Sermon Illustrations For Proper 19 | Ordinary Time 24 (2020)
Illustration
Exodus 14:19-31
Narcissism — an inflated view of the self — seems like a term that characterizes American life more than ever before. (see Jean Twenge and W. Keith Campbell, The Narcissism Epidemic: Living in the Age of Entitlement). Narcissists have trouble saying thank you and being grateful. And as such, happiness is missed out on. It seems that when we show gratitude, our brains are flooded with the neurochemical oxytocin that produces the kind of well-being and joy that we feel when cuddling with a child or a spouse (S. B. Algoe and B. M. Way, in Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience [2014]). This is a lesson to enhance our gratitude, a chance to be reminded that as God delivered the faithful at the Red Sea, so he continues to deliver us from the trials of life.
Narcissism and human nature keep us from being inclined to be grateful, even if it is good for us and our faith. It is like famed English writer Aldous Huxley once wrote: “Most human beings have an almost infinite capacity for taking things for granted.” We can all use the lessons taught in many circles of the Black church, where the most mundane events of daily life are occasions for giving thanks. Thus, it is common in these circles to hear phrases of thanks being given to God “for getting us up this morning.”
Stories of God’s work in saving his people in the past are also good for our confidence in the present. Martin Luther makes this point, noting how as Moses brought the people of Israel through the Red Sea, so we can be confident that he will deliver us from the waves of life today:
Even as the Red Sea vanished when Moses had struck it, so the world will pass away when it has been struck by the Gospel... This means that they [the faithful] shall conquer all the waves of the sea; not, however, by the might of arms or the power of man but by the power of God... (Luther’s Works, vol.30, pp.308-309)
Famed Philosopher Alfred North Whitehead had it right: "No one who achieves success does so without acknowledging the help of others. The wise and confident acknowledge this help with gratitude."
Mark E.
* * *
Genesis 50:15-21, Psalm 103:(1-7), 8-13
Have you ever held a grudge? I know I have, and it has taken a lot of work to move from vengeance to forgiveness. If anyone had the right to hold a grudge it was Joseph, attacked by his own brothers, sold into slavery, denied access to family. Yet, God use Joseph’s circumstances to save a nation. Joseph’s forgiveness was an outgrowth of that which he was able to accomplish. When I was in elementary school, I had an enemy, a girl who rode my school bus and was often, at least in my perspective, mean to me. She is the only person I have ever had a physical altercation with. I held a grudge for years, remembering her cruelty to me. Years later, I inquired at a class reunion why she was not present. I discovered that she was ashamed of herself and her body as she had gained a significant amount of weight. My heart, in that moment, simply melted. I have struggled with weight all my life and it was one of the things she teased me about relentlessly. Yet, I persisted in singing on stage, acting in school plays and doing the things I was passionate about. I realized that I had gained some strength from her “torment” of me. There was no reason for a grudge; no reason to hold on to the pain. And my release of the grudge was all about releasing pain from my own heart. No wonder Joseph could forgive his brothers.
Bonnie B.
* * *
Exodus 15:1b-11,20-21
Americans like to think they are self-made. The ideal goes back to Benjamin Franklin who once wrote:
In Things of moment on thy self depend,
Nor trust too far thy Servant or thy Friend: (Writings, p.1256)
Famed Black Abolitionist Frederick Douglas was no less committed to this ideal, claiming that self-made men rise in the world by hard work, for “there is nothing good, great or desirable... that does not come by some kind of labor” (Papers, Series One, Vol.4, pp.555-556). This lesson contains part of the song of Moses composed in gratitude to celebrate the deliverance of Israel in crossing the Red Sea, and then concludes with a similar song of Miriam. Because of similarities between this lesson and the other first lesson option, many of the illustrations above will work for this lesson.
It is good to be grateful. Early 20th-century English writer G.K. Chesterton puts it this way:
“When it comes to life the critical thing is whether you take things for granted or take them with gratitude.” Martin Luther made clear that gratitude is what pleases God most, claiming that “we cannot perform any greater or better work for God, nor can we render Him a nobler service than thanking Him.” (What Luther Says, pp.1352-1353) In the same spirit medieval mystic Meister Eckhart claimed that “If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough."
Mark E.
