SCROLL DOWN FOR FEB. 8 AND FEB. 15, 2009
Welcome to Hunger Sermon Starters!
The lessons for each Sunday in the church year proclaim God’s grace in Jesus Christ. Also derived from a Sunday’s text are lessons for the Christ-inspired and Christ-like life of God’s people. The comments here will help you find hunger related threads—sermon starters—among the themes of this day’s texts. (We’re presuming you have already done your exegetical work on the texts.) God bless your proclamation (and teaching) of what is most certainly true.
February 8, 2009 (Fifth Sunday after Epiphany)
A theme emerges in the passages of this Sunday’s lectionary that healing of God is not a mere gift, it is a gift that transforms us for a purpose. The prayer of the day that underlines this theme, that once healed, we become agents of healing, is as follows:
Everlasting God, you give strength to the weak and power to the faint. Make us agents of your healing and wholeness, that your good news may be made known to the ends of your creation, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen
Isaiah 40:21-31
A preacher may remind a congregation that the verses of this passage from Isaiah are in fact part of the same passage of the Advent verse “A voice cries out: ‘In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.’ Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low.” (Isaiah 40:3-4).
The way God’s presence makes the high low and the low high is picked up again in the words, “who brings princes to naught, and makes the rulers of the earth as nothing.” (v. 23). This is a powerful reminder that God’s justice is a shock to the status quo and another invitation for prophetic preaching.
The theme of God’s healing preparing us for a new purpose is uplifted in the words, “those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” (v. 31)
Psalm 147:1-11,20c
The theme of healing is furthered through the psalm’s words “He heals the brokenhearted, and binds up their wounds.” Many may tend to think of divine healing as being a miraculous and magical thing that happens outside the natural order. Interestingly, the healing words of this psalm speak instead of binding up of wounds, which is a gesture a nurse may do. It is transformative to see God as this kind of healer, who enters our world to treat wounded people not by making the wounds magically disappear but by touching them, cleaning them, and treating them.
1 Corinthians 9:16-23
This continuation of the reading from Corinthians further develops the ideas of the prophetic burden. “For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward; but if not of my own will, I am entrusted with a commission.” (v. 17). Paul concentrates on weakness rather than strength. “To the weak I became weak, so that I might win the weak.” (v. 22) Paul seems here to paraphrase Jesus’ words to him in 2 Corinthians 12:8, “’My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.’”
Mark 1:29-39
The gospel reading for this Sunday continues the healing theme with the familiar story of the healing of Pete’s mother-in-law. The story however contains a perfect crystallization of the transformative power of Christ’s healing. “He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them.” (v. 31). We are healed by God, saved by God, for a purpose, to love and serve the neighbor.
Beyond the physical ailment of a fever healed in this passage, it may remind us of other needs for healing in the world, such as avarice and addiction.
The Rev. Kevin Massey
Director – Lutheran Disaster Response
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February 15, 2009 (Sixth Sunday after Epiphany)
The healing theme of this season is continued in the readings of this Sunday’s lectionary. Issues of racism appear in these readings and provide an opportunity for a preacher to preach prophetically to communities divided by race and language. An appropriate choice for Prayer of the Day is as follows:
Almighty and ever-living God, with mercy you look upon our weaknesses. Stretch out your wondrous hand to protect us from danger and restore us to health, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen
2 Kings 5:1-14
The Hebrew Bible passage for this Sunday on the surface tells the story of a man healed from leprosy, prefiguring the healing Jesus performs in the Gospel for this Sunday. One may choose however to explore in this reading other issues of justice, race, and gender that are present under the surface.
“Now the Arameans on one of their raids had taken a young girl captive from the land of Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife. She said to her mistress, ‘If only my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.’” (vv. 2-3).
First, the young girl, though a captive, responds not with anger or revenge to those who have wronged her. Instead she shows compassion. Second, the prophet of God chooses to reside in Samaria, among a people the Israelites considered unclean. The story of the Good Samaritan can be recalled for this insight. Finally, an Israelite cures an Aramean, a sworn enemy, and refuses any payment.
Psalm 30
The words of the psalm are unique in how they distinctly portray the whole range of human emotions. Words appear like “cried” (v. 2), “anger” (v. 5), “weeping” (v. 5), “joy” (v. 5), “mourning” (v. 11) and “dancing” (v. 11). This all consoles us that God is present with us through all human experience, not just happy times.
1 Corinthians 9:24-27
This continuation of the episodic reading from Corinthians comes to another of Paul’s colorful metaphors, that of athlete in training and competition. Taking the metaphor further can be an interesting lesson in healing. Paul begins with the somewhat discouraging words, “Do you not know that in a race the runners all compete, but only one receives the prize.” Nevertheless, the higher values of athletic competition such as the international Olympic movement stress how athletics can supersede nations and races and genders and war.
Mark 1:40-45
In the gospel reading for this Sunday, Jesus heals a man of leprosy. A preacher may use this story as an occasion to teach about the meaning and ramifications of leprosy in the ancient world. Leprosy brought with it a stigma that removed a person from the rest of society and culture. Leprosy is not now understood to be contagious easily through casual touch, and is rather acquired through persistent exposure to certain conditions. In Jesus day however, to touch a leper was seen as an unspeakable and undoable thing. Therefore the words, “Moved with pity, Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him” (v. 41) are remarkable.
In our day, HIV/AIDS still brings with it a stigma that marginalizes. Jesus reaches out to touch and embrace all those who are marginalized and discounted because of how they look and who they are. The Thursday after this Sunday’s readings, on February 19th, 2009, ELCA pastors will receive access to the ELCA’s proposed statement on human sexuality. Preachers may choose to use this Sunday as an occasion to address how this relates to these readings.
Beyond the physical ailment of leprosy, a skin disease, healed in this passage, it may remind us of other needs for healing in the world, such as the spiritual sicknesses of racism, homophobia, and judging people by physical appearance.
The Rev. Kevin Massey
Director – Lutheran Disaster Response
