It may be helpful to know that in the children's sermon this morning, we told the story of Eutychus. Then as a way to remind people that each one of us is called to share the good news, the children went up and down the pews whispering to the adults, "Jesus loves you. Pass it on."
Acts 20: 7-12, 17-24
April 7, 2019
First Presbyterian Church, Sterling, IL
Christina Berry
Our last Wholehearted Worship topic before Palm and Passion Sunday next week finds us considering the word proclaimed: the sermon. We’ve talked about the call to worship and the prayer of confession, and how you can begin each day with a call to worship, and end each day with the prayer of examen. We discussed the importance of prayer, and those three all-important prayers we all can make: “Help! Thanks! and Wow!” Then we learned about the importance of singing, for our spiritual, mental and physical health. Now we come to the sermon.
For most of us, a worship service is not complete without some sort of sermon, whether spoken, sung, or performed. In the Presbyterian tradition, there are two marks of the true church: the sacraments rightly ordered and the word rightly preached. One of the terms we use for pastors is “minister of word and sacrament.” Sermons matter to us, and good sermons matter a great deal.
The scripture you’re about to hear comes from the Acts of the Apostles, a story of the Apostle Paul preaching in one of the house churches. It starts with a story of a young man named Eutychus, considered by many - to be the unofficial patron saint of people who fall asleep during the sermon, and it continues with Paul’s description of his ministry and his sense of the urgency and importance of his preaching.
Let’s listen for God’s word to us in Acts 20: 7-12, 17-24
On the first day of the week, when we met to break bread, Paul was holding a discussion with them; since he intended to leave the next day, he continued speaking until midnight. There were many lamps in the room upstairs where we were meeting.
A young man named Eutychus, who was sitting in the window, began to sink off into a deep sleep while Paul talked still longer. Overcome by sleep, he fell to the ground three floors below and was picked up dead. But Paul went down, and bending over him took him in his arms, and said, “Do not be alarmed, for his life is in him.”
Then Paul went upstairs, and after he had broken bread and eaten, he continued to converse with them until dawn; then he left. Meanwhile they had taken the boy away alive and were not a little comforted.
From Miletus [Paul] sent a message to Ephesus, asking the elders of the church to meet him. When they came to him, he said to them: “You yourselves know how I lived among you the entire time from the first day that I set foot in Asia, serving the Lord with all humility and with tears, enduring the trials that came to me through the plots of the Jews. I did not shrink from doing anything helpful, proclaiming the message to you and teaching you publicly and from house to house, as I testified to both Jews and Greeks about repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus.
And now, as a captive to the Spirit, I am on my way to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and persecutions are waiting for me. But I do not count my life of any value to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the good news of God’s grace.
The word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Mr. Bean falls asleep in church
What is a good sermon?
There may be as many answers to that question as there are people who listen to sermons. The comedian George Burns said “The secret of a good sermon is to have a good beginning and a good ending, then having the two as close together as possible.” By that definition, Paul’s sermon in that upper room was not a good sermon, not at all.
In fact, as far as Eutychus was concerned, it was dull. Deadly dull.
Thank goodness for Eutychus that Paul stopped preaching long enough to revive him, clearly a relief to the congregation! Then Paul got a bite to eat and went right back to preaching –or at least to some kind of conversational sermon – that lasted until dawn.
The rest of the reading demonstrates the importance of preaching. Paul regarded the sharing the good news as an imperative, and as an urgent task that he was called to undertake. In the Presbyterian tradition, while we have people who are specifically designated to preach, we are also ALL called to share the good news in any way we can. That may not happen from a pulpit, but the importance is the same.
Preaching professors David Lose and Michael Rogness
Acts 20: 7-12, 17-24
April 7, 2019
First Presbyterian Church, Sterling, IL
Christina Berry
Our last Wholehearted Worship topic before Palm and Passion Sunday next week finds us considering the word proclaimed: the sermon. We’ve talked about the call to worship and the prayer of confession, and how you can begin each day with a call to worship, and end each day with the prayer of examen. We discussed the importance of prayer, and those three all-important prayers we all can make: “Help! Thanks! and Wow!” Then we learned about the importance of singing, for our spiritual, mental and physical health. Now we come to the sermon.
For most of us, a worship service is not complete without some sort of sermon, whether spoken, sung, or performed. In the Presbyterian tradition, there are two marks of the true church: the sacraments rightly ordered and the word rightly preached. One of the terms we use for pastors is “minister of word and sacrament.” Sermons matter to us, and good sermons matter a great deal.
The scripture you’re about to hear comes from the Acts of the Apostles, a story of the Apostle Paul preaching in one of the house churches. It starts with a story of a young man named Eutychus, considered by many - to be the unofficial patron saint of people who fall asleep during the sermon, and it continues with Paul’s description of his ministry and his sense of the urgency and importance of his preaching.