* * *
Romans 14:1-12
Community
On Wednesday, April 19, 1995, a rented yellow truck with the black-lettered logo Ryder written on its side, parked in front of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. Inside the 20-foot truck was 7,000 pounds of explosives. The two dozen 55-gallon blue plastic barrels contained a ghoulish, volatile mixture of diesel fuel oil and gray ammonium nitrate fertilizer. The truck was parked 30-feet from the building’s entrance. Timothy McVeigh got out of the truck and walked away.
At 9:02 a.m. there was a tremendous explosion. A fireball hit the Murrah Building, travelling at seven thousandths of a second. The front of the building absorbed 1,000 pounds of pressure on every square inch of the structure’s surface. The front of the building collapsed, and all nine floors where lifted upward. The destruction of the building was complete. Sunlight could be seen coming through the opposite side of the building. In the blast a 168 people were killed, and hundreds more were wounded. At the time, it was the worst terrorist attack carried out on United States soil, only exceeded by the coordinated attacks on September 11, 2001.
In an act of remembrance and community solidarity, the Outdoor Symbolic Memorial was dedicated on April 19, 2000, on the fifth anniversary of the bombing. The memorial sits on 3.3 acres where the Murrah Building once stood. There are two parts of the memorial that people find most inspiring. These are:
The Gates of Time: Monumental tin bronze gates frame the moment of destruction – 9:02 – and mark the formal entrances to the outdoor memorial. 9:01, found on the eastern gate, represents the last moments of peace, while its opposite on the western gate, 9:03, represents the first moments of recovery. Both time stamps are inscribed on the interior of the monument, facing each other and the reflecting pool.
Field of Empty Chairs: 168 empty chairs hand-crafted from glass, bronze, and stone represent those who lost their lives, with the name of each individual etched in the glass base of the chair. The chairs are arranged in nine rows to symbolize the nine floors of the building; each person's chair is on the row that represents the floor on which the person worked or was located when the bomb went off. The chairs are also grouped according to the blast pattern, with the most chairs nearest the most heavily damaged portion of the building. The westernmost column of five chairs represents the five people who died but were not in the Murrah Building.
Ron L.
* * *
Romans 14:1-12
The latter portion of this passage (“None of us lives to ourselves…etc.”) is one I recite at the opening of funeral services, and rightly so. These words remind us that in life and death we remain disciples of Jesus, who has been the trailblazer in death and life. However, the larger context of the passage is worth considering. The apostle is discussing the matter of eating food offered to idols. In many cities in the Roman Empire the only meat offered for sale was meat from animals that had been first sacrificed, then inspected and approved, then sent to the marketplace for sale. Only a small bit of the meat was actually offered to the god. Some Christians would have nothing to do with meat that they considered polluted by idols. Others felt that since such gods did not really exist,there was no harm in eating it. Now which were the “weak” in faith whose feelings ought to be considered? Note that Paul is not interested in settling which one is right (although he seems to lean on the side of eating that meat). Paul considers the ties that bind us together as far more important than settling this issue. Now meat offered to idols may not be a current issue for us, but it’s worth considering how we take each other’s scruples into account. Food allergies, dietary restrictions, and expressed preferences give us an opportunity to quietly forego our favorites when coming together around the Lord’s Table. And it’s not always about food. I’ve served in rural churches where it’s assumed that everyone is a fan of the local high school’s athletic teams, to the point that the church calendar revolves around one school’s home schedule. This makes families from other school districts feel like outsiders, and perhaps leads to resentment.
Keep in mind that a common meal was one of the subversive hallmarks of the Christian faith and you’ll realize why it was so important to Paul to keep us all at the table.
Frank R.
* * *
Romans 14:1-12
I found this humorous and pointed story and thought it was appropriate for this text. A young couple moved into a new neighborhood. One morning while they ate breakfast, the young woman saw her neighbor hanging the wash outside.
“That laundry is not very clean,” she said. “She doesn’t know how to wash correctly. Perhaps she needs better laundry soap.” Her husband looked on but remained silent.
Every time her neighbor would hang her wash to dry, the young woman would make the same comments. About a month later, the woman was surprised to see a nice clean wash on the line and said to her husband: “Look, she has learned how to wash correctly. I wonder who taught her this?”
Her husband smiled and answered, “That’s not it. I got up early this morning and cleaned our windows.”
It’s easy for us to look at what others are doing and make judgments on it. Paul makes it clear, in verse ten, that judging each other isn’t right. “Why do you pass judgment on your brother or sister? Or you, why do you despise your brother or sister? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.” Let’s demonstrate love for each other knowing that we’re all accountable to God.
