Am I invisible? Or is this just a cultural thing?

So, today, I made a run out to Rite Aid and Kennie's to pick up a few necessary items. My first stop was at Rite Aid, I was standing in the aisle comparing two products, trying to decide which one to get, and no joke, a kid, probably in his early teens comes tearing up the aisle, plows into me, and knocks me flat on my patookiss. Now, this wouldn't be all that terrible, if he had even acknowledged that he had just ran into me and knocked me over. But he didn't. He kept on running, and I was left to pick my sorry bumm up off the floor, and gather up my items, and proceed to request a clean-up in aisle 6, since my hand soap exploded when it hit the ground. I, shaking my head in disbelief, proceeded to the check-out, and left. As I'm walking out the door, a gentleman in his 40s proceeds to come around the corner, arm swinging, which connected with my kidney. At least this guy apologized, after stating, "Sorry, I didn't see you there!" That being said, I was starting to wonder if it was just me, or if I was about to be run over in the parking lot by the next guy who didn't see me.

Sadly, the story doesn't end there. Because the next stop was at Kennie's. I got out of my car and walked inside. As I stood at the cheese counter contemplating if I really needed that brie (I decided I did... what can I say, I love brie), an older woman came up behind me, pushing her cart toward me. As I started to reach my hand out for to claim my brie.... she SHOVED the cart into my right hip. Now, I am normally a very patient person. But really? This was the third person in the course of maybe 15 minutes to add to my streadily-growing collection of bruises. So I, take a deep breath and turn calmly toward her... waiting for the apology, that SURELY must follow such a blatant shove. She just looked at me, said "Didn't see you," grabbed the brie I had been reaching for (the last of the quality, double-cream that they had), and proceeded with, what I can only imagine to be the remainder of her quality-grocery stealing. So much for me bringing home the brie today!

All of this has led me to wonder... 1) Am I really becoming invisible?! 2), What are we teaching our kids when they think it is acceptable to go running through a store (especially when they're old enough to know better!), knock someone over (and thank goodness it was me and not a little elderly woman!), and not even apologize? 3) What does it say about our society if people think it is perfectly acceptable to physically shove someone in order to take something for themselves? Have we really become that much of an individualistic culture, that I need to be more prepared for a full-on brawl just to get a wedge of brie?!

Sermon: Check

Below I have posted the sermon I preached for class, and which I will be preaching, with a few changes (some of which will be fixing the typos that I found as I preached it today!), on January 16, when I supply preach. Added note, I realize the typos are still in this copy. I will post a clean copy once I get a chance to go back and clean it up!

Texts: Isaiah 49:1-7; John 1:29-42

When I was growing up, I can remember my parents often saying to one another, “Be careful what you say! You never know who might be listening!” Each time, it would be said, there was a small head bob that always gave away who it was that might be listening: me. I most often heard this when something bad was about to be said, and I was within earshot. If my dad was venting to my mother about a disagreement at work, and was about swear, my mom would nod in my direction, and say, “Mar! Be careful! Someone might hear you!”

Sometimes, I swear, that my parents always knew where I was. I could sneak out of my room at night, knowing they were watching an action movie that I wasn’t allowed to watch. I’d tiptoe down the hall, not making a sound, and try to see what it was that I wasn’t supposed to watch… or listen to. Somehow, they always knew that I was there, because only seconds later, my dad would mute the television and say, “Be careful! Someone might hear something they shouldn’t!”

As I got older, however that message changed. Soon, I’d be hearing my name called down the hallway, “Kari, come downstairs! There’s something you should hear!” Often it was an important story on the news, or one of them would want to tell me something important. It took awhile for me to realize it, but soon I was hearing “There’s something you should hear,” much more frequently.

“There’s something you should hear.”

That seems like a more modern twist on what John the Baptizer was crying out in the desert. There’s something you should hear, because that man over there—he’s the Lamb of God. He’ll take away the sins of the world! In any of the gospels, this is John’s job—the give testimony and witness to who Jesus is.

The last few weeks, we’ve been coming down off of the Christmas excitement. We’ve celebrated the birth of the baby Jesus in a Bethlehem manger. We’ve heard about the visit of the Magi as we celebrated the Feast of the Epiphany. We’ve heard about Jesus’ Baptism. We’ve repeatedly been given snippets—pieces—of information over the past few weeks about who that baby in the manger is.

