Sermon Illustrations for Proper 21 | Ordinary Time 26 (2017)
Illustration
Exodus 17:1-7
When I encounter a chronic complainer -- and we all know at least one (or maybe sometimes are one) -- I think about the Israelites and their willingness to go back into slavery rather than move forward toward where God wants to set them free. Granted we all need water and I know they’re thirsty, but there are better things than wishing for slavery.
Moses asks a simple question: “Why do you test the Lord?” It’s a question that sometimes still needs an answer. We say, “Oh God, if you are real please make such and such happen.” “Oh God, if you are real, please take this burden from me.” Maybe if we reframe the questions we will more readily find the answers. “Oh God, please help me to get through whatever is going to happen today.” “Oh God, how do I manage this burden?” Those questions God answers every day in myriad ways. Those questions aren’t a test. Those questions are an understanding that in all things God is with us. Thanks be to God for that!
Bonnie B.
Exodus 17:1-17
According to one of the ancient rabbis, when God told Moses that “I will be standing there in front of you on the rock at Horeb” (v. 6) it implied that wherever we leave a footprint God is standing there as well. God’s people, in the wake of their deliverance at the Red Sea, had celebrated the wonders they had seen God perform -- but like many of us today, when times get tough people quarrel, grumble, and wonder where God is. God is revealed to be standing by Moses in the midst of the complaints. There’s that rather popular prose poem called “Footprints in the Sand,” which basically expresses the same idea. Though we may not realize it, God is standing with us in tough times as well as triumph.
Frank R.
Exodus 17:1-7
Our government is the source of solutions for the needs of many people, but this passage seems to say that instead of marching in the streets and complaining for the government to do something about our problems, we should be praying to our Lord and put him to the test.
It is true that God may lead us to some action by the government. The people’s complaint to Moses made him turn to the Lord for an answer to the problems of the people.
So part of the answer is to make sure our leaders will turn to the Lord (regardless of some constitutional restrictions about the separation of church and state). Both the people and our leaders must turn to our Lord.
When our children demand a good meal and our groceries are in short supply, they tell us to pray to the Lord -- the source of solutions for all our needs. So our prayer is that our parents will also pray so they can provide what we need.
There is always something we want to complain to the Lord about! Some problems are very small. There is always something going wrong in the house every day. I complain -- but as I look back, I see that the Lord helped us solve them all.
One of our members was dying and asked the Lord to take her out of her suffering. He did not do it when she wanted, but finally her end came. She needed patience!
Can we send some of our bigger problems and complaints to our church? Can we beg the pastor to pray to solve them for us? After all, he is closer to the Lord as Moses was, so he should help us. We should be the ones to “take it to the Lord in prayer” and stop complaining!
Bob O.
Philippians 2:1-13
Like many people, I’m a baseball fan. It has been a challenging season thus far for my team, the Kansas City Royals. While there have been a few changes to the rules this year, there is one change I’ve noticed that has nothing to do with rules but a lot to do with respect and humility. Jerry Blevins of the New York Mets, Shawn Armstrong of the Cleveland Indians, and Aaron Judge of the Yankees have all started to play catch with a fan or two before the game. I’ve seen multiple pictures of this on the internet and on newsfeeds.
I like that. For one thing, it would be neat to play catch with a major leaguer. I still think that would be cool. I also think this shows a healthy humility in and among these players. They don’t consider themselves “too good” to play with regular people. Of course, the reality is that they are. They are so much better at baseball than “regular” people that it’s hard to fathom. The point is, though, they don’t act like it.
I thought about that again when I read through this passage. Jesus did not consider himself above emptying himself and becoming a man. Is he better than that? Of course. The point is, though, that he didn’t choose to act on it. He chose to humble himself. He chose the suffering and indignity of the cross. He chose to become one of us to save us. It’s the greatest act of humility I’ve known. It’s good for us to remember and to imitate the humility of Jesus.
Bill T.
Philippians 2:1-13
Comments by John Calvin nicely explain what this text is about: “He [Christ] gave up his right: all that is required of us is that we do not assume to ourselves more than we ought” (Calvin’s Commentaries, Vol. XXI/2, p. 54). Martin Luther reflects on how this can be a comforting word: “...many things transpire which tend to create in us anxiety, but we must not let them make us overanxious; we must commit ourselves to God and implore his aid for our needs” (Complete Sermons, Vol. 3/2, p. 106).
Calvin further elaborates on how we find comfort in these insights: “...we are so quickly, and on trivial accounts, thrown into confusion, and often too become disheartened because we do not recognize the fact that the Lord cares for us” (Calvin’s Commentaries, Vol. XXXI/2, p. 118).
