Sermon Illustrations for Proper 21 | Ordinary Time 26 (2015)
Illustration
Object:
Esther 7:1-6, 9-10; 9:20-22
When we have influence, how should we use it? If we see injustice of any kind, we should tell those who can do something about it to change things.
I see politicians abusing that privilege sometimes when their “Esther” turns out to be a wealthy contributor to their party or their election campaign.
It is ending in many states, but there are still some states that allow the death penalty. I heard an interview on a television program once where an official was asked how many innocent people were executed. The response was that there was only a small number. In other words, as long as it is only a few, then why worry? I can feel the pain of those who have lost a loved one and want to see “justice” done -- even if (or especially if) it means the death penalty. What about the death penalty for the ones who demand the right to kill those who have committed the greater sins? If you have executed one innocent prisoner, then you should be executed! To kill the innocent is murder. Even executions of the guilty may violate the commandment not to kill. Is it justified in war, but not in peace?
What about these recent cases where a police officer has killed an unarmed person? Who should determine guilt or innocence? What if there is prejudice on either side?
Esther knew exactly who to blame without questions, and Haman was hung on the gallows he had built. Do we get hung on the gallows we make for others? What will happen to Edward Snowden? His motive was not too bad, though he may have hurt many people and countries.
Another non-biblical message may be that you can get away with anything if you have friends or relatives at the top who can fight for you. That was certainly not the intention here! Esther was attacking a guilty man who was trying to execute an innocent one.
In this passage it was a matter of life or death, but there are many causes we can support that the Lord would approve of, like preventing the cruel removal of undocumented immigrants who have had children here (who are citizens) and could be separated from their family. Each case can be different.
The important thing seems to be our motive for helping someone. Are we motivated by our love for someone who might be hurt? Is that our motive for justice?
Bob O.
Esther 7:1-6, 9-10; 9:20-22
Sometimes things don’t go according to our plan. Alfred Hitchcock Presents was a series of television programs that ran for a few seasons in the 1980s. Many of the shows were remakes of episodes from an earlier series Hitchcock produced. One of the most chilling episodes was called “The Final Escape.” It is about a young woman prisoner serving a life sentence. She devises an evil plan to escape, and tries to bribe the aging mortician at the prison with the promise of money for eye surgery if he will help her. Her plan is simple. When the next prisoner dies, she’ll get the key to the morgue, climb into the coffin with the deceased, and then later the mortician will come and dig her up. The “Doc” reluctantly agrees. A day or so passes, then the bell tolls. The woman snakes her way through the prison and, using the key Doc had given her, she enters the prep room, climbs into the coffin, and waits. As it is taken out and buried she is gloating, proud of her brilliant plan. The camera shows her anticipating her release and freedom. After a while, though, she is troubled. Where is Doc? She begins to wonder just who it is in the coffin that is giving her freedom. She lights a match and looks. To her horror, the face she sees is Doc’s.
When a brilliant plan fails, there is disappointment. When a diabolical and brilliant plan backfires, there is terror, panic, and death. Haman may well have felt like the woman in the story. He gloated and boasted of his great plan. He’d have his revenge, and it would be sweet. We can only imagine his thoughts as he heard the words “Who is he and where is he?” The gallows that were to be his glory became his doom. The day that was to be his celebration became his funeral. Odd, isn’t it, how a plan can get messed up?
Bill T.
Esther 7:1-6, 9-10; 9:20-22
We can almost feel sorry for Haman, caught as he is by the king’s misconstrual of his action. Actually, it is an appropriate touch, given the comic nature of the story, that the villain be punished for something he did not do.
(Adele Berlin, Esther [JPS Bible Commentary], p. 65)
Frank R.
James 5:13-20
In May of this year, my dear friend Marilynn went home to be with the Lord. She was one of the most faith-filled women I have ever known. She was a righteous woman, a loving daughter, wife, mother, and grandmother. She was ill for many years and in great pain, but there was never a day that she did not express gratitude or have a word of comfort for another. She prayed for me and for my ministry, for my family and for hers. She loved family and friends and even strangers. She was the face of Christ to those in her midst.
The Lord has raised her up to the community of the saints and I grieve her still, but even more I seek to emulate her -- to offer gratitude and love in the face of challenge and difficulty. Her prayers were and are powerful, and I am thankful for them still.
