Sermon Illustrations for Advent 1 (2012)
Illustration
Object:
Jeremiah 33:14-16
When you read those words that seem to imply that the city Jerusalem will live in safety, do you wonder if we will ever see those days? The past 2,000 years have not brought any more safety than the previous 2,000! Maybe we aren't patient enough. Either we don't have enough patience or we are missing the point.
Jeremiah is not talking about a city. He is talking about a person. He is prophesying the coming of the branch from David's line -- which is Christ. It sounds like Jesus is the ONLY one who can bring salvation and the only one who can keep us safe in all the violent ages up until today. If that is true, then some may be looking for the wrong kind of safety if they look only for physical safety. How many prophets and martyrs felt safe in the midst of persecution and even a death sentence? To be saved and live in safety ONLY comes through Christ! He is the only one we can count on in this world and the next.
You have only to visit countries where Christians are persecuted to understand. Ask any missionary and you will be told the stories of new converts who joyfully endure persecution knowing that they now belong to Christ both in this world and the next!
Are YOU looking for the right branch? You are in the right place and the right season to find it!
Bob O.
Jeremiah 33:14-16
"The proof is in the pudding." This is a shortened version of "the proof of the pudding is in the eating." This means that to know something is true you need to experience it yourself. "Is that pudding any good?" "It sure is!" "How do I know what you are saying is true?" "Try it yourself." The prophet Jeremiah is saying that God is making a promise to the people that though their circumstances are dire now, there will come a time when God will set it right. They will experience themselves the truthfulness of God's word to them. Eugene Peterson (The Message) translates the "motto" for that time and place as "God has set things right for us." This is a good rendition of how the Tanakh (the Jewish Publication Society translation) renders it: "The Lord is our Vindicator."
Mark M.
1 Thessalonians 3:9-13
Corrie ten Boom, along with 35 family members and friends, were all marched into the police station's gymnasium. There they were seated upon mats. Their crime was simple enough. These Dutch Christians hid Jews in their homes in an effort to safeguard them from capture and banishment to concentration camps. Corrie said her father, 84 at the time, had been repeatedly warned not to engage in such a dangerous ministry under the very eye of the Gestapo. His answer was plain enough: "I am too old for prison, but if that should happen, then it would be for me an honor to give my life for God's ancient people, the Jews."
That evening, Corrie's father prepared those seated for the dark and tremulous days ahead. He asked his son Willem to read Psalm 91. Afterward, her father prayed.
Corrie was sent to Scheveningen prison, where she was held in solitary confinement for several months. She was often lonely and afraid, as any of us would be. "In such moments," she wrote in her book Prison Letters, "I recalled the last night with my elderly father, sharing Psalm 91 and praying. I could remember some of those verses, especially that, 'He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.' I would close my eyes and visualize that kind of protection. 'He shall cover thee with his feathers,' and with that thought in mind, I would fall asleep."
Corrie ten Boom in the midst of her suffering received the blessing of God, which "strengthened her heart in holiness."
Ron L.
1 Thessalonians 3:9-13
Paul speaks of a love abounding (v. 12), such an appropriate theme in preparation for the Christmas festival of love. That love can abound among Christians is hardly surprising, since our love for each other originates in God's love for us, and those of us who know the gospel acclamation for Lent are accustomed to singing of "Returning to the Lord your God, for He is... slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love." So abounding is his love, Martin Luther tells us, that he pours his love and all good things into us, a love so overwhelming it spills out of us like the empty cups that we are (Luther's Works, Vol. 31, pp. 366-367).
That faith should give rise to love is not surprising given the realities of our brains. Neurobiologists have observed that in the case of both spiritual undertakings and love the human mind acts similarly. The front part of our brains, the prefrontal cortex, goes into overdrive and is in turn saturated with the good-feeling, amphetamine-like brain chemical called dopamine (Dean Hamer, The God Gene, pp. 72ff; Anthony Walsh, The Science of Love). These brain dynamics in turn render us more sociable and more loving. Faith abounds in steadfast love.
Mark E.
Luke 21:25-36
Those are terrifying words! What about the safety we should find in Christ? Why are we anxious and troubled about many things? When we pass though dangerous circumstances, like paddling down a river in a canoe when there are alligators around us, or if we drive through a dangerous neighborhood and look around to see suspicious characters lurking in doorways, we can become anxious. How do we feel when we read about theatre-goers being shot or innocent people gunned down on the streets? But if we look ahead at our destination, it can relieve us with some hope of where we are going -- of our goal in this life or the next.
