Preaching Helps for Laity Sunday: October 16, 2005, Twenty-Second Sunday After Pentecost, Year A

Evangelistic Preaching Helps for Laity Sunday: October 16, 2005, Twenty-Second Sunday After Pentecost, Year A

Evangelism Preaching Helps is a monthly online resource designed as an aid to assist in the preparation of sermons with an evangelistic focus. Evangelistic Preaching Helps addresses three audiences: Christian, pre-Christian and de-churched. Periodically feature articles and sermon series aids will also appear in Evangelistic Preaching Helps. Thank you for your continued use of this resource.

• Lectionary Readings for October 16, 2005
• Scripture Notes for Matthew 25:31-46
• Evangelistic Preaching Notes
• Online Resources
• Helpful Print Resources

Lectionary Readings for October 16, 2005 — Twenty-Second Sunday After Pentecost, Year A

• Exodus 33:12-23 (verses 12-13 and 16)
• Psalm 99 (UMH 819)
• I Thessalonians 1:1-10
• Matthew 22:15-22

Other Scripture Passages for Laity Sunday

• Micah 6:8
• Matthew 28:19-20
• *Matthew 25:31-46
• John 13:1-17

See Laity Sunday Worship Helpsfor additional worship planning ideas. Also see Laity Sunday Worship and Music Resources by Dean McIntyre.

Online texts are available at the Vanderbilt Divinity Library.For a brief summary of each text, and help with selecting complementary liturgy, see Lectionary Hymns.Also available are 21st Century Africana Worship Resources.

Scripture Notes for Matthew 25:31-46

Summary:

• Jesus Christ describes the judgment that will occur upon his return.
• All nations will gather before Jesus Christ to experience vindication or condemnation.
• The basis of this judgment is how they have responded to the proclamation about Jesus.
• The vindicated, the righteous, have responded positively to the proclamation about Jesus as evidenced by their works of mercy and kindness toward the poor and desperate.
• The condemned have not served Jesus as evidenced by their neglect of the poor and desperate.
• The final judgment will lead the condemned to eternal punishment and the righteous into eternal life.

Overview:
This passage captures the words of Jesus' last discourse. His discourse describes what will occur when Jesus returns. The emphasis of Jesus' message clearly points to the importance of doing ordinary acts of mercy and kindness to the poor and desperate. With the recovery effort in process from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the relevance of this message is undeniable.

Key Questions:

1. What is God saying to you in today's Bible lesson?
2. What do you think Jesus was trying to teach us through this account of the final judgment?
3. Are you concerned about the Second Coming of Jesus Christ?
4. What does it mean to live your life in active anticipation that Jesus Christ could return at any moment?
5. How much do you extend "everyday mercy and kindness" to the poor and desperate?
6. In what ways can we, individually and as a local church, offer assistance to those displaced by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita? Or to those in our community in need of assistance?

Evangelistic Preaching Notes for Matthew 25:31-46

Matthew 25:31-46 has a dual time focus: the future and the present.

Future: The anticipated Second Coming of Jesus Christ is the future that could come crashing into our present lives at any moment.

Present: After more than 2,000 years of waiting, it is easy for Christians to yawn apathetically at the notion of the imminent return of Jesus Christ. Do Christians living today struggle with questions such as, "Does the mere awareness of Jesus' Second Coming have any effect on my present behaviors and actions? Does my Christian conduct indicate that I am ready for Jesus' return? The preaching task is to emphasize the importance of practicing mercy and kindness toward the poor and desperate in everyday living.

Reading: Matthew 25:31-46 [An Evangelistic Approach — To lead people to Christ]

Divine Considerations. "Eat drink and be merry": That carefree approach to life presumes that there is no final account of one's actions in life. It also presumes that "I" am the most important person in life. Jesus' account of the sheep and goats stands in contrast to the "eat, drink and be merry" lifestyle. What consideration do we give to those who stand in need of help? Are we capable of selfless living without the transforming power of the Holy Spirit in our lives? Invite your audience to consider the extent of their generosity toward the poor and desperate. God notices the extent of our consideration for others. How closely do our considerations align with God's divine considerations?

Aim:Encourage pre-Christians to realize that selfish presumption can only be overcome through the transforming power of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.

Reading: Matthew 25:31-46 [A Renewal Approach — To strengthen the faith of Christians]

When? A friend of mine chatted with a woman from another country. As we often do in conversation, my friend closed by saying, "Let's do lunch sometime." At this, the woman from another country asked, "When?" My friend was taken aback and began to explain that she didn't actually mean, "Let's do lunch right now" — or anytime soon. It was an open invitation without an actual date attached. In Matthew 25:31-46 Jesus asks "when" with regard to acts of mercy toward the poor and desperate. Explore ways to connect Jesus' "When?" question to a specific commitment to help others within a specific timeframe.