Bonnie B.
James 5:13-20
Tiyo Soga was 49 years old when he died in August 1871. He was the first African minister ordained by the Presbyterian Church of South Africa. The church leaders were so impressed by Soga that they sent him to Scotland twice to further his education. On his second trip he married Janet Burnside. They eventually had seven children. Soga had a difficult ministry. South Africans hated the church, which they associated with British colonialism. They burned Soga’s first church to the ground, and he barely escaped with his life. Undeterred, he continued to teach, preach, and build churches. Day after day Soga would walk the African trails, carrying the gospel message from village to village. When he became ill in 1866 his evangelistic work did not cease. He used this period of his life to translate Pilgrim’s Progress into Xhosa, adapting the story to his own people’s experience. Soga was asked to open a new mission in Tutuka, which would mean leaving his own people in Emgwali. He agreed. During his trip he became soaked in rain and became seriously ill. The Presbyterian elders offered him a time of rest, but the message arrived too late. Soga had already died. (Note: If your sanctuary uses a screen you could show a picture of Soga and also a map of his journeys in Africa, though this is probably not necessary for the congregation to understand the story and relate to it.)
Application: We are instructed by James to be evangelists, “that whoever brings back a sinner from wandering will save the sinner’s soul.”
Ron L.
James 5:13-20
“Confession is good for the soul,” the old Scottish proverb goes. It is also good for your health and happiness. John Calvin sees in this text the relationship between health and forgiveness of sins: “The prophets are full of this doctrine, that men are relieved from their evils when they are loosed from the guilt of their iniquities. Let us then know that it is the only fit remedy for our diseases and other calamities, when we carefully examine ourselves, being solicitous to be reconciled to God, and to obtain the pardon of our sins (Calvin’s Commentaries, Vol. XXII/2, p. 357).
Neurobiological research has found that religious people engaged in spiritual activities (including confessing our sin) stimulate the exercise of the brain’s left prefrontal cortex (Andrew Newberg, Why God Won’t Go Away). These brain dynamics set off the secretion of the brain chemical dopamine, which is a good-feeling amphetamine -- it makes us happy. In addition, those with an active left prefrontal cortex are not only happier, they also have lower levels of cortisol (a hormone that depresses immune function), and so are more likely to be healthier (Stefan Klein, The Science of Happiness, pp. 202-204, 236).
Mark E.
Mark 9:38-50
“Remember who you are and whose you are” is a line I once heard from an old preacher, who had heard it from his father. It is what he and his siblings were told as they were teens going out on the town. The message of this simple statement is pretty clear. I think this advice is not only appropriate for western Kansas teens, but also applies to all who wear the name of Jesus.
In this passage it is important to see that our actions make a difference. Being kind for and in the name of Jesus matters. On the flip side, if our actions cause others (especially a child) to sin, the punishment is unthinkable. Jesus’ words here to prevent us from sinning are awkward to our ears. They cause us to look away. Picturing doing that is repugnant. Dismemberment and plucking out an eye are images that cause us to recoil. But that’s the point, isn’t it? Doing anything that would cause one to stumble, especially a child, is something that should make us turn away, sickened and disgusted. It is far better to lose body parts that may cause us to sin than to be eternally lost ourselves. How we conduct our lives is a statement about how serious we are about Jesus Christ. With respect to how we treat others, remember that old western Kansas farmer. Better still, remember what Jesus said.
Bill T.
Mark 9:38-50
Finally, images of salty disciples and refining fires compel us to consider anew what is distinctive and enduring about Christian faith. Even with low-salt diets and microwave ovens, no one doubts the essential value of salt and fire for sustaining life. As one member of our Markan Bible study reflected, “Salt and fire are both good and necessary gifts. Salt refers to the enduring quality of faith of service. Fire can refer not only to the fire of hell but the fire of heaven when God stirs within us a passion for serving others.” God longs for us to live and love differently than others, to engage the feverish struggles of our time with passion and commitment to God’s loving reign among us. Jesus’ manner of speaking is meant to stir our own imaginative juices to encourage new images of Christian discipleship today.
