Sermon Illustrations For Proper 8 | Ordinary Time 13 (2023)
Illustration
Genesis 22:1-14
The father of existentialist philosophy Søren Kierkegaard claimed that in the story of Abraham and Isaac we see the “teleological suspension of the ethical.” In the paradox that killing your own son is what God wants, we see faith active in its extreme, for at its best “faith is this paradox, that the particular is higher than the universal,” (Fear and Trembling and The Sickness Unto Death, pp.67,65). In other words, faith leads you to subordinate everything, even what is universally agreed-upon principles like morality, to a particular set of beliefs. Nothing, not even ethics, is more important than God and what God wills. This is called a situational ethic, a belief that God sometimes expects us to break the law and common morality. Martin Luther had a similar perspective, as he expressed openness to a Christian lying or deceiving in the service of God against the evil (Luther’s Works, Vol.5, pp.150-151). Are there not situations in which a lie to a loved one that he/she is doing great (even if not) really an act of love for building confidence before as major presentation? Was Luther’s spiritual son Dietrich Bonhoeffer really working against God in his plot to kill a fellow human being (Hitler)? Are there not occasions for the faithful to “teleologically suspend the ethical” like Abraham did?
Mark E.
* * *
Genesis 22:1-14
I have always had a difficult time preaching on this passage of scripture. How could God ask that Abraham sacrifice the son he waited all his life to have? How is this an example of the living and loving God? Yes, I know it is a test of obedience. Yes, I know that God relents, and Abraham is spared the act of sacrificing his son. Still, this request of God is counter to everything I believe about a loving God. When our twin sons were stillborn at 8 months, I screamed my pain at God. Yet, I could not believe that God willed this to happen. Rather I knew the biology of my own body and the percentage of loss of identical twins to diabetic women. God walked with me in this dark time. Maybe that is Abraham’s lesson — rather than one of obedience — that even in the darkest of times, God is with us. God redeems us. God graces and loves us. This is the only way I can move into this scripture. Is it difficult for you as well?
Bonnie B.
* * *
Genesis 22:1-14
The statement, “Obedience isn’t obedience until it costs you something,” is an interesting thought. I came across this story that reiterates that idea. Pierre Barlot was a gunner in the fort of Mont Valerin during the Prussian siege of Paris. One day he was standing by his gun when the commander came up and leveled his looking glass at the Sevres bridge. “Gunner,” he said, “do you see the Sevres bridge over there?”
“Yes, sir.”
“And that little house in a thicket of shrubs to the left?”
“I see it, sir,” said Barlot.
“It’s a nest of Prussians. Hit it with a shell, my man.”
Barlot turned pale. He aimed carefully and fired. “Well hit, my man, well hit!” exclaimed the general. But as he looked at Barlot, he was surprised to see a great tear running down the gunner’s cheek. “What’s the matter, man?”
“Pardon me, General,” he answered, “it was my house—everything I had in the world.”
According to this story, Barlot gave up “everything he had in the world.” Whether this story actually happened this way is not known for sure. What is definite, though, is what Abraham was asked to do. Genesis 22 records that Abraham was told to sacrifice his son, Isaac. It had to be an incredibly difficult thing to hear, but Abraham did as he was told. He was willing to lay everything on the altar. God honored Abraham’s faith. “Obedience isn’t obedience until it costs you something.” Are we willing to lay our dream on the altar and trust God with what happens?
Bill T.
* * *
Romans 6:12-23
Paul pleads with the Romans that they no longer use their body parts, eyes, arms, legs, ears, mouths, and so on, as “instruments of unrighteousness,” but present our means of seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, touching, as “instruments of righteousness.” That word hopla, translated as “instruments,” intrigued me. The word is used for a ship’s tackle, for a farmer’s sickle, and a shepherd’s staff, for tools of the trade in all manner of work. But one of the common uses is for the instruments, gear, and apparel of war. I lean towards thinking this is what Paul is really referring to. When you think about it, the words of our mouths may be tools, but often are used as weapons. What we do, what we say, how we use the things we hear, how we interact with the physical world, our sexual relationships, can be used as weapons of war, weapons of unrighteousness, in so many ways. And of course, the Roman Christians would be more than familiar with the armed might of their empire, including the brutality of crucifixions.
