Sermon Illustrations for Proper 25 | Ordinary Time 30 (2017)
Illustration
Deuteronomy 34:1-12
After responding to God’s call, after living into the call on his life to confront Pharaoh, after leading the people across the desert for 40 years, Moses finally stands on the mountain, Mount Nebo, and sees before him the promised land, the land God has promised to the children of Abraham and Isaac. That’s the good news. You have fulfilled your mission. Now the bad news. Moses, you will not lead the people into the promised land. You cannot go.
We know nothing of the disappointment Moses might have felt. We are told his age, 120; his eyesight, which is unimpaired; and his health; still vigorous -- but we know nothing of his emotions at this moment. We know that Moses dies and is buried in an unmarked grave, which to this day no one can clearly identify.
Yet Moses is still proclaimed one of the greatest of the prophets, one of the essential leaders of the Hebrew people. He is revered and remembered for his actions, for his faithfulness, and for his obedience to God. For Moses, that was enough. Is it for us?
Bonnie B.
Deuteronomy 34:1-12
In our era, when it comes to athletic prowess sometimes the first question asked is how many championships has she or he won? This closing passage of Deuteronomy unabashedly proclaims Moses the greatest of all time, even though Moses only gets within sight of the promised land and no farther. One imagines the pundits of a thousands-year-old talking heads show arguing that perhaps Joshua should rank higher than Moses because he won the championship. God’s measure of success is not based on the number of “championships” we’ve won, however we define it.
By the way, the word used to describe the vigor of Moses, lechoh, is related to the word for “moist” and is a way of saying that Moses not only had great eyesight but was also sexually vigorous to his dying day. This is in stark contrast to the description of King David’s bedwarmer -- a young woman who we are assured was perfectly safe sleeping next to the fading king.
Frank R.
Deuteronomy 34:1-12
When a fellow pastor lay dying in the hospital, he was given a list of all the exciting things his church still planned to do. It made him content to die when he realized that he had prepared his people for the great task that lay ahead.
That could be true of every child of God if they can look ahead and see what their work has done and will accomplish.
My mother prayed that I would become a pastor someday, even when that was far from my mind as I had a motion picture business that I enjoyed. She did not give up praying for me, and she was at my ordination when I was 30 years old. She told a friend sitting next to her at the service that the Lord had finally answered her prayers after all those years. She died in an auto accident on the way home from my ordination, but she died happy knowing that the Lord had answered her prayers.
Our churches do a great service to us when they show us the great future we can look forward to. Whether we die or become a part of the work is up to the Lord.
If the Lord has given us a job for him, whatever it might be, one of the things we need to do is to make sure that there will be someone to carry on the work when we are gone.
Think of the soldiers who are willing to give their lives so that their country may have a future.
Think of the missionaries who face dangers far from home and who see the country the Lord has planned for them even if they don’t make it there themselves. That country goes beyond our native land to an everlasting place God has for us.
Bob O.
1 Thessalonians 2:1-8
Who are you trying to please? Dr. Henry Cloud, in his book Never Go Back, describes this imaginary conversation between you and God. It goes like this...
God: “So, why didn’t you take the opportunity I offered you?”
You: “I really wanted to and I knew it was your will for my life, but you know how upset _____ would have gotten if I did. It would have been awful.”
God: “You are right, ______ would have gone through the roof and would have been upset with you. And I have a meeting with _____ later... in exactly three years, two months, six days, seven hours, and 33 minutes. At that time, I’ll be talking to ______ about his [or her] tendency to get mad at people when they did not please him [or her]. I will take care of that issue. But that is ______’s life, not yours. You are responsible for your own choices. You are responsible for your own decisions and ________ is responsible for how he [she] responded to you... that will be his [or her] problem. But the fact that you chose to give in to him [or her] is your problem, and now I want to show you the life that you gave up by living the life that other people wanted. Watch that screen over there.”
It’s a powerful and convicting conversation. There is a real temptation to be a “people pleaser,” but don’t do it. Paul talks about how he and his companions spoke not to please mortals, but to please God. It isn’t easy and it may bring you into some awkward moments, but seek to please the Lord.
