The presence of forgiveness in our lives is an important criterion on which our obedience will be judged when the time comes. We are not to roll judgmentally down the road of life, but we are to stop when necessary, to take stock of our own sins and to extend the same forgiveness we have received to others.
When my now grown son Matt was a boy, I would read him Bible passages every night. Every now and then, when we would return to a familiar passage, he would say, “Let’s hear something we haven’t heard before.”
We’ve all heard the parable of the sower many, many times before. How to rekindle interest? Let’s try rebranding “The Parable of the Sower” and see if any new insights arise.
We all like to be rewarded for our efforts. Gold stars on our school papers as children. Praise from parents and teachers as we get older.
Jesus is promising a reward for those who welcome prophets and righteous persons to the community, and for those who offer small kindnesses to the vulnerable in their midst. That reward is participation in the kingdom of God, which has both a present and a future component.
The pearls of wisdom come in the form of a series of indicative statements meant to govern the way we approach adversity and opposition in working for the advent of God’s reign of justice and mercy on earth.
The message of this closing scene in Matthew is that any and everybody is called to make disciples any and everywhere. With no excuses, no postponements of justice, and no obstacles that God can’t do something about.
Like the stained glass triptych, the Ascension in Luke’s account highlights three panels that all depict stages in the story of the same Savior.
Covid19 has caused The Perkins Center for Preaching Excellence at SMU to pivot, but has by no means stopped us in our tracks. Here is an update on our work this spring.
Jesus’ Commencement Address holds out the promise of a God who doesn’t just wave from the porch and wish us luck, but who lives and works in our hearts and in our homes.
We continue, throughout our lives, to ask and re- ask the basic questions of “Am I on the right track in life?” and “How can I know God in my life?” The answer Jesus gives is both simple and profound. “I am the Way.”
The Good Shepherd is not an image intended to comfort children. It is an image intended to inspire the faith of adults in difficult times. It is an image meant to counter forces that would isolate them from each other and undermine their faith in Christ. It’s an image tailor made for times like these.
When preachers ask people to identify with Thomas, they are inviting them to recognize that we do not all experience the resurrected Christ in the same way or at the same time, but that Christ comes to us nevertheless. Thus we can experience the resurrection even in our current circumstances.
Christian preachers this week stand at the entrance to the empty tomb and preach to those within it. What is it we all need to hear?
Whatever tomb we are in this Holy week, it is not empty of God.
© SMU Perkins Center for Preaching Excellence
