Sermon illustrations for Easter 5 (2013)
Illustration
Object:
Acts 11:1-18
There is a pastor in a large U.S. city who leads an eclectic Christian community. It is made up of agnostics, outcasts, and even those of other faiths. There are no membership papers needed to belong. One individual who has gotten into trouble for impersonating heroic veterans and for stealing attends the church fellowship, which strives to model Jesus in this crazy, messy world. When asked how this individual is different now because of his involvement, she responds, "He is now our sociopathic lying, stealing individual." Peter's rooftop insight about the inclusive love of God needs to be applied in the most difficult of circumstances at the crossroads of humanity.
Mark M.
Acts 11:1-18
There is a lesson in this passage for all denominations. We all have our rules and doctrines: How much water does it take to make baptism official, and how old were you when you were baptized? How do you serve the bread and wine at communion? Do you have grape juice or is the bread unleavened? When I was a child in church, women wore hats and men could not wear them. How shocking it was when I first moved west and the cowboys did not remove their hats in church! In Peter's day circumcision was still a mark of conversion like baptism, but he had to explain that because of his experience with a household of uncircumcised men, which God had directed him to, he had to change his ideas. This was quite a battle in the early church and was keeping some Gentiles away. I had a Jew come to the altar for communion with his longtime Christian friend. His friend told me that the Jew had accepted Christ, but because of his family had not made any official move to join. That was a hard moment for me, since I had not talked with him before the service. As all pastors do, I left it in the conscience of those who came forward.
Another time in a church in Weehawken I was visiting a family whose daughter had just turned confirmation age. They did not come themselves except once when they first moved there. The father of the girl asked if I would like something to drink. I assumed it would be a cup of coffee or tea, but he came with a bottle of scotch and a shot glass. I talked for a while, but he just stared at the bottle. Finally I poured a little in the glass but went on talking. He went on starring at the bottle. Finally I took a deep breath and downed the glass. I could not talk for a few seconds, but the man smiled at me and said, "At last I found a pastor who didn't think he was too good to take a drink with me!" After that his daughter joined our class and the man and his wife started coming to church. So we have to be careful we are not putting barriers up that keep some from coming to the Lord or to his church.
We have to be careful that our "principles" don't keep others away. The Pharisees were the most "principled" people in Jesus' day! I won't get into what it means to be baptized in the Holy Spirit, which has been interpreted differently in many churches. All I can say is that if I see signs of the love of God working powerfully in a person, I have to reexamine my prejudices. Of course, we have to decide if we are violating God's laws! Many churches are still struggling with the recent rule making it acceptable for gay couples to marry. We must each decide what the Lord is telling us! Listen and learn.
Bob O.
Revelation 21:1-6
To behold the New Jerusalem is to see life on earth differently. It is a vision that like a good "mother" (v. 2) comforts us, helps us endure present trials. John Wesley's mother Susanna writes: "But we are to understand by the life everlasting a full and perfect enjoyment of solid inexpressible joy and felicity... those dark and mysterious methods of providence which here puzzle and confound the wisest heads... shall be there unriddled in moment; and we shall clearly perceive that all the evils which befall good men in this life were the corrections of a merciful Father... And we shall for ever adore and praise that infinite power and goodness which safely conducted the soul through the rough waves of this tempestuous ocean to the calm haven of peace and everlasting tranquility" (Amy Oden, ed., In Her Words, p. 264).
Life and its trials are a lot better, more meaningful, from the comforting perspective of God's final aims.
Mark E.
Revelation 21:1-6
John Adams, the second president of the United States, told his son Johnny (who would become the sixth president), "You will never be alone in the world with a poet in your pocket." John Adams realized that to understand human nature and be an enlightened individual, his son should always have in his possession a book of poetry.
Ron L.
John 13:31-35
From Mother Teresa we hear these words exalting the command to love: "[God] cannot command the impossible. Love is a fruit in season at all times, and within reach of every hand. Anyone may gather it and no limit is set."
Mark M.
John 13:31-35
I thought Jesus was always glorified, but it seems here as though the Father glorified him "at once," but also that God is glorified in Him! There are some things in scripture that we can't analyze. We have to accept them because sometimes they are revealed later, so as Luther said, we just pick up our hat and go on to something we can understand.
We can understand that Jesus did not hang around too long after he was raised. He was only there long enough to get things moving in the right direction. It took him two or three times, but eventually his disciples caught on so that he could leave. Then he gives us what seems like contradictory words: "Where I am going you cannot come." I thought we would all go to where he was going when we died. Did he mean right then while he was talking to them -- before they died? He also said in other places that we would be with him for eternity! Again we have to take up our hat and move on, but the next verse is clear, love. The hard part is for us to love others as he loved us! Look at the extreme -- the agony -- he went through to show his love for us! It is easy to love our friends, but Jesus tells us that we should also love our enemies! He even forgave those who crucified him. That makes it hard for the soldier who is called to kill our enemies! I know many soldiers who have come to me with confusion and pain over that command. I read that half of the ammunition is wasted in most of our wars, not because the soldiers are such bad shots, but because they shoot in the air. I have talked with some in the air force who admitted that they dropped their bombs in the English Channel because they did not want to bomb an area where there were schools and hospitals. I heard that from German soldiers also! You have to be taught to hate!
If we show love to others it will show that we are Jesus' disciples. It was when the Nepali saw our love that they were converted. We did not preach powerful sermons or prove our faith by quoting the Bible. They saw love in our actions to them and came to church to find out about this strange God who we said was the only true God. It was not our words but our actions that won them over. Do we show that love today wherever we are? Do we even show it to our family when there are fights? Do we show it in our workplace? Don't forget that this is not Jesus' suggestion! It is his command! So let love be the center of your life.