Bill T.
1 Thessalonians 2:1-8
Paul gives us a model for the ministry we do to and for each other -- to be gentle like a mother with a child. Gentleness is such a good thing. Strong people are gentle; 16th-century French Catholic saint Francis de Sales said it well: “Nothing is so strong as gentleness.” Gentleness covers up a lot of mistakes, like God’s love does. Eighteenth-century Scottish minister Hugh Blair made this clear: “Gentleness corrects whatever is offensive in a man.”
We can facilitate this gentleness by relying on God like a child does or by nurturing those we serve like a mother. Neurobiologists have demonstrated that when we snuggle, especially with those with whom we have long-term relationships, our brains are rewarded with a good-feeling monamine (a brain chemical which reinforces new neural connections and behavior) called oxytocin. It produces calming effects and has a positive impact on health. This monamine is especially involved in nurturing (Keersin Uvnas-Moberg, The Oxytocin Factor: Tapping the Hormone of Calm, Love, and Feeling). Gentleness is good for those we serve, and good for us too.
Mark E.
1 Thessalonians 2:1-8
Lee Strobel wrote a best-selling book in 1998 titled The Case for Christ. Strobel had been a journalist and an atheist. He decided that he would use the techniques of journalistic investigative reporting to investigate the claims made by Christianity. In the process Strobel accepted Jesus Christ as his savior. He did so as he came to realize the message of the Bible is authentic and truthful. In 2017, an adaptation of the book was released as a film. In discussing his conversion experience, Strobel said evangelism has changed since the 1960s and ’70s. In those years individuals were aware of the Bible stories and teachings, and all an evangelist had to do was reintroduce an individual to them. In the 21st century that is no longer the case, as many individuals are no longer familiar with Bible teachings. It is also an age when individuals have more doubts about God. Today, Strobel said, we need to be “relational apologists.” In Christianity an apologist is not someone who makes an apology for being a Christian, but an apologist is an evangelist who publicly proclaims the gospel message. Strobel outlined the approach of relational apologists as: “It’s friendships. It’s conversations. It’s dialogue where we engage with these questions, these topics on a personal level.”
Application: A central message in our reading is the need to be an evangelist.
Ron L.
Matthew 22:34-46
Questions and answers -- it seems to be all Jesus encounters. First the Sadducees are asking questions and Jesus stumps them. Now the Pharisees need to ask questions too. They do so through the scribes, the lawyers of the religious law. What commandment is the greatest?
Jesus has no trouble with a response. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” It is as the Jewish Law is also written, so there is no argument. Jesus then shares the second most important commandment. “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” But now it is Jesus’ turn.
Who is the Messiah? Whose son is he? Then Jesus goes on to confound them. How can the Messiah be the son of David if David calls the Messiah Lord? The paradox of our faith is presented. How can the Christ, the Messiah, who has always been, also be the son of David? How are those relationships established?
The Pharisees leave Jesus alone for the moment, but there are more challenges to come; for us too. Who is this Jesus, the human and divine personage, who walked among us, was crucified, died, and was buried, and rose again on the third day? Who is this Christ who forgives us, leads us, and transforms us? He is the Word, the Logos. He is our brother and our redeemer. He is.
Bonnie B.
Matthew 22:34-46
The Hebrew word for love, ahab, which lies behind the answer Jesus gives to the question about the greatest commandment, is not a static term. It’s not about warm fuzzies or good feelings -- it’s about what you do. It is an active word. When Jesus quotes Leviticus 19:18, about loving one’s neighbor as oneself, he is referring to acting in a loving fashion towards the people around you. When Jesus quotes from the Shema, the call to prayer from the sixth chapter of Deuteronomy, calling upon us to love God with heart, soul, and strength, this also implies action. We are committed to serving God, obeying commandments, with reverence and respect. As Jesus says, this in turn is what all the laws in the Bible boil down to.
