LISTSERV 16.0 - HUNGERSERMONSTARTERS Archives

The lessons for each Sunday in the church year proclaim God’s grace in Jesus Christ. Also derived from a Sunday’s texts 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!

This is the Sunday when Christ is celebrated as “king” in every way. “Crown Him With Many Crowns” and all the rest of the glorious remembrances are usual ways of thinking on this day. The lessons suggest two other views as well. I share them with you for your consideration, not to dim the glorious specter of Jesus as King of the World, but to offer some balancing thoughts.

· No, not that one. He looks out of his window on a cold December St. Stephen’s Day and sees a beggar who’s having some trouble in the deep snow. THAT king is celebrated because he’s a king who exercises charity, born of pity. A caring kind of guy, and worthy of praise.

· The Jeremiah lesson suggests another kind of king, another view of who Jesus was. This king’s name is Good King Justice Guy. He’s not just looking out of the window of his mighty fortress castle at the poverty of the world below him. This kind is out in the world setting things right, even wreaking some havoc with his justice.

· Both Christ’s are out in the world, granted, but we do our King injustice if he’s never King Justice. If he’s always kind and considerate in reaction to whomever wanders by, he’s hardly the kind of king who manages by walking around.

· Where might you portray Good King Justice Guy in the work of this church’s Hunger Program; where can you see charity morphing into justice? HINT: Think of advocacy, think of education about hunger’s root causes, think of our UN Office.

· If you were to be “political” in your sermon, how might you compare and contrast the king in Jeremiah’s conceptual framework with the political leaders of our time?

· The Gospel for today puts our glorious king on a cross. Tortured, wounded, bloodied, sweating, dying. Surrounded by scum-of-the-earth people. An ugly sight.

· And what of us, supposed disciples who follow in this man’s footsteps and emulate his actions? What about our own ugly pictures, the places we live, the ways in which we don’t try to save ourselves?

· Or are we more content to hide inside of Mighty Fortresses, crowing about our Protector and blithely thinking that the whole world is likewise saved from its own varieties of ugly death?

· Or are we more interested in saving ourselves, to prove to ourselves and others that we are somehow more worthy of God’s love, God’s protection, God’s blessings? That we are actually miniature versions of Messiahs.

· On this day, the Messiah we name as Glorious King is also the God/Man who refused to save himself, refused to escape the ugliness around him. This Messiah stayed on that cross, with dying criminals.

· The “Save Yourself” Test probably works best right-side-up: We become more Christ-like as we take on his version of kingliness and give our lives away for the sake of those who are poor.

1. Could you scare up a picture of a relief worker or a group of poor people who are being helped by some kind of hunger work? Could you talk about how what seems to be ugly (or at least not pleasant) in the photo is more about Jesus than we think?

2. Could you show a picture of the glorious Jesus – lots of those around – and ask children to tell you what they see? Then read the Gospel in a kid-friendly version, now contrasting the picture of that scene with the glorious Jesus drawing. What kind of a King is this, anyhow?

3. Because of the Jeremiah lesson, this might be another time to talk about what’s fair in the world, and what’s not. Ask children for comments about what’s unfair when you’re a poor person. Assure them that this Jesus King is more than aware of what’s unfair. Reread parts of the Jeremiah lesson so that they see Jesus as this kind of king.

4. Make up a fable about two kings: One who stays in his fortress castle and occasionally helps wandering beggar-like people; and one who puts on his coat and goes outside to work alongside the poor people. Ask children which king seems more likeable and more effective. Assure them that Jesus is the Second King, too.

1. This second time around on the Mighty Fortress themes from Psalm 46 might be a good time to question the analogy if it goes too far. For example, what if we think of ourselves as Fortress Church; what then? Or what if we extend “God as Protector” so far that we think of danger and risk as bad things? What would happen if the “fortress” was a coffee shop or a flower cart, or maybe even a food cupboard? What makes a fortress “mighty” after all?

