Sermon Illustrations for Proper 11 | OT 16 (2009)
Illustration
2 Samuel 7:1-14a
We kidded our pastor friend, Elwin, when his son received his doctorate in theology. Elwin only had a master's degree. We went on and on about how much smarter and more able his son was. Elwin took it well and finally ended the conversation by saying, "Yes, but I'll always have 25 years more experience than he has."
In 2 Samuel, David doesn't get to build the temple. His son, Solomon, does. However, the Lord is gracious even when breaking the news to David that he can't build the temple. David has had his own ways to serve the Lord, which will always be different than Solomon's -- just as Elwin had other ways to serve than did his son and also had the gift of different years in which to do so.
2 Samuel 7:1-14a
There is something about a house, and it runs deeper than the stitches on a "Home Sweet Home" sampler. There is something about a place you can call your own; something about those afghans which, although they are probably the ugliest colors Grandma could find in her crochet basket, are always thrown across the back of the sofa. Besides, they're handy on cold nights. And there is something about the curtains in the kitchen. They're from 1950 and don't match anything, but somehow you love watching them when you eat breakfast every morning. Maybe the heat never really warms up the house in the winter, and it's always too hot in the summer, but you wouldn't dream of moving. After all, this is home. It's your base of operations. It's a place where you can feel in control and, most importantly, secure.
2 Samuel 7:1-14a
When God promises to bless the house of David, his immediate response is to go sit in God's presence, thanking God and acknowledging his own unworthiness. This is surprising, since David had an impressive resume. David had defeated the Philistines, bringing peace to Israel. He had built a grand palace for himself and his court. He had also rescued the Ark of the Covenant from captivity and brought it into the capital city in a joyous procession. David's humility was definitely not weak or self-deprecating. He certainly had ego strength.
This is exactly what enabled David to be humble. He understood that he could not take credit for these victories or his accomplishments. He knew all his talents and achievements came from God and were meant to give God glory. These taught David to rely on God's power to do great things. David was confident as he rejoiced in the inheritance God promised him. David knew that the one who made these promises was the same one who sustained him daily.
Ephesians 2:11-22
There's a story about a Jesuit missionary who brought the Christian faith to a certain tribe of the Masai people of Kenya. The Masai are a fiercely independent people. The missionary had to work hard to convince them they needed Christ in their lives.
After a great many conversations with members of the tribe, the missionary finally decided a handful of individuals were ready for baptism. He requested an audience with the chief, to ask permission to hold a great feast, at which the sacrament would be administered.
The chief was not happy with this plan. He had no objection to the baptisms -- he was interested in Christianity, himself. "Why," the chief demanded, "are some tribal members being chosen for baptism? Why are others being excluded?"
The missionary carefully explained the importance of making an individual decision for Christ. The chief still wouldn't buy it. "I am sorry," he replied, "but that is not a good enough answer. We are a village together. In our village, the strong help the weak. The quick teach the slow. We take responsibility for one another, no matter how busy or how lazy one person may be. That is how we live. We are not going to change our ways to accommodate your customs. All of us will be baptized together, or no one will be baptized."
And so it happened that, on that very same day, the entire village was baptized. It may have been irregular, by European standards, but the Masai chief understood, better than most, that in the church of Jesus Christ no one is a stranger.
Ephesians 2:11-22
One day Nicole was paging through a photo album of vacation pictures. Last summer when they were at the beach her son, Sean, found a piece of driftwood and marked a big "X" in the wet sand near the water. On the next picture Sean had written on the beach, "Treasure here." Nicole recalls how Sean was interested in pirates and buried treasure. The entire family had a delightful week at the beach.
As Nicole sat remembering their special time she thought of another treasure. This past spring Nicole enrolled in an in-depth Bible study at her church. She spent time each day reading passages of scripture in preparation for the class. It was through that study that she discovered the "incredible riches" of knowing God. The Bible is God's treasure map. While treasure hunters have to stumble along piecing together clues all we need is found within the pages of the Bible.
"I will copy that photo and place it in the front of my Bible," Nicole explains to remind her each day that truly there is a "treasure here."
