Sermon Illustrations for Proper 8 | OT 13 (2021)
Illustration
2 Samuel 1:1, 17-27
I read this story in July 1991’s “Bits and Pieces.” I think it does a great job of describing friendship. A British publication once offered a prize for the best definition of a friend. Among the thousands of answers received were the following:
“One who multiplies joys, divides grief, and whose honesty is inviolable.”
“One who understands our silence.”
“A volume of sympathy bound in cloth.”
“A watch that beats true for all time and never runs down.”
The winning definition read: “A friend is the one who comes in when the whole world has gone out.”
Is there any better way to describe the relationship between Jonathan and David than the winning definition? David and Jonathan’s friendship transcended Saul’s hostility toward David. It transcended natural logic. The kingdom being removed from Saul’s family meant Jonathan would not be king and David would. Despite that, they were still close friends. Upon Jonathan’s death, David said, “I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan. greatly beloved were you to me; your love to me was wonderful.” (vs. 26). Those kinds of friendships run deep and are incredibly important.
Bill T.
* * *
2 Samuel 1:1, 17-27
Maybe you’ve seen that bumper sticker that reads “Live Your Life So The Preacher Won’t Have to Lie at Your Funeral.” I don’t know about you, but in 41 years of pastoral ministry I have done my level best to tell the truth at funerals, but there are times you really want to tell a story about how things should have been, not as they actually were.
I think there’s some of that in David’s lament over his dear friend Jonathan. These lines especially:
Saul and Jonathan, beloved and lovely!
In life and in death they were not divided;
Yeah, they were. Twice Saul nearly killed Jonathan. Jonathan took great risks because he preferred David to his father. They were often at odds. But this is part of the trauma that follows in the wake of Saul’s dysfunctional mental illness. David is describing how things should have been. And since he was part of the wedge between father and son, perhaps he felt a little guilty as well. At any rate, perhaps it was good hearted of David to put his antagonist in the best possible light.
Frank R.
* * *
2 Corinthians 8:7-15
The Fundraising Effectiveness Project reported that in 2020 that 56% of US households made charitable contributions in response to the pandemic, and the first half of 2020 saw a 12.6 percent increase in the number of new donors to charity compared to one year ago. It seems that hard times can bring on generosity. According to Martin Luther, that is the way God operates and still prefers to operate that way to this day, that we know his goodness best when we experience him suffering with us in our own suffering:
Because men misused the knowledge of God through works, God wished again to be recognized in suffering, and to condemn wisdom concerning invisible things by means of wisdom concerning visible things, so that those who did not honor God as manifested in His works should honor Him as He is hidden in His suffering. (Luther’s Works, Vol.31, p.52).
The link between giving and suffering was penetratingly examined by Mahatma Gandhi, when he once commented, “The best way to find your self is to lose yourself — in the service of others.”
Mark E.
* * *
2 Corinthians 8:7-15
In recent times in the church, we have begun to focus less on stewardship and more on generosity. Generosity, a gift from the Holy Spirit, is much broader than caring for or stewarding resource. Generosity is a spiritual discipline which help our faith deepen and broaden. Paul is calling the church in Corinth and us, to live into generosity. We are being called to share of ourselves, of our abilities, and our resources. “I do not mean that there should be relief for others and pressure on you, but it is a question of a fair balance between your present abundance and their need, so that their abundance may be for your need, in order that there may be a fair balance.” Balance is such a difficult concept for us humans. But charity and generosity are spiritual gifts for which we can ask God to strengthen us. That can lead us toward balance with our human siblings.
Bonnie B.
