Sermon Illustrations For Easter 7 (2023)
Illustration
Acts 1:6-14
In the first chapter of Acts we witness the final words of Jesus before his Ascension, which includes the promise of the Holy Spirit, and the commission that follows. We then see how the male and female disciples remain faithful, gathering in the upper room, and “devoting themselves to prayer.” When we find ourselves in that interim between hearing the words of Jesus, and the commissioning that comes to our churches at various times with regards to new life and new programs, such as food banks, refugee resettlement, children’s programs, and other ways we serve each other and our community, it is important for us to gather faithfully in deliberate and discerning prayer.
Frank R.
* * *
Acts 1:6-14
A 2022 poll by the Ipsos Company done for the Episcopal Church produced some interesting data on how mainline Protestants and non-believers view Christianity and Jesus. The most important thing Jesus did, according to only 35% of mainline Protestants, was forgiving sins. It seems most Americans these days see Jesus more as a teacher. But the Ascension story reminds us that he’s an all-powerful king with authority!
John Calvin picks up on this theme to make clear for all what Christ’s real ministry is about. He once wrote: “... the chief consolation is to be derived from a fellowship with Christ.” (Calvin’s Commentaries, Vol.XXII/2, p.134) Martin Luther made a similar point regarding Christ’s main purpose here on earth:
The first thing you see in this person Christ is that he does not look at anyone with a sour face, treat anyone in an unfriendly manner, or frighten and drive anyone away from him; He invites all and draws all to him in the kindliest manner. (Luther’s Works, Vol.24, p.60)
Elaborating further on this, realizing that in the Ascension Christ is always with us, elsewhere Luther adds:
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)
Mark E.
* * *
Acts 1:6-14
The end times have been and continue to be a source of reflection, contemplation and sometimes speculation. When will Jesus return? How will Jesus return? We think about that. The angels who appear before the disciples at the Ascension remind them that Jesus is still with them — not simply raised, but within them. That is why they go forth and proclaim the Risen Christ. The angels may not have been clear, but the point isn’t where Jesus has gone, but that Jesus is still here — still with them and still with us. For this, I am truly grateful.
Bonnie B.
* * *
1 Peter 4:12-14, 5:6-11
When Peter writes, “…keep alert,” he is reiterating a theme that appears throughout the New Testament. Jesus warns us on more than one occasion that we need to pay attention. Paul says the same thing. But then Peter writes something that makes it clear that even if we’re not alert, we can hardly miss the snare set for us. “Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour.”
I live not far from a small zoo in the city of South Bend. I enjoyed walking my grandkids around the grounds. One of the favorites was a venerable old lion who, alas, died a year or two ago. It didn’t matter where in the zoo you stood, when the lion roared, your teeth rattled. His loud roars were physically upsetting. They shook your innards. When the lion roars, or when the adversary chooses us as a target, we’re going to know it. The trouble is, that roar may not be coming from the other side of the zoo. It might be coming from the next bush over. In which case, the warning is too late. That whole keep alert thing — it’s probably a good idea.
Frank R.
* * *
1 Peter 4:12-14, 5:6-11
On January 1st, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation which was as a presidential declaration and an executive order which freed the slaves in the Confederate states. With the signing of this proclamation, the legal status of over three million slaves was immediately changed from “slave” to “free”. History, however, notes that being legally free is a different thing from being functionally free. News of the slave’s freedom didn’t reach Florida until several months after the proclamation was drafted. It didn’t reach the slaves in Texas until Union soldiers marched into Galveston a full two years after the document proclaimed their freedom.
Being free and realizing that freedom does not always occur simultaneously. What was true of slaves in the United States happens to Christians, too. Peter writes, “And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, support, strengthen, and establish you” (vs. 10). Peter is encouraging his readers that even though they suffer now, their victory has been won by Jesus. For first century Christians and Christians today, endure the suffering we have now. Because of what Jesus did, the victory is ours.
Bill T.
* * *
John 17:1-11
Charles Spurgeon once said, “Satan always hates Christian fellowship; it is his policy to keep Christians apart. Anything which can divide saints from one another, he delights in. He attaches far more importance to godly intercourse than we do. Since union is strength, he does his best to promote separation.”
A.W. Tozer wrote, in his book The Pursuit of God, about how to attain unity.
