At One With the Power
Each preacher will need to deal with this problem in relation to his or her own context. How is the Holy Spirit understood in your context in relation to the texts for the month? How is power needed or avoided in your context? In what ways is the event of Pentecost an event about which are resistant or confused? (What kind of power is coming? How do we receive this strange new reality?) Context will need to be a hermeneutical lens through which the biblical texts are both read and interpreted.
The readings for the month do, however, provide a theological frame that will enable the preacher to dialogue within his or her context. The first set of readings substitutes selections from the book of Acts for readings from the Hebrew Bible. The only exception is on Pentecost itself, when one can choose as a first reading either the Acts 2 account of Pentecost or the Genesis 11 story of the tower of Babel. What is the function of this first set of readings from the book of Acts? Each of the readings emphasizes the expansion of the mission of the church. It is as if an expansion of the church’s mission is a prerequisite to the experience of Pentecost. That is, a broader mission requires a new kind of power. Whether dealing with Peter’s vision of clean and unclean at Joppa (Acts 11: 1-18), Paul’s vision to go to Macedonia (Acts 16: 9-15) or Luke’s introduction to Acts with al call to witness to the ends of the earth (1:1-11), the theological call is to an inclusive mission that includes both Jews and Gentiles and reaches beyond Israel to the rest of the world.
The second set of readings continues to explore the terrain of the new reality to which the church is called. The first two readings are from Revelation. An eschatological picture of the new heaven and the new earth (21:1-6) leads to the second reading from Revelation (21:10, 22: 1-5), with an emphasis on the power of God before all the nations. The third reading (Eph 1:15-23) is a Pauline view of Christ’s ascension. The last reading of the month is either Acts 2:1-21 or Romans 8:14-17. The Pentecost story is the event toward which all readings move. The Romans reading is another reference to the presence and power of the Spirit.
Three of the gospel readings are from John’s Gospel. The first (Jn 13:31-35) links Jesus’ resurrection to the commandment to love one another, the second reading (Jn 5: 1-9) recounts the healing of the paralytic by the Bethzatha pool (or as an alternative, John 14:23-29 promises the comfort of the Advocate), and the last reading (Jn 14:8-17) promises the coming of the Advocate, the Holy Spirit. The third reading (Lk 24:44-53) is the Lukan version of the ascension narrative.
All the May readings focus on the coming power of the Holy Spirit and on the need for the church to receive this power. We are called to be – in fact, we are challenged to be – at one with the power. With this introduction in mind, I will look more closely at the readings of each Sunday.
Fifth Sunday of Easter
May 2, 2010
Acts 11:1-18, Revelation 21: 1-6, John 13: 31-35
Each of the readings for this Sunday is focused on God doing something radically new. Acts 11: 1-18 presents the conversion of Peter at Joppa regarding what is clean and unclean and his defense of this vision before believers in Jerusalem. In this narrative the Holy Spirit fell upon the Gentiles just as it had descended upon the Jews on the day of Pentecost. This story is sometimes referred to as the second Pentecost. The passage from Revelation (21:1-6) predicts a new heaven and a new earth the assurance, “See I am making all things new.” (21:5) John 13:31-35 adds the dimension of love as a commandment to the disciples.
The challenge is to decide where to focus the sermon. Each individual text provides the basis for a complete sermon. Each passage deals with a call to the new that God is demanding with the prospect of Pentecost occurring in the very near future. How do you decide?
Here context becomes critical. Which reading speaks to your context? I my context, I would probably choose the Acts reading about Peter’s conversion and focus on the radical inclusivity with which the Gospel confronts the church. I might then relate the questions of whether Gentiles could be included in the new movement to contemporary issues of inclusion in our churches. Is there a parallel between the inclusion of outsiders in the first century and the inclusion of the LGBT community (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual) in the twenty-first century church? What other issues of inclusion and exclusion trouble the Christian community today? Can we begin to address some of the thorny issues as prelude to our willingness to receive the power of Pentecost?
Whatever reading or series of readings you choose, remember that you are preaching in the shadow of Pentecost and aspire to lead people to be at one with that power.
Sixth Sunday of Easter
May 9, 2010
Acts 16: 9-15, Rev. 21: 10, 22-22:5, Jn 14: 23-29 or Jn 5: 1-9
Readings for this Sunday provide several angles for consideration. If one wants to focus the sermon on the mission of the church, then the Acts reading seems appropriate. In this reading the church’s mission is broadened to include Macedonia, a Roman colony. In that that region, Paul encounters Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth, who becomes a believer and is baptized along with her household. Again, radical inclusivity is stressed, with the boundaries of the new movement extending further into the Roman Empire and reading out to include a woman of means along with her household. It is worth noting that Lydia’s story is told without reference to a male. This would be quite a significant development in and of itself.
The reading from Revelation suggests an eschatological revolution. In the new scheme of things, not even a temple is necessary, because God will create a New Jerusalem where God and the Lamb will be the temple. The restoration serves as a symbol of hope for the new Christian movement. Recovery of a viable picture of the future could be an important pre-Pentecost assignment for the contemporary church. How could the preacher draw a picture of a new heaven and a new earth while avoiding the apocalyptic doom and fatalism of fundamentalist theology? Do a new eschatology and a fresh sense of Pentecost go hand in hand? In what sense is Pentecost an experience of the “yet” and the “not yet”?
