[Propertalk] Fw: SermonWriter: Oct. 11 (Proper 23B) Mark 10:17-31

[Joe Parrish]

The following are SermonWriter materials for Oct. 11 (Proper 23B). They 
focus on Mark 10:17-31, where Jesus says, "For God all things are possible."

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Dick Donovan


A THOUGHT ON PREACHING:  Keeping God as the center of preaching involves 
telling the stories of faith so well that God's invisible presence becomes 
visible, so that we can catch sight of God's intervention in the past and in 
the present. (Marva Dawn, courtesy of Fr. Charles Hoffacker)


TITLE:  All Things Are Possible!


SERMON IN A SENTENCE:  On our own, we cannot be saved, but with God all 
things are possible.


SCRIPTURE:  Mark 10:17-31

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(NOTE: There are various systems for numbering the Ten Commandments, so your 
numbers might be different.)

- "You shall not murder" (v. 19) is the sixth commandment (Exodus 20:13).

- "You shall not commit adultery" is the seventh commandment (Exodus 20:14).

- "You shall not steal" is the eighth commandment (Exodus 20:15).

- "You shall not bear false witness" is ninth commandment (Exodus 20:16).

- "You shall not defraud" is not part of the Ten Commandments.  Jesus 
substitutes it for "You shall not covet" -- the tenth commandment (Exodus 
20:17).  It makes sense that he should do so, because a rich man is less 
likely to covet the possessions of others than he is to defraud people in 
the pursuit of further wealth.
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And then Jesus said:

"You know the commandments:
You shall not murder;
You shall not commit adultery;
You shall not steal;
You shall not bear false witness;
You shall not defraud;
Honor your father and mother" (v. 19).

These were part of the Ten Commandments -- all but one -- "You shall not 
defraud" is not one of the Ten Commandments, but is similar to "You shall 
not steal," which is.

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In some cases Jesus does expect people to sell everything.  In others, he 
doesn't.  How can you tell the difference?  R. H. Gundry offers this 
assessment.  He says:

"That Jesus did not command all his followers
to sell all their possessions
gives comfort only to the kind of people
to whom he would issue that command"

(Gundry, Matthew, quoted in France, 400).

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FOR MORE SERMONS ON THIS TEXT, GO TO:

http://www.lectionary.org/SermLinks/NT/NT02_Mark.htm

Scroll down to Mark 10.  There are four sermons on this text posted there.


TRUE STORY:

Jay Gould lost his wife to lung cancer in October, 2002. (NOTE:  This is 
neither the wealthy 19th century Jay Gould nor the scientist, Stephen Jay 
Gould). Though he tried to fill the emptiness with golf and vacations, the 
void remained.

A sermon about giving to the poor brought a radical change to Gould's life. 
"The priest was right in front of me and looked like he was talking right to 
me," Gould explained.

Gould made certain his seven children were cared for, then left his 
luxurious home in the Denver suburbs for a modest room in a monastery.  A 
picture of his wife and kids hangs on the wall. He serves the homeless with 
the Franciscan Friends of the Poor.

Gould explains, "So many times in the gospel, it says 'Take care of the 
poor, take care of the poor.' And that's what I do, and every day I do that, 
I feel fulfilled."

This story was originally reported on Fox News.  I verified it at
http://www.stpatrickscottsdale.org/Articles/newsletter/summer2004newsletter.pdf


THOUGHT PROVOKERS:

Men will wrangle for religion;
fight for it;
die for it;
anything but -- live for it.

C.C. Colton

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

Salvation is free,
but discipleship costs everything we have.

Billy Graham

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

To deny self does not mean to deny things.
It means to give yourself wholly to Christ
and share in His shame and death.
To take up a cross
does not mean to carry burdens or have problems.
I once met a lady who told me
her asthma was the cross she had to bear!
To take up the cross means to identify with Christ
in His rejection, shame, suffering, and death.