Has it ever occurred to you that one hundred pianos all tuned to the same fork are automatically tuned to each other. They are of one accord by being tuned, not to each other, but to another standard to which each one must individually bow. So, one hundred worshipers [meeting] together, each one looking away to Christ, are in heart nearer to each other than they could possibly be, were they to become ‘unity’ conscious and turn their eyes away from God to strive for closer fellowship.
In his prayer, Jesus asks the Father to protect his disciples so that they would be one as he and the Father were one. The unity Jesus prayed for only happens when Christians’ hearts are individually in tune with the Holy Spirit. When each one is in tune, then the body is in tune. May we strive for that unity and harmony.
Bill T.
* * *
John 17:1-11
Jesus’ prayer for his disciples and followers is that we would know God as he knows God. Jesus strives to show us how to love while he is still with us. Sometimes the disciples got it; sometimes they did not. Do we? Do we understand our call to be one with God and with Jesus? Do we seek the protection of God and Jesus or do we seek the protection of the world? Where do we feel safest — in church, on our knees in prayer? I think too often we have forgotten from where our protection and safety comes, where our sanctification and mercy comes. A little later in this passage the prayer continues as Jesus asks God to help the believers be one. How might the world change if we rested in the safety and love of God, if we saw ourselves as one family in and through God? That, my friends, is my prayer.
Bonnie B.
* * *
John 17:1-11
About this text, John Calvin once wrote:
... faith must distinguish God from the vain inventions of men and embracing him with firm conviction, must never change or hesitate; and secondly, believing that there is nothing defective or imperfect in God, faith must be satisfied with Him alone. (Calvin’s Commentaries, Vol.XVIII/1, pp.166-167)
John Wesley reflected on the majestic vision Jesus sketches in this text. He wrote:
These are very high and strong expressions, too grand for any mere creature to use; as implying that all things whatever inclusive of the divine nature, perfections, and operations, are the common property of the Father and the Son. (Commentary On the Bible, p.469)
Luther’s closest colleague Philip Melanchthon offered penetrating insights about the sense in which Jesus’ prayer for unity among the faithful might be made incarnate. He wrote:
For he [Paul] says that love is a bond or unbroken chain in order to show that he is talking about linking and binding together members of the church with one another. In all families and communities, harmony needs to be nurtured by mutual responsibilities, and it is not possible to preserve tranquility unless people overlook and forgive certain mistakes among themselves. (The Book of Concord [2000 ed.], p.155)
Mark E.
In the first chapter of Acts we witness the final words of Jesus before his Ascension, which includes the promise of the Holy Spirit, and the commission that follows. We then see how the male and female disciples remain faithful, gathering in the upper room, and “devoting themselves to prayer.” When we find ourselves in that interim between hearing the words of Jesus, and the commissioning that comes to our churches at various times with regards to new life and new programs, such as food banks, refugee resettlement, children’s programs, and other ways we serve each other and our community, it is important for us to gather faithfully in deliberate and discerning prayer.
Frank R.
* * *
Acts 1:6-14
A 2022 poll by the Ipsos Company done for the Episcopal Church produced some interesting data on how mainline Protestants and non-believers view Christianity and Jesus. The most important thing Jesus did, according to only 35% of mainline Protestants, was forgiving sins. It seems most Americans these days see Jesus more as a teacher. But the Ascension story reminds us that he’s an all-powerful king with authority!
John Calvin picks up on this theme to make clear for all what Christ’s real ministry is about. He once wrote: “... the chief consolation is to be derived from a fellowship with Christ.” (Calvin’s Commentaries, Vol.XXII/2, p.134) Martin Luther made a similar point regarding Christ’s main purpose here on earth:
The first thing you see in this person Christ is that he does not look at anyone with a sour face, treat anyone in an unfriendly manner, or frighten and drive anyone away from him; He invites all and draws all to him in the kindliest manner. (Luther’s Works, Vol.24, p.60)
Elaborating further on this, realizing that in the Ascension Christ is always with us, elsewhere Luther adds:
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)
Mark E.
* * *
Acts 1:6-14
The end times have been and continue to be a source of reflection, contemplation and sometimes speculation. When will Jesus return? How will Jesus return? We think about that. The angels who appear before the disciples at the Ascension remind them that Jesus is still with them — not simply raised, but within them. That is why they go forth and proclaim the Risen Christ. The angels may not have been clear, but the point isn’t where Jesus has gone, but that Jesus is still here — still with them and still with us. For this, I am truly grateful.
Bonnie B.
