Sermon Illustrations for Proper 21 | Ordinary Time 26 (2020)
Illustration
Exodus 17:1-7
Americans want to make it on their own. As recently as in 2011 in a poll conducted by Pew Research Center it was indicated that 62% of Americans (as compared to less than 50% of western Europeans) believe that success in life is determined by factors we control. In fact, as this lesson makes clear, we are dependent on God for the good things we have. If we only depend on ourselves, we are asking for trouble and misery. Famed Puritan of the Colonial era, the great revivalist, Jonathan Edwards had it right:
God hath made man’s emptiness and misery, his low, lost, and ruined state, into which he sunk by the Fall, an occasion of the greater advancement of His own glory, as in other ways, so particularly in this, that there is now much more universal and apparent dependence of man on God. (Works, Vol.2, p.6)
John Wesley made a similar point about this text:
O the wonderful patience and forbearance of God towards provoking sinners!... Let this direct us to live in dependency upon God’s providence even in the greatest straits and difficulties. (Commentary On the Bible, p.76)
Mark E.
* * *
Ezekiel 18:1-4, 25-32 and Psalm 25:1-9
The psalmist writes, “Make me to know your ways, O LORD; teach me your paths.” Oh, how often I have cried out those same words when I am confused, lost, and afraid. Help me know you God! Help me follow you God! When our twin sons died at birth, my husband and I grieved in unimaginable ways. My defense was to shut down completely, to pretend I was simply fine. My husband was silent in his grief for weeks as I struggled to even acknowledge my pain. Inside I was screaming at God, asking how I could walk this path, how God could have let this happen! Finally, a friend asked me to speak with other grieving parents so I could “help” them cope because I was “doing so well.” She knew the conversation would help me to acknowledge my own pain. It was in that conversation and the eventual conversations I shared with my husband that I learned how to know God in those moments, to follow God in my pain, to surrender myself to the love of God. I came to know the Lord in ways I could not have imagined. I knew peace in the pain. God taught me.
Bonnie B.
* * *
Philippians 2:1-13
I was watching a “Big Bang Theory” rerun the other day and Amy Farrah Fowler scolded Sheldon Cooper for claiming he was a slave just because he was forced to attend a social event. She reminded him he was not allowed to lightly co-opt a phrase that refers to an ugly reality, not only in our past, but in the present where people are invisible slaves in our very midst. We use the word without thinking. “I’ve been slaving away all day.” No, we haven’t. Because we don’t take the word seriously, we don’t realize how difficult it was for the Apostle Paul to refer to himself and his fellow believers as slaves to Jesus Christ. Remember how proud he was of his special status as a citizen of Rome. It was shocking for the apostle to equate the obedience unto death of Jesus was the act of a slave. That the death was not beheading, the fate of a citizen, but the degrading death of crucifixion, reserved for the worst of the worst, makes this passage even uglier. Julian Lucas wrote an article titled “Can Slavery Reenactments Set Us Free? (“The New Yorker,” February 17 & 24, 2020) which asks well-reasoned questions about underground railroad simulations, and the opportunities they give to the descendants of slaves to experience something of what it would have been like to try to escape from slavery. As with any deep and difficult issue there are no clear answers. In my denomination the closest we come to slave reenactments is the Ordinance of Feet washing, an action reserved in the ancient world for slaves. Some think this passage from Philippians, in referring to Jesus humbling himself as a slave, then being raised to glory mirrors the act of Jesus as feet washer as well as the early Christian Love Feast with its feet washing observance. However much this helps us re-enact a crucial moment in the life of Jesus, the fact remains we can turn this off whenever we want. We remain tourists to the Passover/Last Supper/Disciple as slave, until we have an aged parent to care for, or a child with special needs, or some other ministry or calling which saps our energy and from which there is no early release.
Frank R.
* * *
Philippians 2:1-13
Community
On Thursday, May 14, 2020, Pope Francis joined an inner-faith community for a day of prayer and fasting. The gathering called upon God to end the coronavirus pandemic. This multi-faith community, which was established by the pope, has as participants Christians, Jews, and Muslims. The pope was criticized by conservative Catholics for participating in this event.
