Sermon Illustrations For Epiphany 4 | OT 4 (2020)
Illustration
Micah 6:1-8
The origin of this well-known Christmas carol O Come, All Ye Faithful remains a mystery. For several hundred years it was maintained that it was written by a cleric in the Middle Ages. The earliest known manuscript of the hymn was discovered 1740. The discovery of the manuscript is attributed to John Francis Wade. In England he was a copyist and writer of church music. At this time there was a holy war between the Church of England and the Roman Catholic Church. Ward, in 1745 left England and took up residence in Douay, France. Several years later he was ordained as a Catholic priest. Ward was a calligrapher by training, and a skilled musician. These talents allowed Ward make copies of the hymn and distribute the sheet music across Europe. The tune name Adeste Fideles came from the first words of the hymn in Latin, meaning “Be near, ye faithful.”
Frederick Oakley translated the hymn from Latin, which began with the familiar line “O come, all ye faithful.” The hymn was first published in1852 in F. H. Murray’s Hymnal for Use in the English Church.
The hymn is an invitation to “come, all ye faithful,” which places the singer among the faithful shepherds who rushed to see the Christ child:
O come, all ye faithful,
Joyful and triumphant!
O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem;
Come and behold him
Born the King of Angels
The shepherds then went forth to tell others. This is reflected in the verse:
O Sing, choirs of angels,
Sing in exultation,
Sing all that hear in heaven God's holy word.
Ron L.
* * *
Micah 6:1-8
Live broadcasts of court trials as well as popular court dramas have made many of us familiar with how courts operate in our country, but when someone is arrested and put on trial in another country we are often surprised by the way these other courts work. Micah 6 describes a trial scene involving God and the people. The Hebrew legal system was more free-flowing than ours. Courts assembled in the city gate. Accuser and accused exchanged charges and countercharges, while the elders stood by and listened before rendering judgement. Accuser and accused could suddenly switch places.
The Hebrew term rib is a technical term for trial. It is used four times in the first two verses, translated as “controversy,” “plead a case,” and “contend” in the NRSV.
God invites the people to present their case, but quickly God becomes the one asking the questions. The people don’t answer when God asks what he has done wrong? The people have no answer. God reminds them of their shared history, and how they were freed from slavery and given leaders to guide them to freedom. God reminds them of the crossing of the Jordan River and their camp on the other side. No answer.
Finally the people respond — how can they possibly know what will please God? That’s when the prophet Micah steps forward as a prosecuting attorney. The people have stated they’re not sure what it is they’re to do, and that leads to the climax of the scene. This is not brain surgery. What is needed? Micah 6:8 — the Spirit of the Law, like the sermon on the mount. “He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”
(Based on a book I co-authored, “Country Seer, City Prophet” by Robert W. Neff and Frank Ramirez, Brethren Press, 2007).
Frank R.
* * *
Micah 6:1-8
Job descriptions are normally pretty standard. Usually they list the what the job is, the requirements, the employer and how to contact them. I did find an unusual job description. It was for a job to diffuse bombs. Here’s what was required: “Bomb technicians are extensively trained and singularly focused on the inspection, deactivation and safe removal of explosive devices. Because of the danger involved in this unusual job, bomb techs are typically chosen from law enforcement or military ranks based on their deductive reasoning and temperament under extreme pressure.”
Degree: You’ll need a high school diploma or GED to land a law enforcement job, then law enforcement training and an associate or bachelor’s degree to advance to bomb tech training.
Advanced training: Bomb tech training is certified by the FBI. Classes include hazardous device handling, bomb breaching techniques and post-blast investigation. Additional training and recertification are often required.
Additional skills: Bomb techs need excellent verbal and written skills to write reports and testify in court as expert witnesses.
I’m thinking that’s a pretty good description. I think I’d want someone who is doing that job to be well trained.
In our text today we find a different kind of job description. God has called his people to listen to his words. He’s not interested in sacrifices that mean nothing. He’s making clear what is required: to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God (vs. 8). What God wants from us today isn’t much different? Will we be up to the task?
Bill T.
