Sermon Illustrations for Proper 26 | Ordinary Time 31 (2011)
Illustration
Joshua 3:7-17
In this passage, we see a genuine miracle. God provided a way through the Jordan River by allowing the Israelites to walk through it on dry land. God made a way where there was no way before.
While this could be seen as a rare occurrence, a study of history would prove otherwise. God, either through miraculous means or by using people, has been intimately involved in human affairs. Consider Gideon, Samson, the Maccabees, Joan of Arc, the Underground Railroad, the resistance movement during World War II, and many other instances of God using individuals to create avenues of escape from dangerous situations. Whether it is from God parting a river or one person taking a stand against oppression, God will make a way.
Craig K.
Joshua 3:7-17
The novelist Thomas Wolfe who wrote the classic You Can't Go Home Again, wrote the following words in a letter to Arthur Mann in 1938: "One reason I have always loved baseball so much is that it has been not merely 'the national game' but really a part of… the million memories of America." I can relate to Thomas Wolfe's words. During my teenage years baseball was my whole life. I have memories of playing baseball that I will never forget.
The Bible is saturated with "a million memories" too. One memory Joshua does not want his people Israel to forget was the crossing of the Jordan River after their ancestors had wandered in the desert for many years and then finally entered the Promised Land. Joshua wanted his own people and every succeeding generation of the faithful to recall God's providence that enabled them to enter this land flowing with milk and honey.
Richard H.
1 Thessalonians 2:9-13
At local taverns, pubs, and bars, people drank from pint and quart-sized containers. A barmaid's job was to keep an eye on the customers and keep the drinks coming. She had to pay close attention and remember who was drinking in "pints" and who was drinking in "quarts," hence the phrase "minding your 'Ps and Qs'."
Since then the phrase "minding your 'Ps and Qs' " has come to mean being mindful of our behavior. The evolving phrase has taken on the new meaning that we are to be watchful of our actions toward others. When Paul writes that he is "urging and pleading that you lead a life worthy of God," he is in essence imploring us to be "minding our 'Ps and Qs'." The apostle Paul desires us to live a life free of sin. The apostle Paul desires us to live a life that is worthy of God.
Ron L.
1 Thessalonians 2:9-13
The Johnsons owned a hardware store and they devoted their lives to their business -- tracking what sold and what didn't sell, finding new ways to meet their customers' needs, running to the shop in the middle of the night to fix broken pipes or leaky roofs, working long hours to train their employees to ensure quality service. All of the employees respected the Johnsons and their store was one of the most successful in town. In the next town over, however, the hardware store was an entirely different story. This store did not do well. The owners spent most of their time traveling for pleasure and rarely met with employees face-to-face. The owners blamed employees if inventory was damaged from broken pipes or leaky roofs. They gave little training, they punished employees for days when few sales were made -- even if the weather was bad or other factors prevented customers from getting into the store. No one respected these owners. They did not lead by example. They liked to blame and to complain. Which store would you prefer?
Leah T.
1 Thessalonians 2:9-13
In the popular game show To Tell the Truth, a celebrity panel would ask questions to a group of three individuals, all claiming to be the same person with an unusual occupation or experience, in order to discern who was really who they say. The idea was to find a question to which only the real person would be able to produce an adequate answer but if rules allowed it, the surest way to know whom the real champion lassoer is would be to ask them all to throw a lasso!
In the time 1 Thessalonians was written, a lot of people were claiming to be apostles with church authority but only so many really were. In order to differentiate himself, Paul reminds the Thessalonicans of his love for them, which he displayed concretely in his time there. How he has loved them shows he is from Christ.
Brian H.
Matthew 23:1-12
John Ambrose Wood, father of author Catherine Marshall, was a pastor who served mostly rural churches throughout his lifetime. One day he made a pastoral call on a new member in Keyser, West Virginia. The man of the house worked on the B & O Railroad and when Pastor Wood extended his right hand upon greeting him, the worker apologized: "Can't shake hands with you, Reverend. They're too grimy." The pastor then bent down to rub his hands in coal dust and offered his blackened hand to the worker. "How about it now?"
The pastor had captured the spirit of Jesus' words, "All who exalt themselves will be humbled and all who humble themselves will be exalted." Jesus not only taught humility but he demonstrated it, most notably when he assumed the servant's task at the Last Supper and washed his disciples' dirty feet.
Richard H.
Matthew 23:1-12
From a secular perspective, leadership is viewed as a measurement of status or charisma, a sign that someone stood out above the rest. Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, William the Conqueror, Abraham Lincoln, and others exemplify this view of leadership.
Who do Christians look to as leaders? Anthony the Great, a wanderer who founded the monastic movement; Martin Luther, an obscure German monk who jumpstarted the Reformation; Martin Luther King Jr., a southern preacher with a dream; or Mother Teresa, a quiet woman who brought Christ's love to the streets of Calcutta. Leadership isn't viewed by charisma or status or fancy garb in our faith; it's shown in humility and service. "Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted" (v. 12).
