Sermon Illustrations For Easter 7 (2017)
Illustration
Acts 1:6-14
Imagine the mystery of watching a friend whom you have loved being taken up to heaven. How would you respond? Now, we can wonder whether the ascension actually happened in the way it is recorded by Luke, but that is not the point. The point is that the human/divine living Christ no longer walks on this planet with us. We have been left to do the work of faithfulness. Just as the disciples gathered in prayer and discernment about their next steps in living out their faith, we too must discern our paths of righteousness.
Our lives are to be lived as examples of the faith that has been exemplified through the life of Jesus. Just because he is not physically present with us does not mean that we are alone. Jesus is present when we sit in meditation and prayer, when we gather with other disciples and followers, when we are at work in the world trying to bring about justice, peace, and love. We live. Jesus lives. Together we make a difference in the world. Praise God, may it be so.
Bonnie B.
Acts 1:6-14
Offensive lineman Jerry Kramer wrote a first-person account of a championship year with the legendary Green Bay Packers of the 1960s. In one of the early scenes, Kramer wrote about the first team meeting when coach Vince Lombardi outlined the rules. He then brought up two running backs who were missing: Paul Hornung, who’d been with the team for ten years, and Jimmy Taylor, who’d played for nine. During the off-season Hornung had been picked up in the expansion draft when New Orleans joined the league, but Taylor had chosen to leave for a better financial offer. Kramer wrote:
“We’re going to miss Paul Hornumg,” Lombardi said. “We’re going to miss Paul a great deal. He was a leader and he added a lot of spice to professional football. We’re all going to miss him.”
And then Vince said, “We will replace the other fellow.”
He does have a thing about loyalty.
(Instant Replay: The Green Bay Diary of Jerry Kramer, by Jerry Kramer and Dick Schaap [Doubleday, 1968, p. 28)
In the first chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, Judas Iscariot is gone from their midst. It is apparent that the apostles “will replace the other fellow,” who will never be mentioned again.
Frank R.
Acts 1:6-14
Why are some Christians trying to set a date for Jesus’ return to us? They told us that he would return in the year 2000. We are still waiting. It is interesting to notice if we check carefully that Jesus was born about three or four years before 0 AD. (He didn’t come in the 1990s either!)
It might be something like Christmas, when Santa is checking our behavior long before that day. We should be preparing ourselves for that day all year long and not just counting the days.
Yes, we should always be preparing for his coming -- whether it will be his descending from heaven to receive all Christians or if we go to him first in our own death. That day could come in an auto accident without us being prepared, or we could prepare for that day while lying in our hospice bed counting the days we have left.
Before that last day we can receive power from our Lord so that we can witness for him right now on earth. We may be witnesses to our next door neighbor or on the mission field in some foreign country, or we may help prepare for that day by our contributions in the church offering.
We don’t know how our Lord will return, but instead of staring up into the sky waiting for that day we should rather spend our time in constant prayer. That is what church is for, so we can be waiting together for him. Yes, he is coming -- but don’t sit around doing nothing but staring into the sky.
Bob O.
1 Peter 4:12-14; 5:6-11
In the television show Touched by an Angel there is an episode in which the angels must confront the devil. He appears as a child, and fools some of the people around him into inviting him in and letting him be a part of their lives. None of the humans recognize him as the devil. At the end of the episode, however, he shows his true self. He is a ferocious lion who wants to devour an expectant mother and her child. The thrust of the episode is that great faith on the part of the young mother’s friends and family resists the devil. He is rendered powerless and unable to harm her because of their faith in Jesus Christ. The final scene of the episode is of a cat scampering away down the street.
I thought about that episode as I read this familiar passage once again. The devil is like a roaring lion. He does seek to harm and devour anyone he can. Peter makes it clear that we are to resist him. James tells us to “resist the devil and he will flee” (James 4:7). This passage is a challenge and a comfort to us. The devil may seem fierce, but resisting him with faith renders him powerless.
Bill T.