A few weeks ago, we saw God’s love manifest, incarnate, in the birth of a baby. At the Feast of the Epiphany, we saw the beginnings of the revelation of Jesus to the Gentiles. It is the Gentiles—those who are not of the tribes of Israel—who are among the first to know Jesus as king. Just last week, the sky opened, the Spirit descended and the voice of God testified to who Jesus is—God’s Son.

And now, today, we get another piece of that information. We hear a little bit more about who Jesus is. But today, that testimony does not come from a voice spoken from heaven, but from a man living on honey and locusts, baptizing people in the Jordan River. Earlier in this gospel, we read that John the Baptizer was the one who was to give testimony to Jesus. He is that “voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord.’”[1]

Today we hear that voice crying out “Look! There he is! It’s him! The one I’ve been talking about! It’s the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”…. And so begins the line of those who will bear witness to the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. The role of John the Baptizer, regardless of which of the four gospels you read, is to point us toward the One who is coming into the world. This is John’s role. He is a witness. John’s testimony lets us in on another piece of information about Jesus. John tells us two things:

1)      Jesus is the Lamb of God, and

2)      Jesus takes away the sin of the world

Jesus is the Lamb of God… ok, what exactly does that mean? John never really explains what he means. All we hear in this gospel is that John the Baptizer says this, explains that God revealed this--Jesus’ identity—and that Jesus is the Son of God. But John calls Jesus the Lamb of God. Late in this gospel, this becomes a little more clear. Because Jesus will be handed over and crucified on the day when the Passover lambs are being sacrificed in the Temple. Jesus is the sacrifice that takes away sin.

Jesus is the Son of God who takes away sin. Sin here is not so much about all those things we do that aren’t so good. Sin is when we are living in broken relationships with God. Sin is what continues to separate us from God. And sin is not something that we are able to remove. We need someone else to do that for us. That’s where Jesus comes in. Jesus comes to take away sin.

But wait. There’s more. Because John doesn’t say “Look! It’s the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of Israel!” Nor does he say, “It’s the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the Church!” or “It’s the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the United States!” Rather, John says, “It’s the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” The world. That means everyone. Everyone. All of creation. This is HUGE!

But it’s not just John who says that God’s salvation is for the world. Look back at the text from Isaiah. In this text, God speaks to God’s chosen servant: “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the survivors of Israel; I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”[2] It is too light a thing… It is too important for it to only be for a small group!

As Christians, we understand the Servant to be Jesus, God’s Son, the Lamb of God. In fact, in the Gospel of John, Jesus gives himself this title that God has given to the Servant—the “Light of the world.”

So today, as we continue the season of Epiphany, we learn more about who Jesus is. Jesus is the Son of God. Jesus is the Light of the World. And Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. There are no pre-requisites. There isn’t anything that says, “You have to do this, that, and the other thing in order to have your sin forgiven.” Jesus takes away the sin of the world. It’s done. You’re forgiven.

But something happens when we hear about Jesus. Something happens when we learn that Jesus is that Lamb of God. Because when testimony about Jesus is spoken, people overhear. This is the time to call out “Hey! Come downstairs! There’s something you need to hear!”

Because do you remember what happened when John the Baptizer cried out “Look, here is the Lamb of God”?

Two of John’s disciples got up and followed Jesus! They went, seeking to know more, seeking to stay with him. They ask Jesus where he is staying, and Jesus responds with a very simple answer—“Come and see.” It is an invitation to stay with him, to learn more, and to see. It’s no longer about hearing… but has become about seeing who this Jesus is.

But again, it doesn’t end there! Because one of those disciples, overflowing with excitement, tells his brother, “We’ve found the Messiah! Let me take you to him! You need to see this!” And now we have learned more about Jesus. Jesus is the Messiah.

The truth is, when someone gives witness to who Jesus is, there is a ripple effect. It starts with John the Baptist, preparing the way. A few disciples overheard John’s testimony, and they started following Jesus. Those disciples told others about Jesus. And they, too, started following him. And they told a few more… and the gospel spread.

This is something that others need to hear! They need to know who Jesus is! This is what we are called to do. To continue sharing the news with others. Testifying—evangelizing can be a little scary for us. But this is a story worth sharing! It is a story that must be shared, so that others may hear about who Jesus is, and start following him.

“Come here! There’s something you need to hear!”

