Keyword Search




  • Buy Direct from CSS Publishing Company
    Buy Direct from CSS Publishing Company


    Buy Direct from CSS Publishing Company


    Buy Direct from CSS Publishing Company


    Buy Direct from CSS Publishing Company


    Buy Direct from CSS Publishing Company


    Buy Direct from CSS Publishing Company


    Buy Direct from CSS Publishing Company

Proper 18 | Ordinary Time 23, Cycle A

Sunday between September 4 and September 10 inclusive

When we study these texts in their context, it becomes apparent they share the theme that “God is concerned about every individual within the community of faith.” Beyond this theme each of these texts has its own nuances.

Exodus 12:1-14
This text in which the Feasts of Passover and Unleavened Bread are institutionalized is clearly a statement that God is concerned about every Israelite. Placing some of the blood of the animal sacrificed on the doorpost of each home is to be an immunization of all of the Israelites, to separate them from the oppressive Egyptians who are to be punished and weakened by the death of the first-born of all of the oppressors’ people and animals. That this Festival is a reminder of God’s love and concern for one’s own people while punishing and weakening the oppressors is a contrast with the encouragement of Jesus and of Paul to “kill one’s oppressors with acts of kindness,” giving them food and drink. It is a reminder to us of the diverse opinions expressed within our biblical texts, and we should not merely choose an opinion from among these that corresponds to our own opinion and then condemn others among our fellow believers who choose a different biblical opinion as their own.

Psalm 149
The distinction between God’s concern for the People of Israel and God’s concern for other persons is clearly made also in this psalm. Every Israelite is urged to praise the Lord with joyous song and dance but with a two-edged sword in their hands or at least within quick and easy reach. The timbrel and lyre are to be used to make music for the Lord, and the two-edged sword to destroy their enemies.

Ezekiel 33:7-11
The Ezekiel traditions are noteworthy for the transition within them from corporate responsibility and accountability to individual responsibility and accountability. This transition can be seen in this Ezekiel 33:7-11 segment.

As a result of the fall of Jerusalem and the end of the nation, those who survived and maintained the Israelite traditions as exiles in Babylon were perceived as surviving as individuals. The prophet Ezekiel was called and commissioned, therefore, to speak words of judgment and of hope not so much to the entire nation as to individuals within “Israel.” This emphasis on individual responsibility and on individual accountability and on the judgment by God of each individual became important in Israelite apocalyptic thought and was carried over into Christian thought with emphasis on individual salvation. The individual may survive even though the nation is no longer in existence. Although God was certainly perceived as being concerned about every individual person prior to the time of the development of the Ezekiel traditions, from that time on there has been much more concern for each person. In Ezekiel 33:8 this emphasis on each person is so great that it is written the prophet will be held responsible for the death of any individual person among the Israelite people to whom God’s word of warning was not relayed by the prophet.

Psalm 119:33-40
Within this portion of the extensive Psalm 119, as well as throughout the entire Psalm with the exception of verses 1-4 in which all individuals are considered, the psalmist speaks as an individual. Even in verses 1-4 it is those who are individuals who live in accordance with the commandments of the Torah who are said to be blessed. For example in verse 94 we read, “I belong to you. Save me!” It is not “We are your people. Save us!”

In verses 33-40 the psalmist wrote “Teach me… Give me understanding… Lead me… Give me life.” There is no reference to the nation. Since for most of their years since 586 BCE the Israelites-Jews have had no nation, their primary perceptions of God have been on an individual basis. During the first four centuries of the development of the Church, followers of Jesus had no nation, and their perceptions of God were primarily individual also. After Constantine made Christianity the state religion of the Roman Empire and within the nations that were formed after the collapse of the Roman Empire, Christians have added a national component to their religion so strong that in many instances in the USA being American is more significant for some persons than is being Christian, and some want to insist that to be an American a person must be a Christian.

Romans 13:8-14
Within the first seven verses in Romans 13 the Apostle Paul indicated that, in his opinion, each person among the followers of Jesus who was living within the Roman Empire would fare best by being subject to the Roman authorities by paying the required taxes and showing respect and appropriate honor to those authorities. While doing this, however, Paul carefully placed Caesar and the officials who governed under Caesar into positions that were definitely subordinate to God. He wrote that such officials have no authority except the authority given to them by God and that God has appointed them.

