Sermon Topics

[Coifi]

In our church, the ministers recently put out a suggestion box for sermon topics.

What are some topics you think should be addressed more often than they are (at your own church or anywhere)?

Martyrs: starting with St. Stephen in the book of Acts. You could do an entire series that followed the format *A Christian Virtue as Demonstrate by the Martyr xxxxxx*. An example: "Faith as Demonstrated by Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego."

Ah, but the book has been scanned and images are available at this link. :)

Amazing. I endorse this.

Valerie, I have some unsolicited content for you! It's St. John Cassian's Christian Institutes chapter on pride. If I understand correctly, St. Benedict drew heavily from the works of St. John Cassian so what you would read in either wouldn't be terribly different. ;)

[MaxPC]

In our church, the ministers recently put out a suggestion box for sermon topics.

What are some topics you think should be addressed more often than they are (at your own church or anywhere)?

Martyrs: starting with St. Stephen in the book of Acts. You could do an entire series that followed the format *A Christian Virtue as Demonstrate by the Martyr xxxxxx*. An example: "Faith as Demonstrated by Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego."

Ah, but the book has been scanned and images are available at this link.

Amazing. I endorse this.

Valerie, I have some unsolicited content for you! It's St. John Cassian's Christian Institutes chapter on pride. If I understand correctly, St. Benedict drew heavily from the works of St. John Cassian so what you would read in either wouldn't be terribly different.

In creating his Rule, St Benedict drew heavily upon the Rule of the Master, even quoting entire sections verbatim, particularly those chapters about spiritual maturation. Cassian was more derivative of the Desert Fathers.

[Praxis+Theodicy]

In our church, the ministers recently put out a suggestion box for sermon topics.

What are some topics you think should be addressed more often than they are (at your own church or anywhere)?

Economic justice, particularly usury. Usury is a HUGE topic in the OT, and the practice of lending, who to lend to and what to expect back, is addressed by Jesus in Luke 6 as well.

Most of the western world operates on an economic ideology that is fueled by usury. The seeds of this were planted just prior to the Reformation, so it was a hot button topic that was undergoing a shift in the church's understanding of economic morals. Luther's early career included several sermons against usury and other unjust economic practices of his day. The Peasant Revolt obviously took the most extreme position, but when Anabaptists did take a position, they usually emphasized hard work and mutual aid as normative for the Christian life, rejecting the quest for passive income that marked the practice of usury. Some Anabaptists even rejected being a middleman merchant at all, insisting that productive labor should be compensated, but simply buying items at one price and turning around and selling them at a higher price didn't constitute productive labor, and was unjust gain. This is probably less nuanced than it should be, but the debate was still worth having at the time.
In the end, with the seeds of a usury economy planted about 100 years before the Reformation, usury was ultimately a casualty of the "sin cold war" where the protestants and catholics started easing up on considering things "sinful" to win converts in high places. And I'm honestly not sure whatever happened to the Anabaptist critique. I'd like to know, and I'd like to see usury (and a discussion of just economic gain) talked about in churches more often.

[Valerie]

In our church, the ministers recently put out a suggestion box for sermon topics.

What are some topics you think should be addressed more often than they are (at your own church or anywhere)?

Martyrs: starting with St. Stephen in the book of Acts. You could do an entire series that followed the format *A Christian Virtue as Demonstrate by the Martyr xxxxxx*. An example: "Faith as Demonstrated by Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego."

Ah, but the book has been scanned and images are available at this link.

Amazing. I endorse this.

Valerie, I have some unsolicited content for you! It's St. John Cassian's Christian Institutes chapter on pride. If I understand correctly, St. Benedict drew heavily from the works of St. John Cassian so what you would read in either wouldn't be terribly different.

Thank you, i just saw this- appreciate you sharing it!

[mike]

In our church, the ministers recently put out a suggestion box for sermon topics.

What are some topics you think should be addressed more often than they are (at your own church or anywhere)?

Economic justice, particularly usury. Usury is a HUGE topic in the OT, and the practice of lending, who to lend to and what to expect back, is addressed by Jesus in Luke 6 as well.

Most of the western world operates on an economic ideology that is fueled by usury. The seeds of this were planted just prior to the Reformation, so it was a hot button topic that was undergoing a shift in the church's understanding of economic morals. Luther's early career included several sermons against usury and other unjust economic practices of his day. The Peasant Revolt obviously took the most extreme position, but when Anabaptists did take a position, they usually emphasized hard work and mutual aid as normative for the Christian life, rejecting the quest for passive income that marked the practice of usury. Some Anabaptists even rejected being a middleman merchant at all, insisting that productive labor should be compensated, but simply buying items at one price and turning around and selling them at a higher price didn't constitute productive labor, and was unjust gain. This is probably less nuanced than it should be, but the debate was still worth having at the time.
In the end, with the seeds of a usury economy planted about 100 years before the Reformation, usury was ultimately a casualty of the "sin cold war" where the protestants and catholics started easing up on considering things "sinful" to win converts in high places. And I'm honestly not sure whatever happened to the Anabaptist critique. I'd like to know, and I'd like to see usury (and a discussion of just economic gain) talked about in churches more often.

A great topic.

Anabaptists generally don't focus on Old Testament law but rather on the teachings of Jesus. Luke 6 doesn't actually address usury. It goes much further, promoting the idea of lending without expecting the principal to be returned. But Jesus did not seem to be setting up such as a law per se, but rather something that brings "credit" or "reward" to the lender.

