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Sermon Illustrations For Proper 12 | Ordinary Time 17 (2023)

Illustration
Genesis 29:15-28
One of the best April Fool’s day tricks was done by a roommate of mine in college. The three of us lived in an apartment. Bob and I were good about going to class, but Ted would often sleep in and miss the eight o’clock class. On the night before April 1, after Bob and I had gone to bed, Ted moved every clock in our apartment one hour ahead. This was before cell phone days, so we depended on alarm clocks. So, at 6:15 when the alarm sounded, Bob and I got up.  We checked on Ted who said he was not going that day. No surprise. We got ready and left the apartment and got to the parking lot at the University of Kansas. We were stunned that we could get a parking space on the front row. We walked toward our building and saw no one on campus yet. It was strange. Finally, we decided to check what was going on. We stepped into the business school and saw that the clock read 6:45!  Ted was back in the apartment, roaring with laughter.

I believe that to be the best practical joke played on me. This passage in Genesis describes a trick, but it is no joke. The conniving nature of both Jacob and Laban are on display in this sad story.

Jacob loves Laban’s younger daughter, Rachel. After working seven years, he expects to marry her only to find that Laban has substituted Leah, Rachel’s older sister, as the bride. On the morning after the wedding celebration, Jacob realizes the identity of his bride and is outraged. He and Laban barter for another seven years of work for Rachel. I can’t help but wonder, in this story, how Leah must have felt? She was unchosen, unloved and used in a bait and switch deal by her father. Even when the trick is discovered, she doesn’t get mentioned.  In many ways, jokes and tricks are funny, until they aren’t.  That might be good to remember.
Bill T.

* * *

Genesis 29:15-28
John Calvin comments on Laban’s dishonest dealings with Jacob, seeing it as a lesson in human nature.  He writes:
Such an example is certainly worthy of notice, for men seldom err in general principles, and therefore... every man ought to receive what is his due; but as soon as they descend to their own affairs, perverse self-love blinds them...Wherefore, let us learn to restrain ourselves that a desire of our own advantage not prevail to the sacrifice of justice. (Calvin’s Commentaries, Vol. I/2, pp.129-130)

In a similar vein, Martin Luther notes how Jacob’s willingness to comply with customs of Laban’s country (v.26) illustrates what the Christian is to make of laws and customs which seem
unfair.  Generally, Luther would have us obey them unless there is specific biblical precedent to disobey.  In a comment which gives sound guidance on what to make of the actions of a lot of biblical characters, he writes: 
           
Customs, laws, and rights should be observed, and examples should be followed... No example should be followed unless it is similar in all respects.  If you are similar to Jacob, and if such a case, such an occasion and necessity, arises, then you will be permitted to do what Jacob was permitted to do. If you are not similar to Jacob in all respects, you will have to adhere to the law and the common customs. (Luther’s Works, Vol.5, p.308)    

Luther also suggests that the lesson might be used to extol the virtues of marriage, and what it takes to have a good marriage.  Lecturing on the text the reformer observed:
           
For although passion and the love of sex for sex remains, yet that bond concerning which Moses says that a wife should be an inseparable companion for life in the eyes of her husband is very hard and difficult.  For no matter what calamity befalls either their bodies, their property, or their offspring that firm and indissoluble bond remains. (Luther’s Works, Vol.5, pp.289-290)
Mark E.

* * *

Romans 8:26-39
I read Romans 8:31-39 (with the exception of verse 36 which breaks the flow) at every funeral I perform. It’s great poetry, of course, but it’s an even greater promise that God will pull out all the stops for us. It is God who justifies. It is God who intercedes. And nothing will separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
           
All this reminds of me Julian of Norwich (1343-circa 1416), who survived the Black Death, though it seems likely that the rest of her family did not. In 1373, while close to death, she received a series of visions of Jesus which are now known as “The Revelations of Divine Love.” She wrote a shorter version soon afterwards, making her the first woman to write a book in English. Twenty years later, she wrote a longer version with deeper reflections. She spent the last decades of her life as an Anchorite, receiving the last rites and then entombed in a small room attached to the church. One curtained window opened towards the sanctuary, so she could worship with her community. The other opened to the street, so that she could listen to the pain of others, and offering advice, prayer, and encouragement.
           
