Sermon Illustrations for Epiphany of the Lord (2019)
Illustration
Isaiah 60:1-6a
Robert Robinson was just a small boy when his dad died. This meant that he had to go to work while still very young. Without a father to guide and steady him, Robert fell in with bad companions. After doing some rowdy and rough things, Robinson was challenged to think about what his future might be and if he’d see children and grandchildren. He took that challenge seriously and thought, "I'll have to change my way of living. I can't keep on like I'm going now."
He decided to go hear the preacher George Whitefield. After the message, Robert left in dread, under a deep sense of sin that lasted for three years. Finally, at the age of twenty, Robert made peace with God and immediately set out to become a Methodist preacher himself. Two years later, in 1757, he wrote a hymn that expressed his joy in his new faith. It begins, “Come, Thou Fount of every blessing.” It was printed the next year. At first people thought that Selina Hastings, a strong Methodist, had written this. Eventually it was learned that Robinson was the writer. The last stanza is an important one.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love
Take my heart, O take and seal it
Seal it for thy courts above.
Robert was prone to wander. He left the Methodists and became a Baptist. Later, having become a close friend of Joseph Priestly, he was accused of becoming a Unitarian. Priestly and other Unitarians denied the full divinity of Christ. However, in a sermon he preached after he supposedly became a Unitarian, Robinson clearly declared that Jesus was God. Robert Robinson died on June 9, 1790. Had he left the God he loved? A widely-told, but unverifiable, story says that one day as he was riding in a stagecoach a lady asked him what he thought of the hymn she was humming. He is alleged to have responded, ““I wrote these words -- and I’ve lived these words. ‘Prone to wander…prone to leave the God I love.’” The woman replied, “You also wrote, ‘Here’s my heart, O take and seal it.’ You can offer your heart again to God, Mr. Robinson. It’s not too late.”
In this new year, may we as Israel in this text and Robert Robinson of old understand that it is never too late. Under Cyrus, the Jews returned to Jerusalem and to God’s favor and glory. It happened for them. It could happen for Robert Robinson and you.
Bill T.
* * *
Isaiah 60:1-6
After all the anticipation that goes with the holidays it seems as if some people can’t wait to get rid of Christmas. Trees get thrown to the curb for trash pickup. Radio stations stop playing the music altogether.
This passage ties together themes from elsewhere in Isaiah and scripture. Darkness. It can be terrifying. That’s why some people have nightlights, or let the television run all night long. One of the ten plagues in Egypt was darkness. And the historical Isaiah, after despairing that King Ahaz would choose political alliances over the words of God, nevertheless spoke of hope, that the people who walked in darkness would see a great light. And in this text we see the former things are passing away, and that the light is drawing people from far off, bearing gifts, gold, frankincense and myrrh.
We associate Christmas with the winter solstice, because it falls near the shortest day of the year. Yet because the earth has a little bit of a wobble, the shortest day of the year isn’t the day when the sun sets earliest or rises latest. Generally the earliest sunset happens around December 6, and the latest sunrise happens around January 6. That means it is entirely appropriate to talk about a great light dispelling darkness because people that rise for work around this time are still rising in the darkness. But we know better days are head.
Frank R.
* * *
Ephesians 3:1-12
A 2016 Harris Poll found nearly three in four Americans (72%) experience loneliness. Martin Luther offers a helpful insight about how Paul’s reference to one body in Christ (v.6) addresses our loneliness:
Thus we too have been joined with Christ into One Body and being, so that the good or the evil that happens to me also happens to Him. When I strike you or harm you, or when I show you honor, I strike Christ, I do not Him harm, I show Him honor; for whatever happens to a Christian happens also to Christ Himself; He has a stake in it. (Luther’s Works, Vol.23, p.149)
Christ brings us so closely together with our neighbors, that what we do to them we do to him. Loneliness is impossible when the most chance encounter with others matters to our Lord.
Famed 20th-century Catholic theologian Pierre Teilhard de Chardin makes this point in a prayer:
I love You, Lord Jesus, because of the multitude who shelter within You and Whom, if one clings to You, one can hear with all the other beings murmuring, praying, weeping. (Hymn of the Universe, p.75)
Spend time with Jesus and you will never again be alone. He comes with all the faithful who also yearn to be with you.
