Illustrations for Proper 4 | Ordinary Time 9 (2024)
Illustration
1 Samuel 3:1-10, (11-20)
How many of us understand God’s call on our lives? How many of us need a wise advisor to help us understand what God is asking us? Samuel is confused about who is calling him, thinking it is his teacher and mentor. Eli has to explain to Samuel that he is being called by God. Understanding this, Samuel responds to God, “Here I am.”
I think about how long I argued with God about God’s call for me to move into ordained ministry. I also had a mentor, my pastor, who helped me understand that God’s call might be challenging but that I would be provided with the support, guidance, and faith I needed to respond. When I was finally able to say to God, “Here I am!” most of the stumbling blocks and all the fear subsided. The first step may be difficult, but responding to God’s call is always the right thing to do.
Bonnie B.
* * *
1 Samuel 3:1-10 (11-20)
The call to prophecy came directly to Samuel. We all have a calling from God and living out that call is what life is all about. Billy Graham once made that point:
Our world is obsessed with success. But how does God define success? Success in God’s is faithfulness to his calling.
John Calvin offers reflections on how responding to God’s call makes life easier and meaningful, no matter how routine the job seems to be. The Genevan reformer wrote:
No task will be so sordid and base, provided you obey your calling in it, that it will not shine and be reckoned very precious in God’s sight.
Martin Luther also proclaimed some wonderful words of comfort about the confidence we may have when called to our stations/tasks in life as Samuel was. He wrote:
Here it is stated admirably and briefly. Nothing but good first can come from the station that God has created and ordained, and from the man who works and lives in this station on the basis of the Word of God. With this you can comfort your heart... (Luther’s Works, Vol.21, p.265)
Mark E.
* * *
1 Samuel 3:1-10 (11-20)
I want us to think about an important statement in this story about the young Samuel. “The Word of the LORD was rare in those days: visions were not widespread.” (1 Samuel 3:1) We tend to think rarity when it comes to visions, signs, and the Word of the Lord is the default setting. And I suspect that we are often skeptical when someone tells us they often feel the Lord is leading them to begin a ministry, to engage in mission, or to share something deeply felt in the heart. Now such things need to be tested within the body of believers, people prayerfully gathering to evaluate what a particular message means, and how to go about responding. But we have scripture and our shared experience to help evaluate the Word of the Lord that we are given. And don’t forget what Gamaliel said about the Good News of Jesus Christ that the apostles were preaching about in Jerusalem and Judea. Whatever doubts he himself might have had, he pointed out, “…if this plan or this undertaking is of human origin, it will fail; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them—in that case you may even be found fighting against God!” (Acts 5:39).
Maybe visions are not as rare as we think — maybe we just need to keep our spiritual eyes and ears open.
Frank R.
* * *
1 Samuel 3:1-10 (11-20)
Eli said, “What was it that he told you? Do not hide it from me.” (1 Samuel 3:17)
There’s a comic element to this passage captured in what storytellers term, “The Rule of Three.” Rumpelstiltskin gives the miller’s daughter three days to guess his name. Each of the three billy goats gets progressively bigger as they cross the bridge and encounter the troll. And the young Samuel hears God’s voice three times and each time mistakes it for the voice of Eli the priest. He wakes him up three different times before Eli realizes that the Lord has something important to say, and it’s going to get said to Samuel. Because it’s amusing, we can overlook something very important about Eli’s faith in God. Regardless of his sons’ shenanigans, Eli wants to know the truth, regardless if it is bad news. Sometimes people are tempted to temper bad news when there’s a medical diagnosis or spiritual malaise. There are those who do not wish to confront the truth about the past, whether it’s our shared past as a people, or our past as individuals and families. And sometimes we don’t want to consider that we will someday die. Did you ever hear someone say something like, “If I die, I’d like so and so to be done.” There is no if. But in the midst of bad news, medical, historical, and personal, there is the Good News of Jesus Christ, and that’s what gives meaning and purpose in our lives.
Frank R.
* * *
2 Corinthians 4:5-12
Nicky Gumbel shares this story in the 2007 book Alpha Questions of Life. A man during the World War 2 was shot and lay dying in the trenches. A friend learned over to him and asked, ‘Is there anyone I can send a message to for you?’ The dying soldier mustered his remaining strength and said, ‘Yes, you can send a message to this man at this address. Tell him that in my last minutes what he taught me as a child is helping me to die.’ The man the dying solider referred to was his old Sunday school teacher. When the message got back to the old teacher it is reported that he said, ‘God forgive me. I gave up on Sunday school teaching years ago because I thought I was getting nowhere. I thought it was no use.”
