Sermon Illustrations for First Sunday after Christmas Day (2015)
Illustration
Object:
1 Samuel 2:18-20, 26
Arthur Shafman, who died in 2014, had no formal education or training; yet he was known as an ambitious concert and theater producer. In addition, he managed the careers of many actors and performers. Shafman was asked how he was able to accomplish this without an education. He replied, “Everything I learned I learned on my own. I asked all the questions. I listened to the answers. I used to go backstage, observing, hanging around. I learned.”
Application: Samuel grew in stature because he was willing to learn.
Ron L.
1 Samuel 2:18-20, 26
This is the Sunday between Christmas and the first Sunday of the new year. The official name on the liturgical calendar is Christmas 1. In nearly four decades as a local church pastor, I came to learn some of its other names. As one of the traditionally low attendance days, it is informally referred to as a “Cannonball Sunday” (so many of the regular attendees are on holiday that it is possible to shoot cannonball across the sanctuary without hitting a single person).
Another term often given this day is “Youth Minister Sunday.” The person who regularly preaches takes advantage of this quiet weekend to visit out-of-town family and/or friends, and assigns homiletic responsibilities to a person who is frequently, if not usually, younger and less experienced.
Many times over the years, congregations I have served have found “Youth Minister Sunday” an exhilarating worship experience. The faith community becomes better acquainted with the week’s replacement preacher. They come to appreciate that this person really is called by God to do ministry. Often they are surprised by the growing maturity of his/her faith. As with the young boy Samuel, they see that this person is continues to grow “in favor with the Lord and with the people.”
R. Robert C.
1 Samuel 2:18-20, 26
Hannah was willing to give everything up for God. Dedication gives meaning to life; it is just who you are, like the Reagans of Blue Bloods. Without that willingness to live a life of total dedication to God, life is pretty meaningless. Martin Luther’s analysis of what such a life looks like is on target: “When people have devoted all their care and effort to scraping together possessions and great wealth, what have they accomplished in the end? You will find that they have wasted their effort and toil. Even if they have piled up great riches, these have turned to dust and blown away. They themselves never found happiness in their wealth” (The Book of Concord, edited by Kolb & Wengert, p. 391).
God does not want this kind of life for his people, according to C.S. Lewis. In his view God says to us: “Give me all. I don’t want so much of your time and so much of your money and so much of your work. I want you. I have not come to torment your natural self but to kill it. No half-measures are any good. I will give you a new self instead. In fact, I will give you Myself; my own will shall become yours” (Mere Christianity, p. 167).
Early Turkish theologian Gregory of Nyssa claimed that we can only live in this sort of dedication because God wounds our hearts with faith, mortally wounds us by the arrow of love (Varieties of Mystic Experience, pp. 50-51). Martin Luther elaborates on this sort of dependence on Christ in the Christian life: “He is properly called Christian because he simply depends on Christ without all merits, his own righteousness, and without all works” (Luther’s Works, Vol. 17, p. 345).
Mark E.
Colossians 3:12-17
Have you put your Christmas decorations away yet? It’s amazing how many people begin clearing away Christmas as soon as Christmas Day has passed. And unfortunately, the Christmas attitudes of kindness and compassion, of generosity and love seem to leave just as quickly. Maybe we should leave our Christmas decorations up all year to remind us that it’s not for just one day we are called to be compassionate, kind, humble, patient, loving, and seekers of harmony and peace. This is our call every day, every single day, as followers of Jesus.
Remember playing “Follow the Leader” when you were a kid? How about choosing to play “Follow the Leader” here and now, today and in all the days to come? If Jesus is our spiritual leader, the head of the church, the savior of our lives, shouldn’t we be following him not just on Christmas Day but every day? Shouldn’t we be singing hymns and spiritual songs, following in every word and deed the teachings and example of Jesus? So this year, don’t just celebrate Christmas Day or the Christmas season. Celebrate your discipleship, your following of Jesus, every single day!
Bonnie B.
