Sermon Illustrations for Advent 1 (2016)
Illustration
Object:
Isaiah 2:1-5
Advent is a season of hope, a time to dream of peace. Albert Einstein helps us appreciate the way to peace: “Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding.” Mother Teresa offered a related, stunning insight: “If we have no peace it is because we have forgotten we belong to each other.” Christ comes to get us out of this mess. Martin Luther said the peace of God is “the peace and contentment [God] produces in our hearts... having it we are at peace with him even if we are displeased with men” (Complete Sermons, Vol. 3/2, p. 110). Advent reminds us that this peace is on the horizon; it is immanent. Martin Luther King Jr. explained it well: “I refuse to accept the view that humankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality.... I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word. Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal.” It is urgent that we catch this vision and receive it from God now. Again Dr. King’s voice needs to be heard: “We are faced with the fact, my friends, that tomorrow is today. We are confronted with the fierce urgency of the now” (A Call to Conscience, p. 162).
Mark E.
Isaiah 2:1-5
Edmond Browning was the presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church in 1989 when he consecrated the church’s first female bishop. This was very controversial action for the 2.8 million member denomination, and threatened a schism. In defense of his actions and of the church, Bishop Browning said: “We are no longer a middle-class white church.”
Application: As we beat our swords into plowshares, we are telling the world that we are a church of unity and acceptance.
Ron L.
Romans 13:11-14
The little league baseball game was reaching a dramatic conclusion. The visiting team -- out in the field for the bottom of the final inning -- led by only one run. The home team had loaded the bases but had two outs. Parents from both teams were on the edge of the bleachers. Each parent implored his or her son as if the game depended solely on him. One mother, with her voice rising in intensity, called out to her son who seemed to be enjoying the cars traveling down the road next to the field: “Be alert, Ryan! Be alert!”
I don’t know if the ball was hit to Ryan or if he ever became “alert.” I just remember that for that one moment in a little league game Ryan’s mom wanted him to be paying attention. Paying attention is something that Paul wanted the Christians in Rome to do too. As he writes in the text for today, he reminds them that the coming of Jesus is nearer than it ever has been. They need to lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. They needed to live as if Jesus was coming back that day.
I’m guessing that if a baseball player knew the ball was coming to him on a certain pitch, he would be paying close attention and be ready. Even a little leaguer would be ready if he or she knew a ball was coming his or her way. Can we, as Christians, do differently? We look back at his first coming and see that most were not looking for his arrival. As we prepare to celebrate his first coming, let’s also prepare for his return. As we live for Jesus Christ, we ought to conduct ourselves as if Jesus were coming back today.
In the grandstand of faith, Paul’s voice calls out: “Be alert out there.” Are you?
Bill T.
Romans 13:11-14
There are two Greek words associated with time -- kronos, which is clock time, and kairos, which suggests something more like a season, something a little more difficult to define. We may know chronologically the day spring or fall officially begin, but it can be pretty cold on March 21 and very hot on September 21. A lot of time we only know a season has come or gone by paying close attention. In this passage Paul is talking about how the salvation of God and the new world is nearly upon us, but the word translated in the phrase “you know what time it is” ought to be translated “you know what season this is.” You’ve got to keep your eyes open. And that’s important when it comes to something like daybreak! First it is very dark, then we have just a hint of dawn and maybe a few stars disappear. More time has got to go by, but suddenly we are aware that only the brightest stars are still visible and that it’s only a matter of time before the sun leaps above the horizon. Kairos or kronos? The night is far gone. Christmas Day is at hand. And it may not come on December 25! It may come earlier or later. Keep your eyes open.
Frank R.
Romans 13:11-14
No! The year 2000 would not be the last day on earth, as some tried to say. If they were real students they might have claimed 1993 or 1994, as that would be closer to 2,000 years after Christ’s coming. We have to be careful when we try to take the Bible too literally. For example, the world was not created in seven 24-hour days! Even the Bible says that a day to the Lord is as a thousand years. Even there we can’t claim that the world was created in 7,000 years. But we have to be ready anyway, because our salvation is nearer now than it was -- every day it gets closer. But put away your calendar!
I can’t help but notice that every year I get one year older. How can those years pass so fast? I do think that the day of the Lord is drawing closer for me -- at 90, how many more years do I have?
