Sermon Illustrations for Christ the King Sunday (Proper 29) (2018)
Illustration
2 Samuel 23:1-7 and Psalm 132:1-12, (13-18)
Do what’s right. David says it this way, “One who rules over people justly, ruling in the fear of God, is like the light of morning, like the sun rising on a cloudless morning, gleaming from the rain on the grassy land.” These are some of David’s final words and, as such, they are significant. It’s hard to always do the right thing.
The Los Angeles Times in an April 10, 2008 article noted the story of landscaper Eli Estrada. He found $140,000 cash in the street on his way to work. The $20 bills were unmarked, bundled into wads of $20,000 and in a bag in the middle of Gridley Road in Cerritos. The 40-year-old Highland Park man’s first thought was: “I’m rich.” But he immediately decided to turn in his find. The money would go a long way, he thought, but keeping it would be wrong.
“That’s just your first reaction,” Estrada said, “but it’s not yours and you feel nervous and you feel like you did something wrong, even though you didn’t.”
It’s not that he didn’t need it. Six months prior to finding the money, Estrada opened a landscaping and artificial-grass business, Tuff Turf, and was in debt. He said his child support payments were tough to make and he supported his mother, who moved in with him last year after she lost her house. Estrada found the bag of money the morning of March 11. He and another Tuff Turf employee who was with him then drove to a landscaping job in Long Beach and contacted police. Estrada said he was content with his decision, though admitted “it was hard to give up.” Authorities said the money was lost by Brinks armored truck drivers. Long Beach police spokeswoman Dina Zapalski said she had never heard of someone turning in so much cash.
“I’ve had people come to me with purses and wallets with cash in it and they’ll turn it in,” Zapalski said. “But not like this.” Zapalski said officers were surprised that Estrada didn’t ask for a reward. Instead, he went right back to work.
Bill T.
* * *
2 Samuel 23:1-7 and Psalm 132:1-12, (13-18)
It gets confusing, but in the first Star Wars movie which is now referred to as the fourth Star Wars movie (and it used to be called “Star Wars” but now it’s referred to as “A New Hope”) Grand Moff Tarkin, played by Peter Cushing, scoffs when an underling suggests that there is a way for this rag-tag group of rebels to destroy the massive planet-destroying Death Star, and oughtn’t he consider evacuating.
“Evacuate, in our hour of victory. I think you overestimate their chances.”
Those are his last words in the film. But they aren’t his last words in the series of films in the iconic series. With the permission of his relatives and his estate, the late Peter Cushing came back to life again, after a fashion, thanks to computer graphics. His character was breathtakingly recreated for the Star Wars film “Rogue One,” which if you were being strictly accurate is now the fourth movie in the series, but is considered a standalone so it does not have a number. (Yeah, I’m as confused as you.)
In today’s scripture from 2 Samuel 23:1-8 we are given David’s last words -- that’s what the author tells us, but as we read further into 1 Kings, we get more words from David, some more inspirational than others. Regardless of what were actually going to be your last words, wouldn’t it be nice to write something inspirational and tell people in advance, “These are my real last words to you.”
Frank R.
* * *
2 Samuel 23:1-7 and Psalm 132
Charles Dickens was involved in charities and social issues throughout his entire life. At the time that he wrote A Christmas Carol, which was published in 1843, he was very concerned with impoverished children who turned to crime and delinquency in order to survive. Aware of how the Industrial Revolution had created impoverished families and created horrific working conditions for children in the mines and factories, he wrote his Christmas story to address this social issue. Part of his awareness came from his being engaged in the welfare of children. Dickens, as well as others, thought that education could provide a way to a better life for these children. The Ragged School movement put these ideas into action. Dickens was actively involved in the Ragged School movement. The Ragged School movement provided free education for children in the inner-city. The movement got its name from the way the children attending the school were dressed. They often wore tattered or ragged clothing.
Application: Our lectionary readings discusses the importance of keeping God’s covenant. Part of the responsibility of keeping the covenant is to be socially involved in the problems of our communities.
Ron L.
* * *
Revelation 1:4b-8
Jesus is our one hope in life. He is the only one who controls the future for everyone.
No matter what we have done or failed to do in life it can be forgiven. Jesus even forgave those who pierced him with nails? We can live in peace knowing that our future is in the hands of the one who paid that price for it and our future is secure in his hands.