Frank R.
* * *
Romans 6:12-23
In the movie Polar Express, Billy is a boy that lives in the same town as Hero Boy. It is obvious, though, that Billy does not enjoy the same kind of life that most of the other kids on the Polar Express do. In his own words Christmas, “just doesn’t work out for me.” However, once they kids are at the North Pole, they find themselves in the gift room. Billy finds a gift with his name on it. It is obvious it is something he’s wanted his whole life. Hero Girl tells him he can’t open it now. Billy is reluctant to let go of the gift, even when the elves call for it to put it in the sleigh. Finally, in a moment of trust, Billy lets it go. His joy is radiant when the Polar Express takes him home and he finds his gift.
It is hard to trust for a gift you cannot see. All who know the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior are recipients of a wonderful gift. This familiar passage in Romans describes it. Unlike Santa, God doesn’t give us what we deserve. The wages of sin are death. That’s what we’ve earned. God, though, gives something far greater. The gift of God is eternal life! What a gift! Let’s celebrate.
Bill T.
* * *
Matthew 10:40-42
When my children, all grown now, were little, I would annoy them by reminding them when they asked for carbonated beverages, that “Water is the staff of life.” Water is essential for life. My experience as a pastor is that many people are desperately dehydrated because they — we — ignore water totally at the expense of other things to drink. (Mind you, I drink coffee regularly, but I also drink 64 ounces of water a day.)
When Jesus talks about holy hospitality, about receiving those who work for the gospel as Jesus and uses the image of giving a cup of cold water, we should call to mind that in most ages of human history, and in many places today, clean, safe water is beyond price, and almost impossible to obtain. This is an even more precious gift, one that we are able to reject even though we have choices. By no means am I suggesting one drink only water, but let us recall how highly prized and precious this gift is, and both in choosing to drink water ourselves, and in offering it to others, we are participating in the life of Jesus in a surprisingly earnest way.
Frank R.
* * *
Matthew 10:40-42
Jesus offers lessons in hospitality in this lesson. But hospitality is more than just giving someone some water or even a roof over his or her head. We might learn some lessons on the subject from Eleanor Roosevelt. She is quoted as once advising that, “True hospitality consists of giving the best of yourself to your guests.” Give the best of yourself to others, Jesus says. Famed Catholic Mystic of the last century Henri Nouwen put it this way once:
Hospitality means primarily the creation of free space where the stranger can enter and become a friend instead of an enemy. Hospitality is not to change people, but to offer them space where change can take place. It is not to bring men and women over to our side, but to offer freedom not disturbed by dividing lines.
Give space to strangers, Nouwen advises. Showing such hospitality should be practiced even when its seems that you do not have the resources. For according to Martin Luther, God can provide. He put it this way once in a sermon:
... trust in Him [God] who out of an impossible thing can make something possible, and make something out of nothing. (Complete Sermons, Vol.3/1, p.133)
Mark E.
* * *
Matthew 10:40-42
Welcoming the stranger, the visitor, the person different from ourselves can be difficult. I would have a hard time welcoming a racist or homophobic person. I would have difficulty welcoming a sexist person. Yet, if I believe, and I do, that all are created in the image of God, that all have that spark of divinity within them, I must welcome them. In doing so, I welcome Jesus and I truly want to welcome Jesus. As we welcome Jesus into our lives, we welcome God into our lives. As we welcome the stranger, the visitor or the enemy, we welcome Jesus. There is no question that is our calling as faithful followers of Jesus. God grant me the ability to welcome, as Jesus welcomed and welcomes.