The thing is, this message, these words that we hear from John the Baptizer are not just for us. It’s right there in what John says. It’s for the world, because Jesus takes away the sin of the world. Not just mine. Not just yours. Not just the Church’s, or the United States’ or the West’s. But even mine. Even yours. Even the Church’s, and the United States’. Because it is for the world. And that means everyone. And that really is good news.

---

[1] John 1:23.

[2] Isaiah 49: 6

New Directions

Ok, so remember how I said with my outline that things were likely to change? Well... They have drastically changed. I just finished reading a new commentary Preaching Through the Christian Year, by Fred B. Craddock, et. al.... and I'm thinking that I may approach these texts from a very different direction. I need to spend a little more time pondering over things but I will be sure to post an update as I continue to move toward proclamation.

Preliminary Outline

Outline:

I.                    Introductory illustration (related to pointing toward something)

II.                  What is it that is being pointed to?

a.       John the Baptist always points away from himself, toward Jesus

b.      “Lamb of God” – what is this pointing us to?

c.       Continued revelation of Jesus (continued epiphany)

III.                What is it that Jesus has done/is doing/will do?

a.       Servant imagery in Isaiah read through lens of Christ

b.      “light of the nations”

c.       “Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world”

IV.                What is it that we are to do?

a.       Follow (see John!)

b.      What happens when Christ is revealed? – Disciples follow

c.       Disciples lead others to follow

V.                  Jesus’ salvation is for all the world

a.       Not just believers

b.      Not just the church

c.       The world

d.      This is what John points us to

e.      This is the further epiphany of Christ—salvation for the world

Well... I doubt this is really how the sermon will end up looking as I draft it. But here are my preliminary thoughts. I don't think I've ever gone from outline to draft without having radical changes.... but at least it's a start... and seemingly a direction.

A Comment(ary) or Two

As usual, sermon-writing involves looking, not only in-depth at the texts, but also looking at commentaries, seeking out sermon illustrations, ideas, and talking points. And so, below, you will find the list of resources that I have been/that I am accessing in order to do this.



Text Studies Website, author Dan Nelson (Lutheran): Not extraordinarily helpful, but still can come in handy for a few points. 
http://sio.midco.net/danelson9/yeara/epiphany2a.htm  



Working Preacher:
http://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching/aspx?lect_date=1/16/2011
Another of my favorite resources from this website is the Sermon Brainwave podcast... sadly, this has not yet been posted for these texts, so it looks like I will be writing this sermon without it.



From 2008's lessons, also from Working Preacher:
http://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?lect_date=1/20/2008&tab=4



Textweek helpful resources:From the Anglican Diocese - This can sometimes be helpful, there are a few phrases that are helpful and I'm pondering over.
 http://montreal.anglican.org/comments/apr02m.shtml?



Blogs from Textweek:
http://www.sarahlaughed.net/lectionary/2008/01/second-sunday-a.html






Finally, I also subscribe to SermonWriter.com. This resource, each week, sends exegetical resources, a sermon sample, children's sermon ideas, and quotes/short stories related to the texts. Sometimes, the resource is very helpful in sparking an idea for a sermon... other times, not so much. I am still waiting for mine to arrive for the week of Epiphany 2A, but through this subscription, I also have acces to lectionary.org which allows me to search for texts in the archive. Because you need the subsription to access these, the link to access sermonwriter is: http://www.sermonwriter.com/ .



A few paper commentaries I will be accessing:
Paul D. Hanson's commentary in the Interpretation series, on Isaiah 40-66
Richard B. Hays's commentary in the Interpretation series on First Corinthians
Gerald Sloyan's commentary in the Interpretation series on John
N.T. Wright's commentary, John for Everyone Part 1



I will also be scouring Mark I. Pinsky's book The Gospel According to Disney, to see if there may be a sermon illustration in a Disney film, that connects with the themes of the texts.

