[Propertalk] Fw: SermonWriter: May 30 (Trinity C) John 16:12-15 and story of Holy, Holy, Holy hymn at end; Joyce Kilmer story

[Joe Parrish]

The following are SermonWriter materials for May 30 (Trinity C). They focus 
on the Gospel lesson, John 16:12-15, where Jesus told his disciples that it 
was to their advantage that he go away so that he could send the Holy Spirit 
to be with them.


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JOHN 16:12-15 (Full set of materials)

Microsoft Word file:
http://www.lectionary.org/SW/05-30nv/John.16.12-15.doc

HTML file (web page):
http://www.lectionary.org/SW/05-30nv/John.16.12-15.htm

WordPerfect file:
http://www.lectionary.org/SW/05-30nv/John.16.12-15.wpd


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Dick Donovan


TITLE:  A Lantern in Your Hand


SERMON IN A SENTENCE: Christ promises his disciples the gift of the Holy 
Spirit to be a lantern in their hand -- an unexhausted cup of day -- a light 
unto their path.


SCRIPTURE:  John 16:12-15


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SERMON STORIES:

Imagine having to notify your spouse or children that you would be going 
away soon and might be gone a long time.  I once knew a woman, a single 
parent serving in the military, who had to file a Family Care Plan with her 
commander outlining who would take care of her children in the event that 
she suddenly had to go to war.

Can you imagine trying to insure that your children would be OK if you had 
to leave suddenly!  How would you prepare them for the possibility of your 
departure?  You would need their help with packing their things.  They would 
need to know where they were going and who would take care of them.  They 
would need an emergency phone number.  They would need reassurance that you 
would be OK -- and that you would return.  How would you prepare them 
without scaring them half to death?

Of course, you don't have to be in the military to face that kind of 
problem.  I had cancer when our daughter was three years old.  It was touch 
and go whether I would survive.  I went through surgery, chemo, and 
radiation -- lost a lot of weight -- and was obviously very ill.

During that time, our little daughter started throwing temper tantrums. 
Fortunately, she had a wonderful teacher.  When my wife went to that teacher 
for advice, he said, "Spend some time with your daughter every day.  Call it 
'Special Girl Time!'"  The idea was to reassure our little daughter that her 
mother would take care of her if I died.  It worked.  My wife and daughter 
got together for "Special Girl Time" every day, and the tantrums stopped. 
Our daughter, no longer afraid, stopped being angry.

By the way, I recovered.  That's been more than a dozen years ago.

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As I was preparing this sermon, I happened onto a poem by Joyce Kilmer that 
expressed that thought.  When I read the poem, it seemed to be an expression 
of Kilmer's religious faith -- but you can't really understand a poem 
without understanding the poet.

I knew only two things about Kilmer.  I knew that in spite of his name, 
Joyce, he was a man. I also knew him as the author of the poem, "Trees." You 
know that poem.  It begins:

"I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree."

I decided that I should learn something about Kilmer to see he really was a 
man of faith.
When I did a little research, I found that Kilmer's full name was Alfred 
Joyce Kilmer.  His middle name, Joyce, was the last name of the Episcopal 
priest who had baptized him. I was surprised that he had chosen to be known 
as Joyce instead of Al.

I also found that Kilmer was, indeed, a man of faith.  Raised an 
Episcopalian, he converted to Catholicism as a young man when his infant 
daughter was stricken with polio.

I also learned that Kilmer was killed during the Battle of the Marne in 
World War I -- a real tragedy -- I would so like to know the gifts that 
Kilmer would have left for us if he had been privileged to live his full 
three score and ten.

With that background in mind, listen to Kilmer's poem.  He entitled it, 
"Love's Lantern."

Because the road was steep and long, And through a dark and lonely land,
God set upon my lips a song, And put a lantern in my hand.

Through miles on weary miles of night That stretch relentless in my way
My lantern burns serene and white, An unexhausted cup of day.

O golden lights and lights like wine, How dim your boasted splendors are.
Behold this little lamp of mine; It is more starlike than a star!

