Multiple Illustrations for Advent 4
Illustration
Object:
2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16
What do you get for the man that has everything? How much more a problem for the god that has everything! When children give their parents macaroni art for birthdays, moms and dads don't love it because the gluey mess carries unparalleled skill and aesthetic; they love it because it came from the heart and it reminds them that they get to spend the day with their child whom they love.
David's offer to build a temple was a bit absurd to God, as though he were waiting around homeless until little David decided to condescend a hand to a divinity in need! But God turns the proposition around. "No, David," he says, "My gift is going to be that I get to build a house for you. You are my gift as my people." Whatever we try to give God is not nearly as important as giving Him ourselves.
B. Hohmeier
2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16
In September of 1985 my church burnt to the ground. The building was not worth much, as it was a 100-year-old white clapboard structure, though the worth of the building in memories was immeasurable.
The trustees, to their credit, had replacement insurance on the building. On the open market the building could have sold for no more than $50,000. But to replace the several thousand square-foot structure came to $1 million. In rural Pennsylvania, a million dollars could build you a mighty edifice.
We were fortunate to have a college art instructor as an advisor. He spoke of something I never thought of and will long remember -- the building we construct in 1985 will be a testimony of our faith and beliefs in 2085. The building, for over a century, will stand as a testimony to our faith. The idea of an edifice was disbanded, surrendering to a testimony of our simple rural faith.
Saul realized that he was living in a great house, but the art of God had no Temple of its own -- instead it rested in a tent. Saul felt that was only right that an appropriate resting place for the ark be constructed. After a dialogue with the prophet Nathan, it was concluded that the task would be passed on to one of Saul's successors. But it was understood by Saul that the Temple would be a testimony to the faith of Israel.
[The pastor may personalize this illustration by substituting the first person pronoun "I" for "somebody I know told me...." or "There was an incident a friend described to me" or "I read..." Another approach, though I am personally hesitant to do this, is for the pastor to arbitrarily select a name to make the story sound more personal and easier to relate to: "John told me..." or "Mary shared with me this experience...."]
R. Love
Romans 16:25-27
Everyone seems to want to know the future. From Nostradamus to astrology to tea leaves to mediums, people want a glimpse of what is to come. How many of these people would think of looking to the Bible? One estimate has said that of the 2,500 or so biblical prophecies, 2,000 have been fulfilled, many of them word for word. Today's reading speaks to this amazing feat: "...according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations" (vv. 15-16).
C. Kelly
Romans 16:25-27
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow could write poetically about "my gospel," even as Paul did in his concluding words in his Letter to the Romans.
As Christmas 1863 approached, Longfellow was a broken and a forlorn man. A little over a year after he married and moved to Boston to teach at Harvard his wife died. He did not marry for seven years but again in 1861 tragedy struck when his second wife while lighting a match accidentally set her dress on fire and she burned to death. Furthermore, he hated slavery and war and was disillusioned by the prospects of the Civil War not ending in victory.
On Christmas Day in 1863 as Longfellow listened to the ringing of the church bells, he took up his pen and wrote the hymn "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day." The hymn begins on a down note but gradually ascends to express the poet's hope in the gospel: "Then pealed the bells more loud and deep: 'God is not dead, nor doth He sleep'; The wrong shall fail, the right prevail, with peace on earth, goodwill to men."
R. Hasler
Luke 1:26-38
The Republican Party seemed assured of victory in the 1948 Presidential election. The votes of the Democrats would be split among three candidates -- Henry Wallace, Strom Thurmond, and Harry Truman -- that would give the Republicans a comfortable lead. Also, the campaign of the leading Democratic contender, Harry Truman, was not organized. He had made many mistakes, such as calling Stalin "a decent fellow" in an Oregon speech, and in Iowa dedicating an airport to the wrong person. Thomas E. Dewey was so confident of his success that prior to the election he announced his cabinet and purchased his inaugural suit. Everyone knew that the Republicans would win, demonstrated by the fact that the Chicago Tribune printed a victory headline before the votes were counted that declared Dewey the winner. Who can forget that vivid picture of the president-elect Harry S. Truman holding high the newspaper's headline: "Dewey Defeats Truman." Truman persevered throughout the campaign and won. He never lost hope. He never accepted defeat.
Luke tells us, "For nothing will be impossible with God." As we believe in God, we, like Truman, should never lose hope.
R. Love
Luke 1:26-38
It can honestly be tempting sometimes when we look through scripture at some of the theophanies, or revelations of God, to wonder why we don't ever get angelic messages telling us in plain English God's will for us. But there are two problems with that thought in this passage of Luke's. For one, the "English" -- really Greek or, likely, Aramaic -- isn't that plain. The "Son of God" language Gabriel uses would have historically been a clear reference to the Jewish messiah, a kingly descendent of David, but there was no real belief at that time that he was going to be the Son of God in a divine sense. That surprise was still awaiting Mary. Secondly, for what God was asking her to do, Mary needed an angel to confirm! What has God ever asked of us that approaches asking her to bear God incarnate into the world?
