Sermon Illustrations for Proper 24 | Ordinary Time 29 (2012)
Illustration
Object:
Job 38:1-7 (34-41)
In the comic strip The Born Loser, Brutus Thornapple is staring at his computer console. Brutus is a good-hearted individual, but he seems to stumble through life and receives little respect from family, friends, and coworkers. He reminisces on all the emails and advice he receives on protecting his identity from identity theft. He then concludes in the last frame of the cartoon, "Who would want to pretend to be me?"
Application: Job questioned his worthiness. But "out of the whirlwind" God affirmed that he made all of creation and it is good. And Job is a part of that creation. Who is Job to question his own worthiness or the worthiness of God?
Ron L.
Job 38:1-7 (34-41)
The book of Job shows us the face of suffering. Job lost his wealth, health, position, and children. His wife challenged him to curse God and die. Her attitude might have caused him more suffering.
Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People? is the title of a book by Harold Kushner. In it he states there are no exceptions. Job's young friends mocked and insulted him. They made the mistake of believing that sin was the reason good people have troubles, but Job remained faithful to God.
Nicole was a nurse, a perfect partner for Bo. He'd just finished his residency at the Mayo Clinic. Their prize for years of sacrifice was on the horizon. Then tragedy struck -- Bo was diagnosed with liver cancer. Tears were shed as family and friends asked why this bad thing was happening to good people like Bo and Nicole. Yet the couple embarked on this difficult journey knowing that God would be with them.
Cynthia C.
Job 38:1-7 (34-41)
When I was a kid I thought I knew everything, so I was always complaining when my folks thought they knew better. "Don't play in the street!" they shouted, but it was so much fun. "You just got over your cold so don't go out without your coat!" "Don't complain about your test in school if you want to make anything of yourself someday." Their excuse for all my complaints was "Who brought you into this world? Who gives you something to eat? Who gives you a house to live in and a bed to sleep in?" How much more does God give us! So why don't we quit complaining? He put us in a world of troubles and tragedies, but he is always there to help us.
He sometimes gives us challenges to test us and make us stronger. He is in charge, so shut up!
Bob O.
Job 38:1-7 (34-41)
If we were to paraphrase these words in today's parlance, it would sound like this: "Who do you think you are? You want a fight? You want a piece of me? Let's get it on! You need to be taught a lesson." Job will not stand a chance against God, when God compares Job's brief tick of time against the fourteen billion years of God's imaginative work in creating the universe.
Mark M.
Hebrews 5:1-10
We are awed by war stories of heroes who took a bullet for a friend. One recent African-American candidate for ministry shared with his professor that he had grown up without a mother, because as an infant she had run back into their burning house to save him. He had survived but not her. These stories move us, because they are such powerful witnesses to love! Why do we not think and feel the same toward Jesus' great sacrifice for us? Medieval mystic Bernard of Clairvaux describes how profoundly moving the word of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross is: "He [Christ] is living and full of energy. As soon as he entered into me he awakened my sleeping soul. He has stirred and softened my heart, which was torpid and as hard as a rock... The mind is drawn along by the ineffable sweetness of the word, as it were; it is stolen from itself or, better, it is rapt [and] remains out of itself there to enjoy the word..." (Varieties of Mystical Experience, pp. 105-106).
Mark E.
Hebrews 5:1-10
In the Hebrew Talmud is an old legend that goes as follows: Rabbi Yoshua ben Levi came upon Elijah the prophet while he was standing at the entrance of Rabbi Simeron ben Yohai's cave... He asked Elijah, "When will the Messiah come?" Elijah replied, "Go and ask him yourself." "Where is he?" "Sitting at the gates of the city." "How shall I know him?" "He is sitting among the poor, covered with wounds. The others unbind all their wounds at the same time and then bind them again. But he unbinds one at a time and binds it up again, saying to himself, 'Perhaps I shall be needed: If so, I must always be ready so as not to delay for a moment.' "
Those of us who seek to serve and help others with their wounds would be wise to make our own wounds into a key source of healing. We all are wounded in some way, and how we are suffering may be of help to others.
Richard H.
Mark 10:35-45
There were many hikers who came to Nepal to challenge the tallest mountains in the world. Right before we went to the mountain, a man died on the mountain.
It was the most challenging range for any experienced climber, but one of the hikers who had never climbed a mountain before was bragging that nothing was too hard for him. He said that he had read all the books on climbing and was ready to go. His guide asked if that braggart thought he could follow him to the top. "I can," said the fellow confidently.
