Sermon Illustrations for Epiphany 3 (OT 3) Cycle C (2016)
Illustration
Object:
Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10
A hundred years ago, the pastor of a congregation with which I am familiar did frequent Sunday evening poetry recitations. They say that he drew crowds of more than 600 people to hear his recitation of works by the romantic poets of the Victorian era. Not only has poetry of that genre fallen out of favor, but not very many people even read poetry today. It is just not the thing to do. It is different era. I suspect that this 1910 pastor’s poetry recitations would not likely draw large crowds today.
The same principle seems to fit this reading from the book of Nehemiah. It is hard to imagine that today the entire adult population of any city would agree to stand in a community park for hours, listening attentively while scripture is read and explained. For one thing, we are so out of shape that standing in one place for long periods of time is uncomfortable. In addition, our modern attention spans are so limited that even this assigned Old Testament reading calls for editing out two of ten verses. Today, I suspect the crowd gathered for Ezra’s reading of the book of Moses would be small.
What does this say about us? What does it say about our valuing of scripture? What does it say about our understanding of God?
R. Robert C.
Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10
In an op-ed piece for the New York Times, Adam Hochschild offered several reasons why casualties were so high in the first few months of the First World War. The most significant reason is that before World War I there had been no major wars in Europe for 40 years. The generals looked to these past conflicts to learn their battlefield strategies. Compounding the problem, they examined battle tactics that brought quick and easy victory. Charging men across an open field was the tactic of choice, except 40 years previous there was no barbed wire and machine guns. It was only after numerous frontal assaults with mass casualties that the generals realized a new strategy needed to be developed.
Application: Nehemiah discovered the people of Israel had fallen back on their evil ways, and to re-educate them he reintroduced them to the book of the law. The people of Israel were open to understanding and attentive to once again learning their heritage. We must always be mindful of the need to understand what is written in the past, and to apply it with prudence for our present age.
Ron L.
Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10
Ezra and Nehemiah speak of giving away food to those who had nothing prepared (the poor and aliens who were not involved in the feast of the new moon). Americans do not do very well by the poor and immigrants to this nation. The World Hunger Education Service reported that in 2013 14.3% of Americans (17.5 million households) were food-insecure. And Pew Research found that one in four Hispanic immigrants (compared to one in seven of all Americans) was in poverty. Roman Catholics know what to do. In the Catechism of the Catholic Church (244) it reads: “The Church’s love for the poor... is a part of her constant tradition.” And if you believe, like St. Augustine did, that life is like a wayside inn belonging to God, then money and property are like the tables, cups, and couches you just leave behind when you check out (Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First Series, Vol. 7, pp. 228-229). With this perspective, Augustine went on to claim that to not share with the poor what we have which is not basic to human needs is the equivalent of fraud (Works of Saint Augustine, Vol. III/6, p. 107).
A number of America’s Founders concur with this line of thinking. Thomas Jefferson wrote: “[W]henever there are in any country uncultivated lands and unemployed poor, it is clear that the laws of property have been so far extended as to violate natural right.... If for the encouragement of industry we all want [the land] to be appropriated, we must take care that other employment be provided to those excluded from appropriation” (Writings, pp. 841-842).
And Benjamin Franklin added: “All the property that is necessary to a man, for the conservation of the individual and propagation of the species, is his natural right, which none can justly deprive him of: But all property superfluous to such purposes is the property of the public... who may therefore by other laws dispose of it, whenever the welfare of the public shall demand such disposition” (Writings, pp. 1081-1082).
Poverty and discrimination are indeed the Church’s and the government’s interest.
Mark E.
1 Corinthians 12:12-31a
It is obvious that we are all different -- each part of our body has a different part to play. And some parts are more important than others. I’d rather be a brain than just a patch of skin, but we could not survive without both!
I like to compare it to an orchestra. If the instruments were all horns we would miss a lot, just as if we would if they were all violins or all percussion. Each one plays a part. I think our job is to find out what part we have to play, and then to do it as well as we can for the benefit of the whole. We should do our best for our Conductor (our Lord), who knows what each of us must do. He is the one who decides if we will continue to play in his band.
One of the most important needs we face is to find out what part of the Christian body we are. We will most likely need help. That help can come from our fellow members who are also part of the body, but most importantly it comes from our director who has designed us for our part. It sounds like we should not complain if we are a toenail and not an eye or an ear. We may learn humility, but we may also learn that we should spend our time improving the part our Lord has given us so that we can be promoted.
We must desire greater gifts! It sounds like we could just settle for what we have. But don’t settle for being a toenail when you might be given the opportunity to grow into a foot. Be humble, but be ready to move on as we are directed.