To these comments Luther adds: “...from eternity it has been God’s pleasure that Christ, the glorious one who has wrought all this, should do it for us. What human heart would not melt at the joy-inspiring thought? Who would not love, praise, and thank God, and in return for his goodness not only be ready to serve the world, but gladly to embrace the extremity of humility?” (Complete Sermons, Vol. 4/1, p. 179).
Mark E.
Philippians 2:1-13
In 1643, Cardinal Francesco Barberini commissioned the making of 12 tapestries. The tapestries, which once hung at St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, depict scenes from the life of Christ. In 1891 they were donated to the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine in New York City. On December 18, 2001, a fire broke out behind the wall where the tapestries were hung and caused considerable damage. The Barberini tapestries (as they came to called) were painstakingly restored and hung once again in 2017. The restoration process required inch-by-inch work on each tapestry. The tapestries, which are 16 feet tall and 12 to 19 feet in width, were originally hung 40 feet above the floor. Now the tapestries are hung at eye level. Only ten of the 12 tapestries were able to be restored.
Application: One of the lessons in this reading is the importance of worship.
Ron L.
Matthew 21:23-32
Sometimes it seems that who we are and where we come from is overly important to others. My sister says that you are a Yankee if you visit the South -- but you are a damned Yankee if you get a job, buy a house, and stay. That’s an interesting perspective to be sure, although I don’t vouch for the accuracy. But Jesus find himself at just such a time and place with the religious leaders. By whose authority are you doing what you are doing? It’s almost as if they are asking: Are you a priest, a prophet, a holy man, a teacher? What gives you the authority to say and do the things you say and do?
Jesus is pretty clear. If I told you, you wouldn’t believe me any more than you believed the baptism of repentance and other messages from John. You may think you are important, but having public status, wealth, and influence won’t save you. Those who are in awe of God and follow God’s direction will be the ones who are saved. They are the ones going into the kingdom of God. It’s not our humanness that builds our faith relationship, rather it is our faithfulness that builds our God relationship.
Bonnie B.
Matthew 21:23-32
Jesus doesn’t directly answer his opponents’ question in this dialogue about his authority -- or does he? His authority comes from above, but those who ask the question are in their own way unbelievers, even though they are the official representatives of the faith. This becomes apparent because Jesus answers the question with a question: Where did John the Baptist get his authority to baptize -- from heaven or from humans?
Both Jesus and John got their authority from God. Note that the religious leaders have to step aside and consult with each other, not to figure out the right answer but to debate what would be the most expedient answer. Which answer will keep them in good graces with their public? Jesus will advise his followers to count the cost -- because there can be a cost to discipleship. The authorities want to emerge from this encounter that they initiated without any cost to their standing or reputation -- but by refusing to answer they make their position pretty clear.
One could ask the same question about authority when it comes to those who are called to the pastorate, or to other church callings, whether serving in a commission or committee, engaged in a mission, or volunteering for a ministry in the community. Churches sometimes believe that a pastor’s authority comes from the church board. Malcontents think the pastor’s authority comes from them. While they can fire a pastor, and often do because of some misplaced desire to show who’s the boss -- especially if a pastor is preaching the gospel based on the Sermon on the Mount and not some sort of cheap grace -- a church worker’s authority comes from God. The fact that questions of authority are often decided in the Church of the Parking Lot, where grumblers lean into each other to whisper conspiracies, or in private closed-door meetings where little dictators can exercise what they imagine is power, tells us that the question of authority that Jesus addressed by turning the tables on his questioners is still one that needs to be asked and answered.
Frank R.
Matthew 21:23-32
I think a pastor’s complaints about the government’s actions could result in an arrest and a demand by what authority he or she makes their complaints. Maybe the government complains that we put a copy of the Ten Commandments in a public place. We may ask them if they believe in God. They may hedge and say that they think they do, but that I have no right asking. I may say that the constitution separates “church” and state, and not “God” and state. The church did not invent the “Big Ten,” so they better be careful lest they turn the people against them.
Then if he asks them by whose authority did Jesus give them the command to complain, they may have trouble bringing religion into the argument. If they say that, they are afraid to complain about Jesus because most of the people believe in him -- but they say “we don’t know.”
We may also hear some scientists who wonder how we can find a higher authority than science. We may ask them who invented science in the first place. They may say that they don’t know (yet). Then we can say that we can’t object to science as long as God comes first.
Not to bring up government again, but if a high official says he will do something he promised and then fails to keep his promise, yet someone on the other side accomplishes what needs to be done despite complaining that he did not want to do it, which one will the people accept?
This passage can offer a literal example from our families with two sons. I know it has happened with my two sons!
I remember in many of my churches when someone promised to be a Sunday school teacher but then backed out, while another one who thought he didn’t have the time then changed his mind when he saw the need.
