Sermon Illustrations for Proper 28 | Ordinary Time 33 (2024)
Illustration
1 Samuel 1:4-20
Things are not what they seem to be. As I have written before, I am a fan of “The Twilight Zone” television show. I have a lot of episodes that I enjoy. One, however, came to mind as I was thinking about how people sometimes misjudge a situation. The episode is called, “Eye of the Beholder” and it ran during “The Twilight Zone’s” second season. In this episode, Janet lives in a society that demands beauty. She has not realized that, so she is having surgery. This surgery will determine whether she will be accepted into her society. At the completion of the surgery, her bandages are removed. We see a beautiful Donna Douglas (Elly Mae Clampett), but the doctor and nurses recoil in horror. Beauty, in this culture, is monstrous faces with drooping features, large, thick brows, sunken-in eyes, swollen and twisted lips, and wrinkled noses with pig snout-like nostrils. We didn’t expect that.
Eli misunderstood Hannah as well. Hannah is ridiculed by her husband, Elkanah’s other wife, Peninnah because she is barren. She earnestly seeks the Lord and pours herself out before him in prayer. She promises if God gives her a son, she will give him back. Eli sees her intense praying and mistakes it for drunkenness. Eli had it wrong. Hannah is passionately seeking the Lord. Once Eli understands, he reassures her that God will grant her petition.
The story is one of faithfulness, passion, and purpose. It is mistaken for frivolity, drunkenness, and foolishness. Let’s not be too quick to judge what we see.
Bill T.
* * *
1 Samuel 1:4-20
Eli mistakes the earnest, not quite silent prayer of Hannah for drunken nonsense, and he scolds her. He (and we) don’t always recognize we all approach the throne of grace with different approaches. It is important that we not judge another’s prayers or praise on the basis of whether we appear to be too quiet, too boisterous, have our hands raised high in praise, or folded earnestly upon our breast. Our prayers may include movement and sound, or total stillness and silence.
I give Eli credit. Though initially he’s very critical of Hannah because she’s not following the norms of spoken, ritual prayer he may have been accustomed to, (or perhaps he was more familiar with loud, ecstatic prayer that involved speaking in tongues) but once he understood her fervor and her heartfelt desire, he felt led to prophesy that her desires would be granted.
And they were.
Frank R.
* * *
Hebrews 10:11-14 (15-18) 19-25
“This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: ‘I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds,’ he also adds, ‘I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.’" Oh, the blessing of these words. The covenant we have with God is eternal, is written on our hearts, and in our minds. What a gift.
How often do we reflect on the covenant we have with God? How often do we reflect on the wonder and blessing that God chooses to be in covenant with us? What joy there should be in that acknowledgement! I make a covenant every day to live into this covenant I have with God through Jesus. The strengthening of the Holy Spirit makes it possible. I am truly blessed!
Bonnie B.
* * *
Hebrews 10:11-14 (15-18) 19-25
There’s a lot of literature out on how unhappy younger generations are (see for example Dascari Middlebrooks, The Depressed Millennial: Surviving Unmet Expectations). Part of the problem is that younger generations, not unlike their elders, have been told how good or special they are, but are finding that the world is not “giving them what they (think they) deserve.” John Calvin nicely explained how this view of the self sets us up for failure; it is the essence of sin. He wrote:
It is an evil which prevails everywhere among humankind, that everyone sets himself above others, and especially that those who seem in anything to excel cannot well endure inferiors to be on an equality with themselves. (Calvin’s Commentaries, Vol.XXII/1, p.240)
It is precisely for these reasons that we need to take a fresh look at how important Christ’s atoning work described in this text is for us. Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf highlights that God is not thinking less of us for not being as good as we like to think we are. Martin Luther made this point well:
This, therefore, is the Christian love that is shown to those who are contemptible and unworthy of love; this, in fact, is the kindness that is bestowed on those who are evil and ungrateful. For this is what Christ and God did for us... (Luther’s Works, Vol.29, p.227)
Mark E.
* * *
Mark 13:1-8
I came across this story and thought it fit well with this text. A man visited an elementary school and announced that he would give a prize to the student whose desk he found in the best order when he returned. “When will you come back” some of them asked.