Colossians 3:12-17
Maybe you’re going through all the Christmas cards and the circular letters, preparing to store them or throw them out. With the abrupt ending to Christmas practiced by most Americans (ending at midnight December 25th on the dot instead of extending through the Epiphany on January 6th), it’s easy to be weary or arch about those letters you got that were stuffed inside the Christmas cards. Some people resent getting a letter that is intended not just for them but for everyone on a mailing list.
These letters -- whether arriving in the mail or posted to a Facebook page or tacked onto an e-mail -- are important communications, however, from one family to another. It’s a good way for us to keep up with each other.
The letters of the New Testament, even Paul’s letter to Philemon for instance, are from one family of believers to another. And they are intended to have a larger circulation than one addressee. This letter is addressed to all the believers at Colossae, and at the end of the letter the apostle encourages the recipients to pass along this circular letter to the church in Laodicaea. There are also greetings from Luke and Demas and references to other believers.
Should we resent the core message of this passage because it wasn’t intended just for us? Should we resent clichés and simple phrases just because they’re trite, especially since they’re true?
Frank R.
Colossians 3:12-17
Isn’t it exciting to you to know that God has chosen you? We are holy and dearly loved. That is the foundation of our faith. That is why we sit in his house every week. We are God’s family.
His love has made it possible and important that we show compassion and kindness to all around us who need them. If you don’t see the need in your neighbor next door, you can’t miss the need when you turn on the news almost every night and see hundreds of thousands escaping from Africa and Asia. They are coming to “Christian” countries in hopes of finding compassion and kindness.
Sometimes it is hard to show humility, gentleness, and patience to so many. It can be overwhelming!
How can we show humility to some proud Muslims who don’t want to change their ways? They just want food and a place to stay. They are not ready for the Christmas message. Their hearts may be closed. That is when we need gentleness and patience.
In the face of the violence in this world, should we just kill those who are trying to kill us? Should we take vengeance as they claim to be doing, or should we forgive them? Only God can give us that strength.
I read in the paper that a man who had a beloved family member killed went to the killer and forgave him. I have known people like that, and there aren’t very many. In at least one case, I read that the criminal was converted. But isn’t this passage telling us that we should all be willing to forgive others? Not just the clerk who shortchanged us at the market, or the neighbor who called us names and told us to keep our dog or the television quiet -- but even those who hurt us deeply. How many times a husband and wife fight and need to learn forgiveness. That is one way to show love and humility. That is the best way to find peace in our hearts!
Bob O.
Colossians 3:12-17
I do not possess musical talent, but I do appreciate good music when I hear it. Who doesn’t? I suppose what constitutes “good music” is in the eye of the beholder -- but for me, I like to hear the old-time four-part harmonies found in barbershop quartets. It is always fun to hear how the different parts come together to blend into a wonderful whole. In my opinion, that’s good music. Nothing sounds as sweet as hearing the four parts brought together into one sound.
In the text for today there are a lot of challenges and admonitions for God’s people. They are told how to clothe themselves and how to act with respect to one another. They are told to let Christ’s peace rule in their hearts and to be thankful. They are told how to encourage each other and challenged in all that they do, to do it as unto the Lord. The part that struck me, though, was the one given the descriptive “above all.” What were they to do “above all”? Clothe themselves with love. It is the one thing that binds the rest together in perfect harmony. Love is what God’s people do so that everything else fits in its proper place and the whole is beautiful. Nothing is sweeter than when the body of Christ conducts itself with compassion, forgiveness, thankfulness, wisdom, and encouragement all brought together by love.
Bill T.
Luke 2:41-52
I have a friend whose middle child was significantly precocious. As a small child he would say things that were well beyond what one would expect from his someone his age. Frequently his comments and observations would startle the adults he encountered.
For instance, at a family gathering when he was about four years of age he was standing in the living room, staring out the front window. He was so engrossed in this mundane activity that a passing adult family member asked him, “Jimmy, are you all right?”
“Yes, Aunt Sarah, I am fine,” he answered. “I was just wondering, ‘Is that what it is all about?’ ”
“What do you mean, Jimmy?” his aunt responded.
“I mean ‘life.’ I have been thinking about life. Is life just one day right after another?”
