Sermon Illustrations for Proper 11 | OT 16 (2019)
Illustration
Amos 8:1-12
I’m a baseball fan and this is the middle of baseball season, so I thought this might be an appropriate and helpful story. An umpire named Babe Pinelli once called the legendary Babe Ruth out on strikes. When the crowd booed with disapproval at the call, Ruth turned to the umpire and angrily said, “There’s 40,000 people here who know that the last pitch was a ball, tomato head.”
Suspecting that the umpire would erupt with anger, Ruth’s coaches and teammates braced themselves for Ruth’s ejection. However, the cool headed Pinelli replied, “Maybe so, Babe, but mine is the only opinion that counts.”
That story makes me chuckle, but it also has a point. Our text today is about God’s judgment on his people. It begins with the corrupt merchants who oppress the poor, but extends to all Israel, suggesting that the society at large bears responsibility for creating the circumstances in which such actions could prosper.
When we think of God’s judgment and our actions, I suppose there are quite a few opinions and thoughts about it. We need to remember, though, only one opinion matters.
Bill T.
* * *
Amos 8:1-12
In eighth century Israel things look okay, but they’re not okay. The passage begins with a play on words — the word for summer fruit sounds a lot like the word for the end, or destruction. You think you’re looking at a tasty bowl of fruit and then — Boom! — it all blows up in your face. Everything's about to go topsy-turvy. Amos is speaking at a time of seeming prosperity and peace, but storm clouds are on the horizon. It’s at a time like this that the message of a prophet is especially unwelcome. The judgement is addressed toward the fat and the sassy, not the poor and oppressed. But they will suffer, too.
The rich complain that an ongoing religious festival is preventing them from making money, but as soon as the new moon is over they look forward to throwing their publicly pious personas out the window to get back to the nuts and bolts of buying and selling the lives of the destitute. This is not just an ancient phenomenon of a people who do not see the sword of the Assyrians hanging over their head, their destruction speeding toward them. In our own economic choices do we accept the abuse of the poor in other lands, or in servitude in our own country, so that we can live the lives we choose to think of as righteous? Is the cost of our food, our clothes, and our lifestyles more important than those of of the poor in our own land and in other countries? Are we believers one day a week and cheaters the other six?
Frank R.
* * *
Amos 8:1-12
Kelly Ripa, along with Ryan Seacrest, cohost the morning television talk show Live with Kelly and Ryan. Ripa, who is 48, has been on the show since 2001. On an episode that aired on Tuesday May 14, 2019, Ripa shared that the new Bachelorette, Hannah Brown, would be on the show during the coming week. Ripa then exploded, exposing her true feeliings about the two dating shows – the Bachelor and the Bachelorette. Ripa said, “You guys know how I feel about the show...it disgusts me.” She went on to say, “I couldn't stand the idea of 25 exceptional women fighting over one ordinary fella, in my opinion. We are too special to be arguing over a guy.” She then concluded by saying that it was a “gross, gross show.”
Ron L.
* * *
Colossians 1:15-28
Fewer and fewer Americans believe in the divinity of Jesus. A Barna Research 2015 poll found that only 56% of us affirm His divinity, and no doubt that number has declined in the last 4 years. Sociologist Christian Smith has suggested that the functional view of God in American popular culture is a “moralistic therapeutic deism.” Religion is seen as about behavior and individual well-being with a god who having created us pretty much leaves us alone, except for Jesus when he came to teach and exemplify the good life to us (Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers, esp. pp.118-170). We clearly need this Lesson’s witness to Jesus as Son of God in Whom the fullness of God dwells (vv.17-20).
John Calvin gives us a good reason for why it is necessary for Jesus to be God and human. He once wrote:
For it was necessary that the Son of God should become man and be a partaker of our flesh, that He might be our brother: it was necessary that He should by dying become a sacrifice, that He might make His Father propitious to us. (Calvin’s Commentaries, Vol.XXI/2, p.159)
How can Two Natures be One? Not such a stretch if you consider the ancient African Origen’s image of Christ as like a glowing iron. The iron and the fire are distinct and yet inseparable. So it is with Christ’s Two Natures (On First Principles, II.VI.6).