* * *
Mark 5:21-43
Opposition to Jesus is shown in many ways. Religious leaders openly question his authority. Family members call him crazy. His hometown neighbors seek to stone him, as do those disappointed that he will not repeat the miracle of the feeding of the multitudes. Not to mention the small matter of the crucifixion. However, in this passage in Mark, there’s a unique, and perhaps utterly devastating response when Jesus announces to those mourning the daughter of the synagogue leader, “Why do you make a commotion and weep? The child is not dead but sleeping.” Mark notes simply, “And they laughed at him.” Not that any of us would prefer to be hit with a rock compared to enduring another person’s laughter, but to be reduced to a figure of fun can be devastating, even destroying a serious effort to serve others. Once people no longer take you seriously, it can be hard to restore credibility. This laughter, after all, is not at all related to the joy we share when we laugh at ourselves or put a difficult situation into perspective. This laughter is a destructive weapon, used when someone has no answer to another person. Instead of honestly discussing ideas – what do you mean when you say this child, obviously dead, is sleeping? – here is an attempt to reduce the ministry of Jesus to an absurdity. You cannot laugh off Jesus, and the power of Jesus to change lives. Jesus says, “Talitha Cum,” a little bit of Aramaic used to ground this story in its historical reality. It also demonstrates how the sarcastic laugh can be turned to amazement.
Frank R.
* * *
Mark 5:21-43
Desperate situations call for extreme responses. I read about a paratrooper who was speaking to a group of young recruits. When he had finished his prepared talk and called for questions, one young fellow raised his hand and said, "What made you decide to make your first jump"? The paratrooper's answer was quick and to the point. "An airplane at 20,000 with three dead engines.”
That makes sense. You have to do what you have to do. That’s what we see in this familiar text. Jairus, the synagogue leader, approached Jesus with a crisis. His little girl was dying. He begged Jesus to come. The crowds around Jesus surely understood. Jairus was a prominent person who was dealing with a life and death situation. Jesus surely needed to go. Among the crowds, though, was a desperate woman. We don’t know her name. We only know she’d been dealing with a problem for years and no one could help her. She yearned for Jesus’ help, too. I get the feeling she didn’t want to interrupt Jesus’ important task. She only wanted to touch his robe. That would be enough. In a move of desperate faith, she touched his cloak. We know the rest of the story. It caught Jesus’ attention and brought her healing. We likely won’t know her name this side of heaven, but who can forget her act of desperate faith?
Bill T.
I read this story in July 1991’s “Bits and Pieces.” I think it does a great job of describing friendship. A British publication once offered a prize for the best definition of a friend. Among the thousands of answers received were the following:
“One who multiplies joys, divides grief, and whose honesty is inviolable.”
“One who understands our silence.”
“A volume of sympathy bound in cloth.”
“A watch that beats true for all time and never runs down.”
The winning definition read: “A friend is the one who comes in when the whole world has gone out.”
Is there any better way to describe the relationship between Jonathan and David than the winning definition? David and Jonathan’s friendship transcended Saul’s hostility toward David. It transcended natural logic. The kingdom being removed from Saul’s family meant Jonathan would not be king and David would. Despite that, they were still close friends. Upon Jonathan’s death, David said, “I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan. greatly beloved were you to me; your love to me was wonderful.” (vs. 26). Those kinds of friendships run deep and are incredibly important.
Bill T.
* * *
2 Samuel 1:1, 17-27
Maybe you’ve seen that bumper sticker that reads “Live Your Life So The Preacher Won’t Have to Lie at Your Funeral.” I don’t know about you, but in 41 years of pastoral ministry I have done my level best to tell the truth at funerals, but there are times you really want to tell a story about how things should have been, not as they actually were.
I think there’s some of that in David’s lament over his dear friend Jonathan. These lines especially:
Saul and Jonathan, beloved and lovely!
In life and in death they were not divided;
Yeah, they were. Twice Saul nearly killed Jonathan. Jonathan took great risks because he preferred David to his father. They were often at odds. But this is part of the trauma that follows in the wake of Saul’s dysfunctional mental illness. David is describing how things should have been. And since he was part of the wedge between father and son, perhaps he felt a little guilty as well. At any rate, perhaps it was good hearted of David to put his antagonist in the best possible light.
Frank R.
