Sermon Illustrations for Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 (2023)
Illustration
Exodus 3:1-15
The Gettysburg National Military Park in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania is over nine miles that covers 6,000 acres of land. There are just over 1,300 monuments that commemorate the historic battle that took place there in early July of 1863. Last summer I had a chance to visit that national park. The museum is incredible and the “Gettysburg Cyclorama” is not to be missed. However, what stood out the most to me were the moments my family stood on top of Little Round Top. It was on that site, nearly 160 years ago that Colonel Joshua Chamberlain and the 20th Maine held the line on the second day of battle. I remember standing at that monument, imagining how those men must have felt as they stared down the mass of Confederate troops seeking to cut through the Union line. Thinking about what happened on that ground seemed to make it almost hallowed ground.
As hallowed as the Gettysburg battlefield may be, it does not compare to what happened to Moses at Mount Horeb. The angel of the Lord appeared to him in a burning bush and God spoke to him from the bush. As Moses drew near, God told him to remove his sandals because he was standing on holy ground. When Moses realized in whose presence he was, he hid his face. God commissioned him that day to go back to Egypt. It was a critical moment in Moses’ life and in the life of God’s people. The ground Moses stood on was holy because of the appearance of the holy God. What we should remember is wherever God is, is holy ground.
Bill T.
* * *
Exodus 3:1-15
This is a Bible story about hope for the future, the hope of setting the captives free. About such hope and what it does to your life, the prime proponent of the modern Theology of Hope, Jűrgen Moltmann once wrote:
The expectation of the promised future of the kingdom of God which is coming to man and the world to set them right and create life, makes us ready to expend ourselves unrestrainedly and unreservedly in love and in the work of the reconciliation of the work with God and his future. The social institutions, roles, and functions are means on the way to this self-expending. They have to be shaped therefore creatively by life, in order that men may live together in them more humanely, more peacefully, and in mutual recognition of their human dignity and freedom. (Theology of Hope, pp.337-338)
John Wesley notes that the idea of God coming down to deliver the Hebrews “was typical of our redemption by Christ, and in that eternal Word did indeed come down from heaven to deliver us.” (Commentary On the Bible, p.67) Commenting on Moses’ feelings of unworthiness, which he commends to the faithful like us, he wrote:
The more fit a person is for service, commonly the less opinion he has of himself. Those who are weak in themselves yet may do wonders, being strong in the Lord and in the power of his might. God’s presence puts wisdom and strength into the weak and foolish and is enough to answer all objections. (Commentary On the Bible, p.67)
Mark E.
* * *
Exodus 3:1-15
When Moses asked God for a name to share with the Israelite slaves in Egypt so they would know who commissioned him, the reply came: “I AM WHO I AM” (Exodus 13:14). This name of God gets to the core of biblical truth. YHWH is not the god of fire, or of storm, or of water, or trees, lightning, or mountains – God, the Great I Am, exists. That definition demands that we enter into a relationship so that over time we may come to know God more fully, rather than shutting God into an easily defined box.
And regardless of our names, background, and what people say about us, we too only truly get to know each other over time and with experience. Over 400 years ago William Shakespeare, a lowly playwright despised by others in London, complained in his 121st Sonnet:
’Tis better to be vile than vile esteemed
When not to be receives reproach of being,
And the just pleasure lost, which is so deemed
Not by our feeling but by others' seeing.
For why should others’ false adulterate eyes
Give salutation to my sportive blood?
Or on my frailties why are frailer spies,
Which in their wills count bad that I think good?
No, I am that I am; and they that level
At my abuses reckon up their own:
I may be straight though they themselves be bevel;
By their rank thoughts my deeds must not be shown,
Unless this general evil they maintain:
All men are bad and in their badness reign.
In the first four lines, Shakespeare laments that he is considered vile in the eyes of others and that in some ways it seems as if it would be better to be truly evil when you’re actually good than to be thought vile because of the criticism that ensues. But this is the judgement of their eyes, not indicative of his true character. Then, in the ninth line he quotes Exodus, “I am that I am,” not suggesting he is God, but that he’s not what people think he is, and he can live with himself. When people cast false aspersions on his character, they’re saying more about themselves than him. It’s better to be who we are despite what people think about us.
Frank R.