(Dawn Ottoni Wilhelm, Preaching the Gospel of Mark: Proclaiming the Power of God, p. 171)
Frank R.
Mark 9:38-50
If someone is doing God’s work but is not one of the “club,” don’t make him stop! I have even seen Buddhists in Nepal doing works of mercy, but did not try to stop them. Even the Dalai Lama blesses Christians and says nothing bad about us. Don’t go too far with that. If Jehovah’s Witnesses or Mormons are giving food to the poor, don’t stop them if they seem to be doing it in Jesus’ name. Let God handle it. Our only choice is to “do almost like them before they get there.”
The text does not say anyone who gives you a cup of water -- it says anyone who gives you a cup of water in Christ’s name, because you belong to him and want to be his witness.
There is a special warning against any who are hurting the little ones who believe in Jesus. What of fathers who beat their little ones, claiming to be good Christians not wanting to spare the rod, and cause them to question their faith? I have counseled some who were so turned off by a cruel father that they may have lost their faith for a number of years. He will surely have to answer for what he did. If he causes one of these little ones to sin, he will be punished -- even in U.S. courts. There was a man in one of my congregations whose father sexually abused his sisters, and he in turn abused his adopted daughters and was sent to jail. His mother would never believe him when he told about what his father was doing. After his release he counseled child abusers, both before they were arrested and after they were in prison.
I think most of us have a special place for children and want vengeance taken on anyone who abuses them.
What an extreme -- if a hand or foot or eye causes you to sin, cut it off! If we did that, there would be a lot of sightless and crippled people around. This shows how serious sin is! But then, hell is much worse. It is the ultimate... so avoid it at all costs. The suffering never ends!
In Muslim countries they cut off the hand of a thief. Aren’t we glad we have forgiveness?
Maybe we don’t take sin seriously. We think just a quick “I’m sorry” should take care of it. That might be all right for an accidental spilling of a glass of water -- but a quick “I’m sorry” would not do if you threw a ball in the living room and smashed your mom’s favorite lamp! This passage shows how terribly serious sin is. Sin can infect a family for generations. Pray daily that it will not infect you and your family.
Also remember to keep your salt salty, or you will be cast out and trampled in the ground. You show your salt by living in peace with each other.
Bob O.
When we have influence, how should we use it? If we see injustice of any kind, we should tell those who can do something about it to change things.
I see politicians abusing that privilege sometimes when their “Esther” turns out to be a wealthy contributor to their party or their election campaign.
It is ending in many states, but there are still some states that allow the death penalty. I heard an interview on a television program once where an official was asked how many innocent people were executed. The response was that there was only a small number. In other words, as long as it is only a few, then why worry? I can feel the pain of those who have lost a loved one and want to see “justice” done -- even if (or especially if) it means the death penalty. What about the death penalty for the ones who demand the right to kill those who have committed the greater sins? If you have executed one innocent prisoner, then you should be executed! To kill the innocent is murder. Even executions of the guilty may violate the commandment not to kill. Is it justified in war, but not in peace?
What about these recent cases where a police officer has killed an unarmed person? Who should determine guilt or innocence? What if there is prejudice on either side?
Esther knew exactly who to blame without questions, and Haman was hung on the gallows he had built. Do we get hung on the gallows we make for others? What will happen to Edward Snowden? His motive was not too bad, though he may have hurt many people and countries.
Another non-biblical message may be that you can get away with anything if you have friends or relatives at the top who can fight for you. That was certainly not the intention here! Esther was attacking a guilty man who was trying to execute an innocent one.
In this passage it was a matter of life or death, but there are many causes we can support that the Lord would approve of, like preventing the cruel removal of undocumented immigrants who have had children here (who are citizens) and could be separated from their family. Each case can be different.
The important thing seems to be our motive for helping someone. Are we motivated by our love for someone who might be hurt? Is that our motive for justice?
Bob O.