Mark E.
* * *
Ephesians 3:1-12
Given what we know about Paul, it is sometimes hard for us to understand his humility. He does so much, spreads so much good news to those previously excluded, moves beyond the expectations any might have for a newly converted follower of Jesus. Yet, he is humble. He proclaims himself to be the least of the saints, a prisoner of Christ, not the great evangelist, which many of us may see him as.
There is a lesson in his writing for us. He recognizes the grace he has been given. He knows the path he has taken are steps of faithfulness and that his evangelism is empowered by God. He steps out in faith, with a humble heart, knowing his limitations and the joy of his faithfulness. He lives and moves and walks with the spirit of God, surely what each of us should do.
Bonnie B.
* * *
Matthew 2:1-12
I am from Kansas and am of the age where once a year we all watched the amazing television show, The Wizard of Oz. It is still, in my opinion, a powerful movie. It moves from black and white to color, which when I was a kid, was fascinating. It is a fanciful tale of searching for what matters, only to realize it was right there all the time. I don’t have to tell you much about this movie, though. Most know something about it. There is one scene that struck me as I thought about the text for today. When Dorothy, the Tin Man, the Cowardly Lion, and the Scarecrow all find the Wizard, they hear a loud voice booming all around them. He seems great and powerful. Later though, Toto, Dorothy's dog, discovers that the Wizard isn’t that powerful. He's just a guy operating a bunch of controls behind a green curtain. The words sadly resonate, “Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain!"
Dorothy and her three companions sought someone wise and strong. The Wizard certainly looked the part. He had fame and was renowned. In the end, though, they found a good man, but not someone all powerful. What a contrast to what the magi found in Bethlehem. The child Jesus must’ve seemed so small and, perhaps, insignificant compared to Herod and the palace where they’d been. But looks were deceiving. The magi knew it. They worshipped the real king. Will you?
Bill T.
* * *
Matthew 2:1-12
Every year we enjoy seeing kids in the Christmas pageant dressed in robes with plastic crowns bring gifts to the Christ child. Nevermind that Matthew’s gospel suggests they arrived long after the shepherds had departed (which happens in a different gospel anyway.) Whether we call them kings, wise men, or Magi, they’re good guys.
The word Magi should be translated as magician, sorcerer, or astrologer. Magicians or sorcerers are not presented in a good light in the New Testament. Simon Magus (singular of Magi) in the book of Acts believed, like most magicians of the day, that secret cosmic knowledge could be bought at a price. After he asked how to buy the Holy Spirit, Phillip scolded him severely: “Repent therefore of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you (Acts 8:22).”
Astrology was centered in the belief that the stars controlled human destiny and if you could read what the stars were saying you’d have a handle on the future. That’s why Genesis insists God made the stars and controls the heavens, not vice-versa. The sorcerers personify the idolatry that the stars control our lives and our future. They also represent the boundless will of the newborn savior to save everyone, no matter how lost.
What the wise men discover is that while the stars may point the way, it is scripture which truly points them in the right direction.
The sorcerers automatically travel to Jerusalem, the largest city in the region, because they assume that is where a king would be born. There they discover the star they followed can only take them so far, just as astrological knowledge is incomplete. It would take scripture to get them to their goal.
The religious experts of the day believed the prophet Micah predicted the messiah would come from Bethlehem.
Notice that everyone in the court heard the scripture, but only the sorcerers traveled the five miles to see for themselves.
Let us not forget Matthew tells us that the sorcerers “…were overwhelmed with joy (2:10)” when they arrived at their destination. Many of us are exhausted from the holiday season. We have been buying and wrapping gifts. We have been cooking everyone’s favorites. We have rushed from one obligation to another. We have then plunged back into our regular daily activities.
Come forward, prayerfully, humbly, bearing the gifts God has given you, your talents, your peculiarities, those qualities that make you a prized insider, those aspects which make you feel like an outsider. Bend your knee before the Christ child this day.
And while you’re doing it, you might smile. And who knows, if you follow the star in your heart and listen to the scriptures being fulfilled, perhaps you too will be filled with joy at your arrival.