Our generals tell us that we should constantly be ready because we never know the day or the hour that someone will attack -- whether open war or a terrorist attack on the capital (or on the ELCA headquarters in Chicago).
When we came back from a short vacation, our showerhead broke off that night and the bulb blew out in our bedroom lamp. They got fixed or replaced. We read about airline crashes in the news. They could have ended our lives, but our plane made it okay. We can’t plan ahead for every little thing or every tragedy, but we can prepare ourselves for the end times on a daily basis.
On the way home from my ordination as a pastor, my parents were killed in an auto accident. It was a total surprise, but they were ready. They always told me to be ready, and then they were. It helped me to be watchful. My mother told the lady sitting next to her at the ordination service that she had prayed for 30 years that I would become a pastor -- and it happened just before their death. The end can come at any time! It is certainly closer than when we first believed.
How do we get ready? Don’t just look at all the biblical laws and try to believe them and obey each one. It is not wrong to obey God’s laws, but salvation comes through believing in Jesus and what he has done for us. He will help us to put aside all the dark and evil thoughts, and to know that we belong to him.
In order to be ready for the day of salvation, all we need to do is put on his clothes of righteousness.
Bob O.
Romans 13:11-14
The recent presidential campaign and election have put us all on edge, for one reason or another. Whether our candidate won or lost, the divide in America became more and more apparent as the days went on. For those of us who are Christians the divide is no less small, for both the more conservative church and the more progressive church battled during the election as well. But this reading reminds us that we are called to the light -- to leave the darkness behind and to focus on what is yet to come. For some, being the armor of light may be wearing a safety pin and proclaiming that we are safe to talk with, to share with, and to walk with in the challenging days. For some it may be proclaiming that Jesus Christ is Lord and that all must adhere to the biblical mandates in a literal manner. Yet as I read on a church sign recently: “An election doesn’t change the gospel. Love God. Love Neighbor.” Maybe that’s the best armor of light we can bring to our challenging days and times -- to be the love of God, to shine with the love of God, and to share that love with our neighbors.
Bonnie B.
Matthew 24:36-44
William H. McNeill was a professor of history at the University of Chicago who wrote over 20 books, with his best-known volume being The Rise of the West. The thesis of this book is that nations do not exist in a vacuum, but are influenced by all the cultures across the globe. McNeill’s love of history and his desire for others to understand our heritage provided his passion for teaching. Of that endeavor, McNeill said: “Teaching is the most wonderful way to learn things. You have to get up before a class at 10 o’clock the next morning and have something to say.”
Application: In this reading Jesus talks about the importance of vigilance; that is, always being ready for 10 o’clock the next morning and having something to say.
Ron L.
Matthew 24:36-44
John Calvin well captured the context Jesus was addressing, and also where we Americans find ourselves in the waning weeks of 2016: “See now Christ declares that the last age of the world will be in a state of stupid indifference, so that men will think of nothing but the present life, and will extend their cares to a long period, pursing their ordinary course of life, as if the world were always to remain in the same condition” (Calvin’s Commentaries, Vol. XVII/1, p. 157).
It is all about the present and the instant gratification we can achieve. (See the description of the narcissism of Generation X-ers in Jean Twenge, Generation Me.)
The great 20th-century theologian and martyr for the faith Dietrich Bonhoeffer made a point about how trapped we are by the old order. Christ’s presence in the second coming and at Christmas gives us the confidence we need to get free from our infatuation with the present and its oppressive preoccupation with self-satisfaction: “Who is addressed here? People who know they are enslaved and in chains. People who know that the oppressor has them under control.... And now the First Sunday in Advent tells us nothing else: ‘Your redemption is drawing near!’... It is breaking open its way through the rubble and hard rock of your life and heart. It isn’t happening quickly, but it is coming. Christ is breaking open his way to you.... Lift up your heads, you army of the afflicted, the humbled, the discouraged, you defeated army with bowed heads. The battle is not lost, the victory is yours -- take courage, be strong! There is no room for shaking your heads and doubting because Christ is coming” (A Testament to Freedom, pp. 236-237).
Christians with this vision do what the Dutch Christian heroine Corrie ten Boom, who hid numerous Jews from Nazis, said: “Let God’s promises shine on your problems.”
