Sermon Illustrations for Advent 2 (2020)
Illustration
Isaiah 40:1-11
Wilfred Brimley died on August 1, 2020, at the age of 85. The actor was gruff and burly, yet very lovable. His best-known movie role was in Cocoon. Others may remember him for his Quaker Oats commercials with his famous tagline, “It’s the right thing to do.” He was also in the movies The Natural, The China Syndrome, and played Shannen Doherty’s grandfather on NBC’s Our House. Once when he was asked how he prepares for a role, Brimley replied, “I get up in the morning and I get dressed.”
Ron L.
* * *
Isaiah 40:1-11
“The grass withers, the flower fades; but the word of our God will stand forever.” That’s a powerful statement in an incredible passage of Isaiah. President John Quincy Adams knew of the importance of God’s Word. He said, “So great is my veneration for the Bible, that the earlier my children begin to read it the more confident will be my hopes that they will prove useful citizens to their country and respectable members of society.”
I came across this story in the March 1990 edition of the American Bible Society Record that reiterates the power and permanence of God’s word.
Gaylord Kambarami, the general secretary of the Bible Society in Zimbabwe, tried to give a New Testament to a very belligerent man. The man insisted he would roll the pages and use them to make cigarettes. Mr. Kambarami said, “I understand that, but at least promise to read the page of the New Testament before you smoke it.” The man agreed, and the two went their separate ways.
Fifteen years later, the two men met at a convention in Zimbabwe. The Scripture-smoking pagan had been saved and was now a full-time evangelist. He told the audience, “I smoked Matthew, and I smoked Mark, and I smoked Luke. But when I got to John 3:16, I couldn’t smoke anymore. My life was changed from that moment.”
God’s book is more than just words on paper. Its truth will stand forever.
Bill T.
* * *
Isaiah 40:1-11
This passage opens as follows: Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God.” (Isaiah 40:1) However, it might be more accurate with a bit of a southern drawl, translated thus: “Y’all comfort, comfort my people, says your God.” That’s because the command to comfort is in the second person plural.
So, who exactly are the “y’all” commanded to comfort God’s people? Some of the ancient rabbis speculated that perhaps human messengers were being sent to the people to tell them what happened. Others thought that the prophets, who had earlier predicted doom, were now commanded to tell the good news. And still others believe angels were being sent to proclaim good news.
While they may have been used to transport goods, some wonder if they had some religious function. Some wonder if royal processions made their way from or to Chaco. Who took part in these processions? What was their purpose? What words were said?
This passage from Isaiah imagines a call to improve and straighten out a road that leads from Babylon to Jerusalem. The people are walking away from captivity and back to freedom. There’s a call and response associated with this procession.
This second Sunday of Advent, let’s celebrate the ritual processions of the season — Christmas pageants, the procession of those who will light the Advent wreath, the decorating of the church, and hiking out to the woods to cut down a Christmas tree.
Frank R.
* * *
2 Peter 3:8-15a
We get so impatient with God sometimes, like the people to whom the epistle was written. We impatiently waited for the pandemic to end, for a sick loved one or for ourselves to be healed. The child in us is impatient for the Christmas gifts.
Albert Einstein taught us that time is relative, that at the speed of light everything is simultaneous. Martin Luther, along with other devoted followers of Augustine, said something like this regarding the status of time for God. Dealing with this text he wrote:
Now since before God there is no reckoning of time, before him a thousand years must be as one day. Therefore Adam, the first man, is just as close to him as the man who will be born last before the last day. For God does not see time longitudinally; he sees it transversely, as if you were looking transversely at a tall tree lying before you. Then you can see both ends at the same time... What is long for us is short for him... Thus, a man dies. His body is interred and decays.
It lies in the ground and knows nothing. But when the first man arises on the last day, he will think he has been lying there barely an hour. (Luther’s Works, Vol. 30, p.196)
The time we wait may feel long to us, but it is just an instant to God. And so, we can all say with the Black church: “God may not come when you want Him. But He’s always on time.”
Mark E.
* * *
2 Peter 3:8-15a
The call of Peter is to wait on the coming of God in a state of peace, in righteousness, without blame or blemish. This seems impossible to me. I don’t always know how to be at peace. Recently, I took a long weekend to be in retreat, to spend quiet time with God. I didn’t really do that. I found a range of things to do to “occupy” me, to work on or to be distracted by. I wonder if I felt God at all in those moments. Does that ever happen to you? You intend to spend quiet time with God and human concerns and life intervene? How can I wait on God? How can I be in a state of peace? I am not sure, but maybe simply asking the question is a start.
Bonnie B.
* * *
Mark 1:1-8
Although many of the ancient church fathers, the theologians of the early church era, were adamantly against the practice, ordinary church members often wore a strip of folded papyrus that had a prayer or a scripture written on it. These were meant to protect or to heal the individual wearing them. In some ways amulets are reminiscent of Deuteronomy 6:8, where God’s people are told to take the words from God and “Bind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem on your forehead….”
