Sermon Illustrations for Epiphany of Our Lord (2014)
Illustration
Object:
Isaiah 60:1-6
The people of God had been in a state of darkness, but now the light has come. The command is to share that light.
In physics we are taught that darkness is only the absence of light. Turn on a flashlight in a dark room and immediately there is light, but there is nothing I can turn on in a lighted room that will suddenly darken it! Only light has power. God is light! Whenever he is mentioned in scripture, there is usually a shechinah or glowing accompanied with him.
We can enjoy light ourselves, but it is our job to share this light with others. If we have no light, there is nothing to share. Yes! There are some who try to share their darkness. Jihadists recruit the innocent so they will turn out the light in others through murder and suicide. We need to shine our light into their darkness. Everyone can see one little candle lit in a dark room and come to it. Light attracts others! It is true that some are more comfortable in darkness. We call them atheists. They are the dark holes in space.
Isaiah is looking ahead to the coming of the Messiah, who is the light. This is what we must share. If Isaiah can share that news before it came, how much more should we share it?
We see darkness in the world on television news. Darkness makes more interesting news than light. How seldom we see stories about wonderful things that are happening. The school shooting in Connecticut filled the news for months, but how many times do they mention the names of some who sacrificed their lives to save others? Do you remember the cases and names? We read and see every day how many are killed in battles, but how often do you read about some act of kindness by our troops? It is there, but do we remember it?
Our job is to share the light that God has given us.
There is a promise in our passage of great wealth on the horizon. We hope that will not be our motive for spreading the light. I have heard some pastors tell how God seemed to have answered the prayers of some members and provided all the money they needed. How seldom I hear them say how they have shared their wealth with those in need. They only proudly say how they have earned it.
Sharing our wealth is one way we can bring light to others. No, not the wealth, but the love they feel from us when it is passed on.
How can we make our light shine? That is one job the pastor can and should help us with. Then we should help our children share the light they receive in Sunday school and from every one of us! The wise men brought "samples" of their wealth to honor God's "king." We may only be shepherds, but we should bring what we can.
Bob O.
Ephesians 3:1-12
Dr. Tom Barnard wrote that he had heard the late Edward John Carnell define faith as "resting in the sufficiency of the evidences." Barnard stated that at the time he wasn't sure what Carnell meant. Barnard continued, "Only much later, when I had lived a few more years and had seen God do things far beyond my ability to comprehend, could I understand Carnell's drift. 'Resting in the sufficiency of the evidences' means that God is at work, and he has left plenty of evidence around so that no human could take credit for it."
Derl K.
Ephesians 3:1-12
The 1880s were a revolutionary time in international transportation. The railroads were spanning country to country. The Orient Express line opened. Ocean transportation was becoming commonplace. The Suez Canal opened. This emphasis on speedy international travel catapulted an obscure book into popularity. Written in 1873, Jules Verne's Around the World in Eighty Days was capturing the imagination of everyone.
Application: Paul speaks of mysteries that can only be made known through revelation. There are many ways the wonders of creation are revealed to us.
Ron L.
Ephesians 3:1-12
Based on his research on the personal consequences of work in the age of globalization, sociologist Richard Sennett has noted that we yearn for but, due to the new economy's need for flexibility, are losing a coherent sense of a personal narrative to our lives. And without this we feel like we are just drifting in life (The Corrosion of Character, pp. 131ff). Seventeenth-century French intellectual Blaise Pascal well described this sense of drift: "I look around in every direction and all I see is darkness. Nature has nothing to offer me that does not give rise to doubt and anxiety" (Pensees, p. 162).
The lesson makes clear that God is in control of our lives, just as he guided the wise men to Jesus. Martin Luther nicely describes the confidence we can have in God's plan for us from day to day:
God created the sparrows; this is why not one of them will fall to the ground without his will. God not only created human beings but also let his dear Son suffer for them. Therefore he will and must care for them far more than he does for the worthless sparrows.
(What Luther Says, p. 1150)
Process theologians John Cobb and David Ray Griffin provide insight about how this appreciation of God always guiding us can help create the sense of meaning in life that our globalized, flexible economy is robbing from us:
This creatively and responsively loving God is incarnately active in the present, bringing about immediate good on the basis of activity in the past and with the purpose to bring about greater good in the future.