Mark E.
* * *
Colossians 1:15-28
The character and description of Jesus is clear. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; before all things: head of the body, the church. Jesus sees all things and is the fullness of God. But more than that Jesus is the reconciler, the one who surrounds us with forgiveness and grace, who allows us to be reconciled to God and to one another. Paul goes on to relate to the suffering of Jesus, to welcome the suffering in his own life as a means of further understanding the sacrifice of Jesus.
None of us wants to suffer, and while I am not a proponent of redemptive suffering, I do think that reaching out to God and our fellow Christians in times of suffering and distress, helps us to know God is walking with us in the difficult times, as well as the good times. We may, in fact need God more in the dark and difficult times. Friends, please know that God is up to the task of comfort and blessing in all our days.
Bonnie B.
* * *
Colossians 1:15-28
We have been made one through our Lord who created us and others. Nothing came before Him. Even the greatest scientist can’t go back that far. They are limited to the created world that we can see and know today. Some scientists try to go back beyond that dark matter that floats around, but aren’t going to make it until they turn to the Bible. It seems like the most important things on earth are invisible. It is our actions that control life. Sin can affect life now and even more important beyond our life here.
Without love there is nothing in the world. No, we don’t see love. We feel love In our heart. Faith has to go beyond what we see.
We may see our wife and children, but we are the only ones who feel love for them in our heart. Love is a feeling that goes beyond what we see or feel.
Bob O.
* * *
Luke 10:38-42
Adolph Menzel created a painting titled “Frederick the Great’s Address to His Generals Before the Battle of Leuthen.” This historical piece depicts Frederick’s speech to his generals in December 1757 during the Seven Years’ War. It’s before their famous battle in Silesia against the Austrians. Menzel worked on it from 1859-1861, but never finished it. The painting contains the background and the generals standing in a semi-circle, but the main figure of Frederick the Great was left blank.
Sometimes that happens regarding Jesus, too. Martha had a lot of things to do that were important and she was driven to do them. She was also irritated that her sister, Mary, was doing nothing but sitting at Jesus’ feet. She was focused on things being just right, except the thing that mattered most. Jesus gently addressed that. “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.”
Are we so busy in doing good that we forget that which is most important?
Bill T.
* * *
Luke 10:38-42
The Roman Catholic Church has been in dialogue with various Protestant denominations in an attempt to establish unity. But, the need for theological agreement prevents all expressions of the Christian faith from working together. Progress has been made on the many issues that were raised by the Reformation, but now new issues have once again slowed the process. Some of these new issues are women’s ordination, gay marriage and abortion. The starting point for Christian unity is seen in the ability to share the Eucharist. On Sunday, June 2, 2019, Pope Francis, on the plane returning him from Romania to Rome, held a news conference to discuss with the reporters the need for ecumenical relations. Francis told the reporters, “Ecumenism is not getting to the end of discussions, it’s done walking together.” He went on to say that “there is already Christina unity. Let’s not wait for theologians to come to agreement on the Eucharist.” Francis indicated that it is time that all denominations share the Lord’s Supper.
Ron L.
* * *
Luke 10:38-42
A few verses before this passage the lawyer and Jesus agree that the law is encapsulated in verses from Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18 — specifically that you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself.
The story of the Good Samaritan that follows illustrates what Leviticus means when it comes to defining our neighbor. Then comes the story of Mary and Martha, which uncomfortably asserts that the Deuteronomy passage, that loving the Lord your God with your whole being, can cause difficulty in your relationships.
Jesus is a traveller who needs hospitality, and he finds it in Martha’s home. Feeding Jesus and his followers is a daunting, if welcome task, and my guess is that most of us are on Martha’s side when she asks Jesus to tell her sister Mary, who has been sitting at the feet of the Savior and listening to his every word, to get up and help put dinner on the table.
Mary’s actions are a violation of society’s norms — she’s performing a radical act by acting like one of the disciples. And despite Martha’s frazzled spirit God still comes first, even if the whole reason Jesus stopped by was for a meal and a place to spend the night. Perhaps a simpler meal might have been more appropriate. Then Martha could listen to Jesus as well.