* * *
Romans 12:9-21
Concerning Paul’s call to love, even to bless the persecutor, John Calvin contends that “we ought in many things to forget ourselves.” (Calvin’s Commentaries, Vol.XIX/2, p.465) “But God by his word not only restrains our hands from doing evil, but also subdues the bitter feelings within.” (Calvin’s Commentaries, Vol.XIX/2, p.469) Preaching on this text, the 20th-century Christian martyr Dietrich Bonhoeffer claimed that “He who seeks vengeance on another person thwarts Christ’s death, he sins against the blood of reconciliation.” (A Testament to Freedom, p.302) John Wesley counsels us to “conquer your enemies by kindness and patience.” (Commentary On the Bible, p.508) Need other advice to implement these commitments? It comes from an old Norwegian proverb: “You’re not better than anybody else. But nobody’s better than you are.”
Mark E.
* * *
Matthew 16:21-28
The Latin phrase, “per crucem ad lucem” is an interesting one and has been found throughout the pages of church history. The words simply mean, “through the cross to the light.” There may be no better phrase to describe Jesus’ words, “If any wish to come after me, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me” (16:24). What does it mean to take up a cross and follow Jesus?
Robert Mullholland and Ruth Barton note in their book, Invitation to a Journey: A Road Map for Spiritual Formation, what our cross is and is not. “Our cross is not that cantankerous person we have to deal with day by day. Our cross is not the employer we just can’t get along with. Our cross is not that neighbor or work colleague who cuts across the grain in every single time of relationship.” They continue, “Nor is our cross the difficulties and infirmities that the flow of life brings to us beyond our control.” The climax comes as they identify what our cross is. “Our cross is the point of our unlikeness to the image of Christ, where we must die to self in order to be raised by God into wholeness of life in the image of Christ right there at that point.”
We must die to self. If we are to radiate the light of the world, Jesus Christ, we must die to self. We all must pass “through the cross to the light.” It is a vital part of our spiritual journey.
Bill T.
* * *
Matthew 16:21-28
As far as I know, everyone who heard Jesus speak that day and heard him say, “Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they seek the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.” (Matthew 16:28) is dead. No one actually saw “…the Son of Man …come with his angels in the glory of his Father….” (16:27). It’s that bit about coming with the angels in glory that gives me pause. But then I think of how Jesus was displayed in his glory when he was raised up on the cross for our salvation. Again and again, Jesus redefined glory, triumph, and the reign of God in ways that turn the world upside down. So, yeah, maybe I’m okay with this.
Frank R.
The Gettysburg National Military Park in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania is over nine miles that covers 6,000 acres of land. There are just over 1,300 monuments that commemorate the historic battle that took place there in early July of 1863. Last summer I had a chance to visit that national park. The museum is incredible and the “Gettysburg Cyclorama” is not to be missed. However, what stood out the most to me were the moments my family stood on top of Little Round Top. It was on that site, nearly 160 years ago that Colonel Joshua Chamberlain and the 20th Maine held the line on the second day of battle. I remember standing at that monument, imagining how those men must have felt as they stared down the mass of Confederate troops seeking to cut through the Union line. Thinking about what happened on that ground seemed to make it almost hallowed ground.
As hallowed as the Gettysburg battlefield may be, it does not compare to what happened to Moses at Mount Horeb. The angel of the Lord appeared to him in a burning bush and God spoke to him from the bush. As Moses drew near, God told him to remove his sandals because he was standing on holy ground. When Moses realized in whose presence he was, he hid his face. God commissioned him that day to go back to Egypt. It was a critical moment in Moses’ life and in the life of God’s people. The ground Moses stood on was holy because of the appearance of the holy God. What we should remember is wherever God is, is holy ground.
Bill T.
* * *
Exodus 3:1-15
This is a Bible story about hope for the future, the hope of setting the captives free. About such hope and what it does to your life, the prime proponent of the modern Theology of Hope, Jűrgen Moltmann once wrote:
The expectation of the promised future of the kingdom of God which is coming to man and the world to set them right and create life, makes us ready to expend ourselves unrestrainedly and unreservedly in love and in the work of the reconciliation of the work with God and his future. The social institutions, roles, and functions are means on the way to this self-expending. They have to be shaped therefore creatively by life, in order that men may live together in them more humanely, more peacefully, and in mutual recognition of their human dignity and freedom. (Theology of Hope, pp.337-338)
John Wesley notes that the idea of God coming down to deliver the Hebrews “was typical of our redemption by Christ, and in that eternal Word did indeed come down from heaven to deliver us.” (Commentary On the Bible, p.67) Commenting on Moses’ feelings of unworthiness, which he commends to the faithful like us, he wrote:
The more fit a person is for service, commonly the less opinion he has of himself. Those who are weak in themselves yet may do wonders, being strong in the Lord and in the power of his might. God’s presence puts wisdom and strength into the weak and foolish and is enough to answer all objections. (Commentary On the Bible, p.67)
Mark E.
