Sermon Illustrations For Epiphany 5 (2020)
Illustration
Isaiah 58:1-9a (9b-12)
One of the things prophets do in scripture is ask the questions we don’t want to answer, because if we answer honestly, we convict ourselves. Isaiah asks a number of questions, and the answers are obvious. What he is really asking is, “Why do you do these things without a heart behind it and expect it to work?” Obeying the letter of the law accomplishes nothing if our lives do not reflect God’s intention for a good society. That was the point of the law in the first place. If we worship God, we will act as God intended.
I am thinking of a saying attributed to a character in Isaac Asimov’s science fiction novel Foundation. Salvor Hardin was fond of saying, “Never let your sense of morals prevent you from doing what is right.” That’s what Isaiah’s audience has done. They let their religious scruples prevent them from doing the good thing.
Frank R.
* * *
Isaiah 58:1-9a (9b-12)
L.B.E. Cowman, in Springs in the Valley, shares the story of Sir Edwin Landseer, one of the most famous painters of the Victorian era. His talent developed early, and he had the first showing of his work at the Royal Academy when he was just thirteen years old. He was commissioned to do several official portraits of the royal family, and even gave private drawing lessons to Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. He was best known, however, for his depictions of the natural life in the Scottish Highlands.
One day as he was visiting a family in an old mansion in Scotland, one of the servants spilled a pitcher of soda water, leaving a large stain on the wall. While the family was out for the day, Landseer remained behind. Using charcoal, he incorporated the stain into a beautiful drawing. When the family returned, they found a picture of a waterfall surrounded by trees and animals. He used his skill to make something beautiful out of what had been an unsightly mess.
That’s a powerful picture of what God wants to do. In Isaiah 56–66 we find the post-exilic community struggling to make a new life in Jerusalem during the 530s and 520s B.C. The people are puzzled that God is not pleased with their fasting, repentance and prayers. God’s answer is striking. He calls for a transformed life. He calls for a faith that shows in actions. It isn’t enough to merely cover that which is unsightly. Allow God to make something beautiful of it. That’s what he desired then and that’s what he wants now.
Bill T.
* * *
Isaiah 58: 1-12
My friends will tell you that I am something of a social issues pastor. Social issues like immigration, education reform, health care, elder care, care for the environment -- all speak to my heart. I believe I could anchor my activism in this scripture. Isaiah says, “Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover them, and not to hide yourself from your own kin?”
These verses seem to be a call to social justice and activism, to caring for the least among us, with compassion, kindness, generosity and love. Contrary to popular opinion, to care about these and other issues, is not partisan politics. To care may be political, but it seems Jesus was the most political of us all – reminding us to love God AND to love our neighbor. I’m okay with following his leadership. What about you?
Bonnie B.
* * *
Isaiah 58:1-9a (9b-12)
John Wycliffe is best known to us as a Bible translator. He is remembered as a historical figure for translating the Vulgate, the Bible written in Latin that only the priests could read into English, a Bible which the common man could read for himself. We also recognize him from the organization that was established in his name, the Wycliffe Bible Translators. It is the mission of this organization to translate the Bible into the common vernacular of every country that presently does not have a Bible that can be read by the general populace.
Wycliffe was a part of the Protestant Reformation that rejected many of the theological positions and practices of the Roman Catholic Church. This led to his dismissal as a professor at Oxford University in 1831. In 1834 he died of a stroke and was buried.
The Catholic church continued to view Wycliffe as a heretic because of his challenges of the doctrines of Roman Catholic Church. Condemned as a heretic, at the Council of Constance in 1415, Pope Martin V ordered that Wycliffe’s body be exhumed and burned, the same punishment for all heretics.
But this was not the end of Wycliffe’s story. The townspeople came to Lutterworth and took his ashes and deposited them into the river. The ashes then floated from Lutterworth to the Avon, and from the Avon into the Severn, and from the Severn into the ocean. The ashes of Wycliffe became an emblem of his doctrine which was now dispersed the world over.
Ron L.