Some considered that the pope was praying with “infidels.” One critic suggested that Catholics should feast and not fast, as he posted a picture of a roasted piglet, as observant Muslims and Jews do not eat pork.
Another influential traditionalist group, The Society of Saint Pius X, called the pope's promotion of the prayer day the “poison fruit” of the Catholic Church, as the pope dialogued with Muslims. These traditionalists, a vociferous minority in the 1.3 billion-strong Roman Catholic Church, have consistently criticized the pope since his election in 2013, particularly over his overtures to the Islamic world and his call for a church that stresses mercy over doctrinal rigidity.
In response to his critics the pope said in his homily, “Maybe there will be someone who will say, ‘This is religious relativism and it cannot be done.’ But how can we not pray to the Father of us all? Each one prays as they know how, as they can. We are not praying one against the other, one tradition against another ... (but) as brothers.”
Ron L.
* * *
Philippians 2:1-13
Our Daily Bread recounts an interesting story about Booker T. Washington. Washington, the renowned African American educator, is an outstanding example of humility. Shortly after he took over the presidency of Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, he was walking in an exclusive section of town. He was stopped by a wealthy white woman who didn’t recognize him. She asked if he would like to earn a few dollars by chopping wood for her. Because he had no pressing business at the moment, Professor Washington smiled, rolled up his sleeves, and proceeded to do the humble chore she had requested. When he was finished, he carried the logs into the house and stacked them by the fireplace. A little girl recognized him and later revealed his identity to the lady.
The next morning the embarrassed woman went to see Mr. Washington in his office at the Institute and apologized profusely. "It's perfectly all right, Madam," he replied. "Occasionally I enjoy a little manual labor. Besides, it's always a delight to do something for a friend." She shook his hand warmly and assured him that his meek and gracious attitude had endeared him and his work to her heart. Not long afterward she showed her admiration by persuading some wealthy acquaintances to join her in donating thousands of dollars to the Tuskegee Institute.
Washington demonstrated what Jesus had earlier demonstrated as we read of his humility in this text. Philippians 2:6-11 powerfully explains Jesus’ humble attitude and may well have been a hymn at the time Paul wrote. Verse eight says, “he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death—even death on a cross.” Can there be any greater example of humility and love? Booker T. Washington knew what it was to have the same attitude as Christ Jesus. Do we?
Bill T.
* * *
Matthew 21:23-32
There is a lot of hypocrisy in this lesson – the hypocrisy of the priests and elders as well as the hypocrisy of the son in the parable who makes a promise and does not follow through. By definition, we Christians, failing as we do regularly to live up to our high ideals, are hypocrites too. Only 14% of Americans use the Bible regularly according to a 2018 Barna Research poll. Commenting on this text and our hypocrisy Martin Luther once noted:
This the hypocrites and work-saints cannot stand; in fact it makes them furious, raving mad that the foolish and simple, the publicans and open sinners should go into the Kingdom of God before them, and they, with all their holiness and beautiful, fine, glittering works, be excluded. (Luther’s Works, Vol.51, p.127)
There is an old German proverb that well captures our hypocrisy:
All men are pleased with what they do. A world of fools, I’m telling you. (Weimar Ausgabe, Vol.48, p.10 – my translation)
Luther also indicates that how this text serves to proclaim that there is forgiveness on the other side of our hypocrisy and awareness of it:
This should serve God’s purpose to break our pride and keep us humble. He has reserved to Himself this prerogative, those who boast of their goodness and despise others... They will find that they are no more righteous than anyone else, that in the presence of God all people must fall on their knees and be glad that we can come to forgiveness. (The Book of Concord [2000 ed.], p.452)
Mark E.
* * *
Matthew 21:23-32
Who are the saints in your life? Who are the people you feel encounter God and are living examples of God’s love and grace? There have been many in my life. As look back on the impact they have had on me, it has nothing with them being perfect people. They were and are not perfect by any means. Yet, they are the people who seek to do the will of God, to follow the commandments to love God and neighbor, who offer grace, who attempt to be the people God is calling them to be. Perfection is not what God is seeking. This story about the two sons is clear about that. Rather God is pleased with our seeking, our attempting to obey, our struggle to become the children of God. Yes, there are saints in my life. I am sure there are saints in yours. They are not perfect, but they point the way to God through their journeys of faith. That is enough.
