Sermon Illustrations for Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22
Illustration
Object:
Exodus 3:1-15
Our Daily Bread carried an illustration about a dying elderly Christian man. He was struggling in his last days with the promises of God. His pastor visited the senior adult who expressed his feelings, "Over the years I have relied on the promises of God, but now I can't remember a single one to comfort me." It was obvious to the pastor that Satan was causing this spiritual disturbance. The preacher asked, "Brother, do you think God will forget any of his promises he has given?"
A smile spread over his face and peace flooded his soul as he exclaimed, "No, no! He won't! Praise the Lord, now I can fall asleep in Jesus and trust him to remember them all and bring me safely to heaven." Not long after that he died but with the assurance that God's promises where all his.
Derl K.
Exodus 3:1-15
Horeb is actually Sinai. It is called God's mountain. They used to associate places with gods in those days. I suppose we could say that the struggle to climb a mountain is like the struggle to find God.
The burning bush is unique in the Bible. That is the only time God appears to anyone in that form. It is also interesting that an "angel" is almost the equivalent of God. He can often appear as a blazing fire, though. God often speaks through angels. We never know how God will appear to us. Keep your eyes and ears open. It can be through an inspired sermon or through a comment by one of our children. I have had God jump out at me through a passage of scripture that touched my heart in a powerful way. Don't keep your Bible closed!
It is interesting that Moses had to take off his shoes because he was on holy ground. In Nepal everyone took off their shoes and left them outside the door of the church. But that was mainly because the members sat on a woven matt on the floor and they wanted to keep it clean. Our customs change but not for religious reasons in most cases. God searches the heart and not the shoe!
It is interesting that if we get too close to God we may die. To see God face-to-face was something only a few of the Lord's top dogs could do and survive, but they still had to act very carefully in God's presence.
The most important message in this passage is that God cares about his people and what they have to endure. Their cries have reached God's ears. We could mention that that crying had been going on for almost 400 years, so as always, don't expect God to answer immediately. How many years were the slaves in the South crying out for freedom and justice, yet few of the original appeals were answered in their lifetime. The sincerity and constancy of their crying was heard and is still being answered.
One look at history reveals years and often generations pass before the cries of God's people are heard. How long will it be before the cries of the Christians who are being abused and persecuted in some Muslim countries are heard? It may not be in our lifetime. Patience seems like it should be one of the essential qualities of God's people.
As often happens, the one who is sent to solve a problem wants to know how he will be received and if he will survive and what proof he will need. All God tells Moses is to give his name which is simply "I AM" In Hebrew that is Yahweh. All we need to do is to go in the name of the Lord and we will succeed.
Bob O.
Exodus 3:1-15
You have to show a photo ID to go into a warehouse of a store and buy overgrown cans of peaches. You need to recite the date of your birth to get any kind of medical help. You can't legally drive without a card bearing your name, height, and eye color. You need to have a little booklet that verifies where you live if you expect to travel to another country. A long string of numbers follows you through life without which you cannot get a job or apply for a loan. To live in this day and age is to constantly have to prove who you are.
Scott B.
Romans 12:9-21
We live in an era in which America is becoming increasingly divided by class differences and judgmentalism of those different from us. (See Charles Murray, Coming Apart.) Examine the class orientation of the congregation being addressed and ask members how well they know members of social classes not their own (if college-educated if they have friends with levels no higher than high school or vice versa in working class parishes). This erosion of a common culture makes us less tolerant and less forgiving. A 2007 poll of the American Psychological Association (not reflecting anxieties caused by the Great Recession) indicated that 1 in 2 Americans experience irritability and anger, and 58% of us say that this anger has caused conflict with those close to us. Doubtless the pressures brought on by the recession have raised these numbers. Such inability to relate civilly to one another, despite differences rears its ugly head in the church in other ways. In a study conducted almost twenty years ago (1996) John C. LaRue noted that 34% of pastors serve congregations who either fired the previous pastor or forced his/her resignation. Almost 1 in 4 pastors had endured this treatment. Little has changed in the last decade.
The problem is that we do too much judging, when judging is God's business, and he doesn't judge by our standards. If we did things God's way, all the problems of intolerance would go away. Martin Luther's primary ally Philipp Melanchthon nicely summarizes God's way (of judging):
In courts of human judgment a right or debt is certain, while mercy is uncertain. The judgment of God is another thing altogether. Here mercy has God's clear and certain promise and his command.
