In the season of Advent, we speak of a present-day hope that we have in God through the work of the Holy Spirit to create and sustain faith in us through the Word and Sacraments.
The book of Zephaniah is a series of judgement oracles that culminate with the coming “Day of the Lord.” This Day of the Lord will bring judgment to all the people, which also, surprisingly, includes the priesthood. Since the Northern Kingdom has already been exiled (722 BC), the prophet speaks here to those who remain during the reign of Josiah (2 Kings 21:26–23:20; 2 Chronicles 33:25–35:27). The context for our passage comes two verses earlier, in 12 and 13, where we switch from an oracle of judgment to an oracle of salvation. There is something beyond judgement for the remnant and it is glorious and full of gospel. The Lord will drive out all of their enemies and He will be in their midst to save them. Notice how Zephaniah does not paint these promises as some distant hope. He speaks these words as the present reality for God’s people. In the proclaiming of this Word, God creates the reality of hope for the people of God to trust in.
In the season of Advent, we speak of a present-day hope that we have in God through the work of the Holy Spirit to create and sustain faith in us through the Word and Sacraments. In order to preach this text, you will need to help your hearers process some of the key ideas found in our reading.
There are three themes which are highlighted in verses 15-17. The first theme is that God is “in their midst.” The second theme is that God will bring to pass “that day” by which we will all know His final acts of salvation. The third theme is “do not fear.”
When developing these themes, you will want to help your people to process each theme in a way which is faithful to the text, appropriate for the season in the Church Year, and centered in the Gospel proclamation of Christ. The process by which you can help them see this is to begin first with what these themes meant for Zephaniah’s hearers. How did they receive this Word? What did it mean for them that God would be in their midst, yes in judgment, but also with deliverance? What did it mean for them that they could hope in “The Day of the Lord?” How did this help them live without fear?
The next move is to help your hearers process this Word from the prophet with these themes in the message of Jesus Christ. Here, Jesus is God incarnate, Man Divine (John 1:14) in their midst. He lived with them, prayed with them, healed them, ate with them, bled for them, died for them, and rose for them on that glorious Day of the Lord we call Easter! He did this for them, and He did this for you!
So, now you move your hearers to process this for their lives in the here in now. In Advent, we receive this Word from God as we wait in hope for the future day of Christ’s coming. We wait with a certain hope because we know He was working in the past and that He will come again for us. God is in our midst through Word and Sacrament. He is coming again, and, on that Day, we will see Him. We need not fear but have full faith and joy as we trust in the God who keeps His promises.
We wait with a certain hope because we know He was working in the past and that He will come again for us.
We can use the Process Structure for this pericope:
“This structure examines a topic by identifying stages of development in a chronological framework. The dynamic unfolding of the topic forms the sequence of the sermon.
In using a process format, the preacher will want to pay attention to the use of detail (in other words, clarifying how one stage differs from the next), balance (like, developing the stages in proportion to their importance) and purpose (for instance, the function of this overview for the hearers). The preacher wants to be wary of using process with sanctification to mandate a specific process of growth for every Christian.
Process is often confused with serial causation. The difference lies in the function of identifying a process for the hearers. Whereas serial causation focuses upon the issue of causation in a series of events, process helps the hearers locate the topic within a series and recognize the implications of being at that point in the larger series. For example, gathering to worship with thirty-five people appears one way to a congregation when this is seen as the end of a process of slow decline and another way to a congregation when this is seen as the beginning of a mission plant. The topic (worship with thirty-five people) is the same, but the process into which the topic is placed changes the interpretation of that topic.
Process, thus, expands the view of the hearers so a topic experienced by them in time is placed within a larger chronological framework and that larger chronological framework, like a physician’s prognosis of healing or the identification of a particular trimester in pregnancy, shapes their expectations and experiences.”[1]
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Additional Resources:
Craft of Preaching-Check out out 1517’s resources on Zephaniah 3:14-20.
Concordia Theology-Various helps from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, MO to assist you in preaching Zephaniah 3:14-20.
Text Week-A treasury of resources from various traditions to help you preach Zephaniah 3:14-20.
Lectionary Kick-Start-Check out this fantastic podcast from Craft of Preaching authors Peter Nafzger and David Schmitt as they dig into the texts for this Sunday!
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[1] https://concordiatheology.org/sermon-structs/thematic/process/
