Sermon Illustrations for Proper 12 | OT 17 (2012)
Illustration
Object:
2 Samuel 11:1-15
Some children were taken to a nursing home to sing to the residents and share some time with them. For one little girl this was a new experience. After they sang for the residents, some of them said do you have any questions, and the little girl said yes, and asked, "How old are you?" And the lady smiled at her and said, "I am 98 years old." And the little girl's eyes just got so big, she couldn't believe that. And she said, "Did you start at one just like the rest of us?"
We are born with the same rights but soon inequality emerges. Both David and Uriah obtained positions of leadership; but still, David was the superior. David used that position not as one that we start out equal, but as one of using authority gained over the years for inequality.
Ron L.
2 Samuel 11:1-15
Like David, Americans do not want to acknowledge their sin. This is clear from a 2001 Barna Research Group poll that found 7 of 10 Americans believe we can get to heaven by doing works. In other words, 70% of us think we are basically good people who can and do please God by the lives we lead. We seem to echo the sentiments of British musician Elvis Costello: "There is no such thing as Original Sin."
If human beings sometimes misuse animals, Martin Luther tells us that we are a stable full of creatures who misuse people. And yet it is exactly the shameful creatures we are that get loved by God (What Luther Says, p. 821). Awareness and acknowledgment of our sinfulness puts us where we belong: back in the stable, where God can now ride us to more proper destinations.
Mark E.
Ephesians 3:14-21
N.T. Wright tells the following story about Desmond Tutu's prayer life. "One of the great Christian leaders of the late twentieth century, Archbishop Desmond Tutu of Capetown, used to spend several hours in prayer very early in the morning. Nor was prayer then forgotten the rest of the day. A friend of mine who traveled around with him described how, wherever they went, whatever new thing they were doing, Desmond would pause and pray. The Western church has perhaps allowed itself to be lulled into thinking that prayer and action are at opposite ends of the scale of Christian activity. On the contrary, those who want their actions to be effective for God's kingdom -- as Desmond Tutu's undoubtedly were -- should redouble their time and effort in prayer."
Paul in this passage prays for us that we may know Christ's love in all dimensions and that we may be "filled with all the fullness of God."
Richard H.
John 6:1-21
Astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson made an insightful comment that could only come from one who studies the universe. He said if we stood on the surface of the moon and looked back toward Earth, then we would see, "Earth adrift and alone in the darkness of space, the mere sight of which compels you to render pointless all human conflict and the mere thought of which drives you to care for its fragile ecosystem."
As Jesus was seen walking on the water, one of its compelling messages is that he is the Lord of creation, the Lord of the universe. If one could see the multicolored earth floating in the vast darkness of space, then one would have to look no further than to know that the one who steps over the waves with equal ease steps across the universe. Yes, Jesus did assure us when he said, "It is I; do not be afraid."
Ron L.
John 6:1-21
An article in a 2010 issue of Nature magazine indicated that we have the food resources to feed everyone in the world. No one needs to be hungry! Jesus demonstrates this in our lesson, feeding the 5,000. With this insight, the "haves" like us are led to a new attitude on life and on what is sufficient. There are enough resources at our disposal for a good life for everyone, including ourselves! And confident in that insight we will be able to sing the lines of an anonymous English song found in an inn in Lancaster:
Give us Lord, a bit o'sun
A bit o' work and bit o' fun;
Give us all in the struggle and sputter
Our daily bread and a bid o' butter.
Made content by Jesus' miracle with our daily bread and a bit of butter, the struggle and sputter of American life pass away so we can enjoy a bit of sun, a bit of work, and a lot of fun.
Mark E.
Some children were taken to a nursing home to sing to the residents and share some time with them. For one little girl this was a new experience. After they sang for the residents, some of them said do you have any questions, and the little girl said yes, and asked, "How old are you?" And the lady smiled at her and said, "I am 98 years old." And the little girl's eyes just got so big, she couldn't believe that. And she said, "Did you start at one just like the rest of us?"
We are born with the same rights but soon inequality emerges. Both David and Uriah obtained positions of leadership; but still, David was the superior. David used that position not as one that we start out equal, but as one of using authority gained over the years for inequality.
Ron L.
2 Samuel 11:1-15
Like David, Americans do not want to acknowledge their sin. This is clear from a 2001 Barna Research Group poll that found 7 of 10 Americans believe we can get to heaven by doing works. In other words, 70% of us think we are basically good people who can and do please God by the lives we lead. We seem to echo the sentiments of British musician Elvis Costello: "There is no such thing as Original Sin."
If human beings sometimes misuse animals, Martin Luther tells us that we are a stable full of creatures who misuse people. And yet it is exactly the shameful creatures we are that get loved by God (What Luther Says, p. 821). Awareness and acknowledgment of our sinfulness puts us where we belong: back in the stable, where God can now ride us to more proper destinations.
Mark E.
Ephesians 3:14-21
N.T. Wright tells the following story about Desmond Tutu's prayer life. "One of the great Christian leaders of the late twentieth century, Archbishop Desmond Tutu of Capetown, used to spend several hours in prayer very early in the morning. Nor was prayer then forgotten the rest of the day. A friend of mine who traveled around with him described how, wherever they went, whatever new thing they were doing, Desmond would pause and pray. The Western church has perhaps allowed itself to be lulled into thinking that prayer and action are at opposite ends of the scale of Christian activity. On the contrary, those who want their actions to be effective for God's kingdom -- as Desmond Tutu's undoubtedly were -- should redouble their time and effort in prayer."
Paul in this passage prays for us that we may know Christ's love in all dimensions and that we may be "filled with all the fullness of God."
Richard H.
John 6:1-21
Astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson made an insightful comment that could only come from one who studies the universe. He said if we stood on the surface of the moon and looked back toward Earth, then we would see, "Earth adrift and alone in the darkness of space, the mere sight of which compels you to render pointless all human conflict and the mere thought of which drives you to care for its fragile ecosystem."
As Jesus was seen walking on the water, one of its compelling messages is that he is the Lord of creation, the Lord of the universe. If one could see the multicolored earth floating in the vast darkness of space, then one would have to look no further than to know that the one who steps over the waves with equal ease steps across the universe. Yes, Jesus did assure us when he said, "It is I; do not be afraid."
Ron L.
John 6:1-21
An article in a 2010 issue of Nature magazine indicated that we have the food resources to feed everyone in the world. No one needs to be hungry! Jesus demonstrates this in our lesson, feeding the 5,000. With this insight, the "haves" like us are led to a new attitude on life and on what is sufficient. There are enough resources at our disposal for a good life for everyone, including ourselves! And confident in that insight we will be able to sing the lines of an anonymous English song found in an inn in Lancaster:
Give us Lord, a bit o'sun
A bit o' work and bit o' fun;
Give us all in the struggle and sputter
Our daily bread and a bid o' butter.
Made content by Jesus' miracle with our daily bread and a bit of butter, the struggle and sputter of American life pass away so we can enjoy a bit of sun, a bit of work, and a lot of fun.
Mark E.
