Sermon Illustrations for Epiphany 6 (OT 6) Cycle C (2025)
Illustration
Jeremiah 17:5-10
John Wesley nicely describes our sinful condition implied in this text. He writes:
There is nothing so false and deceitful as the heart of man. It is deceitful in the apprehension of things, in the hopes and promises which it nourishes, in the assurances that it gives us. It is unsearchable by others, deceitful with reference to ourselves, and abominably wicked so that neither can a man know his own heart nor can any other know that of his neighbor's. (Commentary On the Bible, p.344)
By contrast, John Calvin offers thoughtful reflections on the prophet's insights God's remedy to our situation. He notes:
... that all their hopes are accursed, by which men inebriate themselves, while they seek salvation in themselves or in the world... for he who really meditates on the law of God day and night well knows thereby, where to put his trust for salvation... (Calvin's Commentaries, Vol.lX/2, p.353)
Jonathan Edwards wrote compellingly about the absolute dependence on God for which this lesson seems to call:
There is an absolute and universal dependence of the redeemed on God. The nature and contrivance of our redemption is such that the redeemed are in everything directly, immediately, and entirely dependent on God; they are dependent on him for all, and are dependent on him in every way. (Works, Vol.2, p.3)
Mark E.
* * *
Jeremiah 17:5-10
I sometimes have difficulty with the letters attributed to Paul. In this letter, Paul professes that “I worked harder than any of them” in his conversation about the disciples. It seems less that humble, until we read the rest of the passage that makes it clear that Paul believes it is the grace of God that has enabled him to preach and teach, to plant churches, and to honor Jesus. He honors the proclamations of all the disciples, all the messages anchored in faith, anchored in the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
Who do we honor as the ones who have led us to faith, who have taught and comforted and helped us to surrender to the teachings of our faith? How has grace been manifested in our lives? When we feel the presence of God, the grace of God, how do we respond? Do we speak the truths we believe? Do we speak the faith or our forefathers and foremothers? Do we proclaim the honor that we offer to Jesus? Proclaiming the word of God is not about bragging; it’s about the humility of knowing that it is God’s grace that enables us to walk our journey of faith. We need to proclaim that message to the spiritually hungry and needy world.
Bonnie B.
* * *
1 Corinthians 15:12-20
I came across an interesting and humorous story. It came from the Mature Living 2011 magazine. Five-year-old Brian had an important verse to recite in an Easter program: “He is not here, he is risen” (Luke 24:6). Unfortunately, he could not remember the line, so the director had to quietly remind him. After hearing the prompt, he then confidently grabbed the microphone and loudly shouted, “He’s not here; He’s in prison!”
I can imagine that scene and it makes me laugh. The fact of the resurrection is central to the Christian faith. Martin Luther wrote, “The cross is the victory, the resurrection is the triumph...The resurrection is the public display of the victory, the triumph of the crucified one.” If Jesus had not been raised, preaching was in vain, and people were hopelessly lost in sin. Verse 20 states the truth in an emphatic way. (sort of like five-year-old Brian only more accurately). “But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have died.” The resurrection is the Christian’s triumph over sin, death, and the grave. We can proclaim, “Victory in Jesus. My Savior forever!”
Bill T.
* * *
Luke 6:17-26
Luke covers some of the same ground as Mark and Matthew, but I think it’s like when you hear someone tell a joke you’ve heard another person tell before – whatever you do, don’t say, “I’ve heard this one,” because that not only makes you a killjoy, but there’s a good chance this joke may go in a totally different direction. You haven’t heard this one yet, even if you’ve heard this one.
Luke is about to embark on his telling of the Sermon on the Mount, usually referred to as the Sermon on the Plain, and it’s the same, only different, and the differences are crucial.