(Process Theology, p. 68)
God's life plan for our futures is to take our lives and make more good through them.
Mark E.
Matthew 2:1-12
Jesus was born in Bethlehem where Herod was ruler, under the Romans. It was a rare time of peace: not the peace that everyone was happy with. Israel was not free! It was occupied, but at least the violence was over. Jerusalem was the capital. The name really means "city of peace," which can make us laugh when we study its history even up to today!
That is where the wise men came first, thinking that if a king had come, this would be the place where they would find him. They caused a disturbance when they told Herod that a king was born near there. He was jealous of anyone who might threaten his power. They are also called Magi or magicians. They were treated with honor and great respect, and were even kings in their own right. Herod called his "wise men," who told him that according to the prophecy a king would be born in Bethlehem.
Even today there are astrology columns in the paper for those who believe in a message from the stars. The wise men saw one star that stood out to indicate something of significance and they followed it. Since they followed the star it makes one think that they came from a place east of Israel, since the earth rotates westerly -- unless it was a comet. Since Persia is west of Israel it is puzzling, unless the star they followed was not following the rest of the stars, or if they were Arabs coming from east of Israel.
This doesn't change the spiritual message that even though they came from a different country they came to pay tribute to a king born in Israel. Their history does not indicate a peaceful relationship in past years, but the peace of the Roman empire could have made the difference.
It should be mentioned that "worship him" does not imply a religious ritual, as though they thought he was a god. They must have been surprised to find him in a stable. The lesson for us is that we should look for God in sometimes humble places and in humble people. This passage reminds us of the Lord saying that if we have helped the hungry, homeless, sick, and prisoners, we have helped him.
The gifts they brought were predicted in Isaiah. It is obvious that one item would be gold, as that was a common gift to kings. The frankincense was an odiferous substance that was used to perfume an area for worship. It came from Arabia, which makes some think that the wise men came from there. Myrrh was actually an embalming fluid with a nice smell. It was a gift of respect. It came from the same tree as the frankincense. It was also a symbol of great bitterness and pain.
This visit was totally opposite to the shepherds coming. We can come to our Lord proudly bearing gifts or humbly taking time off our job.
Bob O.
The people of God had been in a state of darkness, but now the light has come. The command is to share that light.
In physics we are taught that darkness is only the absence of light. Turn on a flashlight in a dark room and immediately there is light, but there is nothing I can turn on in a lighted room that will suddenly darken it! Only light has power. God is light! Whenever he is mentioned in scripture, there is usually a shechinah or glowing accompanied with him.
We can enjoy light ourselves, but it is our job to share this light with others. If we have no light, there is nothing to share. Yes! There are some who try to share their darkness. Jihadists recruit the innocent so they will turn out the light in others through murder and suicide. We need to shine our light into their darkness. Everyone can see one little candle lit in a dark room and come to it. Light attracts others! It is true that some are more comfortable in darkness. We call them atheists. They are the dark holes in space.
Isaiah is looking ahead to the coming of the Messiah, who is the light. This is what we must share. If Isaiah can share that news before it came, how much more should we share it?
We see darkness in the world on television news. Darkness makes more interesting news than light. How seldom we see stories about wonderful things that are happening. The school shooting in Connecticut filled the news for months, but how many times do they mention the names of some who sacrificed their lives to save others? Do you remember the cases and names? We read and see every day how many are killed in battles, but how often do you read about some act of kindness by our troops? It is there, but do we remember it?
Our job is to share the light that God has given us.
There is a promise in our passage of great wealth on the horizon. We hope that will not be our motive for spreading the light. I have heard some pastors tell how God seemed to have answered the prayers of some members and provided all the money they needed. How seldom I hear them say how they have shared their wealth with those in need. They only proudly say how they have earned it.
Sharing our wealth is one way we can bring light to others. No, not the wealth, but the love they feel from us when it is passed on.
How can we make our light shine? That is one job the pastor can and should help us with. Then we should help our children share the light they receive in Sunday school and from every one of us! The wise men brought "samples" of their wealth to honor God's "king." We may only be shepherds, but we should bring what we can.
Bob O.