Warren W. Wiersbe

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

The whole Christian life
consists in seeking the will of God by loving faith
and carrying out that will by faithful love.

Thomas Merton

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

One may master all the rules of conduct
but fail to be a Christian for lack of love.
Mere obedience to a law will never of itself produce love,
because love is the very life of God
and there is no system or set of rules whereby one can become its possessor.

Alan Watts, Behold the Spirit

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

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HYMN STORY:  O Jesus, I Have Promised

John Ernest Bode was an Anglican clergyman serving a small parish near 
Cambridge, England when his three children, a daughter and two sons, were 
ready for confirmation.  Bode not only presided over their confirmation, but 
also wrote this hymn especially for the occasion -- telling the children 
that the hymn included "all the important truths I want you to remember."

The hymn was originally, "O Jesus, We Have Promised" -- in view of the fact 
that more than one child was involved in the confirmation.  Changed to "O 
Jesus, I Have Promised," it serves as a fitting hymn of commitment for every 
Christian.  It not only reminds us of the promises that we have made to 
Jesus, but it also asks Jesus to protect us from the dangers and temptations 
posed by the world -- and it reminds us that Jesus has made promises too --  
that Jesus promised that we will live with him in glory.

We don't know what hymn tune Bode used in that confirmation service.  The 
tune with which we are familiar was written later by Arthur H. Mann, the 
organist at King's College Chapel in Cambridge for fifty-three years.


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

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BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Bailey, Kenneth E., Poet & Peasant and "Through Peasant Eyes: A 
Literary-Cultural Approach to the Parables of Luke (Grand Rapids: William B. 
Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1976)

Barclay, William, The Daily Study Bible: Gospel of Mark (Edinburgh: The 
Saint Andrew Press, 1954)

Boring, M. Eugene, The New Testament Library, Mark, A Commentary 
(Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2006)

Brooks, James A, The New American Commentary: Mark (Nashville: Broadman 
Press, 1991)

Brueggemann, Walter; Cousar, Charles B.; Gaventa, Beverly R.; and Newsome, 
James D., Texts for Preaching: A Lectionary Commentary Based on the NRSV --  
Year B (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1993)

Craddock, Fred B.; Hayes, John H.; Holladay, Carl R.; Tucker, Gene M., 
Preaching Through the Christian Year, B (Valley Forge: Trinity Press 
International, 1993)

Donahue, John R. and Harrington, Daniel J., Sacra Pagina: The Gospel of Mark 
(Collegeville: The Liturgical Press, 2002)

Edwards, James R., The Pillar New Testament Commentary: The Gospel According 
to Mark (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2002)

Evans, Craig A., Word Biblical Commentary: Mark 8:27 - 16:20 (Nashville: 
Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2001)

France, R.T., The New International Greek Testament Commentary: The Gospel 
of Mark (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2002)

Geddert, Timothy J., Believers Church Bible Commentary: Mark (Scottdale, PA: 
Herald Press, 2001)

Grant, Frederick C. and Luccock, Halford E., The Interpreter's Bible, Vol. 7 
(Nashville: Abingdon, 1951)

Hare, Douglas R. A., Westminster Bible Companion: Mark (Louisville: 
Westminster John Knox Press, 1996)

Hooker, Morna D., Black's New Testament Commentary: The Gospel According to 
Saint Mark (Hendrickson Publishers, 1991)

Hurtado, Larry W., New International Biblical Commentary:  Mark (Peabody, 
Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., 1983, 1989)

Lane, William L., The New International Commentary on the New Testament: The 
Gospel of Mark (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1974)

Moule, C.F.D., The Cambridge Bible Commentary on the New English Bible: The 
Gospel of Mark (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1965)

Perkins, Pheme, The New Interpreter's Bible, Vol. VIII (Nashville: Abingdon, 
1995)

Williamson, Lamar Jr., Interpretation: Mark (Atlanta: John Knox Press, 1983)

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