Sermon Illustrations for Proper 19 | Ordinary Time 24 (2012)
Illustration
Object:
Proverbs 1:20-33
The book of Proverbs begins by stating there is a high cost of not listening to Wisdom. Are we afraid of telling the truth because of what other people will think of us? The old story about the emperor's new clothes drives this truth home for us. It seems that three tailors approached the king and told him that they could make a suit of clothes that only wise people could see. These clothes would be invisible to fools.
The king paid the tailors a huge sum of money to do their task. He kept checking up on them, but they said they needed more time. He gave them more money and finally they completed "the emperor's new clothes." When the king came to be fitted, the tailors pretended to hold up a suit of clothes, but there was nothing there. The king was in a dilemma. He saw nothing, but he was afraid to admit it because the clothes would be invisible to fools but wise men would be able to see them.
Finally, one day a little boy blurted out, "The king is wearing nothing." But the tailors had escaped with the money.
Richard H.
Proverbs 1:20-33
In pointing out to us that wisdom is a gift of God, our lesson seems to confirm what Benjamin Franklin once said about it: "The doors of wisdom are never shut." But what good is wisdom, and what is it? The Jewish Talmud provides penetrating observation: "the highest form of wisdom is kindness." And such a life makes you happy, Augustine says (Augustine Earlier Writings, pp.157-158). French novelist Sidonie Gabrielle makes a similar point: "Be happy. It is one way of being wise." The latest research on the brain bears this out. When you are being kind to others, your brain produces feel-good chemicals (dopamine and seratonin) that calm you and provide energy (Stephan Klein, The Science of Happiness).
Mark E.
James 3:1-12
The tongue, which James describes as a world of iniquity, also is a world of germs. The Journal of Clinical Microbiology reports that there may be up to 500 different kinds of germs on the back of the tongue that causes bad breath. The tongue needs to be cleaned physically, like the teeth, as part of good daily oral hygiene. James suggests to us that the tongue also needs a spiritual cleansing for the odors it can cause in human relationships.
Mark M.
James 3:1-12
Neighborhood Watch volunteer George Zimmerman was arrested on second-degree murder for the shooting death of unarmed Trayvon Martin. Defense attorneys claim it was self-defense. Prosecutors attest that it was racial profiling. At the hearing, George and his wife Shellie, convinced the judge that they were without funds, so the bail was set at $150,000.
While in jail, awaiting release, the conversations between husband and wife were recorded. They spoke in code, but it was one that was easily deciphered. When Shellie mentioned $155, it actually meant $155,000. And when she talked about "Peter Pan," she was referring to transferring money by PayPal.
It turns out, it was not reported at Zimmerman's original bail hearing that he established a website to collect money for his defense, which exceeded $200,000. The judge, upon learning this, reset the bail for Zimmerman at $1 million.
Application: James speaks of how talk can be a blessing or a curse to others. The words we speak are a statement of our character.
Ron L.
James 3:1-12
The problem of doubt faces us all. One day we may believe without question, but the next day something may come along that makes us question our faith. Life is like a roller coaster. Our faith, our hope, and our love go up and down. We need God to help us through the down times -- as he always does when we ask him. I once had a Spiritual Enrichment class in my church where I asked everyone to write down times in their life when they felt closest to God. Would you believe that the time every one of them felt closest to God was a down time? It was at those times that they felt God helping them through their troubles. When all is going great, we often feel we don't need God, but when we do need him he is always there for us!
Bob O.
James 3:1-12
Exhausted from having spent a weekend working in a Minneapolis food pantry, a homeless shelter, and a distribution center for the poor, a dozing youth group's rest was interrupted. The voice of their leader announced that their route home had been interrupted by a fire.
"What about the fire?" they questioned nervously.
"The forest rangers have managed to stop its spread," the bus driver announced.
Little did he know that after the firefighters had left a spark jumped the highway, igniting their rerouted path. Everyone looked out the windows in awe as the spreading fire loomed before them. Flames engulfed trees on both sides. Careless hikers had allowed their campfire to get out of control. Now the fire was consuming everything in its path.