* * *
1 Corinthians 1:18-31
This lesson is a profound response to the rhetoric some are likely to use against Presidential candidates who want to find ways to help the poor. A 2017 poll of the Office for Governmental Accountability found that the vast majority of Americans only want food stamps and Medicaid for those who are working (83% and 75%). This data suggests that the results of an earlier 2011 survey by Pew Research Center that found that Americans were more concerned to pursue their own interests than making sure that the state guarantees nobody is in need (by nearly 2 to 1 — 58% to 35%). In fact the Bible and this lesson in particular testify to God’s tendency to favor the poor and marginalized.
Paul speaks of the humility that the Gospel nurtures. Martin Luther comments on this adding:
Just as God in the beginning of creation made the world out of nothing, whence He is called the Creator and the Almighty, so His manner of working continues unchanged. Even now and to the end of the world, all His works are such that out of that which is nothing, worthless despised, wretched and dead [out of that which in nothing] He makes that which is something precious, honorable and blessed. (Luther’s Works, Vol.21, p.299)
In this spirit the famed preacher of the early church John Chrysostom [known as the one with a golden mouth] expresses the kind of appreciation for the laboring classes of his day in comparison to the idleness of the rich. We need to get this message out to the public:
The souls of such men [laborers] are clearer and their minds better strung. For the man who has nothing to do is apter to say many things at random, and do many things at random; and he is busy all day long about nothing, a huge lethargy taking him up entirely. But he that is employed will not lightly entertain in himself anything useless in deeds, in words, or in thoughts for his whole soul is intent upon his laborious way of livelihood. (Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First Series, Vol. 12, p.28)
In Martin Luther’s view, it is the job of government to protect people like this, the poor and working poor, as he claims that government officials are “to establish and maintain order in all areas of trade and commerce in order that the poor not be burdened and oppressed.” (The Book of Concord [2000 ed.], p.419)
Mark E.
* * *
1 Corinthians 1:10-18
I don’t know about you, but I don’t like being foolish. Sometimes when I make a foolish mistake in public, my face gets red and I might even stammer. I’ve spent too much time in college and continuing education to want to be seen as foolish. I like to be seen as accomplished.
Paul reminds us that it is not our own wisdom and skill, but God’s wisdom that is vital to us. We can be foolish. We should be foolish. After all we follow a messiah who was born in a manger, raised as a carpenter, wandered the wilderness into the back-water towns, preached kindness in the face of hate and oppression. We follow a savior that sacrificed his life rather than respond with hate or violence. In the world in which we live, that seems pretty foolish, On second thought, maybe I don’t mind be foolish at all.
Bonnie B.
* * *
Matthew 5:1-12
Makairas is variously translated as “Blessed,” “Happy,” and “Fortunate.” It is not only a description of a state of being, but also a title, as in “Asklepios the Blessed,” much as you would say “the Strong,” or “the Mighty.” The word, oddly enough, is often used in new comedy, as if there were something ridiculous about the title. And there is something ridiculous about the idea that the poor in spirit, mourners, hungry, etc., are somehow blessed. But that ridiculous idea is behind this list of the blessed, and indeed, for the whole Sermon on the Mount. There is the sense, as well, that saying so makes it so. It looks as if the phrase “for they will be” suggests that the blessed are not blessed yet, and there is something eschatological about this. In the end time God’s will shall be done on earth as it is in heaven. But the believer is to live this way now and live in a state of blessedness now even though they might find that their title, The Blessed, looks ridiculous to those outside the faith. That whole turning the other cheek thing — Jesus means it. Congressional Representative John Lewis, a co-author of the three-part graphic novel “March,” and a veteran of the Civil Rights movement of the Sixties, emphasizes the intentionality of the nonviolent movement to turn the other cheek and live according to God’s kingdom, even though their enemies responded with guns, bombs, truncheons, fire houses, and attack dogs. Their willingness to be attacked without responding in kind changed hearts and minds of those who had previously ignored their suffering. They made at least in one way the Kingdom of God visible on earth.
Frank R.
* * *
Matthew 5:1-12
Crouched between the public urinals in the Liverpool Street train station, amidst the smell and the slime, there was a creature who was disfigured and deformed, undeniably a freak. And he spoke. The words came quiet and soft, yet they were spoken in anguish. The voice was barely audible, and it had a tone of resignation and submission. His one good hand was pressed against his one workable ear to shut out the taunts from a horrified and angry mob. This rabid horde pursued John Merrick to this uninhabitable place for refuge. There, half lying on the floor, excrement soaking through his clothes, he grieved, “I am not an animal... I’m not... I’m not... I am a man.”