Frank R.
Robert Robinson was just a small boy when his dad died. This meant that he had to go to work while still very young. Without a father to guide and steady him, Robert fell in with bad companions. After doing some rowdy and rough things, Robinson was challenged to think about what his future might be and if he’d see children and grandchildren. He took that challenge seriously and thought, "I'll have to change my way of living. I can't keep on like I'm going now."
He decided to go hear the preacher George Whitefield. After the message, Robert left in dread, under a deep sense of sin that lasted for three years. Finally, at the age of twenty, Robert made peace with God and immediately set out to become a Methodist preacher himself. Two years later, in 1757, he wrote a hymn that expressed his joy in his new faith. It begins, “Come, Thou Fount of every blessing.” It was printed the next year. At first people thought that Selina Hastings, a strong Methodist, had written this. Eventually it was learned that Robinson was the writer. The last stanza is an important one.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love
Take my heart, O take and seal it
Seal it for thy courts above.
Robert was prone to wander. He left the Methodists and became a Baptist. Later, having become a close friend of Joseph Priestly, he was accused of becoming a Unitarian. Priestly and other Unitarians denied the full divinity of Christ. However, in a sermon he preached after he supposedly became a Unitarian, Robinson clearly declared that Jesus was God. Robert Robinson died on June 9, 1790. Had he left the God he loved? A widely-told, but unverifiable, story says that one day as he was riding in a stagecoach a lady asked him what he thought of the hymn she was humming. He is alleged to have responded, ““I wrote these words -- and I’ve lived these words. ‘Prone to wander…prone to leave the God I love.’” The woman replied, “You also wrote, ‘Here’s my heart, O take and seal it.’ You can offer your heart again to God, Mr. Robinson. It’s not too late.”
In this new year, may we as Israel in this text and Robert Robinson of old understand that it is never too late. Under Cyrus, the Jews returned to Jerusalem and to God’s favor and glory. It happened for them. It could happen for Robert Robinson and you.
Bill T.
* * *
Isaiah 60:1-6
After all the anticipation that goes with the holidays it seems as if some people can’t wait to get rid of Christmas. Trees get thrown to the curb for trash pickup. Radio stations stop playing the music altogether.
This passage ties together themes from elsewhere in Isaiah and scripture. Darkness. It can be terrifying. That’s why some people have nightlights, or let the television run all night long. One of the ten plagues in Egypt was darkness. And the historical Isaiah, after despairing that King Ahaz would choose political alliances over the words of God, nevertheless spoke of hope, that the people who walked in darkness would see a great light. And in this text we see the former things are passing away, and that the light is drawing people from far off, bearing gifts, gold, frankincense and myrrh.
We associate Christmas with the winter solstice, because it falls near the shortest day of the year. Yet because the earth has a little bit of a wobble, the shortest day of the year isn’t the day when the sun sets earliest or rises latest. Generally the earliest sunset happens around December 6, and the latest sunrise happens around January 6. That means it is entirely appropriate to talk about a great light dispelling darkness because people that rise for work around this time are still rising in the darkness. But we know better days are head.
Frank R.
* * *
Ephesians 3:1-12
A 2016 Harris Poll found nearly three in four Americans (72%) experience loneliness. Martin Luther offers a helpful insight about how Paul’s reference to one body in Christ (v.6) addresses our loneliness:
Thus we too have been joined with Christ into One Body and being, so that the good or the evil that happens to me also happens to Him. When I strike you or harm you, or when I show you honor, I strike Christ, I do not Him harm, I show Him honor; for whatever happens to a Christian happens also to Christ Himself; He has a stake in it. (Luther’s Works, Vol.23, p.149)
Christ brings us so closely together with our neighbors, that what we do to them we do to him. Loneliness is impossible when the most chance encounter with others matters to our Lord.
Famed 20th-century Catholic theologian Pierre Teilhard de Chardin makes this point in a prayer:
I love You, Lord Jesus, because of the multitude who shelter within You and Whom, if one clings to You, one can hear with all the other beings murmuring, praying, weeping. (Hymn of the Universe, p.75)
Spend time with Jesus and you will never again be alone. He comes with all the faithful who also yearn to be with you.