Articles

"Ethics and the Use of Sermon Resources" - John Indermark
     Of the five articles we read for class today, this was perhaps my favorite. I think that it's really important to think about what we are doing/using when we preach. I've found that many times preachers tend to use others' sermons, without giving credit where it is due. I think that reading others' sermons can be very helpful as we think about sermon illustrations, seek ideas for new approaches or images to use in sermons. But as Inderman points out, too often these resources become more than resources... they become the sermon. As preachers, the congregation expects us to be authentic, genuine, and faithful. If we are simply reading someone else's ideas, especially without giving credit to those authors, then are we being any of those? How can we be genuinely, and authentically us if we are using someone else's experiences for our preaching? For that matter, as Inderman states: "For the sake of clarity, not to mention fairness to the source being used, the people deserve to know when their pastor is preaching and when (and whom) their pastor is reading." (Inderman, in The Clergy Journal, October 2007, p.30)

 "Video as Ethos: Preaching, Pastors and the Nature of Sacred Texts in a Multi-Media Culture" - Alison Witte
     I found this article to be invaluable in its focus on the imporance of preachers establishing authority. The article highlights how this has occurred in the past, how it has changed, particularly in the last few decades, and how we, as preachers must change in order to meet the people where they are at. Thoughout much of the history of the church, Scripture was understood to be inerrant, inspired by the Divine, and as such, had was authoritative. Because preachers spoke about the scriptures, taught and clarified their meanings, they were seen as also having authority. Sermons were intended to educate listeners, connect faith to secular life, and convert others to faith. The authority and faithfulness of the preacher was judged by how he taught and explained the texts (Witte, p.6). The life of the preacher (i.e living in accord with the things he was teaching) also established his ethos (p.7). Much of this has changed over the past decades, however, as understandings of scripture have changed, and culture has changed, preachers are not seen as having authority simply because they teach the scriptures (since the scriptures themselves are no longer viewed to be inerrant, etc.). Rather, authority must be established in a new way. Using technology in sermons helps to establish this authority, because preachers are viewed by their hearers as being connected with them (that they truly understand the people, and what they are concerned about, etc). Doing this makes the preacher credible to their audience. By using aspects of the culture in the sermon, the preacher is able to establish ethos, and in doing so, provide credibility to her/his teachings.

Lamb of God... Agnus Day. LOL.

The Comic Strip AgnusDay.com for the John text. Kind of got me to thinking about Jesus' names... hmm... maybe that's a direction I should explore a little more deeply....

Incarnation

Having spent a little more time with these texts, as of this moment, I'm leaning towards focusing on the revelatory/epiphany aspects of the Gospel text. That is to say that I'm considering the text as continuing the revelation of who Jesus is (The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.). I will be connecting this idea, that the revelation is for the world, with the Isaiah text that the Servant (and as Christians, we view the Servant through a Christo-centric lens), is sent to bring light and salvation to the world. Some of the images I'm thinking of using are images from my travels (people from my trip with the LSS to Tanzania; Juarez, Mexico; England; Rome, etc); images of light, and perhaps images of Epiphany (as I connect the texts with the idea of Christ's continuing revelation). This images would illustrate how Christ has been revealed in the past, and how Christ continues to be revealed to us today, for all people. And when we come to understand who Jesus is... our response is to follow (that is to say, we, like the disciples in the last few verses of the John text, follow him).

Tomorrow: I'll be spending a little more time with the commentaries.

Supply Preaching

The texts for January, the Second Sunday after Epiphany, are:
Isaiah 49:1-7
Psalm 40:1-11
I Corinthians 1:1-9
John 1:29-42

These texts are those that I will be supply preaching on January 16 (hence my reasoning for picking these texts). Looking at these texts, to be honest, I'm not yet sure which text to focus on... or for that matter what direction to take.

Isaiah refers to the Servant, of which he has spoken before. In this text, the phrase that I am focused on is verse 6 (God speaking): “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the survivors of Israel; I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.” God's salvation, through the servant, is not just for Israel, but extends to all the world. This is to be the mission of the servant.

The John text is the continued epiphany of Christ--It begins with John the Baptizer declaring (v.29b-31):
“Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’ I myself did not know him; but I came baptizing with water for this reason, that he might be revealed to Israel.” The second half of this text (beginning in v. 37) focuses on the calling (or, rather gathering, since the first two disciples were John's disciples originally) of the first disciples. Interesting--the text implies that Jesus has no part in the calling of these disciples. John proclaims that Jesus is the Lamb of God... and they follow him. One (Andrew) then tells his brother (Simon Peter) that they "have found the Messiah," and Simon, too, drops everything to follow him.

Hmm... So the question is, do I focus on the continued revelation of Jesus as the Messiah (and Lamb of God)--this continued question of who this man is, following in the spirit of the Epiphany season... or do I look at the Isaiah text and still consider the continued epiphany of God in the Servant (aka Jesus), but with the focus on the Servant's mission to carry God's salvation to all the world?

Hmm... time to ponder...