Forty years after that conversation, Jimmy’s mother and the rest of the family still tell that and a host of other stories that indicate the ways Jimmy surprised his elders with his thinking and speaking. As a small child, Jimmy’s thought processes went beyond what one might anticipate from someone his age.
The account of the boy Jesus at the temple is similar. The difference is that Jimmy had a very high IQ. His intelligence led him to finish a Ph.D. when he was barely out of his teens. Today he teaches at an Ivy League college. Jesus, on the other hand, turned out to be the Messiah. He went on to change the world.
R. Robert C.
Luke 2:41-52
The boy Jesus put God above all things. This kind of devotion leads us to put God’s interests above the interests of our fellow human beings. John Calvin claimed that “whatever we owe to men must yield to the First Table of the Law, that God’s authority over us may remain untouched.” Obedience to those in authority may never be allowed to lessen or take away anything from God (Calvin’s Commentaries, Vol. XVI/1, p. 171).
This set of commitments and Jesus’ behavior suggest a situational ethic -- the belief that sometimes the commandments of God can be broken if it serves God’s interests. Joseph Fletcher taught this in the 1960s. Martin Luther also taught it: “If you are a Christian you have the power to dispense with all commandments so far as they hinder you in the practice of love” (Complete Sermons, Vol. 3/1, p. 166). “Thus in their wars the saints frequently deceived their enemies, but those are lies one is permitted to use in the service of God against the devil and the enemies of God” (Luther’s Works, Vol. 5, p. 150).
Mark E.
Luke 2:41-52
Markus Rehm of Germany was disqualified from the 2012 Paralympics -- which prevented him from going on to compete in the Olympics. When Rehm was 14 he was in a boating accident, and his right leg was amputated below the knee. In order to compete as a long jumper, he used a prosthetic leg. The problem was that the leg was made from carbon fiber and was 15 centimeters longer than his left leg. This artificial leg gave him a catapult effect when he jumped, and was unquestionably in violation of the rules.
Application: Many people did not listen to or understand Jesus -- just as Rehm did not listen to the rules of the Paralympics.
Ron L.
Arthur Shafman, who died in 2014, had no formal education or training; yet he was known as an ambitious concert and theater producer. In addition, he managed the careers of many actors and performers. Shafman was asked how he was able to accomplish this without an education. He replied, “Everything I learned I learned on my own. I asked all the questions. I listened to the answers. I used to go backstage, observing, hanging around. I learned.”
Application: Samuel grew in stature because he was willing to learn.
Ron L.
1 Samuel 2:18-20, 26
This is the Sunday between Christmas and the first Sunday of the new year. The official name on the liturgical calendar is Christmas 1. In nearly four decades as a local church pastor, I came to learn some of its other names. As one of the traditionally low attendance days, it is informally referred to as a “Cannonball Sunday” (so many of the regular attendees are on holiday that it is possible to shoot cannonball across the sanctuary without hitting a single person).
Another term often given this day is “Youth Minister Sunday.” The person who regularly preaches takes advantage of this quiet weekend to visit out-of-town family and/or friends, and assigns homiletic responsibilities to a person who is frequently, if not usually, younger and less experienced.
Many times over the years, congregations I have served have found “Youth Minister Sunday” an exhilarating worship experience. The faith community becomes better acquainted with the week’s replacement preacher. They come to appreciate that this person really is called by God to do ministry. Often they are surprised by the growing maturity of his/her faith. As with the young boy Samuel, they see that this person is continues to grow “in favor with the Lord and with the people.”
R. Robert C.
1 Samuel 2:18-20, 26
Hannah was willing to give everything up for God. Dedication gives meaning to life; it is just who you are, like the Reagans of Blue Bloods. Without that willingness to live a life of total dedication to God, life is pretty meaningless. Martin Luther’s analysis of what such a life looks like is on target: “When people have devoted all their care and effort to scraping together possessions and great wealth, what have they accomplished in the end? You will find that they have wasted their effort and toil. Even if they have piled up great riches, these have turned to dust and blown away. They themselves never found happiness in their wealth” (The Book of Concord, edited by Kolb & Wengert, p. 391).