Aim: Encourage Christians to make definite commitments to help others at definite times.

Reading:Matthew 25:31-46 [A Reclamation Approach — To restore "de-churched" individuals to vital faith in Jesus Christ]

Living Through Giving. How many sob stories can you tell, describing the various ways that the church has hurt you? Listed among the natural responses to being hurt are: withdrawal, resignation, retaliation, and criticism. The church, with all its flawed followers of God, probably won't be completely devoid of problem-inflicting people. During Jesus' earthly ministry, he contended with Pharisees, Sadducees, Scribes — all of whom made life difficult for him. Nevertheless, Jesus still expected his followers to extend mercy to the poor and desperate. Was there a message in this expectation that we learn to live when we give? Explore ways to encourage de-churched people (Christians who have fallen out with the church or are "in-between-churches") to become involved in helping others as an expression of their Christian faith.

Aim: Encourage de-churched people to become involved in helping others as an expression of their Christian faith.

Provide Opportunities for a Faith Response

Put Matthew 25:31-46 Into Practice

1. Organize a group of singers from your church or from several churches to offer a Song Fest to those who may be displaced by hurricanes Katrina or Rita. Prepare a short song presentation. Share uplifting passages of Scripture and prayer. Spend time visiting with the people in the audience. If there are no displaced people in or near your community, consider other destinations such as prisons, nursing homes, or retirement homes.
2. Recruit volunteers to help in food pantries, women's shelters, or homeless shelters. Consider creative ways to live out the message of Matthew 25:31-46.
3. Brainstorm and come up with your own creative ways of carrying out Matthew 25:31-46.
4. Consider sponsoring a displaced person. For ideas, see and click on the link for the pdf "LIRS Guide for Sponsoring Displaced Americans: Hurricane Katrina Relocation."

Provide Opportunities for Follow Up

Invite participants in any of the above ministry efforts to share their experiences in worship, Sunday school, Bible study, informal groups or with a prayer partner. Share some of the most compelling stories in worship to underscore the importance of lay ministry.

Consider creating a regular "Matthew 25 ministry" that offers mercy and care to the poor and desperate in your community.

Online Resources
We provide these links as a service to visitors and urge that you use discernment in checking the quality and adequacy of the content of each site. Please note that the Evangelism Ministries staff of the Discipleship Ministries do not necessarily endorse any of the links listed on the web pages.

• Discipleship Ministries Ministry of the Laity
  /lead-your-church/ministry-of-the-laity
  
• "LIRS Responds to Hurricane Crisis"
  Click on the link for the pdf "LIRS Guide for Sponsoring Displaced Americans: Hurricane Katrina Relocation."

General Evangelism Resources

• The Foundation for Evangelism
  www.evangelize.org
  
• World Methodist Evangelism
  www.worldmethodist.org
  
• Free download in pdf: The Faith-Sharing Initiative Participant's Manual

For more information about training in Faith-Sharing, contact Royal Speidel, the Distinguished Evangelist in Residence at the Discipleship Ministries, [email protected].

Helpful Print Resources

General Evangelism Resources

• Ancient Future Evangelismby Robert Webber
  Webber explains Pentecost as the traditional time to declare one's Christian vocation.
  
• Evangelism Emphasis Issue of The Upper Room Daily Devotional. The special May-June 2005 issue of The Upper Room focuses on the "Ten Days of Faith" and "That the world may know Jesus Christ!" — themes of the World Methodist Evangelism Emphasis. All sixty devotionals emphasize evangelistic outreach, and a majority are written by World Methodist Evangelism leaders from around the world.
  
• Witnessby Ronald K. Crandall
  
• The Faith Sharing Congregationby Roger Swanson and Shirley Clement
  
• Faith-Sharing: Dynamic Christian Witnessing by Invitationby H. Eddie Fox and George Morris
  
• The Faith-Sharing initiative Participants' Manual (Spanish Version) —El compromiso de compartir nuestra fe: Manual del Participante(pdf)
  
• The Faith Sharing New Testament
  
• That the World May Know Jesus Christ!by Brazilian Methodist Bishop Paulo Lockmann
  
• Personal F.R.A.N. Plan(sold in packs of 100)
  
• Igniting Ministry Resources

Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible. Copyright © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

This listing of readings comes from The United Methodist Book of Worship and is adapted from The Revised Common Lectionary: Consultation on Common Texts (Abingdon Press, 1992). Copyright © by the Consultation on Common Texts (CCT), PO Box 340003, Room 381, Nashville TN 37203-0003. Reprinted with permission of CCT.