I remember having a talented member who inspired me to ask me if they should consider being a Sunday school teacher. I could see the person’s talent. I believe it was God our director who inspired me to make that suggestion. In this case I was right. We need to listen when the Lord is trying to promote us. We also need to help promote others -- especially our children who God has given up.
Bob O.
1 Corinthians 12:12-31a
Body dysmorphic disorder is a mental disorder in which an individual has an obsessive preoccupation with a perceived defect in their own appearance, viewed as so severe as to warrant exceptional measures to hide or fix it. At least that is how mental health professionals define it. I think there is another kind of body dysmorphia that has to do with the Body of Christ.
In his book Unchristian, David Kinnaman shares with us church folk the millennial perspective that Christians are judgmental, anti-homosexual, hypocritical, too political, and sheltered. We are disconnected from the rest of the world and irrelevant. And we Christians lead others to have that impression when we care more about our own opinions and ideas than we do loving our neighbors; when we judge what part of the body is welcome in the church and what part is to be excluded; when we lob hate-filled barbs at each other instead of words of comfort; when we choose isolation instead of community. We have our own form of body dysmorphic disorder. Paul writes that we are one body, and that as such we are to care for all the parts of the one body -- that is Christ. We certainly wouldn’t say some of the things we say to each other to Jesus... or would we? Are we? Maybe we need a new body image -- one that promotes the health and well-being of the whole body. That is my prayer.
Bonnie B.
1 Corinthians 12:12-31a
The anterior cruciate ligament is not a very big part of the body. It is found in the knee, and according to the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons website “it prevents the tibia from sliding out in front of the femur, as well as provides rotational stability to the knee.” It is a relatively small body part (especially compared to the femur or the liver), but it sure can cause problems. Anyone who has ever been involved in physical activity or a fan of sports knows about the ACL. Derrick Rose, Mariano Rivera, and Tom Brady are some familiar names from the sports world who have dealt with a torn ACL. You don’t have to be a “big-time” athlete, though, to suffer from this injury. Weekend runners and warriors on the field and court have been hobbled by what some call the “dreaded five-second knee injury.”
Why bring up such unpleasant stuff? The anterior cruciate ligament is not a “popular” part of the body. It doesn’t have the beat of the heart. It isn’t as thought of as much as the brain is. It doesn’t have the strength of support that a bicep might, for example. However, it has a vital function. When it is unable to do what it’s supposed to do, the body can shut down. We don’t have to be a physician or a trainer to know that every part of the body matters, especially when it’s my body! Paul is saying the same thing about Jesus’ body, the church, in this passage. Some parts of the body are more noticeable, bigger, or stronger. The point is, though, that every part matters. All parts contribute to the well-being of the whole. Just as we work hard to take care of every part of our physical bodies, be aware of the role that every Christian plays in Christ’s body. No part is unimportant.
Bill T.
1 Corinthians 12:12-31a
What we ought to do in preparing for the sermon is skip the chapter and jump to the last half of the last verse, which is part of next week’s lection: 1 Corinthians 12:31b. But I will show you a better way. That better way is the famous love chapter ? “faith, hope, and love abide, these three, but the greatest of these is love.”
Love makes it easier for the church of Jesus Christ to achieve the goal of unity in diversity. Paul has been dealing with problems with the communion table, where all -- rich and poor, Jew and Greek, slave and free, male and female -- are to share at one table, and they are not doing this well. There are divisions based on who they were baptized by, their spiritual and physical ancestry, the thickness and thinness of their wallets -- but God is glorified in their coming together. That is why the image of the human body is important. We can struggle on without a limb, a digit, an eye, or a lung, but as the body of Christ shalom is achieved in our completeness. The many gifts we bring to the table are essential for the well-being of the church. What is it that C.S. Lewis says in his essay “The Weight of Glory,” that we have never met a mere mortal? To this end we ought to name gifts for ourselves, and invite others to get up and name the gifts we share. We are all good at something, and to suggest that leading music or worship are more important than baking cakes or sweeping up afterwards is missing the point of how we need each other wonderfully.
Frank R.
Luke 4:14-21
In this passage we are told that Jesus began to preach in the region of Galilee and that the people gave him universal approval. Jesus was “praised by everybody” is the way Luke states it (v. 15b).
Few are the ministers who have not at least secretly wished for universal praise. “How wonderful it would be if everyone loved me and everything I do.”