This is the most poignant scene from the movie The Elephant Man, based on the life of Joseph Merrick. Although the movie uses the forename of John, his actual given name was Joseph. The film’s mistake occurred because early biographies used the forename of John.
Joseph Merrick was born in 1862, presumably with neurofibromatosis, which results in the unchecked growth of bones, skin and other organs, leaving an individual grossly disfigured. Upon the death of his mother, Joseph’s stepmother cast him onto the streets of Leicester where he survived by selling shoe polish. Accosted by showman Mr. Bytes, he became a circus exhibit. While encaged with the monkeys, his sleeping quarters each night, Merrick escaped. He was desirous of reaching a London hospital for treatment. On the floor of the public bath he would have remained, except he was befriended by Dr. Frederick Treves. Dr. Treves took Joseph Merrick to Whitechapel Hospital, where he had a permanent home until his death on Friday, April 11, 1890.
Ron L.
* * *
Matthew 5:1-12
I ran across the story of Mitchell Dillon describing a family vacation when he was a boy. He and his siblings, a younger brother and sister, were with their parents on a trip in the southwest part of the United States. Normally, when they stopped for meals, the kids ordered from the kids’ menu. On the second day, though, the younger brother did something completely out of character for his normally compliant nature. When asked what he wanted, he’d reply, “I’ll have what Dad is having.”
The younger brother noticed that the plate of food placed in front of his father always looked a lot more appealing than the one typically placed in front of him. That was all it took. From then on, all he wanted was what his father was having.
If only we were that wise about what we desired in life. If we were, we would stop setting our hearts on things that are certain to disappoint us and start dreaming of things that promise to bring lasting satisfaction. That’s what the Beatitudes show us. They reveal for us what can be in our relationship with God. Leonard Ravenhill once said, “They're called in the Scripture the Beatitudes. You know why they're called the Beatitudes without being prestigious? Because they should be the attitudes of every believer. That's the normal Christian life, not the abnormal Christian life. The normal Christian life is holiness.”
Will you seek what is best? Will you want what your Father is having?
Bill T.
The origin of this well-known Christmas carol O Come, All Ye Faithful remains a mystery. For several hundred years it was maintained that it was written by a cleric in the Middle Ages. The earliest known manuscript of the hymn was discovered 1740. The discovery of the manuscript is attributed to John Francis Wade. In England he was a copyist and writer of church music. At this time there was a holy war between the Church of England and the Roman Catholic Church. Ward, in 1745 left England and took up residence in Douay, France. Several years later he was ordained as a Catholic priest. Ward was a calligrapher by training, and a skilled musician. These talents allowed Ward make copies of the hymn and distribute the sheet music across Europe. The tune name Adeste Fideles came from the first words of the hymn in Latin, meaning “Be near, ye faithful.”
Frederick Oakley translated the hymn from Latin, which began with the familiar line “O come, all ye faithful.” The hymn was first published in1852 in F. H. Murray’s Hymnal for Use in the English Church.
The hymn is an invitation to “come, all ye faithful,” which places the singer among the faithful shepherds who rushed to see the Christ child:
O come, all ye faithful,
Joyful and triumphant!
O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem;
Come and behold him
Born the King of Angels
The shepherds then went forth to tell others. This is reflected in the verse:
O Sing, choirs of angels,
Sing in exultation,
Sing all that hear in heaven God's holy word.
Ron L.
* * *
Micah 6:1-8
Live broadcasts of court trials as well as popular court dramas have made many of us familiar with how courts operate in our country, but when someone is arrested and put on trial in another country we are often surprised by the way these other courts work. Micah 6 describes a trial scene involving God and the people. The Hebrew legal system was more free-flowing than ours. Courts assembled in the city gate. Accuser and accused exchanged charges and countercharges, while the elders stood by and listened before rendering judgement. Accuser and accused could suddenly switch places.
The Hebrew term rib is a technical term for trial. It is used four times in the first two verses, translated as “controversy,” “plead a case,” and “contend” in the NRSV.