1 Peter 4:12-14; 5:6-11
The great and well-respected golfer Lee “Supermex” Trevino won the 1994 PGA Seniors championship. After Trevino signed his scorecard, a young fan came up to him and said: “I’d give my life to be able to golf like you do.” Trevino smiled, shook the boy’s hand, and then instructed the youngster with these words: “I did.”
Application: Our reading talks about the importance of spiritual discipline.
Ron L.
1 Peter 4:12-14; 5:6-11
The Trump election revealed that there is a lot of pain and suffering in American society, and the drug epidemic illustrates that even further. Immediately, when we think of suffering the question becomes whether God sent it. English theologian Arthur Peacocke has offered an interesting image, to think of God as the bandleader or composer to a band (as reported in Larry Witham, Where Darwin Meets the Bible, pp.48, 288). Yes, the music of the band is in the control of the bandleaders. But errors may be made by the musicians, some bad music may be played that is not the composer’s or bandleader’s fault. So while God is in control, it does not mean that the suffering we experience is God’s fault. In that spirit, Martin Luther offers comfort in face of suffering: “You have the kind of promise that makes you sure that God does not forsake you, but that he cares about you. Therefore forget about all your anxiety, and let him manage” (Luther’s Works, Vol. 30, p. 140).
Famed German theologian Jurgen Moltmannn quotes the 19th-century German writer Johann von Goethe to make the case that the hope of suffering being relieved in the future is already a present reality to us as we are suffering: “Why go chasing distant fancies? Lo, the good is ever near! Only learn to grasp your chances! Happiness is always here.”
Suffering cannot win when happiness is already present, and it is present in the presence of God’s love.
Mark E.
John 17:1-11
It amazes me that Jesus prays for us, intercedes for us. In this passage Jesus is asking for the sanctification of his followers, asking for God’s blessing upon them. Jesus has given his all for us: taught us, healed us, forgiven us, and loved us. Through his actions and his entreaty of God, Jesus calls for our sanctification and blessing.
What have we done to earn this regard? Not much. But then again, neither did those with whom Jesus was daily interacting. As you will remember, they denied him, ran from his arrest, and even betrayed him. They weren’t particularly good at acting on what he had taught. Yet Jesus seeks God’s blessing for them. Jesus seeks the same blessings for us. We too should seek the same blessings for each other. As communities of the faithful, we are called to act on the teachings of Jesus: to be hope-, compassion-, mercy-, and love-filled people. This is not a way to earn God’s grace and Jesus’ blessing, which is already provided to us. Rather, it is a response to the gifts of grace and love we receive.
Bonnie B.
John 17:1-11
There is something cinematic about John’s gospel. He has an eye for what a scene looks like, and his transitions may involve a sudden shift in location. Chapters 13 to 16 are set in the Upper Room, as the feetwashing scene transitions into the Lord’s farewell discourse. In John 17:1 he seems to be outdoors, looking up to the heavens, and by the first verse of the next chapter he will, from there, head across the Kidron Valley. It’s an dramatically effective cutaway.
Frank R.
John 17:1-11
It sounds like eternal life starts NOW! It is eternal because it never ends. We may pass through a door in this world called death, but as Christians we know that is not the end. Our life is and will be eternal. We have that gift right now, so we don’t need to count our days on this earth. We will just pass through that door that we seem to fear.
When we see someone pass through that door, we could think of it as if a loved one were going to Hawaii. We will not see them again here and now, but we know that someday we will go to join them. We can look forward to that day with excitement and not dread.
My wife and I love to travel and see beautiful places we haven’t seen before. The only part I dread is that long uncomfortable flight over.
We might compare that to death, which will bring us to that beautiful heaven that we haven’t seen. The greatest blessing for me is that we won’t have to take that long flight back to earth. It is a permanent move where we will join many of our friends.
Our guarantee for that trip is that we know the one who has paid for it and we trust him. We look forward to living with him and feeling his love for us that will never end.
We are in God’s house, his church, so that we can be “one” with him here on earth and one with him for eternity. That should take away any of our anxieties about the future.
