[Propertalk] Fw: SermonWriter: Dec. 13 (Advent 3C) Luke 3:7-18

[Joe Parrish]

The following are SermonWriter materials for Dec. 13 (Advent 3C). They focus 
on Luke 3:7-18, where John preaches, "Bear fruits worthy of repentance."


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Dick Donovan


A THOUGHT ON PREACHING:  It is an obvious error for all to see in those 
ministers of the Church who make such a wide gulf between their preaching 
and their living.  They will study hard, to preach exactly, and yet study 
little or not at all to live exactly.  All the week long is little enough to 
study how to speak for two hours; and yet one hour seems too much time to 
study how to live all the week.  They are loath to misplace a word in their 
sermons; yet they think nothing of misplacing affections, words, and actions 
in the course of their lives.  Oh, how curiously I have heard some men 
preach, and how carelessly have I seen them live! (Richard Baxter)


TITLE:  Fruit Bearing


SERMON IN A SENTENCE:  Thank God for saving you by grace -- and "bear fruits 
worthy of repentance."


SCRIPTURE:  Luke 3:7-18

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FOR MORE SERMONS ON THIS TEXT, GO TO:
http://www.lectionary.org/SermLinks/NT/NT03luke.htm

Scroll down to the correct chapter and verse.


TRUE STORY:

Harry Golden's delightful book, "For Two Cents Plain," came to mind.  If you 
were wondering, "Two Cents Plain" was what you ordered at a soda fountain 
when you wanted just seltzer water -- no syrup.  Plain seltzer cost a penny. 
A large seltzer cost two cents.  To order a large seltzer, you said, "Two 
Cents Plain." If you wanted the clerk to put some chocolate in it, it cost 
another penny.  If you wanted some ice cream in it, you ordered an egg 
cream.  A young man needing to watch his money might order an egg cream for 
his date and a "Two Cents Plain" for himself.

In his book, Golden told about his Aunt Miriam, who spent her life doing 
good deeds.  In her culture, good deeds were thought to pave the road to 
heaven, and Aunt Miriam was determined to have her road well-paved -- no 
potholes.

Miriam's biggest charity had to do with funerals.  She went to funerals so 
that she could help distribute the clothing of the deceased.  Golden says 
that she "was always carrying around old shoes, hats, pants, and skirts."

Miriam also solicited donations from businessmen, and collected thousands of 
dollars for poor people and orphanages.

She also picked up broken umbrellas for her husband to repair.  Once 
repaired, she would sell them and give the money to charity.

A true saint, wouldn't you say!  She did have one flaw.  She constantly 
berated her poor husband -- but he put up with it because he "felt that 
living with her was worth it since it assured him of a passport to heaven."


THOUGHT PROVOKERS:

If we wish to be saved,
let us not, clinging to faith, neglect our conduct,
nor, on the other hand, do not let us be too sure of our conduct:
it is by both -- let us know this, understand this, believe this --
that we shall receive acquittal or beatitude, or the contrary.

Origen

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

Our faith in Christ does not free us from works
but from false opinions concerning works,
that is, from the foolish presumption
that justification is acquired by works.

Martin Luther, in Freedom of a Christian

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

To be active in works and unfaithful in heart
is like raising a beautiful and lofty building
on an unsound foundation.
The higher the building, the greater the fall.
Without the support of faith,
good works cannot stand.

Ambrose

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

As the flower is before the fruit,
so is faith before good works.

Richard Whately

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

Nobody is more committed to the idea of "salvation by grace" than the 
Lutherans, and nobody is more "Lutheran" than Martin Marty.  However, Marty 
once said that Lutherans might as well quit fighting the idea of "salvation 
by works," because "nobody is trying hard anymore."

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *


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HYMN STORY:  Joy to the World

Isaac Watts (1674-1748) was born to Dissenting parents (people who refused 
to accept the authority and practices of the Church of England).  As a boy, 
he sang hymns outside prison walls to encourage his father, who had been 
arrested for his non-conformist beliefs.

Isaac showed promise as a poet at a very young age.  As he grew, he became 
increasingly unhappy with the hymns that he sang in church each week.  In 
those days, hymns were psalms set to music.  Watts saw that the hymns thus 
reflected little or nothing of the New Testament, and set out to remedy that 
error. His hymns -- at least his earlier hymns -- reinterpreted the psalms 
in the light of the Christian faith.  In 1719, he published a book of hymns 
entitled, The Psalms of David Imitated in the Language of the New Testament.

One of those hymns was "Joy to the World," based loosely on Psalm 98, which 
says, "Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth; break forth into 
joyous song and sing praises" (Psalm 98:4).  That psalm looks forward to the 
day when the Lord will come to judge the world in righteousness.  In this 
hymn, Watts reinterpreted the psalm to rejoice in the coming of the Christ 
as our Lord and savior.

This hymn was sung to various tunes for many years.  Then in 1839, Lowell 
Mason, a banker who happened to be quite interested in church music, 
published the tune that we now associate with "Joy to the World."  Mason 
borrowed liberally from classical music, and acknowledged his debt to 
Handel's "Messiah" for parts of this hymn tune.

Watts wrote some 600 hymns altogether, and is considered to be the father or 
Christian hymnody.  His hymns include such favorites as "When I Survey the 
Wondrous Cross" and "O God, Our Help in Ages Past."  But the favorite of 
favorites is "Joy to the World."


NOTE:  See other hymn stories at http://www.lectionary.org/hymnstories.htm


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