God invites the people to present their case, but quickly God becomes the one asking the questions. The people don’t answer when God asks what he has done wrong? The people have no answer. God reminds them of their shared history, and how they were freed from slavery and given leaders to guide them to freedom. God reminds them of the crossing of the Jordan River and their camp on the other side. No answer.
Finally the people respond — how can they possibly know what will please God? That’s when the prophet Micah steps forward as a prosecuting attorney. The people have stated they’re not sure what it is they’re to do, and that leads to the climax of the scene. This is not brain surgery. What is needed? Micah 6:8 — the Spirit of the Law, like the sermon on the mount. “He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”
(Based on a book I co-authored, “Country Seer, City Prophet” by Robert W. Neff and Frank Ramirez, Brethren Press, 2007).
Frank R.
* * *
Micah 6:1-8
Job descriptions are normally pretty standard. Usually they list the what the job is, the requirements, the employer and how to contact them. I did find an unusual job description. It was for a job to diffuse bombs. Here’s what was required: “Bomb technicians are extensively trained and singularly focused on the inspection, deactivation and safe removal of explosive devices. Because of the danger involved in this unusual job, bomb techs are typically chosen from law enforcement or military ranks based on their deductive reasoning and temperament under extreme pressure.”
Degree: You’ll need a high school diploma or GED to land a law enforcement job, then law enforcement training and an associate or bachelor’s degree to advance to bomb tech training.
Advanced training: Bomb tech training is certified by the FBI. Classes include hazardous device handling, bomb breaching techniques and post-blast investigation. Additional training and recertification are often required.
Additional skills: Bomb techs need excellent verbal and written skills to write reports and testify in court as expert witnesses.
I’m thinking that’s a pretty good description. I think I’d want someone who is doing that job to be well trained.
In our text today we find a different kind of job description. God has called his people to listen to his words. He’s not interested in sacrifices that mean nothing. He’s making clear what is required: to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God (vs. 8). What God wants from us today isn’t much different? Will we be up to the task?
Bill T.
* * *
1 Corinthians 1:18-31
This lesson is a profound response to the rhetoric some are likely to use against Presidential candidates who want to find ways to help the poor. A 2017 poll of the Office for Governmental Accountability found that the vast majority of Americans only want food stamps and Medicaid for those who are working (83% and 75%). This data suggests that the results of an earlier 2011 survey by Pew Research Center that found that Americans were more concerned to pursue their own interests than making sure that the state guarantees nobody is in need (by nearly 2 to 1 — 58% to 35%). In fact the Bible and this lesson in particular testify to God’s tendency to favor the poor and marginalized.
Paul speaks of the humility that the Gospel nurtures. Martin Luther comments on this adding:
Just as God in the beginning of creation made the world out of nothing, whence He is called the Creator and the Almighty, so His manner of working continues unchanged. Even now and to the end of the world, all His works are such that out of that which is nothing, worthless despised, wretched and dead [out of that which in nothing] He makes that which is something precious, honorable and blessed. (Luther’s Works, Vol.21, p.299)
In this spirit the famed preacher of the early church John Chrysostom [known as the one with a golden mouth] expresses the kind of appreciation for the laboring classes of his day in comparison to the idleness of the rich. We need to get this message out to the public:
The souls of such men [laborers] are clearer and their minds better strung. For the man who has nothing to do is apter to say many things at random, and do many things at random; and he is busy all day long about nothing, a huge lethargy taking him up entirely. But he that is employed will not lightly entertain in himself anything useless in deeds, in words, or in thoughts for his whole soul is intent upon his laborious way of livelihood. (Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First Series, Vol. 12, p.28)
In Martin Luther’s view, it is the job of government to protect people like this, the poor and working poor, as he claims that government officials are “to establish and maintain order in all areas of trade and commerce in order that the poor not be burdened and oppressed.” (The Book of Concord [2000 ed.], p.419)
Mark E.
* * *
1 Corinthians 1:10-18
I don’t know about you, but I don’t like being foolish. Sometimes when I make a foolish mistake in public, my face gets red and I might even stammer. I’ve spent too much time in college and continuing education to want to be seen as foolish. I like to be seen as accomplished.
Paul reminds us that it is not our own wisdom and skill, but God’s wisdom that is vital to us. We can be foolish. We should be foolish. After all we follow a messiah who was born in a manger, raised as a carpenter, wandered the wilderness into the back-water towns, preached kindness in the face of hate and oppression. We follow a savior that sacrificed his life rather than respond with hate or violence. In the world in which we live, that seems pretty foolish, On second thought, maybe I don’t mind be foolish at all.