Bonnie B.
Americans want to make it on their own. As recently as in 2011 in a poll conducted by Pew Research Center it was indicated that 62% of Americans (as compared to less than 50% of western Europeans) believe that success in life is determined by factors we control. In fact, as this lesson makes clear, we are dependent on God for the good things we have. If we only depend on ourselves, we are asking for trouble and misery. Famed Puritan of the Colonial era, the great revivalist, Jonathan Edwards had it right:
God hath made man’s emptiness and misery, his low, lost, and ruined state, into which he sunk by the Fall, an occasion of the greater advancement of His own glory, as in other ways, so particularly in this, that there is now much more universal and apparent dependence of man on God. (Works, Vol.2, p.6)
John Wesley made a similar point about this text:
O the wonderful patience and forbearance of God towards provoking sinners!... Let this direct us to live in dependency upon God’s providence even in the greatest straits and difficulties. (Commentary On the Bible, p.76)
Mark E.
* * *
Ezekiel 18:1-4, 25-32 and Psalm 25:1-9
The psalmist writes, “Make me to know your ways, O LORD; teach me your paths.” Oh, how often I have cried out those same words when I am confused, lost, and afraid. Help me know you God! Help me follow you God! When our twin sons died at birth, my husband and I grieved in unimaginable ways. My defense was to shut down completely, to pretend I was simply fine. My husband was silent in his grief for weeks as I struggled to even acknowledge my pain. Inside I was screaming at God, asking how I could walk this path, how God could have let this happen! Finally, a friend asked me to speak with other grieving parents so I could “help” them cope because I was “doing so well.” She knew the conversation would help me to acknowledge my own pain. It was in that conversation and the eventual conversations I shared with my husband that I learned how to know God in those moments, to follow God in my pain, to surrender myself to the love of God. I came to know the Lord in ways I could not have imagined. I knew peace in the pain. God taught me.
Bonnie B.
* * *
Philippians 2:1-13
I was watching a “Big Bang Theory” rerun the other day and Amy Farrah Fowler scolded Sheldon Cooper for claiming he was a slave just because he was forced to attend a social event. She reminded him he was not allowed to lightly co-opt a phrase that refers to an ugly reality, not only in our past, but in the present where people are invisible slaves in our very midst. We use the word without thinking. “I’ve been slaving away all day.” No, we haven’t. Because we don’t take the word seriously, we don’t realize how difficult it was for the Apostle Paul to refer to himself and his fellow believers as slaves to Jesus Christ. Remember how proud he was of his special status as a citizen of Rome. It was shocking for the apostle to equate the obedience unto death of Jesus was the act of a slave. That the death was not beheading, the fate of a citizen, but the degrading death of crucifixion, reserved for the worst of the worst, makes this passage even uglier. Julian Lucas wrote an article titled “Can Slavery Reenactments Set Us Free? (“The New Yorker,” February 17 & 24, 2020) which asks well-reasoned questions about underground railroad simulations, and the opportunities they give to the descendants of slaves to experience something of what it would have been like to try to escape from slavery. As with any deep and difficult issue there are no clear answers. In my denomination the closest we come to slave reenactments is the Ordinance of Feet washing, an action reserved in the ancient world for slaves. Some think this passage from Philippians, in referring to Jesus humbling himself as a slave, then being raised to glory mirrors the act of Jesus as feet washer as well as the early Christian Love Feast with its feet washing observance. However much this helps us re-enact a crucial moment in the life of Jesus, the fact remains we can turn this off whenever we want. We remain tourists to the Passover/Last Supper/Disciple as slave, until we have an aged parent to care for, or a child with special needs, or some other ministry or calling which saps our energy and from which there is no early release.
Frank R.
* * *
Philippians 2:1-13
Community
On Thursday, May 14, 2020, Pope Francis joined an inner-faith community for a day of prayer and fasting. The gathering called upon God to end the coronavirus pandemic. This multi-faith community, which was established by the pope, has as participants Christians, Jews, and Muslims. The pope was criticized by conservative Catholics for participating in this event.
Some considered that the pope was praying with “infidels.” One critic suggested that Catholics should feast and not fast, as he posted a picture of a roasted piglet, as observant Muslims and Jews do not eat pork.
