Sermon illustrations for Easter 2 (2019)
Illustration
Acts 5:27-32
This lesson is the story of what the Holy Spirit can do to change lives, the courage the Spirit gave Peter to witness to authorities, the courage given to the Church today to stand up to the powers that be. Regarding the Holy Spirit modern Latin Evangelical theologian Zaida Perez has written:
I love the Holy Spirit. She is like the wild child of the Trinity, anywhere and everywhere moving, calling forth, and stirring things up. Yes, the Sprit stirs things up. Like famed 20th-century theologian said about the Spirit, He is “the awakening power in which Jesus Christ forms and continually renews His body...” (Church Dogmatics, Vol.IV/1, p.643).
As for how this power of the Spirit prods the Church to challenge society, the modern Christian martyr Dietrich Bonhoeffer gave us glimpses of that prior to his assassination for his engagement in a plot to kill Hitler. He wrote:
Jesus Christ lived in the midst of his enemies. At the end all his disciples deserted him. On the cross He was utterly alone, surrounded by evildoers and mockers. For this cause he had come, to bring peace to the enemies of God. So the Christian, too, belongs not in the seclusion of a cloistered life but in the thick of foes.
We need to be careful, he adds, for “Christendom adjusts itself far too easily to the worship of power. Christians should give more offense, shock the world far more, than they are doing now.” The Holy Spirit shocks the world whenever He speaks. Let’s be sure we are listening.
Mark E.
* * *
Acts 5:27-32
Our current church communities seem increasingly reluctant to embrace the word “evangelism.” Talking about our faith, reflecting on our relationship with God makes many of us uncomfortable. After all many of us were taught that in polite society we shouldn’t talk about politics or religion. Yet, in our current context there is a real need for us to speak about our faith. That is what Peter is proclaiming. As witnesses of the wonders of God, the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, we cannot keep silent. We, who know God through Jesus and the Holy Spirit, should not keep silent either. There are many in our midst hungry for the spiritual connections and relationships we have. If we proclaim our faith and our relationship, maybe some of those will also come to know faith. How can we not speak out, evangelize?
Bonnie B.
* * *
Acts 5:27-32
It sounds like the disciples could also be in danger of execution if they keep preaching about the one that had been killed. They are really on the spot if they don’t stop the disciples. But the disciples were brave guys plus they knew that Christ would not desert them even if they faced death — which most did face later.
Even our country would have trouble facing an accusation of executing the wrong man.
Right now several of our important politicians are being accused of crimes that they might or might not have committed. Who is willing to stand up for them unless they know the accusations are false?
Christians in some countries face possible death if they stand firm in their faith.
What would we do?
We must be proud of our faith.
Bob O.
* * *
Revelation 4:1-8
In 1996 Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City hosted 75,000 men for a Promise Keepers conference. It was one of the largest gatherings of Christians I’d attended. After the last session on Friday night, the men there were led in singing the hymn, “Holy, Holy, Holy.” It is a scene that is indelibly etched in my mind. 75,000 men’s voices unaccompanied by music, reverberated through the stadium. It was a wonderful time of worship.
Reading this passage reminds me of that wonderful Friday night. “And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and inside.” Day and night without ceasing they sing, ‘Holy, holy, holy, the Lord God the Almighty, who was and is and is to come’” (vs. 8). As incredible as the worship was in Kansas City on that fall Friday night, it was a mere shadow compared to the worship that is in heaven. Theologian D.A. Carson wrote, “Worship is the proper response of all moral, sentient beings to God, ascribing all honor and worth to their Creator-God precisely because he is worthy, delightfully so.”
Bill T.
* * *
Revelation 1:4-8
There is something breathtaking about just how seditious the good news of Jesus Christ can be. You may remember that one of the highlights of Paul’s story in the Acts of the Apostles is when he appeals his case to Caesar. That’s because Caesar was considered the ruler over and above all other rulers, the one who could forgive transgressions and wipe clean someone’s slate. And what is the claim made in the Revelation of Jesus Christ by Jesus Christ in this first chapter of the book? Jesus is “the ruler of the kings of the earth,” and not only that, he “freed us from our sins by his blood….” Jesus claims the titles that are claimed for Caesar. Those who first heard these words must have been astonished, but 2000 years later who is still honored, who is still glorified, who is still recognized as the ruler of the kings of the earth and the one who freed us from our sins by his blood? Christ or Caesar?