In a world of suffering and pain she wrote that the love of God was even greater. She was assured that, “All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.” The pain and suffering that seemed so powerful was nothing compared to the love of God and suffering Jesus endured gladly for us, and she wrote: “This is the great deed ordained of our Lord God from without beginning, treasured and hid in his blessed breast, only known to himself, by which deed he shall make all things well.”
           
And reflecting, she wrote, “And standing all this, me thought it was impossible that all manner of thing should be well…. And to this I had no other answer in shewing of our Lord but this, that that is impossible to thee is not impossible to me. I shall save my word in all thing, and I shall make all thing well.”  (Chapter 32, page 40)
           
Julian did not write scripture, but she did write about her vivid experience. Her testimony, along with the work of other mystics, convinces me that Paul is right. We ain’t seen nothing yet.
Frank R.

* * *

Romans 8:26-39
Many people remember the song “Tie A Yellow Ribbon ‘Round the Old Oak Tree,” but few are aware of the background of that popular 1970’s song. L. Russell Brown, the songwriter, shared that story with “The Tennessean” in November of 2018.  He was reading Readers Digest and came across an article about a soldier coming home from the Andersonville Prison after the Civil War. He wrote to his girlfriend these words, “"I'll understand if I should stay on the stagecoach. But if I shouldn't, tie a big yellow handkerchief on the big oak tree outside of town. And then I'll know if it's there, I should get off, but I'll understand that you found someone else in the last three years." As the stagecoach approached, he asked the driver and the others in the coach to look for him. When they came to the big oak tree, they screamed. It was covered in yellow handkerchiefs. Brown realized that this story would make a great song.
    
The rest is, as they say, history. That song is a poignant reminder that nothing could separate those in love, not even prison. In a powerful and even more profound way, Paul reminds the Christians at Rome that nothing can separate them from the love of God in Christ Jesus. Nothing can separate, not life or death; not angels or rulers; or anything anywhere can separate us from God’s love. If you need proof of God’s love, look no further than the tree outside the city of Jerusalem at the Place of the Skull. There the proof of God’s love hung on a tree.
Bill T. 

* * *

Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52
Mustard seeds, treasure, a pearl of great price, and yet one more cast of the net in hopes of a great catch – the elements of these parables come from everyday life. Who hasn’t dreamed of an extraordinary harvest when planting a garden, searched for a treasure, haunted an auction looking for that pearl, or thought to themselves that one more try might just bring in a hundredfold harvest?

Rewriting the parables to reflect the professions of our Information Age, keeping in mind the professions and avocations of our church members, is not a bad idea. The parables of Jesus are earthy and down to earth.

Don’t work too hard for total accuracy. Remember, mustard seeds don’t grow into trees. They’re plants. Perhaps this comment was meant to make the listeners laugh. They knew mustard seeds didn’t grow into trees. Or maybe the outcome reminds us of just how incredible the possibilities become when we truly live a parabolic life.
Frank R.

* * *

Matthew   13:31-33, 44-52
The parables of the mustard seed, the pearl of great value, and associated images in the text remind us of the hidden character of God’s work.  According to John Calvin they “are intended to instruct believers to prefer the Kingdom of Heaven to the world, and therefore to deny themselves and all the desires of the flesh...”  (Calvin’s Commentaries, Vol.  XVl.I/2, p.131)

To this point he adds that, “We commonly set a high value on what is visible, and therefore the new and spiritual life, which is held out to us in the gospel is little esteemed by us, because it is hidden, and lies in hope.”  (Ibid.)  Living in hope entails leaving the results of our service up to God.  Martin Luther made that point:

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. 
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John Jamison
Object: This is a role play activity.

Note: You will need to select six children to play roles in this activity. If you have a smaller group, you might ask some older youth or even adults to play the parts of the two attackers and the man being attacked. I will give suggestions for how they can play their roles, but feel free to help your children make the story as fun and memorable as you can. I have used boys and girls in the various roles, but you can change those however you want to change them.

