Sermon Tone Analysis

Title

Be Ye Ready for the Coming King

Outline

Some decades ago when the world was young I was a keynote speaker for a conference in California with the title “Be Ye Ready for the Coming King”

That more of less sums up our readings this morning

Jesus talks about 4 types of people, using an agricultural metaphor rather than a parousial metaphor

The first ignores that there is a king and that he is coming and soon forgets about either fact

The second is excited until challenged, and as soon as it might cost him or her something backs off

The third signs on to getting ready, but gets distracted by everyday life.

They never reject the idea of moral preparedness, but they end up with no time.

Then, after three failures, come the ones who respond consistently and continually until fruit is borne that the king, when coming, finds.

While the first may be rare in religious life not that people are not forced into it, the other are surely all to be found and the question is which one or ones are you?

Paul boils it down to a single sentence

This is his charge “to keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ”

He sets this into the context of the earthly life of Jesus, which is where he did it, and the nature of the coming king, which should be enough to awe and motivate us.

He does speak in terms of a coming king, which is why his is so useful a condensation.

Sisters, we have to say, day by day, perhaps upon rising, “Be Ye Ready for the Coming King.”

That should be the light towards which we are pressing forward

That should be our longing before the Blessed Sacrament

That should be the standard against which we measure all we are and all we do

Anything less than that runs the risk of our getting distracted and being a withered plant in the dry earth when the king comes longing to gather us into his flower or fruit basket.

Readings

FIRST READING

1 Timothy 6:13–16

13 I charge [you] before God, who gives life to all things, and before Christ Jesus, who gave testimony under Pontius Pilate for the noble confession, 14 to keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ 15 that the blessed and only ruler will make manifest at the proper time, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, and whom no human being has seen or can see.

To him be honor and eternal power.

Amen.

RESPONSE

Psalm 100:2

2 serve the LORD with gladness;

come before him with joyful song.

PSALM

Psalm 100:1b–5

1 A psalm of thanksgiving.

Shout joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;

2 serve the LORD with gladness;

come before him with joyful song.

3 Know that the LORD is God,

he made us, we belong to him,

we are his people, the flock he shepherds.

4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving,

his courts with praise.

Give thanks to him, bless his name;

5 good indeed is the LORD,

His mercy endures forever,

his faithfulness lasts through every generation.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

Luke 8:15

15 But as for the seed that fell on rich soil, they are the ones who, when they have heard the word, embrace it with a generous and good heart, and bear fruit through perseverance.

GOSPEL

Luke 8:4–15

4 When a large crowd gathered, with people from one town after another journeying to him, he spoke in a parable.

5 “A sower went out to sow his seed.

And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path and was trampled, and the birds of the sky ate it up.

6 Some seed fell on rocky ground, and when it grew, it withered for lack of moisture.

7 Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew with it and choked it.

8 And some seed fell on good soil, and when it grew, it produced fruit a hundredfold.”

After saying this, he called out, “Whoever has ears to hear ought to hear.”

9 Then his disciples asked him what the meaning of this parable might be. 10 He answered, “Knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of God has been granted to you; but to the rest, they are made known through parables so that ‘they may look but not see, and hear but not understand.’

11 “This is the meaning of the parable.

The seed is the word of God. 12 Those on the path are the ones who have heard, but the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts that they may not believe and be saved.

13 Those on rocky ground are the ones who, when they hear, receive the word with joy, but they have no root; they believe only for a time and fall away in time of trial.

14 As for the seed that fell among thorns, they are the ones who have heard, but as they go along, they are choked by the anxieties and riches and pleasures of life, and they fail to produce mature fruit.

15 But as for the seed that fell on rich soil, they are the ones who, when they have heard the word, embrace it with a generous and good heart, and bear fruit through perseverance.

Notes

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2021 | ORDINARY TIME

SATURDAY OF THE TWENTY-FOURTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

YEAR 1 | ROMAN MISSAL | LECTIONARY

First Reading 1 Timothy 6:13–16

Response Psalm 100:2

Psalm Psalm 100:1b–5

Gospel Acclamation Luke 8:15

Gospel Luke 8:4–15

GREEN