First things first. This lectionary passage shows Jesus teaching and healing. Not either/or. Both. It’s like that old song called “Love and Marriage goes together like a horse and carriage. Let me tell you, brother, you can’t have one without the other.” Teaching and healing. You can’t have one without the other. If you’re throwing words at people but not attending to their real needs, their suffering, their pain, their sickness, their hunger, you’re not going to be heard. And yes, healing is crucial, but there’s something really big going on here. Big picture big. So, with the healing we need to be teaching – possibly in a subtle fashion because people don’t like being “preached at,” whatever that means.
Now for the joke that’s been told but you haven’t heard until you hear it this way, I think in Matthew the Beatitudes and the words that follow are getting to the essence of the law, the Torah. The purpose of God’s law has always been to create the just society that makes it possible for people to live in God’s righteousness, and to create that society now.
But Luke is presenting a gospel to the larger empire, where there is a tremendous, unbelievable gulf between the extraordinarily rich and everyone else, free and slave. So instead of a series of blesseds Luke presents a series of blesseds and woes. He’s not talking about the poor in spirit, he’s talking about the poor — and the rich. The super rich (not some schmo who’s worked up from poverty to a comfortable living) are the villains of holy history. You have laughed already, you rich, Luke says, and the laughter’s over and the joke’s on you.
So, remember — teaching and healing. Poor and rich.
Frank R.
* * *
Luke 6:17-26
Missed warnings can be dangerous. The 1982 war in the Falkland Islands between England and Argentina saw an unusual occurrence. The British Navy’s 3,500-ton destroyer HMS Sheffield was sunk by a single missile fired from an Argentine fighter jet. It was puzzling and caused some people to wonder if modern surface warships were obsolete, sitting ducks for sophisticated missiles. However, a later check revealed that the Sheffield’s defenses did pick up the incoming missile, and the ship’s computer correctly identified it as a French-made Exocet. But the computer was programmed to ignore Exocets as “friendly.” The Sheffield was sunk by a missile it saw coming and could have avoided. The warning was ignored, and the ship sank.
In Jesus’ Sermon on the Plain as recorded in Luke 6, Jesus reiterates some of the same themes he addressed in the Sermon on the Mount. However, in this sermon, he gives warnings to the rich, to those who are full, to those who laugh now, and those about whom people speak well. We aren’t told how the people responded to the warnings, but hopefully they listened. When the dashboard light flashes “low fuel,” the car is running out of gas. Pay attention to the warnings. Those who don’t end up suffering the consequences.
Bill T.
* * *
Luke 6:17-26
Explaining the temptations associated with prosperity which Jesus describes in his comments, John Wesley observed:
... generally prosperity is a sweet poison and affliction a healing, though bitter medicine. Let the thought reconcile us to adversity and awaken our caution when the world smiles upon us... (Commentary On the Bible, p.438)
To this perspective John Calvin added while commenting on Jesus' words:
He pronounces a curse on the rich,... [those] who are so completely occupied with their worldly possessions that they forget the life to come... The meaning is: riches are so far from making a man happy, that they often become the means of his destruction. (Calvin's Commentaries, Vol.XVl/1, pp.268-269)
The Greek philosopher Epicurus had a point: "The secret of happiness, you see, is not found in seeking more, but in developing the capacity to enjoy less."
Mark E.
* * *
Luke 6:17-26
The Beatitudes are some of the most quoted scriptures from the gospel. There are a couple differences between the gospels, but the essence is the same. Jesus has turned the expectations of the world upside down. The poor, the hungry, the hates are blessed. There is woe for the rich, the full, and the adored. Surely this was not a welcome message for some. The powerful were often at odds with the words of Jesus. That hasn’t changed in centuries. Just look at the multiple reactions to Bishop Budde’s sermon message at the National Cathedral. Calling for unity, for grace, for the care of the stranger brought swift criticism from some, and yet, reminded many of us to live into our faith — to love God and our neighbors, to care for the least among us.
No matter our political or theological stance, the words of Jesus challenge us to look at the world around us and live into the words he speaks — care for the poor, the hungry, the marginalized. It’s not easy. It’s counter cultural. Yet, it is vital.
