Upcoming Sermon

I find it amazing sometimes when it comes to how my sermons come together each and every week. They start off innocuous enough, usually me thinking about the lectionary reading and trying to blend all the lectionary readings together (usually we have choices for which texts to use, except during Epiphany, where there are 4 readings- an O.T. reading, a Psalm, an Epistle, and a Gospel text).

So, this week I am working on: Micah 6:1-8, Psalm 15, 1 Corinthians 1:18-31, and Matthew 5:1-12. I can preach one of these, two of these or all of them, it doesn't matter. The idea of preaching from the lectionary is that every three years the listener will have heard a sermon from every book in the Bible. So preaching from the lectionary is beneficial for the congregation as it is for the preacher- having a text for every Sunday makes it easier to prepare sermons.

So.. back to what I was saying, I am preaching this Sunday and I find it
facinating how certain events happen that bring a sermon together. For
starters, I am in another blog-response conversation with a friend in Oklahoma about the nature of obedience. My friend is working from the angle that fidelity to Jesus is the basis for our obedience and I am wondering how being in sync with the Spirit of God enables fidelity rather than looking for fidelity to keep us in sync with God. I wonder if there is a slight nuance that can help us understand the Sermon on the Mount (the Matthew reading) and Paul's exhortation in 1 Corinthians as to how our relationship with Jesus enables us to be in sync with God.

And then, when I think about being in sync with God, my mind takes me to those who work hard at syncing themselves with God through prayer and meditation as represented in the 8-Fold Path towards Nirvana as expressed in Zen Buddism and the understanding of peace of mind in the Four Agreements.

How does one get in sync with God? How does prayer and meditation facilitate this pursuit? I started reading the Four Agreements by Don Ruiz because my brother, who is incarcerated, found them to provide him with a peaceful resolution to his challenging times. He thought I would enjoy it. And, I am. The book has its flaws but all in all, it also has some interesting insights. And, given my sermon for Sunday, I am wondering how I can blend what I have been reading into the sermon without taking away from the communion experience we have with God through Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

Also, I have been reading the Gospel of Thomas in the Nag Hummadi library and am curious how Thomas records Jesus' Sermon on the Mount isn't one particular event but rather, he includes Jesus' sayings in all of Jesus' sayings. In other words, they aren't grouped together as in Matthew; they are included throughout the book with interesting and slight differences.

Scholars suggest that the Gospel of Thomas is probably more like how the
original texts were written before editors started fiddling with the texts. It is an interesting book for sure and confusing as all heck. But how does the Gospel of Thomas highlight fidelity and how can it shed light on the lectionary readings for this coming Sunday? Hmmm.. I wonder.

So it looks like I still have a lot of work to do but still.. its coming together. To me, being a preacher is like being a writer who has a deadline every
week- thereby forcing the writer to use all of his or her daily experiences to accomplish the assignment. One of my parishioners told me sometime ago when I asked what he thought about something theological, "I am not going to tell you what I think because I know you'll write about it in your sermon!" heh heh.. My friends are on to me.