B. Hohmeier
What do you get for the man that has everything? How much more a problem for the god that has everything! When children give their parents macaroni art for birthdays, moms and dads don't love it because the gluey mess carries unparalleled skill and aesthetic; they love it because it came from the heart and it reminds them that they get to spend the day with their child whom they love.
David's offer to build a temple was a bit absurd to God, as though he were waiting around homeless until little David decided to condescend a hand to a divinity in need! But God turns the proposition around. "No, David," he says, "My gift is going to be that I get to build a house for you. You are my gift as my people." Whatever we try to give God is not nearly as important as giving Him ourselves.
B. Hohmeier
2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16
In September of 1985 my church burnt to the ground. The building was not worth much, as it was a 100-year-old white clapboard structure, though the worth of the building in memories was immeasurable.
The trustees, to their credit, had replacement insurance on the building. On the open market the building could have sold for no more than $50,000. But to replace the several thousand square-foot structure came to $1 million. In rural Pennsylvania, a million dollars could build you a mighty edifice.
We were fortunate to have a college art instructor as an advisor. He spoke of something I never thought of and will long remember -- the building we construct in 1985 will be a testimony of our faith and beliefs in 2085. The building, for over a century, will stand as a testimony to our faith. The idea of an edifice was disbanded, surrendering to a testimony of our simple rural faith.
Saul realized that he was living in a great house, but the art of God had no Temple of its own -- instead it rested in a tent. Saul felt that was only right that an appropriate resting place for the ark be constructed. After a dialogue with the prophet Nathan, it was concluded that the task would be passed on to one of Saul's successors. But it was understood by Saul that the Temple would be a testimony to the faith of Israel.
[The pastor may personalize this illustration by substituting the first person pronoun "I" for "somebody I know told me...." or "There was an incident a friend described to me" or "I read..." Another approach, though I am personally hesitant to do this, is for the pastor to arbitrarily select a name to make the story sound more personal and easier to relate to: "John told me..." or "Mary shared with me this experience...."]
R. Love
Romans 16:25-27
Everyone seems to want to know the future. From Nostradamus to astrology to tea leaves to mediums, people want a glimpse of what is to come. How many of these people would think of looking to the Bible? One estimate has said that of the 2,500 or so biblical prophecies, 2,000 have been fulfilled, many of them word for word. Today's reading speaks to this amazing feat: "...according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations" (vv. 15-16).
C. Kelly
Romans 16:25-27
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow could write poetically about "my gospel," even as Paul did in his concluding words in his Letter to the Romans.
As Christmas 1863 approached, Longfellow was a broken and a forlorn man. A little over a year after he married and moved to Boston to teach at Harvard his wife died. He did not marry for seven years but again in 1861 tragedy struck when his second wife while lighting a match accidentally set her dress on fire and she burned to death. Furthermore, he hated slavery and war and was disillusioned by the prospects of the Civil War not ending in victory.
On Christmas Day in 1863 as Longfellow listened to the ringing of the church bells, he took up his pen and wrote the hymn "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day." The hymn begins on a down note but gradually ascends to express the poet's hope in the gospel: "Then pealed the bells more loud and deep: 'God is not dead, nor doth He sleep'; The wrong shall fail, the right prevail, with peace on earth, goodwill to men."
R. Hasler
Luke 1:26-38
The Republican Party seemed assured of victory in the 1948 Presidential election. The votes of the Democrats would be split among three candidates -- Henry Wallace, Strom Thurmond, and Harry Truman -- that would give the Republicans a comfortable lead. Also, the campaign of the leading Democratic contender, Harry Truman, was not organized. He had made many mistakes, such as calling Stalin "a decent fellow" in an Oregon speech, and in Iowa dedicating an airport to the wrong person. Thomas E. Dewey was so confident of his success that prior to the election he announced his cabinet and purchased his inaugural suit. Everyone knew that the Republicans would win, demonstrated by the fact that the Chicago Tribune printed a victory headline before the votes were counted that declared Dewey the winner. Who can forget that vivid picture of the president-elect Harry S. Truman holding high the newspaper's headline: "Dewey Defeats Truman." Truman persevered throughout the campaign and won. He never lost hope. He never accepted defeat.
Luke tells us, "For nothing will be impossible with God." As we believe in God, we, like Truman, should never lose hope.
R. Love
Luke 1:26-38
It can honestly be tempting sometimes when we look through scripture at some of the theophanies, or revelations of God, to wonder why we don't ever get angelic messages telling us in plain English God's will for us. But there are two problems with that thought in this passage of Luke's. For one, the "English" -- really Greek or, likely, Aramaic -- isn't that plain. The "Son of God" language Gabriel uses would have historically been a clear reference to the Jewish messiah, a kingly descendent of David, but there was no real belief at that time that he was going to be the Son of God in a divine sense. That surprise was still awaiting Mary. Secondly, for what God was asking her to do, Mary needed an angel to confirm! What has God ever asked of us that approaches asking her to bear God incarnate into the world?
B. Hohmeier