I had a friend in college whose father was a millionaire. His father loved him and paid for his education and for all his needs. He knew that whatever expenses he might have would be taken care of. He got into a little trouble with drugs, but his father paid for a good lawyer to get him out of it. He did show his gratitude by getting rid of this bad habit, but he knew that his father still loved him whatever he did. He knew that one day he would inherit all that wealth.
Our father in heaven loves us and has promised to give us an eternal inheritance even if we have not lived a perfect life.
Has anyone lived a perfect life? I haven’t.
I had a good friend who once told me about a failure in his life: cheating on his wife one time, that could really get him into trouble, not only with his wife, but also might affect his job. He told me not to tell anyone.
I mentioned it to a lawyer that I knew out of curiosity for what it might do to him. As it happened that lawyer shared it with another lawyer who was a friend of his, and my good friend heard about it. It hurt him badly, but he still forgave me. I felt so guilty and apologized. I was surprised that he could even talk to me after that, but he told me that if God would forgive me, he would also. He mentioned his serious failure to me again but said that if Jesus could forgive him, then he should forgive me also. I’m not sure I could have been so forgiving.
Bob O.
* * *
Revelation 1:4b-8
How is Jesus revealed to you? Do you see Jesus coming on a cloud? Do you experience Jesus in the actions of another? Do you see Jesus in the gospel passages or the prayers or hymns of worship, or perhaps, in the communion table? How is Jesus revealed to you?
John writes of his revelation of Jesus in this first chapter, proclaiming Jesus the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. Jesus, the faithful witness of God, the firstborn of the dead. The images of Jesus in this passage speak to wonder and awe at the eternal presence of Jesus. But how is Jesus revealed to you in your own life? Or maybe more importantly, how are you helping to reveal Jesus to others you encounter? These are not idle questions. They are questions at the essence of our faith. If the love and light of Christ is in us, it is our responsibility and call to share that light and love with others. I know that sounds suspiciously like evangelism and that can make us uncomfortable, but really, that is our call. How are you answering?
Bonnie B.
* * *
Revelation 1:4b-8
If God is at the beginning and end, as this lesson proclaims (v.8), then future and present are one. We can see God’s future (the Kingdom of God) in the present. This is a most appropriate message for the last Sunday of the church year, the transition from the old year to the new one.
Mother Teresa nicely summarized what this might entail for everyday life: “Yesterday is gone [she once said]. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin.” And Mahatma Gandhi said it well: “The future depends on what you do today.” George Burns gives us a neat insight too: “I look to the future because that’s where I’m going to spend the rest of my life.”
Christians living this way will find the events of life urgent, miraculous, and be more open to them. They will also live with peace of mind about the last judgment, for they know that it has already happened (in our favor). Martin Luther makes this clear:
How can Judgment Day and dying be terrible to such a heart? Who will harm the man when the great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, to Who the Day of belongs, is on his side and stands before him with all His glory, greatness, majesty, and might? None other will hold court on the Day of Judgment than He Who gave himself for us... Oh, here is great sure security. (What Luther Says, p.699)
Mark E.
* * *
John 18:33-37
Richard “Red” Bernard Skelton was born in Vincennes, Indiana, on July 18, 1913. His father, Joe, who died two months before his birth, was a former clown with the Hagenbeck & Wallace Circus. His mother, left with four boys to raise on her own, worked as a cleaning woman and an elevator operator. At the age of 15, Red Skelton left home to perform with a travelling medicine show, and went on to perform in showboats, minstrel shows, vaudeville, burlesque, and circuses including the Hagenbeck & Wallace Circus where his father had performed. Skelton made his debut on both radio and Broadway in 1937. The next year, he made his movie debut in Having A Wonderful Time. He went on to make over 40 movies for MGM. In 1951 he got his own television program on CBS, simply called The Red Skelton Show. The show was on the air until 1970. The show always ended with Skelton twinkling his fingers and saying, “Good-night and God bless.” Looking back on his career Red Skelton said, “If some day you’re not feeling well, you should remember some little thing I have said or done and if it brings a smile to your face or a chuckle to your heart then my purpose as a clown has been fulfilled.”
Application: Jesus said his kingdom is not of this world because he values love and forgiveness. Let us help people experience God’s kingdom by being loving and forgiving individuals.
Ron L.