Bob O.
There is a pastor in a large U.S. city who leads an eclectic Christian community. It is made up of agnostics, outcasts, and even those of other faiths. There are no membership papers needed to belong. One individual who has gotten into trouble for impersonating heroic veterans and for stealing attends the church fellowship, which strives to model Jesus in this crazy, messy world. When asked how this individual is different now because of his involvement, she responds, "He is now our sociopathic lying, stealing individual." Peter's rooftop insight about the inclusive love of God needs to be applied in the most difficult of circumstances at the crossroads of humanity.
Mark M.
Acts 11:1-18
There is a lesson in this passage for all denominations. We all have our rules and doctrines: How much water does it take to make baptism official, and how old were you when you were baptized? How do you serve the bread and wine at communion? Do you have grape juice or is the bread unleavened? When I was a child in church, women wore hats and men could not wear them. How shocking it was when I first moved west and the cowboys did not remove their hats in church! In Peter's day circumcision was still a mark of conversion like baptism, but he had to explain that because of his experience with a household of uncircumcised men, which God had directed him to, he had to change his ideas. This was quite a battle in the early church and was keeping some Gentiles away. I had a Jew come to the altar for communion with his longtime Christian friend. His friend told me that the Jew had accepted Christ, but because of his family had not made any official move to join. That was a hard moment for me, since I had not talked with him before the service. As all pastors do, I left it in the conscience of those who came forward.
Another time in a church in Weehawken I was visiting a family whose daughter had just turned confirmation age. They did not come themselves except once when they first moved there. The father of the girl asked if I would like something to drink. I assumed it would be a cup of coffee or tea, but he came with a bottle of scotch and a shot glass. I talked for a while, but he just stared at the bottle. Finally I poured a little in the glass but went on talking. He went on starring at the bottle. Finally I took a deep breath and downed the glass. I could not talk for a few seconds, but the man smiled at me and said, "At last I found a pastor who didn't think he was too good to take a drink with me!" After that his daughter joined our class and the man and his wife started coming to church. So we have to be careful we are not putting barriers up that keep some from coming to the Lord or to his church.
We have to be careful that our "principles" don't keep others away. The Pharisees were the most "principled" people in Jesus' day! I won't get into what it means to be baptized in the Holy Spirit, which has been interpreted differently in many churches. All I can say is that if I see signs of the love of God working powerfully in a person, I have to reexamine my prejudices. Of course, we have to decide if we are violating God's laws! Many churches are still struggling with the recent rule making it acceptable for gay couples to marry. We must each decide what the Lord is telling us! Listen and learn.
Bob O.
Revelation 21:1-6
To behold the New Jerusalem is to see life on earth differently. It is a vision that like a good "mother" (v. 2) comforts us, helps us endure present trials. John Wesley's mother Susanna writes: "But we are to understand by the life everlasting a full and perfect enjoyment of solid inexpressible joy and felicity... those dark and mysterious methods of providence which here puzzle and confound the wisest heads... shall be there unriddled in moment; and we shall clearly perceive that all the evils which befall good men in this life were the corrections of a merciful Father... And we shall for ever adore and praise that infinite power and goodness which safely conducted the soul through the rough waves of this tempestuous ocean to the calm haven of peace and everlasting tranquility" (Amy Oden, ed., In Her Words, p. 264).
Life and its trials are a lot better, more meaningful, from the comforting perspective of God's final aims.
Mark E.
Revelation 21:1-6
John Adams, the second president of the United States, told his son Johnny (who would become the sixth president), "You will never be alone in the world with a poet in your pocket." John Adams realized that to understand human nature and be an enlightened individual, his son should always have in his possession a book of poetry.
Ron L.
John 13:31-35
From Mother Teresa we hear these words exalting the command to love: "[God] cannot command the impossible. Love is a fruit in season at all times, and within reach of every hand. Anyone may gather it and no limit is set."
Mark M.
John 13:31-35
I thought Jesus was always glorified, but it seems here as though the Father glorified him "at once," but also that God is glorified in Him! There are some things in scripture that we can't analyze. We have to accept them because sometimes they are revealed later, so as Luther said, we just pick up our hat and go on to something we can understand.
We can understand that Jesus did not hang around too long after he was raised. He was only there long enough to get things moving in the right direction. It took him two or three times, but eventually his disciples caught on so that he could leave. Then he gives us what seems like contradictory words: "Where I am going you cannot come." I thought we would all go to where he was going when we died. Did he mean right then while he was talking to them -- before they died? He also said in other places that we would be with him for eternity! Again we have to take up our hat and move on, but the next verse is clear, love. The hard part is for us to love others as he loved us! Look at the extreme -- the agony -- he went through to show his love for us! It is easy to love our friends, but Jesus tells us that we should also love our enemies! He even forgave those who crucified him. That makes it hard for the soldier who is called to kill our enemies! I know many soldiers who have come to me with confusion and pain over that command. I read that half of the ammunition is wasted in most of our wars, not because the soldiers are such bad shots, but because they shoot in the air. I have talked with some in the air force who admitted that they dropped their bombs in the English Channel because they did not want to bomb an area where there were schools and hospitals. I heard that from German soldiers also! You have to be taught to hate!
If we show love to others it will show that we are Jesus' disciples. It was when the Nepali saw our love that they were converted. We did not preach powerful sermons or prove our faith by quoting the Bible. They saw love in our actions to them and came to church to find out about this strange God who we said was the only true God. It was not our words but our actions that won them over. Do we show that love today wherever we are? Do we even show it to our family when there are fights? Do we show it in our workplace? Don't forget that this is not Jesus' suggestion! It is his command! So let love be the center of your life.
Bob O.
