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Sermon Illustrations for Epiphany 3 (OT 3) Cycle C (2022)

Illustration
Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10
In a comment which explains a lot of what is happening in contemporary America, the Greek philosopher Aristotle observed, “Poverty is the parent of revolution and crime.” Mahatma Gandhi is said to have observed that “Poverty is the worst form of violence.”

Singer-songwriter Bono observed in a comment in accord with a Christian reading of this lesson (esp.vv.9-10): “To me a faith in Jesus Christ that is not aligned with the poor... it’s nothing.” The initiator of black theology James Cone made a similar comment: 

The authentic identity of Christians with the poor is found in the claim which the Jesus-encounter lays upon their own lifestyle, a claim that connects the word "Christian" with the liberation of the poor (God of the Oppressed).

If such commitments seem too liberal or un-American, consider the observations of Thomas Jefferson:

 [W]henever there are in any country uncultivated land and unemployed poor, it is clear that the laws of property have been so far extended as to violate natural right... If for the encouragement of industry we allow it [the land] to be appropriated, we must take care that other employment be provided to those excluded from the appropriation. (Writings, pp.841-842)
Mark E.  

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1 Corinthians 12:12-31a
Aesop’s Fables were not considered literature. Why would anyone think so? They were written by a slave, and they weren’t high poetry. But the fables continue to speak to us.

Reading this passage, in which Paul compares us to different body parts, and reminds us that we are interconnected, and need each other, I wonder if Paul was familiar with the fable which we know as “The Stomach and the Feet.”

It goes something like this. The stomach and the feet were arguing about their comparative importance. The feet boasted of their strength, which was far superior to the stomach. The feet carried not just the stomach, but the whole body here and there. The stomach replied, “If I didn’t receive the food and provide strength to the whole body, you wouldn’t get anywhere.”

130 Perry Index H 197 Fabulae Aesopicae Collectae, ed. C Halm Leipzig (Tuebner) 1852.
Frank R.

* * *

1 Corinthians 12:12-31
Fred Rogers (Mr. Rogers) once said, “All of us, at some time or other, need help. Whether we're giving or receiving help, each one of us has something valuable to bring to this world. That's one of the things that connects us as neighbors--in our own way, each one of us is a giver and a receiver." 

In researching for this passage, I found several attestations of a story Gary Inrig shares in his book Life in His Body.  Inrig wrote, “Several years ago, two students graduated from the Chicago-Kent College of Law. The highest-ranking student in the class was a blind man named Overton and, when he received his honor, he insisted that half the credit should go to his friend, Kaspryzak. They had met one another in school when the armless Mr. Kaspryzak had guided the blind Mr. Overton down a flight of stairs. This acquaintance ripened into friendship and a beautiful example of interdependence. The blind man carried the books which the armless man read aloud in their common study, and thus the individual deficiency of each was compensated for by the other. After their graduation, they planned to practice law together.”

In this passage, Paul notes the different roles and gifts in the body of Christ, emphasizing that each one has a part to play. Let’s recognize and celebrate that each follower of Jesus brings something to enrich and benefit the whole body.
Bill T.

* * *

Luke 4:14-21
The focus of this biblical account on eschatology (illustrated by Jesus’ focus on the coming Messiah reported in Isaiah 61:1-2) is also related to concern for the poor. This theme of how preparing for the end has implications for how we use the goods of the earth is reflected in comments first by John Calvin and then by Martin Luther: 

Hence, it is not without good reason, that the apostle, with the view of arousing us from this stupidity, calls us to consider the shortness of this life, and infers from this, that we ought to use all things of this world, as if we did not use them. For the man who considers that he a stranger in the world uses the things of this world as if they were another’s — that is, as things lent to us for a single day. (Calvin’s Commentaries, Vol.XX/1, p.257) 

This is the general teaching for all Christians, that they should treasure that eternal blessing, which is theirs in the faith, despising this life so that they do not sink too deeply into it either with love and desire or suffering and boredom, but should rather behave like guests on earth, using everything for a short time because of need and not just pleasure. (Luther’s Works, Vol.28, p.52)

Insights about living for the future have been provided by Bill Clinton’s spiritual advisor Rev. Tony Campolo and by Thomas Jefferson. Campolo advises, “Your past is important, but it is not nearly as important to your present as the way you see your future.” And Jefferson once observed, “I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past.”
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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