Bonnie B.
John Wesley nicely describes our sinful condition implied in this text. He writes:
There is nothing so false and deceitful as the heart of man. It is deceitful in the apprehension of things, in the hopes and promises which it nourishes, in the assurances that it gives us. It is unsearchable by others, deceitful with reference to ourselves, and abominably wicked so that neither can a man know his own heart nor can any other know that of his neighbor's. (Commentary On the Bible, p.344)
By contrast, John Calvin offers thoughtful reflections on the prophet's insights God's remedy to our situation. He notes:
... that all their hopes are accursed, by which men inebriate themselves, while they seek salvation in themselves or in the world... for he who really meditates on the law of God day and night well knows thereby, where to put his trust for salvation... (Calvin's Commentaries, Vol.lX/2, p.353)
Jonathan Edwards wrote compellingly about the absolute dependence on God for which this lesson seems to call:
There is an absolute and universal dependence of the redeemed on God. The nature and contrivance of our redemption is such that the redeemed are in everything directly, immediately, and entirely dependent on God; they are dependent on him for all, and are dependent on him in every way. (Works, Vol.2, p.3)
Mark E.
* * *
Jeremiah 17:5-10
I sometimes have difficulty with the letters attributed to Paul. In this letter, Paul professes that “I worked harder than any of them” in his conversation about the disciples. It seems less that humble, until we read the rest of the passage that makes it clear that Paul believes it is the grace of God that has enabled him to preach and teach, to plant churches, and to honor Jesus. He honors the proclamations of all the disciples, all the messages anchored in faith, anchored in the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
Who do we honor as the ones who have led us to faith, who have taught and comforted and helped us to surrender to the teachings of our faith? How has grace been manifested in our lives? When we feel the presence of God, the grace of God, how do we respond? Do we speak the truths we believe? Do we speak the faith or our forefathers and foremothers? Do we proclaim the honor that we offer to Jesus? Proclaiming the word of God is not about bragging; it’s about the humility of knowing that it is God’s grace that enables us to walk our journey of faith. We need to proclaim that message to the spiritually hungry and needy world.
Bonnie B.
* * *
1 Corinthians 15:12-20
I came across an interesting and humorous story. It came from the Mature Living 2011 magazine. Five-year-old Brian had an important verse to recite in an Easter program: “He is not here, he is risen” (Luke 24:6). Unfortunately, he could not remember the line, so the director had to quietly remind him. After hearing the prompt, he then confidently grabbed the microphone and loudly shouted, “He’s not here; He’s in prison!”
I can imagine that scene and it makes me laugh. The fact of the resurrection is central to the Christian faith. Martin Luther wrote, “The cross is the victory, the resurrection is the triumph...The resurrection is the public display of the victory, the triumph of the crucified one.” If Jesus had not been raised, preaching was in vain, and people were hopelessly lost in sin. Verse 20 states the truth in an emphatic way. (sort of like five-year-old Brian only more accurately). “But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have died.” The resurrection is the Christian’s triumph over sin, death, and the grave. We can proclaim, “Victory in Jesus. My Savior forever!”
Bill T.
* * *
Luke 6:17-26
Luke covers some of the same ground as Mark and Matthew, but I think it’s like when you hear someone tell a joke you’ve heard another person tell before – whatever you do, don’t say, “I’ve heard this one,” because that not only makes you a killjoy, but there’s a good chance this joke may go in a totally different direction. You haven’t heard this one yet, even if you’ve heard this one.
Luke is about to embark on his telling of the Sermon on the Mount, usually referred to as the Sermon on the Plain, and it’s the same, only different, and the differences are crucial.
