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Illustrations for Proper 5 | Ordinary Time 10 (2021)

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1 Samuel 8:4-11 (12-15) 16-20 (11:14-15)
There is a lot of cynicism about government. A 2020 Pew Research Center poll found that just 20% of Americans trust the federal government, and the events in Washington in January may illustrate deeper cynicism. John Wesley’s comments on this lesson may provide insights about our present situation in America. He claimed that in seeking a king, the desires of the people of Israel exceeded their reason (Commentary on the Bible, p.183). Maybe in our political choices we have followed our desires more than reason. In our post-Trump context, we dare not forget the warning issued by 18th-century British commander John Edward Acton that “power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely.”

In dealing with this lesson, it is important to note that God did not stop the creation of a monarchy in Israel. This seems an acknowledgement of the need for government (see Romans 13:1). It is as Alexander Hamilton wrote in The Federalist Papers (p.110):

Why has government been instituted at all? Because the passions of men will not conform to the dictates of reason and justice without constraint?

Martin Luther makes clear that government is really a creation of God, ultimately dependent on our Lord:

Let government be whatever it please, it is not of men; otherwise it would not be safe for one hour. If God did not sustain government authorities with His power, Mr. Everybody would kill all of them. Since, then, government is in God’s power and ordinance, one must look upon it as God’s representative. (What Luther Says, p.576)
Mark E. 

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Psalm 138
The psalmist proclaims, “Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve me against the wrath of my enemies; you stretch out your hand, and your right hand delivers me.” We don’t talk about wrath much. Anger, yes. Hate, yes. Violence, yes. But wrath fits in times of extreme rage and anger. Wrath fits in times of hate and violence. It’s an old, not often used word, but I experienced wrath at a recent congregational gathering. People were so hurt, so angry, so in pain, that there was no way forward in healthy communication. There were accusations. There was name calling. There was yelling even. I would call it wrath. Had we all had the ability or taken the action to reach our hands out to God, had we been able to move into prayer, seeking God’s guidance, the tide and tenor of the conversation might have changed. I am preserved and delivered, but many were not. I pray God’s hand deliver.
Bonnie B.

* * *

Psalm 138
This is a psalm of thanksgiving and being thankful is good for you. The Nov. 20, 2012 issue of “Psychology Today” reported on a Chinese study which revealed that higher levels of gratitude were associated with better sleep, and with lower anxiety and depression. It is good to be grateful. British writer G. K. Chesterton makes this point with a challenge:

When it comes to life the critical thing is whether you take things for granted or take them with gratitude.

John Calvin adds an interesting observation about reasons for being grateful to God. He’s not so great that He forgets anyone:

... the greatness of God does not prevent His having respect for the poor and humble ones of the earth. (Calvin’s Commentaries, Vol.VI/2, p.202)
Mark E.

* * *

2 Corinthians 4:13--5:1
Everyone knows the process by which a caterpillar morphs into a butterfly. A caterpillar stuffs itself with leaves, growing plumper and longer through a series of molts in which it sheds its skin. One day, the caterpillar stops eating, hangs upside down from a twig or leaf and spins itself a silky cocoon or molts into a shiny chrysalis. Within its protective casing, the caterpillar’s body is radically transformed, eventually emerging as a butterfly or moth.

I reviewed that process from the website Scientific American. What I didn’t know is what happened inside the cocoon. According to the same website, the caterpillar, first, digests itself, releasing enzymes to dissolve all its tissues. Then the process of transformation begins as the cells begin to form the wings, antennae, legs, eyes and all the other features of an adult butterfly or moth. While I’ve been aware of the caterpillar/butterfly transformation for a long time, I did not know what happened in the cocoon. It sounds difficult and perhaps even painful.

I thought about that process as I read this passage again. We go through struggles and hardships in this life. Paul acknowledges that. He writes in verses 16-17, “Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. For this slight momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure.” I don’t know if the butterfly remembers what it was like to be a caterpillar, but I doubt it. There will come a day when the struggles of this life will be no more and forgotten as we enjoy an eternal glory in the presence of our king.
Bill T.

* * *

2 Corinthians 4:13--5:1
In this passage, Paul has been talking about real afflictions – he will catalog his personal afflictions later in the letter – and demonstrates by example that we cling to scripture for strength in tough times. Paul quotes Psalm 116:10 when he writes, in Greek, “I believed, and so I spoke.” One might make the point that Paul is sort of misquoting the verse by taking it out of context. If you turn to the psalm, you might read something like this: I kept my faith, even when I said, “I am greatly afflicted….”

