Preaching in "Community"

Rocky: Brother, borrow at will 'cause after hearing you preach last month I borrowed your verbiage liberally for about two weeks.

That's what this whole thing is for, in my view.

Landon: I've hit a point in my relatively short preaching career that I never thought I would hit: I'm finding myself wanting to quote extensively from your sermon from last week. I'm struggling with my self-described "crass American individualism."

The deal is, I think that you made some very nice homelitical moves last week - especially the jaunt regarding what a mother must do for her children - that I'm wanting to borrow. Now, I know the deal about permission and making sure who said what, and all that. What I'm dealing with is the reality of the ferment of the communal act and how strange it is that I'm resisting it.

I know you've reflected on it before, but it's weird for me.

Revelation 1:1-8: Sermons

Landon: Two moves I just loved: "Mothers must care for the well being of their children" and "Priesthood of all believers." I love how you spot those sort of "out of the way" pieces in the text and bring them to light.

Rocky: Beautifully done Mr. Whitsitt. Personal, theological, honest. I need to listen to more of your preaching.

The Rev. Rocky Supinger - Eschata-What?*
The Rev. Landon Whitsitt - A Posture of Hope

* A few minutes into Rocky's sermon the audio file was cut off for a couple of seconds. Be patient, it'll come back. Don't worry - You're not hearing things (or "not not hearing things" as it were).

Revelation 21:9-22:7: Order of Worship

Landon: I just looked at your Ordo again, and noticed "My Country 'Tis of Thee." Considering the strong Armed Forces connection in your congregation, that's a nice move (especially since it's a King reference). Comforting yet able to be re-framed - like Blessed Assurance last week.

I've decided I'm going for brevity in my sermon this week. I'm gonna try and clock in at 8-12 minutes. We'll see...

Rocky: Nice work, Mr. Whitsitt. Here's my Ordo, as always less detailed. Our worship planning meeting on Monday had settled on "Lift Every Voice" as our anthem, but the choir revolted on Wednesday night because it's "too hard"; the choir director wasted about two seconds in replacing it with something else ("Shall We Gather At The River?").

As a pastor, what you want and what you get rarely match up. With that thought . . .

Introit Shall We Gather at The River?

*Call to Worship (responsive) Psalm 46

L: There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High.  

P: God is in the midst of the city; it shall not be moved; God will help it when the morning dawns.  

L: The nations are in an uproar, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts.  

P: The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. 

* Hymn Just As I Am

*Singing Praise and Worship; Confession, Assurance, Glory**

__________

Old Testament Reading Isaiah 62:1-5

Children’s Time

Anthem SHALL WE GATHER AT THE RIVER?

New Testament Reading Revelation 21:10, 22-22:5

Sermon

*Response My Country ‘Tis of Thee

__________

Offering and Doxology**

Prayers

*Sending Song (see insert) Soon And Very Soon

Landon: What a week! Funerals, Session retreats, ah the joys of pastorate! Here's my Ordo (including the Black National Anthem at the end - I love that song!):

Order of Worship - January 14, 2007

Welcome and Announcements

Ringing of the Bell

Call to Worship

The earth is the Lord’s, for he made it:
Come, let us adore him.
Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness:
Come, let us adore him.
The mercy of the Lord is everlasting:
Come, let us adore him.
Lord, open our lips.
And our mouths shall proclaim your praise.

Hymn #315 - Every Time I Feel the Spirit

Prayer of Confession

O Lord, our hearts are heavy with the sufferings of the ages,
with the crusades and the holocausts of a thousand years.
The blood of the victims is still warm,
the cries of anguish still fill the night.
To you we lift our outspread hands.
Lord, have mercy.
O Lord, who loves us as a father, who cares for us as a mother,
who came to share our life as a brother,
we confess before you our failure to live as your children,
brothers and sisters bound together in love.
To you we lift our outspread hands.
Lord, have mercy.
We have squandered the gift of life.
The good life of some is built on the pain of many;
the pleasure of a few on the agony of millions.
To you we lift our outspread hands.
Lord, have mercy.
O Lord, forgive our life-denying pursuit of life,
and teach us anew what it means to be your children.
To you we lift our outspread hands.
Lord, have mercy
through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Assurance of Pardon

The God who challenges us
is also the God who encourages us.
The God who confronts us
is also the God who accepts us.
Be assured that God is with us even now,
accepting, guiding, and forgiving.
Thanks be to God.