Bonnie B.
The father of existentialist philosophy Søren Kierkegaard claimed that in the story of Abraham and Isaac we see the “teleological suspension of the ethical.” In the paradox that killing your own son is what God wants, we see faith active in its extreme, for at its best “faith is this paradox, that the particular is higher than the universal,” (Fear and Trembling and The Sickness Unto Death, pp.67,65). In other words, faith leads you to subordinate everything, even what is universally agreed-upon principles like morality, to a particular set of beliefs. Nothing, not even ethics, is more important than God and what God wills. This is called a situational ethic, a belief that God sometimes expects us to break the law and common morality. Martin Luther had a similar perspective, as he expressed openness to a Christian lying or deceiving in the service of God against the evil (Luther’s Works, Vol.5, pp.150-151). Are there not situations in which a lie to a loved one that he/she is doing great (even if not) really an act of love for building confidence before as major presentation? Was Luther’s spiritual son Dietrich Bonhoeffer really working against God in his plot to kill a fellow human being (Hitler)? Are there not occasions for the faithful to “teleologically suspend the ethical” like Abraham did?
Mark E.
* * *
Genesis 22:1-14
I have always had a difficult time preaching on this passage of scripture. How could God ask that Abraham sacrifice the son he waited all his life to have? How is this an example of the living and loving God? Yes, I know it is a test of obedience. Yes, I know that God relents, and Abraham is spared the act of sacrificing his son. Still, this request of God is counter to everything I believe about a loving God. When our twin sons were stillborn at 8 months, I screamed my pain at God. Yet, I could not believe that God willed this to happen. Rather I knew the biology of my own body and the percentage of loss of identical twins to diabetic women. God walked with me in this dark time. Maybe that is Abraham’s lesson — rather than one of obedience — that even in the darkest of times, God is with us. God redeems us. God graces and loves us. This is the only way I can move into this scripture. Is it difficult for you as well?
Bonnie B.
* * *
Genesis 22:1-14
The statement, “Obedience isn’t obedience until it costs you something,” is an interesting thought. I came across this story that reiterates that idea. Pierre Barlot was a gunner in the fort of Mont Valerin during the Prussian siege of Paris. One day he was standing by his gun when the commander came up and leveled his looking glass at the Sevres bridge. “Gunner,” he said, “do you see the Sevres bridge over there?”
“Yes, sir.”
“And that little house in a thicket of shrubs to the left?”
“I see it, sir,” said Barlot.
“It’s a nest of Prussians. Hit it with a shell, my man.”
Barlot turned pale. He aimed carefully and fired. “Well hit, my man, well hit!” exclaimed the general. But as he looked at Barlot, he was surprised to see a great tear running down the gunner’s cheek. “What’s the matter, man?”
“Pardon me, General,” he answered, “it was my house—everything I had in the world.”
According to this story, Barlot gave up “everything he had in the world.” Whether this story actually happened this way is not known for sure. What is definite, though, is what Abraham was asked to do. Genesis 22 records that Abraham was told to sacrifice his son, Isaac. It had to be an incredibly difficult thing to hear, but Abraham did as he was told. He was willing to lay everything on the altar. God honored Abraham’s faith. “Obedience isn’t obedience until it costs you something.” Are we willing to lay our dream on the altar and trust God with what happens?
Bill T.
* * *
Romans 6:12-23
Paul pleads with the Romans that they no longer use their body parts, eyes, arms, legs, ears, mouths, and so on, as “instruments of unrighteousness,” but present our means of seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, touching, as “instruments of righteousness.” That word hopla, translated as “instruments,” intrigued me. The word is used for a ship’s tackle, for a farmer’s sickle, and a shepherd’s staff, for tools of the trade in all manner of work. But one of the common uses is for the instruments, gear, and apparel of war. I lean towards thinking this is what Paul is really referring to. When you think about it, the words of our mouths may be tools, but often are used as weapons. What we do, what we say, how we use the things we hear, how we interact with the physical world, our sexual relationships, can be used as weapons of war, weapons of unrighteousness, in so many ways. And of course, the Roman Christians would be more than familiar with the armed might of their empire, including the brutality of crucifixions.
