Sermon Illustrations for Proper 11 | OT 16 (2025)
Illustration
Amos 8:1-12, Psalm 52
Amos proclaims the word from God that punishes the people. The people are to be punished for their lack of faith, for their focus on practicing deceit, betraying honesty to their neighbors, and being impatient for the time after the Sabbath when they can focus on profit and selling their crops and wares. Oh, my! What a terrible message for people. You have been unfaithful so I will punish you. And then in the psalm, God is proclaimed to be the olive tree, that which brings blessing.
Surely there is lament at the beginning of the psalm, much as there will be lament in hearing the words of Amos. Yet, there is also faith in the steadfastness of God and God’s love. How many of us want to blame God for everything that goes wrong, as if we had no hand in it? How many of us want to blame the disasters others face on their behavior, on their practices of faith, or lack thereof? Is that who God is?
I don’t believe that. I think we interpret our own behavior and lay the responsibility for what happens at the feet of the holy. We prefer not to take responsibility for our actions and outcomes. I for one will strive to follow Jesus and be true to God. The consequences of the world are often human made.
Bonnie B.
* * *
Amos 8:1-12
A 2021 White House study indicated that the wealthiest 400 billionaire families in the US paid an average federal income tax rate of just 8.2%, while for the average American taxpayer the rate paid was 13%. It seems to be helping billionaires as they are on the average 46% richer than they were in 2020. Based in the insights of this text (and also in line with the data just cited), John Calvin’s comments seem relevant, as he claims that the poor are the business of the religious community:
Will not the Lord say: “Why have you allowed so many needy to die of hunger? Surely you had gold with which to minister. Why were so many prisoners carried off and not ransomed?...” To sum up… :Whatever, then, the church had was for the support of the needy.” Likewise, “the bishop had nothing that did not belong to the poor.” (Institutes of the Christian Religion [Westminster Press edition], p.1076)
Martin Luther also saw government to have a role in managing the economy and helping the poor.
To restrain open lawlessness is the responsibility of princes and magistrates. They should be alert and resolute enough to establish and maintain order in all areas of trade and commerce in order that the poor may not be burdened and oppressed. (The Book of Concord [2000 ed.], p.398)
Mark E.
* * *
Psalm 52
Augustine understood the psalm as a celebration of good works by the faithful, since we are actually people who love evil more than good. He wrote:
No one therefore in the dawn worketh, except him that in Christ worketh. But he that while at leisure is mindful of Christ, or the same doth mediate in all his actions and he is a helper to him in a good work, lest through his weakness he fail… I am cheerful in good works, because over me is the veering of thy wings. (Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First Series, Vol.8, p.262)
We need this word because as Luther noted, “The deeper men sink into the lime of sin, the more secure and joyful they grow.” (Weimar Ausgabe, Vol.52, p.799 [translation mine]). Calvin offers similar reflections regarding our total dependence on God in all the good we do:
… we need especially to be enjoined to it [perseverance] in the duty of thanksgiving, disposed as we are so speedily to forget our mercies, and occasionally to imagine that the gratitude of a few days is a sufficient tribute for benefits which deserve to be kept in everlasting remembrance. (Calvin’s Commentaries, (Vol.V/1, p.319)
Mark E.
* * *
Colossians 1:15-28
One of the games I remember playing as a kid was called “Follow the Leader.” It is not a complicated game. The group selects a person to be “the leader.” The leader then decides to lead the group and, as you might expect, the group follows. I can remember playing in elementary school as our group would parade all across the playground. Wherever the leader goes the group goes, too.
I came across an anonymous quote that says, “he who thinks he leads and has no one following him is only taking a walk.” Jesus does not lead that way. Paul, in his letter to the church at Colossae, notes, “He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything” (vs. 18). In our spiritual lives, the game of “Follow the Leader” is more consequential than it was on my elementary school playground. What leader are you following?
Bill T.
* * *
Colossians 2:6-15
According to this passage Jesus “…disarmed the rulers and authorities and made a public example of them, triumphing over them in it.” The language is reminiscent of the triumphal entries of conquering emperors or generals who might have wanted to become emperors. One processed into the city on a war horse, both rider and beast bedecked in the panoply of war. Following behind, in chains, were captives dragged to slaughter or slavery, along with trophies plundered from the conquered nations.
Last we checked just the opposite was true. Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, not a charger. He would become the one arrested, dragged before a kangaroo court, humiliated, scourged, then publicly murdered, a display to be mocked. This is a reminder that despite appearances, what is unseen is true, what is seen is false.