Staggering.
Frank R.
* * *
Revelation 1:4b-8
In Judaism God is considered the beginning and end of all things. The Hebrew word for truth is “emeth.” Hebrew originally had no vowels, so the word “emeth” is composed of three consonants, “aleph,” “mem,” and “tau.” The word “emeth” came to symbolize God because “aleph” is the first letter of the alphabet, “mem” the middle letter, and “tau” the last letter. It was confessed that “emeth” stood for the beginning, middle, end, and therefore God. For a Jew, “the Beginning and the End” was a title for God.
The New Testament writers continued this presupposition when they translated “emeth” into Greek. Designating that Jesus was the beginning and the end, the first and the last, they took the phrase “from aleph to tau” and translated it to “from alpha to omega,” with “alpha” being the first letter of the Greek alphabet and “omega” the last.
Ron L.
* * *
John 20:19-31
On this day when attendance is down compared to last week, it is tempting to bash Thomas and those who were present last Sunday and not today. John Calvin provides a warning about this kind of self-righteousness:
Besides this obstinacy of Thomas is an example to show that this wickedness is almost natural to all men... (Calvin’s Commentaries, Vol.XVIII/1, p.274)
Yet despite our hardhearted disbelief, Jesus keeps coming for all us Thomases. He comes not in fantastic miraculous appearances, but in the ordinary things of life. Martin Luther nicely explained these seemingly “natural” ways in which Jesus keeps on appearing to us:
... [Christ] does not come with a great voice, with storm and commotion, but very orderly; not changing nor breaking anything in the outward affairs of human life...Thus He does not derange and displace anything in man, neither his sense nor his reason; but He illuminates and changes for the better his heart and reason. (Complete Sermons, Vol.1/2, p.384)
When Christ comes into your life in this way, it gives a peace and assurance that no evil can overcome. And so Luther adds that “if you look to Christ and believe on Him, no evil that may befall you is so great that it can harm you and cause you to despair.” (Complete Sermons, Vol.1/2, p.357)
Mark E.
* * *
John 20:19-31
The word “breath” and “spirit” come from the same Greek word. There are many words like that in the Bible.
Even though Jesus had risen from the dead they still locked their doors for fear. What would we do if we saw evidence like that in front of us?
The disciple Thomas had not seen our Lord with his own eyes. But then neither have we. What will it take to make us believers? One reason it won’t hurt us is that we believe the words of our parents and grandparents, and, of course, the words of our pastor. How many Thomases do we have in our church?
I only had one member in my California church who had seen the Lord. He called me over one day to tell me about it. His name was Fred. Fred had a bad heart so his son who lived close would check on him every day. Fred told me that the day before he had spent the day with his wife Mildred who was in the hospital dying of cancer. When he got home that day he had a terrible heart pain. It was so bad he could not even reach for his phone to call his son. Then suddenly he felt himself floating up and up until he saw a figure in white who he assumed was Jesus. Jesus spoke to him. “Are you ready Fred?” Fred answered him “Yes Lord, but I would like to be with Mildred while she is still alive.” Jesus said, “Okay” and then he felt Jesus hands pushing him down, down, down until he woke up in bed without any pain.
Fred said his son took him to his doctor the next day, but his doctor told him that his heart was healed. When I was with Fred at his wife’s funeral he was smiling. I thought he would be sad, but he told me “I know where she is and I know I will see her again.”
Not many have had his experience though there is a book about it by Dr. Moody.
Our church is here to help all the Thomases.
Bob O.
* * *
John 20:19-31
Have you ever had doubts? Have you ever wondered if God was present in this moment and time? Have you ever wondered if God really hears the prayers you pray or acts in the world you inhabit? If so, you are just like Thomas. We give Thomas a hard time, but we forget the other disciples had already seen Jesus in their midst. Thomas had not had that physical, sensual experience. He has more questions than answers.
Like us, Thomas has doubts. Yet, Jesus does not condemn Thomas. Rather Jesus offers himself to Thomas — then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe." When we are besieged by doubt it is hard to see clearly. We need others to accompany us, Jesus to fill us with faith and certainty. So, ask your questions. Wonder about the presence of God. Pray in uncertainty. Jesus will be there.
