Year A, Ordinary Time 3, 2020 – “Light Dawning”

More Than Hearing

Welcome to the show! We’re glad to have you back with us or joining us for the first time. Sunlight is the best disinfectant, or so it is said. It dispels fear, “the blues”, rumors, and is an antidote to dishonesty. Light runs through the four passages for this Sunday in explicit and implicit ways. In Isaiah and Matthew, God’s light is breaking in on those who live in darkness. The Psalmist declares the Lord is his light, so he praises God for shelter in times of trouble. Paul addresses the report of division in Corinth and attempts to shed light on their common bond in Jesus’ cross.

Three years ago, we offered some commentary about the movie Amistad, suggested using a jeweler’s eyepiece to examine a gem for flaws, and translated the word “left” in Matthew as “divorced.” See if these or other ideas may spark some creativity for your sermon!

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Matthew 4:12-23 – [01:58]

Matthew 4:12-23 worksheetDownload

When you download the worksheet, you will notice a lot of bright yellow highlighting. David came up with ideas that he thought could work in either Matthew or Isaiah and wanted to make that connection obvious. For example, the images of Mercury’s deep, dark places could work as an EYE smart illustration for either passage. For MATH smart in Matthew, try using some magnets to demonstrate Jesus’ draw on the fishermen he calls. Try casting a net for a BODY smart special effect, and as a bonus, you can talk about how fish tend to come toward the surface of the water at dawn for NATURE smart. We have a lot to offer in MUSIC smart. Also, David found a way to retell this story using musicians! We have some questions for personal reflection in SELF smart.

• EYE smart – [04:31]
  • Here’s a video of Mercury’s north pole.
• MATH smart – [07:03]
  • Here are some simple demonstrations you can do with a hanging ring magnet and some bar magnets.
• BODY smart – [07:48]
  • Net casting in the backyard
  • How to Use a Cast Net The Online Fisherman
• MUSIC smart – [09:00]
  • Sing Hey for the Carpenter by John Bell
  • Hail the Fisherfolk by Dave Brown. Lyrics and music
  • I Have Decided to Follow Jesus by Sadhu Sundar Singh
  • Lonely Is the Night by Billy Squier
• SELF smart – [10:20]

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1 Corinthians 1:10-18 – [11:10]

1 Corinthians 1:10-18 worksheetDownload

Paul is concerned about the report he has received of division in the congregation at Corinth. He addresses it by naming the partitions or factions, but then attempts to ground them all in the common denominator of Jesus and the cross. For EYE smart, we illustrate Paul’s desire to put the congregation back together as though it is a particularly difficult jigsaw puzzle. For a demonstration of this reunion, we have a video of a magic trick. Paul begins his message with an appeal. We define appeals in legal terms in MATH (LOGIC) smart. For BODY smart, think of how people use their bodies to save others – which is a crossover with PEOPLE smart. We have some hymns for MUSIC smart. In PEOPLE smart, we found some commentary that suggests the divisions were not in and of themselves the problem; the issue was the Corinthians were arguing among themselves about those divisions. Sounds sadly familiar, doesn’t it? We have a way to illustrate that.

• EYE smart – [13:19]
  • Here are directions on how to put together a hard jigsaw puzzle.
  • Here’s the rip-the-paper-and-restore-it trick.
• MATH smart – [16:29]
  • In law, an appeal is the process in which cases are reviewed, where parties request a formal change to an official decision.
• BODY smart – [17:40]
• MUSIC smart – [18:05]
  • Broken the Body by Shirley Murray (especially verse 3)
  • Filled with the Spirit’s Power by J.R.Peacy
• PEOPLE smart – [18:24]
  • commentary by Paul Bellen-Boyer at City Called Heaven
  • This comic bit by Emo Phillips may capture the flavor of divisions in Corinth.

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Psalm 27:1, 4-9 – [21:08]

Psalm 27:1, 4-9 worksheetDownload

We begin with WORD smart and suggest using a baby’s cries or alarms to illustrate the Psalmist’s plea for God’s attention. In EYE smart, bring in different kinds of lights to demonstrate how God’s light banishes fear. The Psalmist also pleads with God not to turn God’s face away, which got me to thinking about non-verbal communication for BODY smart. [I forgot to add a MUSIC smart link to the worksheet for this Psalm – The Lord is My Light from New Song: Musical Expressions for Youth Ministry. It’s a simple song and pretty, and I recommend it!] In NATURE smart, illustrate the ways God shelters the Psalmist with examples from animals. The Psalmist has great confidence in God’s ability to come through, and we have a clip from the movie Troy that might help illustrate this assurance (although it will need some interpretation!). And in SELF smart, think about times you have trusted or ignored your gut instinct. Was that an angel at work?

• WORD smart – [22:07]
• EYE smart – [22:46]
  • Searchlights – used as early as 1904!
  • klieg lights – which have blinded people
• BODY smart – [24:10]
  • Here is a list of things to be aware of about your personal non verbal cues, especially when you interview for a job.
  • An article about non verbal communication and relationships.
• NATURE smart – [26:24]
  • a peek inside marsupial pouches
• PEOPLE smart – [27:12]
  • In this scene from the movie TROY, King Agamemnon has great confidence in his warrior Achilles, and Achilles has great confidence in himself.
• SELF smart – [28:18]
  • Commentary by Frederick Buechner

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Isaiah 9:1-4 – [30:19]

Isaiah 9:1-4 worksheetDownload

We have some crossover about light and dark with the Matthew passage; the ideas will work in either place! We begin with EYE smart illustrations about places that are in darkness – in literature, in our world, and in our emotions. We suggest illustrating light breaking through to provide salvation using clips from a couple vampire movies. You might have some other less frightful ideas. Anyone remember multiplication tables? Use them to demonstrate God’s abundance in MATH smart. In BODY smart, we think about the physical misery of bondage or heavy loads we may literally carry around with us. For MUSIC smart, try the Taize chant we have linked below. Commentary by Amy Oden got us to thinking about the ways people in our world are living in darkness. How does the promise of God’s light bring freedom?

• EYE smart – [31:53]
• MATH smart – [33:33]
• BODY smart – [34:26]
  • Police in the UK use a modified pair of suspenders called a “yoke”
  • Here’s an article with some tips alleviate back pain from toting bags that are too heavy.
• MUSIC smart – [35:54]
  • La Tenebre or Our Darkness from Taize
• PEOPLE smart – [36:25]
  • commentary by Amy Oden at Working Preacher

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Photo by Nuno Obey at Pexels, used by permission.

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