Sermon Illustrations for Proper 22 | Ordinary Time 27
Illustration
Object:
Exodus 20:1-4, 7-9, 12-20
American Christians like to think that they are pretty good at keeping the Ten Commandments. According to surveys of the Barna Group between 1995 and 2008 nearly three quarters of Americans (72%) believe that doing the works of the Ten Commandments contribute to our salvation. If so, a lot of us are going to hell in view of a report by Cosmopolitan magazine that 54% of married women have had at least one affair. The Jarvis Report on sexual behavior in America set the figure at 33% for married men. Things get even more uncomfortable when we are reminded of the Roman Catholic interpretation of the commandment not to kill (which accords with Lutheran and Presbyterian thinking). The Catechism of the Catholic Church (p. 551) says that the commandment entails: "Concern for health of its citizens requires that society help in the attainment of living conditions that allow them to grow and reach maturity: food and clothing, housing."
This observation has significant implications for how we interpret recent American social trends. The most recent statistics of the U.S. Census Bureau reveal 15% of Americans are in poverty. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development indicates that a year ago over half a million (610,000) people were homeless. Even with Obamacare's addition of 4% of Americans to the health insurance rolls as of the beginning of the summer, then 2012 Census Bureau statistics suggest that 11.4% of us still lack access to health care. It seems like we Americans are murderers -- violators of the commandment not to kill. No two ways about it: The Ten Commandments and this lesson are needed, as Martin Luther claimed, "that in error we may recognize... sin, death, and inevitable wrath of God, which is to humble [us]" (What Luther Says, pp. 771-772). John Wesley says we don't even keep the First Commandment:
The sin against this [First] Commandment, of which we are in most danger, is giving that glory to any which is due to God only. Pride makes a God of ourselves, covetousness makes a God of money, sensuality makes a God of the belly. Whatever is loved, feared, delighted in, or depended on more than God, of that we made a god.
(Commentary on the Bible, p. 78)
We are clearly guilty of breaking this commandment too. We flunk the Ten Commandments. They teach us that we need God's forgiving grace. John Calvin reminds us of that:
I indeed allow that God's threatening cannot avail for our salvation, unless connected with the promise of pardon, so that being raised up by the hope of salvation we may flee to him.
(Calvin's Commentaries, Vol. IX/1, pp. 241-242)
Teach this text, Martin Luther advises, along with a reminder that "the Lord has embraced... people as a mother her son" (Luther's Works, Vol. 16, p. 60). That is what saves; keeping the commandments won't get us there.
Mark E.
Exodus 20:1-4, 7-9, 12-20
The United States Constitution is not a religious document but a political treatise assuring that the people will be justly governed and human rights protected. In the sweltering summer of 1787 in Philadelphia's Independence Hall, 55 delegates convened for the Constitutional Convention. Among them, the Bible was seldom sought. What was prominent in composing the Constitution were the Articles of Confederation, to protect us from a weak central government; all state constitutions, allowing the best sections of each to be incorporated; the writings of French philosophers, noted for extolling human rights; all British law, preventing any possible instillation of a monarchy; British Common Law, which protected individual freedoms. Yet God was very much present among the proceedings. Constitutional historian Catherine Bowen wrote that religion was not discussed but "there sat no delegate whose ideas of government or political philosophy were not profoundly influenced by his religious beliefs and training."
Application: Just as the Constitution sets forth the laws of our nation, the Ten Commandments set forth the laws of God. In both cases the spirit of the Lord was very much present.
Ron L.
Philippians 3:4b-14
Can we start out like Paul? Are we confident in that we have been baptized, confirmed, and attend church and contribute? Paul would call all that a loss compared to knowing Christ.
There is a difference between knowing Christ and just knowing about him. We can study in a seminary and be full of knowledge about Christ, but do we know him? That can be something hard for us Lutherans with our wise learning. I'm not sure how we can know if someone really knows Christ except by the way he or she lives. Do we feel love emanating from them? Do we sense a genuine joy in them?
I have read much about Billy Graham and even seen him on TV once or twice, but what a difference it made to me when I was invited to have breakfast with him in Manhattan! When I heard others talk about him, I could tell immediately if they had ever met him in person.
Would you rather read a book by a scholar who had done much research to write a book about a person, or read one by someone who knew that person and was a friend of his or hers?
How can you show in your life that everything else is rubbish compared to knowing Christ? Are your church attendance or contributions enough? Even if you are on the church council or teach in the Sunday school, is that enough? One test we can make of how high Jesus is on our agenda is when we determine which comes first: a football game, a new car, an item of clothing, a vacation, or a business responsibility. (Remember the runner Eric Liddell, who gave up a chance for an Olympic medal because he would not run on a Sunday?) You should determine where Christ rates in your life.
Bob O.
Philippians 3:4b-14
Paul emphasized to his congregation in Philippi that his confidence is not in what he does (his flesh), but an affirmation of faith in his God.
An Affirmation of Faith printed in a church bulletin was written in 1992 by an anonymous writer and adapted by the pastor. It states:
I believe in God, who places joy in our souls, dancing in our toes, and songs in our hearts. I believe God wanted gladness to flow like a river and created a bountiful earth with plenty for all to share.