Sometimes we don’t realize the impact we are making. Paul notes our weakness in this part of 2 Corinthians. The treasure of Jesus Christ is in jars of clay. The power belongs to God and not to us. Paul noted he and his companions went through all kinds of difficulties, but they did not give up. May we all learn that valuable lesson. Charles Spurgeon once said, “by perseverance the snail reached the ark.”
Bill T.
* * *
Mark 2:23--3:6
Jesus violated one of the commandments! Regarding such freedom from the law which his followers may enjoy; Martin Luther once wrote:
Since then, all law exists to promote love, law must cease where it is in conflict with love. (Complete Sermons, Vol.3/1, p.161)
In a sermon, Augustine once said much the same thing, that anything done in the love of God is good, even when it violates the Law. And so, he directed the faithful to “Love and do what you will...” (Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First Series, Vol.7, p.504)
Regarding Jesus’ expression of emotion in the lesson (v.5), John Calvin helps us make sense of the matter, reminding us how fully human Jesus was and is:
Again, as this passage assures us, that Christ was not free from human passions, we infer from it, that the passions themselves are not sinful, provided there be no excess. In consequence of the corruption of our nature, we do not preserve moderation; and our anger, even when it rests on proper grounds, is never free from sin. With Christ the case was different... (Calvin’s Commentaries, Vol.XVI/2, p.55)
Mark E.
* * *
Mark 2:23-3:6
We can get all tied up with rules, regulations, and expectations and forget that God is constantly changing the pathways for us to travel. God speaks to us and moves us into new pathways, new realms, new experiences, and new faith experiences and practices. We can get too tied up with the rules, with the history, and with the past.
Jesus reminds the Pharisees that the care for the faithful is most important, that the love of God demands that of us. As I have studied the “nones and dones,” those who have left the church or have never engaged with church, what I hear is that the rules we etch in stone (and often don’t follow) are what makes us seem to by hypocrites, or irrelevant, or disengaged with the needs of the world. Our willingness to be open to the new ways God is calling us to be faithful, to be loving, to be filled with grace — that is what the young people are looking for. They are looking for faith communities that are truly communities, are open to questions, and are engaged in missions for the care of others. Funny, I think that’s what Jesus was about.
Bonnie B.
How many of us understand God’s call on our lives? How many of us need a wise advisor to help us understand what God is asking us? Samuel is confused about who is calling him, thinking it is his teacher and mentor. Eli has to explain to Samuel that he is being called by God. Understanding this, Samuel responds to God, “Here I am.”
I think about how long I argued with God about God’s call for me to move into ordained ministry. I also had a mentor, my pastor, who helped me understand that God’s call might be challenging but that I would be provided with the support, guidance, and faith I needed to respond. When I was finally able to say to God, “Here I am!” most of the stumbling blocks and all the fear subsided. The first step may be difficult, but responding to God’s call is always the right thing to do.
Bonnie B.
* * *
1 Samuel 3:1-10 (11-20)
The call to prophecy came directly to Samuel. We all have a calling from God and living out that call is what life is all about. Billy Graham once made that point:
Our world is obsessed with success. But how does God define success? Success in God’s is faithfulness to his calling.
John Calvin offers reflections on how responding to God’s call makes life easier and meaningful, no matter how routine the job seems to be. The Genevan reformer wrote:
No task will be so sordid and base, provided you obey your calling in it, that it will not shine and be reckoned very precious in God’s sight.
Martin Luther also proclaimed some wonderful words of comfort about the confidence we may have when called to our stations/tasks in life as Samuel was. He wrote:
Here it is stated admirably and briefly. Nothing but good first can come from the station that God has created and ordained, and from the man who works and lives in this station on the basis of the Word of God. With this you can comfort your heart... (Luther’s Works, Vol.21, p.265)
Mark E.
* * *
1 Samuel 3:1-10 (11-20)
I want us to think about an important statement in this story about the young Samuel. “The Word of the LORD was rare in those days: visions were not widespread.” (1 Samuel 3:1) We tend to think rarity when it comes to visions, signs, and the Word of the Lord is the default setting. And I suspect that we are often skeptical when someone tells us they often feel the Lord is leading them to begin a ministry, to engage in mission, or to share something deeply felt in the heart. Now such things need to be tested within the body of believers, people prayerfully gathering to evaluate what a particular message means, and how to go about responding. But we have scripture and our shared experience to help evaluate the Word of the Lord that we are given. And don’t forget what Gamaliel said about the Good News of Jesus Christ that the apostles were preaching about in Jerusalem and Judea. Whatever doubts he himself might have had, he pointed out, “…if this plan or this undertaking is of human origin, it will fail; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them—in that case you may even be found fighting against God!” (Acts 5:39).