Mark E.
Advent is a season of hope, a time to dream of peace. Albert Einstein helps us appreciate the way to peace: “Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding.” Mother Teresa offered a related, stunning insight: “If we have no peace it is because we have forgotten we belong to each other.” Christ comes to get us out of this mess. Martin Luther said the peace of God is “the peace and contentment [God] produces in our hearts... having it we are at peace with him even if we are displeased with men” (Complete Sermons, Vol. 3/2, p. 110). Advent reminds us that this peace is on the horizon; it is immanent. Martin Luther King Jr. explained it well: “I refuse to accept the view that humankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality.... I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word. Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal.” It is urgent that we catch this vision and receive it from God now. Again Dr. King’s voice needs to be heard: “We are faced with the fact, my friends, that tomorrow is today. We are confronted with the fierce urgency of the now” (A Call to Conscience, p. 162).
Mark E.
Isaiah 2:1-5
Edmond Browning was the presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church in 1989 when he consecrated the church’s first female bishop. This was very controversial action for the 2.8 million member denomination, and threatened a schism. In defense of his actions and of the church, Bishop Browning said: “We are no longer a middle-class white church.”
Application: As we beat our swords into plowshares, we are telling the world that we are a church of unity and acceptance.
Ron L.
Romans 13:11-14
The little league baseball game was reaching a dramatic conclusion. The visiting team -- out in the field for the bottom of the final inning -- led by only one run. The home team had loaded the bases but had two outs. Parents from both teams were on the edge of the bleachers. Each parent implored his or her son as if the game depended solely on him. One mother, with her voice rising in intensity, called out to her son who seemed to be enjoying the cars traveling down the road next to the field: “Be alert, Ryan! Be alert!”
I don’t know if the ball was hit to Ryan or if he ever became “alert.” I just remember that for that one moment in a little league game Ryan’s mom wanted him to be paying attention. Paying attention is something that Paul wanted the Christians in Rome to do too. As he writes in the text for today, he reminds them that the coming of Jesus is nearer than it ever has been. They need to lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. They needed to live as if Jesus was coming back that day.
I’m guessing that if a baseball player knew the ball was coming to him on a certain pitch, he would be paying close attention and be ready. Even a little leaguer would be ready if he or she knew a ball was coming his or her way. Can we, as Christians, do differently? We look back at his first coming and see that most were not looking for his arrival. As we prepare to celebrate his first coming, let’s also prepare for his return. As we live for Jesus Christ, we ought to conduct ourselves as if Jesus were coming back today.
In the grandstand of faith, Paul’s voice calls out: “Be alert out there.” Are you?
Bill T.
Romans 13:11-14
There are two Greek words associated with time -- kronos, which is clock time, and kairos, which suggests something more like a season, something a little more difficult to define. We may know chronologically the day spring or fall officially begin, but it can be pretty cold on March 21 and very hot on September 21. A lot of time we only know a season has come or gone by paying close attention. In this passage Paul is talking about how the salvation of God and the new world is nearly upon us, but the word translated in the phrase “you know what time it is” ought to be translated “you know what season this is.” You’ve got to keep your eyes open. And that’s important when it comes to something like daybreak! First it is very dark, then we have just a hint of dawn and maybe a few stars disappear. More time has got to go by, but suddenly we are aware that only the brightest stars are still visible and that it’s only a matter of time before the sun leaps above the horizon. Kairos or kronos? The night is far gone. Christmas Day is at hand. And it may not come on December 25! It may come earlier or later. Keep your eyes open.
Frank R.
Romans 13:11-14
No! The year 2000 would not be the last day on earth, as some tried to say. If they were real students they might have claimed 1993 or 1994, as that would be closer to 2,000 years after Christ’s coming. We have to be careful when we try to take the Bible too literally. For example, the world was not created in seven 24-hour days! Even the Bible says that a day to the Lord is as a thousand years. Even there we can’t claim that the world was created in 7,000 years. But we have to be ready anyway, because our salvation is nearer now than it was -- every day it gets closer. But put away your calendar!
I can’t help but notice that every year I get one year older. How can those years pass so fast? I do think that the day of the Lord is drawing closer for me -- at 90, how many more years do I have?