God does not want this kind of life for his people, according to C.S. Lewis. In his view God says to us: “Give me all. I don’t want so much of your time and so much of your money and so much of your work. I want you. I have not come to torment your natural self but to kill it. No half-measures are any good. I will give you a new self instead. In fact, I will give you Myself; my own will shall become yours” (Mere Christianity, p. 167).
Early Turkish theologian Gregory of Nyssa claimed that we can only live in this sort of dedication because God wounds our hearts with faith, mortally wounds us by the arrow of love (Varieties of Mystic Experience, pp. 50-51). Martin Luther elaborates on this sort of dependence on Christ in the Christian life: “He is properly called Christian because he simply depends on Christ without all merits, his own righteousness, and without all works” (Luther’s Works, Vol. 17, p. 345).
Mark E.
Colossians 3:12-17
Have you put your Christmas decorations away yet? It’s amazing how many people begin clearing away Christmas as soon as Christmas Day has passed. And unfortunately, the Christmas attitudes of kindness and compassion, of generosity and love seem to leave just as quickly. Maybe we should leave our Christmas decorations up all year to remind us that it’s not for just one day we are called to be compassionate, kind, humble, patient, loving, and seekers of harmony and peace. This is our call every day, every single day, as followers of Jesus.
Remember playing “Follow the Leader” when you were a kid? How about choosing to play “Follow the Leader” here and now, today and in all the days to come? If Jesus is our spiritual leader, the head of the church, the savior of our lives, shouldn’t we be following him not just on Christmas Day but every day? Shouldn’t we be singing hymns and spiritual songs, following in every word and deed the teachings and example of Jesus? So this year, don’t just celebrate Christmas Day or the Christmas season. Celebrate your discipleship, your following of Jesus, every single day!
Bonnie B.
Colossians 3:12-17
Maybe you’re going through all the Christmas cards and the circular letters, preparing to store them or throw them out. With the abrupt ending to Christmas practiced by most Americans (ending at midnight December 25th on the dot instead of extending through the Epiphany on January 6th), it’s easy to be weary or arch about those letters you got that were stuffed inside the Christmas cards. Some people resent getting a letter that is intended not just for them but for everyone on a mailing list.
These letters -- whether arriving in the mail or posted to a Facebook page or tacked onto an e-mail -- are important communications, however, from one family to another. It’s a good way for us to keep up with each other.
The letters of the New Testament, even Paul’s letter to Philemon for instance, are from one family of believers to another. And they are intended to have a larger circulation than one addressee. This letter is addressed to all the believers at Colossae, and at the end of the letter the apostle encourages the recipients to pass along this circular letter to the church in Laodicaea. There are also greetings from Luke and Demas and references to other believers.
Should we resent the core message of this passage because it wasn’t intended just for us? Should we resent clichés and simple phrases just because they’re trite, especially since they’re true?
Frank R.
Colossians 3:12-17
Isn’t it exciting to you to know that God has chosen you? We are holy and dearly loved. That is the foundation of our faith. That is why we sit in his house every week. We are God’s family.
His love has made it possible and important that we show compassion and kindness to all around us who need them. If you don’t see the need in your neighbor next door, you can’t miss the need when you turn on the news almost every night and see hundreds of thousands escaping from Africa and Asia. They are coming to “Christian” countries in hopes of finding compassion and kindness.
Sometimes it is hard to show humility, gentleness, and patience to so many. It can be overwhelming!
How can we show humility to some proud Muslims who don’t want to change their ways? They just want food and a place to stay. They are not ready for the Christmas message. Their hearts may be closed. That is when we need gentleness and patience.
In the face of the violence in this world, should we just kill those who are trying to kill us? Should we take vengeance as they claim to be doing, or should we forgive them? Only God can give us that strength.