“I can’t tell you that,” was his answer. A girl, who was not known to be organized and neat, announced that she planned to win the prize. “You!” her schoolmates replied, “your desk is always messy. There’s no way”
The girl just smiled. “I’ll clean it every Monday.”
“But what if he comes back at the end of the week?,” someone asked.
“Then I will clean it every morning.”
“But he may show up at the end of the day.”
For a moment the little girl was silent. “I know what I’ll do,” she said decidedly, “I’ll just keep it clean.”
The young lady learned an important lesson. Always be ready. In Mark 13, Jesus talks to his disciples about the destruction of the temple and the end of things. They are intrigued by the discussion and when it will happen and what will be the signs of it happening. Jesus is clear that war, conflict, and famine is but the beginning of birth pains. The chapter concludes, “But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven nor the Son, but only the Father” (13:32). The point he makes to them is relevant to us, too. Always be ready.
Bill T.
* * *
Mark 13:1-8
“Look, teacher,” the disciples say to Jesus as he exits the temple, “what large stones and what large buildings!” Mark chooses an interesting word that is here translated as ‘large’ in relation to both the stones and buildings. And, by the way, I think we’d have all said the same thing. The temple was one of the great wonders of the ancient world. The grounds covered the equivalent of 27 football fields. Just as portions of the Mormon Temple in Salt Lake City is closed to non-members of the church, but many non-members visit it annually because large sections are open to all, and it is an impressive structure, so people from all the nations could visit large portions of the temple to be awed by the tremendous stonework, and the size of the stones as well.
But I want to focus on that word potapos, translated in this context as ‘large.’ The word, however, when asked of an individual would actually relate to a question of their national or civic identity. How do you identify yourself? How do you define yourself? I think it is implied here that the disciples who are awed by the temple, identify themselves with the temple. The temple is the center of their faith. And Jesus is telling them that if this is the case they should be forewarned – the temple is on the timer, and it is doomed. Much of this chapter foretells the end of Jerusalem and the temple (in my opinion at least). Anyone whose identity is tied up with a place or a building or anything that is not eternal, then we are in trouble.
Think about it. It was a catastrophe in 586 BC when the first temple and the nation of Judea was destroyed – but the exiles turned to God and to God’s Word and redefined themselves as a people instead of a nation. And it was a second catastrophe in 70 AD when Jerusalem and the second temple were destroyed. However, the result of the loss of nationality was a renewed identity as a people of the book. The book was more clearly defined as canon.
It’s the same for us. If we tie our faith identity to a nation, a business, an economy, or any kind of identity that is not eternal we may be making the same mistake. (Source: The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, volume 2, 1147)
Frank R.
* * *
Mark 13:1-8
The stones that are the foundation of the temple in Jerusalem will not stand, they will be thrown down. I wonder how the disciples felt about that. This temple, this house of God, would fall? How could that be? And yet that is not what they question. They question the when.
Often throughout the ages people have proclaimed that the end of the world is near, simply based on the wars, the rumors of wars, the earthquakes and disasters in the world. I wonder sometimes if we even consider that the wars and rumors of wars are about our behavior, and about our ignoring of the covenant we have with God and with one another, about our need to love our neighbor. My faith doesn’t worry about the end of the world. That is in God’s hand. My faith worries about the way we treat each other here and now, what injustices we can repair, what freedoms we can share, what love we can amplify, what hope can live in our hearts. My friends, let us focus on living in the covenant we have with God and with each other. God will take care of the rest.
Bonnie B.
* * *
Mark 13:1-8
Famed New Testament scholar of the last century Rudolf Bultmann well described the human condition on this side of our fall into sin. He wrote:
... it is an illusion to suppose that real security can be gained by men organizing their own personal and community life. There are encounters and destinies which man cannot master. He cannot secure endurance for his works. His life is fleeting and its end is death. History goes on and pulls down all the towers of Babel again and again. (Jesus Christ and Mythology, p.39)
In this text, Jesus speaks of tearing down the established order of his day, simply exposing life the way Bultmann described it, as a mere illusion.
This great scholar also reflected on what Jesus’ preaching in this lesson about the destruction of the temple and the new era to come, might mean. About the hope for the future implied in Jesus’ comments Bultmann also wrote:
Therefore, this hope or this faith may be called readiness for the unknown future that God will give. In brief, it means to be open to God’s future in the face of death and darkness. (Jesus Christ and Mythology, p.31)
Mark E.