Frank R.
* * *
Luke 10:38-42
Both Luke and John, two evangelists hardly mentioned in the same breath, tell us stories about Martha, Mary, and Lazarus and it’s almost as if they expect us to know all about them. They walk onstage seemingly out of nowhere, but it’s kind of like Fonzie and the rest of the cast of Happy Days who had to pause whenever they made their first entrance in each episode because the in-studio audience would applaud so long they had to wait to deliver a line. Why not? Everyone knew who they were and loved seeing them again.
In the same way, Luke and John seem to take it for granted that we already know all about Martha and Mary, who these people were, and why they were important to Jesus.
I want to quote from Even in the Best of Families: The Family of Jesus and Other Biblical Families Like Ours. (WCC Publications, 1997, p.43): “No other family, apart from Jesus’ own, is given more space in the New Testament.”
In a patriarchal society, the family of these three single individuals is singular. Martha, not Lazarus, is the homeowner. Mary seems to be the spiritual leader, and she is the navigator of unconventional male/female relationships. And Lazarus? Is he developmentally disabled? Is he incompetent? Or does Martha’s choice to be the head of the household free him to be the beloved disciple, the one whom Jesus loved?
And what about parents? Are they dead? And spouses? Were there ever any spouses? Are they all widowed? Were there children? Are they grown?
There is more than one way to be a family. One of my single friends complained once that despite her commitment to the life of the church and her professional success outside of the church she always wondered if she was truly accepted as an adult, and as a church member by others in her congregation. Special events seemed geared towards couples with children. There were many ways to be excluded. Yet this family seems especially singled out by Jesus for companionship and spiritual support.
Frank R.
* * *
Luke 10:38-42
In a world filled with too much therapy for our own good and too often told to be good to yourself (Abigail Schrier, Bad Therapy: Why the Kids Aren’t Growing Up), Jesus’ prioritizing of the spiritual emphases of Mary can too easily become justification of spiritual self-indulgence, unless we are chastened by the insights of Chinese anti-Communist patriot Chiang Kai-shek. He offered an important distinction between prayer and meditation. He writes:
In meditation the source of strength is one’s self. When one prays he goes to a source of strength greater than his own.
The other-directed character of prayer does not force a choice between Mary’s focus on the world of God and Martha’s efforts to serve. Seventeenth-century English poet Francis Quarles makes this point, contending that “Mediation is the life of the soul: Action, the soul of meditation…” Serving others turns us out of ourselves so we can focus on Jesus outside of us in our prayers. Don’t overlook the warning sometimes made in Black church circles: “Don’t be so holy that you’re no earthly good.”
Mark E.
* * *
Luke 10:38-42
I read about the book and the documentary I’ll Be Gone in the Dark. It is a work created by Michelle McNamara. The story chronicles the investigation surrounding the mystery of the so-called Golden State Killer, an elusive criminal who wreaked havoc in the state of California in the second half of the twentieth century. The documentary is just as much about Michelle McNamara, an amateur detective, as it is about the sociopath who terrorized the state in the 1970s and 1980s. Though McNamara is a great writer and a great investigator, she becomes unusually obsessed with the case. Her obsession is so strong that her own priorities get mixed up and she loses sight of what is most important in her life: her family and her health.
It is easy to lose track of what matters. Ms. McNamara may have done that and Martha in this text does it as well. Martha’s intentions are good. She wants to do what she can for her Lord Jesus. She is focused, however, on the work and not on Jesus himself. Jesus, though, gently challenges her. “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things, 42 but few things are needed—indeed only one. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her” (vs. 41-42).
“Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in his wonderful face. The things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace.”
Bill T.
* * *
Luke 10:38-42
Mary and Martha, sisters who welcome Jesus into their home, which is also the home of Lazarus. Hospitality is essential and very important, maybe even more so in the ancient world than in our present age. Martha is focused on all the tasks involved in caring for a guest. Mary, on the other hand, is sitting at the feet of Jesus, listening to his teaching. This was so odd, even prohibited, in this culture, a culture where women were to be in the background, serving, not learning and leading. Jesus’ response to Martha’s complaint is that Mary has chosen the better part, made the better choice.
What choice do we make? I have to admit that I am often Martha. I get all involved in all the tasks that have to be done, all the work, all the deadlines and to-do lists. I often work instead of pray. I often omit the quiet time with God, or the Bible study and reading and replace it with the busy work of life. Sometimes I forget the better part is listening to God, studying God’s word, and simply resting at the feet of Jesus. I need to work on that. Do you?