* * *
John 18:33-37
Pilate asked Jesus, “What is truth?” The implication was that it wasn’t possible for someone to determine objective truth. There are some who insist that no one has proved to them that the earth is round, that the past ever existed, or, for that matter, that human beings ever walked on the moon.
Chemist Melody Von Smith wrote about a time she met someone who seriously believed the moon landings had been faked. One by one she gave scientific answers to each of this person’s false arguments. They refused to accept any scientific evidence. Then, as she recounted it:
Finally, my coup de grace: “The Russians.”
He knit his brow.
“They had the first satellite, the first man in space, the first spacewalk,” I said. “Then America gets the first man on the moon? That’s like getting tripped by the other team’s mascot. But have the Russians ever said the moon landing was a hoax?”
The fact that our Cold War enemy never suggested the moon landings were faked convinced them that they must have really happened.
Pilate was standing before the one who said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” He told the mob that was assembled (from who knows what gutters and alleyways) that he found no fault with Jesus. Yet he would not take a stand for the truth. And Jesus refused to kowtow to Pilate to save his life at the expense of that truth.
(Melody Von Smith’s account appears in the October 2006 issue of The Smithsonian Magazine)
Frank R.
* * *
John 18:33-37
Most citizens of a kingdom would do anything they could to protect their king. This is the unspoken premise of the game of chess, for example. When the king falls, the kingdom is lost. Therefore, the king must be protected at all costs. Another notable example comes from the pages of history; the Allied invasion of Normandy on D-Day, June 6, 1944. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill desperately wanted to join the expeditionary forces and watch the invasion from the bridge of a battleship in the English Channel. U.S. General Dwight David Eisenhower was desperate to stop him, for fear that the Prime Minister might be killed in battle. When it became apparent that Churchill would not be dissuaded, Eisenhower appealed to a higher authority: King George VI. The king went and told Churchill that if it was the Prime Minister’s duty to witness the invasion, he could only conclude that it was also his own duty as king to join him on the battleship. At this point Churchill reluctantly agreed to back down, for he knew that he could never expose the King of England to such danger.
Jesus explained this principle to Pilate. If his kingdom were of this world, his followers would fight for him. It wasn’t, though, and they didn’t. Jesus, the King of Kings, was sacrificed on a cross outside of Jerusalem. His kingdom, unlike any other, was just beginning.
Bill T.
Do what’s right. David says it this way, “One who rules over people justly, ruling in the fear of God, is like the light of morning, like the sun rising on a cloudless morning, gleaming from the rain on the grassy land.” These are some of David’s final words and, as such, they are significant. It’s hard to always do the right thing.
The Los Angeles Times in an April 10, 2008 article noted the story of landscaper Eli Estrada. He found $140,000 cash in the street on his way to work. The $20 bills were unmarked, bundled into wads of $20,000 and in a bag in the middle of Gridley Road in Cerritos. The 40-year-old Highland Park man’s first thought was: “I’m rich.” But he immediately decided to turn in his find. The money would go a long way, he thought, but keeping it would be wrong.
“That’s just your first reaction,” Estrada said, “but it’s not yours and you feel nervous and you feel like you did something wrong, even though you didn’t.”
It’s not that he didn’t need it. Six months prior to finding the money, Estrada opened a landscaping and artificial-grass business, Tuff Turf, and was in debt. He said his child support payments were tough to make and he supported his mother, who moved in with him last year after she lost her house. Estrada found the bag of money the morning of March 11. He and another Tuff Turf employee who was with him then drove to a landscaping job in Long Beach and contacted police. Estrada said he was content with his decision, though admitted “it was hard to give up.” Authorities said the money was lost by Brinks armored truck drivers. Long Beach police spokeswoman Dina Zapalski said she had never heard of someone turning in so much cash.
“I’ve had people come to me with purses and wallets with cash in it and they’ll turn it in,” Zapalski said. “But not like this.” Zapalski said officers were surprised that Estrada didn’t ask for a reward. Instead, he went right back to work.
Bill T.
* * *
2 Samuel 23:1-7 and Psalm 132:1-12, (13-18)
It gets confusing, but in the first Star Wars movie which is now referred to as the fourth Star Wars movie (and it used to be called “Star Wars” but now it’s referred to as “A New Hope”) Grand Moff Tarkin, played by Peter Cushing, scoffs when an underling suggests that there is a way for this rag-tag group of rebels to destroy the massive planet-destroying Death Star, and oughtn’t he consider evacuating.