It is part of life. Don’t let it be part of your life!
Bob O.
When I encounter a chronic complainer -- and we all know at least one (or maybe sometimes are one) -- I think about the Israelites and their willingness to go back into slavery rather than move forward toward where God wants to set them free. Granted we all need water and I know they’re thirsty, but there are better things than wishing for slavery.
Moses asks a simple question: “Why do you test the Lord?” It’s a question that sometimes still needs an answer. We say, “Oh God, if you are real please make such and such happen.” “Oh God, if you are real, please take this burden from me.” Maybe if we reframe the questions we will more readily find the answers. “Oh God, please help me to get through whatever is going to happen today.” “Oh God, how do I manage this burden?” Those questions God answers every day in myriad ways. Those questions aren’t a test. Those questions are an understanding that in all things God is with us. Thanks be to God for that!
Bonnie B.
Exodus 17:1-17
According to one of the ancient rabbis, when God told Moses that “I will be standing there in front of you on the rock at Horeb” (v. 6) it implied that wherever we leave a footprint God is standing there as well. God’s people, in the wake of their deliverance at the Red Sea, had celebrated the wonders they had seen God perform -- but like many of us today, when times get tough people quarrel, grumble, and wonder where God is. God is revealed to be standing by Moses in the midst of the complaints. There’s that rather popular prose poem called “Footprints in the Sand,” which basically expresses the same idea. Though we may not realize it, God is standing with us in tough times as well as triumph.
Frank R.
Exodus 17:1-7
Our government is the source of solutions for the needs of many people, but this passage seems to say that instead of marching in the streets and complaining for the government to do something about our problems, we should be praying to our Lord and put him to the test.
It is true that God may lead us to some action by the government. The people’s complaint to Moses made him turn to the Lord for an answer to the problems of the people.
So part of the answer is to make sure our leaders will turn to the Lord (regardless of some constitutional restrictions about the separation of church and state). Both the people and our leaders must turn to our Lord.
When our children demand a good meal and our groceries are in short supply, they tell us to pray to the Lord -- the source of solutions for all our needs. So our prayer is that our parents will also pray so they can provide what we need.
There is always something we want to complain to the Lord about! Some problems are very small. There is always something going wrong in the house every day. I complain -- but as I look back, I see that the Lord helped us solve them all.
One of our members was dying and asked the Lord to take her out of her suffering. He did not do it when she wanted, but finally her end came. She needed patience!
Can we send some of our bigger problems and complaints to our church? Can we beg the pastor to pray to solve them for us? After all, he is closer to the Lord as Moses was, so he should help us. We should be the ones to “take it to the Lord in prayer” and stop complaining!
Bob O.
Philippians 2:1-13
Like many people, I’m a baseball fan. It has been a challenging season thus far for my team, the Kansas City Royals. While there have been a few changes to the rules this year, there is one change I’ve noticed that has nothing to do with rules but a lot to do with respect and humility. Jerry Blevins of the New York Mets, Shawn Armstrong of the Cleveland Indians, and Aaron Judge of the Yankees have all started to play catch with a fan or two before the game. I’ve seen multiple pictures of this on the internet and on newsfeeds.
I like that. For one thing, it would be neat to play catch with a major leaguer. I still think that would be cool. I also think this shows a healthy humility in and among these players. They don’t consider themselves “too good” to play with regular people. Of course, the reality is that they are. They are so much better at baseball than “regular” people that it’s hard to fathom. The point is, though, they don’t act like it.
I thought about that again when I read through this passage. Jesus did not consider himself above emptying himself and becoming a man. Is he better than that? Of course. The point is, though, that he didn’t choose to act on it. He chose to humble himself. He chose the suffering and indignity of the cross. He chose to become one of us to save us. It’s the greatest act of humility I’ve known. It’s good for us to remember and to imitate the humility of Jesus.
Bill T.
Philippians 2:1-13
Comments by John Calvin nicely explain what this text is about: “He [Christ] gave up his right: all that is required of us is that we do not assume to ourselves more than we ought” (Calvin’s Commentaries, Vol. XXI/2, p. 54). Martin Luther reflects on how this can be a comforting word: “...many things transpire which tend to create in us anxiety, but we must not let them make us overanxious; we must commit ourselves to God and implore his aid for our needs” (Complete Sermons, Vol. 3/2, p. 106).
Calvin further elaborates on how we find comfort in these insights: “...we are so quickly, and on trivial accounts, thrown into confusion, and often too become disheartened because we do not recognize the fact that the Lord cares for us” (Calvin’s Commentaries, Vol. XXXI/2, p. 118).