Bonnie B.
Amos proclaims the word from God that punishes the people. The people are to be punished for their lack of faith, for their focus on practicing deceit, betraying honesty to their neighbors, and being impatient for the time after the Sabbath when they can focus on profit and selling their crops and wares. Oh, my! What a terrible message for people. You have been unfaithful so I will punish you. And then in the psalm, God is proclaimed to be the olive tree, that which brings blessing.
Surely there is lament at the beginning of the psalm, much as there will be lament in hearing the words of Amos. Yet, there is also faith in the steadfastness of God and God’s love. How many of us want to blame God for everything that goes wrong, as if we had no hand in it? How many of us want to blame the disasters others face on their behavior, on their practices of faith, or lack thereof? Is that who God is?
I don’t believe that. I think we interpret our own behavior and lay the responsibility for what happens at the feet of the holy. We prefer not to take responsibility for our actions and outcomes. I for one will strive to follow Jesus and be true to God. The consequences of the world are often human made.
Bonnie B.
* * *
Amos 8:1-12
A 2021 White House study indicated that the wealthiest 400 billionaire families in the US paid an average federal income tax rate of just 8.2%, while for the average American taxpayer the rate paid was 13%. It seems to be helping billionaires as they are on the average 46% richer than they were in 2020. Based in the insights of this text (and also in line with the data just cited), John Calvin’s comments seem relevant, as he claims that the poor are the business of the religious community:
Will not the Lord say: “Why have you allowed so many needy to die of hunger? Surely you had gold with which to minister. Why were so many prisoners carried off and not ransomed?...” To sum up… :Whatever, then, the church had was for the support of the needy.” Likewise, “the bishop had nothing that did not belong to the poor.” (Institutes of the Christian Religion [Westminster Press edition], p.1076)
Martin Luther also saw government to have a role in managing the economy and helping the poor.
To restrain open lawlessness is the responsibility of princes and magistrates. They should be alert and resolute enough to establish and maintain order in all areas of trade and commerce in order that the poor may not be burdened and oppressed. (The Book of Concord [2000 ed.], p.398)
Mark E.
* * *
Psalm 52
Augustine understood the psalm as a celebration of good works by the faithful, since we are actually people who love evil more than good. He wrote:
No one therefore in the dawn worketh, except him that in Christ worketh. But he that while at leisure is mindful of Christ, or the same doth mediate in all his actions and he is a helper to him in a good work, lest through his weakness he fail… I am cheerful in good works, because over me is the veering of thy wings. (Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First Series, Vol.8, p.262)
We need this word because as Luther noted, “The deeper men sink into the lime of sin, the more secure and joyful they grow.” (Weimar Ausgabe, Vol.52, p.799 [translation mine]). Calvin offers similar reflections regarding our total dependence on God in all the good we do:
… we need especially to be enjoined to it [perseverance] in the duty of thanksgiving, disposed as we are so speedily to forget our mercies, and occasionally to imagine that the gratitude of a few days is a sufficient tribute for benefits which deserve to be kept in everlasting remembrance. (Calvin’s Commentaries, (Vol.V/1, p.319)
Mark E.
* * *
Colossians 1:15-28
One of the games I remember playing as a kid was called “Follow the Leader.” It is not a complicated game. The group selects a person to be “the leader.” The leader then decides to lead the group and, as you might expect, the group follows. I can remember playing in elementary school as our group would parade all across the playground. Wherever the leader goes the group goes, too.
I came across an anonymous quote that says, “he who thinks he leads and has no one following him is only taking a walk.” Jesus does not lead that way. Paul, in his letter to the church at Colossae, notes, “He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything” (vs. 18). In our spiritual lives, the game of “Follow the Leader” is more consequential than it was on my elementary school playground. What leader are you following?
Bill T.
* * *
Colossians 2:6-15
According to this passage Jesus “…disarmed the rulers and authorities and made a public example of them, triumphing over them in it.” The language is reminiscent of the triumphal entries of conquering emperors or generals who might have wanted to become emperors. One processed into the city on a war horse, both rider and beast bedecked in the panoply of war. Following behind, in chains, were captives dragged to slaughter or slavery, along with trophies plundered from the conquered nations.
Last we checked just the opposite was true. Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, not a charger. He would become the one arrested, dragged before a kangaroo court, humiliated, scourged, then publicly murdered, a display to be mocked. This is a reminder that despite appearances, what is unseen is true, what is seen is false.
Frank R.