Let’s listen for God’s word to us in Acts 20: 7-12, 17-24
On the first day of the week, when we met to break bread, Paul was holding a discussion with them; since he intended to leave the next day, he continued speaking until midnight. There were many lamps in the room upstairs where we were meeting.
A young man named Eutychus, who was sitting in the window, began to sink off into a deep sleep while Paul talked still longer. Overcome by sleep, he fell to the ground three floors below and was picked up dead. But Paul went down, and bending over him took him in his arms, and said, “Do not be alarmed, for his life is in him.”
Then Paul went upstairs, and after he had broken bread and eaten, he continued to converse with them until dawn; then he left. Meanwhile they had taken the boy away alive and were not a little comforted.
From Miletus [Paul] sent a message to Ephesus, asking the elders of the church to meet him. When they came to him, he said to them: “You yourselves know how I lived among you the entire time from the first day that I set foot in Asia, serving the Lord with all humility and with tears, enduring the trials that came to me through the plots of the Jews. I did not shrink from doing anything helpful, proclaiming the message to you and teaching you publicly and from house to house, as I testified to both Jews and Greeks about repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus.
And now, as a captive to the Spirit, I am on my way to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and persecutions are waiting for me. But I do not count my life of any value to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the good news of God’s grace.
The word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Mr. Bean falls asleep in church
What is a good sermon?
There may be as many answers to that question as there are people who listen to sermons. The comedian George Burns said “The secret of a good sermon is to have a good beginning and a good ending, then having the two as close together as possible.” By that definition, Paul’s sermon in that upper room was not a good sermon, not at all.
In fact, as far as Eutychus was concerned, it was dull. Deadly dull.
Thank goodness for Eutychus that Paul stopped preaching long enough to revive him, clearly a relief to the congregation! Then Paul got a bite to eat and went right back to preaching –or at least to some kind of conversational sermon – that lasted until dawn.
The rest of the reading demonstrates the importance of preaching. Paul regarded the sharing the good news as an imperative, and as an urgent task that he was called to undertake. In the Presbyterian tradition, while we have people who are specifically designated to preach, we are also ALL called to share the good news in any way we can. That may not happen from a pulpit, but the importance is the same.
Preaching professors David Lose and Michael Rogness
wrote an article that gave seven important things to look for in a sermon.
They said,
“a good sermon engages the biblical text,
proclaims the gospel,
connects God's word to the lives of God's people,
is well organized and easy to understand,
captures the imagination of the hearers,
is delivered well,
and orients people toward life in God's world.”[1]
Let’s look at these – that first one is crucial.
They said,
“a good sermon engages the biblical text,
proclaims the gospel,
connects God's word to the lives of God's people,
is well organized and easy to understand,
captures the imagination of the hearers,
is delivered well,
and orients people toward life in God's world.”[1]
Let’s look at these – that first one is crucial.
Every sermon should come from the scripture.
And in our tradition, every sermon starts with scripture.
But there are a lot of good Christian folk who like to say,
“At my church, the preacher ONLY preaches the Bible.”
(as if at other churches, they don't preach from the Bible!)
But there are a lot of good Christian folk who like to say,
“At my church, the preacher ONLY preaches the Bible.”
(as if at other churches, they don't preach from the Bible!)
Although the Bible is the starting point for any good sermon,
it is, as Martin Luther said,
the “swaddling clothes and the manger in which Christ lies.”
it is, as Martin Luther said,
the “swaddling clothes and the manger in which Christ lies.”
In other words, the Bible contains the gospel; we don’t “ONLY preach the bible”
any more than we’d focus ONLY on the manger and not who was in it!
That’s why the second point is so important –
a good sermon proclaims the gospel:
the good news of God’s love and forgiveness for all people.
If we start with scripture, move to the gospel,
it’s easy to connect God’s word to our lives.
The other points are more technical: a sermon should be organized and easy to understand. Good preaching captures our imaginations, often because it is delivered well, and when it is done well, and spoken with care, it orients people toward life in God's world.
Simple, right?
So get to preachin’ y’all!
Seriously, though, you have sermons to preach.
I know this makes you nervous.
You think I’m talking about evangelism, maybe.
But I’m not – I’m talking about wholehearted worship that lasts throughout the week.
Our friend Catherine Robinson, who knows something about preaching,
says this about the congregation’s role in preaching:
“If you are taking your role seriously—
if you are preparing to hear the Word,
if you are living and praying with the Scriptures,
if you are responding to the Word preached,
you will find yourself preaching—formally or informally…”
That is, as Catherine says, simply a matter of speaking your heart
to someone you care about.
“It’s important to speak our hearts.
When you say, “I love you” there is love where there wasn’t before.
Saying something gives it life.
If we don’t speak what is in our hearts,
we (and others) may never know what is in our hearts.
If we are all taking our roles seriously,
the sermon does not end when the preacher sits down. …
You carry the Word out into the world.