* * *
2 Corinthians 8:7-15
The Fundraising Effectiveness Project reported that in 2020 that 56% of US households made charitable contributions in response to the pandemic, and the first half of 2020 saw a 12.6 percent increase in the number of new donors to charity compared to one year ago. It seems that hard times can bring on generosity. According to Martin Luther, that is the way God operates and still prefers to operate that way to this day, that we know his goodness best when we experience him suffering with us in our own suffering:
Because men misused the knowledge of God through works, God wished again to be recognized in suffering, and to condemn wisdom concerning invisible things by means of wisdom concerning visible things, so that those who did not honor God as manifested in His works should honor Him as He is hidden in His suffering. (Luther’s Works, Vol.31, p.52).
The link between giving and suffering was penetratingly examined by Mahatma Gandhi, when he once commented, “The best way to find your self is to lose yourself — in the service of others.”
Mark E.
* * *
2 Corinthians 8:7-15
In recent times in the church, we have begun to focus less on stewardship and more on generosity. Generosity, a gift from the Holy Spirit, is much broader than caring for or stewarding resource. Generosity is a spiritual discipline which help our faith deepen and broaden. Paul is calling the church in Corinth and us, to live into generosity. We are being called to share of ourselves, of our abilities, and our resources. “I do not mean that there should be relief for others and pressure on you, but it is a question of a fair balance between your present abundance and their need, so that their abundance may be for your need, in order that there may be a fair balance.” Balance is such a difficult concept for us humans. But charity and generosity are spiritual gifts for which we can ask God to strengthen us. That can lead us toward balance with our human siblings.
Bonnie B.
* * *
Mark 5:21-43
Opposition to Jesus is shown in many ways. Religious leaders openly question his authority. Family members call him crazy. His hometown neighbors seek to stone him, as do those disappointed that he will not repeat the miracle of the feeding of the multitudes. Not to mention the small matter of the crucifixion. However, in this passage in Mark, there’s a unique, and perhaps utterly devastating response when Jesus announces to those mourning the daughter of the synagogue leader, “Why do you make a commotion and weep? The child is not dead but sleeping.” Mark notes simply, “And they laughed at him.” Not that any of us would prefer to be hit with a rock compared to enduring another person’s laughter, but to be reduced to a figure of fun can be devastating, even destroying a serious effort to serve others. Once people no longer take you seriously, it can be hard to restore credibility. This laughter, after all, is not at all related to the joy we share when we laugh at ourselves or put a difficult situation into perspective. This laughter is a destructive weapon, used when someone has no answer to another person. Instead of honestly discussing ideas – what do you mean when you say this child, obviously dead, is sleeping? – here is an attempt to reduce the ministry of Jesus to an absurdity. You cannot laugh off Jesus, and the power of Jesus to change lives. Jesus says, “Talitha Cum,” a little bit of Aramaic used to ground this story in its historical reality. It also demonstrates how the sarcastic laugh can be turned to amazement.
Frank R.
* * *
Mark 5:21-43
Desperate situations call for extreme responses. I read about a paratrooper who was speaking to a group of young recruits. When he had finished his prepared talk and called for questions, one young fellow raised his hand and said, "What made you decide to make your first jump"? The paratrooper's answer was quick and to the point. "An airplane at 20,000 with three dead engines.”
That makes sense. You have to do what you have to do. That’s what we see in this familiar text. Jairus, the synagogue leader, approached Jesus with a crisis. His little girl was dying. He begged Jesus to come. The crowds around Jesus surely understood. Jairus was a prominent person who was dealing with a life and death situation. Jesus surely needed to go. Among the crowds, though, was a desperate woman. We don’t know her name. We only know she’d been dealing with a problem for years and no one could help her. She yearned for Jesus’ help, too. I get the feeling she didn’t want to interrupt Jesus’ important task. She only wanted to touch his robe. That would be enough. In a move of desperate faith, she touched his cloak. We know the rest of the story. It caught Jesus’ attention and brought her healing. We likely won’t know her name this side of heaven, but who can forget her act of desperate faith?
Bill T.
