Proper 18A
Ai Khawng
After Pentecost • Sermon • Submitted
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LCMS Lectionary Summary:
OT: L is two less verses at the end, L is more to the point but 10-11 are worth hearing, alternate every other cycle.
Epistle: R Rom 13.8-14 while LCMS 13.1-10. In Advent 1A we read 11-14, so that’s why L goes with 1-10. I would say either go with RCL (prob not), read only 8-10 (prob best solution) but alternate with 1-10. In the RCL sense “owe no one anything but to love your neighbor” goes with “forgive him” and “clear out misunderstandings and gain a brother.”
Gospel 230, 170, 171: R shorter (15-20) and L (1-20). 1-5 is “Greatest in the kingdom read Proper 20B. 6-9 (Proper 24B). 10-14 (Proper 19C); so go with R.
Living as Humble Little Children of the Father
True greatness is not self-sufficient strength, but humility like that of a little child. The greatness of childlike faith receives all good things as gracious gifts from our Father in heaven. Apart from such faith, “you will never enter the kingdom of heaven,” but whoever is humbled like a little child will be “the greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 18:3–4). Though in our sin we deserve to be “drowned in the depth of the sea” (Matt. 18:6), we have instead been drowned (“buried”) with Christ in Baptism and then raised to the new, humble life of a child of God. The Lord sends His watchman to warn us with a word from His mouth, in order that we may not die in our iniquity, but be turned from our pride and selfishness to live (Ezek. 33:7–9). Thus, we live in humility and faith before God as well as in love for our neighbor, which “is the fulfilling of the law” (Rom. 13:10). In the reverent fear of God, we do no harm to our neighbor, but we “pay to all what is owed to them” (Rom. 13:7) and we “owe no one anything, except to love each other” (Rom. 13:8).
Hymn of the Day: 820 My soul, now praise your Maker
Liturgy:
Summary: Correcting Others
Love is doing the right thing, the epistle for this Sunday, fits because correction is part of loving someone else. It is not love to not correct when correction is needed.
Eze 33.7-11
“So you, son of man, I have made a watchman for the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. If I say to the wicked, O wicked man, you shall surely die, and you do not speak to warn the wicked to turn from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. But if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way; he shall die in his iniquity, but you will have saved your life. “And you, son of man, say to the house of Israel, Thus have you said: ‘Our transgressions and our sins are upon us, and we waste away because of them; how then can we live?’ Say to them, As I live, says the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways; for why will you die, O house of Israel?
The LM has vss 7-9. the shorter part tells people all they need to know about Ezekiel's role as watchman, however, 11 is extremely important as a concept or verse that tells us who God is, "I take no pleasure in the death of wicked people. I only want them to turn from their wicked ways so they can live. Turn! Turn from your wickedness, O people of Israel! Why should you die?" I have never spent so much time reading FW than today, all four, pastoral, exegetical, homiletical.
Psa 119.33-40
Teach me, O Lord, the way of thy statutes; and I will keep it to the end. Give me understanding, that I may keep thy law and observe it with my whole heart. Lead me in the path of thy commandments, for I delight in it. Incline my heart to thy testimonies, and not to gain! Turn my eyes from looking at vanities; and give me life in thy ways. Confirm to thy servant thy promise, which is for those who fear thee. Turn away the reproach which I dread; for thy ordinances are good. Behold, I long for thy precepts; in thy righteousness give me life!
W has all four sections for the Psalm reading as well, even though it is not often preached on, which is usually the Gospels, but also the Epistle reading or OT reading. That's nice. Turn my heart to...turn my eyes from...
In theological, the author says this is an important regular prayer because human life is "a struggle between when we want to do and what we are called to do." Another point is "the psalmist and Jesus both refer to the temptations of the body and the desire for possessions." While itinerating around Jesus and the disciples struggled with the natural desire for food and sleep at times. It would be one thing to try to discipline oneself but that is not the focus here, each verse is causative and in translation comes out at prayers, so God is the most important agent in a person refusing x and choosing y. Direct our hearts toward you, that is David's prayer here, he prayed it for his Solomon when he was about to become king.
In pastoral, the point made is that this psalm is a template or example of how to hold up God's law and draw people and not drive them away from churches because of a tone of legalism and condemnation. The two ways this pericope or section from the whole psalm does that is through "lifting up the quality of wholeheartedness" and offering people to "fundamentally shift their priorities."
In exegetical, the author sees connections (ideas from?) to Psa 1 and 19, in the view toward torah, that we are to delight in the law (1), that the law revives the soul and makes wised the simple (19). Taken as a whole, the psalmist is asking God not "for immediate deliverance but ...instruction and understanding of torah."
In homiletical, one of the points made is that God in the OT, he is not just a God of wrath. Since we know this to be the case, and because this view is so widespread, then we should be asking the question of how is it that in the OT God revealed himself. He did it in his actions, but as this psalm shows us he does through the gift of torah. He also does it while people pray and meditate.
Rom 13.8-14
Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not kill, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this sentence, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. Besides this you know what hour it is, how it is full time now for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed; the night is far gone, the day is at hand. Let us then cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; let us conduct ourselves becomingly as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.
Love is doing the right thing. It is not primarily an emotion. We are not to negate feelings but as a church we need to keep reminding people that love is action; doing the right thing means fulfilling the law. Focus on love, not on policing ourselves or others to see if we are maintaining God's commands.
Mat 18.15-20
“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”
FW Theological: helpful to realize that this passage is in the middle of a larger section on ecclesiology and life in the church. Even though the church hadn't yet been born, Jesus can the word (I looked it up, it is there) ekklesia.