges reconciliation between two believers who are at odds with each other. He instructs all of them to stop worrying, and instead to know the peace of God that guards their hearts and minds.

With a list of virtues recognized by the wider Hellenistic culture as characteristic of “the good life,” Paul encourages believers to dwell on those good things, aware that the God of peace is with them. Paul also describes how he has discovered the secret of the kind of peace known as contentment. He is able to live with gratitude, regardless of the circumstances, because he experiences the sustaining presence of Christ. –– Aaron J. Couch

Aaron Couch is a co-pastor of First Immanuel Lutheran Church in Portland, Oregon.

Homily Service 38, no. 11 (2005): 15-25.

Like a Mustard Seed, Yeast, and a Pearl – 27 July 2014 – Lectionary 17

The Reign of God, Dominion of Heaven, basileia tou theou, Kingdom of God––all refer to a coveted, hoped-for realm in which the small become monumentous, what is truly precious is valued above all, where bounty is expected, and wisdom rules. In keeping with the Wheat and Weeds of last week’s Gospel, the theme of good and evil comes to us again so that we can ponder it in Solomon’s, in Paul’s, and in Jesus’ words.

1 Kings 3:5-12

 Solomon has come to the throne at a young age, in a rather messy succession. Apparently overwhelmed by the prospect of his now dawning reign, he seeks out the holy place at Gibeon, where he spends the night hoping for a dream. God appears and invites dialogue. Solomon immediately grounds himself in the covenant with his father, David. Then, rather than seeking his own way or gain, he asks for the wisdom to lead God’s people. While his plea is not overtly full of praise, it is open to the future of the kingdom God has created, and this pleases the LORD. Solomon has a dream and wishes to lead the people well, into God’s future

For the courage to ask for wisdom and the wisdom to withstand the onslaughts of daily life, we heed Paul’s assurance that nothing “will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Romans 8:26-39

Paul is not supplying a holy means of saying “everything will work out” or “it’s not that bad.” We need to remember that Paul’s assertion is rooted in the cross, the ultimate suffering, that somehow finds redemption in God’s gracious power to bring something out of nothingness. We move into the future with our eyes wide open to the suffering and pain, but strengthened by the power of God witnessed in the cross and resurrection. David Bartlett says that in this passage “Paul emphasizes both what God has already done for us in Jesus Christ, what Christ does for us now, and what we can hope for in light of Christ’s love.” (See Bartlett’s Romans [Nashville: WJK Press, 1995], 79.) We don’t just conquer, we don’t just survive, we indeed are secure in Christ. No one, nothing, not even our own selves can separate us from God’s love and God’s future.

While we cannot see the Dominion of Heaven, we glimpse its healing power even in its strangeness. That God’s word assures of the strength of what is small to make miraculous changes in our world ought to give us courage to face each new day and take risks, casting our nets wide again and again.

Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52 

 The parable of the net parallels some of the message of the parable of the wheat and weeds. Yet, directed at the disciples, it is oriented to mission. These disciples, led by the four fishermen, are to cast their nets wide and deep for all kinds of fish. Their mission is inclusive, as is Matthew overall, of the outcast and marginal, gentile and Jew. Note that the angels will do the sorting. This is a solid message in an age where the church often is more concerned with judgment than spreading good news, than casting the net as wide as possible.

–– The Rev. Timothy V. Olson, Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Ankeny, Iowa

Yes, the angels will do the sorting in the end, but in this life we are called to hear the truth that we have been given the gifts and vocation to discern our courses and that we are not alone. God’s power reigns in our midst like yeast, a pearl, and a tiny seed.

Homily Service 38, no. 8 (24 July 5005): 35-45