Not as much attention is paid to the question Jesus asks the religious authorities -- how you can say the Messiah is the Son of David when David refers to someone greater than himself in a psalm? This seems an odd question and answer when Matthew’s genealogy for Jesus emphasizes his Davidic ancestry through Joseph. Perhaps at the heart of his answer is that he is not simply one in a line of prophets and kings descended from David, but Jesus the Messiah is greater than any king or prophet before or since. This goes back to the question Jesus asked of his apostles -- and of us: Who do people say that I am? It’s not enough for Jesus to be a teacher, though he is, or a wonder worker, though he is, or a miracle worker, though he is, or a shepherd, though he is -- Jesus is Lord and Savior.
Frank R.
Matthew 22:34-46
It sounds like we can wrap up our faith with that one statement of our Lord with the word “love.” If it were not for love, we would not be here. Without love, God would not have sent his Son down to die for us. Love is the basis for all of life.
If it were not for love, we would not get married, nor would we have children. Love is what binds (or should bind) families together. We can hope that a form of love would have given us doctors or teachers or pastors. If there is no form of love for our careers, it is doubtful we would succeed in life. Every part of our life is affected by one form of love. We love to watch sports or movies or television, or they would not exist!
One thing I tell couples when they get married is that their promise is to “love” their partner. It does not mean that we should have a wild romantic relationship our whole life long, but that we promise to act in a loving way even if the romance we felt at the beginning comes and goes.
The Greeks have four words for love: eros is romantic love, and we get our word “erotic” from it. Another is philios, which is a brotherly love. We have a city (Philadelphia) whose name derives from that. Then there is storgey, which is family love. The last is agape, which is a love so powerful and complete that some say only God is capable of it. If we use the one word “love” in English, we have to explain it or risk being misunderstood. For example, if a man says I love my buddy, it could mean either that I am gay or just that I like him as a friend.
Jesus seems to be implying that we should agape our God if we can, and that we should philios our neighbor.
Yes, it may be hard to love a God that we do not see, but we might see him in others’ love for him. That is one reason we come to church, to experience that kind of love and see it in others.
Bob O.
After responding to God’s call, after living into the call on his life to confront Pharaoh, after leading the people across the desert for 40 years, Moses finally stands on the mountain, Mount Nebo, and sees before him the promised land, the land God has promised to the children of Abraham and Isaac. That’s the good news. You have fulfilled your mission. Now the bad news. Moses, you will not lead the people into the promised land. You cannot go.
We know nothing of the disappointment Moses might have felt. We are told his age, 120; his eyesight, which is unimpaired; and his health; still vigorous -- but we know nothing of his emotions at this moment. We know that Moses dies and is buried in an unmarked grave, which to this day no one can clearly identify.
Yet Moses is still proclaimed one of the greatest of the prophets, one of the essential leaders of the Hebrew people. He is revered and remembered for his actions, for his faithfulness, and for his obedience to God. For Moses, that was enough. Is it for us?
Bonnie B.
Deuteronomy 34:1-12
In our era, when it comes to athletic prowess sometimes the first question asked is how many championships has she or he won? This closing passage of Deuteronomy unabashedly proclaims Moses the greatest of all time, even though Moses only gets within sight of the promised land and no farther. One imagines the pundits of a thousands-year-old talking heads show arguing that perhaps Joshua should rank higher than Moses because he won the championship. God’s measure of success is not based on the number of “championships” we’ve won, however we define it.
By the way, the word used to describe the vigor of Moses, lechoh, is related to the word for “moist” and is a way of saying that Moses not only had great eyesight but was also sexually vigorous to his dying day. This is in stark contrast to the description of King David’s bedwarmer -- a young woman who we are assured was perfectly safe sleeping next to the fading king.
Frank R.
Deuteronomy 34:1-12
When a fellow pastor lay dying in the hospital, he was given a list of all the exciting things his church still planned to do. It made him content to die when he realized that he had prepared his people for the great task that lay ahead.
That could be true of every child of God if they can look ahead and see what their work has done and will accomplish.