2. Political considerations could easily enter into the Bible conversations time. In that case, how might you approach the political news of the day with these texts in mind. Where would Christ be crucified in today’s political climate? Who out there in the political realms are merely trying to save themselves – as though that marked a Messiah/King/Political Leader? How can participants tell whether that’s true? Who’s willing to be crucified to save others?

3. Ask participants to talk about their imagined visions of who Christ Jesus is? Perhaps they can contrast childhood (or immature) versions of “King Jesus” with those they hold today. Which images are most accurate, which most helpful, which most worth emulating? How does our image of Jesus as King affect our behaviors when it comes to people who are poor?

I’m a Lutheran Christian, so I refuse to get rid of the cross, even on this day. In the work of eradicating hunger, ugliness is all around us and inside of us. Being crucified with Christ – there’s the rub and there’s the challenge of a hunger ministry. What, for example, would we think of a per communicant Hunger Appeal goal of $25 per person, or what would happen if we would frame our “mission trips” as times of conversation with people who are poor. What if we asked for sacrifices that were risky – speaking out against governmental policies that favor the rich – instead of mere study or “awareness”? I think about these things on this day, and I’m thankful for more than turkey. I’m thankful for you . . . .

The lessons for each Sunday in this new church year proclaim God’s grace in Jesus Christ. Also derived from a Sunday’s texts 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!

Today’s lessons signal both the start of a new (liturgical) year and the ending of an old (calendar) year. Betwixt and between, you get to preach today’s sermon as though caught in the middle of one month’s nearly surreal time machine. Backward and forward, stuck in neutral, clutch disengaged, time to think in all three verb tenses at the same time. A wonderful time to be a preacher!

· Hunger is caused by wars and other civil strife, not all of them of the same intensity. Wherever “the common good” is threatened – by any kind of physical or psychological violence – poverty prospers and hunger spreads.

· Both the First Lesson and Psalm envision the glory and serenity of a nation – or perhaps your own identity? – in which peace is assured by peace-fulfilling laws. How joyful, how calming, how worthy of God-praise.

· As Lutheran Christians, we do that peace-bringing. (Hello, other beloved readers! Your faith communities likely do the same thing!) Little glimmers of insistence and invitation toward peace are found in the ELCA Hunger Program. Grants to peace-making organizations like Lutheran Peace Fellowship, our presence at the United Nations, our state and Washington, DC public policy advocates – all evidence of this church’s deep yearning – and working – for peace.

· Internationally, we are connected with non-governmental agencies (NGOs) and world-spanning organizations – such as Lutheran World Federation and the World Council of Churches -- that consistently stave off violence and bring former enemies to negotiating tables. (Look for news soon about the fact that the Lord’s Resistance Army in Uganda has come to public gatherings of other Ugandans, asking for forgiveness. Google “reconciliation in Uganda” to see how forgiveness is being granted!)

· Peace is not just the obvious kind – the cessation or diminution hostility – but also the calming and curbing of any form of violence within the human spirit.

· Like you and your congregations, we call into question the self-important violence-bringers; we advocate for justice without ourselves becoming examples of violent opinion-mongers; we love our enemies and pray for those whose spirits are defaulted toward war and war-like attitudes.

· Peace is always a three-tense activity: Looking back at violence- and vengeance-deserving hostility towards ourselves; forgiving it now, and living forgiven into the future.

· Also embedded in most of the lessons for this day is the subtle message that peace – or any of its family members – comes from our individual and collective working for the good of this country.

· In these lessons – on this backwards- and forward-looking Sunday – the past crashes into the future if we forget how God is working -- with us as partners -- to make our nation more capable of fulfilling God’s will.

· A sense of the greater good – “nationalism” at its best? – compels us to seek God’s will, past the senseless greed of consumerism or individualism that fouls our nests and addles our social brains.

· How can we praise a God – of peace-bringing laws – when we let slide our civic responsibilities, ignore what’s happening around us (good and not-so-good), let egoistic or just-plain-mean leaders hold sway over the affairs of town, county, state or country?

· Does God love us and this country? Yes, as surely as God loves the whole world, including other countries. (cf. the broad sweep of “world” in John 3:16.)