Frank R.
I’m a baseball fan and this is the middle of baseball season, so I thought this might be an appropriate and helpful story. An umpire named Babe Pinelli once called the legendary Babe Ruth out on strikes. When the crowd booed with disapproval at the call, Ruth turned to the umpire and angrily said, “There’s 40,000 people here who know that the last pitch was a ball, tomato head.”
Suspecting that the umpire would erupt with anger, Ruth’s coaches and teammates braced themselves for Ruth’s ejection. However, the cool headed Pinelli replied, “Maybe so, Babe, but mine is the only opinion that counts.”
That story makes me chuckle, but it also has a point. Our text today is about God’s judgment on his people. It begins with the corrupt merchants who oppress the poor, but extends to all Israel, suggesting that the society at large bears responsibility for creating the circumstances in which such actions could prosper.
When we think of God’s judgment and our actions, I suppose there are quite a few opinions and thoughts about it. We need to remember, though, only one opinion matters.
Bill T.
* * *
Amos 8:1-12
In eighth century Israel things look okay, but they’re not okay. The passage begins with a play on words — the word for summer fruit sounds a lot like the word for the end, or destruction. You think you’re looking at a tasty bowl of fruit and then — Boom! — it all blows up in your face. Everything's about to go topsy-turvy. Amos is speaking at a time of seeming prosperity and peace, but storm clouds are on the horizon. It’s at a time like this that the message of a prophet is especially unwelcome. The judgement is addressed toward the fat and the sassy, not the poor and oppressed. But they will suffer, too.
The rich complain that an ongoing religious festival is preventing them from making money, but as soon as the new moon is over they look forward to throwing their publicly pious personas out the window to get back to the nuts and bolts of buying and selling the lives of the destitute. This is not just an ancient phenomenon of a people who do not see the sword of the Assyrians hanging over their head, their destruction speeding toward them. In our own economic choices do we accept the abuse of the poor in other lands, or in servitude in our own country, so that we can live the lives we choose to think of as righteous? Is the cost of our food, our clothes, and our lifestyles more important than those of of the poor in our own land and in other countries? Are we believers one day a week and cheaters the other six?
Frank R.
* * *
Amos 8:1-12
Kelly Ripa, along with Ryan Seacrest, cohost the morning television talk show Live with Kelly and Ryan. Ripa, who is 48, has been on the show since 2001. On an episode that aired on Tuesday May 14, 2019, Ripa shared that the new Bachelorette, Hannah Brown, would be on the show during the coming week. Ripa then exploded, exposing her true feeliings about the two dating shows – the Bachelor and the Bachelorette. Ripa said, “You guys know how I feel about the show...it disgusts me.” She went on to say, “I couldn't stand the idea of 25 exceptional women fighting over one ordinary fella, in my opinion. We are too special to be arguing over a guy.” She then concluded by saying that it was a “gross, gross show.”
Ron L.
* * *
Colossians 1:15-28
Fewer and fewer Americans believe in the divinity of Jesus. A Barna Research 2015 poll found that only 56% of us affirm His divinity, and no doubt that number has declined in the last 4 years. Sociologist Christian Smith has suggested that the functional view of God in American popular culture is a “moralistic therapeutic deism.” Religion is seen as about behavior and individual well-being with a god who having created us pretty much leaves us alone, except for Jesus when he came to teach and exemplify the good life to us (Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers, esp. pp.118-170). We clearly need this Lesson’s witness to Jesus as Son of God in Whom the fullness of God dwells (vv.17-20).
John Calvin gives us a good reason for why it is necessary for Jesus to be God and human. He once wrote:
For it was necessary that the Son of God should become man and be a partaker of our flesh, that He might be our brother: it was necessary that He should by dying become a sacrifice, that He might make His Father propitious to us. (Calvin’s Commentaries, Vol.XXI/2, p.159)
How can Two Natures be One? Not such a stretch if you consider the ancient African Origen’s image of Christ as like a glowing iron. The iron and the fire are distinct and yet inseparable. So it is with Christ’s Two Natures (On First Principles, II.VI.6).
Mark E.