Congregational Response

The Peace

Conversation with Children

Prayer for Illumination

Lord God,
you have declared that your kingdom is among us.
Open our eyes to see it,
our ears to hear it,
our hearts to hold it,
our hands to serve it.
This we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

First Reading - Isaiah 62:1-5

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Anthem

Second Reading - Revelation 21:10, 22-22:5

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Sermon

Confession of Faith

From The Confession of 1967 (Book of Confessions 9.54-.55)
Biblical visions and images of the rule of Christ, such as a heavenly city, a father’s house, a new heaven and earth, a marriage feast, and an unending day culminate in the image of the kingdom. The kingdom represents the triumph of God over all that resists God's will and disrupts God's creation. Already God’s reign is present as a ferment in the world, stirring hope in humanity and preparing the world to receive its ultimate judgment and redemption.

With an urgency born of this hope, the church applies itself to present tasks and strives for a better world. It does not identify limited progress with the kingdom of God on earth, nor does it despair in the face of disappointment and defeat. In steadfast hope, the church looks beyond all partial achievement to the final triumph of God.

Hymn #440 - In Christ There Is No East or West

Prayers of the People

Offering Invitation

Hear these words from Ephesians:

"As God’s dear children, then, take him as your pattern,
and follow Christ by loving as he loved you,
giving himself up for us as an offering
and a sweet-smelling sacrifice to God."

Will the ushers please come forward.

Offertory

Doxology

Prayer of Dedication

God of extravagant mercy,
with hands outstretched you have poured out
wonder and pleasure and delight,
goodness and beauty and bounty.
So take these offerings, we pray, as our protest against all
that is evil and ugly and impoverished,
trivial and wretched and tyrannical,
in our world and in ourselves—
and thus may we and others know
ourselves to be blessed. Amen.

Hymn #563 - Lift Every Voice and Sing

Charge and Benediction

Ringing of the Bell

Revelation 21:9-22:7: First Thoughts

Landon: Good eye - I think I'll follow your lead on that.

Rocky: After consulting textweek, I see that Revelation 21 and 22 are pared down in the Revised Common Lectionary for Easter, as 21:10, 22-22:5. That takes you from, "And in the Spirit he carried me away to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God," to "And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb . . ." and away you go.

I'm using that. For an Old Testament reading I'm going to use this week's epiphany lection, Isaiah 62:1-5. I like the "The nations shall see your vindication, and all the kings your glory; and you shall be called by a new name that the mouth of the Lord will give" piece.

Rocky: Yessir, it is too long. So I've resolved to begin with verse 1 of chapter 22. Explanation will have to be given to parse that verse though, explaining who the "angel" is (the Greek just says "he"), what the "street" and the "city" refer to, and who the "Lamb" is.

My preliminary thoughts about these verses arise from one private reading of it and a worship-planning conversation about it this morning. In the worship planning session, we grabbed on to the "river" imagery, as well as the "light" and "dark." So, you'll be glad to know that we'll be using "Shall We Gather at The River" as an introit and Psalm 46 ("There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God") as a call to worship.

As far as the sermon's focus, I'm following you in letting the King holiday set the pace. Sadly, this is the first time in three trips 'round as a preacher that I've given sustained thought to the need to make Dr. King a central focal point of worship on this Sunday; the last two years it's kind of snuck up on me, and I've thrown a reference into the sermon at the last minute.