“Evacuate, in our hour of victory. I think you overestimate their chances.”
Those are his last words in the film. But they aren’t his last words in the series of films in the iconic series. With the permission of his relatives and his estate, the late Peter Cushing came back to life again, after a fashion, thanks to computer graphics. His character was breathtakingly recreated for the Star Wars film “Rogue One,” which if you were being strictly accurate is now the fourth movie in the series, but is considered a standalone so it does not have a number. (Yeah, I’m as confused as you.)
In today’s scripture from 2 Samuel 23:1-8 we are given David’s last words -- that’s what the author tells us, but as we read further into 1 Kings, we get more words from David, some more inspirational than others. Regardless of what were actually going to be your last words, wouldn’t it be nice to write something inspirational and tell people in advance, “These are my real last words to you.”
Frank R.
* * *
2 Samuel 23:1-7 and Psalm 132
Charles Dickens was involved in charities and social issues throughout his entire life. At the time that he wrote A Christmas Carol, which was published in 1843, he was very concerned with impoverished children who turned to crime and delinquency in order to survive. Aware of how the Industrial Revolution had created impoverished families and created horrific working conditions for children in the mines and factories, he wrote his Christmas story to address this social issue. Part of his awareness came from his being engaged in the welfare of children. Dickens, as well as others, thought that education could provide a way to a better life for these children. The Ragged School movement put these ideas into action. Dickens was actively involved in the Ragged School movement. The Ragged School movement provided free education for children in the inner-city. The movement got its name from the way the children attending the school were dressed. They often wore tattered or ragged clothing.
Application: Our lectionary readings discusses the importance of keeping God’s covenant. Part of the responsibility of keeping the covenant is to be socially involved in the problems of our communities.
Ron L.
* * *
Revelation 1:4b-8
Jesus is our one hope in life. He is the only one who controls the future for everyone.
No matter what we have done or failed to do in life it can be forgiven. Jesus even forgave those who pierced him with nails? We can live in peace knowing that our future is in the hands of the one who paid that price for it and our future is secure in his hands.
I had a friend in college whose father was a millionaire. His father loved him and paid for his education and for all his needs. He knew that whatever expenses he might have would be taken care of. He got into a little trouble with drugs, but his father paid for a good lawyer to get him out of it. He did show his gratitude by getting rid of this bad habit, but he knew that his father still loved him whatever he did. He knew that one day he would inherit all that wealth.
Our father in heaven loves us and has promised to give us an eternal inheritance even if we have not lived a perfect life.
Has anyone lived a perfect life? I haven’t.
I had a good friend who once told me about a failure in his life: cheating on his wife one time, that could really get him into trouble, not only with his wife, but also might affect his job. He told me not to tell anyone.
I mentioned it to a lawyer that I knew out of curiosity for what it might do to him. As it happened that lawyer shared it with another lawyer who was a friend of his, and my good friend heard about it. It hurt him badly, but he still forgave me. I felt so guilty and apologized. I was surprised that he could even talk to me after that, but he told me that if God would forgive me, he would also. He mentioned his serious failure to me again but said that if Jesus could forgive him, then he should forgive me also. I’m not sure I could have been so forgiving.
Bob O.
* * *
Revelation 1:4b-8
How is Jesus revealed to you? Do you see Jesus coming on a cloud? Do you experience Jesus in the actions of another? Do you see Jesus in the gospel passages or the prayers or hymns of worship, or perhaps, in the communion table? How is Jesus revealed to you?
John writes of his revelation of Jesus in this first chapter, proclaiming Jesus the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. Jesus, the faithful witness of God, the firstborn of the dead. The images of Jesus in this passage speak to wonder and awe at the eternal presence of Jesus. But how is Jesus revealed to you in your own life? Or maybe more importantly, how are you helping to reveal Jesus to others you encounter? These are not idle questions. They are questions at the essence of our faith. If the love and light of Christ is in us, it is our responsibility and call to share that light and love with others. I know that sounds suspiciously like evangelism and that can make us uncomfortable, but really, that is our call. How are you answering?
Bonnie B.
* * *
Revelation 1:4b-8
If God is at the beginning and end, as this lesson proclaims (v.8), then future and present are one. We can see God’s future (the Kingdom of God) in the present. This is a most appropriate message for the last Sunday of the church year, the transition from the old year to the new one.