Bonnie B.
* * *
Matthew 5:1-12
Makairas is variously translated as “Blessed,” “Happy,” and “Fortunate.” It is not only a description of a state of being, but also a title, as in “Asklepios the Blessed,” much as you would say “the Strong,” or “the Mighty.” The word, oddly enough, is often used in new comedy, as if there were something ridiculous about the title. And there is something ridiculous about the idea that the poor in spirit, mourners, hungry, etc., are somehow blessed. But that ridiculous idea is behind this list of the blessed, and indeed, for the whole Sermon on the Mount. There is the sense, as well, that saying so makes it so. It looks as if the phrase “for they will be” suggests that the blessed are not blessed yet, and there is something eschatological about this. In the end time God’s will shall be done on earth as it is in heaven. But the believer is to live this way now and live in a state of blessedness now even though they might find that their title, The Blessed, looks ridiculous to those outside the faith. That whole turning the other cheek thing — Jesus means it. Congressional Representative John Lewis, a co-author of the three-part graphic novel “March,” and a veteran of the Civil Rights movement of the Sixties, emphasizes the intentionality of the nonviolent movement to turn the other cheek and live according to God’s kingdom, even though their enemies responded with guns, bombs, truncheons, fire houses, and attack dogs. Their willingness to be attacked without responding in kind changed hearts and minds of those who had previously ignored their suffering. They made at least in one way the Kingdom of God visible on earth.
Frank R.
* * *
Matthew 5:1-12
Crouched between the public urinals in the Liverpool Street train station, amidst the smell and the slime, there was a creature who was disfigured and deformed, undeniably a freak. And he spoke. The words came quiet and soft, yet they were spoken in anguish. The voice was barely audible, and it had a tone of resignation and submission. His one good hand was pressed against his one workable ear to shut out the taunts from a horrified and angry mob. This rabid horde pursued John Merrick to this uninhabitable place for refuge. There, half lying on the floor, excrement soaking through his clothes, he grieved, “I am not an animal... I’m not... I’m not... I am a man.”
This is the most poignant scene from the movie The Elephant Man, based on the life of Joseph Merrick. Although the movie uses the forename of John, his actual given name was Joseph. The film’s mistake occurred because early biographies used the forename of John.
Joseph Merrick was born in 1862, presumably with neurofibromatosis, which results in the unchecked growth of bones, skin and other organs, leaving an individual grossly disfigured. Upon the death of his mother, Joseph’s stepmother cast him onto the streets of Leicester where he survived by selling shoe polish. Accosted by showman Mr. Bytes, he became a circus exhibit. While encaged with the monkeys, his sleeping quarters each night, Merrick escaped. He was desirous of reaching a London hospital for treatment. On the floor of the public bath he would have remained, except he was befriended by Dr. Frederick Treves. Dr. Treves took Joseph Merrick to Whitechapel Hospital, where he had a permanent home until his death on Friday, April 11, 1890.
Ron L.
* * *
Matthew 5:1-12
I ran across the story of Mitchell Dillon describing a family vacation when he was a boy. He and his siblings, a younger brother and sister, were with their parents on a trip in the southwest part of the United States. Normally, when they stopped for meals, the kids ordered from the kids’ menu. On the second day, though, the younger brother did something completely out of character for his normally compliant nature. When asked what he wanted, he’d reply, “I’ll have what Dad is having.”
The younger brother noticed that the plate of food placed in front of his father always looked a lot more appealing than the one typically placed in front of him. That was all it took. From then on, all he wanted was what his father was having.
If only we were that wise about what we desired in life. If we were, we would stop setting our hearts on things that are certain to disappoint us and start dreaming of things that promise to bring lasting satisfaction. That’s what the Beatitudes show us. They reveal for us what can be in our relationship with God. Leonard Ravenhill once said, “They're called in the Scripture the Beatitudes. You know why they're called the Beatitudes without being prestigious? Because they should be the attitudes of every believer. That's the normal Christian life, not the abnormal Christian life. The normal Christian life is holiness.”
Will you seek what is best? Will you want what your Father is having?
Bill T.
