Sermon Illustrations for Proper 9 | OT 14 (2013)
Illustration
Object:
2 Kings 5:1-14
Many people are getting tattoos to express their Christian faith. One patron at Skin Art by Randy, in Gastonia, South Carolina, said, "I love sharing my faith, and I felt like this was a way to break the ice. Without saying anything, this is a way to share your faith." That gentleman got an elaborate tattoo with a verse from Isaiah. Jeff Mauney, owner of Ink Link in Gastonia, said that many people who come into his parlor and do not know what Christian tattoo to select. So, according to Mauney, "People come in and don't know what they want, and they'll settle on crosses."
Application: A simple cross is a genuine expression of faith. Naaman had difficulty accepting the simple as being profound when he received his instruction from Elisha regarding his healing.
Ron L.
2 Kings 5:1-14
This story reveals that we find faith in unexpected places, including in Naaman, the army commander of the Gentile nation of Aram. This is not so surprising when we keep in mind famed modern theologian Karl Barth's claim that Christ's light shines everywhere. He spoke of "hidden neighbors outside the church" who are to be the object of the church's mission (Church Dogmatics, Vol. I/2, p. 425). Indeed, the Second Vatican Council of the Roman Catholic Church even taught the possibility that non-Christians might be saved:
"Those who through no fault of their own, do not know the gospel or Christ or his church, but who nevertheless seek God with a sincere heart and are moved by grace, try in their actions to do his will as they know it through the dictates of their own consciences -- those too may achieve eternal salvation" (Lumen Gentium, p. 16).
No one is so far from God to be unreachable.
Mark E.
2 Kings 5:1-14
It's an odd thing to ride in an electric car. There is essentially no noise. There's no vibration. No trail of exhaust follows you. It doesn't make much of an impression when you zoom off. You can't intimidate someone by gunning the engine at a stop light. But you still move. No heads turn at the sound of you speeding by, but you can still speed by. There is no show of power. There's just power. No commotion; just motion.
Scott B.
Galatians 6:(1-6) 7-16
Reaping what you sow is a metaphor that comes from the fields. A similar lesson can be gained from the ocean. In returning to fishing for swordfish after a ten-year break trapping lobsters, boat captain Linda Greenlaw, in her book Seaworthy, describes how one must fish at the right time of month, in the right temperature of water, at the right depth in order to have a successful swordfish catch. Greenlaw pushes her crew to fish right, to do it right; even when the going gets tough, like it does on the high seas of the North Atlantic at the Grand Banks off Newfoundland, do not grow weary of doing it right. For you get what's right out of life when you put what's right into life. This is what Paul means when he writes, "If you sow to the Spirit, you will reap eternal life from the Spirit."
Mark M.
Galatians 6:(1-6) 7-16
No, we are no longer bound by the law, but the law shows us that we have messed up! Because we love our husband or wife, we want to know what pleases them and what sometimes hurts them. We try to do what is right, but sometimes we fail and look for forgiveness. We all are tempted and fail to please God.
In our marriage we sometimes turn to buddies to guide us. They may be able to set us straight. Sometimes we can bear each other's burdens when we fail because we have all gone through failures. In our relationship with God, some in our congregations may be able to lead us better than others. Pastors and elders may help guide us and support us though they may not be perfect themselves. They shouldn't brag and show us how great they are. We may look around us at all those sinners who are worse than us and feel satisfied. We view the news on TV and see horrible sinners all over the world -- maybe even in our government! My newspaper is full of the sins of others. If we are not careful it can take away the sting of sin in our own lives, and we can become proud that we are not as bad as those others!
We must not think that we can fool God. He is not interested in our excuses. We reap what we sow! It will not help a farmer to compare his crops with his neighbor's. The only thing that counts is his own success. He does not farm just to show how much better a farmer he is than his neighbor.
God tells us not to get tired of trying to please him. Hang in there and seek to do his will out of love for him. Don't get tired and give up. If we are getting tired, then call on him to give you his Spirit to strengthen you. If you do what you do to please God, then you will reap a great harvest. If you are in it just to please yourself, then beware!
It can be easier to do good to your fellow Christians, but this passage tells us to do good to all people -- even those you may not like. I have seen great success in the mission field when we do good to those who may hate us! Just keep on doing good. It may shock them into finding out what our secret is. I have seen it work in thousands of lives in Nepal. Some who have even gone to jail for their faith and suffered there have sometimes ended up winning their jailers to Christ.
Some try to obey outwardly the traditions of their family and friends. If they are doing it to try and win them that may not be bad, but if they do it just to avoid persecution then God won't be pleased. Do all for the glory of God.
Bob O.