* * *
Colossians 1:15-28
The character and description of Jesus is clear. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; before all things: head of the body, the church. Jesus sees all things and is the fullness of God. But more than that Jesus is the reconciler, the one who surrounds us with forgiveness and grace, who allows us to be reconciled to God and to one another. Paul goes on to relate to the suffering of Jesus, to welcome the suffering in his own life as a means of further understanding the sacrifice of Jesus.
None of us wants to suffer, and while I am not a proponent of redemptive suffering, I do think that reaching out to God and our fellow Christians in times of suffering and distress, helps us to know God is walking with us in the difficult times, as well as the good times. We may, in fact need God more in the dark and difficult times. Friends, please know that God is up to the task of comfort and blessing in all our days.
Bonnie B.
* * *
Colossians 1:15-28
We have been made one through our Lord who created us and others. Nothing came before Him. Even the greatest scientist can’t go back that far. They are limited to the created world that we can see and know today. Some scientists try to go back beyond that dark matter that floats around, but aren’t going to make it until they turn to the Bible. It seems like the most important things on earth are invisible. It is our actions that control life. Sin can affect life now and even more important beyond our life here.
Without love there is nothing in the world. No, we don’t see love. We feel love In our heart. Faith has to go beyond what we see.
We may see our wife and children, but we are the only ones who feel love for them in our heart. Love is a feeling that goes beyond what we see or feel.
Bob O.
* * *
Luke 10:38-42
Adolph Menzel created a painting titled “Frederick the Great’s Address to His Generals Before the Battle of Leuthen.” This historical piece depicts Frederick’s speech to his generals in December 1757 during the Seven Years’ War. It’s before their famous battle in Silesia against the Austrians. Menzel worked on it from 1859-1861, but never finished it. The painting contains the background and the generals standing in a semi-circle, but the main figure of Frederick the Great was left blank.
Sometimes that happens regarding Jesus, too. Martha had a lot of things to do that were important and she was driven to do them. She was also irritated that her sister, Mary, was doing nothing but sitting at Jesus’ feet. She was focused on things being just right, except the thing that mattered most. Jesus gently addressed that. “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.”
Are we so busy in doing good that we forget that which is most important?
Bill T.
* * *
Luke 10:38-42
The Roman Catholic Church has been in dialogue with various Protestant denominations in an attempt to establish unity. But, the need for theological agreement prevents all expressions of the Christian faith from working together. Progress has been made on the many issues that were raised by the Reformation, but now new issues have once again slowed the process. Some of these new issues are women’s ordination, gay marriage and abortion. The starting point for Christian unity is seen in the ability to share the Eucharist. On Sunday, June 2, 2019, Pope Francis, on the plane returning him from Romania to Rome, held a news conference to discuss with the reporters the need for ecumenical relations. Francis told the reporters, “Ecumenism is not getting to the end of discussions, it’s done walking together.” He went on to say that “there is already Christina unity. Let’s not wait for theologians to come to agreement on the Eucharist.” Francis indicated that it is time that all denominations share the Lord’s Supper.
Ron L.
* * *
Luke 10:38-42
A few verses before this passage the lawyer and Jesus agree that the law is encapsulated in verses from Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18 — specifically that you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself.
The story of the Good Samaritan that follows illustrates what Leviticus means when it comes to defining our neighbor. Then comes the story of Mary and Martha, which uncomfortably asserts that the Deuteronomy passage, that loving the Lord your God with your whole being, can cause difficulty in your relationships.
Jesus is a traveller who needs hospitality, and he finds it in Martha’s home. Feeding Jesus and his followers is a daunting, if welcome task, and my guess is that most of us are on Martha’s side when she asks Jesus to tell her sister Mary, who has been sitting at the feet of the Savior and listening to his every word, to get up and help put dinner on the table.
Mary’s actions are a violation of society’s norms — she’s performing a radical act by acting like one of the disciples. And despite Martha’s frazzled spirit God still comes first, even if the whole reason Jesus stopped by was for a meal and a place to spend the night. Perhaps a simpler meal might have been more appropriate. Then Martha could listen to Jesus as well.
Frank R.