* * *
1 Corinthians 2:1-12 (13-16)
Paul’s claim that we know nothing else but Christ crucified (v.2) aims to drive us to faith. It is as John Calvin once wrote: “... the truth of faith, which depends on God alone, and is grounded on His Word, does not stand or fall according to the pleasure of man.” (Calvin’s Commentaries, Vol.XX/1, p.118) Famed modern Reformed theologian Karl Barth adds:
The personal liberation of the Christian consists in the fact that, as born with eagles’ wings above the abyss, he is delivered from indecision and set in action. (Church Dogmatics, Vol.IV/3, p.669)
By being placed above on eagles’ wings (the wings of God) we are raised out of the pit of our selfishness and put in action. Medieval mystic Bernard of Clairvaux powerfully explained how Christ gets us going, gets our sin and selfishness out of the way:
The mind is drawn along by the ineffable sweetness of the Word, and, as it were, it is stolen from itself or, better, it is rapt and remains out of itself there to enjoy the Word... (Elmer O’Brien, ed., Varieties of Mystic Experience, p.106)
Mark E.
* * *
Matthew 5:13-20
In 1630, the soon to be citizens of the Massachusetts Bay Colony gathered around the Puritan pastor John Winthrop on board the ship Arabella. The sermon he delivered was entitled “A Model of Christian Charity,” and it spoke of the vision of what “could be” in this new land. In the sermon, Winthrop calls on the colonists to make their new settlement a “city on a hill” as he quotes from Matthew 5:14.
President-elect John F. Kennedy echoed Winthrop. He said, in an address to the Massachusetts Legislature on January 9, 1961, “During the last sixty days I have been engaged in the task of constructing an administration. I have been guided by the standard John Winthrop set before his shipmates on the flagship Arabella 331 years ago, as they, too, faced the task of building a government on a new and perilous frontier. ‘We must always consider,’ he said, ‘that we shall be as a city upon a hill—the eyes of all people are upon us.’”
For President George Herbert Walker Bush t was on the campaign trail when the city on the hill shined so bright it became “a thousand points of light.”
The phrase “a city on a hill” has impacted the American culture in many ways. As important as it for our nation, though, the challenge goes deeper. The statement comes after Jesus says, “You are the light of the world.” He then notes, “A city built on a hill cannot be hid.” It’s not so much about the U.S. being a great country, though that matters. It is better understood as a reference to people who honor Jesus Christ and can be an example to the world around them. Will you be salt? Will you be light? Will you make a difference?
Bill T.
* * *
Matthew 5:13-20
The television actor Tom Selleck said he owes his success because of his faith in Jesus. Selleck confesses that Jesus has guided him over the years. After college Selleck planned to have a career with United Airlines. He caught the attention of Hollywood from the television commercials that he was doing while working for United, and from these commercials he was even offered an acting contract by Twentieth Century Fox. He turned it down believing that God had called him to serve in the army. After serving in the army, Selleck returned to Hollywood to pursue an acting career.
His big break came when he was offered the lead role in the television series “Magnum, P.I.” The show ran from 1980 to 1988. In a December 2019 interview with CBN News, Selleck said, “A man's heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps. Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time.” Regarding the fame and fortune that acting has brought to him, Selleck confesses that his relationship with Jesus has kept him grounded. The actor said, “I try very hard to conduct myself in an ethical way, because that's important to my stability now. We're a culture that's so centered on the individual. The culture says that basically nothing is more important than the way you feel.”
Ron L.
* * *
Matthew 5:13-20
In our era salt is plentiful, embarrassingly so. It has come to the point that we think of salt as the enemy. We’re told we use too much salt, and sometimes we’re told to refrain from salt because of heart disease or high blood pressure.
But for much of history salt was difficult to come by, and without salt in our diets we will die. Much of human effort in world history has involved searching for and mining salt. When Jesus calls us the salt of the world, he’s not just talking about whether to add salt to our already salty fries. Jesus is saying we are essential for the life of the world. We don’t just spice things up. Because of the power and presence of Jesus in our lives we keep humanity alive. That’s a little more important than seasoning the soup.
Frank R.
* * *
Matthew 5:13-20
I never cook with salt. My Dad had high blood pressure, so Mom never cooked with salt and I learned to like the tastes of food without it. But I do want to BE salt. I do want to season my interactions with the flavors of faithfulness, kindness, generosity, hope, joy and love. I do want to salt the world with justice and mercy and compassion. That I will do.
And as I season the world with the spiritual gifts I have been given, I will hope that the light of Jesus, the light of God’s love, will shine through me and into the world. In a culture that sometimes quantifies our faith by prosperity and the church by its traditions, I am happier lighting up the world with love and seasoning the world with kindness, justice and hope. No hiding the gifts God has given. No being stingy with the flavors of generosity, hope and joy.