* * *
1 Peter 4:12-14, 5:6-11
When Peter writes, “…keep alert,” he is reiterating a theme that appears throughout the New Testament. Jesus warns us on more than one occasion that we need to pay attention. Paul says the same thing. But then Peter writes something that makes it clear that even if we’re not alert, we can hardly miss the snare set for us. “Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour.”
I live not far from a small zoo in the city of South Bend. I enjoyed walking my grandkids around the grounds. One of the favorites was a venerable old lion who, alas, died a year or two ago. It didn’t matter where in the zoo you stood, when the lion roared, your teeth rattled. His loud roars were physically upsetting. They shook your innards. When the lion roars, or when the adversary chooses us as a target, we’re going to know it. The trouble is, that roar may not be coming from the other side of the zoo. It might be coming from the next bush over. In which case, the warning is too late. That whole keep alert thing — it’s probably a good idea.
Frank R.
* * *
1 Peter 4:12-14, 5:6-11
On January 1st, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation which was as a presidential declaration and an executive order which freed the slaves in the Confederate states. With the signing of this proclamation, the legal status of over three million slaves was immediately changed from “slave” to “free”. History, however, notes that being legally free is a different thing from being functionally free. News of the slave’s freedom didn’t reach Florida until several months after the proclamation was drafted. It didn’t reach the slaves in Texas until Union soldiers marched into Galveston a full two years after the document proclaimed their freedom.
Being free and realizing that freedom does not always occur simultaneously. What was true of slaves in the United States happens to Christians, too. Peter writes, “And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, support, strengthen, and establish you” (vs. 10). Peter is encouraging his readers that even though they suffer now, their victory has been won by Jesus. For first century Christians and Christians today, endure the suffering we have now. Because of what Jesus did, the victory is ours.
Bill T.
* * *
John 17:1-11
Charles Spurgeon once said, “Satan always hates Christian fellowship; it is his policy to keep Christians apart. Anything which can divide saints from one another, he delights in. He attaches far more importance to godly intercourse than we do. Since union is strength, he does his best to promote separation.”
A.W. Tozer wrote, in his book The Pursuit of God, about how to attain unity.
Has it ever occurred to you that one hundred pianos all tuned to the same fork are automatically tuned to each other. They are of one accord by being tuned, not to each other, but to another standard to which each one must individually bow. So, one hundred worshipers [meeting] together, each one looking away to Christ, are in heart nearer to each other than they could possibly be, were they to become ‘unity’ conscious and turn their eyes away from God to strive for closer fellowship.
In his prayer, Jesus asks the Father to protect his disciples so that they would be one as he and the Father were one. The unity Jesus prayed for only happens when Christians’ hearts are individually in tune with the Holy Spirit. When each one is in tune, then the body is in tune. May we strive for that unity and harmony.
Bill T.
* * *
John 17:1-11
Jesus’ prayer for his disciples and followers is that we would know God as he knows God. Jesus strives to show us how to love while he is still with us. Sometimes the disciples got it; sometimes they did not. Do we? Do we understand our call to be one with God and with Jesus? Do we seek the protection of God and Jesus or do we seek the protection of the world? Where do we feel safest — in church, on our knees in prayer? I think too often we have forgotten from where our protection and safety comes, where our sanctification and mercy comes. A little later in this passage the prayer continues as Jesus asks God to help the believers be one. How might the world change if we rested in the safety and love of God, if we saw ourselves as one family in and through God? That, my friends, is my prayer.
Bonnie B.
* * *
John 17:1-11
About this text, John Calvin once wrote:
... faith must distinguish God from the vain inventions of men and embracing him with firm conviction, must never change or hesitate; and secondly, believing that there is nothing defective or imperfect in God, faith must be satisfied with Him alone. (Calvin’s Commentaries, Vol.XVIII/1, pp.166-167)
John Wesley reflected on the majestic vision Jesus sketches in this text. He wrote:
These are very high and strong expressions, too grand for any mere creature to use; as implying that all things whatever inclusive of the divine nature, perfections, and operations, are the common property of the Father and the Son. (Commentary On the Bible, p.469)
Luther’s closest colleague Philip Melanchthon offered penetrating insights about the sense in which Jesus’ prayer for unity among the faithful might be made incarnate. He wrote:
For he [Paul] says that love is a bond or unbroken chain in order to show that he is talking about linking and binding together members of the church with one another. In all families and communities, harmony needs to be nurtured by mutual responsibilities, and it is not possible to preserve tranquility unless people overlook and forgive certain mistakes among themselves. (The Book of Concord [2000 ed.], p.155)
Mark E.