To that end, I may do a good deal to explicate the "visionary" nature of the passage (and all of Revelation), connecting "vision" and "dream." Since last week's sermon laid great stress on present action for the sake of a future hope, I may flip that over here and emphasize the future hope, its contours and images and even measurements, for the sake of present action. There is the proverbial "without vision the people perish" idea to support that, I think.

If I had to decide right now, I'd probably pick the "lamb" title and imagery out of the passage for further explication. Following your idea of splicing in the "I Have A Dream" speech, the line in that speech that says "unearned suffering is redemptive." How do you not connect that to the life and death of Jesus? And on this day, how do you not apply it to King's own demise, joined as it is to the persecuted Christians to whom Revelation is addressed?

I think where that leads is back to the "vision" of the lamb who reigns now and forever, by virtue of his meekness and refusal to take up the implements of violence to defend himself.

A rough start, no doubt, but a start all the same.

Landon: Once more into the breech, dear friend. Here are my first thoughts...

Even though I'm the one who "drafted" this text - it's just to damn long. I mean, come on - who want to read a sermon text that takes five minutes to read? And how (in heaven or) on earth are we supposed to construct a compelling narrative line out of 11 verses describing the architectural makeup of the new Jerusalem?

Seriously, for me the text is just too much so I'm going to cut it down to 21:22-22:7. I might mention the previous verses (If I do, the notion of the "richness" of the city would be very helpful), but I think that the remaining 12 verses will do me much more good

Knowing that this Sunday is the day set aside for the celebration of Dr. King is very much affecting my reading of the passage. It certainly was the impetus for picking it. The Utopian nature of the text makes it a prime referent for King's "I have a dream" speech, which I'm contemplating "splicing" in the text.

I see a vision of equality at play here, a vision of no fear and no need to be afraid.

Two references are jumping for me:

21:27 - "But nothing unclean will enter it, nor anyone who practices abomination or falsehood, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life."

AND

22:3 - "Nothing accursed will be found there any more."

There is also the repeated use of the phrase "of God and of the Lamb." I have often told my folks that when the Bible repeats itself, it is important and we should pay attention to those pieces.

What are you seeing?

Revelation 1:1-8: Order of Worship

Rocky: Wow, this is going to be neat. Apart from the fact that we're both ordaining and installing new officers and both celebrating the Lord's Supper, there's almost nothing alike in our worship services. In your first reading you're sticking with the Baptism of the Lord of the Lectionary; I'm not doing that. In fact, I even lied on the front of the worship bulletin and called it the "First Sunday in Ordinary Time," which, of course, is made up; there is no such Sunday.
Here's my order of worship (without the actual texts for some things, because I simply lifted most of them from a cd copy of the Worship Sourcebook that somebody gave me . . .):

*Call to Worship

* Hymn Holy, Holy, Holy Red #323

*Singing Praise, Worship, Confession, and Glory

Old Testament Reading Genesis 1:1-5

Children’s Time

Anthem LEAD ME, LORD

New Testament Reading Revelation 1:1-8

Sermon ESCHATA-WHAT?

Affirmation of Faith (The Heidelberg Catechism)

L: What benefit do we receive from “the resurrection” of Christ?

P: First, by his resurrection he has overcome death that he might make us share in the righteousness which he has obtained for us through his death. Second, we too are now raised by his power to a new life. Third, the resurrection of Christ is a sure pledge to us of our blessed resurrection.

Ordination and Installation of Officers
Response: Here I Am Lord Blue #525

Offering and Doxology

The Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper

*Hymn Blessed Assurance Red #67

A couple of notes: I've just about emptied my chamber on the "eschata--" device, and it's only the first week. Secondly, that final hymn. I like it because my folks know it really well and will belt it, but I have to admit serious reservations about preaching about the present time, about "realized eschatology" if you will, and then sending us all out with the lines, "watching and waiting, looking above . . ."

I guess these are the compromises you make.