Things are not what they seem to be. As I have written before, I am a fan of “The Twilight Zone” television show. I have a lot of episodes that I enjoy. One, however, came to mind as I was thinking about how people sometimes misjudge a situation. The episode is called, “Eye of the Beholder” and it ran during “The Twilight Zone’s” second season. In this episode, Janet lives in a society that demands beauty. She has not realized that, so she is having surgery. This surgery will determine whether she will be accepted into her society. At the completion of the surgery, her bandages are removed. We see a beautiful Donna Douglas (Elly Mae Clampett), but the doctor and nurses recoil in horror. Beauty, in this culture, is monstrous faces with drooping features, large, thick brows, sunken-in eyes, swollen and twisted lips, and wrinkled noses with pig snout-like nostrils. We didn’t expect that.
Eli misunderstood Hannah as well. Hannah is ridiculed by her husband, Elkanah’s other wife, Peninnah because she is barren. She earnestly seeks the Lord and pours herself out before him in prayer. She promises if God gives her a son, she will give him back. Eli sees her intense praying and mistakes it for drunkenness. Eli had it wrong. Hannah is passionately seeking the Lord. Once Eli understands, he reassures her that God will grant her petition.
The story is one of faithfulness, passion, and purpose. It is mistaken for frivolity, drunkenness, and foolishness. Let’s not be too quick to judge what we see.
Bill T.
* * *
1 Samuel 1:4-20
Eli mistakes the earnest, not quite silent prayer of Hannah for drunken nonsense, and he scolds her. He (and we) don’t always recognize we all approach the throne of grace with different approaches. It is important that we not judge another’s prayers or praise on the basis of whether we appear to be too quiet, too boisterous, have our hands raised high in praise, or folded earnestly upon our breast. Our prayers may include movement and sound, or total stillness and silence.
I give Eli credit. Though initially he’s very critical of Hannah because she’s not following the norms of spoken, ritual prayer he may have been accustomed to, (or perhaps he was more familiar with loud, ecstatic prayer that involved speaking in tongues) but once he understood her fervor and her heartfelt desire, he felt led to prophesy that her desires would be granted.
And they were.
Frank R.
* * *
Hebrews 10:11-14 (15-18) 19-25
“This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: ‘I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds,’ he also adds, ‘I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.’" Oh, the blessing of these words. The covenant we have with God is eternal, is written on our hearts, and in our minds. What a gift.
How often do we reflect on the covenant we have with God? How often do we reflect on the wonder and blessing that God chooses to be in covenant with us? What joy there should be in that acknowledgement! I make a covenant every day to live into this covenant I have with God through Jesus. The strengthening of the Holy Spirit makes it possible. I am truly blessed!
Bonnie B.
* * *
Hebrews 10:11-14 (15-18) 19-25
There’s a lot of literature out on how unhappy younger generations are (see for example Dascari Middlebrooks, The Depressed Millennial: Surviving Unmet Expectations). Part of the problem is that younger generations, not unlike their elders, have been told how good or special they are, but are finding that the world is not “giving them what they (think they) deserve.” John Calvin nicely explained how this view of the self sets us up for failure; it is the essence of sin. He wrote:
It is an evil which prevails everywhere among humankind, that everyone sets himself above others, and especially that those who seem in anything to excel cannot well endure inferiors to be on an equality with themselves. (Calvin’s Commentaries, Vol.XXII/1, p.240)
It is precisely for these reasons that we need to take a fresh look at how important Christ’s atoning work described in this text is for us. Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf highlights that God is not thinking less of us for not being as good as we like to think we are. Martin Luther made this point well:
This, therefore, is the Christian love that is shown to those who are contemptible and unworthy of love; this, in fact, is the kindness that is bestowed on those who are evil and ungrateful. For this is what Christ and God did for us... (Luther’s Works, Vol.29, p.227)
Mark E.
* * *
Mark 13:1-8
I came across this story and thought it fit well with this text. A man visited an elementary school and announced that he would give a prize to the student whose desk he found in the best order when he returned. “When will you come back” some of them asked.
“I can’t tell you that,” was his answer. A girl, who was not known to be organized and neat, announced that she planned to win the prize. “You!” her schoolmates replied, “your desk is always messy. There’s no way”
The girl just smiled. “I’ll clean it every Monday.”