Bob O.
Imagine the mystery of watching a friend whom you have loved being taken up to heaven. How would you respond? Now, we can wonder whether the ascension actually happened in the way it is recorded by Luke, but that is not the point. The point is that the human/divine living Christ no longer walks on this planet with us. We have been left to do the work of faithfulness. Just as the disciples gathered in prayer and discernment about their next steps in living out their faith, we too must discern our paths of righteousness.
Our lives are to be lived as examples of the faith that has been exemplified through the life of Jesus. Just because he is not physically present with us does not mean that we are alone. Jesus is present when we sit in meditation and prayer, when we gather with other disciples and followers, when we are at work in the world trying to bring about justice, peace, and love. We live. Jesus lives. Together we make a difference in the world. Praise God, may it be so.
Bonnie B.
Acts 1:6-14
Offensive lineman Jerry Kramer wrote a first-person account of a championship year with the legendary Green Bay Packers of the 1960s. In one of the early scenes, Kramer wrote about the first team meeting when coach Vince Lombardi outlined the rules. He then brought up two running backs who were missing: Paul Hornung, who’d been with the team for ten years, and Jimmy Taylor, who’d played for nine. During the off-season Hornung had been picked up in the expansion draft when New Orleans joined the league, but Taylor had chosen to leave for a better financial offer. Kramer wrote:
“We’re going to miss Paul Hornumg,” Lombardi said. “We’re going to miss Paul a great deal. He was a leader and he added a lot of spice to professional football. We’re all going to miss him.”
And then Vince said, “We will replace the other fellow.”
He does have a thing about loyalty.
(Instant Replay: The Green Bay Diary of Jerry Kramer, by Jerry Kramer and Dick Schaap [Doubleday, 1968, p. 28)
In the first chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, Judas Iscariot is gone from their midst. It is apparent that the apostles “will replace the other fellow,” who will never be mentioned again.
Frank R.
Acts 1:6-14
Why are some Christians trying to set a date for Jesus’ return to us? They told us that he would return in the year 2000. We are still waiting. It is interesting to notice if we check carefully that Jesus was born about three or four years before 0 AD. (He didn’t come in the 1990s either!)
It might be something like Christmas, when Santa is checking our behavior long before that day. We should be preparing ourselves for that day all year long and not just counting the days.
Yes, we should always be preparing for his coming -- whether it will be his descending from heaven to receive all Christians or if we go to him first in our own death. That day could come in an auto accident without us being prepared, or we could prepare for that day while lying in our hospice bed counting the days we have left.
Before that last day we can receive power from our Lord so that we can witness for him right now on earth. We may be witnesses to our next door neighbor or on the mission field in some foreign country, or we may help prepare for that day by our contributions in the church offering.
We don’t know how our Lord will return, but instead of staring up into the sky waiting for that day we should rather spend our time in constant prayer. That is what church is for, so we can be waiting together for him. Yes, he is coming -- but don’t sit around doing nothing but staring into the sky.
Bob O.
1 Peter 4:12-14; 5:6-11
In the television show Touched by an Angel there is an episode in which the angels must confront the devil. He appears as a child, and fools some of the people around him into inviting him in and letting him be a part of their lives. None of the humans recognize him as the devil. At the end of the episode, however, he shows his true self. He is a ferocious lion who wants to devour an expectant mother and her child. The thrust of the episode is that great faith on the part of the young mother’s friends and family resists the devil. He is rendered powerless and unable to harm her because of their faith in Jesus Christ. The final scene of the episode is of a cat scampering away down the street.
I thought about that episode as I read this familiar passage once again. The devil is like a roaring lion. He does seek to harm and devour anyone he can. Peter makes it clear that we are to resist him. James tells us to “resist the devil and he will flee” (James 4:7). This passage is a challenge and a comfort to us. The devil may seem fierce, but resisting him with faith renders him powerless.
Bill T.