Bonnie B.
This lesson is the story of what the Holy Spirit can do to change lives, the courage the Spirit gave Peter to witness to authorities, the courage given to the Church today to stand up to the powers that be. Regarding the Holy Spirit modern Latin Evangelical theologian Zaida Perez has written:
I love the Holy Spirit. She is like the wild child of the Trinity, anywhere and everywhere moving, calling forth, and stirring things up. Yes, the Sprit stirs things up. Like famed 20th-century theologian said about the Spirit, He is “the awakening power in which Jesus Christ forms and continually renews His body...” (Church Dogmatics, Vol.IV/1, p.643).
As for how this power of the Spirit prods the Church to challenge society, the modern Christian martyr Dietrich Bonhoeffer gave us glimpses of that prior to his assassination for his engagement in a plot to kill Hitler. He wrote:
Jesus Christ lived in the midst of his enemies. At the end all his disciples deserted him. On the cross He was utterly alone, surrounded by evildoers and mockers. For this cause he had come, to bring peace to the enemies of God. So the Christian, too, belongs not in the seclusion of a cloistered life but in the thick of foes.
We need to be careful, he adds, for “Christendom adjusts itself far too easily to the worship of power. Christians should give more offense, shock the world far more, than they are doing now.” The Holy Spirit shocks the world whenever He speaks. Let’s be sure we are listening.
Mark E.
* * *
Acts 5:27-32
Our current church communities seem increasingly reluctant to embrace the word “evangelism.” Talking about our faith, reflecting on our relationship with God makes many of us uncomfortable. After all many of us were taught that in polite society we shouldn’t talk about politics or religion. Yet, in our current context there is a real need for us to speak about our faith. That is what Peter is proclaiming. As witnesses of the wonders of God, the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, we cannot keep silent. We, who know God through Jesus and the Holy Spirit, should not keep silent either. There are many in our midst hungry for the spiritual connections and relationships we have. If we proclaim our faith and our relationship, maybe some of those will also come to know faith. How can we not speak out, evangelize?
Bonnie B.
* * *
Acts 5:27-32
It sounds like the disciples could also be in danger of execution if they keep preaching about the one that had been killed. They are really on the spot if they don’t stop the disciples. But the disciples were brave guys plus they knew that Christ would not desert them even if they faced death — which most did face later.
Even our country would have trouble facing an accusation of executing the wrong man.
Right now several of our important politicians are being accused of crimes that they might or might not have committed. Who is willing to stand up for them unless they know the accusations are false?
Christians in some countries face possible death if they stand firm in their faith.
What would we do?
We must be proud of our faith.
Bob O.
* * *
Revelation 4:1-8
In 1996 Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City hosted 75,000 men for a Promise Keepers conference. It was one of the largest gatherings of Christians I’d attended. After the last session on Friday night, the men there were led in singing the hymn, “Holy, Holy, Holy.” It is a scene that is indelibly etched in my mind. 75,000 men’s voices unaccompanied by music, reverberated through the stadium. It was a wonderful time of worship.
Reading this passage reminds me of that wonderful Friday night. “And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and inside.” Day and night without ceasing they sing, ‘Holy, holy, holy, the Lord God the Almighty, who was and is and is to come’” (vs. 8). As incredible as the worship was in Kansas City on that fall Friday night, it was a mere shadow compared to the worship that is in heaven. Theologian D.A. Carson wrote, “Worship is the proper response of all moral, sentient beings to God, ascribing all honor and worth to their Creator-God precisely because he is worthy, delightfully so.”
Bill T.
* * *
Revelation 1:4-8
There is something breathtaking about just how seditious the good news of Jesus Christ can be. You may remember that one of the highlights of Paul’s story in the Acts of the Apostles is when he appeals his case to Caesar. That’s because Caesar was considered the ruler over and above all other rulers, the one who could forgive transgressions and wipe clean someone’s slate. And what is the claim made in the Revelation of Jesus Christ by Jesus Christ in this first chapter of the book? Jesus is “the ruler of the kings of the earth,” and not only that, he “freed us from our sins by his blood….” Jesus claims the titles that are claimed for Caesar. Those who first heard these words must have been astonished, but 2000 years later who is still honored, who is still glorified, who is still recognized as the ruler of the kings of the earth and the one who freed us from our sins by his blood? Christ or Caesar?