As the uncontrolled fire continued to eat up the forest, so the uncontrolled tongue does horrific damage.
Cynthia C.
Mark 8:27-38
Jesus explains what it means to be his disciple. Self-denial is at the heart of Christian discipleship. John Calvin in the Institutes of the Christian Religion, III, 7 elaborates on his understanding of self-denial: "We are not our own; therefore neither our reason nor our will should predominate in our deliberations and actions. We are not on our own; therefore let us not propose it as our end, to seek what may be expedient for us according to the flesh. We are not our own; therefore let us, as far as possible, forget ourselves and all things that are ours. On the contrary, we are God's; to him, therefore, let us live and die. We are God's; therefore let his wisdom and will preside in all our actions. We are God's; toward him, therefore, as our only legitimate end, let every part of our lives be directed."
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, in his provocative book The Cost of Discipleship, conveys the same thought in briefer language: "When Jesus calls a man, he bids him come and die."
Richard H.
Mark 8:27-38
What's wrong with Jesus telling us to lose our lives? Is he a masochist? It seems that in a paradoxical way suffering can be good for you. We know that that's the way it works on a diet or when you give up a bad habit (like smoking, drugs, or fighting shyness). Martin Luther says suffering can be good for you when God uses it to slay your selfishness and sin (Luther's Works, Vol. 35, p. 39). And in the same spirit Martin Luther King Jr. said that suffering allowed him a chance to transform himself (A Testament of Hope, p. 41). Contemporary neurobiology bears out these insights, how suffering can be good for us. It seems that the changes in our lives that suffering compels can be opportunities to change our way of living. When that happens, more neutrophic factors are produced in the brain -- substances that create new nerve cells replacing those damaged by aging. In short, Jesus is right! Changes we make resulting from suffering can keep us young (Sherwin Nuland, The Art of Aging, pp. 36-37). The cross really can give life! Ain't nothin' so bad God can't make good out of it.
Mark E.
The book of Proverbs begins by stating there is a high cost of not listening to Wisdom. Are we afraid of telling the truth because of what other people will think of us? The old story about the emperor's new clothes drives this truth home for us. It seems that three tailors approached the king and told him that they could make a suit of clothes that only wise people could see. These clothes would be invisible to fools.
The king paid the tailors a huge sum of money to do their task. He kept checking up on them, but they said they needed more time. He gave them more money and finally they completed "the emperor's new clothes." When the king came to be fitted, the tailors pretended to hold up a suit of clothes, but there was nothing there. The king was in a dilemma. He saw nothing, but he was afraid to admit it because the clothes would be invisible to fools but wise men would be able to see them.
Finally, one day a little boy blurted out, "The king is wearing nothing." But the tailors had escaped with the money.
Richard H.
Proverbs 1:20-33
In pointing out to us that wisdom is a gift of God, our lesson seems to confirm what Benjamin Franklin once said about it: "The doors of wisdom are never shut." But what good is wisdom, and what is it? The Jewish Talmud provides penetrating observation: "the highest form of wisdom is kindness." And such a life makes you happy, Augustine says (Augustine Earlier Writings, pp.157-158). French novelist Sidonie Gabrielle makes a similar point: "Be happy. It is one way of being wise." The latest research on the brain bears this out. When you are being kind to others, your brain produces feel-good chemicals (dopamine and seratonin) that calm you and provide energy (Stephan Klein, The Science of Happiness).
Mark E.
James 3:1-12
The tongue, which James describes as a world of iniquity, also is a world of germs. The Journal of Clinical Microbiology reports that there may be up to 500 different kinds of germs on the back of the tongue that causes bad breath. The tongue needs to be cleaned physically, like the teeth, as part of good daily oral hygiene. James suggests to us that the tongue also needs a spiritual cleansing for the odors it can cause in human relationships.
Mark M.