The apostle Paul in his letter to the Ephesians tells of amazing treasure. "But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ."
Ephesians 2:11-22
On one of his first hospital visits in his first parish, Paul visited an old trapper named Jack. Jack was in for an emergency appendectomy. Unfortunately, Jack developed an infection and was in the hospital for an extended stay. This was to Paul's delight, because Jack told pretty fantastic stories, like the one about the she wolf that Jack befriended. According to Jack, it was a particularly hard winter, bitterly cold with an unusually heavy amount of snow. The pickings were lean for Jack and for the wild animals. One day, as Jack was going to check his lines, a wolf came into the clearing where Jack's cabin was located. She stood and looked at Jack, lay down, rolled onto her back in a submissive position, then got up and left. Jack didn't know what to make of it.
The next day, the wolf came back and repeated the strange practice. It did so each day for more than a week, each time coming closer and closer to the cabin and Jack. One day, Jack took some meat out and dropped it a few feet in front of him. The wolf crept up and took the meat. This was repeated for about a week, after which Jack held onto the meat and waited for the wolf to take it from his hand. Eventually, Jack could pet the wolf, who came each day for food. The hard winter had broken down the barriers that usually kept the feral wolf from the human.
It wasn't a permanent break, however. In the spring as the snow melted, the wolf disappeared. Then one day, it came back with three pups in tow. This time she stayed at the edge of the clearing, but she made sure Jack saw her pups. Then she was gone, never to return.
Paul talks of how Christ broke down the walls that kept Gentiles and Jewish people apart, making one people of two. But unlike the harsh winter that broke the wall between wolf and human, Christ broke the wall down for all time.
Mark 6:30-34, 53-56
Jan Baalsrud fled Norway when Germany invaded in 1940. In 1943, he returned with three others to lead an underground war for freedom. They were ferried to northern Norway by a fishing boat. Their mission was betrayed, however, and the boat's crew and all but Jan were killed. Although he was wounded in the foot, Jan escaped and was able to flee and survive for a day through snow and freezing ocean swims.
He completed his final evening ocean swim across 220 yards and was close to death through exhaustion and hypothermia. As he lay on the beach he heard voices. They were children and they were frightened of him. In his total fatigue he spoke to the children and calmed them. As author David Howarth states in the book, We Die Alone, probably nothing at that moment could have motivated Jan but his compassion for children. We see the same instant and powerful compassion in Jesus. As with Jan Baalsrud, it is an expression of who Jesus is and it benefits others.
Mark 6:30-34, 53-56
Some people can't stay away. Take the retired grandmother, who has been looking forward to a leisurely retirement of gardening and reading novels. But there are some children next door whose parents work all day, and they look so sad driving away to the babysitter. Besides, she loves children and she has a great recipe for homemade play-dough. Please, neighbor, won't you let me watch your children? It would be my pleasure. Then her house is full of the ten-and-under crowd jumping on the couch, watching TV, baking cookies. Whew, she needs a break. So she packs her bags for the weekend and heads to a friend's lake house. But her friend's granddaughter is there, and she can't help but offer to hold the baby and change diapers. She remembers what it's like to have a little one and no peace. Grandma could have just sat back and let it go, spent her time gardening, and taking a break from activity, but that's not who she is. She can't help but to help others, and when she's doing that, suddenly her own needs don't seem all that important.
Mark 6:30-34, 53-56
What images do you have of a shepherd and a flock? Does the shepherd stand in front of the flock, leading the sheep? Does the shepherd stand behind the flock, prodding the sheep down a path? Or does the shepherd stand in the very midst of the flock, looking over each lamb, tending to ewes due to give birth, and healing the rough sores on the ram's back? What sort of shepherd do you picture? What sort of shepherd do you need?
Jesus looked out on the congregation by the seaside and had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. He saw that these people needed a shepherd willing to move among them with tender care for the wounds the world had given. They needed a shepherd who knew what it was like to be one of them, for he stood in the very midst of the flock, the human family. Do we need any less? God, rich in mercy, has sent us a shepherd who brings us together as a community of God's people. We are redeemed and cared for by the Savior who has come into our midst to give us life.