My mother prayed that I would become a pastor someday, even when that was far from my mind as I had a motion picture business that I enjoyed. She did not give up praying for me, and she was at my ordination when I was 30 years old. She told a friend sitting next to her at the service that the Lord had finally answered her prayers after all those years. She died in an auto accident on the way home from my ordination, but she died happy knowing that the Lord had answered her prayers.
Our churches do a great service to us when they show us the great future we can look forward to. Whether we die or become a part of the work is up to the Lord.
If the Lord has given us a job for him, whatever it might be, one of the things we need to do is to make sure that there will be someone to carry on the work when we are gone.
Think of the soldiers who are willing to give their lives so that their country may have a future.
Think of the missionaries who face dangers far from home and who see the country the Lord has planned for them even if they don’t make it there themselves. That country goes beyond our native land to an everlasting place God has for us.
Bob O.
1 Thessalonians 2:1-8
Who are you trying to please? Dr. Henry Cloud, in his book Never Go Back, describes this imaginary conversation between you and God. It goes like this...
God: “So, why didn’t you take the opportunity I offered you?”
You: “I really wanted to and I knew it was your will for my life, but you know how upset _____ would have gotten if I did. It would have been awful.”
God: “You are right, ______ would have gone through the roof and would have been upset with you. And I have a meeting with _____ later... in exactly three years, two months, six days, seven hours, and 33 minutes. At that time, I’ll be talking to ______ about his [or her] tendency to get mad at people when they did not please him [or her]. I will take care of that issue. But that is ______’s life, not yours. You are responsible for your own choices. You are responsible for your own decisions and ________ is responsible for how he [she] responded to you... that will be his [or her] problem. But the fact that you chose to give in to him [or her] is your problem, and now I want to show you the life that you gave up by living the life that other people wanted. Watch that screen over there.”
It’s a powerful and convicting conversation. There is a real temptation to be a “people pleaser,” but don’t do it. Paul talks about how he and his companions spoke not to please mortals, but to please God. It isn’t easy and it may bring you into some awkward moments, but seek to please the Lord.
Bill T.
1 Thessalonians 2:1-8
Paul gives us a model for the ministry we do to and for each other -- to be gentle like a mother with a child. Gentleness is such a good thing. Strong people are gentle; 16th-century French Catholic saint Francis de Sales said it well: “Nothing is so strong as gentleness.” Gentleness covers up a lot of mistakes, like God’s love does. Eighteenth-century Scottish minister Hugh Blair made this clear: “Gentleness corrects whatever is offensive in a man.”
We can facilitate this gentleness by relying on God like a child does or by nurturing those we serve like a mother. Neurobiologists have demonstrated that when we snuggle, especially with those with whom we have long-term relationships, our brains are rewarded with a good-feeling monamine (a brain chemical which reinforces new neural connections and behavior) called oxytocin. It produces calming effects and has a positive impact on health. This monamine is especially involved in nurturing (Keersin Uvnas-Moberg, The Oxytocin Factor: Tapping the Hormone of Calm, Love, and Feeling). Gentleness is good for those we serve, and good for us too.
Mark E.
1 Thessalonians 2:1-8
Lee Strobel wrote a best-selling book in 1998 titled The Case for Christ. Strobel had been a journalist and an atheist. He decided that he would use the techniques of journalistic investigative reporting to investigate the claims made by Christianity. In the process Strobel accepted Jesus Christ as his savior. He did so as he came to realize the message of the Bible is authentic and truthful. In 2017, an adaptation of the book was released as a film. In discussing his conversion experience, Strobel said evangelism has changed since the 1960s and ’70s. In those years individuals were aware of the Bible stories and teachings, and all an evangelist had to do was reintroduce an individual to them. In the 21st century that is no longer the case, as many individuals are no longer familiar with Bible teachings. It is also an age when individuals have more doubts about God. Today, Strobel said, we need to be “relational apologists.” In Christianity an apologist is not someone who makes an apology for being a Christian, but an apologist is an evangelist who publicly proclaims the gospel message. Strobel outlined the approach of relational apologists as: “It’s friendships. It’s conversations. It’s dialogue where we engage with these questions, these topics on a personal level.”