Bill T.
* * *
Matthew 18:21-35
This is a lesson all about forgiveness. We want forgiveness but are not too good at doing it ourselves. It is as John Calvin said:
It is natural to all men to wish to be forgiven; and, therefore, if any man does not immediately obtain forgiveness, he complains that he is treated with sternness and cruelty. But those who demand to be treated gently are far from being equally gentle toward others. (Calvin’s Commentaries, Vol.XVI/2, p.363)
Martin Luther gets to the heart of the problem:
Now we must diligently continue to study what forgiveness of sins is. It’s a simple thing to mouth the expression “forgiveness of sins,” just as it is a simple thing to repeat the basic truths of Christian doctrine. Ah yes, if all we had to do was to mouth the words! The problem is that when it comes to putting that expression into practice, we don’t know the first thing about it! (Complete Sermons, Vol.7, pp.134-135)
God’s forgiveness of you and me gets us out of this hang-up, makes us forgiving. Famed 20th-century German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer is right on the money:
Dear brothers and sisters, whoever has had the experience of God tearing him out of great sin and forgiving him... from such a one, all passion for judging and bearing grudges disappears; he wants only one more thing; to share in the plight of his brother. (A Testament To Freedom, p.278)
Mark E.
* * *
Matthew 18:21-35
Each of us in our lifetimes have been forgiven. Sometimes we are forgiven for little things, sometimes for bigger offenses. When I am forgiven, I feel such a sense of joy and love. I seem to want to share those feelings with everyone. Then, however, I go back to my usual life and can begin to count the offenses of others. My brother and I were in conflict most of our lives. He thought I was the “goodie two-shoes” and I probably was. He had addiction issues and could be extremely verbally abusive. We severed our relationship for many years. Then he had a serious health and legal crisis. I could think of nothing else but to go to his side. Over the last thirteen years of his life, we had a positive and loving relationship. The forgiveness for his behavior freed my heart to love him, to care for him, and to renew a positive family relationship. It was worth the effort to forgive. I had my brother back in my life. What gift. The memory of the pain receded, and our hearts reconnected. What a joy it is to forgive!
Bonnie B.
Narcissism — an inflated view of the self — seems like a term that characterizes American life more than ever before. (see Jean Twenge and W. Keith Campbell, The Narcissism Epidemic: Living in the Age of Entitlement). Narcissists have trouble saying thank you and being grateful. And as such, happiness is missed out on. It seems that when we show gratitude, our brains are flooded with the neurochemical oxytocin that produces the kind of well-being and joy that we feel when cuddling with a child or a spouse (S. B. Algoe and B. M. Way, in Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience [2014]). This is a lesson to enhance our gratitude, a chance to be reminded that as God delivered the faithful at the Red Sea, so he continues to deliver us from the trials of life.
Narcissism and human nature keep us from being inclined to be grateful, even if it is good for us and our faith. It is like famed English writer Aldous Huxley once wrote: “Most human beings have an almost infinite capacity for taking things for granted.” We can all use the lessons taught in many circles of the Black church, where the most mundane events of daily life are occasions for giving thanks. Thus, it is common in these circles to hear phrases of thanks being given to God “for getting us up this morning.”
Stories of God’s work in saving his people in the past are also good for our confidence in the present. Martin Luther makes this point, noting how as Moses brought the people of Israel through the Red Sea, so we can be confident that he will deliver us from the waves of life today:
Even as the Red Sea vanished when Moses had struck it, so the world will pass away when it has been struck by the Gospel... This means that they [the faithful] shall conquer all the waves of the sea; not, however, by the might of arms or the power of man but by the power of God... (Luther’s Works, vol.30, pp.308-309)
Famed Philosopher Alfred North Whitehead had it right: "No one who achieves success does so without acknowledging the help of others. The wise and confident acknowledge this help with gratitude."
Mark E.