The readings from John go in two different directions. The firs (14:23-29) underlines the importance of obedience as a condition for God’s love. It includes the promise that after Jesus leaves, God will send an Advocate, the Holy Spirit, to teach believers everything they need to know. The second reading (5:1-9) is the healing narrative of the paralytic by the Bethzatha pool. While each text expresses God’s love as revealed through Jesus, each has a different emphasis. The Holy Spirit as a teacher might be worth consideration as a theme. What does Advocate mean? This is a peculiarly Johannine take on the role of the Spirit. Is that worth investigating in preparation for Pentecost? Are John and Luke talking about the same reality?
Again, your specific preaching context will determine which text or texts to select and how to best develop them into relevant and memorable sermons. If Pentecost is the destination, which these texts help to build the path?
Ascension Sunday
May 16, 2010
Acts 1: 1-11, Eph 1: 15-23, Lk 24: 44-53
I am rather embarrassed to admit that I did not see the connection between Ascension Sunday and Pentecost until now. Perhaps this lack of understanding can be attributed to my Free Church background: Ascension Sunday was not observed, and the lectionary was not commonly used. At any rate, I am now glad to discover the connection. From a theological perspective, the Holy Spirit cannot descent until Jesus ascends. Hence, ascension is the completion of the life, death, and resurrection cycle that allows the Holy Spirit to “fall” upon the believers.
Each of the readings gives a version of Jesus’ ascension. Acts 1: 1-11 is a promise that the disciples will receive the power when the Holy Spirit comes. Then they will be witness to Jesus in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. In Acts, Luke uses ascension as a precursor to Pentecost.
The reading from Ephesians is the Pauline interpretation of Christ’s ascension. There is much greater emphasis here on the risen Christ who is seated at God’s right hand than on the Jesus who ascends to God. Paul’s Christology is concerned about how the ascension makes Christ the Lord of the Church. Ecclesiology seems to be central to Paul’s view of Christology and vice versa.
The gospel lesson is the Lukan version of the ascension. The disciples are told to stay in the city until they have been “clothed with power from on high.” All the readings share the theme of power and the promise of power. The disciples are to wait for the power of the Holy Spirit to come.
Perhaps this Sunday would be an opportunity to reflect theologically upon the Holy Spirit. The preacher could explore what Jesus’ leaving makes possible and to reflect upon what is coming as we prepare to experience Pentecost in one week. Someone has said that the Holy Spirit is the stepchild of contemporary Protestant theology. Others have said that the doctrine of the Holy Spirit is the least developed or understood part of the Trinity. We are not sure what the Holy Spirit is or what it does. Perhaps this is a time to weigh in on the topic in a way that teaches something about the history of doctrine and opens up conversation about ways the Holy Spirit operates and is experienced in the church today. My students often blame the Holy Spirit when their work is late, saying they did not receive inspiration from the Holy Spirit and so did not do the assignment. Yikes! I hope that the Holy Spirit is our theological “get out of jail free” card when we simply have not done our work. What is the Holy Spirit to in the church today? Can we help our people understand this call to power?
Day of Pentecost
May 23, 2010
Acts 2: 1-21 or Gen 11:1-9; Rom 8:14-17 or Acts 2: 1-21; Jn 14:8-17, (25-27)
We are now at the climatic moment toward which readings for the month of May have been progressing. Pentecost is here! How to approach this event will depend in many ways on the work that has been done during the first part of the month. What themes have been established in dealing with the readings of the other Sundays in May? Is there now an obvious starting point from which to proceed?
In my own preaching context, I would focus on Acts 2: 1-21. I would explore the miracle of communication that comes in the gift of the Holy Spirit. I would also work on how unity is both given and demanded in order to receive and be at one with the power of the Spirit. My own focus on unity and understanding is in response to the conflict and misunderstanding that characterizes much of the life in churches in my own denominational family. Pentecost celebrates unity, but it also demands that we be bound together as believers in spite of our differences or disagreements. Believers do not have the right to break the bonds of the body simply because they may disagree with the position or theology of others. Pentecost demands unity and it builds upon understanding.
In your context you might want to start from another perspective and embrace multiple readings. How will you approach the coming of this power? How can you create a sermon that speaks to both the reality and the challenge of the coming of the Holy Spirit?
Where is power needed in your setting, and how does the gift of the Holy Spirit relate to that need? I pray that we could learn to be at one with such power.
Trinity Sunday
May 30, 2010
Proverbs 8: 1-4, 22-31, Rom 5: 1-5, John 16:12-15
Why not take up the whole question of Trinity directly. Many of our people do not understand either the substance or centrality of this doctrine. Having traveled from Holy Week to Easter to Pentecost, now would be a time to explore the meaning and relevance of Trinitarian theology.
How can God be three in one and why do we need such a view? Both Ascension and Pentecost are theological legs on the Trinitarian stool. Why not explore and discuss the issues directly. Perhaps a sermon that is more directed at teaching than proclaiming is in order. Helping our people to think theologically about their lives and their God is always in order.