Mark E.
* * *
Ephesians 3:1-12
Given what we know about Paul, it is sometimes hard for us to understand his humility. He does so much, spreads so much good news to those previously excluded, moves beyond the expectations any might have for a newly converted follower of Jesus. Yet, he is humble. He proclaims himself to be the least of the saints, a prisoner of Christ, not the great evangelist, which many of us may see him as.
There is a lesson in his writing for us. He recognizes the grace he has been given. He knows the path he has taken are steps of faithfulness and that his evangelism is empowered by God. He steps out in faith, with a humble heart, knowing his limitations and the joy of his faithfulness. He lives and moves and walks with the spirit of God, surely what each of us should do.
Bonnie B.
* * *
Matthew 2:1-12
I am from Kansas and am of the age where once a year we all watched the amazing television show, The Wizard of Oz. It is still, in my opinion, a powerful movie. It moves from black and white to color, which when I was a kid, was fascinating. It is a fanciful tale of searching for what matters, only to realize it was right there all the time. I don’t have to tell you much about this movie, though. Most know something about it. There is one scene that struck me as I thought about the text for today. When Dorothy, the Tin Man, the Cowardly Lion, and the Scarecrow all find the Wizard, they hear a loud voice booming all around them. He seems great and powerful. Later though, Toto, Dorothy's dog, discovers that the Wizard isn’t that powerful. He's just a guy operating a bunch of controls behind a green curtain. The words sadly resonate, “Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain!"
Dorothy and her three companions sought someone wise and strong. The Wizard certainly looked the part. He had fame and was renowned. In the end, though, they found a good man, but not someone all powerful. What a contrast to what the magi found in Bethlehem. The child Jesus must’ve seemed so small and, perhaps, insignificant compared to Herod and the palace where they’d been. But looks were deceiving. The magi knew it. They worshipped the real king. Will you?
Bill T.
* * *
Matthew 2:1-12
Every year we enjoy seeing kids in the Christmas pageant dressed in robes with plastic crowns bring gifts to the Christ child. Nevermind that Matthew’s gospel suggests they arrived long after the shepherds had departed (which happens in a different gospel anyway.) Whether we call them kings, wise men, or Magi, they’re good guys.
The word Magi should be translated as magician, sorcerer, or astrologer. Magicians or sorcerers are not presented in a good light in the New Testament. Simon Magus (singular of Magi) in the book of Acts believed, like most magicians of the day, that secret cosmic knowledge could be bought at a price. After he asked how to buy the Holy Spirit, Phillip scolded him severely: “Repent therefore of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you (Acts 8:22).”
Astrology was centered in the belief that the stars controlled human destiny and if you could read what the stars were saying you’d have a handle on the future. That’s why Genesis insists God made the stars and controls the heavens, not vice-versa. The sorcerers personify the idolatry that the stars control our lives and our future. They also represent the boundless will of the newborn savior to save everyone, no matter how lost.
What the wise men discover is that while the stars may point the way, it is scripture which truly points them in the right direction.
The sorcerers automatically travel to Jerusalem, the largest city in the region, because they assume that is where a king would be born. There they discover the star they followed can only take them so far, just as astrological knowledge is incomplete. It would take scripture to get them to their goal.
The religious experts of the day believed the prophet Micah predicted the messiah would come from Bethlehem.
Notice that everyone in the court heard the scripture, but only the sorcerers traveled the five miles to see for themselves.
Let us not forget Matthew tells us that the sorcerers “…were overwhelmed with joy (2:10)” when they arrived at their destination. Many of us are exhausted from the holiday season. We have been buying and wrapping gifts. We have been cooking everyone’s favorites. We have rushed from one obligation to another. We have then plunged back into our regular daily activities.
Come forward, prayerfully, humbly, bearing the gifts God has given you, your talents, your peculiarities, those qualities that make you a prized insider, those aspects which make you feel like an outsider. Bend your knee before the Christ child this day.
And while you’re doing it, you might smile. And who knows, if you follow the star in your heart and listen to the scriptures being fulfilled, perhaps you too will be filled with joy at your arrival.
Frank R.
