Sermon Illustrations for Epiphany 2 | OT 2 (2013)
Illustration
Object:
Isaiah 62:1-5
The lesson refers to the people of faith relating to God like in a marital union. To think of our relationship with our Lord in these terms entails that the words of an old Swedish proverb especially apply to the faithful: Shared joy is a double joy; shared sorrow is half a sorrow.
The joys are better when they happen with Jesus, and the pain is not so bad when shared with him. Medieval mystic Bernard of Clairveaux provides more insights about our relationship with Jesus: "He [God's word] is living and full of energy. As soon as he entered into me he has awakened my sleeping soul. He has stirred and softened and wounded my heart which was torpid and hard as a rock" (Elmer O'Brien, ed., Varieties of Mystic Experience, p. 105).
Our marital union with Christ will soften and stir our hearts, wake us up, and energize us. That's what a relationship with our Lord does to us.
Mark E.
Isaiah 62:1-5
When I began my career as a pastor my dad gave me only one word of advice. Strange, when you think of the complexity of the job and the trauma a pastor is thrust into, that my father would focus on something so seemingly simplistic and incidental as I am about to report, until of course one pauses to contemplate the depth of its meaning. Dad simply said, "When you shake someone's hand at the door of the sanctuary, be sure to know their name."
When we know that God knows our name, we are no longer "forsaken."
Ron L.
1 Corinthians 12:1-11
In most baptismal services, a ritual of stirring up God's Spirit is performed. The pastor lays hands on the candidate's head praying for the Spirit's anointing.
Through baptism, God's sons and daughters are freed from sin and raised to new life. The Holy Spirit then uses their spiritual gifts to reveal God's love. In Paul's letter to the Corinthians, he lists some of those gifts: wisdom, healing, miracles, prophecy, knowledge, and others.
Virginia was envious of those who demonstrated more seemingly gifts.
"Patti uses the gift of wisdom in awesome ways. Jerry shares the gift of knowledge so easily. Daniel's gift of discernment enables us to see what is true or false."
"Then there's me -- I don't even have common sense!"
Oh, Virginia, but you do possess common sense. Pray for the Holy Spirit to use this vital gift for God's glory.
Cynthia C.
1 Corinthians 12:1-11
That passage may sound strange to those who have never left the US, but when I lived in Nepal, it was an everyday thing. We saw statues of those gods all over, and we even knew the names of some of them. One god we saw was huge! He was twenty feet or more long and covered with colorful powders. He must have been powerful! You could buy those powders near the reclining statue and dump them on him out of reverence. When we visited China and Japan, we saw huge statues of fat Buddhas in many places and believers were putting coins in a basin in front of them. Some were spinning prayer wheels. I never heard them speak a word! But neither did any of their worshipers. The reason they were worshiping these idols is that they didn't know anything else! They and their parents had always worshiped them. Are we Christians because we have always been, in perhaps several generations? What would we be if someone in our history -- new or ancient -- had not taught us about Jesus? As a missionary it was my job to introduce these people in Nepal to our Lord.
I could mention that even Muslims would never say "Jesus be cursed," though they did not accept him as Lord! Only God can look in their hearts and see what they believe.
What makes us better than those idol worshipers? Is it because we can say "Jesus is Lord"? The next question may be harder for some. "Why do we believe that Jesus is Lord?" Is it because we can quote the catechism? We don't need to have an experience like Saul on the road to Damascus! But there must come a time when we somehow know in our heart that He is Lord.
I think one of those times comes when we receive an assignment or a gift from our Lord. Our lesson lists a number of those gifts. Yes, most of us may receive a gift of wisdom, knowledge, and faith that makes us want to help each other. But others -- yes, even some Christians -- have gifts like healing, prophecy, and even mysterious tongues! We used to condemn these last ones when I first had MY mysterious experiences but now we are all accepted as good fellow Christians.
Maybe some of you will be called to "preach the gospel in all the world." But most will have other callings to serve our Lord right in your church at home. Don't miss those opportunities! They are God's blessing and opportunities to show your thankfulness to Him. God will give each of you the gifts to do what He is calling you to do! Keep your ears and heart open!
Bob O.