This deep longing is understandable. After all, as a group ministers like to be liked, love to be loved, and hate to be criticized. Of course, ministers -- or for that matter any person in leadership -- cannot please everyone... at least for any length of time. In fact, when everyone in the church is happy with everything, someone will feel called upon to criticize the minister’s universal approval. Nay-saying, complaining, disagreeing, nitpicking, and fault-finding are behaviors that are a natural part of living in human community.
Even our Lord had to deal with criticism. Only 13 verses after Luke tells us that Jesus was praised by everybody, the gospel writer tells us that the crowd became enraged at Jesus’ preaching and threatened to throw him off a cliff to his death.
That makes negative comments about the pace and selection of the hymns, the temperature in the sanctuary, or the minister mispronouncing a few words pale by comparison.
Hang in there. Learn to deal with the fact that the mantle of leadership has a target painted on the back and that everyone feels entitled to throw an occasional stone.
R. Robert C.
Luke 4:14-21
Jesus came for the poor. The poverty rate is growing in America. The most recent figures, supplied by the U.S. Census Bureau, indicate that 45 million of us (14.3% of the population) are in poverty. These comments by John Calvin are relevant to this passage: “Hence it is not without good reason, that the apostle, with the view of arousing us from this stupidity, calls us to consider the shortness of this life, and infers from that, that we ought to use all the things of this world, as if we did not use them. For the man who considers that he is a stranger in the world uses the things of this world as if they were another’s -- that is, as things lent to us for a single day (Calvin’s Commentaries, Vol. XX/1, p. 257).
In addition, James Madison had ideas about how it was government’s job to care for the poor: “[T]he great objection should be to combat the evil [of faction] by withholding unnecessary opportunities from a few.... By the silent operation of laws, which without violating the rights of property reduce extreme wealth towards a state of mediocrity, and raise extreme indigence towards a state of comfort” (Papers, Vol. 14, p. 197).
Mark E.
Luke 4:14-21
In 1604, during his exploration of Canada, French explorer Samuel de Champlain came upon the spectacular Niagara waterfalls, which he described in his journals. But it wasn’t until 1678 that Father Louis Hennepin, a French missionary, actually drew a sketch of the falls. Now individuals could actually see the falls.
Application: When we discuss the ministry assigned to us in Luke, we should not be too narrow in our perspective of what it entails. Drawing a picture of Niagara waterfalls can bring sight to the blind that live in a distant country.
Ron L.
A hundred years ago, the pastor of a congregation with which I am familiar did frequent Sunday evening poetry recitations. They say that he drew crowds of more than 600 people to hear his recitation of works by the romantic poets of the Victorian era. Not only has poetry of that genre fallen out of favor, but not very many people even read poetry today. It is just not the thing to do. It is different era. I suspect that this 1910 pastor’s poetry recitations would not likely draw large crowds today.
The same principle seems to fit this reading from the book of Nehemiah. It is hard to imagine that today the entire adult population of any city would agree to stand in a community park for hours, listening attentively while scripture is read and explained. For one thing, we are so out of shape that standing in one place for long periods of time is uncomfortable. In addition, our modern attention spans are so limited that even this assigned Old Testament reading calls for editing out two of ten verses. Today, I suspect the crowd gathered for Ezra’s reading of the book of Moses would be small.
What does this say about us? What does it say about our valuing of scripture? What does it say about our understanding of God?
R. Robert C.
Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10
In an op-ed piece for the New York Times, Adam Hochschild offered several reasons why casualties were so high in the first few months of the First World War. The most significant reason is that before World War I there had been no major wars in Europe for 40 years. The generals looked to these past conflicts to learn their battlefield strategies. Compounding the problem, they examined battle tactics that brought quick and easy victory. Charging men across an open field was the tactic of choice, except 40 years previous there was no barbed wire and machine guns. It was only after numerous frontal assaults with mass casualties that the generals realized a new strategy needed to be developed.
Application: Nehemiah discovered the people of Israel had fallen back on their evil ways, and to re-educate them he reintroduced them to the book of the law. The people of Israel were open to understanding and attentive to once again learning their heritage. We must always be mindful of the need to understand what is written in the past, and to apply it with prudence for our present age.
Ron L.
Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10
Ezra and Nehemiah speak of giving away food to those who had nothing prepared (the poor and aliens who were not involved in the feast of the new moon). Americans do not do very well by the poor and immigrants to this nation. The World Hunger Education Service reported that in 2013 14.3% of Americans (17.5 million households) were food-insecure. And Pew Research found that one in four Hispanic immigrants (compared to one in seven of all Americans) was in poverty. Roman Catholics know what to do. In the Catechism of the Catholic Church (244) it reads: “The Church’s love for the poor... is a part of her constant tradition.” And if you believe, like St. Augustine did, that life is like a wayside inn belonging to God, then money and property are like the tables, cups, and couches you just leave behind when you check out (Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First Series, Vol. 7, pp. 228-229). With this perspective, Augustine went on to claim that to not share with the poor what we have which is not basic to human needs is the equivalent of fraud (Works of Saint Augustine, Vol. III/6, p. 107).
A number of America’s Founders concur with this line of thinking. Thomas Jefferson wrote: “[W]henever there are in any country uncultivated lands and unemployed poor, it is clear that the laws of property have been so far extended as to violate natural right.... If for the encouragement of industry we all want [the land] to be appropriated, we must take care that other employment be provided to those excluded from appropriation” (Writings, pp. 841-842).
And Benjamin Franklin added: “All the property that is necessary to a man, for the conservation of the individual and propagation of the species, is his natural right, which none can justly deprive him of: But all property superfluous to such purposes is the property of the public... who may therefore by other laws dispose of it, whenever the welfare of the public shall demand such disposition” (Writings, pp. 1081-1082).
Poverty and discrimination are indeed the Church’s and the government’s interest.
Mark E.
1 Corinthians 12:12-31a
It is obvious that we are all different -- each part of our body has a different part to play. And some parts are more important than others. I’d rather be a brain than just a patch of skin, but we could not survive without both!
I like to compare it to an orchestra. If the instruments were all horns we would miss a lot, just as if we would if they were all violins or all percussion. Each one plays a part. I think our job is to find out what part we have to play, and then to do it as well as we can for the benefit of the whole. We should do our best for our Conductor (our Lord), who knows what each of us must do. He is the one who decides if we will continue to play in his band.
One of the most important needs we face is to find out what part of the Christian body we are. We will most likely need help. That help can come from our fellow members who are also part of the body, but most importantly it comes from our director who has designed us for our part. It sounds like we should not complain if we are a toenail and not an eye or an ear. We may learn humility, but we may also learn that we should spend our time improving the part our Lord has given us so that we can be promoted.
We must desire greater gifts! It sounds like we could just settle for what we have. But don’t settle for being a toenail when you might be given the opportunity to grow into a foot. Be humble, but be ready to move on as we are directed.
I remember having a talented member who inspired me to ask me if they should consider being a Sunday school teacher. I could see the person’s talent. I believe it was God our director who inspired me to make that suggestion. In this case I was right. We need to listen when the Lord is trying to promote us. We also need to help promote others -- especially our children who God has given up.
Bob O.
1 Corinthians 12:12-31a
Body dysmorphic disorder is a mental disorder in which an individual has an obsessive preoccupation with a perceived defect in their own appearance, viewed as so severe as to warrant exceptional measures to hide or fix it. At least that is how mental health professionals define it. I think there is another kind of body dysmorphia that has to do with the Body of Christ.
In his book Unchristian, David Kinnaman shares with us church folk the millennial perspective that Christians are judgmental, anti-homosexual, hypocritical, too political, and sheltered. We are disconnected from the rest of the world and irrelevant. And we Christians lead others to have that impression when we care more about our own opinions and ideas than we do loving our neighbors; when we judge what part of the body is welcome in the church and what part is to be excluded; when we lob hate-filled barbs at each other instead of words of comfort; when we choose isolation instead of community. We have our own form of body dysmorphic disorder. Paul writes that we are one body, and that as such we are to care for all the parts of the one body -- that is Christ. We certainly wouldn’t say some of the things we say to each other to Jesus... or would we? Are we? Maybe we need a new body image -- one that promotes the health and well-being of the whole body. That is my prayer.
Bonnie B.
1 Corinthians 12:12-31a
The anterior cruciate ligament is not a very big part of the body. It is found in the knee, and according to the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons website “it prevents the tibia from sliding out in front of the femur, as well as provides rotational stability to the knee.” It is a relatively small body part (especially compared to the femur or the liver), but it sure can cause problems. Anyone who has ever been involved in physical activity or a fan of sports knows about the ACL. Derrick Rose, Mariano Rivera, and Tom Brady are some familiar names from the sports world who have dealt with a torn ACL. You don’t have to be a “big-time” athlete, though, to suffer from this injury. Weekend runners and warriors on the field and court have been hobbled by what some call the “dreaded five-second knee injury.”