* * *
Genesis 50:15-21, Psalm 103:(1-7), 8-13
Have you ever held a grudge? I know I have, and it has taken a lot of work to move from vengeance to forgiveness. If anyone had the right to hold a grudge it was Joseph, attacked by his own brothers, sold into slavery, denied access to family. Yet, God use Joseph’s circumstances to save a nation. Joseph’s forgiveness was an outgrowth of that which he was able to accomplish. When I was in elementary school, I had an enemy, a girl who rode my school bus and was often, at least in my perspective, mean to me. She is the only person I have ever had a physical altercation with. I held a grudge for years, remembering her cruelty to me. Years later, I inquired at a class reunion why she was not present. I discovered that she was ashamed of herself and her body as she had gained a significant amount of weight. My heart, in that moment, simply melted. I have struggled with weight all my life and it was one of the things she teased me about relentlessly. Yet, I persisted in singing on stage, acting in school plays and doing the things I was passionate about. I realized that I had gained some strength from her “torment” of me. There was no reason for a grudge; no reason to hold on to the pain. And my release of the grudge was all about releasing pain from my own heart. No wonder Joseph could forgive his brothers.
Bonnie B.
* * *
Exodus 15:1b-11,20-21
Americans like to think they are self-made. The ideal goes back to Benjamin Franklin who once wrote:
In Things of moment on thy self depend,
Nor trust too far thy Servant or thy Friend: (Writings, p.1256)
Famed Black Abolitionist Frederick Douglas was no less committed to this ideal, claiming that self-made men rise in the world by hard work, for “there is nothing good, great or desirable... that does not come by some kind of labor” (Papers, Series One, Vol.4, pp.555-556). This lesson contains part of the song of Moses composed in gratitude to celebrate the deliverance of Israel in crossing the Red Sea, and then concludes with a similar song of Miriam. Because of similarities between this lesson and the other first lesson option, many of the illustrations above will work for this lesson.
It is good to be grateful. Early 20th-century English writer G.K. Chesterton puts it this way:
“When it comes to life the critical thing is whether you take things for granted or take them with gratitude.” Martin Luther made clear that gratitude is what pleases God most, claiming that “we cannot perform any greater or better work for God, nor can we render Him a nobler service than thanking Him.” (What Luther Says, pp.1352-1353) In the same spirit medieval mystic Meister Eckhart claimed that “If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough."
Mark E.
* * *
Romans 14:1-12
Community
On Wednesday, April 19, 1995, a rented yellow truck with the black-lettered logo Ryder written on its side, parked in front of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. Inside the 20-foot truck was 7,000 pounds of explosives. The two dozen 55-gallon blue plastic barrels contained a ghoulish, volatile mixture of diesel fuel oil and gray ammonium nitrate fertilizer. The truck was parked 30-feet from the building’s entrance. Timothy McVeigh got out of the truck and walked away.
At 9:02 a.m. there was a tremendous explosion. A fireball hit the Murrah Building, travelling at seven thousandths of a second. The front of the building absorbed 1,000 pounds of pressure on every square inch of the structure’s surface. The front of the building collapsed, and all nine floors where lifted upward. The destruction of the building was complete. Sunlight could be seen coming through the opposite side of the building. In the blast a 168 people were killed, and hundreds more were wounded. At the time, it was the worst terrorist attack carried out on United States soil, only exceeded by the coordinated attacks on September 11, 2001.
In an act of remembrance and community solidarity, the Outdoor Symbolic Memorial was dedicated on April 19, 2000, on the fifth anniversary of the bombing. The memorial sits on 3.3 acres where the Murrah Building once stood. There are two parts of the memorial that people find most inspiring. These are:
The Gates of Time: Monumental tin bronze gates frame the moment of destruction – 9:02 – and mark the formal entrances to the outdoor memorial. 9:01, found on the eastern gate, represents the last moments of peace, while its opposite on the western gate, 9:03, represents the first moments of recovery. Both time stamps are inscribed on the interior of the monument, facing each other and the reflecting pool.
Field of Empty Chairs: 168 empty chairs hand-crafted from glass, bronze, and stone represent those who lost their lives, with the name of each individual etched in the glass base of the chair. The chairs are arranged in nine rows to symbolize the nine floors of the building; each person's chair is on the row that represents the floor on which the person worked or was located when the bomb went off. The chairs are also grouped according to the blast pattern, with the most chairs nearest the most heavily damaged portion of the building. The westernmost column of five chairs represents the five people who died but were not in the Murrah Building.
Ron L.