Mother Teresa nicely summarized what this might entail for everyday life: “Yesterday is gone [she once said]. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin.” And Mahatma Gandhi said it well: “The future depends on what you do today.” George Burns gives us a neat insight too: “I look to the future because that’s where I’m going to spend the rest of my life.”
Christians living this way will find the events of life urgent, miraculous, and be more open to them. They will also live with peace of mind about the last judgment, for they know that it has already happened (in our favor). Martin Luther makes this clear:
How can Judgment Day and dying be terrible to such a heart? Who will harm the man when the great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, to Who the Day of belongs, is on his side and stands before him with all His glory, greatness, majesty, and might? None other will hold court on the Day of Judgment than He Who gave himself for us... Oh, here is great sure security. (What Luther Says, p.699)
Mark E.
* * *
John 18:33-37
Richard “Red” Bernard Skelton was born in Vincennes, Indiana, on July 18, 1913. His father, Joe, who died two months before his birth, was a former clown with the Hagenbeck & Wallace Circus. His mother, left with four boys to raise on her own, worked as a cleaning woman and an elevator operator. At the age of 15, Red Skelton left home to perform with a travelling medicine show, and went on to perform in showboats, minstrel shows, vaudeville, burlesque, and circuses including the Hagenbeck & Wallace Circus where his father had performed. Skelton made his debut on both radio and Broadway in 1937. The next year, he made his movie debut in Having A Wonderful Time. He went on to make over 40 movies for MGM. In 1951 he got his own television program on CBS, simply called The Red Skelton Show. The show was on the air until 1970. The show always ended with Skelton twinkling his fingers and saying, “Good-night and God bless.” Looking back on his career Red Skelton said, “If some day you’re not feeling well, you should remember some little thing I have said or done and if it brings a smile to your face or a chuckle to your heart then my purpose as a clown has been fulfilled.”
Application: Jesus said his kingdom is not of this world because he values love and forgiveness. Let us help people experience God’s kingdom by being loving and forgiving individuals.
Ron L.
* * *
John 18:33-37
Pilate asked Jesus, “What is truth?” The implication was that it wasn’t possible for someone to determine objective truth. There are some who insist that no one has proved to them that the earth is round, that the past ever existed, or, for that matter, that human beings ever walked on the moon.
Chemist Melody Von Smith wrote about a time she met someone who seriously believed the moon landings had been faked. One by one she gave scientific answers to each of this person’s false arguments. They refused to accept any scientific evidence. Then, as she recounted it:
Finally, my coup de grace: “The Russians.”
He knit his brow.
“They had the first satellite, the first man in space, the first spacewalk,” I said. “Then America gets the first man on the moon? That’s like getting tripped by the other team’s mascot. But have the Russians ever said the moon landing was a hoax?”
The fact that our Cold War enemy never suggested the moon landings were faked convinced them that they must have really happened.
Pilate was standing before the one who said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” He told the mob that was assembled (from who knows what gutters and alleyways) that he found no fault with Jesus. Yet he would not take a stand for the truth. And Jesus refused to kowtow to Pilate to save his life at the expense of that truth.
(Melody Von Smith’s account appears in the October 2006 issue of The Smithsonian Magazine)
Frank R.
* * *
John 18:33-37
Most citizens of a kingdom would do anything they could to protect their king. This is the unspoken premise of the game of chess, for example. When the king falls, the kingdom is lost. Therefore, the king must be protected at all costs. Another notable example comes from the pages of history; the Allied invasion of Normandy on D-Day, June 6, 1944. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill desperately wanted to join the expeditionary forces and watch the invasion from the bridge of a battleship in the English Channel. U.S. General Dwight David Eisenhower was desperate to stop him, for fear that the Prime Minister might be killed in battle. When it became apparent that Churchill would not be dissuaded, Eisenhower appealed to a higher authority: King George VI. The king went and told Churchill that if it was the Prime Minister’s duty to witness the invasion, he could only conclude that it was also his own duty as king to join him on the battleship. At this point Churchill reluctantly agreed to back down, for he knew that he could never expose the King of England to such danger.
Jesus explained this principle to Pilate. If his kingdom were of this world, his followers would fight for him. It wasn’t, though, and they didn’t. Jesus, the King of Kings, was sacrificed on a cross outside of Jerusalem. His kingdom, unlike any other, was just beginning.
Bill T.