* * *
Luke 10:38-42
Both Luke and John, two evangelists hardly mentioned in the same breath, tell us stories about Martha, Mary, and Lazarus and it’s almost as if they expect us to know all about them. They walk onstage seemingly out of nowhere, but it’s kind of like Fonzie and the rest of the cast of Happy Days who had to pause whenever they made their first entrance in each episode because the in-studio audience would applaud so long they had to wait to deliver a line. Why not? Everyone knew who they were and loved seeing them again.
In the same way, Luke and John seem to take it for granted that we already know all about Martha and Mary, who these people were, and why they were important to Jesus.
I want to quote from Even in the Best of Families: The Family of Jesus and Other Biblical Families Like Ours. (WCC Publications, 1997, p.43): “No other family, apart from Jesus’ own, is given more space in the New Testament.”
In a patriarchal society, the family of these three single individuals is singular. Martha, not Lazarus, is the homeowner. Mary seems to be the spiritual leader, and she is the navigator of unconventional male/female relationships. And Lazarus? Is he developmentally disabled? Is he incompetent? Or does Martha’s choice to be the head of the household free him to be the beloved disciple, the one whom Jesus loved?
And what about parents? Are they dead? And spouses? Were there ever any spouses? Are they all widowed? Were there children? Are they grown?
There is more than one way to be a family. One of my single friends complained once that despite her commitment to the life of the church and her professional success outside of the church she always wondered if she was truly accepted as an adult, and as a church member by others in her congregation. Special events seemed geared towards couples with children. There were many ways to be excluded. Yet this family seems especially singled out by Jesus for companionship and spiritual support.
Frank R.
* * *
Luke 10:38-42
In a world filled with too much therapy for our own good and too often told to be good to yourself (Abigail Schrier, Bad Therapy: Why the Kids Aren’t Growing Up), Jesus’ prioritizing of the spiritual emphases of Mary can too easily become justification of spiritual self-indulgence, unless we are chastened by the insights of Chinese anti-Communist patriot Chiang Kai-shek. He offered an important distinction between prayer and meditation. He writes:
In meditation the source of strength is one’s self. When one prays he goes to a source of strength greater than his own.
The other-directed character of prayer does not force a choice between Mary’s focus on the world of God and Martha’s efforts to serve. Seventeenth-century English poet Francis Quarles makes this point, contending that “Mediation is the life of the soul: Action, the soul of meditation…” Serving others turns us out of ourselves so we can focus on Jesus outside of us in our prayers. Don’t overlook the warning sometimes made in Black church circles: “Don’t be so holy that you’re no earthly good.”
Mark E.
* * *
Luke 10:38-42
I read about the book and the documentary I’ll Be Gone in the Dark. It is a work created by Michelle McNamara. The story chronicles the investigation surrounding the mystery of the so-called Golden State Killer, an elusive criminal who wreaked havoc in the state of California in the second half of the twentieth century. The documentary is just as much about Michelle McNamara, an amateur detective, as it is about the sociopath who terrorized the state in the 1970s and 1980s. Though McNamara is a great writer and a great investigator, she becomes unusually obsessed with the case. Her obsession is so strong that her own priorities get mixed up and she loses sight of what is most important in her life: her family and her health.
It is easy to lose track of what matters. Ms. McNamara may have done that and Martha in this text does it as well. Martha’s intentions are good. She wants to do what she can for her Lord Jesus. She is focused, however, on the work and not on Jesus himself. Jesus, though, gently challenges her. “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things, 42 but few things are needed—indeed only one. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her” (vs. 41-42).
“Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in his wonderful face. The things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace.”
Bill T.
* * *
Luke 10:38-42
Mary and Martha, sisters who welcome Jesus into their home, which is also the home of Lazarus. Hospitality is essential and very important, maybe even more so in the ancient world than in our present age. Martha is focused on all the tasks involved in caring for a guest. Mary, on the other hand, is sitting at the feet of Jesus, listening to his teaching. This was so odd, even prohibited, in this culture, a culture where women were to be in the background, serving, not learning and leading. Jesus’ response to Martha’s complaint is that Mary has chosen the better part, made the better choice.
What choice do we make? I have to admit that I am often Martha. I get all involved in all the tasks that have to be done, all the work, all the deadlines and to-do lists. I often work instead of pray. I often omit the quiet time with God, or the Bible study and reading and replace it with the busy work of life. Sometimes I forget the better part is listening to God, studying God’s word, and simply resting at the feet of Jesus. I need to work on that. Do you?
Bonnie B.