I believe in Jesus, who turned water into wine, partied with outcasts and sinners, and touched the broken so they could leap and dance. I believe Jesus opened the doors and set an extra place so we could feast. I believe Jesus forgave us our trespasses, so we might live free of bondage.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, who prompts us to smile, who sends us invitations to come and dine, who nudges us to openness and tenderness. I believe the Spirit is present every time we gather to break bread and is always urging us to live joyfully and walk hopefully.
(copied from the church bulletin at Center Park United Methodist Church, February 16, 2014, used by permission of the pastor)
Derl K.
Matthew 21:33-46
On June 8, 1980, Martyn Lloyd-Jones stepped into the pulpit to preach his last sermon. His text was Joshua 4:6. The sick, frail man began feebly, but then a great power came over him and he electrified the congregation. A parishioner later recalled, "God was speaking with authority through a man."
Application: When the Pharisees realized the power of Jesus' preaching came from God, they further understood it was directed at them.
Ron L.
Matthew 21:33-46
Jesus seems to favor the poor in this parable. This lines up with the insights of the father of black liberation theology James Cone, who says that Jesus reveals "he is the God of and for those who labor and are heavy laden" (A Black Theology of Liberation, pp. 7-8). Most of us do not want to hear this. Harvard economist Edward Glaaeser has found that 60% of Americans believe that the poor are lazy (A World of Difference). Social analyst Alvin Toffler makes clear why we tend to bash the poor. The impoverished call into question the American Dream and our dualism about America, so we think their problems must be their fault (Powershift, p. 358). The hard facts are, though, that the poor or heavy laden are Jesus' best allies -- always have been. A 2010 Gallup poll indicated that while 43.1% of Americans report regular worship attendance, 55% of non-Hispanic blacks worship weekly. Martin Luther and his namesake Martin Luther King Jr. recognized the deep religiosity of the poor and the objects of discrimination: "The poor, miserable sinners, the downcast, the wanderers, the despised, the little people, and the unlearned accept him [Christ] joyfully and gladly" (Luther's Works, Vol. 14, p. 96).
A voice out of Bethlehem 2,000 years ago said that all men are equal. It said right would triumph. Jesus of Nazareth wrote no book; he owned no property to endow him with influence. He had no friends in the courts of the powerful. But he changed the course of humankind with only the poor and the despised (A Testament of Hope, p. 328).
The data bear out the advice given in the third century by famed North African bishop Cyprian of Carthage: Christians will want to be sure that their "care... and... diligence not be wanting to the poor" (Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 5, p. 315).
Mark E.
American Christians like to think that they are pretty good at keeping the Ten Commandments. According to surveys of the Barna Group between 1995 and 2008 nearly three quarters of Americans (72%) believe that doing the works of the Ten Commandments contribute to our salvation. If so, a lot of us are going to hell in view of a report by Cosmopolitan magazine that 54% of married women have had at least one affair. The Jarvis Report on sexual behavior in America set the figure at 33% for married men. Things get even more uncomfortable when we are reminded of the Roman Catholic interpretation of the commandment not to kill (which accords with Lutheran and Presbyterian thinking). The Catechism of the Catholic Church (p. 551) says that the commandment entails: "Concern for health of its citizens requires that society help in the attainment of living conditions that allow them to grow and reach maturity: food and clothing, housing."
This observation has significant implications for how we interpret recent American social trends. The most recent statistics of the U.S. Census Bureau reveal 15% of Americans are in poverty. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development indicates that a year ago over half a million (610,000) people were homeless. Even with Obamacare's addition of 4% of Americans to the health insurance rolls as of the beginning of the summer, then 2012 Census Bureau statistics suggest that 11.4% of us still lack access to health care. It seems like we Americans are murderers -- violators of the commandment not to kill. No two ways about it: The Ten Commandments and this lesson are needed, as Martin Luther claimed, "that in error we may recognize... sin, death, and inevitable wrath of God, which is to humble [us]" (What Luther Says, pp. 771-772). John Wesley says we don't even keep the First Commandment:
The sin against this [First] Commandment, of which we are in most danger, is giving that glory to any which is due to God only. Pride makes a God of ourselves, covetousness makes a God of money, sensuality makes a God of the belly. Whatever is loved, feared, delighted in, or depended on more than God, of that we made a god.
(Commentary on the Bible, p. 78)
We are clearly guilty of breaking this commandment too. We flunk the Ten Commandments. They teach us that we need God's forgiving grace. John Calvin reminds us of that:
I indeed allow that God's threatening cannot avail for our salvation, unless connected with the promise of pardon, so that being raised up by the hope of salvation we may flee to him.
(Calvin's Commentaries, Vol. IX/1, pp. 241-242)
Teach this text, Martin Luther advises, along with a reminder that "the Lord has embraced... people as a mother her son" (Luther's Works, Vol. 16, p. 60). That is what saves; keeping the commandments won't get us there.
Mark E.