Why bring up such unpleasant stuff? The anterior cruciate ligament is not a “popular” part of the body. It doesn’t have the beat of the heart. It isn’t as thought of as much as the brain is. It doesn’t have the strength of support that a bicep might, for example. However, it has a vital function. When it is unable to do what it’s supposed to do, the body can shut down. We don’t have to be a physician or a trainer to know that every part of the body matters, especially when it’s my body! Paul is saying the same thing about Jesus’ body, the church, in this passage. Some parts of the body are more noticeable, bigger, or stronger. The point is, though, that every part matters. All parts contribute to the well-being of the whole. Just as we work hard to take care of every part of our physical bodies, be aware of the role that every Christian plays in Christ’s body. No part is unimportant.
Bill T.
1 Corinthians 12:12-31a
What we ought to do in preparing for the sermon is skip the chapter and jump to the last half of the last verse, which is part of next week’s lection: 1 Corinthians 12:31b. But I will show you a better way. That better way is the famous love chapter ? “faith, hope, and love abide, these three, but the greatest of these is love.”
Love makes it easier for the church of Jesus Christ to achieve the goal of unity in diversity. Paul has been dealing with problems with the communion table, where all -- rich and poor, Jew and Greek, slave and free, male and female -- are to share at one table, and they are not doing this well. There are divisions based on who they were baptized by, their spiritual and physical ancestry, the thickness and thinness of their wallets -- but God is glorified in their coming together. That is why the image of the human body is important. We can struggle on without a limb, a digit, an eye, or a lung, but as the body of Christ shalom is achieved in our completeness. The many gifts we bring to the table are essential for the well-being of the church. What is it that C.S. Lewis says in his essay “The Weight of Glory,” that we have never met a mere mortal? To this end we ought to name gifts for ourselves, and invite others to get up and name the gifts we share. We are all good at something, and to suggest that leading music or worship are more important than baking cakes or sweeping up afterwards is missing the point of how we need each other wonderfully.
Frank R.
Luke 4:14-21
In this passage we are told that Jesus began to preach in the region of Galilee and that the people gave him universal approval. Jesus was “praised by everybody” is the way Luke states it (v. 15b).
Few are the ministers who have not at least secretly wished for universal praise. “How wonderful it would be if everyone loved me and everything I do.”
This deep longing is understandable. After all, as a group ministers like to be liked, love to be loved, and hate to be criticized. Of course, ministers -- or for that matter any person in leadership -- cannot please everyone... at least for any length of time. In fact, when everyone in the church is happy with everything, someone will feel called upon to criticize the minister’s universal approval. Nay-saying, complaining, disagreeing, nitpicking, and fault-finding are behaviors that are a natural part of living in human community.
Even our Lord had to deal with criticism. Only 13 verses after Luke tells us that Jesus was praised by everybody, the gospel writer tells us that the crowd became enraged at Jesus’ preaching and threatened to throw him off a cliff to his death.
That makes negative comments about the pace and selection of the hymns, the temperature in the sanctuary, or the minister mispronouncing a few words pale by comparison.
Hang in there. Learn to deal with the fact that the mantle of leadership has a target painted on the back and that everyone feels entitled to throw an occasional stone.
R. Robert C.
Luke 4:14-21
Jesus came for the poor. The poverty rate is growing in America. The most recent figures, supplied by the U.S. Census Bureau, indicate that 45 million of us (14.3% of the population) are in poverty. These comments by John Calvin are relevant to this passage: “Hence it is not without good reason, that the apostle, with the view of arousing us from this stupidity, calls us to consider the shortness of this life, and infers from that, that we ought to use all the things of this world, as if we did not use them. For the man who considers that he is a stranger in the world uses the things of this world as if they were another’s -- that is, as things lent to us for a single day (Calvin’s Commentaries, Vol. XX/1, p. 257).
In addition, James Madison had ideas about how it was government’s job to care for the poor: “[T]he great objection should be to combat the evil [of faction] by withholding unnecessary opportunities from a few.... By the silent operation of laws, which without violating the rights of property reduce extreme wealth towards a state of mediocrity, and raise extreme indigence towards a state of comfort” (Papers, Vol. 14, p. 197).
Mark E.
Luke 4:14-21
In 1604, during his exploration of Canada, French explorer Samuel de Champlain came upon the spectacular Niagara waterfalls, which he described in his journals. But it wasn’t until 1678 that Father Louis Hennepin, a French missionary, actually drew a sketch of the falls. Now individuals could actually see the falls.
Application: When we discuss the ministry assigned to us in Luke, we should not be too narrow in our perspective of what it entails. Drawing a picture of Niagara waterfalls can bring sight to the blind that live in a distant country.
Ron L.