1 Corinthians 12:1-11
The most watched and most popular international sport is soccer, with the World Cup being the biggest prize for national teams. The next World Cup competition will be held in the summer of 2014 in Brazil. Each soccer team has eleven players on the field. Each player has a specific role to play, as well as a specific area of the field to cover. The positions are basically forwards (strikers), midfielders, defenders, and goalie. Different abilities are needed in each position in order to complement the play of other team members. For example, strikers can be either tall to facilitate play in the air or short and quick to work the ball on the ground. Midfielders are the best conditioned since they have to run most of the field playing forward and defender, depending on who has the ball. Goalies need to be tall and agile with lateral motion, good with their hands, and have quick reflexes to respond to shots on goal. For the team to be effective, each member must rely on the other to give their best effort with their specific talent. Then bring on the competition!
Mark M.
John 2:1-11
The early church fathers affirmed the Christological title of "Amen" as it was bestowed upon Jesus. Primasius, who was the Bishop of Hadrumetum in North Africa from 550 to 560, asserted this in his Commentary of the Apocalypse. The reader should note that many interpretations are offered for the book of Revelation, and it was the belief of Primasius that the book was a rendition of the history of the first-century church. In his commentary on Revelation 3:14, Primasius wrote, "He who is the Amen says these words, the faithful and true witness. We must consider the meaning here of 'is' and 'Amen.' The term 'amen' is certainly said to mean 'true' or 'faithful.' And so, in this passage without question it refers to that essence of the divinity of which God spoke..." The church firmly believed that Jesus spoke the truth and is truth incarnate.
The miracle at the wedding feast in Cana of Galilee affirms that Jesus is the new Amen who replaced Jewish legalism with the true and faithful message of grace.
Ron L.
John 2:1-11
The gospel reports on Jesus' first miracle (at the wedding at Cana). The greatest theologian of the Western church, Saint Augustine, well describes the essence of a miracle: "Miracles are not contrary to nature, but only contrary to what we know about nature."
Looked at from this point of view, natural events can be miracles that stimulate us to deeper faith when we interpret these events with an appreciation of God's role in them. Then we can agree with the founder of Buddhism, Gautama Siddharta: "If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly, our whole life would change."
Spiritual activist Marianne Williamson suggests that miracles are rooted in love. Love was certainly involved in Jesus' miracle at Cana -- love for the family; love for His mother. And so, as Martin Luther suggests, because the Holy Spirit is involved in both, it is as much a miracle that God grows the grapes which make wine as it is that His Son makes wine out of water (Complete Sermons, Vol. 2/2, p. 219). Keep your eyes open for the miracles of God's love this week.
Mark E.
The lesson refers to the people of faith relating to God like in a marital union. To think of our relationship with our Lord in these terms entails that the words of an old Swedish proverb especially apply to the faithful: Shared joy is a double joy; shared sorrow is half a sorrow.
The joys are better when they happen with Jesus, and the pain is not so bad when shared with him. Medieval mystic Bernard of Clairveaux provides more insights about our relationship with Jesus: "He [God's word] is living and full of energy. As soon as he entered into me he has awakened my sleeping soul. He has stirred and softened and wounded my heart which was torpid and hard as a rock" (Elmer O'Brien, ed., Varieties of Mystic Experience, p. 105).
Our marital union with Christ will soften and stir our hearts, wake us up, and energize us. That's what a relationship with our Lord does to us.
Mark E.
Isaiah 62:1-5
When I began my career as a pastor my dad gave me only one word of advice. Strange, when you think of the complexity of the job and the trauma a pastor is thrust into, that my father would focus on something so seemingly simplistic and incidental as I am about to report, until of course one pauses to contemplate the depth of its meaning. Dad simply said, "When you shake someone's hand at the door of the sanctuary, be sure to know their name."
When we know that God knows our name, we are no longer "forsaken."
Ron L.
1 Corinthians 12:1-11
In most baptismal services, a ritual of stirring up God's Spirit is performed. The pastor lays hands on the candidate's head praying for the Spirit's anointing.
Through baptism, God's sons and daughters are freed from sin and raised to new life. The Holy Spirit then uses their spiritual gifts to reveal God's love. In Paul's letter to the Corinthians, he lists some of those gifts: wisdom, healing, miracles, prophecy, knowledge, and others.
Virginia was envious of those who demonstrated more seemingly gifts.
"Patti uses the gift of wisdom in awesome ways. Jerry shares the gift of knowledge so easily. Daniel's gift of discernment enables us to see what is true or false."
"Then there's me -- I don't even have common sense!"
Oh, Virginia, but you do possess common sense. Pray for the Holy Spirit to use this vital gift for God's glory.
Cynthia C.