(The Book of Concord [1959 ed.], p. 160)
A merciful God makes his people less judgmental. Twentieth-century Christian martyr Dietrich Bonhoeffer compellingly describes how this happens, especially profound comments from a man whose enemies (Hitler's political machine) took his life:
With respect to our attitude toward our enemies, this means first, remember that you were God's enemy and that, without having earned it or being worthy of it, you were met with mercy. It means second, remember that God hung on the Cross for your enemy too, and love him as he loves you.
(A Testament to Freedom, p. 301)
Victorian-era English poet William Blake offers a fine summary: "Where mercy, love, and pity dwell, there God is dwelling too."
Mark E.
Romans 12:9-21
The Catholic Apostolic church movement officially began in 1831 in England and quickly spread to the United States. It ended with the death of the last prophet in 1901. The movement emphasized the outpouring of the spiritual gifts. The movement was also known as Irvingism. The movement is credited with the first modern reported individual speaking in tongues. It was James McDonald, whose twin brother George gave the interpretation, "Behold he cometh -- Jesus cometh -- a weeping Jesus."
Application: The first reported message in the spiritual language in the modern times understood our association with those who weep.
Ron L.
Matthew 16:21-28
How hard it must have been for our Lord to know the horrible agony that awaited him. In the garden he even prayed that "this cup might pass from me." The reason I like his prayer is it shows that he was human. I'm not at all sure I would have accepted what he went through -- even though I'm sure God's plan is to take me home to be with him when the suffering in this life is over.
Most of those who followed Jesus around -- including his disciples (and Judas) -- were looking to a time when Jesus would drive out the Romans and free Israel. Jesus' death was not on their agenda -- or Peter's obviously.
Jesus knew of their weaknesses, but he still called Peter "Satan"! In other words we know that it was a great temptation to give up and do what everyone else expected him to do. Peter was not a help! Jesus could have settled it all years before when Satan tempted him to jump off the temple roof. Then everyone would have believed him and it would have saved him a lot of time (and suffering!) -- if that were God's plan! But his ways are not our ways. I hope we all remember that as we look ahead and wonder what God's plan might be for us. We knew several in Nepal who suspected that their faithfulness might result in torture and death. Brave believers, they are, who give us all an example.
Are we willing to take up our cross and follow him? He is not necessarily saying that we are going to die on a cross, but that God has given us each a burden to bear. You may already know what your burden will be, and a church can provide you with members who will offer support. That is one thing that you can tell family and friends who ask why you bother to go to church. Another reason is that you can support others who need it. It is a two-way street even if they have to "suffer" through an hour of worship every Sunday.
One reason we struggle on is so we can inherit what God has for us. It is not easy to deny ourselves (or our family) what we may want with all our heart. But even if we could gain the whole world we might lose our soul, the most precious thing we have and the only thing that will survive through all eternity.
Our salvation has been paid for and we don't have to earn it, but there are still other rewards for obeying our Lord. Maybe the most important is to know that we are wrapped in his love! We love all our own children but aren't we drawn closer to the ones who serve and obey us out of love? The love of God passes all understanding, even if the price of that love might be our life.
Bob O.
Matthew 16:21-28
William Barclay writes that one of the early interpretations of this section is from the Christian theologian, Origen, who lived from 184-253 AD. Origen suggests that when Jesus said for Peter to "Get behind me, Satan!" he was telling Peter that his place was behind him, not in front of him. It was Peter's place to follow him in the way that Jesus chose and not to try to lead Christ in the way in which Peter wanted Jesus to go. Barclay says if the phrase can be interpreted in that way, something lessens the sting of how it sounds. It does not banish Peter from Christ but shows him his proper place as a follower walking in the footsteps of Jesus.
Every disciple must be mindful that we are his followers... he is not our follower. Next time we are tempted to tell Christ which way he should go, we should take a deep breath and remember it is not our will (way), but his!
Derl K.
Matthew 16:21-28
We use nicknames for many reasons.
Most simply, a nickname can be a shortcut to a long or difficult name.
A nickname can provide personal information, telling people what your interests are or where you are from.
We give nicknames to people as a way of showing our connection to them. We rename them and make them ours.
People adopt nicknames as a way of renaming themselves, a way of influencing what people think about them.
Jesus is an avid nick-namer. He called Simon "Peter, the rock." He nicknamed his disciple Mary after her home town of Magdala. Thomas got the nickname "Twin." James and John were the "Sons of Thunder." He even called Peter "Satan" once.
