Sermon ideas

See also  PostScript - Comments, prayers, questions and discussion on the week's news.

•   The Gospel reading appears to be about life in the church, but if we consider that there was no formal church when Jesus was telling these stories, ‘church’ doesn’t mean what it often implies today! The Greek word ekklesia (literally, ‘called out from’) could mean a gathering, an assembly or a community.

•    What do we mean when we say ‘church’? People who meet up in a religious building? A community of people who try to follow Jesus’ example in their daily life? Something else? How does our understanding of the word influence and shape what we do as ‘church’ in our local context?
  
  
• The words ‘against you’ (NRSV) in verse 15 are not present in many ancient Bible manuscripts. Who decides what sin is? Is it something personal or communal? Can it be ‘against you’ or is it always and only ‘against God’? Is it about conforming to the normative behaviour with ‘the church’ or something broader? How does our church view dissenters? Or questioners/doubters? Is the first interaction mentioned in the reading an invitation to listen to the one who is not conforming in order to understand their perspective (rather than promoting ‘our’ particular viewpoint and scapegoating those who don’t share it)?
  
  
•   The second meeting advocated in the reading is to be with a few church members. Might this be an invitation for the ‘non-conforming person’ to meet with a support group to help them through their issue? We might think, for example, of Alcoholics Anonymous, debt counselling, drug or gambling addiction groups. What others come to mind, or would it be good to consider
  
  
• Confront the behaviour that is against the values of the community, because if you don’t, it will pull the community apart. How can we do this in a loving, compassionate way? And what about the positive side: how can we encourage and promote healthy behaviour?
  
  
•   John Wesley said, ‘The world is my parish.’ Perhaps we should be thinking well beyond the local when reflecting on this Gospel reading, and well beyond the individual. What are the great sins in today’s world? Not looking after the poor? Not caring for the planet in the way we live? What would we highlight, and why?
  
  
•   To treat people as a Gentile or tax collector (v.17) seems ironic in this reading, because it is clear that Jesus had a bias for the outcasts of his community, and preferred to mix with the people on the fringes of society – especially those who were outcasts because of religious rules. So, what does it mean here? In some safeguarding cases strict exclusion might be necessary for the good of the community, or some members of it. But in other situations, a relationship should be developed and maintained with the ‘other’ person. Much can be learnt and gained through these relationships – about other people’s perspectives on life, about our own behaviours, and about God.

• Notes on Romans 13.8-14

You may also find this week's All-age conversation useful.

You could finish your sermon with a call to action for everyone this week - see the Live your faith idea.

KEY:  icon indicates ways to connect faith with everyday life