There’s one interesting amulet, possibly written in the late third or early fourth century, either right before or right after Christianity became legal in the Roman Empire, which begins: “Read ‘The Beginning of the Good News’ and See!” This command to read and see is followed by the words of the first two verses of the Gospel of Mark:
The beginning of the Good News of Jesus the Christ
As it was written in Isaiah the prophet.
Behold! I will send my angel
Before your face and prepare —
The text is not exactly the same as the gospel, and it breaks off in midsentence, which is not unusual for amulets. The big change is that the future tense is used instead of the present in quoting Isaiah — “I will send” instead of “I am sending.” And the word for messenger is also the same as the word for angel. Often in healing amulets call on angels to provide protection, and it’s likely in this case that the one who prepared the amulet liked this verse because it mentioned angels.
This amulet and others like it remind us that in all times believers have claimed scripture to speak personally for them.
(For more information see ‘New Testament Texts on Greek Amulets from Late Antiquity” by Brice C. Jones.)
Frank R.
* * *
Mark 1:1-8
In the newspaper comic The Family Circus by Bil Keane, Dolly and Jeffy are standing in the doorway between two rooms. Dolly, with a ragdoll under her arm, asks her mother Thelma, “Will Santa be watchin’ us this week, or does he start next week?”
Ron L.
* * *
Mark 1:1-8
It’s likely you’ve never heard of Lorenzo Neal unless you are a super fan of the NFL. According to Bleacher Report, Lorenzo Neal was the greatest blocking fullback of all time. Between 1993 and 2008, he paved the way for Warrick Dunn, Eddie George, Corey Dillon, and LaDainian Tomlinson. In fact, Neal blasted linebackers and shielded the edge to lead the way for a 1,000-yard rusher for eleven straight years.
On paper, Neal’s career statistics appear average. He played sixteen years and rushed for 807 yards. On the field, however, Neal proved to be an indispensable member of the offense. As six-feet and 260 pounds, he was the guy to pave the way or clear the path.
Mark quotes Isaiah 40 about God sending one to prepare the way for the Messiah. John the Baptist was that one. He was a “tough guy” who was clothed in a camel hair garment and a leather belt. He ate locusts and wild honey. He was bold and outspoken. He also knew his role. “The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals.” John’s job was to prepare the way for the one greater, the Messiah, Jesus.
Bill T.
Wilfred Brimley died on August 1, 2020, at the age of 85. The actor was gruff and burly, yet very lovable. His best-known movie role was in Cocoon. Others may remember him for his Quaker Oats commercials with his famous tagline, “It’s the right thing to do.” He was also in the movies The Natural, The China Syndrome, and played Shannen Doherty’s grandfather on NBC’s Our House. Once when he was asked how he prepares for a role, Brimley replied, “I get up in the morning and I get dressed.”
Ron L.
* * *
Isaiah 40:1-11
“The grass withers, the flower fades; but the word of our God will stand forever.” That’s a powerful statement in an incredible passage of Isaiah. President John Quincy Adams knew of the importance of God’s Word. He said, “So great is my veneration for the Bible, that the earlier my children begin to read it the more confident will be my hopes that they will prove useful citizens to their country and respectable members of society.”
I came across this story in the March 1990 edition of the American Bible Society Record that reiterates the power and permanence of God’s word.
Gaylord Kambarami, the general secretary of the Bible Society in Zimbabwe, tried to give a New Testament to a very belligerent man. The man insisted he would roll the pages and use them to make cigarettes. Mr. Kambarami said, “I understand that, but at least promise to read the page of the New Testament before you smoke it.” The man agreed, and the two went their separate ways.
Fifteen years later, the two men met at a convention in Zimbabwe. The Scripture-smoking pagan had been saved and was now a full-time evangelist. He told the audience, “I smoked Matthew, and I smoked Mark, and I smoked Luke. But when I got to John 3:16, I couldn’t smoke anymore. My life was changed from that moment.”
God’s book is more than just words on paper. Its truth will stand forever.
Bill T.
* * *
Isaiah 40:1-11
This passage opens as follows: Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God.” (Isaiah 40:1) However, it might be more accurate with a bit of a southern drawl, translated thus: “Y’all comfort, comfort my people, says your God.” That’s because the command to comfort is in the second person plural.
So, who exactly are the “y’all” commanded to comfort God’s people? Some of the ancient rabbis speculated that perhaps human messengers were being sent to the people to tell them what happened. Others thought that the prophets, who had earlier predicted doom, were now commanded to tell the good news. And still others believe angels were being sent to proclaim good news.
While they may have been used to transport goods, some wonder if they had some religious function. Some wonder if royal processions made their way from or to Chaco. Who took part in these processions? What was their purpose? What words were said?