To these comments Luther adds: “...from eternity it has been God’s pleasure that Christ, the glorious one who has wrought all this, should do it for us. What human heart would not melt at the joy-inspiring thought? Who would not love, praise, and thank God, and in return for his goodness not only be ready to serve the world, but gladly to embrace the extremity of humility?” (Complete Sermons, Vol. 4/1, p. 179).
Mark E.
Philippians 2:1-13
In 1643, Cardinal Francesco Barberini commissioned the making of 12 tapestries. The tapestries, which once hung at St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, depict scenes from the life of Christ. In 1891 they were donated to the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine in New York City. On December 18, 2001, a fire broke out behind the wall where the tapestries were hung and caused considerable damage. The Barberini tapestries (as they came to called) were painstakingly restored and hung once again in 2017. The restoration process required inch-by-inch work on each tapestry. The tapestries, which are 16 feet tall and 12 to 19 feet in width, were originally hung 40 feet above the floor. Now the tapestries are hung at eye level. Only ten of the 12 tapestries were able to be restored.
Application: One of the lessons in this reading is the importance of worship.
Ron L.
Matthew 21:23-32
Sometimes it seems that who we are and where we come from is overly important to others. My sister says that you are a Yankee if you visit the South -- but you are a damned Yankee if you get a job, buy a house, and stay. That’s an interesting perspective to be sure, although I don’t vouch for the accuracy. But Jesus find himself at just such a time and place with the religious leaders. By whose authority are you doing what you are doing? It’s almost as if they are asking: Are you a priest, a prophet, a holy man, a teacher? What gives you the authority to say and do the things you say and do?
Jesus is pretty clear. If I told you, you wouldn’t believe me any more than you believed the baptism of repentance and other messages from John. You may think you are important, but having public status, wealth, and influence won’t save you. Those who are in awe of God and follow God’s direction will be the ones who are saved. They are the ones going into the kingdom of God. It’s not our humanness that builds our faith relationship, rather it is our faithfulness that builds our God relationship.
Bonnie B.
Matthew 21:23-32
Jesus doesn’t directly answer his opponents’ question in this dialogue about his authority -- or does he? His authority comes from above, but those who ask the question are in their own way unbelievers, even though they are the official representatives of the faith. This becomes apparent because Jesus answers the question with a question: Where did John the Baptist get his authority to baptize -- from heaven or from humans?
Both Jesus and John got their authority from God. Note that the religious leaders have to step aside and consult with each other, not to figure out the right answer but to debate what would be the most expedient answer. Which answer will keep them in good graces with their public? Jesus will advise his followers to count the cost -- because there can be a cost to discipleship. The authorities want to emerge from this encounter that they initiated without any cost to their standing or reputation -- but by refusing to answer they make their position pretty clear.
One could ask the same question about authority when it comes to those who are called to the pastorate, or to other church callings, whether serving in a commission or committee, engaged in a mission, or volunteering for a ministry in the community. Churches sometimes believe that a pastor’s authority comes from the church board. Malcontents think the pastor’s authority comes from them. While they can fire a pastor, and often do because of some misplaced desire to show who’s the boss -- especially if a pastor is preaching the gospel based on the Sermon on the Mount and not some sort of cheap grace -- a church worker’s authority comes from God. The fact that questions of authority are often decided in the Church of the Parking Lot, where grumblers lean into each other to whisper conspiracies, or in private closed-door meetings where little dictators can exercise what they imagine is power, tells us that the question of authority that Jesus addressed by turning the tables on his questioners is still one that needs to be asked and answered.
Frank R.
Matthew 21:23-32
I think a pastor’s complaints about the government’s actions could result in an arrest and a demand by what authority he or she makes their complaints. Maybe the government complains that we put a copy of the Ten Commandments in a public place. We may ask them if they believe in God. They may hedge and say that they think they do, but that I have no right asking. I may say that the constitution separates “church” and state, and not “God” and state. The church did not invent the “Big Ten,” so they better be careful lest they turn the people against them.
Then if he asks them by whose authority did Jesus give them the command to complain, they may have trouble bringing religion into the argument. If they say that, they are afraid to complain about Jesus because most of the people believe in him -- but they say “we don’t know.”
We may also hear some scientists who wonder how we can find a higher authority than science. We may ask them who invented science in the first place. They may say that they don’t know (yet). Then we can say that we can’t object to science as long as God comes first.
Not to bring up government again, but if a high official says he will do something he promised and then fails to keep his promise, yet someone on the other side accomplishes what needs to be done despite complaining that he did not want to do it, which one will the people accept?
This passage can offer a literal example from our families with two sons. I know it has happened with my two sons!
I remember in many of my churches when someone promised to be a Sunday school teacher but then backed out, while another one who thought he didn’t have the time then changed his mind when he saw the need.
It is part of life. Don’t let it be part of your life!
Bob O.