Frank R.
* * *
Romans 6:12-23
In the movie Polar Express, Billy is a boy that lives in the same town as Hero Boy. It is obvious, though, that Billy does not enjoy the same kind of life that most of the other kids on the Polar Express do. In his own words Christmas, “just doesn’t work out for me.” However, once they kids are at the North Pole, they find themselves in the gift room. Billy finds a gift with his name on it. It is obvious it is something he’s wanted his whole life. Hero Girl tells him he can’t open it now. Billy is reluctant to let go of the gift, even when the elves call for it to put it in the sleigh. Finally, in a moment of trust, Billy lets it go. His joy is radiant when the Polar Express takes him home and he finds his gift.
It is hard to trust for a gift you cannot see. All who know the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior are recipients of a wonderful gift. This familiar passage in Romans describes it. Unlike Santa, God doesn’t give us what we deserve. The wages of sin are death. That’s what we’ve earned. God, though, gives something far greater. The gift of God is eternal life! What a gift! Let’s celebrate.
Bill T.
* * *
Matthew 10:40-42
When my children, all grown now, were little, I would annoy them by reminding them when they asked for carbonated beverages, that “Water is the staff of life.” Water is essential for life. My experience as a pastor is that many people are desperately dehydrated because they — we — ignore water totally at the expense of other things to drink. (Mind you, I drink coffee regularly, but I also drink 64 ounces of water a day.)
When Jesus talks about holy hospitality, about receiving those who work for the gospel as Jesus and uses the image of giving a cup of cold water, we should call to mind that in most ages of human history, and in many places today, clean, safe water is beyond price, and almost impossible to obtain. This is an even more precious gift, one that we are able to reject even though we have choices. By no means am I suggesting one drink only water, but let us recall how highly prized and precious this gift is, and both in choosing to drink water ourselves, and in offering it to others, we are participating in the life of Jesus in a surprisingly earnest way.
Frank R.
* * *
Matthew 10:40-42
Jesus offers lessons in hospitality in this lesson. But hospitality is more than just giving someone some water or even a roof over his or her head. We might learn some lessons on the subject from Eleanor Roosevelt. She is quoted as once advising that, “True hospitality consists of giving the best of yourself to your guests.” Give the best of yourself to others, Jesus says. Famed Catholic Mystic of the last century Henri Nouwen put it this way once:
Hospitality means primarily the creation of free space where the stranger can enter and become a friend instead of an enemy. Hospitality is not to change people, but to offer them space where change can take place. It is not to bring men and women over to our side, but to offer freedom not disturbed by dividing lines.
Give space to strangers, Nouwen advises. Showing such hospitality should be practiced even when its seems that you do not have the resources. For according to Martin Luther, God can provide. He put it this way once in a sermon:
... trust in Him [God] who out of an impossible thing can make something possible, and make something out of nothing. (Complete Sermons, Vol.3/1, p.133)
Mark E.
* * *
Matthew 10:40-42
Welcoming the stranger, the visitor, the person different from ourselves can be difficult. I would have a hard time welcoming a racist or homophobic person. I would have difficulty welcoming a sexist person. Yet, if I believe, and I do, that all are created in the image of God, that all have that spark of divinity within them, I must welcome them. In doing so, I welcome Jesus and I truly want to welcome Jesus. As we welcome Jesus into our lives, we welcome God into our lives. As we welcome the stranger, the visitor or the enemy, we welcome Jesus. There is no question that is our calling as faithful followers of Jesus. God grant me the ability to welcome, as Jesus welcomed and welcomes.
Bonnie B.