“But what if he comes back at the end of the week?,” someone asked.
“Then I will clean it every morning.”
“But he may show up at the end of the day.”
For a moment the little girl was silent. “I know what I’ll do,” she said decidedly, “I’ll just keep it clean.”
The young lady learned an important lesson. Always be ready. In Mark 13, Jesus talks to his disciples about the destruction of the temple and the end of things. They are intrigued by the discussion and when it will happen and what will be the signs of it happening. Jesus is clear that war, conflict, and famine is but the beginning of birth pains. The chapter concludes, “But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven nor the Son, but only the Father” (13:32). The point he makes to them is relevant to us, too. Always be ready.
Bill T.
* * *
Mark 13:1-8
“Look, teacher,” the disciples say to Jesus as he exits the temple, “what large stones and what large buildings!” Mark chooses an interesting word that is here translated as ‘large’ in relation to both the stones and buildings. And, by the way, I think we’d have all said the same thing. The temple was one of the great wonders of the ancient world. The grounds covered the equivalent of 27 football fields. Just as portions of the Mormon Temple in Salt Lake City is closed to non-members of the church, but many non-members visit it annually because large sections are open to all, and it is an impressive structure, so people from all the nations could visit large portions of the temple to be awed by the tremendous stonework, and the size of the stones as well.
But I want to focus on that word potapos, translated in this context as ‘large.’ The word, however, when asked of an individual would actually relate to a question of their national or civic identity. How do you identify yourself? How do you define yourself? I think it is implied here that the disciples who are awed by the temple, identify themselves with the temple. The temple is the center of their faith. And Jesus is telling them that if this is the case they should be forewarned – the temple is on the timer, and it is doomed. Much of this chapter foretells the end of Jerusalem and the temple (in my opinion at least). Anyone whose identity is tied up with a place or a building or anything that is not eternal, then we are in trouble.
Think about it. It was a catastrophe in 586 BC when the first temple and the nation of Judea was destroyed – but the exiles turned to God and to God’s Word and redefined themselves as a people instead of a nation. And it was a second catastrophe in 70 AD when Jerusalem and the second temple were destroyed. However, the result of the loss of nationality was a renewed identity as a people of the book. The book was more clearly defined as canon.
It’s the same for us. If we tie our faith identity to a nation, a business, an economy, or any kind of identity that is not eternal we may be making the same mistake. (Source: The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, volume 2, 1147)
Frank R.
* * *
Mark 13:1-8
The stones that are the foundation of the temple in Jerusalem will not stand, they will be thrown down. I wonder how the disciples felt about that. This temple, this house of God, would fall? How could that be? And yet that is not what they question. They question the when.
Often throughout the ages people have proclaimed that the end of the world is near, simply based on the wars, the rumors of wars, the earthquakes and disasters in the world. I wonder sometimes if we even consider that the wars and rumors of wars are about our behavior, and about our ignoring of the covenant we have with God and with one another, about our need to love our neighbor. My faith doesn’t worry about the end of the world. That is in God’s hand. My faith worries about the way we treat each other here and now, what injustices we can repair, what freedoms we can share, what love we can amplify, what hope can live in our hearts. My friends, let us focus on living in the covenant we have with God and with each other. God will take care of the rest.
Bonnie B.
* * *
Mark 13:1-8
Famed New Testament scholar of the last century Rudolf Bultmann well described the human condition on this side of our fall into sin. He wrote:
... it is an illusion to suppose that real security can be gained by men organizing their own personal and community life. There are encounters and destinies which man cannot master. He cannot secure endurance for his works. His life is fleeting and its end is death. History goes on and pulls down all the towers of Babel again and again. (Jesus Christ and Mythology, p.39)
In this text, Jesus speaks of tearing down the established order of his day, simply exposing life the way Bultmann described it, as a mere illusion.
This great scholar also reflected on what Jesus’ preaching in this lesson about the destruction of the temple and the new era to come, might mean. About the hope for the future implied in Jesus’ comments Bultmann also wrote:
Therefore, this hope or this faith may be called readiness for the unknown future that God will give. In brief, it means to be open to God’s future in the face of death and darkness. (Jesus Christ and Mythology, p.31)
Mark E.