"Good grief!" said the fellow when they came back. "Why didn't you tell me what I would have to endure?" The disciples in our lesson didn't realize what they would suffer for their Lord! Are we so cocky that we think we can serve the Lord with no pain? Pray and be prepared!
Bob O.
Mark 10:35-45
J. Roundtree, 21, had a dream -- to follow in the footsteps of his father, mother, and sister and serve in the U.S. Army. When Roundtree was in high school he was very active and athletic. Then he started to play video games. As the games started to consume more and more of his time, he ballooned to 405 pounds and was unqualified to serve in the Army.
In a vigorous nineteen-month program of calorie counting and exercising, Roundtree was able to lose 200 pounds and was eligible to enlist in the Army.
The ordeal to qualify for the Army was difficult, but as Roundtree said of his regime, "There's going to be days where you're like, 'Oh I don't want to do it,' but you gotta keep doing it."
Application: Jesus asked if we know what we are really asking when we ask to serve him. Jesus informs us that we are asking for a life of tireless self-discipline.
Ron L.
Mark 10:35-45
When I hear the word "servant" I think of Alice the maid in The Brady Bunch or the butlers Jeeves and Mr. Belvedere. A servant is one who waits upon others, a domestic employee. Yet there are those who serve without payment or uniform.
A renowned theological speaker and professor was leading a denominational conference on "Serving Others." She captivated her audience with her insight and examples. After the morning's presentation, the attendees recessed in order that lunch could be set up. Gathered in the entry, they chatted about the church's position in today's world. However, they missed the application of what they had just heard. Unnoticed, their speaker was living what she preached as she loaded cups, glasses, and crumpled napkins onto a tray. Her work reflected her words because she had the freedom in Christ to do what is right as she glorified God through loving service toward others.
Cynthia C.
Mark 10:35-45
In the popular reality TV show The Apprentice, candidates vie for the privilege to be selected as the apprentice to real estate mogul Donald Trump. The fortunate winner will be given authority in part of "The Donald's" business empire to accomplish some worthwhile project. James and John had been working with Jesus and the other disciples on various ministry projects over the years and now they wanted the coup d'etat: to be selected for the honor of the apprentice.
Mark M.
In the comic strip The Born Loser, Brutus Thornapple is staring at his computer console. Brutus is a good-hearted individual, but he seems to stumble through life and receives little respect from family, friends, and coworkers. He reminisces on all the emails and advice he receives on protecting his identity from identity theft. He then concludes in the last frame of the cartoon, "Who would want to pretend to be me?"
Application: Job questioned his worthiness. But "out of the whirlwind" God affirmed that he made all of creation and it is good. And Job is a part of that creation. Who is Job to question his own worthiness or the worthiness of God?
Ron L.
Job 38:1-7 (34-41)
The book of Job shows us the face of suffering. Job lost his wealth, health, position, and children. His wife challenged him to curse God and die. Her attitude might have caused him more suffering.
Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People? is the title of a book by Harold Kushner. In it he states there are no exceptions. Job's young friends mocked and insulted him. They made the mistake of believing that sin was the reason good people have troubles, but Job remained faithful to God.
Nicole was a nurse, a perfect partner for Bo. He'd just finished his residency at the Mayo Clinic. Their prize for years of sacrifice was on the horizon. Then tragedy struck -- Bo was diagnosed with liver cancer. Tears were shed as family and friends asked why this bad thing was happening to good people like Bo and Nicole. Yet the couple embarked on this difficult journey knowing that God would be with them.
Cynthia C.
Job 38:1-7 (34-41)
When I was a kid I thought I knew everything, so I was always complaining when my folks thought they knew better. "Don't play in the street!" they shouted, but it was so much fun. "You just got over your cold so don't go out without your coat!" "Don't complain about your test in school if you want to make anything of yourself someday." Their excuse for all my complaints was "Who brought you into this world? Who gives you something to eat? Who gives you a house to live in and a bed to sleep in?" How much more does God give us! So why don't we quit complaining? He put us in a world of troubles and tragedies, but he is always there to help us.
He sometimes gives us challenges to test us and make us stronger. He is in charge, so shut up!
Bob O.
Job 38:1-7 (34-41)
If we were to paraphrase these words in today's parlance, it would sound like this: "Who do you think you are? You want a fight? You want a piece of me? Let's get it on! You need to be taught a lesson." Job will not stand a chance against God, when God compares Job's brief tick of time against the fourteen billion years of God's imaginative work in creating the universe.