· Before us on this day are opportunities for that greater good – if only in remembering the poor in our collecting together blankets and clothing and money for food purchases. Before us are opportunities to remember how short the time is – see later here – and opportunities to pray for our leaders.

· In this denomination we have special opportunities to participate fully in learning and acting about national priorities, particularly those that most affect people who are poor. We have an office in Washington, DC, and in over twenty state capitals across the country – see www.elca.org/advocacy for starters -- and so engage leaders of all stripes in the common good.

· And come to think of it, wouldn’t “common good” and “the national good” lie somewhere within the broad definition of God’s will for the world?

· The people who sleep with their clothes on include the following: Boy Scouts, refugees, people who are homeless and soldiers. As you prepare for and preach this sermon, there are people all over the world sleeping in this fashion – most likely fitfully – and deserving of your prayers.

· In these days of looking backward and forward to imagine the end of the world – an Advent theme you can’t escape, yes? – it’s time to sleep with our “clothes” on. (See Romans 13:14.)

· And just what WOULD those “clothes” be? The spirit of Christ, like long underwear or a form-fitting sweater, sticking to our spirits so that we don’t fall into the silly behaviors of folks who shop-and-surely-drop. So that we don’t become like people who are not mindful of the slow creep of civilization towards anarchy or the steady deterioration of the environment.

· “Wake up!” is more than the start of a rousing German chorale; it’s the start of a call to action among God’s willful people, moving towards God’s will wherever they can lay their hands and focus their minds.

· “Wake up!” means to look at the times we are in. Besides a-changin’, these times are wending their way toward certain precipices, box canyons and yawning traps. (At the time of this writing, a UN task force has just issued a far more certain and sobering assessment of global warming’s effects.)

· “Wake up!” means sober and repentant reflection. “Wake up!” means remembering our utterly beggardly status before God and God’s blessing hand. “Wake up!” means utter and complete thanks for whatever we have and whoever we are. “Wake up!” means complete and overwhelming generosity towards the world.

· So, with our “clothes” on – the Spirit of a soon-to-come-again Messiah – we give our lives away, our contributions of time and money. We pour out our wallets and our calendars so that the world God loves will know that love by our actions.

· I think a lot about the Gospel for this day – and wonder just where “good news” might be found in it. You’ve seen my ponderings about the slow freight train of civilization’s collapse, and perhaps your spirit has also included these questions. What you haven’t seen, perhaps, is how I traverse that chasm to get to the other side: How to be ready for what surely will come.

· In the Gospel for this day – most likely eschatological and not about the coming destruction of Jerusalem by the dominant war machine of that era – Jesus warns about sudden changes.

· Students of change talk about the ways in which trends curve along slow progressions to sudden drops or rises. Because change ripples and gathers like foam at the edge of a polluted stream, what one day seems inconsequential could the next day be a major problem, and on the following day be an overwhelmingly deadly reality.

· If cataclysm this way comes, then what’s the place of readiness? Repentantly, we do more than slog on, mindless creatures of habit doing only what The Boss asks. Repentant and forgiven, we stand straight again, refusing to bow under the weight of worry or be cowed by Jeremiahs. Repentant, forgiven and equipped, we stride out into the light of day and work toward justice and what’s right for more people than those just like us.

· The good news of God in Christ Jesus may always be “you get to work in spite of what’s coming.” Because we do NOT fear death, we can also trust the rippling and foaming of our own Christ-like lives. We can trust “viral change” to also include the growing sense – among youth and young adults – that the world doesn’t have to keep deteriorating. We have the God-given capabilities to be ready to respond immediately. When it comes to getting God’s work done, we are already Ready People.

· Earthquakes in Chile and the rest of the Ring of Fire, floods in Mexico and the Upper Midwest, an horrific cyclone in Bangladesh, charred hillsides in California and Greece, the continuing effects of Hurricane Katrina – the world is full of natural and human disasters. We call them “natural” because they occur in nature, but also because they seem to be a continual part of daily life.