* * *
Exodus 3:1-15
When Moses asked God for a name to share with the Israelite slaves in Egypt so they would know who commissioned him, the reply came: “I AM WHO I AM” (Exodus 13:14). This name of God gets to the core of biblical truth. YHWH is not the god of fire, or of storm, or of water, or trees, lightning, or mountains – God, the Great I Am, exists. That definition demands that we enter into a relationship so that over time we may come to know God more fully, rather than shutting God into an easily defined box.
And regardless of our names, background, and what people say about us, we too only truly get to know each other over time and with experience. Over 400 years ago William Shakespeare, a lowly playwright despised by others in London, complained in his 121st Sonnet:
’Tis better to be vile than vile esteemed
When not to be receives reproach of being,
And the just pleasure lost, which is so deemed
Not by our feeling but by others' seeing.
For why should others’ false adulterate eyes
Give salutation to my sportive blood?
Or on my frailties why are frailer spies,
Which in their wills count bad that I think good?
No, I am that I am; and they that level
At my abuses reckon up their own:
I may be straight though they themselves be bevel;
By their rank thoughts my deeds must not be shown,
Unless this general evil they maintain:
All men are bad and in their badness reign.
In the first four lines, Shakespeare laments that he is considered vile in the eyes of others and that in some ways it seems as if it would be better to be truly evil when you’re actually good than to be thought vile because of the criticism that ensues. But this is the judgement of their eyes, not indicative of his true character. Then, in the ninth line he quotes Exodus, “I am that I am,” not suggesting he is God, but that he’s not what people think he is, and he can live with himself. When people cast false aspersions on his character, they’re saying more about themselves than him. It’s better to be who we are despite what people think about us.
Frank R.
* * *
Romans 12:9-21
Concerning Paul’s call to love, even to bless the persecutor, John Calvin contends that “we ought in many things to forget ourselves.” (Calvin’s Commentaries, Vol.XIX/2, p.465) “But God by his word not only restrains our hands from doing evil, but also subdues the bitter feelings within.” (Calvin’s Commentaries, Vol.XIX/2, p.469) Preaching on this text, the 20th-century Christian martyr Dietrich Bonhoeffer claimed that “He who seeks vengeance on another person thwarts Christ’s death, he sins against the blood of reconciliation.” (A Testament to Freedom, p.302) John Wesley counsels us to “conquer your enemies by kindness and patience.” (Commentary On the Bible, p.508) Need other advice to implement these commitments? It comes from an old Norwegian proverb: “You’re not better than anybody else. But nobody’s better than you are.”
Mark E.
* * *
Matthew 16:21-28
The Latin phrase, “per crucem ad lucem” is an interesting one and has been found throughout the pages of church history. The words simply mean, “through the cross to the light.” There may be no better phrase to describe Jesus’ words, “If any wish to come after me, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me” (16:24). What does it mean to take up a cross and follow Jesus?
Robert Mullholland and Ruth Barton note in their book, Invitation to a Journey: A Road Map for Spiritual Formation, what our cross is and is not. “Our cross is not that cantankerous person we have to deal with day by day. Our cross is not the employer we just can’t get along with. Our cross is not that neighbor or work colleague who cuts across the grain in every single time of relationship.” They continue, “Nor is our cross the difficulties and infirmities that the flow of life brings to us beyond our control.” The climax comes as they identify what our cross is. “Our cross is the point of our unlikeness to the image of Christ, where we must die to self in order to be raised by God into wholeness of life in the image of Christ right there at that point.”
We must die to self. If we are to radiate the light of the world, Jesus Christ, we must die to self. We all must pass “through the cross to the light.” It is a vital part of our spiritual journey.
Bill T.
* * *
Matthew 16:21-28
As far as I know, everyone who heard Jesus speak that day and heard him say, “Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they seek the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.” (Matthew 16:28) is dead. No one actually saw “…the Son of Man …come with his angels in the glory of his Father….” (16:27). It’s that bit about coming with the angels in glory that gives me pause. But then I think of how Jesus was displayed in his glory when he was raised up on the cross for our salvation. Again and again, Jesus redefined glory, triumph, and the reign of God in ways that turn the world upside down. So, yeah, maybe I’m okay with this.
Frank R.