Bonnie B.
One of the things prophets do in scripture is ask the questions we don’t want to answer, because if we answer honestly, we convict ourselves. Isaiah asks a number of questions, and the answers are obvious. What he is really asking is, “Why do you do these things without a heart behind it and expect it to work?” Obeying the letter of the law accomplishes nothing if our lives do not reflect God’s intention for a good society. That was the point of the law in the first place. If we worship God, we will act as God intended.
I am thinking of a saying attributed to a character in Isaac Asimov’s science fiction novel Foundation. Salvor Hardin was fond of saying, “Never let your sense of morals prevent you from doing what is right.” That’s what Isaiah’s audience has done. They let their religious scruples prevent them from doing the good thing.
Frank R.
* * *
Isaiah 58:1-9a (9b-12)
L.B.E. Cowman, in Springs in the Valley, shares the story of Sir Edwin Landseer, one of the most famous painters of the Victorian era. His talent developed early, and he had the first showing of his work at the Royal Academy when he was just thirteen years old. He was commissioned to do several official portraits of the royal family, and even gave private drawing lessons to Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. He was best known, however, for his depictions of the natural life in the Scottish Highlands.
One day as he was visiting a family in an old mansion in Scotland, one of the servants spilled a pitcher of soda water, leaving a large stain on the wall. While the family was out for the day, Landseer remained behind. Using charcoal, he incorporated the stain into a beautiful drawing. When the family returned, they found a picture of a waterfall surrounded by trees and animals. He used his skill to make something beautiful out of what had been an unsightly mess.
That’s a powerful picture of what God wants to do. In Isaiah 56–66 we find the post-exilic community struggling to make a new life in Jerusalem during the 530s and 520s B.C. The people are puzzled that God is not pleased with their fasting, repentance and prayers. God’s answer is striking. He calls for a transformed life. He calls for a faith that shows in actions. It isn’t enough to merely cover that which is unsightly. Allow God to make something beautiful of it. That’s what he desired then and that’s what he wants now.
Bill T.
* * *
Isaiah 58: 1-12
My friends will tell you that I am something of a social issues pastor. Social issues like immigration, education reform, health care, elder care, care for the environment -- all speak to my heart. I believe I could anchor my activism in this scripture. Isaiah says, “Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover them, and not to hide yourself from your own kin?”
These verses seem to be a call to social justice and activism, to caring for the least among us, with compassion, kindness, generosity and love. Contrary to popular opinion, to care about these and other issues, is not partisan politics. To care may be political, but it seems Jesus was the most political of us all – reminding us to love God AND to love our neighbor. I’m okay with following his leadership. What about you?
Bonnie B.
* * *
Isaiah 58:1-9a (9b-12)
John Wycliffe is best known to us as a Bible translator. He is remembered as a historical figure for translating the Vulgate, the Bible written in Latin that only the priests could read into English, a Bible which the common man could read for himself. We also recognize him from the organization that was established in his name, the Wycliffe Bible Translators. It is the mission of this organization to translate the Bible into the common vernacular of every country that presently does not have a Bible that can be read by the general populace.
Wycliffe was a part of the Protestant Reformation that rejected many of the theological positions and practices of the Roman Catholic Church. This led to his dismissal as a professor at Oxford University in 1831. In 1834 he died of a stroke and was buried.
The Catholic church continued to view Wycliffe as a heretic because of his challenges of the doctrines of Roman Catholic Church. Condemned as a heretic, at the Council of Constance in 1415, Pope Martin V ordered that Wycliffe’s body be exhumed and burned, the same punishment for all heretics.
But this was not the end of Wycliffe’s story. The townspeople came to Lutterworth and took his ashes and deposited them into the river. The ashes then floated from Lutterworth to the Avon, and from the Avon into the Severn, and from the Severn into the ocean. The ashes of Wycliffe became an emblem of his doctrine which was now dispersed the world over.
Ron L.