· As a Lutheran Christian you should know that, along with countless other partners, your church’s disaster readiness is continual, continuing and constant.

· Lutheran Disaster Response – a continuing pan-Lutheran effort – covers this country with a blanket of state coordinators, literally hundreds of Lutheran social service agencies, and countless volunteers. Relationships with government agencies and other disaster-ready agencies are already in place. Contributions of generous donors like you are at ready, and also working right now. In increasing numbers of congregations, people are getting ready for the strong possibilities of disasters in their own communities.

· Through your participation with Lutheran World Relief and Lutheran World Federation – and THEIR worldwide partners – you are always “on the ground” within hours of any disaster anywhere in the world. (After the Christmas 2005 tsunami, Indian Lutheran Christians were present on the East Coast of India within 12 hours!)

· For years after a disaster, long-term assistance continues in the lives of those affected by the disaster. (LDR’s response to the Oklahoma City bombings lasted nearly ten years!)

· Do you understand these amazing facts? Let me offer them to you in one sentence: By God’s grace and your generous contributions of time and money, we ARE ready! (Okay, it was a long sentence, but necessarily so . . . )

1. This might be a good Sunday to collect materials for one of the Lutheran World Relief kits – school kits and health kits -- each of which has a strong use during times of disaster. By collecting these resources, LWR helps care-givers to always be ready! (Visit www.lwr.org for further information. As part of the time with children, talk about how the kits help answer the question, “Are you ready (for disaster)?”

2. This might also be a good Sunday to play with “Wake up!” as a familiar part of children’s lives. Pretend to wake sleeping children – to protect them – or to use the expression as a metaphor for seeing clearly what’s happening in the world. How do God’s children see what others might have missed “because they have been sleeping”? What do they look for?

3. I like the image in Romans of Christ being as close as the clothes you’re wearing. If it’s wintry where you are, you might show children tights or long underwear or any clothing that stays close to them. How does the example of Jesus’ life help keep them from forgetting God’s wishes and will? What if they are wearing some other “clothes”?

4. I’m trying to avoid the easily horrific images of the end of the world that permeate these lessons; I hope you can, too, because these things can scare children. Or maybe not . . . .

5. “Peace” can become a nice thematic direction for children, using a list of synonyms for “peace” as an exercise, and a bowl of water as your object lesson. (Yes, you can figure out how peace synonyms play out with water!)

1. The lessons for this day contrast “the peaceable Kingdom” images of the Old Testament readings with the “end of the world” emphases of the New Testament readings. How do the two emphases compare with each other? (HINT: End of the world thoughts didn’t emerge in Judaism right away.) How do the two emphases play out in participants’ lives?

2. In recent years there have been many dire warnings about end-of-life-as-we-know-it events – meteors, global warming, WWIII, the collapse of the global economy. How do participants’ think about these matters? What do these thoughts compel them to do? Where in those thoughts do generosity and love for others still survive or prosper?

3. Why would Jesus be such a sourpuss or wet blanket in the Gospel reading? (Look at the context for some thoughts.) Why are modern-day prophets saying similar things? What should we think of them?

4. You could take apart the Psalm and the First Reading for their implications about nations that seek, promote or promulgate peace throughout the world. If you’re worried about the discussion getting partisan or “political,” try framing it back in Old Testament times only, keeping in mind the thoughts of those might have written these ideas, and those of the first hearers or readers. What were THEIR reactions? Why?

5. If today is a dark day – literally, because of weather or time change – ask participants about the value of “dark thoughts” among God’s people. What do these thoughts engender? How do they constrict or detract from ministry? Why even thing or utter such thoughts?

2. Write letters – of thanks or warning? – to local or global leaders about the state of the world, and your encouragement for them to keep God’s will (for the poor) in mind as they govern or lead.

Advent is upon us, a time between times that extracts from Fall the most important and delicate flavors of repentance and gratitude and generosity. This is a favorite season for me, one I wish would last longer and longer, so that we all could talk seriously about the meaning of life, and our joy in serving Christ. May your sermon help that to happen among those you love.