Another influential traditionalist group, The Society of Saint Pius X, called the pope's promotion of the prayer day the “poison fruit” of the Catholic Church, as the pope dialogued with Muslims. These traditionalists, a vociferous minority in the 1.3 billion-strong Roman Catholic Church, have consistently criticized the pope since his election in 2013, particularly over his overtures to the Islamic world and his call for a church that stresses mercy over doctrinal rigidity.
In response to his critics the pope said in his homily, “Maybe there will be someone who will say, ‘This is religious relativism and it cannot be done.’ But how can we not pray to the Father of us all? Each one prays as they know how, as they can. We are not praying one against the other, one tradition against another ... (but) as brothers.”
Ron L.
* * *
Philippians 2:1-13
Our Daily Bread recounts an interesting story about Booker T. Washington. Washington, the renowned African American educator, is an outstanding example of humility. Shortly after he took over the presidency of Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, he was walking in an exclusive section of town. He was stopped by a wealthy white woman who didn’t recognize him. She asked if he would like to earn a few dollars by chopping wood for her. Because he had no pressing business at the moment, Professor Washington smiled, rolled up his sleeves, and proceeded to do the humble chore she had requested. When he was finished, he carried the logs into the house and stacked them by the fireplace. A little girl recognized him and later revealed his identity to the lady.
The next morning the embarrassed woman went to see Mr. Washington in his office at the Institute and apologized profusely. "It's perfectly all right, Madam," he replied. "Occasionally I enjoy a little manual labor. Besides, it's always a delight to do something for a friend." She shook his hand warmly and assured him that his meek and gracious attitude had endeared him and his work to her heart. Not long afterward she showed her admiration by persuading some wealthy acquaintances to join her in donating thousands of dollars to the Tuskegee Institute.
Washington demonstrated what Jesus had earlier demonstrated as we read of his humility in this text. Philippians 2:6-11 powerfully explains Jesus’ humble attitude and may well have been a hymn at the time Paul wrote. Verse eight says, “he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death—even death on a cross.” Can there be any greater example of humility and love? Booker T. Washington knew what it was to have the same attitude as Christ Jesus. Do we?
Bill T.
* * *
Matthew 21:23-32
There is a lot of hypocrisy in this lesson – the hypocrisy of the priests and elders as well as the hypocrisy of the son in the parable who makes a promise and does not follow through. By definition, we Christians, failing as we do regularly to live up to our high ideals, are hypocrites too. Only 14% of Americans use the Bible regularly according to a 2018 Barna Research poll. Commenting on this text and our hypocrisy Martin Luther once noted:
This the hypocrites and work-saints cannot stand; in fact it makes them furious, raving mad that the foolish and simple, the publicans and open sinners should go into the Kingdom of God before them, and they, with all their holiness and beautiful, fine, glittering works, be excluded. (Luther’s Works, Vol.51, p.127)
There is an old German proverb that well captures our hypocrisy:
All men are pleased with what they do. A world of fools, I’m telling you. (Weimar Ausgabe, Vol.48, p.10 – my translation)
Luther also indicates that how this text serves to proclaim that there is forgiveness on the other side of our hypocrisy and awareness of it:
This should serve God’s purpose to break our pride and keep us humble. He has reserved to Himself this prerogative, those who boast of their goodness and despise others... They will find that they are no more righteous than anyone else, that in the presence of God all people must fall on their knees and be glad that we can come to forgiveness. (The Book of Concord [2000 ed.], p.452)
Mark E.
* * *
Matthew 21:23-32
Who are the saints in your life? Who are the people you feel encounter God and are living examples of God’s love and grace? There have been many in my life. As look back on the impact they have had on me, it has nothing with them being perfect people. They were and are not perfect by any means. Yet, they are the people who seek to do the will of God, to follow the commandments to love God and neighbor, who offer grace, who attempt to be the people God is calling them to be. Perfection is not what God is seeking. This story about the two sons is clear about that. Rather God is pleased with our seeking, our attempting to obey, our struggle to become the children of God. Yes, there are saints in my life. I am sure there are saints in yours. They are not perfect, but they point the way to God through their journeys of faith. That is enough.
Bonnie B.