1 Corinthians 12:1-11
That passage may sound strange to those who have never left the US, but when I lived in Nepal, it was an everyday thing. We saw statues of those gods all over, and we even knew the names of some of them. One god we saw was huge! He was twenty feet or more long and covered with colorful powders. He must have been powerful! You could buy those powders near the reclining statue and dump them on him out of reverence. When we visited China and Japan, we saw huge statues of fat Buddhas in many places and believers were putting coins in a basin in front of them. Some were spinning prayer wheels. I never heard them speak a word! But neither did any of their worshipers. The reason they were worshiping these idols is that they didn't know anything else! They and their parents had always worshiped them. Are we Christians because we have always been, in perhaps several generations? What would we be if someone in our history -- new or ancient -- had not taught us about Jesus? As a missionary it was my job to introduce these people in Nepal to our Lord.
I could mention that even Muslims would never say "Jesus be cursed," though they did not accept him as Lord! Only God can look in their hearts and see what they believe.
What makes us better than those idol worshipers? Is it because we can say "Jesus is Lord"? The next question may be harder for some. "Why do we believe that Jesus is Lord?" Is it because we can quote the catechism? We don't need to have an experience like Saul on the road to Damascus! But there must come a time when we somehow know in our heart that He is Lord.
I think one of those times comes when we receive an assignment or a gift from our Lord. Our lesson lists a number of those gifts. Yes, most of us may receive a gift of wisdom, knowledge, and faith that makes us want to help each other. But others -- yes, even some Christians -- have gifts like healing, prophecy, and even mysterious tongues! We used to condemn these last ones when I first had MY mysterious experiences but now we are all accepted as good fellow Christians.
Maybe some of you will be called to "preach the gospel in all the world." But most will have other callings to serve our Lord right in your church at home. Don't miss those opportunities! They are God's blessing and opportunities to show your thankfulness to Him. God will give each of you the gifts to do what He is calling you to do! Keep your ears and heart open!
Bob O.
1 Corinthians 12:1-11
The most watched and most popular international sport is soccer, with the World Cup being the biggest prize for national teams. The next World Cup competition will be held in the summer of 2014 in Brazil. Each soccer team has eleven players on the field. Each player has a specific role to play, as well as a specific area of the field to cover. The positions are basically forwards (strikers), midfielders, defenders, and goalie. Different abilities are needed in each position in order to complement the play of other team members. For example, strikers can be either tall to facilitate play in the air or short and quick to work the ball on the ground. Midfielders are the best conditioned since they have to run most of the field playing forward and defender, depending on who has the ball. Goalies need to be tall and agile with lateral motion, good with their hands, and have quick reflexes to respond to shots on goal. For the team to be effective, each member must rely on the other to give their best effort with their specific talent. Then bring on the competition!
Mark M.
John 2:1-11
The early church fathers affirmed the Christological title of "Amen" as it was bestowed upon Jesus. Primasius, who was the Bishop of Hadrumetum in North Africa from 550 to 560, asserted this in his Commentary of the Apocalypse. The reader should note that many interpretations are offered for the book of Revelation, and it was the belief of Primasius that the book was a rendition of the history of the first-century church. In his commentary on Revelation 3:14, Primasius wrote, "He who is the Amen says these words, the faithful and true witness. We must consider the meaning here of 'is' and 'Amen.' The term 'amen' is certainly said to mean 'true' or 'faithful.' And so, in this passage without question it refers to that essence of the divinity of which God spoke..." The church firmly believed that Jesus spoke the truth and is truth incarnate.
The miracle at the wedding feast in Cana of Galilee affirms that Jesus is the new Amen who replaced Jewish legalism with the true and faithful message of grace.
Ron L.
John 2:1-11
The gospel reports on Jesus' first miracle (at the wedding at Cana). The greatest theologian of the Western church, Saint Augustine, well describes the essence of a miracle: "Miracles are not contrary to nature, but only contrary to what we know about nature."
Looked at from this point of view, natural events can be miracles that stimulate us to deeper faith when we interpret these events with an appreciation of God's role in them. Then we can agree with the founder of Buddhism, Gautama Siddharta: "If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly, our whole life would change."
Spiritual activist Marianne Williamson suggests that miracles are rooted in love. Love was certainly involved in Jesus' miracle at Cana -- love for the family; love for His mother. And so, as Martin Luther suggests, because the Holy Spirit is involved in both, it is as much a miracle that God grows the grapes which make wine as it is that His Son makes wine out of water (Complete Sermons, Vol. 2/2, p. 219). Keep your eyes open for the miracles of God's love this week.
Mark E.