It takes shape, not simply in your words,
but also in your actions, your behavior, the whole rhythm of life.”[2]
The Apostle Paul said he was called to preach:
“about repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus.”
He considered himself as a captive to the Spirit,
unable to do anything else BUT share the good news.
And that was the center and meaning and driving force of his life:
to finish the course God had set for him,
to continue in the ministry he received from the Lord Jesus,
and “to testify to the good news of God’s grace.”
Wholehearted worship, especially for Presbyterians, always includes a sermon, and that sermon does not end when the preacher sits down. The word proclaimed goes with you out into the world, in the way you live, yes, but also in the words you say! When we are wholehearted, our very lives will preach the gospel.
I know, this is where we all silently remember that quote attributed to St. Francis:
any more than we’d focus ONLY on the manger and not who was in it!
That’s why the second point is so important –
a good sermon proclaims the gospel:
the good news of God’s love and forgiveness for all people.
If we start with scripture, move to the gospel,
it’s easy to connect God’s word to our lives.
The other points are more technical: a sermon should be organized and easy to understand. Good preaching captures our imaginations, often because it is delivered well, and when it is done well, and spoken with care, it orients people toward life in God's world.
Simple, right?
So get to preachin’ y’all!
Seriously, though, you have sermons to preach.
I know this makes you nervous.
You think I’m talking about evangelism, maybe.
But I’m not – I’m talking about wholehearted worship that lasts throughout the week.
Our friend Catherine Robinson, who knows something about preaching,
says this about the congregation’s role in preaching:
“If you are taking your role seriously—
if you are preparing to hear the Word,
if you are living and praying with the Scriptures,
if you are responding to the Word preached,
you will find yourself preaching—formally or informally…”
That is, as Catherine says, simply a matter of speaking your heart
to someone you care about.
“It’s important to speak our hearts.
When you say, “I love you” there is love where there wasn’t before.
Saying something gives it life.
If we don’t speak what is in our hearts,
we (and others) may never know what is in our hearts.
If we are all taking our roles seriously,
the sermon does not end when the preacher sits down. …
You carry the Word out into the world.
It takes shape, not simply in your words,
but also in your actions, your behavior, the whole rhythm of life.”[2]
The Apostle Paul said he was called to preach:
“about repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus.”
He considered himself as a captive to the Spirit,
unable to do anything else BUT share the good news.
And that was the center and meaning and driving force of his life:
to finish the course God had set for him,
to continue in the ministry he received from the Lord Jesus,
and “to testify to the good news of God’s grace.”
Wholehearted worship, especially for Presbyterians, always includes a sermon, and that sermon does not end when the preacher sits down. The word proclaimed goes with you out into the world, in the way you live, yes, but also in the words you say! When we are wholehearted, our very lives will preach the gospel.
I know, this is where we all silently remember that quote attributed to St. Francis:
“Preach the gospel at all times. When necessary, use words.”
Church, I’m saying that words are necessary more often than not.
I’m not saying that you need to bombard someone with Bible verses.
That’s like hitting someone with a manger hoping they’ll see Jesus.
I’m saying we are given the opportunity every day
to share the good news that God is love,
and that God’s grace and mercy are beyond our wildest imagining,
and that following Jesus is how we live lives of meaning and joy.
Don’t keep it to yourself, as if it is an embarrassing secret!
Share the good news of God’s love in Jesus Christ!
Have a conversation with someone about why your faith matters.
Maybe you’ll be chatting with someone about life in general,
and they’ll say something like, “I hope I’m good enough to go to heaven.”
Rather than let it go, how easy it would be to say,
“I’m not good enough, but thankfully, it’s not about how good I am.
It’s about how good God is.”
Church, I’m saying that words are necessary more often than not.
I’m not saying that you need to bombard someone with Bible verses.
That’s like hitting someone with a manger hoping they’ll see Jesus.
I’m saying we are given the opportunity every day
to share the good news that God is love,
and that God’s grace and mercy are beyond our wildest imagining,
and that following Jesus is how we live lives of meaning and joy.
Don’t keep it to yourself, as if it is an embarrassing secret!
Share the good news of God’s love in Jesus Christ!
Have a conversation with someone about why your faith matters.
Maybe you’ll be chatting with someone about life in general,
and they’ll say something like, “I hope I’m good enough to go to heaven.”
Rather than let it go, how easy it would be to say,
“I’m not good enough, but thankfully, it’s not about how good I am.
It’s about how good God is.”
Maybe you can simply share with someone that the reason you volunteer in one of our many ministries, is not because YOU are good, but because GOD is good. Or that you do it because Jesus said you should!
Wholehearted Christians are not afraid
to share the good news of God’s love.
Live a good sermon.
And every chance you get, use words.
Wholehearted Christians are not afraid
to share the good news of God’s love.
Live a good sermon.
And every chance you get, use words.
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