Jesus calls us "children of God."
Scott B.
Our Daily Bread carried an illustration about a dying elderly Christian man. He was struggling in his last days with the promises of God. His pastor visited the senior adult who expressed his feelings, "Over the years I have relied on the promises of God, but now I can't remember a single one to comfort me." It was obvious to the pastor that Satan was causing this spiritual disturbance. The preacher asked, "Brother, do you think God will forget any of his promises he has given?"
A smile spread over his face and peace flooded his soul as he exclaimed, "No, no! He won't! Praise the Lord, now I can fall asleep in Jesus and trust him to remember them all and bring me safely to heaven." Not long after that he died but with the assurance that God's promises where all his.
Derl K.
Exodus 3:1-15
Horeb is actually Sinai. It is called God's mountain. They used to associate places with gods in those days. I suppose we could say that the struggle to climb a mountain is like the struggle to find God.
The burning bush is unique in the Bible. That is the only time God appears to anyone in that form. It is also interesting that an "angel" is almost the equivalent of God. He can often appear as a blazing fire, though. God often speaks through angels. We never know how God will appear to us. Keep your eyes and ears open. It can be through an inspired sermon or through a comment by one of our children. I have had God jump out at me through a passage of scripture that touched my heart in a powerful way. Don't keep your Bible closed!
It is interesting that Moses had to take off his shoes because he was on holy ground. In Nepal everyone took off their shoes and left them outside the door of the church. But that was mainly because the members sat on a woven matt on the floor and they wanted to keep it clean. Our customs change but not for religious reasons in most cases. God searches the heart and not the shoe!
It is interesting that if we get too close to God we may die. To see God face-to-face was something only a few of the Lord's top dogs could do and survive, but they still had to act very carefully in God's presence.
The most important message in this passage is that God cares about his people and what they have to endure. Their cries have reached God's ears. We could mention that that crying had been going on for almost 400 years, so as always, don't expect God to answer immediately. How many years were the slaves in the South crying out for freedom and justice, yet few of the original appeals were answered in their lifetime. The sincerity and constancy of their crying was heard and is still being answered.
One look at history reveals years and often generations pass before the cries of God's people are heard. How long will it be before the cries of the Christians who are being abused and persecuted in some Muslim countries are heard? It may not be in our lifetime. Patience seems like it should be one of the essential qualities of God's people.
As often happens, the one who is sent to solve a problem wants to know how he will be received and if he will survive and what proof he will need. All God tells Moses is to give his name which is simply "I AM" In Hebrew that is Yahweh. All we need to do is to go in the name of the Lord and we will succeed.
Bob O.
Exodus 3:1-15
You have to show a photo ID to go into a warehouse of a store and buy overgrown cans of peaches. You need to recite the date of your birth to get any kind of medical help. You can't legally drive without a card bearing your name, height, and eye color. You need to have a little booklet that verifies where you live if you expect to travel to another country. A long string of numbers follows you through life without which you cannot get a job or apply for a loan. To live in this day and age is to constantly have to prove who you are.
Scott B.
Romans 12:9-21
We live in an era in which America is becoming increasingly divided by class differences and judgmentalism of those different from us. (See Charles Murray, Coming Apart.) Examine the class orientation of the congregation being addressed and ask members how well they know members of social classes not their own (if college-educated if they have friends with levels no higher than high school or vice versa in working class parishes). This erosion of a common culture makes us less tolerant and less forgiving. A 2007 poll of the American Psychological Association (not reflecting anxieties caused by the Great Recession) indicated that 1 in 2 Americans experience irritability and anger, and 58% of us say that this anger has caused conflict with those close to us. Doubtless the pressures brought on by the recession have raised these numbers. Such inability to relate civilly to one another, despite differences rears its ugly head in the church in other ways. In a study conducted almost twenty years ago (1996) John C. LaRue noted that 34% of pastors serve congregations who either fired the previous pastor or forced his/her resignation. Almost 1 in 4 pastors had endured this treatment. Little has changed in the last decade.
The problem is that we do too much judging, when judging is God's business, and he doesn't judge by our standards. If we did things God's way, all the problems of intolerance would go away. Martin Luther's primary ally Philipp Melanchthon nicely summarizes God's way (of judging):
In courts of human judgment a right or debt is certain, while mercy is uncertain. The judgment of God is another thing altogether. Here mercy has God's clear and certain promise and his command.