In Romans 13:8-14 Paul wrote that followers of Jesus should have no obligations to anyone except to love each other. Paul wrote that each person is to follow the summary commandment, “You shall love your neighbor as you love yourself.” Each person is to “Put on the garment of the Lord Jesus Christ and not be thinking about the use of physical resources for evil purposes.”

Matthew 18:15-20
Within its context in Matthew 18, this text is also an expression of God’s concern for every human being. It follows immediately after the Matthean account of the one lost sheep that has gone astray, and it is followed by the saying about unlimited interpersonal forgiveness. Whatever can be done, such as a personal visit of concern for every individual person, should be done. There are no civil courts, no ecclesial courts such as were developed much later in the history of the Church, to be involved here.

Leave a Reply

  • Get Your FREE 30-day Trial Subscription to SermonSuite NOW!
    SermonSuite
    Chris Keating
    The Double-Dog Dare Days of August
    August’s lazy, hazy dog days quickly became a deadly double-dog dare contest between President Donald Trump and Kim Jong-Un, the supreme leader of North Korea. Both nations have been at odds with each other for nearly 70 years. During his working golf vacation in New Jersey last week, President Trump responded to North Korea’s rhetorical sword-rattling by launching a verbal preemptive strike of his own.
         Call it the Bedminster bombast, or the putt that rocked Pyongyang. But the duel between the two countries is more than fodder for late-night comedians. It’s a deadly standoff with history-changing repercussions.
         There is no vacation from matters of national security, or the orations of war. Indeed, much of the war of words between Washington and North Korea seems to confirm Jesus’ counsel in Matthew: “It is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles.” The contrasts between these barbed exchanges and the biblical understanding of peacemaking offers an intriguing opportunity to hear Jesus’ words in a world filled with double-dog (and even triple-dog) dares....more
    Feeding The 5,000
    The assigned Gospel text for this week skips over a couple of sections in Matthew's story. Matthew 14:34-36 cites Jesus' journey to Gennesaret. The crowds of people recognized him immediately and all of the sick came to him for healing. Just a touch of Jesus' garment brought healing to many. The crowd in Gennesaret recognized Jesus. They came to him in their need....more
    Wayne Brouwer
    Religious balkanization
    One dimension of religious life we have in common across faith traditions and denominational lines is the incessant divisiveness that split our seemingly monolithic communities into dozens of similar yet tenaciously varied subgroups. A Jewish professor of psychology said of his tradition, "If there are ten Jewish males in a city we create a synagogue. If there are eleven Jewish males we start thinking about creating a competing synagogue."...more
    C. David McKirachan
    Jesus Is Coming, Look Busy
    Isaiah 56:1, 6-8
    I had a parishioner who would walk out of the sanctuary if he saw a djembe (African drum) out in front to be used in worship.  I asked him about it, in a wonderfully pastoral manner, and he told me that things like that didn’t belong in worship.  I said that it was in the bible to praise God with pipes and drums (I think it is).  He told me he didn’t care what the Bible said, he knew where that thing came from and he wouldn’t have it.  I asked him why things from Africa would bother him.  He told me that he knew I was liberal but that didn’t mean he had to be.  I agreed with him but cautioned him that racism was probably one of the worst examples of evil in our world and I thought he should consider what Christ would think of that.  He asked me who paid my salary, Christ or good Americans....more
    Janice Scott
    No Strings Attached
    In today's gospel reading, Jesus seemed reluctant to heal the Canaanite woman's daughter. He told her that he wasn't sent to help foreigners, but only his own people, the Chosen Race. The words sound unnecessarily harsh, but perhaps this is an interpretation unique to Matthew, for this story only appears in Matthew's gospel, which was written for Jews....more
    Arley K. Fadness
    Great Faith
    Object: Hula Hoop or circle made out of ribbon, twine or rope
    What an amazing morning to come to church today. I am so glad to see you and talk to you about a wonderful story from the bible. Let me begin by showing you this circle. Now let's get into this circle. (Physically, all move into the circle) It's fun for us all to be together in this circle. We don't want anyone to be left out. To be left out is to be sad. To be kept out is even more sad and painful....more

Authors of
Lectionary Scripture Notes
Norman A. Beck is the Poehlmann Professor of Theology and Classical Languages and the Chairman of the Department of Theology, Philosophy, and Classical Languages at Texas Lutheran University
Dr. Norman A. Beck
Mark Ellingsen is professor at the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta, Georgia
Dr. Mark Ellingsen

Archives