Exodus 20:1-4, 7-9, 12-20
The United States Constitution is not a religious document but a political treatise assuring that the people will be justly governed and human rights protected. In the sweltering summer of 1787 in Philadelphia's Independence Hall, 55 delegates convened for the Constitutional Convention. Among them, the Bible was seldom sought. What was prominent in composing the Constitution were the Articles of Confederation, to protect us from a weak central government; all state constitutions, allowing the best sections of each to be incorporated; the writings of French philosophers, noted for extolling human rights; all British law, preventing any possible instillation of a monarchy; British Common Law, which protected individual freedoms. Yet God was very much present among the proceedings. Constitutional historian Catherine Bowen wrote that religion was not discussed but "there sat no delegate whose ideas of government or political philosophy were not profoundly influenced by his religious beliefs and training."
Application: Just as the Constitution sets forth the laws of our nation, the Ten Commandments set forth the laws of God. In both cases the spirit of the Lord was very much present.
Ron L.
Philippians 3:4b-14
Can we start out like Paul? Are we confident in that we have been baptized, confirmed, and attend church and contribute? Paul would call all that a loss compared to knowing Christ.
There is a difference between knowing Christ and just knowing about him. We can study in a seminary and be full of knowledge about Christ, but do we know him? That can be something hard for us Lutherans with our wise learning. I'm not sure how we can know if someone really knows Christ except by the way he or she lives. Do we feel love emanating from them? Do we sense a genuine joy in them?
I have read much about Billy Graham and even seen him on TV once or twice, but what a difference it made to me when I was invited to have breakfast with him in Manhattan! When I heard others talk about him, I could tell immediately if they had ever met him in person.
Would you rather read a book by a scholar who had done much research to write a book about a person, or read one by someone who knew that person and was a friend of his or hers?
How can you show in your life that everything else is rubbish compared to knowing Christ? Are your church attendance or contributions enough? Even if you are on the church council or teach in the Sunday school, is that enough? One test we can make of how high Jesus is on our agenda is when we determine which comes first: a football game, a new car, an item of clothing, a vacation, or a business responsibility. (Remember the runner Eric Liddell, who gave up a chance for an Olympic medal because he would not run on a Sunday?) You should determine where Christ rates in your life.
Bob O.
Philippians 3:4b-14
Paul emphasized to his congregation in Philippi that his confidence is not in what he does (his flesh), but an affirmation of faith in his God.
An Affirmation of Faith printed in a church bulletin was written in 1992 by an anonymous writer and adapted by the pastor. It states:
I believe in God, who places joy in our souls, dancing in our toes, and songs in our hearts. I believe God wanted gladness to flow like a river and created a bountiful earth with plenty for all to share.
I believe in Jesus, who turned water into wine, partied with outcasts and sinners, and touched the broken so they could leap and dance. I believe Jesus opened the doors and set an extra place so we could feast. I believe Jesus forgave us our trespasses, so we might live free of bondage.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, who prompts us to smile, who sends us invitations to come and dine, who nudges us to openness and tenderness. I believe the Spirit is present every time we gather to break bread and is always urging us to live joyfully and walk hopefully.
(copied from the church bulletin at Center Park United Methodist Church, February 16, 2014, used by permission of the pastor)
Derl K.
Matthew 21:33-46
On June 8, 1980, Martyn Lloyd-Jones stepped into the pulpit to preach his last sermon. His text was Joshua 4:6. The sick, frail man began feebly, but then a great power came over him and he electrified the congregation. A parishioner later recalled, "God was speaking with authority through a man."
Application: When the Pharisees realized the power of Jesus' preaching came from God, they further understood it was directed at them.
Ron L.
Matthew 21:33-46
Jesus seems to favor the poor in this parable. This lines up with the insights of the father of black liberation theology James Cone, who says that Jesus reveals "he is the God of and for those who labor and are heavy laden" (A Black Theology of Liberation, pp. 7-8). Most of us do not want to hear this. Harvard economist Edward Glaaeser has found that 60% of Americans believe that the poor are lazy (A World of Difference). Social analyst Alvin Toffler makes clear why we tend to bash the poor. The impoverished call into question the American Dream and our dualism about America, so we think their problems must be their fault (Powershift, p. 358). The hard facts are, though, that the poor or heavy laden are Jesus' best allies -- always have been. A 2010 Gallup poll indicated that while 43.1% of Americans report regular worship attendance, 55% of non-Hispanic blacks worship weekly. Martin Luther and his namesake Martin Luther King Jr. recognized the deep religiosity of the poor and the objects of discrimination: "The poor, miserable sinners, the downcast, the wanderers, the despised, the little people, and the unlearned accept him [Christ] joyfully and gladly" (Luther's Works, Vol. 14, p. 96).
A voice out of Bethlehem 2,000 years ago said that all men are equal. It said right would triumph. Jesus of Nazareth wrote no book; he owned no property to endow him with influence. He had no friends in the courts of the powerful. But he changed the course of humankind with only the poor and the despised (A Testament of Hope, p. 328).
The data bear out the advice given in the third century by famed North African bishop Cyprian of Carthage: Christians will want to be sure that their "care... and... diligence not be wanting to the poor" (Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 5, p. 315).
Mark E.