Maybe visions are not as rare as we think — maybe we just need to keep our spiritual eyes and ears open.
Frank R.
* * *
1 Samuel 3:1-10 (11-20)
Eli said, “What was it that he told you? Do not hide it from me.” (1 Samuel 3:17)
There’s a comic element to this passage captured in what storytellers term, “The Rule of Three.” Rumpelstiltskin gives the miller’s daughter three days to guess his name. Each of the three billy goats gets progressively bigger as they cross the bridge and encounter the troll. And the young Samuel hears God’s voice three times and each time mistakes it for the voice of Eli the priest. He wakes him up three different times before Eli realizes that the Lord has something important to say, and it’s going to get said to Samuel. Because it’s amusing, we can overlook something very important about Eli’s faith in God. Regardless of his sons’ shenanigans, Eli wants to know the truth, regardless if it is bad news. Sometimes people are tempted to temper bad news when there’s a medical diagnosis or spiritual malaise. There are those who do not wish to confront the truth about the past, whether it’s our shared past as a people, or our past as individuals and families. And sometimes we don’t want to consider that we will someday die. Did you ever hear someone say something like, “If I die, I’d like so and so to be done.” There is no if. But in the midst of bad news, medical, historical, and personal, there is the Good News of Jesus Christ, and that’s what gives meaning and purpose in our lives.
Frank R.
* * *
2 Corinthians 4:5-12
Nicky Gumbel shares this story in the 2007 book Alpha Questions of Life. A man during the World War 2 was shot and lay dying in the trenches. A friend learned over to him and asked, ‘Is there anyone I can send a message to for you?’ The dying soldier mustered his remaining strength and said, ‘Yes, you can send a message to this man at this address. Tell him that in my last minutes what he taught me as a child is helping me to die.’ The man the dying solider referred to was his old Sunday school teacher. When the message got back to the old teacher it is reported that he said, ‘God forgive me. I gave up on Sunday school teaching years ago because I thought I was getting nowhere. I thought it was no use.”
Sometimes we don’t realize the impact we are making. Paul notes our weakness in this part of 2 Corinthians. The treasure of Jesus Christ is in jars of clay. The power belongs to God and not to us. Paul noted he and his companions went through all kinds of difficulties, but they did not give up. May we all learn that valuable lesson. Charles Spurgeon once said, “by perseverance the snail reached the ark.”
Bill T.
* * *
Mark 2:23--3:6
Jesus violated one of the commandments! Regarding such freedom from the law which his followers may enjoy; Martin Luther once wrote:
Since then, all law exists to promote love, law must cease where it is in conflict with love. (Complete Sermons, Vol.3/1, p.161)
In a sermon, Augustine once said much the same thing, that anything done in the love of God is good, even when it violates the Law. And so, he directed the faithful to “Love and do what you will...” (Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First Series, Vol.7, p.504)
Regarding Jesus’ expression of emotion in the lesson (v.5), John Calvin helps us make sense of the matter, reminding us how fully human Jesus was and is:
Again, as this passage assures us, that Christ was not free from human passions, we infer from it, that the passions themselves are not sinful, provided there be no excess. In consequence of the corruption of our nature, we do not preserve moderation; and our anger, even when it rests on proper grounds, is never free from sin. With Christ the case was different... (Calvin’s Commentaries, Vol.XVI/2, p.55)
Mark E.
* * *
Mark 2:23-3:6
We can get all tied up with rules, regulations, and expectations and forget that God is constantly changing the pathways for us to travel. God speaks to us and moves us into new pathways, new realms, new experiences, and new faith experiences and practices. We can get too tied up with the rules, with the history, and with the past.
Jesus reminds the Pharisees that the care for the faithful is most important, that the love of God demands that of us. As I have studied the “nones and dones,” those who have left the church or have never engaged with church, what I hear is that the rules we etch in stone (and often don’t follow) are what makes us seem to by hypocrites, or irrelevant, or disengaged with the needs of the world. Our willingness to be open to the new ways God is calling us to be faithful, to be loving, to be filled with grace — that is what the young people are looking for. They are looking for faith communities that are truly communities, are open to questions, and are engaged in missions for the care of others. Funny, I think that’s what Jesus was about.
Bonnie B.