We can't help but feel anxiety when we watch the evening news. It all seems so depressing. If a forest fire is burning out of control near our home, we can panic. If a river is rising and may flood us out, we panic. Those are everyday experiences that can make us take our mind off the one who has come to save us. We need more encouragement than seeing the stores dressed for Christmas.
There are many books written about the end times. Some are written to frighten us. The authors may hope to put us in such a state that we turn to the Lord in panic and anxiety. We should be turning to our Lord in hope and trust, but maybe it takes traumatic experiences to make us turn back to the only one who can give us peace.
When we arrive at an age like our 80s and 90s (maybe even 60s and 70s), we may be anxious because we don't like what we see in the mirror and think we know what lies ahead. Like that fig tree, we see and feel the signs in our bodies that hint we have a limited time. Yes, good Christians can have those times -- even pastors! We can't see ahead and know what is in store for us -- even if we have hope that our redemption is drawing close.
When my son was a teenager he was getting reckless, so I took him to the hospital one day to visit a buddy of his who had been drinking and rolled his car over. The boy might never be the same. I didn't have to say a word. From then on my son became more aware of where he was heading in his life. He became concerned about HIS destiny! He has never forgotten that experience, and it helped him become a different person.
What does it take to make us more concerned about being ready to face our maker, to stand before him in faith and not just look at the presents under the tree to take our mind off the future? Do we take our prayers seriously? Do we count on the only one who can save us to overcome all the anxieties and temptations of life?
Bob O.
Luke 21:25-36
The Hollywood movie 2012 is about the end of the world on December 21, 2012, based on the predictions of the Mayan calendar. The movie has come and gone; December 21 (the winter solstice) will come soon and will go in like fashion and the world will continue on as the sun begins to rise higher in the sky once again. One Mayan elder, Carlos Barrios, had this comment to sober our expectations: "Anthropologists visit the temple sites and read the inscriptions and make up stories about the Maya, but they do not read the signs correctly. It's just their imagination. Other people write about prophecy in the name of the Maya. They say that the world will end in December 2012. The Mayan elders are angry with this. The world will not end. It will be transformed." For Christians, transformation can happen on any "day" when one encounters Jesus. Let him "come" into your life with all his transforming power to bring about an end to your world as you know it and to bring about the beginning of an new age for the rest of your life.
Mark M.
When you read those words that seem to imply that the city Jerusalem will live in safety, do you wonder if we will ever see those days? The past 2,000 years have not brought any more safety than the previous 2,000! Maybe we aren't patient enough. Either we don't have enough patience or we are missing the point.
Jeremiah is not talking about a city. He is talking about a person. He is prophesying the coming of the branch from David's line -- which is Christ. It sounds like Jesus is the ONLY one who can bring salvation and the only one who can keep us safe in all the violent ages up until today. If that is true, then some may be looking for the wrong kind of safety if they look only for physical safety. How many prophets and martyrs felt safe in the midst of persecution and even a death sentence? To be saved and live in safety ONLY comes through Christ! He is the only one we can count on in this world and the next.
You have only to visit countries where Christians are persecuted to understand. Ask any missionary and you will be told the stories of new converts who joyfully endure persecution knowing that they now belong to Christ both in this world and the next!
Are YOU looking for the right branch? You are in the right place and the right season to find it!
Bob O.
Jeremiah 33:14-16
"The proof is in the pudding." This is a shortened version of "the proof of the pudding is in the eating." This means that to know something is true you need to experience it yourself. "Is that pudding any good?" "It sure is!" "How do I know what you are saying is true?" "Try it yourself." The prophet Jeremiah is saying that God is making a promise to the people that though their circumstances are dire now, there will come a time when God will set it right. They will experience themselves the truthfulness of God's word to them. Eugene Peterson (The Message) translates the "motto" for that time and place as "God has set things right for us." This is a good rendition of how the Tanakh (the Jewish Publication Society translation) renders it: "The Lord is our Vindicator."
Mark M.
1 Thessalonians 3:9-13
Corrie ten Boom, along with 35 family members and friends, were all marched into the police station's gymnasium. There they were seated upon mats. Their crime was simple enough. These Dutch Christians hid Jews in their homes in an effort to safeguard them from capture and banishment to concentration camps. Corrie said her father, 84 at the time, had been repeatedly warned not to engage in such a dangerous ministry under the very eye of the Gestapo. His answer was plain enough: "I am too old for prison, but if that should happen, then it would be for me an honor to give my life for God's ancient people, the Jews."