I read in the paper that a man who had a beloved family member killed went to the killer and forgave him. I have known people like that, and there aren’t very many. In at least one case, I read that the criminal was converted. But isn’t this passage telling us that we should all be willing to forgive others? Not just the clerk who shortchanged us at the market, or the neighbor who called us names and told us to keep our dog or the television quiet -- but even those who hurt us deeply. How many times a husband and wife fight and need to learn forgiveness. That is one way to show love and humility. That is the best way to find peace in our hearts!
Bob O.
Colossians 3:12-17
I do not possess musical talent, but I do appreciate good music when I hear it. Who doesn’t? I suppose what constitutes “good music” is in the eye of the beholder -- but for me, I like to hear the old-time four-part harmonies found in barbershop quartets. It is always fun to hear how the different parts come together to blend into a wonderful whole. In my opinion, that’s good music. Nothing sounds as sweet as hearing the four parts brought together into one sound.
In the text for today there are a lot of challenges and admonitions for God’s people. They are told how to clothe themselves and how to act with respect to one another. They are told to let Christ’s peace rule in their hearts and to be thankful. They are told how to encourage each other and challenged in all that they do, to do it as unto the Lord. The part that struck me, though, was the one given the descriptive “above all.” What were they to do “above all”? Clothe themselves with love. It is the one thing that binds the rest together in perfect harmony. Love is what God’s people do so that everything else fits in its proper place and the whole is beautiful. Nothing is sweeter than when the body of Christ conducts itself with compassion, forgiveness, thankfulness, wisdom, and encouragement all brought together by love.
Bill T.
Luke 2:41-52
I have a friend whose middle child was significantly precocious. As a small child he would say things that were well beyond what one would expect from his someone his age. Frequently his comments and observations would startle the adults he encountered.
For instance, at a family gathering when he was about four years of age he was standing in the living room, staring out the front window. He was so engrossed in this mundane activity that a passing adult family member asked him, “Jimmy, are you all right?”
“Yes, Aunt Sarah, I am fine,” he answered. “I was just wondering, ‘Is that what it is all about?’ ”
“What do you mean, Jimmy?” his aunt responded.
“I mean ‘life.’ I have been thinking about life. Is life just one day right after another?”
Forty years after that conversation, Jimmy’s mother and the rest of the family still tell that and a host of other stories that indicate the ways Jimmy surprised his elders with his thinking and speaking. As a small child, Jimmy’s thought processes went beyond what one might anticipate from someone his age.
The account of the boy Jesus at the temple is similar. The difference is that Jimmy had a very high IQ. His intelligence led him to finish a Ph.D. when he was barely out of his teens. Today he teaches at an Ivy League college. Jesus, on the other hand, turned out to be the Messiah. He went on to change the world.
R. Robert C.
Luke 2:41-52
The boy Jesus put God above all things. This kind of devotion leads us to put God’s interests above the interests of our fellow human beings. John Calvin claimed that “whatever we owe to men must yield to the First Table of the Law, that God’s authority over us may remain untouched.” Obedience to those in authority may never be allowed to lessen or take away anything from God (Calvin’s Commentaries, Vol. XVI/1, p. 171).
This set of commitments and Jesus’ behavior suggest a situational ethic -- the belief that sometimes the commandments of God can be broken if it serves God’s interests. Joseph Fletcher taught this in the 1960s. Martin Luther also taught it: “If you are a Christian you have the power to dispense with all commandments so far as they hinder you in the practice of love” (Complete Sermons, Vol. 3/1, p. 166). “Thus in their wars the saints frequently deceived their enemies, but those are lies one is permitted to use in the service of God against the devil and the enemies of God” (Luther’s Works, Vol. 5, p. 150).
Mark E.
Luke 2:41-52
Markus Rehm of Germany was disqualified from the 2012 Paralympics -- which prevented him from going on to compete in the Olympics. When Rehm was 14 he was in a boating accident, and his right leg was amputated below the knee. In order to compete as a long jumper, he used a prosthetic leg. The problem was that the leg was made from carbon fiber and was 15 centimeters longer than his left leg. This artificial leg gave him a catapult effect when he jumped, and was unquestionably in violation of the rules.
Application: Many people did not listen to or understand Jesus -- just as Rehm did not listen to the rules of the Paralympics.
Ron L.