1 Peter 4:12-14; 5:6-11
The great and well-respected golfer Lee “Supermex” Trevino won the 1994 PGA Seniors championship. After Trevino signed his scorecard, a young fan came up to him and said: “I’d give my life to be able to golf like you do.” Trevino smiled, shook the boy’s hand, and then instructed the youngster with these words: “I did.”
Application: Our reading talks about the importance of spiritual discipline.
Ron L.
1 Peter 4:12-14; 5:6-11
The Trump election revealed that there is a lot of pain and suffering in American society, and the drug epidemic illustrates that even further. Immediately, when we think of suffering the question becomes whether God sent it. English theologian Arthur Peacocke has offered an interesting image, to think of God as the bandleader or composer to a band (as reported in Larry Witham, Where Darwin Meets the Bible, pp.48, 288). Yes, the music of the band is in the control of the bandleaders. But errors may be made by the musicians, some bad music may be played that is not the composer’s or bandleader’s fault. So while God is in control, it does not mean that the suffering we experience is God’s fault. In that spirit, Martin Luther offers comfort in face of suffering: “You have the kind of promise that makes you sure that God does not forsake you, but that he cares about you. Therefore forget about all your anxiety, and let him manage” (Luther’s Works, Vol. 30, p. 140).
Famed German theologian Jurgen Moltmannn quotes the 19th-century German writer Johann von Goethe to make the case that the hope of suffering being relieved in the future is already a present reality to us as we are suffering: “Why go chasing distant fancies? Lo, the good is ever near! Only learn to grasp your chances! Happiness is always here.”
Suffering cannot win when happiness is already present, and it is present in the presence of God’s love.
Mark E.
John 17:1-11
It amazes me that Jesus prays for us, intercedes for us. In this passage Jesus is asking for the sanctification of his followers, asking for God’s blessing upon them. Jesus has given his all for us: taught us, healed us, forgiven us, and loved us. Through his actions and his entreaty of God, Jesus calls for our sanctification and blessing.
What have we done to earn this regard? Not much. But then again, neither did those with whom Jesus was daily interacting. As you will remember, they denied him, ran from his arrest, and even betrayed him. They weren’t particularly good at acting on what he had taught. Yet Jesus seeks God’s blessing for them. Jesus seeks the same blessings for us. We too should seek the same blessings for each other. As communities of the faithful, we are called to act on the teachings of Jesus: to be hope-, compassion-, mercy-, and love-filled people. This is not a way to earn God’s grace and Jesus’ blessing, which is already provided to us. Rather, it is a response to the gifts of grace and love we receive.
Bonnie B.
John 17:1-11
There is something cinematic about John’s gospel. He has an eye for what a scene looks like, and his transitions may involve a sudden shift in location. Chapters 13 to 16 are set in the Upper Room, as the feetwashing scene transitions into the Lord’s farewell discourse. In John 17:1 he seems to be outdoors, looking up to the heavens, and by the first verse of the next chapter he will, from there, head across the Kidron Valley. It’s an dramatically effective cutaway.
Frank R.
John 17:1-11
It sounds like eternal life starts NOW! It is eternal because it never ends. We may pass through a door in this world called death, but as Christians we know that is not the end. Our life is and will be eternal. We have that gift right now, so we don’t need to count our days on this earth. We will just pass through that door that we seem to fear.
When we see someone pass through that door, we could think of it as if a loved one were going to Hawaii. We will not see them again here and now, but we know that someday we will go to join them. We can look forward to that day with excitement and not dread.
My wife and I love to travel and see beautiful places we haven’t seen before. The only part I dread is that long uncomfortable flight over.
We might compare that to death, which will bring us to that beautiful heaven that we haven’t seen. The greatest blessing for me is that we won’t have to take that long flight back to earth. It is a permanent move where we will join many of our friends.
Our guarantee for that trip is that we know the one who has paid for it and we trust him. We look forward to living with him and feeling his love for us that will never end.
We are in God’s house, his church, so that we can be “one” with him here on earth and one with him for eternity. That should take away any of our anxieties about the future.
Bob O.
