They are created now, and not long ago; you have not heard of them before today. So you cannot say, 'Yes, I knew of them.' – Isaiah 48:7

Today's Scripture Reading (September 11, 2023): Isaiah 48

Some years ago, I was challenged to write a "dramatic sermon" or "monologue" for a preaching class I was taking. And so, I chose to write a sermon about the Day of Pentecost from the point of view of a prophet named Agabus. One of my classmates derided my choice in a written evaluation of the sermon by asking if there was someone named Agabus in the Bible. I never had the chance to answer the question, but the answer is yes; he is mentioned twice in the Acts of the Apostles, and by a longstanding tradition, he is also believed to have been present in the upper room on the Day of Pentecost. There was a lot of fiction in the sermon, or maybe I can say the use of a holy imagination, but the person of Agabus and his presence on that day is not part of it.

One fictional portion of that sermon was that I invented a new Disciple named Theodore. Actually, Theodore was not a new Apostle but a nickname I had created for one of the existing Disciples, namely James the Lesser. I didn't get into the basis for that fiction in my monologue, except that Agabus and the other Disciples believed that James looked like a Theodore. However, Theodore is a Greek name. Greek culture had greatly influenced both the Jewish and the fledgling Christian faith of that day, and it means "gift of God," which I thought might be an appropriate nickname for one of the Apostles who followed Jesus. Part of the monologue was that I was trying to interact with my audience at several points in the sermon, and so at this point, I made the statement, "You know the Disciple, Theodore." The apparent response to the comment was, "No, I have never heard of a Disciple named Theodore." It was the only possible answer because I had just made him up. The "monologue" was initially given before a group of students pursuing a Master's degree in Theology. So, it surprised me when I said, "You know the Disciple, Theodore," that several of them nodded yes; they were acquainted with this Disciple. To give them a bit of a break, maybe they were thinking of the Apostle Thaddeus, better known as Jude, or possibly even the Greek official Theophilus, to whom Luke wrote both the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles.

Saying you know a piece of fiction is one thing and ultimately excusable. But God tells the people through the prophet that he will communicate to them something new, so don't make the argument that you already know because that isn't true. And if you pretend that you already know, you won't hear what I need to tell you. So, sit back and listen to this message.

God might not change his message, but the truth is that we often mishear his message. As a result, God continually has to restate his message in a new way so that we understand his desire for us. And maybe one of the clearest restatements was given by Jesus on the night of his arrest. In that dramatic moment, Jesus said, "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another" (John 13:34-35).

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Isaiah 49