Esther 7:1-6, 9-10; 9:20-22
Sometimes things don’t go according to our plan. Alfred Hitchcock Presents was a series of television programs that ran for a few seasons in the 1980s. Many of the shows were remakes of episodes from an earlier series Hitchcock produced. One of the most chilling episodes was called “The Final Escape.” It is about a young woman prisoner serving a life sentence. She devises an evil plan to escape, and tries to bribe the aging mortician at the prison with the promise of money for eye surgery if he will help her. Her plan is simple. When the next prisoner dies, she’ll get the key to the morgue, climb into the coffin with the deceased, and then later the mortician will come and dig her up. The “Doc” reluctantly agrees. A day or so passes, then the bell tolls. The woman snakes her way through the prison and, using the key Doc had given her, she enters the prep room, climbs into the coffin, and waits. As it is taken out and buried she is gloating, proud of her brilliant plan. The camera shows her anticipating her release and freedom. After a while, though, she is troubled. Where is Doc? She begins to wonder just who it is in the coffin that is giving her freedom. She lights a match and looks. To her horror, the face she sees is Doc’s.
When a brilliant plan fails, there is disappointment. When a diabolical and brilliant plan backfires, there is terror, panic, and death. Haman may well have felt like the woman in the story. He gloated and boasted of his great plan. He’d have his revenge, and it would be sweet. We can only imagine his thoughts as he heard the words “Who is he and where is he?” The gallows that were to be his glory became his doom. The day that was to be his celebration became his funeral. Odd, isn’t it, how a plan can get messed up?
Bill T.
Esther 7:1-6, 9-10; 9:20-22
We can almost feel sorry for Haman, caught as he is by the king’s misconstrual of his action. Actually, it is an appropriate touch, given the comic nature of the story, that the villain be punished for something he did not do.
(Adele Berlin, Esther [JPS Bible Commentary], p. 65)
Frank R.
James 5:13-20
In May of this year, my dear friend Marilynn went home to be with the Lord. She was one of the most faith-filled women I have ever known. She was a righteous woman, a loving daughter, wife, mother, and grandmother. She was ill for many years and in great pain, but there was never a day that she did not express gratitude or have a word of comfort for another. She prayed for me and for my ministry, for my family and for hers. She loved family and friends and even strangers. She was the face of Christ to those in her midst.
The Lord has raised her up to the community of the saints and I grieve her still, but even more I seek to emulate her -- to offer gratitude and love in the face of challenge and difficulty. Her prayers were and are powerful, and I am thankful for them still.
Bonnie B.
James 5:13-20
Tiyo Soga was 49 years old when he died in August 1871. He was the first African minister ordained by the Presbyterian Church of South Africa. The church leaders were so impressed by Soga that they sent him to Scotland twice to further his education. On his second trip he married Janet Burnside. They eventually had seven children. Soga had a difficult ministry. South Africans hated the church, which they associated with British colonialism. They burned Soga’s first church to the ground, and he barely escaped with his life. Undeterred, he continued to teach, preach, and build churches. Day after day Soga would walk the African trails, carrying the gospel message from village to village. When he became ill in 1866 his evangelistic work did not cease. He used this period of his life to translate Pilgrim’s Progress into Xhosa, adapting the story to his own people’s experience. Soga was asked to open a new mission in Tutuka, which would mean leaving his own people in Emgwali. He agreed. During his trip he became soaked in rain and became seriously ill. The Presbyterian elders offered him a time of rest, but the message arrived too late. Soga had already died. (Note: If your sanctuary uses a screen you could show a picture of Soga and also a map of his journeys in Africa, though this is probably not necessary for the congregation to understand the story and relate to it.)
Application: We are instructed by James to be evangelists, “that whoever brings back a sinner from wandering will save the sinner’s soul.”
Ron L.
James 5:13-20
“Confession is good for the soul,” the old Scottish proverb goes. It is also good for your health and happiness. John Calvin sees in this text the relationship between health and forgiveness of sins: “The prophets are full of this doctrine, that men are relieved from their evils when they are loosed from the guilt of their iniquities. Let us then know that it is the only fit remedy for our diseases and other calamities, when we carefully examine ourselves, being solicitous to be reconciled to God, and to obtain the pardon of our sins (Calvin’s Commentaries, Vol. XXII/2, p. 357).
Neurobiological research has found that religious people engaged in spiritual activities (including confessing our sin) stimulate the exercise of the brain’s left prefrontal cortex (Andrew Newberg, Why God Won’t Go Away). These brain dynamics set off the secretion of the brain chemical dopamine, which is a good-feeling amphetamine -- it makes us happy. In addition, those with an active left prefrontal cortex are not only happier, they also have lower levels of cortisol (a hormone that depresses immune function), and so are more likely to be healthier (Stefan Klein, The Science of Happiness, pp. 202-204, 236).