Landon: To recap our conversation over coffee for the benefit of our readers...

I thought about it more as I left the coffee shop this afternoon, and I really would want to encourage you to reference the line from Blessed Assurance in your sermon. I think that the juxtaposition of you saying "this is not what it is", yet affirming the history of what we have believed through song, could be a powerful liturgical moment for the pew sitters.

The comfort they will feel singing a familiar song will (hopefully) be a balm on the sore of having their worldview challenged. That, I think, is liturgy doing what liturgy does best - comfort and stretch, comfort and stretch...

Landon: Here's my first shot at the major pieces of an order of worship:

Order of Worship - January 7, 2007

Welcome and Announcements

Ringing of the Bell

Call to Worship

Look! The Holy One is coming in the clouds!
Blessed be the Holy One, the god of Israel, who alone does wonderous things!
The Lord God is the Alpha and the Omega.
Blessed be the Holy One, the god of Israel, who alone does wonderous things!
Come let us worship the one who is, and who was and who is to come.
Blessed be the Holy One, the god of Israel, who alone does wonderous things!
- From Revelation 1:7-8 and Psalm 72:18

Hymn #476 - O Worship the King, All Glorious Above!

Prayer of Confession

For the times we have lied to one another
and the times we have been lied to,
heal us, Jesus, Savior of the world.
For the times we have laughed at another’s pain
and the times we have been laughed at,
heal us, Jesus, Savior of the world.
For the times we have spoken when we should have remained silent
and the times we have remained silent when we should have spoken,
heal us, Jesus, Savior of the world.
For the times we have not respected another’s freedom
to be different from us,
heal us, Jesus, Savior of the world.
For the times we have betrayed a friend
and the times we have been betrayed,
heal us, Jesus, Savior of the world.

O God of heaven and earth,
you emptied yourself of your power
and became a helpless baby
in order that you might heal the sick world.
Teach us to empty ourselves of the things
that destroy us and keep us alone.
Empty us of our jealousy,
of our meanness,
of our fear of others.
For Jesus’sake. Amen.

Assurance of Pardon

Hear the good news!
Who is in a position to condemn?
Only Christ,
and Christ died for us,
Christ rose for us,
Christ reigns in power for us,
Christ prays for us.
Anyone who is in Christ
is a new creation.
The old life has gone;
a new life has begun.
Know that you are forgiven, and be at peace.
Thanks be to God!
—based on Romans 8:34; 2 Corinthians 5:17

Congregational Response

The Peace

A Sacred Space for Children

Prayer for Illumination

First Reading - Luke 3:15-17, 21-22

Anthem

Second Reading - Revelation 1:1-8

Sermon

Installation of Officers

Hymn #6 - Jesus Comes with Clouds Descending

Prayers of the People

Offering Invitation

Offertory

Doxology

Prayer of Dedication

Sacrament of the Lord's Supper

Hymn #434 - Today We All are Called to be Disciples of the Lord

Charge and Benediction

Ringing of the Bell

Based on the discussion in the last post, I'm thinking of changing the hymn of response to #356 - Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing.

Tense in Revelation 1

Rocky: It certainly is. I love Dave Parker, by the way.

I was just listening to a recording from last summer's Allelon Institute conference, and somebody quoted Eugene Peterson in a way that I might copy on Sunday. In his introduction to the book of Matthew in The Message, he writes,

Every day we wake up in the middle of something that is already going on and that has been going on for a long time. Genealogy and geology, history and culture, the cosmos, God.

It gets to the same thing that you're getting at with the "past, present, and future reality of God," but puts it (and us) in a narrative framework. That we are a part of God's story, which is not the story of us but the story of God, and that it's a story that was well underway before we got here and will continue to be here long after we're gone, is crucial. So the future is in God's hands because God is sovereign, yes, but also because God is creating a story of which we and the entire cosmos are a part.

