Sermon Series in That Order for Several Reasons, Which I’Ll Explain As We Go Along

Matthew’s Winged Man: Our Calling Is to Compassion (#1 in the Gospel “Tetramorph” series) When Jesus saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. (Matthew 9:36) A sermon by Siegfried S. Johnson on the 19th Sunday after Pentecost, October 20, 2019 (Volume 03 Number 14) Christ of the Hills UMC, 700 Balearic Drive, Hot Springs Village, Arkansas 71909 What in the world is a tetramorph? Well, I’m glad you asked. It’s really very simple. Tetra is a Greek word meaning “four.” Morph will be more familiar to you, meaning, “shape.” A shape- shifter, then, “morphs” from shape to shape. Add it all up and Tetramorph means Four Shapes. Of course, the most famous cluster of four, biblically speaking, would be the Four Gospels -- Matthew, Mark, John, and Luke. What? Did I say something wrong? Matthew, Mark, John, and Luke, right? I’ll be arranging my four-sermon series in that order for several reasons, which I’ll explain as we go along. So, for the remainder of this series, in our own example of Shape-Shifting, we’ll have to switch our Luke/John sections of our sanctuary. Would that be okay? No? Well then, we’ll just have to imagine you sitting out of your usual pew space, how’s that? Here is one of the most famous Gospel Tetramorphs in biblical art. This is the Four Gospel folio from The Book of Kells, one of Ireland’s great cultural treasures, a top ten tourist attraction for those visiting Ireland. The Book of Kells is a richly illuminated manuscript of the four gospels written in Latin. Produced by Celtic monks around 800 A. D., it’s on permanent display at Trinity College in Dublin. I’m sure many of you have seen it, as I was able to do with a group I led on the John Wesley heritage tour to England and Ireland several years ago. It’s truly a spectacular sight. Intending this series of four sermons to lead us up to Commitment Sunday, November 10, I’ll try to infuse the messages with a Stewardship Emphasis, highlighting four reasons for our faithful and generous financial support of the mission and ministries of COHUMC. In Christian art, the gospels are often associated with the Four Living Creatures of Ezekiel and Revelation: one with the face of a man, a lion, an ox, and an eagle. Each living creature had wings, and from early Christian times, those images were associated with the Four Gospels. In Revelation 4, John uses the imagery of the prophet Ezekiel as he writes, “Immediately I was in the spirit: and behold there was a throne set in heaven, and . in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four living creatures . the first living creature was like a lion: and the second living creature like a calf: and the third living creature, having the face, as it were, of a man: and the fourth living creature was like an eagle flying. From at least Jerome in the 4th century, Christian commentators have seen these four living creatures as symbolic of the gospels, a theme which developed in Christian iconography. In The Book of Kells, Matthew (top left) is represented as a winged man, thus, my title, Matthew’s Winged Man. This is a fitting association, Matthew opening with a genealogy from Abraham to Joseph and so stressing Jesus’ becoming human, engaging and embracing our humanity, touching our human brokenness and suffering alongside in a redemptive way. I see Matthew’s Winged Man as a reminder that the church is called to compassion. Going clock-wise, Mark is represented as a Winged Lion. Unlike Matthew’s slow genealogical track through the generations, Mark pounces like a lion out of the gate. Mark is a peripatetic, action gospel, Jesus turning this way and that, responding to need all around him. Mark moves, so next Sunday we’ll be reminded that our mission is multi-directional. Continuing clockwise, the next gospel is John, the winged eagle. We will consider John on November 3, All Saints Sunday. You may recall that during worship on All Saints we call the names of those who in the past year have joined the church triumphant. As the winged eagle, John stands alone. If it is curious that the man, the lion, and the ox are given wings, it should be no curiosity at all that the eagle is winged! John is the gospel which begins in heaven and reminds us that our hope is eternal. Yes, John stands alone. You see, like Matthew, other institutions to which we give touch broken humanity with compassion, making a difference in human lives. Like Mark, other institutions are busy, multi- directional, on the move. The church, though, is the eagle of them all, offering a hope not only for this world, but for all eternity. When we cease believing that, my friends, we lose our uniqueness and become no more than a club – doing good things, to be sure, but having relinquished our most essential message of eternal salvation through the blood of Christ, holding the promise of eternal life. The church, as John’s eagle will remind us, naturally soars, touching a realm of the human person that other organizations do not pretend to extend. Finally, we finish on November 10 with Luke the winged ox. The ox is a first and foremost a figure of sacrifice, Luke being the only gospel which mentions Joseph and Mary making sacrifice when Jesus was forty days old. The ox is also a symbol of connected service (oxen being yoked together). Our series, then, will end with an emphasis that our offering is sacrificial and congregational. So, there you have it, my blueprint for this series on the Gospel Tetramorph. As for Matthew the Winged Man, one passage seems especially apt for my design of highlighting the church’s Call to Compassion, Matthew 9:36: When Jesus saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Of the Greek word used here and translated compassion, much has been written. Every Greek 101 student in seminary delights to learn it. I remember doing so in Memphis in 1981. We recall the word, not because of its beauty, but rather its unattractiveness. The word is splanchna (so much fun to say!). If it sounds a bit like Spleen, that’s a good thing, because splanchna is the Greek word for one’s intestines, entrails. In short, "guts.” No, there’s nothing pretty about this word! Remember that ugly story in Acts 1 of how Judas fell headlong and burst open in the middle? The graphic language Luke used there suggested that his intestines "gushed out." Splanchna, literally. When the Bible said Jesus has compassion, we may think that Jesus was moved in his gut. You know, there’s a very natural, visceral reaction when we see a child approaching danger. Walking close to a ledge. Putting out a hand to an open flame. Stepping out into a street with an oncoming car. At the moment of danger we have a gut reaction. Lacking this, we lack humanity. This, I think, shows us something in human nature that is divine, that gives the human face wings, swooping in to save the helpless. My daughter, Page, sent me a You-tube video a while back, and I called it up again this morning – 17 Incredible Moments When Dad Saved the Day. Click here and watch it, the hilarious near misses when children are saved by alert dads who swoop in at the last second to stop an accident. Behold, the human face having unseen wings. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qoQssWPRNR0 The Old Testament language is Hebrew. The Hebrew word for compassion, while just as visceral, is much prettier than splanchna. The word is rachamim, a derivative of the word rechem (womb). If splanchna seems masculine, the Hebrew rachamim is feminine and maternal. So, when Matthew says that Jesus was moved deeply in his gut, we see the example of the church being winged with compassion that flies to the aid of those in need. So many in our congregation give so much of themselves to help those in need, and it’s truly an honor to serve such a giving and caring congregation. I encourage you to begin this season of stewardship by prayerfully considering your financial support of Christ of the Hills, so that we can continue our ministries where we swoop in to help in places of great need. In our Matthew text Jesus said, “the harvest is plenteous, but the laborers are few, so ask the Lord of the harvest to send laborers into his harvest.” Your faithful and generous giving is one way to send laborers into the Lord’s harvest. Thank you! .

Load more