Craig K.
In this passage, we see a genuine miracle. God provided a way through the Jordan River by allowing the Israelites to walk through it on dry land. God made a way where there was no way before.
While this could be seen as a rare occurrence, a study of history would prove otherwise. God, either through miraculous means or by using people, has been intimately involved in human affairs. Consider Gideon, Samson, the Maccabees, Joan of Arc, the Underground Railroad, the resistance movement during World War II, and many other instances of God using individuals to create avenues of escape from dangerous situations. Whether it is from God parting a river or one person taking a stand against oppression, God will make a way.
Craig K.
Joshua 3:7-17
The novelist Thomas Wolfe who wrote the classic You Can't Go Home Again, wrote the following words in a letter to Arthur Mann in 1938: "One reason I have always loved baseball so much is that it has been not merely 'the national game' but really a part of… the million memories of America." I can relate to Thomas Wolfe's words. During my teenage years baseball was my whole life. I have memories of playing baseball that I will never forget.
The Bible is saturated with "a million memories" too. One memory Joshua does not want his people Israel to forget was the crossing of the Jordan River after their ancestors had wandered in the desert for many years and then finally entered the Promised Land. Joshua wanted his own people and every succeeding generation of the faithful to recall God's providence that enabled them to enter this land flowing with milk and honey.
Richard H.
1 Thessalonians 2:9-13
At local taverns, pubs, and bars, people drank from pint and quart-sized containers. A barmaid's job was to keep an eye on the customers and keep the drinks coming. She had to pay close attention and remember who was drinking in "pints" and who was drinking in "quarts," hence the phrase "minding your 'Ps and Qs'."
Since then the phrase "minding your 'Ps and Qs' " has come to mean being mindful of our behavior. The evolving phrase has taken on the new meaning that we are to be watchful of our actions toward others. When Paul writes that he is "urging and pleading that you lead a life worthy of God," he is in essence imploring us to be "minding our 'Ps and Qs'." The apostle Paul desires us to live a life free of sin. The apostle Paul desires us to live a life that is worthy of God.
Ron L.
1 Thessalonians 2:9-13
The Johnsons owned a hardware store and they devoted their lives to their business -- tracking what sold and what didn't sell, finding new ways to meet their customers' needs, running to the shop in the middle of the night to fix broken pipes or leaky roofs, working long hours to train their employees to ensure quality service. All of the employees respected the Johnsons and their store was one of the most successful in town. In the next town over, however, the hardware store was an entirely different story. This store did not do well. The owners spent most of their time traveling for pleasure and rarely met with employees face-to-face. The owners blamed employees if inventory was damaged from broken pipes or leaky roofs. They gave little training, they punished employees for days when few sales were made -- even if the weather was bad or other factors prevented customers from getting into the store. No one respected these owners. They did not lead by example. They liked to blame and to complain. Which store would you prefer?
Leah T.
1 Thessalonians 2:9-13
In the popular game show To Tell the Truth, a celebrity panel would ask questions to a group of three individuals, all claiming to be the same person with an unusual occupation or experience, in order to discern who was really who they say. The idea was to find a question to which only the real person would be able to produce an adequate answer but if rules allowed it, the surest way to know whom the real champion lassoer is would be to ask them all to throw a lasso!
In the time 1 Thessalonians was written, a lot of people were claiming to be apostles with church authority but only so many really were. In order to differentiate himself, Paul reminds the Thessalonicans of his love for them, which he displayed concretely in his time there. How he has loved them shows he is from Christ.
Brian H.
Matthew 23:1-12
John Ambrose Wood, father of author Catherine Marshall, was a pastor who served mostly rural churches throughout his lifetime. One day he made a pastoral call on a new member in Keyser, West Virginia. The man of the house worked on the B & O Railroad and when Pastor Wood extended his right hand upon greeting him, the worker apologized: "Can't shake hands with you, Reverend. They're too grimy." The pastor then bent down to rub his hands in coal dust and offered his blackened hand to the worker. "How about it now?"
The pastor had captured the spirit of Jesus' words, "All who exalt themselves will be humbled and all who humble themselves will be exalted." Jesus not only taught humility but he demonstrated it, most notably when he assumed the servant's task at the Last Supper and washed his disciples' dirty feet.
Richard H.
Matthew 23:1-12
From a secular perspective, leadership is viewed as a measurement of status or charisma, a sign that someone stood out above the rest. Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, William the Conqueror, Abraham Lincoln, and others exemplify this view of leadership.
Who do Christians look to as leaders? Anthony the Great, a wanderer who founded the monastic movement; Martin Luther, an obscure German monk who jumpstarted the Reformation; Martin Luther King Jr., a southern preacher with a dream; or Mother Teresa, a quiet woman who brought Christ's love to the streets of Calcutta. Leadership isn't viewed by charisma or status or fancy garb in our faith; it's shown in humility and service. "Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted" (v. 12).
Craig K.