Application: A central message in our reading is the need to be an evangelist.
Ron L.
Matthew 22:34-46
Questions and answers -- it seems to be all Jesus encounters. First the Sadducees are asking questions and Jesus stumps them. Now the Pharisees need to ask questions too. They do so through the scribes, the lawyers of the religious law. What commandment is the greatest?
Jesus has no trouble with a response. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” It is as the Jewish Law is also written, so there is no argument. Jesus then shares the second most important commandment. “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” But now it is Jesus’ turn.
Who is the Messiah? Whose son is he? Then Jesus goes on to confound them. How can the Messiah be the son of David if David calls the Messiah Lord? The paradox of our faith is presented. How can the Christ, the Messiah, who has always been, also be the son of David? How are those relationships established?
The Pharisees leave Jesus alone for the moment, but there are more challenges to come; for us too. Who is this Jesus, the human and divine personage, who walked among us, was crucified, died, and was buried, and rose again on the third day? Who is this Christ who forgives us, leads us, and transforms us? He is the Word, the Logos. He is our brother and our redeemer. He is.
Bonnie B.
Matthew 22:34-46
The Hebrew word for love, ahab, which lies behind the answer Jesus gives to the question about the greatest commandment, is not a static term. It’s not about warm fuzzies or good feelings -- it’s about what you do. It is an active word. When Jesus quotes Leviticus 19:18, about loving one’s neighbor as oneself, he is referring to acting in a loving fashion towards the people around you. When Jesus quotes from the Shema, the call to prayer from the sixth chapter of Deuteronomy, calling upon us to love God with heart, soul, and strength, this also implies action. We are committed to serving God, obeying commandments, with reverence and respect. As Jesus says, this in turn is what all the laws in the Bible boil down to.
Not as much attention is paid to the question Jesus asks the religious authorities -- how you can say the Messiah is the Son of David when David refers to someone greater than himself in a psalm? This seems an odd question and answer when Matthew’s genealogy for Jesus emphasizes his Davidic ancestry through Joseph. Perhaps at the heart of his answer is that he is not simply one in a line of prophets and kings descended from David, but Jesus the Messiah is greater than any king or prophet before or since. This goes back to the question Jesus asked of his apostles -- and of us: Who do people say that I am? It’s not enough for Jesus to be a teacher, though he is, or a wonder worker, though he is, or a miracle worker, though he is, or a shepherd, though he is -- Jesus is Lord and Savior.
Frank R.
Matthew 22:34-46
It sounds like we can wrap up our faith with that one statement of our Lord with the word “love.” If it were not for love, we would not be here. Without love, God would not have sent his Son down to die for us. Love is the basis for all of life.
If it were not for love, we would not get married, nor would we have children. Love is what binds (or should bind) families together. We can hope that a form of love would have given us doctors or teachers or pastors. If there is no form of love for our careers, it is doubtful we would succeed in life. Every part of our life is affected by one form of love. We love to watch sports or movies or television, or they would not exist!
One thing I tell couples when they get married is that their promise is to “love” their partner. It does not mean that we should have a wild romantic relationship our whole life long, but that we promise to act in a loving way even if the romance we felt at the beginning comes and goes.
The Greeks have four words for love: eros is romantic love, and we get our word “erotic” from it. Another is philios, which is a brotherly love. We have a city (Philadelphia) whose name derives from that. Then there is storgey, which is family love. The last is agape, which is a love so powerful and complete that some say only God is capable of it. If we use the one word “love” in English, we have to explain it or risk being misunderstood. For example, if a man says I love my buddy, it could mean either that I am gay or just that I like him as a friend.
Jesus seems to be implying that we should agape our God if we can, and that we should philios our neighbor.
Yes, it may be hard to love a God that we do not see, but we might see him in others’ love for him. That is one reason we come to church, to experience that kind of love and see it in others.
Bob O.