* * *
1 Corinthians 2:1-12 (13-16)
Paul’s claim that we know nothing else but Christ crucified (v.2) aims to drive us to faith. It is as John Calvin once wrote: “... the truth of faith, which depends on God alone, and is grounded on His Word, does not stand or fall according to the pleasure of man.” (Calvin’s Commentaries, Vol.XX/1, p.118) Famed modern Reformed theologian Karl Barth adds:
The personal liberation of the Christian consists in the fact that, as born with eagles’ wings above the abyss, he is delivered from indecision and set in action. (Church Dogmatics, Vol.IV/3, p.669)
By being placed above on eagles’ wings (the wings of God) we are raised out of the pit of our selfishness and put in action. Medieval mystic Bernard of Clairvaux powerfully explained how Christ gets us going, gets our sin and selfishness out of the way:
The mind is drawn along by the ineffable sweetness of the Word, and, as it were, it is stolen from itself or, better, it is rapt and remains out of itself there to enjoy the Word... (Elmer O’Brien, ed., Varieties of Mystic Experience, p.106)
Mark E.
* * *
Matthew 5:13-20
In 1630, the soon to be citizens of the Massachusetts Bay Colony gathered around the Puritan pastor John Winthrop on board the ship Arabella. The sermon he delivered was entitled “A Model of Christian Charity,” and it spoke of the vision of what “could be” in this new land. In the sermon, Winthrop calls on the colonists to make their new settlement a “city on a hill” as he quotes from Matthew 5:14.
President-elect John F. Kennedy echoed Winthrop. He said, in an address to the Massachusetts Legislature on January 9, 1961, “During the last sixty days I have been engaged in the task of constructing an administration. I have been guided by the standard John Winthrop set before his shipmates on the flagship Arabella 331 years ago, as they, too, faced the task of building a government on a new and perilous frontier. ‘We must always consider,’ he said, ‘that we shall be as a city upon a hill—the eyes of all people are upon us.’”
For President George Herbert Walker Bush t was on the campaign trail when the city on the hill shined so bright it became “a thousand points of light.”
The phrase “a city on a hill” has impacted the American culture in many ways. As important as it for our nation, though, the challenge goes deeper. The statement comes after Jesus says, “You are the light of the world.” He then notes, “A city built on a hill cannot be hid.” It’s not so much about the U.S. being a great country, though that matters. It is better understood as a reference to people who honor Jesus Christ and can be an example to the world around them. Will you be salt? Will you be light? Will you make a difference?
Bill T.
* * *
Matthew 5:13-20
The television actor Tom Selleck said he owes his success because of his faith in Jesus. Selleck confesses that Jesus has guided him over the years. After college Selleck planned to have a career with United Airlines. He caught the attention of Hollywood from the television commercials that he was doing while working for United, and from these commercials he was even offered an acting contract by Twentieth Century Fox. He turned it down believing that God had called him to serve in the army. After serving in the army, Selleck returned to Hollywood to pursue an acting career.
His big break came when he was offered the lead role in the television series “Magnum, P.I.” The show ran from 1980 to 1988. In a December 2019 interview with CBN News, Selleck said, “A man's heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps. Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time.” Regarding the fame and fortune that acting has brought to him, Selleck confesses that his relationship with Jesus has kept him grounded. The actor said, “I try very hard to conduct myself in an ethical way, because that's important to my stability now. We're a culture that's so centered on the individual. The culture says that basically nothing is more important than the way you feel.”
Ron L.
* * *
Matthew 5:13-20
In our era salt is plentiful, embarrassingly so. It has come to the point that we think of salt as the enemy. We’re told we use too much salt, and sometimes we’re told to refrain from salt because of heart disease or high blood pressure.
But for much of history salt was difficult to come by, and without salt in our diets we will die. Much of human effort in world history has involved searching for and mining salt. When Jesus calls us the salt of the world, he’s not just talking about whether to add salt to our already salty fries. Jesus is saying we are essential for the life of the world. We don’t just spice things up. Because of the power and presence of Jesus in our lives we keep humanity alive. That’s a little more important than seasoning the soup.
Frank R.
* * *
Matthew 5:13-20
I never cook with salt. My Dad had high blood pressure, so Mom never cooked with salt and I learned to like the tastes of food without it. But I do want to BE salt. I do want to season my interactions with the flavors of faithfulness, kindness, generosity, hope, joy and love. I do want to salt the world with justice and mercy and compassion. That I will do.
And as I season the world with the spiritual gifts I have been given, I will hope that the light of Jesus, the light of God’s love, will shine through me and into the world. In a culture that sometimes quantifies our faith by prosperity and the church by its traditions, I am happier lighting up the world with love and seasoning the world with kindness, justice and hope. No hiding the gifts God has given. No being stingy with the flavors of generosity, hope and joy.
Bonnie B.
