This is a typed sermon from 1986 mentioning “Celebration Sunday”. It mentions St. Stephen Lutheran Church by name, which makes sense as he was serving in Wausau at the time.
The novel “A Tale of Two Cities” by Charles Dickens is mentioned. This sermon mentions three different scripture passages. They are Malachi 4:2, 2 Thess.3:13, and Luke 21:13. The sermon contextualizes the message to each historical setting from the time that the passage was written. The sermon lists 26 Pent C as the sermon context, which matches up to Proper 28 in the season after Pentecost of the Revised Common Lectionary. Google Docs OCR was used to obtain the text of this sermon.
The Best and Worst of Times - 26 Pent C - 11/16/1986
“THE BEST AND WORST OF TIMES” 26 Pentecost C (11/16/86)
Malachi 4:2 a (promise) ‘But for you who fear my name the sun of righteousness shall rise, with healing in its wings.’
2 Thess.3:13 ‘Brethren, do not be weary in well-doing.’
Luke 21:13 ‘This will be a time for you to bear testimony.
LORD, MAY THE WORDS OF MY MOUTH & THE MEDITATION …
Dear friends in Christ, grace & peace from God our Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ.
THIS IS CELEBRATION SUNDAY, a time for us to rejoice together in the calling we share, the mission to which we have recommitted ourselves. As we look at the texts for today, we don’t seem to see much to celebrate though. Malachi talks about the Lord sending a scorching sun to burn the (unrighteous) stubble with fire. Paul speaks of the danger of being lazy Christians. Jesus in today’s Gospel warns us about many hardships and pitfalls that lie ahead for believers. What is there to celebrate here?
When I look at the times of these bible texts and at the times we live in, I think of the opening lines of the classic Tale of Two Cities’: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” We are living in the best & worst of times, just as believers have for many generations.
(1) In times like that of Malachi–the wealthy have had to hear words of judgment that we will need to answer for our deafness toward the poor. We are the wealthy of the world, & the best of times (our comfortable times) can become the worst of times for us. What we celebrate here in the midst of our many blessings is that God has called us to share of our affluence with the needy, and that we have responded to that call. Malachi says that for us in the time of testing the same sun that destroys then stubble will purify and heal us.
(2) In times like those of the Thessalonians, there was another danger for the faithful, that of ‘weariness in well-doing’. Believers were tempted by the nearness of Christ’s return to become lazy in their witness and their stewardship. After all, it seemed, what difference would this all make when the Lord was coming again so soon? The reminder here was not to second-guess God, to fulfill our calling and to let God be in control. Today we can celebrate the response of our congregation to a call to do more than just yawn and say, ‘Well, St. Stephen is just up to the same old stuff– worship, Sunday School, confirmation, visiting the sick, marrying & burying. Ho hum.’ We celebrate the excitement with which our members respond to the mission which we share in Jesus Christ. It is a mission that is just as important, just as urgent as it has ever been…and just as much under the control of Jesus Christ.
(3) In times like those of our Gospel text, when believers were tempted to glory in their temple and the security of its walls and beauty, Jesus warned against becoming too comfortable with stuff, with things (even religious things) and said that the kingdom of God involves some real turmoil for believers, and in those difficult times it will be most important to be witnesses, to share the good news. We celebrate today the willingness of our congregation to witness beyond these walls and pillars, to witness by our benevolence, our missionary support, our standing with those who are in turmoil—be it Namibia, Central America, or behind the Iron Curtain. We are one with all Christians in this best and worst of times—sharing the call not to become weary in welldoing, sharing the call to witness, realizing that God is in control.
We join in celebrating who we are today—gathered at the table of the Lord, gathered around Christ’s presence, gathered to hear words of warning and assurance, gathered to be God’s hands and feet in this community. We celebrate work to be done, work that will not be completely finished until Christ’s return. We each need to commit ourselves to this work–but we cannot do it alone–we need each other, and we needthe continuing presence of Christ in Word and Sacrament to strengthen us and guide us on the way.
Celebrate our mission—just as Christians have rejoiced in the calling to witness and service in the best and worst of times— from the time of Malachi to the time of Christ to the time of the early church.
And may the peace of God which passes all understanding keep us together in Christ Jesus our Lord. AMEN.