* * *
Romans 14:1-12
The latter portion of this passage (“None of us lives to ourselves…etc.”) is one I recite at the opening of funeral services, and rightly so. These words remind us that in life and death we remain disciples of Jesus, who has been the trailblazer in death and life. However, the larger context of the passage is worth considering. The apostle is discussing the matter of eating food offered to idols. In many cities in the Roman Empire the only meat offered for sale was meat from animals that had been first sacrificed, then inspected and approved, then sent to the marketplace for sale. Only a small bit of the meat was actually offered to the god. Some Christians would have nothing to do with meat that they considered polluted by idols. Others felt that since such gods did not really exist,there was no harm in eating it. Now which were the “weak” in faith whose feelings ought to be considered? Note that Paul is not interested in settling which one is right (although he seems to lean on the side of eating that meat). Paul considers the ties that bind us together as far more important than settling this issue. Now meat offered to idols may not be a current issue for us, but it’s worth considering how we take each other’s scruples into account. Food allergies, dietary restrictions, and expressed preferences give us an opportunity to quietly forego our favorites when coming together around the Lord’s Table. And it’s not always about food. I’ve served in rural churches where it’s assumed that everyone is a fan of the local high school’s athletic teams, to the point that the church calendar revolves around one school’s home schedule. This makes families from other school districts feel like outsiders, and perhaps leads to resentment.
Keep in mind that a common meal was one of the subversive hallmarks of the Christian faith and you’ll realize why it was so important to Paul to keep us all at the table.
Frank R.
* * *
Romans 14:1-12
I found this humorous and pointed story and thought it was appropriate for this text. A young couple moved into a new neighborhood. One morning while they ate breakfast, the young woman saw her neighbor hanging the wash outside.
“That laundry is not very clean,” she said. “She doesn’t know how to wash correctly. Perhaps she needs better laundry soap.” Her husband looked on but remained silent.
Every time her neighbor would hang her wash to dry, the young woman would make the same comments. About a month later, the woman was surprised to see a nice clean wash on the line and said to her husband: “Look, she has learned how to wash correctly. I wonder who taught her this?”
Her husband smiled and answered, “That’s not it. I got up early this morning and cleaned our windows.”
It’s easy for us to look at what others are doing and make judgments on it. Paul makes it clear, in verse ten, that judging each other isn’t right. “Why do you pass judgment on your brother or sister? Or you, why do you despise your brother or sister? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.” Let’s demonstrate love for each other knowing that we’re all accountable to God.
Bill T.
* * *
Matthew 18:21-35
This is a lesson all about forgiveness. We want forgiveness but are not too good at doing it ourselves. It is as John Calvin said:
It is natural to all men to wish to be forgiven; and, therefore, if any man does not immediately obtain forgiveness, he complains that he is treated with sternness and cruelty. But those who demand to be treated gently are far from being equally gentle toward others. (Calvin’s Commentaries, Vol.XVI/2, p.363)
Martin Luther gets to the heart of the problem:
Now we must diligently continue to study what forgiveness of sins is. It’s a simple thing to mouth the expression “forgiveness of sins,” just as it is a simple thing to repeat the basic truths of Christian doctrine. Ah yes, if all we had to do was to mouth the words! The problem is that when it comes to putting that expression into practice, we don’t know the first thing about it! (Complete Sermons, Vol.7, pp.134-135)
God’s forgiveness of you and me gets us out of this hang-up, makes us forgiving. Famed 20th-century German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer is right on the money:
Dear brothers and sisters, whoever has had the experience of God tearing him out of great sin and forgiving him... from such a one, all passion for judging and bearing grudges disappears; he wants only one more thing; to share in the plight of his brother. (A Testament To Freedom, p.278)
Mark E.
* * *
Matthew 18:21-35
Each of us in our lifetimes have been forgiven. Sometimes we are forgiven for little things, sometimes for bigger offenses. When I am forgiven, I feel such a sense of joy and love. I seem to want to share those feelings with everyone. Then, however, I go back to my usual life and can begin to count the offenses of others. My brother and I were in conflict most of our lives. He thought I was the “goodie two-shoes” and I probably was. He had addiction issues and could be extremely verbally abusive. We severed our relationship for many years. Then he had a serious health and legal crisis. I could think of nothing else but to go to his side. Over the last thirteen years of his life, we had a positive and loving relationship. The forgiveness for his behavior freed my heart to love him, to care for him, and to renew a positive family relationship. It was worth the effort to forgive. I had my brother back in my life. What gift. The memory of the pain receded, and our hearts reconnected. What a joy it is to forgive!
Bonnie B.