Staggering.
Frank R.
* * *
Revelation 1:4b-8
In Judaism God is considered the beginning and end of all things. The Hebrew word for truth is “emeth.” Hebrew originally had no vowels, so the word “emeth” is composed of three consonants, “aleph,” “mem,” and “tau.” The word “emeth” came to symbolize God because “aleph” is the first letter of the alphabet, “mem” the middle letter, and “tau” the last letter. It was confessed that “emeth” stood for the beginning, middle, end, and therefore God. For a Jew, “the Beginning and the End” was a title for God.
The New Testament writers continued this presupposition when they translated “emeth” into Greek. Designating that Jesus was the beginning and the end, the first and the last, they took the phrase “from aleph to tau” and translated it to “from alpha to omega,” with “alpha” being the first letter of the Greek alphabet and “omega” the last.
Ron L.
* * *
John 20:19-31
On this day when attendance is down compared to last week, it is tempting to bash Thomas and those who were present last Sunday and not today. John Calvin provides a warning about this kind of self-righteousness:
Besides this obstinacy of Thomas is an example to show that this wickedness is almost natural to all men... (Calvin’s Commentaries, Vol.XVIII/1, p.274)
Yet despite our hardhearted disbelief, Jesus keeps coming for all us Thomases. He comes not in fantastic miraculous appearances, but in the ordinary things of life. Martin Luther nicely explained these seemingly “natural” ways in which Jesus keeps on appearing to us:
... [Christ] does not come with a great voice, with storm and commotion, but very orderly; not changing nor breaking anything in the outward affairs of human life...Thus He does not derange and displace anything in man, neither his sense nor his reason; but He illuminates and changes for the better his heart and reason. (Complete Sermons, Vol.1/2, p.384)
When Christ comes into your life in this way, it gives a peace and assurance that no evil can overcome. And so Luther adds that “if you look to Christ and believe on Him, no evil that may befall you is so great that it can harm you and cause you to despair.” (Complete Sermons, Vol.1/2, p.357)
Mark E.
* * *
John 20:19-31
The word “breath” and “spirit” come from the same Greek word. There are many words like that in the Bible.
Even though Jesus had risen from the dead they still locked their doors for fear. What would we do if we saw evidence like that in front of us?
The disciple Thomas had not seen our Lord with his own eyes. But then neither have we. What will it take to make us believers? One reason it won’t hurt us is that we believe the words of our parents and grandparents, and, of course, the words of our pastor. How many Thomases do we have in our church?
I only had one member in my California church who had seen the Lord. He called me over one day to tell me about it. His name was Fred. Fred had a bad heart so his son who lived close would check on him every day. Fred told me that the day before he had spent the day with his wife Mildred who was in the hospital dying of cancer. When he got home that day he had a terrible heart pain. It was so bad he could not even reach for his phone to call his son. Then suddenly he felt himself floating up and up until he saw a figure in white who he assumed was Jesus. Jesus spoke to him. “Are you ready Fred?” Fred answered him “Yes Lord, but I would like to be with Mildred while she is still alive.” Jesus said, “Okay” and then he felt Jesus hands pushing him down, down, down until he woke up in bed without any pain.
Fred said his son took him to his doctor the next day, but his doctor told him that his heart was healed. When I was with Fred at his wife’s funeral he was smiling. I thought he would be sad, but he told me “I know where she is and I know I will see her again.”
Not many have had his experience though there is a book about it by Dr. Moody.
Our church is here to help all the Thomases.
Bob O.
* * *
John 20:19-31
Have you ever had doubts? Have you ever wondered if God was present in this moment and time? Have you ever wondered if God really hears the prayers you pray or acts in the world you inhabit? If so, you are just like Thomas. We give Thomas a hard time, but we forget the other disciples had already seen Jesus in their midst. Thomas had not had that physical, sensual experience. He has more questions than answers.
Like us, Thomas has doubts. Yet, Jesus does not condemn Thomas. Rather Jesus offers himself to Thomas — then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe." When we are besieged by doubt it is hard to see clearly. We need others to accompany us, Jesus to fill us with faith and certainty. So, ask your questions. Wonder about the presence of God. Pray in uncertainty. Jesus will be there.
Bonnie B.