Luke 10:1-11, 16-20
In Latin the word "pastor" means "shepherd." It came from the same base that produced pascere, which means to "feed" or "pasture." A pastor is an individual who shepherds others, caring for their most basic needs. Traditionally in the church the position of pastor is rightfully held by the ordained clergy. This does not preclude the laity from being pastoral in relationship to others. As shepherds, let us go forth with the charge of John Wesley embedded in our souls: "I look on all the world as my parish; thus far I mean, that, in whatever part of it I am, I judge it meet, right, and my bounden duty, to declare unto all that are willing to hear, the glad tidings of salvation."
Application: As people were comforted in hearing the voice of Jesus, let them also be comforted by our voice of assurance and our being present in love.
Ron L.
Luke 10:1-11, 16-20
What if those vacation resorts that claim to include everything actually included everything? "All-inclusive" usually means meals and a place to stay, and maybe soap, shampoo, a pool, and some other goodies; but what if they also threw in clothes, a toothbrush, your favorite books, diapers for the babies, toys for the kids, and everything you would actually use while you were there? What if you didn't have to pack anything and all you had to take was you? What if your job did that and all you had to bring was your attention and your effort? What if all you had to worry about in life was that job? What if we really trusted that God does that?
Scott B.
Luke 10:1-11, 16-20
In our gospel, Jesus would have those he sends out to do mission to tread on snakes and overcome all evil. The ancient poet Virgil is right: There are always snakes in the grass about which we must be wary.
The snake is the one we can't trust, the people or things who trick us or try to lure us away. The lure of prosperity, drugs, popularity, wealth, instant gratification, celebrity, and of being good to oneself are all snakes we encounter. Jesus encourages the seventy he sends and us that we will have the authority to overcome all these temptations and trials. Medieval mystic Bernard of Clairvaux powerfully related why now that we have been sent, been united to Christ, these snakes have no chance:
"He is living and full of energy. As soon as he has entered me he has awakened my sleeping soul. He has stirred and softened and wounded my heart which was torpid and as hard as a rock. He has started to pluck up and destroy... to warm with his flame those that were cold, and to straighten the crooked paths to my heart and make its rough places smooth" (Elmer O'Brien, ed., Varieties of Mystic Experience, p. 105).
Snakes in the grass have no chance to destroy the missions on which we have been sent, even if the results at first may be ambiguous, as Martin Luther suggests: "I cannot foresee the fruit of my teaching, which people are to be converted and which not... who are you, after all, to search out these things? Do your duty and leave the result to God" (What Luther Says, p. 928).
Mark E.
Many people are getting tattoos to express their Christian faith. One patron at Skin Art by Randy, in Gastonia, South Carolina, said, "I love sharing my faith, and I felt like this was a way to break the ice. Without saying anything, this is a way to share your faith." That gentleman got an elaborate tattoo with a verse from Isaiah. Jeff Mauney, owner of Ink Link in Gastonia, said that many people who come into his parlor and do not know what Christian tattoo to select. So, according to Mauney, "People come in and don't know what they want, and they'll settle on crosses."
Application: A simple cross is a genuine expression of faith. Naaman had difficulty accepting the simple as being profound when he received his instruction from Elisha regarding his healing.
Ron L.
2 Kings 5:1-14
This story reveals that we find faith in unexpected places, including in Naaman, the army commander of the Gentile nation of Aram. This is not so surprising when we keep in mind famed modern theologian Karl Barth's claim that Christ's light shines everywhere. He spoke of "hidden neighbors outside the church" who are to be the object of the church's mission (Church Dogmatics, Vol. I/2, p. 425). Indeed, the Second Vatican Council of the Roman Catholic Church even taught the possibility that non-Christians might be saved:
"Those who through no fault of their own, do not know the gospel or Christ or his church, but who nevertheless seek God with a sincere heart and are moved by grace, try in their actions to do his will as they know it through the dictates of their own consciences -- those too may achieve eternal salvation" (Lumen Gentium, p. 16).
No one is so far from God to be unreachable.
Mark E.
2 Kings 5:1-14
It's an odd thing to ride in an electric car. There is essentially no noise. There's no vibration. No trail of exhaust follows you. It doesn't make much of an impression when you zoom off. You can't intimidate someone by gunning the engine at a stop light. But you still move. No heads turn at the sound of you speeding by, but you can still speed by. There is no show of power. There's just power. No commotion; just motion.
Scott B.
Galatians 6:(1-6) 7-16
Reaping what you sow is a metaphor that comes from the fields. A similar lesson can be gained from the ocean. In returning to fishing for swordfish after a ten-year break trapping lobsters, boat captain Linda Greenlaw, in her book Seaworthy, describes how one must fish at the right time of month, in the right temperature of water, at the right depth in order to have a successful swordfish catch. Greenlaw pushes her crew to fish right, to do it right; even when the going gets tough, like it does on the high seas of the North Atlantic at the Grand Banks off Newfoundland, do not grow weary of doing it right. For you get what's right out of life when you put what's right into life. This is what Paul means when he writes, "If you sow to the Spirit, you will reap eternal life from the Spirit."