First things first. This lectionary passage shows Jesus teaching and healing. Not either/or. Both. It’s like that old song called “Love and Marriage goes together like a horse and carriage. Let me tell you, brother, you can’t have one without the other.” Teaching and healing. You can’t have one without the other. If you’re throwing words at people but not attending to their real needs, their suffering, their pain, their sickness, their hunger, you’re not going to be heard. And yes, healing is crucial, but there’s something really big going on here. Big picture big. So, with the healing we need to be teaching – possibly in a subtle fashion because people don’t like being “preached at,” whatever that means.
Now for the joke that’s been told but you haven’t heard until you hear it this way, I think in Matthew the Beatitudes and the words that follow are getting to the essence of the law, the Torah. The purpose of God’s law has always been to create the just society that makes it possible for people to live in God’s righteousness, and to create that society now.
But Luke is presenting a gospel to the larger empire, where there is a tremendous, unbelievable gulf between the extraordinarily rich and everyone else, free and slave. So instead of a series of blesseds Luke presents a series of blesseds and woes. He’s not talking about the poor in spirit, he’s talking about the poor — and the rich. The super rich (not some schmo who’s worked up from poverty to a comfortable living) are the villains of holy history. You have laughed already, you rich, Luke says, and the laughter’s over and the joke’s on you.
So, remember — teaching and healing. Poor and rich.
Frank R.
* * *
Luke 6:17-26
Missed warnings can be dangerous. The 1982 war in the Falkland Islands between England and Argentina saw an unusual occurrence. The British Navy’s 3,500-ton destroyer HMS Sheffield was sunk by a single missile fired from an Argentine fighter jet. It was puzzling and caused some people to wonder if modern surface warships were obsolete, sitting ducks for sophisticated missiles. However, a later check revealed that the Sheffield’s defenses did pick up the incoming missile, and the ship’s computer correctly identified it as a French-made Exocet. But the computer was programmed to ignore Exocets as “friendly.” The Sheffield was sunk by a missile it saw coming and could have avoided. The warning was ignored, and the ship sank.
In Jesus’ Sermon on the Plain as recorded in Luke 6, Jesus reiterates some of the same themes he addressed in the Sermon on the Mount. However, in this sermon, he gives warnings to the rich, to those who are full, to those who laugh now, and those about whom people speak well. We aren’t told how the people responded to the warnings, but hopefully they listened. When the dashboard light flashes “low fuel,” the car is running out of gas. Pay attention to the warnings. Those who don’t end up suffering the consequences.
Bill T.
* * *
Luke 6:17-26
Explaining the temptations associated with prosperity which Jesus describes in his comments, John Wesley observed:
... generally prosperity is a sweet poison and affliction a healing, though bitter medicine. Let the thought reconcile us to adversity and awaken our caution when the world smiles upon us... (Commentary On the Bible, p.438)
To this perspective John Calvin added while commenting on Jesus' words:
He pronounces a curse on the rich,... [those] who are so completely occupied with their worldly possessions that they forget the life to come... The meaning is: riches are so far from making a man happy, that they often become the means of his destruction. (Calvin's Commentaries, Vol.XVl/1, pp.268-269)
The Greek philosopher Epicurus had a point: "The secret of happiness, you see, is not found in seeking more, but in developing the capacity to enjoy less."
Mark E.
* * *
Luke 6:17-26
The Beatitudes are some of the most quoted scriptures from the gospel. There are a couple differences between the gospels, but the essence is the same. Jesus has turned the expectations of the world upside down. The poor, the hungry, the hates are blessed. There is woe for the rich, the full, and the adored. Surely this was not a welcome message for some. The powerful were often at odds with the words of Jesus. That hasn’t changed in centuries. Just look at the multiple reactions to Bishop Budde’s sermon message at the National Cathedral. Calling for unity, for grace, for the care of the stranger brought swift criticism from some, and yet, reminded many of us to live into our faith — to love God and our neighbors, to care for the least among us.
No matter our political or theological stance, the words of Jesus challenge us to look at the world around us and live into the words he speaks — care for the poor, the hungry, the marginalized. It’s not easy. It’s counter cultural. Yet, it is vital.
Bonnie B.