This passage from Isaiah imagines a call to improve and straighten out a road that leads from Babylon to Jerusalem. The people are walking away from captivity and back to freedom. There’s a call and response associated with this procession.
This second Sunday of Advent, let’s celebrate the ritual processions of the season — Christmas pageants, the procession of those who will light the Advent wreath, the decorating of the church, and hiking out to the woods to cut down a Christmas tree.
Frank R.
* * *
2 Peter 3:8-15a
We get so impatient with God sometimes, like the people to whom the epistle was written. We impatiently waited for the pandemic to end, for a sick loved one or for ourselves to be healed. The child in us is impatient for the Christmas gifts.
Albert Einstein taught us that time is relative, that at the speed of light everything is simultaneous. Martin Luther, along with other devoted followers of Augustine, said something like this regarding the status of time for God. Dealing with this text he wrote:
Now since before God there is no reckoning of time, before him a thousand years must be as one day. Therefore Adam, the first man, is just as close to him as the man who will be born last before the last day. For God does not see time longitudinally; he sees it transversely, as if you were looking transversely at a tall tree lying before you. Then you can see both ends at the same time... What is long for us is short for him... Thus, a man dies. His body is interred and decays.
It lies in the ground and knows nothing. But when the first man arises on the last day, he will think he has been lying there barely an hour. (Luther’s Works, Vol. 30, p.196)
The time we wait may feel long to us, but it is just an instant to God. And so, we can all say with the Black church: “God may not come when you want Him. But He’s always on time.”
Mark E.
* * *
2 Peter 3:8-15a
The call of Peter is to wait on the coming of God in a state of peace, in righteousness, without blame or blemish. This seems impossible to me. I don’t always know how to be at peace. Recently, I took a long weekend to be in retreat, to spend quiet time with God. I didn’t really do that. I found a range of things to do to “occupy” me, to work on or to be distracted by. I wonder if I felt God at all in those moments. Does that ever happen to you? You intend to spend quiet time with God and human concerns and life intervene? How can I wait on God? How can I be in a state of peace? I am not sure, but maybe simply asking the question is a start.
Bonnie B.
* * *
Mark 1:1-8
Although many of the ancient church fathers, the theologians of the early church era, were adamantly against the practice, ordinary church members often wore a strip of folded papyrus that had a prayer or a scripture written on it. These were meant to protect or to heal the individual wearing them. In some ways amulets are reminiscent of Deuteronomy 6:8, where God’s people are told to take the words from God and “Bind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem on your forehead….”
There’s one interesting amulet, possibly written in the late third or early fourth century, either right before or right after Christianity became legal in the Roman Empire, which begins: “Read ‘The Beginning of the Good News’ and See!” This command to read and see is followed by the words of the first two verses of the Gospel of Mark:
The beginning of the Good News of Jesus the Christ
As it was written in Isaiah the prophet.
Behold! I will send my angel
Before your face and prepare —
The text is not exactly the same as the gospel, and it breaks off in midsentence, which is not unusual for amulets. The big change is that the future tense is used instead of the present in quoting Isaiah — “I will send” instead of “I am sending.” And the word for messenger is also the same as the word for angel. Often in healing amulets call on angels to provide protection, and it’s likely in this case that the one who prepared the amulet liked this verse because it mentioned angels.
This amulet and others like it remind us that in all times believers have claimed scripture to speak personally for them.
(For more information see ‘New Testament Texts on Greek Amulets from Late Antiquity” by Brice C. Jones.)
Frank R.
* * *
Mark 1:1-8
In the newspaper comic The Family Circus by Bil Keane, Dolly and Jeffy are standing in the doorway between two rooms. Dolly, with a ragdoll under her arm, asks her mother Thelma, “Will Santa be watchin’ us this week, or does he start next week?”
Ron L.
* * *
Mark 1:1-8
It’s likely you’ve never heard of Lorenzo Neal unless you are a super fan of the NFL. According to Bleacher Report, Lorenzo Neal was the greatest blocking fullback of all time. Between 1993 and 2008, he paved the way for Warrick Dunn, Eddie George, Corey Dillon, and LaDainian Tomlinson. In fact, Neal blasted linebackers and shielded the edge to lead the way for a 1,000-yard rusher for eleven straight years.
On paper, Neal’s career statistics appear average. He played sixteen years and rushed for 807 yards. On the field, however, Neal proved to be an indispensable member of the offense. As six-feet and 260 pounds, he was the guy to pave the way or clear the path.
Mark quotes Isaiah 40 about God sending one to prepare the way for the Messiah. John the Baptist was that one. He was a “tough guy” who was clothed in a camel hair garment and a leather belt. He ate locusts and wild honey. He was bold and outspoken. He also knew his role. “The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals.” John’s job was to prepare the way for the one greater, the Messiah, Jesus.
Bill T.