Also, that the sacrament of the Lord's Supper is a "witness" to the future and our very present expectation for it. Because "whenever [we] eat this break and drink this cup we proclaim the Lord's death until he comes." So this act of gathering together around the table, of proclaiming the death of Jesus by partaking in a common loaf and a common cup, doesn't mean anything--not hospitality, not community, not salvation--without a lived belief in and hope for the future.

Ultimately, Revelation 1 makes me want to ground us and our hope, our expectation for the future, in the ongoing story of God and to draw out the things we do right now to participate in it.

Landon: Yes, I most certainly think that'll preach. Most certainly.

And I hope that it does, because that's where I've decided to go as well. The points I mentioned in the "First Thoughts" post that struck me are the points that continue to strike me: God "is, was, and is still to come" and we must testify to that.

Dave makes a great point in his comment (not the part about the SUV - I'm not laying off! tee hee) that answered one of your initial questions from our first work session ("What do we hope will be the outcome of preaching eschatology?"):

I think if our congregation members can see it (and consequently live it) that way, then we would be free to be the types of Christians God is really calling us to be!

His discussion of "remembrance" is, I think, particularly helpful. It brought something else to mind.

I was reading The Great Transformation by Karen Armstrong last night, and in her chapter regarding the shift from a ritualistic to kenotic quality in Axial Age spirituality she writes this:

The people followed other gods only because they did not truly know Yahweh. Their understanding of religion was superficial...Religious practices must no longer be taken for granted and performed by rote; people must become more conscious of what they were doing. Hosea was not talking about purely notional knowledge; the verb yada ("to know") implies emotional attachment to Yahweh, and an interior appropriation of the divine. IT was not enought to merely attend a sacrifice or a festival. "I desire loyalty [hesed]," Yahweh complained, "and not sacrifice; the knowledge of God, not holocausts." Hosea constantly tried to make Israelites aware of the inner life of God.

I have several pieces I've got to weave this Sunday:

1. the present, past, and future reality of God - sort of an "Ebenezer"-ish theme
2. that we are to be witnesses to that reality be virtue of an "interior appropriation of the divine"
3. that the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper is one of the chief ways we witness to the eternal nature of the Triune God

I'm really glad that this is the first week's text - it's allowing us to set the stage nicely.

Rocky: Landon, friend, we touched on this a bit already, but my staff meeting this morning brought it out further: the phenomenon of tense in our passage for this week. Particularly in the assertion that Jesus is the one who "loves" us and who "has freed us" from our sins and "has made us" a kingdom gets my attention. Add to that the coming-in-the-clouds allusion to Daniel 7 and the repetition of the "is, was, and is to come" refrain, and you have a thoroughly past-centered expectation for the future lived out in the present.

I don't know about you, but this will probably be huge in my preaching of this text. That our expectation and our hope for the future is grounded in God's past (not, mind you, our past or a past of historical events that follow a pattern) is most certainly good news. And we experience it right now. Because the God who "will be," beyond and after all the incidents and accidents of lived history, is the God who "was" before all of it and the God who "is" in the midst of it.

So what's the case right now? Revelation 1 gives two answers: 1) God loves us and 2) God is.

Think that'll preach?

Taking It Personally

Landon: I'm totally with you on this. If nothing else, to preach this subject must mean to preach with the recognition that something is actually at stake. To steal your phrase from the other night at IHOP, eschatological preaching must be a "lived onomatopoeia."

Rocky: Driving home tonight something occurred to me about our project here, about the task of preaching itself, and about the nature of God. I will be brief.

Preaching eschatology must be an engagement with the future itself, a personal rendezvous with the end of time on a personal and cosmic level, and not merely a peddling with ideas about the future and the end of time. C.S. Lewis' image of children playing with chemistry sets and Annie Dillard's quip about the need for church ushers to issue signal flares instead of programs come to mind.

My challenge is going to be engaging personally and seriously with this eschatology stuff, and not simply learning and talking about it. But, like I said, that's the challenge of faith itself, no?