Ephesians 3:1-12
Dr. Tom Barnard wrote that he had heard the late Edward John Carnell define faith as "resting in the sufficiency of the evidences." Barnard stated that at the time he wasn't sure what Carnell meant. Barnard continued, "Only much later, when I had lived a few more years and had seen God do things far beyond my ability to comprehend, could I understand Carnell's drift. 'Resting in the sufficiency of the evidences' means that God is at work, and he has left plenty of evidence around so that no human could take credit for it."
Derl K.
Ephesians 3:1-12
The 1880s were a revolutionary time in international transportation. The railroads were spanning country to country. The Orient Express line opened. Ocean transportation was becoming commonplace. The Suez Canal opened. This emphasis on speedy international travel catapulted an obscure book into popularity. Written in 1873, Jules Verne's Around the World in Eighty Days was capturing the imagination of everyone.
Application: Paul speaks of mysteries that can only be made known through revelation. There are many ways the wonders of creation are revealed to us.
Ron L.
Ephesians 3:1-12
Based on his research on the personal consequences of work in the age of globalization, sociologist Richard Sennett has noted that we yearn for but, due to the new economy's need for flexibility, are losing a coherent sense of a personal narrative to our lives. And without this we feel like we are just drifting in life (The Corrosion of Character, pp. 131ff). Seventeenth-century French intellectual Blaise Pascal well described this sense of drift: "I look around in every direction and all I see is darkness. Nature has nothing to offer me that does not give rise to doubt and anxiety" (Pensees, p. 162).
The lesson makes clear that God is in control of our lives, just as he guided the wise men to Jesus. Martin Luther nicely describes the confidence we can have in God's plan for us from day to day:
God created the sparrows; this is why not one of them will fall to the ground without his will. God not only created human beings but also let his dear Son suffer for them. Therefore he will and must care for them far more than he does for the worthless sparrows.
(What Luther Says, p. 1150)
Process theologians John Cobb and David Ray Griffin provide insight about how this appreciation of God always guiding us can help create the sense of meaning in life that our globalized, flexible economy is robbing from us:
This creatively and responsively loving God is incarnately active in the present, bringing about immediate good on the basis of activity in the past and with the purpose to bring about greater good in the future.
(Process Theology, p. 68)
God's life plan for our futures is to take our lives and make more good through them.
Mark E.
Matthew 2:1-12
Jesus was born in Bethlehem where Herod was ruler, under the Romans. It was a rare time of peace: not the peace that everyone was happy with. Israel was not free! It was occupied, but at least the violence was over. Jerusalem was the capital. The name really means "city of peace," which can make us laugh when we study its history even up to today!
That is where the wise men came first, thinking that if a king had come, this would be the place where they would find him. They caused a disturbance when they told Herod that a king was born near there. He was jealous of anyone who might threaten his power. They are also called Magi or magicians. They were treated with honor and great respect, and were even kings in their own right. Herod called his "wise men," who told him that according to the prophecy a king would be born in Bethlehem.
Even today there are astrology columns in the paper for those who believe in a message from the stars. The wise men saw one star that stood out to indicate something of significance and they followed it. Since they followed the star it makes one think that they came from a place east of Israel, since the earth rotates westerly -- unless it was a comet. Since Persia is west of Israel it is puzzling, unless the star they followed was not following the rest of the stars, or if they were Arabs coming from east of Israel.
This doesn't change the spiritual message that even though they came from a different country they came to pay tribute to a king born in Israel. Their history does not indicate a peaceful relationship in past years, but the peace of the Roman empire could have made the difference.
It should be mentioned that "worship him" does not imply a religious ritual, as though they thought he was a god. They must have been surprised to find him in a stable. The lesson for us is that we should look for God in sometimes humble places and in humble people. This passage reminds us of the Lord saying that if we have helped the hungry, homeless, sick, and prisoners, we have helped him.
The gifts they brought were predicted in Isaiah. It is obvious that one item would be gold, as that was a common gift to kings. The frankincense was an odiferous substance that was used to perfume an area for worship. It came from Arabia, which makes some think that the wise men came from there. Myrrh was actually an embalming fluid with a nice smell. It was a gift of respect. It came from the same tree as the frankincense. It was also a symbol of great bitterness and pain.
This visit was totally opposite to the shepherds coming. We can come to our Lord proudly bearing gifts or humbly taking time off our job.
Bob O.
