Sermons:
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Getting What We Deserve
a sermon based on Luke 23:33-43
by Rev. Randy L. Quinn
There was a wonderful television ad campaign several years ago. You may not
remember it. One of the commercials has a man who is always minutes behind.
• In the first “scene” he is playing tennis, waiting for the serve. The ball
goes past him and then after a few seconds, he swings his racket.
• Then he’s on a golf course, and after his ball strikes another player, he
shouts the golfer’s warning cry, “Fore!”
• At a restaurant, over a glass of wine, a woman who appears to be his
girlfriend says, “I love you.” After a long pause – long enough for her to
leave, he finally responds, “I love you, too.”
All through these three scenes, the narrator is speaking about the importance of
good timing.
In some ways, our text today makes me feel like that man. We’re reading a text
that reminds us of Good Friday while the rest of the world is already singing
Christmas Carols.
I may be seven months late or I may be five months early. But either way, you
might think my timing is off!
I don’t like to shop in crowded stores or crowded malls, so I didn’t join the
throngs who made their annual pilgrimage to the “After Thanksgiving Sale.” But I
did go to Staples on Friday to pick up some supplies for the church.
And I noticed – what I’m sure everyone who went out on Friday or Saturday
noticed – the background music has changed to Christmas Carols. On the radio and
on the television, I’m hearing the familiar tunes and seeing the advertisements
for the regular Christmas specials.
Everyone is getting ready for Christmas; meanwhile we’re reading about the
crucifixion.
Some of the explanation comes from the fact that Thanksgiving fell early this
year, leaving over a month between Thanksgiving and Christmas including five
Sundays between them rather than four. But the real explanation is an important
reminder – and perhaps correction – that needs to be heard before we get lost in
all the wrapping paper and decorations of December’s festivities.
The important reminder is that the end of the story is what makes the beginning
so special. The important lesson we need to bring to the world is that Easter is
what gives meaning to Christmas, not the other way around. What gets easily lost
in the images of a cute baby born in a stable is the overshadowing power of the
man who died on a cross. [continue]
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