34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. 35 But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.

Jesus had a great deal to say about wealth, the dangers of it and how to handle it, which I think is a significant topic that is neglected in Anabaptist sermons. I just don't know that usury must be a key part of that topic. Personally I think that with business loans in particular, where the borrower is profiting off the money from the lender, it is only fair that interest is paid on the loan. I don't think we have a right to demand that a fellow Christian loans us money interest-free in order for us to make money. However, there is nothing wrong with forgoing interest if the lender so chooses, or even repayment of the principal of a loan.

[Bootstrap]

Sermon topic:

Returning to our first love. How to put love of God and love of neighbor first while still hating the sin of the Nicolaitans. How to make that the center of our lives.

To the Church in Ephesus

“To the angel of the church in Ephesus write:

These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands. I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.

Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.

Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.

[Praxis+Theodicy]

A great topic.

Anabaptists generally don't focus on Old Testament law but rather on the teachings of Jesus. Luke 6 doesn't actually address usury. It goes much further, promoting the idea of lending without expecting the principal to be returned. But Jesus did not seem to be setting up such as a law per se, but rather something that brings "credit" or "reward" to the lender.

That's like saying Matthew 5 doesn't address murder or divorce or oaths because it goes much further. Both are true. He addresses the topics *by* going much further. Anabaptists have done a good job literally following these commands of Jesus, but Luke 6 is a neglected passage in my opinion.

The OT laws basically say "You should lend to your fellow Jew and not expect anything but the principle back". Jesus says "You've heard that, but come on! Even sinners lend to each other without charging interest. You should be doing *more* not less! You should lend even to those outside your "camp". And instead of just refraining from charging interest, you shouldn't even really expect the *principle* back!"

Somehow, the church has got it in its head to not do the "more" that Jesus commands when it comes to our economic relationships with other people... we even do **less**!!!!

34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. 35 But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.

Jesus had a great deal to say about wealth, the dangers of it and how to handle it, which I think is a significant topic that is neglected in Anabaptist sermons. I just don't know that usury must be a key part of that topic. Personally I think that with business loans in particular, where the borrower is profiting off the money from the lender, it is only fair that interest is paid on the loan. I don't think we have a right to demand that a fellow Christian loans us money interest-free in order for us to make money. However, there is nothing wrong with forgoing interest if the lender so chooses, or even repayment of the principal of a loan.

This is why I think it's a necessary topic for sermons today. Too many Christians just think "it's right" to charge usury, without critically examining *why* we feel that way. Jesus says we should be doing more than the OT law, and we settle for LESS instead! If we critically examine our history, we'll see that 1400ish years of church history agreed that usury was wrong for any Christian to practice, and it was only the world's changing values in the economic sphere that led the church astray and to eventually change its position on usury and even the definition of "usury" itself.

[mike]

A great topic.

Anabaptists generally don't focus on Old Testament law but rather on the teachings of Jesus. Luke 6 doesn't actually address usury. It goes much further, promoting the idea of lending without expecting the principal to be returned. But Jesus did not seem to be setting up such as a law per se, but rather something that brings "credit" or "reward" to the lender.

That's like saying Matthew 5 doesn't address murder or divorce or oaths because it goes much further. Both are true. He addresses the topics *by* going much further. Anabaptists have done a good job literally following these commands of Jesus, but Luke 6 is a neglected passage in my opinion.

The OT laws basically say "You should lend to your fellow Jew and not expect anything but the principle back". Jesus says "You've heard that, but come on! Even sinners lend to each other without charging interest. You should be doing *more* not less! You should lend even to those outside your "camp". And instead of just refraining from charging interest, you shouldn't even really expect the *principle* back!"

Somehow, the church has got it in its head to not do the "more" that Jesus commands when it comes to our economic relationships with other people... we even do **less**!!!!

34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. 35 But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.

Jesus had a great deal to say about wealth, the dangers of it and how to handle it, which I think is a significant topic that is neglected in Anabaptist sermons. I just don't know that usury must be a key part of that topic. Personally I think that with business loans in particular, where the borrower is profiting off the money from the lender, it is only fair that interest is paid on the loan. I don't think we have a right to demand that a fellow Christian loans us money interest-free in order for us to make money. However, there is nothing wrong with forgoing interest if the lender so chooses, or even repayment of the principal of a loan.

This is why I think it's a necessary topic for sermons today. Too many Christians just think "it's right" to charge usury, without critically examining *why* we feel that way. Jesus says we should be doing more than the OT law, and we settle for LESS instead! If we critically examine our history, we'll see that 1400ish years of church history agreed that usury was wrong for any Christian to practice, and it was only the world's changing values in the economic sphere that led the church astray and to eventually change its position on usury and even the definition of "usury" itself.

I think this is a topic worthy of its own thread, so I began one here.

[Sudsy]

Gal 5:19-21

The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery; Idolatry and sorcery; hatred, discord, jealousy, and rage; rivalries, divisions, factions, and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God

This is a list with acts of the flesh that keep one from inheriting the kingdom of God. Pretty serious! And I don't recall a sermon that goes through each of these acts of the flesh giving more explanation on how one may be guilty of some of these. Seems to me acts like discord, rivalries, divisions, factions don't get the attention that some of the others do when talking about serious sinning.

I think I'll do some research to see who has addressed these and what they had to say.

Any recommended sermons on this text ?