Our generals tell us that we should constantly be ready because we never know the day or the hour that someone will attack -- whether open war or a terrorist attack on the capital (or on the ELCA headquarters in Chicago).
When we came back from a short vacation, our showerhead broke off that night and the bulb blew out in our bedroom lamp. They got fixed or replaced. We read about airline crashes in the news. They could have ended our lives, but our plane made it okay. We can’t plan ahead for every little thing or every tragedy, but we can prepare ourselves for the end times on a daily basis.
On the way home from my ordination as a pastor, my parents were killed in an auto accident. It was a total surprise, but they were ready. They always told me to be ready, and then they were. It helped me to be watchful. My mother told the lady sitting next to her at the ordination service that she had prayed for 30 years that I would become a pastor -- and it happened just before their death. The end can come at any time! It is certainly closer than when we first believed.
How do we get ready? Don’t just look at all the biblical laws and try to believe them and obey each one. It is not wrong to obey God’s laws, but salvation comes through believing in Jesus and what he has done for us. He will help us to put aside all the dark and evil thoughts, and to know that we belong to him.
In order to be ready for the day of salvation, all we need to do is put on his clothes of righteousness.
Bob O.
Romans 13:11-14
The recent presidential campaign and election have put us all on edge, for one reason or another. Whether our candidate won or lost, the divide in America became more and more apparent as the days went on. For those of us who are Christians the divide is no less small, for both the more conservative church and the more progressive church battled during the election as well. But this reading reminds us that we are called to the light -- to leave the darkness behind and to focus on what is yet to come. For some, being the armor of light may be wearing a safety pin and proclaiming that we are safe to talk with, to share with, and to walk with in the challenging days. For some it may be proclaiming that Jesus Christ is Lord and that all must adhere to the biblical mandates in a literal manner. Yet as I read on a church sign recently: “An election doesn’t change the gospel. Love God. Love Neighbor.” Maybe that’s the best armor of light we can bring to our challenging days and times -- to be the love of God, to shine with the love of God, and to share that love with our neighbors.
Bonnie B.
Matthew 24:36-44
William H. McNeill was a professor of history at the University of Chicago who wrote over 20 books, with his best-known volume being The Rise of the West. The thesis of this book is that nations do not exist in a vacuum, but are influenced by all the cultures across the globe. McNeill’s love of history and his desire for others to understand our heritage provided his passion for teaching. Of that endeavor, McNeill said: “Teaching is the most wonderful way to learn things. You have to get up before a class at 10 o’clock the next morning and have something to say.”
Application: In this reading Jesus talks about the importance of vigilance; that is, always being ready for 10 o’clock the next morning and having something to say.
Ron L.
Matthew 24:36-44
John Calvin well captured the context Jesus was addressing, and also where we Americans find ourselves in the waning weeks of 2016: “See now Christ declares that the last age of the world will be in a state of stupid indifference, so that men will think of nothing but the present life, and will extend their cares to a long period, pursing their ordinary course of life, as if the world were always to remain in the same condition” (Calvin’s Commentaries, Vol. XVII/1, p. 157).
It is all about the present and the instant gratification we can achieve. (See the description of the narcissism of Generation X-ers in Jean Twenge, Generation Me.)
The great 20th-century theologian and martyr for the faith Dietrich Bonhoeffer made a point about how trapped we are by the old order. Christ’s presence in the second coming and at Christmas gives us the confidence we need to get free from our infatuation with the present and its oppressive preoccupation with self-satisfaction: “Who is addressed here? People who know they are enslaved and in chains. People who know that the oppressor has them under control.... And now the First Sunday in Advent tells us nothing else: ‘Your redemption is drawing near!’... It is breaking open its way through the rubble and hard rock of your life and heart. It isn’t happening quickly, but it is coming. Christ is breaking open his way to you.... Lift up your heads, you army of the afflicted, the humbled, the discouraged, you defeated army with bowed heads. The battle is not lost, the victory is yours -- take courage, be strong! There is no room for shaking your heads and doubting because Christ is coming” (A Testament to Freedom, pp. 236-237).
Christians with this vision do what the Dutch Christian heroine Corrie ten Boom, who hid numerous Jews from Nazis, said: “Let God’s promises shine on your problems.”
Mark E.