We kidded our pastor friend, Elwin, when his son received his doctorate in theology. Elwin only had a master's degree. We went on and on about how much smarter and more able his son was. Elwin took it well and finally ended the conversation by saying, "Yes, but I'll always have 25 years more experience than he has."
In 2 Samuel, David doesn't get to build the temple. His son, Solomon, does. However, the Lord is gracious even when breaking the news to David that he can't build the temple. David has had his own ways to serve the Lord, which will always be different than Solomon's -- just as Elwin had other ways to serve than did his son and also had the gift of different years in which to do so.
2 Samuel 7:1-14a
There is something about a house, and it runs deeper than the stitches on a "Home Sweet Home" sampler. There is something about a place you can call your own; something about those afghans which, although they are probably the ugliest colors Grandma could find in her crochet basket, are always thrown across the back of the sofa. Besides, they're handy on cold nights. And there is something about the curtains in the kitchen. They're from 1950 and don't match anything, but somehow you love watching them when you eat breakfast every morning. Maybe the heat never really warms up the house in the winter, and it's always too hot in the summer, but you wouldn't dream of moving. After all, this is home. It's your base of operations. It's a place where you can feel in control and, most importantly, secure.
2 Samuel 7:1-14a
When God promises to bless the house of David, his immediate response is to go sit in God's presence, thanking God and acknowledging his own unworthiness. This is surprising, since David had an impressive resume. David had defeated the Philistines, bringing peace to Israel. He had built a grand palace for himself and his court. He had also rescued the Ark of the Covenant from captivity and brought it into the capital city in a joyous procession. David's humility was definitely not weak or self-deprecating. He certainly had ego strength.
This is exactly what enabled David to be humble. He understood that he could not take credit for these victories or his accomplishments. He knew all his talents and achievements came from God and were meant to give God glory. These taught David to rely on God's power to do great things. David was confident as he rejoiced in the inheritance God promised him. David knew that the one who made these promises was the same one who sustained him daily.
Ephesians 2:11-22
There's a story about a Jesuit missionary who brought the Christian faith to a certain tribe of the Masai people of Kenya. The Masai are a fiercely independent people. The missionary had to work hard to convince them they needed Christ in their lives.
After a great many conversations with members of the tribe, the missionary finally decided a handful of individuals were ready for baptism. He requested an audience with the chief, to ask permission to hold a great feast, at which the sacrament would be administered.
The chief was not happy with this plan. He had no objection to the baptisms -- he was interested in Christianity, himself. "Why," the chief demanded, "are some tribal members being chosen for baptism? Why are others being excluded?"
The missionary carefully explained the importance of making an individual decision for Christ. The chief still wouldn't buy it. "I am sorry," he replied, "but that is not a good enough answer. We are a village together. In our village, the strong help the weak. The quick teach the slow. We take responsibility for one another, no matter how busy or how lazy one person may be. That is how we live. We are not going to change our ways to accommodate your customs. All of us will be baptized together, or no one will be baptized."
And so it happened that, on that very same day, the entire village was baptized. It may have been irregular, by European standards, but the Masai chief understood, better than most, that in the church of Jesus Christ no one is a stranger.
Ephesians 2:11-22
One day Nicole was paging through a photo album of vacation pictures. Last summer when they were at the beach her son, Sean, found a piece of driftwood and marked a big "X" in the wet sand near the water. On the next picture Sean had written on the beach, "Treasure here." Nicole recalls how Sean was interested in pirates and buried treasure. The entire family had a delightful week at the beach.
As Nicole sat remembering their special time she thought of another treasure. This past spring Nicole enrolled in an in-depth Bible study at her church. She spent time each day reading passages of scripture in preparation for the class. It was through that study that she discovered the "incredible riches" of knowing God. The Bible is God's treasure map. While treasure hunters have to stumble along piecing together clues all we need is found within the pages of the Bible.
"I will copy that photo and place it in the front of my Bible," Nicole explains to remind her each day that truly there is a "treasure here."
The apostle Paul in his letter to the Ephesians tells of amazing treasure. "But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ."