Mark E.
Mark 9:38-50
“Remember who you are and whose you are” is a line I once heard from an old preacher, who had heard it from his father. It is what he and his siblings were told as they were teens going out on the town. The message of this simple statement is pretty clear. I think this advice is not only appropriate for western Kansas teens, but also applies to all who wear the name of Jesus.
In this passage it is important to see that our actions make a difference. Being kind for and in the name of Jesus matters. On the flip side, if our actions cause others (especially a child) to sin, the punishment is unthinkable. Jesus’ words here to prevent us from sinning are awkward to our ears. They cause us to look away. Picturing doing that is repugnant. Dismemberment and plucking out an eye are images that cause us to recoil. But that’s the point, isn’t it? Doing anything that would cause one to stumble, especially a child, is something that should make us turn away, sickened and disgusted. It is far better to lose body parts that may cause us to sin than to be eternally lost ourselves. How we conduct our lives is a statement about how serious we are about Jesus Christ. With respect to how we treat others, remember that old western Kansas farmer. Better still, remember what Jesus said.
Bill T.
Mark 9:38-50
Finally, images of salty disciples and refining fires compel us to consider anew what is distinctive and enduring about Christian faith. Even with low-salt diets and microwave ovens, no one doubts the essential value of salt and fire for sustaining life. As one member of our Markan Bible study reflected, “Salt and fire are both good and necessary gifts. Salt refers to the enduring quality of faith of service. Fire can refer not only to the fire of hell but the fire of heaven when God stirs within us a passion for serving others.” God longs for us to live and love differently than others, to engage the feverish struggles of our time with passion and commitment to God’s loving reign among us. Jesus’ manner of speaking is meant to stir our own imaginative juices to encourage new images of Christian discipleship today.
(Dawn Ottoni Wilhelm, Preaching the Gospel of Mark: Proclaiming the Power of God, p. 171)
Frank R.
Mark 9:38-50
If someone is doing God’s work but is not one of the “club,” don’t make him stop! I have even seen Buddhists in Nepal doing works of mercy, but did not try to stop them. Even the Dalai Lama blesses Christians and says nothing bad about us. Don’t go too far with that. If Jehovah’s Witnesses or Mormons are giving food to the poor, don’t stop them if they seem to be doing it in Jesus’ name. Let God handle it. Our only choice is to “do almost like them before they get there.”
The text does not say anyone who gives you a cup of water -- it says anyone who gives you a cup of water in Christ’s name, because you belong to him and want to be his witness.
There is a special warning against any who are hurting the little ones who believe in Jesus. What of fathers who beat their little ones, claiming to be good Christians not wanting to spare the rod, and cause them to question their faith? I have counseled some who were so turned off by a cruel father that they may have lost their faith for a number of years. He will surely have to answer for what he did. If he causes one of these little ones to sin, he will be punished -- even in U.S. courts. There was a man in one of my congregations whose father sexually abused his sisters, and he in turn abused his adopted daughters and was sent to jail. His mother would never believe him when he told about what his father was doing. After his release he counseled child abusers, both before they were arrested and after they were in prison.
I think most of us have a special place for children and want vengeance taken on anyone who abuses them.
What an extreme -- if a hand or foot or eye causes you to sin, cut it off! If we did that, there would be a lot of sightless and crippled people around. This shows how serious sin is! But then, hell is much worse. It is the ultimate... so avoid it at all costs. The suffering never ends!
In Muslim countries they cut off the hand of a thief. Aren’t we glad we have forgiveness?
Maybe we don’t take sin seriously. We think just a quick “I’m sorry” should take care of it. That might be all right for an accidental spilling of a glass of water -- but a quick “I’m sorry” would not do if you threw a ball in the living room and smashed your mom’s favorite lamp! This passage shows how terribly serious sin is. Sin can infect a family for generations. Pray daily that it will not infect you and your family.
Also remember to keep your salt salty, or you will be cast out and trampled in the ground. You show your salt by living in peace with each other.
Bob O.