Mark M.
Hebrews 5:1-10
We are awed by war stories of heroes who took a bullet for a friend. One recent African-American candidate for ministry shared with his professor that he had grown up without a mother, because as an infant she had run back into their burning house to save him. He had survived but not her. These stories move us, because they are such powerful witnesses to love! Why do we not think and feel the same toward Jesus' great sacrifice for us? Medieval mystic Bernard of Clairvaux describes how profoundly moving the word of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross is: "He [Christ] is living and full of energy. As soon as he entered into me he awakened my sleeping soul. He has stirred and softened my heart, which was torpid and as hard as a rock... The mind is drawn along by the ineffable sweetness of the word, as it were; it is stolen from itself or, better, it is rapt [and] remains out of itself there to enjoy the word..." (Varieties of Mystical Experience, pp. 105-106).
Mark E.
Hebrews 5:1-10
In the Hebrew Talmud is an old legend that goes as follows: Rabbi Yoshua ben Levi came upon Elijah the prophet while he was standing at the entrance of Rabbi Simeron ben Yohai's cave... He asked Elijah, "When will the Messiah come?" Elijah replied, "Go and ask him yourself." "Where is he?" "Sitting at the gates of the city." "How shall I know him?" "He is sitting among the poor, covered with wounds. The others unbind all their wounds at the same time and then bind them again. But he unbinds one at a time and binds it up again, saying to himself, 'Perhaps I shall be needed: If so, I must always be ready so as not to delay for a moment.' "
Those of us who seek to serve and help others with their wounds would be wise to make our own wounds into a key source of healing. We all are wounded in some way, and how we are suffering may be of help to others.
Richard H.
Mark 10:35-45
There were many hikers who came to Nepal to challenge the tallest mountains in the world. Right before we went to the mountain, a man died on the mountain.
It was the most challenging range for any experienced climber, but one of the hikers who had never climbed a mountain before was bragging that nothing was too hard for him. He said that he had read all the books on climbing and was ready to go. His guide asked if that braggart thought he could follow him to the top. "I can," said the fellow confidently.
"Good grief!" said the fellow when they came back. "Why didn't you tell me what I would have to endure?" The disciples in our lesson didn't realize what they would suffer for their Lord! Are we so cocky that we think we can serve the Lord with no pain? Pray and be prepared!
Bob O.
Mark 10:35-45
J. Roundtree, 21, had a dream -- to follow in the footsteps of his father, mother, and sister and serve in the U.S. Army. When Roundtree was in high school he was very active and athletic. Then he started to play video games. As the games started to consume more and more of his time, he ballooned to 405 pounds and was unqualified to serve in the Army.
In a vigorous nineteen-month program of calorie counting and exercising, Roundtree was able to lose 200 pounds and was eligible to enlist in the Army.
The ordeal to qualify for the Army was difficult, but as Roundtree said of his regime, "There's going to be days where you're like, 'Oh I don't want to do it,' but you gotta keep doing it."
Application: Jesus asked if we know what we are really asking when we ask to serve him. Jesus informs us that we are asking for a life of tireless self-discipline.
Ron L.
Mark 10:35-45
When I hear the word "servant" I think of Alice the maid in The Brady Bunch or the butlers Jeeves and Mr. Belvedere. A servant is one who waits upon others, a domestic employee. Yet there are those who serve without payment or uniform.
A renowned theological speaker and professor was leading a denominational conference on "Serving Others." She captivated her audience with her insight and examples. After the morning's presentation, the attendees recessed in order that lunch could be set up. Gathered in the entry, they chatted about the church's position in today's world. However, they missed the application of what they had just heard. Unnoticed, their speaker was living what she preached as she loaded cups, glasses, and crumpled napkins onto a tray. Her work reflected her words because she had the freedom in Christ to do what is right as she glorified God through loving service toward others.
Cynthia C.
Mark 10:35-45
In the popular reality TV show The Apprentice, candidates vie for the privilege to be selected as the apprentice to real estate mogul Donald Trump. The fortunate winner will be given authority in part of "The Donald's" business empire to accomplish some worthwhile project. James and John had been working with Jesus and the other disciples on various ministry projects over the years and now they wanted the coup d'etat: to be selected for the honor of the apprentice.
Mark M.