(NOTE 1:  Each of the above three stanzas was written as four lines. 
However, the first two lines and the last two lines of each stanza go 
together, so I reformatted them to make it easier for you to read them with 
the right sense.)

(NOTE 2:  When using a poem in a sermon, practice reading it aloud until the 
words come easily to your lips and feel comfortable in your mouth.)

Isn't that lovely!

God set upon my lips a song
And put a lantern in my hand....
An unexhausted cup of day.

I especially like that line, "An unexhausted cup of day."  Kilmer's lantern 
was "An unexhausted cup of day."  Can't you just see that -- a cup of 
daylight carried in his hand like a lantern to light his pathway -- to lead 
him through the darkness.

That lantern guided Kilmer through "miles on weary miles of night" -- and 
was "more starlike than a star."


Don't you wish you had a lantern like that to guide you through your dark 
nights!  You do have one, of course!  You have the same lantern that guided 
Kilmer through his dark nights. That lantern is called the Paraclete -- the 
Holy Spirit -- the Spirit of God who dwelled in Kilmer's heart a century ago 
and who dwells in your heart today.

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FOR MORE SERMONS ON THIS TEXT, GO TO:

http://www.lectionary.org/SermLinks/NT/NT04john.htm

Scroll down to John 16.  There are links to two sermons on this text posted 
there.


TRUE STORY:

See the stories of my illness and of Joyce Kilmer's background in the sermon 
above.


THOUGHT PROVOKERS:

The great mystery of ministry
is that while we ourselves are overwhelmed
by our own weaknesses and limitations,
we can still be so transparent
that the Spirit of God, the divine counselor,
can shine through us and bring light to others.

Henri Nouwen

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

Unless there is within us that which is above us,
we shall soon yield to that which is about us.

P. T. Forsyth


*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

Christ speaks; the Holy Ghost explains.
Christ acts and lives; the Holy Ghost expounds, illuminates,
interprets the significance of Christ's deeds.

Richard L. Rooney

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

Let us not then darken the joy of Christ's victory
by remaining in captivity and darkness,
but let us declare His power,
by living as free men who have been called by Him
out of darkness into his admirable light.

Thomas Merton

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *


Nobody can be indwelt by the Spirit of God
and keep that Spirit to himself.
Where the Spirit is, he flows forth.
And where there is no flowing forth, he is not there.

William Temple

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

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HYMN STORY:  Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty

"Holy, Holy, Holy" was written by Reginald Heber, an Anglican clergyman, 
nearly two centuries ago.  He wrote hymns in an attempt to improve the 
singing in his little congregation at Hodnet, near Birmingham, England.

Most congregations in those days sang the Psalter-- but most sang it badly. 
To inject a bit of spirit in the hymn-singing, Heber introduced his 
congregation to some of the modern church music of his day, to include John 
Newton's "Amazing Grace."  He also wrote dozens of hymns, the best-known 
being "Holy, Holy, Holy." He wrote it for Trinity Sunday, as evidenced by 
the words, "God in three persons, blessed Trinity," in the first and last 
verses.

The hymn tune was written by John Dykes.  He called it Nicaea (also spelled 
Nicea) after the church council that established the doctrine of the 
Trinity.

When Rev. Heber was 40 years old, he reluctantly left his beloved England to 
begin service as Bishop of Calcutta, India.  The scope of the job combined 
with the hot climate and primitive conditions, proved too much for Bishop 
Heber.  He died at the age of 43 after serving only three years in India.

His music was Rev. Heber's true legacy.  After his death, a hymnal was 
published that included all of his hymns.  Even today, most hymnals include 
two or three of his hymns.

But it is this hymn, "Holy, Holy, Holy," that has blessed people all over 
the world.  Translated into many languages and sung in many tongues, it was 
Rev. Heber's most enduring gift to the church.

NOTE:  See other hymn stories at http://www.lectionary.org/hymnstories.htm


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www.lectionary.org

Richard Niell Donovan