Mark M.
Galatians 6:(1-6) 7-16
No, we are no longer bound by the law, but the law shows us that we have messed up! Because we love our husband or wife, we want to know what pleases them and what sometimes hurts them. We try to do what is right, but sometimes we fail and look for forgiveness. We all are tempted and fail to please God.
In our marriage we sometimes turn to buddies to guide us. They may be able to set us straight. Sometimes we can bear each other's burdens when we fail because we have all gone through failures. In our relationship with God, some in our congregations may be able to lead us better than others. Pastors and elders may help guide us and support us though they may not be perfect themselves. They shouldn't brag and show us how great they are. We may look around us at all those sinners who are worse than us and feel satisfied. We view the news on TV and see horrible sinners all over the world -- maybe even in our government! My newspaper is full of the sins of others. If we are not careful it can take away the sting of sin in our own lives, and we can become proud that we are not as bad as those others!
We must not think that we can fool God. He is not interested in our excuses. We reap what we sow! It will not help a farmer to compare his crops with his neighbor's. The only thing that counts is his own success. He does not farm just to show how much better a farmer he is than his neighbor.
God tells us not to get tired of trying to please him. Hang in there and seek to do his will out of love for him. Don't get tired and give up. If we are getting tired, then call on him to give you his Spirit to strengthen you. If you do what you do to please God, then you will reap a great harvest. If you are in it just to please yourself, then beware!
It can be easier to do good to your fellow Christians, but this passage tells us to do good to all people -- even those you may not like. I have seen great success in the mission field when we do good to those who may hate us! Just keep on doing good. It may shock them into finding out what our secret is. I have seen it work in thousands of lives in Nepal. Some who have even gone to jail for their faith and suffered there have sometimes ended up winning their jailers to Christ.
Some try to obey outwardly the traditions of their family and friends. If they are doing it to try and win them that may not be bad, but if they do it just to avoid persecution then God won't be pleased. Do all for the glory of God.
Bob O.
Luke 10:1-11, 16-20
In Latin the word "pastor" means "shepherd." It came from the same base that produced pascere, which means to "feed" or "pasture." A pastor is an individual who shepherds others, caring for their most basic needs. Traditionally in the church the position of pastor is rightfully held by the ordained clergy. This does not preclude the laity from being pastoral in relationship to others. As shepherds, let us go forth with the charge of John Wesley embedded in our souls: "I look on all the world as my parish; thus far I mean, that, in whatever part of it I am, I judge it meet, right, and my bounden duty, to declare unto all that are willing to hear, the glad tidings of salvation."
Application: As people were comforted in hearing the voice of Jesus, let them also be comforted by our voice of assurance and our being present in love.
Ron L.
Luke 10:1-11, 16-20
What if those vacation resorts that claim to include everything actually included everything? "All-inclusive" usually means meals and a place to stay, and maybe soap, shampoo, a pool, and some other goodies; but what if they also threw in clothes, a toothbrush, your favorite books, diapers for the babies, toys for the kids, and everything you would actually use while you were there? What if you didn't have to pack anything and all you had to take was you? What if your job did that and all you had to bring was your attention and your effort? What if all you had to worry about in life was that job? What if we really trusted that God does that?
Scott B.
Luke 10:1-11, 16-20
In our gospel, Jesus would have those he sends out to do mission to tread on snakes and overcome all evil. The ancient poet Virgil is right: There are always snakes in the grass about which we must be wary.
The snake is the one we can't trust, the people or things who trick us or try to lure us away. The lure of prosperity, drugs, popularity, wealth, instant gratification, celebrity, and of being good to oneself are all snakes we encounter. Jesus encourages the seventy he sends and us that we will have the authority to overcome all these temptations and trials. Medieval mystic Bernard of Clairvaux powerfully related why now that we have been sent, been united to Christ, these snakes have no chance:
"He is living and full of energy. As soon as he has entered me he has awakened my sleeping soul. He has stirred and softened and wounded my heart which was torpid and as hard as a rock. He has started to pluck up and destroy... to warm with his flame those that were cold, and to straighten the crooked paths to my heart and make its rough places smooth" (Elmer O'Brien, ed., Varieties of Mystic Experience, p. 105).
Snakes in the grass have no chance to destroy the missions on which we have been sent, even if the results at first may be ambiguous, as Martin Luther suggests: "I cannot foresee the fruit of my teaching, which people are to be converted and which not... who are you, after all, to search out these things? Do your duty and leave the result to God" (What Luther Says, p. 928).
Mark E.