James 3:1-12
Neighborhood Watch volunteer George Zimmerman was arrested on second-degree murder for the shooting death of unarmed Trayvon Martin. Defense attorneys claim it was self-defense. Prosecutors attest that it was racial profiling. At the hearing, George and his wife Shellie, convinced the judge that they were without funds, so the bail was set at $150,000.
While in jail, awaiting release, the conversations between husband and wife were recorded. They spoke in code, but it was one that was easily deciphered. When Shellie mentioned $155, it actually meant $155,000. And when she talked about "Peter Pan," she was referring to transferring money by PayPal.
It turns out, it was not reported at Zimmerman's original bail hearing that he established a website to collect money for his defense, which exceeded $200,000. The judge, upon learning this, reset the bail for Zimmerman at $1 million.
Application: James speaks of how talk can be a blessing or a curse to others. The words we speak are a statement of our character.
Ron L.
James 3:1-12
The problem of doubt faces us all. One day we may believe without question, but the next day something may come along that makes us question our faith. Life is like a roller coaster. Our faith, our hope, and our love go up and down. We need God to help us through the down times -- as he always does when we ask him. I once had a Spiritual Enrichment class in my church where I asked everyone to write down times in their life when they felt closest to God. Would you believe that the time every one of them felt closest to God was a down time? It was at those times that they felt God helping them through their troubles. When all is going great, we often feel we don't need God, but when we do need him he is always there for us!
Bob O.
James 3:1-12
Exhausted from having spent a weekend working in a Minneapolis food pantry, a homeless shelter, and a distribution center for the poor, a dozing youth group's rest was interrupted. The voice of their leader announced that their route home had been interrupted by a fire.
"What about the fire?" they questioned nervously.
"The forest rangers have managed to stop its spread," the bus driver announced.
Little did he know that after the firefighters had left a spark jumped the highway, igniting their rerouted path. Everyone looked out the windows in awe as the spreading fire loomed before them. Flames engulfed trees on both sides. Careless hikers had allowed their campfire to get out of control. Now the fire was consuming everything in its path.
As the uncontrolled fire continued to eat up the forest, so the uncontrolled tongue does horrific damage.
Cynthia C.
Mark 8:27-38
Jesus explains what it means to be his disciple. Self-denial is at the heart of Christian discipleship. John Calvin in the Institutes of the Christian Religion, III, 7 elaborates on his understanding of self-denial: "We are not our own; therefore neither our reason nor our will should predominate in our deliberations and actions. We are not on our own; therefore let us not propose it as our end, to seek what may be expedient for us according to the flesh. We are not our own; therefore let us, as far as possible, forget ourselves and all things that are ours. On the contrary, we are God's; to him, therefore, let us live and die. We are God's; therefore let his wisdom and will preside in all our actions. We are God's; toward him, therefore, as our only legitimate end, let every part of our lives be directed."
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, in his provocative book The Cost of Discipleship, conveys the same thought in briefer language: "When Jesus calls a man, he bids him come and die."
Richard H.
Mark 8:27-38
What's wrong with Jesus telling us to lose our lives? Is he a masochist? It seems that in a paradoxical way suffering can be good for you. We know that that's the way it works on a diet or when you give up a bad habit (like smoking, drugs, or fighting shyness). Martin Luther says suffering can be good for you when God uses it to slay your selfishness and sin (Luther's Works, Vol. 35, p. 39). And in the same spirit Martin Luther King Jr. said that suffering allowed him a chance to transform himself (A Testament of Hope, p. 41). Contemporary neurobiology bears out these insights, how suffering can be good for us. It seems that the changes in our lives that suffering compels can be opportunities to change our way of living. When that happens, more neutrophic factors are produced in the brain -- substances that create new nerve cells replacing those damaged by aging. In short, Jesus is right! Changes we make resulting from suffering can keep us young (Sherwin Nuland, The Art of Aging, pp. 36-37). The cross really can give life! Ain't nothin' so bad God can't make good out of it.
Mark E.