Ephesians 2:11-22
On one of his first hospital visits in his first parish, Paul visited an old trapper named Jack. Jack was in for an emergency appendectomy. Unfortunately, Jack developed an infection and was in the hospital for an extended stay. This was to Paul's delight, because Jack told pretty fantastic stories, like the one about the she wolf that Jack befriended. According to Jack, it was a particularly hard winter, bitterly cold with an unusually heavy amount of snow. The pickings were lean for Jack and for the wild animals. One day, as Jack was going to check his lines, a wolf came into the clearing where Jack's cabin was located. She stood and looked at Jack, lay down, rolled onto her back in a submissive position, then got up and left. Jack didn't know what to make of it.
The next day, the wolf came back and repeated the strange practice. It did so each day for more than a week, each time coming closer and closer to the cabin and Jack. One day, Jack took some meat out and dropped it a few feet in front of him. The wolf crept up and took the meat. This was repeated for about a week, after which Jack held onto the meat and waited for the wolf to take it from his hand. Eventually, Jack could pet the wolf, who came each day for food. The hard winter had broken down the barriers that usually kept the feral wolf from the human.
It wasn't a permanent break, however. In the spring as the snow melted, the wolf disappeared. Then one day, it came back with three pups in tow. This time she stayed at the edge of the clearing, but she made sure Jack saw her pups. Then she was gone, never to return.
Paul talks of how Christ broke down the walls that kept Gentiles and Jewish people apart, making one people of two. But unlike the harsh winter that broke the wall between wolf and human, Christ broke the wall down for all time.
Mark 6:30-34, 53-56
Jan Baalsrud fled Norway when Germany invaded in 1940. In 1943, he returned with three others to lead an underground war for freedom. They were ferried to northern Norway by a fishing boat. Their mission was betrayed, however, and the boat's crew and all but Jan were killed. Although he was wounded in the foot, Jan escaped and was able to flee and survive for a day through snow and freezing ocean swims.
He completed his final evening ocean swim across 220 yards and was close to death through exhaustion and hypothermia. As he lay on the beach he heard voices. They were children and they were frightened of him. In his total fatigue he spoke to the children and calmed them. As author David Howarth states in the book, We Die Alone, probably nothing at that moment could have motivated Jan but his compassion for children. We see the same instant and powerful compassion in Jesus. As with Jan Baalsrud, it is an expression of who Jesus is and it benefits others.
Mark 6:30-34, 53-56
Some people can't stay away. Take the retired grandmother, who has been looking forward to a leisurely retirement of gardening and reading novels. But there are some children next door whose parents work all day, and they look so sad driving away to the babysitter. Besides, she loves children and she has a great recipe for homemade play-dough. Please, neighbor, won't you let me watch your children? It would be my pleasure. Then her house is full of the ten-and-under crowd jumping on the couch, watching TV, baking cookies. Whew, she needs a break. So she packs her bags for the weekend and heads to a friend's lake house. But her friend's granddaughter is there, and she can't help but offer to hold the baby and change diapers. She remembers what it's like to have a little one and no peace. Grandma could have just sat back and let it go, spent her time gardening, and taking a break from activity, but that's not who she is. She can't help but to help others, and when she's doing that, suddenly her own needs don't seem all that important.
Mark 6:30-34, 53-56
What images do you have of a shepherd and a flock? Does the shepherd stand in front of the flock, leading the sheep? Does the shepherd stand behind the flock, prodding the sheep down a path? Or does the shepherd stand in the very midst of the flock, looking over each lamb, tending to ewes due to give birth, and healing the rough sores on the ram's back? What sort of shepherd do you picture? What sort of shepherd do you need?
Jesus looked out on the congregation by the seaside and had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. He saw that these people needed a shepherd willing to move among them with tender care for the wounds the world had given. They needed a shepherd who knew what it was like to be one of them, for he stood in the very midst of the flock, the human family. Do we need any less? God, rich in mercy, has sent us a shepherd who brings us together as a community of God's people. We are redeemed and cared for by the Savior who has come into our midst to give us life.