That evening, Corrie's father prepared those seated for the dark and tremulous days ahead. He asked his son Willem to read Psalm 91. Afterward, her father prayed.
Corrie was sent to Scheveningen prison, where she was held in solitary confinement for several months. She was often lonely and afraid, as any of us would be. "In such moments," she wrote in her book Prison Letters, "I recalled the last night with my elderly father, sharing Psalm 91 and praying. I could remember some of those verses, especially that, 'He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.' I would close my eyes and visualize that kind of protection. 'He shall cover thee with his feathers,' and with that thought in mind, I would fall asleep."
Corrie ten Boom in the midst of her suffering received the blessing of God, which "strengthened her heart in holiness."
Ron L.
1 Thessalonians 3:9-13
Paul speaks of a love abounding (v. 12), such an appropriate theme in preparation for the Christmas festival of love. That love can abound among Christians is hardly surprising, since our love for each other originates in God's love for us, and those of us who know the gospel acclamation for Lent are accustomed to singing of "Returning to the Lord your God, for He is... slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love." So abounding is his love, Martin Luther tells us, that he pours his love and all good things into us, a love so overwhelming it spills out of us like the empty cups that we are (Luther's Works, Vol. 31, pp. 366-367).
That faith should give rise to love is not surprising given the realities of our brains. Neurobiologists have observed that in the case of both spiritual undertakings and love the human mind acts similarly. The front part of our brains, the prefrontal cortex, goes into overdrive and is in turn saturated with the good-feeling, amphetamine-like brain chemical called dopamine (Dean Hamer, The God Gene, pp. 72ff; Anthony Walsh, The Science of Love). These brain dynamics in turn render us more sociable and more loving. Faith abounds in steadfast love.
Mark E.
Luke 21:25-36
Those are terrifying words! What about the safety we should find in Christ? Why are we anxious and troubled about many things? When we pass though dangerous circumstances, like paddling down a river in a canoe when there are alligators around us, or if we drive through a dangerous neighborhood and look around to see suspicious characters lurking in doorways, we can become anxious. How do we feel when we read about theatre-goers being shot or innocent people gunned down on the streets? But if we look ahead at our destination, it can relieve us with some hope of where we are going -- of our goal in this life or the next.
We can't help but feel anxiety when we watch the evening news. It all seems so depressing. If a forest fire is burning out of control near our home, we can panic. If a river is rising and may flood us out, we panic. Those are everyday experiences that can make us take our mind off the one who has come to save us. We need more encouragement than seeing the stores dressed for Christmas.
There are many books written about the end times. Some are written to frighten us. The authors may hope to put us in such a state that we turn to the Lord in panic and anxiety. We should be turning to our Lord in hope and trust, but maybe it takes traumatic experiences to make us turn back to the only one who can give us peace.
When we arrive at an age like our 80s and 90s (maybe even 60s and 70s), we may be anxious because we don't like what we see in the mirror and think we know what lies ahead. Like that fig tree, we see and feel the signs in our bodies that hint we have a limited time. Yes, good Christians can have those times -- even pastors! We can't see ahead and know what is in store for us -- even if we have hope that our redemption is drawing close.
When my son was a teenager he was getting reckless, so I took him to the hospital one day to visit a buddy of his who had been drinking and rolled his car over. The boy might never be the same. I didn't have to say a word. From then on my son became more aware of where he was heading in his life. He became concerned about HIS destiny! He has never forgotten that experience, and it helped him become a different person.
What does it take to make us more concerned about being ready to face our maker, to stand before him in faith and not just look at the presents under the tree to take our mind off the future? Do we take our prayers seriously? Do we count on the only one who can save us to overcome all the anxieties and temptations of life?
Bob O.
Luke 21:25-36
The Hollywood movie 2012 is about the end of the world on December 21, 2012, based on the predictions of the Mayan calendar. The movie has come and gone; December 21 (the winter solstice) will come soon and will go in like fashion and the world will continue on as the sun begins to rise higher in the sky once again. One Mayan elder, Carlos Barrios, had this comment to sober our expectations: "Anthropologists visit the temple sites and read the inscriptions and make up stories about the Maya, but they do not read the signs correctly. It's just their imagination. Other people write about prophecy in the name of the Maya. They say that the world will end in December 2012. The Mayan elders are angry with this. The world will not end. It will be transformed." For Christians, transformation can happen on any "day" when one encounters Jesus. Let him "come" into your life with all his transforming power to bring about an end to your world as you know it and to bring about the beginning of an new age for the rest of your life.
Mark M.