(The Book of Concord [1959 ed.], p. 160)
A merciful God makes his people less judgmental. Twentieth-century Christian martyr Dietrich Bonhoeffer compellingly describes how this happens, especially profound comments from a man whose enemies (Hitler's political machine) took his life:
With respect to our attitude toward our enemies, this means first, remember that you were God's enemy and that, without having earned it or being worthy of it, you were met with mercy. It means second, remember that God hung on the Cross for your enemy too, and love him as he loves you.
(A Testament to Freedom, p. 301)
Victorian-era English poet William Blake offers a fine summary: "Where mercy, love, and pity dwell, there God is dwelling too."
Mark E.
Romans 12:9-21
The Catholic Apostolic church movement officially began in 1831 in England and quickly spread to the United States. It ended with the death of the last prophet in 1901. The movement emphasized the outpouring of the spiritual gifts. The movement was also known as Irvingism. The movement is credited with the first modern reported individual speaking in tongues. It was James McDonald, whose twin brother George gave the interpretation, "Behold he cometh -- Jesus cometh -- a weeping Jesus."
Application: The first reported message in the spiritual language in the modern times understood our association with those who weep.
Ron L.
Matthew 16:21-28
How hard it must have been for our Lord to know the horrible agony that awaited him. In the garden he even prayed that "this cup might pass from me." The reason I like his prayer is it shows that he was human. I'm not at all sure I would have accepted what he went through -- even though I'm sure God's plan is to take me home to be with him when the suffering in this life is over.
Most of those who followed Jesus around -- including his disciples (and Judas) -- were looking to a time when Jesus would drive out the Romans and free Israel. Jesus' death was not on their agenda -- or Peter's obviously.
Jesus knew of their weaknesses, but he still called Peter "Satan"! In other words we know that it was a great temptation to give up and do what everyone else expected him to do. Peter was not a help! Jesus could have settled it all years before when Satan tempted him to jump off the temple roof. Then everyone would have believed him and it would have saved him a lot of time (and suffering!) -- if that were God's plan! But his ways are not our ways. I hope we all remember that as we look ahead and wonder what God's plan might be for us. We knew several in Nepal who suspected that their faithfulness might result in torture and death. Brave believers, they are, who give us all an example.
Are we willing to take up our cross and follow him? He is not necessarily saying that we are going to die on a cross, but that God has given us each a burden to bear. You may already know what your burden will be, and a church can provide you with members who will offer support. That is one thing that you can tell family and friends who ask why you bother to go to church. Another reason is that you can support others who need it. It is a two-way street even if they have to "suffer" through an hour of worship every Sunday.
One reason we struggle on is so we can inherit what God has for us. It is not easy to deny ourselves (or our family) what we may want with all our heart. But even if we could gain the whole world we might lose our soul, the most precious thing we have and the only thing that will survive through all eternity.
Our salvation has been paid for and we don't have to earn it, but there are still other rewards for obeying our Lord. Maybe the most important is to know that we are wrapped in his love! We love all our own children but aren't we drawn closer to the ones who serve and obey us out of love? The love of God passes all understanding, even if the price of that love might be our life.
Bob O.
Matthew 16:21-28
William Barclay writes that one of the early interpretations of this section is from the Christian theologian, Origen, who lived from 184-253 AD. Origen suggests that when Jesus said for Peter to "Get behind me, Satan!" he was telling Peter that his place was behind him, not in front of him. It was Peter's place to follow him in the way that Jesus chose and not to try to lead Christ in the way in which Peter wanted Jesus to go. Barclay says if the phrase can be interpreted in that way, something lessens the sting of how it sounds. It does not banish Peter from Christ but shows him his proper place as a follower walking in the footsteps of Jesus.
Every disciple must be mindful that we are his followers... he is not our follower. Next time we are tempted to tell Christ which way he should go, we should take a deep breath and remember it is not our will (way), but his!
Derl K.
Matthew 16:21-28
We use nicknames for many reasons.
Most simply, a nickname can be a shortcut to a long or difficult name.
A nickname can provide personal information, telling people what your interests are or where you are from.
We give nicknames to people as a way of showing our connection to them. We rename them and make them ours.
People adopt nicknames as a way of renaming themselves, a way of influencing what people think about them.
Jesus is an avid nick-namer. He called Simon "Peter, the rock." He nicknamed his disciple Mary after her home town of Magdala. Thomas got the nickname "Twin." James and John were the "Sons of Thunder." He even called Peter "Satan" once.
Jesus calls us "children of God."
Scott B.