But Paul is quoting from the Greek translation of the Hebrew scriptures, which reads, indeed, “I believed, and so I spoke.” More to the point, when we’re sinking in the storm, and reaching for anything to cling to, it’s what the hymn or the scripture verse says to us at that moment which saves us.

Maybe later, when things are calmer, we can take time to appreciate the larger context, and the depths of meaning in each scripture, but at the moment, when we need help sometimes the Holy Spirit has a special message for us in a verse that we need right now.
Frank R.

* * *

Mark 3:20-35
“If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand.” These ancient words from the gospel of Mark have never been truer. We are divided, in homes, families, churches, communities, nations. We have forgotten how to talk civilly in dialogue with one another. We have forgotten dialogue all together. It seems that we speak to convince the other that we are right, and they are wrong. Divided houses cannot stand. Divided churches cannot stand. What is the answer? It is the same as it always has been. The answer is to love, to focus on love. To see those around us through the eyes of God, of Christ. We need some serious rebuilding. Love is the answer.
Bonnie B.

* * *

Mark 3:20-35
There is a lot of uncertainty in America about salvation. A survey conducted by the Cultural Research Center of Arizona Christian University revealed that a plurality of American adults (48%) and most American Christians (52%) believe that salvation can be earned. We are not sure salvation is certain, despite what Jesus seems to say in v. 28. But what of the unpardonable sin? Billy Graham nicely described it once:

The unpardonable sin is rejecting the truth about Christ. It is rejecting, completely and finally, the witness of the Holy Spirit, which declares that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who alone can save us from our sins.

Somebody struggling with concern about faith and salvation is not committing the sin against the Holy Spirit! We do well to keep in mind John Calvin’s reflections on this matter of confidence in our salvation. He wrote: “The very nature of God makes it impossible for Him not to be merciful.” (Calvin’s Commentaries, Vol.VI/1, p.131)
Mark E.
UPCOMING WEEKS
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CSSPlus

John Jamison
Object: A rock about the size of a tennis ball, baseball, or even a softball.

* * *

Hello, everyone! (Let them respond.) Are you ready for our story today? (Let them respond.) Excellent!

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For March 30, 2025:

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Paul reread the parable again and sighed. Why had he agreed to lead the Bible study this week? When Pastor Luke asked him, he had been all excited and enthusiastic. He knew the parable of the prodigal son inside and out having read commentaries and stories about it before. He had actually preached a sermon on the passage when Pastor Luke was away and received great feedback from the congregation.

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It is a well-known cliché that “God never gives us more than we can handle”, but I have sometimes found that not to be so. When my youngest brother died of brain cancer at age five, it was more than I could handle. When my first husband was emotionally and physically abusive, it was more than I could handle. When my second husband and I lost our twin sons at birth, it was more than I could handle. The COVID pandemic was more than we could handle. Wars and violence are often more than we can handle. Homelessness, poverty, grief, and loss are often more than we can handle.
John N. Brittain
I suppose we are all a little bit nervous about the prospect of a sermon on a Bible story as familiar and sometimes as overworked as the Parable of the Prodigal Son. "What can I possibly say that hasn't been said before?" And I know what's going through your minds: "Are we going to be subjected to the same old sermon yet another time?" Confronting a familiar Bible passage like this mid-Lent really serves to address the discipline of reading Scripture as part of our devotional life, particularly passages that are very familiar.
Charles D. Reeb
A. A. Milne, the creator of Winnie the Pooh, wrote a simple, yet telling poem in his work, Now We Are Six:

When I was One, I had just begun.
When I was Two, I was nearly new.
When I was Three, I was hardly Me.
When I was Four, I was not much more.
When I was Five, I was just alive.
But now I am Six, I'm as clever as ever.
So I think I'll be six now for ever and ever.1

The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott
Call to worship:

While the Prodigal Son was still far off, his father saw him, ran to him, put his arms around him and kissed him. In our worship today, let us turn to God so that he may run to us, put his arms around and kiss us.

Invitation to confession:

Jesus, for the times when we run away from you,

Lord, have mercy.

Jesus, for the times when we have wasted our inheritance on dissolute living,

Christ, have mercy.

Jesus, when we return to you,

Lord, have mercy.

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