* * *

The Immediate Word

Dean Feldmeyer
Katy Stenta
Thomas Willadsen
Christopher Keating
George Reed
Mary Austin
Nazish Naseem
For July 13, 2025:
  • Samaritans Among Us by Dean Feldmeyer based on Acts 2:1-21. Samaritans were despised and dismissed by the original audience who first heard Jesus tell this parable. Who are the Samaritans in our lives and how does this parable apply today?
  • Second Thoughts: The Helpers by Katy Stenta based on Amos 7:7-17.

StoryShare

Frank Ramirez
I say, “You are gods,
    children of the Most High, all of you;
nevertheless, you shall die like mortals
    and fall like any prince….”
(vv. 6-7)

There have been any number of brother-sister acts that achieved a measure of fame. Take the Carpenters, famed for their singing, musicianship, and songwriting skills. Also worthy of mention are John and Joan Cusack who have acted together in over sixteen films.

Emphasis Preaching Journal

Wayne Brouwer
An ancient legend tells of a remote mountain village where people used to send their senior citizens out into the woods to die. The villagers had an eye to the future; they felt that those beyond a certain age would only slow down progress or use up valuable resources to no economically profitable end. Those who reached a certain age weren’t “put out to pasture” or “put out of their misery”; they were simply put out of other people’s way.
Mark Ellingsen
Bill Thomas
Frank Ramirez
Amos 7:7-17 and Psalm 82
The tallest building in the world is the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. It is more than 2,700 feet high—over half a mile tall. It has 160 floors and is twice as tall as the Empire State Building in New York City. It is home to the world’s fastest elevator which reaches speeds of forty miles an hour. The Burj Khalifa also hosts the world’s highest outdoor observation deck (on the 124th floor) and the world’s highest swimming pool (on the 76th floor).

The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott
Mabel hummed a familiar hymn tune as she made her way to church. She always enjoyed her Sunday morning walk. It was one of the few times she felt safe to walk alone through the inner city, for she knew nobody would be up at 7.45 in the morning. Today was a particularly beautiful morning, with blue sky, warm sunshine, and the song of a few intrepid blackbirds who still inhabited the city.

SermonStudio

James Evans
Often, a distinction is made between the pastoral or priestly work of the church and the prophetic work. Pastoral care has to do with the care of souls, the offering of comfort in times of loss. The priestly character of pastoral work seeks to mediate the presence of God to those who are hurting.

Schuyler Rhodes
Trusting is never easy. Even in the best of relationships, people step into trust slowly. There is wariness -- questioning -- worry. What happens if trust is betrayed? What if this doesn't work? Sometimes it's like a dance. We step in and out of trust, moving to the rhythms of fear. For many, the routine is achingly familiar. Indeed, it's not easy to trust.
John Jamison
It was back in the days when the railroad was the most common mode of transportation. There were automobiles, and some airplanes, but the steam locomotive was the way most folks traveled and the way that most of the goods were distributed around the country. After dinner, people sat in the drawing room and listened to the radio programs, fading in and out from some faraway location, over the magical broadcasting signal.
Robert Leslie Holmes
Not many tourists to Washington, D.C., look for the Federal Bureau of Standards offices. It's the Capitol and the White House, the Supreme Court Building or the Smithsonian most of us want to see when we go there. Yet, at the Bureau of Standards offices something very important is stored, something that impacts your life and mine every single day. Have you ever bought the materials for a new project? When you did, most likely you purchased so many inches or feet or yards. Or, you stopped to buy gasoline for your car and purchased it at a certain price per gallon.
David O. Bales
I have the two best jobs in the world. I teach social studies at Leon Griffith Junior High School (a fairly small junior high) and I am Sunday School Superintendent at Calvary Presbyterian Church (an enormous church school). Each job is my vocation. I tell people that at school they'll find my room where the halls cross. At church they can look but probably won't find me. I'll be in someone's classroom. At each job I practice what I most deeply believe: it's how you see the world that determines how you respond to it. I'll give you an example, actually, two examples.
Erskine White
O Lord my God! When I in awesome wonder,
Consider all the worlds Thy hands have made,
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed,
Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!
(Stuart K. Hine)

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